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Tag: Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel

  • NULGE rejects APC Committee report on Local Government

    NULGE rejects APC Committee report on Local Government

     …says it misrepresents positions of Nigerians

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees ( NULGE ) has rejected the proposal by the APC Committee in True Federalism that Local Government Councils be delisted from the constitution as a tier of government and be left to the whims of the states.

    The union said that the report was a predetermined position of a cabal within the APC to derail the ideals of the Nigerian people as the position being canvassed by the report does not represent the view of the Nigerian people in general and members of the APC in particular.

    National President of the Union, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel said at a news conference in Abuja on Monday that if the party and the Buhari government are sincere to the issue of restructuring and devolution of power in the country, power should be devolved to the local governments rather than removing power from the federal and local government to the states.

    He asked the leadership of the party to stop dissipating energy on the report and dump it in the trash can especially the aspect that deals with the delisting the local government from the constitution and ask state Houses of Assembly to wake up to their responsibility, and give a voice to the local government autonomy bill already passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.

    He said: “Our union has been canvassing for an autonomous local government system in Nigeria through nationwide advocacy campaign that embraces all the 36 states and 774 local government areas of the federation. We had audience with all the governors of the 36 states of the federation or their representative, state assembly members and other stakeholders. 

    Read Also: Rumble in APC as zonal chairmen move against Oyegun

    “We equally participated in all the zonal consultation held by the APC restructuring committee across the country. We are sure that those of you that followed or covered these events are fully aware of our visibility and what transpired during the APC restricting committee consultations in all the venues.

    “We wish as a union to, on a very strong term reject and condemn the aspect of the report that aimed at scrapping local government by delisting it from the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as a third tier of government, as we see this as a predetermined position of some cabals in the party, not the party as a whole let alone, the position of the Nigerian people. 

    “We call in the party leadership to put the report in the dust hon and not to dissipate unnecessary energy on it, discard and shred the report as it was predetermined, self serving, mischievous and didn’t reflect the position of either it members or Nigerians at large.

    “If we are very sincere to the issue of restructuring and devolution of power in Nigeria, power should, as a matter of urgency devolve to the grassroots other than removing power from the federal and local government to the states government.

    “Nigerians have been clamouring for a functional, democratic local government for a long time. In 2003, the 7th Assembly had taken the debate on local government to the 360 federal constituencies where about 327 clearly supported an autonomous local government system by way of ensuring constitutional reforms. 

    “In the same vein, the 8th Assembly has already passed the bill to make local government more independent, based on the aspirations of Nigerians. Now the bill has been transmitted to the State Assemblies waiting for their action, some governors are ganging up again to hijack the process at the State Houses of Assembly.

    “The aspect of the committee recommendation is just an attempt to hijack and divert the ongoing process of the constitutional amendment process awaiting action at the state Houses of Assembly.

    “We wish to express our profound appreciation and gratitude to the Heroes of democracy and governors of Benue, Cross Rivers and Bauchi states and their Houses of Assembly leadership and the entire members for overwhelmingly adopting the bills on local government, after conducting public hearing by the houses. Democracy is about people and Nigerians have spoken clearly, loud and their opinion must be respected at this critical period. 

    “We appeal passionately to the remaining state governors to support Nigerians by identifying with the position of the majority if Nigerians allow state assembly members to discharge their constitutional, mandate without interference and undue influence, where the state legislators should urgently organise public hearing on the bills that aim at strengthening local government systems and ensure that they stand with the people they represent.

    “The leadership of the union at both the state and local government levels are hereby directed to renew and redouble their efforts in engaging their state legislators to ensure the success of the struggle, while our comrades from other sister unions, civil society allies and all Nigerians are urged not to relent on their efforts in this regards.”

  • A fitting honour for “The Grassroots Champion”

    A fitting honour for “The Grassroots Champion”

    The venue was the popular Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, in the city centre of Abuja and the date was Friday, November 10, 2017. Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku stood tall as Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, National Chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, spoke of his attributes before a huge crowd of people made up of representatives of local government workers from all the 774 Local Government Council Areas in the country, members of the National Assembly from Taraba State, legislators from the Taraba State House of Assembly, chairmen and councillors from the 16 Local Government Areas of Taraba State and thousands of his supporters from in and outside Taraba State.

