Presidency Orders Payment Of Federal Workers’ Salaries, Allowances

September 15, 2015

The Presidency has ordered Ministries, Departments and Agencies under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government to compile the names of all public service employees who are being owed arrears (salaries and allowances) within seven days so that they can be paid without further delay.

The directive was contained in a Circular with reference number HCSF/428/S.1/128 dated September 14, 2015, from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, and made available to journalists today in Abuja by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria.

In the circular, the Presidency emphasized the urgent need to compile the names of those being owed so as to pay them immediately.

The Presidency directed the MDAs to ensure that each unpaid entitlement should be accurate, verifiable and contain the name, designation, status (serving or retired) and amount due to each officer.

“The correct information should reach the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation on or before Monday, September 21 2015,” the circular emphasized.

Reacting to the directive, Secretary-General of ASCSN, Mr. Alade Lawal, commended President Muhammadu Buhari “for bringing hope to thousands of public service employees who were being owed arrears of salaries and allowances for years.” [myad]

Indian Owned Lacasera Company Sacks All Its 700 Nigerian Workers

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

No fewer than 700 Nigerians working in an Indian owned Lacasera (Beverage) Company Plc have been laid off, even as the workers took to the street today to protest the sack. The workers received their sack letters yesterday.

Report had it that the crisis began when the workers arrived at the company premises in Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, Mile 2, Lagos, and found the gate locked against them and a notice of disengagement pasted at the entrance.

The notice dated September 14 and addressed to all members of staff, stated:“as a result of the unwarranted invasion of our business premises on September 11, we cannot guarantee the well-being of our employees from hired hoodlums and their collaborators.

“As a result of this unprovoked act of vandalism, we are unable to continue operations under this circumstance.

“Unfortunately, we regret to inform all our members of staff of their immediate disengagement.”

But the workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), condemned the act, saying that some of them had worked for between five and 15 years.

Some of the placards they held aloft read: “No more slavery in this country by foreigners (India); “We are against xenophobia from India” and “We can never be slaves in our fatherland.”

The Head of Education Department in NUFBTE, Mr. Mike Olarenwaju, who spoke for the workers, said that for 12 years the company had denied workers the right to unionize.

Olarenwaju said that when an in-house union was about to be inaugurated the management of the company sacked the chairman, which made the NUFBTE officials to visit the company on September 11 to address the workers.

“We were surprised today (Monday) that the company locked the gate and sacked the workers.

“Meanwhile, the case between the workers and the company over unionisation is currently at the National Industrial Court.’’

He said that until the workers were re-absorbed, the union would continue to picket the company.

The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Idowu Adelakun, told NAN that the act of calling labour officials hoodlums was wrong and vowed that labour would not allow the company to function until the matter was resolved.

Lacasera started operations in Nigeria in year 2000. [myad]

Federal Government Plans Zero-Based Budgeting For 2016 – Osinbajo

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has announced the plan by the Federal Government to use a zero-based budgeting format for the 2016 budget plan.
According to him, the zero-based budgeting would be carefully coordinated to ensure that it is policy-driven, especially regarding the proposed social intervention policy of the administration.
He explained zero-based budgeting to mean, planning according to needs and costs, different from the existing Envelope Budgeting or traditionally incremental budgeting whereby the planning is based on existing income and expenditure as the deciding factor in national financial planning levels. This, he added, often incurs waste and assumes previous costs as constant.
Professor Osinbajo spoke yesterday in his office during a courtesy visit by the National Economic Summit Group (NESG). He also met with a delegation from the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) and the Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON).
The Vice President said that the introduction of the new TSA policy and its implementation by Ministries, Department and Agencies was a creative way of blocking leakages in the system to make way for a workable budget.
He said that with the zero-based budgeting, the Federal Government will also focus on a bottom-up approach to development.
He said that the Federal Government is planning to set up an infrastructure fund in order to facilitate easy funding for critical areas of the economy.
The infrastructure fund, according to the Vice President, would be planned outside of the budget, to handle major segments of the economy such as road and power.
“Government is working out a document that would guide the administration within the four years of its life-span.” [myad]

800,000 French Businessmen Coming On Trade Mission To Nigeria

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

About 800,000 French manufacturing firms and businesses have indicated their determination to undertake a trade mission to Nigeria next month, October.
President of the Movement for the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), an umbrella organisation of the businessmen and investors, Pierre Gattaz, announced this today when President Muhammadu Buhari addressed leading French businessmen and investors at the headquarters of the Movement, in Paris, France.
Gattaz said that the MEDEF trade delegation to Nigeria will be made up of prospective investors in agriculture, mining, automobiles, energy, skills development, light manufacturing, food processing, transportation services and many other areas. [myad]

I Will Be Angry With Development Centres Where Kidnapping Takes Place – Ebonyi Governor

