Minister of Education, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau has reiterated the imperativeness of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to the attainment of vision 20:2020.
Speaking at the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal College of Education, (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, in which a total of 3, 682 graduands, drawn from the 2011/2012, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 sets received Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) certificates and National Certificate in Education (NCE) in various programmes, Shekarau said it was in recognition of this fact that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration invested hugely in TVET.
Shekarau who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala, said the country’s desire to be among the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020 requires training of a large chunk of her citizens to have requisite technical knowledge, skills and competencies for wealth creation and self-reliance.
He said, “TVET holds the key to the success of our countries desire to be one of the 20 largest economies in the world by the year 2020. That is why TVET enjoys robust support in terms of funding, instructional materials and equipment. Teachers and students in this field also benefit from government grants and scholarships in order to sustain and maximise the benefits.
“It is our policy to expose the budding teachers to technology education and make them more self-reliant and vocationally skilled enough to create wealth and check unemployment. In line with this mandate, government focused on TVET as the springboard for entrepreneurial skills as well as the bedrock for technological an economic development.”
He further stated that government also encouraged interventions from TETFund, PTDF, ADB, MDGs and STEP-B to ameliorate the difficulties and challenges militating against capacity building among teachers in colleges of education.
To the graduating students, he said, “Having passed through a school of this status, you must have acquired enough skills to enable you activate your hidden potentials and build your wealth or pursue further studies. I urge you to shun all forms of vices, violence and other unpatriotic acts that could lead to the disunity of our great country. Do not allow yourselves to be dragged into issues of ethnic rivalry or tribal sentiments as these negates the spirit of unity.”
Provost of the college, Dr. Sijibomi Olusola, in his remarks, assured that the college would not relent in its effort at providing sound technical and vocational education to students and empowering them with relevant entrepreneurial skills for the overall development of the nation.
Stating some of the modest achievements of the college through government and TETFund grants, he informed that the college was also facing land constraint and inadequate funding, both of which have affected its desire to expand and increase the carrying capacity.
He said, “Our mandate is to produce self-reliant technical and vocational graduates, grounded in information and communication technology, research and teaching that will impact positively on the technological and socio-economic development of Nigeria, and this we are gladly doing with our limited space and resources.”
Miss Adelakun Temitope Elizabeth, who emerged the overall best graduating student for the three sets, urged other students to endeavour to put in their best in their academics as “what is worth doing, is worth doing well.”
Sex education is a frequently neglected area of instruction for students with disabilities, including those with developmental challenges. A recent appraisal of the situation reveals that educators have ignored exposing these classes of students to sexuality education just the same way that parents, and indeed the society have also overlooked this all-important aspect of their development. UJUNWA ATUEYI writes.
ONE of the most basic definitions of sex education is that it is an instruction on issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual activities, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, sexual abstinence and birth control.
It is usually offered to students through their parents, caregivers, schools, enlightenment programmes and public health campaigns, to enable them understand their body functions, feelings and relationships before attaining adolescence.
It also offers young people a better understanding of the society around them and enables them make informed choices in order to be safe.
Important as this aspect of growing up is, a recent check by The Guardian revealed that students with disabilities especially the deaf and blind students as well as others with special needs are disconnected from this kind of learning.
In fact, a visit to some schools for physically challenged students in Lagos State showed that little or no form of sex education goes on in the ones visited. The same scenario also held sway in most of their homes.
Analysts are of the opinion that the situation is this way because most parents, educators, professionals, government and the society at large have refused to acknowledge the fact that everyone, regardless of physical or mental abilities have sexual feelings, needs and desires, which if not well handled may lead to emotional torture and even much more dire consequences including death.
It is commonplace in the society to find out that these classes of students are, more often than not kept away from sexual and health sensitisation programmes organised by schools, corporate and non-governmental organisations.
In their online publication elucidating the importance of providing sexuality education to children with special needs, family support specialist at the Texas Deafblind Outreach, Kate Moss and teacher trainer, Robbie Blaha, maintained that parents and educators have a responsibility to meet the needs of the deaf and blind students in making them sexually competent, as they have a right to experience that important aspect of being human.
“We owe it to them to become knowledgeable about their needs in this area and to provide the support and instruction they require.
