Imo adopts BVN for salary payments

In a renewed bid to arrest the issue of ghost workers and pensioners, Imo State Government says it would henceforth pay salaries and pensions to beneficiaries, using their Bank Verification Numbers, BVN. Gov Rochas Okorocha of Imo State The Secretary to the Government of Imo State, SGI, Sir George Eche, disclosed this yesterday, while speaking with newsmen in Owerri. “It was for this purpose that the state government commenced the verification of civil servants with their BVN attached”, the SGI explained. While expressing optimism that once the government was through with the exercise, salaries would be linked to the worker’s BVN, Sir Eche argued that with this development, the ghost workers syndrome would be a thing of the past. On how he emerged the SGI, Sir Eche said “there is no extant law preventing civil servants from being appointed into the office, appointment of permanent secretaries are not promotional but political”. Answering another question, the SGI said that pensioners could not be paid monthly because the funds mapped out for each month, could not go round. “In view of this, government allows the money to accumulate up to three months, before any payment is made”, Eche explained.

Light rail: Lagos procures $14.6m rail coaches to face-out Danfos, others

LAGOS State Government, yesterday, said it had procured four single Electric Multiple Unit, EMU car train coaches, expected to operate on the Lagos Urban Rail Network, LURN, especially on the blue and red lines which are under construction in the state. Ambode Inspects Mile 2-Badagry Road Expansion and Light Rail project The state Government under the previous administration had in 2014 approved $14.6 million to Messrs. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC/China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corporation, CNR (JV (Joint Venture partners) for the purchase of the four EMU trains from the Chinese Government. Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Morebeola who disclosed these at the 2016 ministerial Press briefing in commemoration of the first year in office of the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in Alausa, Ikeja, however said that 181, 986 of the 1, 023,812 vehicles inspected by the state transport enforcement agencies between May, 2015 and April 2016, were impounded or fined for violating the State Road Traffic Law 2012. On the light rail, Morebeola said, “The Government has procured a single Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) four car train operations,” adding that the state government was presently discussing with stakeholders on the construction of red line from Agbado to Marina. His words, “The Right of Way has been approved by the Federal Government as it will run parallel on the existing corridor of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC. Also, the phase 1 is from Mile 2 to the National Theatre where infrastructure works are 95 percent completed. The phase 2 is from the National Theatre to Marina where we have achieved 40 percent completion. …to face-out Danfos, other rickety buses Worried by the rate of rickety buses plying the state roads, the commissioner said that plans have been concluded to professionalize and re-brand public transport system with the aim of phasing -out the 14-seaters Yellow buses popularly known as Danfo and replace them with 30-seater vehicles with air conditioners. He stated that the re-branding would also include introduction of new number plates, colour uniformity and Body tags for all public transportation to ensure a more secured, safe and comfortable system that suits a megacity. Mobereola explained that the transformation was to encourage people leave their private cars and use public transportation.

Why we pulled out of strike —, NUPENG

The Joe Ajaero-led faction of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday said they refused to join the nationwide strike called by the Ayuba Wabba-led NLC because the Federal Government responded to their demand to convene a meeting with stakeholders.

At a press conference in Lagos addressed by Ajaero and NUPENG President Achese Igwe, the labour leaders said strike would have been the last option if talks with the government had failed.

Ajaero said his faction of the NLC held productive talks with the government, including the agreement to set up a panel on palliatives to cushion the effect of the petrol price increase.

According to him, both factions of the NLC could have worked together on the strike, but, according to him, the Wabba faction walked out of a meeting with the government, insisting that the Ajaero faction must not be part of it.

“If not for the unfortunate incident that happened that day, maybe we would have been together. Maybe it’s an ego thing,” Ajaero said.

Besides, he said before a strike action is declared, a 21-day ultimatum ought to be given, not three days.

He called for transparency in the management of the palliatives, saying the refineries should be fixed or new ones built while more jobs must be created.

He said: “The whole essence of negotiation is to implement a workable agreement. Then when the agreement fails, there are other options.

“I will not lead a strike that will not enjoy mass support. We need to differentiate between strike and protests.

“How can strike be called and road workers, banks and others are open? We’ll be making a mockery of ourselves.

“A leader should weigh the mood of members before declaring a strike. It amounts to industrial suicide to call a strike and your members ignore you.

“Such leadership should resign.”

Igwe said as a way of cushioning the effect of the pump price increase, states should endeavour to clear their salary arrears while negotiation for minimum wage increase continues.

