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  • Council boss invests in workers’ health

    Council boss invests in workers’ health

    • By Elizabeth Ebiniyi

    The Chairman of Eredo Local Council Development Area of Lagos, Monsuru Akinloye, said he has invested in the health of the council workers  to enhance their productivity.

    Akinloye said this during at an interactive session with reporters in Eredo.

    He said the measure became necessary because most workers hardly knew their health status, resulting in low productivity.

    “Investing in workers’ health will boost productivity, increase performance and give them a healthier lifestyle and sense of belonging,” he said.

    According to him, the council partnered Greenworld Organic Products to carry out comprehensive medical checks on 50 workers and also bought organic products worth millions of naira for them.

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    Akinloye, who reaffirmed the saying that “health is wealth”, argued that the workers would not perform optimally when they are not healthy.

    “Workers welfare cannot be compromised,” he said.

    He attributed his administration’s success to the cooperation and support of the members of staff of the council.

    He described the workers as disciplined, dedicated and highly committed, while urging them to endeavour to boost the council’s internally-generated revenue.

    The council boss promised that his administration would sustain its investment in the workers by motivating them for optimal performance.

    He further said the council would continue to prioritise workers’ welfare by creating a conducive working environment for them.

  • Fed Govt moves to stop salaries of 17,000 workers

    Fed Govt moves to stop salaries of 17,000 workers

    • Union calls for calm

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged federal workers who failed to participate in the last verification to remain calm.

    The union spoke against the backdrop of Federal Government’s plan to stop the salary of 17,000 unverified workers. 

    The affected workers allegedly failed to upload their credentials into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) portal for verification.

    The Nation gathered that the affected workers may not receive their September salary from the Federal Government. 

    But ASCSN National President Tommy Okon said there were some discrepancies in the IPPIS verification process.

    The union leader claimed that the names of some Personal Assistants (PAs), Special Advisers (SAs) and, in some cases, ministers who had served in successive governments, were found in the portal.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, Okon criticised members of the union, especially genuine civil servants who he said feigned ignorance about the verification while it lasted.

    The union leader noted that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHoSF) had given a week’s grace for affected employees who were erroneously omitted from the IPPIS portal to forward their documents for update, provided they had genuine cases.

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    He said: “We called your attention to what we heard or information at our disposal. Just a few days ago, we received information that over 17,000 workers in the core civil service did not carry out the online verification, which was done by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation. 

    “Quickly, we swung into action to interface with the government through the HoSF. By that singular act, there was need for us to talk to our members. That informed the reasons, because we have seen a lot of apprehensions from our members receiving several phone calls. Then, we also looked at the timing because of the social economic challenges.

    “We went deep into the documents where we also realised that even in some government agencies, we realised that the names of PAs, SAs and some ministers were included in the IPPIS portal, whereas those people were political office holders in their own rights in various regimes.”

    Okon said a committee had been constituted in the Office of the HoSF to handle such cases.

    The union leader advised those with genuine complaints and had initially done the online verification on the IPPIS portal to submit a scanned copy of their documents to the email that had been provided.

    He said the one-week deadline given by the HoSF to fully comply with the verification was rather too short.

    According to him, the government should magnanimously extend the deadline because of the rigours involved. 

    Okon said: “You know it is always said that when you want to kill a dog, you give it a bad name. That, maybe, justifies the inclusion of SAs, PAs to the ‘bad names’. They came up with claims that civil servants don’t come to work; that they just sit down at home and collect salaries. We said capital NO to that. “This information is very important to our members. We are calling all our members to remain calm because the HoSF is doing her best to see that those workers who were genuinely captured and verified with evidence of clearance will be brought back to the payroll.”

  • Govt entices workers with wage award to stop strike

    Govt entices workers with wage award to stop strike

    • Lalong: give us time
    • NLC NEC meets to decide

    Workers will soon be given wage award, Minister of Labour and Employment Simon Lalong said yesterday.

    According to him, with this plan at the point of execution, there should be no need for Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to go on strike.

