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Another ASUU Strike Looms Over 2009 Deal

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ASUU

University teachers are set for another strike over the controversial 2009 agreement they reached with the Federal Government among other issues.

A meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of ASUU will hold today in Abuja ahead of the action.

Yesterday, all chapters of the union nationwide held a congress as directed by its national body to decide whether or not to go ahead with the planned strike.

The options given to them are: Whether it should be total and indefinite strike, one month strike, one week notice, and no strike at all.

This followed the directive sent to branches by ASUU National President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi as he was mandated by the NEC meeting held at the Nasarawa State University (NSU).

Chairman ASUU-Lagos State University (LASU) Dr Isaac Akinloye Oyewunmi said yesterday that the chapter resolved in favour of “total and indefinite strike”.

In August last year, the union threatened strike over the government’s failure to implement the 2009 agreement.

Coordinator of ASUU (Lagos Zone) Prof Olusoji Sowande, said the union was tired because efforts to get the agreement honoured were fruitless.

The union listed some of the unresolved issues as: Breach of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 2009 FG/ASUU Agreement on financing of state universities; breach of the conditions of service; refusal to honour the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and re -negotiation of the agreement.

In January, ASUU staged a one-week warning strike. Union officials said the Federal Government is owing universities over N880 billion in intervention fund.

Other issues according to ASUU oficials are: The Federal Government’s foot-dragging over ‘funds for the revitilisation of public universities, non-release of NUPEMCO operational licence, non-payment of earned academic allowances, payment of fractions/non-payment of salaries, retired professors and their salaries and university staff schools’.

The official said ASUU  explored all channels to make the Federal Government see reasons but said: “It seems the Federal Government is more concerned with buying exotic vehicles for the National Assembly while public education and lecturers continue to suffer owing to dilapidated infrastructure.”

He said the union was angry at the failure of the Federal Government to release the operational licence for the union’s pension managers after collecting N1 billion  since two years ago.

“Till date the government is owing the intervention funds to the tune of N880 billion. When we approached them for licensing of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO), they asked us to go and bring registration fee, which is supposed to be N150million. Till date, we have paid government N1 billion and our money has been with them for two years and they are not saying anything.

None of this pension administrators can fulfill the University Miscellaneous Act which says university professors must retire with their full money. The money must have been invested and yielding interest for somebody. We are demanding our licence and funding of public universities.”

Education

Oyo College of Nursing and Midwifery extends sale of admission form (Apply Here)

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The Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery has extended the deadline for the sale of its basic midwifery admission form by four weeks.

Gbonjubola Owolabi, the college’s provost, announced the development in a statement on Thursday.

The form sale, which had an initial deadline of March 20, will now run till April 20.

Owolabi explained that the extension was to create more time for prospective students who might still be interested in obtaining the form.

The provost further said that the computer based test (CBT) is now scheduled to hold from April 22 to April 24, while the interview is slated for May 2 and May 3.

Owolabi also announced that applicants seeking admission into basic nursing are now required to apply through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

She encouraged interested candidates to take advantage of the extended period and visit the office of the registrar or ICT center of the college for further enquiry.

“The College will not compromise her standard as admission would strictly be based on merit. Post UTME form would be available at the College after the release of result for those who attained the cut off mark of 200 and above in their exam,” Owolabi said.

She cautioned the public against providing personal or financial information to any unofficial source claiming to be associated with the college. because she would never request for sensitive information through unofficial channels.

The provost also announced that the admission process into community nursing and community midwifery programmes has commenced and that candidates for the program will be shortlisted from their LGAs.

She commended Seyi Makinde, Oyo state governor, for paying full fees of all the candidates that would be recommended for the programmes from all the 33 LCDAs.

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Education

UNIJOS students protest water scarcity, blackout

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Students at the University of Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, locked the institution’s gates protesting water scarcity and lack of electricity supply to their hostels.

The protesting students held placards with different inscriptions such as: ‘No light to soak gari’ and ‘We no get SUG.’

Others held empty buckets to symbolise the lack of water in the institution.

Some of the students, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented their plight and said that the situation had caused untold suffering to them and impacted negatively on their academic activities.

One of the students, who gave his name simply as Josiah, said, “We don’t know what the school management wants the students to do. There has been no water in the hostels for the past two or three days. Even the blackout, which has been ongoing as well, has left several students completely stranded.

“Apart from that, we are also not happy with the school management over the dissolution of the Students Union Government because right now, the students have no direction because they don’t have any leadership.

“The VC and the school management have refused to give us a listening ear. They (school management) came here this morning and said we should send representatives to negotiate, but how can we be told to negotiate for our rights? This is not proper.

“The school management has now directed the students to send in representatives for negotiations. However, no one has volunteered to go since the protest was not led by the officials of the student body as the last SUG executives were dissolved in February and a new government has not been formed.”

It was learnt that following the protest, the university authority quickly deployed security operatives to the institution to prevent the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums to cause havoc, but the students were said to have vowed to stay at the gate until the issues were resolved.

Some staff members of the university who were caught up in the protest, however, condemned the action of the students, describing it as unnecessary.

One of the staffers who refused to give his name said, “We got here this morning and discovered that the gate had been locked. Everything is not about protest. There was no official notice. We just started seeing students at the gate. I believe that if they had brought their complaints to the school management, they would have got immediate solution because the VC does not joke with the welfare of the students.”

Contacted, the university’s Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, acknowledged the challenge of water scarcity and blackout in the students’ hostels.

The Dean, who blamed the situation on the Jos Electricity Distribution Company over an outstanding debt, however, said that the problem had been resolved following an intervention by the Vice Chancellor.

“It is true that there was no water before now, but water has been supplied to the hostels. The JED severed our supply because of outstanding bills. The VC has intervened, and they are going to reconnect the light. As I am talking to you, water has been supplied. The light will be reconnected any moment from now and with the light restored, we won’t have the problem of water again,” the Dean assured.

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Education

UNIOSUN server hacked during teachers’ recruitment test

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A recruitment test for teachers has been disrupted after a server glitch at the Osun State University (UNIOSUN).

The southwestern state had commenced the recruitment process to employ new teachers for public primary and secondary schools.

The test was to be held in 13 centres across Osun on Wednesday.

The exercise witnessed hitches in two centres in Osogbo and Ikire towns where the test was disrupted.

It is understood that UNIOSUN was listed as one centre where the assessment was to happen between March 27 and 28, 2024.

But Ademola Adesoji, the UNIOSUN PRO, in a statement, said the university witnessed a disruption in Osogbo and Ikire centres.

The PRO, who blamed the disruption on hackers, said the exercise would be rescheduled in the affected centres.

He said the suspected hackers attempted to invade the university’s servers. He said the damage inflicted on the server required time to resolve.

Adesoji said this resulted in an undue delay in the start of exams and caused the rescheduling of tests at two out of 13 centres.

“The management of Osun State University has disclosed that its server was hacked overnight by unknown criminals attempting to disrupt the teachers’ recruitment test,” the statement reads.

“We responded technically and frustrated attempts to breach our core software and question bank.

“The damage inflicted on the server required time to resolve, resulting in an undue delay in the start of exams and necessitating the rescheduling of tests at two out of thirteen centres.

“We are relieved that the hackers or opponents of this recruitment process have failed in their attempts to thwart us.

“Over the last eight or so hours, it has been a tough battle in our efforts to ensure the success of the Osun State government. Examinations have concluded at 11 out of the 13 locations today.

“However, the two problematic centres Osogbo and Ikire will be rescheduled based on the ministry’s decision.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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