The Nation Newspaper

Tag: politicians

  • Opposition candidate urges politicians to emulate Buhari

    The governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, has urged Nigerian politicians to emulate President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership style and political dispositions. He observed that President Buhari has redirected the approach to public governance, advising Nigerian politicians to borrow a leaf from the President. He spoke during a consultative parley he held with political  leaders in Orlu Council Area of  the state.

    The AA chieftain argued that “if all Nigerian politicians and leaders at different levels and in different sectors could emulate the President, Nigeria will take many leaps forward in all areas of development and public governance. President Buhari is a rare Nigerian leader and patriot. He does not only preach integrity and probity in governance, he lives by those virtues. He is an epitome of prudence, transparency and patriotic leadership. For him, Nigeria and Nigerians come first,” he said.

    The Action Alliance candidate also explained that even though circumstances have put him and the President in different political parties at the moment, he will work assiduously to ensure that the President wins his re-election bid. “Buhari is Nigeria’s best bet at the moment. He needs to consolidate the fight against corruption and make it impossible for any Nigerian politician to get away with stealing public funds, no matter how highly placed such a politician may be.

     

  • CAN, PFN to politicians: power belongs to God

    •Body seeks observer status

    Chairman Lagos State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Apostle Alex Bamgbola has called on politicians to contest with the fear of God.

    He said they will account for every action they take before and after election, saying being in power is not as important as being at peace with God.

    Bamgbola spoke at the stakeholders’ summit with political parties/candidates in Lagos State organised by Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria Lagos State in partnership with Directorate of Social Security Outreach Intergovernmental Relations.

    Tagged enforcing the political destiny of the church, the event attracted presidential and gubernatorial candidates of different parties.

    Also in attendance were party leaders, technocrats, missionaries, civil society groups, church leaders and government officials.

    The CAN helmsman noted only God gives power to men, saying all the struggles of political agitators outside God will have consequences.

    He said: “All power belongs to God that is why Jesus is the Almighty God and the source of true and genuine power. He gives power to men.

    “No matter how long you want to live, it is for a short time, even when you inherit power, death will take you away someday.

    “If your approach to governance as a politician is on the basic of selfish interest ad struggle for power, the whole nation will be the loser”.

    He told Christians in office to serve God and humanity.

    According to him: “When God gives you power, you have the options of using it for God and you will receive greatly reward.”

    On the forthcoming elections, he said: “Christian should rise up and pray because the signals are troubling.

    “Powers belong to God. If He gives it to you, take it but if He does not, do not trouble this nation. We have enough troubles on our hands.”

    Chairman Lagos PFN, Bishop Olusola Ore, charged Christians to come out en masse and vote for credible candidates.

    He said: “Christians should vote dispassionately for people who have track records of service, probity, honesty and not those with sweet tonguing them because so many promises have been given in the past but implementing them have been the problem.”

    He noted that INEC will not count prayers but votes and the church is optimistic that our will counts.

    He stressed that PFN has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be one of the election observers.

    This, he said, will allow the church to contribute to electoral transparency and credibility.

    He assured the PFN will not trade-off integrity on the altar of political correctness.

    “We are not a beggarly organization. If you have a call of God to serve in any capacity, come to us and we will pray along with you.”

  • 2019 polls: Farmers set agenda for politicians

    Ahead of the forthcoming polls, farmers, at an event organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre and Voices for Food Security (VFS), presented their expectations to some politicians in Lagos, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Farmers  organisations, especially those producing the raw ingredients and their suppliers from across the country, have united to set agenda for politicians aimed at addressing key principles that can help ensure Nigeria’s success in the supply of food.

    The manifesto emphasised the importance of the food production and supply sectors.

    The initiative, which is part of a national food security campaign supported by Oxfam, comes under the auspices of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre.

    The farmers’ group, which comprised All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA), Voices for Food Security Campaign (VFS), presented the expectations to some politicians at a Meat Farmers Forum in Lagos.

    In the manifesto, the groups  noted that allocation to the sector have over the five years not exceeded two per cent, whereas there is a Malabo Declaration, which provides for at least 10 per cent of the yearly budgetary allocation to the sector. Nigeria is a signatory to the declaration.

    They observed that farmers are trapped in poverty due to the combined effects of poor policy implementation, poor markets and infrastructure provision for value addition, lack of credit as well as high cost of business environment which reduce their gross margins and therefore keep them within the poverty trap.

    The farmers observed that growth in gross domestic product for the agriculture sector was 13 per cent in 2015; 4.69 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 and 5.3 per cent in 2017.

