The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fed Govt

  • Fed Govt moves against public servants in trade unionism

    THE Federal Government yesterday approved a White Paper to regulate the activities of labour unions in the public service.

    Some of the areas included the implementation of the ‘no work, no pay’ policy, prohibition of private practice by medical practitioners and teachers, and the stoppage of non-government workers representing government in collective bargaining.

    Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige briefed State House correspondents at the end of the  Federal Executive Council (FEC), meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The White Paper, he said, prohibits medical doctors and teachers working in Government institutions from working in private clinics and schools.

    He said: “The Federal Executive Council approved the draft White Paper on the report of the Technical Committee on the Industrial Relations Matters in the Federal Public Service. As you might all been aware, the Federal Public Service in Nigeria has been bedevilled with all sorts of problems and conflict areas.

    “So, over time, government has set up various committees, brought out establishment circulars, brought out circulars from the various government agencies all in a bid to stem the tide of industrial disputes.

    “So, this Technical Committee, which was inaugurated on the 21st of April 2016, did their  work and submitted to the Federal Executive Council in October 2017. The Federal Executive Council in turn empanelled a committee of 10, which I chaired to do a government draft White Paper on those contentious areas that the technical committee had looked at.

    “These contentious areas are the enforcement of Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act Law of the Federation 2004. This is the section that deals with lock out of workers by their employer without declaring redundancy appropriately because the same establishment, especially in the private sector workers are locked out by their employers.

    “So, the law that says that if you lock out your workers without passing through the normal channel, due process for the period of the lock out, the worker is assumed to be at work and will receive all remunerations and allowances and benefits accruing to him for the period and that period will also be counted to him as a pensionable period in computation of his pension.

    “But when workers go on strike, the principle of ‘no work, no pay’ will also be applied because that principle is enshrined in that same section 43 of the Labour Act. That section says for the period a worker withdraws his services, government or his employers are not entitled to pay and the period for which they were absent will not count as part of his pensionable period in the public service.

    “So, council accepted it as a White Paper recommendation that should be gazetted because even the National Industrial Court has made pronouncement on that law and said that it is clear.”

    On refusal of some public servants to obey postings because of unionism,  he said: “Another area is that of public servants remaining permanently in the executive bodies of trade unions. Government realises that some persons in the public service go into trade union executive positions, hold offices and they do that for life for as long as they are in the service.

    “And in doing so, they will refuse postings and redeployment under the guise that they are doing trade union activities, government says no.

    “You have to be a public servant first before you become a trade unionist. Therefore, if you are there, the public service rules should also be applied to you and in doing so, government says establishments will look at issues and give it a human face in order not to disrupt trade unionism and in furtherance to this, government has also said that there must be tenure stipulations because people stay there without tenures, many organisations give people union positions without tenure.

    “Government says there is no office that doesn’t have a tenure. Trade unions now should give us Constitution that must have tenure at least maximum of two tenure for any elective position.”

    He went on: “Again the third point that government looked at in the technical report for us is the authentication of documents in collective bargaining. Often times in government circle, we have gotten circulars that are fake being presented by people who come for collective bargaining agreements. Sometimes, even some parastatals can present something that is not really authenticated.

    “Government therefore says all collective agreements must be authenticated by the rightful authorities and domiciled with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.”

    On skipping in the medical sector,  he said: “Government says Head of Service of the Federation must bring out a circular immediately to stop skipping arrangements.”

    On the seven years tenure fixed for resident doctors training, he said: “The medical training for resident doctors has been contentious. Some medical doctors come into the training and become professional unionists and stay there as permanent job.

    “The residency training is actually not a permanent job as such, it is a conveyor built arrangements by which you stay and drop off another people come in so government has fixed a tenure for resident training, seven years within which you can pass all your exams. If you don’t pass all your exams after seven years, you are off.”

  • Fed Govt shocked as Boko Haram kills aid worker

    The Federal Government yesterday expressed shock over the killing of another aid worker by Boko Haram abductors.

    The Islamists made good their threat by killing Hauwa Leman, who worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

    The organisatio on Sunday raised the alarm that the Boko Haram faction had threatened to kill the two aid workers in their custody within 24 hours.

    The Geneva-based ICRC, which often works behind the scenes for humanitarian goals in war zones, identified the kidnappers as members of ISWA – Islamic State’s offshoot in West Africa. “Speed and urgency are critical. A deadline that could result in the killing of another healthcare worker is less than 24 hours away,” the ICRC said.

