Jonathan meets ASUU today, union warns against force

 

 

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will meet the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday (today), apparently with a view to resolve the Federal Government-ASUU face-off that has left varsity gates shut since July 1.

But the union said it had got wind of Presidency’s plan to direct that universities be reopened, saying such directive without amicable resolution of the current strike would deepen the crisis.

Chairman of ASUU, University of Uyo chapter, Dr. Nwachukwu Anyim, said this in a statement in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Sunday, saying that the union leaders were invited by the President.

Anyim said the invitation by Jonathan should ordinarily inspired hopes that the four-month-old strike by the lectures would soon end but that the union needed to be cautious in its optimism.

His statement read, “We are aware that President Jonathan intends to meet with the leadership of ASUU tomorrow, Monday, November 4, 2013, in a bid to address the deadlock in the ongoing strike by the members of the union.

“Ordinarily, the invitation by the President to the union would give the impression that the resolution of the strike was on the horizon. While we appreciate the present show of concern from the high office of the Presidency, we are, however, cautious in our optimism that the meeting between the President of the country and the union would yield desired results.

“The apparent lack of enthusiasm among our members concerning the outcome of the meeting is based on government’s lack of commitment towards the implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and the memorandum signed with ASUU. While we hope that the Federal Government would see reason to finally resolve the issues in contention, we urge well -meaning Nigerians and stakeholders to persuade government to implement the agreement with the union in order to save Nigeria’s public universities.”

It added, “We have received information that President Jonathan intends to direct that universities should be re-opened immediately. As a branch, we do not think that such a directive would resolve the issues at stake. Rather, such a directive would deepen the prevailing crisis. A show of force by the president could only, at best, result in a “pyrrhic victory.”

“We stand on the existing agreement between the union and the Federal Government. The MoU between government and ASUU and also the NEEDS Assessment Report should provide the road map for the resolution of the ongoing strike by ASUU.”

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Kim & Kanye Throw Down Lawsuit Over Leaked Engagement Footage

• Kim Kardashian and Kanye West plan to live happily ever after, but right now they are quite unhappy … with the behavior of a guest at their engagement celebration.The power couple has filed a lawsuit against YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, who posted video of the proposal — which took place at AT&T Field in San Francisco on Oct. 21 — on his new website venture, MixBit.
  [Related: New Kimye Wedding Details Emerge — Hint: There Will Be Jets]
  In legal documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, which were obtained by "omg! Insider," Kardashian and West allege that Hurley — whom they had never met prior to the engagement — "finagled entry" into their "exclusive event" as the guest of an invited guest. He was only permitted to stay after signing a confidentiality agreement stating "he would not publish any aspect of the event." A photo of him holding what is said to be the signed agreement is included in the lawsuit filing.
  The only problem? Hurley ended up shooting video footage of the event — "which turned out to involve not merely a birthday celebration for Kardashian, but an unexpected engagement proposal by West," as we now know — and then he posted it to MixBit the next day, which was a violation of their agreement.
  Kimye's lawsuit suggests that entrepreneur Hurley was so desperate to make MixBit successful — after some other recent failed business ventures — that "despite not being invited, and not knowing either West or Kardashian," he "sought to procure his own attendance in order to capitalize on the event and promote MixBit." They also note that Hurley's company sent the video to the media in a press release the next day — and omg! was one of the recipients of the email blast, which touted the new social video service/app and bragged the footage was shot by " the co-founder of YouTube." The footage immediately went viral on the Internet.
  Watch it here:
  
  The big problem with that? Kardashian and West had their own camera crew there recording the footage for possible use on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and E!, bursting their bubble.
  The lawsuit states that, when contacted by Kardashian and West's lawyers after the proposal, Hurley said he "wasn't aware" his video "would get so much attention." Also, he said he only posted it after seeing photos posted from some of the other attendees there and he thought he would then "join in."
  The couple is asking for unspecified damages for alleged breach of contract, fraud, and unjust enrichment.
  Entertainment attorney Owen Sloane of Gladstone Michel Weisberg Willner & Sloane told omg! last week that such damages would be dependent upon the Kardashians' contract with the cable network.
  
