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  • Thugs attack NLC, NUPENG leaders as labour pickets Ngige

    Suspected thugs yesterday attacked leaders and members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) at the Asokoro, Abuja home of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

    Scores of other people were injured.

    The organised labour made good its threat to picket any interest relating to the minister for refusing to inaugurate the Chief Frank Kokori-led board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and replacing the veteran labour leader with another person.

    The workers and their leaders had converged on 19, Justice Muhammed Nasir Street, Asokoro, as early as 6.30 a.m, chanting solidarity songs.

    Suddenly, the suspected thugs came out of the house and chased them away.

    All those around scampered for safety.

    The workers regrouped and returned to base when their leaders, led by NLC President Ayuba Wabba, arrived on the scene.

    NUPENG officials used two trucks to block the entrance to the minister’s house.

    The suspected thugs started hauling stones at the labour leaders and workers, injuring many of them.

    A few vehicles were torched.

    Nine among the injured were admitted at the National Hospital’s Trauma Centre in Abuja; two of them are said to be in critical condition.

    When our correspondent visited the hospital, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police commissioner was said to have visited the place to see the injured.

    He reportedly left behind several plainclothes policemen to take statements from the victims.

    Wabba, who was also at the National Hospital, volunteered a statement to the security operatives.

    The NLC president told reporters that he was at the hospital to ensure that the injured received adequate medical attention.

    He said: “We have a record of those suspected thugs that attacked us. We captured them on camera and we have given that evidence to the police and we are sending one copy to the Department of State Services (DSS).

    “We have already called a meeting of the National Administrative Council and the Central Working Committee for Thursday (today) where a decision will be taken and the decision will be communicated to all the states.

    “Even the decision of the picketing was that of the National Delegates’ Conference because this is an issue that has been going on for about three years now. So, it is clearly an issue we are very passionate about. With the approach he has introduced into the matter, it is important that we try to respond effectively.

    “Gone are the days when workers were couched to sleep on their rights. Workers have struggled through history to ascertain their rights, particularly trade union and human rights. These are rights that are fundamental, which include the right to protest, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to picketing.

    “Looking at what has happened: it is evident that trust has broken down and he (Ngige) no longer has a right to say he is representing any worker as Minister of Labour. Workers in Nigeria will take a position to demonstrate that this is not something that should go unnoticed without immediate response.”

  • NLC threatens to picket ministry over NSITF board

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) are heading for a showdown with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

    Their grouse is about the non-inauguration of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) with veteran former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Frank Kokori, as its chairman.

    The two bodies yesterday gave indication that they will picket every agency and place that has the interest of the minister and apply every other legal means to ensure that he does the right thing.

    They said Ngige allegedly confessed to them that he was not comfortable with Kokori heading the board because of his rigidity.

    But the minister insisted that he never nominated Kokori to head the NSITF board.

    Ngige said he was not bothered about the threat to picket the ministry but would remain on the side of the law.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba and his NUPENG counterpart, Williams Akporeha, said it had become “evidently clear that the Minister of Labour and Employment is adamant on perpetually appropriating the NSITF in sole partnership”.

    Accusing the minister of feeding the public with incorrect information about his reason for not inaugurating the board, Wabba said Ngigie had told him that he was not comfortable with Kokori heading the board.

    He alleged that the delay was as a result of NLC’s delay in forwarding the names of its nominees to the board.

    Brandishing a letter, dated March 28, addressed to the minister, Wabba said the laws establishing the NSITF stipulate that it should have a board which will serve as an advisory body.

    According to him, running the fund in the past four years without a board was illegal and an affront on the laws of the country.

    Quoting from the letter, Wabba said: “Since President Muhammadu Buhari approved the reconstitution of the board of the NSITF, I recalled meeting with you on four different occasions on this matter. At our first meeting, you expressed dissatisfaction with the choice of Comrade Frank Kokori as the board chairman of NSITF.

    “I remember vividly that I reminded you of Kokori’s track record of capacity and integrity and thus his suitability to head the NSITF board, especially given the scandals that trailed past NSITF boards and given the fact that Kokori is perceived as being too rigid and honest.”

    Wabba claimed that the minister replied to the letter, following its receipt at the ministry.

    The NLC President said the minister resorted to various tactics to avoid inaugurating the board headed by Kokori, even after he was screened and cleared as competent to head the board.

    He added that Ngige’s choice to replace Kokori on the board did not pass through any security screening.

     

  • NLC accuses Ngige of resorting to ethnic sentiment

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, of resorting to ethnic sentiments in a bid to keep the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) within his “sole proprietorship”.

    Reacting to a statement credited to the FCT chapter of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the NLC said the minister’s resort to ethnic sentiments over the matter was an indication that he has something to hide.

    The statement by NLC General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, notes that while the umbrella labour union is a pan- Nigerian organisation which has carried out its activities without resort to ethnic or religious colouration, it has engaged ministers of labour on issues relating to workers and their welfare.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement published in The Nation on May 3 and credited to the FCT Chairman of Ohanaeze, Odozi Nwodozi, in the defence of the less than honourable conduct of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on NSITF.

