07:50 09/07/2015
Abuja - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended the
Federal Government for the release of N714 billion as bailout fund to
state governors to clear the backlog of salaries owed to workers.
This
is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in
Abuja and signed by Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, the General Secretary of the
congress.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday approved the
release of N714 billion intervention fund to state governments to pay
the arrears of workers’ salaries.
"We would want to register our appreciation to the Government of the Federation for releasing intervention fund to the states.
"This
intervention, no doubt, is a gesture that will go a long way in
enabling the states to discharge their obligations to the citizenry.
"It
will be recalled that in our submission to the Presidential Transition
Committee, we had made the point that Mr President needed to intervene
in resolving the issue of backlog of salaries.
"We are happy that President Muhammadu Buhari has made this happen."
It
said that the labour movement was happy that the intervention included
all states and not only those owing workers as "this would have been
tantamount to rewarding profligacy".
The statement said that the
intervention could be appropriately viewed within the prism of
legitimacy and normal duty of sharing.
It said it was worth
pointing out that it was one thing to disburse funds to the states; it
was another thing to ensure that the funds were appropriately applied.
NLC,
therefore, urged the president to bring the full weight of his office
to bear on the governors in order to ensure that the funds disbursed
were well applied.
The statement also said that as a matter of
priority, the Federal Government should pay the full arrears of salaries
and pensions owed workers and retirees.
It said that NLC would
ensure that the its state councils across the country monitored the
disbursement and utilisation of the fund.
The statement stressed
that the NLC would ensure that any reported case of misapplication
elicits an appropriate response from the congress.
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Thursday, 9 July 2015
NLC commends FG over bailout of states
07:50 09/07/2015
Abuja - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended the Federal Government for the release of N714 billion as bailout fund to state governors to clear the backlog of salaries owed to workers.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja and signed by Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, the General Secretary of the congress.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday approved the release of N714 billion intervention fund to state governments to pay the arrears of workers’ salaries.
"We would want to register our appreciation to the Government of the Federation for releasing intervention fund to the states.
"This intervention, no doubt, is a gesture that will go a long way in enabling the states to discharge their obligations to the citizenry.
"It will be recalled that in our submission to the Presidential Transition Committee, we had made the point that Mr President needed to intervene in resolving the issue of backlog of salaries.
"We are happy that President Muhammadu Buhari has made this happen."
It said that the labour movement was happy that the intervention included all states and not only those owing workers as "this would have been tantamount to rewarding profligacy".
The statement said that the intervention could be appropriately viewed within the prism of legitimacy and normal duty of sharing.
It said it was worth pointing out that it was one thing to disburse funds to the states; it was another thing to ensure that the funds were appropriately applied.
NLC, therefore, urged the president to bring the full weight of his office to bear on the governors in order to ensure that the funds disbursed were well applied.
The statement also said that as a matter of priority, the Federal Government should pay the full arrears of salaries and pensions owed workers and retirees.
It said that NLC would ensure that the its state councils across the country monitored the disbursement and utilisation of the fund.
The statement stressed that the NLC would ensure that any reported case of misapplication elicits an appropriate response from the congress.
Abuja - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended the Federal Government for the release of N714 billion as bailout fund to state governors to clear the backlog of salaries owed to workers.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja and signed by Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, the General Secretary of the congress.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday approved the release of N714 billion intervention fund to state governments to pay the arrears of workers’ salaries.
"We would want to register our appreciation to the Government of the Federation for releasing intervention fund to the states.
"This intervention, no doubt, is a gesture that will go a long way in enabling the states to discharge their obligations to the citizenry.
"It will be recalled that in our submission to the Presidential Transition Committee, we had made the point that Mr President needed to intervene in resolving the issue of backlog of salaries.
"We are happy that President Muhammadu Buhari has made this happen."
It said that the labour movement was happy that the intervention included all states and not only those owing workers as "this would have been tantamount to rewarding profligacy".
The statement said that the intervention could be appropriately viewed within the prism of legitimacy and normal duty of sharing.
It said it was worth pointing out that it was one thing to disburse funds to the states; it was another thing to ensure that the funds were appropriately applied.
NLC, therefore, urged the president to bring the full weight of his office to bear on the governors in order to ensure that the funds disbursed were well applied.
The statement also said that as a matter of priority, the Federal Government should pay the full arrears of salaries and pensions owed workers and retirees.
It said that NLC would ensure that the its state councils across the country monitored the disbursement and utilisation of the fund.
The statement stressed that the NLC would ensure that any reported case of misapplication elicits an appropriate response from the congress.
Electoral officers maintain governorship election credible in Enugu
07:50 09/07/2015
Enugu - The 17 electoral officers involved in the April 11 governorship election in Enugu State have maintained that it was 'credible, free and fair'.
