The total debt so far captured by the Committee constituted by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to handle the disbursement of the fund as at its last week’s sitting was about N7.1 billion according to the state chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC Comrade Uchenna Obigwe.
Ministries and Parastatals so far captured by the Committee include Health Management Board, whose workers are owed seven months arrears and Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, being owed about nine months arrears.
Others were Primary School Teachers owed three months, Local Government workers owed two months, Local Government Pensions said to be owed two months and MDAs whose arrears range between one to two months.
According to Obigwe, who is a member of the committee, the money for the payment of Local Government workers has been paid to the Joints Accounts Committee with instructions for the opening of a Local Government Bailout Account where the money would transferred and disbursed the workers to ensure transparency.
The NLC chairman said that workers in the sectors so far captured would begin to receive bank payment alerts from this week, and urged the workers to be patient assuring that everything was being done to ensure that the disbursement is smooth.
“So far, Local Government staff who are being owed 2 months arrears, money has been made available to the Joint Accounts Committee, JAC, with a directive to the Councils to open separate Local Government Bailout accounts where the money would be transferred to and disbursed to individual workers. The payment was for July and August.
“Primary School teachers were paid for three months, June, July and August. September has already been taken care of by normal allocation. Local Government pensioners were paid July and August.
“Health Management Board workers were paid seven months, ABSUTH workers were paid nine months while the case of parastatals on subvention such as Abia State University and Abia State Polytechnic would be discussed on Tuesday [tomorrow]”, Obigwe explained.
However, the NLC Chairman also explained that the payments were exclusion of leave allowances, promotion arrears, arrears of minimum wage, CONHESS for health workers and arrears overtime.
He further explained that the case of arrears of State Pensioners would be handled in subsequent sitting of the Bailout Committee.
“Labour is happy with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for keeping to his words not to tamper with the bailout funds because it would have given room for friction between Labour and Government.
“Labour appreciates the transparent nature of the disbursement and will like other issues that involve workers to be handled the same manner. As the disbursement continues, we assure Abia workers the Government will not shortchange them and the leadership of Labour will not betray them.
“Labour in Abia will continue to negotiate with Government on possibility of setting aside some money monthly to address the issue of gratuity, and after the bailout appropriation on arrears of workers salary, if any money remains, the committee will look inwards to see what it can carry for gratuity”, the NLC chairman said.
bashydemy: Sorry wailer do you have any evidence against Ameachi? remember he has not been indicted so far even by the useless panel set up by wike....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odNbUkc9avo Who doesnt have evidence the whole people of Rivers State has evidence. So you think the file the ethics committee is a thread from Nairaland?
Standing5: You picked the wrong governor. Ameachi left Rivers state with public schools that gave parents reason to stop patronising private schools. Can you say same of Uduaghan(Delta)? Wike has gone through N140 billion in 5 months with nothing to show and was a minster. Discuss that.
Standing5: Average was over $100/b during Jonathan's tenure. Yes or No?
During that same time Governors like Amaechi benefited from the windfall but you still want him to be a Minister right? Where is the money he and Fashola your new Ministers received show us the projects. So GEJ did or did not spread that money to the states?
FREEDOM4BIAFRA: Ezekwesili is now a laughing stock, she is a lesson to others.
BTW. The next time I get a ban, I'll be taking the BiafranKing moniker, I hope you don't mind?
a big lesson, Roaches from Imo just kept quiet as not to bring attention to his shameful betrayal, he thought speaking the language and schooling with his northern classmates would give him advantage, they show him real pepper. Waiting to see your BiafranKing moniker, am sure you will bruise some egos before that .
Standing5: this has nothing to do with BBOG. Jonas' level of clue was an all round thing and so affected security,economy, health, education and more. How are we even surviving if during Jona's time oil sold $100/barrel and we had well over 60% reccurent bills. How are we even able to pay those bills at $45/barrel? Think and realise Buhari is already working. Stop being bitter.
