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  • Fuel subsidy fraudulent, says LCCI boss

    Fuel subsidy fraudulent, says LCCI boss

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)  has supported the call for the removal of subsidy, calling it a waste of national resources.

    Its Director-General Mr. Muda Yusuf said in Lagos  that the budget for fuel subsidy should be deployed in providing services for Nigerians.

    According to him, the fuel subsidy regime should be reviewed, adding it has turned out to be the biggest fraud in the country.

    Yusuf said if the subsidy is removed, it would make the oil and gas sector attractive for investment. He argued that spending over  N1trillion on a select few in the name of subsidy with a national budget of N4.56 trillion is wrong.

    It is more prudent to use the quantum of money set aside to subsidise the rich  that own  luxury cars that consume a lot of fuel to provide essential services for the greater majority of the people.

    He said: “My own argument is that the fathom benefit of fuel subsidy to the poor is not true, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should be advised that it is better for the subsidy to be removed and the money used to develop the education and health sector and indeed other critical services that will benefit them and their children than sticking to it. They should sit down and do their home work well. Why do have industrial action in the education and health sectors, it is because of the paucity of infrastructure provision and the decay of the system.

    “What is happening, therefore, is that a lot of money is budgeted for the so called fuel subsidy, but it is actually for the rich who enjoy the perks of office with their convoy of cars who have no need for the local hospitals and schools as they treat themselves and their families abroad even their children attend the best schools abroad.

    “Our fuel reserves should not be used in that manner because it does not make good economic sense, the poor should actually be in the vanguard of fuel subsidy removal if they understand the economic s of what the contraption is all about. Besides, Nigerians should ask what has happened to those accused in the fuel subsidy scandal, how many of them have been convicted or jailed?”

    The LCCI boss also criticised  the government’s spending, noting that where over 76 per cent of the budget is for recurrent spending  in such areas as travels, entertainment and emoluments is improper.

    According to him, Nigerians will benefit more if there is a reverse where the capital expenditure will be more than the recurrent which will make it possible for hospitals, schools, roads and other developmental projects that will improve the living standards of the people.

  • Why Nigeria is not winning terror war, by NLC

    A mid tight security, workers yesterday marked the May Day at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

    President Goodluck Jonathan  reiterated his promise to bring to book the perpetrators of the Nyanya blast and to secure the freedom from Boko Haram’s den, the abducted schoolgirls.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwaheed Omar said: “In spite of the relative huge security votes in the past few years, it is weak and inadequate. We also believe conflicting political interests, ambiguous operational order and primordial sentiments are some of the factors undermining the counter-terror war.”

    According to him, the Nyanya bomb blast is an eye-opener that to win the terror war waged against the country requires a collective effort.

    “It is immoral to play politics with the lives of people. Accordingly, we demand an end to this unholy pastime, this dirty politics. We must all rise in unison, shoulder-to-shoulder and confront this common enemy once and for all.

    “We are almost certain that if anyone was left in doubt about the universality of this war, the Nyanya bomb blast has erased all of that. While we do this, it is important government confronts the root cause of this violence. The government must of necessity and urgency deal with issues of functional educational, unemployment and poverty.”

    Omar raised concern about the capacity and willingness of the Federal Government to win the war.

    The NLC, which Omar said appreciates the complexities of the war, demanded that there should better initiative and more commitment to fight the insurgents.

    He said: “We do not need anyone to tell us that we have a serious situation on our hands. The war on terror does not seem to be going on well at the moment.

    “Our security forces, despite gallant efforts, have suffered reversal, taking direct hits in their critical assets areas, raising concerns about their capacity or willingness to win this war. We are not unaware of the complexities of a war of this nature, but we demand better initiative and more commitment.“

    The theme of the 2014 May Day is: Building Enduring Peace and Unity: Panacea for Sustainable National Development.

    Omar stressed that in spite of the government’s efforts, the situation, particularly in the Northeast, is deteriorating.

    According to him, the initial gains of emergency rule, clearly, have been lost and the momentum squandered.

    The Boko Haram elements, he said, have grown into a terror group, striking at high targets with devastating effects.

    Omar added: “Indeed, the choice of targets, regularity of strikes, weapons used, coordination and sophistication of their operations make them not only the leading terror group but the group to dread. We feel seriously concerned about the state of the nation’s infrastructure.“

    The main entrances of the Eagle Square were not left wide open to workers and other spectators – unlike last year.

