The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Our agenda for Buhari, by OPS

    As President Muhammadu Buhari took oath of office for the second term of another four years, the Organised Labour has put before him the fixing of power, job creation, among others, as priorities to combat unemployment and insecurity in the country, writes TOBA AGBOOLA.

    The Organised Labour  expects  President Muhammadu Buhari to focus on policies that  will lift  impoverished Nigerians out of poverty as well as check ‘gangsterism’ in his second term.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba, said for Buhari to achieve this, there are three key areas he needs to focus on. “The clear agenda is on three issues. Let him concentrate on building three critical infrastructure. One is power. When you have constant power supply, everybody will find his or her level. Industries will blossom and we can begin to address the problem of jobs and insecurity in our country. We thank God that part of the loans sourced will be used for the Mambilla power project. Power should be our major priority for now,” he said.

    He continued: “The second priority is the issue of insecurity. Yes, there are new emerging trends, but no investor will come into a country with security challenge. So, there is need to look at our security architecture. We need to end the entire process of insecurity. I agree that the fight against corruption must be a priority,  but it is also essential that we must get people, who have integrity and we have so many of them in Nigeria. He should not restrict himself to party faithful.

    “Nigerians are making waves around the world. For this second term, he should go for the best. People of proven integrity, not those when you appoint them, they will ‘eat and clean mouth’ and pretend as if they have not eaten at all. This is what is required now and, if we are able to do this, Nigeria can return to the path of greatness, progress, prosperity and everybody will be happy and things can move forward.”

    The government, Wabba said,  must put in place agro-allied firms that will add value to agricultural products as it is done in countries like Thailand and India in rice production, adding that  this is how to create jobs for the youth.

    “The last is the issue of our comparative advantage in oil and gas. We have no business to continue to import refined products; we are exporting our jobs. It’s not rocket science to fix our refineries. In fact, a modular refinery can be built in 18 months. Our refineries can be overhauled. The four refineries, if upgraded, are enough to serve our local needs and even the West African market. It is because of the corruption in the system that we’ve not been able to do this. Those refineries can be used to power businesses and even the power system.

    “But selling it to a few individuals, who are not even paying taxes is not going to help us because in every economy, there is a stage where the government plays critical roles. Look at the United States, when did they start privatisation? It’s recently. Even the United Kingdom, it was during the administration of Margaret Thatcher. The government has a role in business; it has a role in driving social system. We cannot talk of privatisation when we have not stabilised,” Wabba said.

    On the new minimum wage, Wabba said the country has passed the level where governors or employers could play God over the workers.

    He said: “We thank God that we have passed that level, we have passed the bridge. Today, it is a law. If you don’t pay, you have violated the law. There is provision for sanctions; there is provision for us to take many, many actions, including taking the issue to court, and demanding that you pay arrears. Clearly, we have gone beyond the level of ‘whether I can pay or I cannot pay. Political office holders, including governors, have sworn to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Therefore, anybody that does not pay has invariably violated the Constitution and his oath of office and he should resign.

    “Clearly, going forward is about the normal tradition that we are going to engage states that refuse to pay. We are not treading this path for the first time. We will continue to do that and nothing that was given to workers ever got to them on a platter of gold.

    “We are not under any illusion that any recalcitrant governor or any recalcitrant employer will give workers the minimum wage on a platter of gold. The law is there, but we have to do engagement and we will do that vigorously and with all our ability to make sure that Nigerian workers benefit from this little increase.”

    Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) Director-General, Mr Timothy Olawale said although the employers’ body does not expect surprises, judging from the president’s policy thrust in the last four years, it nevertheless expects that the administration will not deviate from key polices contained in the Economic Growth Recovery Plan (ERGP).

    “Having followed keenly the thrust of President Buhari-led administration, we do not expect any deviation from the administration’s policies. Much surprise is not expected, judging by the direction of the administration since its inception, hence, we expect to see more of policy stability,“ Olawale said.

