Television Nigerian

The Coalition for Nigeria has rejected the inclusion of the lawmaker representing Abia-South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, in the Senate’s adhoc committee on security challenges, describing it as an “abomination”.

The group alleges that there are overwhelming evidence indicting Mr Abaribe as sponsor of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and a known ally of its fugitive leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Convener/National President, Patriot Sabo Odeh, said it is morally unacceptable, an attempt which may jeopardise the military with the inclusion of Abaribe, a “known terrorist sympathiser”.

Recall that the Abia lawmaker stood in as shorty for Kanu in 2017 and only recently called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over security concerns.

Abaribe shouldn’t be placed in such critical position, as the Coalition believes that he has openly displayed hatred, disdain and total lack of patriotism in his financially induced sponsorship of bills and motions to pull the administration down.

The group, therefore, said it totally rejects the Senator Abaribe led committee, which according to them is “ a charade, premeditated evil and a clear sign that the Senate is out to ruin the efforts of the Buhari led administration”.

Read full statement below:

Gentlemen of the press, we have cause to invite you here today because that which should not be mentioned has been named. An abomination has been committed.

What we are talking about is the inauguration of Senator Eyinaya Abaribe as a member of the Senate ad-hoc Committee on Security Challenges. This is an aberration knowing this federal lawmaker’s role in the insecurity plaguing the country.

Going by court documents that showed he stood surety for a fugitive terrorist Senator Abaribe is a known terrorist sponsor and an unrepentant one at that. He stood surety for a terrorist kingpin in the name of Nnamdi Kanu who jumped bail in Nigeria and working from abroad to destabilize the country.

For a man who could back a terrorist in court, one can only wonder at the level and nature of support he has offered members of the terrorist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the background.

As proof that he is unrepentant, Senator Abaribe only recently abused the sanctity of a parliamentary chamber when he used the Senate call for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari. We later found out that rather than being a response to any security situation, the senator’s call was ploy to effect regime change to facilitate the enthronement of a pro-IPOB government.

Abaribe has shown his  open hatred, disdain and total lack of patriotism in his financially induced sponsorship of bills and motions to pull the administration down.

This is the man that Senator Ahmed Lawan, the Senate President has deemed necessary to head a sensitive national assignment like the ad-hoc Committee to review security issues in Nigeria.

This is quite unfortunate and a clear sign that the Senate has failed this nation..

The nation cannot survive if such treachery is rewarded with a sensitive security appointment as the senate has done.

It is even more dangerous when Security Chiefs are to interact with the committee and make their plans known to the Senate on how they are confronting the issues of insurgency which Abaribe’s group,  IPOB has contributed largely to in the country. There is every reason to think, know and believe without being told that it will be as good as the security agencies exposing her plans to IPOB and Boko Haram terrorists.

We consequently and out rightly and totally reject the  Senator Abaribe led committee as inaugurated by the Senate. It is a charade, premeditated evil and a clear sign that the Senate is out to ruin the efforts of the Buhari led administration. The committee can only make pro-terrorist findings and come up with recommendations that will worsen the security situation in Nigeria in a way that favours the balkanization of the county in line with IPOB’s manifesto.

Therefore we demand that Senator Abaribe be excluded from the committee immediately.

If the Senate President fails to do that then Nigerians should not bother herself with the committee as it will yield no result but another jamboree to cover the  37 billion naira being expended on renovation of office complex by the National Assembly.

By Bukola Olasanmi

The issue of the new minimum wage headed a positive direction on Wednesday as the Oyo State Government and the Organised Labour reached an agreement on the N30,000 as passed into law by the Federal Government in 2019.

The agreement was reached following a meeting between the State government’s delegation and the organized Labour.

The new Minimum wage according to the agreement takes effect from January 2020.

Secretary to the Government of Oyo State (SSG), Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun, who chaired the State’s Minimum Wage Implementation Committee, broke the news of the pact reached between Labour and Oyo State Government Wednesday evening.

She said: “We have just signed an agreement and the highlight of the agreement signed is that the least paid worker in Oyo State will earn over N30,000 monthly, in agreement with the minimum wage signed at the federal level.

“We also agreed with our colleagues all on the table here on the consequential adjustment required as a result of that minimum wage, which has also been agreed and reached.

“We just reached a landmark point in the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde today. In the past few weeks, you would probably have been aware that we have been negotiating based on the agreement reached at the federal level on the minimum wage and the consequential adjustment for the workers in Oyo State.

“It has been a long process because we have had to look deeply into the books and all the factors required to ensure that even as we sign this agreement today, we get an agreement that is sustainable, agreeable and affordable for the Government and the people of Oyo State.

“So, I am happy to let all of us know that an agreement has been reached. It has been a lot of discussions, suggestions and innovative ideas on how we can move Oyo State to truly become the Pacesetter State that it is meant to be in the last few weeks.”

In their joint response to the new agreement, the organized Labour expressed satisfaction with the new agreement, noting the details of the consequential adjustment appear a good starting point, given the resources available to the State.

The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Oyo State, Comrade Bayo Titilola-Sodo, stated that the agreement reached, would see the least paid worker in the State earn N30,000 while the matter of consequential adjustment was agreed based on the financial strength of the State.

