The Nation Newspaper

Tag: negotiation

  • Minimum wage panel to end negotiation next month, says NLC boss

    NIGERIA Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Ayuba Wabba has assured workers that the ongoing negotiations for a new national minimum wage will be concluded before the end of August.

    He hoped that implementation of the outcome of negotiations would begin immediately.

    The NLC President spoke yesterday in Abuja at the 16th Rain School and the 32nd in the sequence of the NLC National Schools, with the theme: “Labour, politics and national unity: Expanding the frontiers of workers’ participation”.

    Wabba noted that despite claims by government that the country has exited recession, Nigerians were yet to see the results of the exit.

    He lamented that social and economic situations of average Nigerians were daily becoming bleaker than before.

    The NLC President also said the numerous problems facing the country and its people were signs of bad governance and leadership, which have characterised the nation’s democracy since 1999.

    The NLC President said the Labour movement remains the only institution that could integrate the Nigerian people because it was never divided along primordial lines.

    He said: “The Nigerian nation is undergoing numerous challenges ranging from economic crisis, security crisis and other socio-cultural challenges that we must all come to terms with and collectively tackle.

    “Innocent lives are being killed and dispensed with, as human lives do not count so much to those committing these heinous crimes. Young people are being exploited and used by disgruntled people, who are manipulating them because of the crisis of development, which have created mass poverty, unemployment and inequality in the country.

    “The numerous problems confronting the country and its people are signs of bad governance and leadership, which has characterised our democracy since 1999.

    “The Labour movement remains the only standing political institution that has the wherewithal to make national integration possible. This is because; we are never divided along sentimental lines that other political institutions are known with. And that is why we keep insisting that ethnic and religious sentiments have no place in the movement.

    “We are amused that some politicians in the name of expanding the frontiers of capitalism do not see any good in the existence of trade unions. They have forgotten that the working people are the producers of wealth, which service their political careers from where they are occupying the political positions.

    “It is in the face of practising an obscured and jaundiced capitalism that many state governors deliberately refused to pay the salaries of the workers and pensions in their states.

    “Let me have it on record that governors and other political officer holders are elected or appointed to serve the people and not kill them through stoppage of the means of their survival and that of their organisations.

    “Nigerians have been told that the country has gotten out of recession, but we are yet to see the result of the exit of the country from recession as the social and economic situations of average Nigerians are daily becoming bleaker than before.

    “The NLC acknowledges the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of elections especially. Congress commends the sterling performance of the INEC in the conduct of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State, which was adjudged to be free and fair and devoid of violence by observers.

    “Congress is excited with these performances and in this light, wants to call on INEC to come up with some innovations that can make our electoral system better.”

    As the 2019 general elections approach, Wabba implored political parties and politicians to conduct themselves in a civilised way in compliance with international best practices through observance and adherence to the electoral rules and regulations.

  • The negotiation option

    There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties or you alter yourself meetingthem
    –Phillis Bottome

    The recent release of 21 of well over 200 abducted Chibok school girls has dramatically brought home the value of negotiation as a strategic option for nations such as ours dealing with conflicts. Reports suggest that this release is product of painstaking and patient negotiations, a process which encountered numerous false starts, setbacks, and quite possibly toxic doses of hostility and subversion from interests, which will not benefit from negotiated ends to this tragic saga involving the girls that have become the nation’s daughters. If the momentum which resulted in the release of these girls can be sustained, and the confidence to engage and negotiate is preserved, there is good reason to expect that more or all the girls will be released soon. Given the stakes involved in freeing these girls and other civilians abducted by Boko Haram, there are few voices being raised against negotiating for their release. Perhaps it is the case that those who will kick against a negotiated release have no credible answer to the question of options, but the universal acclaim of the release indicates that the government was right to explore the negotiated option. Now the federal government has put itself at the heart of rising expectations that it will soon free more or all the girls and many more abducted citizens.