    According to the NECA boss, there is the need for the government to sustain its commitment to the implementation of the Economic Growth Recovery Plan (ERGP).

    He noted that stability of different economic policies and focus on different social investment programmes such as the trader-moni, etc, which are deemed pro-poor and deepening of engagement with the private, will help the government put the economy on growth path.

    He added that infrastructure development must also be sustained, as employers expect to see the completion of major infrastructure projects across the country.

    The DG, who expressed concerns of businesses as regard what he termed ‘worrisome trend’ in the first four years of the administration, reminded Buhari of the need to check ‘regulatory gangstarism’, which reached a new height in the last four years of his administration.

    “As the President was making efforts to ease the challenges of doing business in Nigeria, some regulatory agencies were stifling businesses, discouraging entrepreneurial propensity of small and medium scale entities and inadvertently creating the environment for job losses,” he said.

    While drawing the President’s attention the to this anathema, he said “the President must ensure that this trend is brought to a stop”, adding that “a collaborative engagement of the private sector and creation of an environment for it to thrive is the only panacea to the raging threat of unemployment in our nation”.

    Olawale said the Buhari-led administration has another four years opportunity to reverse the negative trends and prognosis associated with the nation in the last four years, noting that concerted efforts must be made to revive moribund industries, support struggling enterprises, create a responsible regulatory regime and focus on inclusive growth for the rapid development of our nation.

    Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) General Secretary, Mr Okugbawa Lumumba, who spoke on his expectations from the new administration,  advised Buhari to promote good governance that would benefit the nation and the masses. “We want the government to expedite action on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill. The last bill was reviewed in 1959,” Lumumba said.

    The PENGASSAN chief said there should be local refining of crude oil, instead of importation, to save cost. He urged the president to also ensure transparency and positive reforms that would change the lives of the masses.

    National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products President Mr Babatunde Olatunji advised the government to kick off the implementation of the leather policy, promised last October 31.

    Olatunji said any policy, made to develop the sector would improve the nation’s gross domestic product, curb influx of foreign foot wears and leather.

    National Union of Textile Deputy General Secretary, Garment and Tailoring Workers, Comrade Ismail Bello, said the sector needed policies that would revive and create jobs.

    Bello said  the non-conducive business environment, smuggling, among other factors, had made the textile manufacturing hubs in Kano, Kaduna and Lagos solitary camps, adding that out of the 250  textile firms in Nigeria, only about 25 are struggling to remain functional due to smuggling and counterfeiting.

    He said the sector is expecting a boost in the patronage of local fabrics and an increase in electricity supply to boost production.

    The scribe said the government should equally collect right duties on imported fabrics to discourage importation and provide gas at affordable prices to reduce production cost.

  • 72hrs too short to submit financial report, says ULC

    The United Labour Congress (ULC) has complained that Minister of Labour Dr Chris Ngige’s directive to the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to submit its finanacial report within 72 hours is unrealistic.

    In a statement, ULC President Joe Ajaero said the May 13, letter in which the ministry demanded that NUPENG should submit within 72 hours, audited reports of its accounts for 2017 and 2018, was unacceptable.

    The statement reads: “The rules are very clear regarding such requests by the ministry. The law provides for 30 clear days instead of the three days demanded by the operatives of the Ministry of Labour. When laws are flagrantly disregarded by those who are supposed to be its custodian, it raises other questions. If the request was for the purposes of probity and standards in the industry, why resort to impunity in pursuing it or perhaps, there is an indecent haste to achieve a devious end?

    “We strongly condemn this apparent scapegoating of NUPENG. It is selective and is designed to cow the union into submission. This is a tool that we abhor and should not be encouraged within the nation’s industrial relations arena where we ought to see the parties: government, employers and workers as social partners. The Ministry’s request is illegal and runs counter to our traditions and practice as industrial relations parties.”

    Ajaero said whatever may have been the provocations, the union expected the Federal Ministry of Labour to be cautious.

    He said actions that against the ethics of its engagement should not be an option as it sought to resolve any grievance.