Parents must recognise that inappropriate sexual behaviour puts their children at great risk of failure in all areas of their lives. They must also acknowledge their children’s vulnerability in the world without becoming paralysed by fear. We believe that openness and communication are key to keeping children safe.
“Like the rest of us, people with deaf-blindness have the right to be sexual beings. It is part of who they are. Like the rest of us, they need information and guidance to be able to express their sexuality in socially, appropriate and safe ways.
As loving parents and caring professionals, we owe it to these children to provide quality sexuality education right from the start.”
They submitted further, “A deaf-blind child who is more social, who has good communication skills, and who does have a basic understanding of ‘rules,’ has an entirely different set of needs related to sexuality education.
These children will probably understand and seek out others as a source of sexual gratification and affection. They may be interested in having boyfriends or girlfriends.
They may want to date, have intercourse, marry, have children, and so forth. “Their sexuality is one area that they definitely have in common with their non-disabled peers. These children and young adults need the kind of sexuality education that their non deaf-blind peers experience,” they submitted.
Proprietress of Do-Estdot Group of Schools, Idimu, (a school for the hearing and hearing-impaired), Mrs. Esther Ogunbayo, could not agree less with the duo, insisting that parents have a huge role to play in giving sexuality education, which she stressed, must necessarily start from home.
“But to achieve this, parents must know the sign language, and majority of them do not know sign language and are not willing to learn. How then can you communicate with your child if you are not versed in sign language? These special needs children are in lack of so many things and some parents are not willing to help in providing useful advice to them.
“Usually, parents are meant to be their children’s companions, children on the other hand should be able to confide in their parents, but how can a child with hearing impairment achieve this intimacy when parents do not know how to communicate with sign language? Even in the larger society, there are very few people that know how to communicate with sign language.
Having said that, it is important for sex education to start from home as the school is just complementing parents’ efforts. But where parents cannot provide useful advice to their children, it remains a big burden to the school and the society.
“These special needs children easily accept people who can sign for them, and once you can do that, you will automatically become their second mother or companion.
In all of these, we are just talking about the ones that are in school. But what of those that are not in school? We need to reawaken the consciousness of parents and let them realise that there is ability in disability,” she said.
Commenting on the extent, which the school goes to in exposing the students to sex education, she said, “We don’t really go deeply into it because these children are so smart, and if you go very deep, you may see them wanting to experiment. However, parents need to learn sign language and devote enough time to their children.”
Principal of the school, Mr. Adeyemi Adebisi, informed that through enlightenment programmes, the school sometimes expose all the students to topics related to sex education in a manner that makes meaning to them. .
“We have our own way of teaching the hearing impaired, and whatever we say, interpreters are always on hand interpreting to them to enable them get the message. More than that, what we do mainly for the hearing impaired is monitoring, because their physical challenge makes them tend to develop complex.
“They want to feel accepted and before you know it, some of them start imagining things. They use sign language to discuss issues of sex, relationship and marriage. Some years back, we had an issue where two deaf students where discussing and mentioning the private part of a man, what they do with it, and the size.
And one of them was expressing how she likes male teachers. These were things on her inner mind that she was expressing to someone else. So, this shows all of us that they have feelings like all of us and need to be guided.
The situation is this way because most parents, educators, professionals, government and the society at large have refused to acknowledge the fact that everyone, regardless of physical or mental abilities have sexual feelings, needs and desires, which if not well handled may lead to emotional torture and even much more dire consequences including death.
“However, we were taken aback by that act, and we made our investigation and discovered that even in her house, she has been keeping a sexual relationship unnoticed.
Her parents even confessed that she had certain behaviours they could not define. So, both the government and the society need to see these children as part of us.
Ogunbayo
As we make policies for every other person in the society, special needs students also need policy structures suitable for their needs.”
To engage such students in sex education, Adebisi advised, “We should start with enlightenment on the use of sign language in our society. If you know the number that these people (children with special needs) constitute in our society you will know that it is a significant number that cannot be ignored.
If Hausa and Yoruba languages are taught in schools and in the media, sign language can also be taught to help in communicating with them.
“Because not all of these people have the opportunity of being in school, sex education should not be limited to only those that are in school; those that do not have the opportunity of being in school should not be disregarded.
That is why at times, sex education is limiting when attention is focused only on schools. Getting the right values taught to anybody, anywhere is key to achieving the desired results.”
