ASUU VS FG: Who will win these Fight?

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been given one week ultimatum to call off the ongoing strike. The directive was given today, in Abuja by the acting Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike while speaking with journalists. The union has been on strike since July 1 over the non Implementation of a 2009 agreement with the federal government.

According to reports, the lecturers at their NEC meeting last week in Kano, demanded that government should pay the four-month salary arrears being owed varsity lecturers while there should be immediate implementation of the N1.2tn offered by the government to public varsities, starting with the release of N100bn this year, before the strike can be called off.

A demand the acting Minister Wike had described as ,”outrageous.” Meantime, ASUU had said it would meet with President Jonathan on the decisions reached at its NEC meeting before any announcement will be made concerning the 5months old strike.

The president has directed the authorities of all the federal universities in the country to resume academic activities on or before 4th Dec.

Jonathan said that any lecturer or member of the academic staff that fails to comply with this
directive will lose his job. He directed the school authorities to declare vacant any position of any defaulting member of academic staff.

It will be recalled that Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian federal universities, on Wednesday also called on all tertiary institutions in the country to resume academic
activities. 

But according to the report gather an officials of ASUU in Ibadan

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the threat by the Federal Government to sack university lecturers would not only fail but also worsen the situation and “another long path to make the strike linger more than necessary.”

With the threat, ASUU said it was evident now that the Federal government was not ready  to implement any resolutions it reached with the union.

“It is a pity if the federal government is not willing to perfect the resolutions reached with union. This is why we find it difficult to trust our leaders by their words. How can someone be threatening to sack lecturers when universities are already short-staffed by almost 60,000. We are not in Military era. The Military tried it and failed. This one will fail again.” ASUU said.

More details later…

IBADAN – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the threat by the Federal Government to sack university lecturers would not only fail but also worsen the situation and “another long path to make the strike linger more than necessary.”
With the threat, ASUU said it was evident now that the Federal government was not ready  to implement any resolutions it reached with the union.
“It is a pity if the federal government is not willing to perfect the resolutions reached with union. This is why we find it difficult to trust our leaders by their words. How can someone be threatening to sack lecturers when universities are already short-staffed by almost 60,000. We are not in Military era. The Military tried it and failed. This one will fail again.” ASUU said.
More details later…
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/sack-threat-will-fail-asuu/#sthash.cU02NQmG.dpuf

BADAN – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the threat by the Federal Government to sack university lecturers would not only fail but also worsen the situation and “another long path to make the strike linger more than necessary.”
With the threat, ASUU said it was evident now that the Federal government was not ready  to implement any resolutions it reached with the union.
“It is a pity if the federal government is not willing to perfect the resolutions reached with union. This is why we find it difficult to trust our leaders by their words. How can someone be threatening to sack lecturers when universities are already short-staffed by almost 60,000. We are not in Military era. The Military tried it and failed. This one will fail again.” ASUU said.
More details later…
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/sack-threat-will-fail-asuu/#sthash.cU02NQmG.dpuf

THOSE WHO PRACTICE MERCY DO NOT FEAR DEATH

Vatican City, 27 November 2013 (VIS) - The Pope is now concluding his catechesis on the Creed, pronounced during the Year of Faith which came to an end last Sunday. Today's focus, which will also be the theme of next Wednesday's general audience, was the resurrection of the flesh, our death and resurrection in Christ; today he analysed the first element, our death in Christ, and will turn to the aspect of our resurrection next week. The Pope first thanked the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square - over 50,000 participants - praising them for braving the cold weather that has affected the Italian capital in these days, and complementing them on their "resistance" before beginning the catechesis.

"There is a wrong way of looking at death", he said. "Death affects all of us, and challenges us profoundly, especially when it touches someone close to us, or when it strikes the very young or defenceless in a way that appears 'scandalous' to us. I am always struck by the question, 'why do children suffer? Why do children die?'. If it is understood as the end of everything, death ... terrifies us; it is transformed into a threat that ... stops us in our tracks. This happens when we consider our life as a period of time closed between two poles, birth and death; when we do not believe in a horizon that goes beyond that of our present life; when we live as if God did not exist.
Click Here!
This concept of death is typical of atheist thought, which interprets existence as a matter of appearing in the world by chance and walking a path towards nothingness. But there also exists a form of practical atheism, which involves living only for one's own interests and for earthly goods. If we allow ourselves to be ensnared by this erroneous view of death, we have no choice other than that of evading death, denying it, or of trivialising it so that it no longer frightens us. "But man's heart - the desire we all have for the infinite, our nostalgia for eternity - rebels against this false solution. And so what is the Christian meaning of death?

If we look at the most painful moments of our lives, when we have lost someone dear to us ... we realise that, even in the drama of loss, there rises from the heart the conviction that it cannot all be over. ... There is a powerful instinct within us that tells us that our life does not end with death". "This thirst for life finds its true and reliable answer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus not only gives us the certainty of life beyond death, but it also casts light on the mystery of the death of every one of us. If we live united with Jesus, faithful to Him, we will be capable of facing even the passage of death with hope and serenity".

From this perspective, "we understand Jesus' invitation to always be ready and watchful in the knowledge that life in this world is given to us also in preparation for the other life, that with the celestial Father. And for this there is a sure way: preparing oneself well for death, staying close to Jesus in prayer, in the Sacraments and also in the practice of charity. Remember that He is present in the weakest and neediest among us.

He himself identified with them, in the famous parable of the final judgement, when he says 'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'. Therefore a sure way is to recover the meaning of Christian charity and fraternal sharing, curing the bodily and spiritual wounds of our neighbour". "Those who live with mercy", he concluded, "do not fear death, because they face it directly in the wounds of their brothers, and overcome it with Jesus Christ's love". Click Here!

Pope Francis calls for power to move away from Vatican

 

Pope Francis has pioneered a more informal style as pontiff

Pope Francis has called for power in the Catholic Church to be devolved away from the Vatican, in the first major work he has written in the role.

In the document, he says he is open to suggestions to changes in the power of the papacy.
He also warns that rising global economic inequality is bound to explode in conflict.
Since becoming Pope in March, Francis has struck a markedly different tone to his predecessor on several issues.


In his "apostolic exhortation", Pope Francis said he preferred a Church that was "bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security". The document suggests major changes are on the way, with Francis noting that the Church has to get over an attitude that says: "We have always done it this way," the BBC's David Willey reports from Rome. It represents an ambitious programme to try to rekindle his church's missionary zeal, our correspondent says. However, the document reiterates the Church's opposition to the ordination of female priests, saying this is "not a question open to discussion".

The document also touches on inter-faith relations, urging Christians to "embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received and respected in countries of Islamic tradition". 'Idolatry of money' Last month Pope Francis held his first meeting with a special group of cardinals to consider ways to reform the Vatican bureaucracy after saying in a newspaper interview that the Vatican had become too self-interested and needed to be inclusive.  "Excessive centralisation, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church's life and her missionary outreach," he says in the latest document. He also says he does not believe that the papacy "should be expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects the Church and the world".

