FG May Exempt Varsities from TSA as ASUU Ends One-week Strike

                           
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday ended its week long warning strike, asking lecturers nationwide to return to their classrooms, even as negotiations continued with the federal government, especially on one of the crucial demands by the union that government must exempt universities in the country from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

The policy requires all federal government institutions to domicile their funds with the TSA in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The clarification by ASUU came amid mixed messages from the union that it was set to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike.

Speaking to THISDAY in a phone interview, ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, debunked reports that the union had declared an indefinite strike.

He, however, told THISDAY that the union was making progress, especially with the intervention of the Senate.

“In the next one or two meetings, if we are able to get a clear path to the matter, we will avoid elongation of the strike.

“I have been receiving these reports that ASUU says the strike continues, no. The strike ends today (yesterday). All lecturers are to go back to work tomorrow morning (today),” Ogunyemi stated.

On the vexed issue of the TSA, one of the critical policies ASUU is vehemently opposed to, Ogunyemi said: “On TSA, we are getting positive responses, though we don’t know how far they are willing to go.”

Also, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. Clement Iloh, told THISDAY that part of the strategy was to look at ASUU’s demands, particularly as it concerns Endowment Fund but not TSA as a whole.

Iloh said: “It is not just the TSA, ASUU also talked about the Endowment Fund. What ASUU presented was the Endowment Fund. The TSA is a government policy, so it has so many components.”

But even as the president of the union asked university lecturers to resume lectures today, the Chairman of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) chapter of ASUU, Dr. Ifeanyi Abada, said yesterday in Nsukka that the union would embark on an indefinite strike, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“ASUU was left with no option than to proceed on the one-week warning strike and with the failure to meet our demands, we will go on an indefinite strike,” Abada told newsmen. He said that the chapter complied fully with the warning strike directive.

“The National Executive Committee (NEC) made efforts to resolve this issue with the government but government remained unyielding.

“The strike compliance in UNN was total, no lectures, no examinations, no departmental and faculty meetings, as members did not participate.

“The UNN chapter will not renege on the directive of the national body until government addresses all the issues raised.

“Our monitoring team is moving round; any lecturer found teaching will be sanctioned accordingly,” he said.

According to Abada, among the demands of ASUU was that universities be exempted from the TSA policy.

He added that ASUU was also demanding that the federal government implements the agreement it entered into with ASUU in 2009.

Academic activities remained paralysed in UNN yesterday as a result of the warning strike.

Meanwhile, the meeting between the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND and ASUU, which was deadlocked on Monday may resume tomorrow, the committee Chairman, Senator Jibrin Barau, disclosed yesterday.

Barau, who is the Head of the Senate Intervention Sub-committee mediating between ASUU and the federal government, said the Senate had made tremendous progress in its commitment to avert an indefinite strike by the union.

Speaking at the National Assembly complex on the outcome of the sub-committee’s meeting with ASUU on Monday, Barau said: “We had about six issues and all of them were very well discussed. We deliberated and agreed on all of them except one, and that one has to do with the earned allowances.

“Now, they (ASUU) are asking for about N62 billion. Initially, N30 billion was given to the universities in 2013 and the agreement, as signed between the federal government and ASUU clearly specifies that upon receipt of any payment, before any new payment is made, the last payment has to be accounted for.

“The Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) clearly wrote in one of its letters to the Ministry of Education that it is not satisfied with the level of accountability on the N30 billion.

“So, a letter was sent to the Ministry of Finance since March that the forensic audit on that money has not been done. They said no further disbursement could be made except the money that was given was accounted for as clearly spelt out in the agreement.

“We then said, wait, the fact that the forensic audit was not carried out was not the fault of ASUU. So we then agreed that for the exercise to be conducted, it was estimated by experts that it would take six months to conclude the exercise.

“Then we said ‘look, it will be unfair to ask ASUU to wait without being paid while the exercise is being carried out’. We said ASUU should be paid N1 billion every month while the forensic audit exercise is being carried out.

“ASUU said they would not accept N1 billion. We now asked ASUU to accept N1.5 billion while the exercise is being concluded. ASUU said they will go back and consult with their members and that they are going to get back to us.

“Therefore, we are waiting for ASUU to get back to us, but definitely the meeting may take place on Thursday so that we can thrash out the only remaining issue, since we don’t have the luxury of time on our side.

“The Senate wants all contending issues to be resolved within the shortest time possible so as to keep the academic calendar running smoothly in all our universities,” he said.

