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The House of Representatives has faulted the Federal Government for giving schools the go-ahead to resume on Monday despite the increasing cases of COVID-19. The House said government officials did not consult the relevant committees of the National Assembly, contrary to their claim that all relevant stakeholders were consulted before arriving at the January 18, 2021, resumption date. It, therefore, demanded postponement of resumption for three months, where necessary safety measures weren’t put in place and compliance with protocols low. Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, disclosed these in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Saturday. “They did not consult us; at least in my committee, nobody from the ministry spoke to me. I have been in Abuja. And I am not sure that they spoke to any of my members. They just don’t see us as part of the critical stakeholders,” he said. Ihonvbere, in a statement he issued in Abuja on Sat...

  The ongoing dialogue between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities will continue on Wednesday to enable the leadership to consult their organs on the conclusions reached at Thursday ’s meeting . The parley was convened to resolve the lingering issues that led to the strike by the university lecturers . The government has made some offers and commitments during the meeting which ASUU agreed to take back to their members for consideration . Presenting the outcome of the meeting , the Minister of Labour and Employment , Dr Chris Ngige , said that the government had pledged to pay N 40 billion, being the pending Earned Academic Allowance of the university teachers . He explained that out of that amount , N 30 bn would be paid on or before November 6 , while the remaining N 10 b would be spread equally over two tranches to be paid on May 2021 and February 2022 . A statement on Friday by the Ministry of Labour and Employment spokesman , Mr Charles Akpan , ...

  The Federal Government has agreed to release N 30 billion earned academic allowance to the university lecturers . The money will be paid in tranches between May 2021 and February 2022 .   It was gathered that the FG also promised to spend N20 billion on the revitalisation of the education sector as part of concessions meant to end the seven - month strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities . These were part of the agreements reached during the ongoing meeting between the FG and ASUU leadership on Thursday . Speaking earlier before going into a closed -door session , the Minister of Labour and Employment , Chris Ngige , said students were being recruited into the # EndSARS protests following the closure of universities occasioned by the ASUU strike. He expressed the hope that ASUU would call off the strike soon , noting that the government has been finding ways to end the seven -month strike. The government team was led by Ngige , his minister of state , Fes...

 The Inspector -General of Police , Mohammed Adamu , has set up the Special Weapons and Tactics Team that will replace the disbanded Special Anti- Robbery Squad . The prospective members of the new team , who would undergo tactical training next week , will undergo a psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new assignment . A statement by the Force spokesman , DCP Frank Mba , in Abuja on Tuesday , disclosed that the personnel from police commands in the South- East and the South-South will be trained at the Counter -Terrorism College , Nonwa -Tai , Rivers State . Those from the police commands in the North and the South- West will be trained at the Police Mobile Force Training College , Ende, Nasarawa State and the Police Mobile Force Training College , Ila - Orangun, Osun State , respectively . The statement was entitled , ‘IGP orders all defunct SARS personnel to report at the force headquarters for psychological and medical examina...

      The President of the Senate , Ahmad Lawan, has berated the Federal Government for signing an unrealistic agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities . He said , “When we negotiate , we must negotiate in such a manner that the final product will be implementable. “This is to say that we have to accommodate each other with government doing what it is supposed to do and ASUU , being the body of our lecturers , stands to protect its members .” Lawan said these on Monday when ASUU presented its alternative payroll system , the University Transparency and Accountability Solution , to the Senate . He also pleaded with the ASUU not to be too rigid in its demands in order to move the country forward . He said , “I am sure that we need to review some of the items on the agreements . “We cannot have an agreement signed in 2009 and still think this is the only way we can deal with it. “We should be able to have a look at the agreements signed and see at this time wh...

  The Inspector -General General of Police , Mohammed Adamu , says the training of a new police unit to replace the disbanded Special Anti -Robbery Squad will commence next week . He promised to investigate all cases of brutality by SARS operatives and bring the perpetrators to book . Adamu spoke when popular musician , David Adeleke aka Davido, visited him in office on Monday over the ongoing # EndSARS protests . He said with SARS being disbanded , there was need to set up a new structure to carry out the duties of the defunct police unit which is fighting violent crimes. He said the new outfit would be intelligence -driven, properly trained and only act on occasions that required their attention . He said the unit would be made up of fresh personnel with a new orientation and not officers from the scrapped unit . According to the police boss , opportunities would be created for members of the public to make inputs into the formation of the new unit . Adamu called for calm , notin...

  Protest against police brutality , extortion and extra- judicial killings turned violent in the Surulere area of Lagos State on Monday . The PUNCH gathered that police officers shot indiscriminately to disperse the protesters . In the process , two of the protesters were reportedly hit by gunshots . One of those hit by the gunshot has been reported dead . The protesters had since shared pictures and videos of the victims on social media . However , efforts to reach the Lagos Police Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi , proved abortive . He also did not respond to a text message forwarded to him by our correspondent . In the videos that surfaced online , the protesters were seen scampering to safety . But the Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos State , Olumuyiwa Adejobi , told the News Agency of Nigeria denied that the protesters were not shot by policemen . Instead, he noted that two other inspectors were critically wounded during the violent attack on their uni...