    If this particular and productive attempt to engage with Boko Haram has been difficult, it will be because it has a background of many failed and subverted attempts, and very weak political will There was never even a near-consensus among Nigerians that negotiating with people who threw or detonated bombs and fired bullets at men, women and children as a religious duty was a credible option. The lame effort by President Jonathan to initiate dialogue with the insurgency collapsed in the face of internal subversion, weak political will and lack of interest from an insurgency that appeared to be winning the war, and therefore lacked any incentive to negotiate. Then you had a strong military ranged against an insurgency riding high on morale and victories, while politicians and commanders milked their misery and weaknesses in billions of Naira. Those in the military who fought and lost colleagues, limbs and pride saw any talk of negotiation as capitulation. Those behind them who made billions from the war saw the option of dialogue and negotiation for an end to the insurgency as major setbacks in accumulation of personal fortunes.

    Until, that is, the tide changed with a new political and military leadership which believed that one of the world’s most tested military should not be running away from the insurgency. Massive territory and entire populations were freed from the insurgency, pinning it to enclaves. The snag was, it had a prized property of the Nigerian state, made even more valuable by a national and global indignation that a little less than 300 girls could not be retrieved from insurgents who were being routed by the day. The Chibok girls became the yardstick by which much of the world measured the success of the Nigerian state against Boko Haram. Now the government and the insurgency have cracked open a window of opportunity to explore options other than use of force alone. How wide and for how long it stays will depend largely on the willingness of both parties to sustain trust, achieve the goals of the negotiation without the risk of giving too much advantage to the other side, and ultimately exploring the achievement of higher goals.

    Many of man’s conflicts have had to go the full distance, taking a lot more casualties in egos, lives and economies than they would if their endings were negotiated before a violent resolution. Wars and strife and untold human suffering had been pushed as options by egos and pride and the false, popular belief canvassed by leaders that fighting for total victory or comprehensive defeat is the solution to social conflict. Once violence takes centre stage in resolving conflicts, mediating for peace becomes more and more difficult. This is the reason why prevention of conflicts from escalating to stages where force becomes the main mediator in relations is vital. The gaping hole at the heart of mankind that is Aleppo, Syria, speaks volumes of the failure of mediated ends to smaller conflicts, until they become large enough to swallow more and more of our humanity. It is not necessarily the case that mediation and negotiations result in peaceful resolutions of conflicts on a permanent basis, but for every Columbia whose citizens recently voted down many years of difficult negotiations to end a 40-year conflict, you have the Northern Ireland and South African conflicts and many more scattered across the globe, which were negotiated into enduring peace and development.

    President Buhari has maintained his administration’s willingness to negotiate with groups who claim that their grievances are responsible for their destructive assaults on the nation’s oil and gas assets in the Niger Delta. Clearly, groups and mediators assigned by Buhari to engage these groups and bring them round to some sort of negotiation have failed to make a dent on the armed uprising against the economy, and possibly against the nation. It is also safe to assume that the President is under considerable pressure to release the military from its leash against violent groups in a terrain where fighting will register massive casualties, including the national economy. Ideally, the President will be well briefed and prepared to meet, as he plans to, with leaders of groups currently holding the economy by the jugular. He should learn a few lessons from President Obasanjo who thought taking personal charge of the negotiation will strengthen the clout and credibility of the federal government, only to find that most of the “leaders” of the militants had little respect for his office, governors from the region, or a negotiation process which fails to give them most of what they wanted. There are times when it is useful for the leader to put himself forward, but on those occasions, it is usually the case that most contentious issues that will be referred to him for consideration or decision have been resolved. When militants fighting the state sit with presidents, they tend to behave as if they are at summits negotiating with equals, and any subsequent relation with subordinates becomes difficult or impossible.

    Still, there is no single template to negotiate ends to all conflicts. In this round of negotiations with Niger Delta militants, President Buhari will be well advised to learn lessons from the process under the late President Yar’ Adua, particularly how a resolution can avoid being rooted in the midst of a culture of corruption which severely corrupts institutions and policies, and strong men who put forward their interests in place of those of communities. Background briefings cannot avoid references to resistance to the fight against corruption, and the possibility that negotiations may involve some demands for concessions to powerful and entrenched interests in the region.

