President of the Republic of Trkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Azerbaijan on October 7 to attend the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Azernews reports.
Youth and Sports Minister holds meeting with athletes [PHOTOS]
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov has met with athletes who achieved high results in international competitions over the past month, Azernews reports.
The meeting, held at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sport, began with the playing of the National Anthem of Azerbaijan.
Appreciating the achievements in international arenas, Farid Gayibov congratulated the athletes and their coaches.
During the meeting, a video was shown highlighting the achievements gained in international competitions during the month.
Afterwards, representatives of various sports spoke about the competitions they participated in and their results.
At the end, the minister wished the athletes even greater success in upcoming competitions.
President Ilham Aliyev makes phone call to President of Russia
On October 7, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev called President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Azernews reports.
House adopts resolution honoring BTA Parliament Speaker Balindong
The House of Representatives has adopted a resolution expressing its profound condolences on the passing of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker and former Deputy Speaker Pangalian Balindong.
During Monday’s plenary session, the lower chamber adopted House Resolution No. 336 honoring the life of Balindong, who also served as the representative of the 2nd District of Lanao del Sur during the 10th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Congresses.
Balindong died on October 2 at the age of 85. He served as a member of the BTA Parliament from 2019 until his death.
He was also a prominent advocate for the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the landmark legislation that established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Earlier, Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo described Balindong as a ‘pillar of the Bangsamoro government’ whose contributions are ‘deeply etched in the history of the region.’
Lagdameo added that the reforms and initiatives championed by Balindong in the Bangsamoro Parliament are foundational to the region’s current peace and progress.
For his part, Deputy Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong described Balindong’s legacy as ‘a beacon of fire illuminating the world and inviting thousands, if not millions, to take up his cause.’
‘Uncle Ali was a pillar of our family, a pillar of the Bangsamoro people, and truly a pillar of this nation,’ Adiong said in his privilege speech. ‘His passing marks the end of an era, but more importantly, the beginning of a legacy that will endure well beyond his lifetime and ours.’
He added: ‘He was one of the few who could bridge two worlds-the traditional and the modern, the local and the national. He was both a statesman and a sultan, carrying with him the wisdom of our ancestors and the pragmatism of a legislator.’
Phivolcs expert: Most PH homes substandard, not ready for quakes
Most houses in the country would not withstand a strong earthquake as these structures are often built with substandard materials and usually without the help of professionals, according to an expert at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Recent calamities have shown that most houses tend to collapse or at least sustain damage because homeowners hire only laborers, instead of licensed engineers or architects, whose knowledge and training are crucial to building homes.
Rhommel Grutas, supervising science research specialist at Phivolcs, said that was mostly the case in the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Negros Oriental in 2012, the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol the next year, and the magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Northern Luzon in 2022.
Phivolcs, he said, is still assessing the buildings damaged by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on Sept. 30. But the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Sunday that 18,154 houses so far were damaged.
Building specs not followed
In an interview, Grutas noted that ‘usually with small houses, we would just get, say, a foreman or other skilled laborers. But for materials, you really need an engineer for that.’
Grutas, a civil engineer himself, pointed out, for example, that load-bearing walls that form the main part of a house should be made with 6-inch concrete hollow blocks. Yet a lot of homes in the country are made with hollow blocks four inches or less.
‘So, if you’re the owner, and you want to be more economical, more affordable, then that’s what you’ll buy,’ he said, adding that most lot owners looking to build a house are unaware of certain standards that must be followed.
Another detail he noted was that many houses do not follow the requirements for putting up the columns of a house.
He said there should be at least four columns in a standard, single-story building, each having a diameter of 16 inches and containing stirrups or steel reinforcements.
‘That alone is not being followed, because. when you pour in the [concrete], the owner would not even see the [steel reinforcements]. So they would just put small ones, like 10 millimeters,’ he said.
For houses to be resilient to earthquakes, Grutas said owners should observe such standards as being mindful of the materials being used and following laws and regulations such as the Building Code (Presidential Decree No. 1096).
