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Ohakim to Okorocha: Thanks for Paying Judges 6 Months Salary Arrears
Former Governor Ikedi Ohakim on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, thanked Governor Rochas Okorocha “for heeding his wise counsel by paying the Judges in Imo State six months salary arrears out of the 16 months he owed them.”
Ohakim had on Saturday, February 3, 2018, during an interaction with media men in Owerri raised the alarm that Governor Okorocha was owing judges in the state 16 months salary arrears.
The Governor has denied owing the Judges and said that it was the NJC that pays the Judges. He said that Ohakim needed to go to the psychiatric hospital.
But in a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Collins Ughalaa, on Tuesday, the former Governor who is staging a comeback in 2019 said that Governor Okorocha paid the Judges six months salary arrears on Monday.
“Governor Okorocha on Monday, February 12, 2018, hurriedly paid the judges six months out of their 16 months salary arrears,” he said.
He also thanked “the more than 12,000 people who have already signed up for the planned mass protest in Owerri, including so many people from the United States of America (USA) and Britain who planned to come back home to join the mass protest.”
Ohakim added: “We thank God immensely that His Excellency Dr Ikedi Ohakim’s brain is intact, contrary to Governor Okorocha’s insult, and he did not need to be taken to the psychiatric hospital before the Judges were paid six months salary arrears. Dr. Ikedi Ohakim is nevertheless not worried about the insults from Governor Okorocha, some of his appointees and hirelings.
“We equally thank the media which showed massive support and interest in the matter and insisted that the Judges must be paid.
“We thank the Judges too for their patience, decorum and continuing to discharge their duties even when they were owed 16 months salary.
“Our immense gratitude also goes to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for taking the matter to court on behalf of the Judges. We are really proud of the NBA in Imo State for living up to their responsibilities.”
He called on the Governor to ensure that the balance of 10 months is paid, saying that he has put his planned protest on hold.
“We therefore request Governor Okorocha to please do everything humanly possible to pay the balance of 10 months salary arrears as quickly as possible, while we put the protest on hold,” he said.
Ohakim also extended “his heartfelt condolences to the family of a retired Justice who passed on Monday, February 12, 2018. Unfortunately he died without adequate medicare as a result of non-payment of his accumulated pension and gratuity.” He stressed: “Now that Governor Okorocha has started paying the Judges, he should also pay those who have served the state meritoriously their pension and gratuity without further delay.”
He also noted: “Workers deserve their wages. The first line charge of every government is the welfare of the people, and the civil servants and pensioners deserve their pay and must be paid as at when due,” even as he said he is “prepared to offer wise counsel to the Governor on how to get those problems solved in no time.”
Ohakim gave the assurance that he “is not a man that finds pleasure in spreading falsehood,” adding that he says what he is “only sure of and believes so much in the truth.”
He further assured that he “will continue to speak for Imo people and the disadvantaged, no matter the risk involved. And when by the grace of God he returns to office in 2019, he will continue to treat the workers and every other segment of the Imo society very well and ensure that their comfort and welfare remains top on the agenda of his government.”
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Badaru on Operational Tour of 82 Division, other Military Installations in Enugu and Imo States
The Honourable Minister of Defence H.E Mohammed Badaru Abubakar CON mni is currently in Enugu on operational tour of 82 Division of Nigerian Army and other military platforms in Enugu.
He was received on arrival by the General officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army / Commander JTF SE of operation Udoka Major-General H.T Dada and other senior military officers.
The Minister is expected to meet with South East stakeholders on the way forward.
Details later…
Tinubu has granted full oversight responsibilities to Ministers of State over agencies under them amongst whom are Minister of State for Defence Dr. Bello Matawalle, Water Resources and Sanitation, Minister of State for Agriculture and others will henceforth enjoy full oversight responsibilities over such agencies.
President Bola Tinubu at FEC Meeting has approved that ministers of state be given full powers to supervise the agencies under them, the cable reported.
Until now, files pertaining to departments and agencies under their supervision were sent by their permanent secretaries to the senior ministers.