    They said the overall sector’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution is about 24 percent, making it one of the largest contributors to the economy. To this end, they noted that the sector needs to be given increased and adequate attention.

    According to the farmers, incessant dwindling of the budgetary allocation to the sector has continued with debilitating consequences on the funding of key projects and programmes under the various government policies including the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP).

    The farmers said access to land for agriculture is still a challenge for them, especially their female colleagues because of the cost of and access to opening land for expansion.

    The groups noted that agricultural growth could lead to high rates of investment and gains in productivity throughout the economy.

    According to them,reforms would lead to growth in employment and income, improved income distribution, poverty alleviation, and stronger food demand.

    The farmers called for increased budgetary allocation to agriculture, especially for small scale farmers.

    The groups said if Lagos desires to make agriculture a major contributor to her GDP,then adopting the Maputo 10 per cent recommendation is a good starting point.

    HEDA Resource Centre Management Team Chairman, Suraju Olanrewaju, said the dream of farmers is to make the agricultural sector more competitive.

    According to him, Nigeria’s food security depends on increasing production to meet the demand of a growing population with rising income. To do so, he said a productive, competitive, diversified and sustainable agricultural sector will need to emerge at an accelerated pace.

    He said the group launched the ‘Farmers Manifesto’ as part of measures to boost economic development and food security in the country.

    He said that the group is tired of policy failures in the agriculture sector due to the non-commitment of politicians saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the policies are implemented to the letter and in the interest of farmers.

    The Executive Secretary, HEDA, Sulaiman Arigbabu, said farmers face challenge  of having inputs such as fertiliser, provided in time; hence   because of this, he noted farm incomes remain poor.

    According to him, infrastructure bottlenecks are the main obstacle to Nigerian agriculture’s capacity to supply domestic market.

    He explained that poor roads impose high costs on farmers in the agricultural frontier.

    He said the farmers only ask for increase in budgetary allocation to agriculture, dedication of at least 10 percent of agriculture funding to the small-scale farmers (SSFs) and road map for the resolution of herdsmen-farmers crisis.

    He said the view of farmers is that they have been continuously short-changed over the years by politicians who only remember them when votes are needed.

    He said the idea behind the manifesto is to highlight the needs of farmers, for the endorsement of the political class and candidates of various political parties that seek their votes.

    He decried the continuous neglect by politicians across the country, saying that electioneering manifesto that capture farmers interests would henceforth earn their votes.

    Responding to the farmers request, the Lagos State Deputy Governorship candidate, All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, said his party will ensure that agricultural reform stays on the front burner.

    He   said the nation’s future growth in agriculture could slow down if efforts are not made to address constraints for farmers,including infrastructure along the food supply chain, and concerns about limited land access.

    He stressed that large investments in maintenance and expansion of transport infrastructure are needed to keep up with the expected growth in demand, to lower delivery times and costs and to maintain product quality.

    Hamzat said his party would ensure increasing productivity and expansion of land devoted to agriculture to enable Lagos become a major food supplier.

    Similarly, the Lagos State governorship  candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Jimi Agbaje, said the nation’s agricultural system still has much potential to supply more agricultural products if it can address financial constraints for farmers, infrastructure challenges along the food supply chain, and environmental concerns about land expansion.

    The Lagos governorshipl candidate, Action Democratic Party(ADP), Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi, said the state’s  rising food consumption will require continued increases in food supplies. The challenge for the farm sector, according to him, is to sustain productivity growth to meet increasing domestic demand and, at the same time, maintain its position as a major supplier of agricultural commodities to world markets.

    The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party,Dr Adetokunbo Pearse said his party is ready to implement reforms that will restore steady economic growth.

     

  • Fayemi to politicians: shun bitterness, bloodshed at polls

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has urged the residents to shun politics of bitterness and hatred.

    The governor advised them not to see this year’s general elections as a do-or-die affair to make 2019 a rewarding year for the state.  He also advised politicians and the electorate to put the love of the state above parochial interest so that the state can develop faster.

    Fayemi noted that said this year’s Appropriation Bill, named: Budget of Restoration, which he presented to the House of Assembly, would be implemented diligently to redirect Ekiti to the path of economic sanity and recovery.

    In a state broadcast to mark the New Year, the governor said his administration would accord priority to payment of salary and pensions as well as put the state’s development plan on solid footing through the Four-Cardinal Policy Thrust of his administration for Ekiti to regain its lost core values.