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

Ebonyi State Governor, Engineer David Umahi has warned the 64 newly appointed coordinators of Development Centres in the state that he would not be happy with any of them in whose area any form of kidnapping takes place.
Umahi emphasized the need for them to evolve measures to combat kidnapping and other form of violent crimes in their areas, saying that anyone who failed to do so risked trouble with his administration.
The governor spoke yesterday when he swore-in the co-ordinators, including a physically challenged, at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre in Abakaliki.
“If you allow kidnapping to take place in your development centre, either they take somebody from your development centre and go to another development centre, both development centres Coordinators are in trouble. You have to do so because you ought to know the bad people in your areas.”
The governor advised the Coordinators to eschew violence, but to close ranks with the stakeholders to sustain peace and development in their localities.
He warned them against all forms of discriminatory tendencies and directed that efforts should be made to bring back all the strayed members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the family.
Engr. Umahi ordered the Coordinators to within one month, recover all stolen funds and properties in their centres from politicians and civil servants.
“It is a must and after one month you have not recovered it, we will review our relationship with you,” he said, stressing that his administration has no room for corruption.
He charged them to acquire land and engage in agriculture, adding that the quantity of agricultural produce from their areas would be be one of the parametres for assessing their performances.
The governor directed that “all Coordinators are to ensure that every child of ours that is supposed to be in school must be in school.
“No child of school age in the state is expected to be seen loitering during school hours,” Governor Umahi stressed just as he challenged parents to make out time to attend to the academic needs of their children.
Engr. Umahi maintained that at least 20 percent of the total earnings of the Development Centres should be dedicated to project execution, which should be jointly carried out with the caretaker committee Chairmen of Local Government Areas. [myad]

Deputy National Scribe Of Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs Kidnapped In Nsuka

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

The Deputy Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Chief Imam of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Central Mosque, Sheikh Adam Idoko has been kidnapped, even as his kidnappers have come up with the demand of N20 Million ransom on him.

The whereabouts of the Islamic cleric who was kidnapped five days ago in his village known as Ogrute Enugu-Ezike, in Igbo-Eze North Council Area of Enugu State, where he had gone for a meeting is yet to be ascertained.

A member of the Nsuka central mosque confirmed that the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of N20m before they would free the Imam, saying: “we don’t have that kind of money; they should remember that Sheikh Idoko is not a politician or a business tycoon; he is working for God.

“Till now, I am still surprised why the Imam who devoted himself to the work of God should be a target for kidnap.

“If the UNN central mosque has that kind of money, we would have finished the mosque we started building for the past four years.”

Musa Mohammed, a Muslim faithful described the N20m ransom demanded by the kidnappers as unfortunate and outrageous.

“I plead with the kidnappers to release him unconditionally because he is working for God,” he said

Usman Bello, another Muslim faithful urged the kidnappers to respect Allah and set the cleric free, adding: “It is a serious abomination to manhandle those who are doing the work of Allah.

“We have been praying to Allah to touch their minds so that they will release him unconditionally. We do not know anywhere to get N20m for ransom.”

When contacted, the spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, DSP Ebere Amaraizu said the command was on trail of the kidnappers. [myad]

Politics: Bamanga Tukur, Ex-PDP Chairman, Calls It Quit At 80

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has announced his retirement from politics. He spoke today in Abuja at a lecture organized to mark his 80th birthday.

Tukur said he had done his best for the former ruling party and that it was time for him to retire from partisan politics, adding: “I deem it fit to use this opportunity of my 80th birthday celebration to announce my retirement from partisan politics.

“It is time to say goodbye to formal politics. I have used several political platforms to serve my country.

“I leave partisan politics for the younger generation. I want to be a statesman and an adviser.

“At the age of 80, I feel I can serve our dear nation more in the capacity of a statesman and father figure.”

He said during his short-lived tenure as the chairman of the party, he tried to introduce sanity in the party affairs, even as he asserted that he introduced internal democracy, party discipline and party supremacy.

These, he said, remained the ingredients of strong party systems which, he said, drove the democratic process. [myad]

How Officials Defrauded Federal Colleges, Ministry Of N980 Million

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed how officials looted about N980.2 million from the Ministry of Environment and three Federal Government Colleges in the country even as the money has been returned to the treasuries of the affected institutions.

The amount included the stolen N924 million voted for the Great Green Wall to fight desertification in 11 states and N56, 211,086.23 diverted votes for the feeding of students in Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Shagamu, Federal Government College, Odogbolu and the Federal Science Technical College, Ijebu-Imushin.

Chairman of ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, said: “The funds were returned pursuant to court orders,” even as he made it clear that ICPC is still tracking and investigating the movement of another N468, 794,613.79. [myad]

6 Nigerians Confirmed Dead In Mecca’s Crane Accident

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

Six Nigerian pilgrims have been confirmed to be among 107 who died when a crane collapsed at Mecca’s Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia at the weekend.

Spokesman for the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Uba Mana said yesterday that so far, “we have lost six pilgrims — two males and four females while we have three injuries.”

Uba Mana said that the death toll could rise further, saying: “we can’t say this is the final death toll because the situation is still unfolding. We are still visiting the hospitals and mortuaries in search of more casualties from Nigeria.”

He said that over 61,0000 Nigerians have so far been airlifted to the Holy land for the Hajj out of 76,000 expected for this year’s pilgrimage.

“The rest will be airlifted in the coming days,” he said. [myad]

Air India Grounds 125 Overweight Crew Members

Greenbarge Reporters

September 15, 2015

State-run Indian airline has grounded nearly 125 members of cabin staff because they are overweight. Reports reaching Greenbarge Reporters reveal that the Indian national carrier had, last year, asked about 600 cabin crew members to lose weight or be grounded.

It was reported that some of the grounded crew members have been re-assigned to positions on the ground while others have been offered voluntary retirement.

Sources in the airline hinted that those crew singled out, including stewardesses who have failed to maintain the weight requirements stipulated by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

A BMI of 25-29.9 for male crew is considered overweight and 30 and above is obese, while for females BMI of 22-27 is overweight and 27 and above obese.

Employees that fall in the overweight category would be deemed ‘temporarily unfit’.

Staff can continue to fly for up to 19 months with this tag but if they don’t slim down in that time they will eventually be seen as ‘permanently unfit’ and grounded. [myad]

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