This month the Vatican launched an unprecedented survey of the views of lay Catholics on modern family life and sexual ethics. The document does restate the Church's opposition to abortion but concedes that "it is also true that we have done little to adequately accompany women in very difficult situations,... especially when the life developing within them is the result of rape or a situation of extreme poverty". "Who can remain unmoved before such painful situations?" he asks. Pope Francis also expands on his concerns about economic inequality. "Today we also have to say "thou shalt not" to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," he says, going on to castigate the "new idolatry of money". "I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor!" he goes on.

For Full detail click here

A Must Watch Movie for every home this Summer

(CNN) -- Following a fall movie season filled with tales of gritty survival and the resilience of the human spirit, now comes family dysfunction and corruption.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, the cineplex will boast a selection that zeroes in on greed ("The Wolf of Wall Street") and con artists ("American Hustle"), plus families lost ("Out of the Furnace"), found ("Philomena"), comically troubled ("August: Osage County") and created from operating systems ("Her").

What a merry season, right? Here are the 10 movies that we can't wait to dig in to over the next six weeks -- for a more comprehensive guide to titles to watch for, check out the holiday movie guide above.

1. "Philomena" (November 27)

What it's about: Judi Dench stars as an older Irish woman who teams up with journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) to find the son she had out of wedlock 50 years earlier. It's based on the true story of Philomena Lee, who, as a pregnant teenager in the '50s, was left at a convent where she was forced to give up her child for adoption. (If you want to catch up on the story behind the film, Martin Sixsmith chronicled the journey in the 2009 book, "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee.")

Who it stars: Directed by Stephen Frears, "Philomena" also stars Michelle Fairley, Mare Winningham and Sophie Kennedy Clark, who portrays the younger version of Philomena.

The buzz: Critics and audiences fell in love with this movie when it screened at the Venice Film Festival. "Philomena" isn't without its flaws -- some have complained that the script can veer toward righteousness -- but they're easy to overlook with Dench and Coogan (who also co-wrote the script) anchoring the touching drama.

2. "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" (November 29, limited)

What it's about: Based on the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, this biopic from Justin Chadwick promises to introduce moviegoers to the man who became a legendary leader. Obviously, that's a huge promise that inevitably will go unfulfilled -- after all, this is the long and influential scope of Mandela's life we're talking about. Still, Chadwick, with a screenplay from William Nicholson, retraces Mandela's rise from boyhood to revolutionary leader to international icon.

Who it stars: Idris Elba (Mandela), Naomie Harris (Winnie Mandela), Tony Kgoroge and Terry Pheto.

The buzz: With such a valuable story at stake, Idris Elba's performance is being closely watched as a potential contender this awards season. And while early reviews have been mixed, everyone's agreed that Elba shines as Mandela.

3. "Out of the Furnace" (December 6)

What it's about: The story of a desperate man seeking justice for his family has been told with success earlier this year -- see Hugh Jackman's "Prisoners" -- but Scott Cooper's "Out of the Furnace" is taking a different approach. This crime thriller centers on brothers Russell and Rodney Blaze. The former is a blue-collar steel mill worker who spends his nights caring for their terminally ill father. The other brother, Rodney, is an Iraqi war vet who literally loses himself in an infamous crime ring. When police fail to locate Rodney, Russell takes the search for his missing family into his own hands.

Who it stars: Christian Bale (Russell Blaze); Casey Affleck (Rodney Blaze); Zoe Saldana; Woody Harrelson; Sam Shepard and Forest Whitaker.

The buzz: "Out of the Furnace" has two draws right off the bat. There's the return of Scott Cooper as a writer/director following his massive 2009 success with "Crazy Heart." And then there's the crazy strong line-up in the cast that left the Hollywood Reporter calling the drama solidly well-acted.

4. "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug" (December 13)

What it's about: If you really need to know what "Desolation of Smaug" is about, start with J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," as that's the basis for Peter Jackson's trilogy. But Jackson has taken some liberties with translating Tolkien's children's classic to the big screen. As hobbit Bilbo Baggins joins 13 dwarves on their mission to reclaim their land from the vile dragon Smaug, the crew encounter mythical obstacles as well as a character of Jackson's own imagination, Evangeline Lilly's elf Tauriel.

Who it stars: Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins); Ian McKellen; Richard Armitage; Orlando Bloom; and Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug.

The buzz: The first installment of "The Hobbit" franchise, 2012's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," was criticized for both its unconventional film speed and its meandering pace. This time around, trailers have emphasized the greater stakes and action at play in "Desolation of Smaug" -- and whenever Cumberbatch is the villain, you know you're in for a fun time.

5. "her" (December 18, limited)

What it's about: A modern but sincere love story, "her" follows a lonely, heartbroken writer named 

Theodore who finds love 2.0 with an operating system. Set in a futuristic Los Angeles, the OS is a female personal assistant named Samantha who can put Siri to shame.

Who it stars: Joaquin Phoenix (Theodore); Scarlett Johansson (Samantha); Amy Adams; Chris Pratt; Rooney Mara; Olivia Wilde; and Portia Doubleday.

The buzz: With director Spike Jonze at the helm, "her" made an ostentatious splash on the film festival circuit this year, setting it up for lots of attention in its limited release. The story raises so many questions about social engagement and matters of the heart in the digital age, and it doesn't hurt that Phoenix, Johansson and Adams turn in strong performances as well.

6. "American Hustle" (December 18)

What it's about: Pulling inspiration from the FBI's Abscam operation of the late 1970s, "American Hustle" is a glorious pairing of criminals and the law in an effort to suss out corrupt politicians. The story centers on con artist Irving Rosenfeld and his partner Sydney Prosser as they're forced to work with FBI agent Richie DiMaso to pull off the sting.

Who it stars: A cast doesn't get much better than this: Bradley Cooper (Richie DiMaso); Christian Bale (Irving Rosenfeld); Amy Adams (Sydney Prosser); Jeremy Renner (politician Carmine Polito); and Jennifer Lawrence (Irving's wife Rosalyn) all star.

The buzz: With so many marquee names -- some of whom are reteaming with director David O. Russell after winning over audiences with 2012's "Silver Linings Playbook" -- "American Hustle" looks to be all but a slam-dunk with audiences and critics.

7. "Inside Llewyn Davis" (December 20)

What it's about: In the folk scene of Greenwich Village in 1961, a musician by the name of Llewyn Davis is struggling to make something of his career. Formerly of a folk music duo, Davis is attempting to craft solo stardom while relying on the kindness of friends to help keep a roof over his head. He's talented, yes, but not at all likeable, as the audience learns while following Davis from one couch to the next.

Who it stars: Oscar Issac (Llewyn Davis); John Goodman; Garrett Hedlund; Justin Timberlake; and Carey Mulligan.

