Nigeria: Robbers Attack FCT Medical Store

Nigeria: Robbers Attack FCT Medical Store

Leadership (Abuja)

27 November 2007
Posted to the web 27 November 2007

Golu Timothy

About 20 armed robbers, at the weekend, attacked the FCT central medical store located around Jabi in Utako district, and injured two of the civilian security personnel keeping guard.

However, the secretary for health in the FCT, Dr. Danladi Rupuba Arabs, said the robbers were disappointed because there was no money to steal in the store.

The robbers were said to have pounced on the strategic medical facility Friday night by jumping the high walls and took the three guards captive.

One of the security men said: "15 of the armed robbers jumped the fence, with four of them holding guns while others stayed outside the fence. As soon as they jumped inside, they started to beat us, and asked us to show them where money was kept. We told them there was no money here, except drugs, but they insisted on checking for themselves".

The robbers broke into all the offices including the toilets, but found a big iron safe locked in the accounts section.

Thinking they had suceeded, they invested all their energy in breaking the heavy iron safe, only to discover there was no single kobo.

Confirming the development to journalists, the health secretary, Dr. Danlami Arabs said, there was no physical cash, "because we are running a cashless system. We have since stopped money transaction in this place, and therefore we don't keep money here".

He directed that barb wires be put round the fences and enough security lights provided for the entire facility.

According to him, the robbers must have been attracted by the centralisation process in drug distribution, and the pressure put on them by demolitions but that they would not suceed.

He stated that he was happy wth the Utako police for moving in fast to make alternative arrangements, expressing confidence that the police would liaise with the leadership of the store to beef up security.

The secretary was led round the facility by Pharmacist Idris Abdullazeez, a deputy director.

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IFJ Outraged Shut Down of Nigeria’s Guardian Newspaper as Management Tries to Break Strike

IFJ Outraged Shut Down of Nigeria’s Guardian Newspaper

By: IFJ

Posted on: 11/20/2007

IFJ Outraged Shut Down of Nigeria’s Guardian Newspaper as Management Tries to Break Strike

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the move by management at the Guardian newspaper to end a 12-day strike by shutting down the newspaper and dismissing all its employees.

The journalists and the other workers at the paper have been on strike since November 8 after negotiations with managers over a pay raise and better working conditions stalled. The Guardian online and print editions have not been published since then.

“We are outraged by the strike-breaking technique used by The Guardian management,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa office. “Closing the paper and reopening it later with a new staff is an unfair labour practice that only aims to break the union and undermine workers’ rights. We call on the management to resume negotiation with the workers to negotiate a fair contract.”

The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in a letter sent to the Federal Minister of Labour on November 16 urged him to “intervene directly and immediately” in the dispute between the workers and the management of The Guardian.

The IFJ backs the call of its affiliate the NUJ for the government to take strong action to protect the newspaper employees’ rights, including referring the dispute to the Industrial Arbitration Panel to “save the jobs of about 800 journalists and other workers.”

“The Guardian management announced to our in-house members that they will close down the paper with effect from Friday and sack all our members,” Usman Leman, NUJ National Secretary told the IFJ.

The NUJ members and other workers at the newspaper demanded a 50 per cent pay rise, improvement of the computer and Internet system and provision of a staff bus. The talks started in March of this year and were broke down on November 6.

According to the NUJ’s letter to the Minister, the workers agreed to resume work two days later, agreeing to accept 20 per cent pay rise. The management responded by refusing to put any agreements on other issues in dispute in writing and then locked out the NUJ members, the union said.

Taken from mediaforfreedom.com

The Guardian: Why we are off the streets

Monday, November 19, 2007

The Guardian: Why we are off the streets

On Tuesday, November 6, 2007, the leadership of the local branch of National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPPROW) and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) supported by some outside elements, who invaded the company, decided to suspend the production of the newspaper and ordered the staff out of the premises as they announced the commencement of an industrial action against the company.

Since then, The Guardian titles have been off the streets and online. We would like to apologise to our numerous readers, advertisers, and other partners and patrons for whatever inconvenience this may have caused. We will also like to put on record our heartfelt appreciation of the enormous support and expression of goodwill that we have received from persons and organizations, at home and abroad, who have called to offer advice, and express concern about the sudden disappearance of their darling newspaper from the newsstands.

