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Tag: staff welfare

  • Staff welfare my priority, says NICO chief

    Staff welfare my priority, says NICO chief

    The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) Acting Executive Secretary, Mr. Louis Eriomala, has expressed his commitment to run an inclusive management system that will care for workers’ welfare.

    He  appealed to the workers to remain committed, have respect for superiors and be productive.

    Eriomala spoke at the maiden general meeting with the Institute’s Headquarters, in Abuja.

    According to him, it is his belief that when the workers’ welfare is taken care of, they become more productive.

    As a demonstration of his commitment to workers’welfare, he assured  workers waiting for their promotion letters that they would receive them before the end of year.

    “I am giving you my word. It is a pledge that your welfare is very paramount and that is why we say that the Promotion Board must sit latest by Thursday, this week and, possibly, by Friday or Monday, we will send it to the ministry and before we go on Christmas break, we should all have our letters.

    “I tell people that firstly, I am a minister of God; secondly, I am a father to everybody here and, lastly, the Acting ES. So, I start from God, then the welfare of my staff before the office,” he added.

    On the need to clear the backlog of already approved welfare package for staff members, Mr. Eriomala promised that the issue would be addressed gradually, stressing that it would no longer be a N100,000 henceforth. He reiterated the need to be very realistic and be in tune with time.

    The Acting Executive Secretary said a committee would be set up to look at this and come out with a  workable welfare package, since the institute could no longer sustain the N100,000 that is paid due to paucity of fund.

    He promised that whatever the committee suggested, the management would ratify.

    He however regretted that the biggest problem most people have is their lack of humility, saying that throughout his life, he has not had a reason to argue with any of his superiors.

    According to him, ‘one thing we lack is humility. I am here today by God’s grace and not by merit, but because it has pleased God for me to be here and I will not abuse that grace. So, you must be humble. What do you have that God did not give to you? So, our biggest problem is that we are not humble and that is where all of us are missing it. For me, I am just first among equals and there is nothing special. I don’t have two heads but it has pleased God that this time, I should sit on this throne but I should not abuse it.’

    He promised that trainings would start soon, urging staff members to embark on self-development pending availability of funds for such trainings.

  • Ondo HoS hails Akeredolu over prompt payment of salaries

    Ondo HoS hails Akeredolu over prompt payment of salaries

    Ondo State Head of Service (HoS) Toyin Akinkuotu Wednesday hailed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, (SAN) for prioritising the welfare of workers in the state.

    Akinkuotu, while welcoming civil servants from the Easter break recalled that Akeredolu had during his first prayer meeting with workers in the State, promised to do everything possible to give welfare of workers priority.

    Akinkuotu noted that the governor has been fulfilling his promises through payment of salaries as at when due.

    He noted that the Governor, after the payment of February and March salaries, also paid August arrear, and has set up a committee to look into how the remaining arrears could be paid, a development that confirmed his commitment to ensure that workers live comfortably.

    The HoS also thanked public servants for their cooperation and dedication to duty.

    He urged them to exhibit diligence, commitment and dedication to duty in appreciation of the good gesture of the current administration, noting that “to whom much is given, much is expected”.

    Akinkuotu also stressed the need for workers to embrace the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), noting that it would earn them many opportunities by having retirement savings package.

    The HoS explained that the objective of the scheme was to ensure that every worker in the State receives retirement benefits as at when due, empower workers and assist them to save in order to cater for their livelihood during retirement.

    He noted that most public sector schemes were unsustainable due to a weak and inefficient administration of the scheme, like old pension scheme referred to as Defined Benefits Scheme unsustainable, hence the need to embrace the new one which is to correct the anomalies inherent in the old one.

    Akinkuotu recalled that in year 2014, the State approved its own law on Pension Reform and since that time, the implementation has started schematically with all workers recruited from that period.

    He added that a lot of progress has been made through creation of Ondo State Pension Commission with the appointment of Director General and Pension Fund Administration to register workers for the scheme.

    Also speaking, the Director General of the State Pension Commission, Mr. Jaiyeola Olowosuko said it is very pertinent to have an interactive session with all salary officers from all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

    This to ensure a hitch free process of deductions and prompt remittance into Retirement Saving Accounts (RSAs), in line with the stipulated law and to clear the grey areas with workers recruited from 2014.

