ASUU Strike: FG Shifts Ultimatum Deadlin

The Federal Government on Monday shifted the deadline for the strikers from December 4 to December 9.

Previously the government, through the acting Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had ordered the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume work on December 4.

However, on Tuesday the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie, announced the new date while addressing journalists in Abuja.

He said the Government had shifted the deadline after it received notification of Prof. Festus Iyayi’s funeral rites slated for between December 5 and 7.

On the N200 billion revitalization fund which ASUU is demanding should be disbursed within two weeks, Okojie diclosed that the money has been deposited in an account in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Former ASUU President Mr. Iyayi tragically died on November 12, 2013 in auto crash in Lokoja on his way to attend the association’s meeting in Kano.

“We just received information that the burial rites of Festus Iyayi begins on the December 5 and would last till December 7.

“Based on this information, government decided to shift the resumption deadline to December 9, to enable lecturers to participate in the burial,” Okojie explained.

The executive secretary said the directive had been communicated to the various university Governing Councils and Vice Chancellors for onward transmission to the academic staff. He also added that there was no intention to victimise any lecturer for participating in the strike. He said the victimisation clause which members of ASUU were using to discredit the government never came up when the unionists met with President Goodluck Jonathan on November 4.

It was also mentioned that the order does not require students to commence lectures immediately.

“The school environment had to be made habitable for both students and the entire staff of the universities.’’

He said any lecturer who resumed work after the expiration of the new deadline would not have his or her salary arrears paid.

“You cannot pay someone who has failed to resume work. You are on strike and you want to be paid?

The ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, had earlier explained that the union did not add any new demands in its letter to the president.

ASUU President Nasir Fagge  condemned government’s ultimatum, noting that the government’s letter after the meeting with President Jonathan (aimed and problem resolution) was not a total reflection of what transpired during the meeting. 

"The document was a report of Government’s understanding of the decisions or agreement reached on the matters discussed with ASUU,” he said.

Two Men Arrested For Raping Boys

 

Two men have been arrested Aminu Abdulkadir, 30, and Sani Musa, 25, for allegedly raping two boys in Dutse, the state capital.

They were paraded by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Jigawa State yesterday.

Parading them, the state commandant of the NSCDC Malam Muhammed Gidado Fari said the two men were arrested at separate locations. He said both men confessed defiling many children in their  areas.

Fari advised parents to be more careful with their children, adding that the NSCDC has arrested 11 others over cases of sexual abuse against boys and men in the state.

One of the suspects, Sani Musa, said he was introduced into the act while in school.

Why The Strike Must Continue: ASUU Releases 14-Point Guideline

The Federal Government had yesterday shifted its ultimatum for the reopening of universities till Monday.

However, ASUU has restated its rejection of the ultimatum, issuing yesterday a 14-point guideline to its members on why they must sustain the strike, adding that government's claim that external forces were behind the union only betrays government's desperation to distract the union's genuine cause.

This was made known by the union in Strike Bulletin No. 14, signed by ASUU National President Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge.

The union came up with 14 guidelines signaling that it is prepared for a long drawn battle with the Federal Government.

The guidelines read in part:

•Do not sign any resumption of duty. Government is out to humiliate us. Hold your head high. This too shall pass!!!

•If you receive any query on account of the ongoing strike, failure to sign resumption of duty register, etc, bring such to the attention of the branch chairperson immediately for guidance.

•It is a general knowledge that members of ASUU are on a national strike. It is against the Labour Act and the ILO convention to sack anybody on account of participation in a strike, no matter how remotely related.

•Remain resolute and refrain from violating the ongoing strike. Our Union is capable of protecting its members.

•Meanwhile, be security conscious. Do not visit security agencies alone. In case of difficulties, always consult your Chairperson.

•With our collective resolve, we can again brush off this unwarranted and provocative onslaught. Stand to be counted on the positive side of history. Do not betray your union.

The leadership of ASUU also justified its struggle and insisted that it is in the public interest.

