The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pulls out

  • ADP pulls out of coalition against Buhari

    The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has pulled out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – led coalition against the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The ADP said it was never part of the arrangement in the first place as it was not in a hurry to hobnob with those who mismanaged Nigeria for sixteen years.

    Its national chairman,  Yabagi Sani, told reporters the party was the third force Nigerians have been waiting to take over power from the PDP and the APC.

    He said: “Let me say here for the avoidance of doubt that we are not part of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

    “ADP is the third force that will provide the credible alternative Nigerians passionately yearn for to end hunger, wanton killings and executive lawlessness.

    “At our inception in June 2017, we proclaimed to Nigerians that ADP is a child of necessity that will deepen democracy and good governance to establish the credible political platform that will rescue the country from the imminent collapse of the political space.

    “We also promised that ADP will introduce a corruption- free leadership selection process that will create a new leadership class with commitment, focus and force of will to rebuild the country after the damage done by PDP and APC.”

    He added: “ADP is not prepared to jettison its values and constitutional provisions like the use of direct primaries as against the often used corrupt delegate system by the other parties in the Coalition.

    “ADP is also not in a hurry to hobnob with those who mismanaged Nigeria for sixteen years and now regrouping in an un-strategic haste to resume unprecedented loot of the nation’s treasury.

    “It is important to know that those who pushed Nigeria to the precipice are the drivers of the Coalition and have nothing new to offer.

    “To collaborate with them, is to sleep with strange bedfellows. The ADP is not averse to any political Coalition that can bring about a positive overhaul of the system.

    “But this shall be done with true patriots who are not a part of the Nigerian problem.”

     

  • OAU’s ASUU pulls out of national body

    OAU’s ASUU pulls out of national body

    •Varsity forms new union

    The local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities of Obafemi Awolowo University (ASUU-OAU) has pulled out of the national body.

    It also formed a new association, following prolonged faceoff between the national and local chapter of the union.

    The OAU chapter’s decision to pull out of the national body was taken at a congress on February 12, which rejected the resolut

    ions of ASUU’s National Executive Council (ASUU-NEC) meeting on the face-off between it and the parent body.

    It was learnt that the congress decided “to constitute itself into a branch that is totally independent of NEC, adopt appropriate name and open a new branch account for the check-off dues of its members in this regards”.

    This is contained in the local branch’s resolution signed by the chairman of its caretaker committee, Dr Niyi Sunmonu.

    Last years, 732 of the 1,371 OAU academic workers wrote the university management to stop payment of their check-off dues to the national body in protest against the way the latter handled the branch’s crisis.

    Other reasons given by OAU’s branch to form a new union include the alleged unilateral removal of the elected treasurer by ASUU national president and the alleged transfer of N11 million from OAU branch account to ASUU national account.

    The congress noted that the removal of the duly elected treasurer and transfer of the money prompted majority of the members to request that the deduction of their check-off dues to ASUU national body be stopped.

    Also, the decision of ASUU’s NEC to accept the suspended and contentious result of the vice chancellor selection and the rejection of the caretaker committee to run the affairs of the union, after the presiding officers had abandoned the congress midway on Thursday, October 20, 2016, which he conveyed, was another reason they pulled out.

    ASUU’s OAU has been at loggerhead with the national body over the constitution of a caretaker committee, following the sack of the Dr. Caleb Aborisade-led executives by the congress.

    This was the fallout of the cancelled vice chancellor selection by the Federal Government.

    ASUU’s national body rejected the sack of Aborisade-led exco but the local branch insisted on Dr. Niyi Summonu-led caretaker committee and stopped the remittance of check-off dues to the national body.

    Reacting to ASUU’s NEC meeting of February 3 and 4, which expelled three OAU branch caretaker committee members and the suspension of 13 others, the council rejected the sanctions and passed a vote of confidence on Dr. Summonu-led caretaker committee.

    According to the congress resolutions, it reaffirmed its total, unalloyed and unflinching confidence in the caretaker committee and those sanctioned.

    The aggrieved OAU academic workers also resolved to constitute an electoral committee to conduct the election of its executives within two weeks and appoint a five-member electoral committee.