    The willingness of the federal government to re-engage violence in the Delta around the table should encourage the exploration of the efficacy of negotiation as an important tool in conflict resolution in other areas where national security is threatened. There are good reasons to advise that the leadership of the Shiite sect(s) in Nigeria should be engaged in discussions over the future of their leaders and the practice of their creed in the context of the laws of the land and national security. Nnamdi Kanu and his compatriots can be engaged in discussions in a context that suggests that some grievances can be raised and addressed in a nation bulging with grievances from all groups. States and communities and herders can be brought together to explore how a vital component of the national economy and the security and economy of communities can be protected. Small communities locked in unending conflicts with each other can be encouraged through credible mediation to isolate causes of friction and devise homegrown solutions they can police. The clamour to restructure the nation will benefit from autonomous initiatives by the elite engaging each other. All these are possible, but the key to them is the demonstration that a negotiated release of the Chibok girls, which shows some promise, must be supported and sustained.

  • Fed Govt urged to fast-track negotiation with militants

    The Federal Government should fast-track the process of negotiating with the Niger Delta militants, particularly the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), to ensure uninterrupted operations and resumption of oil exploration and production activities in the region stakeholders have said.

    This is coming on the heels of a recent statement by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu, that negotiation with the militant groups is ongoing and would be concluded soon.

    A Senior Lecturer, Energy Law, University of Lagos, Dr Dayo Ayoade, urged the government to expedite action on the issue of negotiating with the Niger Delta Avengers in order to end the crisis in the region.

    He said the government saw negotiation as a tool for managing crisis and it should use it well. “There is nothing wrong in government negotiating with the militants in the Niger Delta. The issue does not have legal implication. The Federal Government has the right to protect its people, its assets and other things, hence its decision to negotiate with the militants. President Jonathan did the same thing. However, the government should try and do it in time to avoid bigger crisis,’’ he said.

    Ayoade urged the government to resolve the problem as members of the Nigerian Armed Forces were overstretched fighting Boko Haram insurgents.

    The Niger Delta Avengers had bombed oil facilities belonging to Agip, Chevron, Shell and other International Oil Companies (IOCs).  This has affected crude oil production as well as the capacity of power firms to access gas for generation.

    Also, a Director, Centre for Energy Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Prof Omowunmi Iledare, has urged the government to negotiate with the group in time to save the country from further losses. “It is a terrible thing for the government not to negotiate with criminals. To the best of my knowledge, anybody who overtly or covertly destroys public assets, more so oil and gas pipelines, are criminals and they should be treated that way. You don’t negotiate with criminals. Instead you allow the law to take its course.  Former President Jonathan negotiated with militants in the oil producing areas of Niger Delta.

    Iledare, a former President of International Association of Energy Economist (IAEE) Nigerian Chapter, urged the government to do everything possible to resolve the issue of destruction of oil and gas facilities

  • NLC ready for negotiation as it suspends ‘successful’ strike

    NLC ready for negotiation as it suspends ‘successful’ strike

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has suspended the nationwide strike called to protest the increase in the price of petrol.

    The Labour centre described the action as a huge success.

    In a communiqué at the end of a two-hour meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC), the congress said it was ready to return to the negotiating table to discuss the issues that led to the strike and other burning issues affecting the welfare of workers.

    It said in calling the action, it expected challenges from both within and outside the congress and was not surprised by government’s negative response, adding that it felt fulfilled by having the presence of mind and courage to identify its mission.

    The communiqué signed by the President of Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and the General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson however said it will continue to resist wrong legislations, policies and programmes of government and will always act in the best interest of Nigerians as it remains the only pan Nigerian organisation not affected by religion, region, creed, partisanship or primordial sentiments.

