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Tag: National Executive Council

  • Adamawa SDP rejects NEC’s endorsement of Buhari

    The Adamawa State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has distanced itself from the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for next week’s presidential election.

    The chairman of the SDP in Adamawa State, Mr. John Muva, said during a press briefing at the state secretariat of the party in Yola Friday that members of the party in the state will have nothing to do with Buhari come February 16.

    The NEC of the SDP in Abuja had endorsed Buhari on Thursday, attributing its decision to the “lingering legal battle” between the winner of the SDP presidential primaries, Donald Duke, and his major challenger, Jerry Gana, but the Adamawa SDP chairman insisted Friday that the stalemate over the party’s presidential candidacy is not a sufficient reason to mix the loyalty of members among different political parties and candidates when elections come.

    “We are not part of that endorsement and we were not a part of the meeting held in Abuja to decide that endorsement. We respect the rule of law and the constitution of the Social Democratic Party, but the differences between Donald Duke and Jerry Gana cannot put our state chapter in jeopardy. We are not part of that endorsement,” John Muva insisted.

    He said that in Adamawa State SDP members are not thinking of supporting Buhari or Atiku (of the People’s Democratic Party) for the presidency but of supporting the state SDP governorship candidate, Emmanuel Bello, and other party candidates at the other levels.

    “We won’t mix things up in Adamawa State. We can’t do SDP for National Assembly election, Buhari’s party in presidential election, and SDP in other elections. It is SDP top to bottom,” Muva asserted.

  • NBA orders court boycott

    THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yesterday rose from its emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen with a five-point demand.

    It ordered a two-day court boycott by lawyers beginning from today. The NBA warned that it would apply more measures if its demands are not acceded to.

    Its communique reads: “That Hon. Mr. Justice Walter Onnoghen GCON remains the CJN and that his purported removal from office is null and void.

    “That the NBA does not recognise Mr. Justice Tanko Mohammed JSC as the Acting CJN his appointment being null and void.

    “That the NBA demand the immediate reversal of the purported suspension from office of Hon. Mr. Justice Walter Onnoghen as the CJN by the President on the 25th January 2019.

    Read also: No dictatorship here, says govt

    “That pursuant to three above, the NBA has resolved to proceed on two days warning boycott of courts across the Federation from tomorrow Tuesday the 29th of January 2019 to Wednesday the 30th of January 2019 to press home its position and demands.

    “That, where the demands are not immediately complied with by the Executive, then more actions by the NBA will follow.

    To this effect therefore, the members of the NBA, Abuja Branch (Unity Bar) are hereby put on notice to boycott all courts within and outside jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory from tomorrow Tuesday the 29th of January 2019 to Wednesday the 30th of January 2019.”

  • The main task before the new APC NEC

    So I feel like if we have a constitution in this country that allows each of the zones to develop at their own pace, to manage their own resources, to make adequate contributions to the centre so as to sustain the centre and strengthen the units and weaken the centre, without making it subservient to the federating units, we can live together as a nation where no man is suppressed. It is the issue of suppression, of marginalisation, that usually pushes people to want to go their own ways. But I think we are better off going it together than going it our separate ways.”

    Given the enormity of the major task I have for the newly elected Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led APC National Executive Council (NEC), the seminal epigram above, which are  the views of one of the most consistent advocates of restructuring, the Archbishop L.S Ayo Ladigbolu, who recently turned 80, as quoted by Professor Segun Gbadegesin in The Nation of Friday 29, 2018 can eminently bear a repetition here as it captures, so succinctly, the very essence of restructuring,  about which the Yoruba has been insistent for decades, all for the sake of Nigeria. It is only the icing on the cake that many, hitherto lukewarm, or outrightly hostile parts of Nigeria, have now bought into it.

    In the article: ’That June 12 recognition may not be a hollow ritual’ (June 17, 2018), I wrote, inter alia: “Fortunately, President Buhari is not being called upon here to re-invent the wheel.  His party, the APC, has effectively done that for him by setting up the El Rufai Committee on Power Devolution, a subject to which the party devoted a considerable part of its manifesto,” when it said it will: “Initiate action to amend our Consti-tution with a view to devolv-ing powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit.”

    Needless to say, that the new NEC already has its job well cut out for it, but we can take solace in the fact that its Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, comes to office with a long track record of being a consummate negotiator, having functioned as Nigeria’s labour leader no.1, in his position as president of the Nigerian Labour Congress; a no mean responsibility, requiring extreme perspicacity.

    But even that can only help, but certainly not mitigate, the task of clearing the literally unimaginable Augean stable he inherited. As you read this, many bodies, in the party, are ‘buried’ in very shallow graves, a consequence of the party’s torridly contentious recent conven-tion, especially at the lower levels.

