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Tag: threat

  • Pensioners allege threat to contributory pension scheme

    Pensioners allege threat to contributory pension scheme

    The non-payment of the accrued right by the Federal Government may derail the contributory pension scheme, the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) has said.

    Speaking in Abuja at a meeting with  pensioners in the contributory pension scheme (CPS), the National President of NUP, Dr Abel Afolayan, said it was imperative that the pensioners were organised and unionised.

    Though Afolayan lauded the near-absence of fraud in the CPS since it began in 2004, he said the non-payment of the saving bond by the Federal Government could derail the scheme.

    He said: “There is no doubt that since the inception of the scheme, there was no single case of fraud in the last 10 years of its existence and many pensioners have been able to access their retirement benefits as and when due. But I have observed that in recent times, especially since October 2015 to date,  retirees under this scheme have not been able to access their retirement benefits as a result of the non-payment of the accrued right by the Federal Government through the retirement saving bond.”

    The NUP chief said pension has not been reviewed by the government even when workers’ salaries were reviewed which is in disobedience to Section 173(3) and Section 210(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 15 of 2014 Pension Reform act (as amended). These sections stipulate that pension shall be reviewed after every five years or whenever workers’ salaries are reviewed.

    Pointing out the inadequacies in the Pension Reform Act 2004, Afolayan identified abolition of gratuities which has now denied employees the opportunity of getting a lump sum when they retire.

    He also added that the National Pension Commission and Pension Fund Admini-strators (PFAs) were yet to specify how pensioners could benefit from returns on investment of their contributions, which has left pensioners the owners of the funds in hardship while PFAs are smiling to their banks.

    Afolayan further said the NUP appeared before the joint committee on budget and appropriation at the National Assembly and submitted a memorandum requesting over N183 billion to fund the accrued right of retirees from 2015 to date as part of efforts to ensure that contributory pensioners entitlements are not denied.

  • Fresh threat to Southern Kaduna peace

    Fresh threat to Southern Kaduna peace

    The foundation stone of a military base in volatile Southern Kaduna has been smashed, prompting concerns that peace in the area may still be far off. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports

    So much blood has been spilled and so much property destroyed in Southern Kaduna that virtually everyone said the answer lay in a military presence in the area to deter the bloodthirsty attackers.

    With the destruction of the foundation stones of a military facility in the area shortly after they were laid, where lies the hope of peace?

    Kaduna State has been blighted by violence in its southern parts. That was why commissions of enquiry into the crises recommended that military formations be set up since it was widely believed that lack of military presence in the area emboldened the invaders to attack repeatedly and get away with it. Even residents of the area often blamed such crises on the slow response of security personnel.

    Sample this: Two days after the attack on some villages in Chawai Chiefdom of Jema’a Local Government Area in Kaduna State in November 2016, the famous Southern Kaduna socio-cultural group, Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) reiterated the call, believing that it will end the bloodbath.

    A statement by its President, Mr Solomon Musa, a lawyer, on November 15, 2016, said, “While the attacks have continued to fester, the efforts of governments and security agencies are yet to be felt, seen or appreciated by our people. SOKAPU has consistently called on governments and security agencies to bolster intelligence gathering mechanisms to detect early warning signs.

    “We have also called for the establishment of military barracks and security formations around the attack-prone axis of Kauru, Jema’a, Sanga and Kauru as both deterrence and as a quick response strategy but to no avail.

    “The villages that have come under the onslaught of the terrorists have also been calling for the deployment of security personnel in the forest, mountains and flashpoints rather than the highways, but these calls have not received any favourable response. The pattern that has emerged, sadly now, is that attacks occur with impunity usually followed by fire fighting and feeble cosmetic measures by security agencies and the government that have failed to yield any dividend.

    “SOKAPU as a union in its support for peace, law and harmonious living carried out a peaceful protest in Gwantu on Thursday 25/8/2016 and made the following demands that: The government of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai keeps his campaign promise of safeguarding our lives and property by also funding a formidable joint military operation to flush our murderers and restore ‘captured’ lands to their owners”.