We observe with great pain that since the incident occurred the leadership of the unions in our company, have been making statements in the media, with the intention of portraying our company in a bad light. Much of what has been reported to the public is no more than outright fabrication, gross misrepresentation, and a campaign of calumny. It is important that the records be set straight and the position of management at this point, explained to the public.

Before the declaration of a workers' strike on November 6, management had been in dialogue with the local unions, a committee was also set up to negotiate with the unions and strengthen the communication channel between management and workers. In the course of the negotiations, the unions insisted on a 50 per cent salary increase across board for their members. Management offered a 20 per cent increase. At The Guardian, salaries are always paid as and when due. We also offer some of the best conditions of service in the industry, including special incentives to encourage performance and commitment. We run a fully automated operation, a computerized system, and only this year, a modern state of the art, new press was installed to make the production process easier. We have also been faithful to every contract of appointment and the principle of collective bargaining. But the unions rejected the 20 per cent increase in salary and stood their ground.

In their statements, the unions have grossly misrepresented the details of the negotiations to the public. We consider the resort to blackmail shocking. We find the animus that has been put forth by the union leaders astounding. We are alarmed that persons who work in a company and who ostensibly would like to remain a part of it, would do so much to humiliate the company in the eyes of the public and even take steps to destroy it.

Nonetheless, management has spent the past two weeks holding meetings with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the local unions to resolve the impasse. We would like to thank the NLC for its intervention and its representatives for their concern and diligence. On Thursday, November 8, the negotiations yielded good fruit when the local unions, at the behest of the NLC, decided to call off the strike. But no sooner was the strike called off than the leaders of the local unions again asked the management for further negotiations where fresh demands were made which resulted in a deadlock. By now, members of management were being threatened by union members, insulting and threatening text messages had begun to show up on cell phones of directors of the company, there were threats that the new press will be destroyed, with indications that this was no longer just an industrial action, but an organised attempt to sabotage the company.

Still, management resumed negotiations with the local unions and the NLC. On Tuesday, November 13, another breakthrough was recorded, with the unions agreeing to accept the 20 per cent increase earlier offered by management, again at the behest of the NLC. On Wednesday, November 14, a workers' congress was held in the morning at which the workers resolved to return to work and accept the 20 percent salary increase offered by the management. All that remained was for a communique to be signed, and this was to take place the following day. Arrangements were also made for a resumption of operations. Surprisingly, the unions turned up on Thursday, November 15 with fresh conditions that although they had agreed to a 20 per cent salary increase, the payment should be backdated by about five months, and that management should sign an undertaking to accept other commitments. At no time were these fresh conditions part of the negotiations.

Management has learnt useful lessons from this experience. We have resolved to put the entire saga behind us. Last month, The Guardian as a company was 25 years old and this offered us the opportunity for reflection on how to position the business for the next 25 years. Before the industrial crisis, management was already working on a restructuring plan to strengthen its manpower and improve efficiency.

Today, The Guardian has the largest work force in the industry with about 800 workers and a generous incentives plan, in addition to a work environment where workers are given the freedom to realise their potentials to the fullest. It is time to take a second look at our operations so far and absorb the lessons of the past two weeks and their impact.

In keeping with this objective, The Guardian, on the professional advice of consultants working on the planned restructuring, has decided to fast track the plan. The company will, therefore, have to be completely overhauled to position its people, processes and structure in order to deepen its capacity to compete.

We apologise to the numerous loyal members of staff who have reaffirmed their commitment to the company�s vision and objective and expressed their dissatisfaction with the actions of the union leaders. We note their faith in our company�s values and ethos.

We promise that the process of restructuring, the ground work for which had been underway long before now, will be completed quickly, and The Guardian titles will be back on the stands and online shortly. This newspaper remains committed to the best traditions of journalism and free enterprise. We want to assure our numerous readers that we will return as a better and stronger newspaper, committed to the truth, the rule of law, and republican democracy, and the dignity of man. "What The Guardian Stands For", our mission statement, remains unchanged. Our commitment to the truth is unshakeable.