    Medical workers Hauwa Mohammed Liman and Alice Loksha were working in the Borno State town of Rann when they were kidnapped along with ICRC midwife Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa, who was killed in September, the ICRC said in a statement.

    ISWAP, in a statement, quoted by The Cable  said: “We have kept our word exactly as we said, by killing another humanitarian worker, Hauwa Leman, who is working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that were abducted during a raid on a military facility in Rann, Kala Balge in March 2018.

    “Saifura and Hauwa were killed because they are considered as Murtads (apostates) by the group because they were once Muslims that have abandoned their Islam, the moment they chose to work with the Red Cross, and for us, there is no difference between Red Cross and UNICEF.

    “If we see them, we will kill the apostates among them, men or women, and chose to kill or keep the infidels as slaves, men or women.”

    The ISWAP also threatened to keep Leah Sharibu as a slave.

    Minister of Information Lai Mohammed in a statement issued in London by his media adviser Segun Adeyemi described the killing as “dastardly, inhuman and ungodly,” saying nothing can justify the shedding of the blood of innocent people.

    The minister also commiserated with the family of the aid worker, saying the Federal Government did all within its powers to save her life.

    ”It is very unfortunate that it has come to this. Before and after the deadline issued by her abductors, the Federal Government did everything any responsible government should do to save the aid worker.

    ”As we have been doing since these young women were abducted, we kept the line of negotiations open all through. In all the negotiations, we acted in the best interest of the women and the country as a whole.

    ”We are deeply pained by this killing, just like we were by the recent killing of the first aid worker. However, we will keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who remain in the custody of their abductors,” the Minister said.

    “He thanked all the friendly governments that have continued to work with Nigeria for the safe release of the abducted women, and the clerics across religious lines who have been pleading for their release.”

  • Fed Govt considers legal instrument for offshore gas

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, yesterday said that by the end of the month, the Federal Government would have settled the contractual structure that would aid the country to unlock gas offshore  instead of depending solely on the Niger Delta.

    Kachikwu, who spoke at the ongoing Nigerian Gas Association (NGA), 11th International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, said this is why the Ministry is determined to settle the issues of the contractual framework that would help her unlock those gas resources so that we have optionality, at end of this quarter.

    Kachikwu, who was represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Upstream and Gas,  Mr. Gbite Adeniji, said that the Federal Government is serious about taking gas to the northern region of the country, through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano, AKK, gas pipeline, so as to tackle the huge economic challenges witnessed in the region.

    According to him, Nigeria can no longer tolerate a situation where 11 power plants across the country would be forced to shut down, once there is a disruption in gas supply through the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS).

    His words: “As  a government, you want to ensure that you have robustness in supply sources and robustness on delivery system. The position we have taken is that we have to look at as many options as possible in terms of supply sources.”

    “Today, we are very dependent on gas supply from the Niger Delta.  The policy position is that we have to look at other terrains to see what is possible. We have discovered huge amount of gas resources in the offshore.

  • Fed Govt disburses N1.5b to 20,344 in Bauchi

    The Federal Government has issued more than N1.5 billion to 20,344 poor households in Bauchi State under its Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme, its coordinator in the state, Mr Jibrin Yusuf, has said.

    Yusuf told officials of the state council of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) who visited his office on Monday in Bauchi that the money was disbursed from 2016 to date.

    According to him, additional 2, 969 households would soon be injected into the scheme to raise the total beneficiaries to 23, 313 across the state.

    “ The CCT programme also trains beneficiaries in techniques, saving groups and skills to improve their living condition.”

    Yusuf explained that more than 80 percent of the beneficiaries were women care-givers in their various households.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the money was disbursed to very poor households to ease their hardships and encourage them to send their children to school.

    NAWOJ Chairperson Mrs Bulak Afsa said the visit was to collaborate with the CCT office to reach out to more women not only to benefit from the scheme but also offer them skills to live on their own.

    She expressed the readiness of NAWOJ to sensitise existing registered cooperatives and savings’ groups in the state to access federal government loans and other social intervention programmes.

  • Fed Govt restates commitment to zero hunger

    The Federal Government has restated commitment to zero food hunger by 2030 through sustenance of the current agricultural activities.

    Speaking at a symposium to mark the 2018 World Food Day in Abuja with the theme “Our actions are our Future: A zero hunger world by 2030 is possible,” in Abuja at the weekend, Minister of State Agriculture and Rural Development Senator Heineken Lokpobiri assured Nigeria will be food sufficiency in the next 12 years.

