Dino Melaye, a disgrace to the Senate - Tinubu

4—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016
CRISIS: PDP holds stakeholders meeting today
•We remain open to reconciliation —Makarfi
•I'm the authentic chairman —Sheriff
By Ben Agande
ABUJA—A meeting of
Peoples Democratic Party
stakeholders is to be held in
Abuja today to discuss the crisis
in the party as well as the
programmes put in place by the
caretaker committee, headed by
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, for the
party’s convention and
forthcoming governorship
elections in Edo and Ondo
states.
The meeting is coming on the
heels of a call by Senator Makarfi
on the former chairman of the
party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
and his supporters to come back
to the mainstream of the party.
But Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
whose candidate for the
September governorship
election in Edo State was
rejected by the Independent
National Electoral Commission,
INEC, on Tuesday, insisted that
he remains the authentic
chairman of the party.
He added that his candidate
should be recognized by the
commission based on the
decision of Abuja High Court.
Speaking on the stakeholders
meeting, a member of the
caretaker committee in charge of
Publicity, Prince Dayo Adeyeye,
said the meeting, which will
have in attendance governors
elected on the platform of the
party as well as members of the
Board of Trustees, BOT, and the
National Assembly members,
would discuss the programme
drawn up by the committee for
the convention of the party
Reps move to criminalise non-payment of workers' salaries
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
ABUJA—THE House of
Representatives yesterday
moved to prescribe punishment
for employers in the country who
either fail to pay salaries to their
workers or pay salaries, wages
and pensions late.
The bill, sponsored by the
Majority Leader of the House,
Femi Gbajabiamila, was
however, stepped down by the
sponsor, following observations
made by some members that the
bill was not justifiable and could
only come up through an Act.
The speaker, Yakubu Dogara,
who presided over the plenary,
also in a diplomatic manner,
advised the House Leader to
have a second look at the bill and
make all the necessary
amendments on it, so it could
be represented on the floor for
consideration.
The bill, entitled A bill for an
act to prohibit late payment, nonpayment
and under payment of
workers’ wages, pension and
other related emolument in
Nigeria and prescribes penalties
for violations and for other
Fitch affirms Diamond Bank's ‘BBB'+ rating
with stable outlook
By Nkiruka Nnorom
LAGOS—GLOBAL credit
ratings and research
agency, Fitch Ratings, has
reaffirmed Diamond Bank’s
strong fundamentals in its 2016
ratings Review of Nigerian
banks.
In the recently released 2016
ratings, Fitch affirmed a ‘B’
Rating, with stable outlook for
Diamond Bank’s short-term and
long-term Foreign Currency
Issuer Default Ratings, IDR.
The bank’s National Longterm
Rating was also affirmed
at ‘BBB'+ (nga)’; while the
National short-term rating was
which may hold in August.
The meeting will also discuss
preparations for the forthcoming
governorship elections in Edo
and Ondo state.
According to him, members of
the caretaker committee are ready
to hold the party’s convention
within the specified time frame
given to it at the party’s national
convention in Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, chairman of the
caretaker committee of the party,
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has
again extended an olive branch
to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to
come back to the fold of the party.
Speaking yesterday when he
received state chairmen of the
party from the North West geopolitical
zone, Senator Makarfi
said the problems in the party
could not be settled through the
courts, no matter the legality of
court judgments.
“So far, all legal intervention has
been in favour of the decisions of
the Port Harcourt national
convention. That is not to say that
the job is finished.
‘’In the past, I have said
severally that the path of peace
and reconciliation is the best path.
Litigation can resolve issues on
legal grounds but not between
brothers and sisters.
“We will never foreclose that
window, even if the legal issue
terminates at this stage. If the legal
issue continues, we will not
foreclose the window of
reconciliation. I assure you that
we will work very hard to do the
needful.
“I don’t want to talk too much
on what we want to do because
we are yet to be in full comfort
zone. God willing, we will deliver
to the satisfaction of PDP
members,” he said.
However, the man at the centre
of the leadership crisis in the
party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
has said that contrary to the news
making the rounds, the
Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, had not
formally notified him that it had
rejected the candidate presented
by his faction for the governorship
election in Edo State.