    Fortunately, more out of respect for President Muhammadu Buhari, and the yeoman’s  efforts of many of the party’s leaders, good counsel prevailed, and to the chagrin of PDP,  and the promoters of some nebulous coalitions waiting in the shadows,  the party, rather than implode, emerged far stronger than it went into the convention. The severally postponed conclusion of the work of the PDP Contact Committee  has thus suffered a terminal death and members can now return, empty handed,  to their respective villages to await new slave assignments.

    However, the APC NEC must now move rapidly to extend the soothing balm to all members who came short of their respective expectations at the convention. The starting point should aim at seeing the party properly emerge as an organic whole now that the leadership of the nPDP has finally seen the futility of any sabre rattling, or any attempt at blackmailing the party. Everything should be done, short of trading the judicial process, to properly integrate every party member, while obliterating, permanently, any atomisation, again, into legacy parties. If the party could  escape all the booby traps put in the way of its  registration by the then all powerful Jonathan government, which included no less than nine court cases, then Oshiomhole and his NEC should require no  robotic science to succeed.. Achieving that should, ipso facto, redound to a cordial Executive – Legislative relations with a view to permanently put an end to PDP’s meddlesome and divisive politics which has negatively impacted the Buhari government; with one of the aims being the reversion of the deputy senate presidency position to the party long before the 2019 election if the country is not to lose all the achievements the Buhari government has recorded, especially  in both the anti corruption war and in infrastructure procurement. I sincerely hope that Chairman Oshiomhole would see this proper re-ordering in the National Assembly as both a minimum desideratum, as well as a sine qua non, in a bid to properly situate a party that has been severally ridiculed as merely being in office, but not in power.

    The greatest task before the new party executive, however, will be to uphold its integrity by ensuring that it accomplishes, before the 2019 elections, the power devolution which it promised Nigerians without the slightest coercion. That it went ahead to set up a committee on same, whose recommendations the party NEC adopted,  makes this absolutely mandatory if  the party is not to turn out exactly as the opposition has framed it – a party surviving solely on propaganda and deceit.

    God forbid.

    I will not delay us regurgitating the committee’ s recommendations which  are already in the public space, but suffice it to say that they were so well received that  Professor Segun Gbadegesin could write as follows in: ‘Tracking  a Report, The Nation, 17 February, 2018: “Compare such negative reaction to the enthusiastic reception of the report by some opposition leaders including former President Jonathan and Governor Dickson, leading to their call for the immediate implementation of its recommendations?  This is political maturity and it deserves commendation. We must join them in tracking the report and insisting on action by Mr. President and the National Assembly”.

    It is in view of the above background that one is close to tears observing the obvious shenanigans playing out at the highest levels of a party Nigerians entrusted with their all, when they enthusiastically voted candidate Muhammadu Buhari into office after three failed attempts. News from the grape vine, but in reality, from very top levels of the party, has it  that sustained attempts are being made to kill off the report at the level of a so-called technical committee which was put in place, primarily, to facilitate the recommendations’ implementation process.

    I heard, authoritatively from those who should know, that this effort is being led by a Northwest senator which should not be a surprise because the Northwest it is, that has profited the most, from the atrocious status quo, dating back to the  pre independence era .

    Nor is anybody suggesting that there shouldn’t be adequate consideration, emerging from all of us thoroughly interrogating the committee’s recommendations in such a way that we all can come to equity with clean hands.

    Wrote Gbadegesin, again,  in his referenced piece : “Given today’s composition of the national assembly, it will be difficult to have the North forgo all it’s unfair advantages such as a score of 10% getting admission to unity schools, 30% to universities as well as the number of Local Governments,  and the huge resources  that go to up north, monthly , in allocation to them, without  a quid pro quo”

    Oshiomhole must ensure that Nigeria does not miss this golden opportunity even as many still regard the recommendations as merely scratching the surface of a full blown restructuring, and even if of a truth, they amount to no more than baby steps as I am convinced that further negotiations, would, in a not distant future, achieve far higher heights in our goal of full restructuring, regionalism inclusive.

    It is heart warming, therefore, that Oshiomhole has promised that not even the party leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, would escape being charged with anti party activities, if he flouts approved party positions.

    I therefore conclude, as Gbadegesin did in his very commonsensical article that: “APC and the Buhari administration will do well for themselves, and for Nigeria, if they implement the El-Rufai Committee recommendations before 2019. Any delaying tactics or untoward action, he added, will be politically unwise”.

  • A welcome ban

    If the National Executive Council (NEC) follows through its decision to ban open grazing, then it would have succeeded in putting a stop to an agelong practice that has since been jettisoned in several other countries with similar practice. The council, which met last week, approved the recommendation of its sub-committee that open grazing be banned nationwide.