  One of the leading voices of the # EndSARS protests rocking different parts of the country , Aisha Yesufu , has alleged that the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd .) , ordered the men of the Nigeria Police Force to attack protesters expressing their dissatisfaction over the brutality and extrajudicial killings by the operatives of the now -disbanded Special Anti -Robbery Squad of the police . Yesufu , who spoke in a Facebook Live Chat with The PUNCH on Monday afternoon , said had the President not given the instruction , he would have sanctioned the Inspector -General of Police , Mohammed Adamu , for the several assaults on #EndSARS protesters by his men. The PUNCH had reported that the attendant street protests which led to the disbandment of SARS turned violent in some parts of the country , with a protester identified as Jimoh Isiaka , shot dead in Ogbomoso , Oyo State on Saturday. Buhari in a video on Monday subsequently said he had ordered a probe into the ki...

  The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd .) , on Monday , addressed the nation for the first time amid the ongoing nationwide protests against the brutality and extrajudicial killings by men of the now -defunct Special Anti -Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force . In the about two-minute broadcast uploaded on his verified Twitter handle , @ MBuhari, the President said the disbandment of the police unit was a first step to “extensive police reforms” . The President said officials of the disbanded team found to be responsible for wrongful acts would be brought to justice . Buhari also said he had ordered a probe into the killing of a young man in Oyo State during the recent protests . He said , “I will like to use this opportunity to say a word on the recent genuine concerns and agitations by Nigerians about the excessive use of force and in some cases extra -judicial killings and wrongful conduct of the men of the Nigerian Police Force . “The disbanding of SARS is...

  Of a truth the school resumption has really put some parents in a tight corner not just them but also the students, schools where all closed down in 17 March 2020 because of the pandemic, and since then students have been at home since. Recently there was an announcement that schools should begin to reopen, and in some state school has started already although it's a good thing that schools are beginning to reopen, but it will be good and reasonable if it is extended to next year January and here is why. At the cause of the lockdown so many things happen, things where not moving, businesses stagnant se.o many people were sack from their job because the company couldn't afford to pay it workers anymore, and that has really affected some parents and it will be difficult to keep up with any demand from schools now because some have up to 4 to 5 children. The resumption although people were expecting but within the time it was announced, and the time students are expected to resu...

  Ahead of the 60th independence anniversary of Nigeria on October 1, agitators of Biafra Republic in the southeast, and their Oduduwa counterparts in the southwest, yesterday, forged a common front to advance their cause of self-determination. This came as the bodies urged the Federal Government to convene a referendum where Nigerians can freely make a democratic choice, whether they want to continue with Nigeria as presently configured or seek their right to self-determination before the 2023 general elections. Also read: Oct 1: ‘We support IPOB’s sit-at-home call to honor victims of terrorists, herdsmen, bandits’ In a joint statement by International General Secretary of Yoruba One Voice, YOV, Dr Sina Okanlomo and Head, Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Chika Edoziem, the groups dug into the historical antecedent of Nigeria as a nation, concluding that the 1914 forced amalgamation of the different nation-states which made up Nigeria and the succ...

  Contrary to speculations making the rounds in the social media that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called off strike, nothing of such is the case, investigation has shown. Commenting on the development, the Chairman of the University of Lagos, UNILAG chapter of the union, Dr Dele Ashiru, told our correspondent on Saturday that nothing of such happened. Ashiru, who is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the union, said the union was still on strike. “If we are going to call off our going strike, there is process that will be followed and nothing of such has been done, ” he said. Recall that the union embarked on strike early March, this year over some issues.

  The Secretary to the Federal Government and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, disclosed yesterday that the PTF will not shy away from the possibility of another lockdown, adding that the PTF will recommend it to the President who will make the final decisions. While speaking during the national daily briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Monday, Mustapha warned that the deadly virus is still spreading at an alarming rate. “Therefore, we cannot afford to slow down and we must never compromise. Let us continue to learn from the history of pandemics by avoiding the mistakes of 1918. “What happened in 1918 was very simple. During the Spanish Flu, it lasted for 2 years and in three waves, and during that period of time, 500 million people were infected, out of which they recorded fatalities of about 50 million persons. But the dangerous phase of the flu was the second phase,” Boss Mustapha said. He added that the Spanish Flu las...

 The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party , Godwin Obaseki , winner of the governorship election in Edo State . INEC ’s Returning Officer, Prof . Akpofure Rim -Rukeh , announced the total result of the election . He said APC polled 223 , 619 votes, while PDP got 307 ,955 votes . Although 17 political parties fielded candidates for the election , it is a two-way race between All Progressives Congress and PDP . Incumbent Governor Obaseki of PDP ran against APC standard- bearer Osagie Ize -Iyamu. Obaseki was elected on APC ’s platform in 2016 but defected to the PDP after being denied the ticket owing to intra -party squabbles . SEE DECLARED RESULTS 1 ) Igueben LGA PDP 7 ,870 APC 5 ,199 Total 13170 Total votes cast 13 ,382 Election materials snatched in Ward 8 , Unit 2 2 ) Esan North -East APC 6 ,556 PDP 13579 Valid votes 20 ,369 Total votes cast 20 ,730 3 ) Esan Central APC 6 ,719 PDP 10 ,794 4 ) Ikpoba -Okha APC 18 ,218...

