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Tag: meetings

  • Minimum wage panel begins meetings today

    Minimum wage panel begins meetings today

    THE National Minimum Wage Negotiating Committee recently inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari will hold its inaugural meeting today.

    The panel is made up of representatives of the Federal and state governments, as well as the private sector.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliates also have members in the committee.

    But the NLC yesterday gave indication that it will resist any attempt by governors to frustrate the exercise on the ground that it was an attempt to impose equal wages on the states.

    NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke at the National Executive Council meeting of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in Abuja, said the idea of having a minimum wage for workers across the country was part of ILO convention, which Nigeria has since ratified.

    He said the workers are demanding a minimum wage and not equal wages, stressing that when the tripartite committee agreed on N18,000 minimum wage, states went back to agree with their workers on what to pay.

    Wabba stressed that while some paid above the agreed minimum, others stayed within the minimum.

    He said: “What we are talking about is that minimum that a worker should earn and not the maximum. I have heard argument by some governors that you cannot impose the same salary structure on all the states. That is not what we are demanding. We are demanding for the minimum that should be paid and what that means is that you cannot go below that; but you can go above it.

    “In any case, why are the governors complaining when it comes to the workers? The salaries of governors and political appointees are fixed by the National Salary Income and Wages Commission and they earn the same thing irrespective of their state. If they can earn the same, why can’t workers earn the same.

    “We are yet to hear of any governor or political appointee saying his salary is higher than the one from another state. If the workers cannot collect the same salary all over, then the governors should stop collecting the same salary and we will resist any attempt to frustrate the minimum wage.”

    Wabba said the issue of non-payment of salary in the states has nothing to do with lack of resources but the lack of proper planning by the governor and not putting their priorities right.

    He wondered how governors would want to negotiate minimum wage for their states when political office holders in one state earn the same salaries and allowances with their counterparts in other states as prescribed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

  • Great expectations in APC over National Caucus, NEC meetings

    Great expectations in APC over National Caucus, NEC meetings

    As the All Progressives Congress leaders prepare for this week’s National Caucus and the NEC meetings, there is increased expectation ahead the proposed National Convention, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu 

    Before the return of President Muhammadu Buhari from his last leave in the United Kingdom, where he had gone to attend to his medical condition, the inability of the ruling political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), to hold its National Convention was a subject of intense controversy. While critics and the opposition parties described the development as concrete evidence that the ruling party had “serious cracks,” others said the party cannot hold its convention until Buhari returns to the country.

    So, since the president finally returned, informed observers have wondered why the party had further delayed crucial meetings like the National Caucus and National Executive Council (NEC) meetings that should precede the convention.

    Even when the party leadership, last week, announced that it has finally fixed its National Caucus meeting for October 30 and the NEC meeting for October 31, some observers expressed doubts if it would hold.

    Their doubt, The Nation learnt was because of previous postponements of the convention date. It would be recalled that the APC postponed the convention earlier fixed for April 29, 2017.

    But to assure concerned stakeholders that the party is ready now, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had freely confirmed that the two very important preparatory meetings will hold.

    For example, when he was asked whether the party had fixed a date for its NEC meeting, he said, “Yes, we are looking at October the 31st.”

    The party’s Assistant Publicity Secretary, Edegbe Odewingie, not only corroborated what Abdullahi said, but also, according to a report, confirmed the venue of the two meetings. The National Caucus, according to him, will hold at the Presidential Villa, while the National Working Committee, NEC, will hold at the party’s national secretariat.

    Fresh confusion however set in early this week, when it was reported that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will be postponed by two days.

    The report, according to a source, came as a rude shock to many APC leaders who wondered what could be responsible for such a sudden postponement.

    But as stakeholders were considering the implication of such a development, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, however denied the report on Thursday. He was quoted as saying, “I am really surprised because there is no such thing. The caucus meeting is still holding on the 30th and NEC on the 31st.”

