12/20/18

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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

The organised labour has given the Federal Government up to Dec. 31 to send the tripartite committee report on N30,000 minimum wage to the National Assembly.
The decision was taken in Lagos on Thursday at a joint meeting of three labour centres—the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC).
The organiseed labour said the ultimatum followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that a “high powered technical committee” would be set up to device ways of ensuring that the implementation of the new wage did not lead to an increase in the level of borrowing.
Buhari spoke at the presentation of 2019 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday.
The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, who address newsmen after the meeting, said that setting up a technical committee could not be a condition for passing the minimum wage report to the National Assembly.
According to Wabba, the organised labour cannot guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the country if the wage report was not passed for implementation on or before Dec. 31.
“We reject in its entirety the plan to set up another `high powered technical committee’ on the minimum wage. It is diversionary and a delay tactics.
“The national minimum wage committee was both technical and all-encompassing in its compositions and plan to set up a technical committee is alien to the tripartite process.
“It is also alien to the  International Labour Organisations’ conventions on national minimum wage setting mechanism,’’ he said.
The labour leader said that issues on payment of minimum wage was a law that was universal, citing that other African countries like, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa had increased their minimum wage this year.
“If you increase minimum wage, you are increasing the purchasing power of the economy which will help to reduce inflation rather than increase it,’’ Wabba said.
He urged workers to be vigilant and prepare to campaign and vote against candidates and politicians who are not willing to implement the new minimum wage.
Mr Joe Ajaero, President of ULC, who also spoke on the development said that all affiliate members of the organised labour had been put on alert ahead of the Dec. 31 notice if government failed to submit the report.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that organised labour had been at loggerhead with the Federal and State governments on the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage.
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

President Muhammadu Buhari at the passing out of cadets at the Police Academy, Wudil in Kano restated that the increase in salary of police was not meant to induce them to support his second term bid.
Buhari said such would amount to corruption which his administration was fighting and would continue to fight.
The administration, he said, has zero tolerance for corruption.
According to him corruption is the major impediment to the growth of Nigerian economy.
“We must shun corruption and fight at all levels,’’ he ordered the new police officers.
He urged the police officers to uphold the ethics and regulation of their profession and not be allowed to be influenced in anyway.
Buhari warned that anyone found wanting would be disciplined according to extant laws.
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.
Former CDS, Air chief Marshal Alex Badeh

The former Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh was in his Toyota Tundra truck with registration number MUB 396 AA when he was shot by some unknown gunmen at a location in Gitata community on Keffi-Bade road, Nasarawa State.

Some Gitata residents said the deceased was coming from his farm between Koso and Kugwaru communities when he was shot. They said though Mararaba was closer to the farm, the dilapidation of the road made the choice of Panda road off the Keffi-Bade highway better.

The truck windscreen was pierced by bullets, its windows shattered, its bonnet ridden with bullets. The front tyre of the passenger side was blown out. The layout of the scene was consistent with the style of operation of gunmen who regularly attack travellers in the area, according to what residents told Daily Trust at the scene.

Witnesses to the incident never knew it was Bade in the vehicle at the time of the attack until the Air Force announced his death. They described him as seated in front beside the driver, and describe him being shot in the trunk.

Patches of blood still stained the truck’s cup holder and armrest between both seats as seen by Daily Trust.

One witness, Idris Musa, a driver, said the incident happened at about 6:45pm on Tuesday. Musa who spoke in Hausa said he was driving to Gitata from Keffi when some drivers stopped him at Unguwar Mangoro where he was informed about an on-going robbery on the road.

Musa said he parked his vehicle by the roadside while looking out for oncoming vehicles near the bush when he saw a vehicle ran into the robbers.

“This very man was coming with his car, Tundra, when he now switched on his head light. Then they started shooting at his car,” he said, adding that he counted about 10 gunshots before he fled into the bush in fear until he was called out by his colleagues after the gunmen left through the bush.

“When they went there, they saw the driver injured on the arm and another man already dead in the car. He was shot in the stomach,” he said through an interpreter.

He said the soldiers wrapped a bandage around the injured driver’s arm.

“This is the third time in this month that something like this happens, two people have been killed and one kidnapped this month,” he said, adding that he never knew the dead man he saw was a former top security chief.

