The Nation Newspaper

Tag: protest

  • ‘Ghost’s protest’ stuns students

    ‘Ghost’s protest’ stuns students

    IT sounds incredible, but those who witnessed it claim it is true. It all happened in the Gross Anatony Laboratory of the Benue State University College of Health Services where 200-Level medical students were dissecting a cadaver. A cadaver is a dead body used for medical training.

    All of a sudden, a student rushed out, screaming, “ghost,” “ghost”. He said “a ghost that was not happy with the way its body was being dissecting had protested.” Another student, who claimed to be at the session, told CAMPUSLIFE: “We were in the lab this evening, having a dissection exercise. There was a stiff cadaver on a slab, with students standing round it. They were playing with the cadaver and insulting it. I cannot verify this because I was at a different table where dissection was going on.

    “Insects were coming out of the cadaver because it was decaying and I cautioned them that they could be infected if they were bitten. Peter was busy snapping the cadaver. When he was checking the pictures, everybody noticed he was shaking terribly. I didn’t understand what was going on and since some staff were around, we had to continue with dissection.

    “Later, a colleague called me that the picture Peter took had a ghost in it. I didn’t believe it at first. When I saw the picture, it was shocking and strange. You may feel you want to see it but I tell you, it is not something you want to see.

    “The ghost was wrapped in a white cloth and turban, and its face was black. Peter nearly passed out because of fear. At the time, one of our classmates, who had the courage to hold the phone, would not let people collect the picture through Bluetooth because they could upload it on Facebook. I agreed with him, but the way people are checking the picture, I believe they would delete the picture. I cannot even read now, because whenever I sit down, it is just the ghost that I see.”

    There was a debate over the veracity of the claim. Benjamin Kondom, 300-Level student, said he did not believe the image was a ghost until he saw the picture. He said people could manipulate graphic images to look real but argued that it was likely that the student saw the ghost. Patrick Etunke, 400-Level and immediate past president of the Christian Medical and Dental Association, (CMDA) told CAMPUSLIFE he could not explain it.

    “I was told the picture has been deleted and I felt very bad. I don’t know how to explain this. I went to Peter’s house but he was afraid that the authorities may punish him because students have been warned not to take photograph in the anatomy lab. This probably is the reason why he deleted the picture.”

    He believed in the existence of ghosts but wondered why a spectre could be captured in the picture. “Is it that the camera is sharper than the eye? What the eye could not see, the camera picked. This is my surprise,” Patrick said, adding: “It is spirits that should be afraid of us because they can’t operate in this realm. Otherwise, that ghost could have slapped the guy if it had the power.”

    Another student, who also was in the lab when the incident happened, said: “Usually, each class has its own cadaver. When we went there, we saw another cadaver. It was smallish and we were seeing it for the first time. Some of our mates made certain statements about the cadaver. At the time though, I did not think they were disrespecting the cadaver. But when we came out and saw the ghost, I then reflected on what they did to it and realised the ghost was not happy and that is why it was protesting.

    “I saw the ghost standing beside its body. It was covered in white cloth like Father Abraham-kind of clothes. His whole body was wrapped but its hands were folded across the chest. Peter was afraid that the authorities may not be happy because already, phones are not allowed in the gross lab, so he deleted the picture.”

    When our correspondent spoke to Peter, whose picture sent the college into frenzy, he denied the ghost story, saying it was just a joke that went beyond his control. He explained that his phone had an application that enabled him to snap pictures and cause certain images to appear alongside the main image.

    Asked why he deleted the picture, Peter said when the joke began to go beyond his control; he feared that it might get to the college’s authorities, which might take disciplinary action against him. “I came to class today and told everyone that it was all a joke. But they didn’t believe me,” he said jovially, adding: “I am surprised by the way even our senior colleagues were worried by the story. We are in the medical school, and do you believe a camera can capture a ghost?”

  • Protest grounds National Hospital

    •Hospital running fine, says management

    Activities at the National Hospital, Abuja were disrupted yesterday for about four hours by protesting workers.

    The three-day protest over poor condition of service will continue till tomorrow.

    It is aimed at attracting the attention of the management of the hospital and the public to the plight of the workers, their union said.