    The three-man committee was constituted to unravel the causes of herdsmen/farmers’ clashes by dialoguing with relevant stakeholders with a view to putting an end to the killings of innocent citizens. Other members of the committee are Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), and Bindo Jubrilla (Adamawa).

    No one should be under the illusion that the clashes will end just because the Federal Government has proscribed open grazing. It would be difficult to expect people who have been used to nomadic life to readily agree that their mode of cattle rearing is anachronistic and should therefore be dropped for another system, no matter how attractive or alluring the new system is. But that is no reason why the government should shy away from doing the appropriate thing, no matter whose horse is gored.

    What is required is tact and enlightenment. Perhaps where to begin is to let all the stakeholders understand that the decision to go for ranches is not necessarily a victory for any group; it just happens to be the modern way of doing the business and Nigeria cannot continue to live in the Stone Age. This is especially so that the old way has now become a source of acrimony and bloodshed in many parts of the country.

    Those used to the old way must be enlightened of the benefits of ranching. For instance, it ensures production of healthier animals since they no longer have to trek long distances as they presently do; ranching adds value to the farm products, leads to employment creation as well as sorts out real herdsmen from bandits, among others. If well communicated to them, the herdsmen are likely to see the sense in buying into the idea.

    However, there should be a time frame for the effective take-off of the prohibition order. It is not something that can be decreed into existence with immediate effect because old habits die hard. Certain provisions must be made in the states for a seamless transition from the existing to the new order. Where will the ranches be sited, and under what arrangement? State governments must be involved and there should be well spelt out rules and regulations or guidelines on the rights and privileges of the herdsmen and the state governments or whoever is providing the sites for the ranches.

    Above all, there must be the political will on the part of the Federal Government to enforce the ban because this appears to be the panacea to the incessant clashes between the herdsmen and farmers/their host communities. It is not enough to declare open grazing banned while there is no machinery to enforce the ban. The police and other security agencies have to be more professional and responsive in dealing with all the contentious issues on the matter. They must be ready to provide security for the herdsmen and farmers/their host communities as long as they are only going about their lawful businesses. Anyone of them that breaks the law should be arrested and prosecuted.

    We agree with those who say that cattle rearing is private business; but then, we do not see anything wrong in the government giving some form of assistance to the herdsmen, after all the government has had to assist some other private businesses to ensure that they do not die. As a matter of fact, if that is the sacrifice that has to be made to end the incessant shedding of the blood of innocent Nigerians over these seemingly intractable clashes, so be it.

  • Doctors shut down hospitals, reject settlement terms

    Doctors shut down hospitals, reject settlement terms

    Doctors in Federal Government owned hospitals across the country on Monday morning embarked on an indefinite strike action to force the government to yield to their demand, three days after their leadership signed. Memorandum of terms of the settlement with the government.

    Rising from their National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, the Doctors said they were rejecting the terms of settlement signed with the government which would have seen the strike being suspended and therefore proceeded on strike.

    In a notice of strike sent to Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of government owned hospitals and signed by the President and Secretary General, Dr. Onyebueze John and Dr. Aneke Emmanuel respectively, the Resident Doctors said they decided to reject the terms, but did not give reason for rejecting the offer.

    The letter reads: “The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, rising from her extra ordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which held on Sunday, 3rd September 2017 at Parkview Hotels, Abuja rejected the Memorandum of terms of settlement from government on the items of her demand for strike action and resolved to proceed on the proposed national total and indefinite strike with effect from 8am Monday, 4th September 2017.”

    A WhatsApp message from the President of the Resident Doctors also reads: “Rising from our NEC meeting which started by 7pm on Sunday and ended 3am on Monday, NARD has resolved to has resolved to reject the promissory offer from government and proceed on total and indefinite strike action until all items in her demand list for strike action are resolved by government”.

    Although the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige could be reached at the time of this report, an official of the Federal Ministry of Labour who would not want his name in print expressed shocked about the decision of the doctors to embark on the strike.

    He said “we are very surprised that they decided to go ahead with the strike. During our meeting with them last week, all the issues they raised were addressed and they showed signs that they were impressed and both parties were to monitor the terms of implementation and report back on November 2 which was the agreed date for the next meeting.

    “So, we are taken aback that they have decided to embark on the strike. I can not tell you the next step right now until I hear from the Minister”.

    The doctors are contesting what they described as: 

     *Failure to pay our salary shortfall of 2016 and January to May 2017;

     *Failure to rectify the salary shortfall from August 2017;

     *Failure to circularize House Officers’ entry point;

     *Failure to correct the stagnation of promotion of our members and properly place them on their appropriate grade level;

     *Failure to enroll and capture our members on the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS) and 

    *Failure to budget, deduct and remit both the employer and employees’ contributions our pension to our retirement savings account since 2013.”

