Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said that it was not on the front burner of his administration to employ new people into the state’s civil service.
The governor made the disclosure during the monthly interactive session with the media on Thursday in Umuahia.
According to him, the issue of employment would arise when the government finished dealing with what it met in the civil service.
He added that there was an embargo that he made, stressing that it was still in place.
He complained that the number of persons in the civil service was still very high even after verification.
Otti decried the huge wage bill of about four billion naira for both local government and state on a monthly basis.
The governor, however, assured that the government was working assiduously on improving and enhancing the pay for the civil servants.
He said that government was aware that there were quite a lot of people in the service who might not be contributing at optimal levels and would need to do something about it.
He said: “So, it may not be a priority at this time to open up the doors to bring in new people, except if we have a way of exiting a few people.
“But you know with the civil service rules, it is not going to be very easy to exit people.
“What we are trying to do with the establishment of the Civil Service Commission and resumption of the new Head of Service and new Permanent Secretaries is to ensure that our people are adequately trained.
“This is to enable them operate their skills and perform better.”
[DailyPost]
A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to restrain the federal government from securitising the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means loan received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Securitisation is the practice of pooling together various debt instruments and selling them as bonds to investors.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, James Omotosho, the presiding judge, held that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi (legal right) to institute the case, noting that they failed to prove the case.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1286/2023, was filed by Justin Edim and Akinfewa Akinwunmi against President Bola Tinubu, the federal government of Nigeria, CBN, and the ministry of finance as first to fourth defendants.
Others in the suit are the debt management office (DMO), national assembly, and attorney-general of the federation (AGF) as fifth to seventh defendants, respectively.
The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Victor Opatola, claimed they initiated the legal action on behalf of themselves and other Nigerian citizens.
They asked the court to stop the conversion of the debt to a promissory note or any other promise to pay at a future date or securitisation through the issuance of treasury bills, bonds, or other forms of security.
In December 2022, the federal government requested the 9th national assembly for permission to securitise the debts it incurred from the CBN over the years.
The plaintiffs claimed that the series of loans secured by the government from the CBN had amounted to N23.7 trillion.
They added that the federal government was planning to restructure the loans to something that could be traded.
They further stated that the federal government had over the years secured various loans from the CBN under the Ways and Means provision of section 38 of the CBN Act in contravention of relevant laws.
They argued that the laws stipulate that the total amount the government could borrow shall not exceed five percent of the previous year’s revenue.
Recently, according to the plaintiffs, the Ways and Means debt of N22.7 trillion was decided to be converted into bonds (promissory note) contrary to section 38(3)(b) of the CBN Act.
The plaintiffs wanted the court to declare that the effect of securitising the ways and means debt would adversely affect millions of Nigerians, as well as rob them of the true worth of their savings and further drive Nigerians below the poverty line.
Delivering the judgment, Omotosho struck out the name of the national assembly from the suit, noting that the plaintiffs had breached the condition precedence of filing a pre-action notice on the legislature three months before filing the case.
The judge said though the plaintiffs claimed they filed the matter on behalf of the masses, the instant case was not a fundamental enforcement rights suit.
He said the claim that the suit was brought on behalf of the public was incomprehensible.
The judge added that the plaintiffs failed to show how the actions of the defendants affected them personally.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has asked the Federal Government to address Nigerians’ sufferings caused by the fuel subsidy removal and increased electricity tariffs.
Adams disclosed this while speaking during the 2024 edition of the Oke Ibadan festival, organised by the Olokun Festival Foundation, which was held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Thursday.
He noted that Nigerians are concerned about the present situation in the country.
He also pointed out that the idea of states having independent power supply was one of the policies of this administration that he had applauded, adding that there are a lot of advantages the states can get from this initiative.
He said, “One of the major policies of this administration that I applauded at the onset was the idea of having an imdependent power supply in the states.
“There are a lot of advantages the states can get from this initiative.
“Nigerians have continued to raise their voices against the policy, even as power outages persist in the country. The new tariffs have become a big problem for Nigerians.
