The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Author: Editor

  • 894,101 candidates pass NECO while 233,000 NECO candidates to retake missed subjects

     

    THE National Examination Council on Wednesday announced the release of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination (internal) results.

     

    But a total of 233,000 candidates, who were prevented from taking the NECO examination in some states due to the #EndSARS protests, would be accommodated in the external examination scheduled for between Monday February 1 and Wednesday March 3 2021.

     

    The states affected by the protest are Abia, Enugu, Edo, River, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Lagos, Oyo, Kano, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

     

    A comparative analysis of results released by NECO for two years showed that a total of 829,787 candidates, representing 71.59 per cent scored a total of five credits, including English and Mathematics in year 2019, as against year 2020 where 894,101 candidates, representing 73.89 per cent scored five credits, including Mathematics and English.

     

    The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of NECO, Prof. Godswill Obioma, gave a breakdown of the results in Minna.

     

    The results further revealed that the number of candidates who made five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics were 1,112,041, representing 91.91 per cent.

     

    This, he said, represented an increase of 2.01 percent when compared to the 2019 June/July SSCE.

     

    Obioma said the subjects affected by the #EndSARS protests were Chemistry Practical, Economics, Technological Drawing, Food and Nutrition, and Further Mathematics.

     

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    According to him, results of the affected candidates would be pending until supplementary exams were conducted for the papers missed.

     

    He said, “We wish to inform the general public that the council has made specific arrangements for those candidates who missed some papers due to the #EndSARS protest in those states.

     

    “The affected candidates will now sit for those papers missed during the forthcoming 2020 SSCE (external) scheduled from Monday February 1 to Wedn esday March 3, 2021.”

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • CBN pre-export requirements frustrating the export of goods from Nigeria to other countries

    The pre-export requirements recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria is currently frustrating the export of goods from Nigeria to other nations, exporters declared on Wednesday.

     

    Speaking under the aegis of the Network of Practicing Non-oil Exporters of Nigeria, they stated that the electronic Nigeria Export Proceed Form being required by the bank from exporters had come with enormous bottlenecks.

     

     

    The President, NPNEN, Ahmed Rabiu, said in a statement issued in Abuja that the new procedure had so many layers of activities that often led to delays and loss of income on the part of exporters.

     

    He said, “We acknowledge the CBN’s desire to ensure that all exports out of Nigeria are documented in order to ensure that the proceeds of such exports are repatriated.

     

    “However, the reality on the field shows that the process is causing undue delays and consequently, encouraging corruption.”

     

     

    In the new pre-export requirements, the CBN wants an export transaction to be initiated through eNXP processing on the trade monitoring system.

     

    Exporters stated that after this, the pre-shipment inspection agent, the Nigeria Customs Service and other designated government agencies would now carry out their pre-export inspections.

     

    They stated that the PIA was expected to issue a Clean Certificate of Inspection, while the Customs would issue the Single Good Declaration.

     

    According to them, a recent report showed that N868bn worth of goods bound for export were stuck at the ports due to the new procedure, as they called for urgent attention to reverse the trend.

     

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    Providing further explanation, Rabiu said, “For example, for the PIA to issue the CCI, the exporter is required to upload a certificate of origin as one of the supporting documents for the eNXP.

     

    “The PIA is also required to upload the CCI to the TRMS(M) and until this is done, the Customs service will not issue the Single Good Declaration.”

     

    He added, “After issuing the SGD, the customs is further required to upload it into the TRMS before the goods are allowed to be gated into the port and loaded on the vessel by the shipping line.”

     

    He argued that the layers created by the new CBN procedure had made the export of goods from Nigeria cumbersome, as it had also led to the deterioration and losses fo r agro commodity exporters.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • CAC generates N19bn for its 2020 fiscal year

     

    The Corporate Affairs Commission on Monday announced a revenue generation of N19bn for its 2020 fiscal year.

    It also announced a total remittance of N2.7bn to the consolidated revenue account of the Federal Government.

     

    The Registrar-General, CAC, Garba Abubakar, told journalists in Abuja that the commission had also settled all its tax obligations, adding that the obligations were negotiated downwards by the commission’s management.

     

    “We have settled all our tax obligations. The tax obligations were over N1.2bn when I took over and we were able to re-negotiate and have paid N700m and got a discount of about N500m to N600m,” he said.

