NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STAFF PROTESTS UNPAID MINIMUM WAGE

Nigerian National Assembly Building

Staff of the National Assembly under the aegis of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), have again staged a peaceful protest over the non-implementation of minimum wage.

The staff, brandishing placards with various inscriptions, besieged the lobby of the white house of the National Assembly chanting solidarity songs and condemning the action of the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) for breaching the memorandum of understanding (MoU) entered into in 2021.

The Workers, last week, staged similar protest and warned of an impending strike action over non-payment of their eight months outstanding of national minimum wage and 15 months CONPECULIAR allowances.

Chairman of the Association, Sunday Sabiyi and Vice Chairman of National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), M. A Liman, who led the workers on the peaceful protest, vowed to embark on strike with effect from Monday, January 10, 2022.

According to the leadership of PASAN a communiqué dated January 6, 2022, and issued after the joint NASS/NASC Congress held in Abuja, was transmitted as the Congress resolution to the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan; Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabimila; Chairman, National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Engr Ahmed Mashi; Director of Department of State Service (DSS); Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at the National Assembly and Head of Sergeant-at-Arms, respectively.

They alleged breach of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered with PASAN on the 13th of April, 2021 on the full implementation of the new national minimum wage Act 2019 and the Revised condition of service, Congress hereby observes the following: Breach of MOU by the decision of the management not to honour it as at 31st December 2021, is the fourth quarter of 2021.

“In view of the resolutions, Congress resolves to embark on industrial action, commencing with mass picketing from Monday, January 10, 2022, in protest of the breach of the MOU.

“In view of the contraventions above, the NASC/NASS joint emergency congress resolves as follows: That management should pay with immediate effect 5 months outstanding balance of minimum wage, the year 2021 rent subsidy, 15 months arrears of CONPECULIAR allowances, 6 months arrears of hazard allowance to National Assembly staff.

“In addition to the MOU, Congress also demands the implementation of 50 percent balance of CONLESS, immediate release of the year 2022 training template for staff and evidence of provision of gratuity for retiring staff.

FRUSTRATED CORRECTIONAL CENTRE OFFICIAL ALLEGEDLY COMMITS SUICIDE

An official of the Nigeria Correctional Centre, identified as Kayode Adeniyi, has allegedly committed suicide.

Adeniyi, who was attached to Segede Correctional Centre in Ondo West Local Government Area in Ondo State, allegedly shot himself with a gun for not being able to meet up with his responsibilities.

It was gathered that the deceased was having financial issues, leading to his being ridiculed and mocked by his neighbours.

Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Fumilayo Odunlami, who declined comments said the Nigeria Correctional Service is in a better position to react on the incident.

Spokesman of the Ondo State Correctional Centre, Tunde Ogundare, could not be reached for comments.

NLC REJECT GOVERNMENT’S PLANNED INCREAMENT OF TAXES ON SOFT DRINKS

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected plans by the Federal Government to increase taxes on non-alcoholic and carbonated drinks.

President of the Labour Union, Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the position known to Newsmen in Abuja.

The full statement :

On the 31st of December 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Finance Act.

Some of the provisions of the Finance Act includes the imposition of excise duties on locally produced non-alcoholic, carbonated, and sugary drinks.

The reason offered by government for this decision was to discourage the consumption of sugar by Nigerians as it has led to upsurge in obesity and diabetes.

In a letter dated 27th November 2021, the Nigeria Labour Congress wrote to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly pleading that government should suspend the implementation of the excise duties on non-alcoholic, carbonated and sugary drinks.

The Congress provided a number of very cogent reasons why government should not go ahead with the decision to impose fresh taxes on soft drinks.

One of the reasons we advanced was that the re-introduction of excise duties on non-alcoholic, carbonated and sugary drinks will impose immense hardship on ordinary Nigerians who easily keep hunger at bay with a bottle of soft drink and maybe a loaf of bread.

Our concern is the mass hunger that would result from the slightest increase in the retail price of soft drinks owing to imposition of excise duties as it would be priced beyond the reach of many Nigerians.

