14042021 -6 Northern govs link up to fight banditry, terrorism

4 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021
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COMMISSIONING: Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State (middle) flanked by his wife, Dr.
Amina Abubakar Bello and Commissioner for Health, Dr Mohd Makunsidi at the official
commissioning of Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency in the state.
Lawmakers’ aides disrupt sitting over
unpaid salaries
By Tordue Salem
ABUJA—AIDES
to
senators and members of
the House of Representatives
yesterday embarked on protest
over unpaid salary arrears,
minimum wage implementation,
duty tour allowance, and other
entitlements.
This is even as the
Parliamentary Staff Association
of Nigeria, PASAN, of both
National Assembly, NASS, and
We aren't against financial
autonomy for judiciary — GOVS
•Insist FG can't dictate ways of
implementation to any state
By Henry Umoru
A Nigeria BUJA—THE
Governors
Forum, NGF said yesterday it was
not opposed to financial
autonomy of the judiciary at both
the state and federal levels.
The NGF said it had concluded
plans to meet with the leadership
of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria,
JUSUN, to nip the 8-day old
strike in the bud.
Answering questions from
journalists yesterday in Abuja
after a meeting of the governors
and French Minister of Foreign
Trade and Attractiveness, Frank
Riester, Governor Simon Lalong
of Plateau State, who insisted
that governors were only
concerned about the
implementation of financial law
and not order 10, said the federal
government cannot dictate ways
of implementation to any state.
He said: “The court did not
make any pronouncement on
Order 10. The court said there is
a law on financial, so Order 10
and financial autonomy are
different. Order 10 is not law,
financial autonomy is law.
“Now, the implementation of
your financial autonomy was
what according to them, led to
the enactment of Order 10. So
people don’t understand what is
Order 10; Order 10 is talking
about implementation.
‘’But for us governors, we are
saying no; we are going to do
implementation, we don’t need
any Order 10 to force us to do
implementation. We are only
working on the law of
implementation because the
Federal Government cannot tell
us how to implement.
“I was speaker, we started it in
1999; today I’m a governor, and I
knew how the governors agreed,
and brought in financial
autonomy. It was a law agreed by
the governors and the governors
said go and pass it.
“So who is the one that is even
crying more than the bereaved?
We are the ones, all these things
affect us. Talking today, I’m a
lawyer and I would want the
judiciary to be autonomous.
“It is strengthening the
institution, because people are
thinking that is about money, it’s
not about money. We want all the
institutions strengthened; both
the judiciary and the legislature.”
While responding to a question
on why governors were footdragging,
Governor Lalong, who
disagreed with the insinuation,
however, argued: “No governor
is foot-dragging. Who’s footdragging?
“We were not consulted when
we saw a law passed and Order
came. So when you are talking
about implementation, you’re
talking about policy, you don’t
wake up because law is passed
and you said you are doing it,
how? There must be processes.
“For instance, as a speaker I
will tell you that you cannot do
financial autonomy until you
have a service commission in
place, you must establish a state
allocation committee, and all
these are steps toward autonomy.
“You don’t achieve autonomy
in a day; we did it for National
Assembly, and there was no Order
10 for implementation. It took
them stages. The federal
government is aware, members
of National Assembly are today
governors, how can they say they
don’t want autonomy?
‘’We have seven governors who
are members of the National
Assembly who fought for
autonomy and got it for National
Assembly. So we are saying it’s a
process. By the time you move
the process but someone will just
come and say Order 10, I’m doing
it today, no!”
National Assembly Service
Commission, NASC, chapters
vowed to embark on strike today,
if the management failed to meet
its members’ demands.
The aides, who stormed the
lobby of the National Assembly,
wielding placards with various
inscriptions, accused the Clerk to
the National Assembly, CNA,
Arc. Olatunde Ojo, of failure to
pay their salary arrears,
implement Consolidated
Legislative Salary Structure,
CONLESS, minimum wage,
Duty Tour Allowances, DTA, lack
of training and conditions of
service.
