‘Why Heritage Bank Customers Are Yet To Get Their Funds Back After Bank License Revocation’
The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) says account name discrepancies in Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) linked to the alternate accounts of some defunct Heritage Bank customers are delaying the payment of their insured deposits. Mr Bello Hassan, the Managing Director of NDIC told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. Hassan said the corporation had paid a substantial amount to depositors of the defunct bank without BVN account-linked issues. He called on depositors of the bank who were yet to receive their insured deposit credit alert to visit the NDIC’s website and complete their verification forms for their payment. The managing director said the verification would also include depositors without BVN alternate account. ”We have already commenced the payment of customers since June 6. ”We have paid a substantial amount to the customers. ”What we leverage in making the payment is the BVN of customers. We trace alternate accounts in other banks and pay them their insured amounts. ”There are some that we have challenges linking up because of some discrepancies between the names and others. ”We are calling on customers that have not received their alerts in their alternate accounts to come forward and complete their verification forms so that we can pay them,” he said. On payment of depositors with more than five million naira with the bank, Hassan said they would be paid liquidation dividends. According to him, NDIC has already commenced the process of disposing of the physical buildings and also set the process in motion to make sure that we recover the loans and advances that were granted to the bank. ”That is what we use in paying those liquidation dividends. ”We are not going to wait until we recover everything, no. ”As we recover, we will also advertise to say that we will pay liquidation dividends so that concerned depositors will be on the lookout for alerts in their accounts,” Hassan said. NAN reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on June 3 revoked the banking licence of Heritage Bank Plc. CBN said the decision was made due to the bank’s failure to improve its financial performance, posing a threat to financial stability
FG Kicks Off 2024 National Environmental Sanitation Day In Abuja
The Federal Ministry of Environment has called on Nigerians to prioritize environmental hygiene to curb the spread of cholera. This appeal was made by the Permanent Secretary, Mahmud Adam Kambari, during the launch of the 2024 National Environmental Sanitation Day activities in Piwoyi, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Represented by Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya, Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Kambari emphasized the crucial role of hygiene in disease prevention. “Currently in the country, we are faced with the challenge of a cholera outbreak, which is caused by bacterial infection spread through contaminated water or food due to unhygienic practices,” Kambari stated. The theme for this year’s event, “Environmental Sanitation in the Era of Climate Change: Go Greener, Stay Clean, Climate Change is Real,” underscores the importance of maintaining clean environments amidst changing climate conditions. The Permanent Secretary highlighted open defecation as a primary cause of cholera and urged communities to adopt better sanitation practices. The Ministry’s commitment to partnering with communities for a cleaner environment was reiterated by Kambari. Piwoyi was chosen to kick-start the 2024 NESD activities, with a series of events including a school debate on June 25 and the main event on June 28. In his goodwill message, Mr. Jonathan Duku of Breakthrough Action Nigeria stressed the importance of cleanliness to prevent cholera and Lassa fever. He noted, “Mitigating environmental challenges will not only eradicate cholera but also other diseases like Lassa fever, as dirty environments attract rats that cause Lassa fever.” Mr. Edwin Isotu Ede, representing the World Health Organization (WHO), encouraged the community to use the opportunity to promote sanitation and hygiene. He advised landlords to leave space for trees and ensure the availability of toilets. The Director of Environment, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Mrs. Hannatu Ibrahim, pledged continued collaboration with the Piwoyi community to prevent cholera. The Etsu of Piwoyi Community, Mr. Tanko Lazarus Bahago, appreciated the Ministry’s efforts and vowed to maintain clean environments. To engage students and inspire future generations, a quiz competition on environmental issues was organized. Participating schools included Federal Government College Wuye, Model Junior Secondary School Maitama, Junior Secondary School Area 10, Junior Secondary School Area 11, P-E-M International Academy Lugbe, and First Kingdom Kids Academy Mararaba. JSS Area 10 emerged as the winner, with prizes to be awarded at the main event on June 28 in Abuja.
