The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Ngige

  • APC Releases PCC List, new names added, Ngige, other presidential aspirants missing

    APC Releases PCC List, new names added, Ngige, other presidential aspirants missing

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), yesterday finally released the much-awaited comprehensive list of members with notable persons like Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and few other presidential aspirants conspicuously missing.

    The new list still retained 17 party chieftains as leaders. which comprised President Muhammadu Buhari as chairman, party’s National Chairman, Abdulahi Adamu, presidential and vice presidential candidates, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, Plateau States governor, Simon Lalong, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole among others.

    It also has 13 Zonal coordinators, 24 State Coordinators, 20 Advisers, 84 Campaign Patrons, 10 Campaign Council members, seven Directors each in Strategic Communication, Public Affairs, Media and Publicity, Special Media Project, and 48 contact and mobilisation members at directorate cadres.

    Interestingly, former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, surprisingly retained his position in the list despite the controversies that trailed his inclusion in the earlier released list.

    Among campaign members include All APC National Assembly members, Federal Executive Council members, former governors and deputy governors who are members of APC, former APC NWC members, all APC serving NEC members, all APC serving Speakers, deputy Speakers and principal officers of State Assemblies. Former Speakers of State Assemblies, candidates of National and State Assemblies, and state chairmen.

    Some of those that made the Campaign Council Patrons are chief Bisi Akande, John Oyegun, Olusegun Osoba, Audu Ogbe, Barnabas Gemade, Abu Ibrahim, Babagana Kingibe, Don Eteibet, Yusuf Ali, Tanko Yakassai, Tajudeen Olusi, Pius Akinyelure, Ogbonaya Onu, Yau Darazo, Ameh Ebute, Issac Shahu, Steven Ugbah, Musiliu Smith, Ozichukwu Chuckwu, Ikeobasi Moghalu, Joy Emordi.

    (Sun)

  • 2023 Presidency: Soon I’ll contest for Presidency

     

    MINISTER of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has said he is making consultations with political leaders and would make his intentions on the 2023 presidency known by Easter.

    The minister who spoke at the Anambra office of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Awka at the weekend also distributed empowerment materials worth about N50 million to members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the three senatorial zones of the state.

    Ngige said: “We’ve started political talks again. Please, give me around Easter where we’re going to have another session like this to discuss your request.

    “I’m still consulting the political leaders in the country on your request. By that time I will decide, I know it’s my right to decide on that. I will take such a decision at the appropriate time.”

    A group of Anambra women led by Nancy Okafor had asked Ngige to declare for the presidency, adding that he was the right person from the South-East for the position. Okafor said, “We don’t want to wait for three months for you to decide whether to run or not, we’re mandating you to throw your hat in the ring for that position.”

    Items the Minister distributed to them included generating sets, grinding machines, sewing machines, hair-dressing machines, among others.

    Ngige said those empowered were trained at the skills acquisition centers at Alor in Idemili South local government area and Ifitedunu in Dunukofia local government area.

    He explained that before the end of the year, the target of the party is to touch close to 3,000 people from Anambra on blue-collar jobs, adding that the party would train them well, give them the skills and empowerment so that they can employ themselves.

    He added: “We will be having a series of training after which the participants will be given certificates as graduates. When you get certificates, you will either get our empowerment or you go to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and they will then do something for you.

    “Same goes for the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, which is our parastatal. NDE will start up its programmes too and you will also join the programme. These programmes are being facilitated by the Department of Skills in my ministry.

    “Today’s empowerment is phase two of that programme, which is monitored by people from my ministry. This empowerment programme is for those who will use these items here to further their businesses.

    “The generators here help those who have barbing salons to increase the number of barbing salons they have. If you have one, you are starting a second one now.

    “The women here who are also hairdressers, the generators will also help you in starting the second branch of your hairdressing salon; even if you’re going to combine with another person so that you can share the profits.

    “This generator will make you an investor and an entrepreneur. That is empowerment. Many people misunderstand empowerment. No. it is not a dash for you to go and carry the material and sell.”

     

    (Vanguard)

  • Ngige blames growing Insecurity on unemployment and under employment

     

    Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige has attributed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity to unemployment and underemployment.