They told the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu on Wednesday that the election was not marred by irregularities as alleged by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Electoral Officer for Aninri Local Government Area, Eric Ani, said that the election was conducted in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines and regulations.
“When I received the election materials, sensitive and non-sensitive, I distributed them to the various polling units in the local government area,” he said.
“The card readers were used for accreditation of voters before the commencement of voting and those wards that had problems with their card readers were taken care of.
“When I got information from the presiding officers that the card readers were malfunctioning, I immediately deployed the ICT officer sent to us from the head office to address the problems,” he said.
Ani denied tampering with the election result from the area, adding that he returned all the materials used for the election to the INEC headquarters in Enugu.
He submitted that the scores awarded to the political parties were lawful votes, pointing out that all the party agents were present during accreditation, voting, counting and announcement of results.
The electoral officer said the number of votes cast was not higher than the number of accredited voters except those with special cases in which incident forms were used.
“Our records and documentation showed that there are some cases of people whose finger prints were rejected by the card reader and incident form was issued to them,” he said.
The Electoral Officer for Igboeze South, Hyacinth Nwoba, who corroborated the submissions of Ani, said that apart from the problems encountered by the card readers, the governorship election was free, fair and peaceful.
Meanwhile, the counsel to APC, George Ogara, stopped the cross examination midway and urged the court to order the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Professor Chukwuemeka Onukogu, to provide all the materials used for the election.
The tribunal gave the party two hours to produce the REC.
The APC requested the tribunal to allow it to cross-examine all the 17 electoral officers on their conduct of the election.
Enugu - The 17 electoral officers involved in the April 11 governorship election in Enugu State have maintained that it was 'credible, free and fair'.
They told the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu on Wednesday that the election was not marred by irregularities as alleged by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Electoral Officer for Aninri Local Government Area, Eric Ani, said that the election was conducted in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines and regulations.
“When I received the election materials, sensitive and non-sensitive, I distributed them to the various polling units in the local government area,” he said.
“The card readers were used for accreditation of voters before the commencement of voting and those wards that had problems with their card readers were taken care of.
“When I got information from the presiding officers that the card readers were malfunctioning, I immediately deployed the ICT officer sent to us from the head office to address the problems,” he said.
Ani denied tampering with the election result from the area, adding that he returned all the materials used for the election to the INEC headquarters in Enugu.
He submitted that the scores awarded to the political parties were lawful votes, pointing out that all the party agents were present during accreditation, voting, counting and announcement of results.
The electoral officer said the number of votes cast was not higher than the number of accredited voters except those with special cases in which incident forms were used.
“Our records and documentation showed that there are some cases of people whose finger prints were rejected by the card reader and incident form was issued to them,” he said.
The Electoral Officer for Igboeze South, Hyacinth Nwoba, who corroborated the submissions of Ani, said that apart from the problems encountered by the card readers, the governorship election was free, fair and peaceful.
Meanwhile, the counsel to APC, George Ogara, stopped the cross examination midway and urged the court to order the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Professor Chukwuemeka Onukogu, to provide all the materials used for the election.
The tribunal gave the party two hours to produce the REC.
The APC requested the tribunal to allow it to cross-examine all the 17 electoral officers on their conduct of the election.
Terrorist attacks: Army confirms arrest of mastermind
07:50 09/07/2015
Abuja - The Nigerian Army on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the mastermind of the two recent bomb and gun attacks in Jos and Zaria towns of Plateau and Kaduna states, respectively.
The confirmation is contained in a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, and made available in Abuja.
It said the suspect, in company of two other persons were arrested at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa town of Gombe state while attempting to flee.
The statement said their arrest was made possible following a security cordon of the general areas especially along the volatile areas on the North Eastern axis.
It said the security cordon which led to the arrest of the suspects was conducted by troops of 3 Division, Special Task Force and the Department of State Services.
"The terrorist kingpin and his colleagues who disguised in a trailer while trying to evade checks were fished out by troops of Nigerian Army.
"The arrested terrorists are currently being processed for further action and would soon face the full wrath of the law," the statement quoted the army spokesman as saying.
The statement urged the general public to be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons, movements and facilities to security agencies.
On Sunday, July 5, suspected Boko Haram terrorists carried out coordinated bomb and gun attacks on worshippers at Yan Taya mosque, Dilimi Street, Jos.
Another attack was unleashed on Shagalinku Restaurant, along Bauchi Road, Jos, which led to death of over 48 persons, injuring several other persons and destruction of property.
A similar attack was executed by suspected terrorists on workers undergoing verification exercise at Sabon Gari local government secretariat, Zaria, which claimed more than 25 lives.