    “The facts of what transpired between Nigerian workers and the Minister of Labour are in the public domain. The issue at stake does not have any tinge of ethnic or religious colouration. We are, therefore, surprised at the recent borrowing of ethnic voices in the defence of the Minister of Labour and Employment.

    “As sad as this new low by the minister and his hired voice is, we must remind the minister that gone are the days when a public officer committed an offence or stole public money and then hid under ethnic or religious banner for protection.

    “The NLC is a pan-Nigerian organisation with a reputation for conducting itself dispassionately and for speaking truth to power. It is populated by workers from all religious and ethnic orientations and can never play the sectarian or ethnic card.

    “The decision to engage the Minister of Labour was taken at the recently held NLC’s 12th national delegates’ conference – the highest decision-making body of congress…

    “We wish to candidly advise the minister to quit using the press to malign the people he should be protecting. The way and manner Dr. Ngige is going about this NSITF issue clearly shows that he has a lot to hide and there is a lot he is not willing to tell Nigerians. The minister should stop twisting the truth as most Nigerians are in the know of what he has been doing with the NSITF.

    “We urge the Minister of Labour and Employment to redeem whatever is left of his image by inaugurating the NSITF board under the chairmanship of Chief Frank Kokori without further delay.”

    “Finally, for the benefit of Nigerians who are unaware of the intrigues of the Minister of Labour to keep the NSITF under his sole proprietorship, we challenge him and other stakeholders to an electronic media debate on this matter so that the truth can be exposed.”

  • NSITF crisis: NLC accuses Ngige of resorting to ethnic sentiment

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige of resorting to ethnic sentiments in his bid to keep the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) within his “Sole Proprietorship”.

    Reacting to a statement credited to the FCT chapter of the pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, the NLC said the resort to ethnic sentiments by the Minister over the NSITF issue is a clear indication that he has something to hide.

    The statement signed by the General Secretary of Congress, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson said while the NLC is a pan Nigerian organisation and has carried out its activities without resort to ethnic or religious colouration,  it has over the years engage Ministers of labour on issues relating to workers and their welfare and challenged the Minister to a public television debate on the issue of NSITF in order to set the records straight.

    The Congress asked the national leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo to be wary of persons within its fold who are bent on dragging the name of the organisation to the mud.

    The statement recalled that the Minister’s political and the President had asked him to inaugurate the board of the NSITF, an instruction it said the Minister failed to carry out.

    The statement reads: “our attention has been drawn to a statement published in The Nation of 3rd May 2019, and credited to the FCT Chairman of Ohaneze, Federal Capital Territory, one Odozi Nwodozi, in the defense of the less than honourable conduct of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, over the matter of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

    “The facts of what had transpired between Nigerian workers and the Minister of Labour are in the public domain. The issue at stake does not have any tinge of ethnic or religious colouration. We are, therefore, surprised at the recent borrowing of ethnic voices in the defense of the Minister of Labour and Employment.

    “As sad as this new low by the Minister and his hired voice is, we must remind the Minister that gone are the days when a public officer will commit an offence or steal public money and then hide under ethnic or religious banner for protection.

    “The Nigeria Labour Congress is a pan Nigerian organization with a reputation for conducting itself dispassionately and for speaking truth to power. The NLC is populated by workers from all religious and ethnic orientations and can never play the sectarian or ethnic card. “The decision to engage the Minister of Labour was taken at the recently held NLC’s 12th National Delegates Conference – the highest decision-making body of Congress. This was after all efforts including quiet persuasions from the NLC, the advice of the national leadership of the political party to which Dr. Ngige belongs and even a straightforward directive by Mr. President himself failed to make the Minister of Labour see reasons and do the needful.

    “This is not the first time that Organized Labour is engaging less than altruistic Labour Ministers. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole engaged very robustly a former Minister of Labour, Chief Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas over some of the latter’s anti-labour positions despite the fact that they are from the same geo-political zone.

    “During the time of Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, the then Minister of Labour, J.M.

    Johnson was engaged robustly on labour issues. Mr. Johnson never resorted to ethnic jingoism for cover.

    “It is most unfortunate that Dr. Chris Ngige is the first Labour Minister to introduce ethnic colouration as an escape route from the smoke of industrial disquiet emanating from a fire entirely stoked by him. Even workers from the village of Dr. Chris Ngige had protested against the stand of the Minister on this matter.

    “We wish to reiterate our deep respect for Ohaneze as a pan Igbo socio-cultural organization. It is, however, unfortunate that somebody in the lower cadre of Ohaneze leadership could be seduced to misuse his position to achieve the narrow objectives of a politician.

    “We urge the national leadership of Ohaneze to be wary of such characters who are wont not only to tarnish, but also to destroy the good image that Ohaneze has built for itself over the years.