“The increase in electricity tariffs had taken a huge toll on the entire system. It has affected all the sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“Like the growing pain experienced through the hike in the electricity tariffs, the fuel subsidy removal has continued to bring more hardship to Nigerians. It has also affected the Nigerian economy, drifting the country to further inflation.”
Adams has always pledged his support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying his Presidency represents a new chapter for Nigeria.
He stated this in a congratulatory letter to the President on his recent victory at the Supreme Court.
Noting that “Nigeria is going through a lot at the moment,” Adams said Tinubu’s “victory has given rise to a leadership that this time demands. And we must agree with the fact that this is truly a new chapter in the political trajectory of Nigeria.”
He, however, urged Tinubu to make the best of his Presidency to, especially, heed the widespread yearning for the restructuring of the country.
[Punch]
Bandits on Thursday night invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene in Kogi State and abducted some students.
An eyewitness account indicated that the bandits swooped on the university around 9pm while the students were reading for their upcoming exams.
The source said that the bandits came in through the bush, went into three lecture halls and began to shoot into the air to scare the students.
“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them; the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.
“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abducting some students.
“But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.
According to the source, the students were preparing for their first-semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.
A student, who craved anonymity, said that he and some colleagues ran to the bush and hid there for “more than an hour”.
“We only ventured out when everywhere became quiet,” he said.
Contacted, CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but refused to give details of the number of students abducted.
“I don’t talk to journalists on incidents like this, but I want you to know that we are on top of the situation,” he said.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, were not successful.
Retired Cdre Jerry Omodara, State Security Adviser, could equally not be reached for comments as calls to his line were not picked up nor returned.
Like in several parts of the country, abduction for ransom is the new normal. In February, gunmen reportedly kidnapped nine travellers in Oshokoshoko, along the Kabba/Obajana/Lokoja Road in Kogi State.
(NAN)
Organised Labour has justified its proposed N615,000 minimum wage demand.
The request is based on a conservative analysis of what an average Nigerian family needs to survive.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero stated this yesterday during his visit to the headquarters of The Nation in Lagos.
He was accompanied by some national officers and officials of the Lagos State council of the union.
Some of these are the National President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ambali Akeem Olatunji; NLC Lagos State Chairman Funmi Sessi and NLC National Trustee, Akporeha Williams.
The delegation was received by senior editorial figures led by Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh.
Ajaero, a former Labour reporter, who is one year old in office, described the visit as “home-coming”.
He said he would have visited media houses before now but for the pressure of office.
Although Labour was not opposed to a negotiated wage for workers, Ajaero said the prevailing economic realities informed its decision to put forward for negotiation the proposed N615,000 wage demand to the Federal Government’s Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage.
Labour made public the amount on May Day, saying it had tabled it before the Tripartite Committee, whose meetings are ongoing to reach an agreement on the minimum wage.
Ajaero said there were misconceptions about the proposal, but the NLC was left with no other choice than to arrive at the figure based on prevailing economic indices and realities to make life better for Nigerian workers.
“We presented N615,000 as minimum wage to the Federal Government. But if you ask us to present again today, it is going to increase because when we were presenting that figure, things like electricity tariff had not increased. And there was no cybersecurity levy,” he said, asking: “Where are we going to get money to pay for these?”
Ajaero said this was why the NLC gave the Federal Government, through the Tripartite Committee, a proviso that “If the indices remain the way they are, this N615,000 demand stands, but if they come down as we are negotiating, we will look at it.”
Explaining how NLC arrived at the N615,000 minimum wage, Ajaero said: “We looked at accommodation, food, medicals, education, and other utilities. We didn’t make provisions for communication, offerings, tithes and the like. Those are some of the things we took into cognisance before we arrived at N615,000.”
On accommodation, for instance, Ajaero said the NLC pegged it at N40,000 for a room and parlour apartment for a family of husband and wife and four children.
“This means that if you have a grandmother or mother-in-law, you are on your own because we did not calculate those,” he said.
NLC calculated feeding based on N500 per person per meal for a family of six.
