A splinter academic group, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has promised to put an end to the incessant strikes by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) if it is registered by the government.
According to the coordinator, the liberalisation would also engender cross-fertilisation of ideas, nurture healthy competition and protect the interests of all stakeholders.
He said CONUA is poised to ensure cross-fertilisation of ideas took place before a strike could be embarked upon.
He said that CONUA is birthed by academics across universities in February 2018 and applied for registration as a trade union at the Ministry of Labour and Employment in April 2018.
“We are aware that the committee has since submitted its report. We have therefore been waiting to hear from the government about our registration”, said the Group.
Two children died on Sunday night and three men injured after a building collapsed in Lagos.
The incident occurred around 9:40pm at Adeleye Street, Lady Lark in Bariga.
It was learnt that the cause of the incident was the scaffolding of a tank at a two-storey building that collapsed on a nearby bungalow.
It was gathered that the scaffolding fell on two rooms on the bungalow where the deceased children and injured adults were.
Confirming the incident, Permanent Secretary (PS) Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said rescuers were deployed to the scene from Onipanu, adding that the I Jared men were taken to nearby hospitals.
The Lagos State Government has begun installation of the Intelligent Transport Solution (ITS) at critical traffic intersections across the state.
Motorists are advised to exercise restrain and adhere to traffic rules while driving to avoid being ticketed.
With this deployment, traffic offenders will simply receive SMS from the Lagos State Government, while failure to comply will attract sanctions in accordance with the law.
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun State identified as Kazeem Kekere has been killed by gunmen in Apomu in Isokan Local Government Area (LGA).
It was learnt that Kazeem, who is also the Branch Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Apomu headquarters of Isokan LGA, was shot dead on Saturday night.
It was learnt that he had been using his position to canvass support for the APC during the gubernatorial election and allegedly deprived other political parties avenue to use vehicles in his garage.
A source in the community told our correspondent that Kazeem was killed on Saturday night after he was trailed to a spot in the community.
He said, “He was killed around 8 and 9pm between Oke-Alfa and Timberland area, at the stream in the area. He was pursued to the spot by two vehicles. The cars trailed him to the point where his car was waylaid and he was killed.”
Confirming the incident, the Isokan Local Government Secretary, Tajudeen Bello, said: “Alhaji Kazeem was killed by gunmen yesterday night.
“He played major role during 2022 Osun State Governorship election. As a chairman of NURTW, he directed all his members to vote for APC and threatened that anybody who voted for the PDP would be dealt with as long as he was the chairman.
“He was reported at the palace and he stood by his words.”
Similarly, the APC chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun through his media aide, Kola Olabisi confirmed the incident to newsmen.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police command is yet to react to the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Government of Osun State has described as illogical and false, the allegation by the governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke that the local governments have been directed to return part of their allocations to the state.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Adebayo Adeleke, the government said the allegation was not only frivolous but again exposed the Governor-elect as one who does not have any idea of how government activities are run.
“According to the statement, the allegation was a mere concoction that existed only in Adeleke’s imagination, saying there was no such directive and there will never be, particularly now that the NFIU policy is in place and strictly being followed in Osun.
“We challenged Adeleke to tell the public, when and where such directive was given, and back it up with evidence, rather than their ‘beer parlour’ speculations. After all, government is not run on verbal directives but through circulars and regulations.
“Governor Oyetola is a man of due process, accountability and transparency that will not do things against the law and regulations, rather, you will see him supporting the local councils and making them effective, with a view to bringing development closer to the grassroots.
“The Adeleke’s fairy tale is more exposed, as it came few days after Osun State under Oyetola was adjudged first among the 36 states in Nigeria in the area of Public Finance/Accountability. The ranking by the Federal Government and PLS Initiative, an international organization in a report tagged ‘Subnational Audit Efficacy Index’ said Osun achieved the feat through its transparent nature of governance.
“It is sad that Adeleke certainly do not understand that the Ministry of Local Government is no deposit bank where such huge funds being alleged can be brought to.
“The Governor-elect or his cronies should not be taken seriously, as he is only making unsubstantiated allegations, just to curry undue sympathies, having realized the enormous task which governance involves. He, is, therefore, preparing grounds for excuses .
“Adeleke should know better that the PDP is the party with records of such mis-management and diversion of public funds. However, Oyetola will never adopt the retrogressive style that the PDP is known for.
“The people of Osun are too intelligent to believe the lies that the governor-elect and his party are spreading and there is no amount of blackmail by the opposition that can distract the government”, he added.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said some comments being circulated about his meeting with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, are fake.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi on Saturday, Obasanjo maintained that “the statements coming from those claiming to be supporters of Bola Tinubu are unhelpful.”