    “We wish to candidly advise the Minister to quit using the press to malign the people he should be protecting. The way and manner that Dr. Chris Ngige is going about this NSITF issue clearly shows that he has a lot to hide and there is a lot he is not willing to tell Nigerians. The Minister should stop twisting the truth as most Nigerians are in the know of what he has been doing with the NSITF.

    “We urge the Minister of Labour and Employment to redeem whatever is left of his image by inaugurating the NSITF board under the chairmanship of Chief Frank Kokori without further delay. Finally, for the benefit of Nigerians who are unaware of the intrigues of the Minister of Labour to keep the NSITF under his Sole Proprietorship, we challenge him and other stakeholders to an electronic media debate on this matter so that the truth can be exposed.”

  • The NLC blackmail agenda on Labour Minister

    It is now in the public space that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is kicking against the inauguration of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

    To refresh our minds, the NSITF was a product of the liquidation of the old National Provident Fund (NPF). It was set up by the Federal Government via Decree No.23. 1993 and embodied into the Law of the Federation as NSITF Act Cap   N88, LFN 2004.

    A take-off grant was made available by the Federal Government. Most of the NPF Asset was sent to set up the Pension Commission, and the NSITF was given a new role of workers Insurance in the old Workmen Compensation Act which was later amended and expanded to produce the Employer Compensation Act (ECA) 2010. The major function and role are to insure workers against accidents and pay benefits to them, their families or their organization for accident, injuries, invalidation and even death in the course of work– i.e. going to work, in the workplace or returning from work.

    In the enabling Law establishing the Agency, the Federal Government in its wisdom decided to give it a tripartite coloration (Government, Labour, and Employers) because of the Industrial Relations nature of the entity.

    Consequently, the Management and Board as set out in Section 4 of the Act should have a Chairman who shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister of Labour, Two (2) persons each nominated by the Nigeria Employees Consultative Association (NECA) – then the only Employers’ Association, The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) (because they were the only Labour Federation then).

    One (1) representative each of Federal Ministry of Employment, Labour & Productivity (Supervising Ministry), the Central Bank of Nigeria (Financial Institution), three (3) Executive Directors (EDs) – Federal Government interest, one (1) Managing Director (MD) – Federal Government interest.

    Section 5 (3) of the Act also says – the members of the Board shall be paid certain remuneration and allowances as the Minister of Labour may from time to time determine.

    The Act further in section 7 (4) stipulates that the Minister shall also make recommendations to the President on the appointment of the Managing Director or an Executive Director after consultations with the NLC and NECA.

    From the foregoing, it is clear that the appointment of the Chairman for the Board of NSITF is a straightforward engagement by the Minister recommending a fit and proper neutral person to Mr. President for the appointment. So also, for the appointment of the MD and EDs. Here the ILO principle on tripartite representation comes into play which in this situation does not permit any of the partners to dictate to another on who is to represent them in a meeting, consultations, negotiation or on any joint venture like the NSITF, provided the person nominated has no criminal record against the Law of that country.

    From the information gathered NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Waba approached the Hon. Minister some times in 2017 to inform him that he and other Social Partner, the then DG NECA submitted an NSITF Chairman nominee to the office of the Vice President, which the Minister bluntly told him that it was incongruous for NLC or NECA to do so as it breached the Law and was also an erosion of the Hon. Ministers function to nominate fit and proper persons to the offices listed in the Act.

    More revelations according to the Minister showed that NECA DG at the time did not participate nor had any hand in the so-called nomination, while the person nominated was Comrade Frank Kokori, a veteran NUPENG General Secretary.

    Since the minister had insisted on due process of appointing NSITF chairman, he has continued to receive a tirade of abuses from the Wabba-led Labour since it does not favour their candidate.

    There was a time Wabba wrote a letter of congratulations to Mr. President for appointing Comrade Kokori to Chair the NSITF Board and copied the Labour Minister, and then leaked the letter to the media even when the Minister had not made any recommendation to Mr. President.

    All these antics were aimed at blackmailing and railroading the Hon. Minister and Mr. President into a forced acquiescence.

    Sadly too, Kokori himself went to Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture in January 2018 abusing and buffeting the Labour Minister for delaying his inauguration as Chairman, following his appointment in November 2017, accusing the Minister of trying to be in-charge of NSITF to award contracts and milk the juice in the place and favour his village people as recruits into the NSITF.  He threatened to call out NUPENG members to a “fight” if after one month he was not sworn in.

    He actually in April 2018 attended the NUPENG NEC in session meeting and reported “Minister Ngige” for trying to humiliate him. He reported the Minister to the Senate Committee on Labour, Productivity, Employment and the House of Representatives counterpart with strongly worded petitions.

    The Minister attended to the queries by both House Committees, of course, explaining the situation he met NSITF financially frustrated in November 2015 when he assumed duty and what the situation was and that nomination of Comrade Kokori was irregular and anomalous and that, of course, this was an Executive responsibility that does not need a Senate screening.

