The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ahmed Rufa’I

  • Jigawa spends N60.8 billion on workers Salary, wages

    The Jigawa state government has spent over N60.8 billion on salaries and wages of its 61, 000 staff in the payroll of the three arms of the state government.

    This was disclosed by the state’s Head of Civil Servant (HoS), Alhaji Inuwa Tahir on Thursday while speaking to newsmen in reactions to an online media report which says the state (Jigawa) is among the states that could not pay workers salaries.

    Tahir said: “The state government is not owning workers salary and the report is a lie and unjustified.”

    The Head of Service explained that “since the inception of present administration under governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar the civil servants in the state were receiving their salary on every month promptly and at when due.”

    Alhaji Inuwa Tahir expressed dismay on the online media report which included Jigawa state among the 33 states who cannot pay workers salary.

    According to him, “the media is ignorant of what is happening in the state and are not conversant with the good programs and policies of the present government.”

    He maintained that “since the coming of this government, the governor made it mandatory to pay workers salaries on the 25th of every month and any worker in the state can testify to that.”

    Tahir stated further that the state is one among the states rejected to collect bailout from the federal government before paying the workers salary.

    The Head of Service added that “the sum of N3.8b is being paid monthly as salary to 61,000 workforce across the three arms of government in the state apart from monthly pension and gratitude of retirees and death benefits. We don’t have any outstanding debt for pension and salary our record is there for anyone to check.”

    Tahir asked the media to retract the report and apologise without further delay or to face legal action.

    He advised media managers to always be objective and factual in their reports.

  • Youths support fuel subsidy removal in Jigawa

    People in Dutse the Jigawa state capital under the aegis of Youths Coalition has today taken to the streets in a peaceful demonstration to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s oil deregulation policy.

    The demonstrators whom were mostly youths gathered and started from old police headquarters move to State House of Assembly carrying placards with different statements expressing their supports for the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.

    They latter proceeded to the media houses and ended at the government house.

    Speaking at the Government House the chairman of the coalition Comrade Musa Gambo Guri said the coalition is fully in support of the ‎deregulation of the oil sector.

    ‎He added that the removal will favour the masses in the near future.

    Comrade Guri enjoined people to be patient with the government policies adding that strike is not the way out as it cripples the nation’s economy.

  • Subsidy removal: Jigawa Police Boss summons, meets NLC

     

    The Jigawa state Police Commissioner summoned the leadership of the state’s branch of  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and held an emergency meeting in respect of the proposed nationwide industrial strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) tomorrow.

    Briefing news men in his office shortly after the emergency meeting with labour union, the police commissioner, Alhaji Usman Abdullahi Tilli said the NLC in the state assured him that peace will remain in the state.

    “I called them in respects of the planned labour actions against the fuel price increased by the federal government, we discussed extensively and I categorically told them that if they cannot suspend the action, they must be sure that criminals did not takes advantage of their activities to disrupts peaceful coexistence of the state”, he said.

    Tilli stated further that “the police is more than ready to protects the lives and property of people and we have more than enough manpower and materials to handle any security challenge in the state during and after the Nigeria Labour Congress activities”.

    He therefore called on the public to be peaceful and law abiding, “they should also be assisting us with useful information, as peace and security is the responsibility of every one”.

  • Canoe mishap: Jigawa distributes life jacket to canoe operators

    Canoe mishap: Jigawa distributes life jacket to canoe operators

    The Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) disbursed 300 pieces of life Jackets to canoe operators along the riverine communities  in the state.

    Distributing the life Jackets in Dorawa river crossing points in Jahun Local Government Area,  Executive Secretary of SEMA, Alhaji Sani Yusuf Babura said the Jackets cost the state government over N2,5 million.

    The executive secretary explained that there are 300 pieces of life jackets, out of 50 were for children.

    Alhaji Sani Yusuf Babura stated that the present governor Badaru Abubakar led administration made it compulsory to any canoe operator and all passengers on board most use the jacket, adding that “it is against the law to any operator to carry more than eight passengers per trip”.

    He maintained that a full passenger load per trip is supposed to be 10 persons, but reduced it to be eight in order to give space for those carrying load.

    According to him, the life Jackets were going to be distributed to 44 canoe operators, each would get eight pieces, said this is the first phase of the intervention programme and that the personal of the agency were in the field with a view to identify more river crossing points so that more of the life jackets would be distributed.

    He further stated that any canoe operator who refused to use or give his passengers the life jackets during crossing or traveling on water would be dealt with, saying a proposal had since been forwarded to the state House of Assembly for a legislature on possible law to take care of the violators.

    Babura stressed that each of the life jackets has the capacity  of keeping 200kiligram object afloat and that each of the jacket has a whistle and reflectors, saying in the night the reflectors would aid the rescue team to trace a victim while the whistle was expected to attract  the attention of the rescue team.

    “we have distributed 300 pieces of life jackets to 44 canoe operators. Each of the operator was given eight pieces of
    life jackets which is equivalent to a full passenger load of a canoe. It is now a law that no canoe operator would take more than eight passengers in a conoe while either crossing or travelling on the river in Jigawa state.” He said.