The angry protesters on
sighting the speaker of the
House of Representatives, Femi
Gbajabiamila, who was on his way
to the Chamber, started chanting
solidarity songs, forcing him to
stop to hear from their leaders.
Mr. Zebis Prince, who
represents the South-South
geopolitical zone of the group, told
the speaker that the aides
desired the CNA to meet their
demands.
The demands were presented
to him by the Chairman,
National Assembly Legislative
Aides Forum, NASSLAF,
Comrade Salisu Zuru.
Receiving the letter of demand,
Gbajabiamila said it was
inexcusable not to pay workers’
arrears dating back to 2019.
He said: ‘’I believe every
labourer should be paid his
wages. We are looking into it.
While these things can be
protracted, not paying wages of
2019 is inexcusable. We will look
into it. I will just ask that you be
patient. We plead for your
understanding.
‘’We know there are
financial constraints but one
thing I know is this will be
resolved amicably and your
arrears will be paid. We
appreciate you for bringing these
demands to our attention and we
will attend to it accordingly.’’
Addressing journalists shortly
after, the chairman, National
Assembly legislative aides, Mr
Stanley Ugwu, said their
grievances revolved around the
fact that certain privileges and
rights of the legislative aides were
being sat upon by management
of the National Assembly.
He said: ‘’We engaged them on
administrative processes up till a
point of getting a resolution to
investigate the non-payment of
the 2019 salary arrears, which the
House of Representatives set up
a committee to look into.
‘’They sat, conducted their
activities and the report was laid
and adopted by the House. Since
the report has been accepted at
the plenary, the management
has not deemed it fit to make the
payments. The quarterly training
for the aides has not been done
as well and if aides are not trained,
the quality of the legislation you
will have here will be low.’’
Meanwhile, parliamentary
workers have vowed to embark
on strike today, if the
management of National
Assembly failed to meet their
demands.
This was disclosed in a joint
communique issued at the end
of PASAN Congress held at
Conference Room 28 of the
House of Representatives in the
New Wing of the National
Assembly.
The association in the
communique signed by Comrade
Sunday Sabiyyi (Chairman,
NASS chapter) and Comrade
Oisamaye Ojemeri (Chairman,
NASC chapter), asked the
management of National
Assembly to implement the
minimum wage/consequential
adjustment and the financial
provisions in their conditions of
service.
Speaking at plenary yesterday,
speaker of the House, Femi
Gbajabiamila, appealed to the
workers to exercise some
patience, assuring that the issue
would be resolved soon.
Political appointees causing
heavy wage bill — NECA
A BUJA—THE
Director-General,
Nigeria Employers’ Consultative
Association, Dr Timothy
Olawale, has said that state
governments should take a cue
from the association, whose
members had pledged to try to
retain their workers as much as
possible amid the economic
downturn in the country.
According to him, the provision
of jobs for the masses is part of
the social responsibility of
government.
He said the wages overload in
states was not on workers’ salaries
but on political appointees.
“So, the government should
even be the very last to consider
this issue of laying off of workers.
‘’What we would advise the
By Udeme Akpan
AS Nigeria continues to
record high level of expired
refinery licences, experts
yesterday identified lack of funds
and feedstock as factors militating
against the construction of new
plants.
The experts, who expressed
their positions in different
interviews with Vanguard, said
such investors had the right to
reapply for the renewal of their
licences.
Lead promoter, EnergyHub
Nigeria, Dr. Felix Amieyeofori,
said: “The investors encounter
many problems, including lack of
funds and feedstock. But the good
thing about it is that they have
the right to reapply.”
Similarly, former Managing
Director, Niger Delta Petroleum
Resources, Dr. Layi Fatona, said:
“conscientious focus and
determination are required in the
pursuit and delivery of any
project in the Nigerian airspace.
“There is no capital long
enough and not much of equity
is available to pursue refining
projects.”
Meanwhile, the Department of
Petroleum Resources, DPR, has
denied revoking 32 refinery
licences in the country.