The buzz: Ethan and Joel Coen wrote and directed this humorous drama, and T-Bone Burnett executive produced the soundtrack. Like "O Brother Where Art Thou?," the music from "Inside Llewyn Davis" is as integral to the project as the performances.

8. "Saving Mr. Banks" (December 20)

What it's about: Before 1964's "Mary Poppins" became a classic, a battle was waged between the character's creator, P. L. Travers, and the man who promised his daughters he'd turn the mystical nanny into a movie, Walt Disney. "Saving Mr. Banks" recounts Disney's persistent wooing of Travers and the behind the scenes give-and-take that led to "Mary Poppins" being made.

Who it stars: Tom Hanks (Walt Disney); Emma Thompson (P. L. Travers); Colin Farrell; Paul Giamatti and Bradley Whitford.

The buzz: Directed by John Lee Hancock, critics have praised Disney for not turning "Saving Mr. Banks" into a self-admiring love letter -- a feat owed in great amounts to the performances of Hanks and Thompson.

9. "The Wolf of Wall Street" (December 25)

What it's about: In the 1990s, penny stockbroker Jordan Belfort was living a life of extreme decadence won from his fraudulent scheming -- that is, until his house of cards began to crumble and resulted in his arrest. Belfort's swindling, already captured in his memoir "The Wolf of Wall Street," is making the leap to the big screen with Leonardo DiCaprio as the "wolf" himself.

Who it stars: Directed by Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street" also stars Jonah Hill; Margot Robbie; P.J. Byrne and Jon Favreau.

The buzz: The movie's release recently had a close call when it looked like it was going to drop off the 2013 calendar altogether; thankfully, Paramount is still going to make the cut with the December 25 release date. The combination of Scorsese and DiCaprio isn't always a sure thing -- remember "Shutter Island"? -- but we're placing our bets with this delicious look at the perils of excess.

10. "August: Osage County" (December 25)

What it's about: The story here originated with Tracy Letts' award-winning 2007 stage production, which has been transformed for the screen with John Wells at the helm. "August: Osage County" reunites the three daughters of the Oklahoma-based Weston family, grounded by cancer-stricken matriarch Violet, after a painful loss. What results is a darkly funny examination of the ties that bind.

Who it stars: This cast is virtual awards-season catnip, packed with the likes of Meryl Streep (Violet), Julia Roberts, Margo Martindale, Juliette Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julianne Nicholson, Ewan McGregor and Sam Shepard, among others.

The buzz: Early reviews from film festivals suggest that "August: Osage County" hasn't rid an ounce of its theatricality as it moved from stage to screen, and Meryl Streep in particular goes big with her role. Yet subtle and compelling performances from supporting cast, mixed with the story's juicy, humorous drama, should nonetheless make it a draw.

The Pope’s bold new vision

Pope Francis during his Sunday Angelus address at St. Peter's Square in April.

November 26th, 2013

12:11 PM ET

Opinion by the Rev. James Martin, Special to CNN 

(CNN) – Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a bold new document – in Vatican parlance an “apostolic exhortation” – called Evangelii Gaudium or “The Joy of the Gospel.”
In this document, he sets out an exciting new vision of how to be a church. In all my years as a Catholic, I cannot remember a papal document that was so thought-provoking, surprising and invigorating. Frankly, reading it thrilled me.
To me, it seems that with each new homily, address, interview, general audience message and letter, Francis is challenging himself – and us – with three questions, each of which flows naturally from the other:

First, why not look at things from a new perspective? Second, why not be open to doing things in a new way? And third, why not have a new vision for the church?
And what is Francis' vision for the church?
It is to be a joyful community of believers completely unafraid of the modern world, completely unafraid of change and completely unafraid of challenges. Not everyone will like this document. Some may find it frightening. For it poses a fierce challenge to the status quo – explicitly: “Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: ‘We have always done it this way,’ ” he writes in a section titled “Ecclesial Renewal.”

The document’s overall message is that Catholics should be unafraid of new ways of proclaiming the Gospel and new ways of thinking about the church. In fact, such new ways are essential if we are to spread the Gospel at all. This may sound like boilerplate talk expected in a document on the “New Evangelization,” but it is not; for in the document Francis identifies areas of petrification in the church, areas where he wants to see real change.
This is not to say that the Evangelii Gaudium seeks to overturn traditional church teachings. Instead it seeks to overturn the way that we have done things, and to be fearless in doing so. For example, while he reaffirms the church’s inability to ordain women as priests, he also invites the church to think about their place in the church in new ways, to imagine “the possible role of women in decision-making in different areas of the Church’s life."

Over and over, the Pope takes aim against such longstanding roadblocks to growth as “complacency,” “excessive clericalism,” and even Catholics who act like “sourpusses.” (That’s the official English-language translation.) About that last roadblock, he says that there are Christians whose lives are like “Lent without Easter.”
Nor does the Pope have patience for people who are “tempted to find excuses and complain.” Essentially, he contrasts this dourness and pessimism with the joy of living a life centered in Christ and focused on the hope of the resurrection. It is a hope-filled, positive and energetic view of the church actively engaged with the world.

Evangelii Gaudium is difficult to summarize, so wide-ranging is it. Ironically, something that would at first appear to be a narrow topic – how to spread the Gospel today – offers Francis the latitude to address many topics in his trademark open style. The exhortation moves easily from a discussion on joy as a requirement for evangelization, to how “personal dialogue” is needed for any authentic invitation into the faith, to the difficulty of being a church when Catholics are “warring” against one another, to the need for priests and deacons to give better homilies, to an overriding concern for the poor in the world – the last being a special concern of the Pope.

To that end, some will be surprised that Francis champions an idea that has lately been out of favor: the church’s “preferential option” for the poor. “God’s heart has a special place for the poor,” the Pope says. But it is not enough simply to say that God loves the poor in a special way and leave it at that. We must be also vigilant in our care and advocacy for them. Everyone must do this, says the Pope.
“None of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice.” And in case anyone misses the point, after a critique of the “idolatry of money” and an “economy of exclusion,” the Pope says: “The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favors human beings.”

What’s more, this does not mean simply caring for the poor, it means addressing the structures that keep them poor: “The need to resolve the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed.”
This joy and confidence needed to tackle these challenges – both inside and outside the church – is rooted and grounded in a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. Without that “personal encounter” with Jesus trying to spread the Gospel is useless. We must have what he calls a “constantly renewed experience of savoring Christ’s friendship and his message.”

Most Catholics will, like me, read the letter with enthusiasm. But some Catholics have criticized the Pope for trying to change too much in the church – even though no dogma has been altered. A few Catholics are not only beginning to critique him, but even worse, fear him. Change seems to be something to fear. As one of my Jesuit friends used to say, playfully, “I’m against change; even change for the better!” But the church must change if it is to grow – not in its core beliefs, but in the way that it lives out and shares those beliefs.
My advice to Catholics would be: Read the entire document. Take your time. Be generous with it. Let it excite you. Pray with it. And be open to the Holy Father’s call to “embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.”

