ASUU: NLC’s Proposed Solidarity Protest Is Unlawful- Says FG

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July 20, 2022

The Federal Government has declared illegal the planned protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in solidarity with the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, told state house correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

Mohammed stressed that the NLC was in no dispute with the federal government and as such considers its planned street protest illegal.

The Information Minister said that the Congress’s planned action was based on self-interest and a planned action was capable of stoking anarchy.

He insists that the NLC should insulate itself completely from politics.

Fight For Quality Education
In a letter dated July 15 and addressed to chairpersons of the NLC in the states the congress’ national president, Ayuba Wabba stated the protest is aimed at what he described as getting “our children back to school and support our unions in Nigeria’s public universities fighting for quality education”.

They designated the Labour House in the federal capital territory (FCT) and secretariats of the NLC as the takeoff points for the protest.

“We bring you fraternal greetings from the national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),” the letter read,” Wabba said.

“In line with the decisions of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress held on the 30th of June 2022, we have scheduled as follows the National Days of Protest to get our children back to school and support our unions in Nigeria’s public universities fighting for quality education.

Following this declaration, some student bodies have shown their backing for the planned action

A statement, signed by the Deputy National President of NAUS, Mohammed Ibrahim, dated July 17, implored students across the states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory to join in the march to end the five-month strike

“The NLC’s announcement of her resolution to stage a nationwide protest is greatly welcomed in the students’ constituency. For us, this is nothing short of a miracle; a heavenly intervention which would not have been at a better time than now. We are therefore prepared and ever ready to join in this great solidarity movement with the NLC,” it read.

“Sequel to the above, NAUS shall be part of the protest nationwide to demand the immediate resolution of issues between the Federal Government and ASUU so our students can go back to classes.”

FG, ASUU Can Reach An Agreement Under Two WeeKs- Presidency

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 20, 2022

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The Presidency, Wednesday, said the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities can reach favourable agreements in less than two or three weeks if all stakeholders are not “unrealistically obstinate.”

It also revealed that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, chose to resolve the five-month ASUU strike within two or three weeks, as opposed to being pressured by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the Presidency said Adamu requested that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, hands off of the negotiation to allow him to conclude his initial negotiations with the striking union.

The statement is titled ‘On university strikes, government is ready for business.’

It read in part, “Neither during nor after the meeting was any ultimatum given to the Minister of Education. During the meeting, the Minister of Education requested that the Minister of Labour hands off the negotiation to allow him to lead and conclude what he had earlier on started with the Academic Staff Union of Universities. And he promised that he could get an agreement within the shortest possible time, possibly two to three weeks.

“In carrying out this assignment, the Minister will carry along all relevant ministries and agencies with statutory functions and duties relating to the issues involved.

“The Presidency is optimistic that agreements can be reached in an even shorter period if all parties/stakeholders are not unrealistically obstinate. We appeal to the parties to work together to end the strikes.”

It said the regime’s doors remain open for dialogue and the resolution of the issues.

The Presidency also appealed to the media to avoid “spreading misinformation” saying that the two-week-ultimatum narrative making the rounds is “not helpful at all.”

Meanwhile, Ngige denied reports that Buhari directed him on Tuesday to hand off negotiations with ASUU.

Speaking with State House Correspondents on Wednesday, Ngige said “I saw one of the dailies writing something like that today. But the truth of the matter is there is no such thing, it’s just categorically untrue. There is nothing like a hands-off.”

Ngige said he had proposed one week to resolve the FG-ASUU faceoff but the Minister of Education, Adamu, volunteered to resolve the issues in two weeks.

He advised the university-based unions to submit their cases before the Ministry of Education whom the President has directed to resolve the issue, saying he is withdrawing from the negotiations until he is needed.

ASUU Strike: Presidency Clears Adamu, Ngige Role Swap in Negotiation

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 20, 2022

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The Presidency says there was no time President Muhammadu Buhari gave an ultimatum to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to resolve the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and others in the nation’s public universities.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the clarification in a statement on Wednesday while giving an insight into discussions at the meeting held the previous day.

He said Adamu requested that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, hands off the negotiation to allow him conclude what he had started with the striking lecturers.

“The outcome of the meeting held by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to end the agitations by university unions ought to be beyond spin-doctoring and conjectures,” said the President’s spokesman.

“It is a pity that almost all media houses allowed themselves to be deceived by interested sources that are not the authorised spokesmen of government. Neither during nor after the meeting was any ultimatum given to the Minister of Education.

