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Tag: Ngige

  • We have kept all our promises to ASUU – FG

    We have kept all our promises to ASUU – FG

    The Federal Government has faulted claims by the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, that it has failed to deliver on the timelines on offers made to the union.

    It insisted that the timelines had been complied with and “faithfully implemented”.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, revealed that ASUU agreed at their last meeting with the government team on November 27 to call off their nine-month-old strike before December 9.

    “The truth of the matter is that a ‘gentleman agreement’ was reached at the last meeting in which ASUU agreed to call off the strike before December 9, 2020, and the Minister, in turn, agreed that once the strike is called off, he would get a presidential waiver for ASUU to be paid the remainder of their salaries on or before December 9,” Ngige stated.

    This was contained in a statement from Ngige media office on Tuesday, titled, ‘We have kept our promises to ASUU-FG’.

    The statement also cited part of the agreement reached at the meeting with ASUU in which the labour minister said he had consulted with the Minister of Education on getting a waiver on the issue of ‘No Work, No Pay’ under section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act.

    Ogunyemi had blamed the FG for union’s failure to call off the strike, noting that the lecturers would not return to classes until their salary arrears were paid.

    But refuting the claims, Ngige said it is false and discomfiting for ASUU to wrongly inform the public that the government agreed to pay all withheld salaries before it will resume work, stressing that the timelines attached to the various offers made to the union had been complied with.

    The minister stated, “For instance, the Federal Government promised to constitute a Negotiation Committee for the 2009 Agreement and has fulfilled it with the last week’s inauguration of the committee that has Prof Muzali as chairman.

    “The N40b Earned Academic Allowances have also been processed just as the N30b revitalization Fund, bringing it to N70 billion. Likewise, the Visitation Panels for the Universities have been approved by the President but the panel cannot perform its responsibilities until the shut universities are re-opened.

    “The gazzeting is also being rounded off at the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation while the Ministry of Education is ready to inaugurate the various visitation panels.”

    Ngige explained that he got special presidential approval to demonstrate good faith to ASUU members that the government was not on a vengeful mission or out to starve the lecturers to death as some of them were claiming.

  • Three of my children stranded at home because of ASUU strike – Ngige

    Three of my children stranded at home because of ASUU strike – Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said that he is also affected by the ongoing strike by members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as three of his biological children who are undergraduates have also been staying at home.

    The minister said this to disprove the popular believe that the government has not been concerned about ending the eight-month ASUU strike because most of the children of the officials are private institutions in Nigeria or abroad.

    Ngige, in an interview with Arise TV, said he had three biological children in public schools and not in private universities.

    Ngige said, “I have three biological children in public schools. They are in public schools; they are not in private universities. Unlike ASUU members who have most of their children in private universities, three of mine are here. So, I am a very big stakeholder in the public tertiary school system.”

    The minister further revealed that two of his children in Nigeria have dual nationality, American and Nigerian. However, he said he chose that they remained with him in Nigeria.

    “So, when ASUU says politicians don’t care because they have taken their children abroad, Chris Ngige cares because my children are not abroad even though they have dual nationality – two of them have American citizenship; they can be in America, but I chose that they remained here with me.

  • Fuel hike: NLC, TUC leaders walk out of meeting with SGF, Ngige, Keyamo, other FG representatives

    Fuel hike: NLC, TUC leaders walk out of meeting with SGF, Ngige, Keyamo, other FG representatives

    The Organised Labour on Sunday walked out of a meeting with the Federal Government on recent increase in fuel price and electricity tariffs.

    The meeting was said to be about five minutes old before the Organised Labour, comprising Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, staged a walk out.

    In attendance from the federal government were the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo; Minister of State for Petroleum, Timiprye Sylva; Minister of State for Power, Goddy Agba and the Secretary to the Government, Boss Mustapha.

    TUC President, Quadri Olaleye told Channels TV that the federal government was dishonest and playing to the gallery and painting the organised labour in a bad light before civil servants and the public.

    Representing the Nigerian Labour Congress was its deputy president, Najeem Yasin.

    According to him, this meeting was not going to be as usual because Labour had seen the insincerity of government in putting them at risk.

    He said they were being taking for a ride, which could not continue.

