Month: August 2024

The management of the University of Ibadan, UI, Oyo State, on Friday, has shut down the institution for 3-weeks following students protest over the increment of the tuition fees.

Vreporters had earlier reported that the undergraduates on Friday staged a peaceful protest over tuition hikes by the management of the institution following the approval of the governing council chairs by Chief Bisi Akande.

The students, while expressing their displeasure , carried different placards with inscriptions such as, “We Say No Tuition Hikes,” “The Management Is Insensitive To Our Plights,” and “Our Parents Cannot Afford The New Hikes,” while they blocked roads leading to the campus.

As a result, in a circular dated August 30, 2024, and obtained by our correspondent on Saturday, the institution’s registrar, G. O. Saliu, directed the students to vacate the school premises by 2 pm on Saturday (today), stating that the school will be shut for three weeks.

According to Saliu, the closure followed the meeting of the university’s management with the leadership of the student union on Friday, August 30, 2024, where the Vice-Chancellor on behalf of the Senate approved that the institution be shut for three weeks.

He noted that the directive is effective Saturday, August 31, 2024, till September 20, 2024.

The circular read, “All students are to vacate the university campus by 2 pm on Saturday, August 31, 2024.

“The hostel will be reopened from noon on Friday, September 20, 024.

“Students are therefore, to note the following: The three weeks is to give students ample time to complete their online registration, the 2023/2024 first semester examination will now start on Monday, 23 September 2024, and the period for registration will be closed on Friday, September 2p, 2024.

“The above is for information and strict compliance please.”

Meanwhile, according to a statement on Saturday, by a media platform in the institution, Union of Campus Journalists, the students have resolved to reconvene and resume their peaceful protest until their demands are met.

The statement read, “Following the University of Ibadan’s announcement of a three-week break, students are once again mobilising to resume their protests, which have been ongoing for the past three days.

“The memorandum, released earlier today by the Office of the Registrar, has sparked renewed anger among the student body, leading to calls for immediate action.

“The management’s decision, which mandates that all students vacate campus by 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 31, 2024, has been met with widespread criticism. Students perceive the break as a ploy to weaken the momentum of their protests against the recent hike in tuition fees.

“In response, student are rallying their peers to gather once more, with the intent to continue their demonstrations until their demands are met.”

Vanguard News

Many times, people have wondered how the kidnappers and other bandits who are causing untold mayhem in the country, manage to get away, even after they are captured on videos, recorded on other devices and most of all when they make contact with their victims’ families.

Senate President of the Nigerian Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Henry Okunomo has expressed deep worry that in this age of tech advancement and the height Nigeria has attained in technological development, kidnappers could make contact with a victim’s families without being rounded up by security agents the next minute.

A worried Okunomo who appeared on television recently to discuss the issue of his abducted colleagues, appeared frustrated and clearly expressed dissatisfaction with the way security agencies are handling the matter.

He said: “I am not satisfied with the way security agencies are going about the matter. The government cannot tell me there is no other way this kidnapping thing can be nipped in the bud. After all, there are several measures already in place, why are they not working?”

The measures Okunomo was referring to, included the SIM card registration which the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC carried out in 2011; the Nigerian Identity Number, NIN enrolment, which the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC began in 2015; the NIN-SIM Registration exercise which the Federal government carried out in 2020, involving the NCC, NIMC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; and even the NigComSat-1R Communications satellite which the country shot into the orbit since 2012.

These measures, according to the government, were mainly to improve National Security by strengthening the capacity of Law Enforcement Agencies to tackle criminal use of mobile phones by checkmating activities of criminals. They were also to help simplify verification process and thus enable more secure transactions and interactions using mobile devices boosting confidence and participation in the digital economy; and also to improve governance and service delivery by providing accurate data for policymaking, facilitate secure access to E-government services online, as well as aiding in the implementation of social programs

However, despite all these measures, bandits, and kidnappers operate recklessly. Victims’ accounts at different times suggest that either the measures are not effective or someone in a position of taking action is complicit in the crimes.

