Fayose left N57bn unpaid workers’ salaries, pension arrears

Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti on Tuesday said that the workers in the state civil service were currently being owed N57 billion as arrears of unpaid salaries and emoluments.

The governor said this at a meeting with civil servants as well as a cross-section of labour leaders at the Government House, Ado Ekiti.

He said that his administration was making frantic efforts to defray the backlogs which he said would be done in phases.

Fayemi claimed the trend was caused by irregular payments of salaries and pensions by the immediate past administration of Mr Ayodele Fayose.

He said the arrears covered outstanding salaries, pensions, promotion arrears, leave bonuses and other emoluments from 2014 till October 2018 when he assumed office.

The governor also said he was not part of the people that were opposed to local government autonomy.

He said the local governments in the state were currently being given unfettered access to administer their own funds without interference from his government.

Fayemi said he would honour his earlier pledge to pay all the outstanding workers’ benefits.

The governor clarified that some would be given immediate attention, while some would be defrayed by installment.

He said, “It is sad to reel out such a homongous figure, because it can create panic for you and I. But let me say that we cannot pay everything in one fell swoop, but the 2019 promotion arrears will be given immediate attention while others will be defrayed by installment.

”It becomes difficult to pay once because Ekiti gets a little above N5 billion monthly, with the state getting like N3 billion, while the local governments receive little above N2 billion monthly,“ he said.

On the issue of local government autonomy, Fayemi said he was never opposed to the idea of giving financial independence to the third tier of government, being the closest to the grassroots.

“I am not opposed to it. Since I came back as governor, not even one naira of the local government money was being administered by me. I have allowed the councils to manage whatever comes to them.”

Fayemi said that the state under him was considering alternative power supply option to shore up the one being supplied to the state from national grid.

He said he was planning the alternative because the current supply was grossly inadequate and crippling economic activities in the state.

The governor also said that he had earmarked some funds for the Ministry of Environment to undertake erosion and flood control projects in some towns.

Fayemi said that this was because of the recent flooding that ravaged Ado Ekiti and other towns, of which many civil servants were major victims.

He also said that he would discuss the acute shortage of manpower in the health sector with the Health Management Board (HMB) when it was raised by the labour leaders.

According to him, he would ascertain the actual statistics and how to fill the missing gaps in the health sector.

The Chairman of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Kayode Fatomiluyi, had called the attention of the governor to the chronic shortage of manpower in the health sector.

Fatomiluyi said, “Over 1,000 nurses were at HMB in 2014 during your first term, Your Excellency Sir.

“But today, we have less than 500 to manage 22 health facilities across the state.

“The Governor must do something about this,” he said.

Some of the other labour union leaders in the state that attended the meeting include: Kolapo Olatunde of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Sola Adigun of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

They also pleaded that issues that had to do with the benefits of workers must be given utmost priority.

They urged the governor to use his connection as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to fast track the implementation of the new minimum wage for workers.

- PM NEWS

Champions League: 5 teams that could win trophy this season

At about 7.55 p.m. West African time tonight, the Tony Britten-composed Champions League anthem will play across at least eight stadiums in Europe. And in many homes in every continent of the world.

Europe’s elite club competition is back.

Today, Tuesday, current holders Liverpool, will begin their quest to retain the trophy they won in May, when they saw off Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English final in Madrid.

Which clubs are likely to be crowned Champions this season?

1. Liverpool: You cannot rule out Jurgen Klopp’s men again. They stormed through the competition last season to win it. The Reds have begun their domestic campaign on fire, winning all of their five Premier League fixtures so far and opening a five-point gap at the top. You can’t bet against them going at it again on the continent.

2. Barcelona: After Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of last year’s semi-final tie, you could have put your mortgage of the Catalans qualifying for the final. But it was never to be, as Klopp’s men backed by the Kop, pulled off a remarkable comeback at Anfield. Messi and co will be seeking to right the wrongs this year and go all the way.

3. Real Madrid: Zidane won the trophy every year he was head coach of Real Madrid, before he stepped aside in May 2018. The Frenchman who has added Eden Hazard to his squad, will be looking to make it happen again this term. And with his wealth of experience, he might just pull if off.

4. Juventus: The only reason Juventus splashed all that money on Cristiano Ronaldo, was so they could win the Champions League again. Last season, the Italian champions were stopped by Ajax, who stunned most of Europe’s big names. Since then, Maurizio Sarri, Aaron Ramsey and even Gianluigi Buffon have joined the Turin side, making them one of the favourites.

5. Manchester City: Who can forget the sight of Pep Guardiola jumping around the Etihad, only for VAR to rule out a last-minute Raheem Sterling goal? It was truly a painful and comical sight at the same time. But there will be no jokes this time around, as the Spaniard aims to make his mark in Europe, after winning everything he can in England.

- DAILY POST

Invictus Obi, Nigerian entrepreneur, remanded in US prison until February over ‘$11m fraud’

Obinwanne Okeke, Invictus Group CEO, who is better known as Invictus Obi, has been remanded in a US prison until February 2020 over an alleged $11 million fraud.

