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NUJ unhappy as Bayelsa sacks 222 media workers

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Bayelsa government has commenced its plans to downsize its workforce with the sack of some 222 staff from its radio station and newspaper while compilation of sack list is in progress.

The Bayelsa Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Wednesday condemned the sack of 222 media workers in the Bayelsa government owned media platforms.

The list showed that 86 staff of New Waves Newspaper and 136 workers from the Radio Bayelsa were affected from the list so far released while staff of the state television station remain apprehensive.

A statement from the NUJ urged the state government to review its decision to sack over 200 media workers in one fell swoop in the guise of redeployment while the axe dangles on others.

This is sequel to a circular from the office of the Head of Service to heads of media parastatal to redeploy excess staff.

The statement signed by the Bayelsa NUJ Chairman, Mr. John Angese, and Secretary, Mr. Stanley Imgbi, noted that the unions and labour leaders in the state and affected establishment were not privy to the exercise.

NUJ argued that the parameter for determining the desired staff strength was not specified and shrouded in secrecy adding that the best hands have been affected in the exercise that jettisoned competence.

According to the statement, the output of the media houses would nose dive as professionalism and competence were not factored in while compiling the list.

The union maintained that the directive to stop salaries of the affected workers from the April 2018 voucher was in breach of civil service rule and breached the labour laws.

It said that seizure of the salaries of the affected staff and holding it in unpaid salary account in the state treasury clearly shows that the exercise is not redeployment as presented by government.

The union leaders urged government to review the decision due to the economic implication on the affected workers as most of who are bread winners of their family and the overall implication on the society.

The statement further urged members to remain calm while an emergency congress will be called to review the strategy of the union on the matter.

The Baylesa government said the ongoing public service reform in the state was to eliminate endemic employment racketeering and pay roll fraud in its public sector.

Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) assured the workers that they would not be thrown into the labour market adding that the exercise would only affect those involved in employment fraud, redundancy and truancy.

It will be recalled that Bayelsa government had on November 7, 2017 announced that it withheld the October 2017 salary of some 4,202 civil servants suspected to be involved in irregularities.

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“80% Of Buildings In Lekki Have No Approval” – Lagos State Commissioner For Physical Planning & Urban Development Reveals

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, has stated that 80 per cent of buildings in Ibeju Lekki have no approval.

Olumide disclosed this while speaking to newsmen recently.

In his words; “Just last week Thursday and Friday, myself and the team were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree with me that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked. We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 per cent of them do not have approval.

The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for. In this case, what we have is agricultural land, and people now go to their families to buy agricultural land. Of course, those lands would be sold because those families do not know the use such land would be put to.

The next thing to do is the fence permit. If you missed the earlier information on not knowing the area zoning, at the point of getting the fence permit, you would be able to detect what the area is zoned for. After that, the layout permits a large expense of land follows.”’

Olumide noted that a layout permit cannot be obtained if it is not zoned for the purpose it was designed for or for the purpose it was being requested.

“So, you can see all these layers, but people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge. Then, no approval is eventually gotten. Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose’’ Olumide said

This partly explains why some of the houses are being turn down currently in the state.

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Lady Dies After Friends Pushed Her Into Boiling Pot Of Fresh Pepper In Delta State

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A Nigerian man identified as Israel Joe, has revealed how his friend, Roseline, died after she was pushed into a boiling pot of fresh pepper and tomatoes by her two female friends in Sapele, Delta State.

Joe stated that Roseline, a caterer, went on a trip with her friends to Sapele for a catering job where the bitter ordeal occured.

She tragically passed away on Saturday, April 13 after spending two weeks at the hospital in a very horrible state.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Joe said that before her untimely death, Roseline confided in him about two of her friends who were treating her coldly.
And he has vowed to bring them to justice.

This is such a heartbreaking event.

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IPOB Declares May 30th As Sit-at-home Day Across The Southern East States To Honour Biafran Fallen Heroes

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The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared May 30, 2024, as a sit-at-home day across the South-East to celebrate Biafran soldiers.

The pro-Biafran group said that day is set aside annually to celebrate the men and women who died in the Biafran war between 1967 and 1970 and beyond and even until now.

This was made known in a press statement by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Thursday, adding that every Biafran in the South-East is expected to sit at home and reflect on the war.

He cautioned South-East residents to avoid loitering about on this day, adding that those who intend to travel to and fro Biafra land must do so before the evening of May 29.

The IPOB statement also directed that all the residents of “Biafra Land” are to stay indoors from 6 am to 6 pm on May 30, 2024.

He also called on christians and traditionalists to pray to Chukwu okike abiama for the fallen heroes, And also for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria.

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