YAWA!: Muslim Cleric Stabs Lagos Landlord To Death

An Islamic cleric, Alfa Ganiyu Umaru, is being detained by the police for allegedly killing his landlord in one-storeyed building in Agbotikuyo bus stop, Ipaja, Lagos State.

This is just as relatives and friends of the 45-year-old victim, Tajudeen Popoola, said they had yet to come to terms with the reality of his death.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Umaru, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State, and Tajudeen had been at loggerheads for some time over Umaru’s alleged immoral behaviour.

He was said to have criticised the cleric for drinking and performing rituals on the ground that such acts contravened Islamic doctrines. It was said the criticism usually resulted in exchange of words between both.

The matter, however, came to a head when Tajudeen returned from a football viewing centre around 8pm on Sunday and reportedly met Umaru and his friends drinking alcohol in front of the building.

The landlord was said to have rebuked the suspect, leading to an altercation after which they both retired to their respective apartments.

The deceased’s brother, Azeez Popoola, said Umaru came to Tajudeen’s apartment a few minutes later and attacked him with a shard of broken glass.

He said, “Alfa usually quarreled with my brother because he used to correct his excesses. Any time they had a disagreement, he would threaten to kill my brother. On Sunday, he made good his threat.

“Everywhere was dark that evening. He sneaked into the passage where my brother was resting on a bench. Alfa didn’t know I was resting at a corner in the passage. I suddenly heard my brother scream and before I knew what was happening, blood was gushing out from his neck while Alfa fled.

“I went after him and with the help of neighbours, he was apprehended and the shard was recovered from him. We rushed my brother to the Ile Epo General Hospital; but before we got there, he had lost a lot of blood. He died a few minutes later. Alfa stabbed him in three different places in the neck.”

Azeez, who described Tajudeen as a diligent mechanic, said he had never fought the suspect although the cleric owed him two-year rent.

“He is a widower. His only daughter lives in the East. The daughter and our ageing mother had not been informed of his death,” he added.

Our correspondent, who visited the residence on Tuesday, found bloodstains on the staircase and walls, while Umaru’s paraphernalia, including a horn and a black pot, was seen at the entrance to his apartment.

It was gathered that his wife and children had fled immediately the incident happened.

Tajudeen’s friend, David Aluko, said, “I am devastated. I can’t still believe that my friend is gone forever. The whole thing still appears to me as a movie. We both returned from the viewing centre that day and he told Alfato stop drinking outside the building.

“Alfa said Tajudeen’s comment embarrassed him and he threatened to kill the landlord. I was discussing with people outside when I heard Azeez shouting upstairs that Alfa had stabbed his brother. Tajudeen was kind to everybody.”

A tenant, who identified himself only as Quadri, said Tajudeen was generous to him and other tenants, urging the police to ensure that Umaru faced the full weight of the law.

“I live in his house in Dopemu. The last time I paid rent was 2014. I explained my challenges to him and he said I shouldn’t worry. He helped people a lot. There were occasions he gave tenants money from the rent they paid,” he added.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, had yet to reply to a text message sent to her mobile phone line as of press time.

However, a police source told our correspondent that the suspect had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.

READ: Frozen $15.5m: Court Rejects Patience’s Application To Restrain EFCC

                              

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday rejected an application by the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, seeking to bar the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from tampering with a sum of $15.591 frozen in four Skye Bank accounts.

The EFCC placed a ‘No Debit Order’ on the four bank accounts in July while probing Jonathan’s former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, for money laundering.

But Patience, who had laid claim to the money, filed a fundamental rights enforcement action against the EFCC, Skye Bank, Dudafa and the four companies in whose names the accounts were opened.

She is urging the court to order the EFCC to remove the ‘No Debit Order’ on the accounts and to release the $15.5m to her.

At the Tuesday’s proceedings in the case before Justice Mohammed Idris, Patience’s lawyer, Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), made an oral application, urging the judge to restrain the EFCC from tampering with the money pending the final determination of the case.

But the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed him, arguing that the four companies who owned the four bank accounts had been convicted of money laundering by Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same court.

“We pray the court to dismiss the application with a wave of hand. There is an order of the court that has convicted the fourth to seventh defendants for warehousing the proceeds of crime,” Oyedepo said.

He argued that the case before Justice Kuewumi would be prejudiced should Justice Idris restrain the EFCC from tampering with the money.