The last time oil was at a 100 a barrel was when? Why do you people keep shouting that nonsense. Show me where it was $100.00 a barrel
Very very shameful the corruption mantra from Buhari was just propaganda and APC loyalist are useless people. A Governor that stole billions through white elephant projects is being hailed as a lion. FYI male lions eat their young and practice homosexual behavior so am not surprised. PDP is full of cow dung too, so Aisha was just waved through without a question? Our law makers are a bunch of Apes!
The United States has taken control of more than $480 million looted by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his associates after a court ruling, the Justice Department said on Thursday.
A push to recover $4bn squirrelled away into the family's private accounts in Switzerland forced the tax haven to relax banking secrecy regulations after landmark rulings. In 2006, the Swiss authorities returned $500m to Nigeria – the first time European banks had returned looted money to an African country.
willow0802: We are not leaving our brothers in SS! Bonny island as a whole, phc, parts of benue , edo and kogi, none will be left to waste
When the time comes everything will be what it is suppose to be. Just keep spreading the truth I am proud of you, unfortunately the reading culture in Nigeria is fast dwindling so I will not discourage you from sharing knowledge each one teach.
pazienza: [b] Yes pazienza. But first of all, the effort to obliterate any thing Igbo is habitual with my Ijaw brothers.
King Jaja, for himself and on behalf of his lineage, clearly ESTABLISHED a dynasty in Opobo. So said Justice Niki Toby of the Supreme court of Nigeria in 2003 in his ruling.
Jaja on his establishment of Opobo, had 14 families in his entourage. They now constitute sections of Opobo town. These families were rather his vassals. In 1869, he clearly spelt out in the so called "Minima agreement" with these vassals that his new estate - Opobo - and its rulership must remain within his lineage.
So it happened that after the death of King Douglas Jaja 1980, the Ijaws wanted the throne! Apparently to better manipulate the place of king Jaja in Opobo history. Some of the members of these largely Ijaw families concocted a story that the current King was not the true son of his father and therefore should not succeed him. And in addition, claimed the "Minima Agreement" of 1869 vested the power to select the king of Opobo amongst them the 14 families and to which they had selected some one outside the Jajas.
Anyway, Opobo WILL continue to be the Crimea of Igboland, so long as the Jajas continues to Identify with AMAIGBO, as they have always been doing. Opobo na small matter.
willow0802: Your brothers started it...nairaland is becoming very sensitive... let us thread carefully, I want the ss and se to unite but barcanista brought about ownership of port harcourt city,let this be known, igweocha was before phc! Let the truth be said. Opobo is igboland thats the truth and nothing but the truth, ever heard any igboman claim warri? One thing u dont know about the igbos, they are not power hungry or land grabbers like the fulani, we are Republicans in nature. Pls truckpusher, I have zero issues with you or ur ethnicity, I was only being fair, even when the truth is glaring for all to see, yet all became blind because its an igbo thing... in all sincerity, truckpusher, is opobo an igbo town or not ?
My Dear you should just let it go it doesn't really matter, the truth is never hidden just unknown to some and known to those that will use it for progress. They have made their mind known, the truth means nothing to most people these days.
Truckpusher: Honestly, it is unfortunate that you of all people have condescended this low to believe whatever they've been spreading here to tarnish our image , our reputation and who we are ,even our value system but again I'm not disappointed at all as this have finally sealed my mind about you and your kind. The people you considered as brothers and sisters made a statement that were sensitive and I replied accordingly to the pains and agony I was in that were of genuine concern and here you are; a big sister that was suppose to know better and call on both sides to sheath their swords and come back to their senses but here you are calling me out for simply reacting to something that doesn't protect my interest. Thank you , I stand on everything I have said till death.
Your welcome My Dear you have every right to stand for what you believe. I have seen it on Facebook too, those I thought we were united with and you think it does not hurt. Like I have said and will continue to say we are not interested in "land grabbing" as you call it what we are interested in development, unity and progress. Me and my kind have never had help only hatered and we do not need it at this late point of time. We have heard you and all I can say is no wahalai!
