Inspired by God

CLIENT SERVICE OFFICER JOB

2017-03-16T05:51:00.001-07:00

Job Title

			CLIENT SERVICE OFFICER
Job Classification			Hot
Job Type			Full Time
Job Description			Our client, a corporate promotions and marketing Services Company is looking to employ a value driven and smart individual as a Client Service Officer. The Client Service Officer shall provide effective support to the marketing unit by liaising with company’s clients, sourcing new business and ensuring all Purchase Orders received are seamlessly executed. The successful job holder shall report Client Service Executive and Head of Marketing/Business Services.
Job Responsibility			Key Responsibilities Maintain excellent business relationship with all existing key accounts Market all the company’s products and services to new and existing clients Conduct researches to determine what products and services will be required by new and existing clients Ensure that all samples are accurately coded as they appear in the stock record Attend presentations on behalf of the company to market goods and services Coordinate the production and delivery (end to end) of all orders brought in Conduct quality check on all orders before delivery to ensure 99% error free rate Advise management on new items to be sourced for the company’s sample stock Liaise with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure timely delivery of orders Maintain an electronic database of company’s clients
Job Requirement			Qualification and Experience OND in any relevant discipline The applicant must be Male Skills and Knowledge Must be able to work with little or no supervision Must be an advanced user of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) Ability to work in a small fast paced team Strong communication, analytical, problem-solving, and decision making skills Must be social media savvy
Management Experience			Not Applicable Email: careers@superheads.com.ng

Obasanjo’s 18-page letter entitled “Before it is too late”, dated December 2, 2013.

2013-12-17T01:09:00.003-08:00

OBJ’s letter to Jonathan

Obasanjo’s 18-page letter entitled “Before it is too late”, dated December 2, 2013.

BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

I am constrained to make this an open letter to you for a number of reasons. One, the current situation and consequent possible outcome dictate that I should, before the door closes on reason and promotion of national interest, alert you to the danger that may be lurking in the corner. Two, none of the four or more letters that I have written to you in the past two years or so has elicited an acknowledgment or any response. Three, people close to you, if not yourself, have been asking, what does Obasanjo want? Four, I could sense a semblance between the situation that we are gradually getting into and the situation we fell into as a nation during the Abacha era. Five, everything must be done to guard, protect and defend our fledgling democracy, nourish it and prevent bloodshed. Six, we must move away from advertently or inadvertently dividing the country along weak seams of North-South and Christian-Moslem. Seven, nothing should be done to allow the country to degenerate into economic dormancy, stagnation or retrogression.

Eight, some of our international friends and development partners are genuinely worried about signs and signals that are coming out of Nigeria. Nine, Nigeria should be in a position to take advantage of the present favourable international interest to invest in Africa - an opportunity that will not be open for too long. Ten, I am concerned about your legacy and your climb-down which you alone can best be the manager of, whenever you so decide.

Mr. President, you have on a number of occasions acknowledged the role God enabled me to play in your ascension to power. You put me third after God and your parents among those that have impacted most on your life. I have always retorted that God only put you where you are and those that could be regarded as having played a role were only instruments of God to achieve God’s purpose in your life. For me, I believe that politically, it was in the best interest of Nigeria that you, a Nigerian from minority group in the South, could rise to the highest pinnacle of political leadership. If Obasanjo could get there, Yar’Adua could get there and Jonathan can get there, any Nigerian can. It is now not a matter of the turn of any section or geographical area but the best interest of Nigeria and all Nigerians. It has been proved that no group – ethnic, linguistic, religious or geographical location – has monopoly of materials for leadership of our country. And no group solely by itself can crown any of its members the Nigerian CEO. It is good for Nigeria.

I have also always told you that God has graciously been kind, generous, merciful and compassionate to me and He has done more than I could have ever hoped for. I want nothing from you personally except that you should run the affairs of Nigeria not only to make Nigeria good, but to make Nigeria great for which I have always pleaded with you and I will always do so. And it is yet to be done for most Nigerians to see.

For five capacities in which you find yourself, you must hold yourself most significantly responsible for what happens or fails to happen in Nigeria and in any case, most others will hold you responsible and God who put you there will surely hold you responsible and accountable. I have had opportunity, in recent times, to interact closely with you and I have come to the conclusion painfully or happily that if you can shun yourself to a great extent of personal and political interests and dwell more on the national interest and also draw the line between advice from selfish and self-centered aides and advice from those who in the interest of the nation may not tell you what you will want to hear, it will be well. The five positions which you share with nobody except with God and which place great and grave responsibility on you are leadership of the ruling party, headship of the Federal Government or national government, Commander-in-Chief of the Military, Chief Security Officer of the nation, and the political leader of the country. Those positions go with being the President of our country and while depending on your disposition, you can delegate or devolve responsibility, but the buck must stop on your table whether you like it or not.

Let me start with the leadership of the ruling party. Many of us were puzzled over what was going on in the party. Most party members blamed the National Chairman. I understand that some in the presidency tried to create the impression that some of us were to blame. The situation became clear only when the National Chairman spoke out that he never did anything or acted in any way without the approval or concurrence of the Party Leader and that where the Party Leader disapproved, he made correction or amendment, that we realised most actions were those of the Chairman but the motivation and direction were those of the Leader. It would be unfair to continue to level full blames on the Chairman for all that goes wrong with the Party. The Chairman is playing the tune dictated by the Paymaster. But the Paymaster is acting for a definitive purpose for which deceit and deception seem to be the major ingredients. Up till two months ago, Mr. President, you told me that you have not told anybody that you would contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you that the signs and the measures on the ground do not tally with your statement. You said the same to one other person who shared his observation with me. And only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on. I must say that it is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honourable path. Although you have not formally informed me one way or the other, it will be necessary to refresh your memory of what transpired in 2011. I had gone to Benue State for the marriage of one of my staff, Vitalis Ortese, in the State. Governor Suswam was my hospitable host. He told me that you had accepted a one-term presidency to allow for ease of getting support across the board in the North. I decided to cross-check with you. You did not hesitate to confirm to me that you are a strong believer in a one-term of six years for the President and that by the time you have used the unexpired time of your predecessor and the four years of your first term, you would have almost used up to six years and you would not need any more term or time.

Later, I heard from other sources including sources close to you that you made the same commitment elsewhere, hence, my inclusion of it in my address at the finale of your campaign in 2011 as follows:

“…PDP should be praised for being the only party that enshrines federal character, zoning and rotation in its Constitution and practises it. PDP has brought stability and substantial predictability to the polity and to the system. I do not know who will be President of Nigeria after Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. That is in the hand of God. But with PDP policy and practice, I can reasonably guess from where, in term of section of the country, the successor to President Jonathan will come. And no internal democracy or competition will thereby be destroyed. The recent resort to sentiments and emotions of religion and regionalism is self-serving, unpatriotic and mischievous, to say the least. It is also preying on dangerous emotive issues that can ignite uncontrollable passion and can distabilise if not destroy our country. This is being oblivious to the sacrifices others have made in the past for unity, stability and democracy in Nigeria in giving up their lives, shedding their blood, and in going to prison. I personally have done two out of those three sacrifices and I am ready to do the third if it will serve the best interest of Nigerian dream. Let me appeal to those who have embarked on this dangerous road to reflect and desist from taking us on a perishable journey.

With common identity as Nigerians, there is more that binds us than separates us. I am a Nigerian, born a Yoruba man, and I am proud of both identities as they are for me complementary. Our duties, responsibilities and obligations to our country as citizens and, indeed, as leaders must go side by side with our rights and demands. There must be certain values and virtues that must go concomitantly with our dream. Thomas Paine said “my country is the world”; for me, my country I hold dear.

On two occasions, I have had opportunity to work for my successors to the government of Nigeria. On both occasions, I never took the easy and distabilising route of ethnic, regional or religious consideration, rather I took the enduring route of national, uniting and stabilising route. I worked for both President Shagari and President Yar’Adua to succeed me not just because they are Moslems, Northerners or Hausa-Fulani, but because they could strengthen the unity, stability and democracy in Nigeria. We incurred the displeasure of ethnic chauvinists for doing what was right for the country. That is in the nature of burden of leadership. A leader must lead, no matter whose ox is gored.

In the present circumstance, let me reiterate what I have said on a number of occasions. Electing Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, in his own right and on his own merit, as the President of Nigeria will enhance and strengthen our unity, stability and democracy. And it will lead us towards the achievement of our Nigerian dream.

There is a press report that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has already taken a unique and unprecedented step of declaring that he would only want to be a one-term President. If so, whether we know it or not, that is a sacrifice and it is statesmanly. Rather than vilify him and pull him down, we, as a Party, should applaud and commend him and Nigerians should reward and venerate him. He has taken the first good step.

Let us encourage him to take more good steps by voting him in with landslide victory as the fourth elected President of Nigeria on the basis of our common Nigerian identity and for the purpose of actualising Nigerian dream…”

When you won the election, one of the issues you very early pursued was that of one term of six years. That convinced me that you meant what you told me before my Speech at the campaign. Mr. President, whatever may be your intention or plan, I cannot comment much on the constitutional aspect of your second term or what some people call third term. That is for both legal and judicial attention. But if constitutionally you are on a strong wicket if you so decide, it will be fatally and morally flawed. As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour both of which are important ingredients of character. I will want to see anyone in the Office of the Presidency of Nigeria as a man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honour in his words and character. I will respect you for upholding these attributes and for dignifying that Office.

Chinua Achebe said, “One of the truest test of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” It is a lesson for all leaders including you and me.

However, Mr. President, let me hope that as you claimed that you have not told anybody that you are contesting and that what we see and hear is a rumbling of overzealous aides, you will remain a leader that can be believed and trusted without unduly passing the buck or engaging in game of denials.

Maybe you also need to know that many party members feel disappointed in the double game you were alleged to play in support of party gubernatorial candidates in some States where you surreptitiously supported non-PDP candidates against PDP candidates in exchange for promise or act of those non-PDP Governors supporting you for your election in the past or for the one that you are yet to formally declare. It happened in Lagos in 2011 when Bola Tinubu was nocturnally brought to Abuja to strike a deal for support for your personal election at great price materially and in the fortune of PDP gubernatorial candidate.

As Chairman of BOT, I spoke to you at that time. It happened in Ondo State where there was in addition evidence of cover-up and non-prosecution of fraud of fake security report against the non-PDP candidate and his collaborators for the purpose of extracting personal electoral advantage for you. In fact, I have raised with you the story of those in other States in the South-West where some disgruntled PDP members were going around to recruit people into the Labour Party for you, because, for electoral purpose at the national level, Labour Party will have no candidate but you. It also happened in Edo State and those who know the detail never stopped talking about it. And you know it. Ditto in Anambra State with the fiasco coming from undue interference. If you as leader of the Party cannot be seen to be loyal to the PDP in support of the candidates of the Party and the interests of such Party candidates have to be sacrificed on the altar of your personal and political interest, then good luck to the Party and I will also say as I have had occasions to say in the past, good luck to Goodluck.

