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Tag: protest

  • Parents to protest seven-month teachers’ strike in Plateau

    Parents to protest seven-month teachers’ strike in Plateau

    Parents in Plateau State are set to hit the streets over the non-resolution of the seven-month-old strike embarked upon by teachers in the state over government’s inability to pay the new minimum wage of N18,000.

    The teachers under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Plateau State Council, embarked on strike in March, this year to demand the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage.

    Speaking on the strike, Chairman, Plateau State Chapter of the Parent Teachers’Association, Mr Sylvester Yakubu, said that many parents had been forced to enrol their children into private schools.

    Yakubu said parents would soon take to the streets to force government to take steps to end the strike.

    The PTA chair pointed out that the future of the children was “on the brink of collapse’’, particularly those in the last years of primary school and those seeking to enrol in public schools.

    “Schools have resumed but nobody knows the fate of those in primary six since they did not write the common entrance examinations because of the strike. As parents, we will not fold our hands and continue to wait until the two warring parties decide to call a truce while the future of our children is in jeopardy,” he said.

    Yakubu faulted suggestions that there was no need for primary six pupils to worry over admission to JSS 1 as there were plans to give them automatic admission.

    “If not for the decay in our educational system, how can you place a child, who did not sit for any promotion examination and have been at home for seven months, into JSS 1. How can such pupil perform effectively if placed into JSS 1?,” he asked.

    However, Plateau State Commissioner for Education, Mr Nanle Dashen, said that primary six pupils were already being admitted into JSS 1.

    Dashen explained that with the nine-year basic education system, primary six pupils did not need to write common entrance examination before they could be admitted into JSS 1.

    He added that the transition from primary six to JSS1 was automatic as it was a continuation of the nine-year basic education system being handled by the Universal Basic Education Board.

    “With the present system, it is compulsory for the child to transits up to JSS 3.

    “As he transits, all his shortfalls are noted by the teacher who will remedy them by way of curricular adjustment,“ he said.

    The commissioner, however, expressed optimism that the issues would be resolved soon.

    “The state government has already set up an 11-man elders’ committee to resolve the issues. The committee is already discussing with all stakeholders and we shall agree on the grey areas,” he said.

    Chairman, Plateau State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mr Gunshin Yarlings, however, disagreed with the commissioner as he vowed that primary school pupils would remain at home until teachers’ grievances were addressed.

    “We are not asking for anything new; we only want to be paid the N18,000 minimum wage like any other worker in Nigeria. That is not too much to ask for,” he said.

    Some of the schools have been taken over by weeds while many parents have enrolled their children in private schools.

  • Abia Varsity closed as students protest

    The final year students of Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, have protested the authorities’ decision to stop them from taking the final examinations if they do not pay their school fees.

    The univeristy’s authorities reportedly stopped the final year students from writing the examinations unless they complete their school fees.

    It said many students had failed to pay after taking the examinations, leading to loss of revenue.

    The protest led to the indefinite closure of the institution.

    The management said this was to stop the students from destroying the property, as they had done previously over similar matters.

    In a statement by the Registrar, Earnest Onuoha, the Senate, at its 192nd regular meeting, resolved that only final students, who had paid their fees in full should be allowed to write the examinations.

    The statement reads: “No student owing school fees would be allowed to write the second semester examinations due to begin on Tuesday, October 9, and any examination missed on account of non-payment of outstanding fees would be treated as having failed the examination.

    The affected students would carry the failed courses over to the next academic session and any staff on invigilation duties, who allows a debtor-student to write any examination, would be sanctioned”.

    Following the protest and destruction of property, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chibuzo Ogbuagu, ordered that the school be closed.

    Onuoha said: “The Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University, Prof Chibuzo Ogbuagu, on behalf of the university’s Senate, has approved the immediate and indefinite closure of the university.”

    The students were advised to vacate the campus before 6pm last Wednesday.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Assistant Registrar (Media), Acho Elendu, said of about 20,000 students in the university, only 1,000 had paid their fees.

    This, he said, forced the university management to shift the examination date from October 3 to 9, “to enable them pay”.