“During the meeting, the Minister of Education requested that the Minister of Labour hands off the negotiation to allow him lead and conclude what he had earlier on started with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).”

Shehu, in the statement, added that the education minister promised that he could get an agreement within the shortest possible time, probably two to three weeks.

The Presidency, according to him, is confident that agreements can be reached in an even shorter period if all parties do not remain obstinate.

“In carrying out this assignment, the Minister will carry along all relevant ministries and agencies with statutory functions and duties relating to the issues involved,” the presidential spokesman said.

“On the part of the administration, all doors remain open for dialogue and the resolution of the issues.”

Exploring The Tallest Statue In Africa, African Renaissance Monument, Senegal

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 20, 2022

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The African Renaissance Monument is a 49 meter tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside of Dakar, Senegal.

It depicts a man with a bare, ripped torso holding an infant aloft in one arm and guiding a woman with the other.

Looking South towards downtown Dakar. Not much to see with the haze of the day. Image was captured by a camera suspended by a kite line. Kite Aerial Photography (KAP)

The infant points ahead to indicate the glorious future, while the woman extends her arm behind to acknowledge the troubled past. Her hair is swept back by the wind, as are her scant, gossamer-like garments.

It is built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Ouakam suburb, the statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea presented by President Abdoulaye Wade and built by Mansudae Overseas Projects, a company from North Korea.

Image was captured by a camera suspended by a kite line. Kite Aerial Photography (KAP)

Site preparation on top of the 100-meter high hill began in 2006, and construction of the bronze statue began 3 April 2008.

Originally scheduled for completion in December 2009, delays stretched into early 2010, and the formal dedication occurred on 4 April 2010, Senegal’s “National Day”, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence from France. It is, so far, the tallest statue in Africa.

The colossal monument surely has a Soviet influence, with socialist realism style since in the past the Government of Senegal was indeed on the side of mainland China. The cost is amazing 27 million US dollars, for which it received huge criticism.

The style too was criticized, since the Senegalese opposition leaders marked it as a ‘Stalinist’ project, while the artists around the country pointed out that the shapes of the body are cartoon-like, with very little African facial features.

Some sources claim that the actual architect of this grandiose monument is actually Romanian. Nevertheless, the President entitled himself a 35% of the whole profit, mostly from the tourists.

All in all, it is a one alluring masterpiece of an idea, which became a reality and certainly deserves to be mentioned in posts which are positive in more than a couple of articles around the world.

UK Inflation Surges To New 40-Year High

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 20, 2022

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Inflation in the United Kingdom has accelerated to a new 40-year high, driven by rising food and fuel prices that are contributing to a cost-of-living crisis.

Consumer prices rose 9.4% this year through June, up from 9.1% the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday. The new figure is the highest since 1982, when inflation peaked at 11%.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has been blamed for boosted food and energy prices around the world, with shipments of oil, natural gas, grain and cooking oil disrupted. That has added to rising prices that began last year as the global economy started to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said Tuesday that the bank is likely to consider raising interest rates by half a percentage point at its next meeting to help control inflation. The bank has raised rates five times since December, with the last increase a quarter-point in June that sent its key rate to 1.25%.

“We have been clear that we see the balance of risks to inflation as on the upside,” Bailey said in a speech. “Here, I would pick out the risks from domestic price and wage setting, and this explains why at the … last meeting we adopted language which made clear that if we see signs of greater persistence of inflation, and price and wage setting would be such signs, we will have to act forcefully.”

The biggest contributor to inflation is the soaring cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, with motor fuel prices jumping 42.3% in the past year. Gasoline cost 184 pence a liter ($8.37 a gallon) in June, the statistics office said.

Food prices rose 9.8% over the year, driven by the rising cost of eggs, dairy products, vegetables and meat.

Consumer prices are soaring worldwide, with U.S. inflation jumping to a new four-decade high in June, at 9.1%, while the 19 countries that use the euro saw it reach 8.6% last month.

EU Draws Up Energy Plan In Case Of Russian Gas Cutoff

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 20, 2022

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The European Union’s head office on Wednesday proposed that member states cut their gas use by 15% over the coming months as the bloc braced for a possible full Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies that could add a big chill to the upcoming winter.

While the initial cuts would be voluntary, the Commission also asked for the power to impose mandatory reductions across the bloc in the event of an EU-wide emergency caused by what Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saw as a deliberate attempt by President Vladimir Putin to weaponize gas exports.