    “We are in the process of discussing, for over three months now. And they made announcement increasing the fuel price again. And no other person than NNPC. When has authority been giving to NNPC to increase the price of PMS? This is unacceptable.

    “The meeting agenda is not well prioritised. And because of that, we are leaving the meeting. We will not continue, we will go back to our organ, and we are going to get back to you on the next line of action,” he said.

    According to Minister of Labour and Employment, Ngige, “We felt that the item of increase in PMS, having been listed at all as an additional item, would have satisfied everybody.”

  • Royal insubordination: Ngige’s community sacks Okonkwo, presents new monarch, an Evangelist for certification

    Royal insubordination: Ngige’s community sacks Okonkwo, presents new monarch, an Evangelist for certification

     

    From Chuks Collins, Awka

    Apparently taking a cue from two other communities of Aguleri Otu and Mkpunando Aguleri that have since replaced their suspended traditional rulers respectively, the people of Alor community, home of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige have picked and presented a new monarch to Gov Willie Obiano, for recognition and formal.

    The imminent certification would then draw a curtain on the checkered brief reign of the erstwhile monarch -McAnthony Okonkwo.

    Okonkwo was among the thirteen monarchs who were recently suspended by the state government for acts considered as official insubordination, hence incongruous to their high exalted office as traditional rulers.

    Addressing journalists yesterday at the Government House, the President General of Alor People’s Assembly, Chief Okife Igbonwa had alleged that it wasn’t unexpected that Okonkwo would crash land in no time, because his emergence and enthronement didn’t follow due process or the community’s constitution and established tradition. It was reason Alor was embroiled in turmoil ever since his emergence, until now that the people have collectively elected her traditional ruler. The community was so incensed under him that they passed vote-of-no confidence on him seeking his summary removal but had prevailed on them to see if he would turn a new leaf. But the last straw that broke the carmel’s back came when the same Chinedu Okonkwo joined other disobedient monarch on a ill-fated journey to Abuja to desecrate the office of Gov Obiano who certified him some months ago.

    Everyone that need to be involved was involved, voted their choice -Pastor Collins Ebelechukwu Chukwumesili, and consequently joyously presented him to the world.

    Igbonwa early in the week led people of the community to the Anambra Government House where the new Igwe was presented in anticipation for his formal recognition and certification. He disclosed that the new monarch and people of Alor will remain very loyal to the state government.

    Earlier the new monarch told our correspondent that his top priority was to restore peace, love for one another and cohesion in the community as soon as possible before embarking on massive development drive. He pointed out that the people are presently scattered and restive, that he will key into the Alor Youth Vanguard to nip youth restiveness.

    Sen Ngige who witnessed the entire traditional process had expressed happiness that at last the people’s choice has mounted the saddle, contrary to the imposition of McAnthony Chinedu Okonkwo.

    Chukwumesili, an established international businessman emerged tops amongst other contenders from his Uruezeani village whose turn it was to replace the late Igwe J. C Nkwoka. After his presentation and acceptance by the people, the new monarch was handed the community’s traditional staff of office (Ofor) by the Ezeofor VII of Alor, Ozor Gibson Onyekonwu. He is married with children

  • Ngige accuses ASUU of fueling #EndSARS protests

    Ngige accuses ASUU of fueling #EndSARS protests

    The Federal Government has accused the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) of fuelling the ongoing civil unrest by youths across the country.

    According to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, the youths who were supposed to be in schools are being recruited into End SARS protest due to the industrial action the union embarked upon.

    Ngige said this in a reconciliation meeting between the Federal Government and ASUU on Thursday in Abuja.

    In his words, “for the past one week, we have all been on our toes, we’ve been meeting, and we pray that this meeting will yield good fruits.

    “We don’t take pleasure in the fact that the children who are supposed to be in school are being recruited into the EndSARS, #EndStrike, #EndSWAT campaign.

    “As much as possible, we’ll try to see how we can meet ourselves halfway so that we can resolve this crisis to the benefits of all and the country at large.”

    The minister said that the Federal Government has commenced the process of testing the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) platform, created by ASUU.

    He said that ASUU members have claimed that the platform will accommodate the peculiarities of the university systems and that the platform will involve three stages of the test to be concluded within the time frame the union gave the government.

    “We have the preliminary report, and the test run on the UTAS, and we believe that with that, we will be able to get it right.

