ASUU Warns Over Non-Implementation of Agreements

The refusal of the Federal Government to fully implement the terms of the agreement reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since 2009 is provoking another round of crisis in the nation's university system, ASUU has said.

The National President of the union, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, said in a press conference at the end of ASUU's National Executive Council meeting at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria Monday that the major cause of ASUU's showdown with the government and protracted strike actions had always been the refusal of government to implement valid agreements entered into with the union.

The union therefore warned that if the current National Assembly fails to enact the required laws that would give effect to the major areas of the agreements, the nation should not hold ASUU responsible for the consequences that would follow. Professor Awuzie lamented government's failure to pay earned/responsibility allowances to members, noting that only the salary component of the agreement was being implemented.

He said the implementation had not been uniform with state universities as only eight state universities are implementing the agreement.

On the 70 years retirement age for academic staff in the professorial cadre, the ASUU National President said; "ASUU NEC wishes to alert the country to the fact that two years after the commencement of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, government has failed, refused and neglected to enact laws that will give effect to certain major areas of the agreement that need legislation for their implementation and enforcement."

Akala must be probed, says Alaafin

IBADAN — ALAAFIN of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi,Wednesday, said that the out-going Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, should be probed immediately the new government takes over on May 29.

Oba Adeyemi urged the incoming Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to investigate particularly how government residential areas across the state were sold and the whereabouts of the money made from the sales.

The monarch who made the call during a thank you visit by leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, led by the state party chairman, Chief Akin Oke, and the immediate past chairman, Chief Samuel Farinu, at his palace, said he was angry with the way the legacy of yoruba’s forefathers were sold out by the out-going governor to some of his cronies.

He said: “All the government quarters in the Government Reservation Areas, GRA, Ibadan, the housing estates, District Officers’ residences in the state were all sold at the cost of between N10 and N50 million.”

The ACN is on a thank you tour of the 33 local government councils of the state.

Alaafin expressed annoyance over the sale of the quarters allegedly to the highest bidders, stressing that the residential areas which were bequeathed to the Yoruba race by the founding fathers were sold out at the detriment of the masses.

Due to circumstances surrounding the sales of the quarters, Oba Adeyemi said there was need for the incoming administration to beam a searchlight into the transaction to determine “who bought the houses with government money and also the details of how they got such outrageous monies to purchase the government buildings which should remain our legacies. There is need to ask questions and embark on the review of the sales for posterity sake.”

With such outrageous prices, the monarch wondered if those who bought the houses were not those in government who could garner enough financial muscle to afford them. Wondering how many people could afford such money if not those in the government, Adeyemi bemoanedhow the traditional institution tried in vain to make the out-going administration see reason when the crisis between the workers and government grounded the state to a halt.

Senate may pass Maritime Security Agency Bill today

After several months of anxiety, there were confirmations yesterday that the controversial Maritime Security Agency (MASECA) Bill may be tabled for the third and final reading by the Senate today.
Sources close to the Senate Committee on Marine Transport confirmed that the MASECA Bill which seeks to create a distinct agency for maritime security may be the only one to be ‘favoured’ out of the four maritime industry Bills that are yet to be attended to by the lawmakers, even as they round-off activities of the sixth session of the National Assembly.

The four Bills that are pending are: Port and Harbour Bill, Chartered Institute of Shipping of Nigeria Bill, Maritime Zone Bill and the Maritime Security Agency Bill and the Nigerian Merchant Navy Security and Safety Corps Bill. An executive Bill that was tabled in late 2009 by the Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, the MASECA Bill was forwarded to the National Assembly by late President Umaru Yar’Adua as panacea to the unbridled recklessness in the Niger Delta and serial illegal bunkering and economic sabotage which the nation’s territorial water is being subjected to.
Sources at the National Assembly confirmed yesterday that the controversial Bill had been slated for the third and final debate at the plenary session today and that it is likely to be passed into law.

It had earlier been passed by the House of Representatives which approved all its provisions after an exhaustive public hearing in January 2010 which was put together by the House Committee on Marine Transport headed by Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. While passing the Bill which includes a provision that the head of the organisation would report to the President, through the National Security Adviser, (NSA), the lower legislature also approved the new agency would have its headquarters in Abuja.

