The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Labour shuns talks with govt to push strike plans

    The Federal Government was struggling yesterday to stave off an all-workers strike over the controversial minimum wage.

    Labour shunned a meeting called by the government and stepped up its plan for a nationwide strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    The meeting was scheduled to hold at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

    The indefinite strike is planned to start tomorrow due to the government’s failure to meet the labour union’s demand for a new national minimum wage.

    Despite the labour unions absence, some government officials and members of the organised private sector met.

    Those at the meeting included Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha; Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige; Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed and some permanent secretaries.

    Labour said it was not interested in the meeting.

    Speaking before the meeting went into closed doors, Mustapha hinted that the tripartite committee set up by the Federal Government would be concluding its report today.

    According to him, the Federal Government is waiting for the report so that it could begin the process leading to the enactment of the new minimum wage law.

    He said the report would still go through the National Economic Council and the Council of State before an Executive Bill would be sent to the National Assembly on the matter.

    The only outstanding issues left for the committee, he said, is to harmonise the 15th chapter of the report, harmonise figures and submit report to the President.

    Mustapa said the meeting was part of the ongoing negotiation.

    He said the meeting was to prepare a complete report to be submitted to the Presidency on  the new National Minimum Wage.

    Mustapha said the Tripartite Committee has been working assiduously, but though there were outstanding issues that needed to be dealt with, and that was the reason for the rescheduling of the meeting.

    “Basically, the only outstanding issue to be dealt with was the harmonisation of the 5th chapter of the report, and thereafter get the figures to be submitted to the government.

    “The inaugural speech by Mr President included some very salient points, that caused me to reflect on the work of this committee, and one of it is that there is emphasis that the committee will by consensual agreement arrival at all their decisions and I think that was very important.

    ” Mr president went further to emphasis that the concern is not only for the welfare of the workers but also every other thing should be taken on board as it affects the county’s economy,

    “So, it is a balance of the welfare of the workforce with the effect of the new Minimum Wage on the economy.

    “He also underpinned his speech by emphasising the fact we earn to go above basic social protection for Nigerian workers, but also tie to the ability to pay, because I know that a lot of states are even having difficulty meeting the basic minimum wage,” he said.

    The SGF also noted that 27 states were faced with the difficulty in the payment of the basic minimum wage that was agreed, saying that he was not making any excuse for them.

    He added that the meeting would continue tomorrow (Monday), thereafter members of the tripartite committee would continue with their meeting.

    ” I want to assure all of you that once the report is concluded and ready, I will personaly ensure that Mr President receives and signs it immediately,” he said.

    President, United Labour Congress (ULC) Mr Joe Ajaero told NAN that members of the organised labour got the invitation to the meeting late.

    “But hopefully, we will be around for tomorrow’s (Monday) meeting by 11a.m,” he said.

    However, Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment gave the assurance that organised labour would be at the meeting on Monday.

    According to him, they are not here today and they gave excuse why they are not here.

    “We also want to say that we do not support the State governments’ N22,500 proposal and we have also said so.

    “We also have our own figure and the Tripartite Committee meeting will look at it and the outcome of the Monday’s meeting will be a consensual, I am sure of that, ” he said.

    He said: “I assure you that the government is waiting for the report and will immediately set up processes required for implementation.

    “Hopefully, their work will be concluded when they meet tomorrow (today) and append their signatures to the report.

    “They will then transmit to me and I will seek an audience with the President to present it to him.

    “The report will go through NEC and Council of State before a draft executive bill will be sent to NASS.

    “I am awaiting the report of the committee. They will meet tomorrow (today) at 11am.”

    According to him, the ability to pay was critical in taking a decision on the minimum wage.

    Mustapha noted that a lot of states are still finding it difficult to pay the N18,000 minimum wage.

    To this end, he said the Federal Government gave out bailout for the purpose of helping the states to meet up.

    Workers are asking for N30,000, but governors are offering N22,500.

    NLC Secretary General Peter Oso-Esan: “We (NLC) are not aware of any meeting with the SGF over any matter. A government that gets an injunction against us without putting us on notice until we heard from the press has shown enough bad faith.

    “Even if we were aware, we would not be interested to attend any meeting. The meeting we are aware of, which we are going to attend, is the tripartite committee meeting tomorrow in Abuja. That’s the one we plan to attend. That is the official position.”

    Justice Sanusi Kado gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte application moved on behalf of the Federal Government by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata.

