The Government of the State of Osun has described demands by medical doctors in the services of the state as impossible against the background of what it called the best condition of service it had offered all categories of workers.
The state government described as mere blackmail the protests by the striking doctors even as it said that the government has made more than enough concessions for them to have shifted their positions and reason with the government.
In a statement by the Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, which was endorsed by its Director, Semiu Okanlawon, the state government said that under Governor Rauf Aregbesola, mushc had been given workers, including the doctors before the current financial challenges facing the entire country.
The Government called on well-meaning Nigerians to objectively examine the issues involved in the demands of the doctors and see whether they are in tune with the realities of the current worsening global and national economic situation and how it affects Osun.
It said that in the face of the current economic realities, it remains unbelievable  that doctors would insist that they would not be bound by the payment regime agreed to by over 39,000 other workers in the state which was arrived at after a rigorous deliberation on the finances of the state within the context of the national economic realities.
The statement said that it is an open secret that Nigeria is faced with critical financial challenges which have made many obligations impossible.
It said this was why the state came up with a very transparent formulae for apportioning of its available resources adding that this was agreed to by all categories of workers in the state.
“The only way labour can do without the distrust of government is by setting up a committee with the labour constituting half of the composition and government half and a neutral person jointly accepted by us to be the head of the committee to be reviewing all the revenues and using the reality of the revenue to appropriate or apportion allocation to strategic and key areas of government, which is wages and running the government. We agreed and we are running government absolutely on that basis.
“That agreement came in August and in September; the doctors said they were not in any way bound by that agreement.
“There was no way we could back down because, in the first instance, other professionals had accepted the agreement reached with labour.”
The statement said the doctors have remained recalcitrant despite all entreaties by leading lights of the medical profession, adding “they refused the popular agreement, what should government do? How can we reverse a decision accented to and agreed with by over 39,000 workers because about 200 people are dissatisfied.”
The statement accused the doctors of abandoning their work since September 28, adding that “but we paid them for that month.”
It went further, “By December, we told them they should resume work and they have remained adamant that they want to earn what we cannot afford. In the first instance, except in communist country, you cannot force anybody to work, you can’t drag workers to work under democracy. It is either you want to work or you don’t want to work. But if you cannot take what we are offering and what other workers including Doctors in Local government areas, including consultants at the state level are taking, we cannot afford it.”
The statement said there is no doubt that all aspects of life are affected in Nigeria by the crushing economic hardship.
While admitting that doctors render essential services to the society, the statement reminded Nigerians that there is no single professional in the health sector that is not essential.
It said just as the Government is committed to the welfare of doctors, it must also be committed to the welfare of other professionals in the medical line such as Pharmacists, Nurses, Radiologists, cleaners and others.
Listing its several pro-workers policies, the statement reminded all that the government ensured payment of salaries on or before 26th of every month regardless of the arrival of federal allocation.
“This state never received salary at the end of the month ever since inception. And why? Allocation always comes minimally 14 days after the month, Osun traditionally will wait till the allocation comes before salary can be paid as we are doing now. Today is 16th and January allocation has not come, and it may not come until the end of the month, before now and for 4 years, Aregbesola ensured that salaries were paid on or before every 25th of the month. Not that allocation came every 25th of every month, by my our special arrangement, we ensured that we guaranteed payment before the end of the month for 4 years. Today, it becomes useless and irrelevant and not commendable because we are challenged, not by our own fault, but by the vagaries of the economy in the world, not even in Nigeria,” the statement added.
It listed other areas such as reform in the way leave allowances were paid; increase in vehicle loans by 400 percent and the end-of-the-year allowance which were paid to workers.
“We began with 10 percent to 25 percent to 50 percent and the fourth year to 100 percent. Unfortunately, but for the economic situation. We couldn’t go further. All of these is to show how workers-friendly we are.”  [myad]

