ASUU Strike: 45 Days After…

When the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, declared a nationwide strike on 2 July, 2013 to press home their demands from the Federal Government, not many thought about the duration of the industrial action. Forty-five days after, it doesn’t seem as if there will be ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ after all.
After series of negotiations with the union ended in deadlock, the latest taking place on Tuesday, 13 August, 2013, there seems to be no end to the defiant decision made by the lecturers.
The ASUU board members have argued that the strike action is not just about them but for the masses of the country, saying it would help in putting the ‘erring’ government officials on their toes.
National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola Aremu, told P.M.NEWS Campus Square that “ASUU had an agreement with the Federal Government and the only thing we are saying is for them to respect that agreement and ensure that our universities are not left to look like glorified secondary schools.
“Most of those politicians don’t have their children in Nigerian tertiary institutions, others are even busy building private universities without maintaining the ones on ground.
“In LASU today, some students are paying between N250,000 and N350, 000 and don’t forget that education is supposed to be affordable, accessible and available.
“The parents are the ones to pay these fees yet this same government has refused to pay the approved minimum wage so where do they expect the money to come from?”
President, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, southwest Zone,  Adeyemo Monsiru, believes that proper funding of education is the only way to forestall insurgency in the country.

•Activists and students protesting in Lagos on Tuesday against poor funding of education by the Federal Government

The students’ leader further encouraged his colleagues to be relentless in making their grievances felt and to ensure that their demands are met, no matter how long it would take.
“If education is not funded properly, the insurgency in the country can’t reduce; amnesty is not a feasible way out so the Federal Government should stop wasting their time on that.
“When there was fuel subsidy removal in January last year, we were on the streets like this; to express our displeasure and if care is not taken, we might have to go beyond that,” he said.
More than the lecturers, the students are burdened with the consequence of the strike action. Many of the students are supposed to have graduated but for the strike action by ASUU.
A 500 level Estate Management student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Falope Thompson, explained that he was supposed to have graduated but for strike action.
He appealed to the Federal Government to meet the lecturers’ demands so that he could go back to school to complete his programme.
“We are going to cover the whole of Nigeria to tell the Federal Government that we are unhappy with all that it is doing to ASUU and we really need the support of the masses to achieve this. So people should come out and fight with us,” he said.
President of the Students Union Government of Lagos State University, LASU, Hassan Mojirade, who said that the strike had taken the shine off their purpose of study, added that students have stayed at home for too long.
The final year Economics student also appealed to the Federal Government to see reason with the lecturers and work out something meaningful.
“This is fast becoming a tradition and it is making our education worthless. We have stayed at home for too long and it is beginning to affect us. That’s why we are coming out to plead with the Federal Government to listen to our lecturers so that we all can return to our various schools,” she stressed.
On his part, 400-level Physics student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ahmed Oluwadaisi, encouraged all Nigerian students to come out and protest as he believes that the Federal Government’s incessant disagreement with their lecturers would yield no positive result.
The union member of OOU therefore asked for a once-and-for-all resolution of the unending crisis.
“In 1999, the students were also thrown into the streets like this and there have been other strikes since then but the students have resolved to stand by the lecturers to press home their demands this time.
“We want a permanent solution to this national problem,” he stated.
With the meeting held between ASUU and the Federal Government on Tuesday ending with no positive result, all hopes seem to be fading and there is no certainty that the meeting scheduled for Monday, 19 August, would result in an end to the crisis.

‘My Wife Sleeps With Cele Pastor’