    The minister explained that the wage award, which may be made public as soon as next week by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is one of the conditions given by the NLC, to avert the strike plan.

    Lalong said the second condition, which is the release of detained officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), as a result of the ongoing crisis in the union, which is an affiliate of the NLC, had been effected by the police.

    The minister appealed to the NLC leadership to shelve the strike. He made the plea when he received the leadership of the NURTW, led Ibikunle Baruwa in Abuja.

    A ministry official privy to the meeting said that Lalong assured that the government was determined to resolve all pending issues raised by workers.   

     The official said: “The day Labour came, they put two issues on the front burner – wage award and the release of the NURTW members.

    “He has delivered on one. He spoke to labour to give him more time as discussions were ongoing.

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    “The minister told labour that the President and Finance Minister Wale Edun  were not in the country. The minister asked for one week when there will be a pronouncement on wage award but Labour said it can’t wait because the President works and can give directives anywhere he is in the world.”

    He added: “What can the minister do other than to beg Labour not to embark on the planned strike?”

    The National Executive Council of the NLC will meet today on the planned strike.

    The other demands made by the NLC to cushion the effects of the May 29  subsidy removal are tax exemptions and allowances to public sector workers, provision of Compressed Natural Gas buses, the release of modalities for the N70 billion for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government.

    Labour also wants a stop to the  increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salaries of university teachers and workers as well as the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT).

    Director, Press and Public Relations of the    Labour and Employment Ministry  Olajide Oshundun, said that Lalong reaffirmed that industrial harmony remained key to the socio-economic development of any nation. The minister urged   labour unions  to work in synergy with the  government in moving the country forward

    Oshundun confirmed that securing the release of the detained NURTW members was one of the demands of the NLC at its meeting with the minister last week.

    He added that  Baruwa appreciated the efforts of the minister and Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha for facilitating the release of the affected members.

    The two Labour centres – NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) took the government to task following the stoppage of subsidy on petrol.

    They said the effect of the removal was too harsh and demanded that something to cushion them. The governments at the federal and states came up with palliatives.

    On August 17, the Federal Government, through the National Economic Council (NEC) approved the release of N5 billion each to the 36 states to cushion the pain of subsidy removal.

    The money, designed partly as grants and loans from the Federal Government, was to be used to buy rice, maize and fertilisers for farmers.

    It was also to cover other measures as may be deemed necessary by the governments in the states.

    The government has released the first tranche of the facility (N2 billion each) to the states.

    But displeased with arrangement, the NLC called its members out on a warning strike on September 5 and 6, after which it issued a 21-day auditorium to the government. The TUC and its members opted out of the two-day warning protest.

    The ultimatum expired last Friday.

    Before the two-day warning strike, Lalong said that the government was addressing the concerns of the Labour unions and Nigerians.

    He asked for more time for the government to implement the palliative measures and address other issues.

    According to him, the strike could reverse the gains already made by the government in securing a better future for Nigerians.

  • Don’t shield erring contractors, commissioner warns workers

    Don’t shield erring contractors, commissioner warns workers

    Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, has warned officials of the ministry, especially those going for projects inspection, not to cover up any contractor found wanting in executing state projects.

    Akinderu-Fatai said this while addressing the workers at a meeting on resumption duty after his inauguration by Governor Babajide Sanwo–Olu.

    He enjoined the technical staff to bring to the attention of the state government any contractor found using inferior or low-quality building materials for government housing projects, saying, “it is the responsibility of every worker to ensure the safety and durability of every house delivered to the people “.

    The commissioner urged the workers  to align themselves with the spirit of the new administration by embracing the virtues of hard work, honesty and selflessness, among others.

    He called on management and staff to rededicate themselves to duty and support the current administration.

    to actualise the THEME Plus agenda of the Governor Sanwo-Olu administration.

    Akinderu–Fatai said although the housing sector has attained great strides in housing delivery, more zest is required to ensure the transformational journey progresses.

