Dr Chris Ngige

By Joan Nwagwu

The Federal Government has described the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) strike which commence on Sunday midnight as unnecessary, ill-timed and illegal.

Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, said this in a statement signed by Mr Charles Akpan, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, in the ministry, on Sunday in Abuja.

The union had, in a letter addressed to Ngige, said it would go ahead with the strike scheduled to commence in the midnight of Sunday.

It cited Federal Governments inability to meet its demand as the reason for its action.

Ngige said that the Federal Government had directed that the various unions in the health sector operating under the umbrella of JOHESU should not to go ahead with the strike.

He urged the leadership of the various unions that made up JOHESU to have a rethink on the illegal strike by putting the welfare of their patients and Nigeria above every other consideration.

He noted that issues in the trade dispute between JOHESU and the Ministry of Health were being discussed.

According to him, going ahead with the action would be illegal as it is in clear breach of the ILO Principles and Conventions on Strike and Section 18 of the Trades Disputes Act, Cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Parties in disputes are expected not to arm-twist, intimidate or foist helplessness on the other party while negotiations are ongoing as per Sections 8 and 18 the of Trade Dispute Act (TDA) 2004.

This bars any strike when the matters are before a Conciliator and undergoing conciliation.

Any strike now is inimical to an equable settlement of the dispute, bearing in mind especially that this is a grave period of a pandemic where the Federal Government has spent about N20 billion to pay April/May 2020 hazard allowance.

An additional N8.9 billion for June 2020 COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowances has also been approved to all categories of health workers that are mainly JOHESU members.

Besides, all health workers on essential services -Pharmacists, Nurses/Midwives, Radiographers as members of JOHESU are statutorily barred from strikes during emergencies, by both the ILO Statutes and the Trade Dispute Act 2004.

Such an action while the nation battles the COVID-19 emergency accentuates its illegality, as it will compound and aggravate the challenges in health services, causing further risk and deaths to the sick in hospitals across the country, he said.

He noted that COVID-19 pandemic had been declared as a situation of Acute National Health crisis by both the ILO and World Health Organisation (WHO), whose Statutes and regulations had forbidden strike for the period.

He also added that the withdrawal of services was clearly unnecessary as the Federal Government had demonstrated capacity in her amelioration of age-long challenges in the health sector.

Ngige, however, said that government had addressed most of the demands of the union which included provision of enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), approving N29 billion for payments of allowances and also spending N9.3billion as premium for Group Life Insurance for medical and health workers.

He also noted that during the last negotiation, the meeting resolved all the issues raised by JOHESU against the Ministry of Health.

This is with exception to the issue of CONHESS adjustment which is before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).

Same goes for the issue of refund of the two months 2018 April/May salaries caught up in the No Work No Pay principle when JOHESU was on a long strike of over two months, which was also a substrata of the strike issue at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) of 2018, he said.

He noted that the union and the Ministry of Health were advised to resolve the issues and report back in four weeks. NAN)

Source: NAN News

Neymar sees red

Olympique Marseille earned a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain (PSG) on Sunday in a match which saw five players sent off and two goals disallowed.

Forward Florian Thauvin struck in the 31st minute of a pulsating though ill-tempered match at the Parc des Princes forMarseilles first league win over PSG since November 2011.

It condemned PSG, who were last seasons UEFA Champions League runners-up, to their second straight league defeat after they suffered a 1-0 opening day setback at Lens.

Thauvin scored against the run of play, steering in a Dimitri Payet free-kick inside the near post from close range.

This was after the home side had come close through Marco Verratti and Neymar, who also missed a pair of chances in the second half.

Littered by crunching fouls at either end in the first half, the game produced some free-flowing football after the break.

Visiting goalkeeper Steve Mandanda pulled off several superb saves and both sides had goals disallowed for offside.

Angel Di Marias effort for PSG was ruled out in the 62nd minute.

Marseille substitute Dario Benedettos scorcher was also scrapped two minutes later as Thauvin, who unleashed the initial shot, was marginally behind the last PSG defender.

PSG, who missed several first-team regulars who had contracted the COVID-19 virus, pressed hard in the closing stages.

But Marseilles rugged defence held firm as the 1993 European Cup winners made it two wins out of two.

A full scale brawl broke out on the pitch in the last minute of stoppage time.

It forced referee Jerome Brisard to send off PSGs Neymar, Laywin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes, as well as Marseilles duo of Benedetto and Jordan Amavi.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

By Abujah Racheal

Sixty-four Coronavirus (COVID-19), patients recovered from the infection across Nigeria in the last 24 hours, according to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The NCDC, in its report released Sunday midnight via its official Twitter handle, also stated that 79 new cases were recorded across the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the 79 new infections represent the lowest figure in several months in the country.