Oyedepo also contended that Patience did not have the locus standi to make such an application, and expressed doubt as to the validity of the addresses of the fourth to seventh defendants where Patience claimed to have served the originating summons.

Dudafa’s lawyer, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole, however, said the court bailiff had already deposed to an affidavit that the fourth to seventh defendants had been served.

In a short ruling, Justice Idris said he would rather grant an accelerated hearing of the case, than make any order that would prejudice the outcome of the main case.

He adjourned till December 7, 2016 for the hearing of the main case.

Earlier in the proceedings, Justice Idris acknowledged a letter from Skye Bank’s lawyer, Lanre Ogunlesi, stating that he was indisposed and would not be able to come to court on Tuesday.

MMM UNITED

MMM UNITED is here, launched 12 August 2016.
This is the worldwide MMM that uses bitcoins for payment.
MMM UNITED pays 100% of your investment unlike the Nigerian MMM that pays 30%.

Also MMM UNITED has 7 days Lock in period unlike the Nigerian MMM that is 14 days.
That is, HELP AMOUNT (principal) CAN BE WITHDRAWN ANY TIME AFTER 7 DAYS.

Its new, Its unique and It has a long way to go…

How does it work?

Let’s consider this example, if you have provided the help of $100 on August 01 2016.

Your Mavro immediately starts growing every day at the rate of 100% per month even if you haven’t transferred $100 to anyone yet.

When someone in the community needs help, the system will notify you with that participant’s (who is in need) details like Name, Contact information, Bitcoin Wallet address etc so that you can complete your PROVIDE HELP order.

Once you have completed your PROVIDE HELP, just sit back and relax, your $100 is growing at the rate of 100% per month.

On August 31 2016, your $100 will turn into $200 and you will be able to get them back by clicking GET HELP in your PO.

However, it is not necessary to wait for a month. Help can be requested at any time but only after confirmation of your Mavros and after completion of seven days from the date of PROVIDE HELP.

When you are in need of financial help, you will be able to request assistance for your $100 plus growth amount at the rate of 100% per month at the current BITCOIN exchange rate.

STEP 1
REGISTER TO MMM UNITED 
CLICK HERE

Complete the registration form with valid  information.

Check your email, you will receive an email to validate and create a new password.

After creating a new password, select your country and proceed.

The next thing to do is to add your bitcoin wallet address which you will learn how to create below.

After that, then you can now provide help at your comfort time.

STEP 2

OPEN A BITCOIN WALLET ADDRESS

What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency (online money)

Bitcoin is the currency that is taking over the universe as said by Bill Gates.

Bitcoin is rising every day. It is appreciating against the dollar.

Just the same way dollar is appreciating against the naira.

checkout, last three months, 1 bitcoin = 406 dollars

today, 1 bitcoin = 634 dollars

So, assuming you bought 1 BTC as at June for $406 by October your 1 BTC worth $634.

It's then better to convert your money to bitcoins and leave it there as it rises with time.

It's also easy to buy and sell bitcoins in Nigeria. There are many buyers and sellers in Nigeria.

http://www.standardgoldng.com/

https://www.nairaex.com/

https://naira4dollar.com/

I personally use standardgoldng. Check for his number on his website.

Call him or chat him up on WhatsApp to know the rate at which he sells or buys bitcoin at the moment.

Lets say he is selling $1 for N510

You then buy $101 for N51,510

(I purposely added $1 making $101, assuming you plan to start mmm with $100)

So when you confirm he has bitcoin to sell, you pay him naira into his bank account while he sends you the dollar equivalent to your bitcoin wallet address.

OPTIONAL: When you have made money in bitcoin, you can even send the dollar in bitcoin to your dollar domiciliary account in Nigeria.

But first you have to open a dollar domiciliary account and request a dollar MasterCard from the bank preferably GTB.

Then you can send dollar in bitcoin into your dollar domiciliary account using foreign online exchangers like https://24pay.me/en/order/btc_visamcusd

Now, since we know bitcoin is online money.

The next thing to choose is the online bank you want to use.

BLOCKCHAIN or COINBASE?

Just like choosing between GTB or ZENITH Bank.

In this scenario, BLOCKCHAIN is the best. because it's simple.

So we now need to open a BLOCKCHAIN BITCOIN ACCOUNT

Go to the website below, click on wallet tab then click on "create a free bitcoin address"

https://blockchain.info/wallet/

After registration, write down all passwords you have used for your blockchain somewhere safe.

