Pastor Femi Adesina, the spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buhari, is at it again, disparaging and impugning President Olusegun Obasanjo and other high valued Nigerian leaders in a so-called defence of his principal. 
Adesina, in an article he published last Friday, asserted that President Obasanjo and other senior leaders of the country, including all former living Heads of State, except General Yakubu Gowon, are hiding under the umbrella of insecurity to display their hatred for President Buhari. Adesina might as well have added former Chief Justices of the Federation, former Chiefs of Defence Staff, former Service Chiefs, former Inspectors General of Police, former SGFs, leaders of all the country’s major socio-cultural organisations such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEF, Northern Elders Forum, Arewa Consultation Forum, Middle Belt Forum, Inter-faith Group, and a host of other critical groups across the country. These are the leaders President Obasanjo actively mobilised to come together and take a common position on the debilitating political, economic, social and security situation that the Buhari-led government plunged the country into and advise the president accordingly. That was what President Obasanjo and all these leaders did – to meet, X-ray the issues, proffer solutions and advise the president; and that is just what all self-respecting patriotic statesmen would do! 
Instead of being commended for a job well done, Adesina came out disparaging the former leaders of the country. As a pastor, Adesina should at least have a moral benchmark to operate upon; he cannot mount the pulpit and preach falsehood! And that is just what he seems to have done – preaching falsehood on the pulpit in defence of his principal!  

Now, the Hausa people, the father-tongue of Adesina’s principal, have a saying that: duk wanda ya so ka da safe, amma da rana ya qi ka to haqiqa laifin daga gun ka ne (whosoever likes you in the morning but dislikes you in the afternoon, then definitely the fault is from you). This saying, to me, perfectly fits this very situation between President Obasanjo and President Buhari. First and foremost, Obasanjo is Buhari’s senior both in age and in the military profession both of them served.  While Obasanjo came to the national and international limelight during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war when as the commander of the 3rd Marine Commando he received the instrument of surrender from the Biafran side that ended the war in January 1970, Buhari first came into the national limelight when he was appointed Military Governor of Northeastern State by the Murtala/Obasanjo regime in July 1975. 
Even in this capacity as a military governor, Buhari was responsible to Obasanjo as Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, through whom he had access to the Head of State on all official matters. At the assassination of the Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed, General Olusegun Obasanjo became Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, in which capacity he magnanimously appointed Buhari as Minister of Petroleum and Chairman of the newly established NNPC. This is the appointment that catapulted Buhari to the international scene, representing Nigeria at OPEC. To this end, Obasanjo was Buhari’s benefactor. If the former had hated the latter, he would not have given him this uncommon privilege and prestige. Obasanjo, therefore, liked Buhari from the early hours of the morning. Point number one.

Point number two, in his book, Not my Will, Obasanjo wrote glowingly about Buhari’s forthright character and discipline as a soldier. And, for most impressionable minds like mine in Junior Secondary School who adored the Murtala/Obasanjo regime as the highest example of idyllic leadership, such a claim and attestation made Buhari instinctively become the ideal leader to many of us. And to that extent, Obasanjo had created a positive image of Buhari that framed the minds and captured the imagination, sympathy, loyalty and support of most patriotic Nigerians like me who later became responsible for turning his perennial political misfortune into electoral victory after publicly crying and throwing in the towel in his pursuit of the presidency. Again, Obasanjo demonstrated his likeness for Buhari in the wee hours of the morning.

Point number three, after getting flustered, like most Nigerians, with the Jonathan regime, and despite Buhari indecorously challenging him personally at the polls in 2003 in which he roundly defeated him, Obasanjo in a statesmanlike manner threw his support behind Buhari’s candidacy and publicly got his PDP membership card theatrically torn as a symbol of rejection of President Jonathan’s candidacy.  This dramatic symbolic gesture was the final signal to the Nigerian electorate and especially the international community that Nigeria’s Concentric Power Circle was firmly behind Buhari’s candidature, thereby moulding both local and world opinions to actualise his victory at the polls in 2015. Again, for the 3rd time, Obasanjo revealed his likeness for Buhari at the most critical hour.  

So the question I would have to ask is: where did Obasanjo hide the hatred Adesina said he and his compatriots have against President Buhari? Adesina must have to supply the answer, because for all I see, as illustrated by the three points above, Buhari is a beneficiary of Obasanjo’s leadership benevolence. And to all intents and purposes, it was this altruism that became the vehicle Buhari later flung on to acquire popular support and drive his political campaign under the current democratic dispensation, and ultimately getting himself elected president in 2015. When all these little pieces were cobbling together to complete the jigsaw, where was Adesina? Of course, he was nowhere even within the crowd! 

The truth is that, and even his worse enemies cannot deny this fact, Obasanjo is a foremost Nigerian nationalist and patriot. As he often says, to his dying day, he will never give up on Nigeria and will fight any person, group or regime that threatens to imperil the unity and well-being of the country and her people. And it is to this end that he started opposing the Buhari regime, as he did to other regimes before it when it became glaring that President Buhari’s leadership was imperilling the unity and well-being of the Nigerian state. Judging by the spate of insecurity currently pervading the country, Nigeria can be rightly be said to have drifted inexorably into a complete failed state under the Buhari administration. All over the country, from my home state of Adamawa to Borno and Yobe in the North-east, to Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Plateau in the North-central and Buhari’s own home state of Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto in the North-west, to Abia, Anambra and Imo in the South East, kidnappings, killings and bloodlettings of horrifyingly unimaginable proportions have become standard daily occurrences of communities. In the Niger Delta region, oil bunkering, stealing and piracy have become so pervasive that even Buhari’s Minister of Petroleum for State had to cry out in utter resignation. While internecine genocide, communal killings and banditry are going on in villages and towns unabated, highways, airports and railways have been taken over by armed bandits, terrorists, robbers and kidnappers. As of today, hundreds of innocent citizens are held captive by murderous bandits and terrorists all over our forests with no respite. 