For the Principal, Wesley School for the Hearing Impaired, Surulere, Mr. Solomon Abbey, teachers do their bit to bring such to the notice of the children during their lessons in subjects like social studies, “but we do not go beyond that.” He said, “The school has put in place programmes that seeks to teach parents sign language because we have discovered that the major problem with hearing impaired children is communication.
These are children who are not able to communicate verbally and so have resorted to the use of sign language, and the sign language is such that those of us who are trained in teaching them can use effectively, but parents have to make an effort to learn the sign.
“Every second Thursday of the month, we urge parents to come, before our usual parents-teachers forum. We freely teach sign language to them. But very few of the parents are available, you know the Lagos situation, they have one excuse or the other about personal or business engagements so as to earn a living. So, the number that attend is not encouraging, but we always do our best to teach the children.”
He added that sexuality education remains of great importance to every adolescent child even before they attain that stage of life, whether the child is hearing impaired or not.
“As teachers, we are aware of things every child ought to know for their proper adjustment in the society, but everything we do here is being regulated. We work with the Lagos State school curriculum.” For the Principal of Pacelli School for the Blind & Partially Sighted Children, Sister Jane Onyeneri, sex education is very important in every individual’s life.
But it is disheartening to know that parents and some schools do not help children in that regard, especially those with disabilities.
“But here, through the ‘Daily Living Skills,’ we teach our students sexuality education because it is very important before they start discussing boy/girl friends. We teach them how to handle their feelings, take shower; take care of their eyes and then mobility.
“We don’t know how much parents do at home, but we put in great effort to ensure that they have information that would guide their future. We are asking government to step up and support us because maintenance of blind students is very expensive. We learnt government has a budget for the disabled, but it doesn’t get to us.
It is a big shame that we are helping the government to educate Nigerian students, yet we do not receive support.” Noting that Nigerian culture does not support such teaching and training, Onyeneri urged all stakeholders to offer sex education to children owing to its benefits.
Skye Bank POISED to play and dominate the tier one retail banking space, Skye Bank Plc has announced a profit before tax of N6.2 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015, representing an increase of 82 per cent over the N3.4 billion recorded during the same period in 2013. Similarly, the bank’s profit after tax grew to N5 billion during the review period compared to N2.7 billion achieved during the corresponding period in 2013, showing a rise of 85 per cent. According to the unaudited result for the year under review submitted on the floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange yesterday, the bank also recorded strong growth in all the performance indicators, showing significant appropriation to retained earnings, demonstrating its ambition and readiness to play and dominate the tier one retail banking space. The figure reflected the bank’s inclination towards fee based transactions. Its fee and commission income which was N6.2 billion in 2013, increased to N10.2 billion in the first quarter of 2014, representing a growth of 64.5 per cent. Its headline and bottom-line profits in the period under review were tempered by impairment charges, regulatory payments and higher operating cost, including cost of acquisition of Mainstreet Bank among others. These muscled-down the profit before tax of 46.7 per cent from N19.65 billion to N9.74 billion. The expanded business activities of the bank also manifested in a big rise in its gross earnings which rose to N42.3 billion from N34.3 billion in 2013, appreciating by 23 per cent. The shareholders’ fund also rose to N137.3 billion from N132 billion. Retained earnings, which are indicator of a bank’s plans for growth in the future, was grown by 70.6 per cent from N19.73 billion in the 2013 financial year to N33.7 billion in 2014. The figures helped swell the bank’s total equity level to N132.26 billion from N121.4 billion, nine per cent rise. The IFRS compliant result showed the bank’s total assets hitting N1.43 billion as against N1.42 billion during the same period in 2013. Similarly, its total liabilities, including total deposits, stood at N1.3 trillion as against N1.2 trillion in the preceding year. The result also showed operating income was up marginally to N69.33 billion from N68.5 billion indicating increased efficiency in cost management.
Okonkwo has been the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Fidelity Bank FIDELITY Bank Plc has assured investors that the bank is well positioned to leverage emerging opportunities in the global financial space, even as it targets seven percent net interest growth in 2015.