Organised Labour Told To Begin Nationwide Strike Immediately Over Minimum Wage Delay
The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, has called on Ogranised Labour to immediately mobilize and declare a nationwide strike over the minimum wage and the recent hike in electricity tariff. According to CDWR, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, as the next step in the minimum wage struggle, should declare and mobilise widely for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest to demand a minimum wage not less than N200, 000 and the reversal of all anti-poor policies (privatization, deregulation, subsidy removal, electricity tariff hike etc). In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, CDWR said “The NLC and TUC have been at loggerheads with the government and private sector over a new minimum wage and negotiation has been deadlocked for over 3 weeks and still counting. Government and Private Sector insistence on paying N60, 000 provoked the declaration of an indefinite strike which started on June 3rd 2024 but was suspended on the 4th of June, 2024. “The suspension was to last for five days but it does not appear that the labour leadership put in place any plan of action should the government as usual failed to meet their demands as many principal leaders proceeded on the trip to the meetings of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Switzerland. This is the second time the labour leadership has suspended action this year and gone to sleep. The first one was a 2-week ultimatum that was declared following the suspension of a nationwide mass protest on February 28, 2024, and lapsed on March 13, 2024. “The strike organised on June 3, 2024, was the most effective and widely supported compared to previous strikes since 2016 even though it was not adequately mobilized. The capitalist ruling elite came under pressure as major sectors of the economy were shut down including sea, airport and electricity. Rather than build on the momentum, labour leaders have again gone to sleep. Unfortunately, this inaction gave the capitalist ruling elite more time to maneuver and recover. “The labour leaders could make the case that they were engaged in important meetings at the International Labour Organisation, in that case, they could have sent one or two people to Europe instead of a delegation of around 116 so-called ‘workers representatives’. Then the other ‘workers’ representatives’ could have travelled around Nigeria campaigning rather than sitting in Switzerland. Instead, when millions upon millions of Nigerians suffer a massive drop in living standards, the “Generals” left the battlefield for too long and did nothing serious to mobilise support for what was likely to be a major struggle. “Wage is a very crucial integral aspect of the unfair/exploitative/profiteering capitalist system, the self-serving capitalist ruling elite, government and private sector employers will continually do everything to condemn Nigerian workers to poverty wage to secure huge profit and profligate lifestyle for themselves. Weak Nigerian capitalism can only function based on low wages; hence, the government and the organised private sector resist a genuine living wage for workers. Even the N30, 000 minimum wage, which ought to have been outdated, has not been implemented by some states. For instance, Zamfara State government just announced implementation of N30,000 minimum wage structure this month (June 2024) more than five years after it had become law. In line with class struggle, the challenge for the trade union movement is to force the capitalist ruling elite to grant living wage to Nigerians workers and also resist all anti-people policies. High inflation “This is urgent. Inflation rate is 33.95 percent, the rising cost of living is notoriously high as prices change rapidly, and food generally has become unaffordable forcing many people to go hungry. A basket of tomatoes is over N60, 000, a bag of beans is over N180, 000, a big tuber of yam is over N1
How I still get paid as a civil servant in Nigeria, UK cab driver confesses
Despite leaving Nigeria for the UK two years ago, Sabitu Adams gets paid each month as a junior official at a government agency back home. Adams, who now works as a taxi driver in the UK, had his name changed by a BBC report to protect his identity. The taxi driver has yet to resign from his job in Nigeria. Adams is one of the thousands of ghost workers, a rampant issue in the Nigerian civil service. Each year, the government carries out biometric verifications and reels out numbers representing discovered ghost workers, and money saved. But no one is ever announced to have been arrested or prosecuted. Last week, President Bola Tinubu directed that all civil servants drawing salaries from the government after relocating abroad should be made to refund the money. Tinubu also ordered that the culprits’ supervisors and department heads be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud while they were in charge. Adams told the BBC that he was not worried about the president’s directives because he earned better as a taxi driver in the UK. “When I heard about the president’s directive, I smiled because I know I am doing better here – and not worried,” the 36-year-old said. The cab driver said he did not resign “in case I choose to go back to my job after a few years”. Adams was quoted as saying he had an arrangement with his boss in Nigeria who is a “relative”.
