Oyo workers flay Ajimobi over non-payment of March salary KEY' OurrAN ,....,.,. yo
S'.l.e
work;· ers yest.eniay d~
O
scribed the nonpayment of their Man:h salary as fI deliberate punishment lIy Gowrnor AbiolaAJbnohl The workers, who ton-
verged .on the state secretarlat cI the Nigeria Labour """""'" (NLC). Yidl, Agodl, Ibadan, said Ule state government had vowed to punish those who participated in thejust suspended three weeks strike. One of the angry worken, Mr: Niyi Akinsola. told journalists thai the
government has no excuse for delaying the payment of Its workforce.. II will be recalled. thai
the state chapter of Njgerla Labour """""'" (NLC) last week suspended its
three weeks industriaJ action over the non-payment of N18,(Q)minimumwage. But in a reaction, the
state government debunked the allegation by the workers, saying negotiation on possible new wage table is ongoing. The state Conunissioner for Pittance. Mr. Zacheus Adelabu, said he is optimistic that workers would be paid their salary tomorrow.
He added that the wage crisis between the government and labour union would soon be over, saying the two sides az-e working tirelessly to resolve their differences. Meanwhile, the stale Houseof Assembly Speaker. Hon. Monsurat Swunonu. has appealed to the 'AWkers
Ondo: Appeal Court dismisses suit on LG dissolution
US businessman,
Farrah Gr.v,
¥IN
to deliver leadership seminar
HAKEEM G BADAMOSI
AAlJRE
he ts-year-old Onll.<I ~bies b",,;nes3mlUj. Dc Farnth Gray. \OJ1,l ,leliver the
T
wo years after Ondl Stale Governor Olusegun M.imlko sacked the 18 local govern-
T
MTN 2012 anhtial Leader-
sttlplMotivat ~0Iil SemI· nar scbeduIkt for April 24 to 27 API U in Lagos and
Porillar,:ourt.
Gray is tbtl lounder of Farr-OW ioods. one of America's fr.slest growing fast food flh :tins. The ooe-v't!l'k annual event was corcel\'ed by MTN as a pL'ltform to in spire Nigertani with one of ltsendurlngbrandval· ues: The "can-<lo spirll~. Gray, the American }'Outh P~ entrepre-
new: authOl' and moti-
vational s~t. is one r the l'eYt.Wlons of the
ment chairmen elected In
an election conducted by his predecessor, Dt: Ol~ gun Agagu, the Appeal Court sitting in Akure yes. terday dismissed the suit flied by the <X>UDclJ bosses. The fanner chairmen had challeoged their dJs. solution by Mimiko. claim· ing that the governor Called to follow the due process in chasing them out of office. The appeUate oourt held that the case "'-as dismi<:mr:l ~~~~~~~~~==~====~====~------------------------------~oothe~m~~
Food security: lagos acquires land from other states forfanning
curily agenda. Fashola said: ''In addltion. the state has cometermlned to enmenced the pun:hase of sure food security land from other states in to the face of grow_ ortier toachieve Its food 5elog population and timcuriIY agenda. An example lted arable farmland. the is Osogbo where WE!: will Lagos State government soon commence the plant· food eomp~. Farr..()ut and J t one year has acquired land from Ing of cash crop and food afterl ortIe of other neighbouring states crops like pineapple, clt$1.5 milDon ade him a for farming, !'US and high value crops 1-".:..::=-=="------------------, to sustain our people." 14.year-oid Uona1re.. "All Ihese ,ctivltl.. In Gray ho ~the nlCOni as the)'OWl t penon to • • addition to the mobUlsation of rural rolks will ha,,-ea Wo¥ 'eel office.. Af 15, Jet up the could not supcnlse the be carried out wIth the KAvooe FASUA EFCC and the FRSC_ aim of providing food for Farrah G ~oundation. t the income " I don't think there Is cilliens in the best form ech.. and Lag"'based secu- anything lnherently cor- possible and at affordks to fund rity expert, Hon. rupt In tlle Nigeria Pollce. able and environmental· ipo OkeyomL bas If we are-iO use corrup- friendly manner." The governor said that .