The witness also said the deceased former chief of defence staff was shot few minutes from Zango Gitata, a community sandwiched between two military checkpoints. The Shitu Alao Barracks is also on the Keffi-Bade road.

However, a trader in Gitata, Joshua Ade, said before the two checkpoints were mounted, the gunmen could operate about three times in a day.

“At times they come out three times in a day. We thank God because of the soldiers at the checkpoints. Then we do hear gunshots from here,” he said.

Ade said he was at his makeshift shop where he sells car spare parts when he saw the Tundra go by on the road on Tuesday. Few minutes later, soldiers at the Gitata checkpoints were seen speeding in opposite direction.

Ade said by then he knew something was going on and was not surprised when he later heard that a man was killed by some gunmen before the soldiers got there.

“It was this morning (Wednesday) that I got to know that the man was prominent. This month it is up to two times, two weeks ago they operated and kidnapped about six people,” he said.

“It has been happening before; it is because of this man that died which I think is an elderly person or top government official that everyone is hearing it,” he said,.

There has been heavy deployment of security personnel since Tuesday night.

“Since last night soldiers are going up and down. They mount road blocks down there and about 10 of their vehicles have been patrolling the area,” he said.

He said the gunmen usually waylay motorists at a sharp bend after Zango Gitata.

Abdul Gitata was attacked thrice at a sharp bend and once shot at by the gunmen whom he said were usually dressed in military uniforms.

“The last time that I entered them, almost two months, they shot at my car and broke three of my tyres. They usually lie down in the bush and just start shooting at the car, when you stop they will kidnap people and go.

“That place is a bush, no houses there and there is a bending corner. Normally if you hear any armed robbery incident, it is that place. When you are coming from Keffi, your mind won’t rest until you cross the place. They operate even in the day,” he said.

He said the security operatives on the road tried in curtailing the situation but the gunmen usually operate after they soldiers have finished their patrol of the area.

“They (gunmen) used to have information when security are patrolling you won’t see them but when soldiers are gone they now operate,” he said.

