Councils
Anxiety in Bayelsa as four local councils cannot pay salaries
Trouble is looming in four local government areas in Bayelsa State over the inability of the council to pay the salaries of its workers. The affected local government areas – Ogbia, Nembe, Sagbama and Ekeremor – are said to be owning three months salaries. The other four local government areas namely Kolokuma/Opokuma, Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw and Brass are said to be struggling but have a financial edge due to the internally generated revenue. Bloated wage bills in the troubled local government councils and the various debts they are servicing have eaten up their finances such that they cannot meet the financial obligations to their workers. The state government had recently taken over the payment of teachers salaries in the Ogbia Local Government Area to prevent industrial action by the tea...
Lagos assembly warns local councils against extorting courier, logistics operators
Pool Photo The Lagos House of Assembly on Monday ordered local government councils and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state to desist from extorting and harrassing operators of courier and logistics services in the state. Mudashiru Obasa, the House speaker, said the local councils do not have the power to tax logistics and courier services. He said the power of the councils was limited to the registration of bicycles as dictated by the Constitution. Mr Obasa said it was important to act against the action of the councils because it affects the ease of doing business in the state. “We have to make them understand that going out to disturb well-planned and organised businesses that stand to create employment for our youth especially with the rate at which students graduate wi...
Oyo governor urges council chiefs to strengthen intelligence gathering in their areas
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged local government chairmen in the state to upscale intelligence gathering in their respective council areas. A statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, quoted Makinde as stating this while closing a two-day retreat for local government chairmen, vice-chairmen and heads of local government administrations (HLAs), on Tuesday evening. Newsmen report that the retreat was held at Ilaji Hotel and Sports Complex, Akanran, Ibadan. The governor said that the local government chairmen needed step up their game on the issue of security and take responsibility for the security of their areas. Although he stated that security was the responsibility of everyone in the society, the governor, however, said tha...
SSANU threatens strike over Nigerian government’s directives on workers of staff schools
The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has advised the Federal Government to withdraw the circular directing that workers of the Staff schools should not be captured in the 2022 budget. The President of SSANU, Mohammed Haruna, gave the advice while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja. He threatened that the union would embark on industrial action if government refused to heed the union’s request. Haruna was reacting to the alleged circular from the Budget Office directing that teachers in Staff Schools should be removed from the Consolidated Salary Scale, CONTISS, in the 2022 budget. He said that the reopening of the matter that had been decided by the National Industrial Court would affect the industrial harmony being enjoyed in the universities as there a subsi...
Kwara APC youths petition AGF over local council transition committees
Under the auspices of Concerned APC Youths in Kwara, a group has petitioned justice minister Abubakar Malami over the appointment of local government transition committees by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. They condemned the recent constitution of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) for the 16 local government councils in the state. The youths described the TIC as illegal and unconstitutional, calling for the intervention of Mr Malami. The petition, signed by 36 youths drawn from the 16 local government areas, declared that Mr AbdulRazaq acted illegally in the constitution of the TIC. According to the petition, there are judgments of the Supreme Court against the appointment of TIC in local governments. The petition stated, “We are requesting that you use your very good office ...
ASUP: Why we suspended strike after 65 days
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its 65 days industrial strike with effect from Thursday, following an agreement reached between the union and the federal government. A statement by Mr Abdullahi Yalwa, National Publicity Secretary of ASUP and made available to newsmen in Bauchi, announced on Wednesday. According to the statement, “the suspension of the strike action was for a period of three months, to enable the government complete the implementation of the issues contained in the Memorandum of Action signed with the Union. “Following an appraisal of the report indicating the gradual implementation of the items contained in the Memorandum of Action signed between our Union and the Federal Government, the Union has resolved to suspend its 65 days old industrial...
Strike: Kaduna government, NLC reach agreement
The Kaduna State Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress have reached an agreement on the plan by the state government to lay off workers. The NLC has since Monday led workers to protest against the plan by the Kaduna government to lay off the workers. The late Thursday agreement between the two parties was brokered by the federal government in Abuja. Part of the agreement was that the Kaduna government will follow due process and the “principle of redundancy,” as stipulated in Section 20 of the Labour Act, in its Public Service Revitalization and Renewal Programme, which is expected to lead to the retrenchment and sack of workers. The parties also agreed that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) twill no longer continue with its industrial action while no worker shall be victimized by the...
House asks FCT councils to suspend illegal taxes on businesses
The House of Representatives has declared illegal, levies being imposed on businesses by area councils in the Federal Capital Territory, ordering the task forces to suspend their activities. A member of the House from Kogi State, Mr Tajudeen Yusuf, had moved a motion calling for the suspension at the plenary on Tuesday. It was titled ‘Investigation of Alleged illegal Levies by the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils on Business Outlets and Premises in the Area Councils.’ Yusuf said, “Business outlets and private enterprises have been under threats, intimidation, and coercion by task forces operating in the Federal Capital Territory area councils under different guises, forcing business owners to pay illegal levies which are not remitted into the government coffers but private pockets o...
PDP hails suspension of three council chairmen by Lagos Assembly
File Photo The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended Lagos House of Assembly (LAHA) over the suspension of three council chairmen in the state. The PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Taofik Gani, gave the commendation in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos. The suspended chairmen are: Ogidan Mukandasi of Lekki LCDA, Suleiman Jelili (Alimosho) and Tajudeen Ajide (Surulere). He said that the assembly’s resolution to suspend the three council chairmen over alleged mismanagement and under-performance was commendable. According to him, many local government areas and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state have remained underdeveloped since the assumption of office by the chairmen in 2017. Newsmen recall that the assembly had, on Tuesday, suspended the council chairmen ...
Kano governor: Nigeria can’t progress with current level of corruption
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has said Nigeria cannot progress with the level of corruption in the country. Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of an eight-man Anti-Corruption Strategy Steering Committee, Ganduje stressed that all stakeholders must do all that is necessary to ensure a corruption-free state with limitless opportunities. Ganduje, who was represented at the occasion by Alhaji Usman Alhaji, the Secretary to the State Government, noted that there is no sacred lamb in the fight against corruption in the state. “Believe me, we don’t need to say that corruption in this country is killing all of us. The truth of the matter is that we will never develop or progress with this level of corruption in this country,” the governor cautioned. The governor said the miss...
Sokoto conducts council polls amidst boycott by APC
Council elections went on in Sokoto on Saturday despite a boycott by the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress. According to the State Independent Electoral Commission, 10 political parties participated in the election but only PDP agents were seen in most of the polling units observed by newsmen. Some political observers opined that other participating parties were not financially buoyant to recruit and deploy agents to the polling units. However, there was low turnout in some of the polling units observed, especially in the state’s metropolis while in other areas. Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who cast his vote in his hometown of Tambuwal, noted that, periodic local government election was fundamental to a sustainable democracy. “We all know that local council election is a ...
AMAC chief signs over N10 billion appropriation bill into law
AMAC Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Chairman, Abdullahi Candido, has signed the Council’s 2021 appropriation bill of over N10 billion to law. He said the legislators have in consideration of some important issues and reviewed the budget upward. Candido made this known at the AMAC Secretariat in Abuja while signing the bill into law. He, however, assured residents within the council area that the budget will give priority attention to existing projects, while also taking care of other things. Candido also appealed to Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to release shares of the internally generated revenue due to the Area Councils. He hinted that, the councils were democratically elected by the people, therefore it must be accorded all constitutional rights. According to him...
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