    Commenting on the development and the resultant apprehension within and outside APC, Dr. Ismaila Kadiri said, “The uneasiness is because of the numerous postponements of the same meetings and the fact that so many critical issues must be resolved in the proposed National Convention of the party.” Kadiri also alleged that “some forces in the party may be afraid of a successful convention and as such are determined to frustrate attempts to hold the crucial meetings that will set the stage for a convention.

    “Is it not worrisome to you that APC, a party that won presidential election with such an overwhelming support, has failed to hold another NEC meeting since 2015 when it held it last. Apart from this, the party has failed to properly constitute its Board of Trustees since its 2015 victory. I agree with some of our people who attribute this to division within the party’s ranks,” he said.

    Another respondent, Chief Ndubuisi Onuoha, a community leader said the ripples over the doubts raised concerning APC’s crucial national meetings “could be traced to the current tension growing within the party’s rank and file over the management of the party’s affairs.”

    As he puts it: “Any careful observer will understand why all stakeholders in APC are reacting the way they are reacting over the party’s convention. You know that a National Convention means a change of leadership in the ruling party. Coming before the 2019 Presidential, National Assembly and governorship elections, no one is ready to joke with it. Also, utterances and signals from the leaders of the party, suggest that this convention will serve as the defining moment for the control of the party ahead 2019. We have seen most of the leaders, including Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, openly voicing out, at one time or the other, their misgivings on the way the party was run in recent time.”

    Besides the issue of leadership of the party, sources said the outcome of the week’s meetings and the convention will go a long way to determine the fortunes of APC in the 2019 presidential election. It would be recalled that there was murmuring recently when APC’s former Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, was quoted as saying that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2019 poll was open to all who wish to contest.

    Considering the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari will still be eligible to contest the plum seat in 2019, the party’s current leadership dismissed the pronouncement as a personal opinion.

    A stakeholder, who pleaded not to be named, said on Friday that such confusion could be blamed on the fact that the party had not held such important meetings for a long time. “I believe our leaders will speak as one after this week’s meetings,” the source said.

    Issues that may be resolved at the meetings

    Our correspondent learnt that among the major issues that would be discussed at the National Caucus meeting and at the NEC meeting is the party’s inaugural bi-annual national convention. This, said our source, “will most likely top the agenda of the NEC meeting.”

    He also informed that the leaders may use the opportunity to discuss the report of the different fact-finding and reconciliation committees in states where crises exist. Since the party came to power, her critics have always made references to the state chapters, where some leaders have not been able to work together.

    Other important issues that may be discussed at the caucus meeting, according to a source, is the report of Dr. Muiz Banire Constitution Review Committee, which is expected to be presented by the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC.

    Besides these, we gathered that the nature and constitution of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) may be presented for discussion at the National Caucus meeting.

    Explaining the hopes of most APC stakeholders, Kadiri said, “The anxiety within the party over the proposed meetings next week is because of the people’s expectations. We believe that most of the minor issues that have tended to separate and divide our leaders would be resolved in these meetings so that by the time we go for the convention, we would go there as a more united family. That is why we do not want to hear about any more postponement or problem.”

  • Presidency to begin town hall meetings soon – Aide

    Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, says Presidency will soon begin to hold town hall meetings with Nigerians to furnish them with information.

    Shehu made this known while answering reporters’ questions in Abuja on Sunday.

    According to him, government decided to embark on such meetings because it has realised the importance of information communication to the people at the grassroots.

    “I know that there is a plan that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo would start town hall meetings in zones.

    “It would then be broken down to the states and so on.

    “Government realises that there is a need to take information to the people and there are steps that are being taken in order to ensure that is done,” he said.

    Shehu criticised the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for being indifferent to the Federal Government’s change mantra.

    “We have an agency like NOA with 773 offices nationwide.

    “Each has not less than 5 to 7 staffs and well-equipped, but you know also, sometimes democracy has its own dark side.

