Education

ASUU Strike: Union Meets August 1 

By Web News 1532

The National Executive Council of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities is scheduled to hold its meeting in the first week of August, 2022.

Report says, a decision on whether to suspend or continue with the strike which enters its 155th day on Tuesday, 19th July, will be taken at the meeting.

ASUU on Monday, February 14, 2022 embarked on the industrial action over what the union described as the failure of the government to address some of its demands.

The Chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Minna chapter, Dr Gbolahan Bolarin, confirmed the planned meeting on Monday, adding that, the meeting would be held either on July 30 or August 1, 2022.

ASUU had cautioned the government against the proliferation of tertiary institutions and the failure to approve the deployment of the Universities Transparency Accountability System.

The union had also insisted on the release of the White Paper of the visitation panels to universities and the release of revitalisation funds for the development of universities, among others.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, recently accused the union of engaging in a lopsided agreement with the Federal Government through the Professor Nimi Briggs committee.

Ahead of the NEC meeting however, Dr Gbolahan Bolarin ruled out the possibility of suspending the strike.

According to him, the government has not brought anything to the table that can lead to such decision.

“We are not even at a point to vote on continuation or not because there is nothing from the Federal Government yet.

“The NEC will be holding its meeting early next month, August . That should be August 1. The meeting might even be on July 30,” he said.

Punch /Taiwo Akinola

Politics

I Am Open to Meeting Wike- Atiku

By Web News 445

Atiku Abubakar presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says he is open to meeting with Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state. 

Abubakar said this while fielding questions from journalists in Osogbo, Osun state capital.

When asked if the party is divided into factions, Abubakar said: “It is a social media drama. There is nothing like a Wike camp or Atiku camp. There is one PDP family.”

Atiku was also asked if there is a plan to meet with Wike for reconciliation, and he responded by saying: “Why not? I am open to that.”

The former vice-president added that the party will surmount its present challenges.

“Some people get angry when things don’t go their way and so on and so forth. We will overcome that. I have every belief that we are going to do that,” he said.

The opposition party has been embroiled in rancour since Abubakar named Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta state, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

Some party stakeholders, including Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, had expressed concerns over Atiku’s decision to overlook Wike, who was recommended for the position by the party’s national working committee.

Wike placed second in the party’s presidential primary election which took place in May.

A few days ago, Abubakar had said actions are being taken to address the grievances of party members.

“We are taking action to address the feelings of all party members,” the former vice-president had said.

“The unity in our community is my priority. Our resolve to unify Nigeria starts in our party and moves to the community, then on to society.”

Cable/Taiwo Akinola

News

Sex tape: Chrisland Management, Parents, Pupils Meet Police Today

By Web News 3138

The Lagos State Police Command says it has extended invitations to the management of Chrisland Schools, parents and the pupils allegedly involved in sexual acts during a school trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, UAE.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated this during a telephone interview with Punch.

He said, “All the parties have been invited to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba. The parties include the school authorities, parents and their children.

“Nobody has reported yet, but we are in touch with them and they have all given us a reasonable date and time that they will come. Whatever happens after their invitation will determine the next line of action.”

A source, however, revealed to our correspondent that all the parties would report at the SCIID on Wednesday.

Report says that, the pupils, including a 10-year-old girl, were among the 76 pupils that represented the school during the World School Games in Dubai which held between March 8 and 14, 2022.

During the event, the 10-year-old girl was reportedly involved in sexual acts which were recorded by another pupil.
The video clip went viral on Twitter last Monday.

The mother of the girl was heard in another recorded clip accusing the school of cover-up and taking her daughter for a pregnancy test without parental consent.

The state government then shut down all Chrisland Schools in the state, as the police commenced investigation into the matter.

Chrisland Schools, in a statement by a member of its advisory board, Akin Fadeyi, late Monday, denied the rape allegation, adding that, the school did not take the child for any pregnancy test.
Reacting to the incident, a senior lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, faulted the Lagos State Government for taking a knee-jack approach to such issues.

“It closed down the school, so what happens to the right to education of other pupils in the school? What happened to their right to learn in school? What happened to the money parents paid?

“So, it is not just about closing down the school; that is reactive; what the government should be doing is to activate the appropriate agencies/departments in the ministry of education, the supervisors to work. So, this is the time for the government to look inward.

“How many supervisors do they have that go round schools on a weekly/monthly basis to ask these children how they are fearing and what is going on in that school? I suspect that they don’t.”

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered a review of police personnel and operational assets deployment to schools and colleges in the country.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Tuesday, said the order was to ensure schools were safe and secure for students across the country.

Culled/Taiwo Akinola

Education

Strike: FG/ASUU Meeting Adjourned

By Web News 525

The conciliatory meeting between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU summoned to end the ongoing strike by the union has adjourned to reconvened next week Monday.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the eight hours meeting in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige said the meeting had reached some level of understanding in four areas of ASUU’s demands.

He, however, explained that the only area that the meeting was yet to have an understanding was the university revitalization fund which necessarily needed the input of the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning before a concrete decision would be taken.

Dr Ngige also stated that a technical Committee was also set up to test run the University Transparency and Accountability System, UTAS, a payment platform developed by ASUU to replace IPPIS, describing UTAS as a home-grown innovative system that the present administration encourages.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige expressed confidence that all the grey areas in contention would be addressed for the resumption of academic activities in the nation’s universities after the next meeting.

Meanwhile, members of ASUU executive led by its President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke declined comments on the outcome of the meeting.

Earlier at the opening session of the meeting, Prof. Osodeke had told the meeting that ASUU only wanted the Federal Government to urgently match actions with the terms of understanding it already had and not just to go through another process of renegotiations of the lingering issues.

Joseph Agi