We thank everyone who has taken interest in our travails in the past two weeks, most sincerely. The life of a newspaper is like the life of a human being, full of surprises and ups and downs. In 25 years, The Guardian has had its fine and low moments, but like the Phoenix we have always risen to conquer adversity. This adversity will make us stronger and better. Very soon, you shall read The Guardian again.

This came off the official Guardian newspaper website.

Rotary, Gates Give Funds to Fight Polio

November 26, 2007

Rotary, Gates Give Funds to Fight Polio

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) - The global campaign to wipe out polio is getting a $200 million donation from Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at a time when some worry the effort will fail in the final stages.

Monday's announcement by both organizations came after nearly two decades of work against polio, an infectious disease that can paralyze and sometimes kill.

"This investment is precisely the catalyst we need as we intensify the push to finish polio," Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a statement.

Though polio incidence has been slashed by more than 99 percent worldwide since the eradication effort began in 1988, the virus remains entrenched in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Two deadlines to eliminate polio have been missed: 2000 and 2005. More than $5 billion has been poured into the effort, and some experts worry that unless the job is finished soon, the world community's money and patience may run out.

"They're on a heroic task, but money is not the only problem," said Dr. Donald A. Henderson, who headed WHO's smallpox successful eradication campaign. "We've got to soldier on. We need more money. Look at all we've accomplished. But how do we get to the endpoint?"

Henderson and other experts worry that major obstacles to vaccinating children will be harder to overcome than filling a funding gap.

In countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Congo, where there are armed conflicts and weak health services, it has been extremely difficult to reach the high vaccination levels needed to wipe out polio. And in India, the vaccine is less effective, due to poor sanitation and the fact that children are often infected with intestinal viruses.

Experts are also concerned about the use of the oral vaccine, which contains live polio virus. In rare instances, the virus can mutate into a dangerous form capable of causing the disease.

The donation from Rotary International and the Gates Foundation, to be paid over three years, will largely go to immunization campaigns, surveillance and public education.

"This amount of money can make quite a big difference," said Nicholas Grassly, of Imperial College, London, who advises WHO on polio issues. "We can build on the gains that have been made this year."

WHO reports significant progress against polio in India and Nigeria, where 85 percent of the world's polio cases occur. Last year at this time, Nigeria had 958 polio cases. This year, only 226 were reported.

Still, the $200 million falls short of the $650 million that WHO says will be needed by 2009. Eradicating polio will ultimately cost $1 billion more, said Dr. David Heymann, WHO's top polio official.

Pandemonium in Yola as Police shoot undergraduate

Pandemonium in Yola as Police shoot undergraduate

Thursday, November 22, 2007 - Written by Umar Yusuf

YOLA—Pandemonium broke out in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, Tuesday, as Police shot dead an undergraduate of the Federal University of Technology Yola.

Youths in their thousands apparently protesting the killing mobilized themselves when the death of the undergraduate identified as Aminu Buba Tete filtered around and headed to the Jimeta divisional police station, in apparent move to set it ablaze.

Hoodlums quickly took over the advantage of the ensuing confusion, looting shops and other business places.

Shop owners and other business outfits hurriedly closed up their business and economic activities came to a stand still in most parts of the state capital.

No fewer than ten shops were looted and vandalized along the Mohammed Mustapha Way commercial area, while unspecified number of cars and motorcycles believed to be owned by police personnel were burnt to ashes.

Anti-riot policemen in armoured cars were later deployed to the major streets to maintain law and order.

Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aloy Okorie gave a vivid account of what led to near break down of law and order.

He told newsmen in his office that an informant had earlier alerted the police that suspected armed robbers were mobilizing themselves in Guri to raid some targets in the state capital,

He added that the police quickly cordoned off the road leading Guri-Fufore to Yola in an apparent move to track down the suspected robbers.

The Commissioner of Police added that it was at this point that the deceased in company of another person were driving along the cordoned office the Guri- Yola road.

“The duo were traveling in a tinted glass car and when police waved them to stop, they refused and the police chased them from Mbamba along the road into the state and one of the policemen shot at the car,” he stated.

