Connect with us

Headline

FG Approves Paternity Leave For Public Servants

Published

on

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the introduction of 14 days paternity leave for public servants in the new Public Service Rules(PSR).

Folashade Yemi-Esan, Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), briefed State House correspondents after FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Advertisement

Yemi-Esan said that the annual leave would henceforth be calculated based on working days instead of calendar days.

She said that the Annual Performance Evaluation Review (APER) and Promotions had been replaced with a new Performance Management System.

“We presented a memo on the revised Public Service Rules (PSR); and we are all aware that the PSR is an old important tool in the public service; it is what governs the actions of public servants at work.

Advertisement

“The last time these rules were revised was in 2008; and so, we recognise that the revision was long overdue.

“And so, we put everything that we got to ensure that we did the vision; these rules ideally, are supposed to be revised every fives.

“But this has taken more than that for us to get the revised PSR 2021.’’

Advertisement

She said that in doing the revision, there were a lot of stakeholder engagements.

Yemi-Esan said that a circular was put out for inputs from different sectors and from various groups that wanted amendments to the PSR.

“We set up different committees to look at what we got; and finally, a technical committee that consisted of permanent secretaries serving and retired and directors were put together to look at the zero draft that we got.

Advertisement

“After they reviewed it, we took it to the National Council on Establishment.’’

She said that, at the National Council on Establishment, the essence of the PSR was approved.

The head of service said that there were some revisions that were supposed to be made before making the new PSR public.

Advertisement

“Those revisions have been done; and so, we brought it to FEC this morning for approval and we got approval for it.

“Some of the revisions that we made–the first thing was that the 2008 version had 16 chapters; meanwhile, the 2021 version now has 17 chapters in it.

“The chapter on APER and Promotions has been replaced by a new chapter on the New Performance Management System that has been introduced into the public service.

Advertisement

“There’s also a chapter that has also been reinvigorated–the chapter on training–this is an all important chapter because of the importance that training has in the public service.’’

She said the revised PSR also had a new chapter on virtual meetings.

According to her, some of the guidelines in the policy document earlier approved by FEC were put into the new PSR.

Advertisement

“And so, we have accepted virtual meetings as a tool to be used in service now and there are some guidelines there.

“We also got approval to include paternity leave; this is something that is new, and this is something that the unions in the service asked that we include and luckily, we have been able to include it.

“We’ve also been able to ensure that leave now is calculated based on working days not on calendar days–that also has been approved.

Advertisement

“We also have introduced the transition from paper service to a digital service.

“So, these are some of the new things that are in the new PSR that has just been approved by FEC,’’ she said.

Yemi-Esan said that the there would a transition period from APER to the new system as work had started with some pilot ministries.

Advertisement

(GUARDIAN)

Advertisement
Advertisement
Comments

Headline

‘They Checked My Instagram’ – Nigerian Lady Breaks Down After Landing In U.S, Denied Entry

Published

on

A Nigerian businesswoman has taken to social media to share her frustration and heartbreak after being denied entry into the United States, despite holding a valid visa.

In a video recorded on her return flight to Nigeria, the visibly distraught woman revealed that she was travelling to Texas for a trade fair.

Advertisement

She said she possessed a B1/B2 visa, which allows travel for both tourism and business meetings.

READ ALSO:‘Netanyahu Must Go’, Israel’s Ex-PM Calls Leadership ‘Catastrophic’

However, upon arrival in the U.S., things took a turn.

Advertisement

“I was denied entrance into the US and that is because my visa [is] a B1–B2 visa which is [for] tourism/business meetings,” she explained tearfully.

When I landed, I was detained for 24 hours and I was questioned. I told them I was going to exhibit but I did not know any better because the US has your data and your Instagram page.”

READ ALSO:Middle East Crisis Dominates EU Foreign Ministers’ Brussels Meeting

Advertisement

According to her, immigration officials scrutinised her social media activity and private messages, using them to challenge her stated purpose of visit.

Apparently, my Instagram says different. They even checked all my messages with my customers. The customers I have been telling that we are coming, they can pick up and all of that,” she said through tears.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Uganda: After 39 Years In Power, 80-year-old Yoweri Museveni To Seek Re-election

Published

on

Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, has announced his intention to run in the country’s next presidential election, extending a rule that began nearly four decades ago.

In a post on the X platform late Saturday, Museveni said he had “expressed my interest in running for… the position of presidential flag bearer,” for his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

Advertisement

The 80-year-old leader has governed Uganda since 1986 after seizing power following a five-year guerrilla war. Under his leadership, the ruling NRM has twice amended the constitution, allowing him to remain in office beyond term and age limits.

READ ALSO:Ugandan President Ignores S’Court Ruling, Approves Law To Try Civilians In Military Courts

According to Reuters, right groups have long accused Museveni of deploying security forces and leveraging patronage to hold onto power, an allegation he denies.

Advertisement

Explaining his decision to seek reelection, Museveni said he aims to grow Uganda’s economy to a ”$500 billion economy in the next five years.” According to the finance ministry, the country’s GDP currently stands at about $66 billion.

Uganda is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in January next year. Museveni’s main challenger is expected to be opposition figure and pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, who came second in the 2021 election and has declared his intention to contest again in 2026.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, rejected the 2021 results, alleging his victory had been stolen through “ballot stuffing, intimidation by security forces and other irregularities.”

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Headline

‘Netanyahu Must Go’, Israel’s Ex-PM Calls Leadership ‘Catastrophic’

Published

on

Naftali Bennett, Israel’s former Prime Minister, stated in a televised interview that current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must leave office.

Bennett refrained from saying whether he plans to challenge the longest-serving leader in the country in an upcoming election.

Advertisement

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that aired on Saturday, Bennett commented, “Netanyahu has been in power for 20 years… that’s too much; it’s not healthy.”

He called attention to Netanyahu’s “heavy responsibility for the divisions in Israeli society,” highlighting the growing rifts that have emerged under Netanyahu’s leadership, especially regarding his handling of the Gaza war since October 2023.

READ ALSO:Israel’s Netanyahu Says Iran Will ‘Pay Heavy Price’ After Hospital Hit

Advertisement

Bennett, a right-wing leader who joined forces with Netanyahu’s critics to form a coalition that ousted him from office after 12 consecutive years, insisted that “Netanyahu must go.”

However, the fragile coalition government Bennett led, along with current opposition leader Yair Lapid, collapsed after about a year. This led to snap elections, resulting in Netanyahu regaining the premiership with support from far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

Although Bennett has taken time away from politics, there are rumors of a potential comeback, with public opinion polls indicating he may have enough support to defeat Netanyahu again. Currently, no elections are scheduled before late 2026, but early elections are common in Israel.

Advertisement

In his Saturday interview, Bennett claimed credit for laying the groundwork for Israel’s bombardment campaign earlier this month against Iranian nuclear and military sites.

READ ALSO:Netanyahu Vows To Thwart ‘Any Attempt’ By Iran To Rebuild Nuclear Programme

The decision to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic “was very good” and “needed,” said Bennett, claiming that the offensive would not have been possible without the work of his short-lived government.

Advertisement

In Gaza, where Israel has waged war since Hamas’s October 2023 attack, Bennett said the military has displayed “exceptional” performance, but “the political management of the country” was “a catastrophe, a disaster”.

Criticising the Netanyahu government’s “inability to decide,” the former prime minister called for an immediate “comprehensive” agreement that would see all remaining hostages freed from Gaza.

“Leave the task of eliminating Hamas to a future government,” said Bennett, who also evaded several questions about whether he intends to run for office.

Advertisement

AFP

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending