NEWS
NASU, SSANU Suspends Strike
The leadership of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of non-teaching staff unions of universities has announced the suspension of its three-week old strike with effect from midnight Feb 26.
JAC non-teaching staff comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of the Universities (NASU).
The NASU General Secretary, Mr Peters Adeyemi, said this while addressing newsmen at the end of a Conciliatory meeting with the Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja.
Adeyemi said the union agreed to suspend the national strike after extracting some concessions from the Federal Government that had to do with the grievances that it presented.
“We have eight items which we negotiated and which form the basis for our ongoing national strike in the universities.
“We have held the meeting with the government side and those areas that needed to be harmonised have been done to the satisfaction of both parties and resulting from that development.
“We have agreed that the ongoing national strike in universities and inter universities centres should be suspended with effect from 12 midnight, Friday, 26th February, 2021.
“We use this opportunity to appreciate our members for their commitment on this struggles, this strike is hereby suspended,” he said.
Adeyemi said that the unions would continue to monitor the agreements that had been reached that had a timeline and hoped that the government would implement its own side of the bargain.
According to him, if the government doesn’t, we will call our members to resume the suspended strike, but for now, the strike is suspended with effect from 12 midnight,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, said the meeting was very fruitful as all the rough edges arising from the former negotiations had been smoothened.
“Today’s deliberations have been very fruitful; we have also issued a conciliation document called Joint Action Memorandum of Action (MoA), and the two unions will get back to their members today and in good faith.
“So we keep our fingers crossed, believing that their communications with their union members will be as quick and swift as they have promised us.
“This is more so, as government is desirous that normal activities should return to the University system so that we can take the action one after the other.
“Also with the normalcy restored in the university system, we intend to do the visitation panel which is one of the agreements reached with them and which cannot be carried out without normalcy in the university system,” Ngige said.
The unions demand included, rectifying inconsistencies in the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS), non-payment of arrears of minimum wage, delay in renegotiation with government, NASU and SSANU 2009 agreement, among others.(NAN)
NEWS
Board Sanctions 118 Immigration, Civil Defence Officers
The Board of NSCDC, Fire Service, Correctional, and Immigration Service, has approved the sanction of 118 personnel for various offences.
The Board Chairman, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known at the end of their meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo, who is also the Minister of Interior, told newsmen through the board Secretary, Alhaji Ahmed Ja’afaru, that the erring officers were punished after facing disciplinary panels for various offences.
“These offences range from misconduct, negligence of duty and outright absence from duty posts.
“In the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOs), there were 48 cases of offences, in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), there were 21 cases.
“Also, in the Federal Fire Service (FFS) there were 12 cases while in the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), there were 37 cases,“the minister said.
Tunji-Ojo added that the board has reviewed and approved new guidelines for appointments, promotions, discipline and general purpose in the services.
He said that the board also considered and approved the timeline for the conduct of the 2024 promotion exercise in the four services.
“The board considered and approved the review timeline for the conduct of the 2023/2024 fire service recruitment.
“As for the ongoing recruitment in the fire service, we hope to publish the names of the successful applicants latest by June 15. That is where we are for now.
“We also want to use this medium to warn the general public to ignore whatever they have been seeing or hearing in the social media space as they did not emanate from the board.
“This is because, we have come to realise that the social media world had been awashed with fake news telling applicants to come for screening exercise or pay certain amount of money.
“Let me put it emphatically that the board is not asking anyone to pay money for recruitment.“
He urged applicants to be patient, saying successful candidates will be notified to come for further screening through their emails and mobile lines. (NAN)
NEWS
NSCDC Inaugurates Female Strike Force to Secure FCT Schools
The FCT Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Olusola Odumosu, has inaugurated the corps Female Strike Force to protect schools in the territory.
A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Samuel Idoko, on Thursday in Abuja, said the inauguration followed the completion of a three day training for the personnel.
Odumosu said that the primary responsibility of the strike force was to ensure the safety of all schools in the territory.
He said that the training had equipped them with the needed skills and capabilities to carry out their duties.
According to him, the training is a follow up to the recent meeting of all FSF Unit Commanders with the Commandant General, Ahmed Audi.
Audi had charged them to be up and doing in view of the reported cases of kidnapping in some parts of the country.
“The training is imperative to ensure compliance with the CG’s directive on the mandate of securing schools for the safety of students and staff.
“Cases of abduction in schools must come to an end, that is the primary purpose of this training.
“We need to restore the confidence of the people in our ability to secure schools in the FCT,” the commandant said.
He therefore called on schools in the FCT to register with the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, so that they could be added to the ecosystem.
Odumosu explained that the registration was free and meant to ensure better coordination and make responses to emergencies more quicker and efficient.
Odumosu assured that the training and retraining of the personnel would be held regularly to ensure prompt response to any security threat.
“We must make schools safe haven once again for children,” he added.
He charged the female strike force to conduct routine patrol and surveillance of schools to prevent threats and attacks.
He also enjoined the strike force to hold periodic security awareness and enlightenment talks for student and teachers.
Odumosu also directed the operatives to abide by the corps’ Standard Operational Procedure in discharging their duties and avoid over zealousness in the use of force or fire arms.(NAN)
NEWS
Tinubu Appoints Bello as new Chairman of CCB
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Abdullahi Usman Bello as the new Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), pending confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.
This is contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja.
Ngelale said that Bello was a consummate professional with more than 25 years of work experience in consulting, banking, law enforcement, financial services and academia.
He said that the President anticipated the new Chairman would lead the Bureau with utmost integrity toward the realization of its mandate of maintaining high standards of public morality in the conduct of government business.
Ngelale said Tinubu expected the new appointee to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standards of morality and accountability.(NAN)