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Tag: Chris Ngige

  • Ngige denies plan to proscribe NUPENG

    The Ministry of Labour and Employment has dismissed as cheap and unconscionable lies the allegations by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that the minister, Dr Chris Ngige, is on a vendetta mission to proscribe NUPENG.

    “What a mischief from two organisations that have traded decorum for cheap propaganda!” the ministry said.

    “On May 13, a letter was written by the Department of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations (TUSIR) of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, precisely by the Registrar of Trade Union to both the NUPENG and Trade Union Congress (TUC), drawing the attention of the unions to the non-rendition of their financial returns for 2017 and 2018. The letter directed that the unions should comply with the provisions of sections 40 and 37(i) of the Trade Unions Act of 2004, which states that ‘every registered body shall send to the registrar before June 1 of each year, an annual return in the prescribed form… and shall be certified as correct by the dully appointed auditor’.

    Read Also: ‘NLC invasion of Ngige’s home criminal’

    “NUPENG and TUC, being in breach of Section 37(i) the Registrar of Trade Union, invoked Section 40 of the Trade Unions Act, Cap. T.14 (LFN) 2004, which gives the Registrar of Trade Union the power to request that all the books of accounts of defaulting unions be submitted to the registrar for further scrutiny to make for accountability in the management of the unions’ funds, which are check-of dues of workers deducted at source from their salaries.

    “While the TUC President personally came to the ministry to explain his predicament and asked for extension of time on compassionate ground, the NUPENG leadership took to the press for name-calling, reminding everyone of their ill-fated invasion of the private residence of the minister and asking this group of junior cadre oil workers, especially tanker drivers, to be on red alert for strike – thus threatening Nigerians instead of apologies for being in default.

    “We warn NUPENG to cease forthwith with this senseless bogey of tanker drivers.

    “It is evident that the ministry was only carrying out its statutory functions. NUPENG was not singled out, neither was it asked to provide only the annual report of 2018, as they had conducted their 2019 conference.

    “The ministry, therefore, wishes to state that the minister has no intention of proscribing NUPENG or any union whatsoever, though constitutionally empowered to do so if need be, and warns the leadership of NUPENG to desist from misleading the public by spreading wrong information about the ministry. “

    “Also, the ministry notes that the NLC, which unfortunately is crying more than the bereaved, knowing that NUPENG is affiliated to the United Labour Congress (ULC), has suddenly realised that the minister was the only competent authority in all labour matters, in line with the provisions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    “How we wish it had realised this all the while and not engaged in a futile, ill-advised skirmish with the minister over a constitutional right of the President to make political appointments.”

     

  • Workman society commend Ngige, organised Labour for ensuring industrial harmony

    The Workman Society of Nigeria has commended the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige and the leadership of the organised labour in the country for their efforts at ensuring industrial harmony which the said is necessary for optimum national productivity.

    In a statement signed by the Chairman, Mohammed Ibn Yunusa and Secretary , Cyril-William Jaja and made available to The Nation in Abuja, the group said that notwithstanding the recent faceoff between the Minister and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the chairmanship of the board of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the positive engagement of the Minister with all social partners in the last four years of the Buhari administration has yielded enormous dividends that cannot be ignored.

    According to them, the synergy between the Minister and the social partners comprising the  labour unions and the organized private sector has been of immense benefit and has yielded multiple dividends for Nigeria, regretting however that the recent imbroglio in the tripartite community over the NSITF was an overcast on the towering efforts of the Minister.

    “Under a competent Minister of Labour and Employment, the Buhari Change Era made a remarkable difference in Nigeria’s labour administration. It met Nigerian workers who were hungry and restive with months of unpaid salaries and allowances and immediately released bailout funds to the states.

    “Even under the recession, the Federal Government sacked none of its workers and through prudent management, recruited thousands of Nigerians into its ministries and agencies. Any previous government in the circumstance of the Buhari Change Era would have placed an embargo and sack workers,” it said.

    They also commended the Minister for intervening and bringing the captains as well as union leaders in the Petroleum, Construction and Financial sectors to a discussion table in 2016 where they reached separate agreements that stemmed massive job sack in the sectors.