‘I understand that others, of course, want to construct a house but their budget is limited,’ he said. ‘Sometimes they would build the first floor first, right, then when they get more funds, the second floor, then the third floor.’
‘Build back better’
‘But if you’re aiming for a four-story [structure], then the initial design should account for that,’ he said. ‘If you construct a one-story [house], then with more budget you add two more floors [even if that] was not the intended design, . that’s among the dangerous construction practices.’
To better prepare for ‘the Big One’ – for instance, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake generated by the West Valley Fault that runs through Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna – Grutas said there should be stricter regulations on house design.
‘In Bohol, there has already been a series of earthquakes, and then the 7.2 [magnitude earthquake in 2013],’ he said. ‘What happened in Bohol is already the Big One, so, it will be good to study how they build back better or how they prepared after the Big One.’
Grutas recalled that almost 40,000 houses were damaged in that natural calamity. ‘But there were also a lot of open rice fields, unlike in Metro Manila,’ he said.
‘Think about it. We are waiting for the Big One, but it already happened. We didn’t care because we are waiting for one in Metro Manila, but a 7.2-magnitude earthquake already occurred,’ he said. ‘The same problems resurface, which are the substandard materials.’
Signs of critical damage
For houses already built, whatever the quality of their construction, civil engineering professor Benito Pacheco of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, advises that such structures should still be assessed before they continue to be occupied.
‘High intensity earthquakes would be expected to cause damage. as the main line of defense in practical structural design is prevention of immediate collapse that would be life-threatening, but not total prevention of damage,’ he said in an email to the Inquirer.
He said a house might be significantly damaged following an earthquake if several or most columns show distress at its top and bottom joints.
The presence of X-shaped cracks from ceiling to floor, across the concrete walls of a house, could also mean the entire floor level has become unstable.
A house may also show no outward signs of damage, Pacheco said, as certain cracks or damage might be hidden by wallpaper or other such decorative finishes.
‘At higher floors, more intense shaking would be natural, even in structurally sound buildings,’ Pacheco said. ‘Falling hazards would be more likely.’
It takes about a minute
He reminded the public to ‘duck, cover, and hold’ as an immediate protection from falling hazards during earthquakes, which usually last for ‘more or less’ one minute.
‘Once the minute-long strong shaking is over, evacuate to a designated open-air muster area. Return only to reoccupy the house, structure or building after appropriate assessment by building officials or civil engineers,’ Pacheco said.
Grutas said that aside from houses, other vulnerable buildings are the ‘very old, Spanish-period’ structures such as churches and other heritage sites-as what happened in Bohol in 2013 and in Cebu last week.
But he said these structures could be retrofitted to make them more resilient to earthquakes without changing their appearance. He said such practice could have prevented what happened to some of the churches in Cebu.
Lawmaker again cites need for new building code
The September 30 earthquake that hit Cebu and neighboring provinces should prompt Congress to immediately tackle his proposal for a new building code, a lawmaker said.
In a statement on Sunday, Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. said the magnitude 6.9 quake ‘is a wake-up call again. It shows the cracks not only in our buildings but in our outdated building regulations.’
‘We need a building code that reflects the current and updated engineering standards, hazard maps, and climate realities – not one that was written decades ago,’ Momo said of Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1096 issued in 1977.
PD 1096 continues to serve as the National Building Code of the Philippines, revising an earlier building code (Republic Act No. 6541) enacted in 1972.
Momo’s proposed Philippine Building Act (House Bill No. 8500) seeks to update the country’s standards regarding the ‘planning, design, construction, occupancy, maintenance, and demolition of buildings’ and to streamline the building permit process.
The measure also proposes a new system of classification of buildings and new requirements for zoning, fire prevention, environment protection and building design.
The bill recommends further a structural review of buildings every 15 years.
‘Playing catch-up’
‘I have been pushing for the bill since the last two Congresses. This is long delayed and our kababayans are paying the price for our failure to act,’ said Momo, a former undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
‘We cannot keep playing catch-up every time disaster strikes. We owe it to the people of Cebu – and every Filipino – to make sure that the buildings they live, work, and study in are safe,’ he added.