We are not forcing anyone too me less is better. Nnewi alone has 1.5 million residents. We need to focus leave this petty petty alone who is with us is with us end of story!
Born in Igboland and sold as a slave to a Bonny trader at the age of twelve, he was named Jubo Jubogha by his first master. He was later sold to Chief Alali, the head of the Opubo Annie Pepple Royal House. Called Jaja by the British, this gifted and enterprising individual eventually became one of the most powerful men in the eastern Niger Delta.
The Niger Delta, where the Niger empties itself into the Gulf of Guinea in a system of intricate waterways, was the site of unique settlements called city-states.
From the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, Bonny, like the other city-states, gained its wealth from the profits of the slave trade. Here, an individual could attain prestige and power through success in business and, as in the case of Jaja, a slave could work his way up to head of state. The House was a socio-political institution and was the basic unit of the city-state.
In the nineteenth century—after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807—the trade in slaves was supplanted by the trade in palm oil, which was so vibrant that the region was named the Oil Rivers area.
The Houses in Bonny and other city-states controlled both the internal and external palm oil trade because the producers in the hinterland were forbidden to trade directly with the Europeans on the coast; the Europeans never left the coast for fear of malaria.
Astute in business and politics, Jaja became the head of the Anna Pepple House, extending its activities and influence by absorbing other houses, increasing operations in the hinterland and augmenting the number of European contacts. A power struggle ensued among rival factions in the houses at Bonny leading to the breakaway of the faction led by Jaja. He established a new settlement, which he named Opobo. He became King Jaja of Opobo and declared himself independent of Bonny.
Strategically located between Bonny and the production areas of the hinterland, King Jaja controlled trade and politics in the delta. In so doing, he curtailed trade at Bonny and fourteen of the eighteen Bonny houses moved to Opobo.
In a few years, he had become so wealthy that he was shipping palm oil directly to Liverpool. The British consul could not tolerate this situation. Jaja was offered a treaty of "protection", in return for which the chiefs usually surrendered their sovereignty. After Jaja's initial opposition, he was reassured, in vague terms, that neither his authority nor the sovereignty of Opobo would be threatened.
Jaja continued to regulate trade and levy duties on British traders, to the point where he ordered a cessation of trade on the river until one British firm agreed to pay duties. Jaja refused to comply with the consul's order to terminate these activities, despite British threats to bombard Opobo. Unknown to Jaja, the Scramble for Africa had taken place and Opobo was part of the territories allocated to Great Britain. This was the era of gunboat diplomacy, where Great Britain used her naval power to negotiate conditions favorable to the British.
Lured into a meeting with the British consul aboard a warship, Jaja was arrested and sent to Accra, where he was summarily tried and found guilty of "treaty breaking" and "blocking the highways of trade".
He was deported to St. Vincent, West Indies and four years later, he died en route to Nigeria after he was permitted to return.
Ironically, Jaja's dogged insistence on African independence and effective resistance exposed British imperialism and made him the first victim of foreign territorial intrusion in West Africa. The fate of Jaja reverberated through the entire Niger delta. Amazed at this turn of events, the other delta chiefs quickly capitulated.
In addition, the discovery of quinine as the cure for malaria enabled the British traders to bypass the middlemen and deal directly with the palm oil producers, thus precipitating the decline of the city-states.
King Jaja's downfall ensured a victory for British supremacy, paving the way for the eventual imposition of the colonial system in this region by the end of the century.
