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Igbo Presidency: Buhari reacts to Umahi’s defection, says Governor took decision as matter of principle

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Igbo Presidency: Buhari reacts to Umahi’s defection, says Governor took decision as matter of principle

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday reacted to the defection of David Umahi, the Ebonyi State Governor describing him as a man of principle.

Buhari said he is proud of the Governor’s decision.

This is coming on the heels of several criticisms against the governor’s move to discard the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Umahi had accused the party of marginalising the Igbos. He also blamed the party’s indecision to zone the 2023 presidential position to the South-East.

He queried why it was difficult for the PDP to support people from the South-East of becoming the next president of the country.

“I have to lead the protest against the marginalisation of the Igbos by the PDP and I don’t have to consult anybody to lead such a protest,” he stated while justifying his action last Tuesday.

“I don’t want the PDP to collapse in the South-East but it can collapse itself in the zone if it does not heed the peoples’ advice to entrench justice, fairness, and equity…”

The Governor’s action has, however, received condemnations from the PDP and PDP chieftains including Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Governor as well as former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayese.

“Gov Umahi defected to APC long ago before this unjustifiable move, which clearly has nothing to do with the interest of the Igbo nation,” Fayose stated.

But Buhari applauded the governor for his boldness and resolve.

“I am proud of Governor David Umahi for taking the bold decision to defect to APC in accordance with his conscience and principles rather than any external influence or coercion,” he stated.

“I commend his boldness for taking this courageous decision in a country where principles are in short supply among many. I know people might call him names, but that is the price men of principle have to pay for acting according to their conscience and convictions.”

It could be recalled that Umahi served as PDP State Chairman from 2009 to 2011. In  2011, he became the deputy governor of the Martin Elechi, a former Governor of the state.

He rode to become the Ebonyi State governor under the PDP in 2015 and was re-elected for another four years in 2019 until he made the new decision to join the ruling party – APC.

ENDSARS: Police arrest 3 over alleged cyber-crime

Lukman ABOLADE
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ENDSARS: Police arrest 3 over alleged cyber-crime

THE Nigeria Police says its Cybercrime unit in Abuja has arrested three persons, Onwuka Emmanuel Chidiebere a.k.a Ceeceeboss, Ikechukwu Ohanedozie a.k.a Dozzy and Onuegwu Ifeanyi a.k.a SSGToolz over alleged cyber-crime.

The Police made this known in a series of tweet on its official Twitter handle on Thursday adding that over 50,000 emails were recovered from the suspects.

According to the police, the three suspects were arrested in Lagos, Abia and Imo state following reports from the INTERPOL cybercrime directorate in Singapore.

“The three suspects were arrested following intelligence report received from INTERPOL Cybercrime Directorate in Singapore on global attacks by Nigerian cyber gangs who engage in mass email phishing campaigns and distribution of malware aimed at stealing authentication data from browsers and email headers,” the post read.

The police further said its findings have revealed that out of the three suspects, Ifeanyi a.k.a SSGToolz specializes in creating, designing, selling of phishing links and hosting malware on the website used by the gang for phishing and hacking purposes.

Police also announced the launching of a Cybercrime Reporting Web Portal where members of the public can report cases of cybercrimes.

“The portal caters for complaints pertaining to cybercrimes. With this, victims and complainants can now report cases of cybercrime online, at any time and from any part of the world.

“The cases are promptly attended to by the Cybercrime Unit of the Force domiciled with the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Force Headquarters, Abuja and the newly created Cybercrime Unit at the INTERPOL Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos,” police stated.

During the ENDSARS protests, many Nigerians said operatives of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) illegally arrest youths accusing them of cybercrimes.

Lagos begins coroner call, asks people to come with details of missing people

Niyi OYEDEJI
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Lagos begins coroner call, asks people to come with details of missing people

The Lagos State government has commenced a coroner call for the identification of missing persons in the state.

Hon Justice M.A Dada in a statement obtained by The ICIR asked those who have lost their loved ones between October 19 to 27 of 2020, to come forward with the provision of relevant information that would assist in the identification exercise.

“Pursuant to Section 15, Coroners System Law of Lagos State, 2015, the Pathology Team would want all those who have lost loved ones between 19th — 27th October 2020 (that is, next-of-kin of the victims) to provide relevant information that would assist the identification exercise.”

The Chief coroner, however, asked the next of kin of the missing persons to contact the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), for the identification process.

“The next-of-kin will be required to provide means of identification of themselves and their loved ones, Nationally recognized means of identification such as International passport, Driver’s license. National ID card or LASSRA ID Card shall be accepted.”

