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Meeting on the ongoing negotiations on new minimum wage has been adjourned till Wednesday after the organised labour rejected the new N54,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government, a highly reliable source who attended the meeting told our correspondent on Wednesday.
The PUNCH had exclusively reported that the Federal Government upped its offer from its earlier proposed N48,000 to N54,000.
Tuesday’s meeting came as a result of the walkout staged by members of the organised labour following the proposal of N48,000 as minimum wage by the Federal Government during last week’s meeting.
During that meeting, the OPS had also proposed N54,000 while labour insisted on its N615,000 living wage demand.
Our correspondent who spoke to sources who attended the follow-up meeting on Tuesday learnt that the Federal Government upped its offer from N48,000 to N54,000.
“Well, during the meeting, the government increased its offer from N48,000 to N54,000. However, labour rejected that offer and the meeting has been adjourned till Wednesday,” a source who asked not to be named said.
When asked if the government’s side was showing any sign of seriousness, the labour leader said, “No seriousness at all. Even state governors did not show up. Those who represented them, like Bauchi and Niger states, did not have the mandates to speak on their behalf.
“As regards the private sector, we did not get to them before the meeting was adjourned but we hope they also increase their initial offer.”
Organised labour on Monday reiterated its May 31, 2024 deadline for the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.
He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”
In a statement released at the end of the jointly held NEC meeting by the NLC and TUC which was signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president and Festus Osifo, TUC president, the unions said they acknowledge the ongoing negotiations between the NLC/TUC, the Organised Private Sector and the Federal Government regarding the new national minimum wage.
While appreciating what they described as the efforts made thus far, the NLC and TUC emphasized the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that reflects the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.
They also affirmed commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation process.
President Bola Tinubu through Vice President Kashim Shettima, on January 30, 2024, inaugurated the 37-member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage to come up with a new minimum wage ahead of the expiration of the current N30,000 wage on April 18.
With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.
During the inauguration of the panel, Shettima urged the members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early.
“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.
In furtherance of its assignment, a zonal public hearing was held simultaneously on March 7 in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Abuja.
The NLC and the TUC in different states proposed various figures as a living wage, referencing the current economic crunch and the high costs of living.
In their different proposals on the minimum wage, the NLC members in the South-West states demanded N794,000 as the TUC suggested N447,000.
At the North-Central zonal hearing in Abuja, the workers demanded N709,000 as the new national minimum wage, while their counterparts in the South-South clamoured for N850,000.
In the North-West, N485,000 was proposed, while the South-East stakeholders demanded N540,000 minimum wage.
But organised labour settled for N615,000 as a living wage.
[Punch]
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday inaugurated the 6th National Stakeholders Working Group, NSWG, of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, with a charge on members to stay away from the day-to-day activities of the agency.
The President said that since the appointment was on a part time basis, the daily management of NEITI lies with the management team led by the Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume who inaugurated the board on behalf of President Tinubu reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to the implementation of the principles and standard of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Nigeria.
“Our faith in the EITI process is not just because it is central to our key government agendas, but also because, over the years, NEITI has demonstrated a high degree of competence, integrity and commitment to the values that the country requires to achieve economic growth and development in the sector through availability of reliable information and data required for national planning and reforms.
“NEITI has supported phenomenal revenue growth in the sector through meticulous application of EITI principles. Our national and global focus is on energy security, efficiency and justice in energy financing, renewable and control of emissions. The work of NEITI is so important to our country and particularly this administration in helping us to define our country’s engagement strategy on the energy transition debate through consultations, constructive engagement driven by reliable information and data”, the President added.
He charged the members: “Your appointment as a member of the NSWG is not a full time job and as members, please note this very carefully to avoid getting involved into issues of day to day management which is the work of NEITI management under the leadership of the Executive Secretary. You are therefore advised to conduct yourselves in accordance with this requirement”.
Addressing the board in his capacity as the NSWG Chairman, Senator George Akume stated that his appointment demonstrates the Federal Government’s prompt and timely response to the recent global EITI assessment of Nigeria’s implementation of the Initiative which among other observations stressed the urgent need to reconstitute NEITI’s Board to avoid sanctions.