    “Let me make it clear to members of the press. We never said UTAS would replace the Integrated Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as some of you are reporting.

    “No! The UTAS developed by them is for the University systems, and they feel that it captures the peculiarities that are configured to accommodate all the University systems, especially as it affects the Professors and other teaching staff and even the Non-Academic Staff.

    “We, as a government, feel we are going to put it up for tests – three stages of the test. We’ve done the first stage of the test, which is within the timeline of six months that ASUU promised.

    “We are going to do another integrity test, Alpha test, Beta test and the one they call roll-over and other whatever test. It’s the technologists that know all those tests. But this is the round we are going on now,” he said.

  • ASUU: Ngige misled Nigerians about our strike, others

    ASUU: Ngige misled Nigerians about our strike, others

    The Lagos Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige’s claims that the union was on strike because of its anger against the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and that lecturers were being paid in full, despite the strike.

    The union also said it had not been informed of a meeting next week where Ngige said ASUU would be allowed to demonstrate its purpose-built University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) software as a replacement for the IPPIS.

    In a statement, the Lagos Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Olusiji Sowande, said the union had requested to present how UTAS works but got no response from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    He said: “The attention of our union has been drawn to the comments of the Minister of Labour and Employment (MoL&E), Dr. Chris Ngige, on a Channels Television programme (Politics Today) aired on September 29, 2020.

    “The minister informed the public that a meeting has been scheduled for next week (after Independence celebration) for our union to demonstrate the efficacy of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) software developed by our union to the stakeholders at the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Minister of Labour and Employment to watch as arbiter.

    “The general public should please note that our union, over a month ago, had written the MoL&E of our readiness to demonstrate the efficacy and superiority of UTAS over IPPIS and that as at the time of this press release no acknowledgement of receipt of our letter or letter of invitation for meeting has been received by our union.”

    Sowande also said the main aim for the current strike was the non-implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement and non-payment of earned allowances, among others.

    “The minister also misinformed the public by narrowing down the issues in contention to our rejection of IPPIS, which UTAS seeks to replace. Other issues in contention, for which our union is currently on total, comprehensive and indefinite strike, include failure of government to fully implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement and February 2019 Memorandum of Action with timelines for release of funds for the revitalisation of dilapidated infrastructure in public Universities, payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowances, conclusion of the renegotiation of 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, setting up of Visitation Panels to Federal universities and proliferation of state universities,” he said.

    On salaries, Sowande said many lecturers were being owed between three and six months’ salaries, while five months’ worth of check-off deducted from members’ salaries was yet to be remitted to the union.

     

  • Arthur Eze is Commander-in-Chief of members of “any government in power” – Ngige

    Arthur Eze is Commander-in-Chief of members of “any government in power” – Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Dr Chris Ngige on Wednesday described the Anambra business mogul, Prince Arthur Eze, as a fair weather politician.

    He berated the businessman for casting aspersions on him over his advice that the 12 traditional rulers suspended by the Anambra State Government should be relocated from their communities to avert breach of peace.

    Described Eze as ‘a fair weather politician,’ who befriends “any government in power,” and uses his wealth to intimidate, oppress and brutalise the downtrodden, the minister his attacks on him were unwarranted.

    Governor Willie Obiano had sanctioned the monarchs for travelling out of the state, without clearance, while accompanying Eze to Aso Villa on what they tagged: “a thank you visit to Mr. President” for his infrastructural development of the Southeast and dividends of democracy to Igbos.

    Ngige, who maintained that Eze’s attacks on him were indecorous, said :“Arthur Eze is a fair weather politician, a political turncoat and an apostle and Commander-in-Chief of members of “any government in power,” (AGIP) in Nigeria.

    The minister said in a statement by his media aide, Emmanuel Nzomiwu, that as a former governor and an elder in the state, he had only advised the Anambra State Government to relocate the traditional rulers out of their domain for administrative and security reasons.

    He said following their suspension from office, the monarchs ceased to perform the functions of their offices, adding that they should not be allowed to be visiting or threatening those carrying out their functions by still visiting the office, whether it is in the palace or elsewhere.