    Security was tight yesterday. Some of the workers had not entered the venue at 11am  when President Goodluck Jonthan came in.

    The celebration was low key, with few spectators.

    Omar noted that “kidnapping, armed robberies, smuggling, communal and sectarian clashes, oil theft and human trafficking are rife”.

    “Arguably, the most threatening of these is the insurgency in the Northeast. This has witnessed several violent killings, including attack on schools. One of the most trying of these has been the kidnapping of over 200 teenage girls at Chibok, Borno State. As Nigerians await the release of some of them still being held by the terrorists, our hearts bleed and we pray for their safety and release,” he said.

    Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Bobboi Kaigama described the theme of the 2014 May Day as apt, especially in view of the comatose nature of the nation’s socio-economic infrastructure, the near-breakdown of security and recent spate of killings and destruction of property in the Northeast and some other parts of the country”.

    He stressed that “the fact that we are in the midst of crisis is no longer disputable”. “Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” Kaigama said.

    “Our economy is threatened by incidents of violence and terrorism due to unalloyed greed and irresponsibility on the part of many of our successive leaders and our collective failure to nurture our hard-earned democracy and prepare the nation for a new progressive age,” he added.

  • NLC to Nigerians: Embrace peace for sustainable development

    NLC to Nigerians: Embrace peace for sustainable development

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday urged Nigerians to embrace peace and unity as critical tools for national development.
    The NLC President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar, made the call during the celebration of this year’s Workers’ Day in Abuja.
    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme for the event is: “Building Enduring Peace and Unity.”
    Omar said peace and unity were vital for the survival of many nations, adding that Nigerians must be rightly concerned about enduring peace.
    “The challenges of insecurity had continued to threaten peace and unity in the country, yet without enduring peace our nation cannot truly develop on a sustainable base.
    “In the past few years, the nation has witnessed unprecedented security challenges that have tasked our imaginations, resources and temperament.
    “From the Niger Delta to the northern part of the country, we have had one form of violence or the other that threatened the peace and security of the country.’’
    He described the insurgency in the North East, with the kidnap of more than 200 female students at Chibok in Borno, as the most threatening.
    “Our hearts bleed as we await their safety and release,’’ Omar said.
    According to him, anytime a bomb goes off or people hear the sound of a gun, “the humanity in us dies.”
    He expressed fear over the insurgency as people were losing their humanity, saying “we might even lose the entire nation if something drastic is not done.”
    The labour leader said that it was immoral to play politics with the life of citizens.
    He said in spite of government’s effort to tackle the menace in the northern region, the situation was deteriorating, urging government to get to end the mayhem.
    Omar also urged Nigerians to rise in unison to confront the enemy once and for all.
    He, however, called on government to address the issues of functional education, unemployment and poverty with urgency.

     

  • May Day: Nigerian workers want improved welfare

    Workers in Nigeria on Thursday joined their counterparts across the world to celebrate this year’s “May Day” popularly known as the workers’ day.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the day is being marked to renew workers agitation for improved working conditions and general welfare.
    The agitation, which started in the United States in 1860, was set aside to commemorate the struggle for eight hours.
    NAN recalls that this year’s is the 168th formal edition, while 68 countries are observing the day which member countries declared a public holiday.
    In Nigeria, the workers converged at the Eagle Square, Abuja, and the 36 state capitals to celebrate the occasion.
    In Osogbo, Osun State, the workers called for improved welfare package and prompt payment of salaries.
    A cross section of public and private workers told NAN in Osogbo that their current monthly emoluments hardly took them home.
    They said that only attractive salary, good working condition, training and retraining of workers could guarantee enhanced productivity.
    The Osun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Alhaji Saka Adesiyan, called for a review of the salary structure of workers in both public and private sectors so as to meet the present economic situation in the country.
    Adesiyan said that if there was an increase in the workers’ salaries, it would enhance productivity as well as improving the workers’ living standard.
    He said better salary structure as well as good work environment would go a long way in assisting workers to meet their responsibilities.
    Mrs. Sherifat Balogun, a civil servant, said government must ensure prompt payment of salaries and better working condition for workers.
    “We want to use this year workers’ day celebration to appeal to the state government to see to prompt payment of salaries as well as better work condition,” Balogun urged.
    On his part, the chairman of the Trade Union Congress in the state, Mr. Oladele Adetunji, criticised casualisation of workers in some government establishments and the private sector.
    He said the union would continue to agitate for better working conditions for employees.
    In Dutse, the NLC called on the Federal Government and other parties to embrace dialogue as a lasting solution to the security challenges facing the country.
    The state NLC Chairman, Mr. Sulaiman Adamu, made the call in his speech at the 2014 May Day celebration in Dutse.
    “Due to the insecurity ravaging the country, especially the North, we call on the Federal Government and other parties involved to embrace dialogue in order to bring lasting solution.
    “They should consider the lives and property of the people above their interests so as to allow peace to reign,’’ Adamu said.

