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We’re losing patience over new minimum wage, NLC warns FG

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  • Presidency explains reasons for delays

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Sunday described the Federal Government’s silence on the N30,000 minimum wage proposal as provocative, stressing that it expected President Muhammadu Buhari to have sent a draft bill to the National Assembly weeks after report on the minimum wage was submitted to him.

Organised labour said it would not wait till eternity for the government on the issue.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, the General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Peter Ozo-Eson, said members of the union were becoming restless with the way the government had handled the issue, adding that unless government acted fast, the union might meet again to review government’s position and take necessary action to press home its demand.

But he did not say when the leadership of the union would likely meet.

Ozo-Eson said, “The latest about the issue of the minimum wage is clear. We expect that since the Presidency had already received our report, the President should have drafted an executive bill to the National Assembly on it so that they can begin to legislate on it.

“That has not been done even though we expect that it should have been done already. We cannot continue to wait forever.

“The next step as I said is for the President to transmit a draft bill to the National Assembly. The FG’s delay on the issue is provocative, our members are becoming restless and the FG must act fast on our report.

“If the delay continues, our next step will be made public after we meet again to review the steps taken so far.”

Presidency explains reasons for delays

However, lack of an agreement on the National Minimum Wage has stalled the presentation of a bill to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, investigations by The PUNCH have revealed.

Findings showed that up to Friday, there was still no agreement on the proposed N30,000, a development further delaying the presentation of a bill to the legislature by the President.

“There is still no agreement. There has to be an understanding between all the parties before the bill can go successfully to the National Assembly.

“This is one of the setbacks as we speak. But, when things are sorted out, definitely, the bill will go to the National Assembly and the passage should be smooth,” a presidential source told one of our correspondents in Abuja.

Recall that on November 19, the President and representatives of state governors had met in Abuja in a bid to resolve the dispute.

It was gathered that the closed-door meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa, made little progress as the majority of the governors reportedly insisted that they could not afford to pay anything above N22,500.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Mr Abdulazeez Yari, led a team of governors to the meeting to speak for the governors.

At the meeting, the governors were said to have stated that the options were for them to either reduce their workforce or the Federal Government would have to review the revenue sharing formula to make more money available to the states.

Organised labour has since opposed any move to reduce the number of workers and has maintained that workers would not accept any amount below N30,000.

The source further informed The PUNCH that in the light of the disagreement, a hasty presentation of a bill would not resolve the dispute until all the parties reached “a certain level of understanding first.”

The official explained, “You know that in the matter of a National Minimum Wage, there are lots of procedures it has to go through.

“For instance, it has to go through some institutions like the Salaries and Wages Commission; National Council of State or National Economic Council; then there are constitutional provisions to be met.

“Again, since the minimum wage is for the states to pay, there has to be an agreement with the states. It is only when there is an agreement with the states that the President can make a proposal to the National Assembly.”

He added, “At the stage we are, the question really is not whether the President is ready with the bill, the question is, has there been an agreement?”

When one of our correspondents sought the comments of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, on the matter, he merely said at any time the bill was ready, the President would submit it to the National Assembly.

“When the bill comes, it will be read on the floor. That is what I know,” he replied.

When asked whether he was aware when it would be ready or there was a particular figure the President and the governors had agreed on, Enang responded, “I am not disposed to speak on a matter that I have not seen.”

Source: Punch

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Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

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The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

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Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Arrive Nigeria Today, May 10th

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came into Nigeria for a private visit following an invitation by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, said the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria and would interact with wounded soldiers and their families.

He said the visit scheduled from 10th to 13th May 2024 would help wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.

Marquis said: “Because we realised that 80 per cent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better.

“Their outlook on life is positive. You know, when you are engaged in, you experience a permanent disability, you know, issues, it affects your mental health and also your outlook on life.”

Prince Harry and Meghan who are already in Nigeria, First made a visit to children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.

Here are pictures.

Prince Harry and Meghan at Light Academy In abuja

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