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Anxiety As Nigerian Universities Workers Begin Strike Today

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The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has vowed to indefinitely shut down all activities in universities across the country from Monday (today) when they embark on an indefinite strike.

A statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday and signed by National President, SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, General Secretary, NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, said the ultimatum it gave the Federal Government over its withheld salaries expired Sunday midnight.

The unions are demanding, among others, the payment of the four-month withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.

The Federal Government had through the Ministry of Labour and Employment invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.

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Last October, President Bola Tinubu directed the payment of four of the eight months withheld salaries for the academic staff. It was finally paid in February.

The directive was silent about the non-teaching staff, raising concerns as to their fate. The unions also described the directive as selective and kicked against it.

The unions subsequently wrote to the government, gave ultimatums, protested and held warning strikes, but their four-month salaries are still being withheld.

The statement, called on all the state-owned universities to also incorporate their local demands into the strike action as appropriate.

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“Your strict compliance and adherence to this directive is mandatory for all NASU and SSANU branches in Federal and State Owned Universities as well as Inter-University Centres,” it read.

It also said, “The last circular of the Joint Action Committee of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities titled, “Latest Development in Respect of the Withheld Four Months’ Salaries” referenced JAC/NS/VOL.III/32 dated 21st October 2024 refers.

“The circular under reference gave seven days to the Federal Government to do the needful in respect of our demands for payment of outstanding four months’ salaries and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) sighed with the Federal Government on 20th August, 2022 which expires midnight of Sunday, 27th October, 2024.”

It recall that at the last National Peaceful Protest of JAC of NASU and SSANU held on July 18, 2024 at the Unity Fountain Abuja, an ultimatum of 10 days was given to the Government to pay the withheld salaries to avoid shutting down of activities in the Universities and Inter-University Centres with no consequence.

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“It is quite appalling that we have issued several ultimatums thereafter with no positive result from the government, it is therefore obvious that Government is not positively disposed to our rightful and legitimate demands in spite of several interactions, dialogues, exchange of correspondences and assurances of payment all to no avail.

“We have exercised considerable and prolonged patience, allowing multiple deadlines to pass without receiving a satisfactory response to our demands by the Government,” the statement, “This is to direct all our members in the Universities and Inter-University Centres throughout the country to hold a joint congress in their respective campuses on Monday, 28th October, 2024 and proceed on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike action as no concession should be given in any guise.”

SSANU members are in charge of major facilities on campuses, which has sparked fears of a standstill of activities if the strike begins today.

“Our members are in charge of water supply, electricity, communication, internet supply, security, finance, if they pay this money tomorrow (today), we will call off the strike,” SSANU boss Ibrahim told The PUNCH.

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The strike holds as President Tinubu directed outgoing Minister of Education Prof Mamman Tahir to hand over office to the incoming Dr Tunji Alausa on Wednesday.

Efforts to reach the Federal Ministry of Education for reaction to the industrial action by both unions were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.

In March, the union embarked on a one-week warning strike after its letter to the education minister and the Chief of Staff to the President were not responded to. In July, the unions ordered a nationwide protest to call the government’s attention to their plight.

After the July meeting, the spokesperson for the education ministry, Folashade Boriowo, said the withheld salaries had been forwarded to the highest level of government and were receiving attention.

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Earlier this month, the union gave a seven-day ultimatum over the withheld salaries but the action also failed to achieve the desired result.

“It is quite appalling that we have issued several ultimatums thereafter with no positive result from the government, it is therefore obvious that the government is not positively disposed to our rightful and legitimate demands in spite of several interactions, dialogues, exchange of correspondences and assurances of payment all to no avail,” the unions said in the statement.

Last month, the unions announced plans to commence an indefinite strike if their outstanding salaries were not paid within three weeks, demanding, among other things, the payment of four months’ withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and the implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.

In a statement jointly signed by SSANU boss Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Adeyemi, the unions said the Federal Government was given a 10-day grace period, which expired on July 26, 2024, to pay the four months of outstanding salaries to university staff, with the threat of shutting down universities and inter-university centres if the payment was not made.

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However, six weeks after the grace period elapsed, the government has still not fulfilled this obligation.

“It is in respect of the above that we write to inform the government of the decision of the National JAC of NASU and SSANU at the meeting held on 12th September 2024, that the government be given another three weeks’ final ultimatum from Tuesday, 17th September 2024, to pay the four months’ withheld salaries and also implement the agreement reached with it on 20th August 2022, failing which our members may be forced to embark on indefinite strike action at the expiration of the ultimatum.”