    They said: “the Minister will be remembered as one that changed national focus from the dwindling white collar jobs to the limitless opportunities offered by blue collar world. Apart from revitalizing skills acquisition centres scattered across Nigeria, he standardized their training programmes and enhanced the Trade Test Certificates to an international status.

    Read Also: NLC Threat: Police assure Ngige’s family of safety

    “We commend him for further developing a programme with the European Union under which qualified skilled Nigerians could migrate and work in Europe. We recall that he also partnered the International Organization on Migration to establish a Migration Information Centre in Benin City , Edo State in order to tackle illegal migration at the roots.”

    The group also recalled that the  administration met an age long, seemingly intractable issues leading to perennial strikes by unions  and other stakeholders including ASUU, NASU, JOHESU, NARD, NMA, NUNPENG, PENGASSAN among others, saying that the Buhari government  did not only settle these issues but also paid off decades- long arrears of allowances owed to federal Civil Servants.

    They praised the efforts of the Minister restoring Nigeria back to reckoning in the International Labour Organization(ILO) with a deputy (who will become a titular member in 2020) on the Governing Board after over decade in limbo,  while moving Nigeria from point zero to the Deputy Chairmanship of the Africa Regional Labour Administrative Centre (ARLAC)

    The group was also full of praises for organised labour made up of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC) for standing tall in defence of the welfare of the Nigerian workers.

    They Pay special tribute to the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba for his numerous spirited struggles on behalf of the workers, especially his dogged resistance to attempts by State Governors to derail the recent National Minimum Wage negotiation, it urged him to ensure the compliance of all tiers of government towards its faithful implementation.

     

  • ‘NLC invasion of Ngige’s home criminal’

    The National President of the National Complementary and Alternative Medical Association (NACAMA), Prof Peter Katchy, has condemned the recent attack on the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, by officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    He described the invasion on the minister’s home and threat to his life as illegal and criminal.

    Speaking in an audience participatory programme on Anambra State Broadcasting Service, Katchy argued that the approach was not only alien to labour laws but was an front on the nation.

    According to him, the NLC’s threat to subject Ngige to international ridicule is a wrong step towards achieving its goals.

    He said: “The NLC’s attacks on the minister, including the recent invasion of his private residence in Abuja, which was supposedly to pressure the minister to inaugurate Chief Frank Kokori as the chairman of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), was a lawless action.”

    Katchy urged relevant authorities to call the NLC and its President Ayuba Wabba to order or face the wrath of patriotic citizens who would no longer tolerate what he called labour’s endless impasse.

    The NACAMA president argued that Wabba had no power to query any appointment by Mr. President on the recommendation of the minister.

    He said: “The NLC action is unknown to extant Nigerian and international labour laws guiding trade disputes and grievances.

    “The illegal invasion in the guise of picketing the private residence of Dr. Ngige at 2 a.m, blocking his entrance gate with petrol-laden tanker, is highly condemnable and should not be allowed in the country.

    “The appointment of any qualified Nigerian into a political office at the Federal level is the prerogative of the President or by the recommendation of the supervisory minister; in this case, the Minister of Labour and Employment.

    “The provision of Section 4(1) (a) of the 1993 NSITF Act vests the sole power to make recommendation for the appointment of the chairman of the board of NSITF on the President on the advice of the Minister of Labour and Employment.

    “The NLC invaders claimed that they were beaten by security operatives during the protest. But I will tell them that they deserved more than mere beating because their action was illegal and criminal.”

  • NSITF accounts not audited for seven years, says Ngige

    The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) account has not been audited since 2012, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige disclosed on Monday.

    He spoke just as controversy surrounding headship NSITF) was laid to rest when the Minister finally inaugurated the Austin Isire- led board.

    He spok disclosed some undeclared amount of money and property are being recovered from those who deep their hand into the funds of the agency.

    The inauguration of the board was moved to the Presidential Villa to prevent another disruption of the process by Organised Labour, which insisted that only a board headed by Chief Frank Kokori is acceptable.

    Addressing the board members, Ngige said the process leading to the inauguration has been long and tortuous due to conditions needed to be addressed and resolved.