  [Related: Burning Question: How Did Kanye Keep His Kim Engagement Plan Top Secret?]
  "If the Kardashians had an exclusive deal with E!, they may be able to argue that the value of that deal has been ruined because of the leak," he said. "You can say, 'I had the intention of using this for commercial purposes,' but then you'd have to prove what it was worth."
  A rep for Hurley's MixBit has not responded to omg!'s request for comment

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Nigeria & Hungary to sign cooperation agreement

Nigeria and Hungary are to strengthen their bilateral ties with the signing of an Economic Cooperation Agreement (ECA) currently being written up by both countries.

Mr Samuel Ortom, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment and Mr Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian State Secretary of Foreign and External Economic Affairs, stated this at a meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Szijjarto is in Nigeria to push for closer cooperation between both countries as the Hungarian Government re-opened its embassy in Abuja on Tuesday.
At the meeting Ortom said Hungary's quest for closer ties with Nigeria was a further sign of the growing foreign investors' confidence in the country's economy.
He said Nigeria would leverage on the re-opening of the embassy and the proposed ECA to balance its trade deficit with Hungary.
According to him, the trade volume between both countries stood at $5.3 billion in 2012 with Nigeria at a disadvantage.
"Nigeria is a virgin land in almost all sectors of the economy. There are lots of opportunities here for the Hungarian government to explore with its advanced technology.
"In agriculture, Nigeria is very rich. More than 70 percent of the 923,000 square kilometre land mass we have is arable.
"What we need is processing and preservation of our agricultural products, and I believe we have a lot to benefit from you in this regard.
"This new initiative is also an opportunity for both countries to share trade information, hold business forums and trade fairs, and exchange technology to enhance business activities between us."
Ortom added that Nigeria needed Hungary's technology to further explore and exploit its vast solid mineral and oil and gas deposits.
According to him, massive opportunities are abound in the country's mass housing and construction sectors into which the government welcomes more foreign investments.
He commended the Hungarian government for offering an additional 50 scholarships to Nigerian students willing to study in that country where 701 Nigerians are currently receiving tertiary education.
Szijjarto said the Hungarian government believed Africa is one of the most rapidly emerging regions in the world where Nigeria plays a key role.
According to him, his country is aware of the tremendous economic achievements recorded by Nigeria in the last one year, including a 6.6 percent economic growth and a very low budget deficit.
"These are figures will be envied by EU countries, I can assure you.
"Hungary is very keen on signing the economic cooperation agreement with you and we understand that your ministry has approved the draft and we are awaiting the approval of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
The Hungarian delegation announced the offer of an additional 50 scholarships on behalf of his government to Nigerian students willing to study in his country.
The Hungarian government shut down its embassy in Abuja as a result of the global economic recession in 2010

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WATCH AND DOWNLOAD New Video: Airis - Jeje

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Anti-corruption protesters want Oduah jailed

Members of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders protesting at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other-Related Offences Commission office in Ikoyi, Lagos ... on Wednesday.
 

Protesters on Wednesday stormed the Lagos Office of the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission, requesting that the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, be tried and jailed if found guilty.

The protesters, who stormed the ICPC office around 10.15am, defied confrontation by armed policemen who shot thrice into the air and civil defence officers to gain entrance into the premises of the commission.

Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adediran, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said that many lives had been lost due to corruption in the aviation sector.

He said, “The purchase of the bulletproof cars is outrageous. It is the ICPC that should deal with anything that has to do with official corruption. Their reaction has been that they have not got a petition to act and that  that is why investigation has not begun. Now we have submitted a petition, we want them to act.

“If Oduah is found guilty after the probe, we want her to go to jail; we want anybody found culpable to be prosecuted diligently, we want anybody found guilty to be adequately punished and until we get that we will not rest.

“It is saddening that the President who should set precedence for Nigerians to follow could be shielding the indicted and even include them in his entourage to Israel on holy pilgrimage. It is also not unlikely that Ms. Oduah is in the league of Mr. President’s benefactors.

“Though the President has set up a panel to investigate the allegations, but it must be noted that most of the time when President Jonathan sets up his panels, they are to bury the issues rather than bending it to justice.”