Lagos Assembly May Adopt Yoruba as Official Language

Lagos Assembly May Adopt Yoruba as Official Language

By Deji Elumoye, 11.28.2007

Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday said it is considering the use of Yoruba language as its working language on the floor of the Assembly.
This is in response to a letter to this effect, written by one Mrs Ohiri Anuche, who described herself as a concerned citizen.
In the letter read on the floor of the Assembly, the woman said it was not in the interest of the grassroots for proceedings in the Assembly to be held in English Language, considering the fact that many of them do not understand the language. She cited the examples of Anambra, Ogun and Ekiti states, where local languages are used.
Debating the matter, Honourable Sanai Agunbiade, Ikorodu 1, said writer of the letter was simply drawing attention “to a constitutional provision, which says "state Assemblies could transact their businesses in English Language or other languages spoken by the people."
In his contribution, Mr Oshun Olanrewaju, Lagos Mainland II, argued that it was necessary to conduct the business in Yoruba Language at least once a week, to carry the people at the grassroots along.
“My mother for example, may want to hear her son or follow proceedings of those who represent her, but since she does not understand English, she would be robbed of this privilege,” he said.
Mr Oshinowo Adebayo, Kosofe 1, said this will force children to understand their mother tongue, because many of them do not speak or understand Yoruba.

However, the Majority Leader, Kolawole Taiwo, Ajeromi-Ifelodun 1, differ because, according to him, he represents a section of the state where majority do not speak Yoruba.“I represent Ajegunle, which is dotted with people of various ethnic groups, and I am obliged to use the English Language, so that I can communicate with them and vice-versa,” he said.The Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, suggested that the matter be put in proper motion for consideration, but added that anybody who had lived in a place for up to 10 years should be able to speak and understand the language of that place.

This article was taken from http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=96451

Falling Dollar Good for Naira, Says IMF Chief

Falling Dollar Good for Naira, Says IMF Chief

Fund asks Nigeria to define spending priorities
By Ayodele Aminu in Lagos and Constance Ikokwu in Washington D.C., 11.27.2007