The health agency said that the 79 new infections bring the nations confirmed cases to 56,256

According to it, there were four COVID-19-related fatalities in Nigeria in the last 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 1,082.

The public health agency said that the 79 cases were reported from 13 states withLagos posting the highest figure of 30 cases, Kaduna, 17, Ogun, seven, while Anambra reported five cases.

Other states with new cases include Kano with four, while Katsina, FCT and Akwa Ibom had three cases each.

Oyo and Rivers recorded two cases each, while Delta, Plateau and Ondo recorded one case each.

Meanwhile, the agency has said that 440,248 persons had been tested nationwide, since the first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic was announced February 26, 2020.

According to it, till date, a total of 56,256 cases have been confirmed, 44,152 cases discharged, with 1,082 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The health agency said that a multi-sectoral National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities across the country.

It particularly noted, however, that the reopening of thesociety did not mean that the virus was no longer with us.

It means people have to learn to continue with their lives safely. It willrequire sacrifice in some areas, the agency said.

The NCDC said that Nigerians must do what was expected of them so as to avoid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

We need to keep observing all the preventive measures put out by the agency to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

We need to be mindful of those around us. Ensure you wear a mask when you are in public to protect yourself and others.

We need to work as a team to prevent and detect COVID-19.

We work hard to keep our country safe but enforcement is not part of our responsibility, it pointed out.

According to the agency, COVID19 is not over.

When it is over, the Minister of Health will make the announcement. We need to keep doing the right things and to encourage others to do same.

It said that the guidelines for the third phase of the eased lockdown had been updated by the Presidential Tasks force on COVID-19.

Lets continue to adhere to these guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, the agency stated.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Lagos churches comply with COVID-19 guidelines, as worship resumes

By Franca Ofili

A Catholic cleric, Rev. Fr. Kingsley Ferdinand, has advised Nigerians to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness as it is the only way to make heaven.

Ferdinand, the Associate Priest at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nyanya, Abuja, gave the advice during the Holy Mass on Sunday.

According to him, one of the greatest tragedies of a life is to miss heaven not because the person stole, killed or told lies but because he or she refused to forgive another.

The dangers of unforgiveness are: it makes a soul a candidate of hell, it attracts torments upon a life (spiritual, medical and physical torments) and waters down the voice of prayer (mark 11:25), Ferdinand said.

He said that forgiveness was better than vengeance because it led to healing of the body and soul while vengeance led to anger and wrath.

The priest added that any form of forgiveness from the heart would also enable God to forgive and heal such a person.

No matter the wrong done to you, forgive because without it your eternity is in danger, you will definitely lose the favour of God.

May God give us the grace to forgive and ultimately make heaven, he said.

According to him, total forgiveness is a very difficult thing to do but we must strive to practice it.

He said that in spite of peoples sins against the Almighty, God still forgives which is a major reason we must also forgive. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Tijani Muhammad-Bande UNGA President

By Harrison Arubu

Outgoing President of the UN General Assembly (PGA), Amb. Tijani Muhammad-Bande, has highlighted some critical lessons from COVID-19.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria in New York that the pandemic had further underscored the need for concerted efforts to bridge the global technological gap.

Muhammad-Bande referenced a UN report indicating that 463 million school children, mostly from developing countries, lack access to remote learning.

The report says the number represents nearly a third of the worlds 1.5 billion school children forced to stay at home following the closure of their schools due to COVID-19.

Muhammad-Bande said the situation was particularly painful to him because inclusive quality education is one of the priorities of his presidency.

Education, especially learning in schools, has virtually stopped for many because of lack of access to the technologies needed for remote instruction to take place.

It, therefore, means that all has to be done to make technologies widely available to all parts of the world for critical things like education and agriculture.

In reconstructing their educational infrastructure, countries should learn from what technology can offer.

You must leverage technology not as an aside but as an integral element.

The second lesson from the COVID-19 crisis, according to the PGA, is the connectedness of societies, making a problem in one corner of the world a global one.

This, he said, explains why a disease that broke out in a Chinese town became a global epidemic within a few months with devastating health and socio-economic impacts.

Muhammad-Bande, who is Nigerias Permanent Representative to the UN, said with this lesson, the world should ensure inclusion in both response to COVID-19 and recovery efforts.

We should not joke with this notion that if a vaccines is available and one country is left out, no country is free.

