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Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State - Politics - Nairaland

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Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by ambroseagu: 7:11pm On Oct 08, 2011
NLC's Abdul 'Lawless' Omar Wants to Destroy the Economy of Enugu State


By Ambrose Agu


Folks, as you can read in the story below, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu
State has complied with the Minimum Wage Law. He paid N18500 as the lowest
salary for the month of August to Enugu civil servants, as required by law. He
also cleared up all the minimum wage arrears from the months of April, through
July, 2011. In fact Gov Chime was the first South East Governor to pay the
minimum wage plus clear the arrears. In addition, despite that the Minimum Wage
Law did not apply to civil servants on grade levels 7 and above, Governor Chime
still gave civil servants in that category a bonus of N5,000 in addition to
their monthly salaries. Gov Chime even indicated a willingness to continue
negotiating with labour regarding a GENERAL SALARY INCREASE for all civil
servants including those that earn far above the minimum wage, (a matter which
is not covered by the National Minimum Wage Act). The bottomline is that in
Enugu State, since the passage of the National Minimum Wage Act, no civil
servant has been paid less than N18,000 per month as required by law. In other
words, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has complied with the National
Minimum Wage Act.

It is also important to mention that Gov Chime has routinely extended a hand of
friendship and understanding to Enugu State civil servants. Immediately upon
assumption of office in 2007, Governor Chime reviewed and upwardly adjusted the
minimum wage of Enugu State civil servants; Governor Chime recalled Enugu State
civil servants who had been unjustly disengaged by the previous administration
of Chimaroke Nnamani; Governor Chime re-absorbed indigenes of Enugu State whose
employment were terminated by a neighbouring state; Governor Chime and the Enugu
State Government has continued to promptly and regularly pay Enugu State
workers' salaries without fail on the 24th of every month (unlike what had
happened in the previous administration of Chimaroke Nnamani); Governor Chime
cleared all the salary arrears and leave- allowance arrears it
inherited from the previous administration of Chimaroke Nnamani; Governor Chime
monetized the official quarters of many Enugu State civil servants and many of
them are home owners today, and Governor Chime is still continuing with the
monetization of official quarters to Enugu State's workers; under Governor
Chime, Enugu State workers now duly earn their promotions as at when due in line
with due process requirements; Governor Chime has even recently created the new
Enugu State Ministry of Labour which underscores how important Governor Chime
considers the state's relationship with organized labour.

Despite all the above, Abdul "Lawless" Omar (the Pied Piper of the Nigeria
Labour Congress) has declared war on Governor Chime and the people of Enugu
State. He has so viciously attacked the economy of Enugu State hoping to
permanently cripple the otherwise peaceful and very prosperous state. Enugu
State was the first state in which Abdul declare a "mother of all strikes".
Enugu State was the first state where Abdul "lawless" Omar organized the "mother
of all rallies" preceding his "mother of all strikes". It was in Enugu State
that Abdul Lawless threatened to cut off fuel supply and air flights. It was in
Enugu State that Abdul and his cohorts brought in thugs and hoodlums from
outside the state to threaten and attempt to shut down Parklane Hospital, Enugu,
threatening doctors, nurses and sick patients claiming that they must close down
during strike (this incident necessitated police intervention). It was in Enugu
State that Abdul "Lawless" Omar and his cohorts sent thugs and hoodlums to
threaten and bully bank workers and customers insisting that the banks must
offer zero services during strike. It was in Enugu State that Abdul "Lawless"
Omar employed all manner of unlawful strong arm "negotiation" tactics that are
reminiscent of the Italian Mafia. IActually Abdul "Lawless" Omar has even
directly threatened to "deal with Enugu". He has even threatened to confront
Governor Chime "one on one".

Clearly Abdul lawless Omar is pursuing a political agenda which is outside the
Minimum Wage matter. Abdul Lawless is bent on destroying the economy of Governor
Chime's Enugu State - an otherwise peaceful, beautiful, prosperous state under
Governor Chime. But who are his sponsors? Whose script is Abdul following? Your
guess is as good as mine. But one thing is indisputable: the minimum wage issue
is merely a smokescreen for Abdul "Lawless" Omar. He is deceptively using the
issue and the NLC as instruments with which to prosecute his other shady
political game.