This is aside from the destruction of our economy, educational system, environment and ecology; the ensuing pervasive banal corruption, nepotism, unemployment, poverty and social conflicts. All these have combined to threaten the unity and very existence of the country as a sovereign state. It is thus natural that Obasanjo, whose entire life is dedicated to the service of Nigeria, would react. And he did. He had over the years met with the president several times one-on-one to advise on these key issues. Also, as a member of the National Council of State, he advised whenever the opportunity arose. And when these did not work, he resorted to writing the president open letters, as he did to other presidents. And when this failed too, he mobilised like-minds to press forth their positions. And in doing these, Obasanjo is not playing politics; he is only being his true self!

  Now, on all these scores, what offence did President Obasanjo and his fellow elder statesmen commit to warrant Adesina’s disparaging insults? As a pastor, Adesina must be guided by high-level moral values and ethics. Yes, he needs to defend his principal, but he should do so only on the bases of truth and honesty, and employing circumspection and empathy; none of which plainly, in his last Friday’s piece, he failed to employ. 

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Umar Ardo Disable advertisements : 

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has said what the country needs are leaders with the capacity, capability and integrity to solve the problems bedevilling it.
The group noted that it was not interested in the zoning of Presidency to any part of Nigeria, stressing that what Nigerians needed at this time were leaders who could solve the multiple problems of insecurity, corruption and economy irrespective of where they came from.

This was made known on Monday by the National Publicity Secretary of the Christian Association, Bishop Emmah Isong, shortly after the prayers for the nation as part of events marking this year’s Easter Monday celebrations in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The PFN called on Nigerians especially Christian eligible voters not to be carried away with politicians’ diversionary tactics on zoning.
It advised Nigerians to look at the track records of all aspirants and support the best candidate.

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK Disable advertisements : 

David Oyedepo

The President of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has again slammed President Muhammadu Buhari over the failure of his administration.
Oyedepo, during the Easter Service in his church, said he always knew Nigeria was heading for a waterloo under the Buhari’s administration because God confided in him.

David Oyedepo
The cleric who is a staunch critic of the current regime had once described Buhari as an “error” Nigerians made in 2015.
He further described Nigerians as a people with a “short memory”, as candidates begin to express their interest in running for the presidency in 2023.
“There are people God confides Himself in. Not because of their experience or age but because of their heart for Him. I knew Nigeria was heading for a waterloo. He confided in me. They are under torture.
“Somebody commented recently, you know why Bishop stopped? He shouted and shouted, but they didn’t hear. What will I ever get from it? Will I get elected from it?
“I knew that in 1984, there is no position on this earth that I will fight for. I have taken a strong position in Christ. Now they are going again, deceiving you, what a people with a short memory.”

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The Senate on Monday berated a former deputy Senate leader, Abdul Ningi, for alleging that the National Assembly was too soft on President Muhammadu Buhari to the detriment of good governance.
Ningi had while speaking during the week at a meeting of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders from Bauchi Central senatorial zone in Bauchi said the National Assembly had been too soft on national issues without challenging the presidency on wrongdoings to the detriment of good democratic governance.

“This is the first time in the history of the National Assembly where lawmakers are not challenging the presidency despite the numerous challenges facing the country.
“I can’t be a Senator and be silent on national issues, especially at this time when our country is in critical condition of hardship caused by the APC government,” Ningi, who represented Bauchi Central senatorial district in the Senate had said.
He explained that during his time in the National Assembly, lawmakers were able to stand up to the Presidency, citing the instance of the move by the National Assembly to impeach the then President Olusegun Obasanjo shortly before the 2003 general elections.
According to him, this was in spite of the fact that PDP dominated both chambers of the National Assembly at the time, while Obasanjo was elected on the platform of the same party.
Reacting, senate spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru in a statement expressed surprise that such a comment could come from a ranking senator and former principal officer in the upper legislative Chamber.
“The barometer to gauge a working legislature is not how many times it initiated a futile and failed impeachment procedure against a sitting President but the amount of work it could do within the framework of cooperative bi-partisan legislation,” Basiru added.
“The 9th Assembly represents the ever-increasing maturity of Nigeria’s democracy”, he added.
Basiru stressed that the 9th Assembly has been the most successful since the return to civil rule in 1999, adding that “our focus has been on impactful legislations which bother on the economy, security and livelihood of Nigerians.”

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Troops of Nigerian Army have neutralised a gunman suspected to be member of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra and its Eastern Security Network at Ihioma Community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday obtained by SaharaReporters.

He said the gunmen were overpowered after they engaged the troops in a fierce encounter while enforcing “the illegal sit at home order on law abiding citizens going about their legitimate businesses.”
The army spokesperson added, “Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade Nigerian Army (NA) on Sunday 17 April 2022 neutralised a member of IPOB and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network(ESN) at Ihioma Community in Orlu Local Government Area  of Imo State.
“Troops on routine patrol encountered members of the irredentist group who fired sporadically at Banana Junction to enforce the illegal sit at home order on law abiding citizens going about their legitimate businesses. The IPOB/ESN criminals on sighting the troops withdrew in a blue Toyota Highlander towards Ihioma community for reinforcement.
“In the fire fight that ensued during the operation, one of the criminals was taken out, while others fled in disarray.  Troops are combing the general area in a follow up operations to track down the fleeing dissidents.
“Having suffered casualty and effectively denied freedom of action by the troops, the irredentist group have resorted to cheap propaganda to whip up public sentiments by circulating a doctored video on the social media alleging troops complicity in their mindless atrocities. This propaganda should be disregarded in its entirety.”
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had in December 2020 launched ESN to protect the people of region from terrorists and bandits allegedly trooping in from the North.
The IPOB leader had described the outfit as a replica of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, earlier launched by the South-West governors to curb insecurity in the region.
Attachments area

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Amid the row over the payment of the Paris Club Loan Refund to consultants, the 36 states of the federation have warned the Federal Government not to tamper with funds accruing to them and the 774 local government councils.
The States, through their respective Attorneys General, said they were not parties to any suit on the London/Paris Club refund, and as such were not liable to any person or entity in any judgment debt being relied on by the Federal Government, Channels TV reports.

