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Federal Government Meets Labour Leaders As Nationwide Strike Begins

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8 months ago

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The Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Simon Lalong, has convened a meeting with labour leaders as the nationwide strike begins.

Report has it that leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress are expected at the meeting holding on Tuesday (today).

A source, according to The Punch, said “The minister has convened a meeting with the Labour leaders for Tuesday”.

The labour unions had, on Monday, ordered their affiliates to withdraw their services nationwide from midnight on November 14, 2023.

TUC President, Festus Osifo, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja..

Osifo said the strike would remain until “government at all levels wake up to their responsibility.”

The strike is also to protest the battering of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and some other executives of the congress in Owerri, Imo State, on November 1, as well as the pending labour issues in Imo State.

Ajaero was arrested by the police ahead of a state-wide protest in Imo, as disclosed by the NLC’s Head of Information, Benson Upah.

Although the police denied arresting Ajaero, stating that he was merely taken into protective custody to prevent a mob attack, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, accused the labour leader of meddling in the political affairs of the state.

The NLC and TUC later wrote their affiliates such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, National Union of Electricity Employees, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics among others ahead of the nationwide strike.

The letter to the affiliates was jointly signed by the National Secretary, NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaja and the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Nuhu Toro.

The letter read, “In furtherance to the decision of the Joint National Executive Council of NLC and TUC, all workers in Nigeria are hereby directed to withdraw their services effective 12 midnight today, November 13, 2023.

“Consequently, all affiliates and state councils of NLC/TUC are directed to issue circulars for maximum compliance and these circulars be made available to the National Secretariats or posted to the NEC and WC Whatsapp platforms.

“While we shall update you with developments as they unfold, do remain assured of our commitment to Nigerian workers and people.”

Meanwhile, the Presidency has described the planned strike as an attempt to blackmail the government.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Monday said the planned action is an abuse of privilege and one that contravenes a restraining order by the Industrial Court against the strike.

He noted that Ajaero’s assault in Imo though condemnable is a personal issue that shouldn’t force the whole country into punishment.

The statement read, “This decision by the NLC and TUC other than being an ego-tripping move is clearly unwarranted. It is an attempt to blackmail the government by the leadership of the NLC.

“We are still at a loss as to why the NLC and TUC decided to punish a whole country of over 200million people over a personal matter involving the NLC President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, whose error of judgment led to assault on him in Owerri while he was planning to incite the workers in Imo State into a needless strike.

“While the Federal government does not condone any form of violence and assault on any citizen of Nigeria regardless of his or her social and economic status, it is on record that the Inspector General of Police has ordered an investigation into what happened to Ajaero while the Commissioner of Police in Imo State under whose watch the incident happened has been transferred out of the state.

“Calling out workers on a national strike over a personal issue of a labour leader despite a clear court order against any industrial action amounts to an abuse of privilege. Power at any level should never be used to settle personal scores. Rather, it should be used to promote collective progress and advance national interest.”

The statement added that the strike action is a sinister move to cause further hardship on the masses, noting that the labour movement should not be seen as one that shows disdain against the rule of law.

“Our national economy and social activities should not suffer because of the personal interest of any labour leader.

“This flagrant disobedience to a court order and lack of respect for the judiciary should not be what the organised Labour would champion.

“The labour movement has always been a champion of the rule of law and respect for the judiciary. It is a sad irony that the current labour leaders have shown disdain and utter disregard for the court orders.

“We reiterate that this strike action is illegal, immoral, unjustifiable and irresponsible. What the strike notice issued Monday night after official hours suggests is it’s designed for a sinister and hidden agenda to cause undue hardship and civil disturbance in our country. This is unacceptable,” it concluded.

 

Credit: The Punch

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JUST IN: Nigerian Customs Intercepts Container With 844 Rifles, 112,500 Live Rounds Worth N4 Billion From Turkey, Arrests 3 Suspects

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13 hours ago

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July 1, 2024

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The Nigerian Customs Service has seized a container from Turkey that contained 112,500 of live ammunition and 844 rifles.

According to the NCS, the service detained three suspects and is currently conducting a comprehensive investigation to guarantee that everyone involved will face the full force of the law.