“We said we expected the government to engage us, and they did. The era of impunity is over, so the palliatives must be transparent,” he said.

Both union leaders called for urgent inauguration of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPRA) board, which would include representatives of labour unions.

On reconciliation of the two warning NLC factions, Ajaero said: “Nobody has bothered to investigate the election (which caused the division). NLC’s rules were violated and that has not been addressed.

“Reconciliation is not working because the board mediating between the parties does not have the bite to enforce resolutions reached.

“At every point in time, we have subjected ourselves to reconciliation. But the people involved are not ready to concede. So how is it going to work?”

Igwe, who doubles as the vice-president of Ajaero-led NLC, said the affiliate unions within the NLC must “sit down and talk” so as to put their house in order.

Gunmen kills Benue state gov's security aide

MR. Denen Igbana, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Security to Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, was yesterday killed by gunmen. Igbana was said to have been killed along Tionsha settlement, a suburb of Makurdi, while on his way from an official assignment. According to sources, his assailants laid ambush for him and opened fire on his vehicle, a Nissan Hilux.

Eyewitnesses said the deceased jumped down from the vehicle and made efforts to escape, but was overpowered by the gunmen who shot him multiple times. “He was rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, but later died,” one of the eyewitnesses said. Many people cried uncontrollably when news of his killing filtered into town.

Narrating how the incident happened, one of the community leaders in the area, Thomas Ayakpam, said: “The assailants waylaid the late security aide on his way back home in the night and sprayed bullets on his Nissan Hilux .They shot him severally, giving him no chance to survive.

We could not come out to rescue him because we were scared, as they seem to be many and the shots they fired shook the whole community to its foundation.“ Governor Ortom, who paid a condolence visit to the deceased’s family, charged security operatives to carry out full investigation into the murder, stressing that anyone found culpable will be made to face the consequences of their actions.

Go to school, risk your lives, Abia NLC warns students

THE Abia State chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Uchenna Obigwe, yesterday warned parents in the state against allowing their children to go to school He also said that any parent who ignored the warning would be doing so at his or her own risk. Describing the indefinite strike declared by a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress as successful, Obigwe boasted that the NLC in the state had forced all the private schools in the state capital to shut down. He said the branch of NLC in the state had successfully done the same in Aba the previous day. “Any parent who allows his child to go to school from Monday does so at his own risk,” he declared. Obigwe, has described the indefinite strike action embarked upon by Go to school, risk your lives, Abia NLC warns students the union as a successful exercise in the state. Obigwe, who monitored the event fom Abuja, said the NLC in the state had succeeded in shutting down the state in compliance with the directive from the national body led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba. Speaking with The Nation in Umuahia on the strike action, Obigwe said although he was not around, the fillers he got from his lieutenants showed that it was a huge success, bearing in mind that it had just started. Obigwe said that after their meeting on Friday last week, he created three zones, namely Aba, Ohafia and Umuahia. “So when I was in Abuja, after agreeing to go on with the strike, I informed them and they went into action, which has been successfully achieved, “As I talk with you now, Aba has been shut down completely while Umuahia has gone the same way. Even the banks in the state have been shut down, as well as private schools.” The Abia NLC chair accused the federal government of insincerity, saying it had introduced the issue of minimum wage while the union was talking about reduction in both electricity tariff and pump price of fuel. Obigwe said the issue of increased minimum wage is a constitutional one which had been agreed must be reviewed every five years. “But they have decided to introduce it to bring confusion, knowing that electricity tariff and pump price affects everyone,” he said.

New reports suggest 2nd girl rescued is not one of the missing 218 Chibok school girls

The 2nd girl, Serah Luka, who was rescued by the Nigeria Military yesterday, is not one of the 218 students of the Government Girls College Chibok who were abducted by Boko Haram members on April 14th 2014, the Associated Press reports. Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman in a statement he released yesterday announcing her rescue, said Sarah is number 157 on the list of 218 missing Chibok school girls However, this seem not to be correct as a Chibok community leader Pogu Bitrus told The Associated Press that Number 157 on their list had a different name.

According to the report, the list has two other young women sharing the surname given by the military and the rescued girl may have been visiting older sisters at the school the night of the kidnapping.

Ex Militant Leader, Asari Dokubo insists that no girl was kidnapped from Chibok

Leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Front, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, released a statement via his Facebook page, insisting that the no schoolgirl was kidnapped from Chibok and the news of girls being rescued is a scam...see what he wrote after the cut...