Finally, as Jesus said, “Fear not.” We can change the way we do things in the church – the spread of the Gospel demands it. So be confident in God’s desire for the church to grow and change. Besides, as Francis says, “Nobody can go off to battle unless he is fully convinced of victory beforehand.”
At one point, Francis uses a famous quote from Pope John XXIII, who noted at the opening of the Second Vatican Council that many doubted things could change for the better. Too many people at the time – 1962 – were predicting doom and disaster for the church and for the world. But John disagreed. “We feel that we must disagree with those prophets of doom who are always forecasting disaster.”
Evangelii Gaudium is Francis’ own ringing response to prophets of doom

FG banns the importation of Rice in Nigeria

Bags of rice in a market

The Federal Government has announced its resolve to ensure that no grain of rice consumed in Nigeria is imported.

According to the government, it has set a target of self-sufficiency in rice production. It said that the country would soon overcome the challenges of rice production as it did with maize.

Speaking on behalf of the Federal Government after a meeting with rice importers, millers and dealers in Abuja, the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Trade Malpractices, Mr. Dahiru Ado-Kurawa, maintained that the policy to stop rice importation was for the benefit of Nigerians.

He said, “I want to seize this opportunity to assure Nigerians that the same effort that was placed to stop the importation of foreign maize will be applied in this case by this government. This is to ensure that no single grain of rice consumed in Nigeria is planted by any other country other than Nigeria.”

He explained that the Federal Government’s policies on rice importation were to stop the continued importation of the product.

Ado-Kurawa said, “Our target is to have self-sufficiency in rice in Nigeria and I believe we can achieve the target. If you recollect, 20 years to 30 years ago, Nigeria was an importer of maize but everybody here now eats or takes pap made from the Nigerian maize.

“So, as a country, we’ve come a long way and we’ve seen so many imported products that have been replaced by local production.”

The Chairman, Rice Importers, Millers and Dealers Association, Mr. Tunji Owoeye, said it was time for Nigerian farmers to make good revenue from the sale of rice, instead of losing revenue as a result of the activities of smugglers of the product.

He said, “They have been taking advantage of the disconnect in our policies to exploit Nigeria by shipping quite a lot of parboiled rice into Benin Republic and Cameron destined for Nigeria.

“Government has seen this and is reviewing it and will address it in its policies. This is going to encourage our farmers and investors in the business.”

On the amount lost to rice smuggling, Owoeye said, “It is estimated that almost $1bn is lost every day.

Ex-militant, Asari-Dokubo arrested in Cotonou

 

Dokubo-Asari
| credits: File copy

A Former Niger Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, was on Tuesday arrested in Cotonou, capital of Benin Republic.

It was learnt that the ex-militant was arrested at about 1.00pm by the Benin Republic’s police.

A statement by his lawyer, Festus Keyamo confirmed the arrest, saying Asari-Dokubo was picked up around the Lubeleyi roundabout and taken to “an unknown destination.”

Keyamo, in the statement on Tuesday, argued that Asari-Dokubo was not arrested for running any illegitimate business in the country.

The lawyer noted that the ex-militant had been residing partly in Benin Republic for many years, adding that Asari-Dokubo owns property in Cotonou.

It was gathered that the ex-militant reportedly opened a private university – King Amachree African University, in Benin Republic.

The university is preparing to start degree-awarding programmes in 2014.

The statement reads in part, “Today, Tuesday, November 26, 2013, my friend and client, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, around the hours of 1pm and 2pm by the country’s gendarmes (police).

“He was picked up around the Lubeleyi roundabout and taken to an unknown destination. In fact, he owns houses, schools and an academy in that country. All these places have been searched as of this evening and nothing incriminating was found.”

Keyamo expressed the conviction that “Dokubo’s arrest and detention are a ploy by certain forces in Nigeria in an unholy alliance with the Beninoise government to keep him away as 2015 approaches.

“We call on the Nigerian government to immediately intervene and ensure that no harm befalls Alhaji Dokubo-Asari and to use all diplomatic means to secure his immediate release and safe return to Nigeria.”

Source: Punch Newspaper

How to get over 500,000 Naira in Guinea fowls production

Arinze Onebunne

Entrepreneurs are reaping from little known animals with promising future, such as the raising of guinea fowls, geese, rabbits, grasscutters, quails, ducks, snails, etc. This is because the business is easy to start and it requires a small capital. Our nationwide seminars are initiated to drive investments in agriculture, skills and develop a robust economic base that can withstand the shock that will come after oil.

For people who want to start their own businesses, I will advise them to try raising guinea fowls for a steady income. Given the state of the economy, guinea fowl farming is one of the most lucrative ventures for small scale farmers. Guinea fowl is a valuable genetic resource for evolving a low input-grain saving poultry alternative for production in the developing world. Today’s farmers should embrace creative subsistence farming to meet the food needs of the family and even to augment income.

At Jovana Farms, we are looking inwards and focusing on the neglected, but vital sources of animal protein for household diet and employment generation. Therefore, our nationwide agro-seminars are intended to provide useful information on the various aspects of animal production, create awareness and thus motivate Nigerian farmers, investors, job seekers, retirees, students to get involved in animal farming for profits.

Many people have never seen a guinea fowl, not talk of hearing of the fowl. Guinea fowls are galliformes, a group encompassing all chicken-like birds. Native to Africa, they are known for travelling in large, gregarious flocks. There are seven species of guinea fowl, of which the helmeted pearl is by far the most common. Others are the white and the lavender, etc.

Guinea fowls are raised mainly for their tasty meat and eggs. The meat has a taste similar to other game birds and has many nutritional qualities that make it a worthwhile addition to the diet. The meat is lean, dry and rich in essential fatty acids. The meat has a high yield of 80 per cent after processing with excellent meat to bone ratio. Many people don’t know that it is more profitable to raise guinea fowl than chicken.

The business

Chicken and turkey farmers keep guinea fowls to ward off poultry-eating predators. Ranchers turn them loose to discourage rattlers and copperheads. Rural dwellers like the way they gobble down diseases-carrying ticks. Orchardists use them to drive off marauding birds. Farmers put them to work patrolling for row crop pests. Guinea fowls perform these functions without damaging crops because they much prefer insects, weeds and seeds.

Guinea fowl farming can start with a unit normally called a foundation stock, which is sold for N25,000 depending on the specie. A unit comprises two males and eight females. It may interest you to know that you could get fast-growing species of guinea fowls and other animals, including large quantities of geese and quail eggs from our farm.

Rearing systems

Three methods of rearing guinea fowls are free-range, semi free-range and intensive systems. When kept intensively, low light intensity should be used to reduce possible flightiness.

Guinea fowls are difficult to confine in open yards unless their wings are pinioned or one wing is clipped. In their wild state, guinea fowls mate in pairs. This tendency prevails also among domesticated guineas if males and females in the flock are equal in number. They are hardy birds; therefore, they do not suffer from many diseases as compared to chickens.