    The broadcast marked the return of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State to the air wave, following its closure by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) last July for alleged ethical infractions.

    He said: “If we count the blessings and gains of the past two months of our administration in the saddle, you will all agree with me that we are already out of the dark tunnel into the glowing light of fast economic recovery and speedy value restoration.

    “This, indeed, is the least we can do for Ekiti people for their belief, love and trust in our ability to steer the course and put our state back on the path of prosperity, honour and peace.

    “Of course, there are many issues, sectors, projects and citizens’ expectations desiring urgent attention. The intolerance, decadence, rot, abandonment, hopelessness and misplaced priority that pervaded Ekiti land in the past four years have inevitably increased the thirst of Ekiti-Kete for good governance and the dawn of good tidings…”

  • 2019: Politicians are seeking PVCs to buy, says Oyo REC

    Politicians are making efforts to buy Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Mr Mutiu Agboke, revealed yesterday.

    He made the disclosure while addressing reporters on the preparations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the next year election in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday. It was at the one-day seminar organized by the Oyo State chapter of the Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (ONPAN).

    Agboke, who declined to give details of the politicians involved and in what states of the country the efforts were being made, said he got to know through a security report. The REC, however, assured that no politician can get PVCs to buy from INEC.

    His words: “ Politicians are looking for PVC to buy. That’s the security report we get. They are looking for what is not available. They have seen that this election will likely be neck-to-neck. We will allow a process that will not allow anyone to use violence to the disadvantage of another candidate. For those Looking for PVC to buy, there is none. No INEC staff will sell PVC to anybody. We are monitoring all of them and they all know.”

    Agboke also recalled that some politicians have requested a hand-over of the uncollected cards to them, promising to distribute to owners who they claim are their supporters but that the commission will never release PVCs to anyone that is not the real owner. He said INEC rule does not allow collection by proxy.

    The REC said voter education and sensitization being carried out by the umpire have raised the awareness of voters, stressing that the politicians have realized that INEC would provide a level-playing ground for every party and candidate. He said the situation has further made them realize that no political party or candidate can boast of easy victory which now makes them work and campaign hard for the election.

     

     

  • Politicians not Nigeria’s messiahs, says Kukah

    SOKOTO Catholic Diocese Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has said the general expectations of Nigerians in having politicians as messiahs to tackle the country’s challenges would remain a mirage.

    Kukah, who spoke on a wide range of national issues at an annual end of year interactive session with reporters in Sokoto on Sunday, said he felt a bit pity for the Nigerian politician.

    “The truth of the matter is that our citizens believe in having  messiahs, who will come and resolve our problems. Nobody would have expected what we thought about what the government will do. Whether it is President Muhammadu Buhari today or not and whether he is able to fulfil his promises or not, is not the issue. Even beyond Buhari, if we remain in this era of expectation of a messiah, every messiah will always be a disappointment.”

    The cleric noted that Nigeria’s challenges were far beyond the powers of an ordinary human being to deliver us as expected.

    He attributed Nigeria’s multi-dimensional political, economic and socio cultural challenges to lack of national cohesion and refusal to take collective responsibility in unity.

    He wondered if it was Nigeria’s fate as a nation to be where it is today, saying: “We feel we have gotten out of the pits only to find out that we are being drawn back.”

    According to the cleric, “the country may have missed the major link of how to be united.”

    Kukah said many Nigerians would by now not be subjected to addressing issues relating to anxiety, especially on elections.

    “When the last general elections were held, everything went beyond our expectations despite our anxieties,” he noted.

    He explained that anxieties over elections were due to the growing lack of confidence in the country, believing and trusting politicians in their ability to unite the citizens.

    Notwithstanding, Kukah observed that the political class had over time since return to democracy not done as much as expected by Nigerians.

    “Maybe it’s because we are dealing with a political system (presidential) given to us and that which we collectively choose to run. And if we have not been faithful with the presidential system, there is apparently nothing to suggest that we will be faithful with the parliamentary system.

    “And whenever anything goes wrong, we blame it on bad politicians in the course of outsourcing our collective responsibilities as citizens. But they did not come from a different planet. They are part of us as blood brothers, fathers and relations,” he explained.

    The Bishop also said he had always told and reminded both Christians and Muslim faithful that “Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad” never had an easy time.

    “Our prayer and hope are that our fears and anxieties are not well-founded. Even as our anxieties about our elections are propelled by our fears,” he said.