If on the altar of the Party you go for broke, the Party may be broken beyond repairs. And when in a dispute between two sides, they both stubbornly decide to fight to the last drop of blood, no one knows whose blood would be the last to drop. In such a situation, Nigeria as a nation may also be adversely affected, not just the PDP. I wish to see no more bloodshed occasioned by politics in Nigeria. Please, Mr. President, be mindful of that. You were exemplary in words when during the campaign and the 2011 elections, you said, “My election is not worth spilling the blood of any Nigerian.” From you, it should not be if it has to be, let it be. It should be from you, let peace, security, harmony, good governance, development and progress be for Nigeria. That is also your responsibility and mandate. You can do it and I plead that you do it. We all have to be mindful of not securing pyrrhic victory on the ashes of great values, attributes and issues that matter as it would amount to hollow victory without honour and integrity.

Whatever may be the feud in PDP and no matter what you or your aides may feel, you, as the Party Leader, have the responsibility to find solution, resolve and fix it. Your legacy is involved. If PDP as a ruling Party collapses, it will be the first time in an independent Nigeria that a ruling political party would collapse not as a result of a military coup. It is food for thought. At the prompting of Governors on both sides of the divide, and on encouragement from you, I spent two nights to intervene in the dispute of the PDP Governors. I kept you fully briefed at every stage.

I deliberately chose Banquet Hall at the Villa to ensure transparency. Your aides studied all the recordings of the two nights. But I told you at the end of the exercise that I observed five reactions among the Governors that required your immediate attention as you are the only one from the vantage point of your five positions that could deal effectively with the five reactions which were bitterness, anger, mistrust, fear and deep suspicion. I could only hope that you made efforts to deal with these unpleasant reactions.

The feud leading to the factionalisation of the Party made me to invite some select elders of the Party to mediate again. Since I was engaged in assignment outside the country, I was not able to join the three members of the elders group that presented the report of our mediation to you. I was briefed that you agreed to work on the report. It would appear that for now, the ball is in your court as the Leader of the Party. I can only wish you every success in your handling of the issue. But time is not your friend or that of the Party in this respect. With leadership come not just power and authority to do and to undo, but also responsibility and accountability to do and to undo rightly, well and justly. Time and opportunity are treasure that must be appreciated and shared to enhance their value and utilitarianism.

It is instructive that after half a dozen African Presidents have spoken to me to help you with unifying the Party based on your request to them and I came in company of Senator Amadu Ali to discuss the whole issue with you again, strangely, you denied ever requesting or authorising any President to talk to me. I was not surprised because I am used to such a situation of denial coming from you. Of course, I was not deterred. I have done and I will continue to do and say what is first, in the best interest of Nigeria and second, what is in the best interest of the Party. I stand for the aims, objectives, mission and vision of the founding fathers of the Party, to use it as a wholesome instrument of unity, good governance, development, prosperity and progress of Nigeria and all Nigerians. I have contributed to this goal in the past and no one who has been raised to position on the platform of the Party should shy away from further contribution to avoid division and destruction of the Party on any altar whatsoever.

Debates and dialogues are necessary to promote the interest and work for the progress of any human institution or organisation. In such a situation, agreements and disagreements will occur but in the final analysis, leadership will pursue the course of action that benefit the majority and serve the purpose of the organisation, not the purpose of an individual or a minority. In that process, unity is sustained and everybody becomes a winner. The so-called crisis in the PDP can be turned to an opportunity of unity, mutual understanding and respect with the Party emerging with enhanced strength and victory. It will be a win-win for all members of the Party and for the country. By that, PDP would have proved that it could have internal disagreement and emerge stronger. The calamity of failure can still be avoided. Please, move away from fringes or the extremes and move to the centre and carry ALL along. Time is running out.

I will only state that as far as your responsibility as Chief Security Officer of the nation is concerned for Nigerians, a lot more needs to be done to enhance the feeling of security amongst them. Whether one talks of the issue of militancy in the Niger Delta, the underlying causes of which have not been adequately addressed, if addressed at all, kidnapping, piracy, abductions and armed robberies which rather than abate are on the increase and Boko Haram which requires carrot and stick approach to lay its ghost to rest, the general security situation cannot be described as comforting. Knowing the genesis of Boko Haram and the reasons for escalation of violence from that sector with the widespread and ramification of the menace of Boko Haram within and outside the Nigerian borders, conventional military actions based on standard phases of military operations alone will not permanently and effectively deal with the issue of Boko Haram. There are many strands or layers of causes that require different solutions, approaches or antidotes. Drug, indoctrination, fundamentalism, gun trafficking, hate culture, human trafficking, money laundering, religion, poverty, unemployment, poor education, revenge and international terrorism are among factors that have effect on Boko Haram.

One single prescription cannot cure all these ailments that combine in Boko Haram. Should we pursue war against violence without understanding the root causes of the violence and applying solutions to deal with all underlying factors – root, stem and branches? Nigeria is bleeding and the hemorrhage must be stopped. I am convinced that you can initiate measures that will bring all hands on deck to deal effectively with this great menace.

Mr. President, the most important qualification for your present position is your being a Nigerian. Whatever else you may be besides being a Nigerian is only secondary for this purpose. And if majority of Nigerians who voted had not cast their votes for you, you could not have been there. For you to allow yourself to be “possessed”, so to say, to the exclusion of most of the rest of Nigerians as an ‘Ijaw man’ is a mistake that should never have been allowed to happen. Yes, you have to be born in one part of Nigeria to be a Nigerian if not naturalised, but the Nigerian President must be above ethnic factionalism. And those who prop you up as of, and for ‘Ijaw nation’ are not your friends genuinely, not friends of Nigeria nor friends of ‘Ijaw nation’, they tout about. To allow or tacitly encourage people of ‘Ijaw nation’ to throw insults on other Nigerians from other parts of the country and threaten fire and brimstone to protect your interest as an Ijaw man is myopic and your not openly quieting them is even more unfortunate. You know that I have expressed my views and feelings to you on this issue in the past but I have come to realise that many others feel the way I have earlier expressed to you. It is not the best way of making friendship among all sections of Nigeria. You don’t have shared and wholesome society without inclusive political, economic and social sustainable development and good governance. Also declaring that one section of the country voted for you as if you got no votes from other sections can only be an unnecessary talk, to put it mildly. After all and at the end of the day, democracy is a game of numbers. Even, if you would not need people’s vote across the country again, your political Party will.

Allegation of keeping over 1,000 people on political watch list rather than criminal or security watch list and training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha, and training them where Abacha trained his own killers, if it is true, cannot augur well for the initiator, the government and the people of Nigeria. Here again, there is the lesson of history to learn from for anybody who cares to learn from history. Mr. President would always remember that he was elected to maintain security for all Nigerians and protect them. And no one should prepare to kill or maim Nigerians for personal or political ambition or interest of anyone. The Yoruba adage says, “The man with whose head the coconut is broken may not live to savour the taste of the succulent fruit.” Those who advise you to go hard on those who oppose you are your worst enemies. Democratic politics admits and is permissive of supporters and opponents. When the consequences come, those who have wrongly advised you will not be there to help carry the can. Egypt must teach some lesson.

Presidential assistance for a murderer to evade justice and presidential delegation to welcome him home can only be in bad taste generally but particularly to the family of his victim. Assisting criminals to evade justice cannot be part of the job of the Presidency. Or, as it is viewed in some quarters, is he being recruited to do for you what he had done for Abacha in the past? Hopefully, he should have learned his lesson. Let us continue to watch.

As Head of Government, the buck of the performance and non-performance stops on your table and let nobody tell you anything to the contrary. Most of our friends and development partners are worried and they see what we pretend to cover up. They are worried about issue of security internally and on our coastal waters, including heavy oil theft, alias bunkering and piracy. They are worried about corruption and what we are doing or not doing about it. Corruption has reached the level of impunity. It is also necessary to be mindful that corruption and injustice are fertile breeding ground for terrorism and political instability. And if you are not ready to name, shame, prosecute and stoutly fight against corruption, whatever you do will be hollow. It will be a laughing matter.

They are worried about how we play our role in our region and, indeed, in the world. In a way, I share some of their concerns because there are notable areas we can do more or do better than we are doing. Some of our development partners were politically frustrated to withdraw from the Olokola LNG project, which happily was not yet the same with the Brass. I initiated them both. They were viable and would have taken us close to Qatar as LNG producing country. Please do not frustrate Brass LNG and in the interest of what is best for Nigerian economy, bring back the OK LNG into active implementation. The major international oil companies have withheld investment in projects in Nigeria. If they have not completely moved out, they are divesting. Nigeria, which is the Saudi of Africa in oil and gas terms, is being overtaken by Angola only because necessary decisions are not made timely and appropriately. Mr. President, let me again plead with you to be decisive on the oil and gas sector so that Nigeria may not lag behind. Oil with gas is being discovered all over Africa. New technology is producing oil from shale elsewhere. We should make hay while the sun shines. I hope we can still save the OK and Brass LNG projects.

Three things are imperative in the oil and gas sector – stop oil stealing, encourage investment, especially by the IOCs and improve the present poor management of the industry. On the economy generally, it suffices to say that we could do better than we are doing. The signs are there and the expectations are high. The most dangerous ticking bomb is youth unemployment, particularly in the face of unbridled corruption and obscene rulers’ opulence.

Let me repeat that as far as the issue of corruption, security and oil stealing is concerned, it is only apt to say that when the guard becomes the thief, nothing is safe, secure nor protected in the house. We must all remember that corruption, inequity and injustice breed poverty, unemployment, conflict, violence and wittingly or unwittingly create terrorists because the opulence of the governor can only lead to the leanness of the governed. But God never sleeps, He is watching, waiting and bidding His time to dispense justice.

The serious and strong allegation of non-remittance of about $7bn from the NNPC to central bank occurring from export of some 300,000 barrels per day, amounting to $900 million a month, to be refined and with refined products of only $400m returned and Atlantic Oil loading about 130,000 barrels sold by Shell and managed on behalf of NPDC with no sale proceeds paid into NPDC account is incredible. The allegation was buttressed by the letter of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria to you on non-remittance to the central bank. This allegation will not fly away by non-action, cover-up, denial or bribing possible investigators. Please deal with this allegation transparently and let the truth be known.

The dramatis personae in this allegation and who they are working for will one day be public knowledge. Those who know are watching if the National Assembly will not be accomplice in the heinous crime and naked grand corruption. May God grant you the grace for at least one effective corrective action against high corruption, which seems to stink all around you in your government.

