November 26, 2011 by The Nation

THE NATION, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011

BOUT 5,000 casual workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Ibadan zone have called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of utmost concern, either comply with agreements reached on staff appointment, or pay up all their outstanding entitlements before the commencement of the company’s privatisation. They also alerted the public that contrary to the impression created by the Federal Government that the deployment of soldiers to

5,000 PHCN workers protest Bode DUROJAIYE, Ogbomoso PHCN installations was due to prevailing security challenges in the country, full privatisation of the company is being carried out secretly with the Ibadan zone as a pilot scheme. These were one of the resolutions reached at a meeting of representatives of casual workers from the 18 districts

within the zone held in Ogbomoso. The districts under the zone comprise Kwara, Ogun, Osun and Oyo states. They said while the permanent staff were really enjoying conditions of service, the casual workers constituting about 90 per cent of the entire workforce were not taken care of. The casual workers explained that, “In 2009, 2,500

NAFDAC raids shops, markets in Ekiti

HE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has carried out a massive mop-up exercise leading to the seizure of some unregistered and unwholesome regulated products in Ekiti and sealing of three shops in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. Officials of the agency, led by the state Coordinator, Mr. Francis Ononiwu, and in company with security operatives and journalists, stormed the popular Oja Oba Market, some pharmarcies, supermarkets and patent medicine shops in Ado Ekiti metropolis in what they described as routine sanction and enforcement activities aimed at ridding the state and nation at large of fake and unwholesome regulated products. Ononiwu, who addressed newsmen after the successful exercise, warned that unregistered products could contain chemicals that could be harmful to humans and reiterated the call by the NAFDAC on Nigerians to shun such products. He said: “Some unscrupulous manufacturers use banned chemicals and that is why we are after these unwholesome products,” adding that the agency would “intensify its effort to rid the market of unwholesome products, especially as the yuletide is fast approaching.” According to Ononiwu, “we want to ensure that only products that meet up with the minimum international standard are sold in Nigeria.” During the exercise, the agency arrested a hawker of unregistered insecticide, saying the product could contain chemicals that were harmful

to human health, and added that “we will test the chemical content of the insecticide to know what it was made of, and we will also investigate where he is manufacturing it.” He assured Nigerians that the NAFDAC was working towards eradicating fake drugs from the system, adding that the recent introduction of the TRUSCAN machine had

added a boost in this direction. He advised consumers to be vigilant and ensure that they purchased only genuine products registered by the NAFDAC, especially as the Christmas season approaches, warning that the exercise was ongoing and anyone caught violating the agency rules would not be spared .

This was a follow-up to interviews conducted for staff appointment in 2009. The cutoff date for accepting casual workers as having been duly employed was December 31, 2009,” the workers said. They further said in accordance with the extant Labour Act, the meeting resolved that once the appointments of those identified as casuals were verified, they should be immediately regularised. While urging the Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnanji, to make public the results of the previous biometric verification exercise carried out and interviews conducted by the PHCN management in Abuja on the conversion of casual workers to permanent staff, they called on the National Assembly to intervene in the matter in order to prevent another industrial unrest in the power sector.

SENATE President, Senator David Mark, yesterday showered encomium on former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief Hannah Idowu Awolowo on their birthday. Atiku and Chief Awolowo marked their 65th and 96th birthdays respectively yesterday. In separate letters of congratulations to the celebrants signed by the Chief Press Secretary to President of the Senate, Paul Mumeh, Senator Mark noted that both leaders have remained pillars of hope and courage to the younger generation. Specifically, Senator Mark noted the contributions of Atiku to the democratic evolution of the country and urged him to remain steadfast. On Awolowo, the Senate President said she had remained a unifying factor in the Yoruba race and a great source of inspiration to the nation at large. He prayed for continuous good health and God’s protection to the celebrants in the years ahead.

Lagos mosque holds Hijrah lecture tomorrow

From left: Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmi Olayinka; Governor Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Erelu Bisi; and the Clerk, state House of Assembly, Akintunde Famoyegun, during the signing into law of the "Gender-Based Violence Prohibition Bill" in Ado-Ekiti yesterday

We ‘ll win war against robbers—Amosun

GUN State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has vowed to win the battle to end the menace of armed robbers in the state. The governor was speaking during an inspection of two banks in Sabo, Sagamu attacked by robbers on Thursday. Recalling that the Sagamu

incident was the third after similar ones in Ilaro and AgoIwoye, he vowed to make the state hot for robbers and other criminals alike. The governor said: “Appropriate steps are being taken to put an end to this development.” Governor Amosun, while saluting the gallantry of men of the Vigilante Service of