With the new dispensation, ministers of state can now grant all necessary administrative approvals on the governance process of these agencies and departments.
According to a source in the office of the head of service of the federation, “the president was not pleased with the prevailing governing framework in which ministers of states were just ministers in name”.
This, Tinubu reportedly said, led to the “underutilisation of the expertise and capabilities” of most ministers of state.
“The president believes ministers of state should have the right to make decisions and direct action within their areas of responsibility,” the official added.
According to the Cable report, the source said the idea, first mooted by Hadiza Bala Usman, special adviser to the President on policy coordination and head, central delivery coordination unit got an instant buy-in from the President.
With the new directive, the administration hopes “to unleash” the potential of all the ministers, the source added.
…It’s unprecedented to earn above minimum wage in Enugu- Labour
… We’ll commence implementation immediately- ALGON
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has approved N80,000 minimum wage for the state’s work force, including local government workers, effective October 2024, noting a direct link between a motivated workforce and his administration’s vision of growing the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn.
The new minimum wage covers all state employees, primary school teachers, and local government workers.
Organised labour has described the wage as unprecedented, as it was the first time that Enugu workers would be earning above the national minimum wage.
Mbah announced the new minimum wage on Thursday after a meeting with the Enugu State Minimum Wage Implementation Committee headed by the Head of Service, Kenneth Ugwu and labour leaders, including the state’s labour leaders.
Mbah said, “Few weeks ago, I inaugurated a committee with the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage in Enugu State. Today, I’m happy to announce a new minimum wage for workers in Enugu State, reflecting our fidelity to their welfare, in regard of which we have been resolutely committed.
“We have approved the sum of N80,000 as the new minimum wage in Enugu State. This underscores our commitment to bequeathing lasting legacies of improved living conditions.
“Our commitment to improved workers’ welfare runs deep, and is rooted in the firm understanding of the inextricable link between an inspired workforce and the audacious economic targets we had set our sights on.
“We clearly understood that reducing poverty to the barest minimum and achieving an unprecedented economic growth target were contingent on the output of the workforce. Therefore, for us, the best way to acknowledge that labour creates wealth is by ensuring that the workforce, which creates the wealth that oils the wheel of government, is sufficiently motivated.
“We have similarly demonstrated our commitment to workers welfare through the consistent payment of the wage awards, a gesture we had pledged to sustain until a new wage structure took effect.”
Speaking, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, thanked governor Mbah for always prioritising the welfare of workers, describing the new minimum wage as “a great one for Enugu workers.”
“In the past, when minimum wage is announced, it takes up to one or two years for anything to happen; and when it did, we took anything they gave us as we saw it. But today, you have even given us something much higher than national minimum wage.
“But I am not totally surprised because when other governors were paying N12,000 wage award, you were paying us N25,000. When others paid for some months and stopped, you continued paying it until the new minium wage as you promised. So, we have enjoyed wage award for 11 months and today you announced the minimum wage which is the first of its kind since my 32 years in service,” said.
Speaking to Government House correspondents, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Comrade Ben Asogwa, said, “We are so happy. The governor did not just announce ₦80,000 minium wage, but said that it cascades down to even local government workers. He said that he does not want disparity in salary implementation in Enugu State anymore because we all go to the same market.
“This is the first time in history we are seeing the implementation of minimum wage above the approved amount by the federal government. Actually, when we entered into the negotiation, we were afraid because we know quite well that we are not among the states that share in dividends of oil money. We know quite well that we are at the back when it comes to federal allocation, but His Excellency actually surprised us.
“One thing we have seen is that he understands the impact of motivation on productivity. The governor has set a pace and we know that any other person coming after him will have the challenge to meet up with the target set by His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah.”
On his part, Chairman of the Association of Local Government Workers, ALGON, Enugu State, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, pledged the commitment of council chairmen to implementing the new minimum wage.
“When you motivate workers, they become more productive. What I am promising on behalf of the Enugu ALGON family is that we are going to cascade the new minimum wage to the local government level. Implementation begins immediately,” he said.
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