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FCT primary teachers to call off strike following Wike’s intervention
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The Nigeria Union of Teachers, Federal Capital Territory, may soon call off the three-month primary school teachers’ strike, following the intervention of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Chief of Staff to the minister, Mr Chidi Amadi, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday, after a closed-door meeting with the area council chairmen, leadership of the NUT, and representatives of the FCT Administration.
Other participants at the meeting, he said, included representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students and the National Assembly.
Amadi explained that the meeting was convened by the minister, in addition to previous interventions, to find a lasting solution to the prolonged teachers’ strike.
According to him, after extensive deliberation, a decision was reached to put the issues to rest.
He announced that part of the resolution was to withhold the 10 per cent accrued Internally Generated Revenue of the area councils for the past six months.
He explained that the funds would be used to settle 70 per cent of the minimum wage owed to the teachers.
“Although it will not cover 100 per cent of the debt for now, it will cover about 70 per cent. This is a laudable move towards addressing the fracas once and for all,” he said.
The chief of staff added that the minister had also directed that a Special Committee be constituted, composed of three members of NUT, two members from FCTA, one of the area council chairmen and a representative of NANs.
He added that the committee would revisit all the other outstanding issues and, within the next two weeks, submit a report detailing how the other outstanding issues would be permanently addressed.
“In addition to addressing the issues of the primary school teachers, Wike had taken a decision to address all outstanding issues of the local government employees.
“The minister pledged to personally intervene to ensure that their demands are addressed by the FCTA.
“This is to ensure that the area councils resume full operations effectively immediately,” Amadi stated.
Speaking on behalf of the area council chairmen, Mr Abubakar Abdullahi, acknowledged the resolution, saying, “Although it was not in favour of the area councils, it was necessary to resolve the issues.
“Six months of our IGR had been held to settle this issue. Ours at this point is to appeal to NUT to consider our children and call off the strike. Please, NUT, we are calling on you to respect the fact that the minister has taken his time to resolve this matter.
“Wike had clearly stated that by law, he has no right to take the 10 per cent IGR of the area councils to clear the outstanding debt of the teachers.
“However, the chairmen have all agreed because they also, collectively, want an end to the strike, and so we have agreed that the 10 per cent IGR should go to the teachers.”
He expressed optimism that the strike would be called off before Friday so that children would go back to school.
Also, the National President of NANs, Olushola Oladoja, lauded the resolutions and expressed hope that the outcome would finally put the matter to rest and the teachers would return to class.
Oladoja commended the minister for taking the bold step, stressing that any of the council chairmen could take him to court over such a decision.
“However, I believe because the council chairmen also want the issue resolved, they have no option but to concede the IGR for six months,” he said.
On his part, the NUT Chairman, Mohammed Shafa, acknowledged the deliberation but said he would get back to the NUT State Executive Council, where the final decision would be taken.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the teachers had embarked on the strike in March over the non-implementation of the minimum wage
Other issues included non-implementation and payment of a 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increase, and non-implementation and payment of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
The union were also demanding the payment of the N35,000 wage award and the implementation of the template on outstanding entitlements of teachers as agreed in 2022.
NAN
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday said it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides.
“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
“Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time,” he added.
Hostilities resumed between Iran and the United States earlier this month after diplomatic efforts collapsed amid an impasse regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting has nonetheless paused since early Saturday, following 13 days of exchanges of fire between the two sides.
Baqaei criticised the United States, saying its conduct in recent years has “resembled that of a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws”.
“So long as such behaviour by the United States continues, we cannot be hopeful about the emergence of a reasonable process,” he added.
Iran insists on retaining control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the collection of service fees, while keeping Oman involved as a coastal state.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have turned back multiple vessels in recent days, including six earlier on Monday, that attempted to transit the strait outside the route designated by the Islamic republic.
On Monday, Baqaei reiterated that Washington had nothing to do with recent talks with Oman over the administration of the Strait of Hormuz.
“These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” Baqaei said, adding that the waterway “remains closed”.
The Kebbi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of
a Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza after suspected Bandits invaded his residence in Bunza Local Government Area.
Confirming the abduction, the State Police spokesperson, SP Bashir Usman, said the judge was taken from his residence around midnight.
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” Usman said.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, had immediately deployed tactical and intelligence teams to track the abductors and rescue the judge.
“Our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest hideouts, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,” the police spokesperson said.
NATIONAL WAVES learnt that the gunmen stormed the judge’s home along Zogirma Road at about 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, shortly after he returned from a trip to Sokoto State.
The attackers fired sporadically into the air before whisking the judge away. No member of his household was kidnapped or molested during the operation. He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen invaded his residence and abducted him,” a source squealed
A family member who craved for anonymity said “Immediately the incident happened, we alerted the relevant authorities, including the leadership of the High Court,”
News
Confusion in Anambra as students feared trapped in private hostel near Oko Polytechnic collapses
A three-storey private hostel warehousing students of Federal Polytechnic Oko has collapsed in Amokpala, Oko, in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, leaving a yet-to-be-identified number of occupants trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, identified as Elite Five Star Lodge, reportedly caved in late Sunday night.
The collapse of the hostel located near Tonimas Filling Station in the Oko Polytechnic community sparked panic among residents and students as cries for help were reportedly heard from beneath the debris.
Emergency responders launched rescue operations, with personnel from the Anambra State Police Command, the Anambra State Fire Service, the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and other security and emergency agencies deployed to the scene.
Several injured victims have so far been rescued from the collapsed structure and taken to a hospital in Oko for medical treatment.
Search-and-rescue teams, however, continue efforts to reach other occupants believed to be trapped under the debris.
Authorities said the exact number of casualties and those trapped could not be immediately confirmed, as rescue operations were still ongoing at the time of filing this report.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said a police-led joint security team swiftly secured the area and coordinated emergency response efforts to prevent further loss of life.
Ikenga urged residents to remain calm, refrain from spreading unverified information, and stay away from the scene to allow rescue workers unhindered access to carry out their operations.
He added that the police command would provide further updates as more verified information becomes available.
We don’t have current negotiations with US — Iran
Police Finally Confirm Abduction Of Kebbi High Court Judge By Bandits
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