She said only the parents, siblings, or children of the missing persons are expected to visit LASUTH for the exercise, adding that the hours of visit shall be from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for the next two weeks.

Dada also stated that the next of kin shall be required to come along with clear photographs of the missing person, their own upper body photographs; and also provide samples for Reference DNA Profile, where necessary.

She said the identification exercise would help in comparison with those already collected.

She added that it is only after a definitive scientific identification, that the bodies of the deceased shall be released by the office of the Chief Coroner to the next of kin for burial.

 

#ENDSARS: FG trades blame, wants CNN sanctioned for its report

Vincent Ufuoma
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#ENDSARS: FG trades blame, wants CNN sanctioned for its report

THE federal government has blamed human rights groups and media organisations for their roles during and after the Endsars protest against police brutality in the country.

Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture said during a news briefing on Thursday that the civil society and media organisation ignored the brutal killing and maiming of security agents during the crisis, as well as the orgy of violence that characterised the protest.

The minister said the nation’s security operatives deserve praises and disclosed that the government will no longer tolerate any harassment of its security men during protests.

“The Federal Government will therefore not accept a situation in which some so-called human rights bodies and jaundiced media organizations will continue to harass the security agencies over their roles during the crisis. Soldiers, policemen and other security agents deserve commendation, not condemnation, except, of course, their critics are saying they are not human beings and that their own rights do not matter. It is depressing and demoralizing to continue to vilify men and women in uniform, who themselves were victims of senseless violence unleashed by hoodlums,” he said.

He said the role played by rights activists  and journalists were suspicious “after they simply ignored the brutal killing and maiming of security agents during the crisis, as well as the orgy of violence that left 57 civilians dead, 269 private/corporate facilities burnt/looted/vandalized, 243 government facilities burnt/vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted, and instead continued to dwell on the bodiless and bloodless ‘massacre’ at Lekki Toll Gate.”

He added that “they did not see anything wrong in the public and private properties that were burnt or looted, neither did they see anything wrong in the fact that some of the businesses that were looted belonged to struggling young men and women. All they could see in their biased view of the whole situation was a hoax massacre.”

Calling for the  sanction of an  American Cable News Network (CNN) for its recent investigation on Lekki shootings by operatives of the Nigerian army, Mohammed described the report as “blatantly irresponsible and a poor piece of journalistic work.”

“Like everyone else, I watched the CNN report. I must tell you that it reinforces the disinformation that is going around, and it is blatantly irresponsible and a poor piece of journalistic work by a reputable international news organization.

“CNN engaged in incredible sensationalism and did a great disservice to itself and to journalism. In the first instance, CNN, which touted its report as an exclusive investigative report, sadly relied on the same videos that have been circulating on social media, without verification.

“This is very serious and CNN should be sanctioned for that. CNN merely said the videos were ”obtained by CNN”, without saying wherefrom and whether or not it authenticated them. Were CNN reporters and cameramen at the Lekki Toll Gate that evening?

“If the answer is no, on what basis were they reporting? Relying on second or third-hand information and presenting it as ”CNN Investigation”? Why didn’t CNN balance its story by showing the compelling testimony of Brig-Gen? Taiwo before the Judicial Panel in Lagos?

“Is this one-sided reporting what is expected from an international media organisation or any serious news organisation? If CNN had done its investigation properly, it would have known how fake news and disinformation were trending during the EndSARS crisis.

“The BBC even did a report on this, and we recommend that report to CNN. Talking about the BBC, a reporter with the BBC’s Pidgin Service, Damilola Banjo, was at Lekki Toll Gate protest ground that night. She was quoted as saying soldiers were indeed at the toll gate but they shot ‘sporadically into the air’ and not at the protesters. CNN that was not at the scene reported otherwise.

“In airing its so-called investigative report, CNN conveniently forgot that on October 23, 2020, it tweeted, from its verified Twitter handle, that the military killed 38 people when it opened fire on peaceful protesters on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. Less than a month later, the same CNN, in what it called an EXCLUSIVE report based on a rehash of old, unverified videos, was only able to confirm that one person died in the same incident.”

He insisted that the military did not shoot at protesters at Lekki toll gate, but they fired blank ammunition in the air. He charged anyone who knows anyone who was killed at Lekki tollgate to head to the Judicial Panel with conclusive evidence.