They also warned that should the Federal Government proceed to make any such deductions to pay up the $418 million loan, it would be acting illegally and in contempt of their appeal challenging the judgment.
The warning was contained in an April 4 letter as part of their response to a November 11, 2021, letter from the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, advertising the commencement of the deduction for the liquidation of the alleged judgment debts.
The reply of the states was signed by the body of Attorneys-General of the Federation Interim Chairman, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) of Lagos State and Interim Secretary, Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana of Nasarawa State as well as the Attorneys-Generals of Rivers, Abia, Taraba, Benue, and Zamfara states, for and on behalf of all the state Attorneys-General.
It reads in part: “Their Excellencies have drawn our attention to your letter referenced above, which the various states of the federation received at about the end of March 2022. The letter notifies the States of your intention to commence deduction from allocations due to the States from the Federation Account for the liquidation of the London/Paris Club Loan refund-related judgment debts on behalf of the 36 States of the Federation and the 774 local government councils.
“Please note that the states of the federation were not parties to any contract or suits concerning the London/Paris Club refund, from which the said judgment debts arose.
“Consequently, the 36 States of the federation are not liable to any person or entity in any judgment debt.”
According to the letter, the deduction of the allocations due to the 36 states of the federation from the Federation Account to liquidate the London/Paris Club Loan refund-related judgment debts is the subject of an appeal filed by the 36 States at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.
It explained that: “The appeal challenges the Federal High Court’s (per Honourable Justice Inyang Ekwo) judgment delivered on 25th March 2022 between A.G Abia State v. President, Federal Republic of Nigeria & 42 Ors. and, therefore, the issue is sub judice.”
In addition, it noted that the states have also filed a Motion on Notice for an Order of Injunction pending appeal.
The letter added that the body’s legal representatives had published a public caveat in national dailies notifying the public of the pending appeal, which also advised concerned parties “to desist from dealing with the subject matter thereof pending the hearing and determination of the Appeal and the application for Injunction pending appeal.”
It said that given the above, “The law requires you to restrain from taking any step whatsoever that is capable of interfering with the rest of the suit, which is now a subject of an appeal.
“Accordingly, Nigerian case law enjoins you to refrain from effecting any deduction whatsoever from the allocations due to the 36 States from the Federation Account for the liquidation of the London/Paris Club Loan refund-related judgment debts purportedly on behalf of the 36 States of the Federation and the 774 local government councils, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal by the states of the federation.
“Doing otherwise in the face of the pending Appeal and Motion on Notice for Injunction pending appeal shall be at your peril.”

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Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo

Almost ten years ago, I wrote the first part of this article(http://saharareporters.com/2012/12/11/jesus-businessman-rudolf-ogoo-okonkwo). In it, I narrated my encounter with the introduction of Bruce Barton’s 1925 book titled, The Man Nobody Knows: A Discovery of the Real Jesus Christ.
In the book, Bruce Barton evaluated Jesus’ ministry on Earth using the eye of an advert executive and concluded that it followed the structures of modern businesses. The author pointed out how Jesus used today’s marketing tools and advertisement strategies to build a formidable business empire. One overlooked aspect of the piece was Barton’s assessment of Jesus’ ministry on how he picked his workers and how he appointed his successor.

Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Ten years later, as the leaders of the second generation of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria face inevitable retirement, how church leaders pick successors is now front and centre in the backrooms of these churches. Sometimes, it spills out to the front office, as we recently saw in a schism in the Pastor Enoch Adeboye-led Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
In the piece, I also looked at the then outrageous utterances of Bishop David Oyedepo concerning how he independently built Covenant University and other investments allied to Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners’ Chapel International) without using tithes, offerings, donations and money from members of his church. The piece also touched on Oyedepo’s bragging about not receiving any salary from the church since 1987 and his wife not receiving from him money for feeding since 1988. The man of God did not reveal how he was sustaining himself and his lifestyle. The piece showed how the whole operation of the Winners’ Chapel fitted in well with this new commodification of the ministry of Jesus.
 
