Politics

NLC warns NASS against devolving labour issues to states, removal from Exclusive List

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the National Assembly against devolving labour issues to the states amidst plans to remove it from the Exclusive Legislative List.

Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President, issued this caution in Abuja on Tuesday through a statement titled “Labour on the Legislative Exclusive List.”

He noted that labour issues were presently domiciled in the Second Schedule, Legislative Powers, Part 1, Exclusive list, Item 34.

Wabba reiterated that national interest was paramount therefore, the labour should remain within the purview of the NASS.

”For the sake of our national interest, security and industrial harmony, labour should not be one of the items that should be devolved to the states,” he said.

Wabba also noted that the nation-states legislation on Labour drives substantially from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, protocols and recommendations and other instruments domesticated through the Acts of parliament.

As a result, Nigeria ratified the ILO Conventions 87 and 98, guaranteeing the right to organise and collectively bargain, after independence in 1960.

“Nigeria had since adopted all the core conventions in its capacity as a sovereign nation and regularly attends ILO organ meetings as a sovereign in line with international best practices.

”In the light of this, deregulating labour to the states will inevitably create intractable problems. At the membership level, the 36 states of the federation and FCT are no sovereign which is a basis for ILO membership of Nigeria.

”Secondly, a corpus of labour legislation across the 36 states and FCT will almost certainly create a judicial nightmare.

Thirdly, investors will be scared away as they will consider this as an unnecessary addition to the already hostile operating environment. At the level of workers who often act in the national interest, this will whittle down patriotic influence.

”In the light of this, we will strongly advocate against removing labour from the Exclusive Legislative List. Not even during the military era was this contemplated,” Wabba said.

Politics

Buhari govt to borrow N25.5bn for solar power at NASS complex

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Despite criticism by stakeholders over the country’s huge debt profile, the Federal Government is set to borrow N25.5bn ($62.1m) for the construction and installation of a 17MW hybrid solar power infrastructure for the National Assembly.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Senator Clifford Ordia.

According to Ordia, the loan was part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s N7.6 trillion external borrowing request approved by the Senate on Wednesday.

The lawmaker also noted that his panel found that of the $22.8 billion approved by the National Assembly under the 2016-2018 External Borrowing Plan, only $2.8 billion, representing 10 percent, had been disbursed to Nigeria.

The committee, in its report, listed various proposed projects to be financed by the loans.

The $62.1m loan earmarked for construction of solar power plant in the National Assembly would be sourced from SINOCURE/Standard Chartered Bank.

The contract, according to the report, was awarded at a total value of $60.1 million.

However, the report was silent on what the balance of $2 million would be used for.

Politics

NASS not rubber stamp, we only do things differently -Sen Kalu

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Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu, has slammed reports by stakeholders and Nigerians that the National Assembly is a rubber stamp to the decisions taken by the executive.

Kalu, who spoke on Tuesday via a statement in Abuja, also advocated for closer synergy between the executive and judiciary in order to entrench good governance.

The lawmaker implored Nigerians to jettison the notion that the National Assembly is a rubber stamp.

“The Senate is not a rubber stamp, it is just that we have done things differently.

“There are many things the Presidency has sent to the senate that we rejected and we reject it at the level of leadership and send it back to him.

“There is no need to fight with the President because our job is to complement the efforts of the executive, to give them the chance to give Nigerians good governance.”

Kalu also explained the importance of a harmonious relationship between all arms of government in order to ensure the betterment and development of the country.

“So, our duty is to make laws and ensure we stabilise the polity by ensuring there is a good relationship between the judiciary, executive, and the legislature.

“The Senate has been very successful in bringing the budget before December each year, this is the job of the legislature.

“We don’t want to enter into unnecessary controversies with the executive.

“We have fought many times with the executive, but quietly. People can call us any name, but I can speak out my mind to say we are not rubberstamp,’’ he stressed.

Politics

Labour to embark on nationwide strike over NASS’ mandate on minimum wage

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The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) will commence a nationwide strike on Wednesday, March 10 (today) over the decision by the National Assembly to remove the national minimum wage from the exclusive to the concurrent legislative list.

According to the NLC during a media parley with journalists on Tuesday, the protest would hold at the 36 states’ Houses of Assembly and at the National Assembly in Abuja.

It added that the protest would start from the Unity Fountain, Abuja, at 7.30 am to the National Assembly complex.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that a bill seeking to remove the negotiation on minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list passed the second reading in the House of Representatives on February 23.

According to the sponsor, Garba Mohammed (APC Kano), the bill is to allow both the federal and state governments to freely negotiate minimum wage “with their workers in line with our federalism.”

However, the NLC registered its opposition to the plan, describing the bill as an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s working class.

The invitation read, “The Nigeria Labour Congress and its allies will tomorrow (Wednesday) embark on a nationwide protest against attempts by some elements at the National Assembly to remove the minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list. In Abuja, it will mobilise from the Unity Fountain at 7.30 am to the National Assembly.”

In a communiqué issued at the end of the emergency meeting of its National Executive Council penultimate Tuesday, the NLC said it had empowered the National Administrative Council to declare and enforce a national strike action, “especially if the legislators continue on the ruinous path of moving the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.”