    He said the current administration is committed to changing the narrative of gross housing deficit and inadequate shelter through diverse strategies, which include utilisation of innovative building designs such as vertical construction of more homes as well as greater collaboration with private investors.

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    He urged the workers to be ready to make sacrifices by putting in their best to actualise the ideas and innovations, which would promote and deliver more homes to Lagosians.

    Permanent Secretary, Kamar Olowoshago, said all hands would  be on deck to increase housing stocks in the state.

    He also promised to discipline any worker who violates the established rules and regulations, while wishing the commissioner giant strides as he leads the team towards achieving the goals of more decent homes for all Lagosians.

  • Abia denies sacking 10,000 workers

    Abia denies sacking 10,000 workers

    Abia State Government has debunked the news that it has sacked 10,000 workers. 

    Information and Culture Commissioner Prince Okey Kanu made the clarification in an interview with reporters in Umuahia. 

    He said what happened was that some ghost workers were removed from the payroll of the government.

    Kanu added that some workers, whose names were thrown up during the verification embarked on by the government as illegally-employed, were affected too. 

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    He said: “This group comprised those who were illegally-employed from December 2022 till March and April this year, long after the current governor had been declared as the duly elected governor of Abia State.”

    The commissioner said some of the affected workers had their appointment letters backdated. 

    He said their employment was surreptitious and a bait with which to pile underserved pressure on the then incoming administration of Dr. Otti, adding that no responsible government would allow such a situation to subsist.

    Kanu said there were no waivers applied in those subject employments as well, noting that there were officially-established processes for employment into the civil service in Abia State.

    He said such processes were not followed with regards “to these employments.”

    He reiterated the governor’s resolve to pay arrears of salary and pension.

  • Workers have role to play in regional integration, says Odesanya

    Workers have role to play in regional integration, says Odesanya

    Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Regional Integration and DAWN, Lanre Odesanya has urged workers to recognise their roles in Southwest Integration and development.

    He also re-echoed the fact that workers’ rights fell within the larger framework of human liberty.

    Odesanya, a former House of Assembly member and immediate past secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, said trade unions have always been the cornerstone of progress in the state, region and the country.

    He added: “Trade Union Congress (TUC) has pioneered the ground for economic integration and prosperity across our beloved Southwest through relentless efforts and devotion to workers’ welfare. The union has crossed frontiers, uniting people from all walks of life and establishing solidarity without borders.”

    The special adviser delivered a keynote address titled: “Uniting for Progress: Trade Unions, Workers’ Rights and Development in Southwest Nigeria” at the Lagos TUC annual training programme held at ASSBIFI Event Centre, Ikeja.

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    Odesanya said the annual training is an opportunity to hone workers’ abilities and skills to further strengthen the foundation on which Southwest’s development is built and formulate achievable solutions to developmental challenges.

     He said the Trade Union Congress (TUC) is expected to play critical roles in regional integration and development, contributing to both economic and social advancement.

     Odesanya implored the TUC to contribute to stable workforce growth through meaningful advocacy for fair wages and working conditions, thereby promoting harmonious employer-employee relations.

     He said the union should continue to provide training and capacity-building programmes for workers, promote social justice and encourage policies that aid the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

     Odesanya added:”All these are essential for regional development. Our shared future necessitates collaboration, conquering differences and accepting our diversity.

     “Trade unions are the vision’s torchbearers, championing the cause of workers throughout regions and bridging the gap between aspiration and achievement.

    “The belief that workers’ rights are human rights is core to our existence as a state and as a region. The dignity of a person is tied to their ability to earn a livelihood in a safe and fair environment. We must continue to fight for this freedom.

    “TUC must be the voice of reason, the defender of justice, and the champion of fairness in the face of hardship. We must remember that employees’ rights are non-negotiable, and our Governor, His Excellency Babajide Sanwo-Olu shares this belief by implementing policies that provide the best workplace for all of us to prosper and a favourable environment for our businesses to thrive.”

