JUNGLE REPUBLIC !! SERAP sues Saraki for paying Dariye N14.2m monthly allowances in prison

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court in Lagos to stop the Senate President, Bukola Saraki from paying former Plateau State governor, Senator Joshua Dariye N14.2 million monthly allowances while he serves out a 10-year prison sentence for corruption because such payment violates Nigerian law and international obligations.

According to SERAP’s lawsuit, Dariye is still receiving the N750,000 salary and N13.5 million monthly allowances from the Nigeran Senate six months after his conviction. In June, an FCT High Court convicted Dariye for diverting N1.162 billion state ecological funds while he was governor. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison, which was later reduced to 10 years by a court of appeal in Abuja. Dariye is said to have been paid N85.5 million as allowances since his conviction.

Joined as Defendants in the suit are: Dariye and the National Assembly Service Commission.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/2146/18 filed last Friday, SERAP argued: “Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission are trying to override Nigerian law and the judgment of our court by continuing to pay Mr Dariye’s allowances while he serves out a 10-year prison term and unable to sit and perform the functions of a senator. This action undermines the rule of law and is a great moral failure because it sends a message that corruption pays—it’s the opposite of Nigerian Constitutional principles and international obligations.”

The organisation also argued: “Stopping the Defendants would ensure that only sitting and serving senators are worthy of drawing salaries and allowances from the public treasury. It would also further the public interest and general public confidence in the government it elects. The interest in public confidence is greater than the convicted person’s interest in continuing to receive allowances while serving his sentence for corruption in Kuje prison.”

The 15-page lawsuit read in part: “Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission should be immediately restrained from unlawfully paying salaries and allowances to Mr Dariye who is serving jail term. Restraining them would send a clear message to Nigerian elected officials that corruption does not pay and contribute to promoting accountability and fostering public trust and confidence in Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law and the governance system.”

“By paying Mr Dariye’s allowances while in prison, Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission have destroyed the efficacy and purpose of Mr Dariye’s conviction and have brought the rule of law and administration of justice into disrepute. SERAP and the public are alarmed by the action of Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission and they ought to be restrained by this Honourable Court.

“Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission should not be allowed to continue to make a mockery of the rule of law, our process of administration of justice and our judicial system by behaving as if the Nigerian Senate is not bound by the court judgment which convicted and sentenced Dariye for corruption. Mr Saraki and the Nigerian Senate should be compelled to respect and obey decisions of the court.

“By continuing to pay Mr Dariye’s allowances after his conviction and while in Kuje prison and unable to sit and perform the functions of a sitting senator, Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission have played a negative role to wit: undermining the authority and integrity of the court. Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission knew or ought to know that Mr Dariye has been convicted and sentenced and now serving his jail term in Kuje prison pursuant to a decision of a competent court.

“Mr Dariye, having been convicted, sentenced and currently serving jail term in Kuje prison can no longer by virtue of his imprisonment lawfully carry out or perform the duties of a senator. Mr Dariye ordinarily ceases to be a senator, as per the provisions of section 66 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

“Section 68(1) provides that a senator shall vacate his/her seat if any circumstances arise that would cause him/her to be disqualified for election as senator. This is exactly what happened to Mr Dariye, who is, as a result of his imprisonment, no longer fit to be a senator let alone be entitled to allowances of a sitting senator. Similarly, a senator shall vacate his/her seat if without just cause, he/she is absent from meetings of the Senate, for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the Senate meets in any one year.

“Mr Dariye is no longer a senator having been convicted, sentenced and currently serving prison terms and having been in prison since June 12, 2018, he is caught by the provision of section 68(1)(f) as it is practically impossible for him to sit as senator.

“Mr Dariye, having been absent for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the Senate meets in 2018, is disqualified and therefore his seat has automatically become vacant. Mr Dariye is no longer entitled to be paid and/or to receive the allowances of a sitting and serving senator.

“Mr Dariye’s conviction remains in effect until it is set aside. Therefore, the argument that he has appealed his conviction will not hold water. A judgment of a competent court of law subsists until set aside on appeal. The Supreme Court of Nigeria has made this point very clear in several cases.

