14022018 - Workers flee as herdsmen overrun LG offices in Ondo

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Cashew farmers want FG to
re-evaluate port activities
T heNational
C a s h e w
Association of Nigeria
(NCAN) has appealed
to the Federal
Government to take
measures to instill
efficiency in the
country’s ports to
facilitate export with
emphasis on agricultural
perishable produce.
The President of the
association, Mr Tola
Faseru, who made the
appeal in Abuja during
the week, said that
present chaos and
duplication of efforts at
the ports were slowing
down export, noting
that the country was
losing huge foreign
exchange as a result of
the delay.
He also appealed to
the government to give
all necessary support to
c o m p a n i e s
constructing roads at
the ports to engender
speed.
The president said that
more equipment should
also be deployed at the
ports for loading and
off-loading of goods to
hasten operations.
“There should be
better efficiency at the
ports, so the process at
the ports should be reevaluated.
“The key actors like
terminal operators at
the ports are the major
service providers, they
need to be more efficient
to be able to handle the
chaos there at the
moment.
“Our ports should be
smarter to help agencies
do their work.”
Faseru said that slow
operations at the ports
had resulted to increase
in transaction costs for
exporters, adding that
this has implications on
the cost of agricultural
produce at the
international market.
He explained that
cargo forwarding which
previously cost N5, 000
per tonne was presently
being sold for about
N15, 000 per tonne.
“Transaction cost has
NANTs host workshop
on CAADP
The
National
Association of
Nigerian Traders
(NANTS) will be hold a
capacity-building
workshop on
Agricultural Policy
Instruments in Abuja
tomorrow for media
practitioners.
Speaking on the one
day workshop, Godswill
Aguiyi said the
increased tremendously,
a transaction that should
take 45 days now takes
between 90 and 120
days.
“Goods are getting
spoilt in warehouses,
goods that are meant to
be in the warehouse for
one week, take longer
time and most of them
are perishable
agricultural goods.
“When a company
gives you an order and
they are expecting you
to deliver in February
and you are bringing it
in June, they will have
•Farmers with their millet harvest in Yobe State
Kogi woos agric
investors
By Michael Eboh &
Gabriel Ewepu
ABUJA- Governor
of Kogi State,
Yahaya Bello, has called
on private sector
investors to join hands
with his government for
the transformation and
modernisation of the
agricultural sector.
Speaking at the Kogi
State Agricultural
Summit in conjunction
with Nigeria Investment
P r o m o t i o n
Commission, NIPC,
weekend, he said
government alone
cannot do it but will
provide the enabling
environment, while the
private sector becomes
the engine of growth.
Bello who was
represented by the
Speaker of the State
workshop is for
journalists to understand
the Comprehensive
African Agricultural
Programme (CAADP).
He said “for
a g r i c u l t u r a l
stakeholders, the media
has been identified as a
major stakeholder in the
implementation of the
Comprehensive African
Agricultural Programme.
a rethink.
“There are huge losses
for exporters and the
economy, I am sure that
within the last eight
months, there is no way
we would not have lost
nothing less than $2
billion,” he said.
The president also
solicited the support of
the
Federal
Government to procure
no fewer than 2.5
million jute bags needed
for the packaging of
cashew.
House of Assembly,
Kolawole Matthew, also
highlighted major
achievements in the
state’s agricultural
sector, which include N1
billion investment on
production of cassava,
rice, cashew and other
staple crops across 21
local government areas
of the state.
He also noted the
purchase of agricultural
machinery and
equipment, massive
investment on land
clearing, investment in
rural network of roads to
assist in evacuation of
agricultural produce
among other
achievements.
“In fact, in Kogi State,
there is no processing at
any significant level;
hence, whatever we do to
provide market for our
finished products will go
a long way.
Backward Integration
leads to efficiency in
sourcing and economic
viability as it leads to
reduction in cost of
importation.
The Kogi State
Commissioner for
Agriculture,
Oloruntoba Kehinde,
said investors should
take advantage of the
youth population and
vast arable land for
investment following
the governor’s political
will to meet their needs.
