Metro
ASUU Strike: We are Losing Students to Incessant killings — Students Union
The Council of Student’s Union Presidents (CSUP) says that it is losing students to incessant killings from bandits attacks as a result of their prolonged stay at home due to ASUU strike.
The Student Union President (SUG), Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Mr Ishaka Yahaya spoke on behalf of all SUG presidents across tertiary institutions at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.
Yahaya said that many students who were to be in school but resorted to doing other jobs were being kidnapped and killed in the process.
He appealed to the government to look into the demands of ASUU and attend to them so that they could return to school.
“It is true when they say, when two elephants meet; only the grass suffers.
“It is quite obvious here that both the Federal Government and ASUU have nothing to lose in this fight.
“This is because while the strike is ongoing, the salaries of Federal Government staff keeps flowing and at the end of every strike, nothing stops the salaries of ASUU members from also flowing.
“The only most unfortunate and innocent victim here you would agree with us are the Nigerian students, who have everything to lose.
” Even when the strike would
have been called-off, so many of the students will not be able to serve the nation due to age limit.
“So many students after graduation would not be able to get government jobs due to age limit consideration,” he said.
Yahaya said that the strike had increased the rate of drug abuses, prostitution and thuggery amongst other corresponding wantonness and purposelessness by the Nigerian students who under normal circumstances should be in school acquiring knowledge.
He said that the Nigerian students and campuses had been exposed to insecurities.and as such students had now become daily victims of kidnapping by the bandits.
He said that the CSUP had written to the Ministry of Education, issuing a seven days ultimatum to reach an amicable resolutions with their counter parts – ASUU.
He said that failure to do so would lead to the mobilisation of students across the country in a mass peaceful demonstration to end the strike.
” We hereby appeal to the Federal
Government to meet the
demands of ASUU within the shortest period of time as failure to do so would leave us with no option than to go ahead with our peaceful demonstration even amidst this security instability.
” For it is better to die for something than to live for nothing.”
Also, the SUG president of university of Jos, Mr Danladi Adankala, recalled an incident that happened to a 500 level student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho who was kidnapped and murdered after paying ransom.
” In LAUTECH yesterday, a 500 level Rachael Opadele of the Department of Fine Art was murdered.
” She was supposed to be in school finalising her education but because of ASUU strike, she opted to work in an hotel were she was kidnapped and killed after paying ransom.
” This is one of the many we know. Students can also be killed during protest, so it is essential for the government to meet the demands of ASUU so that students can return to school,” he said.
In the same vein, the SUG President, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Mr Naajim Gbefwi called on the government to prioritise education in the interest of Nigerian students.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ASUU had been on strike since February demanding the adoption of UTAS against IPPIS, funds for the
revitalisation of public universities.
Others are refusal to honour the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU, among others.(NAN)
The Federal Capital Territory Civil Service Commission has begun the regularisation of staff appointments in the FCT Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
The Head of the Civilo Service, Dr Udo Atang, said at the commencement of the exercise in Abuja on Wednesday, that the move was to ensure accurate data of all staff.
Atang described the regularisation as a “critical” exercise, which forms the bedrock of the new FCT Civil Service Commission (CSC).
He pointed out that all the staff were holding letters of appointments from various agencies, departments, area councils, and the defunct Ministry of FCT and FCDA among others.
The holders of these letters, he said, have been raising issues of discrimination based on letters of appointment.
According to him, the exercise and the gazette by the commission that will come thereafter, will give all staff a sense of identity.
“The essence of this regularisation is to ensure that staff are properly documented.
“You will now have letters that will now qualify you as a bonafide staff of the FCT Civil Service Commission.”
The head of service, who appealed for full cooperation of the workers, directed that a list of all staff on course, study leave, leave of absence and other related permissions be compiled and submitted.
He added that the list should be compiled with grade level, designation and record of service, including approvals.
Atang commended the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, for his doggedness and commitment in implementing the provisions of the FCT CSC Act, 2018.
Noting Wike’s support and love for the FCT workers, the head of service urged the workers to reciprocate the minister’s uncommon gesture, by being dedicated and committed to their respective duties.
Also speaking, the Chairman, FCT CSC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, stressed that part of the responsibilities of the commission was in the appointment, promotion and discipline of all FCTA and FCDA workers.
Ezeh also stressed the need for the workers to be more committed in the discharge of their responsibilities. (NAN)
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Catholic Women Organization of Nigeria (CWON) has organized a trauma healing session for survivors of the Jos Saint Academy School collapse alongside parents who lost their children in the unfortunate incident.The National President of the organization, Dame Mary Gonzum noted that the effort was part of their psychosocial support and counseling services for victims of the school building collapse as a follow-up to the assessment of the condition of the victims during their visit.
Gonzum speaking during a one day trauma session held at the Secretariat of the Justice Development and Peace/Caritas Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Archdiocese located along Zaria Road in Jos the Plateau State capital said the trauma healing session was in continuation of their intervention to students who experienced the building collapsed.”Today, a trauma healing session was flagged off with a seminar on how to go about handling the trauma that victims of the Saint Academy School Busa Buji in Jos are passing through.”We will later select those that are so traumatic and need help to continue with the process of healing because it is not something that will end in a day or two but will need sometime.”The surviving students who experienced the building collapsed, parents of the students are all here because some parents are so traumatic, we have one other woman that lost two children”This trauma became necessary because when we went visiting in the hospitals, we observed that some of them are really traumatic. Like the other boy, his mother said up till today he kept telling his mother that he is seeing dead bodies, and anybody he sees he will say is his classmate.”Some of the affected parents while sharing their encounters after the incident said they hardly sleep in the day or night time. Some manage to sleep for two hours and they’re awake, and from the little lectures we received today it is clear that there is a problem,” She noted.The President calls on the government to ensure that those saddled with the responsibility of approving, inspecting and supervising structures are meant to do their job with all diligence to avert future happenings again.Some of the affected parents including; Hasana Suleman Sale who lost two of her children recalled with pains the unfortunate development that claimed the lives of her two children. She expressed gratitude for the trauma healing session which she said came as a means of consolation and strength for her to overcome the trauma she is passing through.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria has welcomed the newly-appointed Apostolic to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty.
Crotty, an Irish, was appointed by the Vatican.
He will oversee the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the church in Nigeria.
The position, an ambassadorial status, advances cohesion in the body of Christ.
In his welcome message for Crotty on Tuesday, the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, said that the Church was glad to receive him.
The CBCN president, who is also the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, said,” With joy and gratitude to God, I extend a hearty welcome to Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty on behalf of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, clergy, religious and lay faithful in Nigeria.
“We are thankful to His Holiness, Pope Francis, for appointing Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty as the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria to build on the good works of his predecessor, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi.
“His appointment is a testament to the strong spiritual bond between our countries,” he said.
He said that although Crotty was the first Apostolic Nuncio from Ireland to serve in Nigeria, many Irish missionaries had played significant roles in spreading the gospel in Nigeria.
“We appreciate Archbishop Crotty’s acceptance of serving in Nigeria and assure him of our full support and cooperation.
“We pray for a fruitful mission and a blessed tenure for our excellency,” he added. (NAN)
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