An employee of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, Gbenga Awoyode, 48, has explained to an Alagbado Grade A Customary Court, how his 52-year old wife, Raliat, was caught with a Celestial Church pastor in a hotel, when he was on night duty.
Divorce seeking Awoyode also told the court that his wife is equally having an affair with their neighbour.
He said his neighbour’s wife had once told Raliat to leave her husband alone.
The petitioner, who is seeking the dissolution of their 15-year marriage which has produced three children, said his wife is very hostile and always insulting his two children from his first marriage.
Awoyode claimed that Raliat does not have regard for him or members of his family.
He explained that when he took her to his family house, she pushed his aunt and she sustained serious injuries as a result of the fall during a quarrel.
According to him, his wife is always destroying his belongings whenever they have a misunderstanding.
He said that sometimes she would seize his documents, ID card and driver’s license.
Awoyode also stated that Raliat has torn many of his clothes to the extent that he has lost count.
He said that he did not pay any dowry on his wife and wants the court to grant him a divorce.
Raliat, a  pensioner with Yaba College of Technology, said that her husband’s claims are not true, as she is not a hostile person.
She also said that when her husband’s children and some other relatives came to their house, they all lived together without problems.
She stated further that when he is going to work, he would give her N200 as feeding allowance for nine people.
She claimed that he is only accusing her of adultery because he wants to be free to marry the lady that he is dating currently.
Raliat said that she does not destroy the properties in the house as he is claimed but that he is the one that beat her up when he brought another woman to the house.
She said that the court should not dissolve the marriage as she still loves her husband.
The court president, Mr. P.A Williams, after listening to both parties, adjourned the case till Monday, 9 September 2013.

Photos: Vast of Bracket finally returns home after battle with cancer

The singer who was diagnosed with Lymphoma early this year  (if you missed it, read it HERE) is finally back home in Nigeria after months of receiving treatment in a UK hospital. He returned home early this morning and was welcomed by family and close friends. God is great!

Missing man found dead in bedroom

The house

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigations into the mysterious death of a 39-year-old trader, Sylvanus Okoye, who was discovered without his penis in a pool of blood at his house.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the indigene of Abidi, Umu Ochi, Anambra State, was found dead two weeks after he was last seen by neighbours.

His corpse was said to have been discovered after a foul odour engulfed the premises of the house, located at Ezemegbu Drive, Okota.

It was learnt that on Thursday, neighbours forced the door to his apartment open and the corpse was discovered.

The victim’s brother, Paul, also a trader, said neighbours called to inform him that his brother had not been seen for some days.

He said, “I was called by the landlord that they have not seen my brother for some time. They said a stranger dropped his phone and house key with the security guard.

“When I got here, we opened the door to his flat. We saw his bloated body, with a rope tied on his neck. There was a mortar, pestle and a knife on the bed. Obviously he was murdered.

“We are confused now; we have reported the matter at Okota Police Station. They have collected the knife and pestle. What I am craving  now is justice. Police should investigate this matter and prosecute all involved.

“We were told that the security guard at their house was not around on that fateful day, so a certain man dropped the key to my brother’s house and his telephone with a female trader in front of the house. The guard told us that he knew the person who dropped the key.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that the guard and the trader had been arrested by the police.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.

She said, “On Thursday morning, the landlord of the building, Amaechi Nwosu, reported at the Okota Police Division that his tenant, who was a bachelor, was found dead in his flat. Policemen went to the scene and noticed that he was killed in a mysterious manner as his penis had been cut off.

“Before the corpse was discovered, there had been attempts by the neighbours to force the door open. It was at that point that the security guard opened up that the key was with him. He said someone had given the key and the man’s telephone to a trader and the trader handed it over to him.

“The security guard and the trader have been arrested and are being questioned as they never bothered to inform anybody that they were with the key prior to now.”

Fast rising singer MizGold releases new photos

Hot new photos from former model, dancer and reggae-dancehall act, Miz Gold

Beyonce unsure of her new short haircut? Debuts new wig

Insiders claim Beyonce is struggling with her new super short hair cut and asked her team to pack a suitcase full of 40 different wigs and hairpieces for her next scheduled performance. They say she is still adjusting to her new look and is worried she won’t feel herself on stage. She was seen rocking a wig during an outing with Jay Z yesterday. More photos after the cut...

Uche Jombo and Desmond Elliot way back

The actress shared the photo on her instagram page. They've been best friends for ages..

Tony Elumelu hosts TFA African Young Person of the Year honourees

 
Tony O. Elumelu endows The Future Awards Africa Prize for 5 years, hosts African Young Person of the Year honourees

In another big move, one of Africa's most influential entrepreneurs, Tony O. Elumelu, CON, has announced a 5-year endowment of The Future Africa Awards prizes.

