IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

On Monday, May 1, 2017 workers will be celebrating their day, and the governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, against the backdrop of the event, wishes to heartily congratulate the workers, especially those in the state, for their perseverance and immense contributions to the development of the nation and the state in particular.

The governor commended the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC)  in the state, with comrade Austin Chilakpu as chairman for selfless, and committed leadership to the workers in the state and also for the understanding and harmonious relationship between the workers and the Rescue Mission Government in the state.

The governor noted that although there had been few cases the leadership of NLC in the state and the state government had disagreed over certain labour related issues, but the truth remains that, at the end of the day, such issues had ended up being amicably resolved. And this lofty trend must continue to be the order of the day.

He also urged the workers to recall that he was the first to pay the minimum wage of N20,000 against the approved N18,000 and also gave them wardrope allowance that saw them having enviable dress code, and said that, his concern for the welfare of workers in the state remains outstanding.

The governor said that his dream has been to see the workers and pensioners in the state always happy, but regretted that unforeseen scenarios had, at times, painted a different picture from what the government intends to do and that was the reason behind the government Finding a way to clear all the pension arrears upto December 2016 and has also paid salary upto March 2017.  

The governor appeals to the workers and pensioners in the state to always appreciate his concern for their welfare and to also bear with him when circumstances do not warrant their getting all they wish to have, and assured the workers that his government would continue to work hand-in-glove with their leaders for their welfare, and for the progress of the state and her people.

The governor wishes the workers a memorable celebration as they mark their day.

Sam Onwuemeodo

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has disclosed that he never made a one term agreement with anyone. 
This is courtesy of a book “Against the Run of play: How an incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria,” written by Segun Adeniyi, Chairman, ThisDay Board of Editors.
“I had made a proposition for a single term of seven years. That was the context in which I spoke in Addis Ababa that if the idea was accepted, I would not run again. It was not in the context of a second term of four years. Of course, at that period, the issue of one term was brought several times at different meetings and some people took it upon themselves to pledge on my behalf but I never said I was going to spend only one term… the question was always usually randomly asked and I never made any such commitment to anybody,But former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, on his part said, “As chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, I recall having to remind him of the commitment he made to us in 2010 before we supported his bid to contest. … In one of my meetings with him, I suggested he could even choose any credible PDP man he wanted from the north and such person did not have to be among the governors. One day, he would agree to the idea, another day, he would say something else, “ Aliyu, in the same book, was also quoted to have said.
When the book was launched on Friday March 28, 2017 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), the chairman of the occasion, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, however cautioned that it would be wrong to reduce the book to a narrative about the fall of President Goodluck Jonathan and the rise of President Buhari.
According to General Abubakar, Against The Run of Play “further deepened our understanding of what actually happened in Nigeria during the March 2015 general election which many believed, and quite right too, as one of the defining moments in our political history.”
Continuing, he said: “The book is not [about] the fall of one president and the rise of another, it is a typical journalistic history in a hurry about what happened, what could have happened and what is currently happening in our country, so that we can all learn important lessons.”
While giving kudos to the author, he challenged journalists to write more books about the different aspects of our national life, and not only on politics. “We need books to explain some of the issues that are treated perfunctorily and generate more heat than light, so we can understand ourselves better,” he charged.  He specifically identified the subject matter of the Chibok girls and the Boko Haram insurgency as fertile grounds for such books.
The book was summed up by the reviewer, Dr. Okey Okechukwu, as “ the most useful contribution to our own understanding of the crises and convolution of the Nigerian state in the last 16 years.” Okechukwu called it one of the most contemporary works on political economy and power, especially, as it exists in the country.
The occasion was graced by dignitaries including former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Minister of Communication and (later) Transportation, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Senator Tunde Ogbeha and Mrs. Onari Duke, wife of former Cross River State governor, who all were on the high table.
The launch also attracted people from all walks of life, especially corporate figures, politicians and media bigwigs. Adeniyi’s two successors to the office of the President’s media advisers, Dr. Reuben Abati and Mr Femi Adesina both attended the launch.