Congress was also alerted by the complaint of manufacturers of soft drinks in Nigeria that the re-introduction of excise duties would lead to very sharp decline in sales, forced reduction in production capacity, and a certain roll back in investments with the certainty of job losses and possibly shut down of manufacturing plants.

Nigerians would recall that this was also the complaint of tyre manufacturing companies such as Dunlop and Michelin which was overlooked by government until the two companies relocated to neighbouring Ghana.

A similar situation is playing out with the soft drinks manufacturing sub-sector. Government should pay attention.

With 38% of the entire manufacturing output in Nigeria and 22.5% share representation of the entire manufacturing sector in Nigeria, the food and beverage industry is the largest industrial sub sector in our country.

The food and beverage sub-sector has generated to the coffers of government N202 billion as VAT in the past five years, N7.3 billion as Corporate Social Responsibility and has created 1.5 million decent jobs both directly and indirectly.

There is thus no gainsaying the fact that the industry is a golden goose that must be kept alive. The health reason proffered by government as reason for the reintroduction of the excise duties seems altruistic.

Yet, we are amiss why the government did not place the excise duties on sugar itself as a commodity rather than on carbonated drinks.

The truth of the matter is that an additional increase in the retail price of carbonated drinks would put more Nigerians at risk of serious health challenges as many people would resort to consuming sub-standard and unhygienic drinks as substitutes for carbonated drinks.

The appeal to rescind the re-introduction of excise duties on non-alcoholic drinks becomes even more compelling when the projected immediate revenue expected from the policy is weighed against the potential long-term loss to both manufacturers and government.

The beverage sub-sector will lose 40% of its current sales revenue.

This translates to a loss of N1.9 trillion.

While the government will only make total projected receipts of N81 billion from the proposed reintroduction of the excise duties.

Government also stands to will lose N197 billion in VAT, Company Income Tax and Tertiary Education Tax as a consequence of expected downturn in overall industry performance should the excise duties be effected as being planned.

In light of the foregoing, we ask the National Assembly to quickly amend the sections of the Finance Act that re-introduced excise duties on non-alcoholic and carbonated drinks.

We also ask government to extend COVID-19 palliatives and support incentives to the Food and Beverages industry to cushion the shock and haemorrhage that the industry is trying to recover from.

Finally, we demand that Government should engage Employers in the subsector and Organized Labour in sincere discussions on other options that can deliver a mutually satisfying win-win solution to this issue.

We hope that the current situation will not be allowed to degenerate into a breakdown in industrial relations in the sector and generally in the country.

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, mni

President

January 2022

POLICE REPELS ATTACK ON IMO STATION

Men of the Imo state Police Command have repelled an attack on Ideato South Government Local Area Police station by unknown gunmen.

Public Relations Officer of the Command, Michael Abattam disclosed that the attack, occurred at about 0230 hours, at Ideato South Police Station.

According to him, some unknown gunmen in their numbers, stormed the station, shooting sporadically and threw Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) into the station.

He disclosed that the hoodlums were immediately repelled by the Command’s tactical teams and the police operatives of the division.

He added that in the ensuing gun duel, the hoodlums were overwhelmed by the superior fire-power of the police which resulted in several of them fleeing into the bush with various degrees of bullet injuries.

NO SALES OF UTME, DE FORMS YET- JAMB WARNS

Head of media, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Fabian Benjamin, has warned candidates, parents, and guardians that the board is yet to commence sales of entry forms for both the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as well as Direct Entry (DE) firms.

Benjamin issued a statement on thursday to counter the rumours that JAMB has begun the sales of 2022 entry forms.

According to him, “They attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been drawn to the activities of unwholesome elements who had been misleading the general public on the purported commencement of the sale of the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) application documents.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, any information in circulation purporting to have emanated from the Board to the effect that the sale of the 2022 UTME/DE forms has commenced isn’t only fraudulent but is a calculated attempt by mischief makers to create unnecessary panic among prospective candidates for their own selfish ends.

“Although JAMB has concluded all arrangements to commence the sale of the 2022 UTME and DE Application Documents in due course it is yet to fix any date for its commencement,” the statement read. The statement added.

MORTUARY ATTENDANTS ARRESTED OVER MISSING CORPSE

The police have arrested two persons over the disappearance of a corpse in Ebonyi State.