Shehu Sani Speaks On El-Rufai Working With Atiku In 2027
The former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central senatorial district, Shehu Sani, in a recent interview, spoke on ex-vice president, Atiku Abubakar working with ex-governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai in the 2027 presidential election. Sani, in an interview with Sunday Sun, said he does not know if the duo will work together, but he is sure there will be a realignment of forces. He claimed that the North would play a card that would bring northerners together and also work on getting an alliance with a section of the country. Speaking on the possibilities of the 2027 presidential election, Sani said, “Well, I don’t know whether they are working together or not, but I know that there will be a lot of realignment of forces and the ace, the card that will be played by the North is that of bringing all northerners together and then, getting an alliance with a section of the country other than the Southwest and then, see how that can garner votes to remove Tinubu out of power because in the equation of the North, out of the eight million votes which Tinubu has gotten, five million comes from Northern Nigeria. “So, they want to see how they can pull off these votes from him and there are a lot of issues which they are going to put forward in the build-up to the 2027 campaign. “And they are going to use so many issues like the shifting of the CBN offices to Lagos; like the issues of appointments of many people from the South-western part of Nigeria; like the issue of insecurity which has not been solved in Northern part of Nigeria; these are all fundamental issues which they are going to take very seriously.”
Minimum Wage Dilemma: States May Go Bankrupt, FEC Delays Decision
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently postponed a decision on the new minimum wage report from the tripartite committee, opting for further consultations amid concerns that many states could go bankrupt if the proposed wage increases are implemented. The FEC’s hesitance comes as President Bola Tinubu prepares to present the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly, an announcement that has stoked tensions across various states. Last week’s discussions at both the National Economic Council, chaired by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and the Southern Governors’ Forum failed to yield a consensus on the wage structure, with the governors suggesting that wage negotiations should be state-specific. The labour unions have criticized the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for their significant sway in the wage negotiations, arguing that the proposed wages could push states towards financial insolvency. A report from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat highlighted that increased recurrent expenditures have already strained budgets, leaving states like Abia, Ekiti, and Kogi in deficits as of 2022. The proposed ₦62,000 minimum wage, more than double the current ₦30,000, could destabilize state finances further, potentially leading only ten states, including Lagos and Rivers, to remain financially stable. According to the documents, sighted by Punch, Abia, with an employment size of about 58,631 workers, pays ₦5,837,899,980.40 as wage monthly. Anambra has a 20,541 employment size and pays ₦1,824,851,308.96 monthly as wages, apart from ₦894,480,399.62 as pension obligation and ₦579,694,680.33 for debt servicing. Bayelsa boasts of 48,213 workforce, paying ₦5,802,435,178.58 monthly, with ₦1,194,528,784.40 as pension obligation and ₦3,535,787,992.48 as debt servicing, totalling ₦10,532,751,955.46 as total recurrent expenditure monthly. Benue has about 13,366 workers in its workforce and pays ₦2,040,184,471.85 as monthly wage, ₦76,838,634.62 for pension, and ₦64,685,126,826.08 for debt servicing, totalling ₦66,802,149,932.56 monthly. Delta has about 50,871 workers, offering ₦8,973,081,853.50 as wages ₦1,499,886,303.39 as pension, and ₦72,417,433,139.00 as debt servicing, accumulating to ₦82,890,401,295.89 in a month. Jigawa has about 44,831 workers in its employ and pays ₦2,795,662,113.02 as wages, and ₦345,987,843.12 as a pension, totalling ₦3,141,649,956.14 monthly on recurrent expenditure. Katsina, Kwara and Niger have 19,062, 36,048 and 22,225 workers, with accumulated ₦139,294,944,565.27, ₦4,457,268,675.54 and ₦2,653,614,213.35 monthly recurrent expenditure respectively. According to the document, Abia has a total recurrent expenditure of ₦111,983,979,958.62, against a total revenue of ₦147,637,730,867.73. For Adamawa, the recurrent expenditure stands at ₦70,369,399,885.57, against a total revenue of ₦109,722,949,684.65, while Akwa Ibom boasts of a high revenue of ₦444,288,683,000, with recurrent expenditure of ₦235,144,539,000. Of the states, Lagos has the highest total revenue, amassing ₦1,243,778,878,170 in 2022, with a recurrent expenditure of ₦621,043,036,000, followed by Delta, with ₦702,020,717,460.08 and a recurrent expenditure of ₦377,905,100,451.83. Rivers amassed ₦525,588,159,714.88 in 2022, with recurrent expenditure of ₦186,974,715,774.87; Kaduna had a total revenue of ₦222,349,875,000 and expenditure of ₦95,987,999,472.10; Ogun, ₦297,249,009,626.83, recurrent expenditure of ₦178,519,010,628.42 and Oyo, with total revenue of ₦247,156,776,739.70 and recurrent expenditure of ₦152,077,804,384.65. Kebbi State had the lowest total revenue in 2022, raking in ₦92,132,444,588.16 and spent ₦57,601,464,374.96 on recurrent expenditure, followed by Taraba, with a total revenue of ₦101,177,283,069.87 and recurrent expenditure of ₦75,055,201,412.62. Aside from FAAC allocation, some states recorded poor IGR in the 2022 data compiled by the NGF S