    On the outright perceived mistrust between the two major religious divides, Kukah, who blamed Nigerians for their inability to figure out the real political class that could unite the country, expressed concerns over how religion was unnecessarily accorded undue prominence with little regards for common citizenship, especially when it relates to appointments, rights and privileges.

    “I must be so emphatic that the political class remains guilty of that too, trying to manage power. The president or deputy must be Christian or Muslim.

    “Managing differences is a science and unless our politicians understand the value, we would not appreciate ourselves as a united bloc,” he said.

  • OPL 245 deal: $523m bribe cash traced to ex- ministers, politicians

    About $523 million of the $1.092 billion paid for the controversial Malabu Oil Block (OPL 245) was shared out as bribes to some former ministers and politicians, investigations have shown.

    A former minister blew about $250million on real estate, aircraft and exotic cars, according to the probe.

    These details are contained in ll Fatto Quotidiano Newspaper based on the judgment of a Milan Court.

    The Milan judge on September 20, 2018  sentenced two men- a Nigerian, Emeka Obi and an Italian,  Gianluca Di Nardo- to a four-year prison term.

    The convicts were rated as negotiators during the sale of controversial OPL 245.

    The details of the judgment  were published  a few days ago by the Italian newspaper.

    The judge also ruled that some top officials of Eni and Shell had a case to answer for allegedly being part of the scandal.

    The report said: “The OPL 245 affair began in 2011, when Eni and Shell seized the concession of a super-jam. But the money, which can banally be considered a river of money, flows into the private accounts of the Malabu company, of which the former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete is a hidden partner. Money that wanders between Lebanon and Switzerland until it returns to Nigeria, in the accounts of ministers and local politicians who pocket at least $523 million.

    “For the judge, the $1.092 billion affair “seems of unprecedented gravity” not only because of the ‘amount of money’ used to bribe the public officials of the African country but also because the Nigerian state has been robbed of one of its most valuable assets.

    “The Nigerian government ‘merely acts as a ‘shield’ and ‘guarantor’ in a negotiating operation that in essence serves only to conceal the sale of the licence on the oil block from Etete to Eni and Shell”. Malabu, according to the prosecution, was the company’s vehicle for sending bribes to Nigerian politicians.”

    The report gave the details of how officials of Eni and Agip benefited from the huge bribe.

    It also explained how a former Minister blew about $250 million of the cash on real estate, cars and aircraft.

    It added: “The Deputy Attorney Fabio De Pasquale and the prosecutor Sergio Spadaro in the charges of the investigation, in fact, also indicated the so-called ‘relegations’ of the alleged bribe “to directors and executives of Eni”, referring to $50million in “cash” that would be delivered “at the home of at the time head of the Explorations Division of Eni, in Abuja, Nigeria.

    “Almost a million euros, then, on May 8, 2012 would be paid to a former Eni manager in the Sahara area.

    “And the alleged bundle of more than a billion ‘about 250 million dollars’ would be “seized” by a former minister to buy “real estate, aircraft, armoured cars”.

    “The two alleged convicted mediators, Emeka Obi and Gianluca Di Nardo, would have played an “essential role in the realisation of the overall criminal plan, of which the relegations in question are only a part of history.

    President Muhammadu Buhari recently rejected proposals from the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) on how to resolve the impasse.

    Buhari insisted on continuation of the criminal proceedings against some suspects implicated in the OPL 245 scandal.

    The President has also directed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the Department of Petroleum Resources to stay action on the development of the oil well.

    OPL245 is an offshore oil block with about nine billion barrels of crude.

    It was auctioned for $1.3 billion (1.1 billion euros).

    Although the Government received only $210 million as Signature Bonus, about $1.092 billion was traced to a London bank account which was suspected to be slush funds allegedly used to bribe some middle men and politicians.

    A former President was accused of receiving about $200 million the oil deal.

  • Of “thieves and hooligans,” Vagabonds and lousy politicians: Nigeria is a kleptocracy not a democracy!

    In a report of the proceedings at ex-President Jonathan’s book launch on November 21, 2018, Fresh FM Nigeria, said, inter alia:

    “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chaired the public presentation, urged Nigerians to ensure that they would not hand over the nation and democracy to those he called thieves and hooligans.

    He said if the nation’s democracy was handed over to those in those categories, they could use it as a weapon against the people.

    Obasanjo said, “There is still no substitute for democracy when all is said and done. It fosters peace. It builds and does not destroy. It unifies, rather than divides.

    “But all these can only happen if democracy is in the hands of democrats. If it is in the hands of thieves and hooligans, they can use it as a weapon. We should ensure hooligans don’t get it.”