    He advised them to stay away from the award of contract but leave the parastatal tenders’ board under the supervision of the Bureau for Public Procurement to handle this.

    Ngige said: “Though this Board is being inaugurated much later than its contemporaries, the NSITF is however better set to welcome a new Board than it was at the time when the other Boards of the Ministry were inaugurated.

    Read Also: Workers protest against Ngige

    “As you all may be aware, the last Board and Management of the NSITF left negative trails inimical to development and progress for both the human and infrastructural components of the Agency.

    “The criminal investigations by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the subsequent Administrative Panel of Enquiry investigations revealed financial atrocities that would go down the annals of history of the NSITF as shameful and monstrous.

    “At a time, the national dailies and social media were agog with the news of corruption and deep sleaze by some members of the previous Board in collusion with some top Management Staff of the Agency who aided and abetted the looting of both Government and Private Sector Funds of about N48 Billion from the N62 Billion contributions between 2012 – 2015 of the NSITF.

    “This resulted in about four Board Members including the last Chairman being arraigned and charged to court by the EFCC. Some monies have been paid back to Government Treasury and about 37 Houses are now under forfeiture.

    “The Administrative Panel report also indicted some Board members and NSITF Management Officers.

    “The affected Officers have now been shown the way out, and many more indicted Officers by the Auditor General’s Periodic Report on the NSITF will soon be made to refund the monies illegally taken from the Fund.

    “The Auditor General of the Federation (AUGF) had to be requested by us in 2017 when it became clear that there was no Audited Account for the place for five years to undertake the Constitutional periodic check.”

    The Minister stressed for the first time, members appointed into the board were made to go through security screening which involved declaration of their assets before inauguration and assumption of duty.

    He charged the Board members to ensure proper conduct of the affairs of the Agency to restore the confidence of the Nigerian Public in the administration of the fund collected for the execution of the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA), 2010 which is the major mandate of the Fund, especially in view of the fact that it is the funds contributed by the Public and Private Sectors to execute this mandate.

    The new board headed by Prince Austin Enajemo–Isire as Chairman has as members Olawale Osuolale Timothy and Dr. Mohammed, J. Yinusa (NECA), Com. Waheed Adewale Adeyanju and Com. Ibrahim Khaleel, Nigeria (NLC), Ifeoma Anyawutaku (Federal Ministry of Labour &Employment), Mrs. Umma Aminu Dutse (Central Bank of Nigeria), Jasper Azutalam, NSITF, Executive Director (Finance and Investment), Tijani Suleiman Darazo, NSITF, Executive Director (Administration), Titilola Olukemi Nelson, NSITF, Executive Director (Operations), Adebayo K. Somefun, NSITF, Managing Director/Chief Executive and Mrs. Ijeoma Oji Okoronkwo, Deputy General Manager -NSITF, who will serve as the Board Secretary

  • Labour cannot blackmail me over Kokori – Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige on Thursday gave graphic details of how his private residence was picketed by Labour leaders on Wednesday.

    The act, he said, was not picketing but invasion of private residence for which he vowed to sue the Labour leaders.

    He also declared he will not bulge over his opposition to the appointment of ex-labour leader, Frank Kokori, as head the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

    He stated he will go on with the inauguration of the board despite the opposition of the Labour union.

    Besides, he said a new date for the inauguration will be announced very soon.

    He stressed that the provisions of section 4(a) of the NSITF Act is very clear on the sole responsibility of the Minister of Labour and Employment to nominate a neutral, fit and proper person for the approval of the president for the Chairmanship of the board.

    He added that Kokori was not nominated because he is not neutral.

    President Muhammadu Buhari last month replaced Kokori with Austin Enajemo-Isire, a Chartered Accountant, professional Insurance Executive and Banker.

    Speaking on the allegation he sent thugs to attack workers at his house in Asokoro, the minister described the report as misleading and unfortunate, insisting that NLC led by Wabba were hooligans who he was going to sue for arson.

    Ngige alleged Wabba led people to his to his private residence at 4:30am on Wednesday and blocked the entrance to his house and neighbours’ with two tankers laden with petrol.

    He said the workers did not only succeed in traumatising occupants of both houses, which included children, they also succeeded in preventing his neighbour and his wife from doing their business for the day as they were presented from leaving their home.