    Then came the highpoint of the event of that day.   Hon Gambo Tanko Kagara, National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, emerged with the insignia of the prestigious ]award of Excellence and Best Performing Governor in Grassroots Development in Nigeria and handed over to Governor Ishaku to the admiration of the First Lady of Taraba State and Wife of the Governor, Barrister Anna Darius Ishaku and their son Gibuiya. The crowd exploded into a thunderous applause that almost sent the roof caving in. It was indeed a day that hard work, diligence and patriotism, all of them attributes that have defined the character of the administration of Governor Ishaku in the past two and a half years in Taraba State were acknowledged and rewarded from the least expected but highly respected workers’ umbrella constituency – the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE and the Association  of Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria, ALGON.

    The coming of the award was no surprise to people who have followed the giant strides in the development of the state by the administration. The surprise, really, was the source from which the award came – ALGON, and NULGE, both of them acting jointly and in one accord on this occasion. The two unions are the ultimate umbrellas organisations for all workers and administrators at the grassroots level. The grassroots of the country is for them a familiar terrain and they have good and up to date knowledge of developments at that level of administration in the country. NULGE, as a pressure group whose mission always is to fight for workers’ welfare, is hardly ever impressed by the efforts of political leaders to make life better for the populace. In the case of Governor Ishaku, it was different. They were impressed and they came out not only to say so publicly but to reward him publicly for it. The decision was a product of painstaking independent assessment of the 36 states governors in service delivery at the grassroots level through the promotion of projects and services with direct bearing on the welfare of people at the grassroots level. Governor Ishaku came out as the most outstanding performer.

    Comrade Khaleel told the audience that Governor Ishaku had excelled in his determination to take the local government system in Taraba State out of an unfortunate system that was characterised by monumental corruption, a system that was rotting and dying. “We have subjected Governor Ishaku to a process of long and painstaking investigation and I wish to say with all sense of honesty that he has passed our test. He has distinguished himself as the best friend of workers through regular payment of salaries and pensions and in promoting the welfare of workers generally.” Khaleel also said Governor Ishaku has done more than any other Governor in the country in promoting grassroots development and described him as a “Grassroots Champion”, the most committed promoter of quality education, a dedicated and an incorruptible friend of the people at the grassroots level.

    It was also from this perspective that Governor Ishaku saw the significance of the award. He said in his acceptance speech that it was significant that the award was coming from those who were, by their calling as trade unionists, not very easy to impress by the people in government. The award came from the source he least expected and he said so. “If a labour union is giving you an award, it means that award is indeed a worthy reward because it is coming from those who keep you on your toes every day through their agitations and demands for improved services.”

    The event was for Ishaku an opportunity to recount his long and victorious battle with ghost workers in the state. He told his audience that his administration adopted several strategies which outwitted the perpetrators of salary scams in the state. That victory is the reason that salaries are being paid regularly to workers at all level of governance in the state today. It is also the reason government is able to implement projects that have tremendously changed social and economic lives in the state.

    One remarkable way the administration has positively touched lives at the grassroots level is the 100 boreholes in 100 communities in the state. The successful implementation of that project has changed the water supply situation in the state dramatically, particularly in the rural communities. Those rural communities where people hitherto shared water from ponds with their domestic animals now have regular source of good water. They now have boreholes drilled for them by the government. Additional 150 similar boreholes in 150 more communities are now being drilled to further extend these facilities to more people. It is not unlikely that this rare gesture of the administration is one of the factors that have influenced the award in favour of Governor Ishaku.

    There is also the administration’s skills acquisition programme that has taken thousands of women and youths off the poverty bracket. They were those who benefitted from training organised for them in various areas of vocation that have turned them not only into self-employed entrepreneurs but employers of labour. They were all given financial assistants and start-up equipment that helped them in setting up their own business outfits. Every electoral award in the state is a beneficiary from the scheme. The beneficiaries are rigorously monitored by government’s rescue watch officers to ensure that the beneficiaries do not derail from the objectives of the project. This scheme has greatly and positively touched lives at the grassroots.

