Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress has appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to grant a 50 per cent downward review of the new tax policy of the state government for workers in the state.

It also appealed to the governor to extend tax holidays for employees in the state public service for another three months as done almost three months ago given the current hardship citizens are grappling with.

The state NLC Chairman, Muritala Olayinka, made the plea in a statement he signed and made available to Journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday.

Olayinka praised AbdulRazaq for prioritising the welfare of workers and pensioners with prompt and regular payment of salaries and allowances, describing it as a clear departure from that of the past administration in the state.

He noted that the governor has brought his leadership quality to bear with the execution of critical infrastructural projects that enhance the standard of living of the citizenry

While praying for good health and wisdom for AbdulRazaq to succeed in office, the NLC chairman reaffirmed the resolve of the organized labour to work with the present administration to achieve more milestones.

“On behalf of the entire membership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kwara State Chapter, I extend our profound gratitude for your exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to the development of Kwara State and its people.

“Your Excellency’s dedication to workers’ welfare has not gone unnoticed. From the prompt payment of salaries and pensions to the execution of critical infrastructural projects that enhance the quality of life for all Kwarans, your administration has demonstrated an exemplary understanding of the challenges faced by the workforce and the general populace.

“We especially commend your continued efforts in improving healthcare, education, and social amenities, which are vital to ensuring the well-being and productivity of the people. Your inclusive governance and accessibility as a leader have set a standard worth emulating.

“As partners in progress, we reaffirm our support and cooperation in working with your administration to achieve more milestones for our beloved state.

“Once again, we appreciate Your Excellency’s tireless efforts and pray for your continued wisdom, good health and success as you steer Kwara State towards greater heights”, Olayinka said.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated enforcement action against five airlines, comprising two international and three domestic operators, for violating Part 19 of NCAA Regulations of 2023.

NCAA said the violations include failure to refund passengers within the stipulated timeframe, non-responsiveness to authority’s directives, incidents of missing and manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, and issues relating to flight delays and cancellations.

Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, confirmed it to TheCable on Tuesday.

Although Achimugu did not reveal the names of the sanctioned airlines, he explained that while airlines are not always at fault for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations mandate specific actions they must take during such instances.

He said failure to adhere to the directives results in varying levels of penalties.

The director noted the surge in passenger complaints about delays and cancellations during the festive season, attributing some disruptions to harmattan-related poor visibility.

“We all know that this is harmattan season, so there is poor visibility. Flights must get cancelled. This is force majeure, and the airlines do not owe passengers anything in those instances. The enforcement we are initiating today is on cases where the airline is deemed to have been at fault. More will come,” Achimugu said.

He added that the NCAA would summon the chief executive officers (CEOs) of all airlines this week for a meeting to address flight disruptions and regulatory breaches.

After one week of inactivity, the Port Harcourt Refining Company has resumed the trucking out of Premium Motor Spirit otherwise called petrol.

Recall that the refinery abruptly stopped the loading of petrol a fortnight ago as no reason was initially offered for the development which left many marketers stranded.

Our reporter, who visited the Port Harcourt Refinery Depot reports last Thursday, reported that the place was a shadow of itself as the loading bay was empty without any activity from the preceding week.

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Olufemi Soneye, had in a statement said preparations for loading operation were ongoing.

But after Saturday PUNCH’s, it was gathered on Monday that the lifting of petrol commenced with 11 trucks loading PMS from the depot.

Also our reporter who visited the facility on Monday observed that activities had yet to fully commence, as there was no human nor vehicular activities until 1 pm when things started picking up.

By 1:14 pm trucks were seen driving into the 18-arm loading bay and by 2 pm seven trucks drove in and started loading, as two trucks immediately lifted petrol while a fire service truck was stationed at the loading bay in the event of any fire outbreak.

The first truck started lifting petrol at exactly 1:18 pm, while two trucked out petrol by 2 pm on Monday. A total of 10 trucks lifted petrol as at 4:30 pm, which indicated that more trucks might load before 6 pm.

While the trucks at the loading bay were lifting PMS, seven other cleared trucks were waiting to load at the Onyema gate adjacent the loading bay when our reporter left the depot on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, some marketers seen at the depot of the old Port Harcourt Refining Company built in 1963, decried the frequent shutting down of loading operations without any explanation.

They also expressed dismay that of the 18 arms in the loading bay, only three were functional while the others had yet to be caliberated.

One of them who gave his name as Liti, said, “We are not happy over what is happening here. If operation is going on fully here you will see this place will be full of trucks and they can load up to 50 trucks before 6 pm.

“So let the government come and help us and make sure the refinery is working well.”

It was also gathered that not all the arms in the loading bay were supplying petrol, some were meant to truck out kerosene and diesel. The refinery has yet to commence production of kerosene and diesel.