After the publication, Nigerian readers’ reaction to the piece was quite predictable. They condemned it and condemned me and predicted that I was heading to instant hellfire and certain and sudden death. They regurgitated the standard lines of “God cannot be mocked,” “do not judge,” “do not touch my anointed,” and “do not use the things of the world to judge spiritual things.” In fact, some even argued that churches are private businesses and people outside a church should not interrogate the activities of any church and its leaders.
As Easter approached, I reread the article. I wanted to know where things stood with the men and women involved in the business of Jesus. Instead of things getting better, I fear that they are getting worse.
Since the publication, we have seen the explosion of more and more establishments of these opaque organizations and churches like the Winners’ Chapel. There are now characters like Apostle Johnson Suleman who swim in and out of the most sordid scandals imaginable. He can be the subject of one week, one scandal novel. Some emerging churches have despicable leaders like Onyeozi Jesus operating out of Nkpor in Anambra State. There are entertainers like Prophet Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, aka Odumeje or Indaboski Bahose, operating out of Onitsha. Apart from muddying up the waters, these characters found across Nigeria and Africa have a tremendous influence on the traditional churches that must compete with them to retain members. We have seen Catholic and Anglican churches and their leaderships picking up traits these merchants of Jesus have normalized. To compete with these charlatans, some Bishops in Catholic and Anglican churches across Nigeria have become original gangsters.
Ten years ago, when I wrote the original article, I did not know that Bishop Oyedepo had contracted Business Centrum Limited in London to help him set up a company in Jersey tax heaven to hide money for his wife and children. I did not know that Trident Trust Group, described as “one of the world’s leading secrecy enablers and one of the most notorious providers of offshore corporate and financial services,” was already working with Bishop Oyedepo. Trident set up Zadok Investments Limited for Oyedepo on August 20, 2007. The company started with 50,000 ordinary shares, each valued at $1.00. Zadok had Bishop David Oyedepo and his two sons, David Jr. and Isaac, as its directors. Other members of the family constituted the shareholders. David Jr. had 10% shares, Isaac another 10%. While David Jr. is a pastor at the church’s headquarters at Faith Tabernacle, Isaac heads a church in Maryland, USA. Love and Joy, the two daughters of Bishop Oyedepo, were also given 10% shares each. According to Premium Times, which looked at the documents as part of the global International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)-led Pandora Papers project, “the documents did not reveal the exact businesses and transactions the offshore company was set up to conduct. The entity however appears to be the family’s investments vehicle under which the family’s wealth is warehoused for offshore management.”
Last year, when the Pandora Papers’ story broke, we knew very little about how much money the Oyedepos stashed away in these offshore accounts and from where he got the money. Despite the embarrassment those involved in the Pandora Papers felt, Bishop David Oyedepo did not attempt to clear his name and his family's name. He believed that it is one of those scandals, like his slapping of the young lady who said she was a witch for Jesus, and all the other controversies and questions about his ministries, that would breeze away and life would continue as usual. And to a large extent, it has fizzled out even though the damage it did to the ministry of Jesus will be evident in years to come.
Ten years ago, I was worried that the schools set up by churches were not owned by these churches but by leaders of these churches and their families. I was concerned that most church members who thought they contributed money to build these schools could not send their children to these schools. Things have changed so much that those issues have become ancient matters. What is important at this moment is that corrupt money from every sector of the Nigerian society gets funnelled into these churches through tithes, offerings and donations. Without any question raised, children of the astonishingly corrupt members of our society send their kids to these expensive schools in a fantastic money-laundering scheme nobody notices. And while they do this, the children of the poor are aggregated inside collapsing strike-ridden public-school systems where they could spend as much as two extra years before graduating while their age mates at the private universities would have finished and taken up the very few desirable jobs available. In a generation, the gap between the rich and the poor would have widened so much that there would be little or no interactions between them. When the government finishes the Lekki airport, these “fantastically corrupt” lots would fly in through the Lekki airport and go straight into their mansions in Banana Island, while the rest of us would keep strangling each other in the old country where Jesus is the answer.
Ten years ago, when I wrote the original piece, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was still riding high with his full-throttle romance of President Goodluck Jonathan and Jonathanian politics. Most people did not see the dangers, even when the man of God was renting his private jet to security agents to use in transporting money into South Africa to purchase weapons for the government. Advocates of anything-goes–let-God-judge-his-apostles in Christendom all looked away. Where is Ayo Oritsejafor today? What happened to his business model? Is he still flying high with his private jet?
 
Defenders of the absurdity in Nigerian churches today are definitely scared of looking inwards and asking the very question they often tout: what would Jesus do? They should ask that pertinent question in all things. They are scared of looking at things Benson Idahosa left when he died in 1998. They are scared of remembering what fights followed after the man of God died and who owns the schools, the businesses and other investments left behind. It is the same story when Samuel Oshoffa, the founder of the Celestial Church of Christ died in 1985. If they dare to look, what they will see is worse than what will happen in ten years when the current crop of leaders, like the Oyedepos, the Kumuyis, the Adeboyes, the Okonkwos, Olukoyas, give way. When Benson Idahosa strode this world unchallenged and unaccountable to anyone, at least, vehicles to hide money in offshore tax heavens had not become common as they are today. When Benson Idahosa marketed prosperity preaching, greed was still simply greed. Now, it is obscene.
Ten years ago, I ended the piece by saying, “we have to get the politics of religion right if we are ever going to get the religion of politics right.” I argued that we are stakeholders of whatever group we belong to. And there is a responsibility that comes with being a stakeholder. It means that we have to hold those who manage the affairs of our institutions responsible. We cannot wash our hands like Pontius Pilate.
Our nonchalant attitude in politics, our churches, or our personal lives sets the stage for the inevitable scandals that ultimately cripple the same institutions to which we lend our names, fortune, and honour. We can cowardly escape the responsibilities associated with being a stakeholder, but we cannot escape the inevitable judgment associated with the failure of our institutions. Abandonment of our responsibilities is a form of abuse. And abuse that we fail to report comes back to haunt us and generations yet unborn.

Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo teaches Post-Colonial African History at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He is also the host of Dr. Damages Show. His books include “This American Life Sef” and “Children of a Retired God”.

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo Disable advertisements : 

Nigeria has produced two of history’s most demonic, evil political parties. Any Nigerian who doesn’t feel a complete sense of outrage and revulsion against the two parties is not a normal person. The Nigerian is not fit to be part of 21st-century society.
 
Any Nigerian who fails to condemn and denounce the two parties for having the audacity to field candidates for the presidency is with no moral purpose in life. In all the years of the two parties at the helm at the centre, they exhibited a barefaced display of degenerate, sadistic immorality. There’s no parallel for such political viciousness in our political history.