    Though yesterday’s protest was peaceful, workers carried placards with various inscriptions, such as: ‘No condition of service for 14 years’, among others.

    The Chairman of the Senior Staff Union of National Hospitals, Mr. Kilani Jelili, said: “The continuous disregard for public service rules, the schemes of service of other health professionals and the setting aside of our approved condition of service by the management team of the National Hospital have been a source of concern to our members.”

    But the hospital management said the protest has not affected activities at the hospital, noting that it was only a few workers that were involved in the industrial action and patients were not discharged.

    The management pleaded with the protesting workers to be patient as it is awaiting the decision of the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, on the disputed issue of condition of service.

    The spokesman of the hospital, Mr. Tayo Hastrupp, said: “The first thing to note is that it was a few of our union members that engaged in the protest. We have the NANNM, Medical Health Workers’ Union and Senior Staff Association, which in their wisdom have decided to go on a three-day warning strike from 8am to 12pm before resuming for duty. Our doctors are working; our patients are not being discharged. The issue borders on some grievances, more on conditions of service. They have written a protest letter to the Minister of Health, who is supervising the hospital on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan. He has set up a committee. The committee met the management and the union and they are going back to the minister to say this is our report. Why not be patient? We are waiting for the report from the minister, who will take a decision on this matter. There should be reason and sense of judgment to wait for what has been submitted to his office.

    “We hope within the next three days, I am sure the minister will say ‘get them back to talk to them; be patient’. The minister has taken up the body to set up a committee on this thing. I am sure the best thing for us is to wait for the response of the minister on the report.”

    But the workers would not budge as they are demanding the full implementation of the NHA condition of service.; adoption of the training guidelines submitted to the hospital management since 2010; the re-establishment of the staff clinic to cater for the healthcare needs of workers and their dependants; restoration of the suspended refund of medical bill to staff. The protesting workers are also demanding the payment of the annual prepaid housing allowance to staff as loan at the beginning of each year as provided for in the condition of service for NHA; the commencement of approved amount of duty tour allowance to workers as prescribed by the PSR.

    “Besides, the workers are asking for reversal of the stoppage of the payment of the first 28 days accommodation allowance to newly-employed staff, with backlog paid to the affected officers; full implementation of the scheme of service for health professionals in the service of the National Hospital Abuja; establishment of a police post around the perimeter of the hospital premises and the provision of functional street lights in our immediate environment.

    “The workers are also demanding the reinstatement of the suspended members of staff from Histopathology Department, who have been discharged and acquitted of the offence, which caused their suspension; that the incumbent Director of Administration be directed to proceed on retirement according to his record of service.

    Reacting to the expiration of the term of Odiba, the hospital spokesman said: “There is a procedure in the public service. There is a proper procedure to follow to know and check if this is part of the grievances. The minister knows the proper place to go and find out. The committee knows where to find out whether it is true. We should have evidence and fact in our judgment to determine. Of course, if this man has spent the number of years he should spend in service, he has to go, but we must have evidence on this matter.

    “The procedure is that the record workers, who join them, would cause “small snag” in medical services.”

     

     

  • Protest in Bauchi over kidnap of foreigners

    Youths at Jama’are in Jama’are Local Government Area of Bauchi State yesterday protested the kidnap of Setraco Company workers.

    They appealed to the Federal Government, Bauchi State Government and security agencies to fish out the abductors of the foreigners.

    The youth carried placards. One of them reads: ‘Jama’are youths call for the release of seven foreigners abducted’. They went to the Emir’s palace and delivered their letter of protest.

    The youth decried the kidnap, saying: “Setraco Company has created job opportunities for over 400 indigenes of Jama’are and 300 from other states, thereby reducing hardship and criminal activities associated with unemployment.”

     

     

     

     

  • Policemen, families protest ‘inhuman’ eviction

    They cut a pitiable sight as they milled round their belongings lying in the premises of the former Lagos State Police Command at 1, Oduduwa Street, GRA Ikeja.

    Some were in tears; others spoke angrily as they bemoaned their fate. They had just been thrown out of their apartments by the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Other Offences at the instance of the wife of police chief, Mrs. Rabi Manko.