Addressing stock brokers during the ‘Facts Behind the Figures’ of the bank in Lagos on Tuesday, the Managing Director, Nnamdi Okonkwo
who expressed optimism that the bank would emerge the best retail bank in Nigeria in a near future, said the bank is well focused in delivering and sustaining its medium and long term strategy that would accelerate business growth in the areas of retail infrastructure and Small and Medium Enterprise (SMES) lending.
Already, the retail banking strategy, according to Okonkwo, gathered increased momentum in 2014 with the bank acquiring over 471,000 new retail customers, just as consumer loans grew by over 21 per cent and core low-cost retail deposit by 18 per cent which lowered the bank’s average cost of customer deposits.
He explained that the N30 billion unsecured bond raised by the bank recently would be used to finance business growth in the areas of retail infrastructure and Small and Medium Enterprise (SMES) lending.
According to him, “The bond is due for 2022 with issuing price of N1,000 per unit, payable in full on application. The offer was fully subscribed, it is a measure of confidence that investors have for Fidelity Bank.
“We are in a journey to deliver better, improved and newer bank and this is one of the ways to travel there. That confidence which investors placed in us will not be misplaced. We will justify it. It is a tough year but we believe we will get there.”
He assured that with the capital adequacy ratio of 23.2 per cent, which is already above regulatory requirement, well positioned to leverage emerging opportunities from the new dispensation.
Okonkwo added that the bank is targeting seven percent growth in net interest margin, with an increase of 10per cent in return on equity.
REVENUE collected by the Federal Government from crude oil and gas export has dropped by 39.8 per cent to N359.73 billion in the month of February, according to the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This has however, affected the Federally-collected revenue estimated at N560.84 billion, showing a decline of 38.1 percent.
The CBN Economic Report for February released last week, attributed the decline to drop in revenue from crude oil and gas exports, occasion by the drop in the price of crude oil in the international market. It explained that of the gross federally-collected revenue, a net sum of N408.37 billion (excluding deductions and transfers) was transferred to the Federation Account for distribution among the three tiers of government and the 13 per cent Derivation Fund.
It said that the Federal Government received N194.35 billion, while the state and local governments received N98.58 billion and N76.00 billion, respectively. “The balance of N39.45 billion was distributed to the oil- producing states as 13 per cent Derivation Fund. From the VAT Pool Account, the Federal Government received N9.21 billion, while the state and local governments received N30.69 billion and N21.48 billion, respectively”.
In addition, the sums of N8.57 billion and N5.20 billion were distributed as Exchange Gain and NNPC Additional Revenue among the three tiers of government and the 13 per cent Derivation Fund as follows: “the Federal Government received (N3.93 billion and N2.38 billion), while the state and local governments received (N1.99 billion and N1.21 billion), and (N1.54 billion and N0.93 billion), respectively. The balance of (N1.11 billion and N0.68 billion) was distributed to the oil- producing states as 13 per cent Derivation Fund”.
He added the sum of N6.33 billion was received by the Federal Government from the NNPC in respect of the 6th equal installment refund of indebtedness. “Overall, the total allocation to the three tiers of government from the Federation Account and VAT Pool Account in the review month amounted to N489.85billion, compared with N568.79 billion in the preceding month”, it said.
The apex bank put Nigeria’s crude oil production, including condensates and natural gas liquids at an average of 1.90 million barrels per day (mbd) or 53.2 million barrels for the month.
This was 0.05 mbd or 2.6 per cent below the average of 1.95 mbd or 60.45 million barrels produced in the preceding month.
Crude oil export was estimated at 1.45 mbd or 40.6 million barrels. This represented a decline of 3.3 per cent below the 1.50 mbd recorded in the preceding month. Deliveries to the refineries for domestic consumption remained at 0.45 mbd or 12.6 million barrels during the review month.
At an estimated average of $59.24 per barrel, the price of Nigeria’s reference crude, the Bonny Light (37o API), rose further by 21.9 per cent above the level in the preceding month. The average prices of other competing crudes, namely the U.K Brent at $57.96 per barrel, the West Texas Intermediate at $50.67 per barrel; and the Forcados at $59.62 per barrel, also showed similar trends as the Bonny Light.