Feeding

Those who believe in the virtue of hard work are advised to try raising guinea fowls. A good commercial chicken or turkey mash will give satisfactory results, with birds either on free range or in confinement. In the wild arena, the guinea fowl eats a variety of foods but most important are weed seeds and waste grains, which fall to the ground after the harvesting of crops. Some common guinea fowl diets include: fruits, berries, seeds, grass, insects, worms, molluscs and frogs. They have gained popularity for use in reducing insects’ population in gardens, snail farms and around the home.

Reproduction

The guinea fowl can begin to lay eggs as young as 16 -17 weeks old and can lay up to 120 eggs or more in a year. In tropical Africa, laying only occurs during the rainy season and a few weeks that follow. A clutch size of 12-15 eggs is common. A guinea fowl’s egg is smaller than that of hens, and on the average, weighs 40g and has very hard shells, which are difficult to test for fertility by candling. Incubation period is 26-28 days.

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Money is an Idea and not the amount in your pocket....

Student killed for a Crime as ASUU strike continues......

A Makurdi High Court on Tuesday sentenced, Jacob Atongo, a 100-level sociology student of Benue 

State University, to death by hanging for armed robbery.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Justice Adam Onum held that he was satisfied with the confession of the accused to the charges and therefore found him guilty.

Onum sentenced the accused to death by hanging, insisting that the sentence prescribed under the law for the offence must be followed.

Atongo had allegedly conspired with two others to rob one Stephen Akuma of his Toyota Camry, and had also robbed  others at gun point on June 26, 2012.

He also allegedly attacked Judges’ Quarters, Makurdi on July 3, 2012 and robbed no fewer than 15 people.

The offenses contravened the Robbery and Firearms Laws.

The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges and testified for himself along with one witness called by his counsel.

Prosecution called seven witnesses and tendered  exhibits, which included two statements made by the convict to the police.

But counsel to the accused, Mr. E.Z. Agbakor, told the court that the accused did not make the statement tendered in court voluntarily, insisting his client was tortured and forced to confess to the offences.

I have a strong felling that the reason he entered into this kind of business was due to these strike action as a poppular adage goes "an idle mind is the devils workshop" I believe that more of the crime seen in our country today are been mastermindedd by the student due to idleness. Therefore I pray that these issue of these Strike should be resolved very soon in iother for Nigeria to save it future....

Source: punch newspaper

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STUDENT: What We need From the Lecturers After the STRIKE

Fagge

The FG in its agreement with the union planned to inject N1.1trn into public varsities in the next five years. Though FG intended to inject N220bn yearly into the public university sector starting from next year, it disclosed that it could only make N100bn available this year.

In its latest strike, ASUU did not mince words that it was not going to call off the strike until the FG fully implements all the outstanding aspects of the 2009 agreement.

ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, said before the strike, ‘‘Our members cannot understand why a government finds it difficult to fulfill an agreement voluntarily entered into with the union in 2009 as well as the MoU that was introduced following ASUU’s protest against government’s demonstration of bad faith in 2012.’’

 The nine-point in the 2009 agreement included funding requirements for revamping Nigerian universities, progressive increase in annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020 and earned allowances.

  

These are the demands of some of the students who were interviewed:

 

A postgraduate student in one of the federal universities in the country, Mr. Olumide Adewunmi, said there was the need for a total overhaul of public universities to justify the strike once the FG played its part.

Stating that he was pessimistic about any meaningful result from the strike, Adewunmi added that he would be happy to see changes in the attitude of lecturers, non-academic members and students alike.

Adewunmi, who said that there had been insincerity on the part of successive governments in funding public education, noted that positive results from the ongoing strike should rub off on the country’s  public universities.

He said, ‘‘After this strike, I wish to see changes in the work attitude of both the academic and non-academic members of universities; and also, changes in the attitude of students to learning. For me, these changes are fundamental to the development of our university system. I also want ASUU to ensure accountability of university authorities. There should be ingenuity in generating funds independently in a way capable of turning around the fortunes of our university system.’’

The student stated that without the changes, no amount of government funding would be enough to improve the university system and make it equal to world standard.

Also, a master’s student at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Mr. Soji Babalola, stated that infrastructural development was crucial to revamping public varsities in the country.

Babalola said there should be potable water on all campuses, constant power supply, good roads and conducive learning environment.

He added, ‘‘There should be a renovation of dilapidated buildings especially classrooms and hostels. We expect to see congested hostels being replaced by new ones. The era of eight students in a room should be a fairytale in this 21st century where self-esteem is fundamental for advancement. Sufficient and improved instructional materials are expected to be evident in our classrooms, coupled with up-to-date laboratories and libraries with effective Internet facilities. Also, we expect to see adequate lecturers for all courses necessary for students’ growth and development.’’

Babalola also charged authorities in public universities across the country to ensure that lecturers lead a comfortable lifestyle like their contemporaries in other fields such as politics, oil and gas, banking and telecommunications. ‘‘Without all the aforementioned, the strike and its eventual result will be like a downpour that cannot grow a seed,’’ he added.

Another postgraduate student, Mr. Akeem Akinniyi, echoed Adewunmi’s submission when he said the quality of education in public universities should be in sync with global standard.

According to him, the intellectual exchange should be aimed at developing individuals who will impact positively on the growth of the nation as opposed to ‘I-have-been-to-school-to-make-it mentality.’

The widespread practice of selling handouts to students is what a postgraduate student at the University of Lagos, Mr. Oyindamola Olofinlua, would want authorities in public varsities to check.

‘‘There should be an end to extortion in the name of handouts. Basically, focus should be on the upgrading of academic facilities, regular training and re-training of academic and non-academic employees including the restoration of the accommodation system of the 60s and 70s,’’  Olofinlua said.

In its reaction, Education Rights Campaign, said as far as it was concerned, the strike was still on and the union’s demands were yet to be met.

The group’s National Coordinator, Mr. Hassan Taiwo, stated that there would have been essential changes in the public university system if the government had abided by the 2009 agreement long ago.

It stated, ‘‘If the 2009 agreement had been honoured by the FG as at when due, by now, there would have been fundamental changes in the condition of facilities in public varsity system.’’

An undergraduate at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Cyril Nicholas, observed that it was important for something concrete to emerge from the strike.

According to him, past strike actions and the unpleasant development which the current strike has witnessed should breathe fresh air into public universities in the country.

He said there was the need to guard against any other strike when the current one ends.

Nicholas said, ‘‘It will be unattractive if after this strike, nothing changes in the system. There should be judicious use of all funds and grants to make public varsities better in order to attractive good brains. The aim of some selfish individuals is to cripple public varsities and this is what stakeholders must resist.’’

Another scholar, Patrick Charles, called for improved infrastructure, grant for research and publication, better equipped libraries and constant electricity.

Charles, who is currently studying for PhD at OAU, also urged varsity authorities to motivate lecturers within the academic environment so that they could give their best.

Besides, a senior lecturer in one of the state universities in the country, who did not want his name published, urged the union to ensure strict accountability regarding how it disburses and spends the projected fund.

