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Edo Guber: INEC Cautions Politicians On Use Of inflammatory Languages

Published

4 years ago

August 20, 2020

Editor

Political parties and their candidates for the forthcoming Edo State governorship election have been charged to eschew the use of intemperate, inflammatory, and base language designed to inflame passions or incite violence as the election draws nearer.

Festus Okoye, Esq, National Chairman, , Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, IVEC, gave the charge Thursday in Benin at a workshop organised for journalists in the state.

The workshop was titled: 2020 Edo Governorship Election: Processes and procedures.

Okoye urged stakeholders to therefore conduct their activities in a manner that does not jeopardize the due and constitutional conduct of the election.

According to him, the Commission has deployed all the non-sensitive materials required for the conduct of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections, stressing that training for all categories of ad-hoc staff towards a successful election is in full gear.

He added that the Commission is conducting the Edo and Ondo governorship elections and fifteen outstanding bye-elections within the context of COVID-19 pandemic that has substantially altered the previous ways of doing things.

” Furthermore, the Commission has deployed all the non-sensitive materials required for the conduct of the Edo and Ondo Governorship Elections.

” The training of all categories of ad-hoc staff is in full gear and all the sensitive materials required for the conduct of the election will be delivered ahead of time.

” As we have pointed out, the Edo and Ondo Governorship elections are end of tenure elections with strict and immovable constitutional and legal timelines,” he said.

Speaking on the training for journalists, Okoye said INEC identifies the media as an important and indispensable component of democracy process hence the training.

He noted that the programme was part of a series of measures put in place by the Commissions to engage all critical stakeholders in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, and that the media role cannot be underestimated.

He said, “The media is an important and indispensable component of the democratic process, and we will continue our robust partnership with members of the 4th estate of the realm as we seek to consolidate Nigerian democracy.

” This programme is part of a series of measures put in place by the Commissions to engage all the critical stakeholders in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State. The Commission is aware that it can only communicate effectively when the media understand and key into its processes and procedures especially at this difficult period.”

While thanking the media for the support in the past, the INEC Commissioner urged the media to be alive to its responsibility of holding public institutions and individuals accountable for their actions.

“We urge the media to be alive to its responsibility of holding public institutions and individuals accountable for their actions. The media must continue to name and shame those that dwarf the prestige and integrity of our country and bring the electoral process to disrepute,” he said.

On his part, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Edo State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo said the workshop becomes necessary due to the new processes and procedures in conducting election that has been occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stating that journalists are saddled with the responsibility of informing the public what is happening in the society, Alalibo noted that this makes the workshop apt and timely.

“It is therefore important to note that the advent for the COVID-19 as changed the narrative of the processes and procedure of conducting election.

“It is pertinent for journalists to be conversant with the new processes and procedures in conducting election in this pandemic era,” Alalibo noted.

News

UBTH Gives Ultimatum To Owners Unclaimed Corpses

Published

1 hour ago

May 21, 2024

Editor

Management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has given six weeks ultimatum to owners of the unclaimed corpses lying fallow and abandoned in its mortuary facility to come and move them out or face a mass burial.

The warning was contained in the hospital’s circular.

The management also said that the corpses, include both infants that have been in the mortuary since January 2023 and adults that have been there from April 2021 and December 2022.

“This is to inform the general public that the Management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH has concluded plans to dispose off all unclaimed Corpses that have been in the Hospital’s mortuary, which has been a home to several Corpses “for a very long time.

“Any unclaimed Corpse(s) at the expiration of six weeks period shall be disposed off through mass burial or any other manner considered appropriate”,the notice partly reads.

News

JUST IN: Labour Rejects FG’s N54,000 New Minimum Wage Offer, Talks Adjourned

Published

2 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Editor

Meeting on the ongoing negotiations on new minimum wage has been adjourned till Wednesday after the organised labour rejected the new N54,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government, a highly reliable source who attended the meeting told our correspondent on Wednesday.

According to The PUNCH the Federal Government had upped its offer from its earlier proposed N48,000 to N54,000.

Tuesday’s meeting came as a result of the walkout staged by members of the organised labour following the proposal of N48,000 as minimum wage by the Federal Government during last week’s meeting.

During that meeting, the OPS had also proposed N54,000 while labour insisted on its N615,000 living wage demand.

The PUNCH correspondent who spoke to sources who attended the follow-up meeting on Tuesday learnt that the Federal Government upped its offer from N48,000 to N54,000.

“Well, during the meeting, the government increased its offer from N48,000 to N54,000. However, labour rejected that offer and the meeting has been adjourned till Wednesday,” a source who asked not to be named said.

When asked if the government’s side was showing any sign of seriousness, the labour leader said, “No seriousness at all. Even state governors did not show up. Those who represented them, like Bauchi and Niger states, did not have the mandates to speak on their behalf.

“As regards the private sector, we did not get to them before the meeting was adjourned but we hope they also increase their initial offer.”

Organised labour on Monday reiterated its May 31, 2024 deadline for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”

In a statement released at the end of the jointly held NEC meeting by the NLC and TUC which was signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president and Festus Osifo, TUC president, the unions said they acknowledge the ongoing negotiations between the NLC/TUC, the Organised Private Sector and the Federal Government regarding the new national minimum wage.

While appreciating what they described as the efforts made thus far, the NLC and TUC emphasized the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that reflects the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.

They also affirmed commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation process.

President Bola Tinubu through Vice President Kashim Shettima, on January 30, 2024, inaugurated the 37-member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage to come up with a new minimum wage ahead of the expiration of the current N30,000 wage on April 18.

With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.

During the inauguration of the panel, Shettima urged the members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early.

“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.

In furtherance of its assignment, a zonal public hearing was held simultaneously on March 7 in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Abuja.

The NLC and the TUC in different states proposed various figures as a living wage, referencing the current economic crunch and the high costs of living.

In their different proposals on the minimum wage, the NLC members in the South-West states demanded N794,000 as the TUC suggested N447,000.

At the North-Central zonal hearing in Abuja, the workers demanded N709,000 as the new national minimum wage, while their counterparts in the South-South clamoured for N850,000.

In the North-West, N485,000 was proposed, while the South-East stakeholders demanded N540,000 minimum wage.

But organised labour settled for N615,000 as a living wage.

News

JUST IN: CBN Raises Interest Rate To 26.25%

Published

4 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Editor

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has increased the benchmark interest rate to 26.25 per cent.

This was disclosed by the Governor of the CBN who doubles as the Chairman of the MPC at the end of the 295th MPC meeting held in Abuja.

At the March MPC meeting, the benchmark rate had been increased by 200 basis points from 22.75 per cent to 24.75 per cent.

The MPC has maintained a hawkish stance since it resumed meetings this year in a bid to tackle Nigeria’s persistent inflation.

As of April, Nigeria’s inflation rate had risen to 33.69 per cent.

A number of analysts have projected a rate hike while some suggested that the apex bank may consider a hold stance as the growth rate of inflation moderated month-on-month.

Details later…