Labour asks FG to audit 774 LGs' workers, retirees – Newstrends
Connect with us

News

Labour asks FG to audit 774 LGs’ workers, retirees

Published

on

Labour asks FG to audit 774 LGs’ workers, retirees

The Organised Labour comprising the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, has proposed a staff redistribution, placement and auditing exercise, to ascertain the actual numbers of local government workers, primary school teachers and pensioners in all the 774 local government areas nationwide.

Under the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of Local government based unions they also recommended an embargo on recruitment of new staff into local government including teachers for one year from the date of the Supreme Court Judgment on direct payment to ensure stability and consideration.

These are parts of the recommendations JAC aimed at effective operations of local government during the direct remittance of federal allocation following the recent Supreme Court granting of financial autonomy to the local governments.

The President of NUT, Titus Amba, President-General of NULGE, Ambali Akeem, and President of NUP, Godwin Abumisi, in a seven point recommendations, noted that “For a hitch free take off of the direct payment system JAC recommends that there should be staff redistribution, placement and auditing exercise to ascertain the actual numbers of Local Government workers, primary schools teachers and pensioners.

“Recruitment of new staff into Local Government and teaching should be suspended for the period of one year from the date of the Supreme Court Judgment on direct payment to ensure stability and consideration. This will enable Local Government to focus on developmental projects and real service delivery”.

Among other recommendation, the JAC equally advocated the “restructuring of supervisory institutions controlling and supervising Local Government workers. These agencies are to be restructured by way of expanding their statutory members to include chairmen of local government; heads of local government based unions and other relevant stakeholders for quality control and inclusivity.”

READ ALSO:

For Local Government Service Commission, JAC proposed for statutory membership to include: representative of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, and representative of NULGE, while for State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, statutory membership should include: Representative of ALGON and representative of NUT.

Similarly, Local Government Staff Pension Board statutory membership should include representatives of ALGON, NUP, NULGE and NUT, while Primary Health Care Agency statutory membership should representatives of ALGON and health practitioner from the local government.

According to the recommendations, “Due to the huge deficit in infrastructural development and lack of capacity for service delivery in many local governments nationwide, JAC recommends that Federal Government should intervene in the procurement of machines and equipment such as tractors, graders, bulldozers, refuse disposal vans (tipper lorries), septic evacuation van, public address system van and supply of materials and equipment for the vocational skill acquisition centers. Funds for the procurement of these materials should be deducted from Local Government allocation overtime on installment basis.

“The peace and security committee of the local government should be reorganized for the purpose of indexing, registration, kitting and intelligence gathering, policing and regular bi-monthly meetings coordinated and funded by the local government.

“For the purpose of workers welfare and industrial harmony, training and capacity building and sustainability of industrial stability in the Local Government system, the following payments should be made the first line of charge and domiciled at the relevant agencies.

“Gross salary of local government workers should be domiciled with the Local Government Service Commission. Two percent of total LG allocation for Local Government Service Commission running grants and Local Government Training should be domiciled with the Local Government Service Commission.

Gross salary of primary school teachers should be domiciled with SUBES. 1.5 percent of total LGA allocation for SUBEB running grants should be domiciled with SUBEB.

“25 percent of gross salary of teachers and local government workers should be deducted from LG allocation for the payment of pension and gratuity and should be domiciled with local government staff Pension Board. Five percent grant for traditional council should be deducted and remitted into traditional council accounts.”

Also, JAC proposed the “strengthening of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter- Governmental Affairs as Supervisory Ministry This is for the purpose of policy formulation, coordination, implementation and supervision. To also coordinate reforms in the local Government through quarterly summit to review government economic policy on Local Government Scheme of Service in every five years to enhance productivity and policy assurance at the local government level.”

 

Labour asks FG to audit 774 LGs’ workers, retirees

News

Why governors’ forum is silent on Rivers emergency, by DG

Published

on

Why governors’ forum is silent on Rivers emergency, by DG

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday attributed its neutral position on the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State to the need to steer clear of taking positions that may alienate members with varying political interests.

Taking positions on contentious partisan issues, the NGF said, would not augur well for it, especially in view of its past experience in fundamental division.

Notwithstanding, the declaration of the state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu yesterday generated more kudos and knocks from across the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, said the action of the president was meant to ensure protection of lives and restoration of law and order in the state, while the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said his principal  was required  to “avert needless harm and destruction .”

National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, said Tinubu, by his action, cleared what had manifested as a constitutional crisis in Rivers state.

But former President Goodluck Jonathan saw it from a different perspective.

READ ALSO:

He described “abuse of office and power by the three arms of government in the country“ as a dent on Nigeria’s image.