    Elendu said the directive made the students to rush to the banks to try and pay their school fees, “but the number was not enough when one recalls that there are still many who have not paid and the school directed that only those who have paid should sit for the examination”.

    The Assistant Registrar (Media) explained that when the school fee was increased the VC did not allow the students to suffer and therefore set up, ‘work study programme’ with the aim to assist indigent students to work and pay their school fees.

    He said at the last count that about 60 students had been employed by the school authority as casual workers to help them pay their school

  • Bakassi: Govt set to protest rights’ violation

    Despite the final ceding of Bakassi Penisula to Cameroon, the Federal Government has been advised to seek redress on the alleged violation of the rights of Nigerians living in the area.

    A London-based law firm, TOALAW Group, which was consulted by the Federal Government on the issue, gave the advice.

    It urged the government to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the United Nations (UN) for justice on the abuse of the rights of Nigerians in the Penisula.

    The firm said the Federal Government could join issues with Cameroon in ICJ and the UN on human rights abuses based on Article 36(2) of the ICJ.

    The legal advice reads: “We understand that there are concerns about the violation by Cameroon of the rights of some of the persons resident in the Bakassi Penisula.

    “We also understand that consideration is being given to the possibility of Nigeria bringing proceedings against Cameroon with respect to such violations of human rights.

    “Both Nigeria and Cameroon have made declarations recognising the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ under Article 36 (2) of the ICJ Statute.

    “The combination of these declarations entitles Nigeria to bring cases against Cameroon before the ICJ (just as Cameroon brought the original ICJ proceedings against Nigeria.)

    “Cameroon has made a general declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the ICJ, which is to say Cameroon has not excluded any matter from the scope of its acceptance of the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction.

    “Nigeria has made some reservations on the matter, with respect to which Nigeria accepts the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction.

    “The compulsory jurisdiction works on the basis of reciprocity. This means that though Cameroon has not excluded any matter from ICJ’s jurisdiction, Cameroon can invoke, as against Nigeria, any reservations that Nigeria has made in its declaration under Art. 36(2).

    “A preliminary review of the Nigerian reservation suggests that none of them is likely to exclude the jurisdiction of the ICJ with respect to human rights matters.

    “However, it is worth noting that Nigeria’s declaration excluded matters within Nigeria’s domestic jurisdiction. It may be argued on the principle of reciprocity that matters within Cameroon’s domestic jurisdiction are also excluded.

    “Furthermore, it may be argued that the matters at issue are within Cameroon’s domestic jurisdiction. Some intricate issues of law and ICJ practice at play here would require more detailed attention. However, at first glance, it appears that ICJ’s jurisdiction is not excluded.”

    The legal advice made references to treaties which Nigeria could invoke to call Cameroon to order on the violation of the rights of Nigerians in Bakassi.

    It said: “Both Nigeria and Cameroon are parties to a number of multilateral human rights treaties. The most important are the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights 1981 (AFCHPR), the Convention against Torture (CAT) 1984.

    “In addition, Cameroon made some human rights commitments under the Green Tree Agreement between it and Nigeria. These treaties set out a number of rights and the documents sent to us suggest violation of some of the rights included in those treaties, including the right to life, the right to be free from torture and cruel and degrading treatment.

    “The ICJustice has recently dealt with a number of inter-state cases in which it has pronounced on the violation of human rights treaties by the respondent state. These cases include: Question relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal, 2012); Ahmadou Sadio Diallo (Republic of Guinea v. Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2010); Armed Activities on the Territory of Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda, 2005).

    “In these cases, the court has found violations of a number of human rights treaties, including the ICCPR, the AFCHPR and the CAT.

    “Admissibility of any Human Rights Claim – Issues of Standing: In addition to satisfying itself that it has jurisdiction to consider the case, the ICJ would also consider whether any particular claim is admissible. Questions may arise as to the standing of Nigeria to bring a claim of violations by Cameroon of the rights of persons who are in the territory that is presently considered to be Cameroonian territory (the Bakassi penisula). There are a number of grounds on which it can confidently be argued that Nigeria does have standing to bring this case.