The average price of OPEC’s basket of eleven crude streams, at $54.06 per barrel, indicated an increase of 21.8 per cent, but indicated showed a decline of 48.7 per cent below the average of $44.38 and $105.38 per barrel recorded in the preceding month and the corresponding period of 2014, respectively
Investing.com Shares in Tokyo gained despite a downward revision in wages data with Hong Kong and Shanghai also up and Sydney down. The Nikkei 225 rose 0.66%, while the Shanghai Composite jumped 2.72% and the Hang Seng index gained 0.40%.
Offsetting the trend, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.24%. The strong Australian dollar and federal spending plans are the key variables in assessing the case for a further rate cut from a record low 2%, the Reserve Bank of Australia said in the minutes of its May meeting that were released on Tuesday. Since the May meeting, Australia released a federal budget that leaned more toward spending control than stimulus.
In Japan, March total wages were revised down to unchanged from a preliminary gain of 0.1%. Overnight, U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Healthcare, Financials and Telecoms sectors led shares higher.
At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.14% to hit a new all time high, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.30%, and the NASDAQ Composite index added 0.60%.
FOURTEEN people were killed in separate violence that rocked Ekiti, Plateau and Benue states on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Three of the deaths were recorded in Ado Ekiti during a clash between transport workers and Hausa traders while six were in Plateau State where gunmen invaded four villages in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
The third incident which was also by gunmen left five persons dead in Jooter, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state.
The Ado Ekiti fracas was said to have started building up on Tuesday night when a bag belonging to the wife of a chieftain of the road transport workers was snatched by unknown persons along the ever-busy Ijigbo-Old Garage area of the city.
The victim was also allegedly raped, a development that irked the drivers who, engaged the Hausa in a fre-for-all in Erekesan Market, Oja Oba in the state capital.
An eyewitness said the victim’s husband reported the matter to his colleagues after his efforts to identify the perpetrators failed.
He added that butchers who, are mainly Yoruba, fought on the side of the Hausa against the transport workers whom they accused of undue harassment and unprovoked attacks.
“The fighting was made worse by hoodlums who joined the transport workers. They were fighting with guns, bottles, charms, clubs, cutlasses and knives. At least three people died. Some were also injured,” he told one of our correspondents.
Our correspondent in the state reported that the violence spread from the market – Old Garage – Mugbagba axis of the city to Atikankan area, a converging point for many Hausa traders in the state.
As of the time of filing this report, Ajilosun, Okeyinmi, Okesha and Irona were no-go areas .
According to our correspondent, the hoodlums vandalised many vehicles and set many shops at the Erekesan Market ablaze after looting them .
Banks and other business outlets operating in the city were forced to shut down to avoid being looted by the hoodlums.
Sunday Adigun, a cameraman with the Core TV, who was beaten to a pulp, had his camera smashed for trying to cover the fighting which was hijacked by hoodlums.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, did not confirm the deaths but he said that four persons wounded during the fracas were taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
The state new Commissioner of Police, Etop James, who spoke with residents of the affected areas, expressed regrets over the incident and promised to restore normalcy in the city.
Our correspondent in Plateau State gathered that the attack on the four villages in Barkin LGA – Jong, Lobirin, Rabuk and Zim – was a reprisal by some armed youths for similar incidents in some Fulani communities.
Police Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Abu, who confirmed the attack, said no arrest had been made.
Abu added that the Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Oki, had ordered the redeployment of more policemen in the LGA to prevent further attacks.
He urged the affected communities to remain calm and report any suspicious movement to the police.
The PUNCH gathered in Benue State that about 10 gunmen in a Toyota vehicle shot sporadically at people at a drinking spot in Jooter, Ukum LGA, killing five of them.
The gunmen were said to be looking for a target who was said to have gone to the place to have a drink.
An eyewitness who did not want his name in print said that the “target” was among the injured.
The state Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Austin Ezeani, who confirmed the incident, said that three people were killed and five critically injured.
A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has asked the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to transfer some police officers from Ekiti State for collaborating with kidnappers who are behind the recent wave of abduction in the state.
In his letter dated May 19, 2015 addressed to Arase, Falana commended the IGP for dispatching crack team to the state in response to the call for intervention by the state’s governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.
Falana, however, said the current atmosphere of impunity in the state was aiding the rampant cases of kidnap in the state.
The letter read in part, “In the atmosphere of impunity which obtains in Ekiti State, armed thugs have been operating with the connivance of the state government. The police and the Department of State Service have been officially restrained from arresting the criminal elements.