Politics

NLC announces imminent strike over NASS’ decision to re-classify national minimum wage

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The Nigeria Labour Congress has pronounced its scheduled strike action for March 10, 2021, over an imminent mandate by the Senate to remove the national minimum wage from the exclusive to the concurrent legislative list.

According to the NLC, the protest would be held in the 36 states Houses of Assembly in reaction to the plans by the House of Representatives to alter the present wage structure.

This decision granted the Federal Government the autonomy to negotiate minimum wage for workers in the country.

In his remarks after an emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, March 2, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, vowed that the NLC would resist “any attempt to exterminate Nigeria’s working class.’’

Ripples Nigeria gathered last week that the Reps debated a bill to remove the powers to negotiate wage matters from the exclusive to the concurrent list.

According to the lawmakers, this is due to the inability of state governors to pay the N30,000 minimum wage for the move.

However, Wabba stated that the workers would not watch “hard-fought rights which are global standards bastardised by opportunistic and narrow-thinking politicians.”

The communique jointly signed by Wabba and the acting General Secretary of the NLC, Ismail Bello, further noted that this is an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s working class.

He said, “The NEC decided that there will be a national protest action commencing from March 10, 2021, in the Federal Capital Territory and especially to the National Assembly.

The NEC decided that should the need arise, it has empowered the National Administrative Council of the NLC to declare and enforce a national strike action, especially if the legislators continue on the ruinous path of moving the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.”

Politics

Wike slams NASS over confirmation of ex-service chiefs, alleges double standards

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Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has issued a scathing critique of the National Assembly over the confirmation of former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai, and other ex-Service Chiefs as non-career ambassadors.

Wike made this assertion when the Senate Committee on Niger Delta paid him a visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wednesday, February 24.

Wike wondered why senators, who had severally decried the poor performances of the former service chiefs cleared them for another appointment.

He said: “Let me use this opportunity to express the dismay of most Nigerians to the Senate. Convey this to the Senate. We must be courageous in whatever we are doing. Everything must not be party affairs.

You (senators) sat and discussed that the then service chiefs be dismissed. You said they’re not performing.

“Now, the same people who were not performing, have been confirmed by you as ambassadors. What kind of country are we running?

“In anything we do, we must remember that there is tomorrow; our conscience is key. It’s not because I want to be a loyalist of a party. No. There are things you cannot reconcile at all.”

In response to questions about the responsibilities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Wike said the commission had abandoned its core mandate, leaving those who canvassed for its establishment disillusioned.

I don’t like talking about NDDC. It is unfortunate that those who fought for it, if they knew that this is how the commission will be, I don’t think that they would have even asked for it”, he said.

The governor pointed out that over the years, various National Assembly committees on NDDC had not provided sufficient direction to make the commission focus on its core mandate of developing the Niger Delta.

He further accuses some politicians of turning the intervention agency into a cash cow for sinister political agenda, while alleging that its management once spent N10bn to unseat him.

The governor urged the committee’s leadership to prevail on the management of the NDDC to embark on legacy infrastructural projects such as the eight flyovers being constructed by his administration and not to waste resources on 50 or 100-metre roads.

He said: “The chairmen of the Senate and House committees on the NDDC are from the region too. You are supervising NDDC, so why not sit down with them to know the legacy projects that they want to carry out this year in the Niger Delta states. Tell them these are projects they must make sure they executed first.

Rather than do that, you allow them to do 50 or 100 metre- road or a close that leads to someone’s house. What’s their business there?

“The National Assembly is a part of the problem of NDDC. The Presidency is a part of the problem of NDDC and the party in power is a part of the problem of NDDC. They don’t allow NDDC to perform. We too in Niger Delta are not allowing them to perform. We are the enemies of ourselves.”

Politics

NASS assures justice for victims of alleged SARS abuses – Lawan

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The President of Senate, Ahmed Lawan, says the National Assembly (NASS) would ensure justice for victims of alleged abuses by the personnel of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Lawan announced this in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

He said the NASS would also ensure that the government fulfills the commitment it has made to the youths agitating for police reform and good governance.

“I want to re-assure our youths that the NASS will collaborate with the Executives to ensure justice for victims of misconduct and rights abuses by personnel of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police.

“In the same vein, to discourage impunity, we will insist that the perpetrators of the alleged abuses be prosecuted and sanctioned as appropriate.

“We will also work with the Executive to ensure that the five-point demands of the #ENDSARS protesters, which the government has committed itself to, are fully implemented.

“In the unfortunate hijack of the protests, hoodlums unleashed horrifying violence, arson, looting and wanton destruction of public and private property in the country,’’ the statement read in part.

According to Lawan, NASS is fully committed to putting the necessary legislation in place for comprehensive reform of the Police to enhance their institutional integrity and efficiency.

“As we seek a path out of this regrettable crisis, my heart goes out to the victims of the reprehensible violence and criminality witnessed in the last few days in many parts of the country.

“I send my condolences to the families of our security and law enforcement agents who have made the supreme sacrifices in the course of their service to their fatherland.