As the dollar continues to take a plunge, the naira will strengthen, keep inflation within single digit and stave off any major impact on economic growth, says Director of the Africa Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane.
The good news for the naira is coming at a time the IMF is urging the Federal Government to define clearly its spending priorities and strengthen the management of public finances at the three tiers of government to yield better value for money from public spending
Bio-Tchane however warned that higher oil prices, however, means that Nigeria and other oil-producing countries would have to deal with decline in real income, posing a challenge to developmental projects.
The weakening dollar has been a source of concern to many countries, particularly the oil-producing states whose revenue is in that currency.
The depreciating dollar has contributed to rising oil prices and an erosion of the value of dollar reserves, prompting Iran and Venezuela to suggest oil trade in another currency during the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) summit last week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As at November 23, 2007, Nigeria foreign reserves stood at N50.09 billion.
In an interview with THISDAY in Washington, D.C., Bio-Tchane observed that the fall of the dollar would see a stronger naira, whereby people would spend less and the impact on inflation would be less.
“The stronger naira will help keep inflation well within single digit levels this year and into next year. Developments in domestic food prices, which depend on agricultural conditions including weather, are, however, a more important factor in determining inflation. As for economic growth, we do not expect a major impact from the stronger naira in the short term,” he stated.
He noted that the stronger naira would not impact the implementation of the budget, with the oil price based fiscal rule in place. He however reckoned that it did reduce the naira value of oil revenues and hence the naira value of excess crude account.
He advised the government to continue to apply "the oil price based on fiscal rule as proposed in its budget and its medium term fiscal strategy." "This will help secure the strong non-oil growth of recent years, low inflation, as well as support the increase in spending on infrastructure and on the MDGs that has taken place over the last few years," he said.
The Presidents of Iran and Venezuela, Mahmood Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez had during the OPEC Summit last week said they wished to convert their cash reserves into another currency. They both proposed oil trade in another currency, an idea that Saudi-Arabia was uncomfortable with, being a US ally.
Analysts say changing the oil trade currency will not only be an economic decision but a political statement.
The summit ended with a directive given to OPEC finance ministers to study the issue. No timetable was given for the study. A committee is expected to recommend a body of currencies that OPEC members will deal with.
Meanwhile, the IMF has stressed the need for the Federal Government to define clearly its spending priorities and strengthen the management of public finances at the three tiers of government.
The Fund, which implored Nigeria to define its priorities in a statement yesterday in Abuja after the conclusion of its staff mission to Nigeria for the 2007 Article IV Consultation, also urged the Nigerian authorities to continue to develop new approaches to monetary policy.
This, it said, will be important to monitor developments carefully, in case inflationary pressures emerge.
Mr. David Nellor, Senior Advisor in the African Department, who led the IMF mission’s visit to Abuja during November 7-20, 2007 to conduct the 2007 Article IV Consultation, however, predicted a robust growth for Nigeria in the medium term.
“In the near term, the mission expects that growth will remain robust, with demand from both public and private sectors contributing to growth. Implementation of the 2008 budget in line with the proposed medium-term fiscal strategy would help to ensure strong growth and single-digit inflation. As the authorities continue to develop new approaches to monetary policy, it will be important to monitor developments carefully, in case inflationary pressures emerge.
"The financial sector is evolving rapidly and the authorities need to enhance their capacity to meet the challenges that this poses. With both domestic and foreign investors increasing their appetite for Nigerian assets, it is essential that market participants and regulators alike have a good grasp of the new instruments and developments in the market. Finalising and implementing a robust framework for debt management will also help safeguard the strong external position and the domestic financial system,” the Fund said.
The IMF noted that the immediate challenge is to manage Nigeria's oil revenues and saving to preserve macroeconomic stability.
“The mission welcomes the road map to stability offered by the government's medium-term fiscal strategy, which covers all levels of government. Among the essential features of the strategy are that it proposes spending levels that can be absorbed by the economy while allowing room for infrastructure investment.
“It is most important that the recent agreement among the three levels of government on the use of the oil saving should be implemented in a way that preserves macroeconomic stability. This would mean that additional allocation from the excess crude account should be saved. If it is decided to increase spending, then the macroeconomic risks could be reduced by undertaking infrastructure spending with high import content. Large increases in domestic spending would risk sharply higher inflation, much slower growth over the medium term, or both,” the IMF emphasised.
Commenting on Nigeria’s infrastructure development, IMF said that there is scope to pursue Nigeria’s ambitious goals for growth, infrastructure development, and the Millennium Development Goals within current spending plans.
“The government could identify areas where it can reduce or share its role, including through privatisation and public-private partnerships. Government spending priorities need to be clearly defined. And the management of public finances at all three tiers of government should be strengthened to yield better value for money from public spending.
"The private sector has a pivotal role in securing sustainable growth. Important progress has been made in creating an enabling environment for private sector activity, but more needs to be done. Elements of a strategy might include: supporting wider financial sector activity throughout the economy; promoting the rule of law and corporate governance; and facilitating trade, for instance by building further on the changes brought about by concessioning the ports,” the Fund advised.
The IMF said that the successful completion of Nigeria's two-year Policy Support Instrument (PSI) with the IMF in mid-October 2007 was an important milestone. It however, noted that the economic progress and reform gains had transformed the policy environment, and had created new challenges.
The IMF's framework for PSIs is designed for low-income countries that may not need IMF financial assistance, but still seek close cooperation with the IMF in preparation and endorsement of their policy frameworks. PSI-supported programmes are based on country-owned poverty reduction strategies adopted in a participatory process involving civil society and development partners. This is intended to ensure that PSI-supported programmes are consistent with a comprehensive framework for macroeconomic, structural and social policies to foster growth and reduce poverty. Members' performance under a PSI is reviewed semi-annually, irrespective of the status of the programme.
The 2007 Article IV Consultation is the process that involves economic analysis and discussion of policies that the IMF regularly conducts with each member country.
The mission met with Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, Minister of Finance; Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); other members of the Economic Management Team; and senior officials and representatives of the private sector. Discussions focused on recent developments in the Nigerian economy and the outlook for 2008 and the medium term.

This article was taken from http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=96353