Union
2023: NULGE threatens to mobilise against PDP over bill
President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Hakeem Ambali, has threatened to mobilise Nigerians to vote against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, if it fails to call its member Solomon Bob that sponsored the bill to delist local governments from the constitution to order. Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, Ambali said he was disappointed that a member of the PDP, a party that had the opportunity to rule Nigeria for 16 years could sponsor a bill that can lead to the scrapping of local government administration in Nigeria He wondered why his party had kept quiet over the matter, without mounting pressure on him to drop the bill. Hon Bob who is from Rivers State sponsored the bill which has gone through first reading. Since the introduction of the bi...
AUPCTRE: Nigerian government’s disregard to implement agreements responsible for ASUP, PASAN, JUSUN strike
The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, has accused the Federal Government of being responsible for the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN. AUPCTRE accused the government of being in the habit of reneging from the implementation of collective bargaining agreements it entered willingly with unions. The General Secretary of AUPCTRE, Comrade Sikiru Waheed, stated this in a goodwill message on the occasion of the 2021 May Day celebration. He said his union was in support of the efforts of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC in all its struggles. According to the state...
Kebbi governor: Why we can’t pay leave grant, gratuities
Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, on Saturday, thanked the organised labour in the state for their patience, understanding and maintaining very good relationship with the government. The governor, who spoke during activities organised to mark the 2021 Workers Day in Birnin Kebbi, however, said his administration would not be able to pay the 2020 leave grant of workers and outstanding gratuities. “NLC is aware of the burden of gratuities the government inherited and how far we have gone in trying to clear the debts. “In spite of the dwindling resources, the state government still pays salaries, runs the government and puts in some infrastructure in the state. “The union should liaise with the Ministry of Finance for a way out. “On the 2020 leave grants, the state cannot afford to pay but you shou...
Segun Adeniyi: Devolution of power alone can’t solve Nigeria’s problems
Nigerian Monitor The chairman of THISDAY editorial board, Olusegun Adeniyi, says devolution of power is not the only solution to Nigeria’s problems. Adeniyi said for it to be effective, devolution of power must come with accountability at all levels especially at the local government where administration “has been castrated”. He was speaking at ‘The Platform’, an annual programme organised by Covenant Christian Centre, which was held in Lagos on Saturday. The seasoned journalist added that from past experience, closer government does not necessarily translate to better governance. “Today, there is hardly anybody in our country who is not angry about the situation in which we find ourselves. But nobody is accepting responsibility because the other person or the other ethnic group is to blam...
Ondo NUJ tasks Immigration Service on insecurity, passport
File Photo The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, has appealed to the Federal Government to adequately fund the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to boost its performance. The union said that the funding would enable the agency to fully perform its primary responsibilities of providing internal security as well as to overcome challenges of issuing passports to citizens. The NUJ Chairman, Mr Adetona Aderoboye, made the appeal when he led members of the union executive council on a courtesy visit to the state Conptroller of NIS, Ibong Osato Aideyan, at her office on Wednesday in Akure. “In view of the current security challenges facing the nation, it has become expedient for the federal government to give adequate backing to the agency. “It is for it to be able to proper...
NAAT: EKSU authorities lack powers to proscribe union activities
File Photo The National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, described as illegal the recent proscription of union activities by the management of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. National President of NAAT, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, who stated this in a chat with journalists in Abuja, said that the action of the University management was capable of causing industrial crisis across the tertiary institutions in the country. Recall that the Governing Council of the university had last week directed the immediate closure of the school and also proscribed all the staff unions in the institution that make up the Joint Action Committee. The proscribed unions apart from the Students Union Government, SUG, are the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Non-Academic Staff Union ...
PTAD: Implementation of pension adjustment in progress
Dr Chioma Ejikeme, Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), says implementation of the pension adjustment is in progress. Ejikeme in a statement on Thursday in Abuja through Mr Gbenga Ajayi, PTAD’s Head of Corporate Communications, noted that the implementation was most likely to commence at the end of April, going by the submissions that had been made by all stakeholders. “Ejikeme held a meeting with the National Executives of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) led by Dr Abel Afolayan on March 16, where the issue of the implementation of the pension adjustment was openly discussed. “The union gave their understanding at the meeting, the executive secretary told the union that the implementation is most likely to commence at the end of April, going by ...
NLC to declare nationwide strike over Kaduna government’s plan to sack workers
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has resolved to declare an industrial action nationwide if the Kaduna State government goes ahead with its plans to sack civil servants. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with newsmen on Monday. Last week, Governor Nasir El-Rufai announced the plan to disengage civil servants in the state, citing fiscal reasons. El-Rufai said a significant amount of the statutory federal allocations to the state is being spent on the wages of public servants. According to the governor, the decision was one of the necessary moves to salvage the state’s finances. “Therefore, the state government has no choice but to shed some weight and reduce the size of the public service. It is a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of th...
Strike: Minister to hold fresh meeting with governors, NBA, JUSUN, others
Labour minister, Chris Ngige, has rescheduled a fresh meeting with the leaderships of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), over the lingering strike that has crippled court activities across the country for two weeks. Representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are also expected to be at the meeting scheduled to hold in Abuja on Tuesday. Members of JUSUN had on April 6 embarked on the indefinite nationwide strike to press home their demand for judiciary’s financial autonomy. The labour minister had on Thursday announced a last-minute postponement of the meeting he was scheduled to hold with the NBA, JUSUN and other stakeholders over the lingering crisis. The abrupt postponement of the meeting infuriated the leaderships of the body ...
JUSUN: No going back on strike
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) on Monday commenced its nationwide protest over financial autonomy of the Judiciary. The National Treasurer of the union, Comrade Jimoh, leading the protest, said they will not back down on the strike and protest until their demands are met. JUSUN had on April 6 shut down all courts in the country to protest the refusal of governors to comply with the constitutional provisions for financial autonomy of the Judiciary. However, due to the failure of talks with the governors, JUSUN on Friday threatened to add mass protest to the strike. Alonge, while speaking with journalists at the Court of Appeal take-off point of the protest to the National Assembly, stated that the judiciary is confronted with myriads of problems, but noted that once the issue ...
NULGE to occupy homes of lawmakers supporting bill to scrap LGAs
File Photo The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) is planning a protest to occupy the country homes of all federal lawmakers in support of a bill calling for the scrapping of local government councils. The union says all in support of the bill are enemies of Nigeria and democracy, and were insensitive to the plight and governance needs of Nigerians in rural areas. NULGE president Ambali Olatunji spoke in reaction to the bill before the House of Representatives seeking to abolish the third tier of government. The bill is being sponsored by a House of Representatives member, Bob Solomon, PDP-Rivers. Olatunji said if the bill was not killed immediately, the workers would in the next few days stage a protest at the National Assembly, after which they would storm the country ho...
UN expresses worry over violence against women in Nigeria
The United Nations has expressed worries over rising violence against women and girls in Nigeria. The UN National Programme Manager, Patience Ekeoba, lamented that the country’s security is weak in handling gender-based matter. Ekeoba called on the federal government to retrain security personnel, especially the police in handling gender-based matter in order to put an abrupt end to the narrative across the country. She said this while speaking at the 8th Triennial Convention of the Mothers’ Union of the Church of the Lord International held in Ogere-Remo, Ogun. The UN personnel who spoke on the theme “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” disclosed that 3.85 million of Nigerian girls are out of school, warning that the victims are at risk of social violence. According to her, violence against w...