“So long as the decision exists, it must be obeyed to the letter. A judgment of court, no matter the fundamental vice that afflict it, remains legally binding and valid until set aside by due process of law. As the Supreme Court has said, the judiciary like all citizens of this country cannot be a passive on-looker when any person attempts to subvert the administration of justice and will not hesitate to use the powers available to it to do justice in the cases before it.

“Mr Dariye cannot justly and reasonably earn the allowances of a sitting and serving senator, having been convicted and sentenced and serving a prison term. Under the common law principle of money had and received, Mr Dariye is under a legally binding duty to return all such salaries and allowances to the public treasury, having not justly earned such. Mr Dariye should be compelled to return the allowances he has received so far since his conviction.

“SERAP is seeking an order restraining Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission from paying Mr Dariye any further allowances while serving his jail term in Kuje prisons, Abuja.

“SERAP is also seeking a declaration that the seat of Mr Dariye in the Senate is automatically deemed vacant, having being convicted and sentenced to a prison term and currently serving jail term and having been absent at the sessions of the Senate for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days allowed, and that he is therefore, not entitled to any allowances reserved for a sitting and serving senator.

“SERAP is also seeking an order compelling Mr Dariye to return all salaries and allowances paid to him as a senator while in prison, having not performed the functions and office of a sitting and serving senator and having not deservedly earned such.

“Unless the reliefs sought are granted, Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission will continue to act in flagrant defiance of the judgment of the court, the independence and authority of the court, and the rule of law. It is in the interest of justice to grant this application as the Defendants have nothing to lose if the application is granted.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

- PM NEWS

Vote Buhari to produce Nigeria’s next president in 2023 – Ndoma Egba tells Ndigbo

The Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has said the South East can only produce Nigeria’s next President if they vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

“They are hoping to produce a President in 2023 and that opportunity can only come through a President Buhari because by the application of the law, come 2023, Buhari will become illegible to contest because he must end his tenure and that is when the south east can have their turn” he said.

“Any other person that comes, forget whatever promises they make. The moment they seat on that chair, they must take their constitutional two full terms. So, any other person will delay the chances for the south east. That is why I think the south east will go with President Buhari.

“It is not automatic though. We are talking about the opportunity and it is for the south east to go and organize themselves and ready itself for that opportunity.

“Will they have an opportunity in 2023 through President Buhari? The answer is yes, the opportunity will be there and you need to put your house in order. Will it be possible with other person in 2023 considering the fact that the person would have a constitutional two term. The answer is no.”

- DAILY POST

‘Politicians amassing arms in south-south’ — militants raise the alarm

The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators has alleged that some politicians are amassing arms in the region ahead of the 2019 elections.

The coalition said the arms are being stockpiled “to cause mayhem in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states”.

The statement jointly signed by John Duku, convener of the coalition, and leaders of 10 other militant groups, said unnamed politicians are recruiting thugs in the south-south region for “election violence”.

The statement read: “The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators wishes to use this medium to draw the attention of the general public and the International Community to the mass movement of sophisticated arms and ammunition to the South-South zone of the country.

“This is for the sole purpose of distributing same to already recruited thugs/youths. Within the last one month, over 48,000 AK-47 rifles, pump action shotguns, pistols, ammunition and other weapons have been moved to different locations in the Niger Delta region.

“There is the proliferation of dangerous weapons in the Niger Delta region brought in by politicians to cause mayhem in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.”

The south-south region has been a hotspot of election violence in the past years.

Both Rivers and Akwa Ibom are among the states which the civil society joint action committee predicted may experience violence during the 2019 elections.

- THECABLE

Trump Gets Into Holiday Spirit by Settling Scores on Twitter

After a tumultuous week in which he ordered American troops to leave Syria, his Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned in protest, and he shut down the government after failing to reach a deal on border wall funding, President Trump canceled his plans to travel to Florida and instead stayed behind in the White House—where he apparently decided to get into the holiday spirit by settling scores on Twitter. 

The Twitter firestorm began Sunday with Trump again pleading his case for the border wall. “The only way to stop drugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming into our Country is with a Wall or Barrier,” Trump wrote, in an apparent attempt to justify his decision to shut down the government until he gets the $5 billion in border wall funding he demanded. “Drones and all of the rest are wonderful and lots of fun, but it is only a good old fashioned Wall that works!”