You can see the issue of climate change, how reduction in the use of fossil fuels has been positive in many parts of the in terms of quality of air, regeneration of plants, among others.

Again, can we find means of doing things differently? This is a critical question that must be addressed by countries in terms of policies, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Unions ground Arik Air operations over 90% staff layoff, anti-labour practices

By Yunus Yusuf

Operations of Arik Air were on Monday shut down by theaviation unions overalleged non payment of staff salaries since April after placing 90 per cent of the workforce on compulsory leave and otheranti-labour practices.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that unions included the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).

NAN correspondent who monitored the situation in Lagos reports that all Arik Air operations were shut down including airlines as passengers expressed reservations.

Mr Innocent Atasie, Chairman, ATSSSAN, Arik Air Branch told NAN that the workers resolved to shut down Arik operations nationwide when all efforts made to resolve the problem failed.

Atasie said that the unions were miffed that there had been no payment of staff salaries since April after placing 90 per cent of the workforce on compulsory leave.

The unions said the strike would continue indefinitely, until their demands were met by the management of Arik Air.

Their demands included- payment of outstanding salaries arrears, signing of Conditions of Service, remittance of Pension, Tax, and statutory deductions to the appropriate authorities and to resolve other anti-labour issues.

Others were payment of salary arrears of seven months, with a commitment to pay salaries as at when due, henceforth.

Atasie said that the unions also wanted the immediate review of all employee remunerations which had remained stagnant since the inception of Arik Air, over ten years ago.

He said that the unions decided to shut down all operations nationwide when all efforts by the unions were aborted.

NAN reports that on Sept. 13, the management of Arik Air asked for the intervention of the Minister of Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, over the planned industrial action by unions scheduled to commence on Sept 14.

The Chief Executive Officer of Arik, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, made the appeal in a letter to the minister entitled, Re-Unions in Arik Air threaten to down tools.

NAN visit to local terminals in Lagos, indicated that stranded Arik Air passengers expressed disappointment over the airlines shut down workout informing the passengers.

A passenger, Mr Julius Anifowoshe, told NAN that l was shocked when l came to the airport at about 6.30a.m., to board and found out that the airline workers are on strike without due notification.

Am forced to buy another ticket from another airline to meet up with my appointment in Abuja.

Government should sanction Arik Air for not reaching out through text messages or e-mail to customers on the planned strike.

Am going to seek refund of my money whenever am back to Lagos. Arik Air took customers for granted, he said.

Another passenger, Mrs Beatrice Ikechukwu expressed disappointment over sudden shut down of the operations without due notice to passengers.

Ikechukwu said l have to source for money to buy another ticket for what l did not planned for.

Arik Air operational system is porous, nobody came to address passengers on what was happening. This is really pathetic and disheartening, she said.

However, Mr Adebanji Ola, the Communications Manager of Arik Air said that the management has scheduled a meeting with the unions on Sept. 15 to resolve all matters. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19 taught us to be closer to God ex-NAN director

By Olayinka Owolewa

The COVID-19 pandemic is a strong signal for Christians to move closer to God through prayers, Chief Jide Adebayo, a former Acting Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has said.

Adebayo made the observation during the annual Anniversary and Service of Songs of the 2nd ECWA Church, Agamo Area, Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.

NAN reports that the event had the theme: Not by Might or Power But by My Spirit.

NAN also reports that Adebayo, a former NAN Executive Director (Marketing), is the Eesa of Omu-Aran and also the Patron of the Churchs Choir Unit.

He said that COVID-19 brought much tension and confusion which made some people to think that the world was about to end.

According to him, prayers can secure favour from God and tackle challenges.

When COVID-19 surfaced some months ago with various measures to curtail its spread, there were tension and confusion everywhere.

Some people believed that the world was coming to an end.

When our anniversary was approaching, we were skeptical due to the COVID-19 issue.

However, today we are here hail and hearty, celebrating Gods faithfulness in our lives. That is the power of prayers, Adebayo said.

He said that gospel songs with their rhymes and lyrics had the spiritual capability to correct wrongs and shape lives of the citizens for the better.

Adebayo advised the choristers and other church members to remain dedicated to the service to God and humanity.

He thanked invited guests, especially the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, for their presence and donations toward the churchs projects.

In a sermon, the churchs Pastor, Rev. John Asonibare, admonished the congregation to obey Gods commandments always.

We cannot on our own achieve anything except with Gods permission; that is the reason we must strive to keep His commandments and be righteous.

It is with such spiritual state that we can receive Gods favour and eternal salvation, he said.

Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, the Olomu of Omu-Aran, expressed satisfaction at the successful hosting of the event.

