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

MTN BIS is now N500....shikin money

The Telecommunication giant, MTN has reduced the price of its monthly Bis plan offered to its subscriber.we got this information on facebook and my friend confirmed from Customer Care now that MTN has reduced their BlackBerry BBC subscription to N500 only.with the way things are going now as a statistician i can predict that the subscription will be free by 2015.lets see what glo reaction will be because they just reduced theirs to 1000 naira of recent>> To Subscribe For MTN Monthly blackberry Plan at the Rate of N500, Send BBC to 21600.share with others.

Jonathan directs immediate action to end ASUU strike

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday directed the two Federal Government committees negotiating the requests by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to take immediate measures at ending the on-going strike.The Chairman of the Universities Needs Implementation Committee,Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue, made this known after a closed-door meeting of the two committees and other stakeholders with President Jonathan at the State House.in Abuja.Vice-President Namadi Sambo, the Chairman of the Earned Allowance Committee and the Secretary to theGovernment of the Federation (SGF), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim were in attendance at the meeting.Also in attendance were, Ministers of Education, Prof. Ruqayyat Rufai, Labour, Emeka Wogu, the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okogie and the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadome.Speaking with State House correspondents, Suswam said that the meeting was summoned by thePresident “to take some decisions that would end the strike’’.“The President has instructed us, as to what to do, and he has showna lot of commitments to flagging off projects worth about N100 billion in all the universities in the country, about 61 of them.“So, we are hoping that we will be able to see the end of the strike very soon.“At the end of the day, we hope ASUU is satisfied with the measures that have so far been taken.“The federal government will also be meeting with the Universities Councils and Vice Chancellors of our universities within the week towards updating them on some ofthe decisions taken,’’ he said.Suswam said about N100 billion had been approved by the Federal Government to his committee to address infrastructure deficit in all the Universities.punch ng

ASUU strike: Jonathan approves N400bn lifeline –SSANU

The end to the present strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may be in sight as President Goodluck Jonathan hasapproved N400 billion for the infrastructural development of Nigerian universities.The document to this effect is expected to be made available today at the meeting of the presidential committee on implementation of the NEEDS assessment in the universities with the leaders of the four university-based unions – the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities(SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).The President of SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, made the revelation while addressing his union members at the SSANU National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the weekend at the University of Abuja.Ugwoke, briefing the SSANU members on the activities of the NEEDS assesment implementation committee, led by Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam. He noted that the fund was different from the N100 billion Governor Suswam had raised from donor agencies and big companies to tackle the problems of Nigerian universities in 2013.The labour leader said: “Let me giveyou a tip on what the NEEDS assessment committee is doing. The president has approved that within the next four years; N400 billion would be expended in infrastructural development of Nigerian universities, to transform the universities to international standard.“N100 billion has already been raised by Suswam committee out ofwhich 61 universities have been pencilled down, as contained in the NEEDS assessement committee. The N100 billion is expected to address needs of the universities inthe areas which include re-furbishing and renovation of lecture theatres and lecture halls, re-furbishing and renovation of laboratories/libraries and the renovation of hostels.“The second category is building of new hostels of international standard, self-contained rooms, thelatest model in the world. That is the standard to be built in every university, and also the state-of-the-art laboratories as well as classrooms, lecture theatres and the halls.”Ugwoke pointed out that the moneyhad been shared and out of the N100 billion, N96 billion had been sent to universities.He added: “The committee is meeting again on Monday, and by Monday (today), the document will be out. This time around, it is not only by giving university money, butit will be monitored to ensure that the money is used to transform the universities, to bail universities out of the present situation and developed to an international recognized university standard.”

ASUP Preparing to Resume Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) announced the decision to suspend the nationwide strike on July 16, 2013. Unfortunately, it has just been a pause.ASUP is gearing for another industrial action, which would commence after next week, and would be indefinite.The union made the appropriate statement on August 13, 2013, Tuesday during the mass protest to'save public education'in Lagos."The suspension of the strike will expire next week and up till now government has not done any single thing in the agreement," said Chibuzo Asomugha, ASUP's National President.After 81 days of inactivity in polytechnics across Nigeria, the union decided to suspend the strike following the level of progress made in negotiations with the government.ASUP said that it suspended the strike to allow the Senate Joint Committee on Education to liaise with relevant government agencies with a view to tackling the union's demands within one month.Among ASUP's demands include the need for constitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics; migration of the lower cadre to CONTISS 15 salary scale; and the "worrisome condition" of state-owned polytechnics in the country."Government should stop paying lip service to public education," said Mr. Asomugha. "The closer you get to this people in government, the more you lose hope."whats wrong with this our govt?