Other members of the board are: Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), representing the government, the Group CEO, NNPC Limited is representing the National Oil and Gas Company. The Board also has a representative of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and the President of Miners Association of Nigeria representing Extractive Companies (Oil, gas and mining companies). The civil society organisations have Dr Erisa Danladi representing them while the Presidents of Nigeria Mining & Geosciences Society (NMGS) and the President National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) are representing Extractive Industries Professional Unions on the Board.
[vanguard]
The Central of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee has raised interest rates by 150 basis points to 26.25 per cent from 24.75 per cent in March to tackle rising inflation.
CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso disclosed this on Tuesday at the 295th MPC press briefing in Abuja.
The apex boss said the decision to raise the interest rate was to tame the country’s soaring headline inflation which increased to 33.69 per cent in April.
CBN had continued tightening of monetary instruments to bring down inflation.
The 295th MPC meeting is the third since the appointment of Cardoso in September last year.
In May 2023, Nigeria’s interest rate stood at 18.75 per cent.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has said that the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party is working to get new state governors come 2027.
Ganduje made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at a policy roundtable titled, ‘The Asiwaju Scorecard Series’, organised by APC Professionals Forum.
He said the leadership of the APC was gradually restructuring the party into a truly grassroots progressive party.
The chairman said the NWC has directed the state chapters of the party to liaise with their respective governors and other stakeholders to ensure that they have full-fledged, functional offices in every political ward and state to enable members across the country to have symbolic representation in their neighborhood.
He said the NWC has also constituted a reconciliation committee that would reconcile all aggrieved party members, and such committees would be established at the state, local government and ward levels.
Ganduje noted: “Even though it is not yet an election period, we are reinvigorating that party to ensure that come 2027, we will retain and get new state governors, as well as Mr President to secure another mandate to continue with his government’s policies and programmes.
“We are gradually restructuring our party into a truly grassroots progressive party. We have directed our State Chapters to liaise with their respective Governors and other stakeholders to ensure that we have full-fledged, functional offices in every political ward and state to enable our members across the country to have symbolic representation in their neighborhood.
“This measure will ensure that party activities are rolled out all year round not during political campaigning and elections only.”
The Rivers State High Court has invalidated the amended Local Government Law proposed by the Martins Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The ruling was delivered in a suit numbered PHC/1320/CS/2024, which challenged the extension of tenure for LG chairmen for six months after the expiration of their term.
Justice D.G. Kio, presiding over the case, declared the amendment invalid, citing its inconsistency with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9(1) of the Rivers State Local Government law No. 5 of 2018.
The court emphasized that the applicable law governing the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors is the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, which stipulates a three-year tenure.
The attempt to extend their tenure through the enactment of the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024 was deemed unlawful and contrary to their oath of office.
The ruling marks a victory for Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others who challenged the extension, asserting the primacy of constitutional principles in governance.
A former National Vice Chairman, North-West, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Salihu Lukman, has said that contrary to the expectation that President Bola Tinubu will replicate his earlier success as Lagos governor, his administration has succeeded in creating more doubts in the minds of Nigerians.
Lukman, in a statement issued Tuesday titled, ‘Illusive Politics: What is to be Done’, saud Tinubu’s administration had been characterized by policy missteps and reversals.
The APC chieftain lamented that after 25 years of democratic rule, Nigeria was yet to produce leaders that are predisposed to accommodating the interests of citizens.
He said: “Painfully, against every expectation that President Asiwaju Tinubu will reignite the Lagos success story at national level, his government is more and more creating doubts in the minds of Nigerians about the prospect of resolving the country’s challenges with incidences of policy missteps and reversals.
“As a result, crisis of insecurity has remained. Problems of inflation, unemployment and poverty are on the increase.
“If the hallmark of the tenure of former President Buhari is the trauma of dashed hopes for citizens, we must, as Nigerian citizens and as committed progressive politicians, wake up and remedy the ugly and despicable experience of illusive politics.
“After one year in office, the unmistaken message must be conveyed to President Asiwaju Tinubu and by extension all APC leaders that the democratic future of Nigeria is not negotiable.”
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has been locked out of the ministry by workers belonging to the National Union of Electricity Employees, and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, on Monday.
The protesting workers stopped business activities at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Power in Abuja.
Members of NUEE and SSAEAC also locked out other workers of the ministry, stopping accessing the Power House building in the Maitama District of Abuja.
This was as the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, on Monday, gave the Federal Government a deadline of May 31, 2024 to reverse the hike in electricity tariff.