    When Ngige took over the Ministry as Minister on  November 15, 2015, parastatals sent in their reports and omitted the fact that the last Board of NSITF in collusion with some management staff in charge of Finance and Legal Departments looted funds in place. This grave “omission” was because the Executive Directors of the last Board were still in charge up to end December 2016.

    It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) commenced criminal investigations into the Financial Affairs of the place from 2011 – 2016 for criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of public funds and money laundering, based on petitions received by the Ag. Chairman of the EFCC against the Chairman and Members of the last Board.

    The EFCC was able to establish through Forensic financial investigations that a total of N62,358,401,927 (Sixty-Two Billion, Three Hundred and Fifty-Eight Million, Four Hundred and One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Seven naira) could not be accounted for.

    The report concluded by revealing Eight top NSITF officials of General Managers cadre who operated private companies in which they are Directors and signatories and which they also used in milking Public Funds from the NSITF.

    After briefing Mr. President on the damaging EFCC report, an Administrative Panel of Enquiry on the finances of NSITF and ancillary matters was instituted.

    It was discovered also that over N5 billion was removed from the NSITF account in one day without a single voucher to trace the movement except for the forensic trail of the EFCC.

    As at today, the Administrative Panel report is being implemented vigorously, the NSITF procurement process, financial records, plugging of leakages are receiving visible financial sanity. Today, workers’ salaries are promptly paid against what obtained in past years.

    Accumulated allowances such as housing, educational, clothing which were owed workers for years have been cleared, same with furniture and out of pocket expenses.  Workers stagnated on the same position for six years have been promoted to enhance productivity.

    The Port Harcourt (PH) regional office and the three branch offices at Onne, Trans Amadi and PH were sealed in May 2018 by Rivers State Inland Revenue Services (RIRS) for non-remittance of Standard Taxes deducted during the ‘period of the locust’. Today, the regional office has been unsealed since November last year.

    The Honourable Minister in the exercise of the functions of his office and recommendations of the Administrative Panel of Enquiry sought the help of the immediate past Commissioner for Insurance of NAICON and got a square peg to fill the square hole. That was how Mr Austin Enajemo-Isire, a Chartered Accountant, Fellow Chartered Institute of Insurance of Nigeria (CIIN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), and Chartered Institute of Taxation (ACTI) came in.

    This candidate has a rich background needed as an Insurance Executive to chart a new course for the NSITF. Isire was recommended after the CV evaluation and it was based on competence.

    There is nothing against Kokori as a person. The evaluation is done for a neutral, fit and proper person with the required cognate experience who will chair a vigorous and active Board for the financially ailing NSITF did not fit him.

    Chief Frank Kokori has a rich knowledge of Labour studies and administration and that is why the President magnanimously approved his appointment as Chairman of the Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Studies.

    The only sin of the Minister is that Wabba’s candidate (Kokori) was not chosen as the chairman and for that Ngige must be dragged into the mud.

  • NLC to Buhari: declare state of emergency in power sector

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the power sector and take steps to halt the drift and exploitation of electricity consumers.

    The workers berated electricity distribution companies (DisCos) for their continued imposition of estimated billing on their customers.

    Its President,  Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke with The Nation, also sought the reversal of privatisation  in the sector.

    He said: “We decried the continuous exploitation of electricity consumer by DisCos through estimated billing.

    “We  call on the government to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria’s power sector and take necessary steps to arrest the situation, ordering the reversal of the privatisation exercise in the power sector.

    “I also condemn the continued refusal by many DisCos to supply prepaid meters to electricity consumers, describing the use of estimated billing as daylight robbery of poor workers and citizens.”

    Read Also: NLC to Buhari: overhaul security architecture

    Ayuba re-affirmed the commitment of the Congress to picket the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for failing in its regulatory duty and the DisCos for refusing to obey Nigeria’s laws and court processes against estimated billings.

    The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEC) had called for a review and sanction of violators of electricity privatisation.

    Its President-General, Comrade Chris Okonkwo spoke in Enugu at its delegates conference.

    Okonkwo said the position of the association was that there should be a review of privatisation because they were given contracts, but they did not abide by their terms.

    He urged the Federal Government to review the document on power privatisation to see if it had been violated, sanction defaulters and reward those who had not.

  • Police tighten noose on bandits as NLC calls for action

    The police commands in northcentral states of Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Kogi have been recording success in the fight against armed banditry and other violent crimes. Augustine Okezie, Katsina and Precious Igbonwelundu report.

    Why govt should tackle insecurity, by NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) National President Ayuba Wabba has urged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity headlong.

    In his address at the states’ delegates conference of the Benue State chapter of the umbrella union in Makurdi, the state capital, he said Nigerians were being abducted and killed daily.

    He said government must fight violent crimes to attract investment into the country.

    On the N30,000 national minimum wage signed into law by Mr. President, the NLC president advised governors to cut down their running cost and corruption to enable them pay.