(don't safe the password in your system, write it down)

To login to your blockchain account

Its easier to go to your email and click on the Login link they sent during registration.

It will take you to blockchain website where you put your password and click login.

An email will then be sent to your mail asking you to click on a link to approve login.

You then check your mail and click on the link to authenticate the login.

Then go back to the previous tab and proceed to your blockchain account.

Note: whenever you try to login, an email will sent to you for verification before you can login (for security reason).

So when you now login, you see you blockchain bitcoin account dashboard.

You can see you have 0 BTC which is equivalent to $ 0.0

So you need to fund your account by contacting any of the exchangers or trusted a somebody that wants to sell.

You need to get your Bitcoin Wallet Address (also called bitcoin account number)

Just click on "receive" to see and copy down you bitcoin wallet address

Example:  1PmhEMarUsjQNDarjKiE3oZUjDj1WPrW3z

This is what you give anybody that wants to send money into your bitcoin account.

STEP 3

ADDING BITCOIN WALLET TO MMM UNITED

Login to your MMM account

Click on Account

Click on Add

Copy and paste your bitcoin wallet address

If you see space for Security code

Check your email, they should send you a code that expires in 3 minutes.

You put the code beneath the box for Wallet address and press Save.

STEP 4

PROVIDING HELP

Now, you must have funded your blockchain bitcoin account and you want to make a pledge in MMM of an amount you wish to start with.

You login to your mmm account.

Click on "I want to Provide Help"

Tick I understand, Tick Bitcoin.

In the Add Request box,

Put the amount you wish to pledge.

Click on next and proceed.

Now you have made a pledge to pay $100.

Note:

You can be merged at any time to pay someone once you have pledged.

Failure to do so within 48 hours, will lead to the blocking of your account.

You can be asked to pay $50 first today and $50 later on.
So make sure you have up to the amount you pledged ready in your blockchain.


STEP 5
ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN MERGED TO PAY

You will get an email when you have been merged to pay.
Login to mmm united to verify you have been merged.

You will see the dashboard with the Time Left to pay at the top.

Click on Details to see the account number you have to pay into.
You will see the bitcoin account number

Note how much in dollars you are to pay.

Copy the bitcoin account number

Login to your blockchain account

Click on SEND money

Paste the bitcoin account and put the dollar amount.

So now you have paid your pledge.

You then need to go back to mmm united and confirm you have paid.

Before you go back to mmm united

You need to copy the TRANSACTION ID from blockchain

Because you will need to paste the transaction id in mmm to validate your payment.

STEP 5

HOW TO COPY TRANSACTION ID & VALIDATE PAYMENT

After you have paid in blockchain,

Go to https://blockchain.info/

In the Search box

Paste that bitcoin account number you paid into to see all transactions to and fro that account

You will then see transactions in that account

The GREEN arrow shows payments into that account

The RED arrow shows payments done by that account

Look at the time of your payment to tally closely to the transaction time

So you will be sure you are copying the right transaction ID.

After you have copied the right transaction ID.

Login to mmm united

Click on DETAILS of the particular transaction

Scroll down, you will see I have completed this payment

Click on it and paste the Transaction ID there to validate payment.

Click on the Dashboard after all to see the transaction marked GOOD.

That's it.

STEP 6

HOW TO GET HELP (WITHDRAW)

Now you want to collect your money plus profit.

You can be monitoring your daily growth by clicking MAVRO and click FUTURE

You can now wait for 30 days or 7 days.

Depending on how long you want to wait.

Note;

In mmm united, after 7 days of pledging, you can withdraw your capital plus the daily profits for 7 days.

In this case you have to stop the growth of your MAVRO and get help to withdraw.

Example;

If I start with $100, i have been merged and i have paid.

After 7 days , the $100 must have grown to $120.

I can stop the growth and take out the $120.

OTHER BENEFITS OF MMM UNITED

LOYALTY BONUS: You will be given 10% bonus of any amount you pledge every time.

SPEED BONUS: When you are merged and you pay within 4 hours, you get 5% bonus.

REFERRAL BONUS: When you refer someone, you get 5% of whatever he puts every time.

DISASTER: 6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Japan..

                          

Aftershocks could continue to shake the Japanese coast for days, the United States Geological Survey said, after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Honshu early Tuesday morning.

Residents along the east coast of Fukushima Prefecture braced for the worst after the quake set off a tsunami warning along the same stretch of coast devastated by a quake and tsunami in 2011.