Police seized my vehicle, detained me for seven months, man tells Ogun panel of inquiry

Niyi OYEDEJI
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Police seized my vehicle, detained me for seven months, man tells Ogun panel of inquiry

MAYOWA Ayodele, one of the petitioners at the ongoing panel of inquiry at Ogun State on Wednesday narrated how he was detained for seven months for demanding transport fare from policemen who had chartered his vehicle.

Ayodele, who worked as a taxi driver in Sagamu area of the state said his vehicle was chartered on March 7, 2018, by four men of the Nigerian Police Force, who he alleged locked him up for demanding money after the ride.

He said he was ordered to be locked up the moment he requested for their transport fare, which was a sum of N4,500.

“I took them from the Mowe area to Magboro and back to Shagamu. After the ride, I requested my money, which was N4,500, but they refused to pay me. They said they were working for the government,” Ayodele told the panel.

“Their Superior ordered them to lock me up”

Ayodele said his vehicle was seized while he was locked up in a cell at the Motor Traffic Division of the Police in Shagamu, where he spent 16 days before he was charged for pipeline vandalism at the Federal High Court in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.

He said although he knew nothing about the charge against him but was remanded in the prison for seven months.

Kayode Aderemi, counsel to the petitioner said his client was charged along with eight others for pipeline vandalism, but the case was eventually dismissed after seven months of the trial on the strength of no case.

“All nine of them were later acquitted,” Aderemi said.

Ayodele said he made effort to recover the vehicle, which he purchased in installment for a sum of N1,050,000 which he has not finished paying but was faced with more harassment from the police.

“When I got back to collect my car, I met another boss there at the Motor Traffic Division. He said I had the effrontery to come ask for my car, and he ordered them to lock me up again. I spent another four days there before my lawyer came to bail me.”

Ayodele said he has been jobless since he returned from prison, adding that he prays the government helps him recover his vehicle.

The respondents to the petition, however, did not appear before the panel.

Justice Solomon Olugbemi (rtd), Chairman of the panel, asked the victim to return on November 30.

I sold N27 million landed properties, my daughter’s grave yard, yet SARS killed my son, man tells Anambra panel

Niyi OYEDEJI
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I sold N27 million landed properties, my daughter’s grave yard, yet SARS killed my son, man tells Anambra panel

EMMANUEL Iloanya, one of the petitioners at the ongoing Anambra panel of inquiry has narrated to the panel how he raised over N27 million from the sale of three landed properties including where he buried his second daughter to secure the release of his 20-year-old son, Chijioke, who was arrested on November 29, 2012.

Iloya said he lost all the money to the hands of police officers, human rights activist  and other intermediaries who promised to assist him to secure freedom for his son, unknown to him that his son was already dead.

He recounted how his son was arrested at a naming ceremony by policemen from Ajali Division who refused to allow his wife to bail him but later transferred him to SARS facility in Awkuzu the next day, adding that he got the shock of his life and when James Nwafor, the Commanders of SARS Awkuzu then told him and his wife that his son had been wasted and nothing will happen.

“At Awkuzu, they denied to have arrested him but on our second visit I saw my son at the SARS gate in chains and handcuffs,” Iloanya said.

“When my wife asked him what he did, he did not say anything but just gesticulated that nothing.

“Suddenly, James Nwafor, the Commander of SARS rushed out of his office and started harassing us, pushing my wife. I went to Bala Nassarawa, the commissioner of police who assured me that my son will not die.”

James Nwafor

“The CP summoned Nwafor but he did not answer him, so he said I should wait after Christmas. To my surprise, the CP told me my son died during a gun duel with the police. I said no, that I was here and he (CP) assured me nothing will happen to him.”

Iloya said the death of his son was painful but it would have been comforting if he saw the corpse of his son and buried him himself.

“At Awkuzu, they denied to have arrested him but on our second visit I saw my son at the SARS gate in chains and handcuffs,” Iloanya said.

“When my wife asked him what he did not say anything but just gesticulated that nothing.

“Suddenly, James Nwafor, the Commander of SARS rushed out of his office and started harassing us, pushing my wife. I went to Bala Nassarawa, the commissioner of police who assured me that my son will not die.”

He said that a graveyard where had buried his late daughter two years before the incident was among the properties he sold to secure the release of his son.