     

     

    Abubakar added, “For the first time we were able to pay operating surplus of over N2.7bn to the Federal Government. If not for the outstanding liabilities, the operating surplus would have been more than N5bn.”

     

    On revenue generation, the CAC boss said the commission surpassed its 2020 target by about N1bn.

     

    He said the feat was achieved after the commission blocked areas of leakages to its revenue generation drive.

     

     

    “We had a projected revenue target in 2020 of N18.2bn and we closed the year with over N19bn,” Abubakar stated.

     

    He explained that about 85 per cent of the N6bn liability of commission which he inherited had been paid.

     

    READ ALSO: 243 COVID-19 violators convicted, pay N4.8m fine

     

     

     

    He said to ensure the integrity CAC records, the commission had directed a revalidation exercise for all its accredited customers.

     

     

    According to him, the revalidation exercise would last till March 31 this year, as anyone who fails to validate their records would not be able to transact business with CAC.

     

    The CAC helmsman also vowed that no union would close the headquarters of the commission beginning from today (Tuesday), stressing that the industrial crisis at the commission was being addressed.

     

    Abubakar said qualified employees of the commission had been promoted, while most of the pensions arr ears of staff had been cleared.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Two chinese hold miners trapped underground for nearly two days

    Twenty-two gold miners have been trapped underground for nearly two days after an explosion in a mine under construction in eastern China.

     

    The blast occurred on Sunday afternoon at a mine in a town near Qixia city in eastern Shandong province, authorities wrote in a social media post.

     

    The explosion badly damaged the exit ladder from the mine and the communications system, so authorities could not contact the trapped miners, the statement released late Monday said.

     

    Authorities have sent rescuers to the mine, which is owned by the Shandong Wucailong Investment Co. Ltd.

     

    Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often weakly enforced.

     

    In December, 23 miners died after being trapped in a mine in the southwestern city of Chongqing — just months after 16 others died from carbon monoxide poisoning after being trapped underground at another coal mine in  the city.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Cardiovascular health – What you should know

    According to research presented at the scientific congress of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging held recently, climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health.

     

    As reported by sciencedaily.com, the study included 165 symptomatic patients referred for exercise testing because of known or suspected coronary artery disease.

     

    “Participants walked or ran on a treadmill, gradually increasing the intensity, and continuing until exhaustion. Exercise capacity was measured as metabolic equivalents (M ETs)

    “After resting for 15 to 20 minutes, patients were asked to climb four flights of stairs at a fast pace without stopping, but also without running, and the time was recorded,” the scientists wrote.

     

    They analysed the relationship between METs achieved during exercise testing and the time it took to climb four flights of stairs. Patients who climbed the stairs in less than 40-45 seconds achieved more than 9-10 METs. Previous studies have shown that 10 METs during an exercise test is linked with a low mortality rate. In contrast, patients who took 1.5 minutes or longer to climb the stairs achieved less than eight METs, which translates to a mortality rate of two to four per cent per year, or 30 per cent in 10 years.

     

    The study author, Dr. Jesús Peteiro, who is a cardiologist at the University Hospital A Coruña, Spain, said, “The stairs test is an easy way to check your heart health. If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.”

     

    “This study was conducted to examine the relationship between a daily activity – i.e. climbing stairs – and the results obtained from exercise testing in a laboratory. The idea was to find a simple and inexpensive method of assessing heart health. This can help physicians triage patients for more extensive examinations.”

    Peteiro noted that the correlation between the stairs time and exercise capacity would be similar in the general population. But the corresponding mortality rates and heart function by imaging would be more favourable than for patients with symptoms and suspected or confirmed coronary artery disease.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Sowero granted N20m bail

     

    A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to Sahara Reporters’ publisher, Omoyele Sowore in the sum of N20m.

    Four other activists, who were arrested with Sowore on New Year’s Eve in Abuja for holding a protest against bad governance, were also granted bail in the sum of N1m each.

     

    Sowore and Juwon Sanyaolu, Peter Williams, Emmanuel Bulus, and Damilare Adenola are standing trial for alleged unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy, and inciting public disturbance.

     

    Chief Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello while ruling on the bail application on Monday filed admitted Sowore to bail in the sum of N20million and two sureties in like sum.

