Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, December 6, 2018
5 News
In deft move to halt strike over Minimum wage: Reps want Buhari to transmit amendment bill to NASS Henry Omunu, Abuja
The House of Representatives on Wednesday in an attempt to starve off the impeding labour crisis over demand for a new minimum wage has asked the Buhari administration to forward the minimum wage amendment bill to the National Assembly for consideration and assent. Passing this resolution after it adopted the motion sponsored by Rep. Sani Zorro drawing attention to the numerous labour crises confronting the Federal Government, the House expressed concern over the consequences the looming industrial actions threatened by organised labour would cause the nation if they are not averted. Rep. Zorro said the administration should immediately forward to the National Assembly, all the tripartite agreements it reached with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on the new minimum wage, striking university lecturers over funding of the nation’s public
Buhari
universities and other unions for legislative action. The House member in his lead debate stated that sending an executive bill to the National Assembly on the new minimum wage is significant because it has the propensity to avert the looming industrial action that
is capable of paralyzing the country’s socio- economic and political life. Similarly, the House raised concerns over the lingering rift between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and recent protest
Nigeria ranks 11th highest in child marriage, says UN The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), on Wednesday, said Nigeria ranked 11 among the 20 countries in the world with highest prevalence of child marriage. Edward Kallon, UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, said this at the ongoing UN Women Conference 2018 in Lagos. The four-day conference has the theme – Ending Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation in Africa: Dialogue with Traditional and Cultural Leaders. Kallon highlighted the top 20 countries with highest prevalence of child marriage according to UNICEF report titled `The State of the World’s Children 2017′. According to the report, Niger ranks highest with 76 per cent followed by Central African Republic with 68 per cent, Chad 67 per cent,
Bangladesh 59 per cent, Burkina Faso 52 per cent, and Mali 52 per cent. South Sudan has 52 per cent, Guinea 51 per cent, Mozambique 48 per cent, Somalia 45 per cent and Nigeria 43 per cent, are Malawi 42 per cent, Madagascar 41 per cent, Eritrea 41 per cent. Other countries are Ethiopia 40 per cent, Uganda 40 per cent, Nepal 40 per cent, Sierra Leone 39 per cent, Democratic Republic of Congo 37 per cent and Mauritania 37 per cent. “Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 17 per cent of them or 125 million live in Africa. “If we do nothing to accelerate progress the number of child brides in Africa will double by 2050. “Africa will take over South Asia to become the region with the largest number of children brides in the world,” he said.
He said child marriage had negative implications for the household, national and regional economic prosperity and development. “It is important to note that the fight to end child marriage and female genital mutilation remain a key priority of the United Nations. “While we have made progress over the years, our achievements have been relatively little. “This is why we partnering with traditional and religious leaders to end the silence on child marriage and other harmful traditional practices in Africa,” Kallon said. Also speaking, Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Abubakar, said the plight of young girls who were confronted with several challenges from birth through childhood to adulthood due to cultural practices called for concern.
by workers of the National Assembly, declaring that the labour crises had become onetoo -many and required urgent parliamentary intervention. The House queried government’s insensitivity to issues bothering on inadequate funding of public varsities and the decaying infrastructure in the affected institutions nationwide as raised by ASUU. It called on the Federal Government to display good faith going forward, in implementing the agreement mutually reached between both sides. According to the House, such goodwill will not only enhance industrial harmony in the sector, but will also improve educational development of the country. The House in adopting the
motion further resolved to set up a joint Senate- House special panel to investigate the immediate and remote causes of Tuesday’s industrial action by staff of the National Assembly over alleged poor working conditions. The lawmakers explained that it was spurred in passing the resolutions in the national interest based on its established tradition of interventions that have in the past helped to resolve many labour disputes. They expressed worry over Tuesday’s picketing carried out by National Assembly workers which disrupted legislative and administrative activities as well as worries by parents about the lingering ASUU strike over the deploring state of Nigerian universities.
I never attended Buhari’s re-election gathering- Magu Andrew Orolua Abuja Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has denied report that he attended “President Buhari re-election gathering” on Tuesday in Abuja. Magu said that the story about him attending Buhari re-election gathering at Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja “is not only misleading but very mischievous.” A statement signed by Acting Head, Media and Publicity (EFCC), Tony Orilade, stated that “the fact is that Mr. Ibrahim Magu never attended any Buhari re-election gathering at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja. At exactly 8:59am on Tuesday, December 4th, 2018, the EFCC boss was already at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja en route Lagos where he had engagement with Media Executives.” “Before the trip to Lagos, Magu visited a family relative who lodged at the hotel, Nicon Luxury. He went straight to the room where his relative was lodged and met with him very briefly before departing
for Lagos where he met with newspaper editors. Orilade explained that these facts were laid bare when Ogundipe called to confirm his malicious story in Premium Times. “Magu is not omnipresent to have been in Lagos and also in Abuja at the same time. For Ogundipe to still come up with such a screaming headline after confirming from the Commission only shows that his mind was made up to do the hatchet job which he has exhibited by his write up. “We want to make categorically clear that EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Mustafa Magu is neither a card carrying member of any political party nor is he a sympathiser of the ruling APC. He is only carrying on his job professionally and remains a public officer who is apolitical and determined to see a new Nigeria where corruption would be brought to its knees”, he stated. EFCC spokesman said they have contacted their lawyers and they are taking a cursory look at the controversial publication that carried the headline “.EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, attends Buhari re-election gathering”.