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Strike: ASUU, FG Resume Talks on Monday

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government are to resume talks Monday (tomorrow) on how to resolve the impasse over the two-month-old strike embarked upon by lecturers.

The Punch reported that National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, confirmed the development in a telephone interview on Friday.

He, however, said the union was not optimistic about the prospects of an early resolution of the industrial dispute.

In response to a question on whether there had been any fresh development with regard to the resolution of the dispute, Ogunyemi said, “I’ am afraid nothing new. I understand they will be meeting us on Monday. Let’s wait and see if they take a reasonable step; it will determine our next line of action. Until then, let’s wait and see.”

The ASUU president had in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH last week said members of the union were tired of government’s failed promises.

He said, “Last year, they promised to release the funds but they did not until November when the strike began. Our members are saying they do not want promises again; what they want is action, implementation or disbursement of funds.

“The government must act in a way to convince the union that the agreement has not been set aside. To show that the government has not set aside the agreement, they should release one tranche.”

He explained that in order to forestall a situation where ASUU and the government would restart negotiations on arrears of earned academic allowances, both sides had agreed that “it would be mainstreamed into the 2019 budget.”

Ogunyemi also said, “We are going to have a discussion on when to commence renegotiation because there are still grey areas. If the government can substantially address these issues, we will be more confident to face our members on the way forward. For now, the signals we are getting is that our members do not actually want to accept this government proposal from us.”

Members of ASUU went on strike on November 4, 2018 to demand for improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government.

The union is also seeking the implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU; 2012 and 2013) and Memorandum of Action (MoA, 2017), among others.

The union is also asking the Federal Government to expedite action on the release of funds to revitalise public universities in accordance with the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013 and the MoA of 2017.

The university teachers are also demanding the release of the operational licence of the Nigerian University Employees Pension Company.

The Director of Press at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, could not be reached when one of our correspondents tried to get the reaction of the Federal Government on the issue

But a source in the ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SUNDAY PUNCH that ASUU should be blamed for the delay in reopening the universities.

The source added that the FG had showed commitment to the ASUU’s demands and that it was better to start from what the FG had offered than to halt negotiation.

“The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had told the leadership of ASUU that the FG would accept many of their demands but flexibility is needed to implement the rest. They left the meeting happy and said they would discuss the progress with their other organs. But they had delayed in moving forward. The blame is no longer in on the FG. ASUU should come forward with what they think of the FG’s commitment so far.”

The Punch

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El-Rufai Vows to Send Tinubu Back to Lagos in 2027

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A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that plans are underway to unseat President Bola Tinubu and send him back to Lagos in the 2027 presidential elections.

Speaking on Wednesday at the second edition of the Arewa Tech Fest in Katsina, El-Rufai revealed that a coalition of opposition forces is being formed and actively working to unseat the President.

He said: “They (the organising team) had to come without me because yesterday (Tuesday) at 8pm, there was a very important meeting of the coalition we’re putting together to ensure that President Tinubu goes back to Lagos.”

However, despite his firm stance against Tinubu, El-Rufai commended the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, who is serving under the current administration, saying the minister would be retained in the next government for his performance.

He said: “Though we will still keep Bosun Tijani, we will still keep the minister because he is doing good work.”

El-Rufai, dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in March 2025.

The former founding member of the APC, is now a key member of the opposition SDP and working alongside the former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, to form a coalition of different political parties against President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

El-Rufai also explained that his delayed arrival at the event was due to the political meeting, noting:

“I had to attend that meeting at 8pm. The Katsina airport does not operate after 8pm, so I could not come until this morning.”

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Shadow Govt: Court Fixes June 25 for Hearing of DSS vs Pat Utomi Case

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Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the service of court documents on the 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Professor Pat Utomi, in relation to a suit pending over his alleged plan to establish a shadow government in the country.

The Department of State Services (DSS), in the suit, argued that not only is the planned shadow government an aberration, but it also constitutes a grave attack on the Constitution and a threat to the current democratically elected government.

Justice Omotosho granted an ex parte motion argued by the counsel for the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, ordering service of court documents on Utomi, listed as the sole defendant, at his Lagos address using courier service.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case to June 25 for hearing, before which Utomi is expected to have filed his defence.

In the suit instituted on May 13, the DSS expressed concern that such a structure, styled as a “shadow government,” if left unchecked, might incite political unrest, cause inter-group tensions, and embolden other unlawful actors or separatist entities to replicate similar parallel arrangements, all of which pose a grave threat to national security.

The plaintiff wants the court to declare the purported “shadow government” or “shadow cabinet” being planned by Utomi and his associates as “unconstitutional and amounts to an attempt to create a parallel authority not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

The DSS is also seeking a declaration that “under Sections 1(1), 1(2) and 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, the establishment or operation of any governmental authority or structure outside the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) is unconstitutional, null, and void”.

The plaintiff wants the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, his agents and associates “from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a ‘shadow government,’ ‘shadow cabinet’ or any similar entity not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

Among the grounds on which the plaintiff is hinging its prayers is that Section 1(1) of the Constitution declares its supremacy and binding force on all persons and authorities in Nigeria.

It added that Section 1(2) prohibits the governance of Nigeria or any part thereof except in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

According to the DSS, Section 14 (2Xa) states that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, from whom the government, through the Constitution, derives all its powers and authority.It is contending that Utomi’s proposed shadow government lacks constitutional recognition and authority, thereby contravening the aforementioned provisions.

The plaintiff further stated, in a supporting affidavit, that it is the principal domestic intelligence and security agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, statutorily mandated to detect and prevent threats to the internal security of Nigeria, including subversive activities capable of undermining national unity, peace, and constitutional order.

The DSS added that it is statutorily empowered to safeguard the internal security of Nigeria and prevent any threats to the lawful authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its constituent institutions.It states that it has monitored, “through intelligence reports and open source material, public statements and interviews granted by the defendant, in which he announced the purported establishment of what he termed a ‘shadow government’ or ‘shadow cabinet’, comprising several persons that make up its ‘minister.’

“The ‘shadow government’ or ‘shadow cabinet’ is an unregistered and unrecognised body claiming to operate as an alternative government. Contrary to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).“

The defendant (Utomi), through public statements, social media, and other platforms, has announced the formation of this body with the intent to challenge the legitimacy of the democratically elected government of Nigeria,” it said.

“Based on the intelligence gathered by the plaintiff, the activities and statements made by the defendant and his associates are capable of misleading segments of the Nigerian public, weakening confidence in the legitimacy of the elected government, and fuelling public disaffection.

“It is in the interest of justice, national security, and the rule of law for this honourable court to declare the existence and operations of the defendant unconstitutional and illegal,” it added.

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Ibadan Youths Protest As Police Stray Bullet Kills WAEC Candidate

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A stray bullet has allegedly killed a student who was heading to the examination centre to sit for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination being organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The incident happened on Gbagi market road in the Egbeda Local Government Area of the state when a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer in pursuit of a suspect hit and allegedly killed the student on Tuesday.

Investigations revealed that the boy was on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother when the incident struck.

The student, according to multiple eyewitnesses, was on his way to the examination centre.

One of the sources, simply identified as Ajani, said, “A police officer opened fire while chasing a fleeing vehicle. One of the bullets reportedly hit the student. The student was riding on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother.

“The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Another witness said, “The deceased was on his way to the examination centre alongside his twin brother when the tragedy happened.”

Meanwhile, irate youths took the student’s lifeless body to the state Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, to demand justice and called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene.

The deceased body has been deposited at Adeoyo Hospital morgue.

As of press time, authorities have not released an official statement on the incident.

The Punch

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