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Tag: workers

  • College workers urged to seek divine help against strike

    College workers urged to seek divine help against strike

    Workers on strike at the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo have been advised to seek divine intervention to bring it to an end.

    It would be recalled that the national bodies of the three workers unions in the institution under the aegis of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU); Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), declared a nation-wide strike about six months ago.

    To compel the Federal Government to address their grievances.

    The strike embarked upon by COEASU since December 18, last year, was hinged on the demand by the union, for the full implementation of the 2009/2010 agreement, signed with the Federal Government on the welfare of its members, and others as they affect academic activities in Colleges of Education in the country.

    The strike by SSUCOEN and NASU started two months after the COEASU strike. The development has taken its toll on the college as both academic and administrative activities have been seriously affected.

    Speaking during the recent monthly prayer meeting held  at the Olusegun Obasanjo Auditorium in the institution, a lecturer, Mr. Johnson Falade, said there was a need for workers to seek divine solution to the strike bring it to an end.

    Since human efforts are not yielding the desired result, Falade said recourse to God for solution, would be the best step to take to resolve the matter.

    He cited several biblical passages, including the book of Job chapter 20 verse 29 and advised the people not to relent in searching the words of God, adding that through such step, they would become more knowledgeable in His words.

  • ‘54m workers not registered with pension operators’

    ‘54m workers not registered with pension operators’

    The Chairman Pension Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) Misbahu Yola has said out of about 60 million workers in Nigeria, only six million workers are registered under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

    Yola, who is also the Managing Director Legacy Pension Managers Limited, said this creates a huge gap of over 50 million workers that are yet to be registered under the new scheme.

    He said the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have a lot of work to do to make sure that employers register their employees as required by the Pension Reform Act, 2004.

    Yola said it took some time for the operators to accumulate the N4.3 trillion pension assets.

    On how the funds are invested, he said they cannot invest all the money in infrastructure as expected by some people.

    He said: “If we invest all the money in infrastructure, then how will we pay the retirees when they come? There is also a structure laid down by PenCom on what percentage of the money is invested.

    “The CPS has an in-built safety mechanism that ensures adequate protection of contributors’ fund and we as the operators are properly regulated to ensure funds are invested in secured investment windows.

    Managing Director First Pension Custodian Limited, Kunle Jinadu, noted that the funds deposited with the custodians are safe.

    He said his firm’s priority is to ensure that contributors derive benefits from the scheme at retirement.

    He said as a custodian, they have deployed safety mechanisms in ensuring that good governance is implemented around the pension fund.

    ‘’This is something we have done under this pension regime that has brought some reduced noise about people and their pension contribution, he said.

    “The custodian with whom I work in the creation of the law which brought about creating safety verve for the funds is for us to make sure that the funds are available for investment and payment of pensions to retirees.

    “Our role is to ensure that the fund does not end up in wrong project or wrong hands. Every custodian is made to guarantee all the funds. At First Custodian, which is part of the First Bank Group, we hold a percentage of the funds and irrespective of the PFA who is in charge of managing the funds, we, as a PFC, is responsible for that portion of fund in our custody.

    “We guarantee lawyers and the general public that the primary objective in this current regime is to ensure the funds are safe. We don’t have a problem with creating investment windows but we insist that the number one principle is that the assets are safe. So, when the PFA is migrating into infrastructure, etc, there must be an enabling environment that will enable me as a custodian to hold control of the investment such that it does not disappear into wrong places”, he added.

  • Managing your satellite workers productively

    Managing your satellite workers productively

    To be able to achieve business goals, managers need to build effective teams. They also need to define success in terms of the overall team performance and allow people to be responsible for the work they do. They need to provide their team members with necessary information and effectively coordinate subordinates to achieve productivity and profitability.

    Coordination

    Building effective teams has always been one of the challenges most managers face. One of the strategies of building effective teams is to effectively coordinate team members that are off-site. Without proper coordination, teams that are miles apart may not be able to work together productively. According to Jim Clemmer, the bestselling author of “Pathways to Performance” and “Growing the Distance”, “For all the big talk … and off-site strategy sessions, calling a group of people a team does not make it one. These groups are usually just a collection of individuals from the same department who meet periodically….”

