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ASUU Set To Begin Another Strike

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BREAKING: Crisis Worse Than Eight-month Strike May Hit Public Universities Soon - ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities( SUU) is set to resume the industrial action it suspended since December 2020 over the Federal Government’s alleged failure to honour many of the agreements it signed with the union.

The Chairperson, ASUU, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa, stated this while speaking with select journalists at the union’s secretariat.

He said the protracted strike, which was to press home their demands for the continuous survival of public university system in Nigeria, was suspended in December after the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the various issues providing timelines for the implementation of each of the eight items.

Inuwa, who said that over seven months after the MoU was signed, only two out of the eight issues have been addressed, listed some of the issues to include Earned Academic Allowance, Funding for revitalisation of public universities, Salary shortfall, Proliferation of state universities and Visitation Panel.

Others, he added, are renegotiation, replacement of the Integrated payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) and withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues but “only salary shortfall and visitation panels to federal universities have been addressed.”

This year alone, much more than the last four decades of the existence of the institution of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), there have been nearly a dozen well researched books that speak to the strategic essence of that national asset known as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Thanks to the intellectual bent of the Director General of the NYSC Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim ably assisted by his loyal management team, the nation now has a rich rapporteur of books on the National Youth Service Corps Scheme. It was said that Nigerians do not have a way of preservation of national memorials but the management of the NYSC at the moment has successfully debunked that negative stereotype.

And as we know it, the finest way to preserve history is to put facts down in well written and produced books.
One of the nine books on the NYSC inaugurated recently when the NYSC clocked 40 years is the National Youth Service Corps and National integration.

This aforementioned scholarly book is written jointly and severally by well respected university teachers including the Director General of NYSC just as co-editors are listed as Bem Japhet Audu, Maryam Hamza and Onah Peter Otumala.

Going through this book, I was able to gain some insights into the import and essence of the NYSC Vis-à-vis its fundamental function of representing the pillars for the promotion of national integration. No doubt Nigeria is an amalgam of nearly 300 ethnic nationalities with very rich cultures, traditions and Worldviews.

READ ALSO: Endangering 21st Century Nigeria’s Educational Institutions

He said. “Renegotiation of the 2009 agreement which would have been completed within eight weeks from the date of inauguration of the committee has up till now not been concluded, even though the committee was inaugurated since December 2020.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria willingly agree that the UTAS will replace the IPPIS as a payment platform in Federal Universities after it passed an integrity test. However, soon after the agreement, agents of the FGN are doing everything possible to frustrate the coming of UTAS onboard.

“Meanwhile the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation through the IPPIS office havcontinued to omit our members from payment of salaries while others experience serious salary amputation. We are convinced this is done in connivance with the University Administration through the distortion of our members’ personal details.

“In the meantime, IPPIS appears to be the corruption headquarters of the Federal Civil service, as exemplified by double payment of salaries to employees, payment of salaries to non-employees, over taxation, dubious amputation of salaries, etc.”

Inuwa stated that the body language of the federal government on the proliferation of State Universities shows that they are not willing to put a stop to it stressing that instead, the federal government itself has joined in the Proliferation of Universities ignoring the obvious challenges of funding.

He further stated that it is obvious to the Union that the OAGF is deliberately omitting its members from payment of Salaries and withholding check off dues as a ploy for victimization and coercion to enroll ASUU members into IPPIs.

“This plague,” he said, “has been evident across all Federal Universities in Nigeria since February, 2020. This to us is an outright act of ingratitude on the part of the Government for the sacrifices members of ASUU are making in order to establish a progressive nation. A clear case of punishing citizens for being patriotic.”

Inuwa declared that “Enough is enough. ASUU is fed up with deceptive antics of the federal government of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Released Baptist Students Found In Forest

“The University Campuses are becoming restive across the length and breadth as Academics are threatening to shut down activities once again. This is coming as a result of the failure of the FGN to implement many aspects of the memorandum of Action it willingly signed with ASUU that ended the last strike in December, 2020.

“Given the glaring and deliberate failure of Government to honour the agreement it willingly signed with the Union, it is becoming obvious that industrial harmony is gradually being destroyed in the University Campuses.

“We, therefore, call on well-meaning Nigerians to wake up the FGN from its slumber to avoid another disruption of academic activities on Universities Campuses across the nation” adding that “the atmosphere is tensed and charged.”

