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FG Denies Payment of Half Salary to ASUU in Oct

Published

2 years ago

November 6, 2022

Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige

The Federal Government has denied the accusation that it paid members of the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria (ASUU) half salaries in October.

The Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Environment, Mr Olajide Oshundun, said this in a statement he signed on Saturday in Abuja.

Oshundun said the ministry was reacting to reports on alleged selective treatment and half salary payment to ASUU members.

He described both reports as grossly inaccurate, misleading and barefaced distortion of facts.
He confirmed that members of ASUU were paid their October salary pro-rata, and not half salary as the media widely reported.

According to him, pro-rata was done because they cannot be paid for work not done.
He also said that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, never directed the Accountant General of the Federation to pay the university lecturers half salary.

“Following the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), asking ASUU to go back to work, the leadership of the union wrote to the Minister, informing him that they have suspended the strike.

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“The Federal Ministry of Education wrote to Ngige in a similar vein and our labour inspectors in various states also confirmed that they have resumed work.

“So, the minister wrote to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, directing that their salaries should be restored.

“They were paid pro-rata according to the number of days they worked in October,’’ he said.

He added counting from the day they suspended their industrial action, pro-rata was done because “you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied.”

Oshundun also dismissed a statement by the Chairperson of ASUU, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) branch, Muhammad Al-Mustapha, that the Minister of Labour and Employment was bias in the payment of salaries to selected professional members of the union.

“Those obviously being referred to by the UDUS ASUU chairperson are members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN) who abstained from the eight-month strike of ASUU.

“This is because they abhorred the incessant strikes by the union and its grave effects on medical education in Nigeria and production of more medical doctors.

“Accusing the Minister of Labour and Employment of biased payment of salaries to selected professional members of ASUU is a barefaced distortion of facts.

“Mustapha said he received information that a segment of the staff in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) has been paid seven months of their withheld salaries from March to September.

“He added that this was due to a letter written to the Minister of Finance, instructing the exemption of the listed staff on the application of ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule,“ Oshundun said.

According to him, to set the records straight, the medical lecturers who are being referred to by the Chairperson of ASUU UDUS branch, abstained from the eight-month strike of ASUU.

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He added that the the Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN) had in a statement corroborated this on Nov. 4.

The association said in the statement, “Realising the emergency situation in the sub-region, worsened by emerging public health threats, we abstained from the strike.

“The medical and dental lecturers in UDUS decided to continue the academic activities during the ASUU strike to save our healthcare from total collapse.”

Consequently, the ministry dismissed the accusation of selective treatment in payment of salaries to ASUU members, urging the media to crosscheck their facts to avoid feeding the public with the wrong information.

However, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the ASUU President, said that members of the union were shocked when they received the half salary payment.

According to Osodeke, we cannot understand what is going on. How do you pay people who are just resuming from a prolonged strike half salary.

“Well, what we need to do, is to sort it out with the Minister of Labour and Employment,” Osodeke said.

NPO

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TikTok removes 2.4 million videos by Nigerian users in Q4 2024

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

TikTok removes 2.4 million videos by Nigerian users in Q4 2024

Bytedance’s short video platform, TikTok, said it removed 2.4 million videos posted by Nigerian users in the fourth quarter of 2024 for violating its content policy.

According to the platform, Nigeria was among the top 50 countries where videos violating its policies emanated from in Q4.

However, the highest number of violations were recorded in the United States, which has the largest number of videos removed at 8.5 million.

ikTok disclosed this in its latest Community Guidelines Enforcement report, which indicated that a total of 153 million videos were removed globally in the period under review.

The company said the top 50 markets in terms of policy violations accounted for approximately 90% of all content removals for the quarter.

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The removed content was said to have violated one or more of TikTok’s policies, which center around Integrity and Authenticity, Privacy and Security, Mental and Behavioural Health, Safety, and Civility, among others.

Accounts removal

In the period under review, TikTok said it removed a total of 211.5 million accounts discovered to be either fake or owned by people suspected to be under 13 years of age.

