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Bayelsa to commence payment of wage awards, gratuities to LG workers, retirees
Bayelsa Government has assured that it would kickstart the payment of wage awards to all local government employees, with effect from August, to cushion the excruciating effects of fuel subsidy removal on the workers.
The state Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the assurance on Monday at a meeting with Local Government Stakeholders, including the Eight Caretaker Committee Chairmen, labour leaders and principal officers of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) at Government House, Yenagoa.
He announced that the state government, in collaboration with the local government councils, would also ensure the payment of gratuities to councils’ retirees who were yet to benefit.
He informed that government had approved 30% payment of the gratuities across board for the retirees, which would also take effect from August.
On the wage awards, the deputy Governor said council workers on grade levels one to six will now earn N20,000 as additional salary, grade levels seven to 10, N30,000, while those on grade levels 12 to 14 will now have N40,000 added to their salaries.
He added that government had also approved N50,000 as wage awards to council employees on grade level 15 to 17, while Heads of Local Governments will earn N100,000 as additional salary.
He said: “While waiting for the reliefs from the Federal Government, we are proposing a wage award for local government employees.
“The Governor has given anticipatory approval but I believe he will give the final approval this week. And we will start implementing the approval.
“That is why I have always encouraged local government workers to be patient with us. We are aware of your sufferings and the state government will not hesitate to intervene.
“On gratuities, we have also made some proposal, which we want the local governments to support us. The proposal is that, we should pay 30 per cent across board to all those who have retired from wherever the payment stopped to 2022 and one month in 2023.
“Our plan is for every local government retiree to get something at the end of this month (August). The Governor has already approved this. We are only going to raise a committee to supervise the payment because we still have some grey areas to address,” he said.
Ewhrudjakpo, who commended local government workers and retirees for their understanding and patience, assured that the Prosperity Administration would continue to take steps to address issues concerning their welfare.
On the ongoing data capturing exercise for the computerization of staff on the Oracle Payroll System, the deputy governor appealed to the workers’ union at the local government level to be a little bit patient with government to test run the software and make necessary corrections before full take-off.
Responding to questions raised by some of the stakeholders, the Bayelsa Number Two Man assured that approval would be given for the conduct of the 2023 senior staff promotion exercise, due in 2023, to bring them at par with their state counterparts.
The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN has warned against obstructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out its lawful duty .
Fagbemi’s warning is contained in a statement in Abuja.
“This is a matter of very grave concern, it is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigations into any matter, regardless of status.
“Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC, but to honourably answer their invitation.
“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting’’.
He added that running away from the law will not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbate them.
“Nigeria has a vibrant judicial system that is capable of protecting everyone who follows the rule of law in seeking protection.
“I therefore encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honouring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism.
“This can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world’’.
He said institutions of state should be allowed to function effectively and efficiently.
“I stand for the rule of law and will promptly call EFCC, and indeed any other agency to order when there is an indication of any transgressions of the fundamental rights of any Nigerian by any of the agencies’’.
NAN reports that the EFCC had on Wednesday warned members of the public that it was a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.
Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.
The warning , the EFCC said, became necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.
On several occasions, the anti graft agency said, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
Some unknown gunmen have kidnapped Joshua Rogers, the ChannelsTV reporter in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Politics Nigeria learnt that Rogers was picked up close to his residence at Rumuosi in Port Harcourt and to an unknown destination by the gunmen around 9pm on Thursday, April 11.
The reporter was driving his official ChannelsTV branded car when the hoodlums accosted, pointed a gun at him and took him away in the same vehicle.
Rogers was said to be returning from his official assignment in Government House after a trip to Andoni for a government event when the incident happened.
Already, the gunmen were said to have contacted his wife and demanded a N30million ransom for bis release.
His cameraman confirmed the incident and appealed to his abductors to set him free unconditionally.
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