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Tag: warns

  • APC warns against sack of Adamawa, Borno, Yobe governors

    APC warns against sack of Adamawa, Borno, Yobe governors

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to be stampeded into sacking Governors of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    The party described the calls in some years on Dr Jonathan to dismantle the democratic structures in the three states as worrisome.

    The Interim Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed told reporters at the weekend in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, that the calls were misplaced.

    “What is more worrisome is the call by some people to the effect that the democratic structures in those states should be dismantled.

    “We begin to understand when and how does a governor become an impediment to fighting insurgency. On the contrary, he cannot fight insurgency when the political structure is not in place. So I hope those who are trying to stampede the president into sacking those governors will have a rethink because if they do, the consequences will not be in the interest of either the people you want to protect or the country.”

    On the extension of the state of emergency in those states, APC spokesman said “the extension of the emergency rule will be between the president and the National Assembly. The President can not declare the emergency without securing two thirds majority of members of the National Assembly. There are certain issues to be considered by the National Assembly before they would grant the extension.”

    On last week’s expanded security meeting between President Jonathan, governors and other stakeholders, Alhaji Mohammed intoned: “We sincerely hope that the federal government, having got the assurances of all the governors would reach out to these governors. You cannot combat insurgency without the active cooperation and participation of major stakeholders.

    “And the number one stakeholder in any state is the governor. So we hope after this meeting, the federal government should be less defensive and reach out more to the governor and understand that at the end of the day every security is local.”

    On the letter of Governor Murtala Nyako to the president, the party’s spokesperson said as the governor of Adamawa and a leader in the north, the governor only expressed his views on the goings-on.

    “I think some people are getting this thing wrong; Governor Muritala Nyako as governor of Adamawa State and leader of the state expressed his views on what he perceives to be the goings on. How does that become a party issue?

    “On this condemnation or no condemnation, let us look at the message. What is Nyako saying? I have read the letter, he is making certain allegations and those allegations Nyako made were not on behalf of APC. He was speaking as a governor and the letter was not addressed to APC. It was addressed to Northern Governors.”

    Mohammed hailed huge success of the Kwara APC congress, adding that it was borne out of consultations.

    “We are happy with the outcome of the state congress. There was a lot of consultations, consensus. Given the different tendencies and different opinions and views, this is remarkable,” he said.

  • PDP warns Akwa Ibom elders against anti-party activities

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State said yesterday that it has not authorised elders to speak on the 2015 governorship election.

    Some PDP elders, led by Senators Effiong Bob; Ita Enang; Aloysius Etok; Otuekong Sunny Jackson, had last week gathered in Uyo, the state capital, to chart a new direction for the 2015 governorship poll.

    They congregated under the banner of Akwa Ibom State PDP elders and stakeholders meeting, which was chaired by former Environment Minister Dr Imet Okopido.

    At the meeting, four issues were on the front burner- President Goodluck Jonathan and 2015, the 2015 governorship election should be an open to all aspirants, PDP primaries must be open, free and fair and the PDP state executives under the leadership of Obong Paul Ekpo should be re-structured..

    Opposing zoning, the elders and stakeholders urged the PDP national leadership to caution Governor Godswill Akpabio against destabilising the state and the PDP.

    Akpabio wants to zone the governorship seat to Eket Senatorial District, a move The Nation gathered did not go down well with some party members.

    The governor is said to favour Secretary to State Government Udom Emmanuel to succeed him.

    Speaking yesterday after the inauguration of the Finance and Building Committee for the party secretariat, Ekpo condemned the elders’ meeting.

    He said the state chapter has not constituted a PDP elders’ forum.

    Ekpo warned the elders to desist from all activities and actions that could affect the party’s unity.

    “It is pertinent to remind us that the times we have found ourselves, as a party, are the times we must think as men and women of action and act as men and women of thought.

    “A few dissenting voices should not distract us. We must uphold the principles of justice, fairness and equity that are enshrined in our party’s constitution.

    “Let me condemn the purported meeting by people who call themselves PDP elders.

    “The state chapter of our great party has not yet constituted PDP elders in the state.

    “The PDP in Akwa Ibom State strongly warns those who parade themselves as PDP elders to desist from all activities and actions that can adversely affect the unity of our great party.

    “Any further attempt will be strongly resisted by the party.”