In Zamfara State, a kidnap victim, Mallam Yushau Jangeme, was reported to have said security agents in his village, Jangeme, did nothing to trace the telephone calls of the bandits who kidnapped him. According to the publication, Jangeme said, at the time bandits kidnapped seven people in his village and he was contacted to bring ransom before they could be freed.

According to him, when he got to the forest to give kidnappers N1.4m out of N3m demanded, they detained him, saying he must bring the remaining N1.6m. All these happened irrespective of him having made available the phone numbers of his kidnappers to security agents before heading into the bush.

Everywhere, the story is the same. A public affairs commentator, Mr Chike Ogbu, who also expressed dissatisfaction with the way security agents are handling the case of the abducted medical students, said he could not understand the sense of SIM registration or its link with NIN when people could make ransom calls and not getting arrested with all the data that were supposed to accrue from the registrations.

He said: “We have had all manner of SIM activity registrations in this country. We have had Identity registrations and we have a communications satellite. Which one of them is not functioning or which agency of government is not releasing sensitive information necessary for picking these renegades? What is actually the problem, or are our security agents complicit?” he queried.

One of the reasons the NCC took a hard stance on the deadline for NIN-SIM linkage was to fulfil its objective to clean the country’s SIM ownership database and ensure that criminals could not take advantage of having multiple unlinked SIMs to carry out their nefarious activities. Yet, the situation appeared not to have abated.

But the Commission insists the fault is not from its end. A top official at the Commission who craved anonymity told Saturday Vanguard: “Yes, we were adamant on the deadline of the NIN-SIM linkage because of several dangerous security trends we discovered. Our resolve hinged on the need to close in on the chaos of untoward ownership of multiple SIM cards with unverified NIN details. We had instances where a single individual had over 10,000 lines linked to his NIN. In some cases, we have seen a single person with 1,000 lines, some 3,000 plus lines. What were they doing with these lines?

“From our interim findings, the owners of these lines did not purchase them for decent purposes or to undertake legitimate activities. We gave them enough time to make the decision of which of their lines they wanted to keep and discard the others. They did not. All lines in this category with unverified NINs were barred.

“On the issue of kidnappers making calls to victims’ families without being traced, I don’t think that power is residual in our hands. What we know is that whatever support the security agents have sought from us, as far as the national security question is concerned, we have always given to the best of our ability. Our duty is not to track and arrest people who make calls rightly or wrongly the source added.

Also, a reliable satellite Engineer at the Nigerian Communications Satellite Company, NIGCOMSAT LTD, who didn’t want his name mentioned, told Saturday Vanguard that the onus of taking action on whatever the communications satellite reveals, in terms of crimes, is squarely at the doorsteps of the security agencies, adding that, the door of the company has always been open to them for valuable information that aid their operations
He said: “One of the misconceptions about our satellite is people believing that it will snap photos or record videos of crime scenes and send them to security agents, but that is not how it works.

“Although NigComSat -1R is a communications satellite, it is not equipped with cameras. It gathers data and digital footprints which on demand, we usually make available to security agencies that can also read and interpret them effectively. So people should not think that because crimes are happening unabated, the satellite is not working or performing its duties” he added.

Students of the University of Ibadan, UI, have resorted to protest after the governing council adopted a new fee structure.

Earlier in February, the UI management was reported to have commenced an upward review of the fees for its fresh students.

The rates were said to have been hiked by up to 480 percent, prompting pockets of protest from among the student population.

The university has repeatedly engaged with the institution’s student union government (SUG) in a dialogue to resolve the matter.

On Thursday, the UI governing council approved new rates for all undergraduate levels and also fixed a deadline for payment.

The rates, sources reveal, ranged from N230,000 to 412,00 depending on the programme of study.

The council directed students who have not yet completed their course registration/payment for the session to do so before September 4.

