NASU To Join ASUU Strike If...

Non academic employees in the universities are warming up for industrial action as a fall out of the resolution of the ASUU strike.

They took the decision during the delegates conference in Owerri under the banner of the Non Academic Staff Union ((NASU). The communique was signed by Deputy President/Chairman of the Universities Trade Group, Comrade Sunday Adeyemi and the Deputy General Secretary, Comrade F.J Ajayi.

The union said it would go on strike the moment a negative action is directed at its members outside the original agreement reached in the 2009 Federal Government NASU agreement.

NASU also expressed worry that its 2009 agreement with the Federal Government was due for review since June, 2012, noting that the non-implementation of the full content of the FG/University based Union 2009 agreement is a political strategy aimed at mitigating early review of the agreement.

The Union urged President Goodluck Jonathan to put necessary machinery in motion to commence the upward review of the agreement within the next three months.

The Council in session also warned the Federal Government not to create more crisis it cannot manage in the process of resolving the ASUU strike, adding that some of its members, including NAAT and SSANU who were formerly members of the Interim Monitoring Committee set up by the Federal Government in October 23, 2013 to confirm the initial payment made to the Universities by the Federal Government, have been excluded.

The Union also sympathised with the family of the late Professor Festus Iyayi who it noted had been in the struggle for a positive change in the nation's education.
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Millionaire Businessman Rapes Woman On Public Beach

A tycoon has been accused of forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him and telling her there is nothing she can do about it because he has a lot of money.

32-year-old British Billionaire, Gregory Charles Cox faces two charges of sexual intercourse without consent with a 21-year-old tourist on the iconic Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

During the assault, Cox reportedly told the victim: 'You can tell the police, you can tell whoever you like but this will never go anywhere - I've got a lot of money.'

Court records have revealed that the pair then went to the beach after many hours drinking together when she remembers Cox sitting against a concrete wall while she had her back to the ocean.

'She recalls being on her knees, trying to stand up but not being able to.

'She recalls being held down, she recalls crying and being terrified' - it was revealed in court.

In his opening address to the jury in May, prosecutor said: 'She recalls being on her knees and she tried to stand up but being unable to stand up because something was holding her down. She recalls being terrified at that point.'

Cox is then said to have forced her to perform a sex act on him.
Afterwards she cried and hit Cox on the thighs as she told him:

'Please stop, please stop - I don't want this.'

Her cries for help were later heard by a young couple and she was taken to a police station, where officers described her as being 'distressed, shivering and crying'.
Police were also said to have heard her say: 'He told me over and over again that he had a lot of money.'

Cox, who founded the Manchester-based Quintessential Finance Group, was also on holiday in Australia when the alleged attack took place in January last year.
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ASUU STRIKE: Ekiti Students Embark On Marathon Prayers To Seek Divine Intervention

Students of Ekiti State origin in tertiary institutions embarked on marathon prayers to seek divine intervention in the five- month strike by the members of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU.

The students, who were drawn from the various institutions of higher learning converged at Lady Jibowu Hall, Ekiti Government House where they held the prayer session

The session had in attendance, the state's Deputy Governor, Professor Modupe Adelabu and some clerics.

Adelabu in her remarks cautioned the students against taking to the streets and engaging in illegal acts that could lead to violence and disruption of peace in the state.
She noted that they did the right thing by taking their petition to God. She said it was unfortunate that both parties to the dispute - ASUU and the Federal Government - had remained adamant despite interventions from well-meaning Nigerians.

The number two citizen of the state urged the students not to relent in their regular prayer for divine intervention, saying that the death of Prof Festus Iyayi, a frontline ASUU member in an auto-crash along the Abuja-Lokoja Road introduced another twist to the lingering dispute.

Mrs Adelabu, who expressed the hope that the prayers of the students would yield the desired result in a matter of days, counseled the undergraduates against engaging in activities that could jeopardize their future.

Mrs Adelabu regretted that the situation which keeps them at home in the past few months was not their own making and that their teachers did not deliberately embark on the strike to put the students' future at stake.

According to her, the lecturers were only pressing for their rights and other logistics that will improve the facilities in the nation's citadel of leaning and to make them world standard.

Advising the students to engage themselves in profitable ventures, she also urged them not to completely abandon their studies but constantly review their lecture notes in preparation for the re-opening of the varsities.

Pastor John Aladete in his sermon at the prayer session urged the students not to be daunted by their present predicament as a result of the protracted ASUU strike.

The cleric charged them to be hopeful with an assurance that God will be with them irrespective of the present development. He said God has designed their generation to bring the desired change needed by the country.