    Read Also: ULC urges Senate to reject request for $2.78b loan

    He said: “ULC cannot fold its arms and watch NUPENG, a very strong affiliate of it, harassed by others over a matter that can be handled more responsibly and amicably by all parties. To this end, we are exploring avenues to seek more sensible and amicable resolution of all issues involved to avoid plunging this nation into a disastrous industrial unrest with unimaginable consequences.”

    Meanwhile, NUPENG leadership has condemned the threat by Ngige, to proscribe the union.

    Its President, Comrade Williams Akporeha, said it was not surprised by the move of the minister going by the reactions to the organised labours.

    The union said this was evident given the peaceful rallies and picketing of places of interest to the minister over his failure to inaugurate the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) with Comrade Ovie Frank Kokori as chairman and the use of armed thugs to attack labour leaders.

    “It is shameful that the Minister of Labour had to condescend so low by issuing a directive to NUPENG to produce its only outstanding financial returns for 2018 within 72 hours when the extant law stipulates 30 days, and even when such returns are supposed to be due by June 31, 2019. We have it from good authority that he has further carried all our files right from the inception of our union (1978) to date in a bid to fish out phantom reasons he intends to use in proscribing the union,” he said.

    The union wondered why only NUPENG was instructed to submit its report.

  • NUBIFIE urges Ninth Assembly to address anti-labour practices

    THE National Union of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) has charged the incoming National Assembly to look into casualisation and other anti-labour practices in the banking sector.

    It said most new generation banks did not respect labour laws.

    Its President, Comrade Abakpa Anthony, said the banks rather than employ permanent staff, who are more experienced and better qualified, preferred casuals with  lower qualifications.

    He lamented that as casuals, the workers were denied their rights, such as unionising.

    He said: “Casualisation is satanic. It is a way of outsourcing people’s destiny, when they are still alive. A casual is like making one a refugee in one’s country. Mortgaging people future.

    “We have continued to engage the CEOs who do not know the implication on the Nigerian workers.”

    The NUBIFIE chief said the union  protested at the National Assembly twice, adding that they were disappointed with the way the issue was handled.

    He added: “We would have loved a situation where the union and the banks we reported to the National Assembly were given the same hearing on the same day. But that was not the situation, the day the CEOs were invited, we were not there and, to us, it was like shifting the goal post. If they really want to treat it, they should have called us together.

    “What the National Assembly did was to send the banks questions, based on our report, which they would not have answered truthfully. But, unfortunately, we were not there to tell them that their information were falsified and that is why we want the new  lawmakers to revisit it.”

    Abakpa maintained that workers have the right to belong to unions irrespective of their status and should not be denied by their employers.

    He however noted that the union had been able to make some progress at getting some rights for the casuals.

    “Unlike when the casuals irrespective of the years they may have worked would be made to go without anything, we hold principal banks responsible for workers who have spent five years to get exit package at the time of disengagement. They have to pay them and not returning them to the contractors.

    “Our question has been, would you say the drivers carrying your money, the marketers, the tellers are not core to your service? Sincerely, there is need for a reappraisal on the way Nigerians are being treated like slaves by employers in their country,” he stated.

     

  • NSITF promises workers better deal

    Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Managing Director/Chief Executive Adebayo Somefun has promised workers better welfare.

    Speaking at a briefing in Lagos, he said the management ensured that registration of employers was completed in one day and the yearly compliance certificate issued within seven days.

    Certificates, he said, would  be issued online to boost efficiency.

    The Executive Director Operations, Mrs Kemi Nelson, said setting aside a special fund for  claims settlement remained topmost on the agenda of the management.

    To her, such step would ensure injured workers get compensation and those that require rehabilitation get the needed medical attention promptly.

    A former Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Peter Esele, who lauded the management team for remaining forward-looking and refused to be distracted by the non-inauguration of the board, said  matters relating to the inauguration and the attendant politics should be discarded forthwith.