The international community knows us as we are and maybe more than we claim to know ourselves. And a good friend will tell you the truth no matter how bitter. Denials and cover-up of what is obvious, true and factual can detract from honour, dignity and respect. Truth and transparency dignify and earn respect. And life without passion for something can only achieve little. I was taken aback when an African Development Bank Director informed me that the water project for Port Harcourt, originally initiated by the Federal Government and to be financed by the bank, is being put in the cooler by the Federal Government because of the Amaechi-Jonathan face-off. Amaechi, whether he likes it or not, will cease to be governor over Rivers State, which Port Harcourt is part by the end of May 2015, but residents of Port Harcourt will continue to need improvement of their water supply. President Jonathan should rise above such pettiness and unpresidential act, if it is coming from him. But if not, and it is the action of overzealous officials reading the situation, he should give appropriate instruction for the project to be pursued. And there are other projects anywhere suffering the same coolness as a result of similar situation, let national interest supercede personal or political feud and the machinations of satanic officials.

Mr. President, let me plead with you for a few things that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. Don’t always consider critics on national issues as enemies. Some of them may be as patriotic and nationalistic as you and I who have been in government. Some of them have as much passion for Nigeria as we have. I saw that among Nigerians living abroad, hence, I initiated Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO. You must also differentiate between malevolent, mischievous and objective criticism. Analyses, criticisms and commentaries on government actions and policies are sinew of democracy.

Please, Mr. President, be very wary of assistants, aides and collaborators who look for enemies for you. I have seen them with you and some were around me when I was in your position. I knew how not to allow them create enemies for me. If you allow them, everybody except them will be your enemy. They are more dangerous than identified adversaries. May God save leaders from sycophants. They know what you want to hear and they feed you with it essentially for their own selfish interest. As far as you and Nigeria are concerned, they are wreckers. Where were they when God used others to achieve His will in your life. They possess you now for their interest. No interest should be higher or more important than the Nigerian interest to you. You have already made history and please do nothing to mar history. I supported you as I supported Yar’Adua. For me, there is neither North-South divide nor Christian-Moslem divide but one Nigeria.

Let me put it, that talks, loose and serious, abound about possible abuse and misuse of the military and the legitimate security apparatus for unwholesome personal and political interest to the detriment of the honour, dignity, oath and professionalism of these honourable and patriotic forces.

Let me urge the authorities not to embark on such destructive path for an important element of our national make-up. The roles of the military and the security agencies should be held sacrosanct in the best interest of the nation. Again, let not history repeat itself here.

I believe that with what Nigeria went through in the past, the worst should have already happened. It must be your responsibility as the captain of the ship to prevent the ship from going aground or from a shipwreck. For anybody close to you saying that if the worst happens, he or she would not be involved is idle and loose talk. If we leave God to do His will and we don’t rely only on our own efforts, plans and wisdom, God will always do His best. And the power of money and belief in it is satanically tempting. As I go around Nigeria and the world, I always come across Nigerians who are first-class citizens of the world and who are doing well where they are and who are passionate to do well for Nigeria. My hope for our country lies in these people. They abound and I hope that all of us will realise that they are the jewels of Nigeria wherever they may be and not those who arrogate to themselves eternal for ephemeral.

Also, to my embarrassment at times, I learned more about what is going on in the public and private sectors of Nigeria from our development partners, international institutions and those transacting business in Nigeria most times I was abroad. On returning home to verify the veracity of these stories, I found some of them not only to be true but more horrifying than they were presented abroad. Other countries look up to Nigeria for regional leadership. Failure on the part of Nigeria will create a schism that will be bad for the region.

Knowing what happens around you, most of which you know of and condone or deny, this letter will provoke cacophony from hired and unhired attackers but I will maintain my serenity because by this letter, I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your government, to the Party, PDP, and to our country, Nigeria. If I stuck out my neck and God used me and others as instrument to work hard for you to reach where you are today in what I considered the best political interest of Nigeria, tagging me as your enemy or the enemy of your administration by you, your kin or your aides can only be regarded as ridiculous to extreme. If I see any danger to your life, I will point it out to you or ward it off as I have done in the past.

But I will not support what I believe is not in the best interest of Nigeria, no matter who is putting it forward or who is behind it. Mr. President, I have passed the stage of being flattered, intimidated, threatened, frightened, induced or bought. I am never afraid to agree or disagree but it will always 13 be on principles, and if on politics, in the national interest. After my prison experience in the close proximity of and sharing facilities with an asylum in Yola, there is nothing worse for anyone alive and well. And that was for a military dictator to perpetuate himself in power. Death is the end of all human beings and may it come when God wills it to come. The harassment of my relations and friends and innuendo that are coming from the Government security apparatus on whether they belong to new PDP or supporters of defected Governors and which are possibly authorised or are the work of overzealous aides and those reading your lips to act in your interest will be counter-productive. It is abuse of security apparatus. Such abuse took place last in the time of Abacha.

Lies and untruths about me emanating from the presidency is too absurd to contemplate. Saying that I recommended a wanted criminal by UK and USA authorities to you or your aides to supplant legitimately elected PDP leader in South-West is not only unwise and crude but also disingenuous. Nobody in his or her right senses will believe such a story and surely nobody in Ogun State or South-West zone will believe such nonsense. It is a clear indication of how unscrupulous and unethical the presidency can go to pursue your personal and political interest. Nothing else matters. What a pity! Nothing at this stage of my life would prevent me from standing for whatever I consider to be in the best interest of Nigeria – all Nigeria, Africa and the world in that order. I believe strongly that a united and strong PDP at all costs is in the best interest of Nigeria. In these respects, if our interests and views coincide, together we will march. Putting a certified unashamed criminal wanted abroad to face justice and who has greatly contributed to corruption within the judiciary on a high profile of politics as you and your aides have done with the man you enthrone as PDP Zonal leader in the South-West is the height of disservice to this country politically and height of insult to the people of South-West in general and members of PDP in that zone in particular.

For me, my politics goes with principles and morality and I will not be a party to highly profiling criminals in politics, not to say one would be my zonal leader. It destroys what PDP stands for from its inception…

God is never a supporter of evil and will surely save PDP and Nigeria from the hands of destroyers. If everything fails and the Party cannot be retrieved from the hands of criminals and commercial jobbers and discredited touts, men and women of honour, principles, morality and integrity must step aside to rethink.

Let me also appeal to and urge defected, dissatisfied, disgruntled and in any way displeased PDP Governors, legislators, party officials and party members to respond positively if the President seriously takes the initiative to find mutually agreeable solution to the current problems for which he alone has the key and the initiative. I have heard it said particularly within the presidency circle that the disaffected Governors and members of PDP are my children. I begin to wonder if, from top to bottom, any PDP 15 member in elective office today is not directly or indirectly a beneficiary and, so to say, my political child. Anyone who may claim otherwise will be like a river that has forgotten its source. But like a good father, all I seek is peaceful and amicable solution that will re-unite the family for victory and progress of the family and the nation and nothing else.

In a democracy, leaders are elected to lighten the burden of the people, give them freedom, choice and equity and ensure good governance and not to deceive them, burden them, oppress them, render them hopeless and helpless. Nothing should be done to undermine the tenets, and values of democratic principles and practice. Tyranny in all its manifestation may be appealing to a leader in trying times of political feud or disagreement. Democracy must, however, prevail and be held as sacrosanct. Today, you are the President of Nigeria, I acknowledge you and respect you as such.

The act of an individual has a way of rubbing off on the generality.

May it never be the wish of majority of Nigerians that Goodluck Jonathan, by his acts of omission or commission, would be the first and the last Nigerian President ever to come from Ijaw tribe. The idea and the possibility must give all of us food for thought. That was never what I worked for and that would never be what I will work for. But legacy is made of such or the opposite.

My last piece of advice, Mr. President, is that you should learn the lesson of history and please do not take Nigeria and Nigerians for granted.

Move away from culture of denials, cover-ups and proxies and deal honesty, sincerely and transparently with Nigerians to regain their trust and confidence. Nigerians are no fools, they can see, they can hear, they can talk among themselves, they can think, they can compare and they can act in the interest of their country and in their own self-interest. They keenly watch all actions and deeds that are associated with you if they cannot believe your words. I know you have the power to save PDP and the country. I beg you to have the courage and the will with patriotism to use the power for the good of the country. Please uphold some form of national core values. I will appeal to all Nigerians particularly all members of PDP to respect and dignify the Office of the President. We must all know that individuals will come and go but the Office will remain.

Once again, time is of the essence. Investors are already retreating 16 from Nigeria, adopting ‘wait and see attitude’ and knowing what we are deficient of, it will take time to reverse the trend and we may miss some golden opportunities.

Finally, your later-day conversion into National Conference is fraught with danger of disunity, confusion and chaos if not well handled. I believe in debate and dialogue but it must be purposeful, directed and managed well without ulterior motives. The ovation has not died out yet and there is always life after a decent descent.

Accept, Dear Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Olusegun Obasanjo

I crave your indulgence to share the contents of this letter, in the first instance, with General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who, on a number of occasions in recent times, have shared with me their agonising thoughts, concerns and expressions on most of the issues I have raised in this letter concerning the situation and future of our country. I also crave your indulgence to share the contents with General Yakubu Danjuma and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, whose concerns for and commitments to the good of Nigeria have been known to be strong.

The limit of sharing of the contents may be extended as time goes on.

Olusegun Obasanjo

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/objs-letter-jonathan/#sthash.4D4s3bEN.dpuf

STRIKE: ASUU adamant, denies knowledge of N200bn at CBN...

2013-12-06T05:29:00.003-08:00

STRIKE: ASUU adamant, denies knowledge of N200bn at CBN

BY Emeka Mamah & Ikenna Asomba

University lecturers, under the auspices of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, denied any knowledge of the N200 billion said to have been deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by Federal Government, as a way of resolving the six months old strike which had paralysed academic activities in the nation’s universities.

ASUU also lamented that government was fond of rushing to the media with propaganda and falsehood, instead of resolving the contentious issues headlong, and vowed to continue with the strike until it was officially notified about the payment.

Meanwhile, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and former Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, Igwe Simeon Itodo, yesterday appealed to ASUU members to call off the strike in the interest of students, parents and the educational system in the country.

President Goodluck Jonathan (left); ASUU Vice President, Mr. Biodun Ogunyemi Onabanjo (2nd right); Vice President Namadi Sambo (2nd left) and ASUU President, Nasir Faggae (right) during the meeting.

Presidency statement

Addressing newsmen in Abuja Wednesday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, asked ASUU to call its members back to work, since government had fulfilled its own part of the bargain, by paying the said amount into CBN.

According to him, the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation had authorised the payment of the money into CBN via a letter with reference number FD/OAGF/220/ ADC/1/4DF, dated November 13.
Okupe said the money was paid into a ‘Revitalisation of Universities Infrastructural Account’ with the CBN.

However, speaking in a telephone interview with Vanguard yesterday, Chairman of ASUU at the University of Ibadan, Dr. Segun Ajiboye, said the union would continue with the strike as government was yet to officially notify it, detailing the evidence of such payment.