  • National Stadium mgt warns athletes

    National Stadium mgt warns athletes

    The Manager, National Stadium, Lagos, Abolore Alanamu, yesterday warned athletes using the place to comply with the training schedules to enable the management adequate time to maintain the facilities.

    Alanamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that training had been scheduled to hold on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. He said the schedule was extended from two to three days to enable athletes preparing for the Commonwealth Games and other international competitions to prepare well.

    “We are very serious about the training time and want total compliance from the athletes because the management is aware that some athletes use the facility to prepare for competitions. The additional one-day is for them to have more than enough time to maximise their training programmes so that they will come out fine at the end of the day.

    “The cleanliness and maintenance of the facility is very important, this is the reason we need the two days in between to carry out the sanitation exercise,’’ he said.

    The manager advised users of the environment to imbibe the habit of disposing their waste at the appropriate places in the sports city.

    “I am sure that they will be happy to train in uncontaminated place; therefore, they should also contribute to ensuring that the place is always tidy,’’ he said.

  • Agency warns business operators

    Hard times await operators and service providers who rip off their customers by collecting money for undelivered or unsatisfactory services, the Director- General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs. Dupe Atoki, has warned.

    She spoke in Lagos while responding to questions on the activities of the agency and the need for consumers to seek redress for poor services charged for and sub-standard product bought.

    She accused manufacturers and service providers of taking consumers for granted, citing poor infrastructure provision as an excuse. She added that CPC’s mandate is to seek redress for consumers for products and services purchased in bad condition or products that perform below specification.

    Mrs Atoki said the agency was intervening in the food and beverage sector where its hammer fell on a major beverage manufacturer for breach of food safety and standards. She insisted that NAFDAC has no business probing consumer complaints as that function falls under CPC. She, therefore, said NAFDAC should focus on its mandate.

    The CPC, according to Mrs Atoki, also intervened in the telecoms sector. Recently, she called a meeting with all chief executives of the telecoms firms, which was repudiated as they resorted to sending managers that cannot make policy decisions. She warned that the chief executives risk five years jail term if they fail to honour the invitation the third time.

    The CPC boss blamed the telecoms firms for poor quality services, such as drop calls, slow Internet speed, unsolicited text messages, irregular billing, and bogus sales promotions.

    She insisted that it was wrong for operators to take consumers for granted by refusing to offer them services advertised or charging for packages or services not rendered.

    The CPC chief also disclosed that the agency was working on letting airline passengers to get redress for flight delays and cancellations.

    According to her, flight delays for between two and four hours entitles the passenger to lunch and more while cancellations entitles the passenger to a refund in addition to 25 per cent surcharge.

    She regretted that many airlines have got away with such breaches without fines, warning that it would no longer be business as usual.

  • Agency warns business operators

    Hard times await operators and service providers who rip off their customers by collecting money for undelivered or unsatisfactory services, the Director- General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs. Dupe Atoki, has warned.

    She spoke in Lagos while responding to questions on the activities of the agency and the need for consumers to seek redress for poor services charged for and sub-standard product bought.

    She accused manufacturers and service providers of taking consumers for granted in excuse for poor infrastructure provision in the country, adding that CPC’s mandate is to seek redress for consumers for products and services purchased in bad condition or products that perform below specification.

    Atoki said the agency is intervening in the food and beverage sector where its hammer fell on a major beverage manufacturer for breach of food safety and standards. She insisted that NAFDAC has no business probing consumer complaints as that function falls under CPC. She, therefore, said NAFDAC should focus on its mandate.

    The CPC, according to Mrs Atoki, also intervened in the telecoms sector. Recently, she called a meeting with all chief executives of the telecoms firms, which was repudiate as they resorted to sending managers that cannot make policy decisions. She warned that the chief executives risk five years’ jail term if they fail to honour the invitation the third time.

    The CPC boss blamed the telecoms firms for poor quality services, such as drop calls, slow Internet speed, unsolicited text messages, irregular billing, and bogus sales promotions.

    She insisted that it was wrong for operators to take consumers for granted by refusing to offer them services advertised or charging for packages or services not rendered.

    The CPC chief also made known that the agency was working on letting airline passengers to get redress for flight delays and cancellations.

    According to her, flight delays for between two and four hours entitles the passenger to lunch and more while cancellations entitles the passenger to a refund in addition to 25 per cent surcharge.

