Ajimobi parleys Oyo workers, promises pay rise

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, on Tuesday held an interactive session with civil and public servants in the state, with a pledge to ensure an upward review of their enhanced salary package.

 

To demonstrate his administration’s readiness to implement the pay rise, the governor directed that a committee be constituted, with membership drawn from among labour leaders and officials of the state Ministry of Finance, to work out modalities for the implementation of the salary review.

The governor, who also announced the payment of 13^th month salary for the third year running, disclosed that promotion arrears for 2011 had been approved, while those of 2012 would be released before March 2013.

While commending the workers for their support and cooperation with his administration so far as well as their matured and orderly conduct during the parley, Governor Ajimobi reiterated his government’s commitment to their welfare and wellbeing at all times.

Governor Ajimobi, who presented the financial situation of the state to the workers, expressed regret over paucity of funds for the state due to inadequate revenue, both internally generated and the allocation from the Federal Government.

This notwithstanding, the governor said that his administration would not relent in making the civil servants happy so that they too could assist the state to grow through their professional expertise and potentials.

He said that the various successes so far recorded in environmental sanitation, urban renewal, infrastructural and human capital development were the product of unique financial engineering system adopted by his government.

This, Governor Ajimobi said, had led to the all-round transformation of the state which, according to him, had also resulted in the influx of both local and foreign investors into the state, stressing that a vehicle assembly plant and an ultra-modern industrial park would soon be established in the state, among several other developmental projects coming.

The governor, who said that henceforth, his administration would be picking the best among the ministries, department and agencies based on performance during the year, declared the State Water Corporation the best agency for 2013 based on the rehabilitation of the Asejire Water Works which had been moribund for the past 17 years.

He also promised that 2014 would witness a major infrastructural development in the education sector, adding that model schools would be constructed, with modern facilities that would reflect the quality which his administration was known for.

Most of the workers, who spoke at the occasion, commended the governor for his brilliant performance since his assumption of office as well as the opportunity he gave the civil servants to express themselves and contribute their quotas towards the development of the state.

Ondo: Records falsification, Mimiko pardons 2, 200 civil servants

As part of his determination to put smiles on faces of the citizenry during the current festive season, Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has approved the restoration on the state payroll, names of over 2, 200 workers who falsified their records during a recent verification exercise carried out by the state government.

Salaries of the affected workers, who falsified their age among other related offences, were withheld following their indictment in the exercise carried out in both the state civil service and the local government service commission.

The Head of Service, Mr.Toyin Akinkuotu, disclosed this in Akure on Sunday while briefing journalists on the decisions of the state government on the report of the verification exercise.

The briefing was attended by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Union matters, Comrade Dayo Fadahunsi and leaders of workers’ unions in the state.

Akinkuotu said those whose names have been removed from the vouchers will be returned with effect from December 2013, after submitting a clearance letter from the HOS office.

He said, “Affected staff members in the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and Mainstream service still on payroll are to be warned.

“Those in the State Universal Basic Education Board and Local Government Service whose names had been removed from vouchers are to be restored with effect from December 2013, after clearance letters from the Head of Service.

“The intervening period is to be converted to leave of Absence without pay for the purpose of the continuity of their services,” Akinkuotu said.

The Head of Service said workers in the employment of TESCOM yet to submit their Primary Six Leaving Certificates had been directed to do so within two weeks, but with a proviso that “those who default should be formally disengaged after due process.”

He said,  “Henceforth, Primary School Leaving Certificate is to be presented compulsorily at the point of entry to the service and at the point of exit in the state while Inter State Transfer and leave of absence must be approved by the Governor based on the recommendation of the Head of Service or appropriate employment agencies.”

The HoS added that recruitment into the civil service in the state is now centralised and that approval must be sought from the Governor before filling any vacancy in all government agencies including the Local Government Service Commission.

Akinkuotu, however said that 262 officers have been advised to retire after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 years, while 167 were advised to retire on account of 35 years in service and above.

He said the governor had directed that list of those affected by the post-March, 2009 appointment, be submitted to the HOS “for verification and possible re-absorption if found bonafide.”

He assured that officers who voluntarily retired but had yet to gettheir outstanding salaries from April to June, and the newly cleared but also having similar outstanding salaries for the three months, will be paid after authentication by the Head of Service.

Akinkuotu said the 400 workers who claimed to have completed their Primary Six education earlier than the government benchmark, will be re-invited for screening.

He said those who did not show up for the second stage of screening at the mainstream shall be suspected to be Ghost workers and their names be deleted from payment vouchers immediately.