It continued with the bombshell announcement that Mattis, who was originally expected to stay on as Defense Secretary through February to ensure a stable transition, would be leave next week, a move reportedly prompted by Trump’s irritation with all the positive news coverage Mattis received for the thinly veiled rebuke of Trump he included in his resignation letter. 

Trump appeared to hit back hard on Sunday with the surprise news that Mattis’ replacement, the Pentagon's second in command Patrick Shanahan, would be taking over as acting Defense Secretary on Jan. 1. The president praised Shanahan as “very talented” and with a “long list of accomplishments,” just hours after taking a swipe at Mattis. 

“When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance. Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should,” he tweeted late Saturday.

Trump then doubled down on his decision to withdraw from Syria, a move that has been decried by lawmakers (and cable news hosts) on both sides of the aisle as a gift to ISIS and other U.S. foes.

 “We signed two pieces of major legislation this week, Criminal Justice Reform and the Farm Bill. These are two Big Deals,” Trump said. “But all the Fake News Media wants to talk about is ‘the mistake’ of bringing our young people back home from the Never Ending Wars. It all began 19 years ago!”

Next in his sights was Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), a vocal Trump critic who bashed the president Sunday while speaking on CNN’s State of the Union. Corker told host Jake Tapper that Trump knows he “made a mistake” in choosing to withdraw from Syria, and called the demand for a border wall a “made up fight.”

 Trump responded with a pair of furious tweets attacking Corker not for his statements, but for his upcoming retirement. “Senator Bob Corker just stated that, ‘I’m so privileged (sic) to serve in the Senate for twelve years, and that’s what I told the people of our state that’s what I’d do, serve for two terms.’ But that is Not True - wanted to run but poll numbers TANKED when I wouldn’t endorse him,” Trump claimed, adding that “Bob Corker was responsible for giving us the horrible Iran Nuclear Deal, which I ended, yet he badmouths me for wanting to bring our young people safely back home. Bob wanted to run and asked for my endorsement. I said NO and the game was over. #MAGA I LOVE TENNESSEE!” 

Sen. Corker responded with a biting rebuke of that claim. “Yes,” he wrote, “just like Mexico is paying for the wall... #AlertTheDaycareStaff.”

- DAILY BEAST 

Transfer News : Hudson-Odoi eyed by Dortmund and Bayern

Bundesliga duo Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are reportedly set to go head to head over the signing of Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The winger has been attracting plenty of interest from across Europe in recent times as his future at Stamford Bridge continues to come under some scrutiny.

It is reported by Goal that Bayern Munich are currently leading the race to land the 18-year-old but could face competition from their rivals Dortmund. Real Madrid and Juventus, too, are touted as potential suitors.

Hudson-Odoi is held in high esteem by Chelsea but has made only two starts in all competitions this season, prompting talk that he could depart the club in the January transfer window.

The academy graduate’s contract in West London comes to an end in 18 months and the Blues face losing him for free if he does not renew his current deal.

Competition is set to be fierce in the race for the prospect’s services, but a move to the Bundesliga appears to be a possibility as the turn of the year draws closer.

- READ SPORT

PL : Sir Alex Fergsuon 'back as Man Utd consultant to aid Ole Gunnar Solskjaer'

New Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer has already admitted he has been in contact with Sir Alex Ferguson.

But now there are claims the Scot is pulling the strings behind the scenes at Old Trafford in a consultant role.

The legendary boss has always been on the board of United since his retirement - lending his expertise to on-the-pitch matters.

But now The Sun claim that since Jose Mourinho left he has played a more central role - even aiding Solskjaer's Old Trafford return.

This is after the Scot suffered a brain haemorrhage earlier in the year - which left him having to endure an emergency operation.

The 76-year-old is now a regular visitor to Old Trafford again - with claims he and Solskajer will be in regular contact.

The report also says Ed Woodward turned to Sir Alex for advice after sacking Jose Mourinho - with the Scot pulling the strings to allow assistant Mike Phelan to return.