    There have been allegations that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of Governor Nasir el-Rufai abandoned the area.

    Perhaps in response to that accusation, the government resolved to establish two military formations in Southern Kaduna, one in Kafanchan and the other in Kachia. These were in addition to a mobile police squadron already launched by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai was   recently in Kafanchan to lay the foundation for a Nigerian Army Forward Operation Base (FOB), which the army chief said its officers and personnel will make ready in three months, while the base’s structure will take a few years to complete.

    Governor El-Rufai told General Buratai that his government cannot wait until the structure is completed, but will provide a temporary site to accommodate the military base until the permanent site is completed.

    He said, “The state government will provide the army with a temporary facility for immediate take-off of the Forward Operation Base pending the completion of the permanent site.”

    He equally assured that the state government will immediately commence survey of the military formation site land, with a view to quickly issue its Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) the army authority.

    El-Rufai also said that his government will fish out those behind the Southern Kaduna killings and make sure they go to prison, saying the recent unrest in the region was the 11th since 1980 and lamented that nobody has been prosecuted either for the killings or destruction of property.

    Laying the foundation stone, Lt.-Gen Buratai said the Army is in Southern Kaduna to restore peace and they were not going to take sides while discharging their responsibility.

    The Army Chief who had earlier visited the Chief of Kagoro, Ufuwai Bonet and Emir of Jema’a, Alhaji Muhammadu Isah Muhammadu at their respective palaces said he was equally in Southern Kaduna to meet with his officers and men who had been deployed to the area to ensure peace.

    He said, “The present crisis is coming to an end. Now, we have restored normalcy in the troubled areas. People have started coming back to their homes. I was in Ninte this morning. I saw the farmers and the Fulani. I spoke with them on the need to live in peace with one another.

    “You can’t separate the farmers and the herdsmen. They have a long history of co-existence. So, they must live together. The better they live together the better for them and everyone.”

    In their separate remarks, the Chief of Kagoro, and Emir of Jema’a thanked the military for their presence, saying, though the incessant attacks and killings are gradually disappearing, there are isolated attacks going on by the hoodlums.

    They commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving  the setting up of military formations in the area.

    Chief Bonet said, “I equally want to say that the criminals carrying out these attacks are not our Fulani. We have been living with our Fulani peacefully, we know them. But I told the governor these Fulani that came to terrorise, if they are from Mali, how did they find their way into our towns and villages and who armed them?“

    Why was the foundation stone destroyed four days after it was laid?

    Alhaji Tajudeen Tijjani, a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst seems to believe that Southern Kaduna people are to blame for the destruction of the foundation stone.

    He said, “If you remember vividly, members of 29 Southern Kaduna communities recently came together to work for peace. The group which cuts across religion and ethnicity was trained by an NGO. They moved from one community to the other, asking people to forgive one another. At a point, the group under the auspices of that NGO called Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) invited the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam El-Rufai to launch their apology billboard. At that occasion, the Chairman of Plateau State Council of Chiefs, the Gbong Gwong Jos, Dr. Buba Gyang was in attendance and spoke passionately on the way out of the Southern Kaduna crisis. But, if you go to Samaru Kataf today, the apology billboard has been destroyed.

    “So, when I heard that the foundation stone recently laid by the Chief of Army Staff and Governor El-Rufai has also been destroyed, I was not very surprised because those who made the loudest noise in criticising the government of the day and asked for the military formation did not even acknowledge the gesture in the first place when the foundation was laid.

    “But, the question is, what do the people of Southern Kaduna really want? They asked for peace, an NGO started building peace, some bad elements destroyed their apology billboard. They asked for a military formation, the government decided to give them two and a police squadron, now they have destroyed the military formation’s foundation. It is unfortunate”, he said.