The lecturer said it would be a thing of joy if the ongoing strike could bring back the glorious era of public universities.

ASUU: We are waiting for the Presidient before we call it off...

National President, ASUU, Nasir Issa-Faggae

Academic Staff Union of Universities has maintained sealed lips on the outcome of its National Executive  Committee meeting held at the Bayero University, Kano, between Thursday and Friday.

The meeting had raised hopes of parents of undergraduates that the lingering strike of lecturers of public universities would be suspended.

However, the union has refused to communicate the outcome of the meeting to the press.

Attempts made on Saturday to get principal officers of ASUU to speak on the meeting proved abortive.

When contacted, the Chairman, Nasarawa State University, Dr. Theophilus Lagi, said only the ASUU National President, Dr. Nasir Faggae, could speak on the matter.

However, several calls to Faggae’s phone went unanswered.

Reporters had on Friday made frantic efforts to locate the venue of the meeting without success.

ASUU had penultimate Tuesday cancelled its earlier scheduled NEC meeting in Kano due to the death of its former president, Prof. Festus Iyayi.

Iyayi died when the vehicle he was traveling with other national officers from Benin to Kano got involved in a crash with the convoy of Kogi Governor, Idris Wada.

Earlier, President Goodluck Jonathan, at a meeting with ASUU leadership, had offered to inject N220bn into the universities yearly for the next five years.

ASUU, at the meeting, promised to take the message to its members across the country.

The meeting was to collate feedback from its various chapters on the fresh offer by the Federal Government.

Investigation by  SUNDAY PUNCH has, however, revealed that the silence by ASUU may be to keep to the assurance it gave to President Jonathan that the body would first brief him on the outcome of its NEC meeting before making it public.

A member of the union’s executive body told Sunday Punch, “A promise was made to the President to have him informed before ASUU goes public. That promise will be kept tomorrow when the President comes back.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Saturday, again, appealed to ASUU to call off the strike it embarked upon over four months ago in the interest the students.

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, made this appeal while speaking with journalists after she was conferred with an honourary Doctorate Degree in Accounting by the Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu.

The university also conferred the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, with an honorary Doctorate Degree in Economics at a ceremony attended by dignitaries, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and former Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Bashir Awotorebo.

Okonjo-Iweala said, “I am appealing to ASUU to call off the strike in the interest of the students. The government, on its part, is committed to tackling the rot in the education sector. The Federal Government has acceded to most of the demands made by ASUU.

“Federal Government has set aside N220bn yearly for the development of tertiary institutions in the country. This is part of measures by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to develop the education sector.”

The minister also called on well-meaning Nigerians to invest in the education sector, saying investment in the sector would have a huge impact on the economy.

ASUU set to suspend strike

National President, ASUU, Nasir Issa-Faggae

There is strong indication that academic activities may resume in the nation’s public universities early next week, Saturday Punch has gathered.

Our correspondent gathered on Friday that members of the National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of the Universities again converged on Kano to deliberate on whether to call off their over four months old industrial action or not.

The NEC members, who gathered at the Bayero University, Kano, penultimate week to review the reports of the various university congresses over the strike, suspended the meeting following the death of Dr. Festus Iyayi. Iyayi, a University of Benin lecturer and former ASUU president, who died in an auto accident involving the convoy of the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, on his way to Kano to attend the NEC meeting.

There has been no date yet for the interment of his remains.

However, feelers from Kano on Friday indicated that the ASUU members went into hiding for the meeting.

One of our correspondents gathered that the NEC members, who reconvened in BUK, on Thursday, retired to a secret location for the meeting.

Reporters made frantic efforts to trace the venue of the meeting without success.

But many vehicles belonging to the members of the union were seen on campus.

But a member of ASUU NEC, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the development, confirmed to our correspondent that the union leaders were converging on Kano for the meeting.

According to him, though the union has lost a leading member and an academic, they were mindful of the feelings of the students and the public over the protracted industrial action.

He noted that all the union’s national officers as well as other branch chairmen had arrived at the ancient city for the assembly.

However, attempts by our correspondent on Friday evening to reach out to the University of Lagos chapter ASUU Chairman, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, to confirm the meeting failed, as he did not pick his calls. He also did not respond to the text message sent to his telephone.

Ogbinaka had earlier said the academic community was mourning Iyayi and so was not in a hurry to fix a new date for the NEC meeting.

The telephone line of the union’s National President, Dr.Nassir Fagge, also did not go through.

President Goodluck Jonathan had led a Federal Government team that met with the leadership of the union penultimate week.

Following the discussion, the FG reportedly promised to inject N220bn yearly into the public universities for the next five years. The new offer is to begin from 2014.

A majority of the chapters of the union had agreed on the suspension of the strike following the fresh commitment the leadership of ASUU obtained from the FG.

Teachers in the nation’s three but 78 public universities embarked on strike on July 1, 2013 to protest the failure of the FG to implement the agreement they signed with the authorities in 2009.

The pact largely centered on greater funding of the universities, a declaration of a state of emergency in tertiary education, better wages as well as payment of earned allowances to lecturers.

According to Saturday Sun Newspaper

Academic activities may pick up next week in the nation’s public universities as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would this weekend hold its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to take a position on the on-going five- month-old strike.
Saturday Sun source revealed that national officers and branch chairmen of ASUU have arrived at the venue of the crucial meeting to deliberate on the industrial action.

The industrial action, which enters 144 days today, took off on July 1, 2013 and has crippled academic activities in federal and state universities.
Ahead of the NEC meeting, some members of ASUU in two universities, Enugu State University (ESUT) and University of Agricultural Abeokuta (UNAB) had announced that their institutions would open for academic activities.

Also, the authorities of the University of Lagos despite the on-going strike have started the screening/registration for new students offered admission for the 2013/2014 academic session.
The source told our Correspondent that ASUU is aware of public concern about the situation in the universities and that NEC would do the needful after deliberating on reports from the outcome of the various congress.

According to the source, having mourned and honoured late Professor Festus Iyayi, who died while on his way to Bayero University Kano (BUK) for a NEC meeting by suspending the meeting, ASUU leadership felt it was ripe to hold the crucial meeting.
He refused to give insight to the outcome of the NEC meeting but stressed that the decision would be fair based on the various congress resolutions of the meeting its leaders held with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Expectations were high before the postponed ASUU NEC meeting because of the death of its former national President that the industrial action would be suspended after the Federal Government shifted ground on the demands of the university lecturers.

 Recalled that President Jonathan had to intervene after the Vice President, Namadi Sambo and the chairman, Implementation and Monitoring Committee led by the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam failed to produce positive results. At the crucial November 5 meeting with ASUU leaders in Aso Rock, the government agreed to provide N220billion yearly for the next five years and improve on the amount to be released for the contentious Earned Allowance.

