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Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) boss Olubankole Wellington
a.k.a Banky W has declared his intention to contest for the Lagos Eti Osa
Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives in the 2019 general
election.
The Musician made the announcement at the debut convention
of the Modern Democratic Party (MDP) in Lagos. He said he was aware it would
not be easy to run given who he would be running against.
“It is with the greatest sense of humility, purpose and
destiny that I humbly announce to run for the 2019 Federal House of
Representatives.
“I am under no illusions that this run will be easy
considering who we are going up against, this is almost impossible.”
NAN reported the award singer picked the slogan ‘Hope 19’
and entrusted the election process on ‘hope’.
“You see, my entire life has been a story of just dreaming
dreams, praying about those dreams, setting goals and working until they come
true. I can live with trying and failing, I can’t live with not trying.
“They said we don’t have the money to run, we say our
strength lies in our numbers, they said we dont have the structure, we say we
will attempt to build it, they said ‘what if you lose’? I say what if we win?”
“So why we may not have a godfather we do have God, vision,
intellectual capacity, integrity, right intentions and last but not least, a
whole lot of ‘Hope’.
“At the end of the day, ‘Hope’ may be all we have, but I
believe it is all we need.”
Wellington added that the richest people in Nigeria live in
the constituency, therefore Eti Osa is vital to the development of Nigeria.
“Eti Osa houses many rich people in Nigeria, therefore for
Nigeria to work Eti Osa must work.
“We want to fix Nigeria, But we must begin by fixing our
communities.
“Our generation needs a realistic rallying point, we need to
begin in communities, earn our way into the system and up the ladder”.
Banky W joins some entertainers and celebrities who have
declared to run for public offices in the 2019 general election including
Kanayo O, Kanayo and Shinna Peller.
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Sunday, 11 November 2018
Thursday, 8 November 2018
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Terwase Shabu BSc, MSc, Ph.D
Department of Geography, Benue State University, Makurdi.
First, I must say, Congratulations to you sir, as your
abstract has been selected for presentation at the Association of Nigerian
Geographers (ANG) Conference, 2018
@University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
I am particularly happy as you present in this unique event
today and to exchange views and share experiences with other high level
professors, colleagues and friends, representing many well-known Universities
and Research Institutes together with members of relevant international
organizations.
I congratulate you for your active participation and wish
you all the success.
Congratulations once again Sir.
From:
Tyavyar Terhide (a.k.a OG)
400L Geo. Dept.
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Wednesday, 7 November 2018
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Rather than subside, the row over the minimum wage keeps
growing.
President Muhammadu Buhari explained yesterday his position
on what the least paid worker should earn.
The Ms Ama Pepple committee set up to resolve the matter
recommended N30,000.
The President said he was “fully committed to having a new
National minimum Wage Act in the very near future” when the committee’s report
was presented to him on Tuesday.
This was interpreted in the media to mean that Buhari
planned to recommend N30,000 to the
National Assembly.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar
hailed the N30,000 recommendation.
But yesterday, the Federal Government clarified Buhari’s
position on the matter.
The President will study the recommendation of the tripartite wage review committee before
making government’s position known, it said.
Briefing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal
Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday, Information, Culture & Tourism
Minister Lai Mohammed said what was presented to the President was a
recommendation which he promised to study and get back to the committee.
But Atiku insisted that Buhari “must keep his word.”
Labour suspended its planned nationwide strike after the
tripartite committee agreed to recommend N30, 000.
Ms. Pepple told the President that after extensive
deliberations, the committee was recommending N30, 000, which Labour described
as a compromised figure
President Buhari promised to send an Executive Bill to the
National Assembly on the recommendation as soon as possible for consideration
and approval, but he was silent on whether he endorsed the N30, 000 new wage.
Asked to clarify the government’s position on the issue,
Mohammed said the President will study the recommendation and get back to the
committee.
“I think it was a recommendation. Mr. President will
consider it and will make his views known in due course,” the minister said.
Pressed for more comments, he added: “I said a
recommendation was submitted. Mr. President will get back to the committee
after he has studied the recommendation.”
On the possibility of reviewing the revenue sharing formula
should the new minimum wage be approved to enable the states to pay, the
minister said: “Once again, like I said, a recommendation has been made and in
responding to the recommendation, all these views will be taken into
consideration.”
A presidential source, who preferred not to be named, said
the President had not endorsed N30, 000 as proposed by the committee and as
being reported by some sections of the media.
The source, however, confirmed that President Buhari
expressed commitment to ensuring the implementation of a new National Minimum
Wage.
It said: “But the President’s speech at the event was
immediately made available to the media and nowhere indicated that the
President endorsed N30, 000 minimum wage.
“It is not the duty of the President only to endorse a new
national minimum wage. The process involves the Federal Executive Council
(FEC), the National Economic Council (NEC) and the National Assembly.
“It is imperative for us to always avoid misinterpreting a
written speech.’’
President Buhari had pledged that the Federal Government
would soon transmit an Executive Bill (on National Minimum Wage) to the
National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time.
He said: “Our plan is to transmit the Executive bill to the
National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time.