    The Ishaku administration’s employment policy has changed lives way down into the rural communities too. The government had lifted the embargo on employment placed by previous administrations in the state. This has led to the employment of nearly 10,000 hitherto unemployed youths in two years, among them the 3000 teachers who were recently presented letters of appointment. The impact of these employments in the socio-economic lives of these employees and their dependants has been tremendous.

    The re-activation of six previously dead government-owned companies has also had tremendous impact on lives. It has opened more job opportunities and stimulated economic activities. The Highland Tea factory in Mambilla is one outstanding example of how the rural populace in the state have benefitted from the revival of the companies. The return of the company to business has also revived tea farming which is the main preoccupation of the people on the Mambilla Plateau. They now make good money from their tea farms by supplying the factory. Governor Ishaku has not only revived the tea company but has also helped tremendously in promoting the product in local and international markets. Today the product is in high demand, far more than the company can cope with. The overall impact of these efforts in positively transforming lives at the grassroots is certainly part of what swung the award in favour of Governor Ishaku.

    The award is an appreciation of the impact of projects and programmes under the government’s rescue mission which is being felt down to the grassroots level. The roads that the administration has built, hospital, clinics, schools and colleges that have been renovated or completely rebuilt, the provision of stable electricity through the supply of transformers, all have achieved one vital objective which is the stimulation of business activities that have also directly improved the economic lives of people in the benefitting grassroots communities.

    The Excellence Award on Grassroots Development is a fitting honour for Ishaku, a man who has fought the battle against payroll scammers and won, rescued education from the abyss of decay and reduced poverty in the state through his multi-faceted skills acquisition programmes that have touched lives positively down to the grassroots. True, “the Grassroots Champion” has joined several of Governor Ishaku’s other middle names.

    • Dan Abu is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Taraba State on Media and Publicity

     

  • A fitting honour for “The Grassroots Champion”

    The venue was the popular Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, in the city centre of Abuja and the date was Friday, November 10, 2017. Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku stood tall as Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, National Chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, spoke of his attributes before a huge crowd of people made up of representatives of local government workers from all the 774 Local Government Council Areas in the country, members of the National Assembly from Taraba State, legislators from the Taraba State House of Assembly, chairmen and councillors from the 16 Local Government Areas of Taraba State and thousands of his supporters from in and outside Taraba State.

    Then came the highpoint of the event of that day.   Hon Gambo Tanko Kagara, National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, emerged with the insignia of the prestigious ]award of Excellence and Best Performing Governor in Grassroots Development in Nigeria and handed over to Governor Ishaku to the admiration of the First Lady of Taraba State and Wife of the Governor, Barrister Anna Darius Ishaku and their son Gibuiya. The crowd exploded into a thunderous applause that almost sent the roof caving in. It was indeed a day that hard work, diligence and patriotism, all of them attributes that have defined the character of the administration of Governor Ishaku in the past two and a half years in Taraba State were acknowledged and rewarded from the least expected but highly respected workers’ umbrella constituency – the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE and the Association  of Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria, ALGON.

    The coming of the award was no surprise to people who have followed the giant strides in the development of the state by the administration. The surprise, really, was the source from which the award came – ALGON, and NULGE, both of them acting jointly and in one accord on this occasion. The two unions are the ultimate umbrellas organisations for all workers and administrators at the grassroots level. The grassroots of the country is for them a familiar terrain and they have good and up to date knowledge of developments at that level of administration in the country. NULGE, as a pressure group whose mission always is to fight for workers’ welfare, is hardly ever impressed by the efforts of political leaders to make life better for the populace. In the case of Governor Ishaku, it was different. They were impressed and they came out not only to say so publicly but to reward him publicly for it. The decision was a product of painstaking independent assessment of the 36 states governors in service delivery at the grassroots level through the promotion of projects and services with direct bearing on the welfare of people at the grassroots level. Governor Ishaku came out as the most outstanding performer.