    The congress urged the government to play by the rules in its engagement with its constituent parts, stakeholders and non-state actors as proof of its commitment to deepening democracy.

    It commended National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly for their intervention and asked the citizenry to be vigilant at all times as the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

    The Communiqué reads: “An emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held today, Sunday, May 22, 2016 at Bolton White Hotels, Abuja on the on-going protest action against the increase in pump price of petroleum products and hike in electricity tariff.

    “NEC reviewed the protest action and its impact across the nation, noting the sacrifices of its members, response of the generality of Nigerians, government’s attitude and the brutality of the police in some states. NEC took special notice of the Ebonyi State Police Command where our members were intimidated, harassed, arrested and detained unjustly.

    “After an exhaustive deliberation, NEC noted its protest action was informed by the twin issues of the unjustified and illegal hike in electricity tariff and increase in the pump price of petroleum products. NEC adjudged the protest action to be a success in spite of both internal and external challenges.

    “NEC reiterated the correctness of its position on the twin-issues of electricity tariff hike and astronomical increase in the pump price of PMS and the hardship they portend for Nigerian masses.

    “NEC also acknowledged that the temptation to compare the strike action with that of 2012 could be compelling but that the scenario had changed as both the actors and the terrain were different.

    “NEC said before it had embarked on the action, it had anticipated a probable outcome and therefore was not surprised by government’s negative response. Nonetheless, it felt fulfilled by having the presence of mind and courage to identify its mission and fulfilling it, stressing that if a similar situation arises again, it will still rise and stand with the people.

    “NEC therefore commended those who took part in the action in one way or the other and reaffirm its commitment to the struggle.  The action, it reiterated was taken in the best interest of the poor and the weak and in drawing government’s attention to the dangers of relying on importation of petroleum products as a sustainable strategy for making available petroleum products. It expressed the belief that in the days ahead, time would prove its position right.

    “Congress singled out for commendation, its state councils, affiliates and other patriotic Nigerians who at very short notice picked up the gauntlet for this struggle. Congress commends the leadership of the National Assembly and All Progressives Congress led by Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

    “In consideration of the above, NEC after due consultation with its constituents resolved to suspend with immediate effect, the action it commenced on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. The action is thus hereby suspended.

    “Congress will resume negotiations with government on the twin issues of the hike in electricity tariff and an increase in the pump price of petroleum products and any other issue that may arise thereof.

    “It similarly remains committed to genuine dialogue within the framework of internationally established and recognized principles of representation.

    “The Congress will continue to resist wrong legislations, policies and programmes and will always act in the best interest of Nigerians as it remains the only pan Nigerian organisation not affected by religion, region, creed, partisanship or primordial sentiments.”

    “The Congress urges the government to play by the rules in its engagement with its constituent parts, stakeholders and non-state actors as proof of its commitment to deepening our democracy and also in acknowledgment of the well-worn credo that what goes around, comes around.

    “The Congress also urges the citizenry to be vigilant at all times as the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. The Congress commends all Nigerians for their understating and support”.

  • Niger Tornadoes begin negotiation with 10 players

    Niger Tornadoes begin negotiation with 10 players

    The management of Niger Tornadoes has started contract negotiation with ten new players ahead of new season.

    The club, which gained promotion to the elite division at the end of the Nigeria National League, resumed camp on Wednesday.

    The club’s Technical Adviser, Abdullahi Biffo, who signed a new deal with the club on Tuesday, confirmed that five out of ten invited players have started training with the team.

    Biffo added that the remaining five players will arrive in camp this weekend.

    He said seven players were invited from premier league while the remaining three players were from the Nigeria National league (NNL).

    The invited players were from Sharks FC, FC Taraba, Bayelsa United, Rangers, Kano Pillars, Wikki Tourists as well as Kwara United while the NNL players were from Mighty Jet of Jos, Gombe United and Crown FC.

    “We are not conduction open trails because we have identified players we wanted. We have 21 players already and we will sign seven out of ten players invited,” Biffo told SportingLife.