     

    Challenge

    When it comes to employee management, coordinating or managing satellite or off-site employees is always a challenge. But strong relationships and clearly outlined expectations make off-site workers part of a successful whole.

    Dr. David Javitch, an organisational psychologist and president of Javitch Associates, an organisational consulting firm in Newton, Massachusetts, says mergers and acquisitions, plus flexible time and multiple work sites, have created the need for alternative work situations and in many cases this means off-site teams. In the electronic age, employees at different sites can be connected by e-mail, fax, telephone and web- conferencing. Whether your employees are working at a different plant, factory, office building or simply from home, addressing the issue of satellite staff is vital to your business’s success.

     

    Suitable employees

    The employees best suited for off-site work are energetic and independent self-starters who do not need an on-site supervisor. They must be assertive enough to speak up, state views and ask for assistance before situations become critical. In addition, they must be self-critical workers who can evaluate their own work and know when contributions of others are needed. They must voluntarily seek advice from others without fear of appearing incompetent or unprofessional. And most importantly, they must be able to create their own work day and schedule without the structure of a formal eight-hour day.

     

    Probable challenges

    Challenges can manifest when an organisation has satellite offices. First, off-site workers sometimes complain that they do not feel like part of the overall team, that the spirit of oneness does not exist in them because of the physical separation between offices. Also, developing a rapport between subordinates and supervisor can be difficult since the latter is not on-site. As a result, it is easy for deadlines to go unmet. Unsupervised workers can become distracted and lazy about. “Out of sight, out of mind”, you would say. An off-site worker’s work may not be considered or valued as highly as that of on-site worker. And finally, without an externally imposed structured day, work performance can suffer.

     

    Strategies

    But there are solutions to these challenges to ensure that your offsite employees’ productivity and success do not diminish. To start with, human-resource-management experts say you must clearly communicate your expectations to remote workers, including key milestones and deadlines. The milestones should be firm and short-term to ensure that work is acceptable, timely and coordinated with on-site employees. “Feedback on progress should be specific, measurable, timely and action-oriented. Above all, your remote workers should feel that they can easily seek out a supervisor for advice, counsel and input,” says Javitch.

     

    Clarity of goals

    To further ensure accountability, goals must be clearly stated and written to guarantee agreement between or among parties. Starting off on the wrong foot or in an inappropriate direction can spell doom, especially when working at different sites. In addition to goals, agreed-upon standards and level of quality will help to eliminate any doubt about what is required. Reporting relationships also should be outlined; each employee must clearly understand to whom he or she reports. Having the line of authority and responsibility clear greatly improves the intensity, effectiveness and quality of the reporting relationships.

     

    • Communication

    The final aspect of off-site management to consider is communication. Communication is one of the key elements of building relationships in the workplace. Jenny Kerwin, a contributing writer for Interactive Quality Solutions says partnering for performance is centred on building relationships and communication is one of the key elements to building relationships. Tools for building relationships through communication may be easier than you might think. Communicate to foster relationships.

    Often, electronic mail (e-mail) is the easiest and the quickest way to communicate. However, it can make expression of emotion difficult and can lead even to misinterpretation. For instance, somebody who is always brief in e-mails may be seen as rude to a friendlier co-worker, while a well-intended joke may lose its intention and be regarded as an insult by the recipient.

     

    Last words

    To properly coordinate your teams through communication, the most effective means of sending and receiving messages is a combination of regularly-scheduled telephone conference calls; video- and web-conferencing; e-mails; faxes, etc. While the visual component can help facilitate personal relationships, nothing can replace face-to-face meetings. Therefore, ensure that face-to-face meetings are regularly scheduled so that you can get the best from your onsite and offsite workers and achieve high level of productivity and profitability.

    Till we meet on Wednesday.

     

     

    •GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Certified Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant.

    Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425

    Email: gokeiles2010@gmail.com

    Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com

  • NLC shelves proposed strike in Edo

    Edo chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has shelved its planned industrial action scheduled to  have commenced on Monday.