    Read Also: Activists to NLC president: apologise to Ngige

    Ngige said: “Well, I just read the dailies today and I saw that story. It is a very fortunate misleading story because the scenario that emerged yesterday (Wednesday) was that I was woken up at 5am by my wife who reported to me that the security men were having problems with some strange fellows at the gate of the house. And that some people were also on the walls of my home, that they arrived there by 4:30am.

    “When the security people accosted them, they discovered that it was the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress himself that came physically with two tankers one laden with petroleum, the second was half empty. One was put at the gate of my house and the second at the gate of my neigbour’s house.

    “When I heard the story it was very strange. When I looked from upstairs I saw that the tankers were actually blocking the entrance to my house.

    “I came down and asked for the chief detail who told me the whole story. And it emerged that they even had a scuffle with the president of the NLC when they were struggling for the key to the tanker.

    “So I went back and made some calls to the Commissioner of Police FCT, Director SSS and also the Federal Road Safety to see if they could move the vehicles.

    “Picketing does not mean that you go to private residence because you don’t know who occupies there.”

    He went on:  “For example in my home, my wife, my children and the children of my domestic staff and security personnel were trapped.

    “My neighbour, his wife and children couldn’t go out. It is obstruction, it is against the law of the country. Then putting a tanker with petrol is arson, the place can be caught on fire, the entire street could have been engulfed on fire. I don’t know what to say.

    “That is not trade unionism; that is hooliganism. I have been preaching that you cannot exchange hooliganism for trade unionism.

    “Trade unionism means you dialogue, you discuss, you talk. That is why we call it social dialogue because you must continue to talk if you are government you continue to talk, if you are Labour you continue to talk with your employer and if you are employers you continue engaging them.

    “So, I was surprised to read about thugs and people hospitalised, people beaten. I have tried to do some investigations and enquiries and from my preliminary enquiry and the reports I got, it looks like the NLC people disagreed with the people they brought to my house.

    “I understand that they were contracted to work till 10am which is council time, the aim being to obstruct me from going to council. I left my house at 8am, a friend picked me up and I was able to make it to council.

    “So, I am very, very distraught, my family is traumatised, the people in my house are traumatised, my domestic staff with families are traumatised.

    “Even my neigbour and his wife couldn’t do their business for the day. Those tankers were removed around 6pm.”

    Asked if he was planning to take any action, the minister said: “my neighbour said he is going to take legal action. I will also take legal action, illegal actions are actionable, nobody is above the law.

    “Their grouse is the inauguration of the NSITF board. We had fixed the date for April 18th and they invaded the place with thugs and disrupted the function.

    “We had postponed the function and said we were going to fix another date for inauguration but since then, they have been maligning my character and integrity because I am the Labour minister.

    “And they forget that according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention, I am what they refer to as the competent authority.

    “Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Secretary to the Government of the Federation will not come and do Labour matters. But, it is an obtuse thing we have here.

    “The Labour people led by Wabba feel that they are secondary arm of government and he answers President of NLC, so he equates himself with the president of Nigeria.

    “But there is only one sovereign authority of Federal Republic of Nigeria and for today by the grace of God, is President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “The Act setting up the NSITF gave Labour two nominees, private sector under NECA two nominees. Labour appropriated the two for NLC and made a nomination and government has also made a nomination.

    “What we are doing now is that we have proposed and the government has approved a fit and neutral person, not a government officer, not a Labour coloured man and not a private sector man. That is what obtains in tripartitism and we exhibited it for you all to see under the national minimum wage tripartite committee.

    “Ms. Amal Pepple is a neutral person that has experience and background as a former permanent secretary, former minister of housing, former head of service of the federation and even a former Clark of the Senate.

    “So she was a round peg in a round hole. We are also going to put a square peg in a square hole. We are going to go ahead and inaugurate the board, we will not have any further distractions on  this and we are consulting to fix a date for the inauguration immediately.”

    Asked if Kokori was not neutral person, Ngige responded: “I did not recommend him. I am the minister permitted by law to do that recommendation and I am telling you unequivocally that I did not recommend him, simple.”

