News

NLC, civil servants clash over N1bn housing project

Spread the love

There was pandemonium at the headquarters of the Nigerian Labour Congress on Wednesday as the National President, Ayuba Wabba, engaged in a rumpus fight with civil servants who demanded explanations over a failed housing scheme for public servants.

The aggrieved civil servants had staged a protest in front of the NLC headquarters expressing their grievances over the union’s failure to deliver 10,000 housing units for civil servants in Apo-Tafyi, an Abuja suburb.

They claimed that in 2014, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Bala Mohammed, and the leadership of the NLC had collaborated with a property developer, Good Homes Development Company, to develop 680 hectares of land allocated by the Federal Government for public servants.

Speaking with The PUNCH, the Chairman of Concerned Subscribers, Emeka Anuna, explained that some of the subscribers which include senior directors from different ministries and agencies borrowed money and mortgage to get befitting homes after years of public service.

He said that 10 years after the payment, they neither got the houses nor their money. While some had died without getting their houses, others had retired or were posted out of Abuja without getting their houses.

This, he said, was against the promise that they would get the keys to their houses six months after a 10 per cent down payment.

He said, “In 2014, during the Goodluck Jonathan administration with the FCT minister, Bala Mohammed launched a mass housing scheme for civil servants at Apo-Tarfi, opposite mechanic village and they said between six months to nine months the houses will be delivered. So many of us took out loans and mortgages.

“Right now, the land is there. The contractor, Good Homes, has not completed the project.

“Since 2014, we have not seen the land, we have not seen houses. Most of us are still paying rent, mortgage and we still don’t have a house. This is unfair and uncalled for. We have committed close to N1bn and counting and for ten years now no land, home or refund.

“We have tried to engage the minister but he has been lukewarm towards our plight and has refused to do anything.

“The attitude of NLC defies critical analysis. They brought us into this scheme because everyone here is either an NLC or TUC member.

“This is supposed to be their fight but we are doing this because of the systematic fraud because of the inbuilt mechanism to go the other way, we know there are compromises otherwise why are they not here

“Why are they keeping the interest with the developer? Why are they negating the interest of Nigerian workers? Why did they bring us into this housing scheme when they knew it was a scam? Why is it the minister not keeping his promise to Nigerian workers?” he queried.

However, the NLC president engaged refused to attend to the workers.

Wabba, who will hand over next month, also instructed his security men to bundle the chairman to his office but was strongly resisted by other workers.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Good homes, Daniel Nwokedi, could not be reached for comments as his number was unreachable and he did not reply to private messages sent to his WhatsApp number.

Tags: Federal Government, Abuja, Goodluck Jonathan, protest, Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed

Up Next

Ondo extends maternity leave to six months

Don't Miss

Fallen heroes’ widows tell tales of sorrow, pain, anguish

Click to comment

News

JUST IN: IMF ask CBN to extend Feb 10 deadline for old naira notes

Spread the love

By Francesca Iwambe

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the February 10 deadline for the use of old naira notes if the difficulties in getting new notes persist.

According to the IMF, the call become necessary as the development had led to the disruptions to trade and payments due to the shortage of new noted in the bank.

The call was contained in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday.

“In light of hardships caused by disruptions to trade and payments due to the shortage of new bank notes available to the public, in spite of measures introduced by the CBN to mitigate the challenges in the banknote swap process, the IMF encourages the CBN to consider extending the deadline, should problems persist in the next few days leading up to the February 10, 2023 deadline,” the statement reads.

Tags: Central Bank of Nigeria, IMF, CBN, Nigeria, International Monetary Fund, Central Bank

News

BREAKING: Supreme Court suspends February 10 deadline for naira swap

Spread the love

By Francesca Iwambe, Abuja

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Government from ending the legal tender statuses of old N200, N500 and N1000 banknotes on February 10, 2023.

The apex court made the order following the suit filed by three State governments challenging the Naira swap policy.

Recall that governments of Kaduna, Zamfara and Kogi States had approached the Supreme Court seeking an order to stop the policy.

Naijablitznews.com will bring you more details shortly

Tags: Central, Central Bank of Nigeria, States, State, Supreme Court, Central Bank, 10, Federal Government

News

CBN captures more Communities as currency swap is continuous in Taraba

Spread the love

Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Friday extend her currency swap exercise to more Communities of Yorro, Ardo-Kola and Ibi local government areas of Taraba state.

The Director Financial System Strategy, Central Bank of Nigeria, Ibrahim Hassan who disclosed this to our correspondent in Jalingo said, the development was in continuation of the CBN initiative targeted at ensuring that all rural dwellers in Taraba have their old naira notes swapped to new ones or deposited in banks before the extended CBN deadline for currency swap.

Hassan noted that the currency Swap Initiative was to help save communities who do not have access to bank, swap their old naira notes to the new notes.

“Just as we have been doing to ensure that people in the rural Communities of Taraba who do not have access to Bank have their old naira notes swap to new ones. CBN delegation have been drafted to more Communities of Yorro, Ardo-Kola and Ibi local to ensure success of the initiative.

“CBN delegation for Yorro is led by Mr Jackson Imandi, the Deputy Director, the one Ardo-Kola is led by Mr. Kazeem Olatinmu while the one in Ibi local government is been led by the CBN Head of Banking Services in Taraba State, Hayatu Yahaya Shehu to ensure the villagers gain advantage of the Ten days extension for the currency swap” Hassan explained.

When contacted, the chief of Mumuye in Yorro local government, Ado Adamu Manang, that of Ibi, Abubakar Salihu Danbaw and some beneficiary of the exercise in Ardo-Kola local government, Mohammed Musa, Hafsatu Babangida and Isa Mahmud, commended the central Bank of Nigeria for the exercise as it was the best for villagers and promised to help create massive awareness for people to swap their old naira notes to the new ones.

According to them, businesses were already collapsing as people were no longer accepting the old naira notes even before the extended window.