The container, which was subjected to a physical examination on June 21, 2024, was found to have the following contents:

Briefing journalists at Onne Port, Rivers State, on Monday, where the items were seized, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the arms and ammunition include 764 units of Tomahawk Jojef Magnum Black Pump Action Rifles, 10 units of VC Verney Caron Gunmakers Jojef Magnum Silver Pump Action Rifles, 50 units of VC Verney Caron Gunmaker Double Barrel Rifles, 20 units of VC Verney Caron Gunmaker Single Barrel Rifles, Exclusive Series, and Sterling High-Quality Live Ammunition.

The Comptroller General said the duty-paid value of the container is N4,171,710,000.

According to him, eight other containers with falsely declared contents, including used clothes and cough syrup with codeine, have been seized with a total duty-paid value of N13,915,710,000.

The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has commended the officers involved in the operation.

He warned others who may be contemplating similar illegal activities that the Nigeria Customs Service will not tolerate any action that compromises the economy and security of the nation.

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New Minimum Wage May Push States Into Bankruptcy — NGF Report

Published

15 hours ago

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July 1, 2024

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The burden of enforcing the minimum wage could bankrupt numerous states as the country waits for the new rate that President Bola Tinubu has promised to send to the National Assembly.

During its meeting on Tuesday, the Federal Executive Council decided to withdraw a memo regarding the tripartite committee’s report on the new minimum wage. This was done to facilitate further discussions between the federal and state governments, the private sector, and labour unions.

Vice President Kashim Shettima chaired the National Economic Council meeting last Thursday, where Tinubu met with the governors. While the meeting was expected to discuss the national minimum wage, it remained silent on the matter.

The communiqué from the Southern Governors’ Forum, which met in Abeokuta, Ogun State, was also made public last Thursday. In it, the governors requested that each state negotiate a minimum wage with its labour force.

However, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s position regarding their excessive influence on the minimum wage negotiations has prompted a response from the labour unions.

In a document, titled, “Analysis of State FAAC inflows and state expenditure profile,” of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, the NGF report warned that implementing the new minimum wage could push states into bankruptcy due to increased recurrent expenditure.

According to the report, the burden of recurrent expenditure already left Abia, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, Kogi, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara in deficit in 2022.

The report predicted that if the recurrent expenditure increased by 50 per cent, 13 states would fall into deficit, with only 10 remaining financially stable.

The tripartite committee’s recommendation of a N62,000 minimum wage would necessitate over a 100 per cent increase from the current N30,000, potentially leaving only a few states like Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Lagos, and Rivers with positive net revenues, based on the 2022 fiscal data.

A net revenue is the deduction of recurrent expenditure from the total revenue of the state. When it is positive, it means a surplus, but when negative, there is a deficit.

Also, the total revenue of states is calculated from the monthly revenue from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, internally generated revenue, aid and grants, and constituency development funds.

According to the documents, with an employment size of about 58,631 workers, it pays N5,837,899,980.40 as a monthly wage. Anambra has a population of 20,541 and pays N1,824,851,308.96 monthly as wages, apart from N894,480,399.62 as pension obligations and N579,694,680.33 for debt servicing.

Bayelsa boasts a 48,213 workforce, paying N5,802,435,178.58 monthly, with N1,194,528,784.40 as pension obligation and N3,535,787,992.48 as debt servicing, totaling N10,532,751,955.46 as total recurrent expenditure monthly.

Benue has about 13,366 workers in its workforce and pays N2,040,184,471.85 as monthly wage, N76,838,634.62 for pension, and N64,685,126,826.08 for debt servicing, totaling N66,802,149,932.56 monthly.

Delta has about 50,871 workers, offering N8,973,081,853.50 as wages, N1,499,886,303.39 as pension, and N72,417,433,139.00 as debt servicing, accumulating to N82,890,401,295.89 in a month.

Jigawa has about 44,831 workers in its employ and pays N2,795,662,113.02 as wages and N345,987,843.12 as a pension, totaling N3,141,649,956.14 monthly on recurrent expenditure.

Katsina, Kwara, and Niger have 19,062, 36,048, and 22,225 workers, with accumulated N139,294,944,565.27, N4,457,268,675.54, and N2,653,614,213.35 monthly recurrent expenditures, respectively.

According to the document, Abia has a total recurrent expenditure of N111,983,979,958.62, against a total revenue of N147,637,730,867.73.

For Adamawa, the recurrent expenditure stands at N70,369,399,885.57, against a total revenue of N109,722,949,684.65, while Akwa Ibom boasts a high revenue of N444,288,683,000, with a recurrent expenditure of N235,144,539,000.