Akinkuotu, reiterated that the intention of the verification exercise was to restore sanity to the system. He also added that a committee will soon be set up to verify all Grade Level 01-12 officers in the Mainstream Civil Service who were not covered during the verification exercise.

The HoS said the state would request for the list and document of the 6,100 local government workers alleged to have been earlier disengaged for the record.

He also said records of the seven SUBEB officers who were  said to be on Leave of Absence during the verification exercise would be requested and that their salaries would be restored  if found authentic.

On Inter-state transfer, the HoS asked the affected Local Government councils to produce evidence of Due process in the transfer exercise to his office, for clearance with the government.

He said the age falsification offence affected 56 workers in the mainstream state civil service, 71 at TESCOM, 453 at SUBEB and 1,431 at the local government service commission.

He said the respective employers of all the affected workers would produce their authentic list to the Head of Service for authentication.

He said while those in the TESCOM and mainstream service who  are still on payroll would be warned, salaries of the 1,884 in SUBEB and LGS whose names had been removed from vouchers, would be restored with effect from December 2013.

He said, “Clearance letters to be written to all affected workers  stating that the period of April – November, 2013 will be regarded as leave of Absence without pay for the purpose of the continuity of their services adding that the Head of Service would “convey these decisions to their employment bodies while the 632 staff yet to present their Primary Six Certificates at TESCOM, are to be given two weeks within which to produce them”.

Failure to do this, the HoS said TESCOM would be directed to formally disengage them from service.

He said,  “All Government Agencies, Commissions, including the Local Government Service Commission must obtain Mr. Governor’s approval before filling any vacancy in the Public Service of Ondo State.

“Inter State Transfer and Leave of Absence must be approved by the Governor based on the recommendation of the Head of Service or the appropriate Employment Agencies like Civil Service Commission, Teaching Service Commission, Local Government Service Commission, Judicial Service Commission, House of Assembly Service Commission, Health Management Board among others.

“Government, through the Office of Head of Service shall continue to exercise potent control over personnel policies and administration in all State-owned Parastatals and Corporations to prevent the pervasive abuse of personnel process in the sector”.

He added that Committee would be set up to verify all GL 01 – 12 Officers in the mainstream Civil Service who were not covered during the verification exercise even as he concluded that “Mr. Governor would meet all Agencies of Government on the new position of Government on personnel process in the State Public Service as enunciated above.”

Mimiko, Sally Mbanefo, NTDC Boss, Nollywood, others Extols Deji Falae’s virtues at Mare 2013. ·Obesere, 9Ice others thrilled Audience in Idanre

It was tribute all the way for the late Barrister Deji Falae, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in the state at the just concluded Mare Festival, as the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, the Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Commission (NTDC), Mrs Sally Mbanefo, Nollywood stars, and other stakeholders in the tourism industry paid a glowing tribute to the late commissioner. 

The low keyed 5th mountain climbing festival which celebrates the people and culture of Ondo State with the theme, “Endless Oppurtunities”,  was organized to celebrate the life and time of the young and hardworking legal luminary and the former local chairman organizing committee of the festival for two years consecutively as the commissioner.

The State Governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko , acknowledged the contributions of the late commissioner to the growth and development of culture and tourism in the state while alive. He said that, “this year Mare is in memory of a diligent, responsible and creative young man who was a veritable tourism ambassador who passed on in October. Our prayer is that his effort would not be in vain and that the tempo he left behind would be sustained and ultimately surpassed. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace and may Almighty God Uphold the entire family he left behind”.

 Speaking on the theme, the governor in his address read by the Deputy Governor Alhaji Ali Olanusi said, “the theme of this year Mare, Endless Opportunities is carefully chosen to expose the people of Idanre and its environs and by extension the entire citizens of Ondo state to the fact that tourism has occupied a very large space in the world economy. It is now a veritable sector that may boost the internally generated revenue of governments and strengthen the per capital income of individual players in the sector. It can also project the friendly and hospitable culture of our people”.

 The governor used the occasion to highlight the numerous achievements of his administration in the tourism sector while also highlighting the uniqueness of Mare 2013, “the 2013 edition of Mare is also unique in the sense that for the first time in the history of Mare Festival the community participation is encouraged. The various quarters within Idanre community showcased their rich cultural heritage and skills in the mountain climbing and Marathon.”

 He however assured that subsequent Mare will be in a bigger form with more innovations and activities that will attract more economic benefit and development to the people of Idanre and Ondo State.