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr (Mrs.) Idiat Oluranti Adebule has commended the contributions of the British Council to the development of the education sector in the State.
Adebule gave the commendation in Lagos today at a reception organized by the state government for the visiting delegation from the United Kingdom under the auspices of the British Council Connecting Classroom Programme, noting that for the state to achieve better education delivery, the cooperation and partnership of international institutions such as the British Council is imperative.
“The enormous contributions of the British Council to the development of education in the State cannot be over emphasized, among which are the provision of Digital Hubs in three public senior secondary schools, organisation of several trainings and workshops for teachers, head teachers, officers in the Ministry and sponsoring the State teachers and officers to international workshops.”
The Deputy Governor said that the collaboration with the British Council was indeed a valued partnership that has been working for the state government, expressing the administration’s appreciation to the Council for partnering with the State in its effort to improve education.
According to her, the focus of the cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the Council is not lost on government as it is aware of the need to adopt and integrate new educational trends in the State educational framework with a view to enhancing the performance, administrative efficiency and build up public schools to global standard.
Dr. Adebule noted that the 2015-2018 Connecting Classroom Programme will ensure that young people learn foundation skills and build the capacity of teachers to integrate a range of core skills into the curriculum, thereby improving learning outcomes for students as well as enabling them to become more globally aware and competitive.
“I was reliably informed that the 2012-2015 edition of the Connecting Classroom Programme which was aimed at increasing the chances of young people worldwide to demonstrate enhanced knowledge, skills and understanding for work in the global economy came to an end in the month of June 2015. It is on record that a total of 55 public primary and secondary schools across the State benefited in the programme and are already in partnership with other Schools in the United Kingdom on the Connecting Classroom Programme.”
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Olabisi Ariyo explained that the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme aim to develop and nurture school links involving Nigeria and United Kingdom (UK) schools, adding that the links would promote greater understanding of global issues for teachers and students in the UK and Nigeria.
She explained that the team will be visiting seven schools across the state and they are Lagos City Senior College, Sabo Yaba; Sanya Senior Grammar School, Sanya; Modupe Cole Memorial School, Bariga; Eva Adelaja Junior Girls Grammar School, Bariga; Keke Senior High School, Agege; Idimu Junior High School, Idimu; and Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School, Agege.
The head of the UK delegation, Mrs. Jane English also expressed the appreciation of the team to the Lagos State Government for the partnership, which she noted has been of great benefit to both countries, adding that the continuous training of teachers will further enhance teachers’ and students’ learning skills. [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria expects a lot from Britain for the move to rebuild the North Eastern part of the country in particular and Nigeria in general.
He said that because of the affinity that is shared by Nigeria and Britain, the two nations need each other now more than any other time.
The President who played host to a team of British Members of Parliament led by Hon Chi Onwurah at State House, Abuja said: “we are going to rebuild Nigeria, and there are vast opportunities for Britain and us. We share very close ties, and our expectation from you is high.”
President Buhari said that Nigeria has found herself in a phase of development which is not a very welcome one.
“We are disorganized because we relied on mono-economic product for too long, and now that oil price is down, we have to go back to agriculture and solid minerals. Tin, columbite, cocoa, groundnut, and others, used to be the basis of our economy, but then, oil came, and everybody began to look for cheap money. Now, we need to start all over again.”
Hon. Onwurah, Nigerian-born MP for Newcastle, said the team was in the country “to promote positive engagement between Nigeria and the UK, since we are stronger when we build on ties of the past.”
She said that her team was interested in how the Diaspora can support the economic progress of Nigeria, as well as promotion of trade and diversification of the economy.
Also on the delegation made up of three MPs was the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright. [myad]

Lagos State Government has charged all the contractors handling the 114 roads in all the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the State to ensure that they meet international standard in delivering the roads project.
The state commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon. Muslim Folami, gave the charge during a progress report meeting with all the Contractors, Executive Secretaries and other stakeholders across the State, held at Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa-Ikeja.
He emphasised that Governor Ambode attaches great importance to the timely completion of the 114 roads, warning that any contractor that delivered a shoddy job will not only have the contract revoked but will also be blacklisted.
“The state government will not hesitate to cancel any contract or accept excuses from any contractor for non-performance, for the use of substandard material or if the road project delivered after completion is not up to the expected standard.”
He stressed the need for prudent management of funds by the contractors even as he implored all the stakeholders involved in the project to work together.
“This present administration is people oriented government where every Lagosians must be carried along at every point.”
He asked the contractors handling the construction of the roads project to employ people in the communities to work on the roads project especially the indigenes.
He asked that the consideration should be given to the qualified people in the community to work on the construction sites. [myad]

“He (referring to former governor, Dr. Peter Odili) would call me at midnight to tell me what to do. He will say, ‘go to so, so place.’ I took all his advice and here we are today victorious.”
These were the quotes which the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state ascribed to governor Nyeson Wike of the state on the recent supreme court judgment which favoured him.
Governor Wike was said to have made the statement publicly at a Church Thanksgiving Service on 7th February.
The APC, which insisted that governor Wike should explain to the public whom Dr. Odili asked him to meet before the judgment, described such revelation as an indictment of the apex court.
The statement, signed by the APC state Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said that Wike’s confession had ended the mystery about how he procured the shocking judgement considering that Dr. Odili’s wife, Mrs. Mary Odili, is a Justice of the Supreme Court.
“That Wike may have influenced the outcome of the judgement given by the Supreme Court for PDP in Rivers State was further exposed by PDP supporters, who started celebrating the judgement by 9am – almost ten hours before the incredulous judgement was delivered at 6.45pm on Wednesday, January 27, 2016.”
The APC regretted that Rivers people had by the judgement been denied the opportunity to vote for the governorship candidate of their choice simply because “to Wike, everything in this world, including every judgement, has a price tag.”
The party agreed with the position of the Head of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Committee, Professor Itse Sagay, who said that the reasons adduced by the Supreme Court for its judgement on the Rivers guber election are not convincing.
“According to the erudite Scholar in his reaction titled, ‘Wike Climbed into the Governorship Seat over Dead Bodies’: ‘Everybody knows that people like Wike climbed into the governorship seat over dead bodies and over the blood of human beings. There were no elections, they wrote the results; the evidence is there. “Sagay added that what the Supreme Court has done is to set the clock of electoral excellence and fairness and credibility back by. I do not want to say a thousand years, but certainly it is taking us back to where we were before (former INEC Chairman, Prof. Atahiru) Jega came in and sanitised the system.”
The Rivers APC expressed its conviction that the blood of its 100 members killed to install Wike as Rivers State Governor will one day touch the minds of the Supreme Court Justices and make them to give correct judgements that will save Nigeria from the shame in the international community occasioned by this unjust judgement. [myad]