COVER
FG, States Lose N1.2 trillion to 19 ASUU Strikes
By John Onah, Abuja
The Federal and state Governments, proprietors of public universities in the country, may have lost a whooping N1.2 trillion to the incessant strikes embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) since the nation’s return to democracy in 1999, investigation by DAILY ASSET has revealed.
The amount, according to data compiled from various sources in the course of the month-long investigation, represents the salaries paid to staff in the university system for a cumulative period of about four years during which ASUU went on strikes in the last two decades.
ASUU, which is currently on strike since March 9, had gone on strike in each year in the last 21 years with rare exception of 2014 and 2015, when the university lecturers did not go on strike, the data showed.
The academic staff in all of the nation’s public universities went on a strike for a total of 19 times with a cumulative period of about 1, 437 days, a few days short of four cumulative years, the data showed.
An analysis of the timelines of strikes by Universities in Nigeria showed that the on-going strike, which started on March 9, with a two-week warning and the indefinite strike, which commenced on March 29 is the longest in the history of ASUU strikes as it has lasted for about 200 days as at September 30 and still counting.
Before then, the strike in 2003, which snowballed into 2004 was the longest as it lasted 180 days, the analysis showed.
It was also observed that some of the strikes dovetailed into a new year like in 2003, which ended in 2004 and 2011, which also ended in 2012.
DAILY ASSET investigation showed that the over N1.2 trillion lost by the Federal and state governments represented total emoluments paid to the staff during the period the strikes lasted, obviously for work not done, as the Federal Government never invoked the provisions of the extant labour Act, which has provisions for “No work, No pay”.
The amount covered the payment of staff in 43 Federal and 47 state universities, where the workers are unionized.
However, the staff of the nation’s 78 private universities are mostly not unionized and were not part of the numerous ASUU strikes, investigation showed.
The latest available data on payment of salaries in Nigerian Universities provided by the National Universities Commission(NUC)Statistical Digest 2018 released in April 2019, showed that the Federal and state Governments committed a total of N308.5bilion(N308, 526,701, 478.39) to payment of salaries.
The figure did not include Rivers State University, University of Ilorin, University of Jos and Yobe State university, which for undisclosed reasons were not covered in the
Statistical computation released by NUC.
The amount lost to the strikes was arrived at after DAILY ASSET in-house Statisticians used the annual payment of N308.5bn as an average and multiplied by about four years of strikes by the university lecturers.
Data obtained from NUC and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation showed that the least paid university lecturer earns N1,979,640 per annum, while a Senior Lecturer earns about N3,091,505.
Similarly, a Reader or Associate Professor earns at least N3,768,221 per annum while a full Professor earns N5,004,750 per annum.
It was found out that the Federal and state universities had a total of about 51,000 academic staff in 2017 but the figure may have risen to at least 61,000 in 2020 even though NUC statistical data is yet to formally report on the number of staff in the universities in the years after 2017.
President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, has however, justified the numerous strikes by university lecturers as he said the strike action has helped the educational sector.
“You need to look so far over years what the strike has achieved for the Nigerian education sector and compare it to what is happening in other sub-sectors of the educational system. If not for ASUU, the public universities, in fact, public tertiary education would have collapsed totally beyond recovery.
“So you can best appreciate that when you compare and contrast what is happening as a result of ASUU struggle and what is not happening as a result of lack of struggle at the level of primary and secondary education of the country”, he told an online news platform, The Cable CamPulse.
The President said Nigerians should appreciate the lecturers for the strikes.
“They are not concerned with the plight of the poor. All you see now is how to fit their children into positions of advantage to the disadvantage of the children of the poor,” he said.
“The best way to do it is to ensure that their children receive the best of education while the children of the poor are subjected to substandard and low-quality education.
“NUT cannot do what ASUU is doing now because the government will seize their salary, they have underpaid them, they have not given them the right to ventilate their anger. And because of that, they have become disillusioned in places where they are working.
“You will even see primary school teachers who cannot see take their own children to the school they are teaching. I’m saying these just to illustrate the fact that public primary and public secondary education system have been collapsed. If not for ASUU the same would have happened.
“So Nigerians should actually be thanking ASUU, for the wake-up calls we always give the Nigerian government.
“And let me tell you as far back as 1992, each time we went for an action, we refer government to inject funds so that public universities will not go on the same place with primary and secondary schools. In 1992, it’s as a result of ASUU struggle that government introduced TETFUND.
“TETFUND today is the only source of providing infrastructural amenities in Nigerian Universities. So people who are ignorant are the ones saying we are destroying calendar,” he told The Cable CamPulse.
_________________________________
Timeline of Strikes by ASUU since 1999:
1999 – 150 days
2001 – 90 days
2002 – 14 days.
2003 – 180 days (ended in 2004)
2005 -3 days
2006- 7 days
2007 – 90 days
2008 -7 days
2009- 120 days
2010- 157 days
2011—90 days(started in December and ended in 2012)
2013- 157
2014- None
2015-None
2016- 7 days
2017- 35 days
2018- 60 days
2019-90 days
2020-180 days and counting as at Sept 4.