     The decision to suspend the strike was contained in a communique arived at after an enlarged state executive council session of the union on Monday.

     The  Edo NLC  had planned the strike in agitation of salary relativity, payment of the arrears of 10.5 percent Teachers Salary Allawance (TSA), release of promotions among others.

     The union had last December called workers in the state for strike which was suspended after three days following the intervention of the Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa.

     The state NLC chairman, Mr Emmanuel Ademokun had said there was on going back back on the strike slated for Monday until all their demands were met.

     The communique noted that the government has made an offer to meet the request of organised labour in relation to the 53.37 per cent salary relativity in question.

     Its stated  that labour has made a counter offer, adding that a collective bargaining ensuedwhich willl lead to concrete agreement that would be beneficial to all workers in the state has ensued.

     Meanwhile, NLC in suspending the strike action, called for urgent implementation of weighing Allowance  for media workers in the state.

     Labour has also thrown its weight behind teachers in the state by supporting their decision not to write the planned assessment test proposed for all teachers in the state by the state government.

  • Edo workers threaten strike over 920 sacked teachers

    Edo workers threaten strike over 920 sacked teachers

    WORKERS in Edo State have given Governor Adams Oshiomhole up to Friday next week to recall the 920 teachers he sacked last December over allegation of incompetency or face their wrath.

    Apart from reversing the competency test, which the government gave as a condition for recalling the teachers, the workers’ unions are also urging Oshiomhole to implement the Teachers Enhanced Allowance (TEA) to avoid a show down.

    At a meeting with the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), its Deputy President, Comrade Nelson Onem noted that it was government’s responsibility to take care of teachers, give them better salary structures to make them productive.

    The state government had sacked the teachers after a verification showed that they either falsified their age or were found wanting in some areas. During the exercise, some of the teachers were discovered to have completed primary school before they were born, some completed at the age of three and a particular teacher could not read when asked to do so by Oshiomhole.

    The sack came at Christmas period. The names of the affected teachers were yanked off the government’s payroll. The teachers backed by its umbrella union insisted not to participate in the test. The government, which earlier put off the test scheduled to hold in three centres across the three senatorial districts in the state, has, however, reversed itself.

    Efforts by the NUT to get the government to recall their colleagues were not successful as the former insisted that the affeced teachers must write the test if they want their disengagement reviewed.

    However, the teachers are afraid that the test would lead to job loss for those who either performed below average or fail.

    Onem said: “If you say you are not writing the test, we will support you. We are fully in support of your struggles.”

    Chairman, Edo State Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, who issued the ultimatum, said labour was against the test, which he described, as a ploy to reduce the teachers’ workforce in the state.

    “We are solidly behind you. If you go on strike, we will go on strike. The competency test is an avenue for the government to reduce the numbers of teachers in the state. We want the government to recall the sacked teachers and fully implement the Teachers Enhanced Allowance.

    “The government started verification with primary school teachers and discovered that 920 teachers falsified their documents. The governor agreed to recall them and the issue of competency test came which the teachers have refused to write.The government said without the test the issue of 920 teachers will not be reviewed. The government agreed to set up a committee to sort out those due for retirement and it was extended to the core civil servants, including parastatals.

    “We gave the government up to February 28 to recall those teachers or we embark on indefinite strike from first week of March.”

    At various fora, Oshiomhole explained that the proposed test was not to witch-hunt anybody but to ensure that pupils in the state have a sound basic primary and junior secondary education.

    Oshiomhole, who declared that he has no apology for the affected teachers, noted that only those incompetent to teach should be afraid of the test.

    At a meeting with some groups, Oshiomhole said: “I now find that the key element that would define the outcome is the teacher and the NUT is not willing to let us carry out this competency test. The teachers still earn what is called the Teachers Special Allowance.

    “A level 12 teacher earns more than a civil servant. This is in recognition of the importance we attach to education. We are not getting what we should get. God will punish me if as governor of this state, who has been so favoured by every person in terms of the number of votes I got from the local government areas, that I knowingly dumped the Edo child on teachers who will not impart knowledge in them.”