    He said Labour would not accept anything less than N30,000.

    Wabba also urged the Federal Government to discountenance the advice by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Nigeria should remove fuel subsidy.

    The NLC president stressed that Labour would resist any increase in the price of petroleum products, especially the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.

    “We will resist any attempt to transfer incompetence of government to poor workers through an increase in pump price,” he said.

    Wabba expressed dismay over the decay in infrastructure in public institutions, such as schools and hospitals.

    The union leader called for total rehabilitation and reconstruction of public utilities for the benefit of those who cannot afford medical vacation abroad.

    The Comrade Godwin Anya-led Benue NLC Exco was returned unposed for another term in office.

     

    Kidnapping: Masari commiserates with communites

    Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari yesterday visited Yar Santa and Tsamiyar Jino villages in Kankara Local Government Area to condole and commiserate with the residents over recent bandit attacks.

    Some residents were killed in the attack while property estimated at  millions of naira were destroyed.

    A statement yesterday by the governor’s Special Assistant (SA) on Media, Alhaji Abdul Labaran, said Masari condemned the activities of the bandits.

    It said President Muhammadu Buhari had directed security chiefs to, within the shortest time possible, route out the bandits terrorising parts of Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna stateswith abduction for ransom, arson, murder and other forms of banditry.

    The governor assured the residents that his administration would address the security situation without sparing anybody found culpable, regardless of their positions or status in the society.

    He said: “We will not hesitate to deal appropriately with anyone found to be connected or in any way involved in the activities of the bandits.

    “Peace and normalcy must return to the area, as securing the lives and property of citizens is the sole raison d’etre for government, and failure to do that is tantamount to shirking the responsibility of the oath of office.

    “Rest assured that the government will not abandon you in your hour of need because we will take the fight to the bandits wherever they may be.”

    Masari expressed confidence that with the renewed determination of the government and the commitment of the security agencies, it was only a matter of time before the activities of the bandits are successfully contained, the same way the Boko Haram insurgency has been contained.

    The governor maintained that security had been tightened in the affected areas with the deployment of additional personnel, including over 100 policemen, the launching of special military and police operations on ground and air, as well as provision of additional formal and informal logistics.

    He added that security is the business of everybody, more so that there is no sufficient security personnel to be posted to every part of the country.

    Masari said: “Security and the maintenance of law and order are beyond the capacity of the men and officers of the security agencies. Therefore, there is a need for everyone, especially leaders in the society, to contribute towards ensuring the safety and security of their respective environment.

    “It’s the duty of parents, religious and other opinion leaders to educate the youth and monitor their activities to ensure that such are not in conflict with the interest of the larger society.”

    The Nation recalls that the state has been hijacked by incessant kidnapping and other cases of criminality, particularly in the eight frontline local government areas bordering Zamfara.

    The recent launch of Operation Puff Arder by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in conjunction with the state government, appears to be yielding good result.

     

    Banditry: Police arrest more criminals in Katsina

    The Katsina State Police Command yesterday announced the arrest of more suspected criminals and syndicates terrorising the state, especially suspected kidnappers, cattle rustlers and bandits.

    Police spokesman Gambo Isah, a Superintendent (SP), told reporters in Katsina that the arrests were part of the clampdown on all forms of crime and criminality across the state.

    He said the command under Police Commissioner Sanusi Buba had been recording successes against suspected criminals.

    Gambo said the arrests included a notorious member of cattle rustling/ armed robbery/kidnapping syndicates, which led to the recovery of one locally-made pistol and an axe from the suspect, following a tip-off.

    Those arrested include Jafaru Yahaya, 40, from Mallamawa village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara Dtate, for alleged robbery, kidnapping and terrorising residents  of Zamfara Sate and Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    Gambo said the suspects were  apprehended while allegedly attempting to invade the home of Alhaji Garba Gajere in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    The police spokesman said Yahaya confessed that he was paid N300,000 to kidnap or kill Gajere but declined doing so because of the cordial relations he had with him.

    He said Yahaya asked his victim to refund the N300,000.

    Also, security agents arrested suspected members of a robbery and kidnapping syndicate.

    The police said a partrol team attached to Kankara Division recovered one fabricated rifle from the suspected while responding to a distress call at Yan-Geme village.

    According to him, six suspects allegedly trespassed into the house of Alhaji Salmanu Abdullahi of Yan-Geme village and whisked away his wife to an unknown destination.

    Also, an armed robbery syndicate that specialised in strangling commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called Okada and robbing them of their motorcycles, was smashed.

    The police said they arrested Harisu Audu,  23 and Tanimu Abdu, 18, both  of Kubulen Gada village of Niger Republic, were arrested.

    They said the suspects hired an  Okada rider, Mustapha Alto, of Sharifawa village, Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State to Dan-Nakola village, Daura.

    On the way, the suspects  allegdly used a cable wire and strangled the victim until he lost consciousness.

