Dangote to create 28,000 new jobs with new truck scheme for graduates

A truck ownership scheme, newly introduced by the Dangote Group, is expected to create additional 28,000 jobs. The scheme will empower qualified Nigerians to be become self-employed truck entrepreneurs.

Dangote Group, through its cement subsidiary will provide a minimum of 7000 trucks for eligible Nigerians to become truck officers who will in turn hire drivers and a minimum of two assistants, to drive the trucks and deliver Dangote Cement to its distributors spread across the country.

A statement from the company said; “we have 7,000 trucks to share with intelligent, hardworking and committed individuals with business acumen who would like to deepen their entrepreneurial skills in the transport/haulage business, willing to manage and operate a truck, if necessary by appointing their own driver (who should pass the institutional screening, orientation and training process).

The package, the group said, include total support for the benefiting entrepreneurs, through provision of first class maintenance support, fuel and other resources available at its facilities.

To be qualified for the scheme, Dangote explained that, each applicant must be a professional, who must ensure at all times the availability of his/her truck for loading at the plant level and off-loading at the customer/depot locations, which is to serve with excellence all of our cement customers with our product.

While the would-be entrepreneurs must be a graduate, the truck drivers need not be a graduate and both would work together to ensure the success of the new product delivery strategy.

“To become a bonafide owner of the truck, among other considerations, the truck entrepreneur must have logged a minimum of 400,000 km. On meeting the mileage target, a nominal amount will be paid by the truck entrepreneur and this amount will be provided to the truck driver who would have assisted the truck entrepreneur in meeting this target, the money will represent a discharge payment to the driver.

“Any driver so discharged above can again apply and be engaged to work with another truck entrepreneur”, the Group added.

By this, Dangote said it was up-scaling the quality of its customer service delivery and then take the advantage of this new strategy to create jobs for teeming jobless Nigerian.

Source - Leadership

Unemployed, poor Nigerians to get n5000 monthly – FG

The Federal Government at the weekend declared that there are ongoing plans to implement one of its striking campaign promises that it will pay N5000 each to the poorest Nigerians across the country.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who gave the hint noted that government is “currently evaluating the best ways to collapse existing cash transfer and social welfare schemes to ensure consistency and alignment.

“Once this is completed, we will implement the first phase of this program, using recognized identification platforms and transparent payment solutions”, he added.

Osinbajo who disclosed this at the 10th Year Anniversary Lecture of Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State titled, ‘The Nigerian Economy and the Future’,

said the payment of N5000 each to poor Nigerians was necessary because “we cannot talk about the economy of the future without addressing how we move people out of poverty.

“One of the most striking promises we made during the campaign was the payment of Five Thousand Naira to the poorest Nigerians across the country”, he noted, even as he regretted that today, “about 112 million (66% of Nigerians) are deemed extremely poor, measured by World Bank parameter of those living on less than US$1.25 per day.”

The Vice President observed that the level of poverty explains much of the Nigerian situation because it affects all aspects of life,including why over a million Nigerians die yearly of preventable diseases.

Step down, you are corrupt! JOHESU to MD, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu

The last has not been heard about the ongoing war raging between the management of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu and Members of staff under Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) of the hospital.

The labour union leaders have defied the earlier threat of no work no pay directive by the hospital’s management to the striking workers.

It could be recalled in a two paragraphed circular made available to journalists on Monday, the management directed the workers to return to their duty posts or face the risk of their salary being withheld.

Meanwhile, the secretary of JOHESU, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, Comrade Oduburu Friday flayed the management for trying to use intimidation to force them back to work.

He maintained that until their demand is met, they will never be intimidated and they are ready to die for their course, which he described as a just course.

Comrade Friday who showed us a bank alert of his recently paid salary, rebuffed the threat as an empty threat, but cried out on the illegal deduction of his salary and other union leaders in the hospital by 60%. He further maintained that they remain adamant and must see to the end of their agitation.