Fake accounts constituted the largest number of deleted accounts for the period. According to the report, a total of 185.3 million fake accounts were removed.
In addition, 20.5 million accounts suspected to be owned by users under the age of 13 were removed, while 5.6 million accounts were removed for other reasons not stated.

“We remain vigilant in our efforts to detect external threats and safeguard the platform from fake accounts and engagement.

“These threats persistently probe and attack our systems, leading to occasional fluctuations in the reported metrics within these areas.

“In Q4 2024, we also updated the way we classify fake likes and followers removed over time, which contributed to some of the overall increases observed in these categories.

“This update better reflects the scale of our existing work to promptly identify and remove any accounts, content, or activities that seek to artificially boost popularity on our platform,” the company stated in the report.

TikTok removes 2.4 million videos by Nigerian users in Q4 2024

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Two children killed, 20 injured in Gombe stampede – Police

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

Gombe State Police Command Spokesman, ASP Buhari Abdullahi

Two children killed, 20 injured in Gombe stampede – Police

The Police Force Gombe State Command has confirmed the death of two children following a stampede at the Gombe main Eid Ground.

The Command’s spokesperson, Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Gombe.

According to Abdullahi, the incident occurred at about 10:45 a.m. at the exit gate of the Eid Ground, immediately after the conclusion of Eid prayers.

“The stampede was caused by inadequate exit access, as a large crowd, primarily women and children, rushed to leave the venue.

“The situation, worsened by intense heat, led to the unfortunate incident,” he said.

He said that 22 individuals were affected and were immediately taken to hospitals for medical attention.

“Regrettably, two of the victims, a four-year-old boy, and six months old baby girl, were pronounced dead by doctors while receiving treatment,” Abdullahi added.

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He extended the command’s condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

“The police urge Eid Ground managers to ensure that all entrance and exit gates remain open to facilitate smooth movement, especially after prayers,” he advised.

In a related development, Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has condoled with the families of the deceased and those affected by the tragedy.

In a statement issued by his media aide on Sunday, the governor directed a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the stampede, with the aim of preventing future occurrences.

“The safety and well-being of our citizens remain a top priority. The state government is committed to learning from this incident and implementing corrective measures,” Yahaya said.

He also directed that all medical expenses for the injured victims be fully covered by the state government to ensure their recovery and well-being.

Two children killed, 20 injured in Gombe stampede – Police

(NAN)

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Wike’s achievements will translate into electoral success for APC in 2027, says Tinubu

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.jpg

Wike’s achievements will translate into electoral success for APC in 2027, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has praised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for his outstanding performance, expressing confidence that his achievements could translate into electoral success for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 FCT elections—despite Wike still being a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Tinubu made the remarks at the State House, Abuja, on Sunday during a traditional Sallah homage by a delegation of prominent FCT residents to mark Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.

The President commended Wike’s leadership, noting that several infrastructure projects initiated under his administration, have significantly improved the lives of Abuja residents.

“I must thank the Honorable Minister of FCT. It’s worth it. It is nothing other than a privilege to be the landlord of every one of us in Abuja,” Tinubu said.

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He recalled a conversation where Wike requested exemption from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to enable greater financial flexibility for FCT projects.

Tinubu humorously recounted his response:”I asked him, ‘Would that give me an opportunity for my party (APC) to win the election in FCT?’ If this thing goes too much in your favour, you will lose your job!’”

“Today, we are living in peace, and security is improving. The hunger is coming down. Food prices are lowering. Our people are looking for results, and Wike has delivered,” Tinubu added.

Tinubu noted that despite being from the South-South, Wike is successfully driving progress in the Northern-dominated FCT.

“Surprisingly, Nyesom Wike is not from the North. He’s not a Hausa man. Yet his ability to work in the centre of the North is yielding fruits. That is a great reflection of our diversity that we must use for prosperity.”

The President urged Nigerians to embrace unity, stating that, regardless of ethnic and religious differences, progress is only possible through collaboration and shared purpose.