Recognised by the World Bank last year as 'The Nobel Prize for Young Africans', The Future Awards Africa, which is in its 8th season, is presented in partnership with the African Union Commission and Microsoft.



"The future of Africa is in the hands of brilliant young minds such as these," said Tony O. Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation [1]. "Our endowment, which looks to the long term, will not only support the sustainability of this important prize, but also encourage up and coming young African leaders, leaders who understand thatthey have aduty to stimulatethis continent's economic and social development with creative solutions."

Mr. Elumelu will also host 10 honourees for the African Young Person of the Year Prize to an exclusive reception and mentorship session at the Heirs Holdings office, Lagos, Nigeria on Friday, 16 August 2013. The event is scheduled to coincide with the week of the International Day of the Youth.

The honourees are drawn from across the continent and include Africa's youngest billionaire, Uganda's Ashish J. Thakkar, and Malawi's inventor, William Kamkwamba, as well as Nigeria's music entrepreneurs, Peter and Paul Okoye (Psquare).

Other nominees for The Africa [2] Prize are Tanzanian entrepreneur, Patrick Ngowi; Nigerian social entrepreneur Grace Ihejiamaizu; Cameroon's rural health worker, Foglabenchi Lily Haritu; entrepreneur and software developer, KariukiGathitu from Kenya; clean water advocate and social entrepreneur, Saran Kaba Jones; South Africa's youngest patent holder and serial inventor, LudwickMarishane; and award winning student inventor from Burkino Faso, MoctarDembélé.

"We are excited to announce this institutional partnership as Heirs Holdings continues to set the pace for investing in Africa," said Chude Jideonwo, who is Executive Director of The Future Project. "Through hisvaried support for young African leaders, Mr Elumelu has shown his particular interest in the next generation of Africa's brightest and best, and in working with The Future Awards Africa, undeniably the leading platform on the continent for leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs; he has taken yet another giant step."

The awards event - to be televised exclusively for Africa Magic - holds in September 2013.

Media Partners include Channels TV, Silverbird TV, Nigeria Info, TW, Ventures Africa, and Guardian Life. Online Partners are BellaNaija, LindaIkejiBlog, Information Nigeria, Premium Times, 360Nobs, NigeriaNewsDesk, LadunLiadiBlog, and Jobberman. Official Media Partners are Cool FM, Wazobia FM and Y!/YNaija.com, and the official television partner is Africa Magic.

For more information, visit @TFAAfrica on Twitter or the website www.thefutureafrica.com/awards

. The official hashtag for the event is #TFAA2013

Fani-Kayode: The bitter truth about a bitter man

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode  

Mr. Femi Fani Kayode’s sequel, “The bitter truth about the Igbo”, which appeared as a three-series article in The PUNCH earlier this week, did not disappoint in the least. We must remind ourselves that this article is part of Fani-Kayode’s efforts to prove that Lagos is Yoruba and that any claims to it by any other indigenous group is spurious. Part of his method was to trivialise the contributions of any other group to the development of Lagos, preferring to ascribe this development largely to the genius of the Yoruba. In an earlier response, I had sought to show that Fani-Kayode’s efforts in that direction were not successful. I showed that his claims and argument were neither grounded in history nor in economics, and that it was indeed so easy to puncture those claims.

The problem with Fani-Kayode’s concluding article on this issue is that it runs out of ideas and abandons the issue under review after the fourth paragraph and only returns to it in the last four paragraphs of the article. The contents of paragraph 5 (paragraph 5 begins “That single comment, made in that explosive and historic speech…”) up to the end of paragraph 13 are hardly relevant to the issue under discussion. Let us remind us what the main issue is using Fani-Kayode’s own words:

“Permit me to make my second and final contribution to the raging debate about Lagos, who owns it and the seemingly endless tensions that exist between the Igbo and the Yoruba. It is amazing how one or two of the numerous nationalities that make up Nigeria secretly wish that they were Yoruba and consistently lay claim to Lagos as being partly theirs.”