  • Union, firm partner for staff welfare  

    Peeved by the indecent treatment meted out to workers in some companies, National Union of Foods Beverages Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) and management of Beloxxi Nigeria Limited, a confectionery company, have partnered for growth.

    The collaboration has culminated in the inauguration of NUFBTE Beloxxi Chapter on the company’s premises in Agbara, Ogun state surburb.

    Speaking at the event, NUFBTE’s Head of Education Unit Mike Olarenwaju said the chapter would provide workers with a platform to express their grievances, and check the excesses of management.

    He urged workers to defend their rights within the ambit of the law, adding that the United Nations Charter recognised their right to work and live.

    Olarenwaju said the workers have been unionised, and should be able to make their problems known to management when necessary.

    Frictions, he said, were bound to occur in any relationship, adding that the union and the management of Beloxxi would manage them whenever they arise.

    He said the Beverages and Tobacco arm of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) believed in dialogue, stressing that this explained the peace the Foods and Beverages subsector enjoyed.

    Company Secretary Mr Bamofin Olatokunbo Samson said the idea would strengthen the relationship between the company and its workers.

    He said the firm would continue to pursue its goals of empowering youths and promoting the local content policy of the Federal Government.

    He said’: “ We at( Berloxxi) have been helping youths to realise their potentials and be useful to the society. We do this by encouraging our workers, who are mainly youths to further their education. Giving the  synergy between Berloxxi and the labour union, we believe the future of our workers is guaranteed. “

    He said the management would not interfere with the decisions of the chapter, since it has agreed to do things that would improve their welfare .

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Govt to improve staff welfare, varsities’ tools

    Govt to improve staff welfare, varsities’ tools

    The Federal Government will improve staff welfare and facilities of tertiary institutions nationwide, Education Minister Malam Adamu Adamu has said.

    Adamu, made this known in a keynote speech at the sixth convocation of the Federal College of Education (FCE) in Eha Amufu, Enugu State.

    He said the Buhari administration would ensure that basic facilities to enhance teaching and learning were provided. The government, he added, would train and re-train staff of federal tertiary institutions to equip them with modern teaching skill.

    Adamu, represented by Executive Secretary of National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) Prof Monday Joshua, said excellent teaching and learning could only be achieved if facilities and qualified workforce were provided.

    He said: “There is need to reposition tertiary education to serve as a piston in the engine of our change agenda. One of the major areas of reform is teachers’ training, which remains the foundation of human capital development. No nation can rise in education if the quality of teachers is not encouraging. It is imperative that teachers receive adequate training and re-training.

    “There is no doubt that excellence in teaching and learning cannot be attained without the requisite infrastructure and highly qualified workforce.”

    The minister said Federal Government had sponsored more than 100 members of staff of the college to national and international conferences through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), with the aim of improving staff development.

    Adamu praised the college for constant convocation and assured the management that government would complete the ongoing projects on the campus. He urged the graduating students when the staff are not to end their career with National Certificate in Education (NCE), saying: “NCE is a stepping stone to further academic pursuit.”

    The provost, Prof Benjamin Mbah, said the management was determined to make the campus conducive for learning, saying high quality NCE graduates would turn around education.

    He said the management had, despite limited resources, carried out major capital projects, including equipping a 750-capacity multipurpose hall with computers for electronic test, providing Micro Teaching Laboratory with and e-learning laboratory with 200 computers.

    “We had made concerted efforts to provide the platforms to promote conducive teaching and learning in the college. We embarked on aggressive infrastructural development, provision of necessary equipment and tools. These are testimonies of what we can achieve in an atmosphere of peace; and when the staff are ready to do the work with diligence, determination, discipline and integrity,” Prof Mbah said.

    He urged the graduates to be good ambassadors of the college and upgrade their knowledge.

    No fewer than 1,000 graduates received NCE certificates during the ceremony. Miss Asogwa Dorothy Chinedu of the Department of Biology and Integrated Science emerged the overall best student, winning several academic prizes.