Ekiti to introduce rural allowance for teachers KITI State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has announced plans to commence the payment of a special allowance to teachers in the rural areas in the state in a bid to boost the morale of teachers in the areas. The governor made the announcement at Ode-Ekiti on Thursday during a town hall meeting attended by representatives of the people of the Gbonyin Local Government Area of the state. The decision to introduce the new allowance was sequel to an appeal by some community leaders to address cases of inadequate teachers in some schools in their communities. Fayemi said the allowance would be introduced to encourage teachers in rural areas in discharging their duties, while logistics would also be put in place to ensure their convenience. He added that his administration had distributed motorcycles to some of the teachers in rural areas to ease

casual workers were invited to Abuja for interview on staff appointment from the zone. The interview was held, but till to date, we have not heard anything. We have spent between eight and 12 years, yet we are yet to benefit anything from the management.” They said between May 16 and 19, discussions were held and agreements reached between the Federal Government and the three labour unions of the PHCN in Abuja. “At the meeting, it was agreed that a biometric verification exercise be jointly carried out by the PHCN management, the unions and Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) consultants to determine the number of casual workers in the company. The exercise was jointly agreed to be conducted and concluded between July One and 15.

Mark eulogises Atiku, HID Awolowo

transportation problem. While addressing the issue of dilapidated structure and inadequate classrooms in some schools, the governor said the Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) were on top of the situation as they had furnished him with the list of schools which needed to be renovated and assured that they would soon be renovated under the “Operation Renovate All Schools” embarked upon by his administration. Dr. Fayemi, however, said his administration would only construct new classrooms where they were needed, and not on the ground of political patronage, adding that “there were communities where enrolments were low, yet the previous administration kept building new classrooms.” He said some secondary schools which were deficient in science equipment, especially Ayo Daramola Memorial Secondary School at IjanEkiti, Sola Babalola Grammar

School and Ayeteju Grammar School, both at Iro-Ekiti, would be taken care of so as to avail science students access to science practical.

Ogun State as well as the Nigeria Police, announced that the state would soon take delivery of highly sophisticated equipment that would assist security operatives in tackling the menace. According to him, the state needs about 120 Hi-lux jeeps as well as 30 APCs to be located in strategic areas in the state in order to effectively secure the state. He, however, expressed determination to win the battle, stressing, “we must do the needful and we all know that security is important for any meaningful development to take place. Our goal of

industrialising the state cannot be realised in an atmosphere of insecurity. We have to win this battle and we will win it.” Senator Amosun further solicited the cooperation of the people in exposing the hideouts of criminals, stressing that these people are not ghosts. The governor also visited the family house of Alhaji Kareem Amusa, a member of the Vigilante Service killed by the robbers. He promised that the state government would compensate the family and prayed that God will grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Osun DG lauds Aregbesola

HE Director-General, Bureau of Social Services (BOSS) Osun State, Mr Femi Faturoti, has said the giant strides recorded by the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration in its fist year in office is not accidental. Addressing reporters in Lagos, he said right from the very moment the chief executive made up his mind to serve the people he had people-oriented programmes which he wanted to execute. Faturoti explained that the state government could not have achieved much in a year, if not for the visionary leadership of the governor, stressing that only a focussed government could make such impact within

Musa ODOSHIMOKHE one year. The director general said: “All in all, we have tried to redefine governance. The governor has demonstrated that governance is about the people. There is nothing that we are doing now that is not in the governor’s ‘My Pact with the Good People of Osun State’. It is our own Green Book which is a handbook that guides all functionaries.” Asked whether the bureau is not a duplication of the regular civil service machinery, Faturoti said: “No. It is part of our innovation. What we intend to achieve is to ensure that we all work in accordance with the vision of

the governor. We have a sixpoint Integral Action Plan from which no one is allowed to depart. The bureau monitors and evaluates all projects and activities of the ministries, departments and agencies. Each commissioner or head of department is afforded the opportunity to score himself through filling the necessary forms. There are timelines and deadlines and guides for evaluation. So, everyone is on his toes.” Citing the example of the recent retreat organised by the government, the director general pointed out that it was a robust platform which afforded the executive arm and top echelon of the administration to reflect on the vision of the government.

LAGOS Central Mosque will tomorrow hold annual Hijrah lecture at the mosque auditorium, Idumota, Lagos Island. A statement signed by the Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Garuba Akinola Ibrahim, and Baba Adinni, Sheikh Abou Hafeez, congratulated all Nigerians for witnessing the new Islamic year which begins today. The Islamic calendar, which started in year 622, signifies the migration of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Medina due to the persecution he suffered with his followers in the hands of reactionary elements who were non-Muslims. The duo urged Muslims to emulate the prophet in relating with other religious groups.

More illegal houses to go in Ekiti MORE illegal houses and structures in Ekiti State will soon be marked for demolition as the state House of Assembly passed into law the Urban and Regional Planning Bill sponsored by the state chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB). The passage of the bill has informed the move of the state government to establish Urban Renewal Agency and Building Control Agency which will soon be constituted. The state Chairman of the NIOB, Mr. Timothy Ajambati, disclosed to newsmen at the fifth annual seminar and workshop of the institute in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday that the two agencies would be liaised with the concerned professionals. Ajambati, expressed confidence in the two agencies to check illegal and substandard constructions in the state which he observed had been responsible for sudden collapse of buildings which had claimed many lives across the nation in the recent time.