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WE’LL USE OUR VOTES AGAINST THOSE WHO SAY RIVERS DON’T MATTER -WIKE

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Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that anybody who despises the political capability of the State will be meted with the same treatment.

Governor Wike made the declaration at the inauguration of the Orochiri -Worukwo (Waterlines junction) Flyover that was performed by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Port Harcourt on Monday.

The Rivers State governor explained that the dynamics of contemporary politics has made it unpopular to just gift votes away without the assurance of derivable benefit for the people.

“If you say Rivers State does not matter, Rivers State will tell you that you don’t also matter at the appropriate time. If you don’t like us, we will not like you. If you like us, we will like you.

“Nobody will use our votes for nothing. Our votes will matter and Rivers State must benefit from anybody that we are going to support.

“Politics now is no longer just vote for somebody, it is about what you will do for the people of Rivers State.”

Governor Wike pointed to how difficult it will be for any conspirators to upset the voting pattern of Rivers State and support for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The governor reiterated that those who looted the treasury of the State will not be supported to become governor of Rivers State.

“My guest from Lagos State, let nobody tell you story that anybody will come here to win as governor of Rivers State. It will not happen.

“Those who looted the treasury of the State will not come here to be governor of Rivers State and I have challenged them.

“I am fully in charge. I am not that kind of governor people will go to Abuja and hold meetings against. I am fully in charge here.”

Governor Wike also berated Mr. Yemi Adebowale over his ThisDay publication in which he peddled misinformation in his ‘RingTrue’ column article titled, ” Wike, a Governor Possessed By Spirit of Flyovers.”

The governor noted the obvious unhappy mindset of the writer for his dislikes for development and hatred for Rivers people who are happy with the ongoing development strides of his administration.

“First of all, let me state, if there is one State that pays salary regularly, it is Rivers State. Let me also state, every month we pay pensioners. Let me also state since we have been paying gratuity, have you been hearing anybody talking on radio?

Governor Wike also challenged those who are envious of his development strides to rather show what capacity they have by executing projects and invite renown persons to inaugurate them.

He explained the invitation of the Lagos State governor is not the first time persons of other political parties were invited to inaugurate projects in Rivers State.

He pointed to the overall benefits such invitations have on governance because it served as peer review for them.

The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who inaugurated the Orochiri-Worokwu (Waterlines) Flyover, commended Governor Wike for his strong commitment to the delivery of physical infrastructure in Rivers State.

“I would like to specially commend my brother, Governor Wike, for his strong commitment to the delivery of physical infrastructure in Rivers State, a commitment that has been recognized by all and sundry, and which has earned him the appellation of “Mr. Projects” within and outside Rivers State.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu said though himself and governor Wike belong to different political persuasions, the invitation extended to him sends a very strong message that politicians and political leaders, can come together across political and ideological divides, for the good of the people.

“There is also a strong message being made today about expanding our capacity to play politics without bitterness. This symbolic gesture by my friend and brother is one that should become standard practice across Nigeria.

“There is also a lot that we can learn from one another, and experience that we can translate from one part of the country to the other.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu further added: “Ultimately, we are all in governance to touch the lives of the people for good; to deliver to them the dividends of democracy. There is no doubt that Governor Wike has spent his last seven years focused on this, just as we have similarly been doing in Lagos.”

Providing the description of the project, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Dakorinama George-Kelly said the project has been completed on schedule with specified quality.

“The project has an overall length of 840 meters and overall cross sectional width of 17.6meters, 7.3 meters on each lane. It has 1 meter walkway on both sides, and 2 meter of media. We have a total of asphaltic pavement area of 29000 square meters.

“This flyover bridge brings to amend traffic congestion along the Port Harcourt -Aba Expressway because right from the Bori Park Flyover down to Eastern By-pass, there will be no traffic congestion. So, there will be ease of doing business around Port Harcourt and Rivers people will benefit from it.”

In his speech, Regional Manager of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Juergen Fischer, noted that history had been made with the opening for public use the 7th Flyover awarded to them for construction.

He thanked Governor Wike for the trust reposed in Julius Berger Nigeria PLC to handle such huge projects for the State Government.

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Minimum wage: Pay below N70,000 Go To Jail, FG Tells Private Employers

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The Federal Government has called on agencies recruiting for the private sector to adhere to the N70,000 minimum wage, warning that any deviation would not be tolerated.

According to the FG, the new minimum wage is necessary to address the current economic reality, emphasising that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, stated this on Wednesday while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.