    Yesterday’s meeting was to have involved the organised Labour, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and the government team led by the SGF.

    The meeting was to be followed up by today’s meeting of the National Tripartite Minimum Wage Committee meeting

    The minister appealed to all tripartite members to attend the meetings in the interest of the nation and finding a solution to the minimum wage impasse.

  • Govt, Skool Media retool schools with laptops, security gadgets

    Federal Ministry of Science & Technology and an ICT solution organisation, Skool Media, have collaborated to redefine learning in schools.

    The latest is the donation of 20 laptops, ICT gadgets and other learning materials to the Federal Science & Technology, College, Yaba, Lagos (FSTC) for students, teachers and security personnel.

    Project Director Skool Media Mr. Moses Imayi said the donation would be followed up with upskill training to equip them with knowledge.

    He said: “Today, we are donating laptops, three patrol bicycles, 10 walkie-talkies, eight security searchlights, 10 raincoats, 10 security batons and 20 security whistles as part of the campaign drive, as we believe a safe environment enables success for students.”

    Imayi said the gesture was his organisation’s partnership with the Federal Government to make learning and learning environment interesting and globally competitive.

    According to him, the quality of education globally is measured by the strength of ICT commitment in the teaching environment. He said it was regrettable that the quality of education offered by most schools could not help the students.

    Imayi pledged the commitment of his firm to improve learning standard.

    The Principal, Dr. Ogochukwu Ufoegbune, thanked Skool Media for its donations.

    She said the gesture would improve the learning environment.

    The Chairman of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Mr. Olisa Anene, assured the organisation that the PTA, with over 5,000 parents, supported them.

    “The equipment you are donating today will boost learning,” he said.

     

  • Govt to add 4.2 gigawatts to national grid

    The Federal Government has commenced moves to deploy underutilised power assets to deliver incremental power to industrial centres and needy communities in the country by generating additional 4.2 gigawatts of power to the national grid in the next 12-18months.

    A statement by the Strategy and Communications Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Bisi Daniels, said the measure is to ensure optimal use of resources.

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enalema, said work is ongoing on the Alaoji power plant to supply about 360megawatts of unutilised power to industrial centres and people in the South-East Axis of Onitsha, Aba, Nnewi and Ihiala.

    He said: “Only 120Mw out of the 480Mw of power generated by the plant is regularly utilised, so 360Mw of power is available for centres willing and ready.”

     

  • ‘Govt should audit terminal operators’

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to constitute a committee that will take an inventory of the number of cargo equipment at the ports to eradicate redundancy, boost efficiency and make the ports competitive in the sub-region.

    The exercise has become necessary because of the unattractiveness of the nation’s sea ports.

    Stakeholders are convinced that for Buhari to succeed in repositioning the sea ports for greater efficiency, there is a need for him to mandate the Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to conduct a performance audit of the con-cessioned seaports to determine their progress and challenges since 2006.

    Almost 13 years after the ports were concessioned to private operators, importers and clearing agents claim that most of them have failed to keep to the terms of agreement.

    According to the Vice-President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto, most of the concessionaires have failed to “develop, market and promote cargo throughput and cargo-related business of the lease property.

    Farinto said the concessionaires make huge amount from service charges and over N10 billion annually from storage and demurrage charges on importers and clearing agents without a corresponding improvement on their terminals.

    He regretted that 13 years after the ports concession agreement was signed by the NPA and the operators, some operators have not added value to their services and terminals.

    He explained that most of the terminals were stocked with old equipment inherited from the NPA, adding that the inherited buildings are dilapidated and serving no purpose apart from occupying space that would have been converted for cargo delivery and process procedure.

    Huge demurrage and other sundry factors, he said, are making the ports uncompetitive and unattractive for business, urging the President Buhari to address the problem.

    Farinto said: “The un-competitiveness of the ports, Farinto said, has made it difficult for them to attain world-class status.

    “This is the correct time for President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Executive Council to constitute a committee that will take inventory of all the equipment at the ports.

    “Mr President must also direct the Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, to carry out the performance audit of each of the terminals to show the areas where they have deliberately violated the concession agreement they signed with the government.

    “NPA, in collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) need to take inventory of the number of cargo equipment in each of the terminals to show how the operators have been running the ports.

    “There is an urgent need for NPA to publish data on operations equipment of each of the terminal operators and see how they have boosted efficiency at ports.”