Speaking yesterday when he
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY: From left: Secretary of the Commission of Inquiry into
Nimbo herdsmen attack, Mr Emmanuel Agbo; Counsel to the Commission, Mr Richard
Udeichi, and Counsel to Nimbo community, Mr Sadiq Nwabuezeh, during the commission's
sitting in Enugu, yesterday. Photo: NAN.
matters connected thereto” was
slated for second reading
yesterday before withdrawal.
The House, after listening to
the sponsor, resolved that since
there was an existing minimum
wage Act, the sponsor should
convert it to an amendment to
the minimum wage Act instead
of coming as a fresh law.
But in his lead debate,
Gbajabiamila explained that the
intention behind the bill was for
“every employer of labour in
Nigeria, whether private or
public; and whether it is
employing any worker on
permanent or contract basis must
ensure that all payment of wages,
salaries, pensions and all benefits
to workers are paid promptly
without any delay weekly,
affirmed at ‘F2 (nga)’. Viability
Rating was affirmed at ‘b’;
Support Rating affirmed at ‘4’;
Support Rating Floor: affirmed at
‘B’; while the Senior unsecured
notes Rating was affirmed at ‘B’/
’RR4'.
The ‘B’ IDR Rating indicates that
Diamond Bank has the capacity
to meet financial commitments,
subject to the country’s business
and economic environment; while
the ‘BBB'+ (nga)’ National
Ratings denote a “moderate
default risk relative to other
issuers or obligations in the same
country”. Further, the ‘F2 (nga)’
National Short-term Rating
fortnightly, monthly, quarterly as
may be agreed by parties in the
contract of employment of the
individual employee.”
According to him, non-payment
or delay in the payment of
workers’ salaries and
emoluments is an infringement
on their rights as enshrined in the
1999 constitution.
“indicates a good capacity for
timely payment of financial
commitments relative to other
issuers or obligations in the same
country”. These ratings were
premised partly on Fitch’s
downgrade of Nigeria’s
sovereign ratings (to ‘B+’) on 23
June 2016, in addition to the
bank’s strong capital, operational
and liquidity positions.
Reacting to the report, the bank’s
spokesperson, Ayona Trimnell, said:
“These ratings affirm the precision of our
corporate strategy in deploying new
technologies and digital applications to
drive financial inclusion, convenient
banking, enhanced customer friendly
services and our overall retail banking
approach.”
IPMAN seeks
probe of past
leaders over
alleged
N10.9bn
subsidy fraud
By Mike Eboh
A BUJA—THE
Independent
Petroleum Marketers
Association of Nigeria,
IPMAN, has called on the
Federal Government to reopen
the probe on the N10.9 billion
alleged subsidy fraud
involving IPMAN
Investments Limited.
Speaking at IPMAN’s Extra-
Ordinary General Meeting in
Abuja, factional President of
the association, Mr. Chinedu
Okoronkwo, said this became
necessary as individuals
allegedly involved in the
scandal were currently
fomenting trouble within the
association.
Okoronkwo stated that the
Federal Government should
probe IPMAN’s Premium
Motor Spirit, PMS, imports
into the country within the
period the controversial and
suspicious subsidy payments
were made.
According to him,
individuals found culpable
should be brought to book and
made to answer for their
wrongdoings.
FG to increase
Health Budget
in 2017
—UDOMA
By Emma Elebeke
ABUJA—MINISTER of
Budget and National
Planning, Udoma Udo
Udoma, said yesterday that the
Federal Government was
determined to improve the
health sector by providing
adequate funds for it in the
2017 budgetary allocation.
The minister disclosed this
when he hosted the Regional
Director of World Health
Organisation, Dr. Matshidiso
Rebecca Moeti, in his office.
Udoma, said the
administration was committed
to provide adequate funds for
quality health care delivery
and would demonstrate same
by scaling up the budget for
health sector next year,
compared to what was
obtained in this year’s budget.
“Will increase budgetary
allocation to the health sector
in 2017 budget in its
commitment to improving the
sector in Nigeria.
‘’This administration is
committed to providing
adequate funds for the health
sector."