The protesters, who presented a petition to the ICPC,  prayed that investigations should be commenced into the activities of the minister; the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency;  Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria; and other relevant agencies under the Ministry of Aviation.

Chief Superintendent of ICPC in Lagos, Mr. Binga Shintema, who attended to the protesters, assured them that their petition would be acted on.

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Forbes names Dangote Africa’s most powerful man

Alhaji Aliko Dangote

The President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has been named the most powerful man in Africa and 64th in the world by the Forbes magazine.

Dangote, who Forbes says is by far Africa’s richest man with a net worth of $16.1bn as of March 2013, was ranked ahead of the likes of Fifa President, Sepp Blatter (69); Speaker, United States House of Representatives, John Boehner (66); and Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mohammed Ibrahim (71).

The 56-year-old, Dangote, whose company is considered one of the most diversified on the list, is currently ranked 43 on the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires with his net worth over time said to be on the rise.

In August, the industrialist had announced plans by the Dangote Group to build a $9bn refinery and petrochemical complex in Nigeria, a move which is expected to help the group further diversify its current business model and increase his net worth.

Away from his business interests, mention was also made of his philanthropic efforts in his profile on the Forbes website.

It reads in part, “Inspired by fellow billionaires, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, Dangote is making a name for himself on the philanthropic circuit and has given away millions to education, health and social causes in Africa.”

Apart from Dangote, Ibrahim is the only other African on the list, which contains 72 people.

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, topped the list, displacing United States President, Barrack Obama, who dropped to the second spot for the first time in three years.

Chinese President, Xi Jinping, occupies the third spot, while the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, debuts on the list at number four.

Pope Francis, who was elected in March this year, leads 12 other new entrants.

Other notable new names on the list are Samsung Chairman, Lee Kun-Hee (41); Volkswagen’s Martin Winterkorn (49); South Korean President, Park Geun-hye (52); and Janet Yellen (72), who has been nominated by President Obama as the next leader of the US Federal Reserves.

The Executive Editor of the New York Times, Jill Abramson (68), makes a return appearance after dropping off the list in years past.

Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, aged 29, and North Korean leader, Kim Jung-un, aged 30, are the youngest people on the list. Zuckerberg occupies the 24th place, while Kim is ranked 46th.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, who occupies the eight spot, is the oldest person on the list. He is 89 years old.

The world’s richest man, Carlos Slim, is, however, not the most powerful man. The América Móvil honorary chairman occupies the 12th position.

According to Forbes, the Most Powerful People in the World list is an annual snapshot of the heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs, who truly rule the world.

“It represents the collective wisdom of top Forbes editors, who consider hundreds of nominees before ranking the planet’s top 72 power-brokers – one for every 100 million people on earth – based on their scope of influence and their financial resources relative to their peers,” the magazine explained.

This year’s list features 17 heads of state, who run nations with a combined Gross Domestic Product of some $48tn.

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Jonathan places Oduah on ‘tactical suspension

Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah

President Goodluck Jonathan may have placed the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, on  “tactical suspension,” findings by The PUNCH have revealed.

A reliable Presidency source   said Jonathan decided on the  “tactical suspension,” hours before the signing of the Bilateral Air Service  Agreement between Nigeria and Israel on Monday.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Mr. George Ossi,  had on October 24 told the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation that Oduah   led a Nigerian delegation to Israel to sign the BASA.

The House committee  is probing the  purchase of  two  bulletproof cars  at  a whopping N255m  price by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for the minister.

Our source explained that  it was the ‘tactical suspension’ that made Jonathan to direct the Minister of  State (1) for Foreign Affairs , Prof. Viola Onwuliri, to sign the  agreement instead of  Oduah.

When asked by one of our correspondents what ‘tactical suspension’ meant, he   said, “Oduah will not be allowed to attend public functions that will have the President in attendance until the three-member  committee  set up to investigate the matter turns in its report.”

The source, who said he did not know whether the “tactical suspension” order had  been formally communicated to the minister,  stated that  the step became necessary in order to dissuade Nigerians who hold the opinion that the President  was  shielding  Oduah.