    He added that equipment such as cranes, forklifts, straddle carriers, reach stackers and other vital equipment available at each berth facility (quay apron, yards, terminals, sheds and warehouses), their number, technical charac-teristics, first service year and expected life time “need to be known by the government and the public, in whose interest they claimed to be operating the port.

    While carrying out the inventory, he said senior media officers from the Presidency must be involved, and equipment code marked on its parts for easy identification.

    Also speaking with The Nation at the weekend, a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMoT), who craved anonymity, said there was need for the ‘NPA to carry out performance audit of the port.

    “Performance measurement and improvement are essential activities that Port Authorities uses to enhance their productivity and competitive position. Certain indicators concerning port services and operations can be evaluated from financial and operational points of view, to serve the overall port management, especially the middle-management in its day-today strategy implementation.

    “Among various performance monitoring systems helping the port authority to achieve its strategic objectives include the Balanced Scorecard (BSc), which serves to create, select and present performance to highlight the main performance indicators (PI) used today by port authorities, and to underline the BSc contribution on improving port efficiency.

    “To improve the quality of its services and operations, NPA should consider their ports as part of a multimodal transport, while needing efforts concentrated in: identifying the information and data requested to prepare the key performance indicators; locating the sources, type and range of data required; storing, retrieving and processing the required data; monitoring the improvement process and maintaining the best results obtained,” he said.

  • Govt, monarch advise residents on tree planting

    Lagos State government and a monarch have advised residents to cultivate the habit of tree planting, in order to mitigate the impact of climate change.

    Speaking at a Tree Planting campaign to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Oba Tijani Akinloye, the Ojomu of Ajiranland, on the throne, at the weekend, the General Manager, Lagos State Parks and Garden (LASPARK), Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, said tree planting would mitigate the impact of climate change.

    Adebiyi-Abiola, represented by the Head, Local Government Parks and Garden Management, Halima Adeniji, stressed that it was an offence to fell trees in any part of the state without seeking government’s permission, as such act would attract sanction.

    She said 100 trees had been brought from LASPARK to be planted in Eti-Osa, as part of the tree planting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the monarch on the throne.

    Oba Akinloye said population growth had resulted in increasing pressure on land for housing and business premises, with environmental implication such as deforestation, wetland reclamation, flooding, among others.

    He said Eti-Osa, which was one of the wetland regions, due to rapid urbanisation, had lost most of its wetland, leading to flooding and erosion, adding that to reduce the effect of flooding, tree planting had become one of the mitigating measures.

    “Today, we only see buildings, cars, large signboards, roads and concretes, instead of trees, beautiful flowers, parks and gardens. We are used to having polished lifestyles which has no benefits to the ecological system. The risks to our health and well-being by removing trees from the environment are far higher. The benefits that urban trees bring cannot be quantified.

    “Besides its capacity to reduce urban temperatures, it can also absorb pollution of all kinds of particles, chemical and even noise from the environment. Tree planting remains the cheapest mitigating option and the world’s second largest most effective means of absorbing excess carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby, cleansing the air and protecting the environment against flooding and coastal erosion,” the monarch said.

    He hailed the government for planting trees and celebrating tree planting campaign every July 14.

  • Sanusi, Olubadan to govt: stop using monarchs as ‘fire fighters’

    The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II and the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji have urged the Federal Government to assign traditional rulers participatory roles in decision and policy-making processes.

    The two foremost monarchs said the days of politicians using traditional rulers to get what they wanted were gone.

    According to them, the Federal Government must desist from using traditional rulers as “fire fighters”.

    They spoke yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, when the Emir visited the Olubadan at his palace.

    Sanusi, who expressed delight at his first visit to the Olubadan since his enthronement over two years ago, prayed for longevity and sound health for the 90-year-old monarch.

    The Emir said the Olubadan is a unique personality.

    He called for greater roles for traditional rulers in governance to make the country attain greater heights.

    Recalling the giant strides of some industrious sons of Ibadan in the development of the ancient city, the Emir praised the late Aare Musulumi of Yoruba land, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola Alao and the late Ibadan politician, Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu (aka Penkelemess) for their immense contributions to the growth and development of Ibadan.

    Oba Adetunji urged the Federal Government to accord dignified roles to monarchs in the governance of the country.