    He said: “Now that the President has declared that Austin Enajemo-Esire should chair the board of NSITF, the matter should be closed because it is the prerogative of the President to decide who chairs the board. Now that there is a board, it is my expectation that it would manage the fund to the best of its ability and do better than the previous board.”

    He said it is the responsibility of the two members representing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to ensure that the interest of the workers were protected.

    He added: “Whoever is representing the NLC on the NSITF board is there to carry out some sorts of oversight functions. A lot of things happened during the tenure of the last board in the presence of labour representatives. What were they doing then? Why didn’t they shout when things were not done properly for Nigerians to know? It is not good enough that their names were not mentioned as people that committed infractions. So, labour must examine itself.”

    At the event were the Executive Director Administration, Tijani Darazzo; and his Finance and Investment counterpart, Jasper Azutalam

  • Tricycle owners disown ‘rival’ group

    THE Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) has described as illegal the tricycle group belonging to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association Nigeria (RTEAN).

    The Acting Chairman of the Lagos State branch, Chief Comrade Tunji Oyeniyi, in a statement, said the new group called tricycle sector of NURTW had since been prohibited from operating by virtue of Section 2 and 45 of the Trade Union Act.

    Oyeniyi insisted that only TOAN is the “statutory or lawfully registered and officially recognised body to organise tricycle owners and operators as a trade union”.

    He noted that the TOAN  and the break-away faction could not be called a trade union as other associations of tricycle owners and operators are legally registered.

    He explained that the acting chairman recalled the judgment delivered by Justice B. B. Kanyip of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) on May 10, 2017, where is stated that it is the registrar of trade unions that can register a trade union, direct or recognise the affiliation of a body to a trade union subject to the overriding review powers of the court.

    Meanwhile,  the President, Centre for Change President, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, has urged the security agencies particularly the police, to serve as peace makers in the feud between the unions, and hence should desist from harassing the members and leadership of TOAN.

    In her solidarity message, she said it is against morality and convention, “to force a group of people to adopt a particular identity against their will, as members of TOAN are being made to do”.

  •  ILO: $150b generated from forced labour globally

    About $150 billion is made annually from forced labour across the world with around 152 million children engaged in the act, the International Labour Organisation, (ILO), has said

    This revelation is contained in a document titled: “Alliance 8.7 at a glance: joining forces globally to end forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking  and child labour”, obtained from the world body in Abuja.

    According to the document about 88 million boys and 64 million girls are engaged in child labour across the world, with 40 million people living in modern slavery.

    The document also disclosed that 24.9 million people are engaged in all forms of forced labour, 15.4 million in forced marriage, 4.1 million in state imposed forced labour, 16 million engaged in forced labour exploitations and 4.8 million persons engaged in forced sexual exploitation globally.

    It said the figures tell a devastating story of human rights abuses on a vast scale, stressing that in the area of forced labour, modern slavery and human trifficking, there is little evidence of reduction in the incidence since the first statistics were gathered in 2005.

    It, however, said there are signs of progress in efforts at reducing child labour with the number decreasing by about 90 million since year 2000, lamenting however, the slow pace of progress being made. It added that lessons from the success in reducing child labour have the potential to be applied to other issues.

    The document said while Nigeria has made modest progress in recent times towards ending forced labour, human trafficking, modern slavery and child labour, there are still many gaps and challenges which require the concerted efforts of all stakeholders of the objectives to be achieved.

    Read also: ILO to work out just transition for workers

    It said: “Child labour, forced labour and trafficking in persons exist in Nigeria and can be found in almost all stages of supply chains in agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, retailing, service provision and even households and on the streets.

    “Nigeria has a high number of economcally active children, as well as those involved in the worst forms of child labour and harzardous work. International Labour Organisation estimates that about 25 per cent of Nigeria’s 80 million children under the age of 14 are engaged in economic activities. About half of this population are children exploited as child labourers and working in hazardous situations such as victims of child trafficking, domestic work, sex work, drug peddling and hawking.”