    She regretted that many airlines have got away with such breaches without fines, warning that it would no longer be business as usual.

  • NFF warns Manu Garba on new Flying Eagles

    NFF warns Manu Garba on new Flying Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have warned new Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba against limiting his team selection to his Under 17 World Cup-winning team.

    Manu was elevated alongside his assistant from the U17 team, Nduka Ugbade, to take charge of the country’s U20 team, the Flying Eagles.

    “Manu must not shut the door to other players,” warned NFF director of technical Emmanuel Ikpeme.

    “We have not said he should not invite some of his U17 players, but he must give other players a chance to fight for a shirt.

    “We have abundant talents in the country and I am sure there are some out there who can make the Flying Eagles team if given the opportunity.”

    The Flying Eagles will begin their campaign for the 2015 African Youth Championship to be hosted by Senegal in May.

    They are scheduled to face the winners of the clash between Kenya and Tanzania.

    Should they advance, they will then face the overall winners of the matches between Swaziland and Lesotho and Angola in August.

    Nigeria placed third at the 2013 AYC in Algeria to qualify for the U20 World Cup in Turkey, where they reached the Round of 16.

  • NUPENG warns on imminent fuel scarcity

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), said it has watched with great concern the activities of oil majors and multi-nationals in the industry and warns of imminent fuel scarcity if such nefarious activities are not checked as the union would direct its members to embark on nationwide strike without notice.

    In a statement signed by its president, Igwe Achese, the workers stated that the new drive of the oil majors and multi-nationals amounts to sabotage and that if not controlled will lead to an unhealthy atmosphere in the sector. The union therefore calls on President Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister of Labour and the National Assembly to quickly intervene before the bubble bursts. The union noted the degree of impunity and non-conformity with best practices by the multi-nationals in their dealings with contract workers in their system.  It stated that these current actions are all efforts geared towards sabotaging the economy of the country and to impoverish its citizenry, particularly the contract workers in their system.

    NUPENG reiterated that some of the provocative anti-union policies and decisions have remained unresolved despite the mediatory role played by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.   It added that these include the unresolved transitional issues of the Chevron contract workers who transited into new contracting companies since January, 1 last year, and that 14 months after discussions, some of the issues are yet to be resolved. The union stressed that it has made several attempts of reopening discussions on the outstanding transition issues but all to no avail.  It noted that the understanding reached that National Petroleum Investment Managements Services (NAPIMS) should convene a meeting to resolve the outstanding transition issues as they affect the contract workers has not materialised.

    The statement stated that the new labour contractors are resisting unionisation of the workers with tacit support from Chevron management.  NUPENG revealed that in “recent times, some of the multinational companies have begun a systematic lay-off of our members who work as labour contract workers in their companies and thereafter replace them with service contracts. These companies include Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and Agip Oil Company Limited. The union alleged that the management of Mobil Producing on November, 30, 2013 laid-off over 200 contract workers under the guise that the contracts have expired and that new contracts will also commence to replace the old ones forthwith.

    NUPENG stated that in the case of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited, over 50 labour contract workers have been pencilled down for termination without adherence to due process, just as the union has also been having a running battle with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and their contractors over unionisation of contract workers, as well as putting in place a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The union protests the massive promotion of all junior staff in SPDC to phase out NUPENG, while leaving only Kingsley Enomate, the NUPENG Branch Chairman sacked by Shell but was forced to be re-instated. “This action is victimisation for trade union activities” Achese said.

    Achese also said NUPENG has unresolved labour issues with Septa Energy and Olgette over unionisation and victimisation of workers and therefore warned that the union shall therefore not be under any further obligation to give any notice of embarking on an industrial action, if these issues are not urgently addressed. The union, he said, has therefore, placed its members nationwide on notice to mobilise for a total shut-down of activities in the oil and gas industry, in protest against these injustices in the industrial relations practices if there is no immediate intervention from the government.

  • ASUU warns of imminent crisis

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), condemned at the weekend, the attitude of the Federal Government towards the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on NEEDS projects in the universities.

    It decried what it called foot-dragging in the implementation of the agreement reached with it.

    The union criticised the sack of over 90 workers of the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN), Ibadan.

    It urged the Federal Government and the citizens to rise against the intimidation of the oppressed in the institution.

    Those were the positions of the ASUU National Treasurer, Dr. Ademola Aremu and the Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter of the union, Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, during a programme, tagged: “ASUU/Press Media parley”, held at the Postgraduate School.