    Governor El-Rufai also responded to the destruction of the foundation stone, saying in a statement, “I received the news with shock over the unfortunate destruction of foundation laying structure of the proposed Nigerian Army battalion in Southern Kaduna. The very structure we erected to establish the long-awaited Army Barracks to assist promotion of peace and end the decades of senseless bloodletting in the southern part of Kaduna State.

    “The situation is unfortunate, condemnable and a setback to the government’s communal stabilization and  peace building efforts, but we will not be deterred. We urge our people that cherish peaceful coexistence to  continue to be resilient, focused and resolute in overcoming antics of forces of darkness and evil. Those that did this are determined to derail the contributions of the security agencies, having failed to spread their tentacles of hate, bigotry and penchant for divisiveness.”

    There is no proof as to who destroyed the stone, yet. Was it the people who are constantly attacked or their attackers or mischief makers?

     

  • Security threat: Over 500 uncompleted buildings under watch

    Security threat: Over 500 uncompleted buildings under watch

    Unfinished buildings have become a source of worry to the authorities because criminals could hatch their plots in them, reports   GBENGA OMOKHUNU

    IT is mainly the fear of the unknown. Will violent criminals launch an attack from that uncompleted and abandoned building in the corner, or that other one over there?

    Those are questions that have agitated the minds of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, (AMMC).

    Acting coordinator of the council, Hajiya Safiya Umar said that the high rate of abandoned buildings in the nation’s capital has become a source of worry to the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) as such uncompleted buildings pose serious security challenge to residents of the territory.

    She stated that the authorities are still considering giving owners the prerogative of seeing whether they could complete their buildings or whether such structures would be demolished.

    Umar who disclosed this during a press briefing also stated that such buildings have been identified as hideouts for criminals operating in the nation’s capital.

    She said, “The Council and the FCT Administration as well as the security operatives know that these places are the hideouts of criminals. But the issue of either demolishing or revoking them, there are so many committees that have sat on the issue, and have made several recommendations. The Council is not in a position to tell you exactly the present position since it is being worked on from the top.

    “So, I cannot actually tell when the uncompleted buildings will be demolished or even whether it will actually be demolished. But equity and good conscience have made the FCT Administration to reach out to the owners of these structures, through newspaper advertisement in recent past.

    “I think we are still considering giving them the prerogative of seeing whether they could come in and complete their buildings, before the powers that be decide on next line of action”.

    Acting Director, Development Control Department under the Council, Mukhtar Galadima, who puts the total figure of such structures at over 500, disclosed that the department has compiled the list of all abandoned structures in the city.

    He said the department forwarded the list to the Department of Land Administration, which gave it the addresses of the owners, and with the approval of FCTA, the AMMC published the names of these individuals, given the timeframe within which to comply, failure of which the Administration will decide appropriately.

    Commenting on the recent High Court judgment stopping the planned demolition of illegal structures in Mpape, the director said the Department is still discussing with its head of Legal team for the possibility of appealing the judgment.

    “But the good thing about the said judgment is that due process was not followed. So if we were to follow due process in serving all relevant notices, and getting necessary approvals and orders, we can go ahead and do the demolition.

    “There is also a judgment before this (the latest court verdict) which says that he who has no title over land, we don’t need to serve him or her notice, because it is considered as illegal development.

    “But all the same, we are prepared to serve all the relevant notices and follow due process, to make sure that all the holes and leakages are blocked. Then we will go and do the needful, carry out the demolition exercise”, Galadima affirmed.

    When pressed to state exactly when the department will embarked on the planned demolition of the suburb, he insisted; “I cannot precisely say how soon it will be, as it depends on the outcome of the appeal against the current judgment; and we have 30-day window to file an appeal. I’m not saying that Mpape must go, but due process will be followed”.

    Hajiya Umar also said that residents of Gidan Mangoro resettlement and other resettlement communities in the Federal Capital Territory will soon heave a sigh of relief as the FCT Administration has vowed to open up road networks aimed at decongesting the city centre.

    She revealed that the development of satellite towns will receive priority attention by the present administration.