The two parties are filled with the nastiest and most vicious bastards. Both are in a dysfunctional symbiotic relationship. Every failure is blamed on the other party. There’s no end to the sociopathic behaviour of members of both parties. The two parties keep themselves relevant by perpetuating problems, not resolving them. Both parties are not interested in the progress, peace, and prosperity of Nigerians because it’s not in their best interests. They are only interested in the economic and political lynching of Nigerians.
 
The two parties are two sides of the same coin. They are concerned about how government should control our lives and which rights should be infringed upon. Regardless of who was president of the two parties in the past, our rights were infringed upon. Our treasury was looted. Jobs lost. Utilities dead. Infrastructures moribund. Healthcare is a mirage. The education system is comatose. Hunger unabated. Terrorism and kidnapping are the new normal. Neither party really cares about the poor. They care about making you think they care about you. At the end of each voting circle, nothing seems to get better for the poor. The two parties like revolving doors control the centre but nothing else seems to change.
 
At best, they are parties of bad ideas; at worst, parties of no ideas. The two parties are willing to destroy and undermine the fundamental pillars of our democracy to retain power. They keep Nigeria fractured, fragmented, and divided under the flag of shared greed, corruption, wickedness, and bigotry. Both parties keep poor Nigerians split vertically so the poor cannot fight their common oppressors.
 
They create artificial controversies that create a distracting, endless show of diversion for the poor masses. Both want the same thing: wealth and power. They treat Nigerians as useful idiots. Both parties know the moment the poor unite to fight the ruling oligarchy, the system will collapse and make way for a revolution. Sadly, the poor remain their own worst enemies. Going by the records, the oppressed poor will still vote one of the demonic, evil political parties into power if Nigeria survived a breakup on or before 2023.
 
bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Bayo Oluwasanmi Disable advertisements : 

The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria has described as “insensitive and provocative” an Easter advert by Sterling Bank Plc to its Christian customers.
An advert by the bank, with the copy text “Like Agege Bread, He Rose Again” had attracted the outrage of Nigerians who queried the rationale behind the advert.

Reacting, APCON condemned the advert noting that the advert copy was not submitted for approval by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), the statutory Panel before it was made public.
This was contained in a statement on Monday signed by its Registrar and Chief Executive, Olalekan Fadolapo, APCON.
The advertising body said Sterling Bank Plc would be punished for the action.
The statement reads, “The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON] has observed with displeasure the insensitive and provocative Easter celebration advertisement by Sterling Bank Plc which compared the resurrection of Christ with Agege Bread.
“The distasteful advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), the statutory Panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisements conform with the prevailing laws of the federation as well as the code of ethics of Advertising in Nigeria.
“APCON will take necessary actions to ensure that Sterling Bank is sanctioned for the exposure of such offensive advertisement according to law and that no religious belief or faith is ridiculed or any blasphemous advertisement exposed in any guise.”
The bank subsequently posted a follow-up advert that reads, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. We humbly celebrate His resurrection, the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.”
Below are some of the reactions to the advert and subsequent apology issued by the company.
https://twitter.com/Morris_Monye/status/1515936224111902723?t=TwbR1oj5yYLmHpzgPSjEdQ&s=19
https://twitter.com/Yhormite01/status/1515770602648391688?t=_-itG4rnOs_GGWScPAJ3TA&s=19
https://twitter.com/RokamoBet/status/1515604117208682497?t=I8_sKx0TlyR59W8_VgTyGw&s=19
https://twitter.com/KenUgbechie/status/1515958501977489408?t=9L6Wl2pC7gWaL47wk81Odw&s=19
https://twitter.com/Segun_Odunayo/status/1515932619824902149?t=n3wUWcYXB8kw_8gd51A-7A&s=19
https://twitter.com/manlikekorex/status/1516036261542248448?t=2Ilp4dF7Qjt9LSOCkqyNMQ&s=19
https://twitter.com/abdulrasheed0a/status/1516035773891555330?t=KV9exaOFmH4IRo8UbrrIjw&s=19
https://twitter.com/manzoezekiel/status/1516039537985826825?t=kcgcFKxE1U4qsXSQ8mIyVA&s=19
https://twitter.com/mona_adejoh/status/1515985886747447300?t=o_cDY_xiMBb53P7L1UJ7lw&s=19
https://twitter.com/obasay/status/1515764022934589440?t=UEgYqpaYc7PVO7sGS1BBQw&s=19
https://twitter.com/garsity/status/1515705014228074502?t=ZK_5IxSVWvytkimMe-c0qw&s=19
https://twitter.com/SolaAyoAderele/status/1515702122892996609?t=BAHtI8_sniE3A361YFTXaQ&s=19
https://twitter.com/YWH02/status/1515698874970746887?t=tIFB9Hw2o9ReY_IC9fBiMw&s=19

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A Dutch woman, Marlies Smits has taken to her Twitter handle to send a final message to her followers informing them of her decision to take an injection that will terminate her life.
 
Smits, in a tweet on Sunday, said she would, in the next few days take the lethal injection due to a medical condition — multiple sclerosis.

She wrote on Twitter: “Dear dear followers and other people, this is my last tweet. In a few days, I will receive the final injection to end my life: multiple sclerose has won.”
 

Dear dear followers and other people, this is my last tweet. In a few days I will receive the final injection to end my life: multiple sclerose has won😢

— marlies smits (@marliessmits64) April 17, 2022
On Monday morning, she tweeted again, “Bye dear boy, things are going a little better now.
 
According to Mayo Clinic, Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
 
“In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibres and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves,” the clinic explained on its website.
 
Smits’ bio on Twitter says she loves languages, especially English and Dutch.