Sammie Okposo takes gospel music to club

Sammie Okposo

Popular gospel singer, Sammie Okposo has every reason to smile this season. Just recently, the dark-skinned singer bagged the Best Gospel Artiste at Nigeria Entertainment Awards in New York. Now, he has released the first single off his next album, Who Tell You Say.

The singer told Saturday Beats that this song was different and listening to it, one might not know that it is a gospel song till the message is heard because of its high tempo beat.

He said, “At first listen and if a careful attention is not paid to the lyrics, one might not believe it’s a gospel song. Who Tell You Say?’ has all the trappings of high rated music, very groovy and different from the norm.”

He further told Saturday Beats that it was time for the message of God to be taken to clubs and other places that the gospel is not normally preached.

“It’s high time we took our message to the clubs and other places that the word of God is not preached. Gospel music should be able to make playlists of different music stations and appeal to many souls. It might be very groovy but the message is powerful enough to bring about change in their lives. Gospel music should not be made for the church only because everything we need is in the church. The time is now for gospel music to take its rightful place in the Nigeria music industry,” Okposo said.

The singer said he will be dropping two of such singles before the release of his next album temporarily scheduled for April 2014.

Recieving Education From the Window in this present Century

The pupils moved around the ‘playground’ full of excitement, energy and happiness. It was a free period for them at the time, so their classrooms instantly turned into a playground.

The classrooms at the junior section of Ikeja Grammar School, Bolade-Oshodi, Lagos bore a resemblance of classrooms only because of the white boards and the teachers standing in the front of the classes. Everything else was in a shambles.

Of particular note were the pieces of furniture in each of the classrooms, which could be described as a pile of wooden planks at best.

At Ikeja Grammar School, Junior Secondary School Class One has 10 arms – from 1A to 1J- because of the number of pupils in the school. Each of these 10 classes has at least 30 pupils.

But two classes are usually combined for some subjects to be taught.

When a teacher eventually entered a class made up of class 1E and 1F pupils, it was like a convergence of ants as the pupils squirmed over one another just to get a glimpse of the board in the tiny classroom.

Some sat on the window, some stood outside looking into the class while they balanced their books on their little hands to write.

Some of the pupils made a ‘goal post’ of benches – a plank sourced from broken class benches balanced on two cement blocks at each end. Some of the pupils also had to pile up at least four of such planks to get the necessary height for them to see the board over the heads of some of their classmates who were standing up.

A few of the pupils sat on the floor.

The subject was Islamic Religious Knowledge. The obviously uncomfortable teacher was sweating profusely in her Hijab. The reason was immediately obvious when our correspondent moved near the window of the class; the heat emanating from the room almost seemed like the one from a steaming pot.

At the back of the class was a pile of abandoned planks that had separated from disused benches and desks. But these were not to be thrown away, they were ready furniture for pupils who are tired  of standing to sit on.

Ironically, the school is very close to the seat of power in Lagos State, the centre of excellence.

When a teacher leaves one of the classrooms after a lesson, it seems almost impossible for the pupils to sit down and chat with one another.

They scatter around the classrooms in playful revelry because the lack of chairs is an advantage for their restless legs.

“Parents of many of us have not been able to give us chairs to bring to school; that is why we manage anyhow in the class,” a pupil, Johnson, told our correspondent.

Those in the higher classes, who probably experienced the same ‘chair problem’ when they were in the lower class, have become owners of chairs due to their longer stay in the school. But in Junior class one, where the problem is common, it is agony.

It was the same explanation with each pupil our correspondent spoke with. “My mummy said she would make my own chair next year,” a chubby girl, Esther, who said she shared a chair with her friend until the chair broke under them two weeks ago, told Saturday PUNCH.

When our correspondent asked a pupil whether he was comfortable on a contraption of a chair he sat on, perhaps he did not hear very well, the young boy said ‘Yes.’

The boy was sitting on a contraption of two legless desks piled on each other, tilting precariously as if he would fall if he let go of the desk he was writing on.

One of his friends picked on him instantly: “The uncle said is your chair comfortable? You don’t understand English!”

At this, the boy smiled and said, “No o! I use the chair only when I want to write. I am just managing on it because I don’t have my own chair. My father will soon get me one.”

The junior class of Ikeja Grammar School is made up of 16 classrooms constructed when Col. Buba Marwa (Retd) was the military administrator of Lagos State. A plaque, commemorating the opening of the blocks of classrooms showed that it was built in 1999.

A look at the classrooms from outside would show buildings that were in good shape. They were not utterly old but a peek inside revealed something unexpectedly ugly because of the jumbled nature of the disused furniture in the classrooms.

James, who said he was the captain in one of the classrooms, said his father gave him a chair from home but he still had to share with a friend.

“Some of the chairs we are sitting on (benches with back rest) were here before, but few of them are good. The teachers said we should bring chairs from home,” he said.

One of the teachers who spoke with our correspondent was non-committal about the issue when he was asked why there were inadequate chairs in the classes.

“You have seen it yourself. Are we teachers supposed to be the ones to provide the chairs? We were employed to teach and that is what we are doing,” he said.

Teachers or head teachers in the state government’s employ are not authorised to speak with the press. Saturday PUNCH sought to speak with the principal of the school all the same, only to meet the usual brick wall of, “She’s not around” on Tuesday and no one volunteered to say when the head-teacher would be available.

A teacher who later spoke under the condition of anonymity, explained that the situation had affected teaching in their classes.

The teacher said, “We have been managing with this bad situation. Teaching has been difficult even though teachers here are doing their best. Our pupils are not concentrating due to the fact that some of them do not have chairs to sit on.

“When a pupil is uncomfortable, how can you teach such a child successfully? The classes are okay as you could see but the chairs are the main problem. Most parents who have noticed this problem give their children chairs from home.

“The problem is that most of the parents do not know that it is neither the fault of the principal nor the teachers. They direct their anger at us. The principal has been doing her best. She has written to everybody concerned on the matter; the education secretary, the local government and even individuals.

“We all know that government does not answer requests on time. Initially, government gave the school enough chairs for pupils but the number of pupils admitted has overtaken the number of chairs.”

The teacher explained that when older pupils spoil their own chairs, they break into the reserve room where chairs are kept to replace them, even though there is a rule in the school that those responsible for spoiling chairs must replace them.

“We don’t usually find it easy to fish out the culprits who damage the chairs,” the teacher said.

Parents of pupils in Ikeja Grammar School who are aware of this problem in the school are not happy about the situation.

One of such parents, Mr. Abel Olatunji, said he was shocked when he made the discovery about the state of infrastructure in the school during a recent Parent-Teachers Association meeting.

He said, “My child, who got admission to the school recently, told me that there were no seats for them during lessons. I had always wondered why her school uniform was always dirty when she got home everyday, she always told me they sat on the bare floor sometimes.

“During the PTA meeting at the school, I was shocked to see the kind of classrooms these pupils have to learn in. I saw some using blocks as improvised seats. And this is the 21st Century!”

He said the situation was a dent on the ‘mega city’ image being propagated by the state government.