The corpse of an 80-year-old woman, Grace Okoro, was said to have disappeared in the mortuary on the day of the burial.

The police spokesperson in Ebonyi, Loveth Odah, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki that those arrested were workers at the mortuary where the corpse of the woman was kept before it disappeared.

“We have found out that it was a mistake of identification and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Garba Aliyu, has ordered for more investigation to unravel the circumstance behind the matter,” said Ms Odah, a deputy superintendent of police.

The family of the deceased raised an alarm after it discovered that her corpse had vanished from the mortuary where it was deposited.

Fred Okoro, the brother of the deceased, told reporters in Abakaliki on Thursday that his sister died on July 2, 2021 and her corpse was deposited in the mortuary at the General Hospital, Owutu Edda in Afikpo Local Government Area.

“The burial was fixed for December 28, 2021. I got the shock of my life when family members went to collect the remains of our sister on the burial day, only to discover that a different corpse was kept in the morgue for us.

“We notice the plot to prevent us from knowing that the corpse was missing a month after the deposit was made as several efforts made by family members to see the condition of the corpse were frustrated by the mortuary attendants.

“They always tell us that the morgue was under fumigation.

“On the burial day, we went to the mortuary to get the corpse for lying-in-state and burial, only to discover that a strange corpse was presented to us,” Mr Okoro said.(NAN)

BUHARI TALKS TOUGH: DECLARES BANDITS AS TERRORISTS

AGF Abubakar Malami
President Muhammadu Buhari

The federal government has declared bandits as terrorists and proscribed their activities in the North Central and North west regions and any other part of the country.

The declaration titled, ‘Terrorism (Prevention) Proscription Order Notice, 2021 is contained in Volume 108 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette released by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

According to the Gazette, ”Order Declaring The Activities Of Yan Bindiga Group, And Any Other Group In any Part Of Nigeria As Terrorism And Illegal, Proscribing Their Existence And Restraining Any Persons Or Group Of Persons From Participating In Any Manner Whatsoever In Any Form In The Activities Of Any Of The Group.”

It read in part ”Notice is hereby given that by the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in suit No, FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2021 dated 25th November, Proscription 2021 as per the schedule to this Notice, the Activities of Yan Bindiga Group, Yan Ta’adda Group and other similar groups in Nigeria are declared to be terrorism and illegal in any part of Nigeria, especially in the North West and North Central Regions of Nigeria and are proscribed, pursuant to sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011.

”Consequently, the general public is hereby warned that any person or group of persons participating in any manner whatsoever in any form of the activities involving or concerning the prosecution of the collective intentions or otherwise of the groups referred to in paragraph 1 of this Notice will be groups violating the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 and liable to prosecution.

”This Notice shall be cited as the Terrorism (Prevention) Proscription Short Title. Order Notice, 2021.”

The moves by the Federal Government came following ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja, in November 2021, declaring bandits as terrorists, consequent upon an ex parte motion the Federal Government filed before it through the Ministry of Justice.

Hon. Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, held that the activities of Yan Bindiga and Yan Ta’adda bandit groups, constitute acts of terrorism.

The Federal Government had approached the court to declare bandits as terrorists in October due to concerns raised by Nigerians urging Government to take decisive actions on the activities of the bandits.

The ex-parte motion, argued that the bandit groups were responsible for several killings, abductions, rapes, kidnappings and related acts of criminality in the Northeast, North-Central, and other parts of the country.

Other argument raised in the motion ex-parte fingered the dandit the groups as engaging in incessant kidnappings for ransom, kidnapping for marriage, mass abductions of school children and other citizens, cattle rustling, enslavement, imprisonment, severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, other forms of sexual violence, attacks and killings in communities, amongst other violent acts.

The court further ordered the FG to publish the proscription order in the official gazette as well as in two national dailies.

ELECTORAL ACT 2021: PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI WITHOLDS ASSENT

Buhari’s Letter Informing NASS Of His Refusal To Sign Electoral Act Amendment Bill

The full text of the letter titled, “WITHHOLDING OF ASSENT TO ELECTORAL ACT (AMENDMENT) BILL 2021” reads:

“Further to the letter dated 18th November, 2021 forwarded for Presidential assent, the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 as passed by the National Assembly, I have received informed advice from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government, and have also carefully reviewed the Bill in light of the current realities prevalent in the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the circumstances.