According to him, the discussion between the two of them was “more brotherly than political.”
The Balogun Owu added that at the request of Tinubu, he “agreed to no statement from either side.”
Speaking further, Obasanjo revealed that, “Those claiming to be insiders at the meeting issuing statement on the discussion and those crediting to me statement I had not made are enemies of the visitor and are not doing the visit any good.”
Nigerian-British boxer, Anthony Joshua has lost his rematch bout with Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk – who retains the heavyweight titles.
Usyk won on a split points decision after the pair went the full 12 rounds – 113 to115, 115 to 113 and 116 to 112.
The fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, follows their bout last year in London, where Usyk won the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts from the British boxer.
Until around March, Usyk was fighting on the frontline in Kyiv, but left the war-torn country to focus on his rematch with Joshua.
The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has denied any involvement in the attack on the convoy of the state’s First Lady, Kafayat Oyetola.
ODUDUWA NEWS had earlier reported that the convoy was attacked on Friday at the Owode area of the state, and some of the First Lady’s aides sustained injuries.
Waterfield Luxury Hotel Akobo, Ibadan
But in a statement by Osun PDP, the attack was allegedly caused by Mrs. Oyetola’s escort who beat up a truck driver whose vehicle blocked the road.
This was contained in a statement on Saturday by Osun PDP Media Director, Oladele Bamiji, titled ‘How First Lady’s Escorts Beat Up Truck Driver, Sparking Public Reaction-Osun PDP’.
The statement read, “We are shocked to read this morning the futile attempt by the office of the outgoing First Lady to cover up the irresponsible conduct of her escort who beat up a truck driver at Owode, leading to public angry reactions against her entire convoy.
“According to eyewitness accounts, yesterday was Owode Ede market day and the road was expectedly crowded.
“A truck had developed a fault right in the middle of the road with the driver making efforts to get it to work.
“That was the point the First Lady’s convoy arrived at the scene and instead of helping to clear the traffic hold up , the security operatives around the First Lady pounced on the truck driver, beating him to a state of stupor.
“Realising the outcome of their criminal misadventure, the operatives rushed the driver to the hospital after the former had slumped. It was at this point that people around the market angrily reacted, pelting the convoy with stones and others.
“Eye witness accounts further revealed that as at the time the convoy was attacked, the angry crowd were not even aware of who was in the convoy until reinforcement was sent to the scene from Government House with sporadic shootings.
“We have gone this far with the details of the incident to strongly deny allegations that PDP thugs were responsible for the self-inflicted attacks on the convoy of the First Lady.
“As a party, we have no Asiri Eniba or Rashid Oko Ilu as the First Lady’s family actively nurtured before, during and after the election.
“PDP is a people’s party whose members will never harass and molest innocent citizens whose only crime was pursuing their daily needs under an economy recklessly battered by the First Lady’s party.
“We call on the First Lady to apologise to the truck driver who was inhumanly treated. It is not enough to rush him to the hospital. The First Lady should atone for the sins of his overzealous escorts unless she was responsible for the directive to beat up the innocent driver.
“Instead of blaming the PDP, we call on officials of the outgoing government to be mindful of their interface with the people of Osun state. Our people have been badly governed with harsh economic pains under a clearly inhuman administration.
“It is unacceptable and reprehensible for a First Lady and her team to assault a citizen and turn round to blame the opposition.”
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, visited the family of late Oba Abdulganiy Salawudeen Adekunle Oloogunebi Ajinese 1, the Aseyin of Iseyin, on Saturday to offer his condolence messages.
Chief Olayiwola Olakojo, the former secretary to the Oyo State Government, accompanied Chief Obasanjo to Iseyin, where he offered a prayer for the king’s soul to rest.
He pledged his support for the widows and kids of the late Aseyin in their future endeavours.
“We traveled through Ibadan today to check on one of us, Chief Omololu Olunloyo, who is critically ill. I pray to God that he recovers quickly. I was supposed to have been here since the passing of Kabiyesi”, said Obasanjo.
“We do not need to be preaching for you again because Almighty God knows what we don’t and just have to accept whatever He brings.
“I will still be in constant touch with the palace along with Mayegun (Chief Olayiwola Olakojo) and I will reach out to the Queens and the children with our support,” he said.
Waterfield Luxury Hotel Akobo, Ibadan
Oba Abdulganiy Salawudeen Adekunle Oloogunebi Ajinese 1, who died in the early hours of Sunday July 24, 2022 was 62 years old and reigned for 15 years on the throne.
Present at the palace during the visit were members of the royal families, Iseyin Elders Council, Iseyin Development Union (I.D.U), Iseyin Council of Societies (ICS) among others.
