NEWS
JUST IN: FG Withdraws N35,000 Monthly Award To Civil Servants
The Federal Government has only honoured its obligations on the N35,000 monthly award to employees for the month of September.
The perceived reneging of the promise is setting the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and organised labour on war path.
Recall that upon the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Tinubu on assumption of office, the Federal Government agreed to pay N35,000 to each of its workers to ameliorate the impact of the subsidy removal.
In the bid to give effect to this, the Chairman, National Salaries Wages and Income Commission, Ekpo Nta, communicated via a memo that the payment of the wage award would be effective September 1, 2023.
However, findings indicated that the government only paid the wage award for September, The PUNCH reports.
This has left the employees of the Federal Government in confusion, as there has been neither update nor clarification from their employers on the sad turn of events.
Citing a senior civil servant in one of the core ministries, it noted that, “The wage award was only paid once and I assume that was the one for September. Since then, we have not received another. We all are confused as there has been no official communication from the government as regards the matter. We are all confused at the moment.”
The story was corroborated by civil servants in several Ministries, Agencies and Departments, the newspaper reports.
In reaction, Head of Information, Nigeria Labour Congress, Benson Upah, said, “This betrays the government’s dishonorable intentions and is completely unacceptable.”
He holds the view that organised labour would take up the matter.
He said, “Certainly, the congress will do something about this but what it will do will be dependent on the appropriate organs of the congress. On communication with the government, sure, we will. It usually precedes our actions.”
It does appear that no action from the organised labour would be required as the spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, was quoted by The PUNCH as having allayed the fears of civil servants. Mokwa noted that plans were ongoing to ensure that civil servants receive their wage awards.
“The process is ongoing. They will be paid. The process to pay the wage awards has commenced,” he said.
In a shocking incident on Sunday morning, unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers invaded the home of Alhaji Auwal, a prominent businessman, in Garo Town, Kabo Local Government Area of Kano State.
The gunmen, estimated to be around 10 in number, forced their way into the residence, breaking down a door to gain entry.
An anonymous source revealed that the attackers were heavily armed, with three carrying firearms and the rest wielding other weapons.
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They quickly gathered the entire family in one room, instilling fear and panic in the household.
According to the source, Alhaji Auwal pleaded with the assailants to spare his family and agreed to meet their demands.
The kidnappers, who were determined to extort money, received ₦8 million from the family.
Despite this payment, the gunmen took the businessman’s eldest daughter, Zainab, a secondary school graduate, before fleeing the scene.
The whereabouts of Zainab remain unknown, and as of now, the kidnappers have not contacted the family.
This abduction comes just 48 hours after the tragic kidnapping and subsequent murder of former Gombe State Permanent Secretary, Atiku Mu’azu, who was killed by gunmen after a ₦10 million ransom was paid.
The two incidents have left the residents of Kano in shock and fear, prompting calls for increased security measures in the area.
Attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Kano Police Command, SP Abdullahi Haruna, for comment were unsuccessful as his phone remained unreachable.
Authorities have yet to make any official statements regarding the investigation.
In a bold move, Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared on Sunday that he would not allow US deportation flights carrying Colombian migrants to access his country’s airspace.
The left-wing leader took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his strong stance, stating, “The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants.”
Petro made it clear that such flights would only be accepted once Washington established a protocol to ensure the “dignified treatment” of deported migrants.
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The president later confirmed in a separate post that he had already turned back US military planes that were en route with Colombian migrants on board, although he did not provide further specifics on the matter.
While AFP sought confirmation from US authorities regarding the blockade of deportation flights, no immediate response was forthcoming.
Petro’s statements come just a day after Brazil’s government voiced similar outrage over the treatment of deported Brazilians.
Brazil condemned the US administration under President Donald Trump, citing instances where Brazilian migrants were deported while handcuffed on flights, describing it as a “flagrant disregard” for their basic rights.
In his remarks, Petro emphasized that he would be open to allowing civilian US flights to transport deported migrants as long as they were not subjected to treatment “like criminals,” signaling a broader call for humane treatment of migrants under international deportation policies.
An explosion at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area of Niger State, claimed the lives of four individuals and left several others injured on Sunday morning.
The blast occurred as miners resumed operations, sending shockwaves through the community.
While the exact cause of the explosion remains undetermined, local residents have pointed to the poor handling of explosive devices by mining companies as a possible factor.
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The incident has sparked concerns about safety practices within the mining sector.
Community sources confirmed the recovery of four bodies, but authorities fear the death toll could rise.
Investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the blast and assess the full extent of the damage.
One resident, Aminu, described the chaos that followed the explosion. “The sound was so loud that many of us thought it came from the hydroelectricity dam nearby. People panicked and ran into the bush for safety,” he recounted.
Another community member highlighted the potential role of mining operations in the tragedy.
“Mining companies here frequently use explosives during their activities, and this seems like an operational issue, not something related to terrorism,” the resident said, dismissing concerns about a security threat in the area.
As of the time of reporting, neither the state government nor security agencies have released an official statement regarding the explosion.
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