13022020

Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020—41
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Boko Haram hits Maiduguri as
Buhari visits, runs into storm
Continues from Page 5
necessitated closing the
only entry gate against
civilian citizens commuting
from security risk roads and
areas into Maiduguri only
to become cheap preys for
blood-thirsty terrorists to
slaughter.
“If the road must be
closed, why is the security
protection not made
available for the travelers
who would arrive there after
the closure? Was there any
evidence that a thorough
check was carried out on
the travelers and their
vehicles to confirm if they
were armed?
“The military authorities
should investigate the
circumstances that led to the
emergence of the gate
instead of adequate
provision of security on the
road in order to stop the
incessant invasion of
Maiduguri and terror
attacks in the area. That is
why we salute the popular
position of the state
governor, Prof Babagana
Zulum who has been
consistently critical of the
failure of the Army in
stopping the menace of
terrorism in the state.
“The Army and Federal
Government had
severally told us that
terrorists had been
decimated, technically
defeated and chased away
from the country; yet, the
terrorists have become
even more daring in their
deadly operations,
consistently attacking
communities, killing,
maiming, abducting and
burning property with
minimal or without any
resistance from the frontline
troops. This is totally
unacceptable and it is
condemnable.
“CAN has consistently
maintained that the security
arrangement in the country,
especially in the Northeast,
has been
compromised and except
the security system is
completely overhauled,
Nigerians will remain
helpless and Federal
Government may never be
able to contain the current
nightmarish security
situation.
“There is no doubt that
sabotage and compromise
are largely responsible for
the prolonged terrorism,
banditry, kidnappings and
herdsmen killings in the
country, an allegation that
has been confirmed by
authoritative voices in the
country’s security circle at
the highest level. It is
however sad that Federal
Government nay the
Commander-in-Chief is
still turning a deaf ear to the
desperate calls for the
rejigging of the security
architecture by Nigerians.
“Our position is very
clear: Federal Government
is not ready to overhaul the
security agencies despite
their poor performances just
to maintain the status quo
ante and sustain the widely
acclaimed suspicious
regional agenda.
“We once again call on all
well-meaning Nigerians to
put the needed pressure on
Federal Government to let
go of heads of all security
agencies and the service
chiefs. For he alone takes
full responsibility for the
failure and success of
governance and national
security situation in the
country.
“This unending killings,
bloodshed and upsurge of
criminal activities in the
country must be arrested by
government decisively
immediately so as not to
plunge the country into
another pogrom.”
Sympathy visit
not enough,
PDP tells Buhari
On its part, leading
opposition party, the
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, has urged President
Muhammadu Buhari to go
beyond his sympathy visit
to Borno state and take
decisive steps to end the
killings across the country.
This is even as the party
described the alleged
booing of President Buhari
in Borno state on
Wednesday as a clear
message to him that
Nigerians hold him
responsible for the
escalated insecurity in the
country.
A statement signed by the
party’s spokesman, Kola
Ologbondiyan read: “The
PDP demands that Mr.
President should not limit
his visit to Borno state but
also visit other parts of the
country, including Kaduna,
Kano, Benue, Plateau,
Yobe, Adamawa, Zamfara,
Kogi, Niger, Taraba and
other states to face the
feelings of Nigerians as
well as view the national
devastation his poor
handling of security and
infrastructure has caused
our nation.
“The party hopes that the
visit to Borno state, which
came only after the PDP
and Nigerians criticized Mr.
President for his aloofness,
particularly over the Auno
killing on Sunday, is not
part of the usual
presidential media stunts
that will not be followed
with a corresponding action
to track down killers and
end terrorism.
“It (booing) shows a loss
of confidence in the Buhari
Presidency and the ruling
All Progressives Congress,
APC.
“The PDP further charges
Mr. President to endeavour
to go on subsequent visits
by road in order to see and
feel the agony Nigerians
are being subjected to with
the parlous state of our road
infrastructure and security
network under the
incompetent and
unresponsive Buhari
Presidency and APC.
“Our party holds that
Nigerians do not deserve a
distant President, who sits
in the comfort of the
Presidential villa and
luxury jets, remaining
indifferent to the pains,
anguish and torments that
compatriots suffer on daily
basis.
“The PDP hereby calls on
Mr. President to quickly
embark on these visits and
monitor, on first hand basis,
the damage which his
administration has caused
and for which Nigerians are
demanding that he resigns
and allow more competent
hands to manage the affairs
of our nation. It is only after
these visits that the Buhari
Presidency will appreciate
that those calling on him to
rejig the nation’s security
architecture mean well for
our dear country.”
Jiddari Polo
residents in
Maiduguri flee
homes in fresh
Boko Haram
attacks after
Buhari's visit
Hundreds of residents of
Jiddari Polo general area of
Maiduguri metropolis have
fled their homes into the
city, following sporadic
shootings suspected to
have been masterminded
by Boko Haram sect.
Jiddari Polo General Area
is south at the outskirts of
the metropolis with dense
population, not far away
from the 21 Armoured
Barracks.
The incident which
started at about 6:30pm on
yesterday, is coming barely
few hours after President
Muhammadu Buhari
visited the state for
sympathy visit.
According to one
resident, Mallam Yusuf
Unman said” Our
community is currently
under Boko Haram
attack, there are
deafening sounds if
gunshots and
explosions, but I was
lucky to have mobiilzed
my family and fled into
the heart of the city to
reunite with one if my
relatives”.