Momo’s measure was approved by the House in August 2023. But the 19th Congress, the legislature at the start of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration in 2022, ended its three years without forwarding the bill to the President – which would have replaced the country’s over four-decades-old National Building Code if Marcos had signed it into law.
Lesson from Myanmar
Momo said the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar in March should remind the Philippines to prepare for similar calamities – including a possible quake from the West Valley Fault, a segment of the Marikina Valley Fault System that cuts through Bulacan down to Metro Manila then Laguna.
Several experts fear that as many as 52,000 people may die and 500,000 others may be injured by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake from that fault.
A special report in 2019 by consultancy group PSA Philippines Consultancy Inc. showed that at least two earlier quakes recorded as originating from the West Valley Fault showed the possibility of a major quake called the ‘Big One.’
Other experts, however, believe that the Big One has already happened in earlier instances yet could still recur.
FG, ILO, Oxfam, others re-validate National World of Work Gender Policy
THE Federal Government in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), OXFAM and social partners, have revalidated the National World Of Work Gender Policy, as part of efforts to promote inclusivity and gender equity in Nigeria’s labour sector.
At the stakeholders re-validation workshop on Thursday in Abuja, representatives from the ILO, OXFAM, government ministries, trade unions, employers’ associations, and civil society organisations, endorsed the reviewed policy, which seeks to address gender-based discrimination, enhance workplace protections, and create equal opportunities for men and women across all sectors.
Director Inspectorate Department, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs Olaolu Olaitan who noted that the policy had been validated before, said the revalidation exercise underscores Nigeria’s commitment to aligning its labour practices with international standards that guarantee fairness, decent work, and the protection of vulnerable groups
According to her, it was the continuation of a collective journey towards ensuring workplaces in Nigeria were inclusive, equitable, and free from all forms of violence, harassment, and discrimination.
She said: ‘The National World of Work Gender Policy represents a milestone in our national efforts to mainstream gender into labour administration, inspection, and workplace practices. It is not just a policy document; it is a tool that will help shape a more just and productive world of work for both men and women.
‘This re-validation exercise provides us with a unique opportunity to carefully review the draft policy, strengthen its provisions, and ensure that it reflects both our national context and international best practices.
‘Gender equality in the world of work is not the responsibility of government alone but a shared commitment that requires the active participation of all stakeholders’, employers, workers, and civil societies.’
Director, ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Liaison office for ECOWAS,.Dr. Vanessa Phala, noted that the revalidated policy would strengthen mechanisms for addressing workplace inequalities, close the gender pay gap, help dismantle systemic barriers limiting women’s participation in the workforce and improve Nigeria’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 and 8.
Represented by Dr. Runo Onosode, she noted that Nigeria’s adoption of the policy was a testament to ILO’s vision of workplaces that respect human rights, guarantee equal opportunity, eradicate discrimination and violence, and harness the full potential of all individuals.
‘It sends a clear message that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a cornerstone of national productivity, social justice, and sustainable development
‘Importantly, the policy acknowledges the intersecting vulnerabilities faced by specific groups; workers in the informal economy. persons with disabilities, those with family responsibilities, and migrant workers. By doing so, it reaffirms the principle that no worker should be left behind, regardless of gender, status, or circumstance.
‘This policy’s strategic focus on pay equity, prevention of workplace violence and harassment, affirmative action for women’s leadership representation, and gender-responsive workplace environments aligns with Nigeria’s national development goals as well as global standards such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
‘As custodians of decent work and international labour standards, the ILO stands ready to continue providing technical expertise and support, working in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and other partners to facilitate the policy’s effective implementation. Together, we will promote inclusive workplaces, empower women and vulnerable groups, and strengthen institutional capacities for monitoring and enforcement.’
She commended Nigeria for showing true leadership in advancing gender equality through the ratification of key ILO Conventions over the years, such as; Convention 100 on Equal Remuneration, Convention 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) and most most recently, Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.
The Country Director, Oxfam in Nigeria, John Makina described the policy as a guiding document towards fostering an inclusive, equitable, and gender-responsive workplace environment across Nigeria.
