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Saraki, Buhari media organization cross-fire takes new turn
Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Sunday reacted to a statement credited to President Muhammadu Buhari’s Media Organisation, were the later cautioned and urged him to reconvene the Senate to attend to urgent national issues.
The organisation accused Saraki of postponing the resumption of the Senate, despite the ongoing issue in the country, especially the INEC budget and approval for foreign loans tied to several critical infrastructures.
Recall also that the organisation through its chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke opined that Saraki is the one laying siege on the whole country by using his position to undermine the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
But reacting on the issue, Saraki through his special assistant on new media, Olu Onemola said that the organisation’s statement was a careful and deliberate example of conscientious ignorance on full display.
Read the full statement below: “It is necessary to begin this response to the Buhari Media Organization by reminding us of the aforementioned fact.
This is because their statement is a careful and deliberate example of conscientious ignorance on full display. By now, the Nigerian people are aware that the Executive branch could have submitted INEC’s 2019 Election budget at the time it submitted the 2018 appropriations proposal last year.
Furthermore, the Executive had from January till June this year to submit the budget request. However, due to a lack of foresight, or the usual display of tardiness or an attempt to ensure that due process would not be followed — the INEC budget request was submitted by the Executive branch only a few days before the statutory National Assembly annual recess.
Regardless of this unforced error on the part of the Executive, the National Assembly has continued its work on this budget.
As it stands: the relevant Senate & House Committees have held individual budgetary hearings with the INEC Chairman & all his Commissioners on this budget.
The @NGRSenate and @HouseNGR have also held follow-up Joint Committee meetings to carefully scrutinize the provisions of the budget.
Furthermore, the Joint Committees are now scheduled to meet on Monday when they are expected to come up with a Committee report.
This Report will then be given to the Appropriations Committee, which will spell out how to source the President’s virement request through the concerned MDAs. Any person or organization that is conversant with legislative due process would know this. It is only after the Appropriations Committee has worked on the budget details that a plenary sitting is required to adopt the final report.
The Senate President, the Senate and the entire National Assembly, are committed to ensuring that the 2019 elections receive all necessary funding. However, this should not be at the expense of due process and stated guidelines.
Groups like the Buhari Media Organization that try to scapegoat the Senate President for the failure of the Executive to submit INEC’s 2019 election budget on time, know that the National Assembly has been working on this request through its Committees.
Nigerians want to know why President Buhari withheld his assent on the first Electoral Act passed by the National Assembly to help legalize the various innovations that are needed for free and fair elections. These are the questions @BuhariMediaORG should ask their principal. @BuhariMediaORG should ask their principal the following questions: “What is he afraid of in the very progressive proposals contained in the Electoral Bill?” “Why does he want to frustrate the 2019 election by not signing the much-needed enabling laws into effect?”
For the record, it is necessary to state that the Buhari Media Organization (@BuhariMediaORG), in its failed attempt to mislead the public, has been crying more than the bereaved.
During this process, INEC, that will utilize the funds and conduct the proposed elections has stated that it is confident and comfortable with the thorough and transparent response exhibited by the National Assembly.
Finally, it is necessary to once again emphasize that the public will continue to see through all attempts to mislead them with empty political grandstanding that is detrimental to the adherence to due process that the National Assembly’s leadership is committed to upholding.”
News
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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