He said: “We read in the papers today (yesterday), that government has presented proof of the N200 billion deposited to in a CBN account for the funding of universities and therefore that we must call-off the strike or face sack.

No evidence— ASUU

“As I speak to you, we are yet to get any evidence of the payment as claimed by government.
“Our union is still expecting an official reply of the letter we wrote to the President through the Supervising Minister of Education on November 22.

“It is very simple. All we request from the Federal Government is to document all it said it has done and will do, and get it duly signed by the Attorney-General of the Federation.

“When this is done, then we expect the Federal Government to invite our union for a meeting so that the final document can be duly recognised and signed by both parties.

“As a union of intellectuals, we see the government’s claims as payment on pages of newspapers.”
Reacting to the extension of the sack threat deadline to November 9, Ajiboye said: “The threat to sack over 30,000 lecturers is laughable.

Our members are resolute to salvage the decadence in our educational system. So, we are unperturbed by the threat.”

On individual varsities resuming

On some universities that had already resumed academic activities, the don said: “I can assure you, that there is no university where teaching is taking place.

“Mind you, universities have not been totally shut down in the last six months. Just that academic activities were stopped.
“So if administrative activities are going on, it would be wrong to say that universities have resumed. Look, when Vice Chancellors go into the classroom to teach with armed policemen, can we say teaching is taking place?”

On his part, Dr. Idris Adekunle, Chairman of ASUU, Lagos State University branch, said: “If you had discussions with some group of people and some resolutions where reached, I think it is logical to write the people you had discussions with stating your new position.

“After our meeting with government on November 4, we wrote government on November 8 and 22, stating some grey areas, which we believe govern-ment should meet to end this strike.

“But for reasons unknown to us, the government never replied our letters. Now, it is claiming it has made payment of the N200 billion revitalisation funds for universities into a CBN account.

“As a union made up of intellectuals, ASUU cannot just believe that payment has been made, which is only on the pages of newspapers.

“Even if government writes us that it has deposited the money, providing an account number, we must confirm the payment from CBN.

“I must lament that I see all these as normal government’s propaganda. The government is playing with the lives and future of our children using personalities we already know.
“This is not helping this nation. However, ASUU is resolute to ensure government is accountable and responsive to the people.
“Once we get government’s official letter, inviting us for a meeting, we will call-off the strike after the resolutions reached must have been signed by both parties.”

ACF…
Meanwhile, ACF in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, said: “Now that Nigerians have been told by the Federal Government and ASUU that necessary agreements and planned actions have been completed preparatory for resumption of lectures, and that all that remain is mere paper works needed for the agreements and planned actions to find expression, ACF wishes to call on ASUU to please hasten the completion of the said paper works with a view to calling off the strike forthwith in the interest of the students, parents and educational system.
”

Sack threat: We are resolute in our stand – ASUU

2013-12-05T06:04:00.002-08:00

Sack threat: We are resolute in our stand – ASUU

By AMAKA ABAYOMI, LAJU ARENYEKA & IKENNA ASOMBA

Despite the ultimatum given by the Federal Government to the striking university lecturers to call off the strike or face the risk of being sacked, the lecturers have remained resolute in their stand, saying they would only shift ground when government does the right thing.

Recall that the Federal Government, through the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, a week ago, ordered the striking lecturers to resume work on or before December 4, or face the prospect of being sacked. The ultimatum has now been extended to Monday, December 9.

Briefing journalists on Monday, National President, ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge said government was free to open all the federal universities in the country but all ASUU members would not go back to work unless the government met all their demands.

File: Cross section of stakeholders at a meeting to review the ongoing strike by ASUU held at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan. Photo by Dare Fasube

“We shall bow only to what we as academics are convinced will serve the interest of Nigeria and its people, no matter their ethnic, religious or class origins. This is where we stand we shall never be cowed.

“Since the issuance of the union’s response to the said letter, the salvos that have been coming out, allegedly from the Minister of Education, make one to wonder whether the person that is charged with the responsibility of superintending over the Nigeria’s education system has the wherewithal to handle such a vital national assignment.”

The ASUU President stated that ASUU had no role in closing and opening of universities in Nigeria, rather it could withdraw its services which he said was the right of every worker.

Justifying government’s plans to sack lecturers, the Public Relations Officer, National Universities Commission, Mallam Ibrahim Yakassai said: “Federal Government has every right to sack ASUU if the union is being unreasonable, just the same way your employer has the right to sack you.

“Everyone keeps going on and on about the 2009 agreement, everyone is listening to ASUU, but no one wants to listen to government, which has given ASUU most of the things they asked for and has bent over backwards for ASUU.

“Government would be justified in sacking lecturers if they do not return to the classrooms, lecturers are not the only ones in the employ of the Federal Government to be causing this kind of headache.”

Pointing out that the union is unperturbed by the threat, the Chairman of ASUU, Lagos State University, LASU, Dr. Idris Adekunle, said: “there is no law that established any committee of Pro-Chancellors, therefore, we are not bound by any directive of the Committee. We are on a national strike and are still negotiating with government and we know that such directive is not in the best interest of education stakeholders.

“Our members know that we are fighting a just cause which is to stop the decadence in our education sector and we are bent to see it to the end. We are not bothered about any clandestine move that may come from anywhere because we are resolute, believe in the cause and are ready to fight this to the end.”

For the ASUU Ibadan Zonal Chairman, Dr Adesola Nasir, government’s order for schools to reopen is not the same thing as the academic staff resuming work because the schools were shut down by the management.

“One thing that I know is that ASUU members are resolute in our stand that we are not calling off the strike till government does the right thing.

“The threat is so primitive in this day and time, especially coming from someone who is from the academic. Rather than worrying how to fill in the over 23,000 short in teaching staff and move the sector forward, government is threatening to sack us.

“We are not bothered by the threat because we are not asking for money for our pockets but for the development of the varsity system. Government keeps complaining that our graduates are not employable yet they don’t want to put things in place to make them employable.”

The former Registrar, University of Lagos, Mr. Rotimi Shodimu said “whether or not the President said it is the Committee of Vice Chancellors or of Pro-Chancellors that issued the ultimatum, I have no doubt that the Federal Government and the Presidency gave the go ahead. From the President’s mannerism, it is obvious that he endorsed the ultimatum.”

An online reader, Terry4brandy, said “how would Jonathan honour the agreement with ASUU when Asari Dokubo has a university in Benin Republic? I have been expecting Asari Dokubo and his comrades in arm to start ‘shooting’ ASUU members back into classrooms.”

A parent, who declined to give his name, said “whatever is worth doing is worth doing well, ASUU should see this struggle to a logical conclusion. You can see the level of confusion with the Nigerian government GEJ, Wike, CVC and committee of Pro-Chancellors who among these issued the ultimatum? Therefore, as far as I’m concerned, government is not yet ready to resolve the crisis, it still needs additional dose of the strike.”

Describing government’s sack threat as empty, the Chairmnn of ASUU, Kogi State University, KSU, Dr. Sylvester Ukwuteno, said “I think the threat by government to sack lecturers after the Wednesday, December 4 deadline is an empty threat. Wike who issued the threat is only mis-educating and misleading the Presidency on this issue.

“Unfortunately, much is left to be desired, as regards the latest denial by the President himself that it was the Committee of Vice Chancellors who gave a seven-day ultimatum for lecturers to resume or risk being sacked. Our position still remains that government should do what is expected of them as contained in our letter.”

Pull-away varsities

In obedience to the federal government’s directive, a growing number of schools have pulled away from the struggle and have reopened and also instructed their students to resume classes.

Pointing out that reopening schools and lecturers resuming work are two different ball games, the University of Lagos ASUU Chairman, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, said management can order for schools to be reopened because they, not lecturers, were the ones that locked up the schools in the first place.

“Government just wants to create a band wagon effect by making people believe that some schools are pulling out. We have contacted our members in different schools and we are resolute in our stand that government should release the N200bn it agreed to inject into the system then we can start from there.”

When asked if the pull away varsities would not affect the struggle, the LASU ASUU Chairman, Dr. Idris Adekunle, said “we are not bothered with any pull-away school and government’s threat to sack us. Nigerians are too knowledgeable to be cowed by those old storyline of the past.

“The military administration of General Ibrahim Babaginda tried it but didn’t succeed. We are now in a democratic dispensation where freedom of speech and expression is recognized. So, we are not bothered because the law protects us as a union to demonstrate and strike when all other options have failed.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/sack-threat-resolute-stand-asuu/#sthash.1vxRVm99.dpuf

Don’t send students back to campuses, ASUU begs Parents

2013-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Don’t send students back to campuses,

ASUU begs Parents

By Henry Umoru Ola Ajayi, Johnbosco Agbakwuru , Joseph Erunke & Ikenna Asomba

ABUJA — FORTY eight hours to the deadline given by the Federal Government to striking university lecturers to resume classes or be sacked, the union has remained adamant, advising parents not to risk the lives of their children by sending them to the campuses.

The Presidency, on its part accused ASUU leaders of treachery and warned the university lecturers not to dare the resolve of government to carry out its threat to sack them if they failed to resume.

The Senate President, David Mark has also cautioned the Federal Government over the threat to sack the striking lecturers just as the All Progressives Congress (APC) slammed the government for issuing the threat.

Supervising Minister for Education, Mr Nyesom Wike last Thursday gave the lecturers a seven-day ultimatum to resume from their six-month strike or risk being sacked. President Goodluck Jonathan, however, clarified, weekend, in Bayelsa that the Federal Government did not give the ultimatum, stating that it was given by the Committee of Vice Chancellors.

However, the Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors, Professor Mike Faborede denied the claim that his committee gave the ultimatum. He passed the buck to the Committee of Pro-Chancellors.

ASUU meantime said no academic activities would resume until the Federal Government perfects and implements resolutions reached with the union.

The order given by the Federal Government that universities across the country should resume seems not to have any impact in the University of Ibadan.

A visit to the campus, yesterday, showed that the order had been ignored by students as they did not turn up for resumption.

A student, Bolade who did not want his surname in print said the order was disregarded because they knew the approach of the Federal Government would only aggravate the face-off.

All the halls of residence — Kuti Hall, Sultan Bello, Independence, Nnamdi Azikwe, Queen Elizabeth and Idia Halls in the institution were still deserted. Though, the halls were opened, only some non academic staff and few students who did not leave the campus at all were seen.

Describing the threat by Federal Government as height of insensitivity, the academic union asked its members not to sign any register but to remain calm and stay resolute.

On denial by President Goodluck Jonathan that he never issued any ultimatum to the union, the National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge and University of Ibadan chapter of the Union, ASUU said it was laughable.

Fagge said: “Comrades, can you see the unfolding drama? Now, Jonathan says they didn’t give ultimatum; that the Vice Chancellors did and Wike became their trumpet; But NUC’s ultimatum is by Federal Government to us to resume or get sacked. And Wike’s press address says “FG has directed, “NOT”VCs have directed”Be calm, stay resolute. By God, we are on course”

Also speaking in the same vein, UI ASUU chairman, Dr. Segun Ajiboye asked parents not to risk the precious lives of “our students by releasing them, saying no lecturer will teach them.