Represented by OXFAM’s Acting Manager Economies, Peggy Maimagi, he urged employers to integrate the policy into their organisational structures, stressing that sustainable growth could only be achieved when workplaces were inclusive, safe, and equitable for all workers.
‘As advocates and influencers, we carry a profound responsibility to shape policies and practices that not only recognize but actively promote equality, dignity, and opportunity for all workers-regardless of gender or social status.
‘The policy we are validating today has the potential to transform Nigeria’s workplaces into spaces that close the gender pay gap, embrace diversity, promote inclusion, and safeguard decent work for all. It is a tool for creating safe, equitable, and enabling environments where both women and men can thrive, individually and collectively. We are not just validating a document; we are shaping the future of work in Nigeria.’
Pensioners’ Day: NUP hails Tinubu, seeks N60,000 minimum pension for retirees
THE Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of retirees across the country while appealing for the approval of a new National Minimum Pension of N60,000 for pensioners.
Speaking during the 2025 Pensioners’ Day Celebration held at the union’s national headquarters in Abuja, NUP National President, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, said the union remains deeply appreciative of the President’s ‘numerous interventions and approvals’ which have brought relief to many pensioners. He said Tinubu’s administration has shown ‘unprecedented political will’ in addressing lingering arrears and implementing pension reforms that had been neglected by previous governments.
Comrade Abumisi highlighted several achievements of the present administration, including the payment of 20% and 28% pension arrears, the implementation of the N32,000 consequential adjustment following the approval of the new N70,000 National Minimum Wage, and the recent release of N20.188 billion for the commencement of the new pension increase under the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD). He also cited the approval of a N758 billion bond for the payment of arrears owed to pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and the commencement of a free National Health Insurance Scheme for pensioners as ‘bold and commendable steps that reflect a humane and responsive government.’
However, while applauding these measures, the NUP President called on the Federal Government to do more to alleviate the economic hardship confronting elderly citizens. ‘In the spirit of our celebration and on behalf of Nigeria’s pensioners, I humbly make a passionate appeal to our amiable and indefatigable President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) to consider his gracious approval for a new National Minimum Pension of N60,000 instead of N32,000,’ Abumisi said. He stressed that the current pension value has been rendered almost meaningless by the high cost of living, adding that: ‘the hyperinflation which has for long bedevilled Nigeria has eroded the current value of our currency and has, by so doing, rubbished our monthly pensions which can only purchase little or insignificant quantum of food and other welfare items, not to talk of our medical needs.’
Abumisi also appealed to the Federal Government to release the remaining N37 billion out of the N58 billion earlier approved for the implementation and payment of arrears arising from the N32,000 pension increase. He urged the President to ensure the inclusion of pensioners from seven defunct parastatals: PHCN, NITEL/MTEL, Peoples Bank, Assurance Bank, Petroleum Institutes, NICON Insurance, and Nigeria Insurance who were inadvertently excluded from benefitting from the new pension increase. ‘We appeal to Your Excellency to please direct the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission to issue a fresh circular to accommodate the affected parastatals,’ he said.
The NUP President further reminded the government of the need to pay the backlog of pay-off entitlements to defunct Nigeria Airways pensioners, estimated at about N36 billion, and to release the three months’ N25,000 palliative earlier approved for pensioners to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Turning to state governments, Abumisi expressed concern that only 13 out of Nigeria’s 36 states currently prioritise the regular payment of pensions and gratuities. He, however, commended governors who have demonstrated responsibility toward retirees’ welfare, singling out Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State for paying N27 billion of inherited pension arrears with a promise to clear the balance before the end of his tenure. He also applauded Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Ayedatiwa (Ondo), Umar Bago (Niger), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Alex Otti (Abia), Hope Uzodimma (Imo) and Charles Soludo (Anambra) for maintaining prompt pension and gratuity payments in their respective states.
‘To these pensioner-friendly governors, I say bravo!’ Abumisi declared. He urged other governors ‘with humongous arrears of pensions and gratuities hanging on their necks’ to emulate their peers by beginning payment immediately, warning that failure to do so continues to impoverish retirees who have already given their best years to public service.
