The Federal Government has said there was no bias in the payment of salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria (ASUU).

The government pointed out that members of ASUU were paid their October salary pro-rata and not half salary as was reported.

A statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, explained1 pro-rata was done because they cannot be paid for work not done.

The statement said the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, never directed the Accountant General of the Federation to pay the university lecturers half salary.

The statement reads: “Following the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), asking ASUU to go back to work, the leadership of the union wrote to the Minister, informing him that they have suspended the strike. The Federal Ministry of Education wrote to him in a similar vein and our labour inspectors in various states also confirmed that they have resumed work.

“So, the Minister wrote to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, directing that their salaries should be restored. They were paid in pro-rata to the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action. Pro-rata was done because you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied. ”

The statement also faulted a statement by the Chairperson of ASUU, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) branch, Muhammad N. Al-Mustapha, accusing Ngige, of biased payment of salaries to selected professional members of the union.

“Those obviously being referred to by the UDUS ASUU chairperson were members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN) who abstained from the eight-month strike of ASUU because they abhorred the incessant strikes by the union and its grave effects on medical education in Nigeria and production of more medical doctors.

“Accusing the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, of biased payment of salaries to selected professional members of ASUU is a barefaced distortion of facts. Mustapha said he received information that a segment of the staff in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) has been paid seven months of their withheld salaries from March to September, due to a letter written to the Minister of Finance, instructing the exemption of the under-listed staff on the application of ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule

Read Also: Half salary: FG treating Nigerian scholars as casual workers, says ASUU President

“To set the records straight, the medical lecturers who are being referred to by the Chairperson of ASUU UDUS branch, abstained from the eight-month strike of ASUU. This has been corroborated in a press statement by the Chairman, MDCAN UdUS, Dr B. Jubrin and Secretary, Dr I. G Ango, on Friday, November 4, 2022.”

Quoting from Dr Jubrin’s press statement, “Realising the emergency situation in the sub-region worsened b y emerging public health threats, the medical and dental lecturers in UDUS decided to continue the academic activities during the ASUU strike to save our healthcare from total collapse. To this end, the UDUS medical lecturers agreed to conduct lectures and examinations during the period of the strike.

“In line with the provisions of the Labour Act, we wrote and sought the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, to ensure payment of our salaries. The Minister, having carefully reviewed our submission and that of the university management, obliged. This is not an act of favouritism as alleged by ASUU, UDUS branch leadership in their press statement.

“ASUU, UDUS branch, as an association, is expected to protect the interest of all her members and appreciate the differences or peculiarities of medical education. The ASUU can legitimately fight for its lawful rights without tramping on the rights of others who are also university staff. We hope that this response will put issues in their proper perspective.”

The Ministry dismissed the accusation of selective treatment in payment of salaries to ASUU members, urging the media to cross check their facts to avoid feeding the public with the wrong information.

ASUU kicks as Fed Govt pays lecturers for 15-day work in October

ASUU strikes: Appreciate Buhari for not victimising unions

ASUU: Actualizing autonomy agenda?

Moves to ban ASUU will fail – Osodeke

The chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area Mrs.Eunice Torbunde, has confirmed suspected herdsmen killed two persons in Zongo Akiki, Makurdi, Local Government Area in Benue state.

Zongo Akiki is a community located along Nigeria Army School of Military Engineering , NASME, Northbank, Makurdi.

It was the first herdsmen attack in the metropolitan council since gunmen launched a blistering attacks on Benue communities .

Mrs.Torbunde told newsmen that those killed were said to be going to the farm to harvest yams before they ran into an ambush by suspected herdsmen who shot and killed them at the spot.

Read also: Herdsmen kill 18 in Benue community

The Makurdi council boss said after the were killed the herders matcheted them into pieces.

She identified those killed as Tyoikyas Awen and Azende Ude while the third person escaped.

The Council boss also advised those going to the farm to be vigilante and go in numbers so as not to fall victim of herdsmen.

The Benue Police Command was yet to react as of press time.

Herdsmen reportedly kill two farmers in Nasarawa

Herdsmen stab one to death, injure others in Plateau village

Suspected herdsmen kill 11, injure 20 in Benue community

‘How I escaped killer herdsmen who ripped my intestines with bullets’

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove names of all Action Alliance (AA) candidates, including the presidential candidate, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), submitted to it by the Kenneth Udeze led faction of the party.

The order, which was made available to journalists in Kaduna on Saturday, however ruled that the electoral body should display the list of candidates submitted to it by the party’s leadership under the chairmanship of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje.

The court presided over by Justice Z.B Abubakar also held that the electoral body erred by failing to give recognition to the list of candidates submitted to it by Omoaje-led faction.

Omoaje had on behalf of himself and the Action Alliance approached the court to seek redress on the non recognition of the candidates submitted to INEC by him on behalf of the party.

