Illegal deductions as the start – and more, in today’s news roundup with Cheta Nwanze

by Cheta Nwanze

Gov. rochas-okorocha

Nigerian employers sadly (and not all of them it must be said), do not generally feel the need to make staff remuneration the top of their list.

The issues of salaries, arrears, pensions, deductions, legal or not, in the Nigerian workspace, is one that is testy at best and poisonous at worst. I’ve heard it said, on more than one occasion that the only people who are immune to salary brouhaha in Nigeria are those who work either for multinationals or financial institutions. Of course, financial institutions have every incentive to behave themselves because, well, if you owe someone who handles large volumes of cash directly or not each day, he will simply help himself from the pile in front of him. Nigerian employers sadly (and not all of them it must be said), do not generally feel the need to make staff remuneration the top of their list. Thus it was that having experienced that state of affairs in the past myself, my heart warmed a few months back when the Reps began talking about a Bill to make such acts punishable. Then my heart broke when I heard that NASS workers ground our hallowed chambers to a halt yesterday over a similar issue. You see, truth is this, from my own little experience, owing of salaries begin with those little deductions that our National Assembly workers are screaming about.

Speaking of people who are screaming, but blowing hot air, Nigerian journalists are notorious for collecting brown envelopes stuffed with cash in order to kill stories, or publish stories. The reason for this, err, unethical behaviour is, oops, they are generally paid peanuts, and are hardly ever paid on time (apologies to the Punch, they always pay on time). Sadly, like most Nigerians, your average journo is not really a Christian (or Muslim), and tired of waiting for their reward in heaven, the journos have compromised the quality of information we get in exchange for cold, hard, cash. Never mind  enter the journo union a.k.a NUJ. So the scene was set for the NUJ to punish errant media houses for owing their staff.

NUJ will picket salary-owing media firms in two weeks from April 2.
NUJ will picket salary-owing media firms from May 1.
NUJ will picket salary-owing media firms from May 17.
NUJ will… collect brown envelopes?

Bits and bobs

You have to love the way Nigerian journos use certain words to describe superlatives. The new seaport in Lagos will “gulp” N240 billions.

Apparently the walls of the Bow-Tie’s residence are made of titanium. So renovating the building gulped N73 millions.

Don Babalakin makes his way to this morning tonic again. He is accused of gulping N47 billions and has failed to get the charges quashed.

Meanwhile the Imo Red Cap has ported, on the same day as fourteen unemployed young men who raised the flag of a country that died long before they were born were sent to ponder the stupidity of their actions. This while Asari Dokubo threatens fire and brimstone in comfortable and confident freedom.

#BokoHaram struck back yesterday. In Bama, not too far from Baga. This is gonna get worse…

Right of Reply

Ola Moses wrote,

On bits and bobs;

I would rally be interested to hear with sufficient evidence what religious leaders are doing for Nigeria, and no one should point at just charity, that none sense is not sustainable like the sale of the “we are the world album” knowing that only 3% -10% only ever arrives at where it is needed. I am seriously curious to hear your thoughts.

Chxta responds,


My thoughts on what religious leaders are doing for Nigeria? Well, Tunde Bakare keeps trying to rally Nigerians to fight for a better country. The Catholics have the Justice, Development and Peace Commission. Muhammad Jameel Yusha talks about the Nigeria Muslim Forum which does charity work, and Pastor Fireman, err, prays for you to get your first million.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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