PENGASSAN berates FG over ASUU strike

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has berated the federal government over the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) which has crippled academic activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

In a statement issued yesterday in Lagos, PENGASSAN Public Relations Officer (PRO) says the body, “views with deep concern and discontent the ongoing and indeed a recurring strike in our nation’s ivory towers by the Academic Staff Unions of our Universities (ASUU) which has entered its 9th week without any sign of being resolved soon as parties in the crisis continue to trade blame and spoil for more actions on the matter.”

NANS gives Fed Govt seven-day ultimatum on ASUU strike

Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has given the Federal Government seven days to end the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

The students gave the ultimatum at a press conference held at International Press Centre in Ogba, Lagos.

NANS Chairman, Lagos chapter, Yakub Eleto, said: “The consequences of the ASUU’s industrial action have been dire for Nigerian students. We know that there would be no development in the face of instability in the education sector. Government must save our education system from collapse.”

Students slam govt over strike

Students of Nasarawa State University (NSU) in Keffi have expressed concern over the government’s unwillingness to honour the 2009 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

A 300-Level student of Political Science, Moses Ndung, blamed the Federal Government for the ongoing ASUU strike.

He said: “I think it is morally wrong for the government to have reneged on its promise. No amount of investment in education is too much. The government should play their part of the bargain so that Nigerian students can return to their classrooms. “

ASUU strike: N’ Assembly wants NNPC, CBN, TETFUND intervention

The National Assembly is reaching out to three key agencies of the Federal Government in efforts to  end the strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The agencies are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Findings by The PUNCH on Sunday showed that the Senate and House Committees on Education initiated the joint move “as an urgent intervention strategy to save university education from crumbling.”

The Minister of Finance,  Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had stated  last Wednesday  that meeting ASUU’s demands would cost the government N92bn.

Strike: Poly, education college lecturers may join ASUU

There are indications that lecturers from  polytechnics and colleges of education may join their counterparts – the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

According to sources from the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, the union may resume its suspended strike, due to a lack of remarkable progress from the government on the union’s wage dispute.

Following promises made to the union, it suspended its strike on July 16 for one month. But as of Sunday, the Federal Government had yet to fulfill the promises made to ASUP, which has stirred up a fresh round of controversy.

NUC misapplied Universities' money, bungled courses accreditation-ASUU President

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, in this interview with vanguard newspaper, blames government for the dwindling fortunes of education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) for misapplying universities’ Stabilization Fund.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Okojie, is shifting the blame on the rot in the universities to the authorities which he accused of lacking in good leadership. What is your take?
The accreditation exercise conducted by NUC in all programmes in the universities was a charade.

ASUU v FGN: Education costs and price of ignorance

Education is very costly and quality education is even more expensive. Our people certainly know better when they say: “If you think education is too expensive, then try ignorance.” Anyone with a modicum of intellectual capacity would not need further explanation as to the direct connection between national wellbeing and the quality of education in place.

It is no accident that all the successful countries of the world today are those that have invested heavily in the education of their children while the most underdeveloped ones are those with the lowest per capital investment in education and, sadly, Nigeria is one of them.

I must confess my embarrassment by the present Academic Staff Union of Universities strike which has seen our campuses shutdown for weeks with no hope in sight for immediate resolution. The case of ASUU is an old one; but for a willful disregard of scholarship, the last thing anyone who has the interest of the nation at heart would like to

ASUU strike, evidence of govt failure –Rep

A member of the House of Representatives from Ekiti State, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, on Thursday, described the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities as failure of the Peoples Democratic Party-led government.

He called on the National Assembly to probe the N186bn given to 15 companies under Power Airlines Intervention Fund. He also said that the refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan to remove the Director General of

Commissioner, others call for increased funding of education

The Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole, Senator Anthony Adefuye and a cleric, pastor Sunday Kalu, have called on the government to increase the funding of education in the country.

They made this call at the 8th valedictory and prize giving day of the Viscum Group of Schools, Omole Phase 2, Lagos.

Danmole, who advocated functional education, urged the Federal Government to do more for education in the area of funding.

He said, “This is the only way to ensure a

Permanent voters card ready, awaiting distribution

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday said it had taken delivery of 20 million permanent voter cards for 2015 general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commission in charge of Akwa Ibom State, Gabriel Ada, said this in Uyo at a stakeholders meeting, organised by the commission.

He said the voter cards would

ASUU Strike: Activists Ask Jonathan To Sack Okonjo-Iweala

A group of activists under the aegis of Anti-Corruption Network have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack the minister of Finance and coordinating minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, without further delay.

ASUU Denies FG’s Claim Over N92bn Allowance

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday denied the claim by the federal government that it demanded N92billion as earned allowances in the 2009 agreement.