He pleaded not guilty to a two-count-charge of internet fraud when his case came up for hearing at a court in Virginia on Monday.

The entrepreneur who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigated for an alleged $11 million internet fraud.

At the commencement of his trial, the judge at the federal courthouse, Virginia, ordered that Okeke be remanded in prison until February 18, 2020 when the trial will continue.

Okeke will have spent six months in prison by February.

A federal grand jury had looked at the evidence presented by the FBI and the United States Department of Justice.

The jury was unanimous that Okeke should be made to forfeit at least $11 million in asset. The department found him guilty, and recommended his trial.

If convicted, Okeke could spend up to 30 years in prison, and the likelihood of forfeiting his wealth.

The Nigerian was once listed by Forbes as one of the 100 Most Influential Young Africans.

- THECABLE

Kanye West announces release date for ‘Jesus Is King’ album

American rapper and songwriter, Kanye West has officially announced the release date for his highly-anticipated ninth studio album, Jesus Is King.

According to a photo posted on West’s website, has been scheduled to drop Sept. 27 and feature 12 songs.

The previous title for the album was Yandhi.

West also mentioned the new album during his most recent Sunday Service performance in Georgia, Atlanta.

During his appearance in Batesville, Indiana, West took the stage to confirm the project is on the way. “Jesus Is King is out September 27th, so let’s continue this…”

West can be heard saying in the video posted below, to which the crowd responded with a loud cheer.

The photo of a notebook page with handwritten 12 tracks and song titles like “God Is,” “Baptized,” “Sunday” and “Sweet Jesus.” was previously shared by his wife, Kim Kardashian.

West was in town to show support for a family band, Infinity Song and singer Victory Boyd, who are signed to Roc Nation. The artists were trying to raise money for their upcoming tour and managed to gather $3,500 USD.

- PM NEWS

Heavy workload driving suicide, depression among Nigerian doctors

Heavy workload is driving suicide and depression among Nigerian doctors some of whom are leaving the country in large numbers, worsening the acute shortage of medical professionals in the country, a report says.

In April, Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment said Nigeria has enough doctors to meet its medical needs. His claim was fact-checked and found to be false.

An investigation by The PUNCH revealed that though the exodus of doctors from the country is not new, it has been on the increase in the past two years with new migrations to countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

According to the report, the exodus has increased the workload of those who are still in government service, and many states have not been employing doctors.

Saliu Oseni,  chairman of Lagos state Nigeria Medical Association, said about 50 -60 doctors leave the services of the state hospitals every six months.

Oseni reportedly said the failure of the state government to replace doctors, who had left its service, and employ new ones was affecting the service delivery of NMA members in the state.

“It will be difficult to give a total figure of doctors that have left the service of the  Lagos State Government since 2017, but to be conservative, no fewer than 50 to 60 doctors left the system every six months,” Oseni was quoted to have said.

“Some of them leave for greener pastures abroad. Some of them take offers from the federal government and some retire. Not replacing such doctors is a big challenge to us.

“The situation is affecting our members as they are being overworked. Some of the hospitals have not employed or replaced doctors that have left the system in the last two years.”

WHY DOCTORS ARE LEAVING

The doctors listed poor remuneration, insecurity, inadequate welfare, poor health infrastructure, enormous workload , as reasons they are forced to leave. 

“The work that is supposed to be done by junior officers is being done by senior officers and currently in Lagos state hospitals, you see a doctor attending to close to 100 patients per eight-hour work in a clinic which is not good for the doctor and the patients,” Oseni said.

“The ideal patient-doctor ratio is supposed to 1:500, but what we have currently in Lagos state-owned hospitals is one doctor to over 5000 patients. 

“If I am going to see 80 patients in eight hours, there is no way I’ll follow the routine properly. By standard, a doctor needs 15 to 30 minutes to attend to a patient very well.

“Conditions of our work are overwhelming. That is why suicide and depression are common among those of us that are still in the system.”

According to the report, rural areas are the most affected.

A doctor was quoted as saying: “Who wants to be killed? or who wants to be stunted in terms of career progression?” 

Stephen Kache, Kaduna NMA chairman, said that of the 33 medical doctors recently employed by the state government, only eight reported for duty.

“The current exodus of doctors we have is over 60 per cent. They left between six months and one year. In 2018, we did a  survey in some hospitals within the state and in one of the hospitals as of January, there were 21 doctors and by August of the same year,  there were eight doctors remaining, “Kache said. 

“Recently, the state government tried to replace those that had left and 33 doctors were employed. I am aware that out of the 33 that were employed, only eight of them have reported.”

NIGERIANS RESORT TO QUACKS AS DOCTORS COMMIT SUICIDE

On his part, Obelebra Adebiyi, chairman of Rivers NMA, said if the situation is not addressed urgently, patients would be forced to patronise quacks.

Adebiyi said: “I don’t know how many doctors have travelled abroad and how many are remaining in Rivers state because we have not done a study to get the statistics, but a lot of doctors are leaving the country and a lot more are still planning to leave for myriad reasons.”