“So, N500 per person is N1,500 per person in a day. For six tables in a month, we are going to have N270,000 for feeding,” he said, adding that N50,000 is for education and medicals each, assuming a worker does not go for surgery or send his or her children to private school, for instance.
For utilities like electricity bills and gas, Ajaero said while N20,000 was allocated to the former, even before the tariff increased, about N16,000 or N17,000 was for gas, which does not last for more than two weeks.
This, he said, means that in a month, some families buy gas at least twice, spending between N30,000 and N35,000.
“Based on our calculation, a worker is not supposed to own a car, not even a motorcycle, because he or she can’t fill a car tank with N30,000; he can’t service a vehicle,” Ajaero said.
He noted that these are some of the things the NLC took into consideration before coming up with N615,000.
“We have placed it (N615,000) wage demand before the government for negotiation because when there is an offer there is usually a counter-offer to say no, this one you are asking is out of it,” the labour leader said.
He pointed out that while inflation remained high, wages have also remained constant and all other costs are going up, whether it’s housing, transportation or school fees.
“So, should wage remain constant and still take care of other variables?” Ajaero asked.
“If all these factors are checked, we will be arriving at another figure.”
The NLC boss also said the removal of petrol subsidy pushed up prices of goods and services across the country.
He said if the fuel subsidy was not removed, “probably we would have suggested N80,000 minimum wage.”
Asked about state governments not even paying the current N30,000 wage, and whether the Federal Government can afford the proposed N615,000, Ajaero was emphatic.
“States can pay if they get their priorities right,” he said, noting that it’s only a few state governments that are not paying the N30,000.
He said: “I think a few state governments are not paying; just very few or some are paying in breaches.
“But on the issue of whether the states can pay, yes, they can if they get their priorities right.
“In fact, National Assembly’s wages have almost tripled. If you come to an economy and we are having this argument of affordability, everybody must be disciplined.”
Besides, he argued that the issue of minimum wage is a benchmark and a product of legislation such that if left open, some states will not even pay N10,000.
“If this N30,000 was not a product of legislation, the state governments that have been kicking that minimum wage be sent into the concurrent list so that they can decide whether to pay N5,000 or not would have succeeded,” he said.
Ajaero, however, said all over the world, it is called minimum.
In other words, states are supposed to pay beyond the minimum.
“If you check states like Edo, while some are paying N30,000, they are paying N40,000; some others are paying N35,000. Most states are paying more than N30,000,” he said.
He also pointed out that when this same complaint about the payment of 30,000 came up during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s era and he released money from the Sovereign Wealth Fund for state governors to pay salaries, they did not use it for the purpose but diverted it.
On the ongoing negotiations at the Tripartite Committee, made up of Federal/state government officials, labour unions and the organised private sector, Ajaero said the labour centres were asked to harmonise their positions, which he said had been done.
He said another meeting of the committee had been fixed for May 15. It will be held via Zoom.
He expressed reservations about using Zoom for such a serious negotiation, saying many factors could make it inappropriate.
He also said if the Federal Government makes good its promise to provide Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, which, according to him, is not rocket science as it only requires a conversion kit to switch over to PMS, transportation costs will significantly reduce.
“If we had achieved that, you don’t need to tell anybody and you will see that transportation will just crash. Transportation is central to our demand.
“If CNG buses are put in place, we won’t be talking about this. We are looking at it holistically. If all this is done, Nigerians will live happily,” Ajaero said.
[TheNation]
FBN Holdings Plc, has announced the exit of Mr Tunde Hassan-Odukale as Chairman of its subsidiary, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd., following the completion of his tenure.
The Board of First Bank appointed Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, a Non-Executive Director, as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank.
Company Secretary, FBN Holdings, Adewale Arogundade, said this in a notification sent to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.(NGX) on Thursday in Lagos.
Arogundade explained that Hassan-Odukale completed the cumulative number of years, which is 12 years for a Non-Executive Director, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBNs) corporate governance guidelines.
He said Olufowose was appointed to the Board of Directors of First Bank on April 29, 2021.
Olufowose is the Group Managing Director of First Ally Capital Ltd., an investment banking firm based in Lagos.