  • How to identify good economy, by ex-NLC President Sunmonu

    How to identify good economy, by ex-NLC President Sunmonu

    •Aregbesola flays drop in federal allocation •Osun’s economic indices impressive’

    Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Hassan Sunmonu has said the only way to identify a good economy is that it must identify and meet the needs of the masses.

    Sunmonu spoke in Osogbo, the Osun State capital during a two-day economic summit entitled, “Orisun Aje 2014: Crux of Economic Developmental Masterplan”.

    The summit was organised by Peoples’ Welfare League (PWL).

    Its National Coordinator, Comrade Abiodun Agboola, yesterday said available indices about economic activities in Osun State have clearly shown that the state has moved up the ladder of economic development.

    He also disclosed that the recent classification of Osun State by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as the seventh largest economy in Nigeria and Renaissance Capital, an international financial rating agency, was an indication that the state was in the “first row of developed economies” in the country.

    The NBS and Renaissance Capital , in 2012, rated the economy of the state as the seventh largest and fastest growing in Nigeria. It also rated it as the second best in the country in terms of Gross Domestic Products (GDP) after Lagos.

    Agboola said the summit was to critique the economic activities in the state and the radical development of the state under Governor Rauf Aregbesola, adding that the summit would afford stakeholders, drawn from different segments of the society, the opportunity to examine the state’s economy critically.

    According to him, the useful indices emanating from the state were responsible for the decision of the league to do a thorough critique of the economy with a view to finding out the veracity of NBS’ rating as well as the impact of the economy on the people of the state.

    “We found some indices useful, which include enabling environment. The political will to encourage investors was found here, and the security of investment was also guaranteed, and most significantly the overhauling of infrastructure was detected.

    “In that premise, it is a fact that some industries have found a safe haven in this state, a resultant effect has been the meaningful engagement of hundreds of unemployed youths in the state,” he revealed.

    While explaining some of the key issues for deliberations at the summit, the national coordinator noted that discussants would x-ray the working formula of Ogbeni Aregbesola’s administration and the impacts of his economic formula on the people of the state.

    “We would want to know why agriculture was made to do wonders for revenue generation before the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria and why it was neglected at the arrival of the black gold, and the consequences of the neglect now.

    “To do this, we chose the concept of ‘O’Meal’ which provides chain for the revolving of agriculture produce and market coupled with empowerment of the stakeholders, where one category is empowered for mental development for cognitive functions, while the other is empowered with meaningful and productive engagement.

    “My group has been on ground critiquing budgets of the successive governments in the last few years, because we believe that budget, when passed into law, is one law that must be obeyed through administration of resources at appropriate places, and now we have pushed it to the economic summit, because there are indicators and indices to judge the performance of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration in the last 41 months,” he said.

    Aregbesola said no Nigerian has any reason to be poor in view of the enormous resources available in the country.

    He averred the importance of developmental economics, adding that his administration has performed excellently in this regard by impacting the people of the state through thoughtful programmes of his government.

    He, however, decried the reduction in federal allocation to the state, noting that federal allocation accruable to the state had reduced by 40 per cent in recent times.

    Sunmonu, who was one of the co-chairmen of the summit, said the summit was timely in view of its capacity to open the state to outside world through unbiased critique of the state’s economy, adding that Osun State has every resource to develop and become the best economy in the country.

     