•A member of Aviation Unions Grand Alliance (AUGA) fainted during the Peaceful
rally over refusal by the Ministry of Finance to pay the entitlement of ex-workers/
pensioners of Nigeria Airways that was approved eight months ago by the Federal
Government in Lagos recently.
Over 900 Ex-Nigeria Airways workers
die awaiting severance pay
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
NO fewer than 900
pensioners of the
defunct Nigerian Airways,
have died while waiting
for payment of their
terminal benefits.
Chairman of Nigerian
Airways’ branch of the
Nigerian Union of
Pensioners (NUP), Mr
Sam Ezene, who disclosed
this to Pension and You,
lamented that one other
Airways pensioner died in
the morning of February 6,
before the commencement
of the pensioners’ protest
against unpaid N45 billion
approved by the Federal
Government to pay their
severance benefits.
According to him: “Over
900 of our members have
unfortunately died since
the battle started. In fact,
one person died in Lagos
in the morning before we
started the protest. The
900 we are talking about
are those that were
reported to us. There were
reports of two deaths on
February 2. We are not
talking about those in the
villages that we do not
have report on. So, it has
been so bad. Most of them
died for lack of money to
take care of their health
and other necessities.”
7 die in one week
It will be recalled that in
October 2017, it was
disclosed that about seven
of the former employees
had died in one week as
they continued to await
the release of the N45
billion approved by the
Federal Government for
the payment of their
entitlements.
The Chairman of the
Nigeria Airways Elders
Forum, Godwin Jibodu,
while speaking with
journalists in Lagos,
lamented that they have
lost seven colleagues
within the last one week
because they could not
afford proper treatment for
their ailments. "This is
very sad because the
government has
approved N45 billion
since June for payment of
our pensions and
gratuities.”
Mr. Jibodu named the
dead former Airways
workers as Capt. Asuquo,
Capt. Akintaju, M. K.
Amah, Bose Oladumiye,
Onyebuchi Anunobi,
Adebayo Awoyinka, T.
Bellgam and Ebenezer
Akinbode.
According to him,
another former worker of
the defunct airline,
Charles Ntanyi, had been
missing since August this
year after boarding a
commercial bus at night in
Ogba, Lagos. Mr. Jibodu
lamented that the
pensioners were
wallowing in abject
poverty after serving the
nation meritoriously at the
Nigeria Airways.
Block Lagos Airport
road
Recall that on February
6, the pensioners
blocked the Lagos
Airport road for hours,
protesting continued
delay in the release of
N45 billion approved by
the Federal Executive
Council, FEC, for the
payment of their
accumulated benefits.
The protest which
started with a rally at the
open field opposite the
Skypower Catering
Service premises at
about 9.30am, caused
unprecedented gridlock
for hours on the airport
road and its environs
even after the protest
ended. FEC had in
September 2017
approved the payment of
N45 billion that the exworkers
have been
fighting for since former
President Olusegun
Obasanjo liquidated the
national carrier in 2004.
Displaying several
placards with
inscriptions such as
“President Buhari, save
us from Kemi Adeosun
now,” ”Mrs Adeosun,
your action and inaction
are man’s inhumanity to
man,” “Madam Minister
of Finance, where is our
pension and
entitlements, pay us
now,” the aggrieved
pensioners blamed the
Minister of Finance, Mrs
Kemi Adeosun for the
delay.
They chanted solidarity
songs and demanded
explanation from the
minister on the cause of
the delay in the payment.
According to them, the
N45 billion is out of the
N78 billion pensions
owed them by
government. Addressing
the protesters, Mr Ezene
appealed to President
Muhammedu Buhari to
direct Adeosun to release
the pension entitlements.
Ezene noted that the
affected pensioners had
earlier pleaded with the
Ministry of Finance to
release the N45 billion
without response, saying
“The Federal Executive
Council in September
2017 approved the
payment of N45 billion
which was part of
pension entitlements of
the defunct Nigerian
Airways workers. In spite
of our peaceful protests at
the Ministry of Finance
and the National
Assembly in December,
our entitlements have not
been paid. Hopelessness
and depression are
killing our members and
this is why we want the
public to know that we
are going through a lot
of pains and anger.”
C
M
Y
K