  • Governor cautions F.G over negotiation with Boko Haram sect

    Governor cautions F.G over negotiation with Boko Haram sect

    Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, on Friday cautioned the Federal Government to tread softly on its negotiation with the Boko Haram insurgents, to ensure talking with the genuine faction.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa Abuja.

    The governor also called on the local communities to be vigilant and be interested in the security around them by making available intelligence information to the security agencies.

    “I hope when we negotiate with them, we are negotiating with the correct people. Experience has shown that they have so many factions and if we are not lucky, we may be dealing with the wrong faction.

    “I believe the security agencies should have intelligence information to know what type of people we are dealing with.

    “But most importantly is community policing. Communities should be interested in the whole security situation because a lot of information can be received from the local people which will assist the security agencies. People should be alert about security situation,” he said.

    He was optimistic that the oncoming Sallah celebration would be peaceful due to the milestones achieved by the government in the war against insurgency in the country.

    “Sallah is a few days to come and we pray to almighty Allah so we have a successful celebration. Already we are expecting a peaceful Sallah because the Nigerian President has done a lot in controlling insurgency in the north eastern part of the country which normally flows to places like Kano especially during sallah celebration.

    “We believe that with the efforts of Mr President, the insurgency is down and we are expecting a hitch free sallah celebration. I urge Nigerians to continue praying for peace and stability,” he said.

  • We’ve started negotiations with Boko Haram leaders, says Buhari

    We’ve started negotiations with Boko Haram leaders, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that the Federal Government has began negotiations with members of the Boko Haram sect towards securing release of over 200 secondary school girls abducted in Chibok, Borno State.
    Buhari made the disclosure while responding to questions from members of the Nigerian community in France under the auspices of Nigerians In Diaspora Organization (NIDO).
    Stressing that his administration was worried by the continued abduction of the girls by their captors, he said that the administration is working tirelessly to get them released.
    Noting that the incident has attracted global attention and sympathy within Nigeria, he said that the government can not continue to fold its arms and watch.
    ” The issue of Chibok girls has occupied our minds and because of the international attention it drew and the sympathy through out the country and the world, the government is negotiating with some of the Boko Haram leadership,” Buhari said
    According to him, the government had to first establish genuine members of the sect in order not to make the mistake of engaging the wrong persons.

  • Ex-Army chiefs, don, security expert, politicians, others unite against negotiation

    Ex-Army chiefs, don, security expert, politicians, others unite against negotiation

    Col. Gabriel Ajayi, a retired infantry officer, Nigeria Army

    “The best approach is for the Federal Government to take a middle course in the matter.”

    Ajayi, a security and ancillary services consultant, said if there must be negotiation, it should be fashioned after what the Israelis normally do with Palestinians for exchange of prisoners of war periodically.

    “Such negotiation should be done underground between relevant security agencies and other Islamic bodies on one side and the insurgents on the other,” he said. He added that details of such negotiation should not be celebrated on the pages of newspapers.

    Ajayi said government should maintain its policy of not negotiating with terrorists, because doing so would amount to ridiculing the government and glorifying the terrorists. He said once that is done, the government might as well start negotiating with armed robbers and all manner of criminals in the country.

    “The moment representatives of government sit at a round table to negotiate with them, it means the government has recognized them officially. It should never be so; the government is bigger than everybody, including the bunch of idiots called Boko Haram. You don’t ridicule a legitimate government representing 150 million Nigerians, by forcing them to sit down to negotiate with criminals and gangsters,” he argued.

    The retired military officer said members of Boko Haram have violated every known law of humanity and did not deserve to be celebrated the way Nigerians are doing indirectly today. He said something is wrong with the way the average Nigerian is reacting to the issue. His words: “Everybody is talking about Goodluck Jonathan, saying bring our girls back, but nobody is condemning the Boko Haram people; nobody is talking about the governor of the state where the girls were abducted. The outrage of the people is not against Boko Haram and its inhuman conduct, but against the government of Goodluck Jonathan. Boko Haram feels on top of the world now because everybody is abusing the government.”