    The World Food Day is celebrated every 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Organisation in 1945.

    But the minister was quick to add the projection can only be attainable if all Nigerians treated agriculture as serious business and not as mere programme.

    He stated Nigeria must take advantage of its rapidly growing population to invest seriously in agriculture, urging the private sector to take the lead while the government provides the enabling environment.

    Lokpobiri maintained state governments must collectively demonstrate seriousness in agriculture by committing at least five percent of budgets to the sector to upscale the agricultural production.

    He commended efforts of Kebbi, Ebonyi, Zamfara and Ogun State, among others in agriculture, urging others to take a cue from them.

    Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Nigeria, Suffyan Koroma, appreciated the continued commitment of Nigeria in forging strong partnerships for nourishing, nurturing and growing a prosperous and peaceful Nigeria.

    According to him, achieving Zero Hunger is FAO’s shared commitment, which can be achieved through a right- based approach.

     

  • Fed Govt releases N460b for capital expenditure

    The Federal Government says it has released N460 billion of the N2.1 trillion capital expenditure for 2018 budget implementation.

    Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma made this disclosure in Bali, Indonesia yesterday after meeting with a delegation of Afreximbank officials on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

    Udoma told journalists that more money will be released if the National Assembly approves the executives request for another round of payment.

    According to the Minister of Budget, “the amount of capital releases as of today is N460 billion.  We just need a resolution of the National Assembly on the Borrowing Plan then we can fund it even more. We are spending money on N-Power, School feeding, Trader Moni.  We are conscious to meet the needs of the vulnerable.”

    Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, also revealed that after her meeting with Afreximbank team, there is an understanding that Nigeria may likely increase its shareholding in the bank because of the value such increased shareholding holds for Nigeria.

    According to Ahmed, “part of what we discussed is the possibility of increasing our shareholding and we discussed some of the projects and programmes that Afrexim is supporting in Nigeria. Afrexim has a very large portfolio in Nigeria.  About 40 percent of the bank’s portfolio is in Nigeria with support to the government but largely to the private sector. We have the need to increase our shareholding in the bank because there is a lot of value that we are getting from Afrexim Bank” she said.

    The finance minister said they also discussed the setting up of a medical park in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) “which is a discussion that has been going on for quite a long time.  There was also a discussion on the establishment of Quality Assurance Centres in Ogun and other parts of the country. We also discussed the setting up of Industrial Parks in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in three Centres- Lekki, Kano and one in Kaduna” Zainab said.

    Asked to comment on Nigeria’s delay in signing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Zainab Ahmed maintained that “Trade Agreements are not things that the government will just enter into without due consultations with stakeholders in the private sector.  We need to discuss with the private sector and agree with operators in that sector before we join.  The discussions have been going on but we have not reached a consensus.  We need to reach a consensus before we agree to sign.”

    On his part, President of the Afreximbank, Dr. Benedict Oramah said, “Nigeria is still a major shareholder in the bank, although of recent, it has fallen back in terms of its relative position.  That is why we have had this discussions with the Minister of Finance to see how Nigeria could return to the position it was.”

     

     

  • Assets declaration failure: Fed Govt charges Ekweremadu, Akpan to court

    •Courts fix October 22, Nov 19 for arraignment

    THE Federal Government has filed two charges against Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Senator Albert Bassey Akpan (Akwa Ibom North-East) for allegedly failing to declare some of their assets.

    The charges were filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja on behalf of the Federal Government by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP).

    The charge against Ekweremadu has been assigned to Justice Binta Nyako. The one against Akpan is assigned to Justice John Tsoho.

    Both judges yesterday granted leave to the prosecution to serve the charges and other accompanying court documents on the defendants through the National Assembly Clerk.

    The order for substituted service was granted by both judges after listening to prosecution lawyer, Celsus Ukpong, who complained of difficulty in effecting personal service on the defendants.

    Justice Nyako adjourned to October 22 for arraignment and Justice Tsoho adjourned to November 19.

    The two count-charge against Ekweremadu reads:

    “That you, Ike Ekweremadu ‘M’ ‘on or about 28th day of March, 2018, being a public officer with the National Assembly, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, committed an offence to wit: refuse to declare your assets without reasonable excuse and upon the notice to declare your assets in the manner prescribed by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property contrary and punishable under Section 3 (3)(1)a of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act 2004.