The students were later led into series of prayer sessions by some clerics including the Government House Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Anthony Famuagun, Pastor Tunde Akinola of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youths, Pastor Mike Awopetu and Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Affairs, Mr Adeoye Aribasoye
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ASUU STRIKE: Mixed Reactions Trails Federal Government’s Threat PLUS See What Students Have To Say

The Federal Government has given ASUU 1 week ultimatum to call off the lingering strike that has been on since the 1st of July 2013 and failure to do so will result in the loss of their jobs.

Meanwhile the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday described the threat by the federal government to sack lecturers if they don't return to classroom as empty threat that could not hold water.

While some think this move by government will further aggravate the situation. A lecturer, unlike other workers, cannot be easily replaced.

Read some students opinion below

If the government thinks there are available graduates on ground that will be engaged to teach, who will take care of the post-graduate students? Government should stop dancing to the gallery and do what is right so that our universities will be re-opened.
Khalifa Shariff, Faculty of Law, BUK
I think what the Federal Government is trying to do is very wrong, because this is portraying to the world that Nigerian leaders do not even understand what "knowledge" is all about. Imagine how you can run university education without professors and doctorate degree holders. But ok fine, we the students are waiting to see our new lecturers and we hope Mr. President will be among the new recruit lecturers and we pray for him to pass the screening and interview.

Yahaya Shehu Mohammed, BUK

I believe what ASUU is demanding is neither too much nor unrealistic. So if the government wants to sack the lecturers, they should also expel us as we are solidly in support of the lecturer's struggle for better education in this country. The government should just implement the 2009 agreement it entered with ASUU and stop playing with our future. We are tired.

Najibullahi Nuhu Abdullahi , BUK
What's your take on the Federal Government's Threat?
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"Federal Government Is Just Giving Empty Threats" - ASUU Responds To Ultimatum

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday described the threat by the federal government to sack lecturers if they don't return to classroom as empty threat that could not hold water.

The union said it is vindicated that the Federal government was not ready to implement resolutions reached with the union.
ASUU said the threat will fail, adding that Nigerian public universities need 60,000 lecturers due to government's failure to employ more capable hands into the system.

The union said federal government is wasting the time of Nigerians youths by failing to perfect the resolutions and get the strike suspended.

The union added it had reasons to be wary following the failure of government to honour their promises to Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, resident doctors and other health workers who have suspended their strikes.

The ASUU National Treasurer, Dr. Ademola Aremu, while responding to the government's directive, said the threat does not hold water as it has confirmed the fears that the federal government cannot be trusted.

The don said, "With the latest action, the federal government has shown that they are not committed to all they have been saying. We are saying that since we agreed at the meeting that the sum of 200 billion naira is for 2012 and 2013 revitalisation, the federal government should deposit same in the Central Bank of Nigerian. We are already in November and December is around the corner. If they don't do that now, when do they want to do it? We are saying the non-victimization clause should be included as agreed while the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement should be included as agreed with the presidents".

"It is a pity if the federal government is not willing to perfect the resolutions reached with union. This is why we find it difficult to trust our leaders by their words. How can someone be threatening to sack lecturers when universities are already short-staffed by almost 60,000. We are not in military era. The military tried it and failed. This one will fail again.
They can re-open the school. ASUU did not shut down the universities. It was the management of the schools that ordered the students to go back home."
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Comedian Julius Agwu Sues Etisalat For The Sum Of N100million

A few weeks ago Julius Agwu was complaining on twitter that his number has stopped working well now he is suing the network he uses etisalat forswapping and blocking his phone number and he has demanded the total sum of N100Million which would be for jobs lost, contact lost, for the inconveniences, and for being mistreated by Etisalat staff.

You can read his lawyer's statement below:

We are solicitors to Mr. Julius Agwu, one of Nigeria's most sought after entertainers (hereinafter referred to as "our client") and on whose behalf we write.

Our client is the owner of the Etisalat GSM phone number 08189555555, which he uses as his business line. On the 8th of October, 2013, our client travelled out of the country and returned on the 17th of the same month.

Upon his return, he tried severally to make calls from the aforestated GSM line but same could not connect. Not only could he not make calls, he also could not receive calls on the said GSM line.

This continued for some days until he got a message that his line had been blocked by the network provider.

Sequel to the above message, our client promptly visited your Abuja office at Hilton to report the matter. He was attended to by one Miss Joan, who informed him that somebody swapped his line. After our client successfully answered the security questions put to him, he was informed that his line had been restored, but the credit balance on the line was not returned. Surprisingly, our client's aforestated line was blocked again after he left your said Abuja office.
Once again our client visited your office at the local wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Ikeja, Lagos to lodge a complaint, but painfully, nothing was done about it.

However, after sometime, our client was invited for a meeting at your head office in Lagos on the 14th of November, 2013 which he duly honoured. Present at the meeting (in addition to the officials of your organization) was Mr. Mobolaji Okusaga, the Managing Director of The Quadrant Company, in his capacity as media agents/managers for Etisalat Nigeria.

