Nigerian Newspapers
NUT vs Oshiomhole: Who blinks first?
The Edo State government and the state’s wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have crossed swords over the partial implementation of the Teachers’ Peculiar Allowances and suspension of salaries of striking teachers. With talks breaking down between both parties, resolving the crisis may be a challenge, reports OSAGIE OTABOR.
There appears to be no end in sight of the strike by members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Edo State since June 1 over the implementation of the 27.5 per cent Teachers Special Allowances (TSA) also called Teachers Peculiar Allowances.
Efforts by several stakeholders to intervene so schools can reopen have failed as the state government and the NUT have refused to shift grounds for negotiations to take place.
The NUT members have also held several prayer sessions to seek divine intervention in the face-off.
It was gathered that the government plans to advertise for new primary school teachers if the third term ends with the strike.
Public primary schools have been closed since June 1, but secondary school pupils have been attending classes as Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) refused to join in the strike.
The Edo State NUT joined 10 other states where the 27.5 per cent TSA was not implemented to embark on the strike following directives of its national body.
The strike nearly marred the conduct of the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination, but the state government made alternative arrangements for the examination to hold.
Edo State was the first to implement the TSA in an agreement it entered with NUT and ASUSS that it would pay 17 per cent of the 27.5 per cent, while the balance would be added when the finances of the state improved. At a meeting Governor Adams Oshiomhole told the NUT officials to call off the strike. He said he would look at the financial implications of the full implementation on the purse of the local government councils.
Commissioner for Basic Education, Patrick Aguinede, said the NUT leadership promised to meet with members and report back on their reaction, but they did not.
The NUT chairman, Patrick Ikosimi said the first meeting did not produce any result and that the second meeting slated for June 11 was not held because, “the state government did not show readiness to meet with the leadership of the NUT.”
“The state government wants us to call off the strike, but we have made it clear to them that the strike was called by the national body and that it is not our duty to call it off. Once the state government does the right thing like other states, the strike will be called off.
“We were not taught to call off strike before going into negotiation. I can’t disobey the national body’s directive. They said an agreement must be reached before we call of the strike. They said we must have something concrete from the state government,” he said.
On June 19, Oshiomhole approved the payment of the 27.5 per cent TSA with effect from July for secondary school teachers after a meeting with executives of ASUSS.
He also invoked the No Work, No Pay rule on the striking primary school teachers and described the strike as illegal. The governor said it was wrong for the teachers to embark on strike when there was a subsisting agreement.
He praised ASUSS for trusting him and not going on strike or doing anything that would affect the academic calendar. He said teachers that are not prepared to work would be encouraged to stay away permanently.
His words: “I have never made promises to you that I have never kept. That is why I hurt when the NUT even though they were a party to that meeting, even though they agreed that what we are paying now is what we agreed to and that we have not violated any agreement, they promised that they needed time and would get back to us, they have continued with the strike.
“I have monitored the comments made by the NUT Chair in which he tried to twist the facts. Such tactics will not help. As a government, we cannot fold our hands and watch anyone continue to disrupt our academic calendar. For members of the NUT who are not working, they will definitely not be paid for the period they did not work.
“Because they are employees of the Local Government, I have directed the Local Government to meet and decide what to do about those teachers who have refused to come to work. If the Local Government listens to my advice, not only will they apply no work, no pay; we cannot continue to keep our schools closed.
“I believe the teachers have completely abused this understanding and they have decided to hold the system to ransom. I believe it is time to deal with the issue squarely and put it behind us.
“If they are under the illusion that anybody is going to increase their pay while they are on strike, that is not going to happen. I have also directed the Commissioner for Education to discontinue the assessment for promotion exercise as it concerns primary school teachers. If they are at home, the promotion exercise is also suspended.”
Concerned about the continued strike, civil society organisations in the state intervened by convening a town hall meeting between the teachers and the state government.
Aguinede and two other commissioners, Chief Lucky James of the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and Washington Osifo of the Higher Education attended the meeting held at the Urhokpota hall.
The hall was packed full with teachers and the NUT was led by its first State Vice Chairman, John Aiyobahan.
Indication that the meeting would end in futility was when the government delegations observed that important officials of the NUT were absent. Aguinede expressed reservations whether the absentee NUT leadership would accept the decision reached at the meeting. It took the intervention of the organisers to call the meeting to order even as it was indicated the NUT leadership boycotted because the Governor was not present.
Rev. David Ugolor of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice said the meeting was to create an avenue for teachers to know the truth of the issues at stake and for the government to talk to the teachers directly.
Aiyobahan explained to the members that the state government refused to negotiate with them.
“We are not so hardened. The issue is not about calling off the strike but for an agreement to be reached. We have passed the stage of negotiation. We are now at the implementation stage,” he said.
The hall became rowdy as the teachers shouted down comments by the commissioners. James and Aguinede could not convince the teachers on the need to go back to classes.
Lucky told the teachers they were not told the truth by the NUT leadership. He urged the teachers to suspend the strike and that the state government would make an announcement within two days.
Aguinede said the government would not negotiate while the teachers were on strike and appealed for understanding from the teachers.
The meeting was hurriedly called off as the commissioners dashed off to the weekly state executive told The Nation that meetings.
Some of the teachers who spoke accused the state government of negotiating with an illegal body and vowed not to return to classes.
Ugolor told The Nation that they would meet with the NUT and the government on the matter.
The face-off between the NUT and the government will not end by just calling off the strike as the NUT would have to fight for the payment of their salaries stopped as well as the suspension of the promotion assessment of teachers.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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