He promised to honour the church with his presence in subsequent editions. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Angry JOHESU members

By Joan Nwagwu

Health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) are to begin a nationwide strike from midnight on Sunday.

The strike is over Federal Governments inability to meet their demands.

The JOHESU President, Mr Josiah Biobelemoye, made this known in a letter addressed to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workers had issued a notice to the government, saying that it would embark on a nationwide strike, if their demands were not met.

JOHESUs demands include addressing of structural and infrastructural decay in the nations health sector and review of the implementation of COVID-19 special inducement and hazard allowance.

Ngige had on Friday called for a conciliatory meeting between the Federal Government and JOHESU.

The government directed that in view of the understanding reached at the meeting, JOHESU should consult with its members and report back to the government on Sept. 12.

Biobelemoye said on Sunday that the outcome of the meeting between the joint unions and the government was reported back to the unions expanded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday.

He said that it was unanimously agreed that nothing concrete was achieved at the meeting with the government, and the strike notice was, therefore, germane.

Therefore, the 15-day ultimatum still subsists, and with effect from midnight of Sept. 13, 2020, our members shall withdraw their services due to the governments inability to meet their demands.

Kindly accept the assurances of our high esteem, he said.

The health workers had in a letter dated Aug. 30 and addressed to the Federal Ministry of Health, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet their demands.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, Registrar and Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN)

By Cecilia Ijuo

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria( TRCN) will soon begin clamp down on unqualified teachers in public and private schools nationwide.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of the council, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said with plans to fully reopen schools across the country, the council was set to swing into action by visiting schools to ascertain their level of compliance with the TRCN Act.

Ajiboye noted that the move had become necessary following the continued determination of the council to maintain high standard of education in the country.

He lamented that in spite of the grace period given to unqualified teachers across the country to get qualified and registered with the council, there were still records of many unqualified teachers.

According to him, of over four million teachers in various institutions of learning in the country, only about two million were registered with the council as qualified teachers.

The mandate of TRCN is about teacher professionalism in public and private schools and National Council on Education has directed that anybody who wants to teach must be qualified and registered with TRCN.

We have about 2.2 million teachers that are registered with TRCN and the figure is still extremely low because from available statistics we have about four million teachers in the country.

That means a large number of them are still not registered. We first of all check if they are qualified before we talk of registration and as such we first carry out monitoring for compliance.

We started in February before the lockdown to check those who are not qualified and what should be done in that regard.

Now that the Federal Government is considering all indices for full reopening of schools, we are also set to continue from where we stopped in February.

TRCN has offices in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). So we move round to check compliance, he said.

The registrar commended efforts made by critical stakeholders, particularly state governors in ensuring that unqualified teachers under their employment got qualified to avoid being laid off.

He, therefore, urged affected teachers to take advantage of such opportunities to get qualified and registered with TRCN or risk being laid off and prosecuted.

TRCN has the power to remove unqualified teachers. We are the only one that can call anybody a teacher.

We are trying to start what is called naming and shaming to send to state governments for them to know the number of teachers that are in their employment list that are not qualified.

We are calling on all teachers that are not qualified to remediate their deficiencies and get qualified.

In view of that state governments are directing teachers to go back to school to get qualified. So, those affected are asked to comply in their best interest.

Ajiboye, asked teachers who were yet to be registered with the council to take advantage of the next opening for qualifying examination, coming up in November to do the noble or risk sanction.

On challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the teaching profession, Ajiboye called on teachers to take up courses to improve their skills.

He said besides being qualified and registered with TRCN, teachers must acquire additional skills, particularly in technology assisted learning, to keep them in tune with world standards.

He said with the new normal presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in area of technology assisted learning, teachers in the country must brace up, to compete favourably with their counterparts in other climes.

According to him, while it may difficult for technology to replace teachers, with time, technologically advanced teachers will replace those who are not.

He said TRCN was working with relevant stakeholders to assist teachers gain knowledge in that regard.

TRCN is looking at ways to support our teachers as they prepare to go back to school.

We have worked with a global NGO, Teach for Nigeria, to mobilise about 50,000 teachers for a training programme on the new normal.

The training which was carried out online on May 30, was meant to prepare the teachers to brace up to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of them are social psychological issues, pedagogical issues and use of technology.

Presently we are working with UBEC and other stakeholders before full reopening of schools to organise another workshop on the new normal.

We want to train the teachers on how to cope because their role will change drastically in the new normal.

The registrar noted that the training would not be for teachers alone, but learners and their parents.

