The Leadership of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has lambasted the Federal Government and political actors for allowing the strike by university-based unions to linger.

The workers noted that the Federal Government and political actors had abandoned the children of the poor at home to waste away due to the strike.

According to the health workers, no responsible government would close down its public tertiary institutions in this 21st Century because of patriotic demands for better funding of its universities and good welfare for its teaching and non-teaching members of staff.

They described the continued closure of these institutions as “shameful.”

Their position is contained in a statement jointly signed by the National President of MHWUN, Comrade Biobelemoye Josiah and Acting Secretary-General Comrade Auwalu Kiyawa, yesterday in Abuja.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike since February 14, 2022, over the failure of the Federal Government to meet its demands.

It was joined a month after by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and Research Institutions under the auspices of the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions (JORAISU).

Read Also: ASUU: we’re waiting on Fed. Govt to sign agreement

The university lecturers blamed the government for failing to adopt the University Transparency and Accountability Solution-a payment platform developed by ASUU to pay them.  The union also accused the government of failing to implement the renegotiated 2009 agreement reached with the leadership of ASUU in May last year.

The statement by MHWUN reads: “The Leadership of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria is particularly irked that the Federal Government and the political actors have abandoned the children of the poor masses at home to waste away, instead they are seen dissipating energy and resources that could have been used to resolve the issue to fund political tussle to occupy plum offices that previous occupiers have failed to use for the benefit of the masses.

“We are worried about the development because the academic future of the citizenry is being disrupted whereas the politicians and top government officials have their children mostly in well-funded and equipped oversea schools or in relatively expensive private schools in Nigeria.

“Discerning minds will agree with us that the negative impact of the strike on the future of our children and Nigeria, in general, cannot be quantified. We call on people of goodwill to stand up in defence of the right and future of our children and Nigeria, by demanding the government do the right thing and bring these children back to the classroom.

“We condemn the lethargic attitude of the government in resolving the issues in contention. In order to protect the future of our youths whose academic life is being disrupted, we call on the government to implement without further delay all the agreements it had entered with the unions.

“We urge the relevant MDAs to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier directive to resolve all outstanding issues with the unions is backed by immediate acceptable action that would end the stalemate.

“MHWUN wishes to use this medium to unequivocally state that we firmly stand behind the University based Unions and the clear position of NLC leadership in this historic struggle.

“Our state councils have been put on a red alert, as we will not hesitate to declare a solidarity strike in support of the Unions if the government fails to resolve the issue within a reasonable time.

“Furthermore, the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria categorically condemn in the strongest words the spate of insecurity in the Country. The rising orgies of killing, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and extreme agitation for secession have assumed a dangerous dimension. Hardly any day passes by without reports of security challenges in some parts of the country. Human lives have become so cheap and without value.

“Nigerian workers are no longer safe at their homes and at workplaces, as many have lost their lives to these enemies of the state.

“We, therefore, demand a resolute action from the government to end this degrading assault on the sovereignty of our country.

“We equally condemn the current scarcity of diesel, cooking gas, petrol and aviation fuel, and the rising wave of arbitrary prices all over the country. This pathetic development has further exposed workers whose salaries and income have already been eroded by inflation, to greater hardship. The situation reinforced the earlier call by the organised labour for resolute action on the domestic refining of petroleum.

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has said he will investigate the state water board over the persistent water scarcity supply in the state capital despite releasing N114 million to the board to address the matter.

Expressing his displeasure over the issue at the weekend, Tambuwal, who was at the palace of Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar to pay Sallah homage to the revered monarch said that “only this week his administration provided N114 million to the state water board for it to tackle the issue.”

 The governor, who was amazed that the problem still persisted, decided that the state government will investigate the issue of water scarcity.

Governor Tambuwal, who thanked the Sultanate Council for its role in preaching peace in the state and country in general, urged politicians to play politics with decorum as the next election season approaches.

He assured them that the state government is doing its best in order to ensure that every eligible person will be registered and possess his Personal Voter’s Card (PVC).

 On the condition of the state contingents to this year’s Hajj, Tambuwal said he is in contact with the Amirul Hajj with whom he spoke on Friday while the pilgrims were at Muzdalifa and got assurance that all were hale and hearty.

 On the security situation in the state, the governor said his administration, in collaboration with the security agencies and other stakeholders, is doing its best, even as he urges the people of the state to desist from politicising the issue of security and religion.

 Sultan Abubakar commended Governor Tambuwal and his exco for their effort in executing various developmental projects and ensuring that peace and peaceful co-existence continue to subsist in the state.