 

The Special Guest of Honor, Mrs Sally Mbanefo the Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Commission could not hide her joy in having a direct feel of the natural culture and hospitality of the people of Idanre and Ondo state at large, no wonder she stood severally to dance to traditional songs and beats which she hardly understood, her dancing steps was admired by all people who also trooped out to dance with " Oyinbo".  The DG in her speech expresses her love for the land, people and culture of Ondo state, "the people here are accommodating and hospitable, in my interaction with them since I came around I have discovered so many great things about the people of Ondo State. The government of Dr Olusegun Mimiko has laid a solid foundation for the coming generations, his government shows passion for the women, children and everybody through the provision of basic amenities and infrastructure development across the state, the medical facilities in the state is the best. I have been to some and I observed that the friendly atmosphere and the favorable condition of service of the medical personnel which go a long way on making them to be patient friendly and committed to their work. The organized market system, the good dual roads and so many things that I see in Ondo reinforced my belief in Nigeria and i think this is the kind of projects every leader must emulate.

While speaking on Mare, Mrs Mbanefo who clad in multi coloured  Adire and green, white, green Ofi head tie said, "when I went to Abeokuta to visit the Olumo Rock, i marveled at what i saw there, not knowing that the real Abeokuta is  Idanre, the magnificent size and the arrangements of the mountains are very unique and I think the government of Ondo state got it right with the idea of attracting visitors here through Mare Festival, this is a good development which I am proud to be part of this year”.

In her usual way of promoting domestic tourism, Mrs Mbanefo called on the people of Ondo State to see the need to corporate with the government in preserving and promoting that natural endowments that can attracts tourist to their domain. “Idanre hill is a tourism asset and i also know that there were several other asset in Ondo State which we could work on”, She said.

She however calls for collaboration between the NTDC and the Ondo State government in developing and promoting tourist asset in the state.

While paying tribute to Late Barrister Deji Falae, Mrs Mbanefo said, “Deji’s death was painful as i hope to meet him at this year Mare. I met him for the first time in September when we organized the first tourism stakeholder’s forum which he attended. From his mien, he look nice and a humble fellow whose appearance depicts simplicity. His death was a lost in the industry but we have consolation in God that knows all. We are consoled by the fact that he lived a good life, left behind outstanding legacies which I want to urge the government, family and friends to continue. I pray that God should continue to console the family he left behind.”

The State Commissioner for Information Mr Kayode Akinmade said, "As we celebrate MARE 2013, we cannot but remember Barrister Deji Falae who initiated plans for this year-MARE, as he had done in the two previous editions, only to pass on in active service on 3rd October 2013. Even when the artist ceases creating works (at their demise), the ones they had made while alive would live for eternity. Deji Falae for two robust years as Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Ondo State immersed himself in the MARE Project, drove it with all his will and wits and endeared it to the hearts of lovers of tourism. The vision he held, the passion he shared, and the energy he exerted would be the driving force for the Culture and Tourism industry in Ondo State. For as long as MARE endures, so will the ever sweet memories of Deji Falae linger in the hearts of Ondo people and the annals of tourism and culture in Ondo State in particular and Nigeria at large."

Speaking on the festival, the Commissioner said, "Idanre Hills have come to be globally recognized as a tourist haven. More important, the celebration of MARE festival has redefined the hills of Idanre. The hills, you will agree with me, no longer define the unique geography of Idanre people alone. With the celebration of MARE, we now have a constellation and unification of cultures that make us the proud people of Ondo State.  For five years running now, MARE festival has drawn international attention and acclamation. International climbers have thronged Ondo State in search of these wonder hills of Idanre which are compared to none around the world. No surprise then that the tourist potential of Nigeria has received tremendous boost via MARE festival."

Guest artists including, Paramount king of Fuji, Abass Akande Obesere, Abolore Akande popularly known as 9ice, Danny Young, Alariwo, ID Cabassa and many upcoming artists dazzled people with music at the Olofin Grammar school during the grand finale.

Some of the youth who spoke with Alarinkaagbaye.com were excited about the new dimension which Mare took this year. Akindeji Amos, an Okada ride in his view said though the economic activities is not robust as last year because of the nature of the event but the involvement of local people in the programme boost peoples morale in participating and we are hoping that next year will be better.

He explained further that the marathon race and the mountain climbing was localised and people were encourage and happy  to be part of it, whatever comes out goes to the local people and we love it.