At the end of the meeting, our client was told for the umpteenth time that they would get back to him, which they again failed to do.
LOSS OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

It cannot be over emphasized that your actions of unlawfully blocking and/or swapping our client's line occasioned loss of business opportunities to him. As you are aware, our client as one of the most sought after Nigerian entertainers needs his phone line to be easily accessible to keep his business going. It therefore goes without saying that our client has lost some business opportunities as a result of your actions.

TAKE NOTICE that we have our client's firm instruction to demand and hereby demand the sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) as compensation for the loss of business opportunities and the inconvenience caused our client by reason of your unlawful and unjustified blocking and/or swapping of our client's Etisalat GSM phone line.

TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that in the event that you fail, refuse or neglect to accede to our above stated demand within seven (7) days from the receipt of this letter, we shall be compelled to set in motion against you, all legal machineries necessary to obtain legal remedy for our client.

Thank you. Yours sincerely,
FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.
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SHOCKING: The Flying ‘Wizard’ Who Crash-Landed At Kasoa [SEE PHOTO]

A man believed to be in his 70s, who claimed to.be a wizard, was on Wednesday found on the banks of the Okrudu River at Kaimebre, a settlement near the Kasoa New Market in the Central Region Ghana.

The man, who gave his name as Charles Atta, looked frail, pale and bore protruding br**sts like that of a teenage girl.

His body was smeared with mud from the bank of the river where he was found by two brothers, Liberty Obeng and Innocent Obeng, who claimed they found the strange man crying for help.

The two brothers told Daily Guide reporters that the self-acclaimed wizard confessed to them that he was in the company of colleagues, including a medical doctor and were flying to Cape Coast for a meeting when he was forced down.

According to him, they were flying over a church where an all-night vigil was being held when he crash- landed at Servant Kings International School.

"When we as ked him where he was coming from, Atta told us that he was from Akuapem Akropong but was flying to Cape Coast to attend a meeting for witches and wizards," he said.

Charles also confessed that the two puffy protrusions on his chest were br**sts taken from his 16-year- old granddaughter and that he normally borrowed them for his night activities.

The two brothers said they were initially confused and bewildered by the weird sight of the man, and not knowing what to do him took him to Pink FM, a local radio station at Kasoa for help.

When the strange announcement was made on radio, hundreds of people besieged the premises of the radio station to see the suspected wizard.

Upon hearing the news, the Kasoa District Police dispatched a number of police personnel to the station to save the victim from being lynched.

Superintendent Samuel Tabril Punobyin told the paper that the police did not investigate spiritual matters and that the suspected wiz-ard could therefore not be charged.

He said the police would look for the family erf the man and hand him over to them. Charles Atta is still in the custody .of the Kasoa Police.

Source: Ghana Web
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We’re Not Afraid of Sack, Wike Can Go to Motor Park and Recruit Lecturers There – UNIABUJA ASUU

Dr. Clement Chup, the ASUU chairman, UniAbuja Chapter, said the union dared the Federal Government to sack its members over the prolonged universities' strike.

He said this during a telephone interview with Daily Trust in the afternoon of November 28, 2013, Thursday.

"The school can go ahead and ask students to resume but we won't do any work; we won't teach them. It is not our responsibility to resume until ASUU decides.

"We're not afraid of that (sack).
He (Education Minister) can go to the motor park to recruit lecturers that will lecture the students. You can now see the insincerity of some people in government. We told the government when we met that we're ready to suspend the strike once we're able to clarify some issues in our agreements with them. But they went ahead without clarifying those issues at stake. We dare them to sack us," Dr. Clement Chup said.

In would be recalled that the statement signed by the University registrar in the morning of November 28, 2013, Thursday, directed UniAbuja studentsto resume academic activities from December 1, 2013, Sunday.

Source: Daily Trust
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UNBELIEVABLE: Teen Remanded for Insulting Gombe Governor on Facebook

An 18-year-old Umar Abdullahi has been remanded in prison custody for allegedly insulting Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo on Facebook.

The accused was arraigned before the court on November 17 for allegedly using abusive words against the governor on Facebook.

The Prosecutor, Sardauna Wukuma, told the court at a resumed hearing that the police were still investigating the matter. He further applied for adjournment to enable the police to complete investigations on the matter.

According to the Prosecutor, the offence was contrary to the Penal Code Law of Gombe State.

The Pantami Magistrates' Court in Gombe State remanded Abdullahi at the Gombe prisons after he pleaded guilty to the charge before the court on November 27, 2013, Wednesday.