With over 35 years of working in the financial services industry, Olufowose brings skills from corporate finance, project finance and investment banking to the board.
Before joining the First Bank Board, he was Executive Director at Access Bank Plc and Citibank Nigeria, where he led Citigroup’s origination, structuring and execution of corporate finance and investment banking transactions in Nigeria.
He started his banking career in 1985 at NAL Merchant Bank Plc (NAL), working in the Corporate Planning and Finance Departments.
A first-dass honours degree holder in Economics from the University of Lagos, Olufowose holds an MA in International Economics from the University of Sussex, England.
He has attended several management and leadership training programmes at leading institutions, including the Institute of Management Development, Switzerland, Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S., and INSEAD Singapore.
He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and the Lagos Business School and an Honourary Senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Olufowose is also a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration and a Fellow of the Association of Investment Advisers and Portfolio Managers.
(NAN)
The House of Representatives said yesterday the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal highway had no National Assembly’s approval.
It also resolved to investigate the procurement process of the coastal highway.
The House also called on the Minister of Works, Minister of Finance and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to ensure that all project guarantees and credit enhancement instruments are sent to the National Assembly for approval.
The Green Chamber equally mandated its committees on Procurement and Works to investigate the procurement process of the contract for the project.
Recall that the project has generated a lot of controversies, with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, asking the Federal Government to come clean on the project.
The motion, titled “Urgent need to investigate the procurement process and award of contract for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’’, was moved by Austin Achado(APC-Benue) at plenary in Abuja.
Moving the motion, Achado said award of the contract did not follow due process, adding that it also did not get the approval of the National Assembly, hence the need to thoroughly investigate the procurement process of the contract.
Achado said: “The House is disturbed that the contingent liabilities accruing to the Federal Government of Nigeria on this project violate the Debt Management Office (Establishment) Act of 2023, as Section 22(3) states that the minister shall not guarantee an external loan unless the terms and conditions of the loan shall have been laid before the National Assembly and approved by its resolution.
‘No NASS approval for debt guarantees’
“The guarantees issued to cover the debt financing component of this project do not have the approval of this National Assembly.”
Speaking further, he noted that the Federal Ministry of Works had executed an Engineering Procurement Construction and Finance (EPC+F) contract, in favour of Hitech Construction Company Nigeria Limited, for the delivery of the 700km Lagos to Calabar Coastal Road and Rail Project estimated at a rate of N4.329 billion per kilometre, using reinforced concrete technology for a carriage width of 59.7metres to include 10 lanes, shoulders and rail with additional designs of service ducts, street lights, drainages and shore protection.
He further noted that the project, with the prospect of providing easy access for the movement of goods and services across the nation, has a financing structure, as announced by the Minister of Works, which required the Federal Government to provide 15 to 30% co-financing, while the private sector counterpart will provide the balance, and toll the road when completed for a minimum period of 15 years, to ensure full recovery of all debts and equity applied for the delivery of the project.
The lawmaker expressed concerns that the procurement strategy might have violated the Public Procurement Act 2007, Section 40(2) which required that where a procuring authority adopts to use Restrictive Tendering Approach, it should be on the basis that the said goods and services are available only from a limited number of suppliers and contractors and as such, tenders shall be invited from all such contractors who could provide such goods and services.
According to him, the procurement strategy adopted by the Federal Ministry of Works for the award of the contract violates the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission Act 2905, as Section 4 of the Act outlines that all approved infrastructure projects and contracts for financing, construction and maintenance must be advertised for open competitive public bid, in at least three national dailies and Section 5 of the Act further clarifies that any direct negotiations with only one contractor could be allowed, only after exhausting the provisions of section 4 .
He expressed concern that the Federal Ministry of Works, in promoting the project, has provided a rate per kilometre for the planned works, but has not provided the private partner’s financing sources, structure and competitiveness, as this was likely to create contingent liabilities to the Nigerian government.
The House, therefore, asked it’s committees to report back within four weeks.