    Umar said it was the duty and responsibility of the AMMC to manage the city and offer advice to the area councils on how manage their councils, adding that the council is committed to minimize the challenges of the residents of these resettlement communities.

    The Ag. Coordinator revealed that apart from Gidan Mangoro, other resettlement communities that have been mapped out for opening up the road networks by AMMC include Kichuku, Apo Mechanic and Kubwa Mechanic village resettlement.

    Umar said the Department of Development Control was done with the infrastructure design of these communities and that they were ready to move in whenever funds were made available.

  • National Theatre a security threat, says police chief

    National Theatre a security threat, says police chief

    The National Theatre in Lagos has become a security threat, according to Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni.

    The police chief raised concerns over the state of the country’s pride during a visit to the edifice.

    He said: “How could they have left this bush to grow like this? Is there no somebody that is responsible for this place? I expect that they should know that not clearing a bush like this exposes residents to security risks, as hoodlums can capitalise on the situation to dispossess residents and passersby of their valuables.”

    A visibly disturbed Owoseni was forced to seek the attention of those in charge of the edifice.

    He declined journalists’ requests to join him in meeting the management.

    The situation on ground has also become worrisome for people within the premises.

    A trader said: “the area has now become a security risk and a clear danger to lives and property in the neighbourhood. There is still need to light up the whole area and the overgrown weeds should be cut.

    “Most of the area boys around now use the place as toilet at night. Everywhere smells during the day. As you can see that it is now a think bush which doesn’t befit this place apart from the hazard it poses to the residents.”

    A man who declined mentioning his name said: “For government to sanitise the place, let them start by securing the place because there are fears that the people go through the place at their own risk except the issue of security is taken care of.

  • APC: Fayemi arrest threat a joke

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has berated the House of Assembly for threatening to arrest Minister of Mines and Steel Development Kayode Fayemi.

    The party described the  threat as a “panicky measure and arm twisting tactic to divert public attention from the libel suit filed by Fayemi against a lawmaker, Samuel Omotoso and  Lere Olayinka”.

    The APC contended that since allegations for which Fayemi was being invited were the same allegations  which made the minister institute a libel suit, the Assembly should go to court to establish its case.

    In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party described the lawmakers as “idle lawmakers who cannot raise any bill except the ones brought by Governor Ayo Fayose.”

    The APC spokesman noted that not less than 12 members have alleged certificate forgery cases to answer at the Department of State Services (DSS) and have not honoured the DSS’ summons.

  • UI, students dismiss bomb threat

    UI, students dismiss bomb threat

    The University of Ibadan (UI) has tightened security following a threat by a terrorist group to bomb the institution before the nation’s 56th Independence anniversary. Some students share their thoughts on the matter with MERCY ADEDIGB

    At a time when the University of Ibadan (UI) is basking in the euphoria of its new feat of ranking 601 among top 1,000 universities globally, and the only Nigerian university on the list, a message from a terrorist group, Al-wilayat al-Islamiyya Gharb Afriqiyya, threatening to bomb the university before October 1, is not creating panic on campus.

    But news of the latest ranking published by Times Higher Education (THE) on its website made the university community ecstatic.

    The message from the terrorist group was mailed to some members of staff. Part of it reads: “Most of you are going to die before Independence Day. You will not spend the Independence Day in peace, you and your students.

    “Even your little searches at the gate won’t do anything. By the time we are through with you, your government will be sorry.

    “You people are an embarrassment to Nigeria and are the people that brought in western education to Nigeria. You doomed this nation and in turn you are all going to be doomed.”

    Reacting to the message, the  Director of Public Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, urged members of the community not to panic, describing it as a mere rumour.

    In a statement signed by Oladosu Olaleye Lystra of the Public Relations unit, the university said it had made efforts to secure the campus.