     

    He urged the elites, particularly employers of labour, to address the twin problems so that peace and security could prevail across the land.

     

    Ngige spoke yesterday in Abuja while hosting the national officers of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), led by their National President Chinedu Okoronkwo, who was accompanied by the association’s consultant, Dr. Maurice Ibe of The Benham Group.

     

    The IPMAN leaders were in the minister’s office to seek his support for the association’s plan to enrol its over 2.5 million members into the Federal Government’s Micro Pension Plan (MPP). Officials of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) were also present.

     

    Ngige said: “A lot of the insecurity problems that we have are caused by unemployment and underemployment.

     

    “In underemployment, people are not making money up to the minimum wage of N30,000 monthly or they are not working up to eight hours in a week, which is the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standard. For full employment, that person must be in a workplace and doing eight hours.

     

    Read Also: Strike: NARD gives FG 72 hours to pay withheld salaries, others

    “Insecurity is caused by people who feel cheated by the society. They carry arms, they carry daggers, among other things, to vent their anger against the elites.

     

    “So, the elites in Nigeria are endangered, including me, all of us. So, the sooner we start talking to the elites in employer organisations, like yours, the better, so that we can cure this malady and prevent it from escalating,” he said.

     

    Ngige lauded the initiative by IPMAN leadership and urged other sub-groups in the informal sector, particularly the proprietors of private schools, to emulate the association in formalising their labour relations and ensure that they comply with the minimum wage requirement.

     

    Okoronkwo said the visit was informed by IPMAN’s understanding that Ngige and his ministry were central to realising the association’s plan to enrol its over 2 million members into the MPP of the Federal Government.

     

    “In trying to see how we can add value to the welfare of our workers, we discovered the Micro Pension Plan (MPP) of the Federal Government. We deemed it necessary that IPMAN must key into this programme, having got the approval of the National Executive Council (INEC) of our association,” he said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.thenationonlineng.net

  • Resident Doctors turn down FG’s Memorandum of Understanding

     

    Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has distanced itself from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) drafted by the Federal Government and vehemently refused to sign the document as a commitment to ending its ongoing industrial action.

     

    The association described the MoU as a veiled punishment for doctors, who are to bear the brunt of government’s failures.

    Resident doctors on August 1 commenced a strike over alleged failure of the Federal Government to implement an agreement bordering on salaries and allowances.

     

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had dragged the association before the National Industrial Court to adjudicate on the matter.

     

    The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), on Friday, led the resident doctors to a meeting summoned at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the nationwide strike.

     

     

     

    Briefing newsmen, yesterday, after the meeting with representatives of the Federal Government in Abuja, NARD National President, Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said he could not sign the MoU as a result of an undisclosed clause.

     

    “We rejected the MoU; we didn’t sign it because we feel we are being punished for the failures of those in government.”

     

    He announced the nationwide strike would continue and the association would continue with the court case.

     

    Uyilawa, however, disclosed NARD leadership would have to present the new MoU to its members before he could sign the document.

     

    On his part, Ngige said all other unions in the negotiation, including the NMA and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria have signed the new agreement.

     

    The minister said the meeting did not discuss the issue of ‘No Work No Pay’ but that all parties at the meeting agreed to an out-of-court settlement. He said the Federal Government would begin implementation of the MoU today.

     

    “The meeting agreed we need to let this matter go. Therefore, the budget office of the federation should start from the 2021 service vote to start paying. And if we have any leftovers, we roll it into 2022.

     

    “Coming to hazard allowance, everybody agreed the discussion is still ongoing and therefore the government wants to finish it up. We agreed with the NMA position that they don’t want to discuss holistically anymore as an association and that they have their own peculiarities that are not the same with other health workers.

     

    “We are going to do two meetings, one for NMA and affiliates and one for JOHESU. But we are taking the meetings concurrently so that we don’t run into troubled waters. We are starting next week,” Ngige said.

     

    Ngige disclosed the NMA has been directed to submit a written position on the controversial withdrawing of doctors under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and house officers from the scheme of service to point out the anomaly in the circular.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com