The Federal Capital Territory Administration has commenced the demolition of houses and other structures built on designated water channels in Abuja.

The demolition exercise began on Tuesday in Maitama, shortly after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ordered the immediate removal of structures obstructing waterways in the capital.

Tractors were seen bringing down some of the affected structures as officials commenced enforcement of the directive.

Wike, after inspecting flood-affected areas in Maitama District, ordered the immediate demolition of all structures built on natural waterways and flood channels across the Federal Capital Territory.

He also directed the FCT Department of Development Control to identify and remove structures obstructing natural water passages, stressing that the exercise would not spare properties belonging to high-profile individuals.

“I’m going to bring those structures down. Any house that fell on the water channel will go down. From today till Saturday, if the development control likes to find any excuse to run away, they cannot.

“Thank God the Director Development Control is here because if you are running away to find excuses, you can’t. We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel,” the minister stated.

He said the demolition would be carried out without regard to the status or political affiliation of the owners of the affected properties.

“Any house that fell on the water channel will go down… We will demolish all those houses found on the water channel. Some of them are owned by senators and big men…

“Whether there is election or no election, all those houses will go down. Heaven will not fall; rather, heaven will be at peace that the right thing has been done,” the FCT minister added.

Wike said the administration was determined to address structural violations that had persisted in the FCT, adding that previous inaction would not prevent the government from taking corrective measures.

“Fortunately, we have gone there, and we have seen how people blocked water channels, where, in the master plan, water is supposed to be channelled, believing that nothing will happen.

“That nothing happened yesterday does not mean that something will not happen today or tomorrow. Thank God the flood has come; it has drawn our attention to the place, now something will happen,” the minister said.

He also announced plans to immediately desilt blocked drainages in affected districts as part of measures to mitigate flooding.

He said the FCT Administration would also accelerate key infrastructure projects, including the Lokogoma road project, to strengthen the capital’s resilience to flooding.

While attributing flooding partly to climate change and heavy rainfall, Wike identified illegal construction on drainage routes, poor enforcement of building regulations and indiscriminate waste disposal as major contributors to flooding in the FCT.

He urged residents to support the administration’s urban renewal efforts and dispose of waste properly to prevent the blockage of manholes and drainage channels.

Wike also denied allegations that the FCT Administration had allocated land on waterways for estate development.

“I don’t want to reply to political commentators. If that politician is bold enough, why not say it was allocated to Mr A, and it’s a water channel area and it’s now being used as an estate.

“You don’t just make blanket statements. You cannot determine which area is the water channel to the FCT. You don’t know the masterplan more than us. You just sit in your place and say this is a water channel.

“How can somebody allocate a water channel to somebody to build? You think that those who work in FCTA are morons and they don’t know what they are doing?

“So, I want to categorically deny the claim that this administration allocates water channels for people to develop,” the minister stated.

Source: punchng.com

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The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged the Federal Government to urgently resolve the lingering salary dispute with the Joint Health Sector Unions, warning that failure to revive negotiations could trigger another industrial crisis in the health sector.

The NLC made the call in a letter dated August 6, 2026, addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment and signed by its President, Joe Ajaero.

The letter followed a July 31 communication by the Joint Health Sector Unions, expressing frustration over the slow pace of efforts to resolve its demands, particularly the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure.

The NLC said it was concerned that agreements, memoranda of understanding and collective bargaining agreements reached with the government over the years had yet to fully resolve the grievances of the health workers.

“We are similarly concerned that years after signing MoUs, terms of agreement and CBAs (Collective Bargaining Agreements) in addition to promises and assurances from appropriate authorities, members of JOHESU have been ignored or abandoned,” Ajaero stated.

The labour centre, therefore, appealed to the Labour Minister to intervene and ensure that negotiations resume immediately, while also urging him to engage the Presidential Committee on Salaries on the matter.

“Honourable Minister, in light of the above, we strongly urge that you do all that is within your power to ensure immediate resumption of the collective agreement negotiation as well as nudge the Presidential Committee on Salaries to do the needful,” the letter stated.

The NLC warned that a failure to resolve the dispute could have serious consequences, particularly for healthcare delivery and industrial relations in the country.