 The Sultan also urged leaders of all shades in the state and beyond to be always just and fair to their subjects; while also calling on the people to fear Allah in all their dealings.

 He appreciated the state government for always seeking advice from the council for the development of the state, emphasising that the council will continue to give useful advice for such ventures.

 He praised the effort of the state government and security agencies in maintaining peace in the state, assuring that the Sultanate will continue to give its maximum cooperation in tackling the problem.

Sebore International Farms, an agricultural enterprise established by former Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako, has inaugurated a new dairy factory.

 The factory, which churns out different varieties of Admiral’A Yoghurt from milk sourced mainly from independent cattle breeders, is said to be the largest in Nigeria.

 At the event in Mayo-Belwa, an agrarian community South of Yola, the state capital, Nyako thanked God for sparing his life to behold the dairy factory 40 years after he established the farms.

 “I feel grateful that, at the sunset of my life, I have seen the sunrise of another generation that will take Sebore to greater heights. I thank my son Aminu Nyako for his vision regarding the development of the Sebore Export Processing Zone with his diary project,” Nyako said.

 While Nyako established the Sebore Farms in 1982 in his home town, Mayo-Belwa, the Admiral’A Yoghurt Factory, located within the 15,000-hectare farm complex and inaugurated towards the weekend, is the brainchild of one of his sons, Aminu Nyako.

 Aminu, who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sebore International Farms, said the birth of the diary firm marked the beginning of a dream to contribute to a desire of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to end the importation of dairy products.

 Aminu said the yoghurt-producing initiative marks a fresh turning point in the life of Sebore Farms which once exported Admiral’A mangos to Europe and the Middle East.

 Narrating the history of the dairy factory, Aminu said: “Three years ago, we did a survey and discovered that Adamawa State has 2.1 million cattle. That is massive potential. To harness this great potential, two things had to be in place: Power and processing.

“To address this gap, the Central Bank, through our bank, Providus Bank, allowed us to access facilities that have birthed what you see today.”

 The CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele confirmed that in a move against the importation of dairy products, the apex bank supported the project.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Malam Muhammad Bello has said his administration has strengthened enforcement in the bid to tackle reckless driving in the country’s capital.

Bello stated this when he received the management of the News Agency of Nigeria led by its Managing Director, Mr Buki Ponle on a courtesy visit.

The minister also said the administration’s officials had arrested many offenders.

“Most of the taxis that are in green and white colours in the city are registered, so we have a database and some of them are uniquely under a specific company.

“Some companies have fleets of 300 to 400 vehicles while some have 150 to 200; so we are able to catch up with them.

“What we do now in some areas that are notorious and very difficult to have enforcement officers all the time is to create some barriers,” the minister said.

According to Bello, offenders are taken to the hospital for psychiatric tests to ascertain their mental health while their vehicles are impounded.

“The offenders will pay N10, 000 for the mental check-up and if the results show that they have a psychiatric problem, then we will keep them at the hospital.

“However, if it is not a psychiatric case, we will take them to the Vehicle Inspection Officer’s office where we have a conference room and then they will make them pay a fine.

“After paying the fine, the vehicle will be parked there and they will come for lessons on good manners of driving for two weeks,” he said.

The minister, who said his administration had been urging the media to embark on naming and shaming offenders, however, said it had not been receiving the desired cooperation.

Ponle had commended the minister for his efforts in ensuring sanity in the country’s capital, adding that enforcement was very important.

“I am happy you raised this issue of increased surveillance, especially when it comes to enforcement because enforcement is important.

“If there is a law and if there is no enforcement, it is just as if there is no law. But when there is enforcement and punishment, you will remember that if you break the law, punishment is awaiting you.

“So, people will think twice before they break the law. I am happy about that,” Ponle said.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed the death of Hasiya Aminu, a pilgrim from Kaduna State.

She died in her sleep shortly after returning from the Mount Arafat, according to her neighbours in the tent.

Dr Usman Galadima, Chief of Operations and Head of Nigerian Medical Mission, told the News Agency (NAN) that no cause has been ascertained for her death.

He said the family of Aminu has already been informed of her death and she would be buried according to Islamic rites.

Read Also: Nigerian pilgrim dies in Saudi Arabia

Usman is the second Nigerian pilgrim that has died during the 2022 Hajj operations.

Hajiya Aisha Ahmed from Keffi in Nasarawa State died last week after a brief illness and was buried in Makkah.

The stay on Arafat throughout the day is a compulsory rite for each pilgrim to fulfil the Hajj process.

Nigerian pilgrims were among the over one million performing the 2022 Hajj operations in Arafat.

The Arafat is the place where Prophet Muhammed delivered his last sermon on a Friday prior to his death.