The Vice-chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’allah, clarified that the University is not responsible for the withheld salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members from the UniAbuja chapter, who are currently on strike.

The ASUU members have been striking for over 40 days over issues related to appointing a new Vice-chancellor. They have also accused the university management of withholding their salaries.

However, in a statement released on Monday, June 17, Prof. Na’allah emphasised that, despite the strike and the Federal Government’s “no work, no pay” policy, the university management had approved the payment of salaries to all academic staff.

“University Management approved payment of salaries to all academic staff, and included with magnanimity, even those on strike who deserve no salary because of the activation of ‘No Work No Pay’ policy of the Nigerian government in the University,” the VC said.

According to Punch, Na’allah stated that the institution’s management had contacted the government to understand the cause of the delay, saying that it might be due to a glitch in Remita.

Prof. Na’allah, expressing his astonishment, clarified that the ASUU branch leadership, along with some members who have not worked for over a month and thus do not qualify for a salary, are the ones raising complaints and attempting to tarnish the University’s reputation.

“It is unfortunate and painful to management that the academic staff are subjected to this suffering, especially those who laboured day and night to make life meaningful for their students. What is important to us, at the moment, is that the IPPIS has since confirmed that the May 2024 Academic Salary has been released for payment, and the continued delay now being experienced might be from the Remita and not from management,” the VC said.

A Nigerian lady simply identified as Chinwe Splendor appeared to have landed in hot water after making a controversial statement on a podcast.

Splendor was the latest guest on the Gbam!! by Yan Content podcast, where she chronicled her school life, including how she slept with lecturers to pass her courses.

During the episode, she claimed there was a year when she never attended lectures but had good grades.

“I finished school five years ago. When I entered, things were so hard for me and I had no other option than to enter street and during that time, I did not have time for lectures because after night work I will be tired. So I decided means to cover up my studies by sleeping with lecturers,” she said.

“There was a particular year that I did not attend lectures at all but I made all my papers. It was not easy. I had to do what I had to do to survive. I slept with so many lecturers and I came out with good grades.”

The lady claimed the viral interview reached her “university’s administration who demanded the return of my certificate within 48 hours”.

Splendor expressed distress over the situation, questioning why she should return a certificate she “earned” through her actions.

“The university I attended sent me an email to return my certificate within 48 hours. I want to ask, is this right? That certificate, I earned it. I worked hard for it,” she said.

“If it is like that, then I know so many of my coursemates that will return their own certificate. I am really going through a lot.”

Splendor, however, did not disclose the university’s name.

The federal government of Nigeria has announced a fresh scholarship award from the Government of Vietnam for candidates who passed the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examinations. 

The announcement was made by the Federal Ministry of Education on Monday, June 11, via its X page.  

Tagged, “VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (VNU-IS) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025”, the ministry advised Nigerian applicants to maximize the opportunity. 

It added that the scholarship offers various ranges of financial support. 

The statement partly reads,  

“The Government of Vietnam is calling on interested and qualified Nigerians to apply for Vietnam National University. 

 “The categories of Awards are: 

“i. Vietnam Scholarship programme offers 100% tuition fee, for 5 persons only 

“ii. Hanio scholarship programme offers a 50% tuition fee, for 8 persons only; 

“iii. International student scholarship programme offers a waiver of the 1st-semester tuition fees, for 12 persons only.” 

The government revealed that the Vietnam scholarship awards “depend on the GPA score in SSCE/WAEC examinations.” 

“Students selected would be qualified for renewal of the scholarship award based on each academic year’s performance. 

“Shortlisted students would be contacted by the school for online interviews. 

“For application and other enquiries, kindly go to admission@vnuis.edu.vn, Or Email: loannt@vnuis.edu.vn (admission officer, Ms Loan Nguyen), WhatsApp/Mobile /Zalo: + 84978981625 or + 974140166. 

“Deadline for this application is 30th June 2024,”.the ministry announced. 

Earlier, the ministry had invited Nigerians to apply for the MTN scholarship programme for the 2024 academic year. 

A week ago, the federal government of Nigeria also announced scholarship awards from the Italian Government for postgraduate applicants in the country. 

On May 2, 2024, the ministry also announced a Romanian scholarship program for undergraduates and postgraduates in Nigeria. 

The scholarship was said to be for those pursuing Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs.