Jobs/Appointments
Kaduna is Sacking Workers to Save Scarce Funds—El-Rufai
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Nasir El-Rufai, has explained the reason his administration is trimming the workforce of the state’s public service is due to the dwindling financial resources and higher wage bills which the government cannot be able to sustain, noting that the exercise will help the government to save scarce funds.
The Kaduna state government had on April 6 disengaged 4,000 local government workers and this development has raised dust, especially from the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The body kicked against the decision, calling on the state government to reverse the decision and seek alternative means of running its affairs without inflicting additional pains on the public.
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, Governor El-Rufai insisted that the government was not elected just to pay salaries of public servants alone, but to also develop the state by building schools, hospitals, upgrading infrastructure and making the state more secure and attractive to the private sector for jobs and investments.
Mr El-Rufai pointed out that what it has been receiving from the federal allocation committee since the middle of 2020, like most other sub-nationals, can barely pay salaries and overheads, adding that in the last six months, personnel costs have accounted for between 84.97 per cent and 96.63 per cent of Federation Account Allocation Communication (FAAC) transfers received by the Kaduna State Government.
“In November 2020, KDSG had only N162.9 million left after paying salaries. That month, Kaduna State got N4.83 billion from FAAC and paid N4.66 billion as wages. In March 2021, Kaduna State had only N321 million left after settling personnel costs,” a part of the statement read.
The statement pointed out that “last month, the state got N4.819 billion from FAAC and paid out N4.498 billion, representing 93 per cent of the money received.
‘’This does not include standing orders for overheads, funding security operations, running costs of schools and hospitals, and other overhead costs that the state has to bear for the machinery of government to run, for which the state government taps into IGR earnings.”
The Kaduna State Government said it believes that the overall wages of the public sector are still relatively low, noting that the current levels were obviously limited by the resources available to the government.
The government further argued that the public service of the state with less than 100,000 employees (and their families) cannot be consuming more than 90 per cent of government resources, with little left to positively impact the lives of the more than 9 million that are not political appointees or civil servants, adding that it is gross injustice for such a micro-minority to consume the majority of the resources of the state.
In addition, it pointed out that the measures which the government took to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic have shown clearly that the public service requires much fewer persons than it currently employs.
The statement recalled that “in September 2019, Kaduna State Government became the first government in the country to pay the new minimum wage and consequential adjustments. The state government followed this up by increasing the minimum pension of persons on the defined benefits scheme to N30,000 monthly.
“This step to advance the welfare of workers significantly increased the wage burden of the state government and immediately sapped up the funds of many local governments.”
According to the state government, “what each public servant earns might be puny in comparison to private-sector wages, but the total wage bill consumes much of the revenues of the state.
‘’Therefore, the state government has no choice but to shed some weight and reduce the size of the public service. It is a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of the majority of the people of this state.”
While justifying the job cut, the statement, however, described it “as a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of the majority of the people of this state.”
The Governor further said that the rationalisation exercise will also affect political appointees, stating that its purpose is to save funds and ensure that a strong and efficient public service exists to use those resources to implement progressive programmes and projects for the people, and thereby develop the state.
‘’The public service is an important institution, and it should therefore maintain only an optimum size.
“Faced with a difficult situation, the Kaduna State Government is persuaded that it cannot refuse to act or act in ways that only conduce to populist sentiment, without solving the fundamental problem,” he said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The International Bar Association (IBA) has elected Mr Jaime Carey from Chile as its new president, succeeding Spain’s Almudena Arpón de Mendívil y Aldama and becoming the first from his country to lead the group.
He will head the group alongside Claudio Visco, a Senior Partner at Italian law firm, Lipani, the first time the association is having a joint presidency.
On September 19, 2024, the IBA Council adopted a resolution that ratified this arrangement for the years 2025–2026.
Mr Carey is a Senior Partner of Carey, Chile’s largest law firm, and has been a member of the IBA for 41 years.
Prior to becoming President, he held many senior positions in the IBA, including: Co-Vice President, Co-Secretary-General, Chair of the Legal Practice Division (LPD), Member of the Council of the LPD, Officer of the Diversity and Inclusion Council, Chair of the Latin American Regional Forum, Co-Chair of the Corporate and M&A Section, Member of the Advisory Board of the Law Firm Management Committee, Member of the Advisory Board of the Women’s Interest Group and was named a Male Champion for Change Ambassador by the Women Lawyers’ Committee. Also, he has been a member of the IBA Management Board since 2011.
