A group of students under the auspices of Concerned Kaduna State Students, says the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),Kaduna State University (KASU), is unnecessary.In a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna by the group’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Yunus Haruna, the students expressed disappointment over the support of other Students’ leaders for the strike.

Haruna decried that the students’ leaders were being used by some agents against their lecturers who were fighting for the collective good of members and students. “The KASU-ASUU strike is unnecessary.“However, the decision to embark on the strike was reached after exhausting all industrial options and the failure of the government to honor agreements,”he said.Haruna said the agreements not honoured by the government included the non-payment of withheld salaries from May to September 2022.Others included the non-payment of earned academic allowances from 2016 to date, promotion arrears, and pension funds from 2009 to 2019.“Other issues included non-payment of group life assurance and violation of university autonomy, among others,” he said.Haruna urged the government to immediately address the contentious issues.He also called on the civil societies to prevail on Gov. Uba Sani to address the crisis, prioritise the welfare of the lecturers and the academic future of the students.“Education is a social right, not a privilege, so addressing the lecturers’ legitimate demands is necessary for the future of Kaduna State“The integrity of the educational institutions must be protected and the government should prioritise quality education and the welfare of university lecturers,”he said.(NAN)

ECOWAS President, Dr Omar Touray, has decried the deplorable state of infrastructure at the Nigeria-Bénin Republic Seme border, in spite of the huge investment in them by ECOWAS.The President stated this during an official on-the-spot assessment visit to the Nigeria–Lagos Seme Border, which is one of West Africa’s busiest and most strategic corridors.

The visit was aimed at assessing how the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and Services was being implemented and identify obstacles. Touray called for urgent reforms to safeguard the region’s free movement protocol, and pledged to deliver a full report and recommendations toward addressing the decadence and removing all cross-border obstacles.The Commission’s president also called on border security officials and national authorities to align more closely with ECOWAS protocols.“This is one of the busiest and most strategic border posts in West Africa, yet, we are faced with expensive facilities; scanners, lighting systems, and bridges that are simply not working. That is unacceptable.“We cannot justify millions spent on equipment that lies idle. Our citizens expect results, not excuses.“If a lightbulb goes out, ECOWAS should not be called to replace it. Member states must step up and take ownership,” he said.According to him, while ECOWAS is responsible for initiating infrastructure, the responsibility for maintenance lies with individual member states.Touray also decried the proliferation of checkpoints within member countries, arguing that it contradicted the spirit of ECOWAS free movement protocol.“Why do we have multiple customs and immigration posts for the same corridor?“It frustrates travellers, delays trade, and creates opportunities for corruption,” he said.The Commission’s president demanded transparency, and urged officials to crack down on unofficial payments.“We have received troubling reports of citizens being asked to pay without receipts.“This damages trust. If any fee is legitimate, it must be receipted. Period!,” he stressed.He further clarified that the protocol on free movement under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) does not eliminate the need for proper documentation.“Free movement does not mean no documentation; free movement does not mean a free-for-all.“The appropriate identity papers, security checks, and customs procedures remain necessary to balance openness with safety and order.“Our people must understand that they need valid identification to travel. Security and freedom must go hand in hand,” he said.Dr Ben Oramalugo, Comptroller of Customs, Nigeria Customs Service, Lagos-Seme Border, while briefing the President earlier, enumerated the challenges faced by the command.“We have scanners installed, but they are not working. Since I reported here on February 12, they have remained non-functional. These scanners can detect things human eyes cannot.“When you inspect cargo manually, you might miss drugs or dangerous goods hidden deep inside. We need your help to get these scanners working again.“There is also no light in the pedestrian passage, and criminals take over the area at night. There is no roofing for those passing through, and we do not have water in the offices.“Every morning, labourers fetch water in jerrycans just so we can function. This isn’t acceptable for such a significant facility,” Oramalugo said.Oramalugo said that there is no electricity at all in Seme Border as it is not connected to the National Grid, so they depend entirely on electricity from Benin and whenever their power goes out, they are left in total darkness.“This is Nigeria’s number one border, connecting the entire Francophone region, yet we are not connected to the National Grid.“This road tells the story of Nigeria. What people see here reflects on all of us,” he said.The senior customs officer also decried the plethora of checkpoints on the international corridor.“From here to Badagry, I have ensured there are only three customs checkpoints.“But there are still too many from other agencies. I appeal to you, let us enforce a maximum of three checkpoints total,” he said.Also speaking, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Amb. Musa Nuhu, who was on the president’s entourage, said that the Seme border was critical to the ECOWAS free movement protocol.According to him, the challenges of infrastructure decay, overlapping security checks, and operational bottlenecks raised by border officials highlighted the gap between policy and implementation.“This is the busiest border in West Africa, in terms of passage of goods, people, and services, and if free movement is working in West Africa, it is in this border that we will be able to find out.“It’s good that they mentioned these issues for you to really understand practically what is happening along this very important border,” the ambassador said.He disclosed that President Bola Tinubu recently approved the setting up of a Presidential Task Force to dismantle multiple checkpoints in the country.“That committee has been set up under the authority of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and we will soon start working to address this issue,” he said.Report says that the visit enabled Touray to engage directly with community citizens on both sides, security operatives, and commuters, for him to understand the realities on ground.(NAN)

