Metro
Ngige Flays Disparity in Foreign, Local Workers Payment in Nigeria
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has frowned at the disparity in payments of foreign and local workers in parts of the country.
He criticised states in Nigeria that employed and paid foreigners five times higher than their Nigerian counterparts.
Ngige said this when he received the Chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr Muheeba Dankaka, and other Federal Commissioners during a courtesy visit on Thursday in Abuja.
He regretted that such preferential treatment given to foreigners by some states ahead of their Nigerian counterparts does not encourage national unity and loyalty.
He therefore urged the FCC to use its constitutional mandate to promote national unity and loyalty, rather than concentrate their efforts only on the public sector, especially in job recruitment.
He appealed to the commission to ensure equitable distribution of amenities, infrastructure and social services in the country.
According to the minister, the constitution did not say that you do only cases in the public sector.
“There are areas we need you to look into especially where the constitution is silent.
“We have cases where doctors are employed from Egypt, Cuba and Pakistan and they are paid five times what the Nigerian doctor will get if you convert the foreign exchange they use to pay them.
“But in this country, I was here when some of my teachers left from South East to go and teach in the North East at a time.
“They left because we had enough down there to export to our brothers.
”They were paid with our local currency and given some other incentives, which at the end of the day make the economy of those states to be alright.
“Whether you like it or not, if some people are poor in Nigeria in the poverty index rating, when the Nigerian poverty index is being taken, it will be an aggregate, including those places.
”If it is health, when the health parameters are being taken, it is for the whole. So, FCC can go into that area,” he said.
The minister therefore urged the FCC to persuade the affected state governments to open up and advertise those jobs, so that Nigerians can come whether from South-East, South South or North Central to come and fill the gap.
Ngige also advised the commission to be revolutionary and do new things, using its broad mandate, established by Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).
“Our constitution is the Supreme law of the land. And any law made by anybody, whether national and state assembly that is in conflict with constitution is void.
“So, you people have a strong mandate from the supreme law of the land.
”I think you should help us build a new country, where we will not be talking about hatred because it is some of these perceptions that cannot even be separated from reality that breeds all the discontent and hate speeches we see.
“We must strive to unite our country. All these North and South, East and West, they are artificial geographical demarcations.
“One body that can unite our country is FCC. As you are here now, you are no longer politicians.
“We count on your chairman that wherever she goes to fly the umbrella of justice, freedom and fair play, we need it for Nigerian workers.
“We need it for Nigerian people. If we distribute schools well, people will go to school in the areas where there are no schools now.
“The almajiris will get western education. When we educate people, we have liberated them from poverty and ignorance which breeds all these security issues all over,” he said.
Ngige noted that the economic situation has eaten into individual pockets for worsening labour dispute issues in the country.
He added that labour unions are now remembering agreements they signed with the previous adminstartions, some dating back to 2009 and even 2002.
“The President said we are alive to our responsibilities and we do not owe any worker salaries.
“The President is strong on that and that is why we have not retrenched anybody. He is also strong on the fact that government is a continuum.
“If they now remember that the previous administration owed them 2009, we will not say no, we will say yes. But we will pay you base on our capacity to pay and ability to pay.
”Those allowances can be stretched and we pay you in tranches. That is what we have been doing with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non Academic Staff of Universities (NASU) and Joint Health Staff Union (JOHESU).”
He noted that the resident doctors who were not paid were those illegally recruited by Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) without necessary approval.
“You people know the mandate for recruitment. The Federal Ministry involved will give approval.
“The office of the Head of Service of the Federation and Budget office will give approval.
”These three approvals come to you in Federal Character Commission for final approval and issuing of compliance letter.
“But in the case of these resident doctors, their letters were issued without any of these approvals.
“The CMDs who did that said they thought they could pay them through GFMIS platform, an ad hoc platform used for sundry expenses. Personnel costs have been removed from GFMIS. That is the problem.
”Every payment for personnel costs is done under IPPIS. But now, a waiver has been given. It will come to you in the FCC to give compliance certificate.
”We explained to them that it is not a one bus stop thing. It cannot be done in one day. They said no, we are going on strike.
“You go on strike to force government to regularise an irregularity. It is not done,” Ngige explained.
He also said that the request for compliance letter would be sent to the FCC by the Federal Ministry of Health before the end of the week and urged the commission to give the request expeditious attention.
Earlier, the FCC chairman noted that the commission was established to promote the unity of the country and ensure strong and indivisible nation, fostering sense of belonging, fairness, equality and justice.
Dankaka said they have the mandate to ensure the fair distribution of infrastructure, amenities and social sservice.