Books
Africans and Their History, Joseph E. Harris. Penguin USA, second revised edition, 1998. Buy it in paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca
General History of Africa, Vol. VI: Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s. UNESCO, 1999. Buy it in hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca
King Jaja of the Niger Delta: His Life and Times, S.J.S. Cookey. UGR Publishers. Buy it in paperback: Amazon.ca
Topics in West African History, A. Adu Boahen, Jacob F. Ade Ajayi, and Michael Tidy. Addison-Wesley, 1987. Buy it in textbook binding: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca
West Africa Before the Colonial Era: A History to 1850, Basil Davidson. Addison-Wesley, 1998. Buy it in hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca Buy it in paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca
The West and the Rest of Us: White Predators, Black Slavers & the African Elite, Chinweizu. N O K Publishers, International, 1991. Buy it in hardcover: Amazon.com Buy it in paperback: Amazon.com
Search for 'King Jaja' on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.
As for me let them keep PH Rivers Delta whatever. Like Truckpusher said he would rather deal with Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani then Igbo, we are happy to oblige them by all means. Even those Ijaws that got money from GEJ after the Delta militancy, refused to do one thing for their own people. They only agitated for their pocket leave them and let us see.
SpaceTour: My dearie sister abeg forget all these claims and claims, it does not worth the energy, whatever that does not get you richer does not worth dragging. Ok, what shall it profit you now if we all agree and conclude that Opobo or Bonny was founded by Igbo..of course nothing. So let us deal on profitable issues. Let us allow Rivers people and other minorities be. So far as Wike led administration is concerned I love Rivers State. Figure it out..
- Chino
I have kept quite for one week now because as far as I'm concerned it is not by force to join alliance with any group of people. I study history for fun and the truth is the truth thats why I spoke up now because that is the real history. Yet and still we don't need or want any so called SS or Ijaw nation alliance that is what I have been saying all along, we should focus on Igboland and Igboland alone.
willow0802: Can you please shut up...if your father didnt tell u about opobo, i'll tell ya. from ur post im sure u re ijaw... no true opobo/bonny man will never deny his igbo lineage. Even the present jaja, THEM NEVER BIRN AM WELL. Na joke I dey o
An opobo man posted this on naij.
opobo is igboland founded by an igbo man , yes! Part of the grand design to severe the Igbo ties is not unconnected with the long kingship tussle that greeted Opobo at the demise of her last Amanyanabo. As we all know, there was a gang up by some chieftaincy houses of Ijaw origins in Opobo to unseat the Jajas. But after 30 years of legal battle, the Nigerian Supreme Court, on the 23rd of April, 2003, ruled that “Opobo is not a traditional town as we know it. It is a Settlement founded by King Jaja, and remains his estate and that of his descendants” Led by the legal giant, the late Chief G.C.M Onyiuke (SAN), the Jajas' authority over Opobo was permanently signed and sealed. It was after the landmark ruling that the family established a foundation in honor of their patriach and quickly appointed Anyim Pius Anyim, the then Senate President, as the life Chairman. Thus, the success or otherwise of de-tonguing Opobo - from Igbo to Ijoid Ibani - will largely depend on the acceptance of the Jaja dynasty. Opobo was founded on Igbo language. And King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, the man I saw at Peter Obi’s farewell gathering at Awka, does not appear like someone who would play with history and tradition. Opobo is one settlement that will be difficult for revisionists to undo as all documents signed by King Jaja himself on behalf of his estate were well secured. And which helped the surviving off-springs reclaim their father’s settlement in the Supreme . Therefore, it is only the Jaja family that can determine the cultural identity of Opobo. In August 2014, at the Elekahia Stadium, Port Harcourt, Hon. Dakuku Peterside representing Opobo told the “unification” gathering of Ohaneze Ndigbo that “I’m a full blooded Igboman….My town, Opobo, was founded by an Igbo, the mighty King Jaja...”
iJAW SEF, UNA TOO DO! SHUOO
Ignorance is bliss they will come here and quote you without historical facts. Don't they know who drew the map lines? Thanks for sharing.
Abagworo: Opobo was not Ijawland. It was founded by Jaja and his followers. However Jaja the leader was from Amaigbo in Imo State and Opobo was established with Igbo as 1st language.