It said: “Our collective national struggle to save the future of public system has entered yet another critical phase. The National Strike Coordinating Committee(NSCC) commends all members for their steadfastness and commitment to this patriotic cause.

More so, lecturers of the states and Federal universities in the Southwest said they remained resolute, describing Federal government's threat to sack them as 'primitive and derogatory'.

The local ASUU chair, Dr Adesola Nassir, addressing reporters said the Ibadan Zone of ASUU comprising University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, would sustain the strike.

They added that, a government that could hurry to inject over two trillion naira into ailing banks that are privately owned should not find it difficult to infuse N200bn into public universities across the country.

Boko Haram Suspects To Face Secret Trial In Lagos

A federal high court sitting in Lagos, south west Nigeria has ordered that the trial of suspected Boko Haram members be conducted in secrecy.

Journalists have now been barred from covering the proceedings.

The court further ordered that all the witnesses who will give evidence in the case should wear masks and bear coded names

The order was sequel to an application by the Attorney General of Lagos state, Mr Ade Ipaye.

Ipaye said the trial borders on public safety and national security.

The seventeen suspected Boko Haram members were charged with illegal possession of fire arms, act of terrorism and being members of an illegal organisation.

The presiding Judge Justice Ibrahim Buba, granted all the requests. The case has been adjourned for trial, at a date not announced.

MAIDUGURI SLAUGHTER: Survivors Recount Atrocities Of Boko Haram Attack

Maiduguri, Borno State — A number of Maiduguri residents, survivors of and eyewitnesses to the recent slaughter in Borno State's capital by suspected Boko Haram sect members, recount their experience.

Wreckage of truck burnt in front of the Gomari Police Divisional Office which was completely razed

It will be recalled that on Monday, December 2, about 300 armed terrorists invaded the city and wreaked havoc onto military formations and police stations.

The area accommodates hundreds of JTF (Joint Task Force) operatives and the Divisional Police Station in Gomari Airport Ward of the metropolis, as well as 50 military vehicles.

Nigerian Air Force Base offices, staff quarters, club house, five aircraft were set ablaze by the terrorists and burnt completely. Residential buildings, such as semi-detached bedroom flats and offices with staff quarters newly built by the Borno State Government at the 33 Artillery Regiment base, were also razed by the fire.

Mallam Yakubu Gashua, who lives near the now-destroyed 79 Composite Group, Nigerian Air force Base (NAF), said:

"I thought my days on earth was over on that day.

"My wife and I were in bed, and all of a sudden, I started hearing heavy sounds of gunshots, as if it was in my compound. We immediately woke up and started reciting some protective verses in the Quran.

"The gunshots became more intense with ceaseless explosions all over the place.

"At a point I told my wife and my uncle, who came from Gashua for a visit, that our days have ended.

"I said, 'Who is going to take care of my two little children who are still writing their exams in a boarding school in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital?' But thank Allah for sparing all of us."

Two brothers who lived opposite the NAF main gate, a military object that was the first port of call of the terrorists, were slain. Their neighbour recalls that the attackers arrived the base around 4a.m., and called for Subhi prayers in a nearby mosque before chanting 'Allahu Akbar' ['God is Great'].

"The terrorists entered the compound and saw a Toyota hilux loaded with bags of beans, and they asked my deceased neighbour to provide the keys of the loaded vehicle to them.

"When he said the keys were with the driver somewhere else, they immediately opened fire on him. His brother was ambushed at his patent medicine store around 7am a few metres away from the NAF main gate, and was killed."

Another resident, who lives close to the NAF base, narrated his own ordeal:

"When I heard a strange voice close to our mosque, I asked myself, who are these people calling for Subhi prayers? I peeped outside just to see what was happening, and when I discovered that the voice is a strange one, I quickly went back home.

"Later, we went to the mosque and performed our prayers with my deceased neighbours who were killed after the prayers. 

"We didn't know that the terrorists were the ones calling for the Subhi prayers.