    Ngige said:“Much more importantly, those suspended traditional rulers have started experiencing violent protests, demonstrations and calls for their outright dethronement in their respective communities of Abacha (Idemili North LG), Alor (Idemili South LG), Aguleri Enugu Otu and Mkpu Nando-Otu Aguleri, both in Anambra East LG as well as in many other places, thereby raising security concerns.

    “These two reasons are very compelling and serious enough for the Anambra State Government to relocate these persons, especially the one from Ngige’s community, Alor, who was never crowned by the community abinitio but was imposed by the Anambra State Government of Peter Obi on the Alor community as a retaliation and punitive action for their loss of the 2011 senatorial election to Ngige, who defeated and trounced their candidate.”

    Ngige emphasised that he never pushed for the banishment of Arthur Eze, an act which would have run against the tenets of the 1999 constitution, as amended.

    “But, this does not derogate from the fact that Senator Ngige had said that from the facts- video clips-in the media and in the public domain, Eze had engaged in an act of sabotage, against the government and people of Anambra State.

    “Arthur Eze had sabotaged the Anambra State Government by gathering a group of disgruntled persons, some gullible and even non recognized traditional rulers for ‘a thank you visit’ on behalf of the South East when in actual fact, no traditional ruler from Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states, was in his motley gathering of Ezes.

    “The Chairman of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers was not there; same with the Chairman of the South East council of Traditional Rulers. He also neither involved nor informed South East federal ministers, not to talk of those from Anambra State, even out of courtesy.”

    Ngige maintained that Eze should be sanctioned for sabotage, aiding and abetting those traditional rulers to travel out of their kingdom without appropriate clearance from the Anambra State Government, an action for which all of them have pleaded guilty and apologized to the Governor.

    The minister denied the claim that he lived in FESTAC before Eze rented a decent apartment for him in Lagos and helped him change his Volkswagen car.

    “In 1980 he was already living in comfort in the 1004 Estate, National Assembly Wing, Victoria Island, having been moved from his temporary accommodation in the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island where he stayed when he arrived in Lagos as a youth corps medical doctor.

    According to the statement, “Rather, it was Prince Arthur Eze who had been a family friend since 1967 that relocated from his elder brother’s house in Kirikiri to squat with him (Senator Ngige), he(Arthur) having come back from the USA in 1979 and doing the petty trading, buying and selling trips (Afia attack) to London, in the United Kingdom.”

    “The Minister had a hand in growing Arthur’s petty business in the early eighties, from his buying and selling of T-shirts, ladies pants and Bra, to VHS cassette business, even as he provided him and his young trading associates with shelter and food whenever they returned from business trips from London into Lagos. He equally introduced him to many VIPs from where his business metamorphosed from supply of VHS Cassettes to NTA and Anambra TV to construction of TV Stations in the 80’s.

  • Ngige to Obiano: Banish 12 suspended monarchs from Anambra

    Ngige to Obiano: Banish 12 suspended monarchs from Anambra

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in Imo, Prof Emeka Ezeonu, on Saturday led a protest against alleged imposition of the traditional ruler of Alor, Igwe MacAnthony Okonkwo.

    The Monarch of Alor is one of the traditional rulers recently suspended by Governor Willie Obiano for traveling to Abuja to visit President Muhammadu Buhari without permission.

    According to a report by The Nation, over 500 indigenes of Alor in Idemili South Local government area took to the streets with placards bearing different inscriptions against alleged imposition of monarch and Caretaker Committee in the community by the State government.

    Some of the placards read: ‘Alor rejects the imposition of caretaker, please, Governor Obiano look into this matter’; ‘this imposition has been on for eight years’ and ‘we dissociate our community from the monarch who traveled to Abuja without permission from our government” among others.

    Ngige, a former Governor, who hails from the community, called Obiano to suspend the 12 traditional rulers and banish them from their different communities for desecrating the culture and traditions of their lands.

    He said the banishment should be extended to the person who led them to the Abuja trip

    Ngige alleged the traditional ruler was imposed by former Governor Peter Obi to punish his community and local government for voting against their allied forces in the 2011 senatorial election when he contested on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    He said: “He decided to punish the towns thereby starving them of any projects and destabilise their town unions starting from Alor where he dissolved the executives with a caretaker hostile to Ngige and imposed the monarch on the community as against the Constitution of the people ”

    “When someone is suspended from performing functions of an office, he should be barred from even being in that vicinity.