    Those affected were policemen who were officially allocated rooms in the old offices of the Commissioner of Police, popularly known as ‘White House’. Some other offices around the buildings were also affected.

    Most of the rank and file, whose rooms were broken into and their belongings thrown out by the task force, led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sunday Popoola, are said to be on special duties in Jos (Plateau State), Damaturu (Yobe), and Maidiguri (Borno), trying to dislodge members of the Islamic sect Boko Haram from those places.

    The policemen and their families watched helplessly as their belongings were thrown out by the task force in the execution of what it termed, “order from above”.

    The atmosphere became charged when an Inspector whose apartment was about to be broken into threatened to shoot anybody who took up the task.

    The Inspector brought out an allocation paper purportedly issued to him by the police, adding that it was only the illegal makeshift apartments erected by some homeless policemen that the task force was asked to demolish, but Popoola would not listen.

    A widow, Mrs Lucky Egbunike, who lost her husband, Inspector Ambrose while in active service about a year ago, rained invectives on the police for trying to evict her and her children from their apartment. The widow stood at her door, daring any of the officials to evict her.

    She alleged that since her husband’s death, the police had not paid the bereaved family a kobo, asking: “From where do they expect me to get money to move out of here? We have been living in this place for over 15 years; it was allocated to us by the police.

    “Since my husband died doing police work, nothing has been paid to us. We carried the burial expenses on our own; nothing came from the police and now they are asking us to leave our home, even when my late husband’s entitlements have not been paid. It is better they kill me too”.

    A riot police officer challenged the task force officials for allegedly breaking into legally-acquired apartments, noting that they were only asked to demolish the illegal structures. He paid dearly for his action as he was ordered detained at the Area ‘F’ Command allegedly by Mrs Manko. He was still being detained as at Saturday night.

    It was gathered that Mrs Manko led other executive members of the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA), Lagos State, on an inspection of the newly constructed POWA secretariat and Event Centre inside 1, Oduduwa Street, GRA, Ikeja on Thursday evening.

    The premises also accommodate the Police Public Relations Office (PPRO), Police Pay Office, PMF 20, 22 Squadron Offices, Police Armoury, the Anti-Terror Squad, Special Protection Unit, Mike Okiro Press Centre and the Lagos Command Anti-Bomb Department.

    It was during the inspection that Mrs Manko, who chairs POWA, ordered the demolition of ‘illegal structures’ and the eviction of their occupants by Friday morning.

    Trouble started for the policemen and their families in October, last year, when they were served eviction notices following the completion of a multi-purpose hall, POWA Secretariat and Event Centre, which were built by the state government.

    The quit notice, which was signed by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Mohammed Kamal, gave those affected up till October 29 to vacate, warning that after the deadline, “your continued stay will therefore be regarded illegal.” The notice added: “Failure to comply with this directive will entail that disciplinary action be taken against you and forceful ejection. You are warned.”

    The letter, it was learnt, was served on all the occupants and those at a block which used to serve as offices for police officers.

    The policemen and their families urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, to order the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, to stay action and give them at least, two more months to find alternative accommodation.

    At the expiration of the deadline, some of the over 100 families begged for additional four months, but the demand was not granted. Also evicted were officials of the state government living in government quarters at the nearby 1A, Oduduwa Street.

    An affected resident, Mohammed Ahmed, said: “On Thursday, members of the task force came, met my mother and told her that they had been directed to eject everybody in the quarters.

    “My father worked for the state government as a gardner and over 10 years after he died, we have not been paid his entitlements; hence, my mother’s continued stay in the quarters with her children. She told them that if she got the money, she would have no option than to leave.

    “Around 4pm on Friday, the task force people came back and evicted everybody including some people who are still in the civil service. No quit notice was served at anytime before the eviction apart from the verbal one of Thursday. We have no where to go; our properties are scattered outside and should the rains fall now, all of them will be destroyed. What have we done to these people?”, Ahmed asked.

    Efforts to get the police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, to speak on the issue failed. She did not anwer her calls nor reply our text message.

  • Edo truck drivers protest double taxation

    Hundreds of truck drivers yesterday took to the streets, protesting alleged double taxation by the Edo State Government.