     

  • Pensioners, workers’ benefits covered in Lagos budget

    Pensioners, workers’ benefits covered in Lagos budget

    Lagos State provided for pension payments and retirement benefits of workers in this year’s budget, the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pension, Mrs Florence Oguntuase, has said.

    She told reporters in Lagos that the budgetary provision would ensure that pensioners and workers did not suffer before they access their pensions. It will also ensure that the state did not default in payment.

    She said there are 34, 000 pensioners in the state, adding that all of them have been adequately provided for. She, however, said some parastatals that have not been able to present full documentation of their pensioners may have to wait a little more to get paid.

    She scolded the affected parastatals for not living up to expectations in terms of documentation, noting that the pre-retirement trainings and input by the Lagos State Pension Commission will end the problem.

    She urged would-be retirees to be prepared for retirement by been prudent in the management of their resources.

    “The budget that is being set aside consists of both the salaries of the workers as well as pensioners. We have made adequate provisions in the annual budget out of which we will pay salaries as well as pension.

    “Over all we have about 34,000 pensioners throughout the state and all of them have been adequately provided for. Before now, Lagos State has never defaulted in paying its workers’ salaries, or pensions and we will never default,” she said.

    The Lagos State House of Assembly approved a budget of N489. 690 billion for the 2014 fiscal year out of which N234.6 billion is for recurrent expenditure.

  • PTI fetes 233 long serving workers

    THE Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State has honoured 233 long serving members of staff during the fourth edition of its Long Service Award.

    Acting Principal/Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Nnenna Dennar, said at the event at the PTI conference centre that the workers rewarded put in between 10 and 35 years at the institute.

    She praised their contributions to the development of the institute, saying they were worthwhile.

    She said: “The honour you are earning demands greater commitment and more efforts to the realisation of the objectives and aims of the PTI.

    “It is worthy to mention that PTI, for 41 years, has been a hub of petroleum expertise with a notable reputation for providing high quality technical education and research in Petroleum-related disciplines. It has continued to develop competent technical manpower that is driving the wheels of the oil and gas sector in the country.

    “You will agree with me that there is cause to celebrate; as the institute has recorded immense feats in meeting the Federal Government’s aims and objectives of establishing it.”

    She praised the workers for helping the institute to computerise its registration and checking of entrance examination result, as well as the training of 260 youths in collaboration with UNDP/UNOPS, urging them to continue giving their best.

    “I urge you to seize this esteemed opportunity to consolidate your service to the strategic development of the institute. In spite of these successes, there is still a lot to be done. As you are aware, the oil and gas sector is undergoing a very aggressive reformation and competition from similar institutions with ours. We must rise up to surmount these challenges and to play active role to meet the yearnings of our regulators and the oil and gas sector. I therefore, implore you to be creative and bring your wealth of experiences to bear on the job. We must evolve new training techniques in line with global best practice to move the PTI to the next level,” she said.

    The principal also thanked the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), and others for their support to the institute.

     

  • Workers block UNN’s resumption

    Workers block UNN’s resumption

    Last November, the host-community of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) protested its alleged neglect by the institution. Now, the workers have risen up against the university over the removal of the Pro-chancellor and Governing Council Chairman, Dr Emeka Enejere. The action has stalled the resumption of the university, which, like others, was shut for over five months during the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike. KINGSLEY AMATANWEZE (500-Level Metallurgical and Material Engineering) and FESTUS IYORAH (200-Level Mass Communication) report.

    ALL was set for the resumption of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu State last Monday.

    Students had arrived on campus at the weekend and the freshers, among them, were looking forward to their registration and clearance that Monday.

    Then it happened. Workers stormed the campus to protest what they called the “unjust removal” of the Pro-chancellor and Governing Council Chairman, Dr Emeka Enejere, by the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.

    It was the second protest in two months. The first in December, last year, was by members of the institution’s host community, who complained of “neglect”.

    The protesters also condemned “arbitrariness” of the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Bartho Okolo, in running the university.

    Trouble started when Wike’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, announced Enejere’s suspension on his principal’s order on December 17.

    Although, no reason was given for the action, some workers believe the VC influenced it.

    Enejere was appointed eight months ago.