“I sold properties, three properties for N12 million, N8 million and N7 million. All these I spent in the bid to secure the release of my son but they were telling me lies when they knew my son was dead

“I sold it because of this matter, I sold the land where I buried my second daughter

“I have spent what this panel can give me, I want justice, let the government bring these policemen here to tell me what my son did

Bala Nassarawa, Anambra State Commissioner of Police

“The CP summoned Nwafor but he did not answer him, so he said I should wait after Christmas. To my surprise, the CP told me my son died during a gun duel with the police. I said no, that I was here and he (CP) assured me nothing will happen to him,” said Iloanya who insisted that all he wanted is justice.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mahmud, a human rights lawyer who appeared for Iloanya told the panel his client had credible evidence against Nwafor including his Tweet where he admitted that he was the commander when Chijioke was murdered.

However, Innocent Obi, a Superintendent of Police (SP) who appeared for the police said he needed time to respond to the issues raised and his application was granted by the chairman of the panel, Justice Veronica Umeh.

 

 

Few months ago, Ethiopia harvested about 200 professors from Nigerian universities – ASUU President, Ogunyemi

Lukman ABOLADE
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Few months ago, Ethiopia harvested about 200 professors from Nigerian universities – ASUU President, Ogunyemi

AS Nigerian universities strike lingers, Biodun Ogunyemi, the president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said employers from Ethiopia came to Nigeria recently and harvested 200 professors from public universities.

Ogunyemi said this when he featured on Arise TV to discuss the ongoing strike, demands of the Union from the federal government and a possible brain drain after the strike.

“We are aware that a few months ago, Ethiopia came to Nigeria and harvested 200 professors from public universities, and they are still looking for more,” said Ogunyemi.

He added that within the last two months, 25 scholars from public universities were also harvested by a private university in Yola state.

Ogunyemi further stated that the reason Nigerian politicians fail to understand the demands of the Union on the revitalisation of universities is that about 90 percent of their children are not enrolled in public varsities.

“About ninety percent of Nigerian politicians do not have their children in public universities that is why they do not understand the demands we are making,” he further stated.

According to Ogunyemi, the revitalisation fund agreed between the Union and the FG in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2013 was based on the needs assessment of public universities.

“The 2013 MOU on the report of a needs assessment of Nigerian Universities. The tranche that we asking for is to ensure that government goes back into the path where we said it is for fixing the utter decay in our universities,” he stated.

However, he lamented that what the Union has seen with the current administration is only promises that have not germinated into investment.

“What we have seen with this government is that it has been promising tokenism, they gave N20bn the other time, this time around they are saying they would give N20bn again as a sign of commitment. When will the commitment translate into an investment?

“The 2013 MOU was about investment in education, was about addressing the established decay and decadence that has become the lot of public universities in Nigeria. Today we have over 43 state universities and we are still counting, if we started with 68 universities but now we have close to 90 or over 90 state universities even the fund we agreed to inject into the universities will play into insignificance if we actually want to address the problem,” he stated.

Ogunyemi said as a sign of patriotism, the Union had said asked for 50 percent of the N220 billion tranche for revitalisation but ASUU is still making unreasonable and other forms of tragic labels.

On the disagreement over the payment of Public university lecturers, Ogunyemi said University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS has been tested by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and it is awaiting its report.

However, on Wednesday, Chris Ngige, the minister of labour and employment said UTAS has no hardware and ASUU cannot afford to purchase the hardware.

“As we speak, ASUU has no hardware and UTAS does not have hardware backing.

“I am waiting for the NITDA full report but the preliminary report they gave me, the software integrity test will take them about six to eight weeks, and thereafter, we go to the hardware. But the big issue is who will provide the hardware?

“ASUU doesn’t have the finances to do so. Has the government budgeted for it now as we speak? So, that one is a major problem. But we don’t have to dissuade anybody, we don’t have to tell anybody not to carry on, we like local content development, we need our things to be homegrown. So, we are really encouraging them,” Ngige said.

Reps give NLNG 72 hours to produce waste disposal documents on its Train-7 gas project

Amos ABBA
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Reps give NLNG 72 hours to produce waste disposal documents on its Train-7 gas project

THE Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, has been issued a 72-hour ultimatum by the House of Representatives to submit documents on the waste disposal component of the final Investment decision in the NLNG Train-7 Gas Project.

This directive was handed down by the House to the NLNG in a memo titled “Ad-hoc Committee on the Investigation of the Non-Inclusion of Waste Management/Disposal of Sludge in the NLNG Train-7 Gas Project and Other Infringement by Oil Multinationals”.

Agom Jarigbe Agom, a member representing Ogoja/Yala constituency at the investigative hearing said that the NLNG had failed to submit its financial investment documents.

He said the mandate of the committee was to investigate the environmental challenges and non-inclusion of the waste management disposal in the NLNG gas project.