Of the states, Lagos has the highest total revenue, amassing N1,243,778,878,170 in 2022, with a recurrent expenditure of N621,043,036,000, followed by Delta, with N702,020,717,460.08 and a recurrent expenditure of N377,905,100,451.83.

Rivers amassed N525,588,159,714.88 in 2022, with recurrent expenditure of N186,974,715,774.87; Kaduna had a total revenue of N222,349,875,000 and expenditure of N95,987,999,472.10; Ogun, N297,249,009,626.83, recurrent expenditure of N178,519,010,628.42; and Oyo, with total revenue of N247,156,776,739.70 and recurrent expenditure of N152,077,804,384.65.

Kebbi State had the lowest total revenue in 2022, raking in N92,132,444,588.16 and spending N57,601,464,374.96 on recurrent expenditure, followed by Taraba, with a total revenue of N101,177,283,069.87 and recurrent expenditure of N75,055,201,412.62.

Aside from FAAC allocation, some states recorded poor IGR in the 2022 data compiled by the NGF Secretariat.

Zamfara State generated N6,513,960,477.20, followed by Kebbi with N8,630,767,122.96, Taraba with N9,744,331,840.01, and Yobe State with N9,940,554,642.00.

The IGR of Katsina (N12,821,119,042.64), Adamawa (N13,175,774,969.53), Niger (N14,427,373,136.00), Benue (N15,021,223,729.38), Plateau (N15,927,001,739.90), and Imo (N16,711,346,111.18) also showed poor revenue standing.

The Punch reported on October 19, 2023, that 15 states have yet to implement the N30,000 minimum wage for their workers since it was signed into law in 2019.

According to BudgiT, though the 15 states were yet to implement the minimum wage of N30,000, the 36 states of the federation grew their cumulative personnel cost by 13.44 percent to N1.75 trillion in 2022 from N1.54 trillion in 2021.

The civil society organisation, in a release, ‘The States of States Report 2023,’ highlighted that the 36 states of the federation grew their revenue by 28.95 percent from N5.12 trillion in 2021 to N6.6 trillion in 2022.

“Put together, the IGR of the 36 states appreciated by 12.98 percent from N1.61 trillion in 2021 to N1.82 trillion in 2022, denoting a strengthened domestic revenue mobilisation capability.

“Nonetheless, the IGR to GDP ratio remained very low at 1.01 percent. The increase in IGR did not reflect across the board, as 17 states experienced a decline in their IGR from the previous year, while 19 states recorded positive growth,” BudgIT said.

The Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Onyeka, claimed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on minimum wage and its implementation that many state governors were flouting the Minimum Wage Act and listed the states of Abia, Enugu, Bayelsa, Delta, Nasarawa, Gombe, Adamawa, Niger, Sokoto, Imo, Anambra, Taraba, Benue, and Zamfara as defaulting.

Reacting, the Enugu State chairman of TUC, Ben Asogwa, said the state commenced payment of the N30,000 minimum wage and its consequential adjustment in February 2020 for state government workers, while local government workers and primary school teachers were paid a 25 percent consequential adjustment.

He, however, said Governor Peter Mbah, on assumption of office, approved the full implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage for both LG workers and primary school teachers in the state.

The Punch reports that the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, announced during a meeting with the leadership of the labour unions that the state would begin payment of the N30,000 minimum wage effective June 2024.

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UPDATE: Two ‘Female Suicide Bombers” Arrested Over Borno Explosions

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 1, 2024

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Two female suicide bombers who are suspected of detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza LGA, Borno, have allegedly been apprehended by security personnel.

Recall that suicide bombers on Saturday detonated IEDs in different parts of Borno. 18 people have been confirmed dead from the explosions.

Thirty female suicide bombers were sent into Gwoza to detonate the IEDs, a local government official told journalists.

The source said only four suicide bombers successfully ignited their IEDs.

Barkindo Saidu, director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said 19 people were injured in the attacks, while 23 were moved to the Medical Regimental Services (MRS) clinic for treatment.

“It affected more than 30 people with various levels of injuries and instant death. Some minutes later, another blast occurred around the general hospital,” he said.

“So far, there have been 18 deaths, comprising children, adult males, females, and pregnant women. 19 seriously injured people were conveyed to Maiduguri in four ambulances, while 33 waited for military escort to the medical regimental services (MRS) clinic.”

According to a report by Channels Television, two of the suicide bombers were arrested by security operatives on Sunday.

Nahum Kenneth, Borno police spokesperson, neither confirmed nor denied reports of the arrests when contacted.

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