This development has since caused a stir on the university’s campus, with students boycotting lectures to express their disapproval.

The students began a protest that stretched from 10:20 pm on Thursday into Friday morning.

Bolaji Aweda, the president of the UI student union, said the student community are rejecting the new rates.

“We demand a reversal of the increase. We are embarking on a boycott of classes until our demands are fulfilled,” he said.

“The students demand that the school fees portal should be shut down within 24 hours until our demands are met.”

Punch Newspaper

The National Youth Service Corps has said polytechnic graduates or holders of the Higher National Diploma without evidence of undertaking the mandatory 12-month industrial training will not be registered at the NYSC orientation camp to participate in the national youth service.

The acting Director of Press and Public Relations, NYSC, Mrs Caroline Lembu, who spoke to The PUNCH on Thursday, explained that a certificate of industrial training is one of the requirements for polytechnic graduates to participate in the one-year national youth service.

The NYSC had recently introduced a new policy, requiring graduates of polytechnics and monotechnics to present an IT certification, as part of requirements for the national service, particularly for participation in the camp activities.

The NYSC Coordinator in Lagos State, Mrs Yetunde Baderinwa, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, on August 3, 2024, where she explained that the corps members “must undergo the one-year IT with evidence of completion before going for HND, and institutions must confirm this before admitting them for HND.”

“The directive will take effect from the next orientation camp, and we will not register any candidate who did not complete or undergo the process,” Baderinwa said.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Thursday, NYSC spokesman, Lembu, confirmed that the implementation of the policy had started.

“That is part of the requirement for obtaining an HND Certificate, isn’t it? So, it’s just that certificate. That is one of the documents they are required to present at the camp. They would get admission into the camp, but whether they would be registered or not is the issue. You know, everyone is admitted to the camp, and your documents are scrutinised. But what happens is that that is the requirement.”

Lembu noted that polytechnic students would “are supposed to do the 12-month training,” as a pre-condition for earning the HHD certificate.

“It is a prerequisite for getting the HND certificate. That is just the certificate they are asking for. They are not being rejected, they are just supposed to present it,” she said.

However, checks by The PUNCH showed that HHD holders without IT certificates were being turned back from NYSC orientation camps across the country.

In Osun State, the NYSC Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmi Okundaye, said the policy was being implemented.

“They were not evicted from camp. It is not an issue in the Osun camp alone. It is a national policy to sanitise the education sector. We sent those who don’t have IT letters back home to bring it. It is part of the registration materials they must bring to camp.

“Once they bring their IT letters from where they observed it, they will be allowed to return to the camp,” Okundaye said.

It was a similar situation in Niger State, where the NYSC spokesman in the state, Sam Oga, confirmed that polytechnic graduates without IT certificates were not being registered.

“Yes, we are implementing it. The NYSC HND candidates are not allowed into the camp without proof of IT. Until we get a counter directive they will not be allowed into the the camp,” Oga said.

The policy was also implemented in Kano State, where an NYSC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “This is a directive from the NYSC headquarters in Abuja. So, we are just complying with the order.”

ASUP backs NYSC

In an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr Shammah Kpanja, backed the NYSC policy.

“The industrial attachment is an extension of the National Diploma programme and is a critical requirement for advancing to the Higher National Diploma. To be eligible for the HND, you must complete a one-year industrial attachment, where you acquire practical industry skills relevant to your field of study. After completing the IT, you can then enroll for the HND.

“However, some students bypass this requirement by staying at home after their ND and falsely claiming to have completed the IT when they apply for the HND. This deprives them of the practical experience that is essential for their development. The one-year industrial attachment is not just a formality; it’s a mandatory part of the training, and the skills gained during this period are expected to be demonstrated during the HND programme.”

The ASUP President explained that NYSC’s decision not to admit polytechnic graduates without IT certificates followed a communication to the scheme by the National Board for Technical Education.