The unions took the decision at the end of a jointly held National Executive Council meeting.
“The NEC once again vehemently condemns the unilateral increase in electricity tariff by the authorities. This action, taken without due consideration for the economic hardships faced by the masses and the provisions of the law, is deemed unjust and burdensome. The NEC reaffirms its demands for an immediate reversal of the tariff hike and the vexatious apartheid categorisation into bands to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian workers and citizens and gives the National Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Federal Government until the last day of May, 2024 to meet these demands,” the unions said in a statement issued at the end of their meeting.
The acting General Secretary of NUEE, Igwebike Dominic, told our correspondent that the shutdown of the power ministry would continue until the government listens to the demands of the union or calls for a meeting to address the issues.
“The shutdown of Power House is going to continue until they hold a meeting with the unions or meet the demands written in our letter to the minister,” he stated.
In the letter to Adelabu, jointly signed by both unions and dated May 20, 2024, the associations stated that the government took a unilateral and detrimental decision to liquidate TCN without consulting stakeholders.
They said, “We are taken aback by the utmost disregard for the critical stakeholders in the power sector by you and your agency’s unilateral and detrimental decisions in the sector.
“We believe that all agencies, under your ministry, should key into your agenda and set goals by extension to the vision of this administration in seeing to a regular and sustainable power supply in the country. So, the disruption being engineered by NERC in the sector is not surprising, as there is no known agenda or vision for the power sector by your administration one year after the resumption of office.
“The unfortunate scenario playing out in the power sector points to the fact that you administer the sector like a personal estate with no consideration for the welfare and survival of the workers and the sector in general.”
They accused the minister that since he assumed office a year ago, “your ministry and NERC have been running the sector without recourse to critical stakeholders in the power industry”.
The unions stated that the unilateral tariff increase to about 300 per cent was done without stakeholders’ dialogue, adding that the proposed review of workers’ salaries does not receive the desired considerations.
According to the unions, this is provocative and unacceptable.
“The mischievous deduction of eight per cent of the revenue generated as technical losses from TCN is a political calculation to blackmail the company and its management to make it look inefficient is disheartening and would, in the long term, hurt the entire electricity value chain. This is highly unacceptable and cannot be sustained.
“The vexatious order from NERC on a monthly deduction of N2bn from the account of TCN is unrealistic and an attempt to run TCN down, portray the management as incompetent and take advantage of the failures for selfish political gains. We want a justified reason for such a humongous and unrealistic deduction.
“The illegal deduction of 46.7 per cent from TCN revenue (not even profit) for project execution for Discos; are the privatised companies not owned by private entities? What system of privatisation are we adopting? Our findings revealed that all these obnoxious orders from NERC are a conspiracy to grind the operations of TCN and then liquidate it. These are to prepare enough ground to unbundle it for selfish political gains by a few people,” they expounded.
The unions vowed to vehemently resist any attempt to cede those infrastructures to cronies for political patronage.
“NERC must reverse the unilateral tariff increase implemented without consulting with critical stakeholders in the sector. The salaries of the workers in the sector must be reviewed.
“All obnoxious deductions from TCN must stop forthwith and all deducted funds remitted back to TCN with immediate effect. Why these deductions, when revenue is required to strengthen the already aged and weak network that will guarantee stable and reliable energy supply?
“Henceforth, all staff in the sector will have electricity rebates (units) allocated to them as a standard practice. Gencos must not be given revenue generated from TCN and Discos until they allow the unionisation of their companies as provided by the Labour Act,” they noted.
Responding to this, the media aide to the power minister, Bolaji Tunji, told our correspondent that the ministry was handling the issue and that the permanent secretary would meet with unions to address their concerns.
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara will today, Tuesday, screen eight commissioner-nominees presented to them by the governor.
The assembly’s Clerk, Dr. G, N Gillis-West, in a letter on Monday, invited the nominees to appear before the House.
Our correspondent obtained a copy of the letter on Tuesday.
According to the letter, the House, led by factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, is expected to screen the nominees by 10 a.m.
Did you know a tribe that digs up corpses, dresses them for celebration?
The letter, titled ‘Public Announcement,’ read, ‘The Rivers State House of Assembly hereby invites the following commissioner-nominees for screening and confirmation as members of the Rivers State Executive Council.”