“In the circumstance, they have unleashed mindless violence on innocent people. The criminal gang has since been joined by kidnap suspects who escaped from the Lokoja Prisons. Hence, the wave of kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes have reached an alarming proportion in Ekiti State.
“While commending you for drafting a special crack team to Ekiti State headed by a new Commissioner of Police, you ought to transfer some of the police officers in the Ekiti State police command for allegedly collaborating with some of the criminal gangs.
“And to ensure that criminal suspects who are arrested by the police are promptly charged to court, you should impress it on the Ekiti State government to enter into negotiations with the striking judicial workers with a view to reopening the courts without any further delay.”
Falana also blamed the successive administrations in the state from the government of Segun Oni, the first term of Fayose in office and the immediate past administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi for the political killings that had taken place under their watch.
The letter further read, “During the first term of Governor Ayo Fayose (2003-2006) there were politically motivated killings in Ekiti State. In several reports compiled by the police and the DSS the killings were traced to a killer squad funded by the Ekiti State government.”
The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, denied on Wednesday that he was the candidate of National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the speakership of the 8th Assembly.
Gbajabiamila, who is one of the leading contestants for the number four job, spoke in Abuja as he met with Peoples Democratic Party members-elect in continuation of his campaign for the position.
Other contenders include Chairman, Committee on House Services, Mr. Yakubu Dogara; Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Mohammed Monguno; Chairman, Committee on Finance, Mr. Abdulmumini Jibrin; and Mr. Pally Iriase.
However, the race has lately narrowed down to Gbajabiamila and Dogara, seen as the front runners.
Speaking specifically on being Tinubu’s candidate, the Lagos lawmaker said he was often surprised when he heard or read about such insinuation.
He stated that, having led the opposition for eight years in the House, he wondered how people came about the idea that he did not have the capacity to lead the House unless he relied on Tinubu to make a case for him.
However, he admitted that prominent Nigerians, including the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, had pleaded with Tinubu to support him, but that he did not give them any answer until a few weeks back when the APC leader said “ maybe this man (Gbajabiamila) has some appeal.”
He spoke more, “I have led the opposition for the past eight years with the best of my ability. I have faced a lot of threats and intimidation to life right from the time of (Olusegun) Obasanjo up to about two weeks ago.
“The way I stick my neck for the opposition, I seek to do same for Nigeria as speaker. I want this campaign to be about issues and hoped it would be that way, but I heard a lot of many negative stories. I tried to maintain dignified silence, but I want to set the record straight now.
“I intend to be speaker not for anbody. Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has not hand in it. Lamido Sanusi left his palace in Kano and pleadd with him to support me. He didn’t get a clear answer.
“Shortly after that, Senator Lawan Shuaibu went to Tinubu on the same issue. He still did not respond until when few weeks ago, Nasiru El-Rufai went to meet him, then he said maybe this man has some appeal.
“In 2011, some members from the North went to him to suggest that I should be Tambuwal’s deputy, but he said no to that.”
Gbajabiamila also spoke on how some lawmakers were demanding to be chairmen of particular committees as a condition for supporting him.
He alleged that such members were among the people going about town saying that he was Tinubu’s candidate.
He assured the PDP members that allocation of committees would be based on fairness, justice and quality.
The House Deputy Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, who led the delegation, said the PDP members would go back and study his campaign promises to see how the caucus would key in into his agenda.
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the National Union of Post and Telecommunication Employees on Wednesday shut down the operations of the Nigerian Postal Services in Abuja.
Hundreds of aggrieved members of NUPTE and officials of the NLC, led by the Congress’ President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, stormed the headquarters of NIPOST to protest an alleged decision of the management (of NIPOST) to compel Level 07 members of staff, numbering over 4,000, to join the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations, contrary to their wish.
Addressing the protesting workers, Wabba said that the NIPOST management wrote the Accountant General’s Office to send check-off dues deducted from Level 07 officials of the organisation who have been in NUPTE for over 30 years to the SSACTAC.
He said the NIPOST management violated the rights of workers to belong to unions of their choice.
The NLC President also denied a claim by SSACTAC that the matter was before the court and that a prevailing court order had been issued to restrain the NLC from further action.
