News

ASUU rejects proposal to include private varsities in TETFund interventions

Published

1 year ago

October 11, 2023

ASUU rejects proposal to include private varsities in TETFund interventions

The Academic Staff Union of Universities ((ASUU) on Wednesday kicked against plans to include private universities as beneficiaries of interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, who made the union’s position known at a two-day interactive session between TETFund and all unions of beneficiary institutions, noted that such a move would lead to the proliferation of private universities devoid of quality.

Osodeke, who commended TETFund for its interventions in tertiary institutions in the country, urged the agency to work more on the monitoring method of its projects across the country.

The ASUU president noted that the level of performance by the beneficiary institutions are not in tandem as some of them received the same amount of money.

He also called on TETFund to apply sanctions on non-performing institutions, while advocating for the abolition of what he referred to as “stakeholders fund.”

Osodeke said: “ASUU will continue to embark on strike until the right thing is done in our tertiary institutions. Stakeholders’ funds should be abolished.”

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Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, noted that the interactive session was conceived as a proactive engagement against the backdrop of the prevailing challenges in the sub-sector.

Echono noted that the engagement was also for the purpose of sustaining steady growth and development of tertiary education while stressing the need to consistently engage and challenge one another on how best to improve the situation.

He said: “It is our fervent hope that this interactive session will provide an enabling environment for us to understand some of our challenges and difficulties in the delivery of quality education in our institutions and thereby make a meaningful contribution to the successful execution of the objective of the Fund.

“As you all know our primary mandate is to rehabilitate, restore and consolidate Tertiary Education in Nigeria, using funding alongside project management.

“The session is also expected to serve as a platform to discuss and mitigate incidences of industrial disputes in the tertiary education sector and look at ways to prevent and avoid their occurrences.”

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Echono stated that the interactive session would afford the opportunity to build and solidify cooperation and collaboration between the agency, its beneficiary institutions and the Unions on matters that affect the growth and development of tertiary education in Nigeria.

He said: “As stakeholders and partners, we intend to share with you all that we have done and continue to do.”

A former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke on ‘The Role of Trade Unions in TETFund Intervention Activities’, commended TETFund for its strident commitment to the elevation of university education and experience for both lecturers, non-academic workers and the student population in various campuses all over the country.

Wabba noted that the NLC had benefited a great deal from the ideological clarity and consistency of the unions in the tertiary institutions.

He said: “The patriotic and historical resistance of the Congress against the debilitating influence and impact of neo-liberal policies of the successive government in Nigeria drew a lot of inspiration and verve from the intellectually sound positions advanced by unions in our tertiary institutions.”

ASUU rejects proposal to include private varsities in TETFund interventions

(Nation)

News

Tinubu not telling Nigerians the truth, says Sule Lamido

Published

12 hours ago

December 29, 2024

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu not telling Nigerians the truth, says Sule Lamido

President Bola Tinubu has been accused of not being forthright about the true state of Nigeria under his administration.

Former Jigawa State Governor and senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, Sule Lamido, made the accusation while speaking on the BBC Hausa programme Gane Mini Hanya.

Lamido criticized both Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari for what he described as a lack of transparency in governance.

“Buhari’s and Tinubu’s governments are not being transparent with Nigerians unlike during the time when PDP was in power where everything was transparent and open to all Nigerians,” Lamido said.

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He accused the two administrations of relying on propaganda rather than providing citizens with accurate information.

Lamido also expressed concerns over President Tinubu’s recent loan requests, questioning the logic behind them. “If Nigerians are being told the truth then there is nothing wrong with that, but how would you budget N30tn, generate N50tn and then request loan when you have a surplus of N20tn,” he said, referencing last year’s budget.

He described the situation as “reckless” and “selfish,” adding, “This recklessness and clear-cut selfishness is not done anywhere in the world, but yet you find (some) Nigerians supporting it. Visit social media and see how APC is being criticised, being referred to as calamity, yet you find some protecting it.”

Tinubu not telling Nigerians the truth, says Sule Lamido

News

Nigeria Customs Service begins 2025 recruitment [How to apply]

Published

2 days ago

December 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Nigeria Customs Service begins 2025 recruitment [How to apply]

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the commencement of its recruitment exercise, assuring Nigerians that the process is entirely free and fair.

The agency has cautioned the public to be vigilant against scammers who may attempt to exploit unsuspecting applicants during the recruitment period.

Applications are invited for positions in the Superintendent, Inspector, and Customs Assistant cadres as part of the Service’s plan to recruit 3,927 officers in 2025.

News

Tinubu to critics: I won’t reduce my cabinet size

Published

6 days ago

December 24, 2024

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu to critics: I won’t reduce my cabinet size

President Bola Tinubu on Monday unequivocally responded to critics who described his cabinet as “bloated” by saying he is unprepared to reduce the size of his 48-man cabinet.

“I am not ready to shrink” the size of my cabinet, Tinubu said during a media chat at his Bourdillon residence in the highbrow Ikoyi area of Lagos State.

“I am not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet,” the former Lagos governor said, arguing that “efficiency” has been at the core of his selection of ministers.

The president also said he has no regret removing the petrol subsidy in May 2023, saying Nigeria cannot continue to be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries.

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“I don’t have any regrets whatsoever in removing petrol subsidy. We are spending our future, we were just deceiving ourselves, that reform was necessary,” he told reporters.

Tinubu appointed 48 ministers in August 2023, three months after his inauguration. The Senate immediately screened and confirmed the ministers. One of the ministers, Betta Edu, was suspended in January while another, Simon Lalong, moved to the Senate.

There were calls for the President to reshuffle his cabinet as many Nigerians have not been impressed by the performance of some of the ministers, especially in the face of unprecedented inflation, excruciating economic situation and rising insecurity.

In October 2024, Tinubu re-assigned 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios and appointed seven new ministers for Senate confirmation. He also sacked five of his ministers but critics insist that the President’s cabinet remains large, especially with the creation of a Livestock Ministry with a minister.