    With this state of affairs, he said Boko Haram is being emboldened to continue killing more innocent Nigerians.

    He noted that it is unfortunate that innocent girls who have nothing at stake in the whole crisis and who may actually not know what is going on have been thrown into the epicentre of this crisis.

     Col. Joe Achusia, former Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo

    “There should be no negotiation whatsoever between the Federal Government and the leaders of Boko Haram for the release of the school girls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State exactly a month ago.” He asked rhetorically: “What would be the basis of such negotiation? Is government going to exchange the over 200 girls abducted for the 2,000 or 3,000 detained Boko Haram suspects? If this is done, what stops them from kidnapping more girls?”

    To tackle terrorists like the Boko Haram insurgents, Achusia said the military must go all out against them and defeat them in battle. “That is the only way to deal with such insurgents,” he said, adding: “I sympathise with the families of the kidnapped girls. If I were the one, I would not have a single night’s sleep until my daughter is back. One can only pray that the security agencies would find a way of getting them back safely, without doing battle with the insurgents.”

    Afenifere chieftain Supo Shonibare

    According to Shonibare, there is no basis for negotiating with Boko Haram.

    “The situation with the issue of dialogue with or engaging Boko Haram is difficult to even begin to contemplate because their demands cannot be linked to any deprivation of rights issue or that of self-determination. It’s a demand for a non-secular state which is unacceptable to most Nigerians.

    “To however appease a group of insurgents without identifiable local support base, professing religious ideology with overtly devious intent or to release operatives of this sect in detention to increase the ranks of these insurgents does not appear to be a strategically appropriate approach particularly now that the international community is also involved in the rescue operations. I am sure that the international community will also assist in the remodelling of the security architecture to generally contain terrorism in our country”.

    Student activist, Edwin Chukwuma

    The government should negotiate with the insurgents and get the girls released as soon as possible.

    Ordinarily, I will say the Federal Government should not negotiate with Boko Haram because they are criminals that have unleashed terror on innocent citizens. What one would have suggested is total war against Boko Haram sect. But the situation in which we are today calls for caution. With over 200  school girls still languishing in their den, government has to consider the trauma these girls are undergoing and the plight of their parents  in the past one month when their children were snatched by negotiating for the release of the girls. If the government fails to act in time, Boko Haram may be ruthless.

    Negotiating with them may sound funny but it appears we don’t have choice because of human lives that are involved. We need to secure the lives of these girls by getting them released and handed over to their parents.

    University teacher,Dr Tunde Omodara

    He has mixed feelings about the matter. He is fully in support of negotiation with the insurgents for the sake of the girls who are innocent and being made to suffer for what they did not cause. This position is also informed by the state of minds of their parents who are in trauma over the abduction of their daughters.

    On the other hand, Omodara said the government should not have anything to do with the criminals that have killed a lot of Nigerians, bombed churches and mosques. He said government should declare war on them, capture them alive and make them face the full weight of law for the crimes they have committed.

    Southwest Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Chief Ishola Filani

    A situation where these people want to hold government to ransom should not be accepted. That is why I am supporting that there should be no negotiation with them. How are we sure that these girls would be handed over to the authorities, when they secure the release of their prisoners. Are they reliable? These are wicked people who are detained or put in prison because they committed crimes.  Why should you exchange people with criminal records with innocent children? These are children who did not commit any crime in whatever form. So, why are you asking government to free criminals for innocent children? Does this make any sense? My argument is that we should put in more efforts in terms of the assistant being rendered by the international community. There is no guarantee that if these girls are exchanged for them, they would reneged from the agreement.