[Vanguard]
A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to restrain the federal government from securitising the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means loan received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Securitisation is the practice of pooling together various debt instruments and selling them as bonds to investors.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, James Omotosho, the presiding judge, held that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi (legal right) to institute the case, noting that they failed to prove the case.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1286/2023, was filed by Justin Edim and Akinfewa Akinwunmi against President Bola Tinubu, the federal government of Nigeria, CBN, and the ministry of finance as first to fourth defendants.
Others in the suit are the debt management office (DMO), national assembly, and attorney-general of the federation (AGF) as fifth to seventh defendants, respectively.
The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Victor Opatola, claimed they initiated the legal action on behalf of themselves and other Nigerian citizens.
They asked the court to stop the conversion of the debt to a promissory note or any other promise to pay at a future date or securitisation through the issuance of treasury bills, bonds, or other forms of security.
In December 2022, the federal government requested the 9th national assembly for permission to securitise the debts it incurred from the CBN over the years.
The plaintiffs claimed that the series of loans secured by the government from the CBN had amounted to N23.7 trillion.
They added that the federal government was planning to restructure the loans to something that could be traded.
They further stated that the federal government had over the years secured various loans from the CBN under the Ways and Means provision of section 38 of the CBN Act in contravention of relevant laws.
They argued that the laws stipulate that the total amount the government could borrow shall not exceed five percent of the previous year’s revenue.
Recently, according to the plaintiffs, the Ways and Means debt of N22.7 trillion was decided to be converted into bonds (promissory note) contrary to section 38(3)(b) of the CBN Act.
The plaintiffs wanted the court to declare that the effect of securitising the ways and means debt would adversely affect millions of Nigerians, as well as rob them of the true worth of their savings and further drive Nigerians below the poverty line.
Delivering the judgment, Omotosho struck out the name of the national assembly from the suit, noting that the plaintiffs had breached the condition precedence of filing a pre-action notice on the legislature three months before filing the case.
The judge said though the plaintiffs claimed they filed the matter on behalf of the masses, the instant case was not a fundamental enforcement rights suit.
He said the claim that the suit was brought on behalf of the public was incomprehensible.
The judge added that the plaintiffs failed to show how the actions of the defendants affected them personally.
[TheCable]
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Appoints Managing Director of Ogun-Osun Rivers Basin Development Authority
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.
Engr. Woke is a seasoned engineer and politician. He had served as Chairman of Emohua local government area of Rivers State and was Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, for many years.
The President expects the new Chief Executive Officer of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority to discharge his duties with integrity and in conformity with the highest standards of transparency, while working at harnessing and developing the water resource potential of the area, as well as ensuring that the Authority is a channel for holistic and integrated industrial, agricultural, and community development.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, as the Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
This was contained in a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday.
According to the statement, the appointment would ensure effective oversight of the gas aspect of the nation’s assets.
“In line with his avowed commitment to establish a more efficient, targeted, and consistent approval process for unique oil and gas projects in the country, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), as the Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
“This is also to further ensure effective oversight of the gas aspect of the nation’s assets.
“The President remains committed to unlocking Nigeria’s immense gas potential to stimulate industrial development, job creation, and sustainable economic growth,” the statement said.
[DailyTrust]
More...
A Bill which seeks to increase the salaries and allowances of judicial officers on Thursday, May 9, scaled second reading at the Senate.
The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration and debate on a bill titled: “A bill for an act to prescribe the salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of judicial office holders in Nigeria and for related matters (2024).”
The bill was sponsored by the deputy majority leader of the Senate Senator Ashiru Yisa (APC-Kwara South).
The House of Representatives on March 20 passed the bill which provides a monthly package of N5.39 million for the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
The executive bill also provides a total package of N4.21 million for Justices of the Supreme Court, while the president of the Court of Appeal is to earn a total monthly package of N4. 48 million.
In addition, Justices of the Court of Appeal are to earn a total monthly package of N3.73 million, while the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, President of the National Industrial Court, Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Grand Khadi, FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, President of Customary Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of State High Court and Grand Khadi of State Sharia Court of Appeal and President of State Customary Court of Appeal are to earn a monthly package of N3.53 million.
