Mr Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director of the bank, disclosed this in a statement made available to our reporter on Tuesday in Lagos.

Shobo said that the achievement was largely attributable to the bank’s relative strength and success of its web products and services, specifically, FirstMobile.

“The Global Finance 2020 Best Mobile Banking App award is testament to our continuous commitment to putting our customers first which was demonstrated in our recent upgrade of the leading mobile banking application, FirstMobile.

“The upgrade on FirstMobile is designed to suit the social pattern and lifestyle of all our customers.

“We dedicate this award to all customers and appreciate Global Finance for the recognition,” he said.

Mr Joseph Giarraputo, Publisher and Editorial Director of Global Finance, said that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global transition to digital banking.

“This year, a global pandemic accelerated the transition to digital banking, but forward-thinking banks were already on that road.

“The Digital Bank Awards hone in on the institutions that are leading the shift toward a new world of banking,” he said.

Only recently, Global Business Outlook awarded FirstMobile with the 2019 Best Mobile Banking App.

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UTAS, proposed by ASUU to the Federal Government, is an alternative emoluments payment platform to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The Labour Minister, Sen. Chris Ngige, said this while addressing newsmen after about two and half hours closed door meeting with the leaderships of the Senate and ASUU.

Ngige said that the alternative payment platform presented by ASUU was home grown and worth given thorough assessment test.

“We agreed at the meeting to give required consideration to the UTAS alternative they came up with as a way of finding lasting solution to the lingering crisis over implementation of IPPIS.

“We have neither jettisoned the implementation of the IPPIS nor fully accepted UTAS.

“The level we moved to now is to subject ASUU’s scheme to integrity test and in doing so, it will be presented to users like the office of Accountant General of the Federation on Wednesday.

“After that, it will be sent to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and from there to the office of the National Security Adviser for second look.

“The platform is an option grown device that requires stage by stage consideration and from the looks of things is good,” he said.

Confirming the head way achieved at the meeting, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TetFund, Sen. Ahmad Baba Kaita, said that the interface had not ended, but a stage of compromise is getting closer between the two parties.

“The meeting brokered by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, among other stakeholders, achieved a lot today with agreement on the need to subject the UTAS alternative brought forward by ASUU for integrity test by all relevant departments of the government,” he said.

The ASUU leadership, however, refused to speak to the press after the closed door meeting, but were in good mood apparently due to government’s decision to consider the alternative platform.

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He said that the money had gotten to the embassies in United Kingdom, Russian and other countries, adding that the Nigeria embassy in United Kingdom had confirmed receipt of payment.

“The money was paid this afternoon by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), it has finished processing all the money and forward to appropriate countries,” he said.

He said the Nigeria embassy in Russia was yet to confirm receipt of payment but hoped that by the end work today it should be able to confirm payment of the students scholarship by Nigerian government.

It was reported that a concerned parent whose daughter was on federal government scholarship in Russia had raised an alarm over non payment of her daughter’s money since January.

The minister, however, promised to look into the matter, adding that the delay could be from the COVID-19 pandemic as the CBN was working to sort out the payment.

In another development, the minister said there was no special provision made for persons living with disability over its online classes, adding that all the students would have to use the same guidelines.

The minister stated that it would use the same avenue provided like others to take their online classes.

“The visually and hearing impaired are both special but for others, we have to use the same avenue to teach them,” he said.

He said that at its special school for person living with disability in Oyo town, special materials had been provided for them that would serve as guide during the lockdown period.

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The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Ngige said that the Council also approved the payment of all outstanding financial implications of the consequential adjustments as worked out by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, beginning from April 18.

“Council today approved for us that the financial implications be worked out by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, as consequential adjustments should take effect from April 18, the date the new national minimum wage came into being.

“The Council also approved for us that the financial implications be worked out and the attendant payments completed on or before Dec. 31.

“Council further directed that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, should effect all these payments as scheduled before Dec. 31.

“Council further directed also that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and the Ministry of Labour and Employment should send the consequential adjustment (wage) table to down to the States and Local Governments.

“This is to serve as an advisory document for their information and guidance, as they negotiate with their joint national public service councils in their respective states because the national minimum wage is a national law,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the organised labour and the Federal Government had, on Oct. 18, reached an agreement on the consequential adjustments of the implementation of the new minimum wage of N30,000, after three days of negotiation.

The Federal Government team to the agreement included the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and his Minister of State, Dr Festus Keyamo

Witnesses to the agreement from the government side were Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, Acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and Mr Olusegun Olufehinti, Director, IPPIS, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“The consequential adjustment for Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), called group one, is GL 07 – 23.2 percent; GL 08 – 20 percent, GL 09 – 19 percent, GL 10 – 14, 16 percent and GL 15-17, 14 percent.

“The second group consists of Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS), Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure II (CONUASS II).