    “The bomb threat message was sent to cause unnecessary panic.  The Police and the Social Security have deployed intelligence officers to provide optimum security in the institution in order to forestall any tragedy or disaster, and the police and Social Security officials  are on top of the matter. “

    However, there has been mixed reaction to the threat.  Some students said they were not aware of the threat. Olukotun Tosin, a 300-Level student of Agronomy, believes the university is not doing enough to avert a bomb threat.

    “Whatever would be would be.  If the institution would be bombed it cannot be prevented.  Despite the threat, the institution did not bring any of the armed forces to help; just the institution’s security has been searching vehicles and people at the gate. Even Muslim women were searched. Let’s just hope it is not true,” he said.

    Many of those aware have however called the group’s bluff, describing the message as a rumour.

    Dike Glory, a 300-Level student of Agronomy, thinks it is a bluff.

    “It is impossible. How can they bomb UI? It cannot happen. Never!” she said vehemently.

    Adeniran Kehinde , a 200-Level student of  Biochemistry, said: “Let me tell you, whether I go home or I stay in school, if it is my time to die, I would die. The bomb could detonate at the gate. But I heard it is a rumour”.

    Ajewole Olajumoke, a 200-Level student of Educational Management, said: “It is a lie joo; nothing can happen to me even if the whole of UI is bombed, I am safe”.

    Wisdom Ighodalo , a 100-Level student of English, said it wasn’t the first time the rumour would surface.

    “The Lord is my shepherd; nothing can happen to me. But I don’t think it is true.  The same thing happened about three years ago,” he said.

    Omole Brandie, a 400-Level student of Sociology, said students might be behind the threat.

    “I don’t think it is true . It might be a prank played by a student,” he said.

    The leadership of the Students’ Union of the institution also urged students not to panic, describing the message as a prank.

    A (100-Level Communication and Language Arts Education).

  • Anambra 2017: Obiano’s seat under threat

    Anambra 2017: Obiano’s seat under threat

    Governorship aspirants on the platforms of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are warming up for next year’s election in Anambra State. Correspondent NWANOSIKE ONU examines the contenders and issues that will shape the contest.

    The governorship election in Anambra State is likely to hold in November, next year. Some political heavy weights are eyeing the seat occupied by Governor Willy Obiano, who is believed to be seeking a second term in office.

    While some believe that the governor, who rode to power on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), has done enough to deserve a second term, others see him as more of a talker than a doer.

    Obiano came into power over two years ago, when he took over from former Governor Peter Obi, who many, believed, lived up to expectation.

    Today, Obiano is facing opposition because of his leadership style.

    His style, according to his critics, is concentrating development only in his Anambra North Senatorial Zone, which had before now, failed to produce a governor before Obi zoned the slot to the area.

    Also, they see Obiano as someone who does not run an all-inclusive administration. This may not be his fault but that of his kinsmen, who wield enormous influence on his government. Most people in the state believe that the governor allows his wife to be the dominant force in the running of the government.

    Apart from the three flyovers erected by the Obiano administration in Awka, the state capital, not much, according to his adversaries, has happened in terms of infrastructural development.

    Before now, the governor had won the 2015 Sun’s Man of the Year Award, the 2015 Zik’s Price for Good Governance, among others accolades. But, critics believe that he has not performed like his predecessor.

    Following what they have termed as his dismal performance, some political parties now warming up to displace his party. Thier aspirants have started mobilisation, ahead of the election.

    These parties include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA). Sources said some APGA chieftains may also challenge the governor during the primary.

    But, the aspirants that are giving the APGA-led government headache are the PDP and the APC. Both parties parade an array of political juggernauts.

    Though, the names are still being speculated, but there are serious indications that some of them have already made up their minds, while few others are still playing a hide and seek game.

    They are Former Central Bank Governor Prof. Charles Soludo, Hon. Tony Nwoye, a member of the House of Representatives from Anambra East and West Constituency and the Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity Senator Chris Ngige.

    Other aspirants include Dr. Obinna Uzor, a successful business mogul, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, an oil magnate, Chief George Muoghalu, the APC National Auditor, Senator Andy Uba, Senator Uche Ekwunife, Mr Godwin Ezeemo, and Chief Barth Nwibe.