“The one-year IT is compulsory and is a key criterion for admission into the HND. The National Board for Technical Education has communicated to the National Youth Service Corps that IT is mandatory, ensuring that students who skipped this step are not mobilised for the NYSC. The entire programme spans five years, and the inclusion of the industrial attachment is fully supported as it provides invaluable experience for students,” Kpanja said.

The Nation Newspaper

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a 50 per cent subsidy for electricity used by some public institutions in the country .

To benefit are Federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The various teaching hospitals will also enjoy the subsidy regime.

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa, broke the news yesterday in Kaduna.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has magnanimously approved 50 per cent electricity subsidy to all public hospitals and universities, polytechnic and colleges of education,” he said.

Dr. Alausa said the Ministry of Power is already working out the subsidy payment modalities.

Tertiary institutions have been complaining about astronomical electricity bill increases.

The rise in power costs followed subsidy reduction in the sector.

Some of them have been disconnected by the Distribution Companies (DisCos).

In some instances, students have protested against the attempt by the authorities to alternate electricity supply to reduce costs.

The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan disagreed with the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over an accumulated N400 million bill.

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria cried out over a monthly bill of N300 million which will make it indebted to the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KADCO) to the tune of N3.6 billion annually.

Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) disconnected the University of Lagos this week for owing over N1 billion. The varsity said it had paid N180 million.

The annual electricity budget for 10 varsities is estimated at N247.7 billion.

The 10 public institutions with the highest budgets for this year, according to a publication by the Electricity Hub, are University of Nigeria Nsukka (N36.6 billion), University of Calabar (N29.5 billion), ABU (N29.2 billion), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (N26.3 billion), University of Benin (N24.2 billion), University of Ibadan (N23.4 billion), University of Maiduguri (N22.3 billion), University of Port Harcourt (N19.6 billion), University of Lagos (N19.4 billion) and Obafemi Awolowo University (N17.1 billion).   

However, analysts are asking many questions, such as: “Why can’t the experts and professors in relevant disciplines in the universities develop alternative power supply?

“Instead of relying on power supply by the DisCos, why can’t the experts develop other sources of power generation, such solar, wind and hydro, among others?

“What has happened to the initiative for power supply to some of the leading universities during the Muhammadu Buhari Administration as launched at different times by then Minister for Power Mr. Babatunde Fashola?

“How relevant is the research in the universities to the society at large if the institutions cannot generate power?”

Minister inaugurates medical facilities in Kaduna

Dr. Alausa, who spoke during the inauguration of the National Ear Care Centre and other critical health sector projects in Kaduna, said they align with the Renewed Hope Agenda (RHA) to provide affordable and comprehensive healthcare to Nigerians.

He described the newly-launched facilities, including an auditorium, student hostel, oxygen plant, molecular laboratory and others as crucial.

The minister also addressed the ongoing challenges in the healthcare sector, particularly the impact of the Japa syndrome.

He spoke of the ongoing efforts to increase training quotas and improve remuneration for healthcare workers to discourage them from jetting out in search of better welfare.

Dr. Alausa further outlined the Federal Ministry of Health’s plans to implement a national electronic medical system to revolutionise patient care and data management.

He said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to revamping all the sectors of our economy, especially in the health sector where he is giving us all we want.

“Our country is in the right direction and I want to implore the citizens to be patient with this president. He knows what he is doing.

“Every promise he made to Nigerians, he will fulfil them and he’s already fulfilling a lot of his promises.

“Our country is on the right trajectory now and I want to implore fellow citizens to be positive about our country.

“This is the only country we have and this negativity must stop.”

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, represented by Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe, commended the leadership of the President in the provision of the National Ear Care Centre.

She assured the Centre of continued support from the Kaduna State Government to maintain its status as a leading institution in ENT care and research.

Dr. Balarabe said: “Together, we can work towards ensuring that all Nigerians have access to high-quality healthcare services and that the National Ear Care Centre remains a beacon of excellence in the field of ENT.”