“Don’t risk the lives of your children, keep your children at home because ASUU will not teach. Soldiers and the police deployed by the Federal Government will not teach. Mr Wike can come and teach in university. It is a huge joke to sack professors. Our strike must not be in vain. Our students must see the results. It is funny; we thought we are in a democracy. I assure Nigerians that we know what the law says about the strike. Our job is statute backed. We are not threatened. We do not trust the government. The record of the government is clear. This government is dishonouring agreements. Our members are resolved to pursue this to a logical conclusion”

UI ASUU also sent a text message to its staff reads: “Dear members, stay calm and remain resolute. There is nothing wrong in asking govt to do what it says it will do immediately. ASUU is not making any new demands as the Minister is propagating. Government is only repeating a ‘one act play’ scripted by the IBB dictatorship in early 90s. It didn’t work then, and, it won’t work now.!all branches are intact. We cannot be intimidated!!united we bargain, divided we beg!!!Aluta Continua.”

Don’t dare Govt, Presidency warns

Meanwhile, the Presidency yesterday accused the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU of treachery, just as it warned the university lecturers not to dare the resolve of government to carry out its threat to sack them if they failed to resume.

According to the Presidency, ASUU leaders have gone contrary to the desire of majority of their chapters who have voted and agreed to end the strike because of the personal intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, even as it boasted that it was joking with the threat of sacking the lecturers.

Addressing Journalists yesterday in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe said that ASUU leadership came into negotiation with a mindset that betrayed what he termed, lack of understanding that the nation and the government were a continuum.

Asked whether the Federal Government can fill the vacancies if the lecturers were indeed sacked, he retorted: “Do you think the government is joking?”

Okupe who noted that the 13-hour meeting Jonathan held with ASUU ended with a definite agreement and resolutions acceptable to the ASUU leadership, however stressed that the leadership of ASUU was expected to consult with its members nationwide and report back to government within one week.

“The ASUU leadership rather than take its responsibility seriously, wasted seven days before scheduling a meeting. When the meeting eventually held the leadership decided to thwart and undemocratically override the expressed will of majority of its chapters to call off the strike. This action is contrary to established practice and procedure of any democratic labour institution, which ASUU is expected to be.”

The Secretary-Generl of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors in a text message to Vanguard, last night, said: “The Committee of Pro-Chancellors (CPC), issued the ultimatum, not the Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC).”

Mark cautions FG over threat

Senate President, David Mark has also cautioned the federal government on the use of threat to solve the lingering crisis with ASUU.

The Senate President for the umpteenth time also pleaded with ASUU to reconsider their position and return to classes to salvage the already battered education sector from further deterioration.

Senator Mark who advised the Federal Government not to use the sledgehammer on ASUU on account of the five months strike when he commissioned a lecture theatre for the School of management sciences at the Kano state polytechnic donated by Senator Kabiru Gaya, pleaded with the teachers to resume classes while negations continue.

He said, “We have reached a situation where hardline positions would worsen the situation. My plea to ASUU is to resume classes while negotiation continues. The strike has done enough damage to our universities. They have also made their point and I think we should reason together and end this matter.

“Nobody, including the university teachers themselves can be said to be enjoying this crisis. It is a huge cost on government, parents, the management, staff and students of the universities.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/dont-send-students-back-campuses-asuu-begs-parents/#sthash.vRVFwDAZ.dpuf

We didn’t give ASUU ultimatum – Jonathan

2013-11-30T14:14:00.003-08:00

We didn’t give ASUU ultimatum – Jonathan

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

President Goodluck Jonathan has weekend, said his government did not give the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, an ultimatum to resume work or be sacked.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the expanded caucus meeting of the Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party held at Government House, Yenagoa, the President said, the Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the decision of the Committee of Vice Chancellors.

“We didn’t give them ultimatum; it was the Committee of Vice Chancellors that took that decision. The Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the decision.”

Jonathan also said the strike embarked upon by the ASUU was no longer a trade dispute , but a subversive action.

Jonathan

He said, “What ASUU is doing is no longer trade union. I have intervened in other labour issues before now, once I invite them they respond and after the meeting they take decision and call off the strike.

“At times we don’t even give them a long notice,unlike, in the case of ASUU that was given four days notice before the meeting. As you are meeting to resolve trade disputes, you expect the trade unions to get their officials ready.

“What was expected having met with the highest authorities in the land for long hours, was for ASUU to immediately issue statement within 12 or latest 24 hours , to state their position whether they were accepting government’s offer or not. And if they are not accepting they should state the reason for that.”

“But despite the fact that I had the longest meeting with ASUU in my political history, we did not start that meeting until around 2:00pm and the meeting ended the next day in the early hours. As far as the government of Nigeria was concerned, all the critical people that should be in a meeting were there, so what else do they want?

“After that they didn’t meet until one week, despite the fact that you met with the highest authority. It was unfortunate one of them, Prof. Iyayi died.

“The way ASUU has conducted the matter shows they are extreme and when Iyayi died, they now said the strike was now indefinite, our children have been at home for over five months.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/didnt-give-asuu-ultimatum-jonathan/#sthash.AtbpAlAm.dpuf

online job

2013-11-30T00:17:00.001-08:00

make good money online... http://www.sfi1.biz/13409034

Inspired by God: FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked

2013-11-29T04:22:00.001-08:00

Inspired by God: FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked: FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked By OLA AJAYI, GBENGA ARIYIBI, LAIDE AKINBOADE & LAJU ARENYEKA ABUJA — The five-month-old face...

FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked

2013-11-29T04:21:00.001-08:00

FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked

By OLA AJAYI, GBENGA ARIYIBI, LAIDE AKINBOADE & LAJU ARENYEKA

ABUJA — The five-month-old face-off between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over non-implementation of the 2009 agreement assumed a dramatic dimension yesterday, as the government vowed to sack any lecturer who fails to return to class within seven days.

The government has, therefore, directed all vice-chancellors of federal universities that are currently on strike to immediately re-open for academic and allied activities.

The striking lecturers on their part, declared the directive by the Federal Government a joke, saying they will never be intimidated into calling off the strike.

File Photo

Supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike who briefed journalists in Abuja yesterday on the strike said it was rather unfortunate that after a 13-hour meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on November 4, 2013, the union came up with new conditions before they could call off the strike.

He said it was obvious that the new conditions put forward by ASUU were not in the interest of the nation. One of the conditions was that President Jonathan should facilitate endorsement of resolutions reached with him, which must be signed by a high ranking government official, preferably the Attorney-General of the Federation but not a permanent secretary. ASUU said their representative as well as the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwahid Omar, would stand as witnesses.

The striking lecturers also wanted the N200 billion agreed upon as 2013 revitalisation fund for public universities to be lodged with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and disbursed to the benefitting universities. They also want the government to pay their salary arrears before resuming academic activities.

Resume or get sacked— Wike

Speaking with newsmen, yesterday, Wike said: “All Vice-chancellors of Federal Universities that are on strike should immediately reopen for academic and allied activities as directed by their Pro-Chancellors. Vice-Chancellors should ensure that staff who resume for work are provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities.

“Any academic staff who fails to resume on or before December 4, 2013, automatically ceases to be staff of the institution and vice-chancellors are also directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions”. He also accused ASUU of sabotaging the effort of government in addressing the issues especially after having a 13-hour meeting with President Jonathan where all issues were resolved and firm commitments were made.

He said ASUU first met with Vice- President Namadi Sambo but there was no positive response; so they met with President Jonathan on November 4.

He said: “On November 4, 2013, in a 13 hour meeting, President Goodluck Jonathan met with the ASUU executive, the labour union leaders from Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, where all issues were resolved and firm commitments made to address the lingering issues.

“It is noteworthy that Mr. President’s gesture was more than sufficient to guarantee the commitment of Government to address all issues as resolved at the meeting with Mr. President.

“At the end of the meeting with Mr. President, the ASUU executive promised to meet with its National Executive Committee to present the resolutions reached and report back by Friday November 8, 2013.

“As a responsible government we cannot allow continuous closure of our public universities for this length of time (five months), as this poses danger to the education system, the future of our youths and national development”.

The minister therefore directed NUC to ensure all the Federal Government universities comply with the directives saying, “the National Universities Commission, NUC, is hereby directed to monitor the compliance of these directives by various institutions”.

When asked whether the directive by the Federal Government to vice chancellors to reopen was not against labour laws, he said if there were any grievances they should seek redress in the law court.

Threats will only worsen it—ASUU

However, ASUU, in its reaction said the threat by the Federal Government to sack university lecturers would only 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.

While the government is threatening to sack the lecturers, the union disclosed that Nigerian public universities needed 60,000 lecturers owing to failure of government to employ.

The treasurer of the union, Dr. Ademola Aremu, who spoke on behalf of the union said the Federal Government would only succeed in wasting the time of Nigerians and youths in the country if it failed to perfect the resolutions.

ASUU said it was trying to do all necessary things as regards the resolutions reached with the government because it had reneged on the promises it made with ASUP, resident doctors, and health workers.

Describing the threat as an insult to the sense and sensibilities of Nigerians who were waiting on the Federal Government for positive reaction, the union said, “with the latest action, the Federal Government has shown that they are not committed to all they have been saying.

We are saying that since we agreed at the meeting that the sum of N200 billion is for 2012 and 2013 revitalisation, the Federal Government should deposit same in the Central Bank of Nigeria. We are already in November and December is around the corner.

If they don’t do that now, when do they want to do it?. We are saying the non-victimisation clause should be included as agreed while the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement should be included as agreed with the President.

“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 hold 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. They can re-open the schools. ASUU did not shut down the universities. It was the school management that ordered the students to go back home.”

FG ultimatum a joke— lecturers

Some university lecturers said that the Federal Government directive on the reopening of federal universities, which also directed other members of staff to resume by Dec. 4 or be sacked, was a joke. They spoke in separate telephone interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

In his reaction to the directive, Dr Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, Chairman, University of Lagos branch of ASUU, said that the development was strange and laughable.

He said that this was so considering the fact that the union was yet to get back to the government, after their deliberations with President Goodluck Jonathan. “Our reaction is simple. Let us just wait for the seven days to come around.

What government has just done shows that they were not committed in the offer they made with the union that had the Trade Union Congress President and the Minister of Labour in attendance. We are not going to fall to that blackmail. Now, which one is better, government acceding to our demands or issuing out threats?

“Honestly, this whole thing ought to have been easily resolved, given the approach taken by President (Goodluck) Jonathan, but it is like we want to be taken for granted after all and it is unfair,” he said.

Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, immediate past Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, simply described the development as “a glorified joke and laughable”.