Abuja - The Nigerian Army on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the mastermind of the two recent bomb and gun attacks in Jos and Zaria towns of Plateau and Kaduna states, respectively.
The confirmation is contained in a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, and made available in Abuja.
It said the suspect, in company of two other persons were arrested at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa town of Gombe state while attempting to flee.
The statement said their arrest was made possible following a security cordon of the general areas especially along the volatile areas on the North Eastern axis.
It said the security cordon which led to the arrest of the suspects was conducted by troops of 3 Division, Special Task Force and the Department of State Services.
"The terrorist kingpin and his colleagues who disguised in a trailer while trying to evade checks were fished out by troops of Nigerian Army.
"The arrested terrorists are currently being processed for further action and would soon face the full wrath of the law," the statement quoted the army spokesman as saying.
The statement urged the general public to be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons, movements and facilities to security agencies.
On Sunday, July 5, suspected Boko Haram terrorists carried out coordinated bomb and gun attacks on worshippers at Yan Taya mosque, Dilimi Street, Jos.
Another attack was unleashed on Shagalinku Restaurant, along Bauchi Road, Jos, which led to death of over 48 persons, injuring several other persons and destruction of property.
A similar attack was executed by suspected terrorists on workers undergoing verification exercise at Sabon Gari local government secretariat, Zaria, which claimed more than 25 lives.
Buhari meets campaigners for girls abducted by Boko Haram
07:02 09/07/2015
Abuja - President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday held his first meeting with campaigners calling for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in the northeastern town of Chibok last year.
The militant group, whose six-year insurgency has seen thousands killed in the country, caused an international outcry when it took the girls from secondary school dormitories in April 2014.
Buhari praised members of the Bring Back Our Girls group for their efforts to prevent the missing children being forgotten.
"Nobody in Nigeria or outside could have missed your consistency and persistence," said Buhari during the meeting at his presidential villa in the capital, Abuja.
"I think you will agree that the present government takes the issue very seriously," he said, adding that the military was working with neighbouring countries to ensure a regional task force could fight the insurgency.
Earlier this year an Amnesty International report said that Boko Haram had kidnapped at least 2,000 Nigerian women and girls since the start of 2014, many of whom were sexually abused or trained to fight.
In a statement, the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners said the safe return of the schoolgirls would "amount to the strongest statement that our government has respect for the sanctity and dignity of every Nigerian life".
The frequency of attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants in northern states has increased since the president vowed in his inauguration speech of May 29 that the group would be crushed.
More than 200 people died in a string of attacks last week and dozens more have been killed in northern Nigeria and Chad in the last few days.
Abuja - President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday held his first meeting with campaigners calling for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in the northeastern town of Chibok last year.
The militant group, whose six-year insurgency has seen thousands killed in the country, caused an international outcry when it took the girls from secondary school dormitories in April 2014.
Buhari praised members of the Bring Back Our Girls group for their efforts to prevent the missing children being forgotten.
"Nobody in Nigeria or outside could have missed your consistency and persistence," said Buhari during the meeting at his presidential villa in the capital, Abuja.
"I think you will agree that the present government takes the issue very seriously," he said, adding that the military was working with neighbouring countries to ensure a regional task force could fight the insurgency.
Earlier this year an Amnesty International report said that Boko Haram had kidnapped at least 2,000 Nigerian women and girls since the start of 2014, many of whom were sexually abused or trained to fight.
In a statement, the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners said the safe return of the schoolgirls would "amount to the strongest statement that our government has respect for the sanctity and dignity of every Nigerian life".
The frequency of attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants in northern states has increased since the president vowed in his inauguration speech of May 29 that the group would be crushed.
More than 200 people died in a string of attacks last week and dozens more have been killed in northern Nigeria and Chad in the last few days.
Terrorist attacks: Army confirms arrest of mastermind
07:50 09/07/2015
Abuja - The Nigerian Army on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the mastermind of the two recent bomb and gun attacks in Jos and Zaria towns of Plateau and Kaduna states, respectively.
The confirmation is contained in a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, and made available in Abuja.
It said the suspect, in company of two other persons were arrested at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa town of Gombe state while attempting to flee.
The statement said their arrest was made possible following a security cordon of the general areas especially along the volatile areas on the North Eastern axis.
It said the security cordon which led to the arrest of the suspects was conducted by troops of 3 Division, Special Task Force and the Department of State Services.
"The terrorist kingpin and his colleagues who disguised in a trailer while trying to evade checks were fished out by troops of Nigerian Army.
"The arrested terrorists are currently being processed for further action and would soon face the full wrath of the law," the statement quoted the army spokesman as saying.
The statement urged the general public to be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons, movements and facilities to security agencies.
