Minimum Wage: Presidency Moves to Appease Labour Asks govs to plug waste to accommodate workers’ demand Pleads with NLC for more time to resolve logjam Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Following Nigerian Labour Congress’ (NLC) threat to call out workers on indefinite strike on Tuesday to protest non-
implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage recommended by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, the presidency has moved to pacify the workers, appealing
to them to tarry a while on their planned action. The NLC had asked President Muhammadu Buhari to submit the N30,000 minimum wage
implementation bill to the National Assembly for passage by December 31 last year or face a nationwide strike action. With the deadline unmet, the NLC President, Mr. Ayuba
Wabba, had said the Tuesday strike had become imminent despite a federal government offer for a resolution meeting schedule for January 8. Authoritative presidency
sources, however, told THISDAY yesterday that the president is making efforts to resolve the wage dispute, Continued on page 6
Total, Samsung Confirm First Oil in 200,000 bpd Egina Field... Page 6 Thursday 3 January, 2019 Vol 23. No 8660. Price: N250
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We Are Under Armed Bandits’ Siege, Masari Cries Out Francis Sardauna in Katsina Few days after Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, backed a call for declaration of state of emergency in the Northwest state over the menace of
armed bandits, the Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Aminu Masari, has cried out that gunmen are overrunning his domain. Bandits have held sway in Continued on page 6
“Our state is currently under serious siege by armed robbers, kidnappers and armed bandits, who arrest rural people at the grassroots at will and demand ransom, which if not paid, they kill their victims”
INEC Retains Smart Card Reader, Incidence Form Releases guidelines on Monday Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja As part of its strategic plan of action for the general elections starting on February 16, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will on Monday release its revised guidelines and voter register to the nation’s 91 political parties. The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye, confirmed to THISDAY yesterday that the revised guidelines were ready and would be unveiled for the consideration of the political parties next week. “We are going to officially release voter register to the political parties on Monday and we are also going to use the opportunity to hand over
guidelines and regulations for the conduct of elections to them,” he said in an interview with THISDAY. THISDAY had obtained a copy of the guidelines from a reliable source last Tuesday. The rules, among others, retains the use of smart card reader and the controversial incidence form. The Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018, which was vetoed four times by President Muhammadu Buhari, had sought to extensively reform the electoral process by incorporating mandatory use of smart card reader to the exclusion of incidence form as the mode of accreditation of voters. Continued on page 10
BPE Shifts Privatisation of Yola Disco, Afam Genco.. Page 10
WELCOME ON BOARD... L-R: Former Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Mr. Johnson Kukomo; the state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; and the new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosun, during a courtesy visit by the new police boss to the governor at Government House, Benin City…yesterday