Oyewo noted that it was funny that one of the parties which had before now been holding dialogue, would try to intimidate the other .

“I see this whole thing as a joke and I dare say it is not even worth my comments. We just keep our fingers crossed and watch. I still emphasise that such ultimatum is a display of insensitivity and a huge joke.”

Also commenting on the government directive, Professor Sat Obiyan, Head of Department of Political Science, ObafemiAwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife, said that the ultimatum was not the best approach to resolving the issue.

He, however, said that the threat might achieve some success because some lecturers would resume for fear of losing their jobs, but it would not end the crisis in the education sector.

Obiyan said however, that it was unfortunate that the strike was allowed to linger for so long.

“Nigerians are worried over the situation; the prolonged strike is not good for the education system in the country, but the Federal Government’s approach now is not the best.

ASUU used to threats

“What is required is little understanding by both parties to agree on something and end the strike without aggravating it. It is not a new thing for the Federal Government to threaten ASUU members with sack; it was done in 1996 by the late Sani Abacha.

“For the university system to work perfectly, you need all the personnel and not few lecturers on ground to teach,“ he said.

Obiyan urged the Federal Government to have a rethink and implement the agreement reached with the union.

He also urged ASUU to give the Presidency the benefit of doubt that the agreement would be implemented, given the President’s intervention which saw him leading the government delegation at the last negotiation.

Also, Dr Yinka Ajala, Head, Department of Geography, ObafemiAwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife, said that the threat would ignite more problems in the education system.

Ajala said that threatening lecturers with sack should not be a weapon for the Federal Government.

He said that the ASUU executive was being careful with the agreement reached with the Federal Government before suspending the strike.

“What ASUU is asking for is not too much, they want government to show some commitment with the agreement. Government can only force few lecturers to resume but not all, even if the vice-chancellors open registers in the institutions.

“The sack threat is a tactic that will not work; it has been used by the military in the past, so it is not new to us. I do not think this is the way government should handle the strike, it will not solve the problem,“ he said.

The Coordinator of Education Right Campaign (ERC), Mr Hassan Soweto, said that the ultimatum would only worsen the problem, noting that it was against the principle of public bargaining. What ASUU wants is some level of commitment from the Federal Government before it will suspend the strike. It is not right for the government to use force in a democracy,“ he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Agbomeji Ibrahim, a student of LagosStateUniversity, Ojo, urged the Federal Government not to be authoritative by giving lecturers one week to return to classes or face sack.

Ibrahim, who is a student unionist, said that there was a better approach to resolving the issue, rather than using a sack threat.

“Both the Government and ASUU need to accommodate each other on the negotiation table because both parties cannot get all their demands and must be ready to shift grounds”, Ibrahim said.

ASUU’s Secretary, University of Abuja chapter, Abubakar Suleiman in his reaction said the conditions given by the union before the strike would be suspended were still real and insisted that the union would not compromise its stand on account of intimidation by government.

According to Suleiman, “the strike is still on and we are not going to call it off on account of intimidation. We are not raising any fresh demands, we only gave government conditions to ensure that our members who participated in the strike are not victimised.

Ekiti students embark on prayer sessions

Meanwhile, students from EkitiState, in tertiary institutions nationwide, embarked on marathon prayers and sought divine intervention to put an end to the strike action.

The students had converged on Lady Jibowu Hall, Ekiti Government House where they held the prayer session, yesterday. The session had in attendance, the state’s Deputy Governor, Prof essorModupe Adelabu and some clerics. Mrs Adelabu in her remarks cautioned the students against taking to the streets and engaging in illegal acts that could lead to violence and disruption of peace in the state.

The Deputy Governor noted that the students did the right thing by taking their petition before God. She said it was unfortunate that both parties to the dispute – ASUU and the Federal Government – remained adamant despite interventions from well-meaning Nigerians.

She then urged the students not to relent in their regular prayer for divine intervention, saying that the death of Prof Festus Iyayi, a frontline ASUU member in an auto-crash along the Abuja-Lokoja Road introduced another twist to the lingering dispute.

Mrs Adelabu, who expressed the hope that the prayers of the students would yield the desired result in a matter of days, counselled the undergraduates against engaging in activities that could jeopardize their future.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/fg-to-asuu-resume-or-get-sacked/#sthash.k6XbOykP.dpuf

FG condemns ASUU’s new demands

2013-11-26T12:58:00.002-08:00

FG condemns ASUU’s new demands

By LAIDE AKINBOADE & PETER OKUTU

ABUJA — The Federal Government, yesterday, condemned the new conditions which Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, insists must be met before the five-month old strike could be called off.

The three conditions were payment of four months salaries, which accumulated during the period of the strike; immediate implementation of the N1.2 trillion offered by the government to public universities, starting with the release of N100 billion this year and the balance of N1.1 trillion to be spread over five years from 2014.

The union also demanded that the salary arrears must not be paid in piecemeal.

These were some of the resolutions reached by members of the National Executive Council, NEC, of the union that met in Kano on Friday.

Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, condemned the new conditions but assured that he would present them before President Goodluck Jonathan.

EBSU breaks ranks, recalls students

Meanwhile, the management of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, EBSU, yesterday ordered lecturers and students of the institution to return to classes following the inability of ASUU to end its strike.

A statement by the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Sam Egwu, stressed that the institution had resolved to resume academic activities regardless of the ASUU-FG dispute, adding that academic activities would resume in all the campuses of the institution from today, Tuesday, November 26.

EBSU chapter of ASUU however, said that lecturers would not return to classes until their demands were met in line with the position of its national body.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/fg-condemns-asuus-new-demands/#sthash.8YiiEYVL.dpuf

2013-11-22T06:00:00.002-08:00

From same sex marriage to legalisation, adoption of

adultery

Adultery, adulatory, abortion, and abomination of same-sex marriage have strong linkage and connectivity to evil and satanic manifestations – all are instruments of destruction, distortion, and destabilisation that are packaged, powered, projected, and promoted by the gates of hell.

I expect the next line of destructive social agenda is the strange affair of husband, wife, and lover living under the same roof.

The case of Maria Butzki who managed to enslave two men, Paul, her husband, and Peter, her boyfriend, into one roof thereby legalising adultery, which is designed as an acceptable lifestyle model targeted at our women and very vulnerable girls.

I took an interest in the story, which appeared in the Guardian newspaper publication of November 16, 2013. My interest is in three reasons:

Firstly, all the characters in this comedy of shame and reproach bear very strategic Christian names with apostate and prophetic manifestation – Maria, Paul, and Peter.

It suggests and imposes that they are Christians, and such adulterous lifestyle and union is acceptable and accommodating in the Christian fold. Maria, Paul, and Peter are not Christians, and do not represent Christianity; no true Christian faith or institution can accept or accommodate such aberration.

Secondly, this is a transition, transmutation, and transformation from same-sex marriage brand that did not fly in Africa, to legalisation, acceptance, and promotion of this adulterous union that is designed and accepted by the West to destroy our excellent marital values in view of huge failures and record of marital disasters and divorce.

Thirdly, it’s an organised subtle orientation and marketing of evil, to abuse our sensitivity, which is a continuation of promotion of evil that started from the promotion of abortion, encouragement of divorce, and same-sex marriage, that are packaged as human right.

In addition, the exposure of the breast and the sagging of trousers/jeans to expose the buttocks as touted by the West as being fashionable, are being embraced by our children and youths of little and poor values.

Both the act of advertising breasts and buttocks are evidence and manifestation of decay and demented thinking as such human parts cannot be part of fashion accessories.

Again, this publicised adulterous union is coming at the time and period of the Commonwealth meeting in Sri Lanka. I’m surprized that Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom did not promote this aberration to African countries, with a threat of withholding /withdrawing aids, as he did in the last Commonwealth conference in Australia concerning gay relationships.

Maria Butzki agenda is a well scripted and structured design from the pit of hell, coming from the West as a choice lifestyle human rights profile, but with design of force and voice of revenge, disobedience, and disloyalty targeted at our women, wives, and families.

Adultery wounds and damages marriages; though it happens, but condemnable, parties should make amends and ask for forgiveness from all wounded souls and the Creator of all souls; it should not be legitimised.

In Nigeria, the strange culture of senseless killing, child and gang rape, incest, and kidnapping is emerging with very strange and traumatic consequences, yet to be determined in the realm and regime of the spirit. The damage of the huge bloodletting in the streets of Nigeria through tribal/ethnic war, religious conflict, senseless Boko Haram war, raping of old women is too dangerous for us to be at ease.

Returning back and referencing Maria Butzki, her evil agenda and consoling words are captured in this quote: “People might think it’s weird, but I love both men, and couldn’t choose between them – therefore when I left Paul, there was a huge hole in my life, but the thought of never seeing Peter again was heart-breaking; so living with both men is the only way.

“The three of us never share the same bed. Although, I have a sexual relationship with each man, that side is kept very private. If Paul is out, then Peter and I might make love, and vice versa. But both men turn a blind eye, and we never discuss it with one another.”

Maria’s husband, Paul, has this say: “Maria was and still is my soul mate. The families are now in the process of buying a large house to accommodate them all”. Peter, the boyfriend of Maria, has this to say: “By now Paul and I have developed a huge respect for each other. We don’t see one another as rivals for Maria’s affections. At the same time, I’ve come to care so much for the children. It seems natural to live together.”

The story is a model of tolerance, understanding, and endurance in evil. I hope that Peter will not proceed from care of the children to the “care of their emotion”. I worry for the children, and hope that another family of Moabites is not generated. But for us, Nigeria and Africa, we should be alert, awake, and aware

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/sex-marriage-legalisation-adoption-adultery/#sthash.iSSWslKq.dpuf

2013-11-22T05:58:00.002-08:00

6 killed, many injured as Boko Haram insurgents

invade Adamawa

BY UMAR YUSUF
YOLA - Hell was let loose in Yola, the Adamawa State Capital Thursday night as suspected Boko Haram insurgents unleashed terror in the state capital.

During the attack which lasted several hours, at least six people were reported killed, while many others sustained injuries.

Eyewitness account told Vanguard that the suspected insurgents in their large number stormed the popular Kasuwar Gwari market along Mubi Bye Pass, fingered their victims and shot them at close range.

The eyewitness added that serious stampede ensued in the area and spread to other parts of the state capital like wild fire.

In the ensuing confusion, several people sustained injuries as people ran for their lives following sporadic shooting.

The military enforcing the state of emergency in the state have launched a man haunt for the fleeing suspected Boko Haram members.

The man haunt has led to the closure of all roads leading to and from the state capital thereby creating long queues along the major roads.

As at the time of this report, all the major markets in the state capital have remained closed and shut, even as other shop owners operate at low level.

Anxious Journalists who visited the Brigade Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Yola, Brigadier General Fattai Alli went away in disappointment as he said he was too busy to talk to the press.