The doctors also disclosed that the heavy workload is making some of their colleagues commit suicide.

“The effects are so enormous that some of our doctors are now committing suicide because of the pressure of work,” Mingeh Tijo, ex-NMA vice president, was quoted to have said.

“Poor service delivery is imminent because we are overworked, and then the patents are the ones suffering for this.

 “Patient-doctor ratio is approximately 1:5000. The number of patients a doctor sees per day depends on the locality the doctor is operating from. Some see 70 patients in a day;  some 100, but in some tertiary institutions, the ratio may not be as high as that. Again, it depends on whether the doctor is practising in a rural or urban area. “

Ike Okwesili, Rivers NMA chairman, reportedly said the brain drain had reached an alarming level.

He said failure to implement the consolidated salary scale caused the migration of workers from state to federal jobs, which he described as “internal brain drain”.

THE WAY OUT

Okwesili said the problem could be resolved by identifying its magnitude. 

“This has to come by way of full implementation of the National Health Act. The National Council on Health in Section 41of the Act has the responsibility of identifying the human resource requirements of the health sector across all levels of care,” he said.

“Doing this will give a quantitative assessment of the cumulative loss. 

“The enforcement of these will help all of us improve the budgetary allocations to health in line with the Abuja declaration.”

The doctors also urged government at all levels to ensure a quick rehabilitation of the health sector by investing in infrastructure across the country.

They said if health facilities and wages were improved across the countries, doctors and other health workers “would have a rethink and stay back”. 

- THECABLE

Buhari govt sets up task force to recover N5trn AMCON debt

The Buhari Government, in its bid to recover over N5 Trillion outstanding debts owed the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), has inaugurated an inter-agency Committee to speedily resolve the challenges in recovering the debts.

AMCON had released the list of its biggest debtors.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, tasked its members to turn the tide in what has been a rather difficult process where debtors have continued to default in their payment obligations.

About 67 per cent of the outstanding N5tn debt is said to be owed by just 20 individuals/entities.

“One of the Terms of Reference is for the Committee to prepare a report, giving us a sense of what the timelines would be,” the VP noted.

Following the challenges encountered from the debt-recovery processes and the very limited results so far, the Committee is expected to consider other options, including taking enforcement measures in actually recovering the debts.

Charging the Committee, which would be chaired by the Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, the VP expressed confidence in the expertise of the team to carry out the task ahead.

“I congratulate you on the very onerous task that has been set, to render this service. I know that, given the kind of individuals here, you will definitely turn this whole narrative around. So, I wish you all very well,” he said.

Members of the Committee include heads and representatives of agencies such as AMCON, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the ICPC, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The Committee, among other related tasks, is expected to review the status of debts owed to AMCON, deliberate on practical, legal and other strategies for the recovery of the outstanding debts, and prepare a report, which will include a debt recovery work plan with specific timelines for completion.

- DAILY POST

Minimum wage talks deadlocked: Labour accuses FG of hidden agenda

The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) and the Representatives of the Federal Government have again failed to reach an agreement over relativity and consequential adjustment for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Mr Alade Lawal, JNPSNC General Secretary, Trade Union Side, accused the Federal Government of a hidden agenda as the talks stalled.

Lawal said that the organised labour will decide in due time on the next line of action.

“The meeting is deadlocked, we found out that the Federal Government officials are not serious about it at all, we are suspecting foul play or a hidden agenda somewhere.

“We have decided to report the development to our principals, including the Labour unions, Nigerians will be adequately briefed of our next line of action very shortly.”

Chairman of the Labour team, Mr Simon Anchaver, said labour negotiating team has also resolved to write to the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, TUC on their advice to consider an industrial action.

He said government’s foot-dragging is an invitation for industrial action, since workers are already engulfed in fear and agitations whether their accumulated arrears will be paid when talks are finally concluded.

The Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, chaired the meeting, and the acting Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission was the Secretary of the negotiating council.

The new minimum wage bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in April.

However, negotiations continued as the issue of relativity/consequential adjustment of salaries is unresolved.

The Federal Government had on May 14 inaugurated the relativity/Consequential Adjustment Committee which in turn set up a Technical Sub-Committee to work out the template for the adjustment of salaries of Public Service Employees.

In a meeting between the government and labour last month (August), government proposed a 10 per cent increment for level seven to 14 and a 5.5 per cent increment for level 15 to 17.

Egbule, immediate past Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, attributed the delay in the implementation of the “consequential adjustment” of the N30,000 new minimum wage to the unrealistic demands of labour unions.

Egbule explained that the current demand of the labour unions would raise the total wage bill too high and that was why government could not accept their proposed salary adjustments.

But labour turned down government’s offer, proposing 30 per cent increase for levels seven to 14 and 25 per cent for levels 15 to 17.

The JNPSNC declined the offer, saying that since the increase in wage from N18, 000 to N30, 000 was 66 per cent, they wanted 66 per cent increment across board for all workers. 

- PM NEWS