Other allowances not embedded in the total monthly package include leave allowances, estacode per night of $2000 when applicable, duty tour allowances when applicable, severance gratuity of N80.78 million after successful completion of tenure as well as an option of motor vehicle loan to be repaid before the expiration of tenure.
It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had in a letter read by Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on March 20 proposed a salary increase for judicial officers in the country.
The President in the letter argued that the bill would promote the independence and capacity of the Nigerian judiciary system.
Senator Yisa in his lead debate said remuneration was needed to reflect the contemporary socio-economic realities of the times.
He argued that the proposed legal framework would bring about significant improvement in the welfare, capacity, and independence of the judiciary, which have remained contentious issues of public discourse over the years.
In his contribution, the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, thanked President Tinubu for proposing a Bill to increase the salaries and allowance for Judicial Officers in the country.
Barau said: “I joined the President of the Senate to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for bringing forward this Bill. This is very important and he has done well, not only for the judiciary but for the entire nation.
“Mr. President, by the nature of the judicial officers, they don’t agitate. They cry in silence, and they don’t speak out. Other workers agitate, and they stage protests. But the judiciary doesn’t talk; they cry in silence.
“Now, the president of the country has spoken for them. What he did is something laudable and we are applauding him here. Because a country that didn’t take its judiciary in a very important passion is doomed.
“And when you want to take the judiciary seriously, you have to take the remuneration of the judiciary staff seriously. That is very important, and that is what he has done. They have stagnated for several years.
“What the president has done should be supported and we will give him more support to continue to work on this kind of trajectory for the development of the nation. So, Mr. President, I joined you and other colleagues to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC – Borno North) Monguno, said improving the welfare of judges will insulate them from corruption and ensure they deliver just and fair judgments.
On his part, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia North), said: “No right-thinking Nigerian will not think that it is right to keep the judiciary comfortable. I want to thank the executive for deeming it fit to increase the salaries of judges at all levels.”
Senators later approved that the bill be read for a second time when it was put to voice vote by Akpabio.
Akpabio thereafter referred the Bill to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters for further legislative input and to report back in four weeks.
[TheNation]
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted on negotiating the salary of its members with the Tinubu-led administration, thereby, rejecting the N35,000 wage award.
ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this in Ibadan on Thursday at the inauguration of the secretariat of the University of Ibadan (UI) branch of ASUU.
Osodeke stated that the union had agreed that whatever was legally sent to members’ accounts should be spent but not to be taken as the negotiated salary.
“We told them we should negotiate our wage, but they said we are giving you an award of N35,000; we have told them that it is not our own.
“We are still insisting that there has to be negotiated salary,” he said.
He identified the renegotiation of the existing agreement, payment of withheld salaries, earned academic allowance and release of the Needs Assessment Funds as some of the pending issues with the Federal Government.
While commending the UI ASUU branch for the edifice it built using the expertise of its members, Osodeke decried the use of external or foreign consultants to handle projects in the country.
He said the government should rather hire experts within the country, especially from within Nigerian universities as consultants.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnership, Prof. Yemisi Bamgbose, had commended the union.
Adebowale said the secretariat would serve as a hub of intellectual discussion, collaboration and solidarity among the union members “as it continues to strive for a better future for our universities and our nation.”
The UI ASUU Chairman, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, said the secretariat was built without donations from external people or bodies.
He commended members of the union who gave in cash and kind to see to its completion.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inauguration had a session, titled, “Challenging NeoLiberal Narrative in Nigeria’s Education Sector: ASUU’s 2022 Strike and Matters Arising”.
Speaking on the theme, Akinwole, said the impact of neoliberalism on education was complex and multifaceted.
He noted that the lecture was appropriate “at this period in our nation’s march toward self-reliance and independence in the right sense of the word.
“Expectedly, the lecture beams light on the way forward in continued relevance for scholars and all concerned leaders of the progressive movement in Nigeria.”
A Professor of Botany, Odoje Biodiversity Centre, Ogbomoso, Prof. Omotoye Olorode, spoke on the foundationality of the neoliberal narrative as expressed in the Nigerian ruling class response to ASUU’s strike.