1,437=3.9YEARS
COVER
NNPCL Reduces Petrol Price to Match Dangote’s N899 Per Litre
By David Torough, Abuja
In what appears like a marketing war, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has reduced the petrol pump price from N1,020 to N899 per litre.
This pricing competition emerged in the downstream sector emerged on Saturday after NNPCL reduced its depot price of petrol.
This just few days after the Dangote Refinery reduced its price to N899.
The new price indicates a reduction of N141 or 13.
56 percent, from N1,040 per litre it sold to customers living in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).According to the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), the price reduction was based on regional pricing scheme.
The association said under the arrangement, it would sell for N970 per litre in parts of the South South region.
A statement signed by the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Dr Joseph Obele, and quoting a document released by NNPCL’s Commercial Department, said marketers could offtake products based on the regional pricing scheme.
The document indicated that marketers would buy the product at N899 per litre in Lagos State, matching the price offered by the Dangote refinery a few days ago.
Marketers purchasing from its Warri, Oghara, Port Harcourt, and Calabar depots would pay N970 per litre to offtake products.
The statement read, “The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has taken a significant step in response to the competitive impact of deregulation in the downstream sector.
“The company recently reduced the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit from N1,020 to N899 per litre.
“The price reduction by NNPCL is seen as a response to the competitive impact of deregulation, which has led to increased competition in the downstream sector.”
However, the NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, declined to speak when contacted.
But Obele noted that the price reduction by the national oil firm was a response to the competitive impact of deregulation, which had led to increased competition in the downstream sector.
He expressed optimism that PMS prices would drop further before the end of January 2025 given the global decline in crude oil prices and the naira’s recent gain against the dollar.
Obele described the trend as a price war and emphasised that the price reduction by the Dangote refinery and the NNPCL demonstrated the benefits of competition. He advocated the immediate privatisation of government-owned refineries.
The move is expected to spark a price war among oil marketers, ultimately benefiting consumers.
In his reaction, National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, said Nigerians would get fuel at cheaper rates once the marketers start taking the product at the reduced rate from NNPCL.
“The two most critical stakeholders in the sector have already reduced the rate, which is a very good development for us.
“So once we start taking fuel at the reduced rate, we are going to reduce our price too. We will also apply the price reduction percentage of the NNPCL,” he stated.
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of IPMAN, Mr Chinedu Ukadike, expressed satisfaction with the price reduction.
According to him, the price adjustment underscores the benefits of healthy competition brought about by the deregulation of the downstream sector.
“It’s a welcome development. And that is the duty of deregulation. Once the competition is held, there will be constant reduction in price of fuel,” Ukadike said.
He attributed the price drop not only to NNPCL’s readiness for the deregulated pricing regime but also to a reduction in the foreign exchange rate.
“As we continue to have multiple choices, we will also have multiple chances of continuous reduction. So IPMAN is very happy, and as we are buying the product cheaper, we will also see it cheaper to the consumers,” he added.
COVER
Tinubu Cancels Engagements after Stampedes Kill 39
By Johnson Eyiangho & Laide Akinboade , Abuja
Following the tragedies that followed attempts to distribute food to Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu yesterday cancelled all his official events in Lagos, including his attendance at the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta to mourn the stampede victims in Abuja and Okija, Anambra.
Tinubu was scheduled to watch the boat parade and other activities of the Boat Regatta from the waterfront of his Queen’s Drive residence in Ikoyi, his spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement.
Dignitaries, including top officials of the Lagos State Government and chiefs from the state, were already seated when the president cancelled his appearance following briefings on the tragedies.
Commiserating with the victims of the incidents in Anambra and the FCT, Tinubu urged states and relevant authorities to enforce strict crowd control measures immediately.
Tinubu said local and state authorities should no longer tolerate operational lapses by organisations and corporate bodies involved in charitable and humanitarian activities.
No fewer than 39 Nigerians have lost their lives following stampedes during food-sharing events in Okija, Anambra State, and Maitama, Abuja during the weekend.
In the struggle to get ahead and obtain the free food items distributed by organisers, the residents trampled upon one another, leading to the deaths.
While 10 residents died in Abuja, 29 were reported killed in Anambra.
These stampedes came days after a similar incident occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State, where 35 children lost their lives and several others were left critically injured during a funfair.
Similarly, 10 persons were confirmed dead at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, Abuja in a stampede, where a food outreach was held on Saturday.
It was gathered that the incident occurred around 6am during an annual charity event organised by parishes of the Catholic Church to distribute foodstuffs to the poor and the vulnerable in the community.
An eyewitness said the crowd remained orderly until around 5am.
He said, “Many people came from Mararaba, Nyanya, and Mpape areas to benefit from the church’s food distribution.
“To be honest, the church didn’t anticipate the size of the crowd that showed up. Although there were two security operatives on duty, they couldn’t manage the growing crowd effectively.