Daju, who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali, said, “The minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers.

“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage. The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions.

“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”

In his remarks, the President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo, asked the government and Nigeria Labour Congress to clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross, stating that all ambiguities in the Act should be highlighted and explained.

According to Okoye, the EAPEAN is already committed to the minimum wage, as well as providing decent jobs for Nigerians and guarding against the exploitation of human resources.

“As a labour union in the private sector, we are committed to the implementation of the minimum wage. We are a law-abiding and guided association. Our principals and clients have also keyed into the minimum wage.

“However, the government must clarify whether the N70,000 minimum wage is net or gross. The government and NLC should address all ambiguities in the minimum wage,” he stated.

Speaking at the programme, the Chairperson of the NLC, Lagos State chapter, Funmilayo Sessi, said the prevailing hardship had made a mess of whatever income any worker was earning in Nigeria, calling on private employers to ensure the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage.

She said: “The N70,000 isn’t enough in the current economic realities. By the time the consequential adjustment is concluded, all private employment agencies should immediately start paying their workers the N70,000 minimum wage.

“The NLC in Lagos State will see to the strict enforcement of the minimum wage. EAPEAN should avoid confrontation with the NLC on the minimum wage.”

(The Punch)

 

 

 

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FG Alerts States On Release Of Water From Cameroon Dam

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The Federal Government through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, has urged states along the Benue River to increase their vigilance.

The call is coming following the ongoing plan by the management of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon to open the dam for water to gush out.

In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the NIHSA, signed by the Director General and the Chief Executive Officer, Umar Ibrahim Mohamed, he said the states likely to be affected by the flow of water from the dam are: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers.

The agency also called on governments at all levels to implement adequate preparedness measures to mitigate potential flooding that may result from rising river levels during this period.

The release of water, the statement said, will begin at a rate of 100 cubic meters per second (8.64 million cubic meters per day) and is expected to gradually increase to 1,000 cubic meters per second over the next seven days, depending on inflows from the upstream Garoua River, the primary feeder of the reservoir and a significant contributor to the Benue River.

“The Cameroonian dam authorities assured NIHSA that the water releases will be regulated to avoid exceeding the capacity of the Benue River and triggering major flooding downstream in Nigeria.

“The controlled water releases will cease once there is a noticeable decrease in inflow into the Lagdo reservoir,” the statement read.

NIHSA emphasized that there was no immediate cause for concern, as significant flooding downstream in Nigeria was not anticipated, adding that current water levels along the Benue River remained within safe limits.

The agency also assured the public that it would continue to closely monitor water levels along the Benue and other national inland rivers, providing regular updates to prevent any flood-related disasters.

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Senate Frown At False Claims Against Bamidele, Mulls Stiffer Sanctions  

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The Senate said it has noticed with grave concerns diverse vicious attempts to pitch the public against its leadership and that National Assembly at large. The latest of such attempts was a petition supposedly addressed to Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) against the Leader of the Senate, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, CON.

The petition, signed by Convener, Public Procurement Transparency Group, David Udoh, accused Senator Bamidele of intimidating and pressurising Chief Executive Officer, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Mr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu to award contracts to some companies linked to him contrary to the Public Procurement Act, 2007. This allegation is not only baseless, but also without any evidence in support of its claims

Already, REA has issued a statement, disputing all these vicious claims. Specifically, its management noted that it was never under any pressure “to compromise the integrity of its procurement process. Rather, it always upholds transparency, fairness, and due process in all its activities, including procurement.”

We have endured enough all sorts of cheap blackmail by faceless groups and individuals using some bloggers and social media to feed the unsuspecting public with falsehoods and fallacies capable of causing further damage not just to the image of the National Assembly, but also to the public perception of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially among comity of nations.

Our preliminary background checks reveal that the Public Procurement Transparency Group has no record with the Corporate Affairs Commission; its Convener, David Udoh, faceless and his phone contact is practically inactive and non-functional. Further checks showed that this faceless group never submitted any petition to ICPC. Nevertheless, its sole aim was to use the social media to blackmail Senator Bamidele

Nigeria is a federation of 36 states and Federal Capital Territory governed by the Constitution, Acts of National Assembly and judicial precedents. Henceforth, we shall no more treat cases of cheap blackmail against the Senate, its leadership and the National Assembly lightly. But we shall treat such infractions within the confine of extant laws and whoever found guilty in the process shall face the full wrath of the laws.

 

 

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