The Centre’s Medical Director, Dr. Mustapha Yaro, outlined the newly completed projects, which are part of a broader effort to enhance healthcare infrastructure and services.

He added that among the key projects unveiled were a 200-capacity auditorium and a one-storey student hostel for the School of Post-Basic ORL Nursing.

While the insecurity situation in some parts 3the country has festered in the last seven years and has led to increased banditry, terrorism and frauds across boards, the Federal Government will from September 15, 2024 block all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) not linked to National Identity Numbers, NIN.

The FG made this announcement through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday in a statement, where it informed that it has pegged the final deadline date for the linkage of SIMs to NINs to September 14.

This final deadline date is coming amid a rise in the activities of criminals, who still use SIMs, and NINs to perpetrate their criminal activities. The SIM-NIN linkage exercise ab initio, according to the government was to help in addressing criminality, including kidnappers, bandits, and fraudsters, among others. But the extent of success cannot be ascertained.

Indeed, NCC in the statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, to announce the deadline, said Nigeria has made significant progress in the Federal Government’s 2020 policy to link all SIMs to NINs.

The telecoms regulator disclosed that to date, over 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to a NIN, reflecting an impressive compliance rate of 96 per cent, a substantial increase from 69.7 per cent in January 2024.

Though the NCC claimed that there has been 96 per cent complaint for the linkage, The Guardian checks showed that over 50 million SIMs may be blocked by September if not linked, especially because of the multi-SIMMING nature of Nigerians and use of different devices that are SIM dependent.

As of Q1, 2024, the NCC puts active mobile subscriptions in the country at 219 million and in the statement of yesterday, about 153 million SIMs have been linked, meaning that some 50 million risk disconnection by mid-September. It must also be stated that between the second quarter and now, some lines must have been registered and linked, which would make the exposed SIMs hover between 50 million and 55 million.

It should be noted that under the NIN-SIM linkage policy, an individual is allowed to register a maximum of four SIM cards per network operator. This is exclusive of SIMS that the individual may wish to use in Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as wearable, trackers, among others.

NCC said as the country approaches the final phase of this critical process, it seeks the continued cooperation of all Nigerians to achieve 100 per cent compliance.

The telecoms regulator said the complete linkage of all SIM cards to NINs is essential for enhancing the trust and security of the digital economy.
“By verifying all mobile users, this policy strengthens confidence in digital transactions, reduces the risk of fraud and cybercrime, and supports greater participation in e-commerce, digital banking, and mobile money services. This, in turn, promotes financial inclusion and drives economic growth,” it stated.

NCC revealed that through collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), it uncovered alarming cases where individuals possessed an unusually high number of SIM cards—some exceeding 100,000.

The Commission said it remained committed to working with security agencies and other stakeholders to crack down on the sale of pre-registered SIMs, thereby safeguarding national security and ensuring the integrity of mobile numbers in Nigeria.

“To ensure full compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage policy, the NCC has directed all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to complete the mandatory verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024.

“Effective September 15, 2024, the Commission expects that no SIM operating in Nigeria will be without a valid NIN,” it stated. NCC urged all members of the public, who have not yet completed their NIN-SIM linkage, or who have faced issues due to verification mismatches, to visit their service providers promptly to update their details before the deadline. Alternatively, the approved self-service portals are available for this purpose.

The Commission also reminded the public that the sale and purchase of pre-registered SIMs are criminal offences punishable by imprisonment and fines.
“We encourage citizens to report any such activities to the Commission via our toll-free line (622) or through our social media platforms,” it stated.

Indeed, the acclaimed success of the NIN-SIM linkage has been questioned as regards the extent to which the initiative has helped the country to curb the rising menace of kidnapping, banditry, cyber fraud and the rest in the country.

It is worrisome that despite the sacrifices made by Nigerians to get their SIM registered and linked to NIN, crime levels refused to abate in the country.
At the commencement of the linkage exercise in 2020, the then Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isah Pantami, claimed that the process would enable Nigeria to tackle the growing insecurity in the country, but four years after, insecurity has festered.