    “The President came and he wanted to really be fair to every Chief Executive. If he wanted to fire people on assumption (of office), he would have done it and he would not have violated any rule.

    “He decided to give everyone a chance to see whether they would imbibe the change mantra, to see whether they were prepared to go along (with him).

    “I will say with all sincerity that NOA was a source of worry for us in government; the people and the leadership never believed in what we are doing.

    “They never believed in change. They just folded their arms and watched us for the period of 8 to 9 months that they were there.

    “I believe the new leadership would begin to formulate things for agencies like that,” he said.

    The presidential aide praised Nigerians for steadfastly supporting the present administration especially during a period most people considered to be difficult.

    Shehu congratulated Nigerians on the achievements the President had recorded fighting insurgency and explained that the military have tagged their success against Boko Haram a “technical victory’’ because no city is presently under curfew.

    The SSA said that with the passage of the budget by the National Assembly, the next phase for the President would be to rebuild damaged facilities and infrastructure.

    He said that with the Central Bank of Nigeria realising more than N3 trillion through the introduction of the Treasury Single Account and the passage of the budget, a lot of activities would pick up.

    On the quest by Nigerians to know the amount of money the Federal Government had so far recovered from treasury looters, Shehu said the litigation hurdles associated with the looted funds would have to be scaled before Nigerians were availed of the figures. (NAN)

  • Atiku denies hosting political meetings in Dubai

    Atiku denies hosting political meetings in Dubai

    Former Vice President and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Atiku Abubakar has denied hosting political meetings in Dubai ahead of the 2019 general election.

    He said his present preoccupation was the success of the country’s APC-led administration.

    Atiku, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, said enemies of democracy and the country were trying to create distrust between him and President Muhammadu Buhari to distract the government from achieving its set objectives.

    The former vice president asked those he described as political mischief-makers and enemies of unity to allow him enjoy his peace and desist from sinister propaganda designed to draw a wedge between him and Buhari.

    Atiku, who was reacting to insinuations alleging that he held political meetings at Burj Al-Arab, Dubai, explained that contrary to the rumours, he was in Dubai with his family for physiotherapy on his injured knee.

    He maintained that he was embarrassed by the deliberate falsehoods being spread against him by political opponents who, he added, were bent on causing distraction for Buhari at a time all energies should be channelled into helping the President actualise his change agenda.

    Describing those spreading the rumour as “ill-motivated busybodies that don’t wish the country well”, he explained that his medical treatment was his private affair, which should not be politicised by anybody to achieve sinister objectives.

    He said he was entitled to enjoy his private life, including the right to attend to his health, without being harassed and lied against.

    The Turaki added that contrary to insinuations by political opponents, the success of the Buhari administration had been his preoccupation.

    He noted that any true APC member should have the same zeal.

    According to him, rumour mongers seeking to cause distrust and distraction in Buhari’s government did not mean well for the APC administration, adding that with the challenges of providing good governance for the country and creating jobs for Nigerians, including reducing the impact of poverty, the President needed all the goodwill and support.

    “Whether at home or abroad, the Turaki is preoccupied with his unassailable support to President Buhari and his administration, especially in this critical time, as it works assiduously to turn the fortunes of our dear country around and make Nigeria work for Nigerians.”

  • Maigari cleared for CAF, FIFA meetings

    Maigari cleared for CAF, FIFA meetings

    Despite seeing his tenure relapse and his board dissolved by the Nigeria football congress, former President of Nigeria Football Federation, Aminu Maigari will next week attend a meeting of the Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations during a week of meetings of CAF sub –committees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Maigari, who will preside over the two Extra-Ordinary Congresses to be convened by the NFF in line with the directives of FIFA, to usher in a new NFF Executive Committee, will join other members of his Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations for a crucial meeting in the Ethiopian capital on September 17.