“Section 40 of our Constitution says there is freedom of association. These workers have been members of NUPTE for over 30 years. Overnight, the management transferred them to SSACTAC. Is that law? Freedom of association means workers should decide which union they want to belong; it is not at the whim and caprices of the management.
“The management wrote a letter to the Office of the Accountant General, ceding those members to SSACTAC. They have belonged to NUPTE for over 30 years. These are of our grievances.
“ILO Convention says the workers have a right to the freedom of association. They belong to a union; you must seek their consent. The workers here are protesting because they have ceded them to another union so as to undermine their interest.
“Well, we have not been served. I have not seen any court injunction. That is why we are here. We are respecters of the law. Once we are served and put on notice, we would abide by the law. Nobody told us about any court order.
“Over 4,000 workers were ceded to another union. They belong to NUPTE before now. That is the reason for this picketing.”
NUPTE is one of the 43 affiliate unions of the NLC.
However, the President of SSACTAC told journalists that the affected NUPTE members were members of SSACTAC who were on loan to NUPTE to beef up its finances.
He said that the matter was being resolved within NIPOST. However, he said he was surprised at the action of the NLC.
In his comments on the issue, the President of NUPTE, Sunday Alhassan, said that the NIPOST management took an arbitrary decision to compel the workers to join another union and went ahead to pay their check-off dues to that union.
He said that NUPTE had called on the NIPOST management to reverse the decision before the action to picket the office on Wednesday.
He said that if the decision was not reversed, NUPTE would be compelled to shut down NIPOST operations nationwide.
The NIPOST Postmaster General, Alhaji Mori Baba, was not available to address the protesting workers.
The Deputy Postmaster General, Human Resources, Mr. Chabiri Ndahi, told the labour leaders and workers that the Postmaster General stayed away from the office during the protest because of concerns over his personal security.
The workers, who turned up at the NIPOST headquarters as early as 7am, carried placards which read, ‘Remit our check-off dues to NUPTE’, ‘NUPTE is my union’, ‘It is the exclusive right of NIPOST workers to chose the union they wish to belong’, ‘Postmaster General is violating our right to association’, ‘Anti-labour policies against NUPTE in NIPOST now’, among others.
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said he conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28 presidential election because of his desire to keep the country away from conflict.
He said having been involved in solving many problems in African countries for more than five years, he knew the enormity and cost of conflicts and would not want Nigeria to witness such.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the President as speaking while receiving members of the African Ambassadors’ Group, who were on a farewell and solidarity visit to his boss at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said he would always be committed to strengthening democracy in Nigeria and Africa.
Jonathan added that his decision to concede defeat was to show example to the world that democracy could survive and thrive in Africa without conflict.
The President said, “I believe that character matters in leadership. And it is not just about who becomes the President of a country, but somebody has to be there and the person needs the support of all to succeed.
“I made a choice to keep the country away from conflict.
“I have always advised other African leaders that we will need to have a country before we can have the ambition to become President.
“We don’t have to expose our people to deaths because we want to stay in power. Some people hold on to power, may be, for fear of the unknown.”
The President recalled working extensively for more than five years with other African leaders to forestall crisis in some African countries, especially in the West African sub-region.
He also said he led peace efforts in some of the countries like Cote ‘d’Ivoire, Mali and Guinea Bissau.
“I have been involved in solving many problems in African countries for more than five years and I know the enormity and cost of conflicts, especially on the citizenry. We cannot afford that in Nigeria.
“If we were to have a political conflict in Nigeria, I am not sure the sub-region will be able to accommodate our citizens.
“My commitment is to always put the country before my personal ambition and that is what I have demonstrated,” he added.
Jonathan then called on the global community and Nigerians to support the incoming government of Buhari.
He said the incoming government would need the cooperation and commitment of the global community and Nigerians to effectively deliver on its promises to the people.
“The President-elect is not new to governance in Africa so I want you to show the same commitment to him as you have to me. The President-elect knows that our commitment is always to project Africa. I am urging you to extend the same warmth and solidarity you have shown to me to him,’’ he said.
The President further enjoined African leaders to encourage trade within the continent by building infrastructures and institutions that could promote trade and relationships.
In his remarks, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps in Nigeria, Oubi Bochir, commended Jonathan’s high sense of patriotism, statesmanship and transparency in the last general elections.
He noted that the President won the heart and minds of all Nigerians and Africans after the elections.
