NEWS
Minimum Wage: PDP Berates Kebbi Govt. for Shortchanging Workers
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kebbi, has berated the State Government for allegedly shortchanging Local Government workers after payment of Nov. salary with new minimum wage.
The Spokesperson of the PDP in the state, Alhaji Sani Dododo, made this known in a statement issued to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
“PDP has been keenly following trends of minimum wage payments since its formal announcement in Oct.
this year.“It will be recalled that Gov. Nasir Idris, made a formal declaration to pay the sum of N75,000 as the new minimum wage effective Oct. 2024, for both State and Local Government Workers,” he said.
He added that unfortunately, due to some administrative limitations, local government managers and trade unions solicited for two weeks grace to harmonise their documentation.
“To our greatest dismay and after persistent delays, the local governments and teachers’ minimum wage was finally released this month but was grossly far from the approved amount of N75,000.
“This development was testified by several teachers and LG workers from across the 21 LGAs of the state,” Dododo alleged.
He also wondered why the state and local government employees would have a new minimum wage contrary to the one announced by the governor.
“We challenge the state government to dispute the fact that despite agreed minimum wage figure, the state Is still paying less than N40,000 to almost all categories of staff on Grade Level 3, 4 and 5,” he said.
The PDP imagemaker urged the state government to fulfill its promises to teachers as they played crucial role in reshaping the future of the society.
Reacting to the development in a chat with newsmen, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Faruk Abubakar-Sadiq, called on any staff with issues relating to payments to formally ledge complaints withe Ministry for Local Government.
“Any staff with complaints regarding omission or underpayment should lodge his/her complaints to the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs through their respective Directors of Finance and Supply.
“These complaints will be forwarded to the ministry for necessary action,” the chairman assured.
The NULGE boss expressed deep gratitude to Gov. Nasir Idris for his timely approval and implementation of the new minimum wage for all staff in the State Local Government Service.
Abubakar-Sadiq described the gesture as a testament to Gov. Idris’ unwavering commitment to improving the welfare of workers across the state.
He assured the members of the unions that the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs was committed to addressing any reasonable complaints arising from the payments.
The NULGE chairman spoke on behalf of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and Medical Health Workers of Nigeria. (NAN)
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Anambra Chapter has condemned gruesome murder of its member, Mr Ifeanyi-Rolex Iloakasia.Iloakasia, a member of Otuocha Bar was killed alongside his client in Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area as they were returning from court sitting in Ekwulobia High Court on May 15.
The NBA, in a statement signed by K. G. Abonyi, Chairman, Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries of NBA Anambra, described the mysterious attack as a “blatant assault” on the legal profession and the rule of law. They said that the NBA, Anambra Chapter, was deeply grieved and aggrieved by the ‘senseless” killing, especially as the tragic loss of Awa P. Awa, former Vice Chairman of Ihiala Branch of the NBA, remained fresh in their memories.Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries of NBA Anambra, directed all lawyers to boycott all court sittings in the state from May 20 to May 21 in protest against the murder of their colleague.According to the lawyers, justice must be served, and we demand that the relevant authorities leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of truth and accountability.“We appreciate the swift response of the Commissioner of Police, Anambra who promptly visited the crime scene for an on-the-spot assessment and directed the commencement of preliminary investigations into the murder.“However, we urge the Commissioner of Police, DSS, and other law enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to ensure that the perpetrators do not evade justice.“Speedy action is crucial in identifying and apprehending those responsible for this horrific crime,“Too many lawyers have been sacrificed to insecurity in this state and the legal profession cannot thrive under an atmosphere of fear and insecurity,” it saidThe NBA called on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to revamp and strengthen security operations across the state to prevent such tragic occurrences in the future.(NAN)
Dr Adedamola Dada, outgoing Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, said the hospital exported its best practices to over 60 hospitals in five years. Dada, describing the feat as his greatest achievement as Medical Director, shared this at a media parley organised to highlight his achievements and challenges in office.
He was first appointed on July 2, 2017. He said more than 70 hospitals nationwide had adopted the electronic medical records pioneered by the centre. “We are the first public hospital to become fully paperless in clinical operations. In five years, we have mentored 60 hospitals on deploying electronic systems. “We did the mentoring at no cost, believing it would positively impact healthcare delivery across the country. “These include tertiary, secondary and state hospitals. We want them to serve Nigerians well by implementing the system effectively,” he said. The Medical Director noted the hospital expanded services using five pillars adopted at the start of his tenure. He listed the pillars as staff motivation, improved service quality, sound financial management, technology adoption, and infrastructural development. Dada said the hospital grew from 72 beds to 450, now has a 16-bed ICU, and increased from one to 20 baby incubators. He added that the hospital now has 12 theatre suites, over 500 patient monitors linked to a central system, and 16 dialysis machines from none initially. According to him, 4,000 to 5,000 new patients register monthly, and expanded services continue to attract more people to the facility. “We’ve restored Nigerians’ confidence in public healthcare, thanks to the staff’s dedication and commitment,” Dada stated. He identified the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the most difficult periods during his leadership. “There were many challenges, but COVID-19 stood out. It coincided with the hospital’s highest number of deliveries,” he recalled. “Many pregnant women came from other hospitals where they couldn’t access care during the pandemic,” he explained. He also recalled the EndSARS period as tough. “I slept in the hospital for seven days with other staff due to restricted movement,” he said. (NAN)
President Bola Tinubu on Friday reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to roundly countering insurgency in the country.The president gave the assurance when he received a delegation of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria led by Archbishop Chivir Chianson, its General Secretary, on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Tinubu, represented by Mr Daniel Bwala, his Special Adviser on Policy Communications, stressed that he would not condone any form of evil against the citizenry. He said the security agencies were ready with renewed commitment to restore safety and security to every part of the country, and that the fight against insecurity would be holistic.“This administration is committed to addressing insecurity and will not tolerate any form of evil.“Crime is crime and has no religious or tribal colouration.“The security forces have fresh marching orders to deal decisively with all criminal activities.“We are engaging with state governors to address root causes of insecurity.“It may exist to a certain degree but rest assured that we are committed to ensuring citizens can pursue their dreams in a secured environment,” Tinubu said.He stressed the need for a national consensus to deal effectively with the scourge without politicising it.Tinubu also told the delegation that the economic reforms undertaken by his administration were yielding positive results as revealed by various economic.He urged the members of the team to continue to support his administration to ensure that the economic progress being witnessed continued.In his remarks, Chianson said the members of the delegation were at the State House to express their concern on the state of the nation.He, however, commended Tinubu for the various landmark reforms instituted by his administration aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians.The clergyman cited the recent approval of the recruitment and deployment of forest guards to secure the country’s forest reserves.He said it was a step in the right direction, which would go a long way in checkmating the obnoxious activities of criminal elements operating in the forests.Chianson also lauded Tinubu for the fairness in his appointments as they were devoid of any religious leaning.“The Church in Nigeria is impressed with his appointments so far.“The choice of Sen. George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, a Christian, was particularly appreciated as a sign of positive change.“We will continue to support President Tinubu’s administration, as we believe in the Renewed Hope agenda,” Chianson said.The meeting was also attended by Archbishop James Maljit, Deputy National President North, Archbishop Joseph Jatau Yari, National Vice-President North West, Archbishop Alexander Nyoonkyeh, Overseer of Benue Province and Bishop David Gyang, Overseer of Plateau Province among others. (NAN)
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