    Condemning Enejere’s suspension, the workers protested the following day, threatening to prevent the school’s resumption if Enejere was not reinstated.

    When the institution resumed on January 3, the workers held a procession to remind the management about their demand.

    Last Monday, the protesters were joined by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

    They gathered at the Freedom Square on the main campus under the banner of Joint Action Committee (JAC). The demonstration began at 8am with prayers. Teaching was affected as lecturers trooped to the protest ground.

    A worker, who simply gave his name as Tony, accused ASUU members for taking side with the management. It was learnt that an ASUU official sent a message to members not to join the action.

    Addressing the protesters, ASUU chairman Dr Ifeanyichukwu Abada, who dismissed the text message, said the union had no reason not to join the protest. He urged the workers to continue the protest until their demand was met, adding: “Since what we are demanding is justice, our protest must also be peaceful.”

    Describing Enejere as a hero, Agada said: “The man who came in to restore the dignity of man was unjustly removed. We are asking that an inquiry be constituted immediately by the Federal Government to unravel the crises rocking this university. There is a lot of corruption, injustice and irregularities going on in this school. And we (workers) are saying enough is enough.

    “The Governing Council has not even worked for one year and the chairman is suspended. How can you suspend somebody without stating what the person has done wrong? How can you suspend somebody without telling him what he has done and then telling him to write apology letter? Is it done anywhere? How can you cut workers’ salaries? Is it not criminality? These were what the Governing Council was working against. Dr Enejere did a nice job and workers are happy. The workers are protesting that the right thing should be done and the man should be returned.”

    His SSANU counterpart, Mr Paul Obododike, said: “We are pressing our demands; those arbitrariness and irregularities should stop in the administration of UNN.”

    Obododike explained why the union boycotted a meeting convened by the VC last Sunday. He said: “A meeting was convened yesterday by 9pm. When one man is running out for his life, some of us will also run out for our lives. The university has Nsukka as its main base. I don’t know why a meeting should be convened in Enugu, so that they could round us up and put us in prison. So we said we will not accept; let the VC convene the meeting here in Nsukka. If he said this place is hostile to him, then Enugu is hostile to us. This is the reason why we did not attend the meeting.”

    The non-academic staff also showed solidarity with the struggle. NASU, through its chairman, Mr Godfrey Ugwu, said the protest must continue until their demands are met. “This protest is for a purpose and the purpose is to return Dr Enejere to his position; a panel must be set up to probe how the school is run by the present administration,” Ugwu said.

    On the fate of students as the workers shut down the campus, Abada said: “It is not within our power to ask the students not to come to school; it is the prerogative of the university to do that. We are only protesting arbitrariness in the university; we are not on strike.”

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited the VC’s office, our correspondents were turned back by the security personnel, who said he was not in the office.

    The students are lamenting the effect of the protest on their academic programmes. Freshers’ registration and clearance have been suspended.

    Stephen Onyeka, 100-Level Electrical Engineering student, said he was unhappy with the development. He said: “It appears getting a degree is becoming difficult in Nigeria; even after we have been at home for five months because of ASUU strike.”

    Florence Udeh, a 100-Level English and Literary Studies student, pleaded with the protesters to consider the students’ future. She said: “Because of the protest, we could not continue with our registration. There was nobody to attend to us. They should resolve the issue peacefully because we are already tired.”

     

  • ‘Varsities need competent workers to survive’

    ‘Varsities need competent workers to survive’

    No fewer than 1,000 administrators from different universities participated in this year’s national conference organised by the Association of Nigerian University Professional Administrators (ANUPA) with the theme: Emerging issues and global best practices in university administration.

    The conference, which lasted for four days, was held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan. It afforded administrators the opportunity to chart a new course in university management.

    Chairman of the UI branch, Mr Tijani Musa, said the conference was timely as higher education in the country required competent manpower for effective administration.

    ‘’This year’s edition of the annual conference will provide a platform to set standards and keep pace with global trends. As a matter of fact, the conference is crucial and apt, especially as it aimed at improving our professional skills to be better university administrators,’’ he said.