The NUP leader also reminded state governors and local government chairmen of their constitutional obligation to implement all pension increases approved by the Federal Government over the years, including the 6.5%, 15%, 33%, 20/28%, ?30,000 consequential adjustment, and the N32,000 pension increase, in line with Section 173 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates pension reviews every five years.
The event, which marked the third consecutive celebration of Pensioners’ Day since its official declaration by the Federal Government in 2021, was a mix of celebration and sober reflection. Abumisi described the day as ‘a proud moment for all Nigerian pensioners to rejoice, reflect, and renew hope,’ while expressing optimism that ‘by the next celebration in 2026, all state councils, branches, and sectoral units will have fully aligned with the October 5 declaration for a nationwide observance.’
Concluding his address, the NUP President reaffirmed his gratitude for being re-elected unopposed for a second term during the union’s National Delegates’ Conference held earlier in April in Kano. He pledged to ‘serve pensioners much better than ever before,’ while assuring that efforts are ongoing to resolve internal crises in some state councils and address outstanding pension arrears still owed by various governments.
He prayed for continued good health and longevity for all pensioners, declaring that ‘the goodness and mercy of God shall never depart from us as we pray to celebrate more of this day in the years ahead.’
Tragedies of bigotry
Nigeria is not yet a developing country at least in terms of science and technology. It is an under-developing geo-polity. Most of the numerous modern technologies all over the country are not an index of development. They are rooted firmly in foreignness. Indeed, Nigeria is an uncritical consumer of what other nations are producing, often with its natural resources. Nigeria’s local resources are being regularly, cheaply harnessed by the smarter members of the global community while the political leaders look the other way. This is not unconnected with maximum corruption and a gross lack of unalloyed patriotism. As a matter of fact, the Nigerian local environment is not conducive to productivity.
From the eve of independence to-date, this country could hardly craft appropriate legal frameworks to elect first class political leaders. That is to say, elections based on meritocracy and justice. Selfless service to humanity only minimally exists in the leaders’ vocabularies of popular essence. However, there are a few Nigerian leaders with golden hearts. Such spiritually buoyant citizens have what it takes to engineer a vibrant society, where a raw material economy has no place to stand in the 21st century.
But it is a pity, that the few disciplined Nigerians who manage to occupy major political positions are eventually polluted or choked to death by the demonic majority. Terrible lies and deception have become an acceptable tradition. Nigeria is in dire need of change. Even the issue of security is being politicised by some leaders as if human lives do not matter.
Although bigotry is a global social disease, the Nigerian case is too extra-ordinary to be glossed over. It seems that Nigeria has become the headquarters of bigotry. However, bigotry goes beyond the spheres of religion and ethnicity. It embraces racism including a wide range of other discriminatory tendencies. In many cases, people are appointed to sensitive positions on the basis of religious sentiments, ethnic considerations and/or political affiliations. This is at variance with good governance and by extension, national development.
Once upon a time, the Minister for Information and Culture openly confessed that he had no knowledge of culture and cultural heritage management until his appointment.
It is a weak thesis in my opinion, to say that directors-general and directors are the ones to do the job in the ministries. The overall head (minister) has to know his onions, otherwise there would be huge gaps. For optimum results, round pegs should be put in round holes. Some powerful Nigerians or elder statesmen, bombarding the offices of governors and president with long lists of their godchildren often for unmerited appointments, are also a part of the country’s problems. They cannot have their cake and eat it. Ideal history is unforgiving!
Nigerians need to begin to devise new hypotheses. These hypotheses must be rigorously tested in order to craft a new Nigeria. In this connection, some of the old assumptions have to be creatively challenged to pave the way for new possibilities. Let our leaders stop being too self-satisfied with near-complete imaginary past glories, in order to successfully capture the challenges of tomorrow. The current philosophy needs to be replaced with greater meritocracy.
