News
ASUP Calls Off Strike
A cross section of participants at the Civil Service week in Port Harcourt, yesterday
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) said yesterday that it had decided to suspend its indefinite strike, which began on April 29.
“We have decided to suspend the strike from tomorrow, July 17,’’ the union’s president, Mr Chibuzor Asomogba, told newsmen yesterday, in Lagos, after a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
Asomogba, who spoke with newsmen on phone, said that all ASUP members were expected to return to work on Wednesday, adding that there would be more details later.
Our correspondent recalls that the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, and her Labour and Productivity counterpart, Chief Emeka Wogu, met with the union on July 9, and urged it to call off the strike.
The union listed an alleged failure of the federal and state governments to implement agreements as one of the reasons it went on strike, noting that it had adversely affected polytechnic education.
It also demanded full implementation of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS 15) and a stoppage of the discrimination against holders of the Higher National Diploma.
The union also protested against the absence of a National Polytechnics Commission and the deplorable condition of many polytechnics in the country.
Meanwhile, The Federal Government has again pleaded with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its strike and return to the classes.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, made the call yesterday in an interview with newsmen after a Workshop on World Bank Initiated Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project in Abuja.
“We are still pleading with them, let them do all they can to make our students return to classes.
“We are talking, and we will continue to talk. We are also meeting with all stakeholders to resolve the crisis, and we are confident that very soon, the strike will be called off,” Rufa’i said.
Besides, the minister said, government was making concerted efforts to restructure the university system, which was the main demand by ASUU.
Earlier speaking at the workshop, the minister said that the ACE project was a higher education project seeking to promote regional specialisation among participating universities within the Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) areas.
According to her, it addresses particular common regional development challenges and strengthens the capacities of those universities to deliver high quality training and applied research.
“You are here today to be updated on the ACE project and also to be guided on the procedures involved in the selection process and discuss focal areas for proposal submission.
‘You are also to discuss the criteria for participation and other necessary information that will help equip your institutions to be successful in the competitive process,” the minister told participants.
She said that the workshop had come at a good time, when the Federal Government was on the verge of commissioning the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NGREN).
Rufa’i said the Federal Government and other stakeholders had invested a lot of energy and resources into the Network towards addressing some of the IT challenges of the Nigeria University System (NUS) in the areas of learning, teaching and research.
“So, with the resources at the disposal of the NUS, at this time, I challenge you to come up with good proposals that would ensure that you emerge as Centres of Excellence in Africa,” she charged participants.
Also addressing newsmen, the Executive Secretary(ES) of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, called on ASUU to look inward and fashion out ways of improving the structure of the university system.
“In the last three years, the Federal Government has provided every university with N3 billion annually to revamp the university structure.
“Let them mop up what they have because we may in fact have excess facility in the university system,” Okojie said.
According to him, all that government is insisting on is for the universities to have credible staff and student audit to aid in the sector’s development planning.
The ES said government was also insisting that the universities gave account of the funds that were being pumped into the institutions as well as show what kind of projects they planned to embark on before further release of funds.
He said the Federal Government should not be blamed entirely for the failures or lack of development of the university system.
“Unfortunately, they run the system, so how can they say the government has not done this or that? Let our people understand that we must make progress,” he stated.
Explaining the objective of the workshop, Okojie said it was to meet the demand for skills required to develop Africa.
He said it was also to contribute to the strengthening of the best African universities within science-based education.
“This is in line with one of the goals of the NUC, which is to match graduate output with the national manpower needs,” he said.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
-
News1 day agoFamily Seeks Police Help As Woman Goes Missing After Fleeing Female Circumcision Threat
-
News1 day agoNigeria Hosts World Public Relations Forum Sept …As Experts Seek Inclusion Of PR In Decision Making
-
News1 day agoUphold Principles Of Dev, Rivers SSG Charges Tertiary Institutions
-
News1 day agoTinubu, Fubara Condole Amaechi Over Mother’s Death
-
News1 day agoNDLEA Intercepts 1.63m Tramadol Pills, Arrests 80-Year-Old Suspect
-
Oil & Energy1 day agoLocal Crude Shortage Crippling Nigerian Refineries – MAN
-
Oil & Energy1 day agoFG Urges Against Operators’ Actions That Could Distabilise Market
-
News1 day agoFG Alerts Nigerians Of N50,000 Allowance Registration Scam