    It is at the said meeting that the committee will, among other things, recommend to the Confederation of African Football(CAF) a date for the staging of the Draw Ceremony of the 30th Africa Cup of Nations, taking place in Morocco early next year. The event will come up after the last round of qualifying matches on November 19.

    Also travelling for the CAF meetings are two members of the out –going NFF Executive Committee,  Emeka Inyama and Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’. Inyama is a member of the CAF Media Committee while ‘Fresh’ sits on the Technical and Development Committee.

    From Addis Ababa, Maigari, who has also previously served on the Organising Committees for the CAF U-23 Championship and the African Nations Championship, will fly to Zurich, Switzerland for a meeting of his FIFA Players’ Status Committee at the Home of FIFA.

    Maigari was appointed member of the influential FIFA panel in December 2011, by FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The Committee deals with eligibility of players for the various nationalities in FIFA.

    The meeting of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee will take place between September 22 and 23.

  • Central bank meetings to set stage for parting of ways

    After the Federal Reserve maintained its path towards raising United States interest rates next year, other major central banks will jostle for space on a crowded stage this week.

    The European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Bank of England and the central banks of India and Australia all hold meetings. While imminent action is unlikely, the time when policy settings start pointing in different directions is nearing.

    U.S. growth rebounded in the second quarter and the Fed upgraded its assessment of the economy last week. It is on course to stop creating money in October but the expectation is that there will be no interest rate rise before mid-2015.

    That puts the Bank of England in pole position to be the first major central bank to push rates up from their record low 0.5 percent, perhaps before the year is out.

    Although the UK economy is expanding at an annualized clip in excess of 3 percent and unemployment is tumbling, the absence of wage pressure means there is no immediate reason to act.

    The consensus is that rates will not rise until early 2015 but polling by Reuters last week found economists expect a first voice or two on the nine-strong Monetary Policy Committee to call for a rate rise this week.

    The last time the MPC was considering raising rates was in 2006. In May of that year, one MPC member voted for a hike and it took just three months before a majority followed suit.

    “We expect the jobless rate will continue to fall rapidly, with the BoE hiking earlier and further than markets project,” said Michael Saunders, chief UK economist at Citi.

    The voting pattern will only become public when minutes of the meeting are released two weeks hence.

    The Fed has just registered its first dissenter, with the hawkish Charles Plosser saying the commitment to keep rates near zero for “a considerable time” did not reflect the gains made by the economy.

    Lack of wage inflation has been a common theme in the United States and euro zone as well, though U.S. labor costs recorded their biggest gain in more than five to one and a half years in the second quarter. That spooked Wall Street last week as it may hasten the Fed’s first move.

  • First Registrars deploys electronic voting for general meetings

    Shareholders at their general meetings can now ensure seamless and more accurate voting as First Registrars Nigeria Limited broke new ground in innovation in the share registration industry with the operational launch of its electronic voting (e-voting) system.

    First Registrars showcased the trail-blazing e-voting device at the extra-ordinary general meeting of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc. The devices could be used for all voting at any general meeting including approval of resolutions, election of audit committee, board members election and other opinion polls.

    Several shareholders, shareholders’ associations and corporate executives have commended First Registrars for the innovation.

    Speaking on the initiative, managing director, First Registrars Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, said the company was innovation driven and it would continue to pioneer market-based solutions that will give shareholders and client companies unparalleled advantages in the share registration industry.

    According to him, world-class technology and excellent customer services are the differentiating factors that position First Registrars as the leading capital market registrars company in the Nigerian capital market.

    He noted that against the previous constraints of manual voting, the advent of e-voting and telephone devices voting and poll processes at corporate meetings are now done seamlessly in a jiffy with the election results being projected live at such meetings.

    “We benchmark only the international best practices while setting the pace for others to follow in the Nigerian capital market – we are indeed the leader but will never be complacent,” Olugbemi said.

    The e-voting devices not only capture the head counts of voters, they also capture the number of units owned by them and in the case of shareholders with multiple share accounts; they can be linked to a single voting device. Poll results are displayed on the screen instantly after every poll for transparency while accurate reports are also available for audit purposes.