“We performed our pre-dawn prayers successfully, and, as we were about to enter our house, we started hearing the sounds of gunfire, explosives and bombs inside the NAF premises. The sound of the explosives was even shaking our houses, which now have cracks after the multiple explosions inside the NAF Base. In fact, I had to quickly hide myself with my wife and two of my little children inside an abandoned soak-away toilet in the compound for over two hours."

Mallam Abba Usman, is a resident of Mwaramti village, opposite the 33 Artillery Regiments. His place of residence was not spared by the terrorists also, as he says, "The terrorists were very active and brave, as they stopped and picked dead bodies of their members."

Residents say the tragic events in Maiduguri, a city which had witnessed relative peace for the past six months, calls for serious concern of the government and the people of Borno State.

11 Things You’re Doing That Could Cause You To Die Young

Are you sitting down while reading this? Well that could be shortening your lifespan.

Let’s be honest: From the moment we’re born, we’re all dying just as we’re living. But certain mundane things we do every day may actually be helping us get there faster. None of this means we should even try to eliminate these behaviors from our lives entirely, but it’s proof that overdoing anything, even when seemingly innocuous, can have serious impacts on our health. Below we’ve rounded up 11 everyday things you’re probably doing that could potentially shorten your lifespan.

1. You’re having a hard time finding love.

Having a difficult time finding a mate can shave off months of your life, while being single for prolonged periods of time could cost you a whole decade. A study found that communities with gender ratios skewing significantly more male or female caused the minority sex to have shorter lifespans. Even when exposed to short time frames of competition, such as attending a high school entirely of one gender, participants were found to have generally shorter lives.

On top of all this, another study found that never getting married could increase risk of death over a lifetime by 32 percent, and led to the previously mentioned loss of a decade.

2. You’re sitting down for more than a few hours every day.

Two whole years of your life could be cut just from sitting more than three hours a day. Australian researchers found that even regular exercise couldn’t deter the potential negative effects of sitting for long stretches of time. Another study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine found that sitting for more than 11 hours a day increased the risk of death by 40 percent over the next three years, compared to sitting for under four hours a day. Time to get that stand-up desk.

3. No Friends.

People with weak social connections were found to die at much higher rates than their counterparts, according to research. The same researchers found that prolonged loneliness could be as bad for your lifespan as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

On top of all this, elderly people with large circles of friends were found to be 22 percent less likely to die over a tested study period, and those social connections generally promote brain health in aging brains.

4. You’re vegging out in front of your TV.

Watching just two hours of television a day can lead to an increased risk of premature death, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard researchers. The negative effects of watching television seem to overlap with the potential negative effects of sitting too much, but watching television seems to make the negative effects of sitting even worse. According to the New York Times, “every single hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.”

5. You’re eating too much unhealthy food.

Perhaps this sounds obvious, but the truth is that so many of us continue to do it. As far as what foods to especially avoid, eating red meat seems to shorten life expectancy by as much as 20 percent when eating extra portions.

6. You’re still looking for a job.

Being unemployed can increase a person’s risk of premature death by 63 percent. Other more specific studies found that “the two factors most strongly associated with higher death rates were smoking and not having a job.” Another found that older people who lost their jobs during the recession could have seen their lifespan decrease by as many as three years.

7. You’re dealing with a long commute.

Commutes of about an hour have been found to increase stress and have been linked to the same negative effects as sitting. Long commutes also reduce the likelihood that individuals will consistently participate in health related activities. The greatest lifespan risk is with female commuters, who were found to have significantly shorter lifespans after consistently commuting for 31 miles or more. The cause for the dip in female life expectancies has been the topic of much speculation lately, but while the Swedish research was able to link commuting to obesity, insomnia and a higher rate of divorce, it wasn’t able to pinpoint why female mortality rates are higher.

8. You’re having a dry-spell.

A study among men found that failing to orgasm for extended periods of time can potentially cause your mortality rate to be 50 percent higher than for those who have frequent orgasms. This result was found even when controlling for factors such as age, smoking, and social class. On the opposite spectrum, orgasms have been linked to quite a few additional health benefits.