Some publications, (not
Vanguard) had erroneously
Massive job creation, remedy for
insecurity, says ex-Ecobank Chair
By Providence
Adeyinka
FORMER Chairman
of Ecobank Plc, Dr. John
Odeyemi has called for
massive job creation for
Nigerian teeming youths as
the only solution to the
lingering and worsening
security crisis in the country
at the moment.
Odeyemi who doubles as
former National President of
Nigerian Association of
Chambers of Commerce,
Industry, Mines and
Agriculture (NACCIMA), said
this at a thanksgiving service
marking his 82nd birthday
anniversary held at Saint
Paul’s Anglican Church,
Diocese of Ife (Church of
Nigeria), Ayegbaju Ile Ife,
Osun State, describing the
government to do is to set their
priorities right,” he said, adding
that there were many avoidable
expenditure heads that could be
done away with.
“Workers’ welfare, retention of
workers should be top on their
priorities. For political reasons,
many politicians, many governors
were recruiting and putting those
we were not supposed to be in
civil service there. The wages
overload is not on the workers’
salaries; it is on political
appointees.
“Check most of the states,
check the number of advisers and
special assistants that are
advising the advisers – all those
appendages of government
appointees; check what goes into
their purses every month.''
Lack of funds, feedstock, hinder
construction of 32 refineries
•We didn’t revoke licences — DPR
rising unemployment rate in
the country as worrisome.
In a statement, Odeyemi
expressed concern on state of
the nation, especially the
rising unemployment rate
and security challenge in the
country currently, saying this
was the time for radical
decisions to be taken to
address challenges facing the
nation.
Latest unemployment
report by the National
Bureau of Statistics (NBS),
showed that Nigeria’s
unemployment rate hit a new
record high of 33.3 per cent
in Q4, 2020 from 27.1 per cent
recorded in Q2, 2020, which is
a pointer and bad signal that
something rational has to be
done urgently to address the
degeneration of social vices
and security challenge in Nigeria.
reported that the agency revoked
the licences recently.
But DPR said in a statement :
“We wish to clarify that DPR did
not revoke any refinery licence.
Refinery licence like our other
regulatory instruments has
validity periods for investors to
attain certain milestones.
“This implies that after the
validity period for the particular
milestone, the licence becomes
inactive until the company
reapplies for revalidation to
migrate to another milestone.
This does not in any way
translate to revocation of the
licence of the company.
”DPR in line with the
aspirations of the government
initiated the refinery revolution
programme of government
aimed at boosting local refining
capacity by enabling business
and creating new opportunities
for investors with the granting of
modular and conventional
refinery licenses.
‘’DPR will continue to provide
support to investors in the oil and
gas industry in Nigeria using our
regulatory instruments of
licences, permits and approvals
to stimulate the economy and
align with government’s job
creation initiatives.”
The refinery projects which
licences expired include BUA
Refinery & Petrochemicals (Akwa
Ibom); Dee Jones (Cross River);
Energia Ltd (Delta); Southfield
Petrochemical & Refinery Ltd
(Edo); Starex Petroleum Refinery
(Onne Oil & Gas Free Trade
Zone); RG Shinjin
Petrochemicals (Delta); Don Mac
(Edo), Platinum Hydrocarbon
Resources (Delta), Mondonat
Nigeria Ltd (Delta); Ikwe-Onna
Refinery (Akwa Ibom); Shepha
Petroleum & Petrochemicals
Company (Delta); JIL-Amber
(Port Harcourt Refinery);
Gazingstock Petroleum
Company (Delta); Petrolex Oil &
Gas Limited (Ogun); Eghudu
Refinery (Edo); Ibafon Refinery
FZE (Calabar FTZ, Cross River);
and Kainji Resources (Imo).
Others are Eko Petrochem &
Refining Company (Lagos); Hi
Rev Oil (Akwa Ibom); Epic
Refinery & Petrochemical
Industries (Bayelsa); Masters
Energy Oil & Gas (Rivers); Cross
Country Oil & Gas (Imo); Grifon
Energy (Ondo); Sifax Oil & Gas
Co (Lagos); Capital Oil & Gas
Industries (Lagos), All Grace
Energy (Rivers); Green Energy
Int'l (Rivers); and others.