“Initially, everyone was orderly, but as the day broke, the number of people doubled. In their desperation to get the rice first, people began pushing and shoving.
“Before we knew it, we started hearing cries for help from those who had fallen or sustained injuries. The police came to rescue those injured and dispersed others who waited behind with the hope that the distribution would continue.”
In Anambra, no fewer than 29 persons have been reported dead and many others injured during a stampede that occurred at the gate of the Charity Event at the Obijackson Centre in Amanranta, Okija, Ihiala LGA of Anambra State.
It was also gathered that the stampede, which occurred at the venue of the sharing of palliatives, including 25kg bags of rice, vegetable oil, and money, was a result of poor crowd control.
It was learnt that the victims, particularly elderly women and children, were trampled upon as they struggled to gain entrance amid a large and uncontrollable crowd.
It was observed at the scene that many shoes and slippers belonging to the victims were littered on the ground in front of the gate as security operatives battled to control the surging crowd, who were still forcing their way onto the premises.
Despite the stampede and the tragic incident, the sharing of palliatives continued, with beneficiaries going home with 25kg bags of rice, vegetable oil, noodles, and cash gifts from the foundation.
The palliatives were being donated by a notable member of the community, Chief Ernest Obiejesi (Obijackson), on behalf of the Obijackson Foundation.
Eyewitnesses at the venue said many who collapsed were rushed to hospital, while those who died were taken to the morgue.
Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, confirmed the incident.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, also mourned victims of the stampedes, describing the development as a reflection of poverty and systemic failure.
Obi, in a tweet on his official X handle at the weekend said the desperate quest for survival in the harsh economy drove the people to the extremes in search of food at the cost of their lives.
He said, “While I will not cast blame, but instead appreciate the organisers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society.”
Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the widespread food stampede in the country as a testament of an alarming level of misery, poverty, hunger, starvation, sense of hopelessness and desperation for survival by the citizens under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.
The party said it was devastated that the APC-led administration had wrecked the nation’s once thriving economy and pushed millions deeper into abject poverty and hunger with many citizens, not being able to afford their daily meals, now resorting to desperate measures including slavery mission abroad and fighting for crumbs for survival.
In a statement by its Spokesman, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, yesterday lamented the tragic stampede at private events in Oyo and Anambra states as well as Abuja which claimed the lives of more than 60 vulnerable citizens including children in their desperate struggle for food as a result of the pervasive hunger in the land.
The statement called on Nigerians to hold the Tinubu-led APC administration responsible for the remote cause of those tragic occurrences for which it must recompense.
The PDP accused the APC of false performance claims including empty assurances of food sufficiency while deliberately failing to make the required investments to boost the productive sector, particularly in agriculture and food production.
It demanded the immediate review of all the ‘suffocating economic and tax policies’ of the APC administration which it said are bringing misery and death to Nigerians daily.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, expressed deep concerns over the unorganised distribution of palliatives and relief items across Nigeria during the festive period.
The Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the IG had ordered the Commissioners of Police in the affected states to investigate the deaths for possible legal actions.
He stated that the organisers of this charity are liable for criminal offences, citing relevant provisions in Nigeria’s Penal and Criminal Codes.
COVER
Tinubu Orders Investigation into Ibadan Stampede Incident
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has directed the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances that led to the tragic incident at the Children’s funfair in Ibadan, which resulted in the loss of lives and injuries.
Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement stressed the importance of determining whether negligence or deliberate actions contributed to this painful development, ensuring a transparent and accountable process.
The president, who expressed profound sadness over the tragic incident on Thursday, extended condolences to the government and people of Oyo State, as well as to the grieving families who have lost their beloved children.
The statement read, “In this moment of mourning, President Tinubu stands in solidarity with the affected families and offers prayers that the Almighty God will grant peace to the souls of those who have departed in this unfortunate event.
“President Tinubu has urgently directed the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances of this tragedy thoroughly. He emphasises that it is imperative to determine whether negligence or deliberate actions contributed to this painful incident, ensuring a transparent and accountable process.
“The President urges the Oyo State Government to take every necessary measure to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring.”
The president wants a comprehensive review of all public events’ safety measures, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of event venues.
He called on event organizers to prioritize the safety of all attendees, especially children, just as he stressed the importance of integrating professional security, protocol, and logistics at events to ensure the utmost safety of all participants.
According to the president, “Our children’s safety and well-being remain paramount. No event should ever compromise their safety or take precedence over their lives.”
So far, police have confirmed that 35 children died while six others were critically injured.
According to a statement by the Oyo State Police Command through the spokesman, Adewale Osifeso, yesterday, the organisers of the event, including the main sponsor, Naomi Silekunola, the estranged wife of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and her media partner, Agidigbo FM, the principal of the school, and five others, have been arrested in connection with the tragedy.
The police stated that the event was organised by the Wings Foundation and media partners Agidigbo FM, without proper permission or safety measures in place.
The police said they have commenced an investigation into the incident and have promised to bring those responsible to justice.