Solskjaer said he will follow Sir Alex’s attacking philosophy as he talked to the Press on Friday ahead of his first game in charge - which they won 5-1

Solskajer described Ferguson as his “mentor” and said he wants his side to play with the same attacking qualities laid down by the legendary former boss.“It's about getting very player to the best, speaking to them, the training ground, philosophy, principles, how we want to play,” said Solskjaer, who revealed he has been in touch with Ferguson in the past few days.“It doesn’t matter what team you're coaching, they all want to have a picture of how you want to play, they’re all quality players, so it will be easier to get players expressing themselves.

“You play with courage, go out there and express your skills. Sir Alex said ‘go out and express yourselves and take risks’.“The last game he had as a manager, 5-5 [at West Brom], that was almost the perfect end for him as a manager, and I want the players to be similar, be the kids that love to play football and go out in front of the best fans in the world.

“Sir Alex influenced me with everything, to be fair, the way he's dealt with people, the way he was manager of the club, how he kept 25 international players happy and hungry wanting to improve, but also the staff in and around the place.

“He’s been my mentor, but I didn't understand early on he'd be my mentor. Towards the end, maybe the injury in 2003, I was making all the notes about what he did in certain situations and I've already been in touch with him - there's no one to get better advice from.

“I've been here as a player, 11 years as a player, a coach for three-and-a-half years, the best part 15 years of my life.

“It’s a third of my life. I'm getting old, but that's life, that was the same when I signed as a player, Nicky Butt the first lad I meet, says hi to me, you're excited but it feels like home.” - MIRROR  

Boko Haram attacks Chibok village again

Boko Haram insurgents are currently attacking Makalama, a village in Gatamwarwa ward, Chibok local government area of Borno state.

This is coming barely two months after the insurgents attacked Mifa, also in Chibok, killing the village head.

“They came in this night (Sunday) through the nearby deserted Gogumdi village,” a Chibok resident told TheCable.

“They started shooting and people have been running to the bushes. Our troops here at 117 task force battalion are getting set to move in now,” he added.

Makalama is about 21 kilometres away from Chibok town.

“Most of the villagers are farmers who are in the harvest period. The insurgents came in and started shooting and when villagers ran inside the bush, they started looting their stores,” another Chibok resident told TheCable.

Sani Usman, army spokesman, told TheCable that troops have responded to the attack.

He said: “Yes, there was reported presence of suspected armed men in a village called Makalama, about 23 km from Chibok in which troops have responded. However, I will investigate further.”

Although the military is intensifying its effort in fighting the insurgents, Abubakar Elkanemi, shehu of Borno, in November said the people of the state are still under Boko Haram siege.

- THECABLE

Christmas: CAN facilitates with Nigerians, enjoins them to love one another

The leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, facilitates with Christians all the country and the world on the occasion of the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, also known as Christmas to show love to all.

Dr. Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle, through his Special Assistant, Media and Communications, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, in a statement said, “Let us remember those who do not have food, clothing and other material needs around us and give them something out of the little or much we have. There is nothing too insignificant to spare or too big to give.

“Not only this, we enjoin you all that as you commemorate this event, we should maintain peace and order and equally give our best to others in the service of the Living God.”

The statement also reminded with Christians all over the country saying that the Christmas story is associated with the physical manifestation of the love of God to human race because God gave man his Son to redeem man from the original Adamic sin.

“No wonder his birth was originally announced by the angel with songs of joy and a message of goodwill to all men.

“Therefore, we at Christian Association of Nigeria congratulate the entire human race for this gift of God, which we all need to open up their hearts and receive for their redemption.

“On the other hand, we specially congratulate Christians for a renewed hope the anniversary of his birth brought to us.

“What a privilege to know him as Lord and to know that God dwells with us daily bodily in Jesus of Nazareth.

“We, therefore, urge all Christians to show love to all they come across or live with anywhere in the world. This is the true sign that we know the God of love. Showing love should cut across religious and ethnic divides. In Christ Jesus, there is no hatred at all,” the statement explained.

CAN added, “May this celebration be everlasting for you all and may you never have cause to weep at this season.

“For those experiencing hard times and discomfort, may the hope His birth brings to the world give you hope beyond what you are passing through in the name of Jesus.

“May God console and comfort all the bereaved as He heals those who are sick among us in Jesus’ Name. Merry Christmas to you all.”

- DAILY POST

FRSC moves against underage drivers as NEMA launches ‘Operation Eagle Eye’

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said it is targeting underaged drivers in Adamawa as a road safety mechanism, Operation Eagle Eye, has been launched by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to curtail unsafe driving in the state as the Christmas/New Year season sets in.