    “First of all, the persons whose rights have been violated remain Nigerian nationals though presently resident in Cameroon. It should be noted that under the Green Tree Agreement, Cameroon has committed not to require these persons to change their nationality. Under international law, a state is entitled to bring a claim against another state on behalf of its nationals.

    “This procedure of diplomatic protection, with respect to human rights, was recently invoked by the ICJ in Ahmadou Sadio Diallo (Republic of Guinea v. Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2010).

    “Secondly, the Green Tree Agreement represents a bilateral commitment between both states and it is recognised that in cases of breaches by one side of a bilateral treaty, the other side has standing to bring a claim (Art. 42(a), International Law Commission Articles on State Responsibility 2001).

    “Thirdly, some human rights treaties contain what are known as obligations erga omnes partes (obligations owed to all parties), such that every party to the treaty is entitled to invoke a breach by another party. “Where this is the case, a breach by one treaty party can lead to an ICJ case brought by any other treaty party, even if the breach was not to a national of the latter. It was on this basis that Belgium brought a recent case against Senegal with respect to violation of the Torture Convention: Questions relating to the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal, 2012)

    “In summary, our preliminary view is that Nigeria would be able to utilise declarations made by both Cameroon and Nigeria.”

  • Kwara council workers protest non-payment of salaries

    Scores of Ilorin South Local Government Area workers of Kwara State yesterday marched on the streets of Ilorin, the state capital.

    They were protesting the non-payment of their three months’ salary arrears.

    The protestors marched from the council secretariat at Pake, passing through Pata Market via the popular Muritala Mohammed Road and berthed at the Kwara State Government House.

    They passed a vote of no confidence on the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) executive for its alleged inactivity.

    Some of the placards they carried read: We no go gree; No salary no screening; No retreat, no surrender and A hungry man is an angry man.

    The spokesperson of the protesters, Habib Bolaji said: “We condemn the council’s NULGE for being passive. In fact, we have passed a vote of no confidence on the executive members. That is why we protesting. Our three months’ salaries have not been paid; that is August, September and this month. We are not even talking about the leave bonus and other entitlements in arrears.

    “To add insult on injury, they slated a screening for today. Without payment, none of us will participate in the screening. We expect them to pay us our salary arrears so that the screening will be for October salary…”

    But in a statement Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed’s Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, attributed the delay in the payment of workers’ salaries to efforts to block loopholes in the wage bills of some councils.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Female students protest sexual harassment

    Female students protest sexual harassment

    Students of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), have protested the alleged sexual harassment of female students, molestation and extortion by some staff of the institution.

    The students, numbering about 2,000, blocke the traffic at Eleven-Eleven bus stop on their way to the government house, Calabar to register their grievances.

    Some of the placards carried by the students had inscriptions such as “sexual harassment of female students must stop”, “female molestation must be checked in CRUTECH”, “no more extortion of money from students”, and “no better CRUTECH, no better lecture hall” among others

    The CRUTECH Students’ Union president, Ekong Eka, accused the state government of neglecting students of the university, adding that two months ago, some group of people came to the school to tell them that government wanted to pay them bursary.

  • Anti-America protest rocks Kaduna

    Anti-America protest rocks Kaduna

    Islamic faithful came out in large numbers yesterday to protest against the anti-Islamic film released in America. They said they were prepared to defend the name and personality of Prophet Mohammed with the last drop of their blood.

    The peaceful demonstration, which was organised by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (Shiites), covered about four kilometres and was conducted under the watchful eyes of men of the Kaduna State Police Command.

    Men wore all-white clothes. Women were dressed in an all black uniforms.

    The protesters carried placards with the inscriptions, such as “Death to America”, “Death to Israel” and “No to blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad”.

    They distributed a leaflet, with the message “a great catastrophe has befallen the world when from the country of the Great Satan (United States), an Israeli was commissioned to produce an anti-Islam film that mocked and ridiculed Islam, Prophet Muhammad and followers of this great religion.

    “The film, apart from outward mockery on tenets and beliefs of Islam, presented Prophet Muhammad in a display of an unspeakable immoral manner and personality.