     

    The court also ordered Sowore to remain in Abuja and must physically report to the court registrar every Monday and Friday pending the hearing and determination of the case against him.

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    The court further ordered that one of his sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 12.

     

    Sowore, who was earlier declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International in 2019, was detained for several months by the Buhari regime for allegedly calling for a revolution.

     

    He was denied bail several times and even re-arrested inside the Federal High Court. However, he was released after domestic and international pressures  in December 2019

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Insecurity: CONES warns Buhari that refusal to tackle insecurity will cost Apc the 2023 elections

    Conference of Nigerian Elders (CONES) has warned that the insecurity situation in the country would cost President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) the 2023 elections.

     

    The group, in a statement, yesterday, by its representatives, Tunde Banjo,  Achike Nwachukwu and four others, said security of lives and property was deteriorating daily and expressed shock over Buhari’s refusal to relieve the service chiefs of their appointments and rejig the security apparatchik.

     

    The group said the security heads were not indispensable, regretting that their inability to contain insecurity since their appointments had portrayed the Federal Government in bad light.

     

    “We wish to say it is not normal for a whole country to be speaking with one voice that the service chiefs should not only be sacked, but also that the entire security architecture be rejigged, and Mr. President would remain adamant and less concerned.

     

    “Nigerians are tired of the alarming insecurity in the country and the seeming inaction of Mr. President in addressing the situation.

     

    “Those responsible for action or inaction which has heightened the insecurity must go and new and effective hands injected into the system.

     

    “CONES wishes to appeal to President Buhari to, to as a matter of urgency, sack the current service chiefs without further delay.

     

    “Our position is because we have seen that the president may lose the support of Nigerians over the embarrassing security situation we are facing if he doesn’t act fast enough. No part of Nigeria is safe today,” he said.

     

    While acknowledging that President Buhari gets daily briefings on the security situation in the country by the security heads, the elders claimed that “most of those reports are not true reflections of the situation on ground. Already, there is low morale in the military over the continued stay of the service chiefs whose tenures in their various offices have since lapsed.

     

    “Who knows if there are invisible hands out there in the service frustrating the fight against insurgency and insecurity in the country deliberately due to the continued stay of the service chiefs?

     

    “We appeal to the president to hearken to the call by majority of Nigerians as reflected in the country’s parliament recently that it is time for him to do the needful.

     

    “We are in a democracy where any decision of government or leaders is taken from the popular view. Majority of Nigerians have since spoken in this regard and as a democrat, our president should listen,” he said.

     

    However, the Defence headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said the armed forces have checkmated Boko Haram and their operations in the North East.

     

    Despite claims that the insurgents have been decimated, some parts of the North East still come under attack.

     

    One of the most recent violent attacks by Boko Haram was at Zabarmari in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State where more than 40 farmers were killed.

     

    In an interview with newsmen, Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, said the Federal Government and the military since 2015 had checked the intensity of terrorist activities across the country, particularly in the North East.

     

    He said the initial delay in tackling the menace made it gain momentum — Boko Haram taking over territories and setting up administrative structures — before they were knocked off in 2016.

     

    Enenche said the open display of power and authority by Boko Haram no longer happens in the North East, and that no single district or community could be said to be under the control of the insurgents.

     

    “The issue of bombings that spread to other places like Abuja, Kano, Niger and Kogi states, including their slipper cells, no longer exist.

     

    “What about suicide bombing, which is one of the signs of terrorism? It was rife and even at our checkpoints, they come and detonate bombs as well as public gatherings; all these have been nipped properly.

     

    “If you put all these together, I can tell you terrorism has been checkmated. However, the signs are still there with isolated actions here and there; common with terrorism,” he said.

     

    Enenche said history has shown that terrorism “is a very resilient type of enemy activity,” adding that the type of terrorism in Nigeria is not “a smart one,” but rooted  in the state of mind of a group of people.

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • DSS warns about alleged Plot to incite religious violence across the nation

    The Department of State Services has warned about a plot by some elements working with external forces to incite religious violence across the country.

     

    It stated that the masterminds planned to foment religious crises in Lagos, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, and in the South East.

     

    Part of the plans, according to a statement on Monday by the DSS spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, was to cause inter-religious conflicts as well as use their foot soldiers to attack some worship centres, religious leaders, personalities, key and vulnerable points.

