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(NAN) The Senate on Tuesday begun the probe of the moribund paper mills in the country with a view to reviving them.

The resolution was sequel to a motion sponsored by Sen. Stephen Ekpeyong during Tuesday’s plenary on the need to revive the moribund paper mills in Nigeria.

While moving the motion, Ekpeyong noted that Nigeria’s three Paper Mills: Nigeria Paper Mill in Kwara, Nigeria Newsprint Manufacturing Company (NNMC) in Akwa lbom and Nigeria National Paper Manufacturing Company (NNPMC) in Ogun were established by the Federal Government in the 1960s and 1970s.

He said the mills were to produce corrugated cartons, sack craft paper, Kraft paper, linear and chip board to meet the country‘s needs in writing and printing papers.

He said the mills were later privatised by government as a result of lack of adequate funds to run them and non-performance to ensure effective and profitable management of the mills, adding after the privitisation the mills went underground.

He said that there was need to ascertain their positions because paper production was a booster to the economy and educational development worldwide.

The lawmaker noted that the sector had gone moribund since the privatisation, leaving the country with another huge income deficit.

The Senate also urged the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to review the duties on importation of published books and raw materials to make printing locally favourable.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan urged the Committee on Privatisation to investigate the activities and operations of the mills and report to the Senate.

Lawan  also asked the committee to get the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) to brief the committee on the level of compliance with share agreements by investors. (NAN)

Jos, June 9, 2020 (NAN) The Plateau Government on Tuesday met with leaders of the organised labour in the state in its bid to reopen the state for economic activities after nine weeks of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Simon Lalong, while addressing the labour leaders, said that the meeting was to seek the inputs of stakeholders on how best to reopen the economy.

Lalong, who was represented by Prof. Danladi Atu, Secretary to the State Government, said that the State Government had assessed the Federal Government’s directives on how to ease the lockdown.

He said the state government would adopt some of the measures hence the need for the stakeholders’ engagement.

“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive, the 10pm to 4am curfew would be in place and banks are allowed to operate.

“Aviation activities in respect of domestic flights will start on June  21 as directed.

“However, we need inputs of stakeholders on how best go from here because it is obvious that COVID-19 will stay longer than anticipated,” he said.

The governor said that he had met with traditional rulers and would meet with other stakeholders after the labour leaders.

According to him, the consensus so far was for the economy to be reopened but added that the government would take its time to assess the options to avoid a spike in number of cases.

Mr Eugene Manji, Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Plateau said that there was urgent need to reopen the state for economic activities.

Manji stated that the informal sector had been terribly affected by the prolonged lockdown of the state.

He warned that people may be forced to revolt against the lockdown and the wave of crime may increase if the lockdown continued.

“Health they said is wealth and whatever affects health will also affect wealth and whatever affects wealth will affect health.

“Therefore, there is urgent need to open up the economy otherwise the efforts of trying to curtail the spread of the virus may amount to nothing,” he added.

The labour leader lauded the state government efforts so far in containing the spread of the disease, especially the number of patients that had recovered.

He commended workers for respecting the protocols put in place to mitigate the spread of the virus and advised the government against downsizing or slashing workers’ salaries because of the impact of COVID-19.

Mr Titus Malau, Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Plateau,advised that stringent measures should be put in place if government must reopen the economy.

Malau said that a body should be constituted to monitor adherence to the protocols.

He stressed that persons that failed to observe the protocols, such as hand washing, wearing of face masks and social distancing, should be sanctioned.

Mr Izam Azi, Plateau Head of Service, commended the labour leaders and the entire workers for their understanding during the trying times.

Azi said that workers understood the situation and suspended the negotiations for the new minimum wage. (NAN)

Akure, June 9, 2020 (NAN) Mr Eddy Olafeso, South-West Vice Chairman of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has assured that he would remain a loyal party man even if he failed to secure PDP ticket for the Oct. 20 Ondo State governorship election.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Akure, Olafeso urged PDP aspirants not to allow any rancour over the party’s July 22 primaries in the state, irrespective of their differences.

According to him, any decision that is free, fair and transparent should be accepted by every member of the party.

“And for me, I am a democrat to the core.  Losing or winning does not change my loyalty to my party and I will continue to do that.

“One thing we must recognise is that you are putting up yourself for the electorate to make their decision on your level of competence or otherwise.

“They might have certain reasons why they don’t want you now. That does not mean they won’t want you tomorrow,” he said.

Olafeso said that he was in the Ondo gubernatorial race to revive the leadership virtues of Obafemi Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin, Olusegun Agagu, Adebayo Adefarati and others.

“There is poverty in the land, misery, pain; children can no longer remain in school.

“In the tertiary institutions, the drop out rate is now 35 per cent, for both primary and secondary schools, children are paying fees.

“Those traditional values we inherited from Awolowo, Ajasin, Agagu, Adefarati and Mimiko have all gone.

“So, I am too confident that if given the opportunity, I can redeem this state within four years and bring about prosperity for all,” he said.

Olafeso promised life in abundance for people of the state and assured that he would run inclusive government by allowing citizens’ participation in the preparation of budget, if elected governor.

“My desire in government is that we must do everything possible to include all.

“We will create a sovereign wealth fund of N3 billion for the three senatorial districts of the state.

“Each local government will be getting N330millon as soft loan for the people to do business,” Olafeso said.

He, therefore, called on PDP delegates for the July 22 primaries to put on their thinking caps and elect a capable candidate who could wrestle power from the APC-led government in the state.

“The background, education, family, work experience, commitment to society, dedication to duty, diligence, humility and integrity – those are the things that should guide delegates, not the amount of the money spent by any aspirant,” Olafeso said. (NAN)

Abuja, June 9, 2020 (NAN) The House of Representatives Committee, investigating abandoned Federal Government projects with a view to completing them has solicited the support of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to achieve the mandate of the committee.

The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Kuye Ademorin (APC-Lagos), made the call at a committee meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ademorin recalled that the committee was constituted on March 17, with a mandate to investigate the status, use and current state of all Federal Government property in every part of the federation.

He said the committee was to look into all abandoned Federal Government projects, identify the cause of the abandonment and proffer solutions through recovery, completion or prosecution.

“We are, therefore, soliciting the cooperation of the MDAs concerned to avail us comprehensive lists of the abandoned property, be they land, building, aircraft, ships or goods to enable the committee discharge its mandate.

“We are equally calling on  corporate organisations and individuals already occupying and making use of these property to do the needful by liaising with the committee to put necessary machinery in motion to return them to the rightful owner, the Federal Government.”

The lawmaker said that successful recovery of the property would provide needed funds to cushion the impact of the economic crunch the country was currently facing because of COVID- 19.

“We are not oblivious of surreptitious and hurried attempts to dispose those property as a way of throwing spanner in the works of this committee.

The lawmaker said that the oath taken by members of the National Assembly to uphold the constitution, included the discharge of duties creditably, diligently and without fear of favour.

He said that the committee, empowered by the House of Representatives would discharge its functions in accordance with its mandate and pursuant to Section 88 and 89 of the Constitution, which conferred investigative powers on parliament. (NAN)