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The Oracle Today Wednesday May 23, 2018
NEWS
I never promise to pay new minimum wage -- Umahi By CHINEDU NWAFOR
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overnor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has denied ever promising to pay the proposed new national minimum wage being demanded by Nigerian workers. Governor David had during workers’ day celebration at the Pa Ngele Oruta stadium, promised to pay the new wage when implemented by the federal government but has come up to say that he was outrightly misquoted. He made this known at a meeting with council chairmen, Coordinators of Development Centres, Technical Assistants, Senior Technical Assistants and other government officials at the Àkanu Ibiam International Conference Centre Abakaliki. Umahi said he was furious when he learnt of the purported promise circulating in the social media. He insisted that what he said was that “since all the States are involved and are suffering the same thing, that I’m sure that the National leadership will come up with common position that will enable all the States to pay whatever agreement they reached with labour”. In his rebuttal, the Governor even condemned the idea of the proposed minimum new national minimum wage, saying that the country is deceiving herself. He said even Ebonyi state’s federal allocation for three months were to be combined, it won’t be able to pay 50% of the proposed wage. His words: “All these things you people talk, minimum wage or no minimum wage. See, the country is deceiving herself. Those people who wrote in the social media that I have accepted to pay new minimum wage and think they are trying to help. I was very furious about it. “My life is not a life of deceit. If we put all the allocation we get from Abuja for three months, it cannot pay 50 percent of the new minimum wage. So, why are we deceiving ourselves. What I said is that since all states are involved and are suffering the same thing, that I’m sure that the national leadership will come up with a common position that will enable all the states to pay whatever agreement they reached with labour. That’s the statement”. “Only three states can increase the wages and salaries of workers now. You have forgotten and taken it for granted that every 15th of every month we pay workers’ salaries. Find out how many other states that are doing that”. But a comparison of his new statement and the one he made during workers day on the same subject matter which is on tape showed that Governor Umahi is lying and contradicting himself on the matter. Here is his exact word at the May Day celebration: “May I assure that Ebonyi state will adopt whatever is the outcome of the new discussion that is going on about the upliftment of workers throughout the country in the area of the new national minimum wage. When it comes to effect”.
Rural development: Register now or lose projects, Abia tells communities By BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia
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bia State Government has warned that communities which failed to register with the Ministry of Cooperatives, Rural development and Poverty Reduction stand the risk of losing projects sited in their area under the One Ward, One Project, a rural development programme of the Dr Okezie Ikpeazu administration. Declaring open a one-day strategic meeting with PresidentsGeneral (PGs) of Town Unions in the state on the Institutionalisation of Participatory governance in Umuahia, Commissioner for Cooperative, Rural Development and Poverty Reduction, Chief Young Ahamefula Onyike, emphasised that any community which name was missing from the ministry’s database of regis-
tered communities, a project sited in such a community may get “k-leg.” The meeting organised by the Women Aid Collective (WACOL) penultimate Tuesday, was a follow-up activity with the PGs and Ministries, Departments and Agencies on participatory Budgeting in Abia State. “We are saying that if any community in the state is not registered with the Ministry of Cooperative, Rural Development and Poverty Reduction, that that may also make them not to get certain projects that need government attention before it is sited in their communities,” the Commissioner said. He enjoined the PGs to work with the Community Development Officers posted to the 17 local government areas of the state
for proper guidance on issues concerning community development. Earlier in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Very Rev. Ernest Onyeukwu, revealed that the ministry has conducted a survey mapping of poverty situation in the wards and communities across the state. “We have the poor, the very poor, the very very poor and the poorest,” Onyeukwu said, explaining that there were no identifiable projects done either by any level of governments or international development agencies in the poorest communities, except self-help projects. He, therefore, appealed to development agencies interested in intervening in development of rural communities in Abia to always contact the ministry for proper
guidance. Programme Officer of Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Mrs Egodi Igwe, said Participatory governance would be institutionalized when PGs, as vital drivers of community development, were involved in governance. “In today’s meeting, we want to solidify the synergy we are creating between the government and the PGs. As you can see here today, the Commissioner, the Permanent Secretary, their Community Development Officers are here. That is to show you that they are ready to make sure that government is partnering with the communities in ensuring that development get to the grassroots. “Today, the PGs have come to say we want to be involved, we want to participate, we want to be consulted to come and say our needs,” Mrs Igwe said. She hailed the One Ward, One Project initiative of Abia State government but stressed the need to make it participatory “by involving the communities in choosing those projects.”
APC LG congress: ‘Unity list’ made congress peaceful in Delta – Emerhor By JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba
L • From left: Former Governor of Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Sam Egwu, Governor Dave Umahi acknowledging cheers during a rally organized for him by people of Ohaukwu local government area endorsing his second term ambitions.
Worshipers escape death in Enugu Catholic Church blast BY CHUKS EZE, Enugu
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arly worshipers at Holy Cross Catholic Parish, Iji-Nike, Enugu, escaped death by the whiskers, as an explosion, which has been described by the Police as “minor explosion” was inflicted on the church in the early hours of Sunday, May 13, 2017. According to the Parish Priest of the church, Reverend father Emmanuel Okwor, the incident occurred at about just before the first Mass of the day at 6: am. Fr. Okwor, who told The Oracle Today that he could not fathom the reason for the attack, further stressed that, “just as we were getting set for the 6: am. Mass, I heard a deafening blast, which shook the entire premises and threw everybody into immense panic. Everybody started scampering for safety, especially few early Mass attendees, who were already around the church before the explosion occurred.
“And to the glory of God, no life was lost because it miraculously, happened before the Mass commenced. It would have been a different story” the priest said. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Enugu State Command, Ebere Amaraizu, while confirming the blast, via a telephone call, described it as “minor explosion” and urged people to be calm but vigilant as well. “Yes, such incident happened but there was no loss of life or major destruction. Citizens should remain calm but we have to be more vigilant, more security-conscious and be able to partner with security agencies to ensure that there is no repeat of such incident,” he said. The Police Spokesman also assured that the command had already commenced investigations into the incident, but the lethal episode has already thrown many residents of the state into heightened apprehension. According to them, the church
blast is coming less than three weeks after similar incident had occurred at the residence of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo Jnr, with the Police yet to announce any headway towards apprehending the earlier perpetrators. They however, charged various security agencies in the state to roll up their sleeves and partner the Police to forestall possible future occurrence. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Calistus Onaga has also reacted to the incident. Addressing journalists, Onaga expressed worry over, what he called unfortunate occurrence and called for the faithful and the entire public to step up vigilance across board. He further noted that, though the Police had described the explosion as minor, but that if it had occurred when worshipers had filled the church, it would have been a disastrous situation.
eader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor has said that the success recorded during the congress was as a result of the agreed ‘unity list’. Emerhor who made this known after he voted at the Ughelli North Local Government Area secretariat of the APC in Ughelli, Delta State, said the reason for the peaceful congress was because they reconciled themselves and had a unity list of party executives that covered all interest. He stated further that their coming to the secretariat was to affirm the reconciled unity list. “What we are doing here is also happening across other local government areas in the state because before today I led seven governorship aspirants to Abuja for the reconciliation of the list and they all promised to work in each of the Local Government Area so that we will not fight ourselves”, he added. Emerhor explained that congresses as long as they covers the interest of the people generates trust and peace. “Of course when you lose at the ward level you can’t proceed to the LGA. So the peaceful LGA congress was as a result of the peaceful and successful ward congress we held last week”, he said. On his part, leader of the delegation that conducted the Ughelli North Local Government Area congress, Olorogun Daniel Ekorhi in a chat, described the election as very peaceful.