It listed the nominees as Charles Beke, Collins Onunwo, Solomon Eke, Dr. Peter Medee, Eloka Amadi, Basoene Benibo, Tambari Gbara, and Dr. Ovy Chukwuma.
The clerk further said the nominees are to appear before the House at the State House of Assembly auditorium, Admin Block, Government House, Port Harcourt, the state capital.
“The nominees are expected to come along with 12 sets of their Curriculum Vitae and the originals and photocopies of their credentials,” the letter added.
Our correspondent reports that this is the second time the House of Assembly loyal to Fubara will be screening commissioner-nominees since it emerged as a parallel legislative house.
Last week, the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led assembly screened and confirmed Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as a member of the State Executive Council, and he was consequently assigned a portfolio as the new Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
Last week, an appointee, Prof. Zaccaeus Adangor, SAN, who is loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, resigned from Fubara’s cabinet as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, following the deepened disagreement between Fubara and Wike.
[Punch]
Hollywood actress, Scarlett Johannsson, “angered” at OpenAI’s alleged voice imitation without consent
Admin
Hollywood actress and Oscar nominee, Scarlett Johannsson, has lamented how her voice was allegedly used without her consent by tech giant OpenAI.
The actress noted that she was “shocked, angered and in disbelief” that the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Sam Altman, would go to such length to have her voice used in the current ChatGPT 4.0 system.
According to Sky News on Tuesday, the actress explained how she had turned down Altman’s request for personal reasons, only to find out that the voice “sounded so eerily similar to mine.”
In a 2013 romantic sci-fi movie titled, ‘Her,’ Johannsson’s voice was used to imitate an AI female voice called ‘Samantha,’ who formed an intimate relationship with a human.
The actress, in her statement, said, “Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI.
“He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people. After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named “Sky” sounded like me.”
The actress expressed her frustration, saying, “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” adding that Altman had “insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word “her” – a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.”
The 39-year-old actress said that before the release of the ChatGPT 4.0 demo, the OpenAI boss “contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there.
“As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the “Sky” voice. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the “Sky” voice.”
In recent times, tech users have begun using the AI model to imitate people’s voices and pictures without prior consent in most cases – a situation which negates the ethical standards of AI use.
“In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.
“I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected,” Johannsson wrote.
However, OpenAI, in a tweet on Monday, stated that it had “paused” the use of Sky while it addresses the process with which it used to create the AI voice.
“We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky. We are working to pause the use of Sky while we address them,” it stated.
A check by our PUNCH Online revealed that the company, in a statement titled, ‘How the voices for ChatGPT were chosen,’ on Sunday, May 19, 2024, read partly, “Each of the voices—Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper and Sky—are sampled from voice actors we partnered with to create them.”
Sky News reports that in 2023, the New York Times “sued OpenAI over allegations it, and its biggest investor Microsoft, unlawfully used the newspaper’s articles to train and create ChatGPT.”
[Punch]
The long-awaited student loan programme will take off on Friday with 1.2 million students in federal tertiary institutions across the country, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, has said.
Sawyerr, who spoke at a pre-application sensitisation press conference in Abuja, on Monday, said 1.2 million students in federal universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and technical colleges would benefit from the first phase.
Data obtained from the National Universities Commission website indicated that the nation has 226 federal tertiary institutions comprising 62 universities, 41 polytechnics, 96 monotechnics and 27 colleges of education.
President Bola Tinubu, on April 3, signed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024, into law.
The assent was sequel to the separate considerations by both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the report of the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
The executive bill titled, ‘A bill for an Act to repeal the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023 and Enact the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2004 to Establish the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a body corporate to receive, manage and invest funds to provide loans to Nigerians for higher education, vocational training and skills acquisition and related matters,’ was signed in the presence of the leadership of the National Assembly, ministers and major stakeholders of education.
The Act empowers the Nigeria Education Loan Fund to provide loans to qualified Nigerian students for tuition, fees, charges and upkeep during their studies in approved public tertiary institutions and vocational and skills acquisition establishments in the country.
The new law which repealed the Student Loan Act, 2023, removed the family income threshold so students can apply for loans and accept responsibility for repayment, according to the Fund’s guidelines.
Access to education
Speaking after he signed the bill, Tinubu said no Nigerian, regardless of their background, would be excluded from obtaining quality education.