He further said, we always said that technology will not replace teachers but teachers who know how to use technology will replace those who do not know how to use it.

So, a 21st century teacher will have to have a good grasp of technology and that is very important especially with the pandemic.

It is very clear that face to face teaching will be largely complemented with use of technology. Technology mediated learning is the way to go in todays world.

That is why TRCN was emphasising on the digital literacy training programme for teachers.

We started that programme in 2018 as if we knew a thing like this will come. Although the number of teachers we have been able to reach is still negligible.

News Agency of Nigeria( NAN) reports that TRCN, an agency of the Ministry of Education, has the mandate to regulate and control the teaching profession at all levels of education system in public and private sectors.

Section 1(1)(c) of the TRCN Act, 2004, authorises the council to regulate and control the teaching profession in all its aspects and ramifications.

The power extends to prohibiting persons who are not registered with the council from practising the profession.

It also extends to a right to refuse to hire or employ persons who are not registered with the council.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

By Rotimi Ijikanmi

The Federal Government on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buharis assumption of office in 2015 prevented Nigeria from becoming a failed state after a long stretch of rapacious and rudderless leadership.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued in Abuja, said Buhari came into office when the country was under occupation by terrorists and the treasury was wantonly being looted.

President Buhari came into office at a time that a swathe of the countrys territory was under occupation, a period when many Nigerian towns and cities, including the capital acity of Abuja, were a playground for insurgents.

It was a moment that the nations wealth had been looted dry, with little or nothing to show for the nations huge earnings, especially in the area of infrastructure, he said.

The minister said it was therefore a cruel irony that those who frittered away a great opportunity to put Nigeria on a sound socio-economic footing at a time of financial buoyancy were those accusing government of not performing.

He added that it was unfortunate that those who planted the seed of the insecurity in some parts of the country were the same ones pointing an accusing finger at a reformist government.

The minister, who said that the country was going through a lot of challenges, however, pointed out that the situation would have been worse but for the deft management of resources and unprecedented fight against corruption by the Buhari government.

He added that the determined battle against insurgency and banditry as well as the abiding courage of the president in piloting the ship of state had saved the nation from a worse situation.

Mohammed said contrary to the position of a certain political leader, Nigeria is not a failed state.

He described the nation as one courageously tackling its challenges and building a solid infrastructure that would serve as the basis for socio-economic development.

According to the minister, Nigeria is unrelenting in battling insecurity and working hard to ensure the greatest prosperity for the greatest number of people.

The minister also said no government in the history of the country had done so much with so little as the Buhari administration had been doing.

With 60 per cent less national income, the administration is making progress on all fronts and setting the country on the path of
sustainable growth and development, he said

The minister said while naysayers were hyping the instances of insecurity in the country, they had forgotten that the country could have been overrun by insurgents and bandits if the president had not rallied regional and international allies to tackle headlong the Boko Haram insurgency.

He recalled that bombs were going off like firecrackers before the presidents assumption of office while an estimated 20,000 square miles of the nations territory were occupied by insurgents.

The minister added: They tout the downturn in economic fortunes without putting things in context.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a global shutdown and a drastic fall in global oil demand, Nigeria lost 60 per cent of its earnings.

Even with this downturn, the administration has ensured that not a single worker has been retrenched, has paid salaries as and when due and has continued to build infrastructure like roads, rails, bridges and power, among others, that will serve many generations.

He accused them of aggravating the national fault lines with their angry and unguarded actions and rhetoric.

According to the minister, the critics had forgotten that while national
fissures are amplified at a time of dwindling economic fortune, what is needed to foster peace and unity is not reckless elocution but responsible and responsive leadership, the kind being offered by President.

The minister reiterated that Nigeria is on the road to greatness inspite of the challenges confronting it.

He cited the hard push toward food sufficiency, the modernisation of the rail system, the nationwide construction of roads and bridges, the reform in the oil and gas sector and the unprecedented anti-corruption battle as achievements of the administration.

Mohammed also cited the diversification of the economy and the renewed effort to ensure a steady power supply anchored on a three-phase project that was expected to deliver 25,000MW of electricity in the next few years.

The minister thanked Nigerians for their perseverance and understanding, especially against the backdrop of the stifling effects
of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

He appealed to them to continue to support the administration as it seeks to lift 100 million people out of poverty in the next 10 years.

In one of the most difficult moments in the nations history, Nigeria is fortunate to have at the helm a leader who is not only dedicated, selfless and patriotic, but one who is globally acknowledged for his discipline, integrity and vision.

Those who genuinely love Nigeria will support, rather than subvert, this committed leadership, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News