Prizes were won by 3 people who participated in the race on the mountain with each of them going home with key prize. While a raffle draw with the star prize goes to Bose Akinrinlola, a second timer participant who won a motorcycle. The second runner up won double door thermo cool refrigerator while the third runner up won a freezer.

These year edition is no doubt a success as the celebrations did not only attract tourist but also Idanre hills and mountain stand the chance of having a torch of federal government and private organisation through the Nigeria Tourism Development Commission NTDC who promises to do something urgently that will attract people to Idanre.

I will not fail the nation.- Sally Mbanefo , NTDC DG

I will not fail the nation.- Sally Mbanefo , NTDC DG
We at the NTDC have our work cut out for us. But we cannot achieve anything without the support
of all the stakeholders at home and abroad.
We will engage frequently with each stakeholder group to clarify or revise our perception of your
issues and expectations on an ongoing basis through fora like this. We therefore make a passionate
appeal for your help as we embark on this bold and persistent experimentation in the service of our
most important stakeholder: The Nigerian Citizen at home and in the Diaspora!
Our strategy begins and ends with the Nigerian Citizen and you can therefore understand our focus
on Domestic Tourism as the cornerstone for building a sustainable Tourism Industry that will attract
foreign tourists and investors. We are not wedded to our ideas and are therefore open to any idea
that works better for Nigerians!
We will be counting on the National Assembly's usual help with our budgeting and legal reforms as
we send proposals for your wise counsel and approval. We thank the CBN for its support so far and
will be engaging more frequently to see how we can work together to de-risk the Tourism Value
Chain for cheaper access to long term funds to create jobs for the Nigerian people as you have done
in Agriculture.
We will also be counting on the World Bank, Africa Development Bank, IFC, EU, DFID and the AFC for
seeding our Tourism Development Fund and grants to support our Institutional Rebuilding efforts
and Infrastructure Development under the policy direction of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
We appeal to the Ministry of Aviation, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Security Agencies to
continue their kind support in creating a fascinating user experience for all tourists at the entry
points.
We will also engage closely with these MDA's to evolve a better working relationship and key into
their change programs.
We also will be counting on our Media Partners to follow their professional ethics in covering the
industry and the NTDC- we have an open door policy and will be sharing information to enable you
contribute your quota.
Nollywood is now a global brand and has carried Nigeria to the world, we need you tell
our stories with our almost 500 sites and attractions. We know the Hon. Minister has
worked tirelessly to make financing work better for your industry. Similarly you will
have access to the Tourism Fund through the Marketing and Research Window.
CALL TO ACTION FOR STAKEHOLDERS


We have started collaborating with the states who own the Tourist Sites and Attractions to see how
we can work better on improving the marketing and funding for renovating existing sites and
developing new ones. In this vein, I plan to commence site familiarization visits to all the geo-political
zones starting with Taraba State in the North-East so we can start showcasing Nigeria's Tourism assets
and potentials while taking stock of the challenges.
Finally, we want to make a passionate appeal to the Nigerian Citizen who understandably has
become skeptical about any attempt at making things work better. We need you to understand that
we are privileged to be in public service to serve you and make things better. Always have it in mind
that it is easier to be critical than to be correct. Please give Nigeria a second chance!
So please help us keep the environment clean, do not cut trees indiscriminately, demand your rights
at every service point including ours but always remember your obligations not to violate the right
of others irrespective of your differences and continue being warm to visitors local or foreign as all
our cultures and faith advocate.
We know you have waited too long for things to get better; channel your agitations into creative
and constructive criticism of how we can make the nation better for the next generation. You will
readily agree with me that we can only call this Brand 'Fascinating Nigeria' mainly because of
fascinating Nigerians you find in every Village, Town and City in our Nation.
From the caring Mother who re-invents a traditional meal to keep her family nourished, to the
dedicated Teachers and Youth Corps Members who serve in a rural community imparting
knowledge, to the Policeman or Soldier putting himself in harms-way to make our country safer or
the Community Leader who galvanizes people to make the Village more self-policing and the
Researcher working to improve seedlings of our basic staples to eradicate hunger and poverty up to
the Tour Guide showcasing our attractions to the Tourist or the Diaspora Professional remitting
monies to take care of his siblings and aged parents back home and to the Nollywood Film Producer
or Musician making new creative works that endear the world to Nigeria- we have over a 160 million
fascinating Nigerians that give me hope for a new Nigeria!
God bless Nigeria and thank you for your kind attention!
Excerpts from an address delivered by Mrs Mbanefo , the new Director General NTDC at a stakeholder meeting she conveyed for those in the tourism sector.