“This is to ensure that no one, no matter how poor their background is, is excluded from quality education and opportunity to build their future,” said the President at the State House, Abuja.
Although the government initially announced that the scheme would be launched in September, it suffered several delays leading to an indefinite postponement.
The Presidency had linked the delay to Tinubu’s directive to expand the scheme to include loans for vocational skills.
Last Thursday, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund announced May 24 as the official date for the opening of the portal for loan applications.
Addressing journalists on Monday, ahead of the opening of Friday’s portal, Sawyerr said, “There are approximately 1.2 million students in federal tertiary institutions owned by the government. Today, by inference, 1.2m students maximum at the federal level (will benefit), but there might be an opportunity to increase the capacity in terms of more institutions, and when we begin to bring in state-owned institutions, then the numbers can go up.’’
He explained that only students whose institutions had uploaded their data on the Fund’s dashboard would be eligible to apply.
While calling on students in federal tertiary institutions to visit the website, www.nelf.gov.ng to apply from May 24, the CEO added that students in state universities and vocational skills centres could apply at a later date.
He said the requirements to apply include the admission letter from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Identity Number, and Bank Verification Number as well as completed application forms from its website.
“The loan application process has been streamlined to ensure easy access for all eligible students in federal tertiary institutions. Applicants can access online support to assist with any questions or concerns during the application process.
“We believe that education is a vital investment for the future. We envisage that the student loan initiative of Mr President is a testament to this commitment,” he said.
One of the key features of the programme, he stressed, is the absence of physical contact between the loan applicant and NELFUND.
‘Portal user-friendly’
According to him, the portal provides a user-friendly interface for students to submit their loan applications conveniently.
He encouraged students in federal tertiary institutions to take advantage of the opportunity to secure the required financial assistance for their education, even as he urged the applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible to ensure timely processing.
He revealed that in addition to the interest-free loan, applicants will also receive monthly stipends for upkeep.
He, however, did not state the amount, saying, “That figure will be capped. And we will look very closely at each application and make a decision based on several factors as to what fees will be paid to them.’’
“The fees for the institution are going to be paid not to the students but to the institution. And that will be paid at the maximum of that fee per session. We will only pay for a session at a time because people drop out of institutions, they change institutions,” he clarified.
The NELFUND boss also pointed out that the institutions have vital roles to play in providing the Fund with data on fees payable by students at the departmental, faculty and other levels.
According to Sawyerr, the agency is also working with security agencies to ensure that people do not take advantage and defraud the process.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has called on state governments to ensure responsible and transparent use of the matching grants allocated for the implementation of the Universal Basic Education Commission programme.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, emphasised the directive during the inauguration of a six-day training programme for accountants and auditors from UBEC and State Universal Basic Education Boards in Abuja.
Addressing the participants, Bobboyi condemned the undue pressure often placed on financial officers by state officials, urging SUBEBs’ financial officers to uphold integrity and resist such pressures to avoid compromising standards.
“The training aims to update participants on the revised accounting manual and to provide a comprehensive understanding of financial infractions and sanctions,” Bobboyi stated, adding, “This knowledge is essential for ensuring effective service delivery in basic education.”
Highlighting the mandates of UBEC and SUBEBs in implementing the Universal Basic Education programme, Bobboyi stressed the importance of a robust accounting system to ensure the judicious use of government funds.
He stressed the imperative of fidelity to accountability regarding the management of the Federal Government’s UBE Intervention Fund.
To achieve these objectives, continuous enhancement of professional competence among UBEC and SUBEB staff is necessary, he noted.
Bobboyi lamented that despite previous training efforts, there has been limited improvement in financial practices.
He cited findings from regular quarterly financial monitoring by UBEC, which revealed poor record-keeping and infractions against established guidelines.
He explained that the findings and recommendations from these monitoring activities had been communicated to SUBEBs for corrective actions.
Bobboyi stressed the importance of adhering to existing rules and guidelines to ensure accountability and transparency in financial transactions.
“As finance officers, it is your duty to comply strictly with these government stipulations. Engaging in or condoning wrongdoing will not be excused. Remember, reports from UBEC’s financial monitoring can be requested by agencies enforcing compliance with laws and regulations,’’ he warned the officials.
He further urged the participants to fully engage with the training and return to their offices equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve accounting practices at both the commission and boards.
