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THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
LABOUR Lagos trains 120 LASTMA officials
Police College sacks 234 recruits
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HE Police College, Kaduna has discharged 234 recruits for failure to meet the basic entry requirements to the institution. Commandant of the college, Sunusi Rufai, a Commissioner of Police, said the college had discovered that some of the students were “lepers; some had sight problems,” while others had no basic entry requirements for the 15-month training. He said 234 of the 5,000 recruits were expelled as they had challenges ranging from leprosy, partially blindnss, falsification of credentials and other acts inimical to the tenets of the profession. “Someone that you will train
Stories by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu
to become a police officer and to entrust with a gun, you catch him with a knife stabbing his fellow trainees; it shows he is not fit to be a policeman. “We found some of them stealing their fellow trainees’ luggage and we caught them, but we did not take them to court. We just allowed them to go,” he said. He said some of the recruits absconded and returned and “we said no, training school is not like conventional university. “Some of them were caught smoking indian hemp, while some others were found too short in terms of height.” He said their expulsion is in ac-
cordance with Section 116 of the Police Act and Regulations, which empowers a commandant to discharge unfit trainees. Rufai said a committee has been set up to investigate officials, who handled their recruitment. “We are investigating those behind this and our committee is working and some of them will lose their jobs. “We say no to illegalities in police, and in the ongoing reforms; these people should be flushed out. “Let us get those who are qualified so that we will have a better police force. There is nothing surprising in our action; it is a new directive of the IGP to reposition the police.”
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• IG of Police Muhammed Abubakar
Fashola, minister urge labour to shun strike
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AGOS State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, (SAN), has urged the organised labour to shun strikes and protests and think more on how to build a strong nation. The Labour Minister, Chief Emeka Wogu, also asked the Lagos striking doctors to return to work. Speaking through the Head, Lagos Office, Federal Ministry of Labour, Alhaja Nofisat Arogundade, Wogu said, strike and protests would hinder the progress of industrial relations and the nation. Fashola recalled that there are nations in the world where labour leaders took over leadership of the country through a democratic process and have been able to lead the nation out of the woods. He made the statement in Lagos at the 2012 May Day rally. He said government at all levels cannot do it alone, hence all hands must be on deck to ensure that things are done the right way. Fashola gave an instance with Brazil where a labour leader was democratically elected and within a very short period of time, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country rose higher than that of Britain. His words: “I know we have labour leaders that are intelligent
• Wogu
in this country. I do not want to mention names, but I know there are many of them, both at the national and state levels that have a lot to contribute to the development of the country.” He reiterated that his major concern remains how to move the state forward and provide infrastructure to meet the people’s needs. “That is why we may not be able to meet all the demands of
labour all the time. If we do, we may not be able to provide these basic amenities.” On the issue of the N18, 000 national minimum wage, Fashola said Lagos State was among the first to implement it, but added that the state will henceforth, not be compelled under any guise to implement an agreement it was not involved in its negotiation. “We can only pay if provision was made for it by the government.” The governor said frantic efforts are being made to address the power and employment challenges in the state. “No doubt the insecurity challenge in the country can be attributed to unemployment. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The adage still stands. The state is trying to fulfill the promise made during our campaign for second term,” the Governor added. He said Nigerians must be bold to confront these challenges, adding that challenges are meant to be overcome. On his part, Chairman, Lagos Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Akeem Kazeem, urged the government to fund the education sector, saying that one of the ways to liberate a people is to get the people educated. “Ignorance is expensive. When people are educated they are
proactive. They are pregnant with ideas. Government has to fund education and give it the required attention if the country must move forward,” said Kazeem. He encouraged the federating units to look inward and explore the natural resources available in the country. “We cannot continue to rush down to Abuja at the end of every month for allocation. If we can tap the resources in our states, Nigeria will transform within a very short time. It has happened in some economies in the world. It can happen here too,” he said. The plight of the pensioner and insecurity must be addressed once and for all, said Lagos Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Idowu Adelakun. He said the plight of retirees has become worrisome, especially when some people by reason of their position are stealing monies meant for pensioners and jobs creation for the youths. “I want the government to take the issue of the welfare of the workers very seriously. There is no reason whatsoever why Nigerian workers will not smile home at the end of the month.” Highlight of the Lagos celebration was the award of excellence given to Governor Fashola for exemplary governance.