    They allegedly stole his motorcycle, a  Daylong brand, which was unregistered and valued at N193,000.

    The suspects were apprehended and the stolen motorcycle recovered at Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State.

    The suspects were said to have confessed to the crime.

    Gambo assured that the suspects would soon be charged to court.

     

     18 notorious ‘kidnappers’ held as police recover 22 AK47 rifles, others

    The police yesterday said they have arrested 18 suspected kidnappers and robbers in the Northcentral.

    The arrests, it was learnt, followed earlier arrest of Mallam Salisu Abubakar, said to be a ‘Spiritual Father’ to kidnappers and armed bandits in the North by detectives attached to Operation Puff Adder.

    Those arrested include Abubakar Ibrahim (aka Dan Habu), 37, said to be a native of Kabam in Igabi Local Government Area of  Kaduna State.

    He was said to be responsible for the kidnap and murder of Kajuru monarch, King Agom Adara, and several other heinous crimes.

    Others include Johnson Okafor, 44; Shaibu Iliyasu (aka Smally), 20; Ishaik Dabo (aka Keke) 38; Mohammed Nasiru, 25; Aminu Haruna, 25 and  Shafiu Alhaji Gudau, 25.

    Others include Auwalu Hamisu, 24;  Ado Ya’u, 35; Ibrahim Yusuf, 30;  Ibrahim Audu, 22; Salisu Ajah, 50; Nasiru Umaru, 25; Magaji Abubakar, 27; Salisu Ali, 18; Lawal Shadari, 22; Junaidu Lawal, 18 and Usman Musa, 43.

    According to police spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), the suspects were arrested in Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Kogi states.

    He said 22 AK47 rifles, five locally-made pistols and a cache of ammunition were recovered from them.

    Mba said a combined team of police detectives used actionable intelligence obtained from the spiritual godfather and other sources to tactically smoke out the kidnappers and armed bandits from their hideouts in Birnin Gwari, Rijana, Katari, Mai Daro and Buruku Forests in Kaduna State before they were eventually arrested at different locations and times in Kaduna, Katsina, Niger and Kogi states.

    “Meanwhile, police investigations have positively linked the arrested suspects to some of the most heinous crimes committed in Kaduna State and its environs in recent times.

    “Specifically, Abubakar Ibrahim (aka Dan Habu, 37, a native of Kabam in Igabi Local Government Area  of Kaduna State, who was arrested on April 15 at Rigachikun, confessed to the kidnapping and gruesome murder of HRH King Agom Adara of Kajuru Local Government Area and many other kidnappings and murders.

    “Similarly, the arrested gang members were also indicted by investigations for the kidnap and murder of Mallam Yakubu Usman, 40, of Jere Local Government Area, Kaduna State among others,” Mba said.

    He said all the suspects are currently aiding police investigation, adding that they belong to different, fairly independent vicious gangs whose operations were centrally coordinated by the spiritual godfather.

    “Efforts are currently being intensified to arrest other gang members still at large, and recover all weapons in the gangs’ armoury.

    “The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) re-assures the nation that Nigeria Police,, working in concert with other security agencies will not rest on its laurels until kidnapping and other violent crimes are subdued and sanity restored to the land,” Mba said.

  • NLC to Buhari: overhaul security architecture

    Labour yesterday passed a damning verdict on the security agencies for their handling of security matters.

    The agencies, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said, had failed to rise up to the challenges of kidnapping and banditry across the country.

    It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig the system.

    Labour also blamed the widening gap between the rich and the poor on bad governance.

    It claimed that the non-payment of salaries by some states was responsible for violent crimes, such as armed robbery and kidnapping.

    In a message to the NLC Delegates Conference in Abuja, NLC President Ayuba Wabba cautioned the government against raising the Value Added Tax (VAT).

    He also cautioned against heeding the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommendation on removal of fuel subsidy.

    According to him, an increased VAT and subsidy removal would erode the gains of the N18,000 minimum wage.

    Wabba urged workers not to see the pay rise as a gift even and implored employers to immediately begin implementation.

    According to him, the argument of whether or not states can implement the pay has been laid to rest. He urged the states to cut down on the cost of governance to conserve resources for the implementation.

    He said: “We are all witnesses to the waves of bloodbath and brigandage surfing across our country. There is hardly any day that passes without one incident of armed robbery, kidnap for ransom, militancy or terrorism attack making headlines.

    “We call on government at both federal and state levels to urgently rejig our security architecture, structure, and management.

    “Clearly, the current approach has failed. We also call for a robust and sustainable response to renewed security challenges in our country even if that means an increase in the budget for internal security so long it is judiciously and transparently used.

    “The political arena offers one of the most effective spaces for tackling almost all the challenges that we have already highlighted to bring about socio-economic transformation. Unfortunately, the conduct of the last general elections left a lot of sour taste in the mouth. Incidences of hate speech, vote buying, ballot box snatching, abuse of provisions for manual accreditation, logistics tardiness, isolated cases of violence, and a spate of inconclusive elections trailed the 2019 general polls.