The House of Representatives is to investigate disbursement and utilisation of the N200 billion Naira Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan for National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) to Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs)The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Uchenna Okonkwo (LP-Anambra) made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, adding that 19-member committee had been inaugurated for the purpose.

He said that the main objective of committee was to carry out investigation on the programme earmarked upon in 2020, to enable the Licensed Electricity Distribution Companies provide electricity meters free for Nigerian electricity consumers. According to him, it is on record that NMMP was introduced in 2020 by CBN in collaboration with Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and other key stakeholders in Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).He explained that the aim was to help manage conflicts between energy users and distribution companies and to facilitate the elimination of arbitrary billing, closing metering gaps, and improving network monitoring within NESI.The rep said that the programme was to be implemented in three phases to ensure the reduction of collection losses and improve market remittances in the industry.“Under the pilot phase of the programme’s implementation, CBN commenced with the sum of N59.280 billion for procurement and installation of one million meters in 2020 at an interest rate of 9 per cent after a two year moratorium.“Preliminary research on the NMMP has shown that instead of the pronounced amount of N59.280 billion naira for the phase 0, what was released was N55.4 billion for procurement and installation of 962,832 meters instead of one million meters pronounced by CBN.“Research has also shown that what the eleven Electricity Distribution Companies who received the loan has paid back to CBN as refund for the N54.4 billion they received in 2020 without mentioning the 9 per cent interest on the loan.“This calls for explanation as to how the fund managers handled the NMMP for national interest. “Also of concern the phase 1 of the NMMP which CBN and Deposit Money Banks (DMBS) were to fund for procurement and installation of 1,500,000 meters, as well as, the phase 2 of NMMP which the World Bank was to fund for procurement and installation of 4,000,000 meters has not been addressed.“Having considered the effect of the above situation on the nation’s economic and social development, as well as transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, the house relying on its powers contained in Sections 88(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, decided to set up Sub – Committee to investigate the disbursement and utilisation of the N200 billion naira CBN loan for NMMP to DISCOs,” he said.Members of the committee include, Rep. Obed Shehu, Rep. Ali Shettima, Rep. Abel Fuah, Rep. Salisu Koko, Rep. Ahmed Munir, Rep. Sani Umar Bala, Rep. Gbefwi Jonathan, Rep. Abdulmaleek Danga, Rep. Chinedu Obika and . Rep. Okunlola Lanre.Others are Rep. Abass Adekunle, Rep. Akinosi Akanni, Rep. Obuzor Victor, Rep. Peter Akpanke, Rep. Ngozi Lawrence. Rep. Ogah Amobi Godwin, Rep. Ikeagwuonu Onyinye among others. (NAN)