9. You’re putting up with annoying co-workers.

Missing out on strong connections with your co-workers can also potentially mean missing out on a longer life. Peer social support, which could represent how well a participant is socially integrated in his or her employment context, is a potent predictor of the risk of all causes of mortality. Although having feelings of encouragement coming from bosses and managers didn’t seem to affect the subjects’ lifespans, those who reported feelings of low social support at work were 2.4 times more likely to die over the study period.

10. You’re not sleeping enough (or maybe too much?)

Harvard Medical School points out that research has shown that life expectancies significantly decrease in subjects who average less than five or more than nine hours a night.

Most of us suffer from too little rather than too much sleep, but research suggests there truly is a sleep “sweet spot” — at least if you’re primarily concerned about living for as long as possible.

Chronic lack of sleep is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, dementia, cognitive and memory problems, weight gain and early death. And some research shows that too much (dramatically, unusually too much) regular sleep could be problematic as well.

Research has also shown that we need an average of eight hours to function optimally, but another, somewhat controversial study found that getting more than seven hours of sleep a night has been linked to shortened lifespans.

11. You’re fearing death or that you won’t live for as long as you’d like.

This is a painful paradox. A fear of a shortened lifespans, or Thanatophobia, can potentially end up causing – a shortened lifespan. A 2012 study on cancer patients ended up finding that, “life expectancy was perceived as shortened in patients with death anxiety.”

Outside of cancer patients, an intense fear of death can also lead to a three to five times increase in the risk of cardiovascular ailments, according to research on Americans who feared death from another terrorist attack following Sept. 11, 2001. Although a slight fear of death has been shown to have positive benefits, like an increase in exercise and healthy eating, the fear has been shown to significantly affect lifespans, especially in adults nearing the age of being considered elderly. These effects can also be correlated to especially paranoid people having weaker connections with society and increased feelings of alienation – the negative effects of which were both discussed above.

BREAKTHROUGH: Scientist Make Amazing Discoveries On HIV, New Treatment Possible

Scientists have recently discovered a molecular invisibility cloak that enables HIV, the virus causing AIDS, to hide inside cells of the body without triggering the body’s natural defence systems.

The new study demonstrates how ‘uncloaking’ the virus using an experimental drug triggers an immune response that stops the virus from replicating in cells grown in the laboratory.

The findings could help to improve existing therapies for HIV infection and find new ways of virus treatment.

The innate immune system is the body’s first line of defence against infection and incorporates an alarm system present in all cells of the body that detects the presence of ‘foreign’ material from invading bacteria and viruses.

When the alarm is tripped, the infected cell begins an anti-viral programme and sends out warning signals to alert other cells that a virus is around.

12-Year-Old Boy Jailed For Impregnating 28-Year-Old Housemaid

A 12-year-old boy accused of having consensual sex with his family's housemaid and impregnating her has been acquitted.

The Emirati schoolboy and the 28-year-old Ethiopian maid were said to have indulged in two sexual encounters at his family's home in Ajman, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, in June.

Prosecutors accused the pair of having sex outside of marriage. 

The dalliances, they said, resulted in the maid falling pregnant. Medical reports confirmed the 28-year-old is due to give birth in February.

The boy has been acquitted in the Appeal Court, after the Ajman Court of First Instance condemned him and the Ethiopian maid each to six months behind bars.

In line with the original judgement, the maid will be deported once she has served her stint in jail. 

Defence lawyer Eisa Bin Haider, hired by the Emirati family to defend their son, said the story had been fabricated by the maid, who was involved in a sexual affair with a third party. 

He said his young client was tried as an adult when he should have been considered a juvenile by the courts.

Mr Bin Haider said the court made the modification without notifying the family and as such the 12-year-old was not able to defend himself.

Records revealed the first sexual encounter happened in April when the boy walked into his niece's room where the maid was caring for the children.

The boy was accused of removing the maid's clothes before having sex with her.

The second tryst was said to have taken place in the boy's bedroom.