“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial major cutoff of Russian gas or total cutoff of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready,” von der Leyen said.

EU member states will discuss the measures at an emergency meeting of energy ministers next Tuesday. For them to be approved, national capitals would have to consider yielding some of their powers over energy policy to Brussels.

“We have to be proactive. We have to prepare for a potential full disruption of Russian gas. And this is a likely scenario. That’s what we’ve seen in the past,” von der Leyen said, adding that Kremlin-controlled Gazprom showed scant interest in market forces and instead played a political game to choke off the EU.

Saving 15% on gas use between August and next March will not come all that easy. The European Commission signaled its proposed target would require EU countries as a whole to triple the rationing achieved to date since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started Feb. 24.

“EU-level savings so far have been equal to 5%,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said. “This is clearly not enough.”

Wednesday’s proposal comes at a time when a blog post from the International Monetary Fund has warned about the weaknesses of the 27-nation bloc.

Russian President Warns EU Gas Supplies Could Keep Dwindling

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 20, 2022

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday it is the West’s own fault that the flow of Russian natural gas to European customers has dwindled and warned that it could continue ebbing.

Putin’s statement further cranked up pressure on the European Union, which fears Russia could cut off gas to wreak economic and political havoc in Europe in the winter.

Speaking to Russian reporters in Tehran, where he attended the talks with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, Putin said the amount of gas pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany will fall further from 60 million to 30 million cubic meters a day, or about one fifth of its capacity, if a turbine isn’t quickly replaced.

He added that Russia could launch the recently completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline that has never entered service, but noted that it would only have half of its designated capacity because the rest has been used for domestic needs.

The Russian leader also warned the West that its plan to cap the prices of Russian oil as part of its sanctions over Ukraine will destabilize the global oil market and make prices soar.

“We are hearing some crazy ideas about restricting the volumes of Russian oil and capping the Russian oil price,” he said. “The result will be the same — a rise in prices. Prices will skyrocket.”

Oil Prices Fall Above $1 Per Barrel In Bid To Limit Inflation

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 20, 2022

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Oil prices fell more than $1 a barrel on Wednesday, under pressure from global central bank efforts to limit inflation as fuel demand weakens.

Brent crude prices for September fell $1.06, or 0.9%, to $106.29 a barrel by 0946 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for August slipped $1.09, or 1%, to $103.13 per barrel.

The more active September WTI contract was at $99.64 a barrel, down $1.10.

Oil prices whipsawed in the previous session, caught in a tug-of-war between supply fears caused by Western sanctions on Russia and expectations of economic weakness; and reduced demand as central bankers indicated they will raise interest rates to combat inflation.

Limited supplies have kept Brent above $105/bbl and prompt Brent inter-month spreads at about $4.40 a barrel.

Interbank Transfer Services: Nigerian Lawmakers Want CBN To Rectify Delays

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 20, 2022

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The lower chamber of the National Assembly, House of Representatives has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to address delays arising from instant (Inter-Bank) Electronic Funds Transfer Services in Nigeria with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem.

The appeal followed a motion moved by a member from Kano State Muhammed Bello at plenary.

The House of Representatives also appealed to the apex Bank to make regulations with respect to the procedure channelling complaints by aggrieved customers.

According to Bello, the regulations are not being complied with by Banks and other financial institutions as issues regarding failed and delayed transfers are still very pronounced in the Country.

Mohammed while expressing concern over the delays occasioned by sending and receiving entities with respect to E-Funds Services; said customers of financial institutions across the country have inadequate means of filing complaints and getting immediate resolutions over failed transactions that occur on weekends and public holidays.

Ruling on the motion, the Deputy Speaker Ahmed Wase, who presided the pledge, mandated the Committee on Banking and Currency to seek further legislative approach in ensuring compliance of the resolution.

Emefiele threatens to “PND” politicians bank accounts used for illegal dollar electioneering

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Henry Williams

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July 20, 2022

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CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele has warned politicians looking to withdraw their naira in exchange for dollar speculations for election purposes insisting that it was illegal to do so.

Mr. Emefiele was responding to questions from journalists who pressed him on the likely impact of election spending on the value of the naira when compared to the dollars.

The Governor insisted that the apex bank was monitoring the situation and will continue to use its monetary policy (discretionary powers) tools to mop up excess liquidity in the system when it believes banks might be looking to facilitate election spending or speculate on forex.