     

    The statement was titled, ‘Plot to incite religious violence in Nigeria.’

     

    “Consequently, Nigerians are advised to be wary of these antics and shun all divisive tendencies aimed at inciting or setting them against one another,” it added.

     

    While pledging to collaborate with other security agencies to thwart the plot, the service warned the plotters to desist from their nefarious plan in the interest of peace, security and development of the country.

     

    The secret police admonished the citizens and residents to report any attempt to breach the peace around them to the nearest securi ty agencies.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Lagos shuts down Airport bridge at Toyota on Oshodi-Isolo expressway over a recent tanker explosion

     

    The Lagos State Government has shut down Airport Bridge at Toyota on the Oshodi-Isolo Expressway over a recent tanker fire that affected the bridge.

     

    The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, in a statement he personally signed on Sunday, said the closure of the bridge to vehicular movement was to enable the government to conduct structural engineering tests on the bridge.

     

    He noted that alternative routes had been created for motorists pending the outcome of the tests and the reopening of the bridge to traffic.

     

    According to Oladeinde, motorists from Mile 2 to Cele on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway will make use of Aiye and Osolo Way to Asa Afariogun through 7&8 to access International Airport Road.

     

    The commissioner explained that motorists from Toyota would use the service lanes by Armed Forces Resettlement Centre to BOC Gases on old NAFDAC Headquarters.

     

     

    “In the light of this development, the state traffic management officials shall be deployed to the aforementioned corridors to control and manage traffic flow along the axis during the course of the diversions.

     

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    “The Lagos State Government is assuring the motoring public that the Airport Bridge shall be opened for use as soon as the tests or requisite intervention makes it safe and secure to do  so,” he added.

     

    Source : www.punchng.com

  • 2023 Election : APC declares it’s readiness to win future elections, vows to take over Delta State in forth coming election

     

    All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta has declared its readiness to win future elections in the state, beginning with the March 6  local government elections.

     

    The party said it was poised more than ever before to sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Government House, Asaba in the 2023 general election.

     

    Chairman of the caretaker committee of the party, Jones Ode Erue, made the declaration while inaugurating the state Non-Working Committee, State Working Committee (SWC) and the 25 local government caretaker committees in Asaba.

     

    Erue said the APC in Delta State is now more united, adding that with the successful inauguration of the party organs, APC has reconciled all aggrieved members to work in one accord.

     

    He said there were no more factions or tendencies that hitherto pursued narrow and selfish interests in past, which had accounted for the party’s poor electoral fortunes.

     

    “We are all united now to take over the governance of Delta State from the PDP, led by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,” he said.

     

    The chairman tasked the caretaker committees for the 25 local governments to take the message of total reconciliation to the grassroots to have a more harmonious and cohesive platform to defeat the PDP.

     

    He, however, admitted that reconciliation was not a tea party, and charged party faithful to reach compromises and be ready to shift ground in the interest of APC in Delta State.

     

    Erue urged the local government executives to go back to their various localities and inaugurate caretaker committees for the different wards.

     

    He tasked the grassroots leaders  to ensure the membership strength of the party is increased by over 100 percent in the forthcoming national revali dation exercise.

     

    Source:www.sunnewsonlin.com

  • Covid 19 : Pope Francis loses his personal doctor to covid 19

    Pope Francis’ personal doctor Fabrizio Soccorsi has died from COVID-19 related complications, the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said at the weekend.

     

    Soccorsi was appointed in 2017. He was 78.

     

     

    The deceased was hospitalised in Rome on December 26 2020 for a previous oncological disease. It’s unclear when he was last in direct contact with Pope Francis.

     

    In an interview with Italy’s Canale 5 channel on Sunday, Pope Francis said the Vatican will begin COVID-19 vaccinations next week and he is in line  to take it

     

    Source : www.thenationonlineng.net

  • ASUU : Institutions are not ready for safe reopening

    Branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Sunday assessed COVID-19 protocols in the universities and said the institutions were not ready for safe reopening.

    The chapters of the union, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, commented on the directive of the National Universities Commission that universities could resume on January 18, but must adhere to COVID-19 protocols in hostels and lecture halls.

     

    ASUU said although its members were ready to start work, government had not put measures in place for safe reopening of the schools.