Minimum wage: Why Govs can’t take over negotiations, Labour
Organised Labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, has rejected the proposal of the Southern Governors’ Forum to decentralise minimum wage negotiations to state governments. The NLC condemned the proposal as “unfriendly and anti-worker”, noting that allowing states to determine their minimum wages would be detrimental to workers’ welfare. On Friday, The PUNCH had reported that the Southern Governors’ Forum sought for states to be allowed to negotiate the minimum wage for workers independently. At the end of a meeting held on Monday at the Ogun State Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta, the forum resolved that wages should be reflective of the cost of living. This was revealed in a communique issued from the meeting and signed by the newly-appointed Chairman of the forum, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; and Vice-Chairman, Prof Charles Soludo of Anambra State. The meeting was attended by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos; Godwin Obaseki of Edo; Hope Uzodinma of Imo; Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti; Duoye Diri of Bayelsa; Ademola Adeleke of Osun; Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom; Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers; and Bassey Otu of Cross River. Other attendees included Governors Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State; Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo; Peter Mbah of Enugu; Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State; and Alex Otti of Abia State. “The forum discussed the minimum wage demanded by Labour and unanimously agreed that the minimum wage should be reflective of the cost of living, and that each state should be allowed to negotiate its minimum wage,” the communique stated. Meanwhile, the Presidency had on Monday appealed to Nigerians not to put unnecessary pressure on the President, assuring them that the Federal Government would transmit the proposed bill on the new minimum wage to the National Assembly once it was ready. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the plea in a terse statement sent to The PUNCH on Thursday. “People should be patient,” he stated. While Organised Labour is adamant about its N250,000 minimum wage demand, the state governors said that paying even the N62,000 proposed by the Federal Government would plunge many states into debt. This was even as President Bola Tinubu demanded more time for consultation on Wednesday. Reacting to the proposal of the governors, the National Treasurer of the NLC, Akeem Ambali, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, insisted that the governors had no power to negotiate the new minimum wage. He added that the governors were compelled by law to implement the new national minimum wage. Ambali advised the governors to stop trying to strong-arm the Federal Government and labour with their request to negotiate with labour individually, and rather focus on how they would implement the national minimum wage when it is approved. Ambali noted that it was regrettable that labour had to always resort to strike actions to get the government to yield to its demands. He asked the governors make public how much they earn, and subject it to negotiations. He said, “Traditionally, the minimum wage is a national issue; it is not a sub-national negotiation. That is the essence of the Minimum Wage Act, and the law is clear. Governors don’t have the power to negotiate the minimum wage. What they can only negotiate are other allowances, but the minimum wage is a social protection content, and it is not only applicable to Nigeria. “My advice for the governors is that they should prepare their balance sheet and look at how to implement the national minimum wage once it is approved. They should not stress themselves with the issue of negotiating with Labour on a state level. After all, we have seen what happened in Zamfara, where they refused to pay the current minimum wage (N30,000) until Labour issued an ultimatum, and they quickly started paying. Some states are still not paying the current minimum wage. We know what happened i
Why I won’t return to Aso Villa – Patience Jonathan
Former First lady, Dame Patience Jonathan says if she is requested to return to the presidential villa to function as Nigerian First Lady, she would decline. In a viral video clip, Mrs Patience, who spoke on Friday at a public function, said “the stress of Nigeria is too much”, stressing that she looks younger than when she was in office. According to her, “If you call me now for villa, I wouldn’t go there. I won’t. Don’t you see how young I am? The stress is so much. “The stress of Nigeria is so much. If God manages to bring you out of it, you should glorify Him. He has taken you there once, why do you want to go there again”? The former president, Goodluck Jonathan exited the presidential villa in 2015 after losing the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari. During her reign as the First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan was popular for creating memes in her usual pidgin English such as “na only you waka come”.