She assured that the commission would discharge its mandate in a manner to eschew the feeling of marginalisation from any quarters of the country. (NAN)
The Federal Capital Territory Civil Service Commission has begun the regularisation of staff appointments in the FCT Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
The Head of the Civilo Service, Dr Udo Atang, said at the commencement of the exercise in Abuja on Wednesday, that the move was to ensure accurate data of all staff.
Atang described the regularisation as a “critical” exercise, which forms the bedrock of the new FCT Civil Service Commission (CSC).
He pointed out that all the staff were holding letters of appointments from various agencies, departments, area councils, and the defunct Ministry of FCT and FCDA among others.
The holders of these letters, he said, have been raising issues of discrimination based on letters of appointment.
According to him, the exercise and the gazette by the commission that will come thereafter, will give all staff a sense of identity.
“The essence of this regularisation is to ensure that staff are properly documented.
“You will now have letters that will now qualify you as a bonafide staff of the FCT Civil Service Commission.”
The head of service, who appealed for full cooperation of the workers, directed that a list of all staff on course, study leave, leave of absence and other related permissions be compiled and submitted.
He added that the list should be compiled with grade level, designation and record of service, including approvals.
Atang commended the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, for his doggedness and commitment in implementing the provisions of the FCT CSC Act, 2018.
Noting Wike’s support and love for the FCT workers, the head of service urged the workers to reciprocate the minister’s uncommon gesture, by being dedicated and committed to their respective duties.
Also speaking, the Chairman, FCT CSC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, stressed that part of the responsibilities of the commission was in the appointment, promotion and discipline of all FCTA and FCDA workers.
Ezeh also stressed the need for the workers to be more committed in the discharge of their responsibilities. (NAN)
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Catholic Women Organization of Nigeria (CWON) has organized a trauma healing session for survivors of the Jos Saint Academy School collapse alongside parents who lost their children in the unfortunate incident.The National President of the organization, Dame Mary Gonzum noted that the effort was part of their psychosocial support and counseling services for victims of the school building collapse as a follow-up to the assessment of the condition of the victims during their visit.
Gonzum speaking during a one day trauma session held at the Secretariat of the Justice Development and Peace/Caritas Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Archdiocese located along Zaria Road in Jos the Plateau State capital said the trauma healing session was in continuation of their intervention to students who experienced the building collapsed.”Today, a trauma healing session was flagged off with a seminar on how to go about handling the trauma that victims of the Saint Academy School Busa Buji in Jos are passing through.”We will later select those that are so traumatic and need help to continue with the process of healing because it is not something that will end in a day or two but will need sometime.”The surviving students who experienced the building collapsed, parents of the students are all here because some parents are so traumatic, we have one other woman that lost two children”This trauma became necessary because when we went visiting in the hospitals, we observed that some of them are really traumatic. Like the other boy, his mother said up till today he kept telling his mother that he is seeing dead bodies, and anybody he sees he will say is his classmate.”Some of the affected parents while sharing their encounters after the incident said they hardly sleep in the day or night time. Some manage to sleep for two hours and they’re awake, and from the little lectures we received today it is clear that there is a problem,” She noted.The President calls on the government to ensure that those saddled with the responsibility of approving, inspecting and supervising structures are meant to do their job with all diligence to avert future happenings again.Some of the affected parents including; Hasana Suleman Sale who lost two of her children recalled with pains the unfortunate development that claimed the lives of her two children. She expressed gratitude for the trauma healing session which she said came as a means of consolation and strength for her to overcome the trauma she is passing through.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria has welcomed the newly-appointed Apostolic to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty.
Crotty, an Irish, was appointed by the Vatican.
He will oversee the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the church in Nigeria.
The position, an ambassadorial status, advances cohesion in the body of Christ.
In his welcome message for Crotty on Tuesday, the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, said that the Church was glad to receive him.
The CBCN president, who is also the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, said,” With joy and gratitude to God, I extend a hearty welcome to Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty on behalf of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, clergy, religious and lay faithful in Nigeria.
“We are thankful to His Holiness, Pope Francis, for appointing Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty as the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria to build on the good works of his predecessor, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi.
“His appointment is a testament to the strong spiritual bond between our countries,” he said.
He said that although Crotty was the first Apostolic Nuncio from Ireland to serve in Nigeria, many Irish missionaries had played significant roles in spreading the gospel in Nigeria.
“We appreciate Archbishop Crotty’s acceptance of serving in Nigeria and assure him of our full support and cooperation.
“We pray for a fruitful mission and a blessed tenure for our excellency,” he added. (NAN)
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