    ASUU’s concern came amid coronavirus cases and deaths, which rose to 99,063 and 1,350 respectively on Saturday.

     

    The union Chairman at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Dr Adeola Egbedokun, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said classroom and hostel situations in universities did not in any way conform with COVID-19 protocols.

    Egbedokun further said no preparations had been made so far for the safe re-opening of the universities and urged parents to insist on safety before re-opening.

    No preparation for COVID-19 protocols, insist on safe reopening, OAU ASUU tells parents

    He said, “COVID-19 is very real and this second wave is as real as described. We cannot afford to toy with our health and the health of our dear students in the name of resumption, which is politically motivated.

    “There are no preparations for safe re-opening of the universities and I think parents must insist on safe re-opening. The current classroom and hostel configurations in our universities do not in any way conform with the PTF (Presidential Task Force) on COVID-19 protocols. There is no way universities can achieve that. I have said this elsewhere, that rather than for government to have addressed the obvious deficits in the public universities during the lockdown and strike, they were playing to the gallery.”

    But the OAU spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the university management was ready for resumption and had put in place “a lot in relation to the COVID-19 protocols” in a bid to ensure safety.

    Holding physical lectures now will be disastrous, says FUNAAB ASUU

    ASUU at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta said the university was not ready to cope with COVID-19 challenges.

    The Chairman of ASUU-FUNAAB, Dr Adebayo Oni, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, stated, “The lectures halls are overcrowded. As of today, in my own campus, I have not seen any facility for hand washing Who is to provide sanitisers? Do you expect lecturers to provide sanitisers for themselves?

    “Fumigation of the environment from time to time should be done, How do you cope with students surge and the challenge of power supply ?”

    Oni said the union had observed that conducting physical lectures with students would be more disastrous.

    He described as alarming, figure of COVID-19. He said, “It is definitely a threat to the resumption of academic activities .

    “The fact is that under this circumstance and looking at the threat of the figure, going physical with students would be more disastrous. Conducting physical session, physical lectures with students would be more disastrous.

    “The truth of the matter is that we now propose a mixed model of online teaching and probably some level of physical teachings.

    “Even the online teaching also comes with its own facilities which are not readily available.

    “We don’t want to be pessimistic to say that it is not going to be workable. However , it is going to be at the risk of our lives and the lives of our students if the required facilities are not provided by the government.

     

    “The truth is that the facilities to cope with the pandemic are not available in our institutions. It appears the government is not ready and our institutions are not helpful.”

     

    COVID-19: Nothing on ground to show ATBU ready for resumption, say lecturers

    Also, the Chairman of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University branch of ASUU, Dr Musa Babayo, in a text message sent to our one of our correspondents, said that the government and institutions did not show any sign of seriousness in handling COVID-19 issues when the union was on strike.

    He said that ASUU in the ATBU had yet to see any tangible improvement in students’ hostel accommodation, classrooms and other things needed for COVID-19 protocols.

    Babayo who said that if the Federal Government had released funds to universities, proper arrangements for the protocols would have been made by the institutions.

    He said, “The coast is now very clear since has ASUU suspended its strike and it has gone further to show how government and institutions are not serious in the handling universities, particularly the issues of COVID-19.

    “When you talk about ATBU and resumption whether ASUU is satisfied, I can tell you that we have yet to see any tangible improvement, whether in hostel accommodation, classrooms and other things needed for COVID-19 protocols.”

    But the Public Relations Officer of the university, Bauchi, Abdulkadir Shehu, told one of our correspondents that the resumption of students of the institution had yet to be announced.

     

    He said, “Yesterday (Saturday) fumigation of the school at both the Yelwa and Gubu campuses commenced and it will soon be concluded.”

     

    We are concern about second surge – UNIJOS ASUU

    The Chairman of ASUU at the University of Jos, Dr Lazarus Maigoro, said the association was concerned about the second wave of COVID-19.

    He, therefore, urged the management of the university to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols on resumption.

    Maigoro who expressed concern over the second wave of COVID-19 said his members expected the university authority to comply with the COVID-19 protocols to contain the spread of the disease in the institution

    The Senate of UNIJOS will on Monday (today) hold a meeting to decide whether the institution will reopen for academic activities on January 18, 2021.

