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The Non – Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions has issued a 14 – day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address anomalies in the nation’ s Research Institutes and Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System .

The union ’ s president , Dr Makolo Hassan , in a statement , following its National Executive Council , said the union was warming up for a total shut down.

According to him , NASU is an arm of the Joint Health Sector Unions .

“ For almost 10 years , the government has failed to honour the content of the agreement it freely entered into with the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions as contained in the year 2010 JORAISU /FGN Agreement .

“ The underlisted issues include payment of 12 months arrears of 53 . 37 per cent salary increase , peculiar allowances and earned allowances .

“ Also , the retirement age of 65 years for Non – Research staff as obtainable in the universities , withdrawal of circular on non – skipping of Salary Grade Level 10 , that is the National Industrial Court ’ s judgement delivered in favour of the trade unions.

“ Others include the establishment of a central body to be known as National Research Institutes Commission , adequate funding of Research Institutes and release of conditions of service , ” he said .

The union leader said the government had yet to address the issues in spite of several reminders, strikes and Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the government on the matter .

Hassan said : “ We , therefore , use the opportunity of this meeting to request the government to act speedily , particularly on the issue of the 12 months arrears.

“ Except some concrete steps are taken within the next 14 days, NASU members in all the research institutes in Nigeria will be compelled to commence strike to press home their demand in this regard, ” he said .

The union leader also said that the government had not lived to its promise of a hitch- free migration on the IPPIS.

According to him , IPPIS has demonstrated a high level of incompetence and inefficiency .

He said that the union ’ s experience since it migrated to the platform had been a painful one .

“ All efforts to get government and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to redress the noticeable shortcomings has not yielded a positive result.

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Some university students  has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to consider their future and resume to work in their various institutions.
Some of the students , who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria in Enugu , expressed worries and lamented as they appealed for the suspension of the prolonged strike.

The students said they were tired and frustrated due to the time wasted without any academic achievement .

They said the strike would make them remain in the university more than it was necessary .

ASUU has been on strike since March 2020 over demands for more funding for public universities and renegotiation of the 2009 FG/ ASUU agreement .

Others are outstanding earned academic allowances , the proliferation of universities by state governments , and the constitution of Visitation Panels to Federal Universities .

A law student at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University , Awka , Augustine Azubike , said he was appealing to the university lecturers to consider the future of the students and to return to work.

Azubike added that the incessant strike embarked upon by the lecturers was affecting the quality of university education in the country.

Another university student , Ann Chukwu , of Linguistic Department , University of Nigeria , Nsukka expressed worry over the lingering strike , adding that her private business , located within the university, had been static since the strike started .

“ My business , which is within the university premises has been static since the lecturers embarked on strike and the business has been the source of income for my school and accommodation fees , ” Ude lamented .

Daniel Onyekachukwu , a mechanical engineering student , from UNN , said the incessant strikes by public universities ’ workers had altered the academic calendar and the students ’ time of graduation .

“ Our lecturers and government should consider students from poor families , whose parents are not financially buoyant enough to send their children and wards to private and foreign universities , ” Onyekachukwu appealed .

Joe Ezike of the Department of Psychology , Nnamdi Azikiwe University , Awka said he was unhappy over the strike as his rent had expired .

“ My anger over the strike is that the money I paid for my off – campus accommodation before the strike has expired without proper use of the room , ” Ezike complained .

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The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , has agreed to address the House of Representatives on the security challenges across the country.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives , Femi Gbajabiamila , disclosed this to State House correspondents after meeting Buhari at the Presidential Villa , Abuja.
He said the date of the address would soon be made public .

The House of Representatives had on Tuesday resolved to invite Buhari to address lawmakers on efforts being made to address the security challenges in parts of the country.

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Garba Shehu , Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , says the clamour for the sacking of service chiefs is ‘ out of place’ .

According to Shehu , the president has the prerogative to appoint or sack any of the country ’ s service chiefs , adding that the president keeps the service chiefs as long as he is satisfied with their performance .

Reacting to the call by several Nigerians who also want the president to rejig the country’ s security architecture , Shehu said the decision to sack or retain any of the service chiefs is entirely the president ’ s .

