MURAINA AJIBOLA TIPPED AS REPS LEADER

For stepping down in the race for the speakership of the House of Representatives, Hon Muraina Ajibola is tipped to emerge today as the Leader of the House.

Daily Sun gathered that the Presidency had pushed for a candidate to emerge from the South-West after the zone lost the position of the Speaker to the North-West.

However, the choice of the Presidency for the House Leadership was Mrs Mulikat Akande Adeola, the candidate supported by the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], but who lost to Aminu Tambuwal by wide margin.

But at a stakeholder's meeting of the party with members on Monday night, Muraina was adjudged best to lead the House debate and would be unveiled to an enlarged caucus of the PDP before today's sitting.

A source at the stakeholders meeting revealed that the choice of Muraina was welcomed because of his disposition and background as a lawyer.

Other leadership positions were also shared among the remaining zones.

The position of Deputy House Leader was zoned to South-South and Hon Leo Ogor was considered ahead of Hon Ndudi Elumelu and Friday Itulah.

The position of Chief Whip goes to the North-East and Hon Ishaka Bawa from Taraba State is likely to get it, while Deputy Chief Whip goes to the North Central with Hon Ahmed Mukhtar from Niger State highly favoured.

In the camp of the Opposition parties, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila of the Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] from Lagos is to emerge as Minority Leader and Hon Ismaila Kawu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP] is to emerge as Deputy Minority Leader.

The position of Minority Whip goes to Hon Samson Osagie, another ACN member from Edo State, while the position of Deputy Minority Whip is reserved for the Congress for Progressive Change [CPC].

The emergence of the leadership team is expected to fasttrack the composition of the 85 Standing Committees.

Meanwhile, as the Nigeria Labour Congress [NLC] geared up for a showdown over the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage law, the Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has canvassed for dialogue among the stakeholders to resolve the matter.

Speaking on the matter yesterday, Tambuwal said there was need for the stakeholders to engage workers in constructive dialogue with a view to addressing the minimum wage dispute.

'Everything will be done to ensure that the issue is resolved before the end of the ultimatum, the country can not afford any industrial action that may hurt the economy, not now.'

Both NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had during a joint press conference on Thursday, June 30,2011 in Abuja, gave a 14-day ultimatum to federal , state and local governments to pay the N18,000 minimum wage or face a nationwide industrial strike.

But Tambuwal had called for a better approach on the matter, adding that the House under him would in conjunction with the Senate, meet the concerned parties to resolve the dispute amicably.

'We have begun consultations over the issue. I can assure you that we will do everything possible to engage the organised Labour and other parties in constructive dialogue to resolve the minimum wage issue.

'The issue is very sensitive and as the representatives of the people, we will go the extra mile to ensure that the issue is addressed. The House under my leadership will in conjunction with the Senate meet the parties and resolve the issue amicably.'