    Chairman, Honeywell Flourmills Plc, Dr. Ayoola Oba Otudeko commended the efforts of First Registrars in transforming the share registration industry through ground breaking innovations.

     

  • Meetings Africa 2013 holds soon

    Meetings Africa 2013 will take on a distinctly pan-African flavour. It takes place from February 18 to 21, 2013 with trade exhibition show days on February 19 and 20.

    Meetings Africa 2013 is being hosted by the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) and will showcase Africa’s diverse business events product offering.

    Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, executive manager of SANCB, said the strategy is to make Meetings Africa a truly African showcase to grow the capacity of the collective African business events industry and transform regional Africa into one of the world’s business events powerhouses. The theme of this year’s event is “Advancing Africa together”.

    “We want to work with our business event partners on the African continent and want more global and African associations to use the great resources we have in Africa to bolster business event hosting and delivery,” she said.

    She added that Meetings Africa offered the industry and exhibitors an opportunity to see the best of South Africa’s and the continent’s business events industry under one roof.

    “It’s the perfect platform for business events industry professionals to meet, network and create mutually-beneficial business partnerships,”she said.

    Kotze-Nhlapo said she’d like to see Meetings Africa becoming the premier Africa platform for business events.

    The event will see more than 50 African association buyers, 200 international hosted buyers and 200 local corporate and government buyers in attendance.

    International Conference and Incentive Travel Research (ICR) was appointed by SANCB to evaluate and screen international hosted buyers for Meetings Africa 2013 to ensure those that attend have a real interest in bringing their business events and incentives to Africa.

    Several changes have been made to the Meetings Africa format to ensure buyers and exhibitors get as much as possible out of the event. SANCB has introduced a dedicated Seminar Day on 18 February 2013 -before the actual trade exhibition starts – to enable buyers and exhibitors to attend the various targeted seminar sessions.

    The Meetings Africa Association Day will also be held on February 18, 2012 and is a must-attend event for African Association leaders. It is designed to energise and engage association executives. Among its aims are to build the national and pan-African association communities and promote their engagement with international associations.

    A new event at Meetings Africa 2013 is the Decision Makers Forum that will be held on February 19, 2013. It’s a platform for key decision makers and industry leaders to engage to better understand the pivotal role business events can play in generating economic prosperity in South Africa’s cities, municipalities and provinces.

     

    Buyers and exhibitors can once again make use of the highly effective Meetings Africa Business Matchmaking system to pre-schedule appointments online to ensure their time at Meetings Africa 2013 is productively spent. The Meetings Africa Golf Day will take place on 21 February 2013, providing networking opportunities in a different way for corporate executives, hosted buyers and exhibitors

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • AfDB directors meet

    Donald Kaberuka

    The Board of Directors (BoD) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has resumed meetings in Tunis after the summer holiday.
    President Donald Kaberuka, according to a statement, outlined four major projects the bank and the board will focus on in the last quarter of 2012.
    These are the African Development Fund Mid-Term Review to discuss the Fund’s 12th replenishment from September 12 to 14 in Praia, Cape Verde. The long-term strategy of the bank as it enters its final development phase. The roadmap for the bank’s return to its headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to be submitted to the Consultative Board of Governors in mid-October in Tokyo.
    Also to be discussed is the preparation of the triennial budget 2013 to 2015. “The President pointed out that in a very difficult international financial environment, the bank was able to maintain the viability of the institution, while continuing to support Regional Member Countries. It was a difficult task, he noted, but we arrived safely thanks to the efforts of all,” a statement from AfDB said.
    It added that the board also approved the 2012 Mid-Year Budget and Performance Report; the Country Strategy Paper 2012-2016 for Benin as well as two projects: Benin’s Economic and Financial Reform Support Programme (PAREF) and Rwanda’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Support Programme Phase V.