    “Lagos serves as the economic engine, a hub of innovation, and a symbol of what can be achieved when a region has a unity of purpose. The Trade Union Congress (TUC), Lagos Council, has been instrumental in shaping this success story, advocating for policies that benefit workers and the community.”

  • ‘Why workers should have savings’

    ‘Why workers should have savings’

    Many workers are unaware of the goal of pension, as they misconstrue it for the income they can have access to and use for various business ventures, build or buy a house, or expend on other commodities.

    They are unaware that pension is a regular income received by a person at retirement when he or she stopped working having reached a certain age or based on health condition to cater for his or her needs at old age.

    They are also unaware that pension savings is just one out of many savings they should have.

    The Director-General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs Aisha Dahir, clears the air on the misinformation.

    She said unlike pension savings, workers could only spend personal savings after retirement.

    She said public saving, which is what the Nigerian Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) stands for, binds workers under law to compulsorily save for retirement.

    She pointed out that governments all over the world compel workers to save for their retirement through various pension schemes to avert old age poverty and destitution, adding that this is why the government introduced Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2004, repealed by PRA 2014 which established the CPS. 

    She noted that the CPS remains a major form of savings for workers, advising them to  imbibe other saving cultures.

    They also need to understand that pension savings is strictly for basic needs at old age.

    Mrs. Dahir-Umar said workers should consider supplementary retirement savings.

    She said: “While the CPS is a crucial component of retirement planning, exploring additional savings options such as savings accounts, real estate investments, and mutual funds can provide further financial security. It is imperative for workers to make other preparations for retirement as additional income, aside from pension, is desirable for retirees.

    “Preparing for retirement under the CPS requires proactivity, financial literacy, and discipline. Embracing these principles will benefit individuals and contribute to a stronger and more financially resilient society. 

    “Therefore, let us take charge of our financial future for a rewarding retirement,”she urged.

    The DG, however, advised the workers to take advantage of making Voluntary Contributions into their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) as enshrined under the CPS to increase their pension income upon retirement. 

    Objectives of CPS

    The DG further stated that the CPS empowers individuals to take control of their retirement planning. 

    She said: “It offers greater transparency and flexibility, allowing workers to monitor their retirement funds actively. Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) send Statement of Accounts to RSA holders periodically, entrenching the culture of transparency in the CPS. In addition, RSA holders are allowed to transfer their accounts from one PFA to another once in a year, giving them control over their pension funds.

    “The CPS instils a sense of ownership and personal responsibility, encouraging individuals to make informed decisions and adjust their savings accordingly. The PRA 2014 allows employers and employees to make additional contributions and even increase the minimum 10 per cent employer and eight per cent employee contribution. 

    “Another compelling advantage lies in the portability and mobility offered by the CPS. In today’s dynamic job market, where career changes and relocations are increasingly common, individuals require flexibility in managing their retirement savings. With contributory pensions, employees can seamlessly transfer their accumulated funds when changing jobs, ensuring continuous growth and uninterrupted savings accumulation. This mobility empowers workers to pursue new opportunities without sacrificing their retirement security.

    “Furthermore, the CPS promotes a fair and equitable distribution of retirement benefits. Under the defined benefits system, the pension payouts are often heavily skewed in favour of long-tenured employees. Sacked employees and those who worked less than a certain number of years end up without retirement benefits under defined benefits arrangements. This creates disparities and inequities within the pension system. In contrast, the contributory system ensures that retirement benefits are based on the individual’s contributions and investment returns, eliminating biases and promoting a more egalitarian approach to pension provision.”

    She continued: “PenCom developed strong investment guidelines underscoring fair returns and safety of pension funds. PFAs strictly adhere to these guidelines, ensuring steady growth of pension assets. As of June 2023, total pension assets stood at N16.8 trillion and still growing.

    “Noteworthy is that the defined benefits system carries its own risks, as demonstrated by numerous cases of pension funds facing significant shortfalls and delay in payments to retirees due to non-release of budgeted funds.” 

  • 60 SON workers get training

    No  fewer than 60 workers of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are receiving training on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Enugu.