The state FRSC Sector Commander, Alhassan Hussaini, who spoke at the launch of the Operation in Yola, said underage driving is a traffic violation no matter good at the wheel the underage driver may be.

Hussaini, who also took exception to drivers of trailers and articulated vehicles taking undue advantage of their big size to the detriment of other road users, said, “Long vehicle drivers should avoid intimidating other road users using bodies of their vehicles to cause accident.”

Hussaini assured that more FRSC personnel would be deployed across the state to ensure accident-free before, during and after Christmas and new year celebrations, and advised all road users to acquant themselves with road safety rules as the FRSC and other relevant authorities would not condone any plea of ignorance from traffic offenders.

In his own comment, the Head of Yola Operations Office of NEMA, Ambani Garki, also cautioned motorists against traffic violation as people travel far and near to facilitate with their loved ones.

He urged road users to take a positive advantage of good roads which the federal government expects to reduce rather than increase the rate of road accidents.

- PM NEWS

Inter Milan’s midfielder, Nainggolan suspended

Inter Milan midfielder Radja Nainggolan was suspended by his club for disciplinary reasons on Sunday.

The development capped an unhappy year which also saw the Belgian call time on his international career after missing the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Inter Milan’s decision means Nainggolan, who was also dropped by AS Roma at the start of this year, will miss Wednesday’s match when third-placed Inter host second-placed Napoli in Serie A.

“FC Internazionale Milano can confirm that Radja Nainggolan has been temporarily suspended from football activity for disciplinary reasons,” said the club in a statement, without giving further details.

Italian media said Nainggolan had arrived late for a training session.

The combative 30-year-old was signed from AS Roma in the summer for 38 million euros ($43.19 million) plus Nicolo Zaniolo, but he has not made the expected impact.

The midfielder missed Inter Milan’s first two league matches of the season through injury, but he scored on his debut in a 3-0 win over Bologna.

He suffered another injury in the 1-0 derby win over AC Milan and, although he quickly recovered, it flared up again.

That was during the UEFA Champions League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur when he was substituted before half-time.

Nainggolan was dropped and fined by AS Roma in January after posting an Instagram video of himself drinking and smoking at a New Year’s Party.

After returning to the side, he helped AS Roma to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

But there was more disappointment when he was left out of Belgium’s FIFA World Cup squad to Russia 2018 by coach Roberto Martinez.

That prompted Nainggolan to end his international career and blame Martinez’s decision on a personality clash.

Nainggolan was also upset at the way he was treated by AS Roma, saying in an interview this month that he was “bitter” that the club had wanted to sell him.

- PM NEWS

Ohio Governor Kasich mulls challenging Trump in 2020

The Governor of Ohio, United States (U.S.), John Kasich, has said that he is considering challenging President Donald Trump in the 2020 primary election of the Republican Party.

Kasich who suspended his 2016 presidential bid in May of that year, only to win in his home state of Ohio after consistently lagging far behind Trump in all major polls said his decision was necessitated by the current disturbing political climate in the country under the Trump leadership.

He said he has a slew of advisers analyzing his prospective candidacy every day.

“All options are on the table,” Kasich said, including running as an Independent if he cannot secure the Republican Party nomination.

“We look every day; I have a team of people who look every day at the factors that go into a consideration like that. We assess it, and at some point I will make a decision.”

Kasich said Republicans performed well in Ohio during the 2018 midterm elections and got “smashed” elsewhere because the GOP in Ohio used a different “road map” — one focused on “hopefulness.”

Republicans last month secured a veto-proof majority in the Ohio State Legislature, and won not only the gubernatorial contest but all four down-ticket races.

Trump won Ohio by nearly 10 points in the 2016 presidential race, and several political analysts now say the state — owing in part to changing demographics — is no longer the swing state it historically has been.

“You can’t ignore your allies. You can’t just do things on your own — ‘America First,’” Kasich said, referring to the president’s campaign slogan and stated principle of governance.

He noted that primary challenges can severely damage sitting presidents, even though primary challengers themselves have not won the presidency in the modern era.