    Former presidential candidate of the National Action Council, Dr. Olapade Agoro

    The Federal Government has the choice of making a fool of itself by negotiating with fools, criminals and unguarded rogues. These are people who do not hold sacred the fundamental human rights and value. If the Federal Government is out to negotiate with the faceless criminals, then we should accept that the Federal Government is also a criminal. How can the government negotiate with those who have killed innocent citizens and traumatised little children? I don’t know why they would want to negotiate with them. We should go all out and fight them. As a good nation, we should make a point by going all out for these criminals. If Barrak Obama would not negotiate with Osama Bin Laden and he deployed all arsenals at his disposal to haunt him down, what stop us from towing similar line? It is a weak government that goes all the way out to negotiate with criminals. What will happen to the families of thousands of Nigerians that have been killed by these criminals? It is only someone without conscience that will negotiate with these criminals. We were told once that the government extended the olive branch through a committee headed by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, but they refused to come out. They rather took to further commission of crimes by abducting these innocent school girls. Now you are saying you want to negotiate with them, let them negotiate with them and we will know who will pay the price. I have never known any reasonable government that had gone to negotiate with criminals. If I had become the President of this nation I don’t think will negotiate this with anybody. I don’t believe any reasonable person will go and negotiate these faceless criminals.

    Benin philanthropist, Hon. Jeffery Edorodion

    The Federal Government should negotiate with the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect to secure the release of the abducted girls.

    Hon Jeffery said the lives of the abducted students were more important than 10,000 Boko Haram members at detention centres.

    Hon Jeffery said the Federal Government should take steps towards securing the release of the girls even if it meant releasing detained Boko Haram members.

    He said other countries including United States of America do negotiate to free their citizens and Nigeria should not be an exemption.

    According to him, The Federal Government have to negotiate with Boko Haram because those girls are more important than 10,000 Boko Haram members.

    “If there is room for negotiation, the Federal Government has to go into the process. The West do negotiate with terrorist. Why wouldn’t Nigeria negotiate with terrorist but they have to do it with caution.

    Renowned security expert Dr. Ona Ekhomu

    The Federal Government must maintain healthy skepticism over the offer of dialogue made by the Boko Haram terrorist organization.

    He said that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau did not have a track record of honesty and had previously used deception in running terror campaigns against innocent citizens and could therefore not be trusted to keep his promise to release the abducted school girls if Boko Haram detainees were released by the Federal Government.

    Ekhomu said that Shekau had promised in the past not to attack school children, explaining that that was why schools were torched at night time.  However, the terrorists in a volte-face have consistently attacked and killed school children, changing recently to a new tactic of kidnapping school girls.

    On the video released by Boko Haram showing some of the school girls, President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), Ekhomu said that it was sad that innocent little girls were being used as pawns in the terrorist game plan.  He said that the girls should be released without conditions. He urged the terrorists to let the girls go as a sign of good faith in order to enable negotiations begin. He said that it is apparent that the Federal Government is anxious to bring the terrorists attacks to a halt through a negotiated settlement.

    Ekhomu, who is the first chartered security professional in West Africa praised the United States government for promptly sharing satellite intelligence with the Nigerian Military, and commencing manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights.  He also praised the British government for providing security resources for search of the missing girls.  He urged the Nigerian government “to stay the course as the high-tech investigative help from the foreign partners are likely to lead to a quick resolution of the abduction saga”.

     

  • Minimum wage: Kwara NLC seeks fresh negotiation with govt

    The Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is asking for fresh negotiation with the state government on the implementation of N18,000 national minimum wage.

    The state NLC Chairman, Alhaji Faruq Akanbi, told The Nation that the state government had not entered into dialogue with the Joint Negotiation Council since its inauguration in December 2011.

    He appealed to the state government to review downward the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax by civil servants in the state.

    The chairman assured workers in the state parastatal agencies that the delay being experienced in the payment of their salaries would soon be over.

    Akanbi called for regular payment of emolument of pensioners in the state to further alleviate their sufferings.

    He disclosed that the government had implemented the promotion of teachers and local government workers, who were due for elevation.

    Akanbi said that the payment for the promoted workers would begin this month.