    SON Director-General Mr. Osita Aboloma, represented by the Director of Human Resources, Mallam Usman Abdullahi, said the workers were being trained on efficient service delivery.

    He noted that the training would make them live above rudimentary mistakes intheir duties.

    Aboloma said: “The essence of this training is to improve the capacity of staff to deliver quality services and improve their relationship skills as they discharge their daily duty.

    “The training aimed at exploring other avenues to solve issues that concern enforcement of standards without necessarily going to the formal law courts.

    “The SON Act as amended had given SON the mandate to prosecute those that go against its mandate.

    “However, we feel that there should be other avenues apart from the courts that SON can easily achieve its mandate.

    “So, on this premise, SON is partnering with the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) to train some of its staff on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).’’

    According to him, the training would be beneficial to the agency’s enforcement and office workers.

    Also, a facilitator of the training, Ambassador Victor Ojaide, noted that the workers would get with ADR skills.

    Ojaide, who is also the Vice President (Training) of ICMC, said the training would enable workers understand how to settle issues harmoniously.

    “The ADR lessons will equip them on how to deal with issues and win trust and public confidence even as they discharge their duties.

    “The training will teach better ways of approaching issues and people even as they carry out their official mandates,’’ he said.

     

  • Ambode, UNILAG VC advise workers on retirement

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has said the society should show compassion to retirees and senior citizens, “because they have sacrificed their yesterday for our today.”

    He said: “Those who retired from the Lagos State Public Service have invaluable experience. For this reason, we must appreciate them. We may or may not know the challenges they have faced in life, but they have definitely gained experience worth respecting and learning from.”

    The governor, represented by Establishments, Training and Pensions Commissioner Dr. Benson Akintola, said his administration understood and appreciated the role public servants played in governance.

    He spoke yesterday in Ikeja at the opening session of a training for directors and those close to retirement.

    The workshop tagged: “Planning for Retirement: Pension Reforms in the Lagos State Public Service”, was organised by the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions and facilitated by Messrs. Human Capital Management & Solutions Ltd.

    Ambode said: “In order to attend to the needs of retirees, the government has approved a proposal to reach out to the retirees and impart to them, knowledge by experienced facilitators on how to cope with the challenges of retirement.”

    He said the seminar was organised for the civil servants and others in the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Teachers’ Establishment and Pensions Office (TEPO), parastatals and local governments, who would soon retire or have recently retired.

    The Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the training was important and timely.

    He said any worker who did not prepare for retirement would not have anything to fall back on later in life.

    Ogundipe hoped that with the way the government was planning for its workforce, none should suffer after retiring.

    He hailed the Ambode administration for the novel step.

     

  • Ambode to workers: prepare for retirement early

    LAGOS State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday urged civil servants to start preparing for retirement early.

    At a training for directors and senior civil servants in Ikeja on “How to prepare for life after retirement, especially the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme”, he said the government would always ensure that retirees got their due through the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions and  Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC).

    They will also continue to receive, through other agencies more support that will add value to their lives in retirement, he added.

    Ambode, represented by Establishment, Training and Pensions Commissioner Dr. Akintola Benson-Oke, emphasised the need to prioritise pensioners’ welfare because of its  ‘’moral, economic, strategic and social implications.”

    The training, he said, was designed to ensure that public servants, especially those nearing retirement, were trained so that they could prepare for the future.

    “The objectives of the Pension Reform Law are: to assist persons in the employ of the state government to save towards their retirement and ensure that people who leave or retire from the public service receive their terminal or retirement benefits as and when due,” Ambode said.

    The facilitator of the training, Prof. Pat Utomi of the Lagos Business School, said it was necessary for every civil servant to prepare for retirement.

    The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Rhoda Ayinde,  said the government organised the taining because of its  concern for its workers’ future.

    She said : “The government doesn’t want any of its workers to suffer during retirement, hence this training. We all know what retirement is all about. This is why the Governor Ambode administration wants us to have enough training before we retire so that we can prepare adequately.’’