    “Similarly, the release of this movie at this material time, was a move to institutionalise September 11 event as an annual ritual to portray Islam as a religion of terrorists.

    “We are aware of the covert operations of agents of America in Nigeria, who are bent on defending American interests at all cost. They should know that we are ready to defend the personality of our beloved Prophet with the last drop of our blood.”

    Addressing the protesters, the leader of the Movement in Kaduna, Malam Mukhtar Sahabi, called on Muslims to live up to their responsibilities.

    According to him, “this procession is not for any particular sect or group of Muslims but for all Muslims because there is only one Prophet Muhammad and he is for all.

    “Our procession is peaceful and we extend our message to the world that we condemn the United States for harboring the perpetrators of the blasphemous clip. America is guilty of the crime. If the west will not tolerate showing the royalty of England naked on the front pages of newspaper, they should equally not tolerate abusing the personality of the holy Prophet Muhammad SAWA who is revered by more people than the entire people of Europe.”

  • Thousands protest anti-Islam film in Katsina

    MEN, women and children in their thousands yesterday defied the sun to protest what they called the antagonistic policies of the United States of America and Israel to Islam and Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

    The crowd, led by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), with Ustaz Sayyeed Ibraheem Yaqoub El-Zakzaky as the National President, staged peaceful protests round Katsina, the state capital. They were led by the IMN Katsina chapter leader, Ustaz Ya’qub Yahya Katsina.

    During the protests, which took off at the Katsina Central Mosque, near the Emir’s palace, protesters chanted anti-America and western slogans. They marched through the old market, Rafindadi, Mobil, Massalachi Modibo, Ladan Wapa and General Hospital areas. They were monitored by the police.

    The protesters carried a caricature of the American President Barak Obama, which they burnt.

    A protester, who identified himself as Yusuf, said: “Death to America, death to Israel and their evil collaborators. Let them perish because of their hatred for Islam and its holly prophet, Mohammad (SAW).”

    Two protesters, Mariam and Bilqis, shouted: “Let the agents of evil machination, the so-called America and Israel, perish in their hatred for Islam. They are failures, they will always fail.”

    Others chanted popular slogans: “Labaika Yarasululah, Labaika Yarasululah, Allah ya sine America, Allah ya sine Israeli (meaning, God punish America, God punish Israeli people).”

    The Katsina chapter leader of IMN, Ustaz Katsina, while addressing the press during the rally said they have no grudge against their Christian brothers, but against the American and Israeli people that are hiding under Christianity to ridicule Prophet Mohammad and Islam.

    He said: “True Christians have respect for Islam, and Muslims also respect Christianity.

    “Those that mock and ridicule Islam and the prophet of Islam, I believe, are infidels. The likes of America and Israel who sponsor blasphemy against Islam.”

    He said the movement would not stop the protests until the perpetrators (film makers) were brought to book, circulation of the movie halted and an apology tendered to the Muslim world.

  • ‘We can’t stop protest against amnesty programme’

    THE Urhobo Youth Council, UYC, yesterday said it will not be intimidated by a frivolous allegation of plotting a protest against the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, by the Presidential Amnesty Office over their non inclusion in the programme, insisting that the urhobo should be given her share instead of resorting to blackmail.

    The group in a statement by its National President, Mr. Henry Baro, said they had no option but to respond to press statement by the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) office about allegation of threat of mayhem by Urhobo and Itsekiri youths billed to commence at far away Akwa Ibom State.

    Baro said, ”For the avoidance of doubt we wish to restate our position to disabuse the minds of all well meaning Nigeria as follows; Urhobo Youth Council has no armed youth in its fold but as the apex youth body, the Urhobo nationality has many youth who took active part in the Niger Delta militant armed struggle by fighting alongside the ijaw brothers who followed the procedure of the amnesty programme and laid down their arms and were well documented by the authorities, but are being denied participation and training on ground of their ethnic nationalities.

    “We call on our PAP and our Ijaw “Overlord” to give Urhobo what is due them without recourse to blackmail and sabre rattling that only scare away foreign investors and distract the president,” they said.