The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has promised to sanction Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) over the spate of delays in the payment of pension benefits, among other related infractions. The Commission stated this in its ‘Revised regulation on the administration of retirement and terminal benefits.’ “A PFA that fails, neglects or refuses to enlighten the retiree on the features of Programmed Withdrawal and Retiree Life Annuity to enable the retiree to make an informed decision shall be liable for an administrative sanction of N500,000,” PenCom’s stated in its revised regulation released recently. The regulator decried a situation where a PFA delays…
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THE Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) says it has launched a new Dialysis Unit to improve health outcomes for patients battling kidney diseases. The Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof Adetokunbo Fabamwo, disclosed this in a statement issued by Oluwaseyi Adewale, the Head of Public Affairs Department of LASUTH on Friday in Lagos. Fabamwo said the dialysis unit would enhance health outcomes for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), acute kidney injuries and end stage renal disease. According to him, the unit has eight dialysis stations which cater for a minimum of 22 sessions daily and 660 dialysis sessions…
THE annual rate of inflation worldwide, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), accelerated to 9.2 per cent in March 2022, up from 7.5 per cent in February 2022, 6.8 per cent in January 2022 and 6.4 per cent in December 2021. The rate was more than twice the rate of 3.7 per cent recorded in March 2021. This jump in the CPI by 5.5 percentage points between March 2021 and March 2022 constitutes the highest increase in any 12‑month period since the beginning of the series in January 2019, says the Department of Statistics of the International Labour…
THE Leprosy Mission Nigeria (TLMN) has called for the inclusion of children with disabilities into regular schools as a means of ending every form of discriminatory practices against them. The National Director, TLMN, Dr Sunday Udo, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the annual advocacy Campaign, “We Ring a Bell”, aimed at creating awareness on Rights of Children with disabilities. Udo said that the TLMN, a Strategic Partner Organisation of the Liliane Foundation was urging governments to implements legal, regulatory and policy frameworks to ensure access to quality education for children with disabilities. Udo, who was represented by…
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has kicked off the process of ascertaining the accurate number of teachers in both private and public schools at the basic education level across Nigeria. The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, made this known at a Consultative Meeting on the 2022 National Personnel Audit of all Basic Education Institutions in Abuja on Monday. He said UBEC in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Universal Basic Education Board and other critical stakeholders, were conducting the exercise to ensure up-to-date, accurate, variable, reliable data for implementation of educational programmes. He said the exercise,…
A new brief by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says an estimated 4.8 million jobs have been lost in Ukraine since the start of the Russian aggression. The study estimates that if hostilities were to escalate, employment losses would increase to seven million. The study, entitled; “The impact of the Ukraine crisis on the world of work: Initial assessments,” however stated that if the fighting was to cease immediately, a rapid recovery would be possible, with the return of 3.4 million jobs, which would reduce employment losses to 8.9 per cent. The ILO stated that the Ukrainian economy has been…
A new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed that while Africa has been hit hard by the COVID pandemic, workers and enterprises have responded to the challenges with great resilience and adaptability. A report, entitled “The Next Normal: The changing Workplace in Africa – Ten Trends from the COVID-19 Pandemic that are Shaping Workplaces in Africa,” however, noted that the pandemic has fundamentally altered where and how people work, upending many long-standing norms and practices. Enterprises and workers have made many changes, often out of necessity, though they have regularly brought unexpected improvements in productivity or working…
AS the Buhari Administration approaches the finish line, all the governance deficiencies of the regime are being amplified. Some years ago, I wrote a column about what happens to governance when the President is not governing. My conclusion was that every member of the government becomes their own governor and do whatever pleases them. Governance at cross purposes becomes the order of the day and there is no coherence in governmental action and inaction. As there is no sheriff in town, public officials become emboldened and more brazen in their action. Accountability disappears completely and there are no rules in…
PUBLIC primary schools in Enugu State have been grounded since Monday following the indefinite strike embarked upon by teachers over the non-payment of N30,000 minimum wage by the state government. The Enugu State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had announced the strike after its meeting on April 6, 2022 when it directed that primary school teachers in the state should not resume for the 3rd term of the 2021/22 academic session with effect from May 9 until the N30,000 national minimum wage is paid to their members. Primary school pupils who were not aware…
THE Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has given the federal government a 21-day ultimatum to address it’s demands or face an industrial action. This is contained in a statement signed by COEASU’s President, Smart Olugbeko, and General Secretary, Ahmed Bazza, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The statement noted that after extensive deliberation, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union resolved to issue the ultimatum, which took effect from May 9. The NEC also resolved that in the event that the government fails to do the needful within the period of the ultimatum, the union would…