    The Olubadan, who spoke through one of his chiefs, the Agbaakin Olubadan of Ibadan, Oloye Lekan Alabi, described the role of traditional rulers as crucial to peace, development and unification of ethnic nationalities that formed the entity.

    He said: “I thank you for remembering the memories of Adegoke Adelabu and Aare Musulumi of Yoruba land, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola Alao, two great sons of Ibadan. I want to mention that Ibadan is also a city of commerce, like Kano; a city of the valiant and people of courage, hospitality and vision, too numerous to mention.

    “I thank you also for mentioning the former Executive Director of First Bank and Deputy Director of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who is the grandson of one of Nigeria’s earliest nationalists, Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu, Penkelemess, Nigeria’s first Federal Minister of Natural Resources, Social Welfare.

    “As you have said, Your Highness, you will continue to wax strong and strong by the grace of God. Your Highness, you also mentioned one of the resolutions at the last meeting of the National Council of Traditional Rulers in Abuja. I was fortunate to attend the last meeting and the previous one by the grace of the Olubadan. One of the resolutions was the point you raised that traditional rulers should serve not only advisory roles but also participatory roles in policy making and decisions.

    “It was discussed in Abuja that traditional rulers should not be turned to fire fighters.  When there is need for political leadership to get to the people, they will turn to palaces.

    “When they want to do a national consensus, like population census, like vaccinations, then they will go to palaces, they will turn to the kabiyesi, emirs, obis and so on to reach the people. So, that is also noted…”

  • Gas flaring: Govt may revoke oil firms’ licences

    Oil companies that fail to stop gas flaring by 2019 would have their licenses revoked, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has said.

    Kachikwu, who stated this yesterday  at the 2018 Buyers’ Forum/Stakeholders’ Engagement at the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN) in Abuja, said government would launch the gas infrastructure improvement programme in November.

    He said the programme has the potential of attracting between $20 billion and $30 billion investments into the petroleum industry and also help in addressing the infrastructural deficiencies in the industry.

    He said there has been a Cold War between the Federal Government and the upstream oil companies as a result of gas flaring, saying while  government has been eager to bring the menace of gas flaring to an end, the oil firms are pre-occupied with making excuses for continuing the flaring.

    Kachikwu said the main cause of the lingering disagreement the oil firms have with the government on ending gas flaring was cash call and other related financial issues..

    He said, “Government wants to end flare, oil companies still give lot of reasons why flare cannot be ended. The bottom line is cash call and money. But the reality is that whether or not we deal with cash call issues, it is not an optional agenda, it is a compulsive immediate agenda. It is destructive to the populace; it is intolerable in developed country and it should not be tolerable here either.

    “Any oil company that cannot find a way to ending its flare, ought not to be producing. And I have said to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), beginning from next year, we are going to get quite frantic about this and companies that cannot meet with extended periods — the issue is not how much you pay in terms of fines for flaring, the issue is that you would not produce. We need to begin to look at foreclosing of licences. This is very urgent,” he added.

    Kachikwu said the quest to discourage gas flaring led the Federal Government to initiate the gas flare commercialisation programme, adding that future renewals of oil and gas licences would involve the assessments of the gas components and gas flare rate of each company seeking renewals.

    “Some of the ones that have come recently for renewals have insisted that they are building massive gas processing plants  and we are going to follow this right through, so that the supply obligation, the processing facility, the treatment of gas; their submissions  are very accurate and very aggressive,” he noted.

    Kachikwu stressed the need for a critical implementation of the Domestic Supply Obligation, which would be extended to Domestic Supply and Processing Obligation for both gas and crude oil, stating that the country needed to move away from the point of just producing these commodities, throwing it into the vessel and shipping it out, to the point of processing as much of it locally as much as possible.

    He said only through this would we be able to create more jobs, create better profit and returns on investments, achieve better pricing and address the challenges of local industries and industrialization.

    Also speaking, Managing Director of GACN, Morgan Okwoche, called for increased support for the company, while he highlighted the need for optimum collaboration among industry players in the development of the gas sector.

    He called on the DPR to expedite action on the issuance/renewal of the five-year rolling Domestic Supply Obligation, DSO, volumes which will help in effective project planning.

    In addition, Okwoche said, “I would like to see the non-existence of a Gas Distribution tariff model which is encouraging arbitrariness and monopolist behaviours which may hamper effective implementation of the network code is not addressed ultimately.”