    Another major decision was the composition of a constitution-drafting committee for the branch for which three members were appointed.

    The branch also decided to write the vice chancellor to stop the deduction of check-off dues for lecturers at OAU due to the information that the bursar failed to implement the written requests by some members that the deduction of their check-off dues be stopped.

    It was also gathered that ASUU-NEC suspended Aborisade for six months for allegedly misrepresenting NEC, while the Akure zonal coordinator, Dr. Alex Odiyi, was issued a warning letter.

     

  • Virgin Atlantic Airways pulls out of Nigeria

    Virgin Atlantic Airways pulls out of Nigeria

    • Airline sacks all Nigerian cabin crew, shuts call centre

    |The aviation sector was in confusion yesterday over the pulling out of British flag carrier, Virgin Atlantic Airways, from Nigerian routes.

    Though the airline is yet to officially announce the pull out, it has issued letters of disengagement to its Nigerian cabin crew.

    A source close to the regulatory authority hinted that the British carrier has also shut down its call centre in the Ikeja axis of the Lagos metropolis.

    The exit from the Nigerian market, a source hinted, may be connected with disappointment by the airline management over promises by government on its operations in the country.

    The source said: “Virgin Atlantic Airways has laid off all its Nigerian cabin crew.

    “They were only given three- week notice and no severance package regardless of their length of service will be paid.

    “The air-hostesses they sacked were about 20 and last year, they closed down their Nigerian call centre and let go of all the Nigerian staff.”

    This is not the first time the airline is disappointed with doing business in Nigeria.

    After the liquidation of Nigeria Airways in 2003, government invited the chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, Sir Richard Branson to float a domestic carrier in the country.

    Within few months, Virgin Nigeria Airways was set up with the British carrier as its technical partner.

    After six years Virgin Atlantic Airways pulled out as technical partner to the Nigerian arm of the business.

    Following the sour relationship, Branson said in 2012 he was very wary about doing business in Nigeria.

    Aviation unions have vowed to ensure that the entitlements of Nigerian cabin crew are paid in line with relevant provisions.

     

  • Tamuz pulls out of national team training camp

    Tamuz pulls out of national team training camp

    Due to an undisclosed ailment, Petrolul Ploieti’s talisman in attack, Toto Tamuz, has ruled himself out of the training camp organised by National Team coach,Eli Gutman ahead of the start of the 2016 European Championship qualifiers.

    Romania based Tamuz has not been invited to the Israeli setup for the past seven years, but was considered this time after his remarkable start to the season, which has seen him net eight times in all competitions so far.

    Because of recent events in Israel, their qualifying fixture against Belgium, earlier scheduled to take place on September 9, has been postponed till March.

    Nonetheless, manager Eli Gutman had called up 27 players for a three – day training camp in Shefayi, which will begin on Monday.

  • Commonwealth Games 2014: Dwayne Chambers pulls out

    Commonwealth Games 2014: Dwayne Chambers pulls out

    Dwain Chambers has withdrawn from England’s men’s sprint relay squad for the Commonwealth Games.

    Team England announced a number of changes across a variety of sports on Tuesday, with the inclusion of 24-year-old Jess Tappin in place of Katarina Johnson-Thompson – hot favourite to win gold in Glasgow before pulling out on Monday due to a foot problem – also catching the eye.

    Chambers will focus on the individual 100 metres at next month’s European Championship in Zurich after pulling out of the Commonwealth 4x100m squad, with no replacement nominated by England Athletics.

    Laura Wake has been drafted in for the injured Meghan Beesley in the 400m hurdles, while Chris Thompson has been withdrawn from the 10,000m having not fully recovered from a lower leg injury.

    Kate Avery will compete in the 10,000m in place of Jo Pavey, who will still contest the 5,000m.

    In  cycling, Russ Downing has been selected to replace Jon Dibben in the men’s road race after

    Dibben withdrew due to a broken elbow. David Fletcher will no longer compete in the mountain bike event after a fall in training, with 2006 Commonwealth champion Liam Killeen stepping in.

    Judoka Caroline Kinnane has withdrawn from the -78kg event with a neck injury, being replaced by Katie-Jemima Yeats-Brown.