The family rushed their maid to hospital on June 28, when they discovered she was carrying a child.

Mr Bin Haider told the Appeal Court claims that the boy had made a reservation in a Ajman hotel and had sex with the maid there were 'impossible' and 'illegal'.

He said: 'Obviously the Ethiopian maid was involved in a sexual affair with a third party... because she had disputes with the brother of my client, she alleged that the 12-year-old impregnated her.

'My client did not commit the crime, he denied having sex or being the baby's father. 'She (the maid) fabricated this case to blackmail the family in order not to deport her.'

"Catholics Will Go To Hell": Nigerians Attack Chris Okotie Over Offensive Comments 4 December, 2013

Nigerians are certainly not taking it kindly with Pastor Chris Okotie's recent controversial outburst.

He reportedly said that all Catholics will go to hell among other controversial things.

A few people have gone on Twitter to express their anger and dissatisfaction over his speech.

Do you think what he did was wrong? Do you agree with his statements? (READ more of what he said Here)

WAR OF WORDS: You’re Peddling Falsehood - Okonjo-Iweala Replies Gov. Ameachi

The war of words between the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, seems not to be over as the minister has described the latest call for her probe by the governor as a campaign of falsehood against her person.

Amaechi had called on the House of Representatives to probe the Minister of Finance and Minister of Water Resources, Stella Ochekpe over the alleged seizure of the World Bank and African Development Bank loans approved by the National Assembly for the state.

He had said, “The Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is using her position to undermine the safety and health of the people of Rivers State. I can’t afford to give all Rivers people bottled water, but all I can assure you is to ensure the provision of potable water.

“But the Minister of Finance has refused to release it and I think I should put that before you (House Committee on Water Resources). They want Rivers people to die.”

Okonjo-Iweala while replying in a statement issued on Tuesday night said it was “unfortunate that Amaechi is persisting in his outrageous and totally illogical campaign of falsehood” against her person.

The statement signed by her Special Adviser on Communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu described as “complete fabrication” Amaechi’s statement that the minister  was responsible for the delay of the African Development Bank water project.

It reads in part, “As the ministry had previously explained, the project is going through the processes and must get final approval from the board of the African Development Bank and the Federal Executive Council before the Minister can sign it.

“So, the idea that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has refused to sign it is preposterous and totally inaccurate.

“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is not responsible for managing the N257bn that Rivers State has received from the Federation Account within the first 10 months of 2013 so the suggestion that she is somehow responsible for the challenges confronting the state doesn’t make sense.”

Nigerian Military Urges Immediate Trial Of Over 500 BOKO HARAM Suspects

A Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters on Wednesday recommended the immediate trial of over 500 Boko Haram suspects.

The sect members were arrested during security operations carried out in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa States, the military said. ‬

‪The Director, Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, in a statement said the suspects are among the almost 1,400 detainees screened by the team of investigators at the detention facilities in the states between July and September. ‬

A 19-member body was set up in July. It comprised military, police, officials of Federal and State Ministries of Justice, Immigration, Prisons and Customs officers.‬ ‪

The team's task was to examine, classify and recommend appropriate actions against detainees apprehended during operations in the North East. ‬ ‪

‪According to Mr. Olukolade, the suspects recommended for trial include high profile suspects, some of whom were training other terrorists in weapon handling, and also those, who confessed that they were trained in Mali and other countries for the purpose of terrorizing Nigeria. ‬

‪Additionally, the group recommended to release 167 of the detainees from detention and to review about 614 inconclusive cases. ‬ ‪

Commenting on the report, the ‪Chief of Defence Staff, Ola Ibrahim, said that the recommendations would be treated with dispatch after due consultations with appropriate authorities. ‬ ‪

According to his words, the report has been forwarded to the Presidency through the office of National Security Adviser (NSA).‬ ‪

The Boko Haram sect has waged an insurgency against the government, killing thousands of civilians and security personnel.

A state of emergency was declared in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe in May to curb the insurgency.

The most recent attack by the Boko Haram on Monday saw attacks on military facilities and an airport.