Gov Akeredolu
Strike: Ondo govt to meet organized labour to avert strike this week
Ahead of the strike notice issued to the Ondo state government by the organised labour, parties have agreed to meet and iron out their differences today over accumulated salaries and deductions.
Organized labour in the state had last week issued eight days ultimatum to government to clear outstanding October salaries and six months deduction or face industrial action.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in a bid to avert the looming industrial action has directed the Head of Service HOS, Dare Aragbaye to meet with the labour leaders on Monday.
Confirming this weekend, the HOS has assured the Unions of government’s readiness to interact with them on Monday and also find a lasting solution to the issues raised.
Aragbaye was optimistic that the issues over salaries and deductions would be resolved and the workers would be satisfied.
According to him, the present administration has done excellently well for its entire workforce in the area of salaries and other emoluments since its assumption of office.
He recalled the payment of seven months’ salaries owed to the workers by the immediate past administration by the Akeredolu led administration.
The workers have cried out that the deductions have crippled various cooperative societies in the state public service and the state tertiary institutions.
Source: Vanguard
Amaechi wants attackers of NPA headquarters punished
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday, described the October 21 attack by hoodlums, masquerading as EndSARS protesters, on the Nigerian Ports Authority headquarters as disastrous.
During a tour of the NPA headquarters, Amaechi also noted that the perpetrators of the act should be punished.
“The damage is disastrous. No matter how you want to vent your anger over police brutality, you don’t need to destroy people’s properties.
“I was once a student, we did not take laws into our hands even when we were protesting.
“If you remember in 1983, during the time of Babangida and Buhari, we were always on the streets as students, we never took laws into our hands and we never destroyed people’s property.
“During the time of Tai Solarin, there were national protests, we partook in those protests but we didn’t take laws into our hands.
“It is legitimate to protest and illegitimate to hide under the guise of protests to destroy people’s public properties and the law does not allow closure of highways because there are other road users,” he said.
Source: Punch
Edo Lawmaker Empowers Youths, Women With Skills, Cash, Others
The Deputy Majority Leader and member representing Akoko-Edo Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason has given out several empowerment tools worth millions of naira to women, youths and farmers in his constituency.
The lawmaker who rolled out the empowerment tools during the flagging off of an empowerment programme in Akoko-Edo local government area also distributed items including 45 tricycles (keke NAPEP), 65 motorcycles, and a truck load of yam seedlings.
Akpatason also inspected, commissioned and flagged off several other projects such as road, bridges, boreholes, maternity health centre, and Akoko-Edo traditional council hall.
In addition, the lawmaker is billed to empower 200 women and youths who had received trainings in agro production and export with the sum of N300,000 each to enable them become agriprenuers.
Akpatason during the event urged the beneficiaries to judiciously make use of the cash and empowerment tools given to them.
According to him, “the reason for the empowerment programme is to reduce the rate of unemployment among women and youths.
In another development, Hon. Peter Akpatason has received commendations for the remarkable achievements he has recorded in the last few years.
The commendation came from Akoko-Edo Traditional Rulers, community leaders and beneficiaries of his empowerment program.
The chairman of Akoko-Edo traditional council and Odafe of Ewan community, HRH Oba Peter .O. Okarah, on behalf of other Highnesses, appreciated Comrade Akpatason for the successful completion of the Akoko-Edo Traditional Rulers Council Hall which he described as an edifice.
Excited Oba Okarah noted that “Hon. Akpatason has done other marvellous projects in Akoko Edo even as a lawmaker.”
This, he appealed to other well meaning sons and daughters of the local government area to emulate the humanitarian gesture of the lawmaker.
The Imah IV of Somorica, HRH Oba Alhaji Sule Idiaye, who corroborated the views of the chairman of Akoko-Edo Traditional Council said Hon Akpatason has won the heart of all.
Source: Leadership
Bandits Kill Abducted Nasarawa APC Chairman
The body of the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Nasarawa State, Philip Shekwo, was on Sunday discovered, a day after he was abducted by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
SaharaReporters recall that Shekwo was kidnapped late Saturday night by the gunmen, who invaded his residence along Dunamis Church, Bukan Sidi in Lafia.
They were said to have exchanged gunfire with the victim’s security detail before whisking him away.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, ASP Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters.
He said, “Yes, he is dead, his corpse has been removed and taken to the morgue for post mortem examination and investigation has began to unravel the cause of the incident.”
Source: Sahara Reporters
JTF Threatens To Burn Down Smugglers’ Warehouse In Akwa-Ibom
Joint Task Force comprising the Nigeria Customs Service, Army, Air Force, DSS and the Police have seized 800 bags of smuggled rice from warehouses in Unyenghe, Mbo local government area, Akwa Ibom state.
The JTF, Border Drill Operations, led by the Comptroller of Customs and Sector Coordinator for South-South and southeast Zone, Mr. Shehu Abubakar, also threatened to burn down smugglers’ warehouses in the area if they do not desist from their illegal activities.
Speaking with newsmen on Sunday after the raid, Abubakar described the area as a haven of smugglers, comfort zone, and city of rice discovered through intelligence report.
He said the exercise was the first in the area after many years, noting that smugglers have threatened to attack any security operative that dares to disrupt their operations.
He stated that the taskforce was empowered by law to search premises and to patrol freely, adding that the raid was in accordance with the Federal Government’s decision to grow the local economy and to free the country from substandard goods.
He explained that being in possession of smuggled items was an offense punishable under the Customs and Excise Act.
“We are here at Unyenghe community in Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State to check and seize products smuggled into this community.
“This is the first time security agencies visit this community after so many years of smuggling activities in the area. They threatened to attack any security agency that may want to visit the area.
“They should rather start embarking on legitimate trade because if we come back and find out that they are still in the line of the illegal business, we will have no option than to burn down their makeshift houses,” he stated.
Abubakar cautioned the people in the coastal community against aiding smuggling activities, stating that the smugglers may be smuggling weapons and other dangerous equipment that might turn out to be destructive to the community.
Source: Daily Trust