“We are investigating the non-inclusion of waste mgt on the NLNG train 7 gas project. We had earlier on asked them for the financial investment documents. Our concerns are environmental hazards and non-inclusion of waste management disposal in the NLNG gas project.

“That’s why we invited them and we ‘ve given them an ultimatum of 72 hours to provide the final investment documents; the component of it that has to do with waste management in the train 7 gas project,” he said.

The Train 7 project is expected to increase NLNG’s production capacity by 35 percent from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum.

The project also involves building a new Common Liquefaction Unit, CLU, designed to collect excess treated gas from the existing trains and process it into LNG including building a new export jetty

“Local content component is not really our mandate but as a parliament, we will ensure that the Local Content Act is complied with. The multinational generate a lot of sludge from their operations and tomorrow we are talking to some International Oil Companies including AGIP and a few others.

“We have grey areas to look at, we take all of them. Some of them are reasonably compliant with international best practices and some are not. We’ve looked at their submissions and will take them up,” he said.

Eyono Fatayi-Williams, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, at the NLNG said the company will make available the necessary documents on its waste disposal management.

“We had a very interactive session. They requested some documents on our waste disposal management and will provide them,” she said.

Lekki Shootings: CNPP calls for resignation of Buhari, Buratai, others

Vincent Ufuoma
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Lekki Shootings: CNPP calls for resignation of Buhari, Buratai, others

THE Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over the killings of unarmed protesters by operatives of the Nigerian army at Lekki tollgate.

CNPP in a statement on Wednesday by its Secretary-General, Willy Ezugwu, also wants Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff and Armstrong Idachaba, the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, to resign over what it described as “ignoble” roles played and “unpatriotic” attempts to cover up the incident.

“The CNPP has called for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, for their ignoble roles in the shooting of unarmed protesters at Lekki Tollgate and the unpatriotic attempt to cover up the extrajudicial killings of Nigerians singing the national anthem while protesting killings of their compatriots by security forces,” CNPP read.

Reacting to an investigation by American Cable News Network (CNN) that detailed the event Lekki on October 20, CNPP called on “the International Criminal Court to investigate, arrest and prosecute various state actors and their co-travellers for crimes against humanity to serve as a deterrence to other African leaders who kill unarmed peaceful demonstrators, protesting bad policies of the government.

CNN investigation

The Nigerian Army which had earlier denied its involvement in the shooting and later claimed that its men only went to Lekki to enforce a curfew imposed by the Lagos state government have continued to maintain that no casualty was recorded by the soldiers during their report.

Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of the 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, told the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Saturday that troops deployed to the scene only fired blank bullets into the air to disperse the protesters.

He added that such blank bullets cannot cause any serious damage to life, citing that a live bullet had the power to kill three people with one shot.

However, a forensic investigation carried out by CNN investigation has revealed that operatives of the Nigerian Army shot #ENDSARS protesters at Lekki tollgate with live ammunition.

In the investigation published on Wednesday, CNN said it examined bullet casings found at the scene and confirmed with current and former Nigerian military sources that the bullet casings match those used by the army. Two ballistics experts have also confirmed with CNN that the shape of the bullet casings indicate they used live rounds, which contradicts the army’s claim they fired blanks.

Also, working with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, CNN established that several of the bullets from the Lekki tollgate originated from Serbia. Export documents CNN has seen show that Nigeria purchased weaponry from Serbia almost every year between 2005 and 2016.

The investigation revealed that soldiers who carried out the operation were from Bonny Camp barracks, Victoria Island.

CNN, with the help of videos uploaded on social media also traced families of some deceased who said they are still searching for the whereabouts of their loved ones.

One month after FG told lecturers to resign and go into farming, ASUU advises members to seek alternative livelihood

IHUOMA Chiedozie
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One month after FG told lecturers to resign and go into farming, ASUU advises members to seek alternative livelihood

ABOUT a month after the Federal Government told university lecturers to resign their jobs and go into farming, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has advised its members to seek alternative means of livelihood.

The advice followed the inability of the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve outstanding issues over which the lecturers embarked on the industrial action which had grounded Nigeria’s public universities‎ for several months.

Coordinator of ASUU, Abuja Zone, Professor Theophilus Lagi, ‎at a press conference at the University of Abuja on November 17, revealed that the union has advised lecturers ‎to find alternative means of livelihood.‎

L‎agi suggested that the Federal Government, represented by Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had not been sincere in negotiations with ASUU.