How relevant then is the diversion to the political history of the National Convention for Nigerians and the Cameroons, the 1966 coup, the Ironsi regime, the pogrom, the civil war to this issue of who owns Lagos and who has contributed to its development write-up? How does this advance the debate? How does this elucidate the key issues under discussion? I doubt very much that they do. What they certainly succeed in doing however is to rouse emotions, enflame tempers, to whip up sentiments. Even here, Fani-Kayode’s use of history is suspect, since his historiography is very selective. If anything, however, in the deployment of this elective historiography, he comes across as an apologist for the killings of the Igbo in the north and as an ethnic-driven revanchist historian out to even out scores with an imagined enemy. Revanchist and ethnicity-sodden historiography are poor and demeaning pursuits as the prisms of bitterness, revenge and ethnicity which come with them soon trap the historian, blur his vision, dull his criticality and destroy his objectivity and capacity for detached interpretation. The “history” we are thus presented in paragraphs 5 to 13 is replete with instances of these.

In succumbing to the appeals of this type of historiography, even if he was doing this as part of his ongoing efforts at rehabilitation with a view to regaining entry to his “tribe’s” confidence, Fani-Kayode does himself and his country a great disservice.  He does himself a disservice because he ends up with an article where more than 55 per cent of its contents (55 per cent again!) are of doubtful relevance to his declared purpose. And because he fails to identify what is relevant and what is not, he ends up saddling his article with major problems of cohesion and coherence. He does his country a disservice because he presents a history of a difficult part of her history that is deliberately flawed and skewed by his selective use of sources and by his uncritical interpretation of events and casting of persons – Ironsi is a coup plotter, Igbo indiscretion was responsible for the pogrom unleashed on them in the North, the Igbo provoked the civil war – all of which are examples of a flight from intellectual rigour, mono-causal analysis, faulty attribution and one dimensional thinking, and  all very painful, pernicious and debilitating ailments in persons they afflict. It bears repeating that good historiography is about balanced sources. To rely on sources that only support the case one is pushing pushes one away from doing history on to the slippery slopes of ethnic jingoism, “clan hagiography” and propagandising of the cheapest sort. This is what has happened in this article, and it is indeed a tragedy for Fani-Kayode.  I believe that this tragedy has arisen less from a fundamental lack of intelligence on his part but more from his allowing himself and his mind to be shackled and blinkered by bitterness.

 Fani-Kayode sets out hoping to write “the bitter truth” about one ethnic group and ends up clumsily splaying the reality and truth of his own bitterness in public for an amused world to behold and laugh at. As he navigates this current discomfort he has created for himself, he once again deserves our compassion and not our condemnation.

Police set up Pension Fund Administrator

Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has said that the force has created its own  Pension Fund Administrator  to cater for its retirees following the approval of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Abubakar, who  announced this on Monday when he declared open a three-day capacity building workshop for Police Pension desk officers in Abuja, noted that the PFA would operate in line with the Pension Reform Act, 2004 and would address challenges being faced by police retirees.

“I am glad to mention the creation of a Police Pension Fund Administrator. As one of the biggest organisations in Nigeria in terms of staff size, the management of police pension needs has become cumbersome, leading to inefficiencies from existing service providers,” he said.

The IGP said some of the inefficiencies included the difficulties in locating the service providers’ offices and accessing fund after retirement.

Abubakar said, “It becomes necessary that we take our destiny into our own hands, we know our needs. We are working to deliver them within the frame work of the Pension Reform Act.”

Why I donated my kidney to save my brother's life - Comedian D-Don

Popular comedian and OAP Iruvwe Okeremute aka De-Don donated his kidney to his ailing elder brother, Morris Okeremute, who urgently needed a transplant to survive. De Don traveled to India a few weeks back to donate his kidney. He explains why he did it in a new interview

"My brother started having this kidney problem in 2009. My elder sister donated her kidney to him at the time but unfortunately in January 2013 the kidney failed because he didn't take his drugs for some weeks because the drugs he ordered from India arrived late. Se when he needed another kidney it was natural that I donate to him. It wasn't difficult making up my mind because I needed to save his life. I equally had a proper awareness about kidney donation and also the fact that nothing happened to my sister who had donated before. She even had another baby boy after the donation.

