Chairman of the Presidential Declaration Committee, Dr. Haliru Bello has made it clear that the setting up the committee yesterday by President Goodluck Jonathan did not automatically translate into his formal declaration to run for the Presidency for another term in 2015.

Dr. Bello, who spoke with State House correspondents at the end of the committee’s inaugural meeting at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa today said: “President has not said anything yet but it is like all Nigerians have called on him. It is our honest hope that he will come out and say yes to the demand of multitude of Nigerians.”
According to the chairman, the President gave the committee the task to organise the modality of creating a platform for him to meet Nigerians and announce his response to the various calls for him to come out and declare his interest in the presidential election.
“We expect he will say yes but we cannot say yes for him. We will wait for him to speak.
“The date that is fixed is Tuesday, November 11. On that day, there will be a forum for the President to meet Nigerians to announce his decision. The venue is yet to be decided. That will be decided at our next meeting.
“When we come out on November 11, the President will face the people of Nigeria and say yes to their demand.
“If he says yes, it will be yes. If he says no, then it is negative. But you are aware that our party, the PDP, in all its organs, from the caucus to the Board of Trustees, NWC had decided that President Jonathan should be given the first option of refusal with the PDP ticket.
“If he is going to contest, the PDP will give him preference. As the President, he has performed and we are satisfied with what he has done.
“It is only when he declines that we can look at any other contestant.” [myad]

The organized labour in Nigeria has made it clear that any attempt by the national assembly to tamper with the national minimum wage for workers as it is now will be an invitation to confrontation.  It kicked against the removal of the Minimum Wage from the Exclusive list to the Concurrent list in the constitution by the National Assembly, saying that it is an act of treachery carried out by some governors and their allies in the National Assembly.

The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, and the President General of the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Bala Kaigama, warned in two different statements today that labour would organize mass protests against the action which they said was condemnable and unpatriotic.

Ozo-Eson stressed that the NLC would mobilise workers against the attempt to scrap the National Minimum Wage.

The NLC Scribe said the organized labour was surprised by the sudden decision to move against the National Minimum Wage after assurances from the Senate leadership.

Ozo-Eson urged the National Assembly to reverse the decision in the interest of Nigerians because of its implications for the country.

He said the decision to remove the national minimum wage was “extremely dangerous and retrogressive” as it would empower employers to fix their own minimum wage.
The NLC secretary, who said an emergency meeting of NEC had been scheduled for Monday on the issue, stated that the move against the National Minimum wage was a deliberate plot of some persons to truncate the current electioneering process.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns in strong terms the removal of Wages from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List by the National Assembly in the on-going fourth amendment exercise to the 1999 constitution.
“We at the Congress see the removal of Wages from the Exclusive List as an act of treachery masterminded by conservative governors and their cohorts in the National Assembly which will do the polity no good.
“We wish to state in no uncertain terms that the Congress will mobilise its members to resist this move to scrap the national minimum wage. We recall that last year, our national campaign and mobilisation on this subject matter was suspended at the instance of the leadership of the Senate, which promised to revisit the issue.”

[myad]

After months of speculations, President Goodluck Jonathan has finally signified his intention to seek for re-election in 2015 Presidential election. To that effect, the President has set up a Presidential declaration committee, headed by the former National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and also former Defence Minister from Kebbi state Dr. Haliru Bello.
Also in the committee are Senator Ken Nnamani (Enugu) while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim (Ebonyi) would serve as the Secretary.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Professor Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali (Gombe), Julius Imagwe – SSA – Youth (Edo), Dr. Baraka Sani (SSA -NSAP), Kano are to serve as members of the committee.
Governors were also nominated to represent their zones on the board of the committee and those appointed include Governors Liyel Imoke, Cross River (South South), Theodore Orji, Abia (South East), Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo (South West), Dr. Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu Niger (North Central), Ibrahim Shema, Katsina (North West) and Ibrahim Dankwambo, Gombe (North East)
These facts came to light today when he met the leadership of the PDP at the Presidential Villa. The president was said to have intimated the PDP leadership that he would beat the deadline for the procurement of the presidential nomination form being sold at Wadata house, the party’s secretariat.
November 7 and 15 have been fixed as the dates for his declaration,.
Jonathan was said to have assured the party leadership at the meeting that he would pick the party nomination form before the October 30th deadline set for the exercise by the ruling party.

[myad]