  It is finally a good news as the federal government has made it known that it has give permission to state governments to decide on when the reopening of schools will take place. It was reported that Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, made the statement on September 17, when answering some questions during the Presidential Task Force Meeting.   He said that the federal government has finally and already give access to the state governments to take their decision and process on reopen of schools. And he concluded and said governments must follow to the COVID-19 safety guidelines to fit for the reopening of schools. 5 Things All Students Should Do When They Resume School 1. All Students should make use of their facemask always 2. All Students should always wash their hands frequently 3. All students should always sanitize their hand with alcoholic based hand sanitizer before and after school hours 4. All Students should listen to their teachers or instructors safety guidelines 5. All stude...

  During the PTF instructions in Abuja yesterday being seventeenth September 2020. It was announced that Federal Institutions can continue if just they get authorization from the National Universities Commission (NUC).  This announcement comes 14 days after the task force has proclaimed that schools can continue on Thursday September third, 2020.    Nonetheless, the presidential task force(PTF) expressed that State Government can guide chance examination to allow all schools in there particular state to return, Through after the measures to reduce the spread of the infection and guarantee there are techniques on ground to screen and control the circumstances before resuming schools.  Meanwhile, some State Governors have reported dates for returning of schools e.g (Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Borno, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Delta, Kogi, Oyo state respectively). Note their announcement just applies to state asserted establishments as it were.  However, with this proclam...

  The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday said the Federal Government had surrendered the growth and development of the country to the International Monetary Bank and the World Bank . The National President of the union , Prof Biodun Ogunyemi , who said this in a telephone interview with The PUNCH in Lagos , said the Federal Government should prepare for more crises as people ’s anger against the government would worsen as a result of hunger in the land . He also said those running “Nigeria today do not love Nigerians ,” but relied on the advice of some “outside forces.” Also on Monday , the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria gave the Federal Government a seven -day ultimatum to reverse the recent increase in electricity tariff and the price of petrol . The TUC gave the ultimatum in a letter addressed to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd .) , and dated September 14 , 2020. The letter titled , ‘We cannot bear the burden any longer, issuance of seven days ...

  Professor Florence Obi of the Faculty of Education has broken a 45 - year jinx by emerging the first female Vice -Chancellor -elect of the University of Calabar , Cross River State . She emerged top after a rigorous screening exercise involving 12 other candidates . Obi will take over from Prof . Zana Akpagu , whose tenure ends on November 30 , 2020 . The Pro- Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council , UNICAL, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, who announced the emergence of Obi on Friday , congratulated her for emerging the first female Vice- Chancellor of the 45 -year -old institution . Nwaogu described Obi as “an astute educational icon” and prayed for the success of her tenure as Vice -Chancellor of UNICAL. “You can see the tranquility in this governing council . What we assured the university community is that we were going to be transparent , open , fair , and just . “There is a guideline from the Ministry of Education as to how to conduct interview for the appointment of a Vice- Chan...

 Fire gutted the Ondo State Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday, destroying Smart Card Readers . This came barely one month to the governorship election in the state . The cause of the inferno was unknown as of the time of filing this report .  It was gathered that the fire also destroyed some items in a section of the office . When one of our correspondents visited the scene , security operatives cordoned off the premises. The Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman , Rotimi Oyekanmi, confirmed the incident in a short statement titled ‘ Fire at INEC office in Akure ’. He noted that the commission would commence an immediate investigation into the cause of the fire . He said , “Fire broke out today ( Thursday ) September 10 , 2020, at the Ondo State Head Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Akure . “The inferno , which gutted the container housing Smart Card Readers , started at 7. 30 pm . Men of the Fire Service are however...

The Debt Management Office on Wednesday released Nigeria’s total public debt stock as of June 30, 2020, and put the country’s entire debt at N31trn, indicating an increase ofIt N2.38trn within a space of three months. Nigeria’s total public debt stock includes the debt stock of the Federal Government, the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Just as the country’s public debt stock, the DMO also released reports on Nigeria’s Actual External Debt Service Payments in Second Quarter, 2020, as well as Nigeria’s External Debt Stock as of June 30, 2020. For the country’s public debt stock as of June 30, 2020, the DMO said, “The data shows that in naira terms, the total public debt stock which comprises the debt stock of the Federal Government, the 36 state governments and the FCT stood at N31.009trn or $85.897bn. “The corresponding figures for March 31, 2020, were N28.628trn or $79.303bn.” The debt office explained that the increase in the debt stock by N2.381trn or $6.593bn was acco...