‘I feel honoured to have been elected President of the International Bar Association and will carry out the duties of this office with full conviction and high resolve, building on the efforts of predecessors. Knowing that I am part of a continuum working to uphold the rule of law fills me with pride.
“During my tenure, I hope to increase the IBA’s visibility in Africa and Asia and encourage more peers in those regions to get involved in the Association’s work. Additionally, because I am from Latin America, I will work to increase the region’s visibility in the international legal community by creating more opportunities for interaction with colleagues from other jurisdictions,” Mr Carey stated.
‘Undoubtedly, our world is rapidly changing and becoming more divided. Legal professionals have a role to play in countering division.
“Since unity, collaboration, diversity and integration are essential to improving the world, it is my intention to encourage these things as widely as possible across all IBA constituents and as many jurisdictions as possible,” he added.
Being good friends since 1991, when they met at an IBA Conference in Hong Kong, Mr Carey and Mr Visco decided they would divide the two-year term and collaborate, with each serving as IBA President for a year.
In a joint statement, Mr Carey and Mr Visco commented: ‘We are grateful that this historic agreement was supported by the IBA Council.
“Our joint presidency reflects the collaborative approach of IBA members who freely and voluntarily share their knowledge with legal professionals around the world.
“As we continue the work that embodies the IBA’s founders’ vision of promoting and defending the rule of law and human rights globally in an environment of mutual respect, cooperation, and shared objectives, this shared two-year mandate will ensure order, coordination, and continuity.’
With Mr Carey as IBA President for 2025, Mr Visco is serving as President-Elect, but will take over as President next year, with the title of immediate past president to be assigned to Mr Carey.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, has formally announced Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo, more than two years since the throne was vacant following the death of the last Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, on April 22, 2022.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Dotun Oyelade, said Prince Owoade, after thorough consultations and divination, was recommended by the Oyomesi and approved by the Governor of Oyo State.
According to the Commissioner, a statement to this effect had been issued by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Ademola Ojo, who said that the announcement put to rest all the social and legal bickerings that ensued since the demise of the previous occupier of the exalted seat in Yorubaland.
Mr Ojo called on all citizens of Oyo State to join the government in celebrating this momentous occasion and lend their support to the new Alaafin of Oyo.
The Commissioner prayed that his reign would bring peace, prosperity and unity to the historic Oyo Kingdom.
Business Post reports that insiders say there is some discontent as Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin was initially selected by the Oyo Mesi, the kingmakers, to be the next ruler.
Prince Akeem Abimbola Owoade, a member of the Owoade-Agunloye family, is 47 years old. He is a trained mechanical engineer.
He has an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Northumbria University after he attained a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sunderland.
Before his sojourn to the United Kingdom, he has some education in Nigeria, attaining his Higher National Diploma (HND) also in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic, Ibadan and his National Diploma from Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro and his Secondary School from Baptist High School, Saki.
His coronation will happen in the coming weeks.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Mr Ayo Adeonipekun has been appointed as the new Registrar and chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS).
He is taking over the position from Mr Josiah Akerewusi, who retired after a decade of meritorious service, according to a statement.
“This is a critical role that requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the capital market.
“Adeonipekun possesses these qualities, and we believe he will transform the institute into a world-class certification entity,” the chairman of the Council at CIS, Mr Oluropo Dada, said.
Mr Adeonipekun is expected to guide the organisation to higher heights with his over 25 years of extensive multidisciplinary experience in leadership, finance, people and performance management, as well as corporate planning and administration.
Before now, he has served in various top management positions in leading organisations, including Marina International Bank (now Access Bank), Crossword Securities Limited, Sterling Bank, First City Monument Bank Plc, Susu Microfinance Bank, and MBL Financial Services, among others.
He was once the chief executive of a funds/portfolio manager licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Reliance Capital Limited.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr Adeonipekun qualified as a Chartered Stockbroker in March 2006 while working at Crossword Securities Limited.
He also became a Chartered Accountant in May 1997 and was admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 2013.
Additionally, he is a Certified Microfinance Banker (CIBN-MCP), an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), a trading license holder with the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, and a Registered Capital Market Operator/Sponsored Individual with the SEC.
The CIS chief boasts a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from Yaba College of Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master’s in Finance, both from Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, and currently a doctoral candidate (PhD Finance) at the same institution.
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