metro

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.

READ ALSO:

“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.

READ ALSO:

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

metro

My husband sold our TV to gamble, woman tells court

Published

11 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Trends Admin

My husband sold our TV to gamble, woman tells court

A housewife, Muinat Ibrahim, on Thursday, filed for divorce in an Area Court in Ilorin on grounds that her husband, Jamiu Abdulmumini sold their television set and other valuables to gamble.

The petitioner told the court that she discovered her husband’s addiction to gambling immediately after their wedding and had tried her best to stop making him stop.

“My husband sold our television set, fridge, and my two Android phones to gamble.

“He also lost two commercial motorcycles and spent my school fees on gambling.

READ ALSO:

“I moved out of his house but returned after he promised to stop. He never stopped,” she said.

Ibrahim told the court that her husband moved out of their house to live with his parents when he could no longer get money from her.

The respondent, however, told the court that he was sorry and promised to change.

“I promise to stop gambling. Please give me another chance to make amends.

The presiding Judge, Hammad Ajumonbi, advised the respondent to stop gambling.

“If you continue gambling, you might lose everything you worked for, he said.

Ajumonbi, however, granted the plea of the respondent and gave him one week to change his behavior.

He also asked him to pay back the money he owed his wife and be a responsible husband.

He adjourned the case until May 23, for report of settlement.

My husband sold our TV to gamble, woman tells court

metro

7 more kidnapped Kogi varsity students rescued

Published

11 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Confluence University of Science and Technology

7 more kidnapped Kogi varsity students rescued

The Kogi State Police Command has reported the successful rescue of seven additional abducted students from the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, bringing the total number of rescued students to 21 out of the 24 initially abducted.

SP Williams Aya, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed this development in a statement released on Thursday. He disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, had deployed a specialized Air Component of Police Security Apparatus, including helicopter crews trained for aerial surveillance and a Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), to support the ongoing rescue operation and combat criminal activities in the state.

READ ALSO:

Aya praised the combined efforts of the police and other security agencies, emphasizing their commitment to ensuring the safe rescue of all abducted students and bringing the perpetrators to justice. He also noted the satisfaction expressed by the Kogi State Government and the university community with the progress of the rescue operations.

The state Commissioner of Police, Benthrad Onuoha, lauded the IGP for the comprehensive deployment of security personnel and resources to address the situation effectively.

Additionally, unconfirmed reports indicated that the commander of the bandits responsible for the institution’s invasion was killed in a gun battle in the bush on Wednesday.

In a viral video, the alleged commander, dressed in military camouflage, was seen tied to a stick and paraded for scrutiny by other security operatives.

However, the state police command declined to confirm the reported killing of the bandits’ commander, highlighting the ongoing nature of the situation and the need for accurate verification before making official statements.

(DailyTrust)

7 more kidnapped Kogi varsity students rescued

metro

Troops kill ISWAP’s bomb squad commander

Published

11 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Nigerian military Troops

Troops kill ISWAP’s bomb squad commander

The troops of Operation Desert Sanity III, under Operation Hadin Kai, have successfully neutralized Mallam Muhammad, the prominent Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander overseeing Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) in Sambisa Forest.

Muhammad met his end on May 14 following strategic incursions into insurgent strongholds in Ukuba and Njimia, located in Bama Local Government Area.

The terrorist leader operated a significant fabrication workshop producing various types of explosives, including Person-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (PBIED), VBIEDs, and Roadside Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (RSBIEDs).

READ ALSO:

Notorious for conscripting underage children and indoctrinating them with promises of paradise, Muhammadu was to have used his own three children as human bombs.

Intelligence sources told security analyst and counter insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, that the troops also intercepted a vehicle that was already armed with explosive which was designed to target advancing troops.