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Oil Theft: ‘Where Did Get Money To Finance His Empire’ – Rtd Gen. Knocks Asari Dokubo Over Comment
Published
11 months agoon
By
EditorBy Joseph Ebi Kanjo
Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Bata Haruna (rtd.) has chided a former Niger Delta agitator, Asari Dokubo, over his comment on oil Theft, saying he (Dokubo) has no moral justification to accused anyone particularly the military of oil theft.
Dokubu had, after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on June 16, 2023, accused security agents of complicity in oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
Dokubo who insisted that the military is at the centre of oil theft in the region added: “We have to make this very clear to the Nigerian public that 99 per cent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, the Army and the Navy especially.”
READ ALSO: Oil Theft: Asari Dokubo, Navy Exchange Words
But appearing on Arise News Morning Show programme monitored by INFO DAILY on Tuesday, Gen. Haruna, a former Federal Commission for Information and Culture, said Asari has been a major beneficiary of oil theft either directly or indirectly hence he has no right to accuse anyone of such act.
He said: “What is Dokubo talking about… Is he not a major stakeholder in oil theft… Where did he get money to finance his empire all over the places, what does Asari do to owned properties all over the places.
“Dokubu has been a beneficiary of oil theft, so you don’t expect person like me to take him seriously. He has either involved directly in the oil theft or benefited hugely from the proceeds of oil theft which are usually in millions of dollars,” he added
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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.
READ ALSO: Fear In Anambra Community Over Missing 19 Rifles
“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
3 hours agoon
May 21, 2024By
EditorMeeting 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.
READ ALSO: Rivers Crisis: Clark Asks PDP, APC Chairmen To Caution Wike
“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.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Strike Looms As NLC, TUC Give May 31 Deadline For Electricity Tariff Hike Reversal
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.
READ ALSO: Abure Bows To Pressure, Begs NLC President For Reconciliation
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.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: NLC Suspends Nationwide Protest, Extends Ultimatum To FG
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.
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.
READ ALSO: Generator Fumes Claim 7 Lives In Bayelsa
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…
UBTH Gives Ultimatum To Owners Unclaimed Corpses
JUST IN: Labour Rejects FG’s N54,000 New Minimum Wage Offer, Talks Adjourned
JUST IN: ASUU Protest Hits UniJos As Nationwide Strike Looms
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