Kasich said: Pat Buchanan’s 1992 race against President George H.W. Bush for the Republican nomination demonstrated the influence of the party’s hard-right wing, and Ted Kennedy’s 1980 bid against President Jimmy Carter deeply divided Democrats just as Republicans united behind then-nominee Ronald Reagan.

According to Kasich, Trump has erred by not pushing a prospective deal this summer to provide border wall funding in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

“A president can’t just get everything they want.

“I don’t understand why he didn’t make the deal. Give me a couple billion for the wall and in exchange for that we let the DACA people stay,” Kasich said.

But House Republicans had overwhelmingly rejected that arrangement.

The sprawling, compromise GOP immigration bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants while directing $25 billion for the construction of a border wall failed in the House by a 301-121 vote, despite encouragement from the president for Republicans to support it.

Kasich concluded by criticizing Trump’s announced withdrawal of troops from Syria, saying that while the decision may have fulfilled a campaign promise, it was “precipitous” and came too quickly without proper warning to allies in the region.

“The implications of what all this means long-term for our foreign policy, for our domestic agenda, is really up in the air.

“It concerns me a great deal,” Kasich added.

- PM NEWS

Strike: ASUU may not honour further calls by FG – National President

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it may not honour further calls by Federal Government for a meeting on the way forward over the current strike by its members.

The union’s National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said this on the sideline of a news conference on the update of the union’s struggle to salvage the country’s public universities from deterioration on Sunday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the members of the union, under the aegis of ASUU, had on Nov. 4, embarked on what it had described as a ‘total, comprehensive and indefinite strike’.

Members of the union were protesting the non implementation of agreements entered into with the Federal Government in 2009 and 2017, as well as funding and improved welfare for members, among other issues.

According to Ogunyemi, to ensure that the agreements were implemented,union had held series of consultative meetings with the government and written series of letters with little or nothing to the effect.

He noted that it was against this backdrop that union resumed strike on Nov. 4.

“Since the commencement of this strike, we have had six meetings with agents of the Federal Government, with no clear commitment from government to resolving the issues we presented.

“Government appears to have adopted ‘keep them talking’ strategy while deceiving the public that progress was being made and that partial agreements had been reached between union and government.

“We want to say that government has continually and falsely raised the hopes of the Nigerian public on the state of duscussion with our union and we may not be interested in holding further dialogue with them until we see signs of commitment and sincerity in addressing the issues before them.

“Our expectation from a very responsive and sincere position is that by now, all outstanding issues would gave been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.

“Unfortunately, government is yet to show commitment and sincerity in addressing these problems,” he said.
.
According to the don, on the renegotiation of Federal Government/ASUU agreement, there are still unresolved issues about the leadership of the government team.
.
“We have strong reasons to believe that the continuation of Dr Wale Babalakin as the head of the renegotiation with ASUU will not yield good fruit,” he said.

Ogunyemi said union had taken up its current project as a life time, adding that this was why dating back to the 1980s, union had remained consistent on what was of concern to it.

“If we miss education, we miss development as we will end up being enslaved the second time.

“What is happening in this country now is that people are privatising everything, including education and before we know it, what happened to our primary and secondary education will happen.

“And these are some of the things we are supposed to be tracking and engaged in this society, if we want to make the change that we need.

“Our conviction is the reason behind the prolonged strike and our members have the conviction that until we get education right, Nigeria will never get it right.

“Insurgency will increase, banditry, poverty, kidnapping, misery and other societal ills will continue.

“Let me also state clearly too that our strike has nothing to do with politics or election, as is being speculated in some sectors of the society.

“We have never thought of aborting any election. We do not want to create problem for this country but let government do the right thing,” he said.

Ogunyemi said that the situation might have to rise to the point where Nigerians would have to tell government what to do with the country’s education system.

He said the union appreciated the understanding of the Nigerian students, their parents, among whom were many ASUU members and other people of goodwill since the resumption of the avoidable strike.

“ASUU does not take your sacrifice for granted. With your continued support and sacrifice, we can make the Nigerian ruling class come to accept the centrality of university education in improving the human condition.

“Qualitative and public-funded education is not an option; it is inevitable if Nigeria ever wishes to banish poverty, ignorance, squalor, insecurity, disease and corruption.

- PM NEWS