Eight members of the executive council to pilot the affairs of the Magistrate Association of Nigeria (MAN) Niger State Branch have been inaugurated at the High Court Complex in Minna.
The newly inaugurated chairman of the association in Niger State, Chief Magstrate Ummulkhatum Mohammed, has pledged to partner with the members of the bar and the senior benchers in the state to ensure the speedy dispensation of justice.
She said her two years of leadership as the chairman of the state branch of the association will witness a robust working relationship with all critical stakeholders in the administration of justice, stressing the need for cooperation from the executive members to achieve the goals.
She assured that her leadership will give priority to the welfare of members in order to ensure an enabling working environment.
She told the newly inaugurated members to extend their hands of fellowship to her so they could collectively move the Niger branch of the association forward.
While commending members for giving her the opportunity to serve, she promised not to betray the confidence reposed in her.
The post of treasurer was contested between Deborah Sule, who got 19 votes, and Fatima Mohammed Bawa, who scored 21 votes to emerge as the winner.
Other inaugurated members included Chief Magistrate Ramatu Adamu Gado, Vice Chairman; Paul Aliyu Adama, Secretary General; and Mohammed Rabiu Raji, Assistant Secretary.
Also among the executive members are Saeed Ibn Salihu who emerged as the Financial Secretary; while Abubakar Mohammed Kutigi emerged as the Welfare Officer; and Nathaniel Dangana Kolo emerged as the Public Relations Officer.
Members of Organised Labour in Niger State have said that their members will not participate in the distribution of palliative as announced by the state Governor, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago.
Briefing newsmen at the Labour House in Minna today, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, Comrade Idris Abdulkareem Lafene, explained that the decision of the state government not to include civil servants as direct beneficiaries of the palliatives, as proposed by organised labour, has created tension among members.
"The Organised Labour finds it odd that the executive governor did not come out clearly to include the working class in the first phase of the palliatives.
"The deliberate plan by the Niger State Government to skim out the working class and pensioners in the state has triggered serious tension among members of organised labour that could have a negative effect on the overall productivity of the working class," Lafene said.
According to him, the State Administrative Council SAC, in their meeting on Sunday, resolved that the N110 million announced by the governor as a palliative for industrial unions "should be collapsed and added to whatever was intended for the generality of workers and credited directly to the salary accounts of civil servants and retirees in the state and local government areas sustainably for six months".
Other resolutions of the SAC, as presented by the NLC chairman, included the immediate implementation of outstanding promotions and annual increments for eligible workers in the state and LGAs and the implementation of a minimum pension based on the N30,000 national minimum wage for retirees in the state and LGAs, among others.
He explained that the pathetic situation of the working class, the retirees, and the masses left much to be desired, while the Federal Government has refused to dialogue with the labour movement in good faith on efforts to cushion the agony and hardship being faced by the people.
Comrade Lafene then directed all workers in the state to fully participate in the two-day warning strike called by the NLC National Secretariat that would be observed between September 5 and 6, 2023, in preparation for the full-blown strike after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum.