Adamawa alongside Borno and Yobe states have their state of emergency extended by another six months following unending activities of Boko Haram insurgents

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/6-killed-many-injured-boko-haram-insurgents-invade-adamawa/#sthash.hLYolTsk.dpuf

2013-11-22T05:56:00.000-08:00

Robbers raid students hostel, rape female student

to coma

BY EMMA UNA

CALABAR- A Seventeen year old female student of the University of Calabar, name withheld, was raped to a state of coma by armed robbers who raided the hostel she and several other colleagues are living on Tuesday night in Calabar.

The robbers, according to a fair complexioned male student who gave his name as Ngoli, attacked the hostel located at Mount Zion Road/ Inyang Edem Street at about 2am and raped all the female students and carted away all their laptops and cell phones.

“They stared by firing warning shots into the air to warn us that they came for serious business and thereafter went from room to room battering everybody and raping the female students one after the other”.

He said the girl that went into coma was still a virgin that made all the robbers want to have a taste of her. “The first one to pounce on her announced to the rest that she was still a virgin and that made everyone of them go after her and in the process she bled seriously yet they would not allow her go”.

More details soon

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/robbers-raid-students-hostel-rape-female-student-coma/#sthash.8sEHAl1M.dpuf

2013-11-15T00:33:00.002-08:00

STRIKE Latest: ASUU NEC meeting now to hold on Saturday- Osun Defende

An impeccable source, one of the prominent leaders of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on this yet has disclosed to one of our correspondents that the suspended ASUU Nation Executive Committee, NEC meeting earlier postponed in honour of Late Prof. Festus Iyayi, a renown novelist, former ASUU president and prominent leader of ASUU may be reconvened on Saturday.

He reiterated that the news of of Prof Iyayi’s sudden death came as a rude shock to the union; most painfully, Late Iyayi was on ASUU official assignment when he met his gruesome and untimely death, so there was nothing the Union could do to honour the late hero at the point than to put on hold it NEC meeting scheduled to hold in Kano. “There is strong indication that the NEC meeting will be reconvened on Saturday”. He further stated in strong term that unless ASUU leaders re-decides, the NEC meeting will hold on Saturday.

When asked if the strike will actually be suspended, he said: “I think so, judging by reports from the Monday congresses we held simultaneously, the union may suspend the strike on Saturday or Sunday.”

Source: Osun Defender

See more:
http://www.osundefender.org/?p=131880

osun defender, asuu, asuu strike

2013-11-15T00:31:00.003-08:00

Cholera claims 12 lives in Otukpo, 80 others hospitalised

BY PETER DURU

MAKURDI — The death toll in the recent cholera outbreak in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State has continued to rise with the epidemic claiming 12 more lives, including women and children.

Also, at least 80 victims of the epidemic are now receiving treatment at the Otukpo GeneralHospital and few private hospitals in the town.

Vanguard gathered that the disease which earlier broke out in Otukpo Wards 1 and 2 had as at yesterday spread to four council wards which include Allan Akpa, Otobi Akpa and Ewulo

A nurse at the Otukpo GeneralHospital, who preferred anonymity, told Vanguard that the disease had reached an epidemic level in the town.

She said: “Since we noticed the first outbreak of the disease in Otukpo main town, some few weeks ago, the ailment has continued to spread to other parts of the council and the fear is that it is becoming excessively prevalent.

“There is hardly a day that we do not record new cases of the disease in the hospital and most of the patients are usually from the main town.

“The situation at the hinterlands and neighbouring villages is even worst because we hear daily of new cases and deaths in these communities. And the figure keeps rising due mainly to lack of proper medicare for victims.

“Our fear is that in the last few days we have recorded about 12 deaths while over 80 persons are receiving treatment in the hospital and if the government does not act fast we might be faced with a pandemic with its attendant consequences on the health of the people of the town.”

Contacted, the Otukpo local government council chairman, Dr. Innocent Onuh, who is also a medical doctor, said his council had commenced free distribution of necessary drugs to hospitals and patients within the council.

He said: “Apart from that, we have also intensified publicity around the town, informing the people on the need for them to boil their water before drinking.

“As for the number of deaths, I cannot specifically tell you now because most of the cases are being recorded at the hinterlands. But we are also collaborating with the state government and the state ministry of health to stem the diseases. I can assure you that we are on top of the situation right.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/cholera-claims-12-lives-otukpo-80-others-hospitalised/#sthash.PV1DwPgl.dpuf

2013-11-15T00:29:00.003-08:00

Rude shock awaits Nigerians tomorrow

Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw has vowed his men will give whatever it takes to overturn a first-leg defeat when they take on Nigeria in their World Cup play-off on Saturday.

Ethiopia hope to continue their surprising World Cup journey when they face Nigeria in the return leg, despite a 2-1 loss at home in mid-October.

Bishaw said: “This is the biggest match of my life. I want to win it. I’ll fight to the maximum.

Sewnet Bishaw, Ethiopia Coach

“There’s no problem in my squad. All of my players are fit and the mood in the camp is very high. Everybody is waiting for the kick-off whistle.”, the coach told BBC.

Nigeria won the first leg in Addis Ababa courtesy of a brace from Emanuel Emenike and the Super Eagles are clear favourites to book a place at next year’s tournament in Brazil, which would be their fifth appearance at a finals.

However, Bishaw is confident his side can come back.

“I’m 100% confident of overturning the result. I’ll only play for a win. Football involves a defeat and a win. We’re defeated in the first leg doesn’t mean we’ll be defeated in the second leg,” he said.

“I’ve not finished the match. I’ve 90 minutes left to play. I’ll fight for a 2-0 win or for a 2-1 to take it in to extra-time. So, I want to remind them that it’s not over yet.”

Bishaw revealed he will leave it until the last moment possible to select his side in the quest to take the east Africans to their first finals.

The big boost for Bishaw is the return of his joint top scorer, Getaneh Kebede. The striker missed the first leg of the play-offs because of an ankle injury.

“The return of Getaneh is really great news. I’ve seen him in training. He’s fit and will definitely have a role in the battle” Bishaw said.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/rude-shock-awaits-nigerians-tomorrow/#sthash.fHMaoRnm.dpuf

2013-11-15T00:29:00.001-08:00

Rude shock awaits Nigerians tomorrow

Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw has vowed his men will give whatever it takes to overturn a first-leg defeat when they take on Nigeria in their World Cup play-off on Saturday.

Ethiopia hope to continue their surprising World Cup journey when they face Nigeria in the return leg, despite a 2-1 loss at home in mid-October.

Bishaw said: “This is the biggest match of my life. I want to win it. I’ll fight to the maximum.

Sewnet Bishaw, Ethiopia Coach

“There’s no problem in my squad. All of my players are fit and the mood in the camp is very high. Everybody is waiting for the kick-off whistle.”, the coach told BBC.

However, Bishaw is confident his side can come back.

“I’ve not finished the match. I’ve 90 minutes left to play. I’ll fight for a 2-0 win or for a 2-1 to take it in to extra-time. So, I want to remind them that it’s not over yet.”

Bishaw revealed he will leave it until the last moment possible to select his side in the quest to take the east Africans to their first finals.

The big boost for Bishaw is the return of his joint top scorer, Getaneh Kebede. The striker missed the first leg of the play-offs because of an ankle injury.

“The return of Getaneh is really great news. I’ve seen him in training. He’s fit and will definitely have a role in the battle” Bishaw said.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/rude-shock-awaits-nigerians-tomorrow/#sthash.fHMaoRnm.dpuf

2013-11-15T00:26:00.003-08:00

Nigerian degrees are worthless because … – Okoji

Abuja – Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), on Thursday advised Nigerians not to cheapen the country’s educational system by saying that “its degrees are worthless”.

Okojie said at the presentation of a report on Labour Market Observation on Nigerian Graduates in Abuja that Nigerian graduates were not underprivileged and unintelligent but good with great skills.

He said people tend to describe Nigerian degrees as worthless because the demand for them was less than the supply of graduates into the labour market every year.

Okojie said the notion came about because of the unemployment rate in the country, adding that it should not be the yardstick for measuring the quality of the graduates.

“The problem is that there is no balance on the sides of demand and supply. It’s just that the supply is so much and the demand for the graduates is less.’’

He said the Nigerian education system was good “as it produces intelligent graduates’’.

“The onus is in understanding the peculiarity of the economy and moving in that direction to produce the right graduates.’’

Okojie explained that NUC initiated the survey to understand the needs of the labour market and prepare the students to meet those requirements through proper training.

“I keep hearing that our certificates are not acceptable abroad. Who has given that impression in this country?

“I have been in the university system since 1978 and I can tell you that our certificates are honoured abroad.

“The Federal Government gives scholarship to the best 52 youth corps members to study abroad every year.

“Some of them have third class honours; some are even HND holders and they do so well that they are asked to stay for their PhDs.

“So, where did we get the idea that our degrees are worthless? All the graduates need is the opportunity to practice. So, we must not kill our education system by saying our degrees are worthless,’’ he stressed.

Okojie said the obligation was to learn what was in vogue.

“For example, ICT has come to Nigeria and there is need to build capacity in that aspect.

“We must look at the labour market and its requirement and we must also bend our training needs in that direction.

“With that, I am convinced that we are in the right direction and confident that we will get it right.’’

Earlier, Prof. Ignatius Uvah, the Consultant for the survey, said it was initiated to create awareness on the labour market among stakeholders.

Uvah said it would guide the training of graduates for effective performance.

“It will also help in putting in place national and institutional structure for polices on the labour market information system.

“This will help the suppliers and consumers of labour to understand the peculiarities of the market and align themselves to it.’’ (NAN)

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/nigerian-degrees-worthless-okojie/#sthash.LlpnRiWp.dpuf

2013-11-14T02:20:00.002-08:00

IYAYI: ASUU suspends NEC meeting indefinitely

*As Oshiomhole, NLC, Wogu, others mourn

BY FUNMI KOMOLAFE, VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG, ABDULSALAM MUHAMMED &, SIMON EBEGBULEM

LEADERS of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, suspended indefinitely the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, meeting planned to hold in Kano over the tragic auto-crash that claimed the life of ASUU former President, Professor Festus Iyayi, on Tuesday morning.

Thousands of students who had kept vigil, waiting for the outcome of ASUU NEC meeting, therefore went home disappointed following the announcement of the suspension of the meeting.

The accident which involved the convoy of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State on Lokoja-Abuja Road also left two other officials of ASUU – Dr. Ngozi Ilo, National Welfare Officer, University of Benin, UNIBEN; branch chairman, Dr. Anthony Emina, and their driver, critically injured.

President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge, who announced the suspension of the NEC meeting in Kano, explained that the union had to suspend the meeting following the sudden and tragic death of Professor Festus Iyayi.

The NEC meeting was widely expected to make a decisive statement on the five-month old ASUU strike that has crippled academic activities in the public university system.

At a briefing, Fagge told reporters in Kano that “we are compelled to postpone this meeting in the light of the sudden death of one of our strongest pillars who died yesterday (Tuesday).