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A bride, Tina Moses, has been kidnapped in Kaduna State, only 24 hours to her wedding.
Tina and her fiance, Elisha Koje, were set to wed on Saturday, April 16 in the Sanga Local Government Area of the state.

According to Esther Attah Asheri, her sister-in-law in a Facebook post, the woman was kidnapped on Friday, April 15, on her way to the salon to make her hair in Kaduna town.
“My sister in-law has been kidnapped in Kaduna town today was supposed to be our happy day as she would be walking down the aisle today but some people has choose to make it a sad day for us all. Please join us pray for her safe return,” she said.
Esther further revealed that the kidnappers have contacted the family but are yet to demand ransom.
In recent months, Kaduna has witnessed a spate of violent attacks which has led to killings and abduction of residents.
On March 28, a Kaduna-bound train was attacked by gunmen, which led to the death of eight people and several persons missing.
Some of the abducted people are currently in the custody of the gunmen.
Days after the train attack, 11 soldiers were killed in an attack by gunmen on a military base in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna state.

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Five "powerful" Russian missiles hit Lviv on Monday, a city in the west of Ukraine.
Lviv had been spared much of the fighting since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour nearly two months ago, the city's mayor said.

A Lviv resident told AFP they could see thick clouds of grey smoke in the sky above residential buildings. The city's mayor, Andriy Sadovy, wrote on social media that emergency services were at the site.
The strikes in Lviv come as Russia has intensified strikes in and around the capital Kyiv further east, targeting several facilities that produce military hardware over several days.
"Five powerful missile strikes at once on the civilian infrastructure of the old European city of Lviv," Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
"The Russians continue barbarically attacking Ukrainian cities from the air, cynically declaring to the whole world their 'right' to kill Ukrainians," he added.
The head of Ukraine's national railways Alexander Kamyshin said on social media that some of the work's infrastructure had been damaged and there would likely be delays to services but no passengers or staff were injured.
He also distributed a photo showing a blaze rising and plumes of smoke billowing from a small building adjacent to a railway track, Times of India reports.
Sadovy said there had been no immediate confirmation of any deaths or injuries following the strikes.
Lviv in late March was hit by a series of Russian strikes that targeted a fuel depot and injured five people. On March 18, bombardments hit an aircraft repair factory near Lviv's airport. No injuries were reported.
Russian cruise missiles on March 13 targeted a major military base about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Lviv, killing at least 35 people and injuring 134.
Close to the Polish border, Lviv has become a city of refuge for displaced persons and at the start of the war hosted several Western embassies transferred from Kyiv.

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Manchester United midfielder, Bruno Fernandes was involved in a car crash on Monday morning
 
Bruno Fernandes is expected to train with Manchester United on Monday despite being involved in a car crash this morning, according to Manchester Evening News.

The Portuguese midfielder's Porsche was in a shunt on Monday morning but everyone involved escaped serious injuries.
 
Fernandes will report to Carrington as normal and will train with the rest of Ralf Rangnick's squad this (Monday) afternoon, ahead of Tuesday's Premier League trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
 
The 27-year-old played 90 minutes in United's 3-2 Premier League win against Norwich on Saturday afternoon and would be expected to start on Merseyside on Tuesday.

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Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

A campaign organisation for the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele's presidential ambition has been registered in London, a report by Peoples Gazette noted.
 
The organisation, Diaspora for Emefiele Limited was reportedly registered by Martins Abhulimhen, an ally to the CBN governor on March 29, 2022, under approval number 14010119, code 99000 of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), which accommodates activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies in Britain.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Though Emefiele had yet to officially declare his intention to contest the presidency, his campaign posters and vehicles had been sighted in some parts of the country.
 
SaharaReporters had reported how Emefiele’s supporters, mainly youths, spotted white T-Shirts with the inscription MEFFY 2023 at an occasion held in Lagos in February to draft him into the race.
 
Convener of the group, Wale Fapohunda, had told the gathering that since Emefiele’s appointment as CBN Governor, he had spent his energy building a resilient financial system that can serve the development needs of the economy, ignoring the glaring fact that Nigeria’s economy had dipped to its worst state ever during Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor.
 
The rumoured ambition has elicited outrage from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which warned of gross economic sabotage being inflicted on the country and demanded the governor’s immediate resignation.

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A woman has narrated how her 10-year-old daughter was raped during a trip to Dubai which was organised by Chrisland School, Lagos.
 
Pupils from the private school were in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to participate in the World School Games between March 10 and 13, 2022.

In a viral video shared by Ubi Franklin, the music executive, via his Instagram page on Monday, the woman claimed that footage of the rape incident has been shared multiple times on social media.
 
She said she was not aware of what happened in Dubai till another parent showed her the video of the incident.
 
“As I was beating my daughter, she opened up to me and said the school threatened her not to speak out… My daughter was dying in silence and I did not know. Every day, I’ll be forcing her out of the room but she wouldn’t want to go to school,” she said.
 
“I’m begging Nigerians to help me because Chrisland attempted to hide the issue, they wanted to push us out of the way and my daughter was going psychologically insane. I need help as a mother. My daughter is not okay.
  See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Lagos Shuts Down Chrisland Schools Indefinitely Over Sex Tape Of 10-year-old Pupil 0 Comments 6 Days Ago
“They took her for pregnancy tests without my knowledge and lied to us that it was COVID-19 test. They did the tests almost three times. Please do they require blood or urine for COVID-19 test? I did not know until the whole issue became public.
 
“To crown it all, because we started confronting them that we are aware of what has happened, they sent her a suspension letter. When I asked her what happened, my daughter said on the day of the incident they went out in the morning to have breakfast and one of the boys begged her to borrow him her phone charger which she did.
 
