Author: oduduwanews

The students of University of Lagos UNILAG have declared their intention to embark on protest September 6.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen through the SUG as read in part:

“It has become imperative to inform the public of mass protests against fee hike scheduled to start on September 6, 2023, as all Nigerian students, parents, civil society organizations, informal workers, are set to hit the streets to say enough of untold hardship meted on us.

“Recall that in the wake of the announced fee hike poorly orchestrated by the duo of the Tinubu-led Federal Government and the UNILAG Management, we in the Students Solidarity Group Against Fee Hike engaged in series of actions to enlighten members of the public of the dangers this anti-poor policy portends for the generality of the people.

“Our argument remains that the responsibility of funding public education can not be shifted to poor students and their parents even in a draining economy such as this. We also maintain that the decision taken by the UNILAG Management, supervised by their employers, remains authoritarian, illogical and economically inconsiderate.

“It is also important to state that after engaging in a discussion, and for over 4 weeks, the UNILAG Management has failed in its promise to reconvene the meeting with the student delegation.
We are civil and we believe that our civility should be reciprocated with respect, especially from people saddled with the responsibility of serving the public.

“The social consequences of this menace at our door steps can not be overemphasized. If allowed to stand, many of our colleagues will drop out, says the survey we conducted. Dreams will be shattered. The social inequality gap will be widened by this inhumane action. Those who will manage not to drop out of school, will drop out of class, i.e- they won’t stay in class, as the fee hike will push everyone to become compulsory hustlers. Lecturers will justifiably sell “hand-outs” openly and bribes for grades will become the order of the day. Cases of sexual harassment for grades will also increase as students who do not stay in class will have to find unwholesome means to “excel” academically.

“Our lecturers, some of whom are postgraduate students, including those who are sponsors (parents/guardians) to many students would not be able to afford these fees. For example, a lecturer (earning a salary of 200,000) who has 2 children in UNILAG will be forced to pay a minimum of 1 million Naira as obligatory and accommodation fees. This is to say our lecturers won’t be able to afford the service they provide. An economy where workers are paid minimum wage of 30,000 has no business with public school fees of over 300,000.

All these social consequences are pointing to a sharp decline in the quality of education in our schools, as against the propaganda of the government and the management. We say No to the privatization and commercialization of education through the backdoor- the student loan scheme.

Evidence in the past has shown that nothing progressive can come out of the fee increment. Fee hikes have been monitored over time and have been found to be anti-progressive. They won’t improve any standard of learning or living conditions.
A very close example is the increment of accommodation fees at the College of Medicine, Idi-Araba in 2019.

The hostel fees were increased from 23,000 to 44,500 but there was no commensurate change in the living standard of students staying in those halls of residence. What then is the assurance that at the new fee- 120,000, there would be any improvement?
Education especially in a developing country, must not be reduced to a profit-making venture for private profiteers.

It is to this end, we call on every Nigerian to join the struggle for the survival of public education, to mobilize and march on the streets with us as we put an end to added suffering, starting from September 6, 2023.
The protests will be comprehensive and total until fees are reverted.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has urged Nigerians to expect improved power supply in few months to come and advised that people should desist from raining curses on electricity workers in the country but always pray for them.

He said only prayers and support from Nigerians can make the power ministry succeed in its vision towards providing adequate and stable electricity to Nigerians.

The minister said he would do everything possible to make sure the ministry, under his leadership, laid a good foundation for 24/7 power supply in Nigeria.

He made the disclosure on Saturday during a radio programme on Fresh FM as monitored by ODUDUWA NEWS.

“I can tell you that between six months, we will start seeing improvement in the power sector.

“Within the next six months, there would be major addition to the national grid, in terms of hydro power plant, that is the Zugeru 700mw in Niger state, that is about to be completed. This will be the biggest one in Sub-sahara Africa when completed.

“The Kanji dam that we all grew up to know supplies about 460mw, Sororo dam supplies about 520mw.

“I will do everything to ensure that Zugeru power plant is inaugurated and subsequently add 700mw to the national grid,” he stated.

He said the power sector despite being the most criticised, yet, pivotal to the economic emancipation of Nigeria, saying 70 percent of Nigeria’s problem would be solved if Nigeria gets it right in power sector.

He said his vision for the Ministry of Power is to leverage on Nigerian Electricity Act of 2023 which opened new avenues for power provision and encourages collaboration among states and federal governments.

He said the ministry under his leadership would foster robust partnerships between the private and public sectors and build upon the foundation laid by his predecessors.