  • Govt to harness maritime assets

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured stakeholders  that his administration will harness the huge maritime assets across the country to diversify the economy, eradicate poverty and massive create jobs.

    He said the sector would also be given the necessary attention and adequate support because it has vital role to play in transforming the nation’s economy.

    Addressing over 2,000 dignitaries and stakeholders at the launch of a book titled: Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Assets – Past, Present and Future,  represented by the Minister of Transportation Rotimi, Amaechi on the occasion, Buhari said the government was working relentlessly to ensure that the  sector contributed meaningfully to the economy and fulfil government’s industrialisation agenda.

    Buhari urged Nigerians to keep faith with the government based on its determination to revamp the nation’s economy

    He also gave kudos to the author of the book, Mr Bashir Yusuf Jamoh who also doubled as the Executive Director, Admin and Finance of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), for taking time to put his 25 years experience in records.

    Buhari however, regretted that the country had relied so much on money from crude oil in the past. He said it was time to focus on other sources particularly the maritime sector which covers both aquatic and marine spaces including oceans, seas, coasts, lakes, rivers and underground waters.

    He said the maritime sector encompasses a range of productive sectors; fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, transport, ship building, energy, bio-prospecting, under-water mining and related activities, all pointing towards economic prosperity, when adequately harnessed.

    “We know that the maritime sector has so much to offer the economy in terms of jobs and wealth creation and also contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). On our part as a government, we are determined to walk the talk so that our economic diversification initiative will be fully achieved for the benefit of all Nigerians,” he said.

  • Pipeline protection: Govt suspends Topline Security contract

    The contract awarded Topline Security, a private firm for the protection of petroleum pipelines from Atlas Cove to Mosimi has been suspended, the Nigerian Navy (NN) said yesterday.

    Outgone Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Sylvanus Abbah confirmed the suspension to reporters shortly after handing over to his successor Rear Admiral Obed Ngalabak.

    The Nation had in June reported a near bloodbath between armed guards of a private security firm sub-contracted by Topline to execute the job. The guards had threatened to cause an explosion and have both naval operatives and reporters killed; than allow the navy evacuate thousands of kegs laden with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

    It was gathered that an inquiry was constituted as a result of the confrontation and the government discovered that the guards bore arms illegally and about 80 percent of the guards were foreigners.

    As a result of the discoveries, it was gathered that the National Security Adviser at a meeting with all the parties on July 16, suspended the contract and directed that the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) take over the supervision in collaboration with the NN.

    Abbah said: “The dislodging of the company contracted by Topline Security and characterised by hoodlums from Atlas Cove was one of the achievements recorded. Over 90 percent of their staff were foreigners and you were witnesses to what transpired at Ilashe in June.

    “So, when the information got to the highest level of government, the contract awarded Topline Security was suspended and the Navy, NSCDC were mandated to protect those infrastructures. Since then, NNPC will tell you they have not recorded any colossal loss.”

    Abbah also disclosed that the command arrested 26 vessels and many suspects during his tenure as FOC which commanded July 4.

    He noted the successful reception of a multi-billion dollar oil rig, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FSPO) EGINA despite threats from militants, adding that the vessel stayed in Lagos area for seven months before departing for the Niger Delta on August 26.

    Ngalabak said he would leverage on the successes of his predecessor, adding that the navy would continue to chase criminals off the maritime space.

  • Third Mainland Bridge: Govt seeks motorists’ cooperation

    The Federal Controller, Works, Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, yesterday appealed for the understanding of road users during the three days that the Third Mainland Bridge would be shut to traffic for investigative maintenance test.

    Kuti, at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Works Headquarters in Lagos, said the bridge would be closed to traffic by Thursday midnight and reopen on Sunday.

    “Alternative routes have been provided and motorists should comply with directional signs and traffic control managers,’’ Kuti said.

    He said repair works had been ongoing on the alternative routes, adding that, traffic diversions would be through Ikorodu Road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Eko Bridge and Apongbon Bridge to Lagos Island.

    “For some time now, we have been carrying out maintenance works, we have ensured that some of the pot holes on the alternative routes had been fixed and we have been doing that for a couple of weeks,’’ he said.

    Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) Lagos Island Unit Commander Hauwa Olowookere, advised drivers to exercise caution during the three-day closure.

    “We implore drivers to obey traffic officers on the road and route signs. So, we should look out for the signs, we will be seeing them very shortly on our roads directing you to diversions accordingly,” she said.