The problem has become a source of concern to the PTA, which is making a deliberation on how to repair those that could still be salvaged out of the bad furniture.

The Chairman of the PTA, Mr. Yisa Moshood, told Saturday PUNCH that the school principal had indeed taken many steps to reverse the situation but results were not forthcoming yet.

He said the association had decided to bring in a furniture maker to estimate the cost of repairs and make new furniture for the pupils but that the principal was sceptical about the step.

“We wrote a letter about our plan but the principal could not go along with it because Lagos State is operating a free education and she does not want to be involved in anything that will make it seem as if parents are financing their children’s education.

“The problem is that we cannot wait for government because we have seen some pupils go through junior school without chairs in the school.”

He said the PTA executives would still deliberate on the issue to fashion out a decisive solution.

On Thursday, he told Saturday PUNCH the association had resolved to leave parents to provide furniture for their children’s use in the school.

During the opening of some new classrooms constructed in Gbagada Comprehensive Junior High School, Gbagada, Lagos, in September 2013, Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by his deputy, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said, “Education remains the best investment any society can bequeath to its citizens as an enduring legacy.”

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, who also spoke at the opening, also made a statement that pointed to the fact that she knew that bad infrastructure (as seen in the classes of Ikeja Junior Grammar School) would definitely affect the quality of learning in a school.

“Infrastructure is a very important aspect in delivering qualitative education because the environment a student will learn, process and assimilate information should be conducive,” she was quoted as saying in a report.

Oladunjoye did not pick calls placed to her phone seeking to get her comment on the issue. Neither did she reply a text message sent to her.

When Saturday PUNCH later got through to the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, he initially stated that he was not aware of the problem.

“But you have to come to my office so this can be discussed,” he later said.

When informed that this publication had a deadline, he insisted he would not say more over the phone.

Still ill, Nelson Mandela unable to speak

Tubes used to clear his lungs prevent Nelson Mandela from speaking, and he uses facial expressions to communicate with doctors and family, according to his former wife.

"He remains very sensitive to any germs, so he has to be kept literally sterile," Winnie Madikizela-Mandela told South Africa's Sunday Independent newspaper in an article published Sunday. "The bedroom there [at his home] is like an ICU ward."

Mandela, 95, "remains quite ill," she said, but doctors are tending to his needs at his residence in Houghton, a suburb of Johannesburg.

The tubes are used to prevent infection in Mandela, who is said to be stable.

"He communicates with the face, you see," Madikizela-Mandela told the newspaper. "But the doctors have told us they hope to recover his voice."

On September 1, the renowned leader was discharged from a Pretoria hospital where he had been receiving treatment since June, the South African president's office said Sunday.

Mandela was hospitalized June 8 because of a lung infection.

The frail icon has not appeared in public for years, but he retains his popularity as the father of democracy and emblem of the nation's fight against apartheid.

Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, the country's system of racial segregation. He became the nation's first black president in 1994, four years after he was freed from prison.

His history of lung problems dates to his imprisonment on Robben Island, and he has battled respiratory infections since then.

Flying Eagles: Can they Fly to the end of Time

Coined from the Punch Newspaper

Jones Usen, a popular broadcaster with the FRCN at a time, and self styled ‘man with the golden voice’ called the golden eaglets the beautiful ones after their exploits of 1985 in far away Asia.

Those young boys dazzled and glittered in China and made our heads swell with pride as they delighted the world with skilful and purposeful football. In celebrating our moments of euphoria, Jones had declared ‘the beautiful ones have now been born’.

It was the maiden edition of a tournament that has since discovered many football super stars. It was also our first exploit on the international stage and it was a performance that stunned the whole world especially the sponsors who did not expect an African country to win and wondered how they would recoup their sponsorship funds.

For us as Nigerians and Africans, it was a beautiful moment as everybody thought we had entered the world stage. And Pele, the same acclaimed Pele, endorsed the boys when he said they would rule the world if they could be kept together for a few years to mature as a unit.

But what happened after the euphoria? The vultures took over- in the name of greed, ethnicity, self-contentedness and bad administration.

Everybody, including those who had never succeeded in anything in their lives, had an opinion. By the time the under -17 boys had become under 21, it was a different team; infused and diffused by additions and subtractions that were based on everything but merit.

The result was that we lost all the good things that should have accrued to Nigeria as a result of that ground- breaking feat.

Prodigies have to be handled well, or they will self destruct which is what happened when many of these boys signed all kinds of one sided agreements with clubs that exploited rather than nurtured them.

Many say the reason we did not benefit was because the boys were closer to 25 than 17. But that, even if it was true, was only half of the story. Whoever said 23, 24 year olds can not be kept together and nurtured both mentally and technically?

What is worse is that we had two other opportunities to get it right and build on the foundation of our young talents. Each time we have short changed ourselves. Will we be fourth time lucky?

I was initially apathetic about the present crop of boys and did not start watching them until after their first game. I was impressed as anybody who knows a thing or two about football would be. These boys were strong, quick and very mobile.

In addition, they had the technical awareness that was not very common in Nigeria age-grade teams. I was pleased to note that they hardly lost their shape throughout the competition even when the wing backs surged forward or they had to sit back to soak some pressure. That first encounter with Sweden was as much a tribute to their mental strength and belief as it was to their physical fitness and skill.

I believe we not only have gifted eaglets on our hands, but technically proficient ones. Whoever nurtured their ‘can do’ spirit did a good job and the technical crew led by Manu Garba should be commended.

But gold as we all know, will lose its luster if it is not burnished regularly. We can not therefore afford to do business as usual with these young boys or we will under achieve with them again. We have to think up a plan that keeps them motivated and encouraged while keeping their feet firmly on the ground. They must also be made to play together often.

First, giving under 17s money (yes, they do look their age for a change) is ill advised. I can understand it in a country that has become so monetized; but I do not advise it. A new reward system must be developed. Second, the foreign scouts are out and certain names are already being linked to some big clubs. It won’t be the first time; and we know what happened in the past.

So their progress must be monitored and the terms of contract must be checked by people who know about these things.

These boys must not be thrown to the wolves. Third, their egos and psyche must be managed well so they can develop into technically well rounded players. The example of Rafael Nadal, the current number one tennis player in the world, and a child prodigy in his on right, should be a case study.

When he won his first three trophies as a teenager, his uncle and coach refused any form of family celebration as he did not want success to get into his head so early in life. Our boys are not super stars yet, not even close. They should not be so treated. Fourth, the powerful owners of our football academies must not be allowed to diffuse the team indiscriminately.

Already, one ‘honorable member’ has said the boys must not be allowed to graduate into under 20 automatically. I don’t think that is a helpful suggestion. If you can not motivate and encourage at this stage, then leave well alone.

We have gold nuggets in our hands. But we need to do the needful to make them glow. It is after the hard work that makes these boys to be physically, mentally and technically ready for the 2018 World Cup must have been done that we can truly say ‘the beautiful ones have finally been born’.