The case has been adjourned till December 12, 2013, for sentencing.
Source: The Citizen
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ASUU Strike: Fresh Demands Greeted With Mixed Reactions

Reactions have continued to trail the recent media reports that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said it will not suspend its ongoing strike until the salaries owed its members are paid and government shows reasonable level of commitment, starting with the release of N100bn this year.

While some parents and students who are in support the fresh demands opine that such is necessary, considering government's past irresponsibility towards keeping to its end of agreements, those who oppose say ASUU should sacrifice its unpaid arrears as part of its struggles.

According to the demands, the ASUU NEC members unanimously agreed that before the strike can be called off, government should pay the four-month salary arrears being owed varsity lecturers while there should be immediate implementation of the N1.2tn offer by the Federal Government to public varsities, starting with the release of N100bn this year.

Though some exco members of ASUU who spoke to Vanguard Learning denied making such fresh demands, the federal government, through the Supervising Minister for Education, Chief. Nyesom Wike, has described the demand as outrageous, saying the new demands would need further discussions.

Wike said: "I will have to see Mr. President to see how government can go about this development, which is not favourable. It is outrageous. ASUU is now making fresh demands and this will definitely need further discussion."

Whoever is saying the truth between ASUU and Federal Government, the reports of the fresh demands have triggered some reactions as parents, students and even university lecturers are divided in their stand.
Commending the efforts of ASUU in improving the standard and quality of education, a student of University of Calabar, who simply gave his name as Bright, said "we know our government is not responsible, therefore, it would be disastrous for ASUU to call off the strike without worthy results. They should ensure that the Federal Government shows enough commitment by immediately releasing part of the agreed funds." In agreement is Williams Rita Titilola, a student of the Lagos State University, who urged ASUU to get government to fulfill at least 80 per cent of the agreement before agreeing to call off the strike, else, those agreements will end up being on the paper it was signed upon.

"Government can't say there isn't enough money to revamp universities because there was enough for them to gallivant round UK all in the name of birthday party", Titilola said.

Urging students not to be carried away by government's propaganda against ASUU, a parent and a varsity lecturer who declined to have her name in print, said "government is only displaying how irresponsible she is, and this is why they plead with us whenever we meet so that we don't expose their inadequacies.

For Samuel Bright, what ASUU is requesting is the best bet considering past engagement with government.

"Since government has only been offering lip services, ASUU, by this request, is only trying to avoid future strikes. So let them settle this once and for all since we have already spent a long period at home. It will be useless not to have something concrete after over five months we have spent at home."

Not everyone shares this sentiment. While some ASUU members under the aegis of a pressure group, Concerned Academics, gave the National Executive Council of ASUU a one week ultimatum to call of the strike, the ASUU Ibadan zone chapter held a meeting to uphold the decision of the ASUU-NEC to iron out some 'grey areas' before suspending the strike.

Addressing a press conference on behalf of the Concerned Academics on Monday, Dr. Adeyemi Daramola and Dr. Michael Ogbeide, both lecturers of the Faculty Arts, University of Lagos, said that they represent a majority of lecturers who want the strike called off immediately, and had called a meeting of ASUU members, but had to postpone it because of the UNILAG-ASUU leadership.

The statement read: "We shall call a new meeting if ASUU-NEC fails to suspend the strike before the end of this week. If necessary, we shall take all legitimate steps to ensure that normalcy is restored to all Nigerian Universities as soon as possible."

The group accused ASUU NEC of derailing from the struggle."

Daramola and Ogbeide said that the President should be commended for sitting down with the union to discuss the issue and that the union need not waste more time in putting an end to the strike.

Arguing that the national body had kept its members in the dark for too long, the group worried that ASUU could not guarantee that the President would sit with its NEC again, and that other officers in the government may not be able to iron out ASUU's grey areas.
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RANTFUL : Kanye West Has Gone Completely Crazy

Known for his public and controversial rants, it is quite a surprise that Kanye West can still shock us.

In a recent radio interview, he criticized big corporations and especially Nike for not giving him much backing for his Nike Air Yeezy sneaker collaboration project.

The rapper says:

"I am standing up and I'm telling you I am Warhol. I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh, Walt Disney. And who's going to be the Medici family and stand up and let me create more? Or do you want to marginalize me till I'm out of my moment."
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HOT Kiss Of Majid Michel And Beverly Naya (PICTURED!)

If someone didn't tell us this picture was taken on a movie set, we'd probably think were hitting it off!

These two actors star in the thriller entitled"Brother's Keeper".
Beverly and Majid have a very spicy love scene in the movie.
Majid also gets to hit it with Omoni Oboli in some other scenes.

Ghanaian actors have been known to push the limits. Beverly Naya is one of the few fast rising Nigerian actresses who are ready to push it to the limit when it comes to acting too.

Check out the photo from the movie scene.
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