“I am fully committed to having a new National Minimum Wage
Act in the very near future.’’
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Tuesday, 6 November 2018
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President Muhammadu Buhari has said that a comprehensive
policy of improved remuneration for the workers in the education sector and a
genuine pension scheme are already being worked out for teachers and all public
servants in the country.
He made the remark at the 2018 Nigeria’s Annual Education
Conference with the Theme: “Education for Self-Reliance: A System’s approach to
Education for the achievement of Education 2030 Agenda” held on Tuesday at the
Sheraton hotel, Abuja.
The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said that the choice and
timing of the theme is apt for the simple fact that Nigeria has dedicated
itself to the implementation of the Education 2030 Agenda.
He said “With the depression in the labour market, education
should now be tailored towards the acquisition of skills and abilities that can
make the individual a productive and self-reliant member of the society.”
Through the Federal Ministry of Education, he said, that the
Federal Government has promoted Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) as well as developing the Science and Technology Education Policy for
realization of TVET objectives and dreams.
He said that government has commenced the development of a
policy on product innovation, exhibition and commercialization that will create
a window for advancing the outcomes of the national Annual student’s Skills
Competition towards practical utilization and economic benefits.
Read Also: Buhari, Ngige, Wabba meet in Aso Rock over
minimum wage
To reduce unemployment, poverty, hunger as well as violence,
he said that people must pay less attention to education for white collar jobs
and, instead, embrace education for self-reliance, job and wealth creation,
which is the cardinal focus of his administration.
Buhari also said that in 2017 the Federal Ministry of
Education embarked on National Enrolment Drive Campaign to boost enrollment,
improve retention and completion rates, and the exercise was flag-off in Bauchi
state in January this year with the aim of addressing the issue of
out-of-school children in the country.
He used the occasion to inform Nigerians that the present
administration has supported the implementations of various initiations aimed
at improving the quality of basic education delivery such as the disbursement
of N42.2 billion universal Basic Education (UBE) matching grant to 26 states
and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), N851.5 million special Education grant
disbursed to 23 states and private providers of special education and
#2.2billion teachers’ professional development fund to 33 states and the FCT.
The President while reiterating the importance of teacher
education to his administration said the Federal Ministry of Education through
the Universal Basic Education has allocated funds towards the Teacher
Professional Development (TPD) programme to ensure that teachers and education
managers are expose to current education policies, management systems and
teaching methodologies; adding that “states are met irrespective of its
peculiar nature, while paying attention to the judicious utilization of
resources.”
He said the Safe Schools Initiative, launched by the last
administration has also received a boost from the present administration in
addressing security challenges across the North East and in other flashpoints
nationwide.
In his welcome address, the Minister of Education, Malam
Adamu Adamu expressed his appreciation to President Mohammadu Buhari and all
other participants.
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Executive to transmit Bill to National Assembly
Workers were excited yesterday over the coming N30,000
minimum wage.
“I am fully committed to having a new national Minimum Wage
Act in the very near future,” President Muhammadu Buhari said. He was receiving
the report of the committee set up to resolve the wage problem.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba led the
way in hailing the presentation of the N30,000 minimum wage recomendation report to Buhari.
He said payment of the new wage might be difficult at the
beginning of implementation, but “if there is the will, we are certain that
there will be a way out.”
He told reporters at the Villa after the Tripartite Commttee
submitted its report to the President: “When the N18,000 was actually
implemented in 2011, most of the states emptied their treasury. They had
difficulty.”
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Director-General Muda Yusuf said
although the private sector was paying above the current minimum wage, “there
may be different challenges for the SMEs as they may adopt different models for
engagement. Rather than keep all the
staff, they may rationalize them by inviting only those that they need at a
particular time. The big corporations have nothing to worry about as they are
already paying the minimum wage.”
He praised the government for working successfully with the
private sector and labour to arrive at an acceptable figure and averting a
strike.
Workers were jubilating over the new wage. In Kano, Ibadan
and Abakaliki, they were delighted at the approval of the new pay.
A cross section of the workers who spoke with the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan said the successful meeting of the tripartite
committee was appreciated.
Mr Peter Ojelakin, of the National Population Commission
(NPC) said a good welfare package was the wish of every civil servant, adding
that a dedicated worker would not have interest in embarking on a strike.
“So, the suspension of the strike that supposed to begin
today is a good development,” he said.
Mr Rasheed Abdulwahab was happy over the agreement labour
reached with the government but noted that increase in wages, might lead to
inflation, a development he said called for an improved economy.
He, however, called on workers to justify the salary
increase by putting in their best to ensure the desired improvement in the
social and economic development of the country.
Mr Lekan Dojutelegan, a surveyor at the Ministry of Works,
Power and Housing, hailed the government for shifting ground on its earlier
proposed N24, 000.
Dojutelegan urged civil servants to be more diligent and
committed to their duties, saying that optimum performance would enable the
government to pay the new minimum wage with ease.
Kano State NLC Chairman Kabiru Ado Minjibir, praised the
national leaderships of NLC, TUC and ULC, “for standing firm on the decision of
the Central Working Committee and their resilience to protect the interest of
Nigerian workers, especially at this trying period.”
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