    Apart from Ubah and Ekwunife, the parties of other aspirants are known.

    Majority of the aspirants are from the  APC. Andy Uba is of the PDP. Ezeemo wants to contest on the platform of the PPA.

    Some of the aspirants confided that it is too early for them to start making the usual noise. But, they understand that Obiano has started wooing voters to secure a second term through various  underground campaigns to lure voters.

    However, the politics of Anambra has gone beyond mere campaigns in an open field; the style has become a coded and digital affair.

    Religion may likely play a dominant role next year. The role of the church in deciding the fate of candidates cannot be ignored. The Roman Catholic Church, which is the dominant church in the state, has the monopoly of influence.

    Obi was able to secure victory due to the same religious factor, although Ngige’s position in the church also boxed Obi and many priests to a corner.

    Despite the belief that Obiano is seeking a second term, some of his kinsmen are ready to slug it out with him. The contest will not be a walk over for the governor. Nwoye may have started firing salvo at the governor. He has the support of those who matter as he throws a challenge at the governor.

    For Ngige, who is believed to be a smooth operator and a late comer in every race, the election is another golden opportunity to test his popularity. At a ceremony in Awka, he said the APGA government should start packing their bags and baggage from the State House.

    Ekwunife, a bulldozer of sort, has left the PDP for the APC. But, her next step is unknown. The serial defector was recently denied the Anambra Central senatorial slot. Since she is unpredictable, many observers believe that he may leave the party, if her chance of clinching the ticket is narrow.

    The contest is majorly among three parties; the APGA, the PDP and the APC.

    Already, the ruling party has formed “militant” groups to battle any  security agency during the exercise. There are allegations that some of these groups move about in the state with assorted weapons, harassing and intimidating innocent citizens in the name of the second term for Obiano.

    Sources close to Obi, Ngige, Ekwunife, Uba, Nwoye, and Uzor said these eminent politicians are closely monitoring the trends.

    With the caliber of politicians in the APC, and a combination of Obi, Uba, Oduah, Chief Chris Uba, and Senator Annie Okonkwo clearly makes the PDP a force to reckon with, despite its defeat by the APC at the centre in last year’s poll.

    However, a source said Ngige may not contest. He may align with anybody that could win the election for APC. But, he will play a great role in enlisting the support of the church for his preferred candidate.

    The clock may be ticking for Obiano and his party. Unless the administration decides to right the wrongs through infrastructural and human development, the end of an era may be imminent.

  • ‘Non-implementation of Pension Act, threat to workers’ future’

    The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) has decried the failure of the Federal Government, states and local governments to implement the New Pension Act 2014 for workers. The union is urging all tiers of government to comply with the provisions of the act so that workers could have something to fall back on after retirement.

    Its General Secretary, Comrade Yusuf Lekke Zambuk, reiterated the union’s position at the 20th Plenary Session of the National Governing Council/AUPCTRE Week in Abuja.

    He regretted that the non-implementation of the New Pension Act 2014 has been posing a serious challenge to an average worker.

    Zambuk said the New Pension Act 2014, Part 11, Section 5, provided for a group Life Insurance Policy for each employee for a minimum of three times the total annual emolument of the employee. The premium is expected to be paid not later than the date of commencement of the cover.

    He, however, said as at date, neither the Federal Government, states nor local government has implemented this policy in favour of employees.

    He said: “It is surprising, however, that political office holders enjoy retirement benefits inclusive of medical, car, furniture among others, after serving their four-year tenure, but nothing is being said about serving public officials by the Federal Government, states and local governments.”

    However, the NGC-in-session has called onorganised labour, which is a Pan Nigerian Organisation and a defender of democratic values, to unite and rise up to effectively engage the political class to ensure that the dividends of democracy are not lost,” he said.

    In a related event, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige,  has said  the Federal Government will comply fully with section 173 (3) of the Constitution  that makes review of pension compulsory every five years or at any increment of salaries.

