News

ASUU Strike: Protesting Students Threaten To Stop Osun Gov’ship Poll

Published

2 years ago

May 17, 2022

Editor

Students protesting the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Ile-Ife, Osun State on Tuesday threatened to stop the July 16 governorship poll in the state if schools were not reopened.

The students, who converged under aegis of the Great Ife Concerned Students in collaboration with the Fund Education Coalition, blocked Ede-Ife road, Ilesa-Akure and Gbongan-Ibadan Expressways for several hours.

They called on the Federal Government to respect the agreement reached with ASUU for peace to return on campus.

Speaking with The PUNCH, Salvation Aworanti, the vice president, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Students’ Union, who was part of the protest said “our agitations still remain the same. Government should respect the agreement reached with ASUU in 2009.

“They should reopen our schools because we will not allow the election to hold in Osun, as far as OAU students are concerned, if they don’t open our school.”

On February 15, ASUU began a four-week rollover strike following the Federal Government’s failure to meet its demands.

The National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said the decision was taken after the union’s National Executive Committee meeting.

Osodeke said since the last meeting the union had with the Federal Government in December 2021, it had not received any formal invitation from the government.

ASUU extended the action by another two months to afford the government more time to address all of its demands.

ASUU also accused the government of displaying an indifferent attitude toward its demands.

Osodeke, in a statement to announce the extension of the rollover strike, noted that the national executive council of the union “was disappointed that Government did not treat the matters involved with utmost urgency they deserved during the four-week period as expected of a reasonable, responsive, and well-meaning administration”.

He said NEC concluded that the government had failed to satisfactorily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action within the four-week roll-over strike period and resolved that the strike be rolled over for another eight weeks.

The statement read in part, “The meeting was called to review developments since the Union declared a four weeks total and comprehensive roll-over strike action at the end of its NEC meeting at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos on February 12 to February 13.”

Osodeke said the strike extended over the government’s failure to “satisfactorily” implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the Union in December 2020 on funding for revitalisation of public universities (both Federal and states), renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ ASUU Agreement and the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.

Other demands of the union as listed by ASUU include Earned Academic Allowances, State Universities, promotion arrears, withheld salaries, and non-remittance of third-party deductions.

PUNCH.

News

Man Utd Beat Man City To Win 2023/24 FA Cup

Published

1 hour ago

May 25, 2024

Editor

Manchester United have won the 2023/24 FA Cup with a huge 2-1 win over Manchester City at Wembley.

In a repeat of last season’s final, City were expected to seal back-to-back doubles but failed to add to their Premier League crown as Erik ten Hag’s side roared to a huge victory.

City were sloppy to start the game and ultimately handed Alejandro Garnacho the opening goal on a plate as a mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega gifted the Argentine a free shot on an empty net.

After Marcus Rashford saw a goal ruled out for offside, Kobbie Mainoo added a second before the first half was over, setting up a second half which saw United sit back and defend their hard-fought lead.

City had their moments after the break and Erling Haaland rattled the crossbar early on, but United’s deep back line and resolute defending ensured Jeremy Doku’s late strike was little more than a consolation when the final whistle blew.

News

Home Delivery Of Passports To Start Soon – Minister

Published

5 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Editor

Nigerians no longer have to travel to the immigration office to obtain their passports, as home delivery of passports is set to begin in June.

This development was announced by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Friday when he inspected the electronic gates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s new terminal in Abuja.

Tunji-Ojo said the delivery will not include every location to avoid overloading and damaging the system.

He said the Nigerian Immigration Service would start home delivery in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja.

He stated that for Nigerians in the diaspora, the home DELIVERY service would initially launch in the United States and the United Kingdom, with preliminary testing to ensure its effectiveness.

The minister explained that the delay in implementing home delivery was due to a lack of data centres.

He noted that the NIS had been relying on a private company’s data centre and emphasised the need for a permanent solution to this problem.

“We have completed the whole solution but when we came on board, we realised that the data centre was not really there. We were leveraging on a private company data centre and we appreciate them for that assistance. We think that it is better to create a permanent solution to problems rather than quick fixes.

“We could have done it in February but we had to build our data centre from scratch to be able to keep the integrity of our data and national security intact. This is more important. It is disgraceful that NIS is 61 years old and NIS is a custodian of biometric data of Nigeria and we believe that NIS should be in charge of the data of Nigeria.

“It is not acceptable that this data is domiciled in a third party and that is why we have been able to do this,” he said.

H added that the data centre has been constructed and the passport delivery issue has been resolved.

“It is about national security and I can assure you that It is comparable with anyone you can find anywhere in the world.

“We have built the data centre, sorted the passport delivery solution and done the final presentation in terms of technology deliverables and the tracking solution which will all be embedded in the application we have so we do not create multiple lines of failure,” the minister said.

Speaking further, the minister stated that the final presentation of the electronic visa has been completed.

He added that it will reduce the visa processing time from 72 hours to 48 hours.

“The passport automation process is almost complete,” he added.

This announcement comes nine months after the minister initially declared that home delivery of passports to Nigerians would commence by February 2024.

In October, Tunji-Ojo stated that starting in February 2024, Nigerians would be able to have their passports delivered to their homes, offices, or any other location of their choice.

News

Kano In The Eye Of The Storm: Security Agents Vow To Enforce Court Order Stopping Dissolution Of Emirates

Published

5 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Editor

Security agencies in Kano State have promised to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order as the safety and security of all the residents in the state remain sacrosanct.

The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, made this known while addressing a joint security press conference at the command’s headquarters in Bompai Kano on Saturday.

He also said security agencies will enforce the court order restraining the state government from dissolving five newly created Emirates in the state.

“The police command is expressly obeying the court order with Suit No: FHC/KN/CS/182/2024 dated May 23, 2024, issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Kano alongside all law enforcement agents in the state.

“Therefore, we are calling on members of the public to know that the police in the state are working together with the military and other security agencies and are at full capacity for providing adequate security to everyone as we are committed to carrying out our statutory duties as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“No doubt, the law-abiding people of Kano State are known for a revered cultural heritage and respect for constituted authorities and in this regard, advised to remain calm, patient, and to keep cooperating with security agencies as the matter described will be addressed by the court on the 3rd of June 2024,” Gumel said.

He stated that the position of the law is clear, saying that whoever under whatever guise is found to be planning to disrupt the peace being enjoyed in the state or feels that he/she can jeopardise the existing security settings in the state will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

“Therefore, as the police command is leading other security agencies to sustain the peace and peaceful coexistence for overriding interests, miscreants should stay clear of violence in all its ramifications and should not take advantage or hijack the current situation to launch an unprovoked attack on people, property and infrastructure of the State.

“Any person found with such tendency will be ruthlessly dealt with according to the law of the land.

“On this note, it is on behalf of all the security agencies, I thank all the good people of the state for their understanding, prayers, continuous support, and cooperation,” he concluded.