Bandits have become more emboldened, kidnapping harmless Nigerians at every slightest opportunity, subsequently smiling to banks after every successful operation without traces, despite the NIN-SIM initiatives.

According to checks, from January and July 2024, no fewer than 2,140 people were kidnapped. An SBM Intelligence report on Nigeria’s security crisis reveals alarming statistics for 2024, showing, 3,277 people kidnapped in 135 mass abduction incidents, resulting in 125 deaths. The North West and North Central regions were hardest hit, with 2,719 kidnappings combined.

It also showed that families of 62 victims, representing 2.89 per cent of the total abductees, paid the sum of N389 million as ransom to secure their release from the kidnappers.

Over the seven months, gunmen reportedly kidnapped 193 people in January, 101 in February, 543 in March, 112 in April, 977 in May, 97 in June, and 117 in July, totaling 2,140.

A total of 667 victims were kidnapped in Zamfara, 454 in Kaduna, 252 in Niger, 183 in Abuja/FCT, 121 in Borno, 117 in Katsina, 60 in Kogi, and 47 in Ogun. Others are Delta (35), Nasarawa (31), Oyo (20), Benue (19), Rivers (13), Ondo (33), Sokoto (15), Ekiti (10), Akwa Ibom (29), Abia (10), Anambra (5), Taraba (6), and Edo (2).

There are believed to be as many as 30,000 kidnappers and bandits operating in more than 100 gangs in the northwest, with the largest able to field as many as 2,000 fighters – roughly the size of two Nigerian army battalions.

Indeed, in the face of increasing banditry and kidnapping around the country, especially the upsurge in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs, Pantami recently expressed his worries that security agencies were yet to take advantage of the integration of the NIN-SIM initiative to apprehend bandits and kidnappers, who make calls to victims’ family members for ransom.

In his lamentation, Pantami said, “If it is not being utilised by the relevant institutions in charge of securing lives and property, then I am more frustrated than any person, as I sacrificed my life and ignored all the threats to my life. This is just a point out of 100 on the policy,” the former minister added.

He championed the NIN registration policy under Buhari’s administration saying that “linking citizens’ NIN to their SIMs would be a crucial tool in combating banditry, kidnapping, and phone-related crimes.”

And despite the nightmares Nigerians went through during that integration, it was worth the trouble and Pantami knew that is why he is worried today that the process had yielded no significant change to the activities of banditry and kidnappings.

Incumbent Minister, Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani hoped that the NIN-SIM card linkage will indeed make a difference when he spoke earlier in the year on a television programme, saying “The process of NIN registration and linkage has turned out to be a painful exercise, but the benefits are numerous to the citizens and the Nigerian economy.”

The process, he said “will help the government to provide digital services to the people, and it will offer citizens the opportunity to access such digital services that will be provided by the government. It will also help the government to maintain a high level of security across the country. The government had since realised that most databases are in silos and operate independently of each other, but with the successful linkage of NIN with registered SIM cards, the government will be able to provide a single database of all Nigerians, from where information could be easily accessed and processed in real-time.”

According to him, the government is planning to establish a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) which will allow the government to manage and share data.
“With the Digital Public Infrastructure, the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser can sit in their offices and monitor in real-time, what is going on around the country, with support from emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics and Internet of Things (I0Ts),” Tijani said.

Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, explained: “We want to protect the integrity of our mobile numbers. When we don’t use it for a while, it has to be recycled, and this exposes people to fraud.” Maida further noted that the NCC is set to roll out consequences to deter its growth.

“We want to create more awareness about this so that people can understand that there is a window during which if they do not use their line, it can be allocated to another person.

“People are using mobile numbers for a lot of frauds today and this is because there are no consequences. We are coming up with a regulation that will make sure there is a consequence for using your mobile for fraud.”