He spoke in an interview with Arise TV monitored by Newsmen .

The presidential spokesman said , “ I am not aware that the tenure of service chiefs is subjected to any law or regulation that is clearly stated . They serve at the pleasure of the president and ( if ) the president is satisfied with their performance , he keeps them. The buck stops on his table — with due respect to the feelings of Nigerians .

“ The clamour for the sack is out of place considering that the president is not subject to the opinion of opposition political party which has clamoured for this all the time . It is entirely his own determination ; he decides who he keeps as his service chiefs and for how long. ”

Explaining further last night , Shehu said , “ My suggestion in the earlier news report is that the military had not certified those areas as being free of landmines and terrorists ’ intrusions. Whether there are processes for getting licences or commissions, it is not for me , the military is in a better position to describe those processes . ”

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The Senate has asked the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , to sack service chiefs as a result of their failure to secure Nigerians .

The Senate decision , which is the third it would pass this year , followed a motion by Senator Kashim Shettima on the recent killing of 43 rice farmers in Borno State by the Boko Haram insurgents .

The Senate asked Buhari to replace the security chiefs with new ones “ immediately” .

However, The House of Representatives has resolved to invite the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , to address members in plenary over the security crises across the country.

Earlier , plenary at the House of Representatives turned rowdy as members were sharply divided over a motion seeking to invite Buhari to appear before the lawmakers to explain the rising spate of insecurity in the country.

The House was considering a motion moved by members from Borno State on the recent massacre of 43 rice farmers in the state by Boko Haram insurgents .
Part of the prayers was to invite Buhari to appear on the floor of the House and address the lawmakers in plenary.

Efforts by the Speaker , Femi Gbajabiamila ; Majority Leader , Alhassan Ado – Doguwa; and Chairman , House Committee on Air Force , Shehu Koko , among others, to have the prayer dropped proved abortive .
Gbajabiamila ’ s plea that a state of emergency be adopted instead was also rebuffed .

The speaker was forced to ask that the lawmakers have an executive ( closed -door ) session .

Emerging from the closed – door session , Gbajabiamila asked one of the sponsors of the motion, Ahmad Jaha , to make an amendment to the motion .

Jaha prayed the House to invite the president as proposed in the original motion .

The Speaker put the amended motion to a voice vote and it was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers .

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The Soun of Ogbomoso , Oba Oladunni Oyewumi , has expressed disagreement with the Oyo State Governor , Mr Seyi Makinde, on the proposal to turn the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology , Ogbomoso into a multi – campus institution .

The Vice- Chairman , House of Representatives Committee on Navy , Capt . Adejumo Ajao ( retd ), also called on the governor to rescind his decision on the move.

The monarch, who spoke to news correspondent through his Private Secretary , Mr Toyin Ajamu , said such a move would be a disservice to the people of the town and its economy .

He said , “Kabiyesi disagrees with the proposal of the governor to turn LAUTECH to a multi – campus institution . He was one of the stakeholders who fought for the establishment of the university then and that was not part of the proposal for the university.

“ There are other institutions owned by Oyo State which are not multi -campus . So why should LAUTECH be the only one ? Kabiyesi is not happy about this . Those institutions in other towns are not shared with other towns . This is not the position of Kabiyesi alone , it is the position of the entire Ogbomoso people . ”

The lawmaker , who represents Ogbomoso North , South , and Orire Federal Constituency, said taking some faculties away from Ogbomoso would be tantamount to hatred because there were institutions in other towns which were not shared with other regions .

The lawmaker said this in a statement by his Director of Media , Strategy, and Publicity , Mr Olusola Olayanju .

Ajao said , “ I will like to refresh the memory of Governor Seyi Makinde led administration that each of the zones in the state has one or more state institutions( Oyo had EACOED , Ibarapa with College of Agriculture Igboora , OkeOgun with Polytechnic at Eruwa and Saki, while Ibadan has Technical University ) without any campus in Ogbomoso . It will be tantamount to hatred if the decision to turn LAUTECH into a multi – campus institution sees the light of the day .