The NGF, in a statement by its Director General Abdulateef Shittu, said it is essentially “an umbrella body for sub-national governments to promote unified policy positions and collaborate with relevant stakeholders in pursuit of sustainable socio-economic growth and the well-being of the people.”

It added: “As a technical and policy hub comprising governors elected on different platforms, the body elects to steer clear of taking positions that may alienate members with varying political interests.

“In whatever language it is written, taking positions on contentious partisan issues would mean a poor sense of history — just a few years after the forum survived a fundamental division following political differences among its members.

“Regardless, the Forum is reputed for its bold positions on governance and general policy matters of profound consequences, such as wages, taxes, education and universal healthcare, among others.”

It asked for “the understanding of the public and the media, confident that appropriate platforms and crisis management mechanisms would take care of any such issues.”

Why governors’ forum is silent on Rivers emergency, by DG

Continue Reading

News

Rivers: Tinubu acted to save state, economy, says Karimi

Published

on

Chairman of the Senate Services Sunday Karimi

Rivers: Tinubu acted to save state, economy, says Karimi

Chairman of the Senate Services Sunday Karimi has hailed President Bola Tinubu for the decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

 He told reporters on Friday in Abuja that the President acted in the best interest of the State and Nigeria, having taken his decision in compliance with the Constitution.

“No President or government worth a name, will fold its arms and watch a political situation deteriorate to what we saw unfolding in Rivers State.

“We saw that bombing of pipelines had begun, and the security situation was getting worse with the tension everywhere”, Karimi stated.

Karimi, who represents Kogi-West on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recalled the “fatherly role” Tinubu had played in the crisis since 2023 in a bid to get the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara to reach an understanding, to no avail.

He explained: “We were all here in 2023 when Mr President called that truce meeting at the Aso Rock Villa. There was the eight-point agenda for settlement reached between the factions.

“When Nigerians expected that progress should be made to achieve peace, things started deteriorating considerably to a point where the governor demolished the House of Assembly building and administered the state with only three legislators.”

READ ALSO:

Karimi observed that with the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, which gave the upper hand to the 27 lawmakers loyal to the camp of the FCT Minister, matters merely got worse in the State as the lawmakers were set to impeach the Governor.

“What did you expect would be the implications? There would have been more destruction, killings and economic losses for the country.

“With the bombings that had already started, it was a matter of time before the whole state would be engulfed in flames. No responsible President would sit, arms folded, and allow that to happen “ he added.

The senator further argued that it took “painstaking efforts” by the administration to raise daily crude oil production to around 1,800 barrels, noting that Nigeria’s economy was already “witnessing a rebound under the renewed hope projects of the government.”

“Allowing the situation in Rivers to get worse before he would act, wouldn’t have helped the state or Nigeria as a country in any way.

“Mr. President intervened at the right time, and his actions are covered by law,” he said.

Karimi also spoke on the emergency declaration  in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and a couple of other states by former President Goodluck Jonathan without removing the Governors from office or suspending the state assemblies.

According to him, the case with those States was not generated by political crises but rather security concerns.

“So, I will advise those comparing the two scenarios to remember that one was purely about security threats resulting from the insurgency caused by Boko Haram, while that of Rivers is clearly political.

“It was the proper thing to do to suspend the political actors in the two factions to allow for tensions to diffuse. Nigerians should appreciate the President for the action he has taken so far,” he stated.

Sen. Karimi also noted that there was no cause for alarm as the National Assembly had indicated that the emergency rule could be reviewed as soon as there were signs that things could quickly normalise in Rivers State.

 

Rivers: Tinubu acted to save state, economy, says Karimi

Continue Reading

News

Just in: Tinubu swears in Rivers Sole Administrator Ibas

Published

on

Just in: Tinubu swears in Rivers Sole Administrator Ibok-ete Ibas 

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Vice Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (Retd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.

The administrator was sworn in on Wednesday after a short meeting with the President.

Tinubu announced the appointment of the retired naval chief at a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, when he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly members.

The President said his decision was based on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, saying he could not continue to watch the political situation in Rivers escalate without taking concrete action.

The suspension of Fubara and other elected representatives has been rejected and condemned by many eminent Nigerians, legal luminaries, groups such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigerian Bar Association.

However, the emergency rule has been praised by the pro-Nyesom Wike Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule, accusing Fubara of contravening the Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.

Ibas was the Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021.

He is from Cross River State where he had his early education.

The new sole administrator went to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979 from where he proceeded to have a successful career in the Navy, rising through the ranks to the very top.

He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Nigerian Institute of Management.

President Muhammadu Buhari who appointed him as Chief of Naval Staff conferred him with the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2022.

Continue Reading

Trending