NEWS
Subsidy: Colleges Of Education Academic Staff To Work Twice Weekly
In a bid to survive the harsh realities imposed by the fuel subsidy removal, academic staff of Colleges of Education in Nigeria have resolved to be attending physically at their duty posts twice every week.
The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) made the disclose on Wednesday, when it also stated that the measure was an interim one, pending when the government addresses the issues caused by the subsidy removal.
National President, COEASU, Dr Sam Olugbeko, in a media statement noted that its members could no longer survive on the current minimum wage hence the union was left with no choice but to direct members to only go to work twice weekly.
The statement reads, “The National leadership of our great Union in its extraordinary meeting held on Tuesday, 18th July 2023 had agreed to direct its members to go to work two days weekly until Federal Government yields to its demand of 200 percent increase in salary amidst the difficulty of members to get to work as a result of hike in the price of petrol.
“The implementation of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government two months ago raised the price of a litre of petrol by 250%.
“This worsened the inflationary rate on the cost of transportation, food, and other essential commodities and impoverished the Nigerian people.
“Workers, including staff of Colleges of Education, kept faith with the government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while as the government promised to roll out palliative measures including a significant increase in salaries.
“Alas! While our capabilities to sustain hope were already exhausted, the price of petrol rose further to N650 per litre.
“Now, the leadership of the Union has been inundated by members’ complaints that they could no longer go to work as a result of a hike in the price of petrol and the resultant high cost of transportation.
“Against this backdrop, it has become inevitable for the Union to direct members to go to work only two days weekly while an emergency NEC meeting shall be convened to ratify this decision and decide on the specific days of the week members are to go to work.
“The present salary of staff of Colleges of Education was approved in the year 2010 – 13 years ago! This means we have been on the same salary since 2010 while petrol prices rose intermittently from N65/N70 in 2010 to N650 in 2023 (tenfold increase).
“Our salary structure which is subject to renegotiation at 3-year intervals has remained static for 13 years, skipping four due renegotiations.
“It is ludicrous that the government has refused to return to the negotiation table on the welfare package for staff after the Union, prior to the removal of the fuel subsidy, had proposed a 200% increase in salary as against the government’s offer of a ridiculous 35% for Chief Lecturers and 23% for other cadres.”
On the way forward, the union called on the government to immediately seek lasting solutions to prevent crisis in colleges of education.
“We call on the FG to urgently do the needful because the inevitable action of the Union against this hardship will have devastating effects on the students as it will lead to a prolonged academic calendar – a semester of 16 weeks will become 32 weeks or more; while Teaching Practice exercise of 6 months will become 12 months.
“We call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly address the issue of salary adjustment for staff of Colleges of Education. We believe in the capacity of the President to address this problem as he did when he was the Governor of Lagos State where he so generously increased the salaries of staff in the then Lagos State-owned Colleges of Education that they became the highest paid nationwide,” the union said.
An ear-tingling tale has emerged from the Oyo State capital, Ibadan, where a yet-to-be-identified male confessed on radio that he sacrificed almost 80 women to his idol over a seven-year period.
He made the confession in Ibadan, while appearing at a Fresh FM radio programme, titled, ‘Opeyemi’ on Saturday.
Famous in the locality, Foko area of Ibadan, where he was born, by his alias, ‘Mistina Orobo’, the now self-acclaimed pastor asserted that the almost 80 women were not part of those he was hired to kill and had eaten.
He was driven to sacrifice the women in the quest to renew his mystical power. He would then indulge in cannibalism after he had taken their blood for sacrifice to his idol.
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In his words, “My idol takes about 73 to 76 women for over seven years. These women are always gotten from the club or other popular places. When I eat people, it is purposely to renew the voodoo in my body. Sometimes, when I’m shot, it won’t penetrate, even when I’m hacked, the machete breaks. The sweetest human parts are tongue, palm, and foot.”
The cannibal then used the mystical powers for nefarious activities including supporting others, including politicians, business people, and high flying career people, like bank managers, in the quest to accomplish ulterior motives.
“I also work for bank managers, politicians, and some other rich men. I’m very popular among them. When I first worked with a bank manager, it was one wealthy man that we killed and the info was supplied in the bank.
“The only person who was left to sign refused to sign, we visited him, made him sign, and killed him aftermath. I charge up to N50 to N80 million to get people killed and we always work as a team. I taught some people to work, some as highway or armed robbers and I usually get my fair share,” he added.
He formally sought anonymity until the right time, and gave graphic details of what he and his boys did to influence outcome of elections in Oyo State.
On his early days, the mysterious man confessed that he has been eating sacrifices since the age of nine as the son of an herbalist, from which he added hired assassin and highway robbery to his trade.
“As a child of an herbalist, I always eat sacrifices in seven different junctions, this was what fortified me before I grew up to become a dreaded hired assassin and sometimes, highway robber,” he confessed.
On how he turned a new leaf, the man said he met Jesus in his dream after he attempted to avenge people who earlier fought with him.
According to him, “I had been killed before but I woke up because of the idol I had at home. The day I went to retaliate those people who fought and killed me. When we got to the first person, I had a change of mind. When we got to the house of the other one, he was drunk, and my boy was about to unleash on him when I begged that he should be spared, since then, I have been sympathetic and have left the wayward life. Now, God has taken over my life.
“I am now in a seminary. I spent four years learning to be a prophet. I am not ready to establish a church. I just want people to know my terrible story. I had sold all three houses and cars I bought while engaging in these acts. I met Jesus in my dream.”
He also stressed that a former lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Temitope Olatoye (a.k.a. Sugar) died because he was in Ghana at that time if not it would have been averted, adding that he had always informed Sugar of the dangers looming.
Recall that Sugar died on March 9, 2019, in the Intensive Care Unit of the University College Hospital, after suffering bullet wounds in the head from shots of suspected political thugs in the Lalupon area of Ibadan.
The public is still wondering at the speed with which the news of his attack spread, the tales in the locality being that Sugar died on the spot.
Tensions flared outside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) headquarters in Abuja on Monday as a large group of Nigerians gathered to demand the resignation of NNPC Group Managing Director Mele Kyari.
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The protesters, driven by frustration over reported mismanagement and high spending, specifically pointed to $4 billion spent on the refurbishment of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries—projects that many feel have yielded little return.
More to follow……….
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially sworn in seven newly-appointed ministers at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The ceremony, held on Monday, brought together the ministers-designate, their families, and dignitaries, marking a significant step in the ongoing reshaping of Tinubu’s cabinet.
This swearing-in follows a week of important political activity, including the Senate’s screening of the nominees, which occurred shortly after President Tinubu announced their appointments.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga had confirmed that the new ministers would be screened on Monday, setting the stage for today’s event.
To accommodate the swearing-in ceremony, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, typically scheduled for Mondays, has been rescheduled to Wednesday.
This cabinet reshuffle reflects President Tinubu’s response to increasing public demands for change amid Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges.
In a bid to enhance governmental effectiveness, Tinubu dismissed five ministers and reassigned ten others, aiming to tackle pressing national issues more effectively.
The seven ministers include:
Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda: Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction
Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi: Minister of Labour and Employment
Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole: Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
Idi Mukhtar Maiha: Minister of Livestock Development
Yusuf Abdullahi Ata: Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development
Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad: Minister of State for Education
As they assume their roles, attention will be on how these ministers navigate the complexities of Nigeria’s economic landscape and work towards policies that improve the lives of citizens.
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