 

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In Shakeup Of FCT Administration, Wike Sacks Agencies, Parastatals Heads

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BREAKING: Wike Dares Ayu To Stop Elections Of Ortom, Others
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nysom Wike

In a decisive shakeup of the administration of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), its Minister Nyesom Wike, has sacked the heads of 21 parastatals, agencies, and government companies.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Director of Press, Office of the Minister, Anthony Ogunleye, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ogunleye identified the affected heads of the agencies as follows:

1. Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abuja Investment Company Ltd

2. CEO/Managing Director, Abuja Markets Management Ltd

3. MD/CEO, Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company

4. CEO/MD, Abuja Property Development Company

5. CEO/MD, Abuja Technology Village Free Trade Zone Company

6. CEO/MD, Abuja Film Village International

7. CEO/MD, Powernoth AICL Equipment Leasing Company Ltd

8. MD, Abuja Broadcasting Corporation

9. MD, Abuja Enterprise Agency

10. General Manager, FCT Water Board

11. Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Agency

12. Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Healthcare Board

13. DG, Hospital Management Board

14. Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board

15. Director, FCT Scholarship Board

16. Director, FCT Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board

17. Director, Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board

18. Coordinator, Abuja Infrastructure Investment Center

19. Director, FCT Health Insurance Scheme

20. Coordinator, Satellite Towns Development Department

21. Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council

The director of the press said that the affected appointees should hand over the affairs of their offices to the most senior officers in rank.

He added that appointments in the offices would be made in due course.

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Abiodun Urges Prayer For Nigeria At Eid-El Maulud

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Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, has urged Muslims across the country to offer prayers for the peace and prosperity of Nigeria on the occasion of Eid-El Maulud.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, the Governor emphasized the need for Nigerians to come together and pray for the country’s progress, unity and development.

Governor Abiodun also called on Muslims to emulate the virtues of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which include love, tolerance, peace, and humility.

He urged Muslims to use the occasion of Eid-El Maulud to reflect on the teachings of the Prophet and strive to live a life of righteousness and selflessness.

The Governor expressed his commitment to providing good and effective governance to the people of Ogun State as he called on Muslims to continue to support his administration and pray for its success.

Eid-ElMaulud is a Muslim holiday that commemorates the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It is celebrated with prayers, fasting, feasting, and acts of charity and generosity.

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You Are A Shining Light In Christendom, Abiodun Tells Oyedepo At 69

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Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun

Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has described the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, as a shining light in Christendom.

He described the bishop as a great man of God and an educationist worth emulating.

Abiodun stated this in his goodwill message to mark Bishop Oyedepo’s 69th birthday.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Lekan Adeniran, praised Bishop Oyedepo’s commitment to God, saying he daily motivates his congregation and the larger society to live a purposeful life in accordance with God’s plan.

“Your teachings have transformed the lives of many and have shaped the destiny of our nation.

“As a preacher, you exemplify excellence and have been a source of inspiration to many. Your commitment to the spread of the gospel has not only brought salvation to countless souls, but it has also helped shape the moral fabric of our society,” Abiodun said.

He said that through his involvement in the education sector, the man of God has succeeded in producing many scientists, bankers, lawyers, administrators, among others, adding that one of his universities has consistently been ranked among the best in Africa.

The governor also commended Bishop Oyedepo’s humanitarian efforts, particularly through the David Oyedepo Foundation, which provides scholarships, medical and entrepreneurial support to thousands of people.

“I am grateful for your contributions to the development of Ogun State, particularly in the area of education. Your investment in Covenant University and other educational institutions in the state have greatly impacted the lives of our youth and have helped to raise the standard of education in the state,” Abiodun said.

He prayed that God will continue to bless Bishop Oyedepo with good health, wisdom, and divine guidance as he continues to impact lives and fulfil his divine mandate.

Abiodun prayed for God’s continued blessings and guidance upon the bishop, as well as for more years of impactful service to humanity.

“Once again, I wish you a happy 69th birthday, and I pray that God will grant you many more years in good health,” Abiodun concluded.

Bishop David Oyedepo, who is also the Chancellor of Covenant University and Landmark University, was born on September 27, 1954, in Omu Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria.

He founded the Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners’ Chapel, which has grown to become one of the largest Christian denominations in Nigeria and the world at large.

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