Also in a swift reaction, another union leader in the hospital, serving as the chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Federal Neuropsychiatric, Enugu Comrade Eze Mathew, accused the hospital’s Medical Director Dr. Jojo Onwukwe of gross misconduct and embezzlement of fund.

He described the condition of the hospital as deplorable and in total shamble while patients are totally abandoned.

He further called on him to step down from the post of Medical Director as his tenure long expired since October 2014 and he is over 60 years.

Comrade Eze described the refusal of the Medical Director to go on retirement as an impunity of the highest order and totally illegal, while he called on President Buhari to wade into their situation to salvage the hospital from further collapse.

All effort to reach the Medical Director of the hospital Dr. Jojo Onwukwe proved abortive as at the time filing this report as he was said to be in a crucial meeting.

Further investigation carried out by us showed that the hospital is now a shadow of itself as there is no staff to attend to hundreds of patients stranded as a result of the ongoing strike.

Negotiations are going on between the state labour leaders and the hospital management, we promise to keep you updated with more information as they come in.

Enugu most horrible slum

The saying “cleanliness is next to godliness” is not binding to the residents of Abakpa in Enugu East Loacal Government Area of Enugu State.

With a population of about 750,000 residents, Abakpa is a commercial settlement with relatively affordable apartments.

Some neighborhoods like Ugbo-oye, Housing Estate, Atani and Imo Rivers. Others include Odo-Ozo close, Umuagu, Nike Road and Ukwu Aki junction.

We observed that the condition of live in these areas is so horrible and is extremely detrimental to the healthy living.

Although Abakpa occupies a setting of magnificent natural beauty, rather poverty and urban sprawl have spawned the densely populated neighborhood.

In Abakpa, hardly would you see a neighborhood without being greeted by wastes heaped on the road, littered streets and black water gushing from homes.

Some of the residents that spoke to us expressed their desire to see a better environment and are pleading on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to come to their aid.

Below are  pictorial view of Enugu’s most horrible slum.

More on this story will be coming your way in our next edition. There you will discover what it looks like to live in Enugu’s most horrible slum.

Abandoned road project: Emene residents’ cries out for help

Motorists and residents of Emene Industrial Layout Enugu have decried the deplorable state of roads leading to and within the area.

According to them, the negative impact of the dilapidated road on their vehicle is becoming unbearable as they now visit mechanics on daily basis.

Beside the wear and tear on their vehicles, dusts emanating from the road has had its toll on the health of residents/business owners in area.

“Each time I ply this road I go to mechanic and I have no other option. I call on the state government to ameliorate this hardship. This is the industrial hub of Enugu State. I don’t understand why roads here should be left in this condition”. Cried Mr. Chuka Ene.

Mr  Raph Nwankwo who resides in Orie Emene while praising the government for the extent of development witnessed in Enugu so far pleaded for the mercy of whom it may concern to improve the welfare of Emene residents.

“The Government is trying; other part of Enugu is now like Buckingham Palace, we call on the state and local government to have pity on us. Imagine what this road will become once rain start. Already the little rains have started to impair movement of traffic here”.

Mr Okezie Ebuka who owns a kiosk along Orie Emene road who spoke in pidgin lamented the rate at which dust has redress the colours of the cloths he sales.

“Now I come dey use tapolin to cover my cloth, small thing the dust go change the colour of my clothes, white go dey like sand; see am na”.

Chika Ezengwu a nursing mother said she could no longer bring her new born baby to the shop because she fears dust could cause her illness.

Some of the roads though with some shadow of work cast on them from the airport gate into the suburb is in pitiable state.

It is very visible that some of the gully and grading  constructed  earlier and abandoned has now incurred so much hardship on residents and road users alike.

Some has also called on the incoming government that will be led by Rt. Hon. Ifaenyi Ugwuanyi to immediately prioritize the road after assuming office come May 29^th.