    “That you, Ike Ekweremadu ‘M’ on or about 28th day of March, 2018, being a public officer with the National Assembly Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court, committed an offence to wit: neglect to declare your assets without. reasonable excuse and upon the notice to declare your assets in the manner prescribed by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, contrary and punishable under Section 3(3)(1)3 of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act 2004.”

    The charge against Akpan reads:

    “That you, Senator Albert Bassey Akpan ‘M’ on or about 12th day of April, 2018, being public officers with the National Assembly within the jurisdiction of this honourable court ,committed an offence to wit; refusal to declare your assets without reasonable excuse and upon notice to declare your assets before the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Abuja, contrary to and punishable under Section 3 (3) (1) (a) of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provision) Act 2004.

    “That you, Senator Albert Bassey Akpan ‘M’ on or about 12th  day of April, 2018 being public officers with the National Assembly within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, committed an offence to wit: neglect to declare your assets without reasonable excuse and upon notice to declare your assets before the Special presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Abuja contrary to and punishable under Section 3(3)(1)(a) of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provision) Act 2004.”

     

    Action laughable, says Deputy Senate President

    DEPUTY Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said yesterday his attention has been drawn to an attempt by the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Mr. Ofem Obono-Obla, to smear his name in midst of the present political activities.

    Ekweremadu described the suit filed against him by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on behalf of the SPIP over his refusal to declare his assets to the panel as laughable and malicious.

    He said: “Let me re-affirm to Nigerians and my supporters that I have no assets declaration case to answer. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria requires public office holders to declare their assets every four years, a requirement which I fulfilled. The panel requested and obtained copies of my Assets Declaration Form from the Code of Conduct Bureau, where everything is stated in black and white.

    “For emphasis, all my assets were fully and comprehensively declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau.

    “What is at issue here is that the SPIP had forwarded fresh assets declaration forms to me to fill contrary to the position of the 1999 Constitution, a demand I refused to oblige because it is clearly unconstitutional. It is this refusal to disobey the Constitution that I am now being charged for.

    “I am aware that the Panel chairman wrote the same letter to some serving Honourable Judges of the Federal High Court, who also declined to fill them.

    “I am also aware that the affected judges petitioned the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mallam Abubakar Malami, who immediately withdrew the provocative letters and fresh asset declaration forms with apologies.

    “I am further aware that the Office of the AGF had also intervened in a similar case involving the Obla Panel at the Federal High Court, Lagos and I believe all these culminated in Obono-Obla’s suspension in November 2017 before his recall.

    “It is, therefore, left to Nigerians to see the politics of the so-called charges in my case. The Office of the AGF should not allow itself to be used in filing malevolent and unconstitutional charges that destroy our democracy and make mockery of our judicial system.”

  • Fed Govt begins settlement of N22.6b to ex-Nigeria Airways workers entitlements next week

    The Federal Government will next Monday commence the final  verification and payment of N22.6 billion entitlements to all former staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways.

    According to a statement by Mr. Paul Abechi,  the  Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Finance Minister, Mrs. Zaibab Ahmed, the long awaited payment exercise will last for one week and will hold simultaneously in the three regional hubs of Lagos, Kano and Enugu.

    According to Abechi, the payment exercises will hold at Sky-Power Catering, Ikeja, Lagos; ABC (former Nigeria Airways Office), Bank Road, Kano; and Villa Toscana Hotel, at 1 Aguleri Street, Independent Layout, Enugu.

    The exercise will last till Monday, October 22, 2018 at the designated centers except for the one in Enugu that will end on Thursday, October 18, 2018.

    The statement further revealed that, “beneficiaries are expected to come along with the following documents to the centres: Letter of Appointment, Letter of Confirmation, Letter of Last Promotion, Letter of Retirement, NAL Identity Card, Other Means of Identification (National ID Card, International Passport, Driver’s License, etc), Particulars of Bank Account: A cheque slip or statement of Bank Account, Letter of Administration to be presented by Next-of-Kin (NOKs) in the case of deceased beneficiaries.

    “Beneficiaries will be subjected to biometric data capture; beneficiaries should come along with copies of documents listed above for submission to the verification committee; beneficiaries are to be captured in an orderly manner, hence notice will be placed at the venue and specific date for capturing of each beneficiary will be indicated.”

    It would be recalled that the federal government had approved N22.68 billion for the ex-workers of the the defunct national carrier.