    Asked if he had anything personal against Kokori, he said, “Nothing. I am just following the law. I cannot recommend a labour coloured person. I did not recommend him and I am not foolish to do so.

    “And if I am not foolish to do so, NLC should not arm twist me, blackmail me into a submission. I am not a man who will submit to blackmail and you will floor him, no!”

    Asked if he was summoned to the Villa because of the matter, Ngige said: “No. Mr. President did not summon me, I came for a meeting and I have finished my meeting and I am going.”

  • Subject Ngige to ridicule at airports, NLC instructs workers

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed workers in the nation’s airports and workers in the 163 countries that are members of the International Trade Union Confederation to subject the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige to ridicule for inviting thugs against workers on a “lawful protest” to his house.

    Rising from its Central Working Committee meeting on Thursday evening, Congress demand what it called unreserved apology from the Minister for his action, while asking the government to ensure that the Minister was not reappointed into the next cabinet of the President.

    President of Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba told newsmen after the meeting that the actions of the Minister was a clear indication that he was not fit to occupy public office and should therefore not be reappoint to government.

    Wabba said the Minister has no right to change the appointment made by the President on the excuse that he never recommended Chief Frank Kokori to head the NSITF board, adding that the real reason he is opposed to Chief Kokori was because the veteran labour leader cannot be compromised.

    He said further that since the Minister has been talking about the issue of corruption in the NSITF, the government should putt in place a judicial commission of enquiry to investigate the agency so as to unravel who the actual corrupt persons are.

    Read Also: Photos: NLC pickets Ngige’s residence

    Wabba said even after the EFCC investigation into the financial activities of the previous board in which a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry was charged, its representatives on the NSITF board were never found wanting, saying “who are the actual corrupt people in NSITF? Is the board that has not been inaugurated or it is the Minister?

    He maintained that the NLC has sent messages to all workers in the 163 countries who are members of the ITUC to embarrass the Minister and members of his family anywhere they are seen, especially at airports where workers operates.

    On criticism that has trailed the decision of congress to picket the Minister’s residence, he said “Ngige is a public officer, holding public office. Untill he leaves office, even his house is a public place. Even Presidents of the world have been picketed in their houses. In any case, we did not access his house. We were only on the street.

    “In any case, he has abandoned his office and has been operating from his house. The house has been his second office for some times now and he has been avoiding any place where he will come in contact with us.

    “We insist that the money in NSITF belong to workers because it is a contribution of employers to take care of the social needs of their workers. That is the only reason why Labour and NECA have two members each on the Board. Even the Ministry of Labour have only one member.

    “So, we are demanding that the Board heeded by Kokori be inaugurated and all the thugs who attacked us in the full glare of security agents be investigated and prosecuted. We are actually surprised that nothing has been done so far”.

    Wabba however said that the national protest will be restricted to Abuja for now and ask all affiliates and state councils to begin to mobilise their members ahead of the protest.

     

  • I never invited thugs to attack Labour leaders, says Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has denied inviting thugs to attack members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas who picketed his residence over his refusal to inaugurate the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

    The Minister, in a statement by his Special Assistant Media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe accused the leadership of the NLC of leading those he described as strange faces to invade his house.

    The statement said further the invasion of his house left his family members and staff traumatised by the invaders chanting “war songs”.

    The statement reads: “The private residence of the Hon. Minister of labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige was  early this morning (4 a.m.) invaded by the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his members.

    Read Also: NLC accuses Ngige of resorting to ethnic sentiment

    “These members among whom are tanker drivers, some with ferocious looks, also barricaded the gate to the residence of the Hon. Minister with two long trucks. They chanted war songs and prevented the Hon. Minister, his wife, children and other aides from either leaving or gaining access to the compound.

    “Comrade Wabba later left and returned with re-enforcement .

    “The presence of these strange faces and mounting war songs sent heavy panic on the family members, especially children and female aides who thought the sudden early morning assemblage were of the underworld.

    “Some of these unknown faces and the two tanker lorries blocking the entrance to the house  are still there as I send this press statement .