See the first Governor in Nigeria to create a Resort in Port Harcourt

See the first Governor in Nigeria to create a Resort in Port Harcourt 

Wale Ojo lanre with King Alfred Diete - Spiff , Amayanabo of Twom - Brass , in Port Harcourt
His Royal Majesty King Alfred Diete - Spiff , Amayanabo of Twom- Brass Town ,Ist Military Governor of old River State and the Ist Governor to build a Resort in Nigeria Uzaka Resort , Port - Harcourt with Wale Ojo Lanre at Hotel Presidential , Port Harcourt. On Thursday 5 December 2013 ,during the public presentation of Memories of the Niger Delta Slave Routes . — with Sola Opesan Brown and 40 others.

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Nelson Mandela died @ 95

Nelson Mandela died @ 95
Nelson Mandela, the revered South African anti-apartheid icon who spent 27 years in prison, led his country to democracy and became its first black president, died Thursday at home. He was 95.
"He is now resting," said South African President Jacob Zuma. "He is now at peace."
"Our nation as lost his greatest son," he continued. "Our people have lost their father."
A state funeral will be held, and Zuma called for mourners to conduct themselves with "the dignity and respect" that Mandela personified.
"Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world, let us reaffirm his vision of a society… in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed ed by another," he said.
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Though he was in power for only five years, Mandela was a figure of enormous moral influence the world over – a symbol of revolution, resistance and triumph over racial segregation.
He inspired a generation of activists, left celebrities and world leaders star-struck, won the Nobel Peace Prize and raised millions for humanitarian causes.
South Africa is still bedeviled by challenges, from class inequality to political corruption to AIDS. And with Mandela’s death, it has lost a beacon of optimism.

Feb. 1990: NBC's Robin Lloyd reports on Nelson Mandela on the eve of his release from prison in 1990. Mandela's name has become a rallying cry for the overthrow of apartheid, but no one but prison guards and visitors have actually seen him since he was jailed 27 years ago.
In his jailhouse memoirs, Mandela wrote that even after spending so many years in a Spartan cell on Robben Island – with one visitor a year and one letter every six months – he still had faith in human nature.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion,” he wrote in “Long Walk to Freedom.”
“People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Mandela retired from public life in 2004 with the half-joking directive, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you,” and had largely stepped out of the spotlight, spending much of his time with family in his childhood village.
His health had been fragile in recent years. He had spent almost three months in a hospital in Pretoria after being admitted in June for a recurring lung infection. He was released on Sept. 1.
In his later years, Mandela was known to his countrymen simply as Madiba, the name of his tribe and a mark of great honor. But when he was born on July 18, 1918, he was named Rolihlahla, which translated roughly – and prophetically – to “troublemaker.”

South Africa's anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela turned 93 today, as 12 million school children celebrated his life in song. Brian Williams reports.
Mandela was nine when his father died, and he was sent from his rural village to the provincial capital to be raised by a fellow chief. The first member of his family to get a formal education, he went to boarding school and then enrolled in South Africa’s elite Fort Hare University, where his activism unfurled with a student boycott.
As a young law scholar, he joined the resurgent African National Congress just a few years before the National Party – controlled by the Afrikaners, the descendants of Dutch and French settlers – came to power on a platform of apartheid, in which the government enforced racial segregation and stripped non-whites of economic and political power.
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As an ANC leader, Mandela advocated peaceful resistance against government discrimination and oppression – until 1961, when he launched a military wing called Spear of the Nation and a campaign of sabotage.
The next year, he was arrested and soon hit with treason charges. At the opening of his trial in 1964, he said his adoption of armed struggle was a last resort born of bloody crackdowns by the government.
“Fifty years of non-violence had brought the African people nothing but more and more repressive legislation and fewer and few rights,” he said from the dock.
“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

April, 1994: Former political prisoner Nelson Mandela is on the verge of being elected South Africa's first black president.
He was sentenced to life in prison and sent to Robben Island. As inmate No. 466/64, he slept on the floor of a six-foot-wide cell, did hard labor in a quarry, organized fellow prisoners – and earned a law degree by correspondence.
As the years passed, his incarceration drew ever more attention, with intensifying cries for his release as a global anti-apartheid movement gained traction. Songs were dedicated to him and 600 million people watched the Free Mandela concert at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1988.
In 1985, he turned down the government’s offer to free him if he renounced armed struggle against apartheid. It wasn’t until South African President P.W. Botha had a stroke and was replaced by F.W. de Klerk in 1989 that the stage was set for his release.
After a ban on the ANC was repealed, a whiter-haired Mandela walked out prison before a jubilant crowd and told a rally in Cape Town that the fight was far from over.
“Our struggle has reached a decisive moment,” he said. “We have waited too long for our freedom. We can no longer wait.”
Over the next two years, Mandela proved himself a formidable negotiator as he pushed South Africa toward its first multiracial elections amid tension and violence. He and de Klerk were honored with the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.
When the elections were held in April 1994, the ex-prisoner became the next president and embarked on a mission of racial reconciliation, government rebuilding and economic rehabilitation.