“We all looked at the books and what our State was generating monthly. The least paid worker in the State will earn N30,000 but what we regard as consequential adjustments, we cannot follow the model from the Federal Government, because we had to cut our coats according to our sizes,” he said.

He added that the agreement came after collective bargaining and due consideration for the resources available to the State to best of the workers’ knowledge, noting that the Government had also promised to meet with the organized Labour every three months to consider the State’s resources.

Titilola-Sodo, who noted that the organized Labour has trust in the Governor to keep his words unlike the previous administration, which he said made similar promise but reneged, said: “I will say that we finally arrived at an agreement after a series of meetings and collective bargaining. I will not say it is the best for the state but it is a good starting point, given the resources available to the state to the best of our knowledge.

“The implementation is immediate. The government has agreed to start the implementation even from January but it will be paid in full in February and the arrears for January will be paid with March salary.”

On whether the issue of consequential adjustment might cause disagreement among the workforce, Titilola-Sodo said: “But we also agreed that we would be looking at the books regarding the earnings of the State. There is another meeting coming up in the next three months and it is our belief that the Government of Governor Makinde will not be like the Government of some people, who promised that we would have this kind of meeting but reneged.

“So far, Governor Makinde has not made a promise to us and failed, so this gives us the confidence that we will all sit together with the government in the next three months to look at the situation of things. We will ensure that the agreement is not in vain.”

By Bukola Olasanmi

The Senate on Wednesday directed eight ministries, departments and agencies of government to appear before its Committee on Local and Foreign Debts.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who gave the directive at plenary said the representatives of the eight affected agencies must make themselves available within a window of two-weeks.

Lawan said the agencies are expected to defend the $29.96bn loan request of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) presently being considered by the National Assembly.

The call on the agencies to appear before the panel was a sequel to a point of order raised on the floor by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia.

Coming under Order 43 of the senate rules, Ordia lamented the failure of relevant ministries and agencies of government to appear before the committee.

He said their failure to appear and defend the proposed allocation of monies for projects under their supervision and captured in the $29.96bn loan request was hindering the activities of his panel.

The ministries, departments and agencies of government yet to appear before the Senate Committee, according to the lawmaker, include The Federal Ministries of Education, Power, Niger Delta Development Commission, and Water Resources.

Others are Ministries of Communication and Digital Economy, Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Agriculture.

Lawan urged the relevant MDAs to appear before the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts to provide the necessary information required by the Senate.

He said they must do so that the Senate could reach a decision on President Buhari’s loan request before the National Assembly.

He said, “Because you have come under order 43 on personal explanation, this is not open to debate.

“Let me advise that this Senate is committed to ensuring that such an important issue like the foreign loan request of the executive needs to be taken with seriousness by both sides (the Executive and Legislature).

By Bukola Olasanmi

Activist and lawyer, Mr. Tope Akinyode, has sued the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for banning commercial motorcycles otherwise known as Okada, and commercial tricycles in six Local Government Areas and nine Local Council Development Areas.

Akinyode also joined the Lagos State Government, the state Attorney-General, the Speaker and the House of Assembly in the suit, The PUNCH reports.

In the suit with number, TEMP/5013/2020, Akinyode, who is also the National President of Revolutionary Lawyer’s Forum, asked the Ikeja State High Court to declare that the restriction on Okada and Keke NAPEP was illegal and at variance with sections 41 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution.

He is also seeking an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents or their agents from enforcing the Transport Sector and Reform Law, 2017.

The lawyer prayed the court to restrain the respondents and their agents perpetually from enforcing the Transport Sector and Reform Law, 2017.

The activist said in a supporting affidavit in support of the motion on notice that the enforcement of the new law had caused serious traffic congestion and untold hardship to himself and the people of Lagos.

He said the constitution guarantees freedom of movement and the right to own property and it would be wrong to criminalise the use of Okada and NAPEP.

The  state government had on February 1, commenced enforcement of the extant Transport Sector Reform Law 2018 banning operations of motorcycles and tricycles in some LGAs and LCDAs and restricted them from some highways, bridges, and roads.

The move has been criticised by a large section of Lagosians who have had to trek for hours to get to their respective destinations.

By Bukola Olasanmi

The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted claims by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that more Muslims are killed by Boko Haram.

Atiku made his position known in a tweet on Wednesday.

While replying to a report on Buhari’s claim, Atiku tackled Buhari for being concerned with the religion of the victims.

He said the activities of Boko Haram should be condemned outrightly regardless of the victims’ faith.

“We mustn’t rationalise killings. Whether Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist, or Atheist, the killing of any human being, by Boko Haram, or any misguided group is wrong and should be condemned unequivocally. There is no compulsion in religion. Only love,” Atiku tweeted.

The President had claimed that it is not true that the Boko Haram insurgency had claimed the lives of more Christians than Muslims.

He argued that the contrary was the case, insisting that “90 per cent” of deaths from attacks by the terrorists were Muslims.

Buhari gave his position in an op-ed published in Speaking Out, a guest opinion column for Christianity Today, a United States-based magazine.

The op-ed was a tribute to the Michika Local Government Area Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Adamawa State, the late Pastor Lawan Andimi.

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