    They blocked major roads in Benin City with their trucks.

    Their Chairman, Henry Izekor, said N500 was added to what they had been paying.

    He said they used to pay N200 daily to their unions, N200 to local councils, N10,000 yearly for the Inland Revenue Services sticker and N12,000 yearly for parking permit.

    Henry noted that the N500 introduced by the Inland Revenue Services’ last week was another burden on them.

    According to him, “what we have been paying is okay for us. We say no to double taxation.”

    At the Government House where they converged, the protesters were informed that Governor Adams Oshiomhole has banned collection of all forms of levies and rates from motor parks.

    A statement by Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the ban on collection of levies affected commercial motor drivers, tricycle operators and commercial motorcyclists, pending the streamlining of collections in the sector.

    Oshiomhole, in the statement, warned that anybody or group that breached the directive would be prosecuted.

    He said the Road Transport Workers Union, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Akugbe Ventures and other collectors in the transport sector were banned from collecting levies and rates.

    Akugbe Ventures, led by Tony Kabaka and RTEAN, led by Osakpamwan Eriyo, have been at war since Monday over the collection of levies at motor parks.

  • Valentine’s Day protest at LASPOTECH

    Valentine’s Day protest at LASPOTECH

    Students of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) gave the institution’s management a shocker on Valentine’s Day. They marched on their Rector’s office in Ikorodu to protest what they termed the authority’s insensitivity to their welfare.

    The demonstration, which started at 8:45am from the polytechnic’s second gate, was led by the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Olanrewaju Balogun. The protesters also besieged the library, chanting solidarity songs with placards.

    As the students moved towards the Rector’s office, a top official of the institution pleaded with them to halt the demonstration. The official, whose identity could not be ascertained asked the students to return to their hostels, promising that their grievances would be addressed.

    The students declined to stop the protest, insisting on an audience with the Rector.

    On getting to the Rector’s office, the Deputy Rector, Olasunkanmi Longe, addressed them, saying the Rector, Dr Abdulazeez Abioye, was not around. Not convinced, the protesters continued the solidarity songs, demanding to see the Rector in person.

    After a few minutes, Olanrewaju addressed the protesters, saying the union leaders had confirmed that Abioye was not on campus. He said students would still make their grievances known to the management in the absence of the Rector.

    Stating their challenges, the Speaker of the union, Kehinde Olofintuyi, said students could no longer afford “double payment of Entrepreneurship Educational Development (EED) fee”. Other complaints include deduction in number of students being mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), poor operation delivery at the school’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, poor transportation scheme, insecurity on campus and incapacitation of the students’ union among others.

    Longe said he would relay the students’ grievances to the management, promising that“quick intervention” would be made. He said management was not to blame for the decrease in NYSC mobilisation, saying the reduction was informed by NYSC’s new regulation, which stipulated that only graduates that have the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration number could be mobilised for Service.

    Longe said there would be “regularisation” for students, who did part-time programmes for National Diploma (ND) but admitted on full-time for Higher National Diploma (HND). He said the process needed to be carried out to generate JAMB registration numbers for the affected students before they were mobilised for service.

    He promised that management would address poor operation of the ICT centre, adding that the facility would be strengthened to service the students better. The crowd was thrown into frenzy when Longe did not address EED fee. Students interrupted the Deputy Rector, preventing him from making further comment except he agreed to speak on the controversial fee.

    Longe, who managed to calm the crowd, said he did not have power to speak on EED, pleading with the students to wait for the Rector’s comment on it.

    He stated that the management did not have any reason to undermine the union, saying the school was only helping the union to collect its dues from students. But Longe promised that the issue would be looked into.

    The SUG president reiterated that the union was out to advance the welfare of students. He said another round of protest would be embarked on by students if the management did not respond to the issues raised.

    The General Secretary of the union, Acheme Ramsonon, said before students went on demonstration, the union had written several letters to the authorities but there were no responses. He said the peaceful protest was to explain the plight of students to the management. Oluwasegun Iroko, the union’s Public Relations Officer, praised the students for peaceful conduct, saying Aluta was not to destroy property during protest.