“ Though making LAUTECH a multi -campus institution has it advantage, but the adverse effects are numerous , so , I call on His Excellency , Engr Seyi Makinde to critically access the situation and rescind his decision on the move . ”

The estimated 25 million Nigerians that will benefit from the Federal Government’ s Solar Home Systems that commences this week will be expected to pay about N4 , 000 monthly , the presidency has said .

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity , Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled “ 25 m Nigerians to own 5 m solar systems at N4 , 000 monthly . ”

The installation is in continuation of the implementation of the government ’ s Economic Sustainability Plan .

“ An important aspect of the scheme is the option of outright ownership by beneficiaries at a cost ranging from N1 , 500 per week to N 4 , 000 monthly depending on the capacities , for a period of three years , ” Akande said .

The presidential aide said , “The programme will include the assembly or manufacturing of components of off- grid solutions to facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing industry .

“ In view of the scale of materials required , solar equipment manufacturers /assemblers will be incentivised to set up facilities in Nigeria , thereby offering additional job opportunities to Nigerians .

“ In addition , installation , servicing and payment collections are expected to provide thousands of other jobs. In all, at least 250 , 000 jobs will be created . ”

Punch

The Joint Committees on Appropriations of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have assured that they will submit the harmonised report on the rejigged N13.08 trillion 2021 budget proposals on Thursday for consideration and subsequent passage next week.

Disclosing this weekend, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Jibrin Barau, All Progressives Congress, APC, Kano North, said, “Time table for that has already been drawn up and we shall work assiduously in keeping to it by submitting harmonized report of the budgetary proposal to the Senate on the 3rd of December , 2020 for final consideration and passage latest by the following week”.

Speaking with Journalists weekend in Abuja, the Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency ( FERMA), Senator Gershom Bassey, PDP, Cross Rivers South) who lamented the poor funding by the Federal Government on road maintenance, said that N400 billion was required for such projects yearly, adding that the N38billion earmaked for maintenance of over 35,000 kilometres Federal Roads across the country will not give Nigerians the desired results.

He said, “What the committee has just submitted to the Appropriation committee for such exercise in 2021 fiscal year , is the N38billion proposed for it by the executive , which cannot cover up to one quarter of the entire length of deplorable roads in the country.

“Unfortunately , despite having the power of Appropriation , we cannot as a committee jerk up the sum since we are not in a position to carry out the estimation of work to be done on each of the specific portion of the road.

“Doing that without proposals to that effect from the executive , may lead to project insertion or padding as often alleged in the media.

“But the situation on ground as far as the committees on FERMA at both Chambers are concerned , is very bad ,requiring far more than N38billion earmarked.

“If the roads are well maintained on yearly basis , reconstruction and rehabilitation which require bigger amounts of monies and years to carry out may not be necessary as frequently as they are now.”

Vanguard

The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Judicial Inquiry probing the alleged killing of # EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate on the night of October 20 on Saturday resumed the viewing of a CCTV footage submitted by the Lekki Concession Company , operators of the tollgate .

The footage showed that the scene was calm until about 6 . 43 pm when people could be seen running towards the tollgate from the Oriental Hotel end.

Two minutes later , at 6 . 45 pm , military trucks with flashing headlights arrived the scene . There were no fewer than seven of them.

At 6 . 53 pm, about 10 minutes after the arrival of the military vehicles , the tollgate went into a blackout .

Two minutes later , at 6 . 55 pm , one of the military vehicles drove through the tollgate to the other end where the crowd of protesters was gathered .

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President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan , has warned that there could be anarchy if the Senate is scrapped as being clamoured by some Nigerians .

Rather , he challenged those who are not comfortable with the senators in the current 9 th Senate to vote them out in 2023 if they don ’ t like their faces .

Lawan stated this while declaring open , a retreat for top management staff of the National Assembly and National Assembly Service Commission in Abuja .

He described the Senate as a leveler which ensured that all parts of the country are equally represented unlike the House of Representatives where states with higher populations produce the highest number of lawmakers .

The Senate President also faulted the argument of those clamouring for the scrapping of the Senate because of the perceived jumbo pay being earned by the senators .

He said the annual budget of the National Assembly is less than one per cent of the nation’ s 2021 budget .

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