To protect the FGN-UBE Intervention Fund, the Director of Finance and Accounts at UBEC, Adamu Misau, noted that a new sanction regime developed in 2022 had been approved for implementation.
The delay in its implementation, he said, was to ensure all financial managers received adequate training, which the current programme aimed to provide.
“We expect that by the end of this training, financial officers will be better prepared to manage the FGN-UBE Intervention Funds responsibly, adhering to financial regulations and due process,” Misau concluded.
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• Ariwoola cautions against abuse of judicial powers
• 99 panels sat over election cases, says PCA
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has cautioned judicial officers against succumbing to public opinions, emotions, or sentiments while performing their duties.
He said no amount of threat or intimidation should make a judge deviate from the law and do what is unconstitutional and at variance with existing laws.
The CJN spoke at the opening session of a two-day workshop organised by the Court of Appeal for the review of last year’s election petition tribunals/courts and appeals yesterday in Abuja.
Justice Ariwoola noted that “political matters always tend to occupy the front burner of our adjudicatory activities as all the subsisting electoral laws have placed some time frame within which they must be heard and decided”.
He added: “Besides, the kind of attention and emotions attached to political matters in this country has collectively made our work more excruciating, painstaking and, sometimes, endangering, as we are occasionally exposed to threats, especially from some elements within the political fold.
“But like I always say, no amount of threat or intimidation should make a thoroughbred judicial officer to deviate from the law and pander to public sentiments and emotions, which are often misplaced.”
Justice Ariwoola cautioned judicial officers against abusing their powers by engaging in wrong application of discretionary authorities.
The CJN urged judicial officers to be propelled by their conscience, adding: “Once our conscience leads the way, every other good thing will naturally follow.”
Also, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) hailed the Judiciary for the stabilising role it plays in the nation’s electoral process.
Fagbemi noted that the Court of Appeal, in particular, plays a more pivotal role in shaping and strengthening the nation’s electoral jurisprudence through the exercise of its constitutional mandate in that regard.
Also, the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, announced that 99 panels, comprising three judges each, heard the litigations that arose from last year’s general election.
The PCA said this showed that a huge number of judges was taken out of the judicial system during the process.
She described last year’s election litigation season as “very, very difficult and challenging in view of the volume of cases filed, commended the judicial officers involved for a job well done”.
Justice Dongban-Mensem explained that the workshop was meant to review the last process, identify areas of shortcomings, and find ways to improve the process.
The PCA hailed the judicial officers for working assiduously to determine the various cases within time, to the extent that neither the petitions nor the appeals lapsed.
She sought the amendment of some portions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act to improve the nation’s electoral system.
Justice Dongban-Mensem identified some of the sections as 187, 233, 246, 285 of the Constitution and Paragraph 85(2) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.
She noted that from “some of these sections, particularly Section 285 of the Constitution, it is either they are in the process because of poor legal draftmanship or for a desire that was not properly expressed and appreciated”.
[TheNation]
The Nigerian High Commission in London, United Kingdom, UK, has accumulated £8.4 million as unpaid congestion charges.
A datasheet published by Transport for London, TfL, showed that the amount relates to unpaid fees and fines accrued by diplomats between the launch of the congestion charge in 2003 and the end of last year.
The TfL oversees various modes of transportation in London, including the tube, buses, trams, cars, bikes, and river services.
People Talk: On sale of new Naira notes at Nigerian parties
The scheme involves a £15 daily fee for driving within an area of central London between 7 am and 6 pm on weekdays and between noon and 6 pm on weekends and bank holidays.
There are discounts and exemptions for various groups of people and vehicles, such as residents, taxis, and fully electric cars.
Diplomats have argued that the congestion charge is a tax, exempting them from paying it under the Vienna Convention, but the TfL insisted that the payment is a service charge.
The body, in the datasheet seen by TheCable, said: “This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it.’
“The majority of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels.”
According to TfL, the envoys representing different countries owed over £143.53 million in congestion charge payments.
[Vanguard]
‘Safety violation’: Air Peace reacts to UK regulator’s claim, says NCAA approved electronic flight bag
Admin
Air Peace, Nigeria’s flag carrier, has reacted to the allegation of ‘violating’ safety measures in the United Kingdom (UK).