Subsidy report: NUPENG calls for sanction of erring marketers T HE Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) has called for proper handling of the subsidy report as submitted by the ad Hoc Committee on Petrol Subsidy, saying there should be no sacred cows. The union threatened to drag the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to court, should the report be swept under the carpet. President of the union, Comrade Igwe Achese, said the union is watching the PPPRA Board with keen interest, and that it would not allow the perpetrators of fraud in the subsidy issue get away with it. The union also said it would go on strike if the report is handled with kid gloves. He lamented the inconclusiveness of some past investigated cases by people in authority which were swept under the carpet. “In its usual manner as a country, good reports would be made in Nigeria, before you know it, the report would be swept under the carpet. This time around, we hope and believe the government would sit up and take up the challenges of corruption in the oil subsidy.” The union appreciated the House for its effort, but said it has not done a thorough job of the in-
• Achese and General-Secretary,NUPENG, Elijah Okougbo
vestigation. He urged the committee to continue digging until they get more facts. “While appreciating the lower chamber of the National Assembly for the bold step taken to prove and investigate oil subsidy issues, we will still want to go fur-
ther by letting them know that they are yet to do a thorough job for us. “We are so much interested in this issue that they have to do a thorough job, we have also read from the media that there are various counter claims and reactions
from some of the companies mentioned to make refunds to the Federal Government on illegal payment of subsidy to them. “The truth remains, if NNPC claims that it did not make any double standard withdrawal, then who collected such money. Who went behind collecting money, using the name of NNPC. In what name did they go for it? How was this money being disbursed? These are the key questions we must find out. It must get to the root of this issue of subsidy fraud.” Achese, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to ensure proper handling of the Committee Report. While the House of Representatives has done its own part, it behoves on the government to ensure that its various agencies will take up the issue, that is the EFCC, ICPC, the various agencies in charge. “Two auditing firms were being fired over the subsidy fraud. Where was the auditor general when the frauds were being perpetrated? If we must find the root of this fraud, we must find the perpetrators of this act. It is only in this country that corrupt people claim not to be guilty and when they are later tried for the same offence outside Nigeria, they admit they are guilty.” He also charged the judiciary to redeem its image because it is part of Nigeria’s corruption problem.
HE Lagos State government has trained 120 officials of the Lagos State Traffic management Authority (LASTMA) on news reporting. They were trained at a two-day seminar held at Eko FM/ Radio Lagos Multipurpose Hall, Ikeja. Declaring the training open, Commissioner for Transportation Kayode Opeifa, said it is to ensure that officials become conversant with news writing in preparation for the take off of Lagos Traffic Radio (LTR). Opeifa said when the LTR commences operation, motorists would have the opportunity to have first hand information on transportation and traffic news, traffic alerts and diversions, while they drive or before leaving their homes. He said in cases of accidents, information which would enable motorists avoid such routes would be broadcast and information on alternative routes given. The commissioner advised the officials to concentrate during the training and be of good conduct so that at the end of the training, they would be part of the pioneer staff of the station. Opeifa commended the officials for the laudable achievements which LASTMA had recorded and urged them not to relent in the discharge of duties, especially as other states were establishing similar agencies. He advised them to take the training back to the road by giving a helping hand to motorists, who were in serious need of assistance.
Delta to train engineers
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EWLY recruited engineers and technical officers in the Delta Directorate of Transport are to undergo a two-year mandatory training. A commissioner in the directorate, Mr Benson Igbakpa, announced the plan in Asaba last Thursday while flagging off an orientation programme for the new employees. Igbakpa said the orientation and pupilage were to fully orientate the new members of staff on the functions of the directorate. He said the functions of the directorate included formulation, regulation and implementation of government policies in the transport sector. Igbakpa said the directorate was saddled with providing safe, effective, efficient and integrated transport operations and infrastructure that would best meet the needs of passengers and freight services. He said the directorate was the pool for mechanical engineers in the state civil service and there was a need for them to be abreast of modern mechanical and technological ideas.
World Bank donates 800 books to NUJ
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HE World Bank has donated over 800 books and other publications worth over N2 million to the National Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). A statement from the bank released in Abuja said the donation, including journals, project documents and other literature, were part of its access to information and knowledge decentralisation initiatives. The statement indicated that the books were received by the union’s National Vice President, Mr Gbenga Onayiga and its National Secretary, Mr Shuaibu Leman. It quoted the World Bank Country Director, Marie Marie-Nelly, as extolling the Nigerian media for being long time partners in development.