Senate abolishes Nigerian Accounting Standards Board

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria bill to repeal the Nigerian Accounting Standards Board Act.

The bill was passed after consideration of the 65 clauses of the bill from the report submitted by the Chairman of the Senate committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

As passed, the Senate deleted some clauses relating to pension, directorates of Accounting Standards Private and Public Sectors, directorate of Auditing Practice Standards.

Also deleted include clauses on directorate of Actuarial Standards, directorate of Inspection and Monitoring, directorates of Valuation Standards, duration of registration, review and monitoring of accounting and financial Reporting standards.

The Senate deleted the clauses because a provision was made for the Council to set up directorates and prescribe functions for them.

The Upper Legislative Chamber however yesterday rejected the recommendation of the Ad-Hoc committee to reduce the N500,000 fine to N100,000 for anybody who is not registered under the Act but holds appointment or offer any service for remuneration as a professional for public interest entities.

After passage of the bill yesterday, the Senate President, Senator David Mark said: "It is a very important bill. It has international implication on our economy and I hope the council once inaugurated will work hard to perform their functions

New Senate rules shut out freshers

In spite of public criticisms, Senate yesterday through a unanimous voice vote amended its Standing Rules 97 (1)(f) to give vent to the issue of ranking of Senators to vie and contest for position of presiding officer and other principal offices as well as appointments as chairmen of committees in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

With the amendment, Senators-elect and out-going Governors Danjuma Goje of Gombe State and Bukola Saraki of Kwara have now been effectively prevented from aspiring to the position of presiding officers of the Senate. President of the Senate, David Mark declared that the House would not allow itself to be blackmailed by outsiders into withdrawing the amendment but would go ahead to enact rules to guide its conduct in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Following the amendment, only ranking Senators would henceforth occupy privileged positions such as President of the Senate and the Deputy Senate President and appointments of Principal Officers of the Senate or any parliamentary delegation. Moving a motion for the amendment, Senate Majority Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin urged Senators to consider and approve the amendments by first inserting a new rule 3(2) to replace rule 97(1)(f) on ranking.

The new rules which specifically dealt on the election of President of the Senate, Deputy President of the Senate and appointment of principal officers and other officers of the Senate, state inter alia; “Nomination of Senators to serve as presiding officers and appointments of principal officers and other officers of the Senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of Senators;

“(b) In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: (i) Senators returning based on number of times re-elected, (ii) Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives, (iii) Senators who have been members of a State House of Assembly or any other Legislative House; (iv) Senators elected as Senators for the first time.”

Mimiko: I Had No Pact with ACN

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has dismissed allegations by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that he reneged on an agreement reached with leaders of ACN that he would quit Labour Party (LP) as soon as the court declared him winner of the April 14, 2007 governorship election.

In his first press interview since he assumed office as the governor of Ondo State in his office in Akure on Monday, Mimiko said he never had any agreement with anybody that he would switch over to ACN, saying such insinuations were only products of propaganda.
Mimiko who said he had since addressed key issues over the allegation, that he had deliberately opted to be silent over abuses poured on him by ACN leaders, saying he had opted to toe the path of honour by declining to respond to such abuses but rather to address issues generated by the development. “I have responded to key issues but I have not responded to abuses. I didn’t have any agreement with anybody to move to ACN,” the governor said.

ACN leaders had at a presidential campaign rally in Akure in February 2011, accused the governor of reneging on the agreement he had with them before his court victory in February 2009 that he would defect from Labour Party describing his action as a betrayal. But Mimiko who said he would never abuse anyone said at no time and place did he reach such an agreement with anybody.
Mimiko who recalled that since the advent of civil rule in 1999, he had moved from Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before finally defecting to Labour Party (LP) prior to 2007 general election, stressed that in all the instances that he had changed parties, his reasons for leaving such parties had always been justifiable.

According to him, he left AD prior to the 2003 general election because it was obvious for all to see that internal democracy was dead in the party adding that he again left the PDP to contest the 2007 election on the platform of Labour Party because some perceived powerful elements in the party had shut the door against his governorship ambition and thrown the key into the water