“She said later in the evening, the boy called her room and asked her to come for the charger in his room. So, she went there. When she got to the room to get the charger, they opened the door and one of the boys asked her to go and get her charger inside the toilet. She said it was when she entered the toilet that the boys surrounded her and asked her to drink a substance.
 
“She said they were all under the influence of drugs after that and she did not know what she was doing again. My daughter said the boys asked her to climb on them while one of them was filming and sending out the videos.”
 
Chrisland School authorities had in a letter dated April 14, 2022, to the girl’s parents, suspended the pupil.
 
The school said she was the ringleader of a truth-or-dare game held in Dubai.
 
“In line with our core values centred on discipline, Chrisland Schools have zero tolerance for any improper behaviour and misconduct,” the school said in a letter signed by its principal Georgia Azike.
 
The school disclosed that other schoolmates who took part in the game had been suspended, adding that the girl and her parents did not cooperate during its investigation.
 
“Consequently, [name redacted) is hereby placed on indefinite suspension until you as the parents ensure that she is punished, adequately counselled and rehabilitated,” the school said.

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has been declared by the Osun State Government as being in full charge of the prosecution of the case involving the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University killed last in November 2021.
Adegoke was killed after lodging in the Hilton Hotel and Resorts, Ile-Ife, last November. Police investigations have linked some members of the hotel staff to the alleged murder and accused Mr Adedoyin of moves to destroy evidence.

The case was first investigated by Osun State Police Command but was later taken over by the office of the Inspector-General of Police in Abuja. However, it was later moved to Osogbo by the Nigeria Police, after the police filed a criminal charge against the suspects in Abuja.
While the police prosecutors were prosecuting the case, the counsel for the family of Adegoke, Falana & Co, held a watching brief for the victim and witnessed the proceedings.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Ismail Omipidan in a statement signed by Oluwafemi Akande, the state attorney general and justice commissioner, said the office of Falana had already collected the letter conveying the fiat of the attorney general.
The statement said, “On 1st April, 2022, Femi Falana, SAN, applied to the Office of the Hon. Attorney General for fiat to take over the prosecution of the case.
“Thereafter, the deceased’s family wrote a letter to the Attorney General requesting for the Chambers of Femi Falana, SAN, to be allowed to prosecute the matter.
“The learned silk’s letter and that of the family were immediately processed and the fiat requested for has since been granted.”

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The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has fired back at those who accused his principal, Muhammadu Buhari of dividing Nigeria with his style of leadership.
 
Adesina, who also absolved Buhari of any blame following escalating cases of insecurity and hardship in the country, said the President has done more to unite Nigeria than any other leader in the history of the nation.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Matthew Kukah on Sunday, heavily criticised Buhari over insecurity, corruption, and division in Nigeria.
 
Kukah made his complaints known in his Easter Message titled, ‘To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor’.
 
According to the bishop, every aspect of life in Nigeria has been destroyed while corruption is enthroned.
 
He said, “It is hard to know whether the problem is that those in power do not hear, see, feel, know, or just don’t care. Either way, from this crossroad, we must make a choice, to go forward, turn left or right or return home. None of these choices is easy, yet, guided by the light of the risen Christ, we can reclaim our country from its impending slide to anarchy.
 
“The challenge of fixing this broken nation is enormous and, as I have said, requires joint efforts. With everything literally broken down, our country has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy. Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, Mosques, and infrastructure are broken.
 
“Our educational system is broken. Our children’s lives and future are broken. Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our roads and rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well,” the message read in part.
 
But in a veil response to Kukah’s harsh criticism of Buhari’s regime on Monday, Adesina said those accusing the President of dividing the country are the ones who used their mouths and unguarded comments to divide Nigeria.
 
In a tweet on his verified Twitter handle, Adesina wrote, “Those who divided Nigeria with their mouths, with evil, unguarded speaking, are the ones now accusing President Buhari. How sad! Their wicked intentions shall not come to pass.”

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The Lagos State Government has shut down all Chrisland schools over a sex tape involving a 10-year-old girl and her classmates in Dubai.
 
Pupils from the private school located in Victoria Garden City were in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to participate in the World School Games between March 10 and 13, 2022.

Other units of the school including the one at Opebi, Ikeja will also be affected by the suspension.

A statement jointly signed by the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development and Ministry of Justice announced the closure on Monday.
 
The statement read, “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland school which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
 
“It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State Domestic & Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.
 
“In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and pscyho social support is provided. This is to reassure members of the public of the State Government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centred institutions within the state, formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order (NO.EO/AA08 of 2016), Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Program.
 
“We also use this medium to remind the general public that any person who engages in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to a custodial sentence of fourteen (14) years. This includes “producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography”.
 
“In the meantime, all Chrisland schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations.”

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There is pandemonium in some communities in Orlu and Orsu local government areas of Imo state following a shootout on Sunday between security operatives and unknown gunmen.
 
Families are currently mourning the loss of their loved ones amid allegations that the security operatives shot into people's houses.

The security operatives were said to be on the lookout for members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that are allegedly lodging in some of the houses in the community.
 
A musician, Roco Nnadiekwe, popularly known as Ja Rule has been identified by residents as one of the casualties of the crisis. The musician was said to have returned to his hometown from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, last week and was supposed to shoot a video of his latest song (single) in Owerri, on Monday, before his death.
 
 
SaharaReporters also gathered that the security operatives burnt a number of houses in the affected communities. A popular brothel, Ukwu Aki in Amaifeke Orlu, was allegedly burnt by security operatives.
 
It was learnt that the shooting started from Banana junction before spreading to other areas. Other affected areas were Amanachi, Awo-Idemili in the Orsu Local Government Area of the state.
 
Meanwhile, #OrluIsBleeding has been trending on Nigerian Twitter, with many tweeps saying they need to draw the attention of the world to what is going on Orlu.
 
