Nation
Nigeria’s Insecurity May Not End Soon, Ex-TUC President
A former president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Peter Esele, has warned the Federal Government that the pervading insecurity in the country would never end unless public universities are reopened.
Esele gave the warning in an interview with newsmen, yesterday, in Benin while commenting on the solidarity protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The NLC embarked on the protest on July 26 to show solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which had been on strike for over five months.
He pointed out that from 1999 till date, the nation’s universities had been shut cumulatively for about six years.
Esele said, “Yet, we express surprise over the current insecurity. You have millions of Nigerian youths sitting at home and doing nothing.
“More so, infrastructure in the universities are decaying because nobody is there to manage them. You have an economy around universities, right now that economy is nil.
“Workers in that environment, real estate and even parents in the universities’ environment are all at home, so why are you surprised about insecurity?
“An idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop.”
The academic body had been at odds with the Federal Government over the years for the apparent inability of the government to meet the terms of its agreements with the union.
According to Esele, the NLC ought to have staged the protest a long time ago to show its displeasure but “better late than never.’’
He pointed out that the current strike could hurt the upcoming general elections, advising government to take steps to resolve the issues with ASUU, to save the future of democracy in the country.
The former TUC chief noted that the latest ASUU strike could have been avoided if the Federal Government had kept faith and respected the terms of agreements reached with ASUU.
“If you ask why ASUU is on strike right now, it is because they had negotiation with the Federal Government in 2009 and there was an agreement.
“That agreement was supposed to have been implemented by the government but they didn’t implement it.
“In 2014, government paid N200billion out of the N1.2trillion ASUU demanded and in 2019, government paid only N20billion.
“So, when government has gone ahead not to fulfil the terms of agreements reached, what you have naturally is for ASUU to go on strike to press its demands.”
Esele said that the solidarity protest by the NLC nationwide was to make everybody know that the continuous closure of public universities in the country was dangerous for the nation and the education sector in particular.
Nation
Rivers Deputy Governor Hails PH City One Love For Humanitarian Gesture
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
Nation
We’ll Partner Private Sector to Industrialize Rivers State – Fubara …Hints Revitalization of Ahoada, Trans Amadi Industrial layout
Nation
SheVentures Open Zero-interest Loan Applications for Women Entrepreneurs
“Inclusive growth requires access to capital and the right conditions for businesses to deploy that capital effectively. Women-led enterprises are critical to economic activity, yet they face structural barriers.
“This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs”, Edun said.
Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo said access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs.
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