NNPC not recruiting – Statement

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has reiterated its appeal to the public to disregard any announcement of recruitment or invitation to its interview.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, made the disclaimer in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

NNPC

According to him, the announcement is the third in recent times coming from recurrent fraudulent vacancy claims on various social media platforms purporting to have emanated from the corporation.
“We are constrained to announce, once again, that NNPC is not recruiting at the moment.

”Members of the public are, therefore, advised to disregard any vacancy announcement on any online or social media platform as they are the handiwork of fraudsters intent on fleecing innocent Nigerians,” Ughamadu said.

He said the syndicate’s method of operation included deployment of various means, ranging from text messages to forged letters inviting gullible job seekers for non-existing job interviews, to extort money from them.

”To this end, we wish to once again appeal to members of the public, particularly unsuspecting applicants, to be wary of fraudulent vacancy announcements or invitations for job interviews at the NNPC Towers.
”Anyone who entertains such invitations or deals with peddlers of such invitation does so at his or
her own risk,’’ the spokesperson reiterated.

He advised anyone contacted for the purpose ,other than through advertisement duly placed by the Corporation in national newspapers, should report such invitations to relevant law enforcement agencies.
He pledged that the corporation would continue to report and engage security agencies on such matters.

Guterres updates Member States on UN reform

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Friday that he has written to Member States to update them on various reform initiatives at the global body.

Guterres said through a number of global agreements on sustainable development, climate change, sustaining peace and financing for development, Member States have provided a broad vision of the future they want.
The Secretary-General said he intended to advance meaningful reform to adapt the UN to the complex world and to ensure that the organization could effectively serve all of its member states in achieving that future.

“The letter provides a timeline of progress on a number of reform issues, including gender parity, the reform of the development system, and the reform of the peace and security architecture.
“Others are the management of the Organisation, the new Counter terrorism office, whistle-blower protection, combatting sexual exploitation and abuse, among others.”

Nigeria’s Ambassador to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, had after presenting his credentials to the UN chief on Wednesday, said Nigeria was taking its rightful position in a reformed UN as Guterres pursued the organization’s reform.

“There are questions concerning UN reform. These are important issues that are being discussed for decades and there is a new push that this should be done equitably.
“Nigeria has offered itself to serve in any capacity relating to that new reform of the UN Security Council,” Bande had said.
The Secretary-General said he had established an Internal Review Team on peace and security in January and one on management reform in April.
The UN chief, who made “reforming the UN” one of his agenda in office, said that he had also shared his vision for prevention with the Member States.
According to him, prevention means helping countries avert the outbreak of crises that take a high toll on humanity, undermining institutions and capacities to achieve peace and development.
“We cannot meet the prevention challenge with the status quo.
“The United Nations needs to be much more united in its thinking and in its action, putting people at the centre.
“In short, prevention needs to permeate everything the United Nations does,” Guterres said.
Throughout the reform process, the Secretary-General said he is committed to extensive consultations with Member States, starting with brainstorming sessions on management reform this May.

You can now buy smart phones on credit

Before the introduction of mobile phones in Nigeria in 2001, the country had landlines; just about 450, 000 people had them. With the coming of mobile phones, the number of phone lines skyrocketed to 30 million by 2016.
So far phones have become both a necessity and status symbol, basically a must have. This necessity has always been acquired with cash in hand; hence, if you don’t have that N15, 000 for your children’s stay-at-home mobile phone or that N315, 000 for a smart phone that makes you stand out as a business executive, you are not getting a mobile phone.
Today, cash in hand is no longer compulsory to buy a phone, so say Solo, Airtel, and RenMoney at a press briefing in Lagos where they launched the Solo Aspire M smart phone  available for N4,150 monthly on the Airtel network, with RenMoney as the credit providers.
Wole Abu, Head of Sales, Airtel Nigeria, who represented the Chief Commercial Officer, said; “This partnership is exciting because it underscores our value for innovation as a company. We try to anticipate the customer’s needs and meet optimally. With what we have today, we are putting real value in the hands of the people. This collaboration means that you don’t have to spend all your money to by a phone; it is about giving customers what they need without breaking a sweat.”

Okorocha sucumbs to workers pressure, to enter fresh agreement

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state, yesterday, succumbed to the pressure from workers in the state, to enter into a fresh agreement with the workers against the 70/30 payment of salaries in the state.
It was like a drama, irrespective of the low turn out at the Heroes square, venue of this year’s workers day, while the governor was delivering his speech the workers were agitating.