    However, after a meeting between government representatives and officials of the Resident doctors and the Nigeria Medical Association on Thursday, both parties signed a memorandum of terms of the agreement, pointing out that some of the issues being complained about by the association were already being addressed by the government.

    The memorandum was signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of Health,  Prof. Isaac Adewole. Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, National President of the Nigeria Medical Association, Prof. Mike O. Ogirima, President of National Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Onyebueze John and Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Egbule.

    Other signatories to the memorandum were representatives of Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the Budget Office of the Federation.

    A memorandum reads in part: “The meeting noted that some Federal Tertiary Health Institutions (FHTI) have paid a percentage of salaries to Resident Doctors and are consequently in arrears of salary payments to members of NARD and Honorary Consultants. 

    “It was also noted that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) had started the process of paying the shortfall of salaries owed in batches. It was therefore concluded that the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) should forward the list of the recipient FHTI to the Honourable Minister of Health to ensure that the released fund was used for its intended purpose. The payment for other FHTI not captured to be implemented before the end of October 2017.”

    On the issue of shortfall in salaries, it was also agreed that “the Director Hospital Services is to address a circular/letter to the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and state therein that the released funds should be used solely for salaries and shortfalls. The Federal Ministry of Finance should ensure that monthly salaries are paid in full.

    “Reference was made to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached at the 7th Senate in 2014, and House of Representatives with the Speaker presiding in 2016, where Parties agreed to use the quantum of monies contained in CONHESS 9:4 for CONMESS 1:1. 

    “It was concluded that effect should be given to previous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) reached on this issue so that CONHESS 9:4 would be in parity with CONMESS 1:1. The Chairman NSIWC to get this circularized, after getting the quantum from FmoH. All matters on this issue should be finalised before the preparation of 2018 Budget is concluded.

    “Issues of skipping and matters ancillary thereto were discussed. The meeting noted that the Federal Ministry of Health had appealed against the ruling of the National Industrial court of Nigeria (NICN) on skipping and that a date has been given by the Court of Appeal for Hearing in March, 2018. 

    “It was further noted that a major issue is the improper placements on appropriate Salary Grade Levels. It was concluded that a proper guideline should be provided by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and that Item 4 of the MoU of December 16, 2013 should be adopted. 

    “The Item 4 states that ‘the FMoH, NSIWC, NMA should urgently review the NMA’s proposal on skipping of CONTISS 10/CONHESS10/COMESS 2 in the new Scheme of Service with a view to amending it to reflect the suspension of the circular on unauthorized skipping of equivalent of CONMESS 2 for Medical Doctors in the Public Service. 

    “The amended proposal shall be forwarded to the HCSF through the FMoH for an onward presentation to the forthcoming National Council on Establishment (NCE) on 24th January, 2014 in Ilorin.” In view of this earlier position, it was concluded that the Honourable Minister of Health (HMoH) should drive this issue and that no circular should be issued on the matter until it is concluded by the HMoH. 

    “In view of the expected meeting of the Council of Establishment, the end of October was given as the tentative time limit to conclude the assignment by the FMoH and Office of the HCSF. Hospitals that are yet to implement skipping for doctors are to commence and henceforth, promotions should be in accordance with the Public Service Rules.

    “Based on the information given by the members of NARD, it was noted that only 18 Federal Tertiary Health Institutions had so far submitted their Nominal Roll. The meeting concluded that NARD members should be on the IPPIS platform and that the CMDs as well as the MDs should be requested by the FMoH to submit their Nominal Roll to the Office of the Accountant General of The Federation (OAGF) and copy to the FMoH and FML&E on or before September 15, 2017. It was agreed that all Resident Doctors should be captured on IPPIS platform by the end of October 2017.

    “It was concluded that NARD members are on Pensionable appointment and as such the FMoH in conjunction with OAGF and Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) should take necessary steps to ensure that adequate budgetary allocations are made to cover the Pension requirements of NARD members. 

    “Furthermore, FMoH should issue a letter in that regard to the Head Civil Service of the Federation who would correspond with the Budget Office of the Federation for necessary action, as the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) had in a letter of February 12, 2015, Ref.PENCOM/INSP/C&E/CCPA/66/15/1167 to the Honourable Minister of Health affirmed that members of NARD are “Employees”. The letter went further to define an employee as any person employed in the service of the Federation, the FCT, a Government of a State of Nigeria, Local Government Council or private company or organization or firm.

    “In view of the foregoing terms of the settlement, NARD agreed to meet in an Emergency Session before Monday, September 4, 2017, for the presentation of this Memorandum to her National Executive Council with a view to averting the scheduled strike.”

  • 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”