    If true, Baba Iyabo must be addressing other than Nigerians! “No substitute for democracy,” he says? Where is the democracy in Nigeria? He stands corrected; Nigerians have neither lived in nor practiced democracy in spite of all the claims to the contrary. The reality is that ever since independence, Nigeria has operated as a kleptocracy; a system of governance where thieves, vagabonds, opportunists and other such undesirables, in various shades; uniformed, civilian clothes and others, have exercised a free reign over Nigeria’s coffers, resources and affairs. He knows it; he was and is still part of it; and he and his erroneous cohorts need to fess up to the truth!

    Who is he trying to fool when he attempts to “religiously” pontificate, in celebration of his cabal’s self-propelled opportunistic emergence and existence in the country’s public life, that the country stay away from these “thieves and hooligans?” The fact of the matter is that, come election time, Nigerians keep replacing one set of”thieves and hooligans” with another! Let us examine the true import of his admonition.

    For the benefit of my readers, a kleptocracy [from the Greek words   kléptçs, meaning “thief”,   kléptô, meaning “I steal”, and -êñáôßá –kratía from êñÜôïò krátos, meaning “power, rule”), is a government of corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) that use their powers to exploit the people and natural resources of their country in order to extend their personal wealth and political powers. Typically, this system involves the embezzlement of funds at the expense of the wider population. Have Nigerian leaders done anything otherwise?

    From this short definition, it follows that a kleptocracy is a government ruled by corrupt politicians who use their political power to receive kickbacks, bribes, and special favours at the expense of the populace. The country’s landscape and newspapers are filled with daily reports of one leader stealing so much and in such a brazen manner to make one get dizzy.  Kleptocrats, operators of kleptocracies, use their political power and leverage to pass laws that enrich themselves or their fellow cabal members and they usually always circumvent the rule of law; a very perfect description of our national assembly and state legislatures.

    On the other hand, democracy (from the Greek word  dçmokratía which literally means “rule by people”), in modern usage, has been applied to governance, in, at least three instances, as a system of government where the citizens exercise power by voting. As a writer noted, there are two types of democratic set-ups; direct and indirect democracy. “In a direct democracy, the citizens as a whole form a governing body and vote directly on each issue. In a representative democracy the citizens elect representatives from among themselves. These representatives meet to form a governing body, such as a legislature. In a constitutional democracy the powers of the majority are exercised within the framework of a representative democracy, but the constitution limits the majority and protects the minority, usually through the enjoyment by all of certain individual rights, e.g. freedom of speech, or freedom of association.”

    Political scientists have tried to develop several theories around the concept. Larry Diamond averred that democracy consists of four key elements:  a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections;  the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life;  protection of the human rights of all citizens; and  a rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.

    Others claim that democracy requires three fundamental principles:   upward control (sovereignty residing at the lowest levels of authority),  political equality, and  social norms by which individuals and institutions only consider acceptable acts that reflect the first two principles of upward control and political equality.

    Thus, in a democracy, there is a proper process for everything that is clearly mandated by the constitution to ascend to government and govern a nation which gives the nation political stability. There is no gainsaying that Nigeria has and continues to be the beneficiary of kleptocracy rather that democracy.

    What Nigeria has witnessed and is witnessing at the moment are unnatural and indecent acts of corruption of process, institutions [especially the National Assembly] and improper and unconstitutional usurpation of power compounded by the manipulation of the systems and processes of entrance to power. Nigerian politicians have become monsters in a stranglehold of the nation and they eat up their supposed masters for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all at once.

    They, Obasanjo, his cohorts, and Nigerian politicians all know it! As Femi Aribisala opined in his July 22, 2014 piece based on the rather sad comments of then President Goodluck Jonathan:

    “Nigerian Politicians are Thieves, But They are Not Corrupt

    By Femi Aribisala

    “If you have been wondering why the government of Goodluck Jonathan has achieved precious little in the monumental fight against corruption in Nigeria, the answer is very simple.  There is actually no corruption in Nigeria.  Nigerian politicians are thieves, but they are not corrupt. This is the erudite position of our dear president, who happens to be the first president in the history of Nigeria to have the distinction of a Ph.D.  President Jonathan says: “What many Nigerians refer to as corruption is actually “stealing.”  Stealing is not the same thing as corruption.” This is a profound statement that has since become the subject of many doctoral dissertations on Nigeria.  It has also provided a very Nigerian contribution to the English language. Nigerian “doublethink” …. The Chairman of the ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission), Ekpo Nta, agrees with Mr. President.  He also insists it is wrong to confuse stealing with corruption.  The distinguished chairman says: “Stealing is erroneously reported as corruption. We must go back to what we were taught at school to show that there are educated people in Nigeria.”  He then likened the Nigerian penchant to regard theft as corruption to be as erroneous as calling a roadside mechanic an engineer. This perspective has brought great relief to Nigerians.  We always thought there was too much corruption in the country, so it is fantastic to learn that there is no corruption at all.  We are just thieves.  It is necessary to bring this new insight to the attention of Transparency International, which persists in listing Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries.”