Okorocha who could not control the level of agitation, asked the workers several questions which bordered on their welfare.
However, concluded that the end to “the level of suffering of workers in the state will be solved by entering into a new agreement to see how the workers will start receiving 100 percent of their salaries.
“I say this because the 70 percent for workers and 30 percent for government based on the allocation coming to the State is not favouring the workers.”

“I will also lift ban on promotion because there are so many vacancies in the the ministry. Let me also tell you that we are employing 3,200 workers to join the civil servants job.”
But Okorocha insisted that ” any government establishment making money should be able to pay themselves.”

Earlier in his speech, the Imo state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu, among other issues said:” The Imo workers gathered here today are highly expectant from the governor for the restoration of 100 percent salary to all categories of workers.

“It would be be recalled that since January 2016, the Imo workers have received between 70-80 salaries. This they have done as part of the sacrifice to cushion the effects of the economic recession.

“The National economy has made good improvements in recent times, steering it away from the recession. It is our expectation that these improvements would reflect on the lot of the workers.
“It has been the position of labour that sacking or suspension of workers, and cutting or non-payment of pensioners is not part of the solution to the economic recession.”
Chilakpu also punctured the position of the government that it has paid workers in the state up to date.

Nigeria’s footballers good but lack structures – U.K. Scout

Lagos – A Director in Diamond Sports Academy (DSM),U.K. Cem Sagar, says that Nigeria has abundant football talents but lack structures and organisation to expose them to the right clubs.

STRATEGISING . . . Nigeria’s U-20 footballers mapping a new strategy during a training session ahead of their clash against England today in Armenia, Colombia in a FIFA U-20 World Cup Round of 16 match. Photo: AFP

Sagar, a world football governing body, FIFA agent, made the assertion in an interview at the DSM football trials in Lagos.
NAN reports that DSM, U.K. in partnerships with Ezeani Football Academy, Nneni, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra recently conducted football trials at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The one week football trials hosted players from across Nigeria and had no fewer than 200 players jostle for a chance to eke playing time in one of the clubs affiliated to DSM in England.

The trials aimed at scouting for budding talents from Nigeria, was however declared successful by the Europeans football scouts.
Sagar said that Nigeria was blessed with talented footballer but lack organisation to fit them into the requirements and standards in Europe.

“It’s not in doubt that Nigeria is blessed with abundant talents but what is lacking is organisation. I think there should be better organisation from what I have seen.
“I really think the organisation is poor because the talent is there, so they really need to improve on the organisation of the game.

“We are looking at all the attributes of the players and the abilities as well. How far a player can go will depend on the player and his ambition.
“Every player is different and what every team is looking for is also different. The stakes are not the same,’’ he said.

Ogun State: NLC members walks out of May day celebration

ABEOKUTA-Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun on Monday  announced the pardon of three out of the remaining four workers earlier dismissed for an alleged misconduct during the World Teachers Day celebration in October last year.

Announcing the pardon in his address at the event to mark the workers Day, governor Amosun said, “the dismissed workers are pardoned, they will now proceed on retirement from the public service with full terminal benefits in accordance with the extant public service regulations.”

Those affected by the pardon are Messrs Dare Ilekoya, Eniola Atiku and Nola Balogun, while the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Akeem Ambali was left out in the pardon.
The Governor acknowledged the mediatory roles played by the National leadership of the labour unions, particularly the Comrade Michael Alogba-led NUT; the national leadership of the NLC and TUC, as well as revered Elders like Baba Olusegun Obasanjo and respected traditional rulers across Ogun State, amongst others.

Buhari assures workers of speedy passage of national minimum wage

Abuja – Federal Government on Monday in Abuja assured the Nigeria workers of speedy passage of the new National Minimum Wage.

Prseident Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari said this in a message to workers on the occasion marking the 2017 May Day Rally with the theme, “Labour Relations in Economic Recession: An Appraisal”.

“I am happy to inform you that Government will give expeditious consideration to the proposal contained in the Technical Committee’s Report which was submitted to it on April 6, 2017.

“Government will take necessary steps to implement the final recommendation of the Main Government/Labour Committee as it relates to the setting up the new National Minimum Wage Committee and the needed palliatives.

“This is in order to reduce the discomfort currently being experienced by the Nigerian working class.
“I want to assure you that government will continue to do all at its disposal to better the lots of all Nigerians and more importantly to provide a commensurate welfare for all Nigerian workers, ”he said.
He said that he was aware that the economic recession in the country has huge implication for the seamless conduct of industrial relations.