He said, “ASUU’s struggles arise out of the necessity to build a country in which every citizen shall be free, educated, well fed and healthy.
“We cannot abandon these struggles and yet be worthy of being called ‘intellectuals’.
“This is where we stand. This is where we ought to stand.”
NAN reports that the union’s building at Olajuwon Olayide Extension, Ajibode, University of Ibadan, has a secretariat building, scholars’ chalets as well as other modern facilities.
(NAN)
Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games gold medallist and President of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, Tijani Babangida, was on Thursday involved in a car accident that claimed the life of his younger brother Ibrahim Babangida, The PUNCH has learnt.
Former teammate, Emmanuel Babayaro, the General Secretary, PFAN, announced the incident in a statement.
Though the details of the accident remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report, our correspondent learnt that the accident happened along the Kaduna-Zaria Road.
“Comrades! Let us be in prayers for our president, Tijani Babangida, who just had a ghastly motor accident along the Kaduna-Zaria Eoad.
“Ibrahim Babangida, his younger brother, died on the spot from the accident while Mr President (Babangida) and his family were taken to the hospital.
“May the soul of Ibrahim Babangida Rest In Peace with God, amen,” he announced.
When our correspondent reached out to Babayaro, he confirmed the incident.
“Yes, it is true. The accident happened while they were on their way to Zaria from Kaduna,” he said.
“His brother Babangida died on the spot from the accident. The accident happened today (Thursday) this afternoon and his wife was also involved in the accident.
“He is currently admitted at Shika Hospital in Zaria, where he is receiving treatment and to the glory of God he is conscious,” he added.
The late Ibrahim, 47, a retired footballer himself, was a member of the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eagles squad in Japan.
He featured for local sides Bank of The North, Stationery Stores and Katsina United on the domestic scene before joining Dutch side Volendam in 1997.
[Punch]
The House of Representatives has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to suspend the proposed implementation of the cybercrime levy of 0.5% on electronic transactions.
Consequently, the House directed the CBN to withdraw the ambiguous circular in existence and issue an unequivocal circular in line with the letters and spirit of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The Green Chamber also mandated its Committees on Banking Regulations, and Banking and other Ancillary Institutions to guide the CBN properly.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP Rivers), and 359 others.
The motion …
Moving the motion, Chinda said CBN through a circular to all commercial, merchant, non-interest and payment service banks; other financial institutions, mobile money operators, and payment service providers (“CBN Circular”) dated 6th May 2024 informed Nigerians of a proposed 0.5% levy on electronic transactions in line with Section 44(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2024.
He noted that Section 44(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024 provides that “a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to half percent of all electronic transactions value by businesses specified in the Second Schedule to the Act it be paid into the Cybersecurity Fund.
“Further notes that businesses which the said Section 44(2)(a) refers to are listed in the Second Schedule to the Cybercrimes Act to be: a) GSM Service Providers and all telecommunication companies; b) Internet Service Providers; c) Banks and Other Financial Institutions; d) Insurance Companies and e) Nigerian Stock Exchange.
“Concerned that the CBN circular mandates all Banks, Other Financial Institutions and Payments Service Providers to implement the Cybercrimes Act by applying the levy at the point of electronic transfer origination as “Cybersecurity Levy” and remitting same.
“Further concerned that the wordings of the CBN Circular leaves the CBN directive to multiple interpretations including that the levy be paid by bank customers, that is, Nigerians against the letters and spirit of Section 44(2)(a) and the Second Schedule to the Cybercrimes Act, which specifies the businesses that should be levied accordingly,” Chinda said.
The lawmaker expressed worry that this act has led to apprehension as Civil Society Organisations and citizens have taken to conventional and social media to call out the Federal Government, and give ultimatums for a reversal of the “imposed levy on Nigerians” among other things.
He argued that unless immediate pragmatic steps are taken to halt the proposed action of the CBN, the Cybercrime Act shall be implemented in error at a time when Nigerians are experiencing the aftermath of multiple removal of subsidies from petroleum, electricity, and so on and the rising inflation.