    Speaking in Abuja during her maiden meeting with the ex-workers of Nigeria Airways after resumption as Finance Minister, Ahmed said: “some pending fiscal issues in the aviation and education sectors were immediately brought to my attention. I took it as a challenge to quickly address key issues regarding the settlement of existing claims in both of these sectors. Consequent upon this, I am happy to inform you that Mr. President has graciously approved the sum of N22.68 billion and N20 billion to aviation and education sectors respectively,” she said.

  • NIPSS chief to Fed Govt: don’t neglect Niger Delta ex-agitators

    A Director of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Prof Habu Galadima, has urged the Federal Government not to neglect Niger Delta ex-agitators.

    Galadima, head of Research at the agency, also said the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Prof. Charles Dokubo, was working towards  realising objectives of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    He spoke while delivering an address at a capacity building training for executive and senior management of the Amnesty Programme.

    It has the theme: ‘Change and Organizational Renewal: Strategic Leadership and Employee Performance Development Programme’.

    Prof. Galadima spoke on ‘Transforming Regional Insecurity through Sustainable Social Integration Programme for ex-agitators in the Niger Delta’.

    He lauded the programme under Dokubo’s watch, but urged the Federal Government to see the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme as a continuum.

    “Transformation can be deepened to enhance the reintegration process of Niger Delta ex-agitators; neglecting demobilized ex-agitators can lead to social unrest and national insecurity. The Amnesty Programme must be seen as a continuum,” Galadima said.

    Prof. Dokubo expressed President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to ensure that the narrative of the Niger Delta is turned around.

    He said the programme was set up basically for the maintenance of peace and security as well as development of Niger Delta.

    “The Amnesty programme was set up as a necessity and so far, it has done well. The Programme is a vehicle to be driven to achieve the two key objectives.  Slowly but surely, we shall overcome the challenges we are facing. I believe the people I am working with are passionate and have the same vision and drive to make the Niger Delta people proud”.

    Dokubo said Amnesty vocational training centres at Agadagba, Ondo State, and Kaiama, Bayelsa State, would be inaugurated in two weeks to train beneficiaries awaiting deployment, while work is on to complete three other centres.

  • ‘Fed Govt to focus on seizure of proceeds of corruption’

    THE Federal Government will now emphasise the seizure of proceeds of corruption and other financial crimes as a measure to further strengthen its anti-graft strategies.

    The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who made this known in Abuja, said adoption of the measure was informed by the realisation that criminals prefer imprisonment to losing their illegally acquired wealth.

    Malami spoke in a speech he sent to the Regional capacity-building workshop for law enforcement agencies on promoting best practices on structure, investigation and techniques of criminal asset seizure, freezing, confiscation, recoveries and management in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

    The workshop was put together by the Inter-Government Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

    Malami said: “We cannot over-emphasise the importance of criminal assets confiscation or forfeiture; besides the redistribution of wealth from the criminals to legitimate use, criminal assets forfeiture can be used as a veritable means to control criminal behaviour as well as a means of deterrence against crime and as a measure of punishment for criminals.

    “Many criminals fear the loss of their money and other illegally acquired wealth more than they fear the prospect of a jail term.”

    President of Community Court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Justice Edward Asante advocated for enhanced international collaborations if countries in the sub-region were to succeed in the war against financial crimes and terrorism financing.

    Justice Asante, who assured of his court’s continued support for the fight against crimes and injustice in the sub-region, urged member states to always obey the court’s decisions and to increase the number of its judges.

    He called for an urgent review of the statutes of GIABA, noting: “We need structures with more legitimacy and greater capacity to deal with investigations, prosecutions and possible seizures, freezing, confiscation and recovery of assets and proceeds of transnational crimes.”

    GIABA’s Director General Kimelabalou Aba noted that global efforts to combat financial crimes now focus on dispossession of criminals of the proceeds of their illicit activities with the ultimate aim of taking the profit out of crime by deploying tools for forfeiture and recovery of tainted assets.

    Aba, who was represented by a Director in GIABA, Buno Nduka, said: “One of the critical ways in ensuring that criminals do not take control of our financial systems, capture governmental powers and ultimately collapse them is to deprive the criminals of the proceeds of their criminal activities.

    “This should be done through the confiscation and recovery of tainted property. The strategy of depriving criminals of the profits of crime through asset recovery is particularly useful in combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism and must be government priority.”