A tweep @joechristoinfo alleged that men of the Nigerian Army from Owerri with their combined troops invaded the communities at 12 pm on Sunday after which they killed an elderly man.
 
According to him, there was no clash between the security operatives and gunmen.

This is what they did to our people without provocation.

There wasn't any unknown gunmen challenges yes there wasn't, it was around 12pm today being 17th of April 2022 when Nigeria army troops in from Owerri with their combined team. #Orluisbleeding pic.twitter.com/1HAcnz3CkX

— #OrluisBleeding (@joechristoinfo) April 17, 2022
Another tweep @OformaParadise wrote: “The Nigerịa military were seen going house to house kị́lling Igbo youths in their own homes in Orlu. Heartbreaking videos are online and families in tears.
 
On Easter Sunday they chose to bring death to our people while Igbo leaders watch helplessly."

People are saying Happy Easter, but Terrible things are happening in Orlu Imo state. This has nothing to do with Unknown Gunmen. Nigeria soldiers in their numbers are shooting directly on civilians. Everywhere in Orlu is littered with dead bodies. #OrluIsBleeding@StateDept @hrw pic.twitter.com/cdJhUwbolE

— IPOBMunichUnit (@ipob_unit) April 18, 2022  

The Nigerịa military were seen going house to house kị́lling Igbo youths in their own homes in Orlu. Heartbreaking videos are online and families in tears.

On Easter Sunday they chose to bring death to our people while Igbo leaders watch helplessly.#OrluIsBleeding

— Elochukwu Ohagi (@ElochukwuOhagi) April 18, 2022  

I saw this on a friend's status...

Imagine this is happening during a festive period like this when we are meant to be celebrating the death & resurrection of Christ.

Only for families to be losing their loved ones😭😭

What is happening with our government?🥲

#OrluIsBleeding pic.twitter.com/AB5neCYHOe

— Joshua Akidi (Product Of God's Grace)😍 (@KingSekani2) April 18, 2022

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The National Association of University Students, Osun Campus Monitoring Committee, has urged the Nigerian government and striking lecturers to return to the negotiation table and resolve the ongoing crisis affecting university education.
 
Osun NAUS Chairman, Eruobami Ayobami, disclosed this while addressing a press conference on Sunday.

Ayobami bemoaned the continued closure of schools following the strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
 
He said the strike which was already over 60 days old was beginning to take its toll on students, particularly as there was no end in sight.
Describing the strike as a major issue affecting education in the country, Ayobami said, “We had expected that between then and now, something tangible would have been done by the government or its agencies to assuage the strike but alas, the government doesn't think it's important to resolve the problems over 60 days since the strike started. We, therefore, want to reiterate that as an association, we have vowed not to go mute or be silent until necessary actions are taken.
 
“The prolonged strike has started to take a negative turn on our students, particularly now that we all seem not to know when this challenge is going to finally come to an end. We want to again use this press conference to appeal to the government to consider the plights of many of our members who have been affected seriously by this strike and to also plead with the Federal Government to revisit its position on ASUU and the need for both parties to return back to the negotiating table so that all of the issues can be resolved once and for all.
 
“It is our belief that if the government is really concerned about the deplorable education system in Nigeria, they won't have any problem implementing the agreement they freely entered with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
 
“We state unequivocally that ASUU demands are right and correct and we do believe it's for the progress and stability of our university system. For us, we do not see where the following demands by the academic staff union are faulty; reviewing the salary structure of academic staff which has remained the same for 10 years. In the agreement they freely entered into in 2009, both parties agreed to always review and revisit it every three years, but for 10 years now, the government has arrogantly refused to honour its agreement with ASUU. So why is the government reneging on the agreement they never signed under duress? The Federal Government must lead by example on this.
 
“The Integrated Personnel and Payrolls Information System (IPPIS) developed by the government to pay civil servants and strangely academic staff (a group of people that are clearly different) as since shown its failures and it's even causing major challenge within the university system.
“Even the government recently in the national dailies reported that IPPIS software was hacked. That clearly is a major revelation of the weakness of that platform as a payment system but rather than embrace the UTAS payment system that ASUU developed taking into consideration the university setting, the government continues to reject it even when his agency (NITDA) has since confirmed that the UTAS payment system has almost 98% success rate!
“We in NAUS call on the government to not unnecessarily grandstand and continue to waste scarce resources on the IPPIS. Government should as a matter of urgency embrace the UTAS and start to use it for the payment of university staff salaries and allowances.
 
“On the earned allowances, we call on the government to immediately pay the workers their due money. To us, we consider it as an act of irresponsibility for people to work extra hours for a job you are supposed to even hire new staff for and still refused to pay them their allowances. We wonder why the government and National Assembly members continue to pay themselves huge and unjustifiable allowances but continue to make our teachers and fathers cry for their meagre entitlements?
 
“On the revitalisation funds, the government has failed woefully in the last 7 years! We call on the government to do more and help lift the dying infrastructures in our universities back to life! Across the campuses in our country, the state of infrastructures and laboratories is so terrible and nauseating. NAUS calls on the government to as a matter of urgency come to the rescue of our infrastructures if the government truly wants Nigerian graduates to be able to function and compete effectively in the 21st century.”
 
ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14th to press home its demands, with the prominent ones being the renegotiation of the ASUU/FG 2009 agreement and the sustainability of the university autonomy by deploying UTAS to replace the government’s “imposed” (IPPIS).
 
Other demands include the release of the reports of visitation panels to federal universities, distortions in salary payment challenges, funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, poor funding of state universities and promotion arrears.
 
On March 14, the association extended the strike action by two months to afford the government more time to address all of its demands.

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