  • NLC, ex-PHCN workers protest unlawful sack in Ibadan

    NLC, ex-PHCN workers protest unlawful sack in Ibadan

    Activities were disrupted yesterday at the headquarters of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights () barricaded the entrance of the office.
    The workers, who stormed the place around 7:15am, prevented many of the company’s staff from entering the premises. They said they were protesting sundry issues that started from the privatisation of PHCN.
    Their grievances included the “unlawful” sack of their members from the defunct PHCN by the new owners, non-payment of severance packages to workers who had worked up to 10 years as casual workers and the issuance of exorbitant electricity bills.
    The protesters, in full glare of soldiers who had been guarding the office, mobile policemen and Department of State Security (DSS) operatives, sang solidarity songs for hours.
    They carried placards reading: “Recall sacked workers now”; “Labour says no to casualisation of workers”; “We worked for 10 years in electricity industry without engagement. What is our fate”; “No to the anti-union stance of the investors” and “No progress can come with Darlington in charge”, among others.
    Oyo NLC Chairman Comrade Bashir Olanrewaju said the NLC was joining “victimised” NUEE members to fight against labour slavery, victimisation, and public extortion by the government and power investors.
    Olanrewaju said: “The government and those they sold PHCN to have not fulfilled many of the agreements reached with workers before and after the privatisation. We have come here today as the second phase. We have come here before. We have had several meetings but they have never fulfilled many of their promises. We are here today to inform the public that workers are being exploited by their nation.
    “They sacked workers without paying them a kobo, saying they were casuals, whereas casualisation is illegal in Nigeria. The government said those who were retrenched would get their salaries on time but uptil now many of them have not been paid anything.
    “Also, they have prevented Nigerians from unionising. The investors have banned unions. This is against the right to freedom of association in the 1999 Constitution. They said after they have finished sharing our commonwealth among themselves, that it would bring an end to crazy bills in Nigeria. Uptil now, they are still bringing crazy bills and many areas in are without electricity.”
    After a brief argument with security agencies who attempted to dislodge the protesters, Olanrewaju warned that any attempt by the security men to apply force would lead to the union extending the protest.
    Reacting to IBEDC workers, who were watching the protesters from their office windows, NUEE Southwest Vice-President Comrade Niyi Akinola said: “Those of you looking at us are selfish. You think of yourselves alone. You forget that the same may happen to you. Anyway, we would be here to fight for you when they eventually sack you.”
    NLC warned that if nothing positive is heard from the government after the protest, the union would organise the May Day rally at the same place.

  • May Day: insecurity unsettles NLC

    May Day: insecurity unsettles NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress on Monday raised alarm over the growing insecurity in the country as the organized labour prepares for its 2014 May Day jamboree nationwide.

    Some of the measures to secure the Eagle Square, Abuja, for the ceremony, according to the chairperson, 2014 May Day Committee, Comrade Lucy Offiong, is for groups that are interested in the Workers’ Day parade to undergo accreditation before the exercise.

    Speaking at the Pre-May Day press briefing in Abuja, she also noted that vehicles are expected to park over 200 meters away from the venue.

    Offiong, however, added that the committee has barred participants from coming to the venue with bags.

    Her words: “Everyone coming to the venue must not carry bags because of the security situation and vehicles should be parked at least 200 meters away from the the Eagle square. We are also saying that as part of those measures, we are not going to allow just any group to come to the arena, and come and take part in the parade.

    “We have said that any group that wants to parade that day at the arena should come and register with the protocol committee of this 2014 May Day so that they will be properly identified and accredited for security reasons.”

    The theme of the 2014 May Day, according to her, is “Building Enduring Peace and Unity: Panacea for Sustainable National Development.”

    She analyzed the explosion at the Nyanya bus station a few days ago and submitted that because workers live in the suburbs around the scene of the incident, most of the casualties were workers in the informal and formal sectors.

    Offiong noted that although there have been severe attacks around some other parts of the north, especially North East and the North Central, including Abuja: “this is the most devastating among several others, given the location and timing.”

     

     

  • Ondo NUJ pulls out of NLC

    Ondo NUJ pulls out of NLC

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ondo State Council has passed a vote of no confidence on the state leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the alleged nonchalant attitude of the umbrella labour organisation to the welfare of journalists in the state.

    Consequently, the NUJ, which is an affiliate union of the NLC, has pulled out of the Congress and will, henceforth, boycott all the activities of the labour union in the state until further notice.

    This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the monthly Congress of the NUJ in Akure, the state capital, and signed by the union’s chairman, Mr. Akinfolayan Owanikin.

    The NUJ directed its members not to participate in any NLC-related activities or give coverage for any event organised by the labour union, including the coming May Day rally in Akure.

    The NUJ in taking the decision had reviewed the recent events in the state in which the state leadership of the NLC allegedly failed to play any meaningful role in protecting the interests of journalists in the state.

    The NUJ cited the recent incident at the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation, where some NUJ members were arrested and detained for protesting the alleged unbearable working conditions in the state government-owned media outfit.