ASUU begs Nigerians to urge FG to meet union’s demands
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged Nigerians to intervene with the federal government (FG) to fulfill its requests for improved welfare and administrative conditions in public universities. This plea was made during a press conference held at Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, on Friday. Happiness Uduk, the zonal coordinator for ASUU Calabar zone, emphasized that unless the state and federal governments meet the union’s demands, a nationwide strike is likely unavoidable. ASUU has given a two-week ultimatum for these demands to be addressed, warning of impending industrial action if not met. Uduk expressed disappointment over the FG’s failure to honor commitments made under the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, citing stagnant salary scales and overall welfare deficiencies as ongoing concerns. She said: “Government had an agreement with ASUU in 2009, which tells us that for 15 years running, ASUU members have been on the same salary scale, nothing has changed. “We are requesting that government should complete negotiations it started with us more than 13 years ago, first with the Babalakin-led team, then the Munzali-led team, finally the Briggs-led team. “These people had completed the negotiations, and if the negotiations had been completed and Mr President had the document, we don’t know why, for a year now, he has not called us to talk to us about it. “So, the government should, as a matter of urgency, address our renegotiation and take into account current realities, including inflation rate, exchange rate and whatever needs to go into that,” Ms Uduk said. She called on the federal and state governments to address issues bordering on revitalisation funds for public universities, payment of earned academic allowances and withheld salaries, high taxation and victimisation of ASUU members She also said that ASUU strongly insisted on the removal of its members in federal universities from the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS). Ms Uduk further said that the high rate of taxation experienced by ASUU members was a result of “the introduction of an obnoxious platform” for salary payment. “Whatever government has in mind with regards to that, it should use our University Transparency and Accountability Solution or any other platform that would originate from universities rather than the IPPIS,” she said. She advised that the FG’s students loan scheme be replaced with grants which, she said, would alleviate financial stress on students and improve their academic pursuit. Ms Uduk called on the FG to stop the proliferation of universities and focus on better funding for the existing ones to improve overall standards within the existing institutions. She also advocated for the quick resolution of the minimum wage debacle and the introduction of a living wage that was obtained in saner climes. On Abia, the ASUU zonal coordinator called on the Abia government to pay the 11 months salary arrears owed to lecturers in ABSU. “We are not negotiating any part of that salary for anything because we have worked, taught students and examined them, and some of them have graduated,” Ms Uduk said. She urged the Abia government to discontinue the use of Treasury Single Account in the payment of ABSU lecturers’ salaries and address the recent inconsistency in the payment of salaries. According to her, the government is owing April, May and June salaries. “Let the Abia Government leave payment in the hands of the university administrators and a platform that is consistent with the institution’s
Just in: JAMB releases 2024 supplementary UTME results
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has announced the release of results of candidates who participated in the supplementary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME. Recall that the examination was conducted between Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22, 2024. The board disclosed the release in a statement Friday morning by its spokesman, Fabian Benjamin. The supplementary examination was conducted for 28,835 candidates who were unable to be biometrically verified during the main 2024 UTME and were, therefore, unable to take their examination. Similarly, the other category of candidates were those suspected to have been involved in examination malpractices during the main UTME but who were given a second chance to sit the examination. “The exercise, which recorded a huge success nationwide, was marked by heightened security measures put in place by the Board to preclude any instance of examination infractions. As such, some nefarious characters who had attempted to impersonate bona fide candidates were apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agencies for further investigation and prosecution, “the statement read. It read further: “The board would continue to ensure that no candidate benefits from any acts of infractions through the deployment of state-of-the-art technology before, during, and after its examinations. “Candidates are, therefore, urged in their own interest to refrain from engaging in any form of irregularity during their examinations. “They are also enjoined to desist from soliciting score upgrades from fraudsters or engage in the mutilation of their result sheets while trying to generate fake result sheets with higher scores. “To check their supplementary UTME results, candidates are to send UTMERESULT to either 55019 or 66019 through the same phone number they had used to generate their profile codes at the start of registration.”