The unions noted that they were aware that President Tinubu had approved the payment of the outstanding four months’ withheld salaries, but that this was not implemented by relevant government officials.

“We have it on good authority that Mr. President has given approval for the payment of the four months’ withheld salaries as far back as 18th July 2024 at the national minimum wage meeting with the leadership of NLC and TUC.

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“Of recent, we also heard that Mr. President has given approval for the actual release of the payment. Regrettably, nothing has been forthcoming despite all the approvals,” both unions stated in September.

Credit: PUNCH

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JUST IN: Zamfara PDP Member Defects to APC

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By Gloria Ikibah
A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Suleiman Abubakar Gumi, representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency of Zamfara state has defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This defection was transmitted in a letter read by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas on Wednesday at plenary.
Rep. Gumi in the letter, said his reasons for defection was as a result of the crisis in his Constituency where there are two PDP chairmen.
The letter reads in part: “It is as a result of the internal and external crisis in the PDP in the state. The party lacks structure in the state”.
Meanwhile, the Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, raised a constitutional point of order that having two chairmen in a Constituency cannot be defined as a problem in the PDP and not enough reasons according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You are aware that when a member leaves his political party the rules are very clear. According him these two chairmen are in his Constituency.
“I ask Mr Speaker, that you act according to our rule and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You sit here today as our leader. The constitutional provision on what happens when one decamps to another party is clear.
“There is a time to do the right thing and the time has come for the Speaker to do the right thing. You swore to protect the constitution of this country at all times.
“I ask Mr Speaker that you act according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Chinda said.
Naijablitznews.com reports that Rep. Gumi’s defection is coming barely two weeks after he was made the chairman House Committee on North West Development Commission, a newly created Committee approved by the leadership.
Gumi until his recent appointment was the chairman House Committee on Safety Standards.
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Just in: Federal High court stops CBN from releasing allocation to Rivers govt

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from further releasing monthly financial allocations to Rivers state government.

The court held that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January this year by Governor Siminalayi Fubara was a constitutional aberration that must not be allowed to continue.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who issued the order on Wednesday, held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a 4-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the Assembly.

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Specifically, the judge said that Fubara action in implementing unlawful budget smacked gross violations of the 1999 Constitution he swore to protect.

The judge therefore restrained CBN, Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank, from further allowing Fubara to access money from the Consolidated Revenue of the Federation Account.

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Reps Pass For Second Reading Bill To Stop Fraudulent Deductions By Commercial Banks

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By Gloria Ikibah
As a way to find lasting solutions to issues of fraudulent deductions from customers’ accounts by commercial banks, the House of Representatives has passed for second reading a “Bill for an Act to amend the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act 202 and Other for Other Related Matters,” sponsored by Rep. Moses Fayinka, member representing Mushin II Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
In his lead debate Tuesday plenary, on the general principles of the bill, Rep. Fayinka regretted the frequent cases of withdrawals from customers’ accounts, and noted that billions of naira have been lost in the process.
“There is an alarming rise of bank fraud or unauthorised withdrawal of deposit funds in Nigeria. In the banking industry, about 101,801 cases were reported in 2022 and 48,703 cases were reported in 2023, making bank customers lose several billions of naira.
The objective of this piece of legislation, aims to stop illegal funds transactions where monies are moved from the customer’s account without the authorisation of the customer for such transaction to take place.
It is also to stop banks from the cover-up of such syndicates without reporting such action to the receiving bank and the police for necessary actions and for both the paying and receiving banks to get the culprits arrested and prosecuted and to pay all necessary bills in the course of the recovery processes.
The bill when into law also seeks to make a refund back to the victim’s account without charges.
“This Bill is in consideration to the uprising of various financial crimes within the country, with many of such passing through financial institutions or we can call it the commercial banking system.
‘We all know that virtually all banking transactions are done electronically, which means that transactions can either be ATM, POS, direct cash transfer, fast cash and many others, in which many bank customers have fallen victims and have lost their hard-earned fortune without help from any side”, he stated.
Contributing to the bill, Rep. Ahmed Jaha, the member representing Damboa/Gwoza/Chibok Federal Constituency of Borno State, criticized the multiple deductions.
He said: “Even today, people in the National Assembly saw debit alerts that they did not know where it came from. We ignore these deductions because they are negligible amounts but when you put it together, it runs into millions of Nigeria.”
Also contributing to the debate, Rep. Mohammed-Bello El-Rufai, member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency of Kaduna Statep, called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to impose stiffer penalties on commercial banks found to be imposing charges on their customers.
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