    The National President of the association, Mr Samuel Nwansat, said the choice of this year’s conference became imperative due to the need to enable administrators to adapt to dynamics of the fast changing learning environment. He added that lack of continuity a major problem of the association, saying that it was disheartening that the association, which began some decades ago, was yet to have its national secretariat and official bus.

    The keynote speaker, Prof Ayo Banjo, in his presentation titled: ‘Global best practices in university administration,’’ said he was impressed with the commitment of members to professionalism.

    The former UI vice-chancellor noted that the pursuit of excellence was the hallmark of any serious academic community.

    ‘’A good university requires a crop of good administrators. Professional administrators in our universities should endeavour to keep themselves abreast of global best practices through rigorous training,’’ he said.

    The Deputy Governor of Osun State, Mrs Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, was the special guest of honour at the event.

    The Oloyo Cultural Ensemble entertained participants by showcasing rich Ibadan cultural dance. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Isaac Adewole had offered a dancer and drummer in the dance group scholarships to study at the university.

    The Director of Public Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, described the scholarships as a way of encouraging talented youths.

    Some of the presentations at the conference included: Nature of and strategies for dealing with workplace discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases by Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Human Virology in Abuja, Dr Patrick Dakum; Managing service delivery: linking strategy to operations by Chief Mojisola Ladipo.

    The event was attended by Dr Ade Abolurin, the Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); Ayo Ogunruku, former Registrar, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife; Mr Olujinmi Olukoya, Registrar, University of Ibadan.

  • We have paid PHCN workers, says BPE boss

    We have paid PHCN workers, says BPE boss

    The Federal Government has paid all the 40,696 verified staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Benjamin Dikki, has said.

    He said the payments were made in accordance with the October 31 agreement reached between the workers and the Federal Government, “that the issue of all severance benefits should be completed by (today) Friday, 15th November, 2013.”

    Dikki, insisted that the workers have  received their severance benefits, explaining that their retirement component has been credited to their Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA).

    He said: “We have paid every PHCN staff who has gone through a  verification process, who has been authenticated to be a bonafide PHCN staff, we have done a biometric capture of them.

    “They are about 40,696 who have been so verified and we have paid them both the severance package and the retirement component that goes into the retirement savings accounts. All those have been done,” he stressed.

    The BPE boss however admitted that there were issues in the Enugu Distribution Company whose workers’ data was corrupted, but is now rectified for remittance of benefits to their accounts in the next few days, adding that there are 2500 casual workers, whose status and documents government is still authenticating.

    He said: “Those we have verified, the agreement was that casual workers will be made permanent and pensionable, and all those who have authentic papers, we have regularised their employment and paid them.”

    Dikki said that the 2500 are the ones that BPE has not verified, stressing that BPE is waiting for the successor companies that engaged them to bring the necessary documents for authentication and payment.

    While commenting on the issue, the National President, National Association of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Comrade Mansur Musa, said that government has stopped payment, arguing that government has not fulfilled its own part of the pact. He urged the authority to conclude the workers’payment so as to put all the labour matters regarding the privatisation of PHCN to rest.

    His words: “So far the government has been paying and what we noticed is that the payment has stopped. And they have promised to complete payment by tomorrow and also some aspect of it by the end of this month.

    “ We are not comfortable with the way payments are going and we have already sent our representation to government. We are asking them to honour our own agreement, if they wouldn’t want us to have issues with them. They have to stick to our agreement so that we can conclude on this labour issue.”

    Meanwhile, the Federal, states, and local governments, which are the shareholders of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), have asked the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to reinvest the proceeds from the sales of the 10 power plants in the power sector.

    The Managing Director, (NDPHC), Mr. James Olutu said: “We are already on the verge of privatising the power generation plants that we are building. What we will be able to get from this privatisation, our shareholders- the three tiers of government have approved that the money be reinvested on power.”

    He said the NDPHC is developing about 10 power plants in hydro that require cooperation with the Ministry of Power, Water Resources and other relevant agencies to ensure that there is over 6000 Mega Watts from hydro.

    He said the company would earmark $1.8billion for electricity transmission in view of the 16,000 mega watts projection.