     

    “Despite the fact that we carried along the NLC State Chairman, Mrs. Bosede Daramola from the onset on the issue of OSRC, she refused to intervene in the crisis. When the government set up a panel on the matter, the NLC refused to submit its position paper or make any representation to the panel despite our pleas.

    “This is, of course, is not the first time that the NLC would turn its back to the NUJ when it needs it most. In recent years, there have been many incidents involving journalists in the state in which the NLC refused to play any role,” the NUJ further alleged.

     

  • Blackout imminent as NLC issues seven-day ultimatum

    Blackout imminent as NLC issues seven-day ultimatum

    THE southern part of the country may be plunged into darkness as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the weekend gave a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and investors in the power sector.

    The union is asking the government and investors to resolve issues on the working condition of workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

    The ultimatum lapses next Friday after which the union vowed to act if government fails to meet up with its demands.

    At a meeting with the officials of the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) held in Akure, Ondo State, NLC said government should address the issues raised before the ultimatum in order to guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the power sector.

    The meeting was attended by NLC Executives from 14 states in the Southwest, South South, Kwara and Kogi States.

    A communique read by the Chairperson of NLC in Ondo State, Mrs. Bosede Daramola, at the end of the meeting frowned at the epileptic power supply in the country.

    It lamented the alleged exploitation of the masses by the buyers of the electricity distribution companies.

    Besides, the workers said the ongoing action of the new investors to de-unionise workers in the power sector was unacceptable, and called on the Federal Government to caution the investors.

    Part of the Communique reads “ The meeting in session condemn in strong terms the victimization of labour leaders and the failure of the federal government to call the investors in the power sector to order in tandem with the tripartite agreement reached with the organised labour on January 13 so as to promote industrial harmony which is key to our national productivity”.

    “The meeting in session called on the federal government and all the companies to as a matter of national interest for a prosperous economy address all the issues canvassed within seven days from the date of this communique in order to guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the power sector as the labour movement will resist any attempt to balkanise the movement by either individual or group in whatever disguise or name.

    “That the labour movement should not be held responsible for any action taken to drive home their demands, if the government fails to address the issues after the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum.”

    The unions urged the federal government to as a matter of urgency direct the recall of all union leaders disengaged as a result of transfer of ownership of the power sector.

    The General Secretary of NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajero, said the investors in the power sector had been making life miserable for members of the union.

    Ajero, who spoke through the Central Executive Committee member, Benson Okorodudu, said the investors had been trying to ensure that the workers do not have a voice in the society.

    He said those that had laboured to keep the system going and agreed with government on the privatisation were being made to suffer as their entitlements were not paid to them.

     

  • NLC seeks prosecution of Boko Haram members

    NLC seeks prosecution of Boko Haram members

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) urgedthe Federal Government yesterday to prosecute those who started the Boko Haram crisis.

    The congress sought the full implementation of the reports of the two committees the Federal Government set up on the sect.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its president, Abdulwahed Omar, the NLC said: “We also call for the full and immediate implementation of the reports of the two committees set up by the Federal Government on Boko Haram. They made profound recommendations, including the prosecution of those believed to have started the crisis.”

    In the statement, titled: Terror Attacks in Abuja Unacceptable, the umbrella union advised the government to tackle terrorism by providing effective education and jobs for youths, who might be lured into terror groups.

    It noted that Nigeria cannot live in a perpetual state of terror.

    The government, NLC said, should do more to reassure Nigerians about their safety because it takes more than regular effort to confront an enemy as resourceful as Boko Haram.

    The umbrella union recalled that in the last three years, a sizable percentage of the nation’s national budget had been devoted to security.

    It added: “This should translate into better infrastructure, training and incentive for our personnel and not slush funds for dark interests.”

    The NLC noted that Nigerian security personnel were not finding it easy to apprehend terror suspects.

    The union said security agents might not be sufficiently equipped to perform their tasks.

    It said: “More often than not, it is guess work or application of psychology. Yet, the cold realities of our situation certainly require more than this.

    “The bomb blasts early this morning (yesterday) at a Nyanya bus stop in Abuja, which left scores dead, especially workers, is as barbaric as it is condemnable. It is a sore reminder that the battle against terror is far from over. It is also a reminder that there are no safe havens.

    “While our hearts go to the victims and their families, we, as citizens, must be vigilant and resolute at all times. We must stand together as one family, united by grief and threat to our collective well-being.

    “Every bomb that goes off takes something away from us. Yet, we will never surrender. We will defeat this enemy with our collective resolve and focus.”