ASUU: Strike may be suspended as govt presents fresh ‘juicy’ proposal to lecturers

 

The ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, may be called off, following the union’s meeting with the federal government.

At the meeting held on Friday, the federal government agreed to increase its offer to the union to N70 billion.

The Federal government’s team was led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige while ASUU’s delegation was led by its National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi.

Federal government promised to pay university lecturers N40 billion as the Earned Allowance and N30bn for the revitalization of the university system.

The government also agreed to settle the arrears of salaries of the lecturers before December 4, 2020.

Addressing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting, Ngige described the negotiation as fruitful.

Ngige disclosed that the government made a proposal to ASUU which it would take back to its members.

He said: “Many issues were discussed at the meeting including salary shortfall, the payment system and revitalization of the university system. I am positive that all the issues would be resolved at our next meeting.”

ASUU has been on strike for about eight months over government’s failure to meet its demands.

- DAILY POST

Police shot me in the head, man tells Judicial panel

 

Emmanuel Ajomafule, a petitioner at the Lagos judicial panel alleged that he was shot in the head by police officers back in 2019.

Mr. Ajomafule , who appeared without legal counsel, said that after he was shot in the head, his girlfriend, late miss Ada Ifeanyi, was shot in the leg and stomach. “She died at the hospital after the gunshot injury,” he said.

Mr. Ajomafule told the panel he and his girlfriend were stopped by policemen. While still inside his car he asked why they were stopped. Afterward, he said there was an argument and alleged that Inspector Dan Ojo shot him in the head.

The petitioner said that the Commissioner of Police back then promised to foot his hospital bill but that it did not happen. He alleged that the police left him to die at the scene of the shooting claiming that six officers were at the scene.

“Some of the officers were arrested but were later released,” Ajomafule said, stating that they resumed duty in the Apapa district where he was shot after three weeks.

Mr. Ajomulafe said he has gone to Dubai for medical treatment but that his sanity has not been the same since the incident.

He prayed the panel that Inspector Dana Ojo be brought to justice and that the promise of the Commissioner of Police to foot his medical bills be fulfilled.

The petition was adjourned till 11th December for further hearing.

- PM NEWS

CBN devalues Naira, fixes dollar sale at N392

 

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has devalued the Naira by N6 to Dollar.

This brings the Naira closer to the exchange rate unification policy recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

In a weekly update for International Money Transfer Service Operators (IMTOs), Bureau De Change (BDC) Operators and Service Providers were instructed to add N6 across all rates.

The circular was signed by O. S. Nnaji, CBN Director, Trade & Exchange Department.

The exchange rate for the disbursement of IMTOs proceeds is effective Monday, November 30 to Friday, December 4, 2020.

The CBN pegged IMTOs sale of the American currency to banks at N388 to dollar.

Banks sale to CBN was fixed at N389 to dollar; CBN sale to BDCs will be N390 to dollar.

All BDC operators to sell to end-users at not more than N392 to dollar.

Each Bureau De Change is entitled to buy $10,000 weekly.

The apex bank further directed that the Great Britain Pound (GBP) rate should be derived from the US Dollar across rate on the date of sale.

- DAILY POST

IGP: We’ll never allow any type of #EndSARS protest again

 

Mohammed Adamu, the inspector-general of police (IGP), says the force will never allow another type of #EndSARS protest again.

Speaking on Friday in Abuja when he met with commissioners of police, the IGP said the force is ready to face anyone who organises or participates in such protests across the country.

Adamu said the police officers protected demonstrators during the #EndSARS protest in October, but it later turned violent and led to loss of lives and properties.

“Remember, even our constitution does not accept violent protests, so, those people that are planning to come up with another protest, if they’ve planned it to be a violent one, they should re-think, otherwise, we have prepared to face them,” the IGP said.

“We will never allow this type of #EndSARS protests again. It was violent. Peaceful protest is allowed in our constitutions. When this process started peacefully, we provided security for them. We were moving with them to make sure they were not molested by any group of people and it was going on well until it turned violent.