By the judgement of the court, the candidates already announced by INEC including the presidential candidate, Major Hamza Al-mustapha (rtd) are expected to be substituted by the list of candidates submitted by Omoaje.

Al-Mustapha was announced as the presidential candidate of the AA by INEC and his name already published on the website of the electoral body.

Read Also: Court dismisses case seeking disqualification of Rivers PDP governorship candidate

However, with the latest court judgment, Al-Mustapha may be replaced by another person endorsed by the Omoaje leadership.

They were media reports Al-Mustapha might risk losing the AA’s presidential ticket going by the litigation against him.

Justice Abubakar who cited section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, ordered that, INEC should immediately publish the names and addresses of all candidates submitted by Omoaje on behalf of the Action Alliance.

“By the provision of section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC should publish by displaying at the relevant office or offices of INEC and on its website.”

Reacting to the development, the National Chairman of AA, Adekunle Omoaje, said Kenneth Udeze who had been parading himself of the party was expelled from the party since February 14, 2020 during the party’s National Convention in Osogbo.

Ekweremadu: Court orders seizure of Dubai, US, UK, Abuja mansions

Court refuses to disqualify Uba Sani as Kaduna APC Gov candidate

Court adjourns Fayose’s trial until Jan 2023

BREAKING: Court dismisses suit against Rivers PDP Gov candidate

Read Also: Ekweremadu’s assets forfeiture hasty, says Ohanaeze

Ekweremadu: Court orders seizure of Dubai, US, UK, Abuja mansions

Court orders interim forfeiture of 40 Ekweremadu’s properties

Ekweremadu: Ex-minister decries alleged Fed Govt’s indifference

Apex Igbo sociocultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has condemned what it termed the ‘hasty judgement’ passed by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court to the effect that the former Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu should forfeit his 40 landed properties.

Ohanaeze said the haste with which the judgement was passed despite the fact that Ekweremadu was undergoing some travails in the United Kingdom, fell short of ethical standards and natural justice.

In a statement by its spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze insisted that Ekweremadu should be given the opportunity to defend himself on his properties.

It called on legal luminaries of goodwill to intervene against what it called gradual steps towards totalitarianism.

Read Also: Ekweremadu: Court orders seizure of Dubai, US, UK, Abuja mansions

The statement reads, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo stands on a moral probity to state that a hasty exparte motion filed by the EFCC on a man who is undergoing some travails in the United Kingdom falls short of ethical standards and natural justice.

“We maintain that Sen. Ike Ekweremadu should be given the opportunity to defend himself on his properties; and if found wanting should surely face the consequences.

“We are aware that there are several allegations of corruption cases pending in the EFCC but the urgency and selective judgement in the case of Ekweremadu is not only curious but indeed true to type.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on all the Nigerian legal luminaries of goodwill to intervene against gradual steps towards totalitarianism”.

Ekweremadu: Court orders seizure of Dubai, US, UK, Abuja mansions

Court orders interim forfeiture of 40 Ekweremadu’s properties

Despite the availability of 1,847,558,138 litres stock of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol stock, its scarcity persisted in the country at the weekend.

According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in its document titled: “Petroleum Products Stock & Days Sufficiency Data,” which The Nation obtained in Abuja, the stock could last for 29.85 days.

The report that was dated 4th November, also pegged the average daily consumption of the product at 60million litres per day.

In its breakdown, the data said land based stock , which is closing stock less dead stock was 578,987,519 litres.

It added that marine stock at berth plus offshore was 1,211,963,528 litres while total stock less dead stock 1,790,951,047 litres.

Depot dead stock, said the Authority, was 56,607,091 litres.

The NMDPRA said as there was 9.65 days land based suffiency, marine based sufficiency was 20.20 days, totally 29.85 days sufficiency.

Despite this robust data, only a few retail outlets vended PMS in the Federal Capital Territory at the weekend.

While so many of the filling stations were not opened to customers, those that aold it vended with two or three pumps at N175 per litre.

Black marketers solid in plastic cans for an average of N3,500 per litre.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN ) National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, noted that the product was also scarce at the depots.

Read Also: Customs seizes 358 bags of rice in petrol tanker, other items

He said the private depots owners have hiked their rates to N190 to N195 per litre instead of the N149 per litre ex-depot price.

National Vice President said the marketers are compelled to sell the product for N175; N185; N190 regulated rates.

Besides, Maigandi revealed that the terrible state of the roads was worsening the fuel crisis.

He said for deplorable roads, it was taking the trucks five to six days to load the product from Lagos.

His words : “The PMS has to be scarce. One factor is the condition of the road, especially inside Lagos. Before the trucks can load it takes five to six days.
“Secondly, there is no availability of the product. We have paid some money to the NNPC till now we cannot load.
“Then the issue of price is there. All these private depots are selling it at N190 to N195 per litre instead of N149 per litre.
“You know that we are asked to sell this product for N175; N185 or N190 per litre. ”
Ends