    The document also acknowledged the fact that the government has created an enabling environment for the fight against child labour through the ratification and adoption of some international conventions related to the elimination of child labour and the development of national laws and policies

    However, ILO Country Director,   Dennis Zulu, who  spoke at a consultative meeting and launch of the Alliance 8.7 targeted at ending forced labour, paid tribute to the government for efforts being made to eradicate all forms of child labour and forced labour.

     

    Zulu acknowledged the fact that the attainment of target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal was a heculean task, adding that it was gladening to note the commitment of the government to achieve the target, adding that the launch of the Alliance 8.7 was a realisation of the pledge made by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour held in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

    “At that conference, Nigeria indicated interest in being a Pathfinder Country and this, you will agree with me, is a giant stride in the achievement of SDG 8.7, given its position as Africa’s most populous nation and its impact at the regional level.”

    Zulu said “Sustainable Development Goal 8, popularly known as SDG 8, places social justice and decent work for all at the heart of Agenda 2030 which sets an ambitious trajectory towards sustainable and inclusive growth and development.

    “SDG 8 has several targets. Target 8.7 is particularly challenging. It calls on us to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking; and eliminate the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers. In addition, by 2025 we must end child labour in all its forms.

    “Achieving such an ambitious goal requires an unprecedented level of mobilization of partnership, which harnesses energy, resources and strategic and political acumen to a maximum degree.

    “Ending child labour human trafficking, and forced labour will require integrated thinking, coordinated actions, effective policy making and efficient use of resources in a manner we have never seen before.

    “Alliance 8.7 is intended to realize extraordinary and ground-breaking ways of bringing multiple actors together for concerted and focused actions to help countries to achieve the goal and targets set forth in SDG 8 and other related SDGs”

    He expressed hope that the launch and national consultation of Alliance 8.7 in Nigeria will lay the foundation for a Viable national alliance against child labour and trafficking in persons, a phenomenon that has unfortunately engulfed most states in Nigeria.

    He said: “I know that the establishment of this Alliance will be beneficial on many levels, as it will allow stakeholders at the National, States, Local Government and community levels to strengthen their efforts in  the fight against child labour and trafficking.

    “But it will also help to share experience that could foster Significant progress and generate positive results in the fight against this scourge.”

    He stressed that “Nigeria has signed, retitled and domesticated a number of United Nations and ILO Conventions that are instrumental in the fight against forced labour, child labour and trafficking in persons, including the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Minimum Age Convention.

    “In addition, it has made significant achievements in strengthening the legal and policy framework and the enabling environment for the achievement of target 8.7. The government has developed a National Policy on Child Labour, a National Action Plan for Elimination of Child Labour (2013-2017) and the Hazardous Child Labour List (2013).

    “Further, the 2003 Child Rights Act consolidates all laws relating to children into a single legislation and specifies the duties and obligations of government, parents and other authorities, organizations and bodies. And it is worth noting that Nigeria was the first country in West Africa to adopt national legislation to deal specifically with the issue of human trafficking, the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement Act.

    “Despite these efforts, the National Bureau of Statistics 2017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), shows that about 43 per cent of Nigerian children, in the age between 5 and 10, are working and about half of the working children are estimated to be engaged in child labour.

    “Children in Nigeria engage in the worst forms of child labour, including work in quarry granite and gravel, commercial sexual exploitation, and armed conflict.

    “I am certain you can relate with this as we walk down the streets of Nigeria and seeing the examples everywhere: Children working as beggars, street peddler and bus conductors for example. For those living or visiting rural areas you might find them in the artisanal gold mines and in cocoa farms. Less visible perhaps are the children working in domestic servitude. Needless to say, the urgency is there as we are being reminded every day by these examples.

    “In 2017, the ILO supported the Ministry to review the existing legal framework in the protection of working children in Nigeria and the report of this research identified loopholes in the protection of the rights of children in the workplace.

    “A good example are children within the legal working age that are working within the domestic work sector. A high rate of labour standard abuse exist in this sector and virtually no protection exists for such children, more so that Nigeria is yet to ratify the Convention 189 on domestic work.