Leaning towards Ijaw for convenience is understandable but do not distort a very recent and open history.
willow0802: Can you please shut up...if your father didnt tell u about opobo, i'll tell ya. from ur post im sure u re ijaw... no true opobo/bonny man will never deny his igbo lineage. Even the present jaja, THEM NEVER BIRN AM WELL. Na joke I dey o
An opobo man posted this on naij.
opobo is igboland founded by an igbo man , yes! Part of the grand design to severe the Igbo ties is not unconnected with the long kingship tussle that greeted Opobo at the demise of her last Amanyanabo. As we all know, there was a gang up by some chieftaincy houses of Ijaw origins in Opobo to unseat the Jajas. But after 30 years of legal battle, the Nigerian Supreme Court, on the 23rd of April, 2003, ruled that “Opobo is not a traditional town as we know it. It is a Settlement founded by King Jaja, and remains his estate and that of his descendants” Led by the legal giant, the late Chief G.C.M Onyiuke (SAN), the Jajas' authority over Opobo was permanently signed and sealed. It was after the landmark ruling that the family established a foundation in honor of their patriach and quickly appointed Anyim Pius Anyim, the then Senate President, as the life Chairman. Thus, the success or otherwise of de-tonguing Opobo - from Igbo to Ijoid Ibani - will largely depend on the acceptance of the Jaja dynasty. Opobo was founded on Igbo language. And King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, the man I saw at Peter Obi’s farewell gathering at Awka, does not appear like someone who would play with history and tradition. Opobo is one settlement that will be difficult for revisionists to undo as all documents signed by King Jaja himself on behalf of his estate were well secured. And which helped the surviving off-springs reclaim their father’s settlement in the Supreme . Therefore, it is only the Jaja family that can determine the cultural identity of Opobo. In August 2014, at the Elekahia Stadium, Port Harcourt, Hon. Dakuku Peterside representing Opobo told the “unification” gathering of Ohaneze Ndigbo that “I’m a full blooded Igboman….My town, Opobo, was founded by an Igbo, the mighty King Jaja...”
iJAW SEF, UNA TOO DO! SHUOO
thank you my Dear I am so surprised at the ignorance I have been reading lately, but it is good to know who is hating on the downlow.
Check above thread for 15 pages of SAMPLES only of what Jonathan achieved in five years despite Boko Haram terrorists' challenge.
I remember this thread my Dear we tried our best to warn them. Everything you said has come to pass the worst thing iss that it all happened under a year. They definetly are adding fuel to the fire in the breaking of Nigeria.
I don't get it so if GEJ was corrupt and Ibhraim was EFCC boss under him and was accused by APC to not have fought and even aided and abetted corruption, why has he not been sacked under GMB? How much more must we see to know that fighting corruption mantra spouted by Buhari and company is just window dressing. Nigerians good morning!
Obiwiz: Lol. See confusion o. Why are some people so terrified and pained about dis man's dream of five countries emerging from Nigeria? Or are dey parasites? And to d south-south people complaining about d easterners coming for dia petroleum resources. The real igbo man doesn't want anything outside d five core southeast states in d new country. Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, south Africa, etc how much petroleum do dey have? Aren't dey surviving somehow? South-south states are not the reason behind the clamour for secession. No south-south state should be included.
So please post what I have said about Biafra...I always say we need to build our region and learn to control our states before we actualize. Please leave me out of your ranting.
Realdeals: NCC didn't just wake up to impose the fine, it was agreed upon by all the stakeholders including MTN, since they breach the directives they are liable to be fined.
99 per cent of MTNs 3000+ direct employees are Nigerians so you do understand the loss of jobs we are toying with? I wish that the company was Nigerian owned but if they have to close shop who will take over and offer better service?
Politics › Re: Teachers Protest In Umuahia Over Unpaid Salaries (Photos) by biafranqueen: 3:17pm On Oct 29, 2015
a big lesson, Roaches from Imo just kept quiet as not to bring attention to his shameful betrayal, he thought speaking the language and schooling with his northern classmates would give him advantage, they show him real pepper. 
.