“Arising from the review, Mr. Senate President may wish to note that the conduct of elections for the nomination of party candidates solely via direct primaries as envisaged by the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 has serious adverse legal, financial, economic and security consequences which cannot be accommodated at the moment considering our Nation’s peculiarities. It also has implications on the rights of citizens to participate in the government as constitutionally ensured.

“The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 seeks to amend certain provisions of the extant Electoral Act 2010. Part of the objective of the Bill is the amendment of the present Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 to delete the provision for the conduct of indirect primaries in the nomination of party candidates such that party candidates can henceforth only emerge through direct primaries.

“Arising from the review, Mr. Senate President may wish to particularly note the pertinent issues implicated as follows to wit:

“The conduct of direct primaries across the 8,809 war the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties as well as increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC who has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts.

“The addition of these costs with the already huge cost of conducting general elections will inevitably lead to huge financial burden on both the political parties, INEC and the economy in general at a time of dwindling revenues.

“The indirect consequences of the issues of high cost and monetization are that it will raise financial crimes and constitute further strain on the economy. It will also stifle smaller parties without the enormous resources required to mobilise all party members for the primaries. This is not healthy for the sustenance of multi-party democracy in Nigeria.

“In addition to increased costs identified above, conducting and monitoring primary elections across 8,809 wards will pose huge security challenges as the security agencies will also be overstretched, direct primaries will be open to participation from all and sundry and such large turn-out without effective security coordination will also engender intimidation and disruptions, thereby raising credibility issues for the outcomes of such elections.

“The amendment as proposed is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy which is characterized by freedom of choices.

“Political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of association. Several millions of Nigerians are not card-carrying members of any political party.

“Thus, the emphasis should be on enabling qualified Nigerians to vote for the candidate of their choice during general elections as a means of participation in governance and furtherance of the concept of universal adult suffrage or universal franchise.

“The proposed amendment may also give rise to plethora of litigations based on diverse grounds and issues of Law including but not limited to the fact that the proposed amendment cannot work in retrospect given that the existing constitution of the Parties already registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permits direct, indirect and the consensus primaries. This real possibility, will, without doubt, truncate the electoral program of the Nation as another electoral exercise is imminent towards a change of Government in 2023.

“Nigeria is at the moment still grappling with the issues of monetization of the political process and vote buying at both party and general elections. The direct implication of institutionalizing only direct primaries is the aggravation of over-monetization of the process as there will be much more people a contestant needs to reach out to thereby further fuelling corruption and abuse of office by incumbent contestants who may resort to public resources to satisfy the increased demands and logistics of winning party primaries.

“Direct primaries are also subject or susceptible to manipulation or malpractices as most parties cannot boast of reliable and verified Membership Register or valid means of identification which therefore means non-members can be recruited to vote by wealthy contestants to influence the outcome. Rival parties can also conspire and mobilize people to vote against a good or popular candidate in a party during its primaries just to pave way for their own candidates. Whereas where voting is done by accredited delegates during indirect primaries, the above irregularities are not possible.

“The major conclusions arrived at upon the review are highlighted hereunder, to wit:

“Asides its serious adverse legal, financial, economic and security consequences, the limitation or restriction of the nomination procedures available to political parties and their members constitutes an affront to the right to freedom of association. It is thus undemocratic to restrict the procedure or means of nomination of candidates by political parties, as it also amounts to undue interference in the affairs of political parties.

“Indirect primaries or collegiate elections are part of internationally accepted electoral practices. More so, direct primaries are not free from manipulations and do not particularly guarantee the emergence of the will of the people especially in circumstances like ours where it is near impossible to sustain a workable implementation framework or structure thereof.

“In the premise of the above, I hereby signify to the National Assembly that I am constrained to withhold assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 in line with the provisions of Section 58(1) & (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“It is my considered position that the political parties should be allowed to freely exercise right of choice in deciding which of direct or indirect primaries to adopt in the conduct of their primary elections as their respective realities may permit.”