“When it turned violent, they then attacked the people that were even giving them protection. So, we shall never allow any violent protest in this country again. When you talk of peaceful protests, yes, it is allowed but violent protests, never!

“We’re to protect this country from hoodlums. We’re to protect this country from violence, and we want every Nigerian to work with us, to prevent what had happened as aftermath of the end of SARS in terms of destruction of public properties, loss of lives, businesses of individuals were crippled, corporate institutions were destroyed.

“Well-meaning Nigerians should join hands with us so as to prevent recurrence of such. We have made a lot of arrests of those people that escaped from prisons. Some were even arrested in Kano and Kaduna. When they escaped, some of them went back to their business of robbery.”

- THECABLE

Barca’s manager, Koeman, Messi, Griezmann, others agree to take pay cut

 

Barcelona F.C boss Ronald Koeman has agreed to take a pay cut on his whopping £10million-a-year salary and his team will follow suit.

The Spanish giants have faced months of talks regarding wage cuts and deferrals amid financial turmoil at the club, with Barca needing to slash £170m due to the effects felt from the coronavirus crisis.

The club reached an agreement with their players to cut salaries by €122million over the next three years, but will still pay out around €50million per season during that period on wage packets.

The club has been forced to slash their budget, after LaLiga imposed a lower salary cap upon them last week.

League president, Javier Tebas, enforced the measures to curb excessive spending with fans still not allowed into stadiums amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having negotiated over a period of weeks with key figures such as Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and coach Ronald Koeman, Barca were able to confirm a plan for the foreseeable future that will see them trim their bills.

“Today, the parties have reached an agreement in principle that allows an adjustment to salaries for the current season,” the club confirmed Friday in a statement.

“[This is] for an amount of €122million [in] fixed remuneration, which is added to the deferral for three years of variable remuneration from this season [onward], budgeted at an approximate figure of €50million.”

- PM NEWS

Six die in Saturday’s Lagos-Ibadan highway crash

 

Six persons have died in an accident along the Lagos-Ibadan highway on Saturday.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said one other person sustained injury in the accident involving a truck and a Honda Pilot Jeep.

According to the FRSC, the accident occurred around Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The Ogun Sector Commander of the FRSC, Ahmed Umar, confirmed that the incident happened around 7am.

According to him, the road crash was caused by excessive speeding and loss of control on the part of the jeep driver.

The sector commander explained that eight men and one woman were involved in the accident, saying that five men died alongside the only woman.

Umar added that the Honda Pilot marked LSR 525 FY was on excessive speed as it lost control, thereby ramming into the moving truck tagged KRV 716 ZV.

- DAILY POST

Sultan: North worst place to be in Nigeria — bandits moving freely with AK-47s

 Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, says the north is the “worst place” to be in Nigeria owing to the region’s security challenges.

Speaking at a meeting of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council on Thursday, Abubakar said something urgent must be done to address the situation before “we would lose sleep because of insecurity”.

A number of states across the north-west and north-central have been experiencing increasing attacks by suspected bandits and kidnappers.

The attackers have gone as far as kidnapping young girls — once abducting 26 — and also killing some of their hostages, including traditional rulers and politicians.

At the religious council’s meeting in Abuja, the Sultan said many attacks in the region are not reported, citing one a few weeks ago where “76 persons were killed in a community in Sokoto in a day”.

“Unfortunately, you don’t hear these stories in the media because it’s in the north. We have accepted the fact that the North does not  have strong media to report the atrocities of these bandits,” he said.

“People think north is safe but that assumption is not true. In fact, it’s the worst place to be in this country because bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK-47 and nobody is challenging them.

“They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts, I know because I am at the centre of it.

“I am not only a traditional ruler, I am also a religious leader. So, I am in a better place to tell the story. I can speak for the north in this regard because I am fully aware of the security challenges there.

“We have to sincerely and seriously find solutions to the problem, otherwise, we will find ourselves soon, in a situation where we would lose sleep because of insecurity.”

- THECABLE