    “At the heart of lLO’s various intervention is the Decent Work Agenda. The ILO believes that Productive employment and decent work are key elements to achieving a fair globalization and poverty reduction.

    “Government to develop the Decent work Country Programme which looks at job creation, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue, with gender equality as a crosscutting objective. I am pleased to inform you that elimination of child labour, forced labour and modem-day slavery are covered in the country’s Decent work programme.”

  • NLC to Buhari: sign Innovation bill

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) Bill.

    NLC President Ayuba Wabba, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, said the bill just passed by the National Assembly was vital to Nigeria’s quest for technological revolution, industrialisation, human security, inclusive national development and shared prosperity.

    Wabba said research and technology were key to the quest for industrialisation and technological advancement, and that the NRIC Bill would ensure adequate funding for researchers.

    The NLC president bemoaned poor funding of research in the country, stressing that there is urgent need to create legal framework to ensure adequate funding in research institutions.

    He said “part of the broad strategy to create mass decent jobs should include very ambitious drive to develop our mining and solid minerals sector”.

    Read Also: Buhari off to Saudi Arabia for Umrah

    “Nigeria is endowed with diverse solid minerals. Unfortunately, since the discovery of crude oil in 1956, Nigeria has progressively lost its pride of place as one of the mining destinations in Africa. The contribution of solid minerals to national GDP has plummeted from 4 to 5 per cent in the first two decades, following independence to about 0.46 per cent or N400 billion contributions to GDP.

    “The near extinction of our mining sector has resulted into major job losses thus exacerbating Nigeria’s unemployment crisis. We call on government to fund access roads to mining sites, provide water reservoirs in mining sites and training of artisanal miners and lapidarists to enhance their value to the industry.

    “It is also important for government to increase funding on the sourcing of geo-scientific data on mining resources as against the current practice of depending on aerial geo-physical survey. We call for the modernisation and development of solid minerals sector with a view to ensuring domestic value addition, local beneficiation and use in other industries.”

    “In the context, the Federal Government should discourage export of any solid minerals in their crude forms. In order to add value to our vast mineral resources and move our country from primary to secondary and tertiary levels of production, research and technology is key. While we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for inaugurating the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) in January 2016, we call on Mr. President to go a step further to assent to the NRIC Bill (2019) which had been transmitted to him by the National Assembly.”

    Meanwhile the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), the umbrella body of researchers in Federal Research and Development Institutions (RDIs), Colleges of

    Agriculture and Forestry, Allied Institutions and Centres, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give quick assent to the National Research Innovation Council (NRIC) Bill 2019 recently passed by the National Assembly.

    The Union in a statement by its general Secretary, Dr Theophilus  Ndubuaku, said Nigeria unbelievably operates close to zero budgetary allocation to research, stressing that once signed into law, NRIC Bill will increase Nigeria’s research capacity and improve its technological base.

    The ASURI general Secretary expressed concern that in most of the over 150 Nigerian Research and Development Institutions (RDIs) and centres, research and training activities are self-funded by researchers because they must acquire higher degrees and produce research publications before they can be promoted at every stage of their careers.

    “Consequently, Nigerian career researchers are the poorest cadre of public servants as they must devote over half of their salaries for research if they must advance in their profession. The NRIC Bill 2018 provides for the institutional research and training funding mechanism and infrastructural development for RDIs in Nigeria.

  • PENGASSAN, NUPENG kick against 2% levy for nuclear agency

    The Joint Committee of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has faulted the two per cent proposed levy on oil exploration and production companies to fund the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).

    The proposal for the levy was contained in Section 14(1) (b) of the  2018 Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard Bill before the Senate.

    At a presentation before the Senate, Comrade Chika Unegbu, chair of the joint committee, said the proposed 2 per cent levy would be a burden on the companies which are challenged by multiple taxes.