A 28-year-old Nigerian woman, Rebecca Oyedotun, has d!ed after she slumped on the eve of her wedding day. Rebecca and her fiancé, Abiodun Oluwadamilare, were set to wed on Saturday, August 19, 2023, in Ogbomosho, Oyo State but she d!ed at the hospital on Sunday, August 20.

It was gathered that the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, graduate, and her friends were having her bridal shower ceremony on Friday, August 18, when she reportedly slumped at 10:30pm.

She was rushed to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso where she was revived but her condition did not improve until she gave up the ghost in the early hours of Sunday.

“Everything was set by Friday, the cows had been slaughtered and the meat fried, every necessary preparation was made, there were a lot of people coming and going to rejoice with us, the groom and his people had come from Abeokuta,” a sister-in-law of the deceased, who did not however mention her name, told Ogbomoso Online at their residence at Caretaker area, on Wednesday, in the presence of the father of the deceased, Evangelist Moses Oyedotun.

She further revealed that the parents of the groom had in fact slaughtered their cow in Ogbomoso, as Abiodun is their only child, not knowing that tragedy was ominously lurking in the corner.

“We had bought ewedu to be used, ingredients had been ground, and in the morning of Saturday, amala (yam flour paste) was made, rice was ready, the venues were set, but the ceremony was never held as the bride was never available,” the sister-in-law added.

National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Lamidi Apapa, has said that only candidates endorsed by him can participate in November 11 governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo.

This is coming after it was reported that a court of appeal sacked the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise governorship candidates produced by Apapa’s faction for the election.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, August 24, Lamidi said;

“You will recall that on the April 5 the FCT High court restrained Abure and others from parading themselves as national officers of the party. As a result, the party appointed the Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, as the acting national chairman of the party pursuant to its constitution.

“Sequel to that the party under my leadership wrote to INEC changing its date of primary election earlier scheduled by Abure from April 15 to April 16. Notwithstanding the fact that he was under a restraining order, Abure still went ahead to conduct his primaries for Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa on those dates.

“Peeved by the primary conducted by me, a candidate who participated in the Abure primary took my candidate to court whilst maintaining that Abure’s candidates were the authentic ones. The case was frantically defended, and the Federal High court, Owerri Division, declared the primaries conducted by me as the authentic candidate as Abure was under a restraining order as at the time he screened candidates and conducted his primaries.”

The Ondo State Government has reversed the order of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, to close markets over traditional festival celebrations.

The monarch ordered the closure of markets to observe the annual Aheregbe Festival on Friday, but the government criticized the order, claiming it infringed on the fundamental human rights of Akure residents.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, stated that the decision was reached at the state Executive Council meeting and that the closure would have been limited to Oja-Oba (Oba’s Market) in Akure.

The statement urged Akure residents to go about their normal business on Friday and beyond, urging them to be law-abiding and move about freely in the pursuit of happiness.

There was panic in Tinumola area of Osogbo, the capital of Osun State on Wednesday when a tenant reported to be an officer of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) allegedly stabbed his caretaker, Omosola Oladele after an argument over payment of an electricity bill.

The crisis ensued on Tuesday night when fellow neighbours reported the DSS officer who was simply identified as Tifase to the caretaker about his nonchalant attitude to bills in the house.

According to the Nigerian Tribune, an eyewitness disclosed the DSS officer stabbed the caretaker with a dagger after he asked him about payment of an electricity bill.

The 60-year-old caretaker, Oladele narrated his ordeal on hospital bed that “One of the tenants of the storey building reported to me that NEPA people came to cut light because they’ve paid the current electricity. She said that only two people, Tifase and one other person, have not paid.

“NEPA would have disconnected the light if people didn’t intervene but he angrily told me ‘they should cut it’. One of the eyewitnesses told him he should apologise for the utterance but instead, he went inside and came out with a dagger and stabbed me.”

While narrating the incident, one of the eyewitnesses, Comrade Morounkola Tosin, said that the issue started on the 16th of August when the occupants of the house needed to pay electricity bills.

“Some people have volunteered to pay the electricity bills but what they are asking for was a refund before he came out with a dagger to stab Mr Oladele.

“We rushed Mr Oladele to hospital and I went to report the case to Dada Estate Police Station. Before I came back from the police station I met some DS’s operatives who said they cannot hand him over to the police because he is their operative.”

Confirming the incident, the Osun State Commissioner for Police, Kehinde Longe spoke with News reporter on a phone call and said that he was yet to be briefed about the incident at the time of the call.