On Sunday, July 5, suspected Boko Haram terrorists carried out coordinated bomb and gun attacks on worshippers at Yan Taya mosque, Dilimi Street, Jos.
Another attack was unleashed on Shagalinku Restaurant, along Bauchi Road, Jos, which led to death of over 48 persons, injuring several other persons and destruction of property.
A similar attack was executed by suspected terrorists on workers undergoing verification exercise at Sabon Gari local government secretariat, Zaria, which claimed more than 25 lives.
Abuja - The Nigerian Army on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the mastermind of the two recent bomb and gun attacks in Jos and Zaria towns of Plateau and Kaduna states, respectively.
The confirmation is contained in a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, and made available in Abuja.
It said the suspect, in company of two other persons were arrested at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa town of Gombe state while attempting to flee.
The statement said their arrest was made possible following a security cordon of the general areas especially along the volatile areas on the North Eastern axis.
It said the security cordon which led to the arrest of the suspects was conducted by troops of 3 Division, Special Task Force and the Department of State Services.
"The terrorist kingpin and his colleagues who disguised in a trailer while trying to evade checks were fished out by troops of Nigerian Army.
"The arrested terrorists are currently being processed for further action and would soon face the full wrath of the law," the statement quoted the army spokesman as saying.
The statement urged the general public to be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons, movements and facilities to security agencies.
On Sunday, July 5, suspected Boko Haram terrorists carried out coordinated bomb and gun attacks on worshippers at Yan Taya mosque, Dilimi Street, Jos.
Another attack was unleashed on Shagalinku Restaurant, along Bauchi Road, Jos, which led to death of over 48 persons, injuring several other persons and destruction of property.
A similar attack was executed by suspected terrorists on workers undergoing verification exercise at Sabon Gari local government secretariat, Zaria, which claimed more than 25 lives.
WikiLeaks: NSA targeted German chancellery, Merkel aides
21:33 08/07/2015
Berlin - WikiLeaks on Wednesday published a new list of German phone numbers it claims showed the U.S. National Security Agency targeted phones belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel's close aides and chancellery offices for surveillance.
Wednesday's publication came a week after WikiLeaks released a list of numbers it said showed the NSA targeted officials at various other German ministries and elsewhere. That rekindled concerns over U.S. surveillance in Germany after reports two years ago that Merkel's own cellphone was targeted.
Merkel's chief of staff last week asked the U.S. ambassador to a meeting and told him that German law must be followed.
There was no immediate comment from the German government on the latest publication.
The list includes a cellphone number attributed to Ronald Pofalla, Merkel's chief of staff from 2009-13; a landline number that appears to belong to the leader of Merkel's parliamentary caucus; various other connections at Merkel's office; and a cellphone number for the chancellor that WikiLeaks says was used until 2013.
It was unclear when exactly the partially redacted list of 56 German phone numbers dates from and it wasn't immediately possible to confirm the accuracy of that and other documents released by WikiLeaks.
Those documents, WikiLeaks said, are NSA reports based on interceptions including one from 2009 that details Merkel's views on the international financial crisis and another from 2011 summarizing advisers' views on plans for the eurozone's rescue fund.
According to the secret-spilling site, the list of phone numbers was updated for more than a decade after 2002 and a "close study" of it shows it evolved from an earlier target list dating back into the 1990s.
Berlin - WikiLeaks on Wednesday published a new list of German phone numbers it claims showed the U.S. National Security Agency targeted phones belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel's close aides and chancellery offices for surveillance.
Wednesday's publication came a week after WikiLeaks released a list of numbers it said showed the NSA targeted officials at various other German ministries and elsewhere. That rekindled concerns over U.S. surveillance in Germany after reports two years ago that Merkel's own cellphone was targeted.
Merkel's chief of staff last week asked the U.S. ambassador to a meeting and told him that German law must be followed.
There was no immediate comment from the German government on the latest publication.
The list includes a cellphone number attributed to Ronald Pofalla, Merkel's chief of staff from 2009-13; a landline number that appears to belong to the leader of Merkel's parliamentary caucus; various other connections at Merkel's office; and a cellphone number for the chancellor that WikiLeaks says was used until 2013.
It was unclear when exactly the partially redacted list of 56 German phone numbers dates from and it wasn't immediately possible to confirm the accuracy of that and other documents released by WikiLeaks.
Those documents, WikiLeaks said, are NSA reports based on interceptions including one from 2009 that details Merkel's views on the international financial crisis and another from 2011 summarizing advisers' views on plans for the eurozone's rescue fund.
According to the secret-spilling site, the list of phone numbers was updated for more than a decade after 2002 and a "close study" of it shows it evolved from an earlier target list dating back into the 1990s.
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