So many reasons have been adduced as to why Nigeria has not been able to tackle insecurity with NIN-SIM, a security expert, Tola Adegoke, in a chat with The Guardian, said NIN-SIM linkage failed to curb insecurity because it had been politicised.

“This is a political issue. There is no sincerity in the system; if those involved are doing the right thing and ready to curb insecurity arising from SIMs and mobile usage, they know what to do. NCC has the resources, police and other security agents are up to the task, but they have not been given the independence to do their work. They are remotely being controlled,” Adegoke said.

He advised that other ICT tools like CCTV technology, tracking technology, social media and mobile phones should be used to tackle crimes in the country.
He said: “My advice to the government on insecurity is to allow all those responsible for curbing crimes to perform their duties. They should also protect informants and whistle-blowers. As regards NIN-SIM linkage, there should be transparency. The government should collaborate with the service providers for better solutions. The government should be ready to take and use the advice from service providers to accomplish their objectives.”

A retired DSS officer, who proffered anonymity, said it has been difficult to achieve success with the NIN-SIM linkage. According to him, non-availability of required devices, the frequency with which the crimes are committed, the urgency of the other rescue operations, lack of personnel, funds for the mobility of the team for operations, precision assessment, intelligence on the part of the syndicates, personal interest and emotional challenges while in operations.

“Security operatives use the caller’s number to get all the information needed to work in tracking the criminals, but the truth remains that the person calling me from the village might have up to 10 lines. When he calls from the village, he will switch off the line and go to another location within the state or outside the state to call again with another line.

“When you try to track him again, he may go to another location and call with another line. This is how you will continue to track these lines. But when you can’t track them again, we try to understand the people that the criminals communicate with regularly because once they remove that SIM, you won’t be able to locate them again. In every location, there is a mask that controls each call.”

The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, has set up a sub-committee to review the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

This is as both parties agreed to reconvene by September 6, 2024.

These decisions were taken at the end of a closed-door meeting, held at the Ministry of Education in Abuja on Wednesday.

The meeting, which lasted for two and a half hours, had in attendance the leadership of ASUU, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, and other officials of the ministry.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Mamman said a sub-committee had been set up to review the demands of the union, and ensure that all grey areas were ironed out and resolved.

On his part, the ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed the hope that all issues would be resolved before the September 6 meeting.

“We have met to discuss all the issues and review them. We have given the government between now and the next meeting to see what they have to do. We believe in the interest of the Nigerian child and we will be protecting their interest if the issues are resolved amicably,” Osodeke said.

ASUU is seeking a comprehensive overhaul of the university system, including improved infrastructure, enhanced academic freedom, and a more sustainable funding model.

Other demands of the union, include the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, and release of earned allowances for university lecturers.

Punch Newspaper

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities have scheduled a follow-up meeting for September 6, 2024.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, made this known at the end of a meeting with the union leadership on Wednesday at the Federal Ministry of Education.

Following resolutions reached at the union’s national executive council meeting held at the University of Ibadan on August 19, 2024, public university lecturers threatened to go on a nationwide strike over the Federal Government’s failure to honour the 2009 renegotiated agreement.

ASUU’s demands include improvements in welfare and university funding and halting the proliferation of universities nationwide.

In response to ASUU’s ultimatum, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, noted that most of the issues of contention dated as far back as 1981. He, however, said letters of invitation had been sent to the leadership of the Union and other organisations and that their grievance was being attended to:

“Most of the issues raised by ASUU are being attended to. For instance, the issue of exit from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) has since been resolved by the President. Bureaucracy is the reason for delay in the implementation of that directive. But by the time we meet on Monday, some of these issues would be discussed and resolved”.

“Most of the demands of ASUU started in 1981. And virtually all government has had its fair share of ASUU strike. But the President made a commitment during the campaign that permanent solution would be provided this time, and he has shown that in his steps and actions,” he said.

The Minister further appealed to ASUU to be considerate and open-minded in their approach at the negotiation table so that the interests of all parties would be properly represented.