    “These electoral infractions did not only erode some of the grounds won as a result of the push by the NLC and its allies during the 2007-2011 campaign for electoral reform in Nigeria but also presented new threats to efforts to consolidate and deepen our democracy.

    “The chaos in our electoral space is only symptomatic of the crises of governance bedevilling our country. We cannot lament forever. The onus is on us as the working class to recover the political initiative through the reactivation and repositioning of the Labour Party.

    “We took very concrete resolutions at different levels of leadership and ultimately at our last national delegates’ conference to recover the Labour Party as the political vehicle for the actualisation of the socio-economic transformation that we desire for our country. I urge you to use the occasion of this conference to mobilise workers in the state to build robust political structures at the state and local government levels.”

    Congratulating governors-elect and lawmakers-elect, Wabba reminded them that holding public office is akin to holding public trust, saying: “we all must strive to use our different public positions to make our country a better place. This we can do by addressing issues of governance, especially the widening inequality and poverty prevalent in our society.

    “The clarion call to service makes no better appeal than now when our nation is confronted with a myriad of social, economic and political challenges.

    “You will agree with me that these challenges show up more monstrously in states. Some of our state governments still owe arrears of salaries, pension and gratuity.

    Read also: 3,000 in kidnappers’ den as Senate, Labour seek action

    “This ugly situation has persisted despite the Federal Government’s bailout and budget support initiatives which at the last count is close to N2 trillion.

    “I expect that this state delegates’ conference will elect labour leaders who will take on headlong this evil trend and punitive injustice against workers.

    “We have demonstrated tenacity in the pursuit of a new national minimum wage for workers. We have held several rallies, protest marches at both federal and state levels and even embarked on a few strikes to press home our demand for a new national minimum wage.

    “A few weeks ago, the two chambers of the National Assembly passed the National Minimum Wage (2019) Amendment Bill. The bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18, 2019. There cannot be a more perfect May Day gift for Nigerian workers.

    “The upward review of the national minimum wage is not so much a gift as it is the right of workers. This right was delayed for too long. As Mr. President ordered during the signing into law of the National Minimum Wage (2019) Amendment Bill, we call on all employers to commence payment immediately.

    “I urge the incoming leadership of our state councils to make the immediate payment of the new national minimum wage of N30, 000 and review of monthly pension by state governments your top priority.”

    On VAT, the labour leader said: “We completely reject proposals to increase VAT as a means of funding the 2019 budget.

    “We warn that any increase in VAT or Pay as you earn (PAYE) would not only rob workers of the minimal relief from the increase in the national minimum wage but would also leave our economy in dire straits.”

    Wabba lamented the continous privatisation of major assets in the country, saying “the commanding heights of our economy are being parcelled away to private interests with little or no commitment to nation-building and social progress.

    “The consequence is that the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider by the day resulting in widespread tension and upsurge in violent crimes. Even the rich cannot sleep at night because the poor are awake to hunger. Indeed, an unjust economic system is a threat to everyone including the oppressors.

    “Unfortunately, the social infrastructure that lays the foundation for shared prosperity is being undermined on daily basis by those who we elected to public offices. The state of our public schools and hospitals leaves much to be desired. It is a tragedy that the public schools that produced today’s elites have been abandoned.

    “Our elite now take pride in showcasing the foreign schools their children attend while not giving a hoot that the children of the poor are being left behind.

    “Our public hospitals that used to be referral centres on the continent are now shadows of their former glories forcing our citizens to take to very costly medical adventures to hospitals around the world. Indeed, the deconstruction of our public institutions has come full circle.

    “We wish to caution the government against contemplating any further increase in the price of refined petroleum products especially the premium motor spirit (PMS). We understand that the IMF has advised the Federal Government to remove the so-called ‘petrol subsidy’ which is a euphemism for increase in the pump price of petrol. This advice is ill-will and completely insensitive to the suffering of most Nigerians.”

  • Kano can pay N30,000 minimum wage -Ganduje

    The Government of Kano State has agreed to pay the new minimum wage of N30,000, with additional N600.

    President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed the N30,000 minimum wage package for Nigerian workers.

    Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje restated its commitment to pay the new salary package to NLC members in the state.

    He said his administration has given priority to the welfare of civil servants in the state, a reason is among the state that has no monthly salary problems.

    Read also: Minimum wage: We’ll not accept anything below N30,000, Labour tells governors

    According to him, “we are ready to pay N30,000 monthly salary, because the welfare of our workers is paramount to anything and we will always give it .we will pay the N30,000.

    The NLC. chairman in the state, Kabiru minjibir hailed the Governor for his commitment to pay the minimum wage of N30,000.

    “We are not surprised by these kind gesture taking into consideration your labour friendly disposition.

  • Sunmonu to Buhari: don’t succumb to IMF pressure on fuel subsidy

    The founding President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to adhere to the recent call by the International Monetary (IMF) to remove subsidy on petrol if he does not want to lose the support of the people.