-:ted to the 0nJsanye lion as basis, what has panel's rnport that agen- happened to many corrup- food security is one of cies like the Economk and tlon cases against some the canlinal programme Ftnanclal Crtmes C0mmis- corrupi former governors, of his administration, sion (EFCC) and the Feder· which the EFCC has not adding that 1t is an Integral part of the state Ecoal Road Safety Commission prosecuted dUlgcntly'? "Are we saying the nomic Empowerment and CFRSC) be scrapped. Strategy He .said rather than EFCC is nol diligent Development scrapping Ute agencies. enough or somewhere, (LASEEDS) document as gov!!:rnment should merge somehow. some palms weU as resolution of Its them with the police and have been greased,?'" he Ehlngbet1swnmit and the Millennium Development place Utem under the su- asked rhetorlca~ Okeyomi said.: "While Goals (MOOs). pervision of the Inspectordoes not General or Pollce (lGp). It Is not impossible to find He said that the day onl,uem youtstandAccordlng to him, it is some bad eggs In the po. which coincided with the lng S 'ut also Ule wrong to assume that the lice, I can assure you of 2O12 Farmers Appreclation "can-do spl i Dyeyemt police were corrupt and knowlng many officers Da,y is set aside by the goythat are not corrupl .. ernment to celebrate farm&aid. that for that reason, the
21s1 cenll1J")t From lU I ars of age, 'Wben be :ed seUlng body lotiOn. G "81 tried to make tm O"Ail oe~ At the of 13. he ounded lh~ specially
MURrTAlA AYINLA
D
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by his deputy. Princess Adejoke Ore.lope-Adeful1re, made this known whUe comrnJs.. stoning the newly upgrad. ed and rehabilitated Farm Sef'Vice Centre In Agege. He said the move was to ensure the state govern· ment achieves Its food !Ie-
Put EFCC, FRSC under police supervision, expert urges
~
M.
to aa:ept the old wage tal»e fir Manta payment. while negotiation for minimum wage increase oootlnues. She made the appeal whUe briefing the press at the end of an emergency meeting between the governn1enl. labour and members of the House of Assembly:
ers who Ioil day and night to enstrre that food Is made avai.ln\)te for the citizens. The governor added thai one of the challenges facing the state is feeding the huge popuiatlon. saying the problem of food Insecurity Is further compounded by hlgh rising food price. "Be£WeeD the year 'lJJ1l and 2010, prices of major staples food rose by over 50 per cenl The price of rice in particular rose by over 100 per cenL In the year 2010, Nigeria was lIsted by the World Bank as one or the countries with high. est domestic food price in-
with the provisjons of the laws gukling the: oondan of local grMnlmentelectic.n However. the judgment d~red by JlIStices Kudl· IlJl(J!
rat Kekere-Ekun. Chlnwe Eugenia Iyb:oba and Moore Adumein held that the governor elT'ed In law by dissolving the local govern· ment without foUowing the constitutional procedures. The _ council chiefs
wert!
scnt packing
by Gowmor Mimiko on
March 4, 3DI. The jOOgmenI read: "On whether the kMwcourt was right in declaring the provi-
saoos of Ondo State Local GcM!rnment (Cooducl of Election) Amendment Law
m1 Inmnslstent with the crease among 58 coWlbies EIed.oral Act :lUi. It Is clear by Food and Ag- that the appellants gaveonJy ricultural Organisation nine daYs notke instead or the 150 days prescribed. by (FAD)," Fashola said The La.gos State Com- the Electoral Act. 150 and mIssioner for Agriculture nine daYs cannot be l1!ad to and Cooperative. Prtnce be the """"Gbolahan Lawai, said "'The Iawer oourt is now the farm centre was con- vlndlcated by taking thai ceived out of a pressing standpoint on the matter: need to eIpand the scope Since v."'e ~ botmd by Su· and support services of preme Court decisions, it farmers consistenti)( Is hereby affirmed that the He Identified dearth of local g'IM!nll1leJlt e1ecUon adequate information as conducted on December l5. factors militating agalnst 'JlHI which brought the . . growth of agrtcwtural peUants to office was not sector In most states of only illegal, unoonsUtutlon· Nigeria. at. but null aJXI void"
surve,..