‎“Our members have been advised to seek other legitimate means of survival as the government has not released salaries withheld since February 2020. ‎One need not be a psychologist to understand the behaviour and recent utterances of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige.

“The minister has clearly shown his disdain for Nigerian academics and has failed to play the role of an unbiased umpire in moderating the imbroglio. ‎In the past few weeks, for instance, Ngige has said one thing when he met with the union and a different thing on the same subject in interviews with the media,” Lagi said.

But he also gave indications that the union was not going to back down from its position in the protracted, unending negotiations with the Federal Government.

“Our members are relentlessly determined to continue with the ongoing strike until our demands are met,” the ASUU official said. ‎

The Federal Government had on October 5 told members of the union to consider resigning their lecturing jobs and take up farming‎ and other professions.

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, who made the suggestion when he appeared as a guest on ARISE NEWS Channel, a television station, ‎had insisted that ‎ASUU members cannot dictate how they should be paid by the Federal Government, their employer.

‎The minister observed that Nigeria was in need of more farmers.‎

‎The minister had said, “ASUU is within its rights as a union of lecturers. We didn’t start a strike with ASUU on the basis of COVID-19. ‎ASUU was already on strike way before COVID-19. Just before COVID-19 we shut down schools, they gave notice of an indefinite strike. ‎We are not in any contention with them.

“Government is actually not holding anyone to ransom. It says this is how I want to pay and it has to be through IPPIS. ‎You can leave the employment. You can opt out of it and say ‘I no longer want to teach’. You can find other professions. What we need now are probably more farmers. ‎You cannot keep forcing your employer and tell him, ‘I will like you to pay me my money through my pillow. Or, I will like you to pay it through this mailbox’.

“ASUU has a lot of complaints and dissipation around it. That is legitimate but doesn’t mean you should force yourself on the man who has the money.”

ASUU did not take kindly to the minister’s suggestion. ‎

In its response, the union also advised Nwajiuba to resign his appointment as minister and go into farming.

‎Reacting to Nwajiuba’s comments, chairman of the University of Ibadan Chapter of ASUU, Professor Ayo Akinwole, in a statement, said the minister’s comments showed that he was naïve on education matters.‎

‎“If the Minister of State for Education is interested in farming, he should resign his appointment and stop displaying his cluelessness of the problems in the education sector. ‎We are on a just fight to ensure that those in public offices become responsive and responsible to the masses they swore to serve.

“They must fund public education. We have been on the same salary since 2009. That is no longer sustainable. ‎The universities are being run with personal sweat of lecturers while politicians siphon money for personal aggrandizement. We cannot accept the IPPIS that is against the laws of the land and which fails to recognise the uniqueness of academic profession and culture.‎

“We have brought an alternative using our members’ money. People like this minister of state mirror the disdain of the ruling class for the workers and people of the country,” ‎the UI ASUU chairman said in the statement.

‎ASUU commenced ‎its ongoing indefinite strike on March 23, largely to protest a Federal Government directive that academic staff in all Nigerian public universities must enrol on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government drawing their salary from the Consolidated Revenue Funds should enrol on the IPPIS platform by the end of October 2019.‎

Despite the complaints by the university workers concerning the IPPIS, the Federal Government says the scheme has helped to reduce corruption in the public sector. ‎

In May 2020, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation said the IPPIS had saved over N361 billion for the Federal Government “despite opposition and sabotage” from some quarters.

The Federal Government had also described ASUU’s opposition to enrolment of its members on the IPPIS as an “open endorsement of corruption”.

Created in 2007, the IPPIS secretariat is a department under the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation responsible for payment of salaries and wages directly to government employees’ bank accounts with appropriate deductions and remittances of third-party payments such as taxes and health insurance. ‎

In place of the IPPIS, ASUU has developed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative payment platform for university lecturers. UTAS is currently being scrutinised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), preparatory to its possible acceptance by the Federal Government.

Interestingly, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have also proposed an alternative payment platform – the University General Peculiar Payroll Payment System (UGPPPS) – in place of the IPPIS.

The university non-academic staff unions have been complaining of irregularities in payment of salary, including delays and deductions since they migrated to the IPPIS platform.

ASUU is insisting on the adoption of UTAS as the payment platform for its members.

The Federal Government has said it has agreed to pay N30 billion Earned Academic Allowance to the lecturers, as well as arrears of salaries. According to the Federal Government, the only outstanding issue was the disagreement over the payment platform.

However, ASUU is insisting on continuing the industrial action, which has lasted about eight months, until the Federal Government meets all its demands.

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