Anybody who thinks that bigotry is not boundary-less, is a day dreamer. Both the learned and the ordinary people (with a few exceptions) are in bondage of bigotry. The political class members are fooling the ordinary people. These leaders do not bother about religion and ethnicity whenever they want to allocate to themselves abnormally huge allowances while the masses continue to groan. This is hedonism at its peak! Nigerians, same as other members of the Homo sapiens group are endowed with sophisticated minds. This is to enable us to be thinking healthily as a precondition for setting ourselves free from the shackles of spiritual and material poverty.
Part of this, is the capacity to hold the leaders accountable at all times through the lens of strong institutions. But painfully, the Nigerian masses fold their arms and allow the governors and even local government chairmen to continue to take them for a ride. Instead of challenging our political authorities in a critical fashion, we have shifted that responsibility to God. We naively assume that Nigerians are the only children of Providence, by asking Him to do everything for us, despite our superb brains. Praying to God is good and indeed, necessary for spiritual upliftment. However, leaving our own assignment to Olodumare (the supreme God) is irresponsible in a variety of senses. God abhors laziness. Therefore, the Nigerian masses must allow Him to rest.
Our democracy is caricatured in the face of weak institutions. The ordinary people have no confidence in the National Assembly (legislature) and the Judiciary. This started from 1999. It is not a new development. There is a trust deficit. This paves the way for a near-complete dictatorship, and by the same token, poor governance. Part of this ugliness is traceable to unfettered, primitive greed of the political class members with their inflated sense of self-importance. Nigerians are not brainless at all. But unfortunately, they have been consistently failing to engage in critical thinking. This is most disturbing. Nigerians have forgotten that creative thinking is the cornerstone of robust spiritual and material abundance. That is the reason why critical thinking and healthy physical world must dance together. Bigotry has to be kept on the refuse dump of human affairs. Indeed, bigotry is a dreadful monster.
Therefore, any leader who is not performing optimally should be told to wake up or get the wrath of the people. There should be no room for uncontrolled sentiments in this regard. No good reason to begin to worry about the religion or ethnic background of a leader. Such an attitude can easily engender inter-personal as well as group misunderstanding, suspicions and even conflicts. This behavioural trait (bigotry) is at variance with sustainable peace and progress in Nigeria. After 65 years of political independence from Britain, Nigeria still has the challenge of stunted growth to grapple with.
Again, those who are singing praises of our abusers through the lens of vanity biographies need spiritual deliverance. They (the spiritless biographers with their insatiable longing after miserable wealth) are almost worse than the leadership class.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is certainly working hard on some areas of our national life. But according to a popular Yoruba proverb, ‘not all clothes can be dried off in the sun’. This is for strategic reasons! But due to the hugeness of the mess before this administration started, not much is appreciated by the ordinary people (with the exception of a few citizens, having an extra-ordinarily deep sense of judgement).
As a matter of fact, the president is keeping his nose to the grindstone. However, like Oliver Twist, we (especially the federal university staff and retirees) want some more. This is not out of greed but obvious necessity. It is time for the Nigerian citizens to begin to rise above primordial political partisanship including other related reactionary ideologies so that Nigeria can get to the promised land.
When PENGASSAN sneezes
The former President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele, while speaking to TVC News last week, on the importance of the quick intervention by the federal government in the trade dispute between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery ironically espoused the grave danger which the recent strike action by PENGASSAN constituted to the national economy.
In the words of the trade unionist: ‘You have seen government running in so quickly to address the issues because when PENGASSAN sneezes, we know what that means. Cutting gas supply, cutting oil supply, that is the live wire of Nigeria’s economy.’ Implicit in that statement is the fact that PEGASSAN has the power to cripple the Nigerian economy if it wishes. Indeed, the union bared its teeth, and the nation shuddered when it ordered that gas and oil supply to even non-combatants in the dispute be shut down.
Ordinarily, there are parties to every trade dispute, and in the instant case, it was between DANGOTE Refinery and the members of PENGASSAN. Section 1(2) of the Trade Disputes Act, provides: ‘In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires – ‘the dispute’ means the trade dispute in question; and ‘the party’ means a party to the dispute.’ Clearly, the recent dispute was between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery and yet when PENGASSAN wanted to cut gas supply, it did not restrict its action to the parties is dispute as provided by the law.
