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ASUU Adamant on Strike, NANS Begin Nationwide Protest

ASUU

Days after announcing an extension of the industrial strike action to 12 more weeks, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has said it is not going back on that decision.

Speaking in a press briefing on Wednesday morning in the nation’s capital Abuja, ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osedeke said that the union had exhausted every other option to reach an amicable agreement with the government before deciding on embarking on an additional 3-month strike.

Osedeke told the media that the government was treating their matter with levity and were simply not willing to resolve pending issues because the state of the nation’s educational system did not directly affect them.

The president backed up his statement by citing how quickly the government swung into action after airline operators threatened to strike, saying that this was simply because the political elites were directly affected.

“Let me give you an example because this is where we are getting it wrong, when the airline operators said they were going to stop the flights, the Senate and House of Representatives quickly stepped in,” Osedeke said.

He then added, “This is because they are affected; they quickly rushed in and addressed the problem, why would they not resolve that of the education sector that is affecting the children of the poor and the ordinary people. If the government is willing to resolve the issues affecting the Nigerians, then there would be no need to go on strike. The problem is the will of the government to resolve issues.”

ASUU initially embarked on a warning strike on the 14th of February for reasons including the government’s failure to honor the 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement, as well as the inconsistency in Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS.

The staff union is also demanding that the government fund the revitalization of public universities, pay promotion arrears owed, as well as implement, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS).

Despite several meetings between the two parties, a gridlock persists.

Osedeke later added;

“All the issues that made us to go on strike are still there; that is the revitalisation fund, that is putting more money into universities and revitalising the infrastructure in the universities.

Read Also: “I’m Scared” – Laycon Reacts to Unending ASUU Strike

There is also the issue of our mode of payments in the universities. There is no university in the world where lecturers are paid salaries from the Accountant General’s Office.

We have challenged them to provide one, if universities are universal body, why are they doing things differently.

We talk of negotiation of agreement, proliferation of universities, among others, so there are lots of issues that they have not resolved.”

The minister of Labour, Chris Ngige who is among over twenty presidential aspirants of the APC to drop NGN 100 million for the party nomination form says the government has no money to meet ASUU’s demands.

Meanwhile, university students across the nation have begun a nationwide protest seeking to force the hand of the government to take action to halt the strike. Student protests have kicked off in Ogun, Oyo, and Lagos states. Students have also threatened to disrupt ongoing political activities in order to get the government’s attention.

“We have resolved that we have to take our destinies into our hands. The leadership of NANS has resolved that there will be no political activities, especially party primaries in Abuja and other parts of the country. The mass action is in all the 36 states of the Federation and FCT, said NANS Victor Ezenagu in his May 10th interview with Channels TV.

Ezenagu added;

“You cannot be a hunting game when your house is on fire. What is government? Government is about responding to the needs of the people and their welfare. ASUU cannot be on strike for three months and nothing is being done by the government to end it.

The mass protest actually started today (Tuesday) in almost eleven states. It started at the University of Lagos and others are joining. We will block all federal roads, shut down airports, and indeed the economy of Nigeria until the universities are reopened for students to resume classes.”

NANS has issued a 9-day ultimatum for the government and ASUU to reach an agreement and reopen varsities nationwide.

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Donald Trump Wins US Presidential Elections, defeats Kamala Harris

Donald Trump has won the US presidential election after securing the over 270 Electoral College (EC) votes required to emerge victorious.

As of this report, Trump has secured 279 EC votes, while his main challenger, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, has secured 223 votes.

Mr Trump is also ahead in the popular vote count, securing over 71 million votes to Mrs Harris’s over 66 million.

This election is the first since 2004 in which a Republican presidential candidate will secure more popular votes than a Democratic Party candidate, indicating Mr Trump’s solid performance and Mrs Harris’s sub-par performance.

“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Mr Trump told a jubilant crowd in Florida Wednesday morning.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Mr Trump had already won in four of the seven crucial Swing states – North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and was ahead in the remaining three – Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona – BBC reports.

Apart from winning the presidential election, the Republican Party also took control of the US Senate for the first time in four years and maintained its hold of the House.

Several world leaders, including Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, have congratulated Mr Trump on his victory.

According to President Tinubu, Mr Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership, the president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, wrote in a statement.

President Tinubu believes that, given President Trump’s experience as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States, he added.

“Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens,” the Nigerian leader was quoted as saying.

Many other leaders posted their congratulatory messages on X, the social media platform whose owner, Elon Musk, was one of the main campaigners for Mr Trump.

“Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine, with respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X.

“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic,” wrote German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on X. “We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens.”

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Nigerian Chief Of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja Dies At 56

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has died at the
age of 56, according to a state house press statement. Lt. General Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos following an illness, as announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

President Tinubu expressed profound sadness over the loss of a “dedicated servant
of the nation” whose military career spanned over three decades.

Lt. General Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, was appointed Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023. His service history includes numerous leadership roles in critical security operations such as Operation ZAKI in Benue, Lafiya Dole in Borno, and Forest Sanity across
Kaduna and Niger States. A distinguished alumnus of the U.S. Army War College with a Master’s in Strategic Studies, Lt. General Lagbaja was recognized for his strategic acumen.

Lt. General Lagbaja is survived by his beloved wife, Mariya, and their two children. President Tinubu expresses his heartfelt condolences to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces during this difficult time. The president wishes Lt. General Lagbaja eternal peace and honors his significant contributions to the nation.

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EFCC Detains Former Governor Of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa

okowa sacks Latimore Oghenesivbe

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have detained a former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, for the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion of the 13 percent derivation fund from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023.

A source close to proceedings says that Mr Okowa was detained on Monday, 4 November, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when he reported at the Port Harcourt Directorate of the EFCC on the invitation of investigators handling his matter.

The former governor allegedly failed to account for the funds and another N40 billion he allegedly claimed to have used to acquire shares in the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Mr Okowa allegedly bought N40 billion worth of shares in one of the major banks in Nigeria, representing eight percent equity, to float the offshore LNG.

The funds were allegedly used for other purposes. The anti-graft agency is also investigating the former governor’s alleged diversion of funds to acquire estates in the nation’s capital, Abuja, and Asaba in Delta State.

He is being held at the EFCC holding facility in Port Harcourt.When contacted on Monday evening, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed Mr Okowa’s detention but declined to give details.

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