In what seemed a corroboration of the “tactical suspension,” the  Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, insisted that  Jonathan would not associate with or shield anybody found to be corrupt.

He insisted  during an interview with one of our correspondents on Tuesday, that the minister did not travel to Israel on the entourage of the President.

“Did you see them (Jonathan and the minister) together in Israel? The President will not associate or shield anybody found to be corrupt. That is why he set up that panel because he will not want to act based on media reports,” Gulak  said.

Shortly before our  source  and Gulak  spoke, the Presidency  said  the BASA  was signed by Onwuliri  because it was a matter bordering on foreign affairs.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati,   in an exclusive telephone interview with one of our correspondents,  argued  that there was no politics involved in Onwuliri signing the agreement on behalf of the government.

 He said Nigerians should not reduce the matter to “the politics of political appointees who are all ultimately birds of passage.”

 The President’s spokesman said Oduah did not only attend the signing ceremony but was also involved in framing the technical details of, and in preparing the agreement along with her Israeli counterpart.

 He said it was when that was done, that the Foreign Ministries moved in at the level of G2 diplomacy.

 Abati added, “The groundwork (for the agreement) was done by the Ministry of Aviation hence the involvement of the Aviation Minister, but this being a country-to-country agreement, more or less a treaty, it had to be signed by the Foreign Affairs Minister.

 “It is also the convention in diplomacy to pair ministers. The Israelis brought their Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, so we did the same. There was no politics involved and there is no doubt that it is within the provenance of the Foreign Ministry to sign agreements on behalf of the country.

 “Let me add that BASA is about countries entering into an agreement.

“It is not about individuals. We must avoid the ridiculous temptation to reduce something that will promote good relations with a friendly nation to the politics of political appointees who are all ultimately birds of passage.”

When asked  if the  embattled minister  was under “tactical suspension,”   Abati replied, “She (Oduah was actually in attendance at the signing of the BASA . As I said, she was involved in framing the technical details of, and in preparing the agreement along with her Israeli counterpart. That done, the Foreign ministries moved in at the level of G2 diplomacy.”

Meanwhile,   the  ruling Peoples Democratic Party said on Tuesday that it  was  worried by the  bulletproof car scandal.

Like, Gulak, it assured Nigerians that whoever was  found culpable  would  face the law  because it (PDP) would never condone any form of  graft.

The party, however, wondered why the opposition All Progressives Congress was going into a frenzy over the scandal when  its “governors and leaders   have been involved in bulletproof car deals more scandalous than those  in the Ministry of Aviation.”

 In a statement by its    National Publicity Secretary, Chief  Olisa Metuh,  the PDP said its  position  on corruption was unambiguous.

A part of the statement reads,   “The position of our great party on corruption is unambiguous and our zero tolerance for corrupt practices abounds in practical examples.

“To us as a party, the accusation of corruption in the Aviation ministry is a big worry. It is for this reason  that the President and the leader of our  party has set up a panel to investigate the matter while the National Assembly which we also lead  has stepped in.”

It   frowned on the ethnic dimension which comments and street actions on the issue had taken and advised   “ethnic lords, jingoists as  well as lynch mobs “ to realise that  biased sentiments could hardly achieve an objective basis for establishing the culpability of the public officers involved in the matter.”

   The party then went for the jugular of the APC ,  saying  it  (APC) was not different from a white washed tomb.

 The PDP described the  APC as a stinking sepulchre and  the headquarters of corruption in Nigeria.

 It said, “This  is a party whose leaders relish in stinking miasma but artfully turning a blind eye to it.

 “They however go megaphonic when other political parties are involved.

“Hardly can you point at any of its leaders without a heavy baggage.

 “In fact, the governors and leaders of the APC have been involved in bulletproof car deals more scandalous than those at the Aviation ministry but this is conspicuously missing on the sermon list of these  false evangelists of good governance.”

  It wondered why  the trial of  the  Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji,   for acts of corruption,  had yet to  be  discussed by the APC leadership.

 The PDP further contended that the  stench of corruption oozing from   the concession  of the Lekki Toll Plaza  and its debilitating effects on the electoral fortune  of APC  was the reason the Lagos State Government allegedly retrieved and paid off  the firm that built the  road.

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