    Comrade Khaleel told the audience that Governor Ishaku had excelled in his determination to take the local government system in Taraba State out of an unfortunate system that was characterised by monumental corruption, a system that was rotting and dying. “We have subjected Governor Ishaku to a process of long and painstaking investigation and I wish to say with all sense of honesty that he has passed our test. He has distinguished himself as the best friend of workers through regular payment of salaries and pensions and in promoting the welfare of workers generally.” Khaleel also said Governor Ishaku has done more than any other Governor in the country in promoting grassroots development and described him as a “Grassroots Champion”, the most committed promoter of quality education, a dedicated and an incorruptible friend of the people at the grassroots level.

    It was also from this perspective that Governor Ishaku saw the significance of the award. He said in his acceptance speech that it was significant that the award was coming from those who were, by their calling as trade unionists, not very easy to impress by the people in government. The award came from the source he least expected and he said so. “If a labour union is giving you an award, it means that award is indeed a worthy reward because it is coming from those who keep you on your toes every day through their agitations and demands for improved services.”

    The event was for Ishaku an opportunity to recount his long and victorious battle with ghost workers in the state. He told his audience that his administration adopted several strategies which outwitted the perpetrators of salary scams in the state. That victory is the reason that salaries are being paid regularly to workers at all level of governance in the state today. It is also the reason government is able to implement projects that have tremendously changed social and economic lives in the state.

    One remarkable way the administration has positively touched lives at the grassroots level is the 100 boreholes in 100 communities in the state. The successful implementation of that project has changed the water supply situation in the state dramatically, particularly in the rural communities. Those rural communities where people hitherto shared water from ponds with their domestic animals now have regular source of good water. They now have boreholes drilled for them by the government. Additional 150 similar boreholes in 150 more communities are now being drilled to further extend these facilities to more people. It is not unlikely that this rare gesture of the administration is one of the factors that have influenced the award in favour of Governor Ishaku.

    There is also the administration’s skills acquisition programme that has taken thousands of women and youths off the poverty bracket. They were those who benefitted from training organised for them in various areas of vocation that have turned them not only into self-employed entrepreneurs but employers of labour. They were all given financial assistants and start-up equipment that helped them in setting up their own business outfits. Every electoral award in the state is a beneficiary from the scheme. The beneficiaries are rigorously monitored by government’s rescue watch officers to ensure that the beneficiaries do not derail from the objectives of the project. This scheme has greatly and positively touched lives at the grassroots.

    The Ishaku administration’s employment policy has changed lives way down into the rural communities too. The government had lifted the embargo on employment placed by previous administrations in the state. This has led to the employment of nearly 10,000 hitherto unemployed youths in two years, among them the 3000 teachers who were recently presented letters of appointment. The impact of these employments in the socio-economic lives of these employees and their dependants has been tremendous.

    The re-activation of six previously dead government-owned companies has also had tremendous impact on lives. It has opened more job opportunities and stimulated economic activities. The Highland Tea factory in Mambilla is one outstanding example of how the rural populace in the state have benefitted from the revival of the companies. The return of the company to business has also revived tea farming which is the main preoccupation of the people on the Mambilla Plateau. They now make good money from their tea farms by supplying the factory. Governor Ishaku has not only revived the tea company but has also helped tremendously in promoting the product in local and international markets. Today the product is in high demand, far more than the company can cope with. The overall impact of these efforts in positively transforming lives at the grassroots is certainly part of what swung the award in favour of Governor Ishaku.

    The award is an appreciation of the impact of projects and programmes under the government’s rescue mission which is being felt down to the grassroots level. The roads that the administration has built, hospital, clinics, schools and colleges that have been renovated or completely rebuilt, the provision of stable electricity through the supply of transformers, all have achieved one vital objective which is the stimulation of business activities that have also directly improved the economic lives of people in the benefitting grassroots communities.

    The Excellence Award on Grassroots Development is a fitting honour for Ishaku, a man who has fought the battle against payroll scammers and won, rescued education from the abyss of decay and reduced poverty in the state through his multi-faceted skills acquisition programmes that have touched lives positively down to the grassroots. True, “the Grassroots Champion” has joined several of Governor Ishaku’s other middle names.

     

    • Dan Abu is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Taraba State on Media and Publicity
  • State independent electoral commissions should be scrapped – NURGE

    State independent electoral commissions should be scrapped – NURGE

    The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) wants the constitutional provision establishing the State Independent Electoral Commission saddled with the conduct of local government elections in the various state scrapped and the power vested on the Independent National Electoral Commission in other to save democracy at the local level.