    “So, I advise Anambra State Government to relocate these 12 traditional rulers from their Communities to avoid a situation likely to cause a breach of public peace.”

    The Minister further alleged the Monarch of Alor was never enthroned but imposed on the people as a vendetta by the Obi administration for using what it called small Yoruba party ACN to defeat them.

    The President General PG of Alor, Chief Uzoma Igbonwa, said the community would continue to support Governor Obiano’s administration, adding that Alor would never work against the State Government.

    According to him: “We plead with the State Government to dissolve and disband the said caretaker Committee of Alor People’s Convention for working against the interest of Alor people and government of the State because their continued existence is an impediment to the peace and progress of Alor Community.”

    Imo REC, Prof Emeka Ezeonu said the community would not rest until the State Government do the needful by banishing the monarch and dissolving the Caretaker Committee.

    But the traditional ruler, Igwe MacAnthony Okonkwo, denied the allegation he was imposed by former Governor Obi.

    He insisted he was the monarch of Alor.

    After his one-year suspension by Obiano for allegedly going to Abuja without authorisation, he openly apologised for violating certain rules guiding the operation of monarchs in the state.

  • ‘Missing N3.4bn’: We are ready for independent probe panel, not one set up by Ngige – Suspended NSITF Management

    ‘Missing N3.4bn’: We are ready for independent probe panel, not one set up by Ngige – Suspended NSITF Management

    The suspended management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said it is ready to face an investigation, if it is conducted by an independent panel of enquiry, over alleged N3.4 billion financial infractions leveled against it.

    The embattled management rejected any probe panel set up by Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige.

    The minister had, last month, inaugurated a Presidential Joint Board and Audit Investigation Panel to probe alleged N3.4 billion financial impropriety against the fund’s suspended Managing Director Adebayo Somefun and three other directors.

    The committee is chaired by Ibrahim Khaleel, the Treasurer of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the NSITF board.

    In a statement, Somefun noted that under the principle of fair hearing, the minister should not have constituted the investigative panel, being an interested party.

    The suspended managing director also queried the omission of the representative of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Taiwo Adeniyi, who heads the NSITF board’s Finance Committee.

    According to him, the strange and suspicious barring of Adeniyi, who is also the President of NECA, from the panel, indicated the possibility of an already pre-planned indictment of perceived non-loyalists within the agency.

    Somefun said all that were done in the award of contracts, training and budgets of the agency were approved by Ngige and the Parastatals Tenders Board, as the case may be.

    He said the suspended management approached the National Industrial Court (NIC) to enforce the spirit of fair hearing on the allegation of infractions Ngige levelled against some workers of the agency.

    According to him, the clarification became necessary after Ngige accused the affected workers of dragging him and President Muhammadu Buhari to court over allegation of financial infractions.

    The statement said: “We hold in high esteem the office of the President and that of the Minister of Labour and Employment, as the representative of the President. We did not drag Mr. President to court. The office of Mr. President is highly revered and regarded by us because he appointed us in the first place.”

  • Trending video: ‘You’re a small boy, Tinubu your mentor is my colleague’ Ngige blasts Hon. Faleke

    Trending video: ‘You’re a small boy, Tinubu your mentor is my colleague’ Ngige blasts Hon. Faleke

    Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige on Tuesday lambasted and threatened to initiate legal action against a member of the House of Representative, James Faleke.

    Ngige lampooned Faleke during a hearing of the Adhoc Committee of the House which is investigating an alleged breach of a presidential directive by him

    Watch video:

    Background:
    The former Anambra governor reportedly suspended top management and executive committee members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, (NSITF) although a presidential directive bars ministers from sacking the head of agencies.

    Faleke accused Ngige of passing judgment on the board of the NSITF without proper investigation, a statement that provoked Ngige.

    Replying Faleke, Ngige threatened to take legal action against the reps member and described Faleke as a small boy in Lagos, stressing that he (Ngige) is in the league of Faleke’s mentor (former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu).

    “I am 7 years older than you. I am sure. I am the same age as your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. I was governor with him at the same time…’m a Lagos boy, you’re just a small boy. Look at this Mushin boy is talking to VI boy? I lived in Victoria Island, look at Mushin boy” He said.