    The institution’s Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, Abdullahi Abdullahi, disclosed this to one of our correspondents in Jos on Sunday.

    Abdullahi said, “We don’t know yet when UNIJOS will resume. The Senate will be meeting tomorrow (Monday) and that is where they will decide when the institution will reopen.”

     

    ‌Second wave more ferocious, we won’t expose our members to health hazards – UNICAL ASUU chair

    At the University of Calabar, the union Chairman, Dr John Edor, told The PUNCH that the association would not allow its members to be exposed to health hazards.

    Edor stated, “As a union, we are not too quick to talk. We are not too fast to become meddlesome. They have said schools are permitted to resume on the 18th of January, 2021. If by then we see that the necessary things are not put in place for the resumption, the union will come up with a position because we are not ready to expose our members to health hazards.

    “That was why we went on strike, asking for revitalisation of public universities. Revitalisation simply means conducive theatres, conducive hostels, offices, laboratories and libraries.

    “That is why we are saying let us wait till 18th of January and see how prepared Nigerian public universities are in the face of the second wave of COVID-19 which has come up with a more ferocious variant.”

    At the University of Port Harcourt, ASUU Chairman, Dr Austen Sado, said there would be a spike in coronavirus cases.

    He stated, “We have not been invited to inspect any facility in order to determine its suitability. So, we will wait until we get clarification on the resumption, then we will know whether there are things to contend with.”

    Asked if he feared a spike ahead of the school resumption, he said he had seen some measures put in place by the university, but that the possibility of an increase in cases existed.

     

    UNIPORT purchases 400 thermometers

    The university had directed students to resume on January 27, saying appropriate measures had been put in place to check the spread of COVID-19 in the classrooms and hostels.

    The Public Relations Officer of the university, Sammy Kpenu who disclosed this to one of our correspondents on Sunday afternoon, said one of such measures was the purchase of 400 thermometers to check temperatures.

     

    UNILAG Senate decides resumption date Wednesday

    But Registrar of University of Lagos, Mr Oladejo Azeez, said the decision on resumption of academic activities would be taken by the school’s Senate on Wednesday.

    Azeez in an interview with The PUNCH, said the Senate would meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss and decide on the modalities of students’ resumption and academic activities.

    He said, “Irrespective of what the Federal Government has said, the resumption of students or of academic activities is the prerogative of Senate. Senate of the university will decide and the meeting of the Senate is coming up on Wednesday; a virtual meeting. The law places this in the hands of the Senate and until Senate meets, there is no way anybody can say anything on resumption.”

    The management of the University of Ibadan said everything would be done to ensure that there was not spike in cases of COVID-19 among students and staff.

    The Director of Public Communication of the university, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Ibadan on Sunday.

    But ASUU Chairman at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Dr Abubakar Sabo, said he doubted if universities in Nigeria could meet the guidelines for preventing COVID-19.

    Abubakar, who spoke to one of our correspondents in Sokoto, stated that he was not aware of measures being put in place by the management of the UDUD towards the resumption date.

    “The Federal Government and university authorities must ensure that, there is no spike on our campuses. I have doubt, if our universities can meet up with the standard and best practices to check the pandemic.”

     

    Crowded classrooms: Our struggle for expanded infrastructure justified, says UNILAG ASUU

    While reacting to this issue of social distancing on campus, chairman,, UNILAG branch, Dr Dele Ashiru, explained that the union had been justified over their agitations for expansion of infrastructure in Universities across the country.

    He said, “ASUU has been clamouring for the expansion of infrastructure in the universities. This is a testimony to the justification of our struggles over the years because the situation as it is now leaves more to be desired.”

    We haven’t seen any measure in ABU – Lecturers

    The Ahmadu Bello University branch of ASUU said although its members were ready to work, it had not seen any measure put in place by the university.

    ABU’s ASUU Chairman, Prof. Rabiu Nasiru, told one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Sunday that the lecturers were prepare to go back to work.

    He, however, expressed concern that no adequate measures had so far been taken by the ABU management against the spread of the virus in the institution.

    He said, “I haven’t seen any measure taken so far by the management of ABU, but since the senate of the university is meeting on Tuesday, once Senate meets, I know those issues will be rais ed and it will be discussed. But for now, I have not seen any measure taken.”

     

    Source : www.punchng.com