Apparently reacting to the claim by the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Dr Okonjo Iweala, that the federal government cannot meet the N92billion allowances being demanded by ASUU, the University of Ibadan chairman of ASUU, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, described the claim as a lie.

UNICAL: Releases Post-UTME dates

SCREENING OF POST-UTME CANDIDATES FOR ADMISSION INTO THE UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR FOR THE 2013/2014 SESSION
The Post-UTME Online Registration will be shut down on Friday August 16, 2013 by 12:midnight while the Screening exercise will be on Friday August 23, 2013 and Saturday August 24, 2013 respectively.

Special Notice:

UNILAG Releases Diploma Cut Off Mark

The University of Lagos has announced its 2013/2014 CGPA cut off marks for students who undereent the Foundation programme and are seeking Direct Entry Admission. Below are the marks:
S/N. FACULTY OF ARTS – CUT-OFF
1. Creative Arts – 2.50
2. English – 3.00
3. European Languages – 2.50
4. History & Strategic Studies – 2.60
5. Philosophy – 2.50
S/N. FACULTY OF BUSINESS

Huawei, others partner over Windows 8 phone

ICT firm and equipment vendor, Huawei, has partnered Microsoft and chip set maker, Qualcomm to produce a Windows 8 mobile phone named Huawei 4Afika.
Speaking at the launch of the mobile phone in Lagos, Senior Director of Business Development and managing director of Qualcomm’s West Africa operations, Alexander Dadson, said the firm was proud to be associated with the new mobile phone.

According to him, Qualcomm developed the

A voice from the street

Protesters in the Middle East made history in 2011 when they toppled dictator after dictator in what is now referred to as the Arab Spring. From Tunisia, where it started, it spread to Egypt, Libya, Syria and other Arab countries giving voices to people who have hitherto had their voices muffled for decades. The voices came in different forms and shades, the biggest ever line up of Arabic rappers and the spirit and resilience of the Cairo youth made Friday, November 4, 2011 a special day as it brought together political dissidents rappers from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan on Egyptian soil in order to remind the world that the struggle for freedom of expression and speech in the Middle East has just begun.

All for charity

Students and beauty queens from three higher institutions in Plateau State dropped their academics to engage in charity to save the lives of an ailing colleague, Sylvia Gowal, and orphans. GOTODOK LENGSHAK and SULEIMAN DUTSE (300-Level Production, Nigerian Television Authority Television College, Jos) report.

They are beauty queens and students of various higher institutions in Plateau State. They also have kind hearts. They dropped their classroom work for

At the mercy of ASUU strike

Law students of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) are worried by the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, which could prevent them from being mobilised for their Law School programme. IBRAHIM JATTO (400-Level Zoology) and HALIMAH AKANBI (200-Level Law) write.

FOR final year Law students of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike came at a wrong time. The strike has put them on a

BlackBerry 9720 announced to keep a candle burning for BlackBerry 7

BlackBerry may be focusing most prominently on its BlackBerry 10 OS and the smartphones within that family but it's not abandoning the former versions of its operating system altogether. Indeed, the new BlackBerry 9720 has been announced and it is a standard bearer for BlackBerry 7.

The Qwerty-keyboard toting handset comes with a 2.8-inch touchscreen and trackpad "for easy navigation". It features BlackBerry 7.1 from the box, which includes

What to expect from the new iPhone this September

Not one, but two phones to choose from, or so the theories go

Most people love gossip - and while Apple chit-chat never stops, the rumours of an Apple event on 10 September seem more serious than most.

It's said to be the launch pad for the iPhone 5S, as well as the iPhone 5C (a budget version).

Windows 8.1 release date revealed, full build available to all from 17 October

Microsoft has finally revealed the release date of the full consumer build of Windows 8.1. It will be available as a free download to Windows 8 users from 17 October.

In fact, the software giant has given a specific time. It states that the update will be officially available from 12am 18 October in New Zealand.

Chris Brown sued over studio fight

A man who claims he was punched and kicked by a member of Chris Brown's entourage during a fight at a recording studio is suing the R&B singer for assault and battery.

Sha'keir Duarte is suing Mr Brown for unspecified damages in Los Angeles.
The star's lawyer Mark Geragos said it was a frivolous lawsuit and vowed to have it dismissed.

Oprah Winfrey 'sorry' for reaction to Swiss handbag incident

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey said she was sorry for the uproar and media response caused by her comments about an incident in a Swiss luxury store last month when an assistant refused to show her a $38,100 (24,640 pounds) handbag.

At the premiere of her new film, "Lee Daniels' The Butler," in Los Angles on Monday evening, the U.S. actress and talk show host, recently named by Forbes as the world's most powerful celebrity, said she regretted saying it took place in Switzerland.

"I'm really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I'm sorry that I said it was Switzerland," she told reporters on the red carpet.
"I was just