The Mai Martaba Sarkin of Gitata, Turaki Danlami Rabo said he was not authorised to comment on the security situation in the community.
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At a United Nations debate in New York, Isabel dos Santos, who is currently the richest woman in Africa, spoke of the economic empowerment of African women as a key to transforming society.
This and many of her other hopeful and encouraging messages have inspired many citizens in African countries, mainly young women, to pursue their ambitions in business.
Dos Santos believes that some of the most promising and successful businesspeople in the world have been African because of the continent’s entrepreneurial spirit.
This spirit, however, has been weighed down by the stigmatization of women in the workplace.
This has robbed the economy of valuable innovators and has barred women from achieving their ambitions. But by ensuring that young women can access the same education, job opportunities, and potential for growth as men, dos Santos believes that she can change this attitude and instill a national confidence in women.
This type of thinking falls in line with her more general philosophy of reform: “First the seed, then the future.”
This dictum seems to urge against immediate change and, instead, encourages slow and steady growth.
The seeds that Isabel dos Santos thinks ought to be planted are also tied up in the economic freedom of women – by creating jobs, providing training, and breaking sexist stigmas, she believes that women can experience increased financial stability while giving their home countries more influence in the international economy.
Isabel Dos Santoshas spent a lot of time planting these seeds in Africa, focusing her efforts in her home country of Angola where she meets with young people and speaks with them about the power of entrepreneurship. Sometimes, she visits them in small, personable rooms at universities and other institutions, other times in much larger ones during her speeches and debates. Most tellingly, she refers to famous African entrepreneurs as a “great family” and invites everyone with the motivation to work hard and come join them.
She often encourages young women to leverage the world’s increased reliance on technology and artificial intelligence, which she refers to as “digitalization”. She believes working toward innovations in technology is key to increasing Africa’s presence in the international economy while flooding the continent with unique employment opportunities. With just a computer and internet connection, unemployed or underpaid citizens can find more work, sometimes with the higher wages that are more commonplace in developed countries, to support their families and stimulate their local economies.
During a conversation with students at the University of Warwick interested in developing Africa, dos Santos tells a young woman who is eager to accomplish her ambitions “now” that she has to be patient and have not just a goal but a string of subgoals to reach it. She goes on to encourages the student to involve herself as deeply as she can in the decision processes that influence that goal, and also to understand that sometimes it’s important to just focus on school, other times on a career or starting a business. This type of advice for strategic hesitance can be found in many of her speeches.
Isabel dos Santos is the daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola’s long-time former president. Much of her wealth came from her investments and her previous position as the chairwoman of an oil company owned by the state called Sonangol. Dos Santos considers herself an independent businesswoman and investor and has become Africa’s first females billionaire. Forbes ranks her as the 9thwealthiest billionaire in Africa for 2018.
For young businesswomen in various African countries, her success story has been a beacon of hope. But dos Santos has told various reporters that her rise to riches was marred by the sexism she had to endure in a male-dominated African business world. She has no shortage of stories concerning prejudice and discrimination based on her gender, such as during business meetings where the people she’s negotiating with would look to her male assistant, advisor, or lawyer for validation though she already stated her offer. She is also frequently asked what business her husband is in when her wealth is made clear.
Despite her tribulations in the business world, Isabel dos Santos has maintained a charitable and hopeful perspective on life and takes on many projects geared toward improving small communities and local economies. One of these projects was in Humpata, in the province of Huila, where dos Santos helped establish a strawberry field, “planting the seed” to empower citizens. This project gave 120 women a place to work and a new income. On her website, dos Santos says:
“Creating opportunities and employment for women means betting on the progress of the communities themselves. When they thrive, women invest their income in the family, health, and education. I value this as a sense of duty, commitment, and dedication. The impact that women create around them is powerful and transformative.”
She calls on other African entrepreneurs to give back to their countries by investing in similar projects. Though they seem small-scale, she believes that with enough support, this type of philanthropic work can create a value chain large enough to impact the national economy. As a result, smaller communities will have more prosperous citizens and influence. Should those new entrepreneurs be African women, then dos Santos hopes that their success will help chip away at the stigma that women are less competent than men.
This is all part of one of Isabel dos Santos’ larger goals to increase the prosperity of African countries as a whole. She plans to accomplish this by working from the ground up, focusing on the individual, such as the promising young men and woman of various African countries. By empowering them, she is, in turn, empowering their communities. This creates value within towns that have historically not had the chance to prosper, and by strengthening local economies, the national economy itself is bolstered.
“This is the true transformation of a country,” she says. It starts with a little hope and promise, with planting the “seeds”, and then, through the hard work of a community’s individuals, a brighter future can be earned.” 
APO
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Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a stunning order to pull American ground forces from the war-ravaged Syria, claiming the Islamic State group has been “beaten”.
The momentous decision to withdraw, which runs counter to long-established US policy for Syria and the region, blindsided lawmakers, the Pentagon and international allies alike.
“We’ve won against ISIS,” Trump said in a short video posted on Twitter.
“We’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land. And now it’s time for our troops to come back home.”
A withdrawal could have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications, and plunges into uncertainty the fate of US-backed Kurdish fighters who have been tackling Islamic State jihadists, thousands of whom are thought to remain in Syria.
A US official told AFP that Trump’s decision was finalized Tuesday.
“Full withdrawal, all means all,” the official said when asked if the troops would be pulled from across Syria.
Currently, about 2,000 US forces are in the country, most of them on a train-and-advise mission to support local forces fighting IS.
Pentagon officials scrambled for a reaction after Trump earlier tweeted that IS had been “defeated.” A spokeswoman eventually said the Defence Department had “started the process” of bringing troops home.
Lawmakers assailed Trump’s decision, saying it could embolden Ankara to attack US-backed Kurdish fighters.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said the president’s decision was unwise and put the Kurds “at risk,” while Democratic Senator Jack Reed said it amounted to a “betrayal” of the Kurds that “provides further evidence of President Trump’s inability to lead on the world stage.”
Blasting the move as a “huge Obama-like mistake,” Graham said “I fear it will lead to devastating consequences for our nation, the region and throughout the world.”
Most US troops are stationed in northern Syria, though a small contingent is based at a garrison in Al-Tanaf, near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
Trump has previously voiced skepticism about the US presence in Syria, saying in March he wanted to bring troops home “soon.”
But military advisors and international allies warned Trump against a precipitous pullout, and he later acquiesced to an indefinite Syria mission.
The US official would not provide a withdrawal timeline, saying only it would come “as quickly as possible.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the US-led coalition that includes dozens of nations would continue fighting the jihadists.
“These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign,” Sanders said in a statemen.
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