     

  • Aero Airlines’ drivers protest transfer of service

    Aero Airlines’ drivers protest transfer of service

    Drivers of the Aero Airlines yesterday staged a protest at the premises of the airlines at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos over the transfer of their service to a firm, Remlord Tours and Car Hire Service, under outsourcing arrangement.

    Speaking with newsmen during the protest at the airline’s office in Ikeja, Mr Olayinka Abioye, Acting General Secretary of Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), said the situation was “terrible”.

    He said that what the airline was doing amounted to a breach of the fundamental human rights of the drivers.

    He said the drivers ought to have been carried and denied the involvement of the unions in the matter.

    “Some members of the management sat down and gave 41 drivers letters, that they have been transferred without involving the unions.

    “The drivers should be told and agree if they want their services to be contracted out. We told the drivers to return the letters of transfer, which was given to them since Jan. 14. The transfer was to take effect in Feb. 1. If any driver is going to be sacked, we the unions must know why.”

  • Corps members protest in Nasarawa

    Corps members protest in Nasarawa

    Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, barricaded the Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road.

    The protest, which started as early as 7am, left many commuters stranded for hours as the protesters vowed to remain there until their final allowances are paid.

    It was gathered that the protesters were Batch ‘A’ corps members, who were to serve in crises-prone states, but were redeployed to Nasarawa.

    The redeployment, according to findings, was not reflected in the state’s wage bill until two weeks ago when the state coordinator took the file to the government.

    Deputy Governor Dameshi Barau Luka addressed the protesting corps members and appealed for calm.

    Luka, who addressed them on behalf of Governor Tanko Al-Makura, said the issue did not come to the government’s notice on time.

    He said: “Some of you who are supposed to be passing out have not received your arrears.

    “When we got the notice yesterday, we began work immediately to know why you have not been paid.

    “The issue will be sorted out soon.”

  • Corps members to protest colleague’s ‘brutalisation’

    National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Ekiti State have vowed to protest the alleged brutalisation of their colleague, Mr. Anthony Onuagbara, by some policemen.

    Some of them, who spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, lamented the condition of the corps member, who they alleged could no longer see with one of his eyes following the alleged unjust treatment.

    According to them, “it was shocking to realise that the NYSC, which should champion the cause of serving corps members, has not shown interest.

    “We have decided to mobilise our colleagues to stage a protest tomorrow (today) at the passing out parade since we have observed that the police and the NYSC are covering up the incident.

    “How can a corps member, who came to serve his fatherland with every part of his body complete, go back as a physically-challenged and they expect us not to protest?

    “We know that nothing will be done about the case again since he (Onuagbara) will pass out tomorrow (today).”

    They said that was why they mobilised for the protest to call the attention of the public to the unjust treatment meted out to the corps member.

    Police spokesman Mr. Victor Olu- Babayemi said: “The matter is being investigated.

    The case is still being investigated and whoever is found culpable will be punished.”

    Onuagbara, who served at the Ekiti State University, was on August 12 last year allegedly attacked by some police officers attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in his home at Adebayo area.

    The corps member, a 21-year-old graduate of Marketing from the Anambra State University, alleged that some policemen forced their way into his room on the fateful day and beat him up with assorted objects, including the butt of their gun.

  • Pensioners’ nationwide protest begins Feb 25

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has announced plans for nationwide protests scheduled to begin on February 25.

    The National President of NUP, Alhaji Ali Abatcha, told reports that a meeting by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, ended in a deadlock.

    He said the meeting was attended by representatives of the Head of Service of the Federation, the Ministry of Justice and others.

    Abatcha said the union is seeking the release of the one per cent check-off dues which members voluntarily contributed but seized by the Pension Reform Task Team.

    He said: “The meeting ended in a deadlock because none of our demands was met.We are also demanding the 53 per cent increment, which civil servants have been enjoying for the past three years, among others.

    “The Minister told us to come back by February 13 so that the Salaries, Income and Wages Commission can explain why the circular is yet to be released. For the check-off dues, the Ministry of Justice said we don’t have the right to levy our members but we told them it is not levy but voluntary contribution.

    “We will not accept a situation where genuine pensioners suffer for their entitlements, which aren’t paid, while the chairman of the task team claims to be saving money for government.”