The airline, in a statement on Monday, said its operations have been under intense scrutiny by the relevant authorities since its inaugural flight to London.
In a report titled ‘Ramp Inspection,’ and dated April 7, the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UKCAA) raised concerns over Air Peace’s compliance with some safety regulations in the UK.
UK aviation authority said findings showed Air Peace was using electronic flight bag (EFB) functions without operational approval.
However, the airline described the report as false, adding that approval was obtained from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging a safety breach by Air Peace in the United Kingdom, which contain a lot of falsehood aimed at creating fears and doubts in the minds of the flying public,” Air Peace said.
“From the commencement of our inaugural flight to London, our operations have been subjected to intense scrutiny by the relevant authorities, which we most welcome as we pride ourselves in our continued pursuit of operational excellence and unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our esteemed passengers.
“We can confirm that the UK Civil Aviation Authority wrote to Air Peace, after their statutory Ramp Inspection on April 7, 2024, to request clarification on our use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and some other concerns. We provided the necessary information, and the matter was resolved without any issues.
“It is, therefore, wrong to say we do not have approval for our EFB. Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs.”
‘WE ENSURE ALL OUR B777 AIRCRAFT HAVE IPAD MOUNTS’
Responding to the claim that the B777 aircraft lacked iPad mounts and charging ports in the flight deck, Air Peace said this is incorrect.
“All B777 aircraft are equipped with charging ports in the cockpit, and we ensure that all our B777 aircraft have iPad mounts,” the airline said.
“Another issue raised by the UK CAA was the location of our cockpit library on the B777. The B777 designates two locations for storing manuals and books: one behind the captain and one under the jumpseat.
“During the inspection, the books were stored under the jumpseat, as it is commonly practised. We understand the inspector’s preference for the books to be placed behind the captain and have ensured this preference is accommodated for all operations going forward.
“There was also a concern about the captain’s choice of runway exit after landing. Instead of exiting at the middle runway exit, the captain, out of his professional discretion, opted to exit at the end of the runway.
“This may have delayed the arrival of another aircraft. We acknowledge this deviation and have addressed the matter with the captain to ensure adherence to preferred exit procedures in the future.
“Ramp Inspection is a normal procedure carried out by aviation authorities globally, and the UKCAA did the right thing by notifying the NCAA of the outcome of their inspection.
“However, we are shocked to see several media publications with exaggerated and sensationalised accounts of this matter that were closed with the authorities over a month ago.”
Air Peace said its safety record is second to none, adding that it complies with all established safety standards.
[TheCable]
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, on Monday, May 20, supported the proposed 300 percent increase in the salaries and allowances of judicial office holders in the country by President Bola Tinubu.
The National Judicial Council (NJC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC), among others, also endorsed the proposal.
The AGF, NBA, NJC, RMAFC, and other critical stakeholders spoke during a one-day public hearing on a Bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to Prescribe the Salaries and Allowances and Fringe Benefit of Judicial Office Holders in Nigeria and Related Matters, 2024.”
The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters chaired by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC – Borno North).
Fagbemi in his presentation, urged the committee to note that the efforts to improve the remuneration of judicial officers in the country has a chequered history.
He said: “I wish to remark that the Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) Bill 2024 is quite innovative, aside from the increment in the basic salary, it also took cognizance of certain peculiarities of the administrative structure and operation of the judiciary.
“This Bill will birth an appropriate and commensurate remuneration that will ensure judicial independence and integrity.
“The present-day but sad reality is that the judiciary has stagnated on the same salary scale for over 16 years, this is totally unacceptable and quite antithetical to any meaningful judicial reform.
“I strongly commend this Bill for your kind consideration and do urge the Senate to support and ensure the passage of this Bill in the national interest of promoting the rule of law.”
He added: “In consultation with the judiciary and other key stakeholders, we are also interested in ensuring a holistic review of our judicial system to respond to the justice needs of Nigeria.
“This is why I am taking immediate/urgent steps to establish a Working Group on the review of the Constitution and other relevant laws. The Working Group will, among others, focus on the key provisions aimed at achieving the judiciary that responds to the evolving justice needs of Nigerians.
“At the appropriate time, and I promise very soon, we will come up with proposals for Constitutional and Statutory reforms of the Judiciary in particular, and the Administration of the Justice System in general.”
Details shortly…
[TheNation]