Then, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake -- one of the worst ever to hit Japan -- killed more than 20,000 people and waves of up to 12 meters (40 feet) swamped the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, triggering a nuclear meltdown.

After Tuesday's quake, thousands were urged to seek higher ground amid warnings tsunami waves could be up to 3 meters high (10 feet). Three people were injured, police told CNN, while more than 1,900 homes briefly lost power.

University of Sydney Disaster Risk Management Expert Dale Dominey-Howes told CNN Tuesday's earthquake would be devastating for the mental health of survivors still recovering from the 2011 event.

"The simple reality is that the survivors from 2011 haven't gone back to normal, they're basically living as displaced people in camps in various locations around central Japan," he said.

"So today's earthquake and tsunami basically catapults people back into the moments of the 2011 disaster, all that emotion and pain ... Survivors will experience the trauma all over again."

Aftershocks

The quake struck 37 kilometers (23 miles) east-southeast of Namie at a depth of 11.4 kilometers (7 miles). Eight aftershocks of at least magnitude 5.4 were recorded within five hours of the initial quake.

USGS geophysicist Jessica Turner told CNN the earthquake had been much smaller than the disaster five years ago.

"It is much smaller in magnitude and energy release than the 9.0-magnitude that occurred in March of 2011 ... we can expect to see aftershocks for the next several days (but) it's hard to predict," she said.

A tsunami advisory, in effect for Japan's Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures, was lifted at 12.50 p.m. local time on Tuesday after being put in place earlier in the day.

One of the prime concerns was the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

A cooling pump system was temporarily stopped after the quake but soon resumed operation, a spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc. (TEPCO) told CNN. No abnormalities or change in radiation levels were reported.

SEE THIS: Donald Trump Outlines Policy Plan For First 100 Days.

                          

President-elect Donald Trump unveiled plans Monday for his first 100 days in office, including proposals related to immigration, trade deals and defense policy, using a video published online to briefly outline his proposals.

Trump promised to withdraw from negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, cancel environmental restrictions put in place by President Barack Obama, ask his national security team to buttress against infrastructure attacks, have the Labor Department investigate federal worker visas and impose broad new bans on lobbying by government employees.

The six items Trump detailed Monday are all somewhat easy lifts inside Washington -- because they can be done with a simple signature by Trump and do not require congressional approval.

But Trump also left out his biggest campaign promises -- including promises to build a wall along the Mexican border, establish a "deportation force," place new restrictions on immigration from some majority Muslim countries, repeal Obamacare and spend $1 trillion on infrastructure.

Unlike his items unveiled Monday, those measures would require the approval of Congress and are likely to take significantly more work.

Time and speed are very likely to be key factors as the new president looks for bigger, more durable wins in his first year. Republicans control the House and Senate, as well as the White House -- but Democrats struggled to pass key items, like Obamacare, when they were in a similar position eight years ago.

Republicans hold a firm majority in the House, but could struggle in the Senate, where Democrats will hold 48 seats next year, enough to blockade Trump measures.

Trump cast his measures as completely focused on American workers.

"Whether it's producing steel, building cars, or curing disease, I want the next generation of production and innovation to happen right here, in our great homeland: America -- creating wealth and jobs for American workers," Trump said in the two-and-a-half-minute video statement. "As part of this plan, I've asked my transition team to develop a list of executive actions we can take on day one to restore our laws and bring back our jobs."

Among his first actions, the Republican said he would "issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Transpacific Partnership" and replace it with negotiating "fair bilateral trade deals."

Trump campaigned on a promise to halt the progress of the TPP trade deal, an agreement President Barack Obama had hoped would be a part of his administration's trade legacy.

Some of the first international reaction came from Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"The TPP without the United States is meaningless," he said during a press conference at the APEC summit in Peru on Monday.

"Renegotiation is possible, because the TPP without the United States will collapse the balance of the benefit," Abe said, according to a translator.

"As for the policy of the new US government, I don't want to discuss with any assumption."

On immigration, Trump promised to "investigate all abuses of visa programs that undercut the American worker," but did not mention his signature campaign promise of building a wall along the US border with Mexico.

The items are all measures he broadly campaigned on, though Trump has begun moderating some of the toughest stances he took on the campaign trail. In an interview with "60 Minutes," he said that he would likely keep key portions of Obamacare.

And not long after his election win, his campaign took down the web page with his earlier promise to ban all Muslims from entering the country -- he has since moderated that view greatly, but left major questions on how precisely he would limit immigration.