    “I therefore wish to state that contrary to reports being mischievously circulated in the media by the NLC President, the Hon. Minister, family members who are still in great trauma and his staff members did not invited thugs, have no knowledge of it, or have a hand in the alleged manhandling of any worker.”

     

     

  • Ngige: I’m unperturbed by picketing threat

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said he remained unshaken by the picketing threat.

    The minister’s Special Assistant, Media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe said: “The NLC can go ahead and picket the Ministry of Labour and Employment and allied interests a million times. But I want to assure them that Ngige will remain on the side of the law.

    “All the tissues of lies wrapped in a desperate escape route to nowhere by Wabba have adequately been addressed variously. However, I wish to restate that the desperate moves by Ayuba and his co-travellers to impose their paddy-man as the chairman of the NSITF will continue to flounder on the insistence knockings of reason as well as the stoic resistance of the minster to illegality.

    “Hence, we make abundantly clear once more that the provisions of Section 4(a) of the NSITF Act is very clear on the  sole responsibility of  the Minister of Labour and Employment to nominate a neutral, fit and proper person for the approval of the President for the chairmanship of the board. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige never nominated Kokori.

    “However, an appropriate recommendation has been made by the minister in conformity with the NSITF Act and in fairness to the spirit of the labour tripartism. A chartered accountant, senior fellow of the Institute of Insurance of Nigeria and fellow of the Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Austin Isire, has been nominated and approved by the President as the chairman of the board of the NSITF.

    “A neutral person, for the avoidance of doubt, is one who is neither pro-labour unions – which Kokori is – nor Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), an umbrella body representing private sector manufacturers, nor a member of the government. This was the case during the recently concluded National Minimum Wage negotiation where, in the spirit of tripartism, a neutral, fit and proper person, Miss Amah Pepple, was nominated by the minister and assented to by the President to chair the committee.

    “Kokori, a labour leader, was nominated by Ayuba Wabba and his journeymen to continue their vicious stranglehold on the NSITF and its sister corporations, Trustfund Pension, where whoever is the chairman of the NISTF automatically becomes chairman. Ayuba, the labour leader, is yet to explain to Nigerians his ominous silence over the pillage of the NSITF to the tune of N62 billion when he took over as the NLC President.”

    “Nigerians had expected an outrage from him as a labour leader who has constantly been claiming though in ignorance, the NSITF funds, as belonging to workers. ‘

    “Did his election to the first term of office benefit in any way from the oozing filth? Let him tell Nigerians and why he is scared stiff that any other person, except Kokori, should chair the board of the NSITF.

    “We wish to state once more that the NSITF fund is not workers’ money as it does not subsist on contributions from workers’ salaries. It is an insurance premium, an insurance cover contributed by employers in the private and public sectors for the benefit of a workers and employers who die or injure in the course of work.”

     

  • Call Ngige to order now, Pensioners Union tells Buhari

    The umbrella body of pensioners in the country, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call to order, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and stop him from plunging labour unions in the country into crisis.

    The NUP is accusing the Minister of deliberately trying to factionalise the union, pointing out that as a way of achieving his intention, the Minister is sponsoring his tribal people to create a faction of the pension union.

    The Nation had reported last week that a new pension body known as Federal Parastatal and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria had approached the Ministry of Labour for registration as a pension union, alleging that the NUP has failed its members.

    General Secretary of NUP, Elder Actor Zal said in a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja that the action of those behind the new body was illegal and against the spirit and letters of the nation’s labour laws.

    Zal challenged those behind the new body seeking registration to tell the world where those purported to be affiliates of the new body met and decided to form the union, adding that all sectors mentioned as members were already affiliated to the NUP and have not de-affiliated.

    The statement reads “Our attention has once again been drawn to the renewed efforts by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige to illegally regroup despite the pensioners resolve to remain in one indivisible union.

    “To achieve this ignoble objectives Dr. Chris Ngige deliberately went shopping for few disgruntled elements within the union from his tribe, organized them and sponsor them with government money including PHCN superannuation fund to the tune of N407 million recently collected by the self-appointed interim president of the ministers pensioners association.

    “We want to alert the general public that the effort of the Hon. Minister is self-serving and is not in the best interest of the country. Furthermore, what the minister is about to do is not only contrary to the existing labour law; it will amount to proliferation of industrial unions.

