Nigeria Content Online

The federal
government has set up an administrative panel to review last Thursday’s
labour crisis at the federal ministry of interior.

The federation’s
Head of Service, Stephen Oronsaye, disclosed over the weekend that
President Goodluck Jonathan has given his approval for the constitution
of a three-man administrative panel to look into the crisis that led to
the disruption of activities at the ministry.

The three-man
committee will be headed by Tunji Olagunju, a senior special assistant
to the President Jonathan on NEPAD. Titilayo Iroche, a former permanent
secretary and currently a commissioner in the National Salaries and
Wages Commission and Isa Bello Sali, a permanent secretary in the power
ministry are the other two members of the panel.

The committee has two weeks to complete the assignment.

Two committees

However, the
minister of interior, Emmanuel Iheanacho, had also set up a committee
to look into the issue after a meeting with union leaders shortly after
the staff protest of Thursday.

A press statement
from the ministry of interior, shortly after the protest, said the
interior ministry boss had began settling the crisis generated by the
staff protest.

According to the
statement, signed by Timothy Oyedeji, the ministry’s spokesperson, the
minister set up the committee to investigate the workers’ demands.

The minister’s
committee comprised of management staff, representatives of the four
protesting unions and a member of the Senior Civil Service Association
of Nigeria.

“To underscore the
importance of providing prompt response to all issues raised by the
unions, the minister has also directed that the committee starts work
‘that day’ Thursday 27th May 2010,” the statement reads, in part.

It is still unclear
how the two committees will function together or whether one of the
committees would be disbanded for the other.

Protesting workers
had, on Thursday, locked up the ministry and disrupted government
activities over what they said was the failure of the ministry’s
Permanent Secretary, Dere Awosika, to meet their welfare demands.

The staff, made up of four amalgamated unions, said they were
protesting poor staff welfare, staff stagnation at a particular rank
and skill rustiness due to lack of relevant training.