    Ngige gave this assurance when the leaders of the Association of Contributory Pensioners of Nigeria (ACPN) visited him in Abuja on Monday.

    He said: “The constitution is clear in section 173(3) on how pension should be administered. It is to be reviewed every five years or upon an increment in salary.

    A review was done in 2011 on minimum wage, and once the minimum wage is touched, it should automatically affect the pension”Serving the nation, nobody should discriminate against you. I don’t understand why in the same country some pensioners are receiving full benefits while others are not.

    This is unconstitutional.”The minister regretted the ordeal of the contributory pensioners and promised to urgently institute an appropriate liaison with Pension Commission (PENCOM) to rectify observed operational anomalies relating to the group so as to ensure that their benefits were fully paid.

    He added that pension matters by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 102 should be under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, assuring that the pensioners would not be abandoned by the federal government.

    He further said the existing Pension Act made it difficult to register two separate unions under pension as requested by the contributory pensioners.

    Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the association, Mr. Uche Ekpo, lamented the non-representation of the Contributory Pensioners by an organised union, insisting that what the Trade Union Registrar cited as reason for denying it registration covered only the non-contributory pensioners. He, therefore, sought the assistance of the minister for the registration of the body as a trade union so as to better articulate and push the interests of the members of the union.

  • Two men raised the alarm over threat to their lives

    Two men, Adeniyi Olaewe, 32, and Ojo Yekini, 30, have raised the alarm following a threat to their lives by some people allegedly led by a man identified simply as Femi.

    The duo who spoke to reporters at the Emergency and Accident Unit, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), narrated how they escaped death by whiskers on Tuesday when a group of men in a Sport Utility Vehicle laid an ambush for them at Lakowe village in Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos.

    He said: “I am in serious pains. I find it difficult to raise my right hands. The doctors told me that I have to bear with the pains depending when they will extract bullets lodged on the right side of my chest.”

    “On May 2 around 10pm, we were taking food to our colleagues working at a site in Lakowe Village in Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos. I was in company with two of my colleagues and I was the one who drove.

    “My colleagues sat on the rear seat. I had the premonition that the driver of the vehicle deliberately drove towards and the occupants could be up to something sinister. As I tried to swerve the vehicle to another direction, the other vehicle moved closer.

    “Before I could find out what the problem was, the next thing I heard was sporadic gunshots and I was hit by bullets. I managed to run out of the vehicle, yet the shooter persisted. All of a sudden, a Sport Utility Vehicle was driving in our direction. After they left, we called our boss on the phone and described the spot where we hid to him. He and some others came to rescue us.

    “By the time they arrived, I was so weak because I had lost so much blood. They took us to Elemero Police Division where we lodged complaint and got police report.”

    According to Olaewe said the man who sat behind the driver of the vehicle was used the one who shot them attack them.

    On his part, Yekini said he was hit by bullets in four different parts of his body.

  • ‘Political leaders greatest threat to Nigeria’s unity’

    ‘Political leaders greatest threat to Nigeria’s unity’

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said political leaders are the greatest threats to Nigeria’s unity because “they fan the embers of hatred, ethnic and religious intolerance”. He warned them desist from actions and utterances capable of undermining the country’s unity.

    Okorocha spoke during the convocation ceremony of the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri.

    Niger State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sanni Bello was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration Degree (Honoris Causa) at the convocation.

    His words: “The greatest threats to the country’s unity are the political leaders who talk and act in manners that pose serious threat to the country’s oneness. The ordinary citizens have no problem living together as one people; it is the political leaders who always engage in inciting actions and utterances.

    “It is the high premium the government and the authorities of the Imo state University place on unity that made the institution decide to honour the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sanni Bello. His coming here today is a dramatisation of the unity of the country. I think we can build the Nigeria of our collective dreams and aspiration.”

    Bello corroborated Okorocha’s remarks on the unity of the country. He opined that Nigerians must unite for the greatness of the country.