16—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015
ENUGU:
Information boss moves to reactivate ministry By Francis Igata
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NUGU—THE Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Udeohele Ikechukwu, has charged information officers in the state to be more responsive to information gathering and dissemination to boost government activities and programmes. The commissioner while speaking in a maiden meeting with the staff in the ministry noted that when communication gap is created in the polity,rumour-mill takes over. He added that effective information dissemination of government activities will help elicit feedback from the public, which he said,is imperative in governance. He observed that Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is a grass-root man and cares for the down trodden, adding that his administration had carried out humanitarian actions and developmental programmes within some weeks in office.
Haruna Jauro assumes duty as Acting DG of NIMASA
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R. HARUNA Baba Jauro has taken over from Barrister Calistus Nwabueze Obi as the Acting Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). The handover ceremony took place in the Agency, yesterday. While pledging his unreserved loyalty to the Acting DG, Mr. Obi enjoined staff of the Agency to support Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro, assuring that the excellent working relationship between him and the new Acting DG will continue in order to lift the agency to greater heights.
Responding, Mr. Haruna Jauro expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity to serve the nation in his new capacity. He thanked the staff of NIMASA for their commitment to duty and craved the cooperation of all for the realization of the mandate of the Agency. “I want to thank all staff of NIMASA for the commitment to the objectives of this Agency and crave your cooperation so that together, we can actualize the objectives of the Agency,” the Acting DG said.
STRIKE: Govt offices shut in Imo By Chidi Nkwopara
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WERRI—ALL Imo State Government offices were shut yesterday, following the industrial action ordered by the leadership of
all labour unions operating in the state. The aggrieved workers downed tools over the planned slashing of their monthly wages and allowances by the state government. The staff of ministries that are
most affected by the salary slash include Health, Agriculture, Judiciary, House of Assembly and House of Assembly Service Commission;while investigations revealed that members of the National
LISTING: From Left, Mr. Tolu Osinibi,Executive Director, First City Monument Bank Capital Market Limted; Mr. Ladi Balogun, Group Managing Director/CEO, FCMB Limited; Mr. Bayo Adeyemo, Member, FMDQ Board listings & Quotation Committee, and Mr. Bola Onadele, Managing Director/CEO, FMDQ OTC, during the listing of the N26.0 billion FCMB SPV Bond on FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Akeem Salau
ABIA: Judiciary workers end industrial action By Anayo Okoli & Ugochukwu Alaribe
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UDICIARY STAFF Union of Nigeria ,JUSUN, Abia State, has called off its 62-day old the industrial action. JUSUN had embarked on industrial action to protest inability of the state to pay their salaries, using the CONJUSS salary structure. In a telephone interview, Chairman of JUSUN in the state, Lambert Chibuike Onuoha said that the union decided to call off the strike after Abia state government paid their May and June salaries using the CONJUSS. He confirmed that JUSUN has directed her members to resume work and promised to monitor compliance across the state.
Onuoha added that the state government has also promised to pay the arrears of salaries owed workers from January till date. Reacting to the development, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu congratulated members of the Judiciary Staff Union for suspending the strike and their efforts to resume work. Ikpeazu in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Godwin Adindu, said the judiciary workers showed good understanding with the state government and demonstrated the spirit of patriotism by responding to the incentive of the government towards the workers. The governor stated that since the state government has commenced compliance with the agreement reached with the union in June, there was no reason the union should
continue the strike . Ikpeazu described the judiciary as a very crucial arm of government, stressing that the government cannot function effectively without the support and contributions of the judiciary. He reiterated the commitment of his administration towards the welfare of Abia workers and promised to maintain a cordial relationship between the government and the different groups of workers’ union.
Anambra tackles erosion By Enyim Enyim
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NITSHA—ANAMBRA State government has entered into partnership with NEW Marp to tackle erosion in 177 communities of the state.
Infrastructure levy consultant apologizes to Abia youths By Eric Ugbor
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BA—THE originator of the Abia State infrastructure levy, Professor Ugochukwu Aliche, who worked for the government of Orji Kalu as a consultant, has apologized to Abia youths for failing them. Aliche said the fund was created to revive ailing industries and agricultural establishments, and create jobs for youths in the state but regretted that his plans were dashed by greedy governments.
He said that when purposedriven educated youths are idle, they could think of how to give themselves jobs that the society would not like which had resulted in vices like kidnapping. Aliche, who disclosed this in an interview in Aba, said he was residing in England at the time he was approached to design a programme to help stabilize government financially and he agreed to do it to help his state. “But unfortunately, due to the way and manner this fund’s proceeds were looted, Aba textile
Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, also joined the strike in sympathy. Although the labour leaders have reduced the originally planned indefinite industrial action to five days warning strike, they however warned that they would be constrained to transform it into an indefinite strike, if government fails to pay their salaries. Meanwhile, the state government has, in a press statement signed by the Governor ’s Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, described the five-day warning strike as uncalled for and not justifiable. “The five-day warning strike is uncalled for. It is not justifiable especially when it is on record that the Rescue Mission Government in the state had never owed workers before now”, the CPS said. He stated that part of the agreement government entered with labour leaders was that where the bailout fund was not sufficient, the labour leaders and the government would meet to take decision on the next step to take. “It is against the backdrop of these agreements that the state government feels disappointed with the five-day warning strike, which the workers in the state have embarked upon now because the truth of the matter is that the bailout fund has not come. We had earlier made such clarification and the situation is still like that”, Onwuemeodo said. Continuing, the CPS reasoned that “the labour leaders would have done their investigation to see whether the government was saying the truth or not, with the issue of the bailout fund”.
mills, modern ceramics in Umuahia, Golden Guinea Breweries, Abia Palm project and other industries remain moribund," Professor Aliche, who has published over 4,800 books said. Prof Aliche said: “It seems that the last 16 years of democracy in Abia State had been a total tragedy. Therefore, I apologise seriously to the youths whose parents and guardians contributed to the fund and yet the future of their children was not considered by past governments.”
Addressing newsmen in her office, the Commissioner for Environment, Princess Chinwe Nwaebili said the state government has already paid its counterpart fund. “The Anambra state government under the leadership of Dr Willie Obiano is committed to tackling the erosion problem that has been disturbing erosion prone areas in the State." She said the SINEC engineers would be in the state next month, saying that the governor would engage four more engineers to fast track the tackling of the erosion problem. Nwaebili said some of the communities that would be first attended to included Nanka, Agulu and Enugu-ukwu. According to her, the ministry has plans to open up the drainages on all the roads, adding that the ministry was embarking on environmental impact assessment for both individuals and Government .