    Sunmonu spoke yesterday in Lagos during the public presentation of the Minority Report & Draft Constitution of the 1976 Constitution Drafting Committee, a document authored by Dr. Olusegun Osoba (not the politician) and the late Yusufu Bala Usman.

    The trade unionist, who chaired the event,  said Nigeria should not go back to the 1980s when the country became a debtor nation and the IMF influenced the cut in subsidy on education, health, transportation, as well as the stopping of the rail system that was being built then.

    He said: “Now, the Buhari administration is bringing back the railways – not even the narrow gauge, but the standard that you can have trains that can run at 200 kilometres per hour or more. This is what the IMF influenced our government under Babangida to stop. After it destroyed our education, it now came up with what it called IMF support for education.

    “So, we want President Buhari to be very, very careful of the neo-liberalists that surround him and who are intent on taking Nigeria back to those dark days; Nigerians would no longer accept such. I also like to advise that this book which has been launched today should be the basis for a new constitution that we hope will be done within the next to one year, to supplant the one that is currently taking Nigeria backwards.”

    Speaker after speaker at the event emphasized the fact that the problems bedevilling the country today would have been nipped in the bud if the authorities then had accepted the report and made it part of the constitution.

    The co-author of the book, Dr Osoba, 83, said restructuring is a recurring lie in the lexicon of the ruling class because it is presented as a one-stop solution that can solve all the economic and social ills in the country. He said restructuring as being presented by its proponents is all about creating more states and introduction of resource control, to give more opportunities and access to the ruling class to continue to loot the treasury.

    Osoba said: “They’re only talking about sharing power and wealth horizontally, among states, ethnicity and religion; not vertically from top to bottom and that’s the most important form of restructuring. The continuous struggle is the only solution to our problem; not restructuring.

    Read also: Is fuel subsidy ideologically inevitable?

    “We stand to present this book, which we hope will correct the problems facing the nation – through a democratic constitution.”

    He said change cannot come easily to Nigerians and that they have to struggle for it because the people at the helm of affairs would not allow it because the status quo favours them. He said change can only be brought about by overthrowing the existing order. He said all the developed nations of the world had, at one point or the other, overthrew the old order to make progress.

    Attahiru Bala Usman, son of the co-author, the late Yusufu Bala Usman, also said the “Minority Report” would add value because there were many things that were thrown out by the soldiers that foisted the current flawed constitution on Nigerians. He said the report is now published with a new introduction to bring it to the knowledge of the public and to make it available to members of the National Assembly; so that Nigerians can talk about it.

    Usman said: “We are going to give this to all members of the National Assembly, civil society groups. The same way people struggled for Nigeria’s independence, the same way people struggled to abolish slavery, the same way other people are going to struggle to improve this democracy.”

    Centre for Democratic Development Research and Training Director Dr Abubakar Siddique Mohammed said the book could not be launched 42 years ago, because they were attacked by the police when they attempted to do so.

    He said: “At that time, the government did not want the public to know what was in the document, they didn’t want it. So, a majority of the members of the Constituent Assembly also didn’t want it released. But we decided that given the magnitude, the weight of the document and what the document was trying to deal with, the Nigerian public should know so that there will be public debate as to what should be the content of our constitution. So, we shouldn’t allow the government to bury it. So we organised the rally.

    “Since then so many things have happened in Nigeria. We decided to revisit this report because of major developments in this country in which the report actually raised 42 years ago. For example, 42 years ago, they said anybody who has attained the age of 30 can contest elections in Nigeria. The issue of social justice – the right to education, the right to health, security and so on and so forth – they (the report) mentioned that it should be made justiciable, but they were ignored. If you look at certain sections of the 1999 Constitution, they are there, but all these things are not justiciable. You can’t take your governor to court because he has denied you education, he stole the money and did not build schools; you can’t take anybody to court because he failed to build hospitals or hospitals have been built but he has failed to equip them; you can’t take anybody to court because he has failed to protect your life. Yet, we vote money every year for security.

    “Look at what is happening all over the country; the things these people (the two authors) talked about, wrote about and warned us about 42 years ago, we are now facing. Take the issue of citizenship. The simple definition of citizenship; we have a simple definition of citizenship (in the report). Now we have two: citizenship of Nigeria and citizenship of a particular state and this clash has led to a series of conflicts in this country.”

    The director said thousands of people have died because of this indigene/settler issue. He added: “They (the authors) predicted that there would be problems if it wasn’t solved 42 years ago. We are now facing the problem. Even those who rejected the report at that time are now talking about them.”

    Book reviewer Femi Falana explained what led to the writing of the “Minority Report”. He said the report came up because the two members of the Constitution Drafting Committee disagreed with the report authored by the remaining 47 members, led by the late Rotimi Williams (SAN).

    Falana said if Osoba’s and Usman’s input had been accommodated, it would have helped to solve some of the problems currently facing the country.