    Addressing a news conference at the end of the National Executive Council meeting of the union in Abuja, its National President, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel  said that even though the two chambers of the National Assembly voted in favour of local government autonomy, it was not yet time to celebrate since the union has achieved this before, only to have it scuttled by state Houses of Assembly.

    He also added that even though the bill on the scrapping of the state electoral bodies could not sail through at the House of Representatives, the union believe that the issue could still be revisited and considered during reconciliation between the two chambers.

    He also said that the union also believe that local government autonomy can not be absolute if the tenure of elected local government officials is not made a constitutional matter’ but left to the various states to determine.

    He said “We want the National Assembly to look at the possibility of revisiting the issue of deleting SIEC from the constitution because going by the provisions of Aberdeen convention which the United Nations provision on the administration of local government, participatory local government is article number one and for you to strengthen the participation democratically at local government level, SIEC must be scrapped so that INEC will be saddled with the responsibility of organizing election as and when due. It is only when we have this arrangement that democracy at the local government level will be strengthened.

    “Our position is strengthened by the Bauchi state governor who publicly admitted on national television that he had not conducted elections since he assumed office in 2015 due to paucity of funds, adding that it will only make sense for state government to hand off local government elections so that INEC will be saddled with the responsibility to do so.

    “We are canvassing for four-year tenure for local governments, but the issue has already been taken care of by the recent position of the National Assembly which proposed three years. We believe that if at the end of the day, it sailed through with a two third of state assemblies, if would have put an end to the issue of tenure for elected local government officials.”

    The union expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for adopting two of the three key bills on local government autonomy which he said “include the bill on special accounts for local government which grant local government administrators the constitutional power to manage their own accounts as against the existing policy in which governors take absolute control of local government allocation.

    “The bill on the democratic existence of funding and tenure of local government councils which prohibits constitution of caretaker leadership for local government area. Another fundamental victory if endorsed by state assemblies against the fact that many governors continue to exploit caretaker leadership of local councils to trample on the independence of local government areas.

    “The third bill on scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commission from the constitution was defeated narrowly in the House of Representatives with eleven votes short of the required 240 votes. It is our hope that in the course of reconciliation between the two chambers, this may be rectified.

    Khaleel said that the “bold step taken by the 8th Assembly has rekindled our hope that this time around, our struggle and message of local government autonomy through advocacy have taken deep roots not only in the imagination of the Nigerian masses, but even more so in the agenda and scheme of key democratic institutions.

    “This shows that the logic of autonomy for local government has matured;  an idea whose time has come. We are however by no means carried with the belief that the job has been done. We were at this juncture when. The 6th and 7th Assembly voted to support local government autonomy, but could not muster the required two third from the state Assemblies”.

    He said the attention of the union and its civil society allies will not shift to State Houses of Assemblies to ensure that they are not defeated in their determination to see a fee and unfetter d democratic local government system in the country, saying “our hope is that the State Houses of Assembly will this time around not disappoint majority of Nigerians whose joy at the passage of the bills echoed across the country, by mustering the necessary conviction to likewise vote overwhelmingly for autonomy of local government.”

    Justifying the need for local government autonomy, the NULGE President said “given the nature of our political culture, subordinating local governments to state governments via the latter controlling the finances of the former emasculated local government especially those controlled by an opposing political part.

    “Local government should, therefore, be granted autonomy in the spirit of federalism to go beyond political rhetoric. This will help to remedy one of the formidable problems of Nigeria federalism. This is why we have canvassed for the Nigerian Constitution to be amended with sufficient provisions to guarantee local government autonomy.

    “We are therefore glad that the constitutional provisions that had created the environment for their subjugation and rendered vulnerable, the local government system to the exploitative tendencies of state governors are being expunged.

    Local government autonomy should be all encompassing to impact on all the critical aspects of the administration of local communities. It is our position that local communities can only be meaningfully autonomous when popular structures, organisations and supportive values have been created to sustain, propagate and perpetuate fair representation, constant dialogue, openness of policy making, public accountability and collective self-defence”