    “This is what the labour law is actually guiding against.  Section 3(2) of the Trade Union Act clearly settles this matter when it says “no trade union shall be registered to represent workers or employers in a place where there already exists a trade union.

    Read Also: Before we crucify Senator Ngige

    “For this reason, the drafters of the Trade Union Act posited that there should be only one union in each Industry representing the interest of workers in that sector. For example, ASUU in the university, NASU to Non-Academic Staff, NUT for all teachers etc.

    “The Minister’s intention of window shopping for ways to divide our union is not only barbaric and crude, but it is the height of insensitivity of a government appointee. The claim by the Minister that membership of the purported Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association (FEPPAN) is to include, PHCN, Power, Universities, Education, Finance, Banking, Aviation is unthinkable. Suffice it to say these bodies are all affiliates of the NUP and have not renounced their membership to the best of our knowledge.

    “The mooters and hatchers of this idea should tell the world where the meeting to form the Association was held, the invitees to the said meeting where such decision was taken.  It is therefore unthinkable and unimaginable for someone to just wake up and announce his intention to form a union (FEPPAN) and named himself the interim president and another dissident member of NUP as interim secretary general.  Is that how to form a union?  Are these the set of people the Hon. Minister should be hob-nobbing with?

    “The Minister must therefore be called to order before he turns Labour Unions in Nigeria to pre- 1978 era when we had proliferation of Trade Unions. It is on the strength of the above that we call on President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) to call the Hon. Minister to order as his intention to re-group NUP is recipe for factionalization and unwanted crisis in the union which has been enjoying relative peace.”

    The Special Adviser to the Minister could not be reached immediately for his reaction.

  • Unemployment rate to hit 33.5 percent by 2020 – FG

    The unemployment rate may increase from 23.1 percent to 33.5 percent by 2020, the Federal Government announced on Thursday.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige disclosed this while declaring open a two-day workshop on breaking the resilience of high unemployment rate in the country in Abuja.

    He described the incessant increase of unemployment in the country was alarming.

    The Minister said the high unemployment rate of 23.1 per cent, and underemployment of 16.6 per cent presented by the National Bureau Statistics (NBS) in its 2019 report was alarming.

    Read Also: Police launches ‘Operation Puff Adder’ in Edo

    Ngige said: “It is a worrisome status as the global poverty capital (World Bank, 2018) and concomitant high prevalence rate of crimes and criminalities, including mass murders, insurgency, militancy, armed robbery, kidnappings, drug abuse, among others.

    “As if this situation is not scary enough, it is projected that the unemployment rate for this country would reach 33.5 per cent by 2020, with consequences that are better imagined, if the trend is not urgently reversed.

    “It is a thing of joy to note that Nigeria has not been resting on her oars over the years in terms of dedicated efforts to curb the unemployment problem”.

    The Minister said further that various government social intervention programmes targeted at reducing youth unemployment and eradicating poverty have been implemented by different administrations since independence.

    According to him, available records show between 1972 to date, about 14 different social intervention programmes have been implemented, including the National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), implemented between 1972 and 1973 and the current National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which has been on-going since 2017, embedded in the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020.

    Despite this, he lamented unemployment rate and poverty levels have been on a steady path of growth, indicating high resilience against the intervention efforts.

    He called for a collaborative mechanism that would yield desired results while assuring that the recommendations from the workshop will receive prompt and sustained attention.

    Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, William Alo, said the workshop was aimed at examining issues around the persistent high unemployment rate in Nigeria with a view to making concrete recommendations on how to tackle the menace.

    He said: “The fact remains that the consequences of high unemployment rate in Nigeria affect each and every one of us as individuals and as members of the Nigerian societies.

    “The objectives of this workshop are, therefore to present the findings of the survey on how to break the Resilience of High Unemployment Rate in Nigeria to the peer community.

    “To stimulate actions towards exploiting untapped available options for massive job creations; to chart way forward on immediate next steps that would yield measurable results”.

    Country Director of the International Labour Organisation in Nigeria, Danis Zulu said unemployment was a major concern to the ILO, especially in Nigeria with significant proportion of unemployed youth.