Asari-Dokubo establishes university, names it after KingAmachree

According to new reports, former Niger Delta militant and current leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Asari Dokubo, is now a proud owner of a university in Benin Republic...FromPremium TimesThe leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Muhajid Asari-Dokubo has joined the swelling rank of private university proprietors with his establishment of a university in theneighbouring Republic of Benin.Mr. Asari-Dokubo, who already owns a soccer academy in the West African country and another one in Abuja, said the university, which will be known as King Amachree African University, KAAU, had already been accreditedto commence degree programmes beginning September 2014.He told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview in Abuja that the proposed university, named after his ancestor, was a product of his two existing institutions in Benin Republic, namely King Amachree Automobile/ICT Royal Academy and King Amachree Arts Academy. Both of them, he added, currently award Diploma to their students.Mr. Asari-Dokubo said he chose to establish the institutions in Benin Republic because he does not only live there, but has adopted it as hiscountry.“What we have now, we are awarding only diploma now. “By next September, Insha Allah, the university will start,” Mr. Asari-Dokubo, who dropped out of University of Calabar, he said.“For now we have King Amachree Automobile/ICT Royal Academy and King Amachree Arts Academy. Two of them were merged. We have merged the two of them into king Amachree African University.“King Amachree is my great ancestor. He was king of the Kingdom of new Calabar.”On his soccer academy, the 50 yearold Mr. Asari-Dokubo, an indigene of Rivers State, who refused to be tagged a former militant, said it was established to train the youth in soccer free of charge.“We plan to engage the youths. It isfree. We have a soccer academy in Abuja and we have another one in Republic of Benin,” he said.More Nigerians are forced to go to Benin Republic, Ghana, Togo and other neigbhouring countries to acquire education due to the incessant labour disputes and industrial actions within the Nigerian university system as well as the deplorable state of education in the country.Currently, students of both the federal and state universities in Nigeria are at home due to the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over the refusal of the Federal Government to honour its 2009 agreement with the union.Other unions within the education sector, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, have also embarked on solidarity strike whilethe Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, are reportedly on theverge of doing towing that path.Students of the over 50 private universities in Nigeria, whose fees can only be afforded the rich, are however, in session.Mr. Asari-Dokubo is, like former Niger Delta militants enjoying massive patronage from the current administration, believe to be very wealthy but his source of income is largely unknown.There were speculation he made his fortune stealing crude oil in theNiger Delta. But he denied engaging in such practices, telling PREMIUM TIMES he had never been part of any act capable of endangering the Delta.

ASUU strike: FG stops salaries of lecturers

Federal Government has resolved to stop the salaries of protesting universities lecturers over the ongoing strike of the its Academic body, ASUU. The decision to invoke the “no work, no pay” rule was said to have been officially taken yesterday, eventhough some universities had earlier complained of no salaries since August.It was gathered that the government has passed a directive to the various universities governing councils to stop payment of salaries of the striking lecturers forthwith.The ASUU Zonal Chairman in Abuja, Mr Clement Chup confirmed the development yesterday after a zonal conference of ASUU, University of Abuja chapter, which took place at the Gwagwalada campus to review the nationwide strike.He said his colleagues were yet to receive their September salaries.According to him, “we have resorted to other welfare strategies to cope with the effect of the strike, particularlyto contain the various attempts by government to break the resolve of the union.The Federal Government has through the National Universities Commission, directed universities to stop the payment of our salaries effective September this year, and since then our salaries have not been paid.“Part of the welfare strategy, involved distributing food items, giving out soft loans and cash advances to members.”He urged members of the public to ignore the rumour that the strike has been called off.He said: “Nigerians should disregard rumours making therounds that the three months old strike has been called off”, adding that “the strike continues until the government demonstrates a positive inclination towards implementing the 2009 agreements and the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties.”

ASUU strike: NUPENG threatens to embark on solidarity protest

Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, had during the weekend, vowed to stop distributing petroleum products across the country if the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, continues with no solution. It threatenedto frustrate fuel distribution if the federal government remains adamant, without full implementation of the lecturers’ demands.NUPENG however did not specify when the strike will begin, but stated that it was necessary it shows solidarity with the lecturers since the government had failed to find a permanent solution to the strike that commenced 3 months ago.NUPENG President, Igwe Achese, while speaking at the Union’s National Administrative Council, NAC, meeting, in Lagos, expressed worry over the state of Nigerian universities.He said government’s failure to respect agreements had resulted to strikes in different sectors of the Nigerian systemsince the inception of 2013.He said, “We appeal to government to implement agreement reached with ASUUso that students can go back to school. If the crisis in the sector is not resolved, we will soon direct our members to embark on solidarity strike.”Blaming the Ministry of Labour over the ongoing saga,he said, “The Ministry of Labour needs to be proactive if we must get these issues nipped in the bud. The ministry also needs to make sure that agreements reached or communiqué signed are implemented.“The Ministry has a big role to play to avert strikes in the country. When unions begin tolose faith in the ministry that is when we have this kind of crisis. The Labour mMinister should be firm in making sure that the right decisions are taken.“As it is now, every activity in the Ministry of Labour is in theoffice of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,SGF, which ought not to be so.The role of the SGF should be to intervene only when the need arises.”The ongoing strike is beginning to take a new dimension as different bodies,including the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, have threatened to show support for the action of the Universitylecturers...they should just call off this strike