    • Continued online www.staging.thenationonlineng.net

     

    • Retired Prof. Angelicus-M. B. Onasanya writes from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

  • NLC to mobilise unions in 163 countries against politicians

    About 207 million workers across 163 countries will be mobilised against corrupt leaders, who cannot pay workers’ salaries, divert and stash stolen wealth abroad for personal use, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has said.

    Wabba, at a surprise reception organised by the Medical and Health Workers’ Union (MHWUN) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to welcome him from Denmark, where he was elected the  President of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), spoke on the value his new office would bring to Nigeria.

    He said: “It is a victory for Nigerian workers, who have been toiling to create the wealth of this nation, yet go home with little or no pay.

    “It is high time our politicians, looters and elite realised that once they loot our resources and leave Nigerian airports for overseas, with our collaboration with airport workers around the world, we’ll mobilise people to turn them back.

    “If they will not use our health facilities, but go elsewhere, they should be sure they will get a reception that is not funny. No hiding place for anybody, who wants to loot our resources and take them abroad and not pay workers’ wages, salaries, and pensions.”

    On government’s perennial threat to apply the ‘no work, no pay’ principle in industrial disputes, Wabba said: “That principle has no place in modern industrial relations. It has its basis in military Decree 54 of 1977 (now in Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act).

    “No government in Nigeria has ever implemented the ‘no work, no pay’ principle’ because it cannot be looked at in isolation of the factors that brought about the disputes.

    “Government cannot have a solid collective bargaining engagement and renege on the agreements. Then, turn back to say it wants to apply the ‘no work, no pay’ principle. Such contradiction is strange to justice and cannot stand.”

    On the widening inequality between the rich and the poor in Nigeria, the NLC president queried: “If we are the leading economy in Africa, why should Nigerian workers be receiving the lowest wages in the continent?”

    He said Nigerian workers and pensioners are the most impoverished in the world. “It is another contradiction in our system. If there is abundance in the nation, the workers and their families should have a taste and feel of it as well,” he said.

    Wabba assured workers that his elevation meant more work, more action, more challenges, and more proactive steps in the promotion and protection of the interest of Nigerian workers

    “Initially we were alone, but now we have alliance in over 163 countries with a total of 207 million members that we can give instructions and they will mobilise in unity and solidarity with the Nigerian workers, who are the most underpaid globally even in the midst of our abundance,” he said.

  • Don’t allow politicians divide us- Olumba Olumba

    The Brotherhood of the Cross and Star has called on Nigerians not to allow politicians turn them against themselves ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Director Inter-Religious Affairs of the church, Archbishop Joseph Dike, described politicians as businessmen using human beings as commodities to achieve their aims.

    He spoke at a rally with the theme ‘celebrating the unity of Lagos in this centenary year’ in preparation for the centenary celebration of the church.

    According to him: “All Nigerians should know that whatever they are doing to this country they are doing it to themselves.

    “Political gladiators are businessmen and human beings are their commodities. It is us who should choose either to become tools to be destroyed or to make ourselves what we want to be.”

    He described religion as one of the major tools politicians use to break the ranks of the masses.

    Dike said: “Religion has always been the problem of man. God is never our problem because all of us agree that there is God, the only challenges we have is our approaches and our understanding of that approach to God.”

    He stated Nigerians remained underdeveloped because “we are not thinking outside the box.”

    No public sector, Dike added, “can sustain the economy and the growth of a nation, it is private initiatives that can sustain growth and development.”

    On the significance of the rally, he said: “The unity feast is the first of its kind and it’s coming at a time in the history of Nigeria because in the country everyone knows that Nigeria is walking in the cliffs edge of tension.

    “Olumba Olumba Obu has mandated that there is going to be a special universal charity day because the essence of Christianity is to visit the fatherless in their afflictions and the widows and to remember the plight of the people and also touch their lives.”