So, why did PENGASSAN escalate the dispute to affect the supply of gas and crude to other companies and entities not involved in the trade dispute? Of course, PENGASSAN knows that while the right to call a strike is implicit in the Nigerian laws, the legal regime is quite rigorous when followed. Section 4 of the Trade Dispute Act, provides that before a dispute is reported, parties must first attempt settlement, and where they cannot agree, the parties shall within seven days appoint a mediator.
Section 6 of the Act, provides that where the mediator is unable to settle, the parties shall report to the minister in writing, and the minister, according to section 7, shall appoint a conciliator to effect a settlement. Where the conciliator is unable to settle, section 9 provides, that the minister shall within 14 days refer the matter to the Industrial Arbitration Panel. Section 14 of the Trade Disputes Act, provides that where there is objection to an award by the Tribunal, the dispute shall be referred to the National Industrial Court.
Section 17 provides for direct reference to the National Industrial Court in certain special cases, and its subsection ‘a’ provides for direct reference where ‘the dispute is one to which workers employed in any essential service are a party.’ On what constitutes essential services, paragraph 2(a) of the first schedule to the Trade Disputes Act, provides: ‘Any service established, provided or maintained . for, or in connection with, the supply of electricity, power or water, or of fuel of any kind.’
Even when one concedes that the Nigeria’s legal regime may be too difficult for a trade union to follow, which is why in every settlement, a trade union extracts that no member should be punished for participation in a strike, it does not imply that a union should call a strike at the drop of hat, just because if the union sneezes, the nation will catch cold. A trade union which possess such enormous power to cripple a national economy should use it sparingly.
Indeed, while this column is peremptorily sympathetic to trade unions which ordinarily are weaker when in contest with the state, it is extremely dangerous that a trade union could be imbued with such power as exhibited as PENGASSAN. Before a union calls a strike that has the capacity to cripple the nation, it must diligently follow due process. It cannot call out Dangote Refinery for allegedly sacking its members without due process and then rely on an illegal process to bring the alleged offender and even non-offenders to account.
The way forward is for government to insist that trade unions should fully democratise and be accountable to its members. Of course, it won’t come without a fight from the officials, who have been benefiting from the current system. The trade unions must understand that where they are dealing with private companies, they wont have the luxury of eating their cake, and still have it in the fridge. The imbroglio with Dangote should be a lesson that the era of trade unions in the oil industry holding everyone to ransom may be over.
PENGASSAN, must realise that Dangote Refinery is different from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), which the government officials and the workers treat as cash-cow for themselves, rather than a business entity for the general shareholders. Members of PENGASSAN in NNPC, and its several affiliates could afford to wrestle their companies to ground knowing that those who ordinarily should ask questions about the financial health of the government owned companies, are in bed with them, jointly raping the companies.
How on earth would the corrupt ministry officials raise any eyebrow about NNPC and its affiliates, when they are in cahoots in with the unions in taking what does not belong to them? Nigerians know that the NNPC and its affiliates run opaque systems and so when the trade unions use their power to extort their own share of the proverbial national cake, they can get away with it. But the Dangote Refinery is a different ball game and the prime mover, Aliko Dangote is a boardroom shark, whose driving force is the financial bottom line.
As they would have realized, they just goaded their now former members to a cul-de-sac. The pyrrhic victory which they achieved in getting Dangote to agree to send the reabsorbed workers to its sister companies, namely the Sugar and Cement companies, automatically makes the reabsorbed workers, non-members of PENGASSAN. We wait to see how the unions in the oil industries would protect their technically estranged members who no longer belong to their unions, when the dragon turns them to ‘suya’ for lunch.
There is no reason why all oil workers should be members of either PENGASSAN or NUPENG, as that should apply to other trade unions. Section 3(1) provides: ‘An application for the registration of a trade union shall be made to the registrar in the prescribed form and shall be signed by (a) in the case of a trade union of workers, by at least fifty members of the union.’ Also, person with the resources to set up refinery should get similar encouragement as Aliko Dangote got, to open shop. Once monopoly is killed, within the unions and the industries, Nigerians will breath freely.