“I call for a thorough investigation of every criminal act that we have witnessed in the past few weeks with a view to bringing to justice all those elements that have callously destroyed public and private properties.’’

The president of the senate also urged the youths, across the country, to join hands with the authorities in bringing an urgent cessation to the violence.

“I call on our patriotic youths to leave the streets as the government has heard their voices and addressing their grievances to avoid unwittingly providing covers for the criminals and fifth columnists in our midst.’’

On those criminal elements unleashing terror on our cities under the guise of the protest, Lawal urged the security agencies to restore law and order across the country and bring the criminals to justice.

In restoring law and order, he charged the security agencies to do it with the utmost restraint.

“While still grappling with the havoc of COVID-19, the country can ill afford yet another epidemic that has now appeared in the form of the lawlessness that is going on.

“I thank all Nigerian leaders and other well-meaning Nigerians for their interventions towards restoring peace and order after the unfortunate degeneration of the protest into chaos and brigandage in many parts of the country.

“In particular, I thank all Nigerians for their patience and understanding in this trying moment in our dear country.

“I thank you all for your wise counsel to the protesting youths to embrace peace and for the government to be open and sincere in addressing the issues that the youths have raised so clearly,’’ Lawal said.

Politics

FEC approves N13.08trn budget proposal for 2021, transmits to NASS on Thursday

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved budgetary proposal of N13.08trillion for 2021 fiscal year.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, made this known when she briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting.

She explained that the total aggregate revenue projected for the 2021 budget was N7.89 trillion with a deficit of N4.48 trillion.

According to the minister, the total capital expenditure projected in the budget is 29 percent of the aggregate expenditure, saying the 29 per cent is an improvement over the 24 percent projected in budget 2020.

“We have a total aggregate revenue of N7.89 trillion and also an aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion for 2021. about:blank

“There’s a fiscal deficit of N4.489 trillion, this represents 3.64%, slightly above what is required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 3% and also to report that the total capital expenditure that is projected in the Budget is 29% of the aggregate expenditure.

“This is an improvement over the 24% that we had in the 2020 Budget, but slightly below the 30% that we targeted in the economic recovery.

“Just to clarify that the 1.86 million barrels per day crude oil production includes 400,000 condensate, so we have complied with the OPEC quota, which is placed at about 1.5 million barrels per day. So the 1.46 is in meeting with the OPEC quota,’’ she said.

The minister disclosed that the performance of the 2020 budget, as at July for revenue, was 68 per cent, while its performance for expenditure was 92 per cent.

“The performance of the 2020 Budget as at July, for revenue, was 68 per cent We had a 68 per cent revenue performance prorated to July.

“The performance of expenditure, on the other hand, was 92.3 per cent and that is to say salaries were fully paid, pensions were paid, debt service was made, as well as transfers classified as statutory.

“In presenting the Budget 2020, we had to report to Council some slight changes that need to be made on MTEF 2021/2023, which has since July been sent to the National Assembly by Mr President.

“Specifically, the exchange rate is going to be changed from 360 that we initially presented and submitted to Council and to the National Assembly, up to 379.

“The reason why this is happening is due to the exchange rate movement that the CBN has put in place.

“Also, there were some slight changes on miscellaneous revenues and signature bonuses after interaction with DPR, which resulted in some increase in revenue,’’ she added.

The minister stated that the 2021 budget proposal was aimed at enhancing inclusive growth and also to achieve the key objectives of government.

She said: “The total budget proposal that is made for 2021 is to enable us to attain a more inclusive growth and also to achieve the key objectives of government.

“These include; stimulating the economy, creating jobs, enhancing growth and creating infrastructural investment, also promoting manufacturing and local production.’’

The minister further revealed that the budget assumptions that were presented to Council included the crude oil price benchmark at 40 dollars per barrel; oil production at 1.86 million barrels per day; exchange rate of N379 to $1; GDP growth target of 3 per cent and inflation rate of 11.95 per cent.

She also expressed the hope that Nigeria’s economy would recover to the path of growth early in 2021, “so the total aggregate revenue that is projected for the 2021 Budget is N7.89 trillion and what is unique about the 2021 Budget is that we have brought in the budgets of 60 government-owned enterprises.

“If you recall, in 2020 we brought in 10, now we have brought in 60.

“These 60 exclude NNPC and the Central Bank and the reason being NNPC, a national oil company, internationally national oil companies are not included in the national budget.

“Also, the CBN is an autonomous body. Only those two are excluded, 60 government-owned enterprises included.

“That is to say their revenue and all categories of expenditure are now integrated in the Budget.’’

On the effect of COVID-19 on the 2021 budget proposal, the minister said provisions had been made in the budget to address such challenges.

She said: “The 2021 budget has been able to make more provision for human capital development. So, the Ministry of Health for example has its provision almost doubled.

“The Ministry of Education has a significant increase. The details of the budget will be provided to the country after Mr President submits the budget which we hope might be on the 8th of October. So, the details will be out.

“And following Mr President’s submission, the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning will also engage in a world press conference to provide the details.

“But what is unique about this is that the provision for human capital development, especially health is doubled.”

The minister disclosed that the budget proposal would be transmitted to the National Assembly on Thursday

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