“Others are: Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS).

“For Grade Level seven and its equivalent, it is 23.2 percent, GL 8-14 equivalent, 16 percent and GL 15-17 equivalent, 10.5 percent,’’ he explained.

The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, who also spoke on the outcome of the Council meeting, said N1.7 billion was approved for the procurement and installation of communications equipment and absolute control contour for control towers at the Aviation Training School in Zaria and Katsina airports.

He said: “we presented a memorandum for the award of contract for the procurement and installation of communications equipment and absolute control contour for control towers in Zaria and Katsina.

“The total contract sum is N1,71460,196.10, including Value Added Tax (VAT) while the completion period is eight months.

“This is to address critical safety issues in such a way that there will be better communication and efficiency in the control towers in Zaria and Katsina, and this is ongoing, similar to what we have done in other airports,” the minister said.

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Our correspondent who monitored the prayer session organised by Concerned Pensioners, reports that the senior citizens had since Sept. 4 been sleeping under rain and sunshine at the gate to drive home their demand.

It was reported that the pensioners are demanding payment of over 20 months’ pension arrears and gratuity, amounting to N25 billion, owed them by the state government.

Reading from the Bible in the book of 1st Kings, Chapter 12, Verses 3 to 10, while preaching a sermon, Pastor John Awaodi urged the pensioners not to give up hope.

He said that God was with them since they were demanding their legitimate income.

Addressing the pensioners at the prayer session, their Leader, Mr Peter Ikyado, said that they were not tired and would continue to sleep at the gate until paid.

Ikyado urged them to be steadfast and pray fervently.

He earlier told newsmen that over 500 pensioners in the state had died due to lack of food and proper medication.

“We are senior citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our motto says, ”Enjoyment After Retirement”, but in this case, it is suffering after retirement,” he said.

Gov. Samuel Ortom had while addressing them on Friday said that his administration would have to seek for an overdraft of N611 million to be able to complete the shortfalls from the April 2018 and May 2018 unpaid pension arrears.

He gave the assurance that the money would be paid by Sept. 10.

Ortom said that his administration inherited unpaid pension arrears of over N34 billion, with outstanding gratuities of over N17 billion.

He said that although his administration was able to make significant efforts in the payment of the arrears of pensions and gratuities, the government was still owing over N20 billion.

He said that his administration also moved a step further by signing into law, the PENCOM Bill and constituted the state Pensions Commission in an effort to find lasting solutions to non-payment of pension and gratuities.

Ortom apologised to the senior citizens for the inability of the government to pay their entitlement as and when due.

The governor said that the government was working to get a N40 billion bond to address some of the challenges facing the state.

It was reported that the pensioners have, however, refused to move away from the government house in spite of the governor’s promises.

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Mr Achimugu Isaiah, the branch Chairman, Federal Medical Centre (FMC Keffi), Nasarawa State, made the call on Wednesday while fielding questions from our reporter shortly after a congress meeting of the union in Keffi.

Our reporter recalls that JOHESU embarked on an indefinite nationwide industrial action on April 18 and resumed work on May 31.

Some of the demands made by the union included upward adjustment of salary scale, employment of additional health professionals, review of retirement age from 60 years to 65 years and implementation of court judgment.

JOHESU consists of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWUN) and Senior Staff Association of University Teaching Hospitals, among others.

Isaiah said that payment of two month salary to the members of the union who embarked on strike to press home their demand would cushion their economic plight.

He added it would also boost members’ morale toward effective healthcare service delivery.

The union leader queried the selective nature of paying few members against the majority.

“The strike was declared by the national body and the local chapter here only obeyed the directive of the national secretariat.

“Actually, we only called members of the union to brief them on the outcome of our meeting with the management of the centre after the suspension of the JOHESU strike by the national body of the union.

“After the suspension of the strike, we have been meeting with our management on the need for payment of April and May salary to our members but the management told us that those that were paid are those that worked during the strike.

“Such beneficiaries like the management staff, drivers and their personal assistants, among others, were paid based on directive from the federal government.

“They said that anything that was done was based on directive and they can only take our message on the payment of our April/May salary to the federal government for action.

“It is in view of this that we are pleading to the federal government to consider our presentation, the plight of workers by paying us our April/May salary in the interest of peace,” he said.

Besides, Isaiah urged the federal government to do the needful by implementing the demands of the union so as to put the issues that led to the strike to an end.

The chairman also urged the members of the union to remain calm, be law abiding and continue with their normal duties.

Reacting, Dr Luka Samuel, the Acting Medical Director of the centre, confirmed that those that were paid are workers that worked during the strike.

Samuel listed the management staff, drivers, personal assistants, and those on sick bed, among others, as beneficiaries of the April/ May salary.

The acting medical director restated the commitment of the centre to continue to key into good health policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the people for the overall development of the country.

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