Let us also note that in neighbouring Anambra State, the State labour
leadership has also come to the same conclusion that Abdul "Lawless" Omar is
clearly engaged in a mission that has nothing to do with the minimum wage
matter. As reported, "In Anambra State, things seem to have fallen apart
following the announcement by the Chairman of the TUC, Peter Okafor that the NLC
had MADE THE STRIKE A POLITICAL GAME. He said his group, the TUC, would no
longer be part of the strike which had before now pitted the government of Mr.
Peter Obi against workers in the state, " Again what political game is this
Abdul up to? Why has he hijacked the minimum wage issue and the NLC and is now
using them as a decoy to deceive the public, while pursuing his sinister
political agenda in behalf of his masters?

Consider also that it has been reported that ", as for the workers in the 19
northern states, their fate seems to have been sealed since the governors of the
region under the aegis of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) declared in
September that they would not be able to pay the minimum wage until "the economy
of the states improves." So what about the northern states, Mr Abdul? What
about staging the "father of all strikes" and "father of all rallies" in those
states? Why not attack the economies of those northern states with the same
gusto? Folks, it appears Abdul "Lawless" Omar gathers more strength the further
down south he moves. This is a corruption of the labour cause in Nigeria! Right
now it appears that Abdulwaheed "Lawless" Omar has become an ill wind that is
blowing no one any good (least of all the workers themselves). Clearly Abdul
Lawless has hijacked the NLC and is now using that important institution to
pursue a sinister political agenda.

We call on the Nigerian Governors Forum, Nigerian legislators, Nigerian
Judiciary, and the Nigerian public to rescue the NLC and the labour cause from
the clutches of Abdulwaheed "Lawless" Omar and his fellow private political
operators.

Please read the story below:



===================================================================


Minimum wage: Trouble looms in states
Augustine AVWODE, Chris OJI, Nwanosike Onu, Bisi OLANIYI, Bisi OLADELE, Isaac
OMBE, Kazeem
08/10/2011
http://www.thenationonlineng.net

Confusion, tension and uneasy calm prevail in various states across the country
as workers continue their clamour for minimum wage.

AKWAIBOM STATE
In Akwa Ibom State, workers have given the state government a 21-day ultimatum
to implement all outstanding sectoral wage increases alongside the upward review
of the minimum wage salary table or face industrial action from its unions. The
unions, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and
the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), said they would commence
full scale industrial action after the expiration of the ultimatum on October
28, 2011. The state government and its workers have been at loggerheads over the
implementation of the N18, 000 minimum wage in the state. The state chapter of
the NLC and TUC had embarked on a three-day warning strike to draw the attention
of the state government to the plight of workers in the state. The strike
action was aborted after two days due to high-powered negotiations between the
labour unions and the state government, which in turn produced the Salary
Structure Table. The state government recently approved the minimum wage with a
salary structure table after its meeting with the leadership of the unions. But
the unions rejected the salary structure table, saying it fell far below their
expectations. In a communiqué signed by the state NLC chair, Unyime Usoro, after
the meeting of NLC, TUC and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council
(JPSNC), the unions said the suggestions made by the state government that
workers should wait for all other Oil Producing States to implement the new
national minimum wage before it could copy and implement it in Akwa Ibom State
was unwarranted.

ANAMBRA STATE
In Anambra State, things seem to have fallen apart for the labour movement
following the announcement by the Chairman of the TUC, Peter Okafor in Awka
yesterday that his group had suspended the two weeks strike, just as the NLC
state chairman, Comrade Patrick Obianyo, described Okafor as a sell out and
insisted that the strike action over minimum wage in the state must continue.
Addressing reporters in Awka yesterday, Okafor alleged that the NLC had made the
strike a political game. He said his group, the TUC, would no longer be part of
the strike which had before now pitted the government of Mr. Peter Obi against
workers in the state. Before the confusion set in yesterday, the workers had
planned to wear all black outfits on Tuesday next week to mourn the state
government. The NLC Chairman, Obianyo, however, urged the state work force to
disregard Okafor's purported suspension of the strike, adding that the strike
could only be suspended by the NLC, which would not be in a hotel but at the
state secretariat of congress in Awka.

ENUGU STATE
In Enugu State, the government and the workers are trading blame. While Governor
Sullivan Chime insisted that he has complied with the minimum wage law, labour
is accusing him of misinformation. Chime had in a recent radio broadcast said:
"My mistake and, of course, offence is being the first to implement it in the
South East." During the radio programme, the governor explained the rationale
behind adding N10,000 to the salaries of those on level 01-06 and N5,000 on
those on 07 and above. According to him, the Minimum Wage Act says "for the
purpose of this law, workers here mean those on level 01-06." The governor,
being a lawyer, said he had to work within the precincts of the law, but to
carry the other grade levels along (07 and above), he had to magnanimously add
N5,000 to their salaries across board.