Although the sounds of
the gunshots subsided as
at 7:12pm, many
residents who fled into
the city are still stranded
at press time.
One of the fleeing
residents, Adamu Garba
told our correspondent at
about 7:30pm that they
sighted a large number
of armed policemen,
members of the civilian
JTF with troops heading
towards the area of the
attack as they struggle to
enter the town with his
family in his private car.
Meanwhile, Borno
governor, Professor
Babagana Zulum has said
there was need for change
of strategies in the ongoing
fight against Boko Haram.
08052202308 (sms only)
Labour draws battle line with
emplo
ployer
ers over anti-Labour
practices
Stories by Victor
Young
A
B U J A —
ORGANISED Labour
has drawn a battled
line with employers of
labour in Nigeria over
alleged increasing cases
of indecent employment,
termed anti-labour
policies and practices
undermining labour
solidarity among
others.
For labour, the indecent
employment is
characterised by
casualisation,
outsourcing, contract
staffing, and denial to
allow workers to freely
form or join union.
At a meeting, the National
Administrative
Council, NAC, of Nigeria
Labour Congress,
NLC, said labour movement
will soon descend
on employers with penchant
for unfair labour
practices across the
country.
In a communiqué
NLC President and
General Secretary,
Ayuba Wabba and
Industrial court t strikes es out
suit against NULGE
O WERRI—THE
National Industrial
Court, Owerri Division,
has struck out a case filed
by some alleged members
of the Nigerian Union
of Local Government
Employee, NULGE,
against the national officers
of the Union.
The Presiding Judge,
Owerri Division of NIC,
Justice Ibrahim
Galadima, in a judgment
declared the matter as an
abuse of judicial process.
According to Justice
Galadima, instituting the
action as representatives
of the union and seeking
for the same declaration
with the issue that had
already been put to bed
and was purportedly one
of the issues raised on
appeal amounts to relitigating.
The case was instituted
by one Ekwem Chinedu,
Onwuachu Henry and
Ughala Ugoezi (claimants)
against NULGE
and its national officers.
The claimants instituted
the action by way
of originating summons,
questioning the tenure
of the Union President
along with the other National
Officers which purportedly
commenced in
2015, and the propriety of
the elongation of the tenure
of the officers of the
union at all levels, from
the constitutional four-
Emma Ugboaja, at the
end of the maiden NAC
meeting in 2020, said
the NAC observed that
in spite of the provisions
of the Labour Act Section
7 (1) that, “not later
than three months after
the beginning of a worker’s
period of employment,
the employer shall
give to the worker a written
statement
specifying...the name of
the employer or group of
employers, the undertaking
by which the
worker is employed”
and other terms of employment,
the practice
in some sectors of the
economy is to employ in
violation of the provisions
of the law.
The NAC ascribed “the
frequent violations of
the law to the disdain of
some employers for the
Labour Law, penchant
for denying responsibility
by some employers,
conspiracy, lack of capacity
to enforce the law
by the appropriate regulatory
body, and fawning
over foreign direct
investment by authorities
which sometimes
year term to six years.
They sought for a declaration
that their tenure
as national union officials,
ended in 2019 in
accordance with the
NULGE Constitutions.
The Defendants filed
preliminary application
and argued that the suit
was an abuse of judicial
process being that the
subject matter was similar
to the one instituted
against them in the
Abuja division of the
Court and that there was
an appeal against
Court’s previous judgment.
They urged the Court
to strike out the case in
the interest of justice.
Counsel to the Respondents
submitted that
the said suit in Abuja had
been withdrawn and
struck out and further
that the earlier suits were
filed by different parties
to redress different grievances.
The counsel
thereby urged the Court
to dismiss all the grounds
of the preliminary objection
in the interest of justice.
Delivering Ruling after
evaluation of the submissions
of both counsels,
the trial Judge, Justice
cede away the rights of
workers at the point of
investment.
''The NAC notes that
casualisation of work or
workers, flexibility of
some types work notwithstanding,
is a violation
of the law as well as
runs counter to the principles
of decent work.
Casual workers are
highly vulnerable as
they cannot belong to
unions, neither can they
benefit from collective
agreements nor other
workplace benefits including
job security, social
protection, promotions,
leave, safety and
health,
etc.
Casualisation is shortsighted
and counterproductive,
as in the long
run, it creates workplace
hostility, industrial
disharmony and threat
to economic development.”
The communiqué
added “in consideration
of this, the NAC resolved
to continue fighting
casualisation where ever
it rears its head. NLC
Committee on Organising
is already mobilised.”
Galadima expressed
thus: “Although I concede
that the Defendants
have filed a notice of appeal,
it is yet to be duly
entered, having not yet
compiled and transmitted
the records of proceedings.
The question
here is resolved against
these Applicants the implication
of which is that
the existence of a pending
appeal cannot impugn
on the Claimants’/
Respondents’ rights to
institute this action, and
I so pronounce.
“Therefore, for the
Claimants/Respondents
to now institute this action
as representatives of
the said union and seek
for the same declaration,
amounts to re-litigating
the issue which had already
been put to bed by
this Court and is purportedly
one of the issues
raised on appeal.
“However, in order to
enforce the portion nullifying
the resolution of the
SDC which is declaratory
in nature, the Claimants
must come by way of a
writ of complaint to enforce
the rights which
they believe inured to
these Claimants from the
Court’s previous declarations.
“Giving the foregone
opinions, therefore, striking
out this suit is for the
time being, with prejudice
against these Claimants’
rights to re-institute
same, and I so declare.”