Philip Littleton / AFP - Getty Images, file
Springbok captain Francois Pienaar receives the Rugby World Cup from South African President Nelson Mandela at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on June 24, 1995.

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A year into his tenure, with racial tensions threatening to explode into civil war, Mandela orchestrated an iconic, unifying moment: He donned the green jersey of the Springboks rugby team – beloved by whites, despised by blacks – to present the World Cup trophy to the team captain while the stunned crowd erupted in cheers of “Nelson! Nelson!”
He chose to serve only one five-year term – during which he divorced his second wife, Winnie, a controversial activist, and married his third, Graca, the widow of the late president of Mozambique.
After leaving politics, he concentrated on his philanthropic foundation. He began speaking out on AIDS, which had ravaged his country and which some critics said he had not made a priority as president.
When he officially announced he was leaving public life in 2004, it signaled he was slowing down, but he still made his presence known. For his 89th birthday, he launched a “council of elders,” statesmen and women from around the world who would promote peace. For his 90th, he celebrated at a star-studded concert in London’s Hyde Park.
As he noted in 2003, “If there is anything that would kill me it is to wake up in the morning not knowing what to do.”
In April, de Klerk was asked on the BBC if he feared that Mandela’s eventual death would expose fissures in South Africa that his grandfatherly presence had kept knitted together.

National Theatre workers protest against General Manager !

We no go gree o,we no go gree- National Theatre workers protest against General Manager !

"We no go gree o,we no go gree- National Theatre workers protest against General Manager !

(AUPCTRE) staged a protest against the handedness and the deteriorating industrial situation in the National Theatre Complex. In a peaceful protest closely monitored by the police, the union decried the selective 

treatment of staffs by the General Manager, Mallam Kabir Yusuf.
Comrade Isidore Opara, the General Secretary of the Union in an interview with Alarinka Agbaye stated that a number of factors were responsible for the protest. They include:
Stoppa

ge of payment of Weigh-in Allowance of 15-22% to members of the Union effective from November 2013 and using the stoppage to compel the staff to join the GM Union.
Denial of Annual Leave to key elected officers of AUPCTRE, this Gen Sec said can be verified.
Arbitrary posting of staff which has resulted in a situation where junior officers in one section boss their seniors in other sections. This practice, he said is informed by considerations that are strange to Public Service.
Virtually all the AUPCTRE branch officials are currently before disciplinary committees for flimsy offenses.
Outsourcing of core technical jobs to his business fronts. He stated that, it should be noted that the 2006/7 Public Service Reform do not list such technical jobs for outsourcing.
Covert and overt coercion of AUPCTRE member to opt out of their Union and take membership of the GM’s Union.
Refusal by the Management to deduct members Union dues for AUPCTRE in accordance to Trade Union Law (Amendment) 2005, Section 3, (a and b), whereas, he deducts for his Union.
Comrade Isidore Opara declared the Federal Organ of the Union had at several occasions engaged the National Theatre Management with a view to peacefully resolved the above issues in vain. He said, “It would appear that efforts to engaged the General Manager for meaningful discussion often result in threat to life of the Union leaders, mis-information and mis-representation to the high authorities by the General Manager. He stated that Kabir should face his assignment and stop meddling into the affairs of Trade Union. He commended the past management on their maturity in handling trade related matters as well as dispute resolution.
The workers with the Labour representatives and other labour leaders marched peacefully in front of the National Theatre to register their displeasure, while the Secretary General said that the Union does not considered strike options for now because the Ministry is meeting both sides next week to find an amicable resolution to the impasse. He said further, “we are not interested in strike, neither do we want to forment trouble. We just want the management to respect our fundamental human right. We have worked with different management and we don’t have issue with them. With this present management, we have had over 20 industrial actions.”
The phone of the General Manager was not only switched off but when we got to his office, we were turned back that he is not around as at the time of this report

— with Tayo Adelaja and 16 others.

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  Wale Ojo Lanre Workers on protest

  
  

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