Jigawa deputy speaker dies in fatal car accident

The Deputy Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Inuwa Sule Udi, (pictured in Agbada) died last night Thursday August 15th while returning to his home in Ringim from Kano. Sule Udi died with his driver in a car accident that occurred at Jogana Village along Kano- Hadejia road during heavy down pour. He was 52. He is survived by two wives and many children.

Panic as police, robbers engage in gun duel

Policemen and the robbers’ vehicle

Panic gripped residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Thursday as policemen chased a gang of suspected armed robbers operating in two vehicles round the streets of the metropolis and engaged them in a gun duel.

Our correspondent gathered that the robbery suspects had stormed Abeokuta through the Adigbe-Obada-Oko route from the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in a convoy of two vehicles – an unregistered white Ford bus and another unmarked sports car.

It was learnt that some residents alerted the police command to the presence of the robbers. The command sent its officers to search for them.

Riot policemen attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier stationed at the Ibara area of the metropolis gave the gang of robbers a hot chase and eventually engaged them in a gun battle.

It was learnt that the robbers fled after a few minutes on seeing that a bullet had pierced one of the tyres of the Ford vehicle. The policemen, however, gave them a chase.

As the robbers and the policemen moved round the city exchanging fire, some of the residents fled the main roads, while some shop owners abandoned their wares.

But commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called okada, also joined the policemen and distracted the suspected robbers by throwing stones at the occupants of the vehicles.

The vehicle later stopped moving when it got to a school at the Pepsi Cola/Agbeloba area of the metropolis, which had been cordoned off by another set of policemen.

While some of the robbery suspects escaped in the sport’s car,  the policemen arrested one occupant of the unmarked white Ford bus.

The state command Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, who later arrived at the scene of the arrest, commended the policemen involved in chasing the suspected robbers.

Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, also attributed the success recorded by the police to the provision of equipment by the state government.

He said, “This is just the tip of the iceberg. The men came here to operate; we got information and our mobile policemen gave them a hot chase. We were able to get two of the suspected armed robbers, while some of them fled.”

He added that the policemen could have shot and killed some of the fleeing robbery suspects, but hesitated because the incident occurred in a school environment, where students were around to collect their report cards.

He said, “We have informed other neighbouring commands to be on the lookout so that they can arrest them.”

The PPRO also told newsmen that a team of police officers in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, led by their leader, Ahmed Tijani, on Tuesday killed four armed robbers in their hideouts in Odan Abuja village, Igbesa area of the Ado – Odo/Ota Local Government Area.

Adejobi said the robbery suspects were among those who attacked officials of the Vigilance Services of Ogun State at the Onihale area, Ifo Local Government.

He said,  “The armed robbers, on sighting the police, opened fire and the police responded appropriately. Four of them died on the spot while some of them fled the area with bullet wounds. There was no arrest.”

Dear LIB readers: My boss is a paedophile

Dear LIB readers: My boss is a paedophile

From a male LIB reader

The man I work for only sleeps with girls aged 17 and below. If a girl is above 17 he says they are too old and refuses to have sex with them. My boss is in his 40s, and has five kids. He his very rich so he picks on young girls from poor homes who are desperate for money to help their families. Before now the girls he sleeps with in the hotel he owns were usually 16, 17 but of recent they are becoming younger. The other day I met a girl in secondary school uniform in his room. I couldn't ask how old she was because he's my boss but she didn't look a day older than 14. I know the age of consent in Nigeria is 13 but taking advantage of a 14 year old poor girl is repulsive. I was almost tempted to quit my job that day but I need the money. So what should I do? Is there anywhere I can go report him anonymously aside from LIB? Could he be punished for this?

Peter Okoye on daddy duty, spends time with his kids

Peter shared the photos on his instagram page. P-Square is about on embark on a US/Canada tour so he's spending all the time he can with his kids before he leaves.