    “While we recognise the need for the Authority to be properly funded to deliver its mandate , we think that this is an extra burden on the oil and gas companies that are already paying their taxes, fees and royalties, three per cent budget to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), two  per  cent Education Tax and one per cent NCD.

    “We, therefore, appeal that the Senate should review the funding provisions in the bill. We suggest that whatever fees the Senate considers appropriate should be tied to specific projects that utilise nuclear and radioactive materials rather than the blanket charge of two per cent on profits generated from operations,’’ he said.

    Read Also: PENGASSAN, NUPENG kick against 2% levy for nuclear agency

    He said the bill gave too much powers to NNRA Director-General (DG)  as contained in Section 3 (2) (c), Section 22 (1) and Section 23 (b), noting that if these powers are not checked the DG may become more powerful than the Board and the nation may end up with a sole administrator for such a very sensitive regulatory authority.

    He observed that the bill did not provide for water-tight protection against cyber-attacks and sabotage of nuclear installations and radioactive materials, appealing that the Senate should correct this grave omission by including water-tight provisions against sabotage, cyber-attacks and cyber terrorism against the nation’s nuclear installations and radioactive materials, systems and databases.

    He advocated the need for PENGASSAN and NUPENG to be represented on the board of the authority to protect the lives of oil workers.

    He said: “We appeal that the bill should include Section 11(1) which should recognise the existing terms, conditions and collective bargaining agreements reached between the Unions and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).

    “Therefore, the sub-section should include that…”provided that the terms and conditions enjoyed by the  staff of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) on the day before the effective date that this Bill comes into force shall be the minimum condition for such staff under this bill.”

  • Tackle unemployment, insecurity, ULC urges govt

    The United Labour Congress (ULC) has urged the Federal Government to tackle the high rate of unemployment in the country.

    It noted that the economy lacked the capacity to create new jobs, hence, the rising unemployment.

    ULC President Joe Ajaero, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos,  said youth unemployment remained high, while the few available jobs are cornered by the elite through unscrupulous processes.

    On insecurity, he noted that what was going on in the country was frightening, and deserved collective outrage across national spectrum, urging the government to end it as it has clearly become a genocide.

    On the state of the nation, Ajero stressed the need to restore unity, adding that the nation sits on the brink of disunity as ethnic champions seemed to have claimed the centre stage.

    He said: “We need to make all nationalities in the country comfortable within the nation’s space. Any group that believes it can muzzle others and harass them into submission is making a huge mistake.

    “Our nation needs to be brought back from the brink before it enters into an unending spiral.”

    The union also called for the review of the power sector privatisation, urging the government to complete the Ajaokuta Steel Company, to create about hundreds of jobs and economic development.

    The bill on Ajaokuta’s rehabilitation, the union said, must be reviewed and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, while all employers should ensure compliance with the new national minimum wage among others.

  • TUC praises NFIU on N500,000 councils’ cash withdrawal

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has hailed the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), saying action taken by the intelligence unit will help curb unending corrupt activities at states and local governments.

    The NFIU had in a circular, pegged local government councils’ daily withdrawal from banks at N500,000 and threatened to sanction any bank that released more than that from local government funds.

    The TUC, in a statement by Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Musa-Lawal Ozidi, President and Secretary General respectively, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others to provide the necessary support.

    The union noted that the biggest challenges confronting the country are leadership and its bane, corruption, stressing that public officials deliberately violated guidelines that made a system decent.

    Recently, the agency said no cash withdrawal exceeding N500,000 daily should be made from any local government account with effect from June 1, 2019, noting that any other transaction must be done through valid cheques or electronic funds transfer.

    The NFIU in an emailed statement by its acting Chief Media Analyst, Ahmed Dikko, directed all financial institutions, relevant stakeholders, public servants and the public to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the guidelines, which had been submitted to financial institutions and relevant enforcement agencies.

    It stated that the directive was sequel to findings, which indicated that cash withdrawals and transactions of the state and joint local government accounts posed the “biggest corruption, money laundering and security threats at the grassroots levels and to the entire financial system and the country as a whole”.