    Aremu said it was becoming disturbing to the union that despite signing papers (MoU) and calling off the strike, allocation of the funds claimed to have been deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the execution of the NEEDS project of the universities was yet to begin.

    According to him, the Federal Government ought to have begun the process of depositing an additional N55 billion for the first quarter as agreed in the MoU with President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Aremu said nothing had been implemented by the Federal Government beyond paper commitments made and signed.

    Ajiboye said students were yet to benefit anything from the last strike due to foot-dragging in implementing the agreement.

    Ajiboye, who hailed journalists for the role they played during the five-month strike, urged them to ask questions about the execution of the projects in the universities.

    He urged government not to delay implementation, as such might breed acrimony in the university system.

    Ajiboye, while decrying the sack of workers at CRIN, enjoined Nigerians to rise and defend the injustices meted out to the oppressed.

    He advised Prof. Malachi Akoroda to be democratic in steering CRIN affairs.

  • 2015: SSS warns ‘disruptive elements’

    The State Security Service (SSS) yesterday gave a warning to those it described as “subversive elements” bent on promoting divisive and disruptive agenda in the political space.

    A statement by the Service’s Deputy Director, Public Relations, Ms. Marilyn Ogar called on such elements to desist from the act, as the full weight of the law would henceforth be brought to bear on them.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Department of State Services has been drawn to incessant provocative statements by some Nigerians threatening violence ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    “Such comments are offensive, misguided, and directed at stirring hate amongst Nigerians.

    “This Service and other law enforcement agencies have the mandate to protect the country and its citizens. We therefore warn all subversive elements that are bent on promoting divisive and disruptive agenda to desist from such, as the full weight of the law shall henceforth be brought to bear accordingly.

    “We call on all Nigerians to remain law-abiding and assist security agencies in ensuring a safe society for all”.

    For allegedly making inflammatory comment, the State Security Service (SSS) has invited the Deputy National Secretary, All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

    El Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is to be quizzed at the security outfit’s headquarters in Abuja today.

    His media adviser Muyiwa Adekeye confirmed his invitation yesterday. El Rufai has allegedly warned that the 2015 polls will be violent because INEC is not trustworthy and incompetent.

  • Private sector warns against fixed electricity charges

    On the heels of President Goodluck Jonathan’s marching order on power sector investors to improve power supply by June this year, the Organised Private Sector has asked for the revision of the electricity billing system where manufacturers would be made to pay for what they actually consumed. They said currently, industrialists are made to pay a fixed monthly charge through the estimated billing system which they tag fraudulent.

    President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alhaji Remi Bello, warned against the dangers of allowing the system to run without strict operational rules and guidelines that will protect consumers. He urged government to make available the pre-paid metres nation-wide and called on the new investors to play by the rules and avoid the old mistakes of PHCN which made it inefficient.

    The LCCI president in a chat with The Nation, drew the attention of government on the implications of fixed electricity billing on the real sector, saying Nigeria is about the only country where people are made to pay for what they did not consume, or buy.

    He further warned that inflationary pressures may intensify this year as a result of a number of factors impacting on the supply side of the economy. He listed the variables as trade policy issues, high energy cost, high tariff on rice, the proposed ban on fish importation and the upward review on vehicle tariffs.

    Also, the National Vice Chairman of Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Mr Duro Kuteyi in a telephone interview, said the industrial sector may not experience growth except there is a proper overhaul and improvement in electricity supply.

    Like his LCCI counterpart, Kuteyi regretted that the current practice of fixed electricity billing is detrimental to the survival and growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs), saying the operational environment is already a disinsentive to the sector. He said: “On the average, small scale industrialists pay about N50,000 monthly to meet their electricity needs, instead of the current N186,000 they are charged. These unused charges have adversely affected profit and stunted growth.”

    We therefore call for direct government intervention to see that the reform in the sector takes care of phantom billings.

    Director –General (LCCI) Mr. Muda Yusuf said manufactures are still burdened with the high cost of electricity generation and called for real reforms in the sector. He asked the new power sector investors to be meticulous in their operations especially in their billing system to ensure that manufacturers and individuals alike are only made to pay for what they consume. Yusuf warned that if the investors are allowed to fall into the pitfall of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the manufacturing sector cannot expect good report at the end of the year.