“It needs no telling that the consequences of a complete breakdown in negotiations are quite grave,” it said.

Although the NLC said its letter was not intended as a threat, it pledged to support JOHESU if the union was compelled to take further industrial action.

“We do not intend this as a threat, given the circumstances of this matter.

“However, in the event JOHESU is compelled to take further action in respect of this matter, the congress will not hesitate to lend its support to the hilt,” Ajaero said.

The latest development comes months after JOHESU suspended an 84-day nationwide strike over the same CONHESS dispute.

The health unions had commenced the indefinite strike in November 2025 following the Federal Government’s failure to implement the adjusted CONHESS and resolve other longstanding welfare concerns.

The action was suspended in February 2026 to allow for the implementation of terms of settlement reached with the government.

The dispute centres on the demand by non-doctor health professionals for an adjustment of CONHESS similar to reviews implemented under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for doctors.

JOHESU has maintained that its demand dates back more than a decade, with the 2021 technical committee report on the salary adjustment still awaiting full implementation.

In January 2026, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress had also issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government over the failure to implement the adjusted CONHESS, threatening nationwide industrial action.

The Federal Government, however, said it was committed to resolving the dispute and explained that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission was conducting a job evaluation exercise to determine the appropriate placement of health professionals.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had said the exercise was expected to provide a basis for discussions on salary adjustments and the reconvening of the collective bargaining process.

With the NLC’s latest intervention, attention is again focused on the Federal Government to prevent the prolonged CONHESS dispute from degenerating into another strike that could disrupt healthcare services nationwide.

Source: punchng.com

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The Federal Government has increased the annual robe allowance for state counsel and legal officers in the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria from the previously reported N300,000 to N1m.

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission disclosed this in a circular dated July 14, 2026, signed by its Acting Secretary, Adighiogu A. Chiadi, and addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of federal commissions, agencies and government-owned companies, among others.

The commission said the review was approved by the Federal Government as part of a new allowance structure for State Counsel and Legal Officers in the Federal Public Service.

The circular, titled “Review of Robe Allowance for State Counsel and Legal Officers in the Federal Public Service,” stated, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the review of Robe Allowance for State Counsel and Legal Officers in the Federal Public Service.”

Under the new arrangement, State Counsel and legal officers employed in the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria will receive N1m per annum.

The commission also approved N600,000 annually for lawyers employed as legal officers in other ministries, departments and agencies who perform strictly legal functions.

The circular stated, “N1,000,000.00 per annum for both the state counsel and legal officers employed in the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria; and N600,000.00 per annum for lawyers employed as legal officers in other ministries, departments and agencies who perform strictly legal functions.”

The revised rates will take effect from January 1, 2027, with the commission directing the affected MDAs to fund the payments from their overhead allocations.

According to the circular, “The revised rates take effect from 1st January 2027, and will be funded from the overhead cost of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies.”

The new N1m rate represents an increase of N700,000, or about 233 per cent, over the N300,000 robe allowance previously reported for lawyers in the ministry.

The N600,000 approved for legal officers in other MDAs also represents a 100 per cent increase over the N300,000 previously reported for lawyers in the justice ministry.

The earlier N300,000 rate was disclosed in 2021 by the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), during the ministry’s budget defence before the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights and Legal Matters.

Malami had disclosed that about 860 lawyers in the ministry were entitled to N300,000 each annually as robe allowance, putting the total expenditure at about N258m.

However, the latest NSIWC circular does not expressly state the previous allowance applicable to each category of legal officer covered by the new review.

The N300,000 figure is therefore the previously reported rate for lawyers in the Justice Ministry and should not be interpreted as a confirmed former rate for every category listed in the new circular.

Robe allowance is intended to support lawyers who are required to appear in court in the prescribed professional attire while representing the Federal Government or its agencies.

The latest review comes amid broader adjustments to public-sector remuneration and allowances as the Federal Government continues to review compensation arrangements across the public service.

The commission directed that all enquiries concerning the implementation of the new rates be forwarded to it.

The circular stated, “All enquiries concerning this circular should be directed to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.”

Source: punchng.com

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