But labour leaders in the state were not impressed with the governor's
explanation. To them, in a statement signed by the NLC chairman in the state,
Comrade Chumaife Nze, "We want to make it categorically clear that the Enugu
State Government has not implemented the new minimum wage law, and its
interpretation of the law is queer, awkward, deceitful, strange and a
calculated attempt to misinform the general public." Labour further maintained
that "our doors are open for negotiation and dialogue. Unfortunately, government
has shut its doors and foreclosed all avenues of peaceful resolution of the
matter and embarked on cheap blackmail. The government should be blamed for the
present impasse in labour in the state."


OYO STATE
In Oyo State, workers were told to wait a little for the government.
Instructively, the issue is being handled amicably in the state by both the Oyo
State Government and Labour. After disagreements over the mode of implementation
of a living wage for the workers who were receiving the lowest pay in the South
West until the new regime came in May, the workers and the government now enjoy
a time of peace and cordial relationship. The Chairman of the Nigerian Labour
Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade Bashir Olanrewaju, told The Nation that
negotiation had started on the N18,000 minimum
wage. According to him, a meeting was held on Wednesday evening where the labour
leaders insisted that only the Federal Government-approved N18,000 was good
enough for civil servants in Oyo State.
He, however, explained that the government's negotiation team told them to give
it time to convey their proposal to the governor, adding that the team would
report back in one or two weeks.

RIVERS STATE
Workers in Rivers State are also patiently waiting for Governor Rotimi Amaechi
to make good his promise to pay the minimum wage. Rivers State Commissioner for
Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, at a news conference on
October 4, reitierated the Governor's pledge as she assured that Amaechi's
government would pay the minimum wage. Semenitari stated that the Rivers State
Government was paying N17,500 as minimum wage, stressing that it would not be
difficult to add just N500 to complete the N18,000.

BAYELSA STATE
In like manner, workers in Bayelsa State have remained hopeful that in no
distant time the government would pay the N18, 000 minimum wages. But there has
been some unease as it was being speculated that the state would not want to be
the first state to pay the new wage but would rather watch the way it will go in
other states. But there are indications that the patience by the workers may be
running thin and that the new NLC chairman in the state, Mrs. Ebi Koku -Obiyai,
is now ready to meet with other labour groups including TUC and Joint
Negotiating Council, to give government a seven-day ultimatum to pay or face the
wrath of w orkers in the state. But the Special Adviser to the Governor on
Labour, Jackson Suokiri, re-echoed government's stance on the issue, saying: "He
(Governor) has at different
fora reiterated the commitment of his government to pay the N18,000 wage to
civil servants. He has not said anything to the contrary."

ALL THE 19 NORTHERN STATES
As for the workers in the 19 northern states, their fate seems to have been
sealed since the governors of the region under the aegis of the Northern
Governors Forum (NGF) declared in September that they would not be able to pay
the minimum wage until "the economy of the states improves."
Re: Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by otokx(m): 7:19pm On Oct 08, 2011
No governor has paid the minimum wage.
Re: Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by ambroseagu: 7:32pm On Oct 08, 2011
Sorry you are wrong. Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu
State has paid the minimum wage.
He has complied with the Minimum Wage Law. He paid N18500 as the lowest
salary for the month of August to Enugu civil servants, as required by law. He
also cleared up all the minimum wage arrears from the months of April, through
July, 2011. In fact Gov Chime was the first South East Governor to pay the
minimum wage plus clear the arrears. In addition, despite that the Minimum Wage
Law did not apply to civil servants on grade levels 7 and above, Governor Chime
still gave civil servants in that category a bonus of N5,000 in addition to
their monthly salaries. Gov Chime even indicated a willingness to continue
negotiating with labour regarding a GENERAL SALARY INCREASE for all civil
servants including those that earn far above the minimum wage, (a matter which
is not covered by the National Minimum Wage Act). The bottomline is that in
Enugu State, since the passage of the National Minimum Wage Act, no civil
servant has been paid less than N18,000 per month as required by law. In other
words, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has complied with the National
Minimum Wage Act.
Re: Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by OmoLisabi(m): 7:57pm On Oct 08, 2011
Liar
Re: Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by ambroseagu: 8:33pm On Oct 08, 2011
How so?
Re: Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by ambroseagu: 8:35pm On Oct 08, 2011
OmoLisabi how is the above a lie. Please substantiate your statement. Thanks.
Re: Nlc's Abdul 'lawless' Omar Wants To Destroy The Economy Of Enugu State by kodewrita(m): 5:32pm On Oct 09, 2011
the web used to be the one place of sanity free of nigerian issues. Am getting irritated at this new flood of online paid sycophants.

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