Vice Chancellor, University of Benin, UNIBEN, Professor Godwin Oshodin, consoling late Prof. Iyayi’s wife, Mrs. Grace Iyayi.

“As you can see for yourself, we are mourning the departure of this great scholar and you would agree with me that in this circumstance we cannot look at issues objectively.”

The ASUU President who looked visibly shocked by the unfortunate development, described Iyayi “as a strong pillar of the union,’ stressing that “this is a great loss to the entire country.”
Over 50 universities were represented at the botched Kano NEC meeting which was to deliberate on the outcome of the branch meetings held recently that was key to the decision on suspension of the strike.

No new date has been fixed for the NEC meeting.
However, labour watchers are of the opinion that ASUU may not reschedule the NEC meeting until after the burial of the late professor.

Thousands of students that had kept vigil waiting for the outcome went home disappointed following the announcement of the suspension of the NEC meeting.

A student who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity, said, “this is a clear indication that we have more days to spend at home because the figure that passed on was an icon and a respected voice.”

He expressed disappointment that the Federal Government had not arrested those that caused the fatal accident, stressing that “the only thing that can cool frayed nerves is to put on trial all those that played infamous roles in the accident.”

Meantime, more Nigerians have continued to mourn late Professor Festus Iyayi, former President of ASUU, who died Tuesday.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and Joint Action Front, JAF, among others, described him as a true and committed Nigerian who gave up his personal comfort and joined the masses in the trenches in the fight for a better society.

Oshiomhole speaks
Governor Oshiomhole in a condolence message through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Peter Okhiria, said: “Iyayi was a distinguished Nigerian who served not only ASUU, but the whole Nigerian academic community. He had a passion for education and I am proud that he came from Edo State. I found him so resourceful that I appointed him a member of the Governing Council of the Ambrose Alli University.

On its part, NLC in a statement by its President, Abdulwaheed Omar, blamed his death on “federal government’s act of criminal negligence on the one hand and executive lawlessness/impunity on the part of the Kogi State Governor who is fast acquiring for himself an accident-prone reputation.”

On his part, Chief Emeka Wogu, who described his death as shocking and a colossal loss to the trade union movement in Nigeria, lamented Iyayi died at a time when his struggle for improving the standards of education in Nigeria was about yielding positive results in the country.

His words: “I received with shock the sudden death of the former President of ASUU, Professor Festus Iyayi in a fatal motor accident on Lokoja Abuja Expressway. I share in the pains and identify with ASUU and the family of the deceased in this moment of grief.”

JAF, in a statement by its Secretary, Abiodun Aremu, while describing his death as a monumental tragedy inflicted on the working and oppressed people in Nigeria, said: “Indeed, this is a tragic loss for Comrade Professor Festus Iyayi to have been wasted by the Kogi State Governor’s reckless convoy on November 12, 2013.”

Also, Bamidele Aturu, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, said Africa and indeed, the “world, has lost one of the most passionate believers in social justice and equity. He was one of the most honest and dependable ally. We have lost a dogged advocate of decency and consummate teacher. It is indeed an irony that a man who spent his entire life campaigning against impunity should be murdered so recklessly.

Iyayi’s death regrettable — Amosun
Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, also expressed profound shock and regret at the death of former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Festus Iyayi who died at the age of 66.

The governor condoled with the government and people of Edo State, ASUU and the academic community over the death of the late lecturer, writer and dogged fighter for academic and social reforms.

In a press release by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Funmi Wakama, Amosun recalled the late professor’s struggle in the education sector as ASUU president in1986 which led to his incarceration in1988, describing his death as unfortunate.

He said: “The late professor profoundly influenced progressive policies in the nation’s education sector and he will forever be remembered for his selfless service towards resolving the on-going ASUU/government face off. Indeed, the country has lost another brilliant mind and true patriot.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/iyayi-asuu-suspends-nec-meeting-indefinitely/#sthash.5WeaCuh0.dpuf

2013-11-12T03:59:00.004-08:00

ASUU divided over move to call off strike

By Taye Obateru, OLA AJAYI, IBADAN, LAJU ARENYEKA & IKENNA ASOMBA

The hope that the four month old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, may be called off this week, following President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention last week, may be dashed as the 61 chapters of the union are divided over the move to call off the strike.

President Jonathan held a meeting with the leadership of ASUU last week, where he made some offers which ASUU was expected to take to their members for deliberation with the hope that it will pacify them into resuming academic activities this week.

Congresses of the 61 chapters of the union were therefore held, yesterday, while the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting will hold tomorrow in one of the northern universities.

The outcome of the union’s congresses indicated that there was disagreement on the need to call off the strike.

Vanguard gathered that while some ASUU chapters were ready to suspend the strike in the light of the President’s intervention, others insisted that they will continue the strike due to what they described as their distrust for the government.

It was learnt that while the University of Lagos, UNILAG, resolved to suspend the strike, chapters like the University of Ibadan, UI; University of Benin, UNIBEN; University of Calabar, UNICAL; University of Jos, UNIJOS and the Lagos State University, LASU, said the strike must continue, arguing that the Federal Government could not be trusted to fulfil its promise of injecting over N1.1 trillion to universities in the next five years.

Voting at UNIJOS

Members UNIJOS chapter, yesterday, voted overwhelmingly for the strike to continue.

After receiving briefings on what transpired at last week’s meeting of the union’s representatives with President Goodluck Jonathan and after going through copies of the resolution of the meeting, 194 members voted for the strike to continue while 80 voted for a suspension.

Sources told Vanguard that after hours of debate by those for and against the continuation of the strike, it was obvious that majority felt that the meeting with the president did not achieve much.

Those who spoke in favour of the strike to continue wondered why the strike should be called off on the basis of pleas and verbal promises by the president, when the government is allegedly reputed for not to honoring agreements.

They were said to have argued that the suffering by students and members in the last four months would be a waste if something concrete did not come out of the strike to improve the situation in universities.

It was further gathered that those for the suspension of the strike spoke passionately on the need to consider the impact of the strike on students and the gesture from President Jonathan, who met personally with ASUU leaders and pleaded with them to suspend the strike.

A few of them were quoted as saying it was better to suspend the strike and find other ways of pursuing their demands so as not to lose the support of the people.

It was learnt that the Branch ASUU Chairman, Dr. David Jangkham, after announcing the result of the voting, said it would be taken to the national body which would collate the referendum on the issue from various chapters to come up with a position on whether the strike would be suspended or sustained.

A member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed fears that the referenda in other branches might follow the same trend “if the briefing we got here is what they got.”

UNILAG

A source at University of Lagos, UNILAG, chapter, told Vanguard that the debate at its congress was on whether to end or suspend the strike.

He said: “We eventually moved to suspend the strike and end it only when the President pumps in the first N220 billion into the universities in January 2014.

“Although this is not totally in line with the 2009 agreement, we feel that we can suspend the strike out of respect for the President. We just want to give him the benefit of doubt, and hope that he fulfills his promise.”

LASU

At Lagos State University, LASU, one of the executive members of ASUU, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, affirmed that though the chapter was not averse to the proposal of President Jonathan, but the consensus at its congress was that ASUU should not just be a monitoring body when the fund is finally injected.

He said: “After our congress, which lasted several hours, it was the resolve of our chapter that the strike should not be called off, because we are uncomfortable with the fact that the Federal Government has said that ASUU will just be a monitoring officer, while the Minister of Education will be the implementation officer.

“We argued that we must be part and parcel of how the funds are managed and what they have earmarked for within the period of five years.

“How can we know if the Ministry of Education and other authorities are prudently spending the funds for the proposed projects if ASUU is not part of the management committee? So, our position is that the strike should not be called off.”

LASU’s internal issues

The source added that LASU chapter of ASUU may embark on its local action, after the national strike is suspended or called off if the university’s Governing Council and the State Government fail to adequately address some of its local issues, which border on members’ welfare and a reduction in the institution’s tuition fees.

He said: “It is our resolve at the congress that if the state government and the university’s Governing Council, which is meeting on Wednesday, fail to address our local issues adequately, we shall embark on local actions.

“The university management has wasted four months without addressing our local issues, which border on the casualisation of our academic staff, the steep increment in tuition fees paid by students and the non-implementation of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 2012, which allows academic staff on professorial cadre to retire at 70 years against the former 65 years.”

At UI

At the University of Ibadan, Vanguard gathered that members asked their leadership to commit the President to signing the resolution of FG/ASUU meeting held last week and include non-victimisation clause.

The Chairman, ASUU, University of Ibadan, Dr. Segun Ajiboye, said that the union had set up project monitoring committee to ensure that funds released by government was not misappropriated.

Ajiboye maintained that it was not how quick the strike ends but how well it ends, adding that the goal of the strike must be actualised.

According to him, it was regrettable that it took the Federal Government four months to think education was an important sector, adding that no country in the world plays with education the way Nigerian leaders do.

David-West

Also, former Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West said, yesterday, that ASUU would continue to go on strike as long as injustice remained in the system.

He said this at the UI-ASUU congress, where he vowed to always support all the struggles that would lead to the rejuvenation of the education sector.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/asuu-divided-move-call-strike/#sthash.QvzvRuVo.dpuf

2013-11-11T01:23:00.001-08:00

STRIKE: ASUU branches meet today, exco on Wednesday

on November 11, 2013

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU
ABUJA — ALL branches of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, will hold their congresses today to brief members on President Goodluck Jonathan’s offer.

Nigeria public universities have been closed down over four months as a result of the Federal Government’s inability to implement the agreement it entered into in 2010 with lecturers.

There have been a lot of calls from well-meaning Nigerians to the Federal Government and ASUU to come to a compromise so that students resume academic activities.

Both warring factions had maintained hard stand on the issue as ASUU argued that poor funding was responsible for the dwindling fortunes of education and its attendant poor quality of graduates, while the Federal Government said the university lecturers downed tools over enhanced earned allowance.

However, the long closure of universities led the leadership of the Senate and President Jonathan to hold separate meetings with the union and relevant stakeholders last Monday, where new offers were made to the teachers with a plea for them to re-open universities.

A branch Chairman of ASUU, who told Vanguard of today’s congresses in all the universities, said the meeting was for the chairmen to brief members on the outcome of their meeting with President Jonathan.

He further said that the outcome of today’s meeting of the various branches would be communicated to the national leadership of the union, which will in turn convene an emergency NEC meeting between Wednesday and Thursday this week to consider the positions of various branches .

The Chairman, who did not want his name to be mentioned, said: “Branches throughout the country will be holding their congresses on Monday (today) to brief our members on the outcome of the meeting with the President.

“It is at the meeting that the various branches will take position and communicate same to the national leadership Monday evening, then an emergency NEC meeting would be convened between Wednesday and Thursday.

“We have not been told of the venue, but we were told to prepare because it would take two days by road from my branch.”

He said calling for a strike or calling it off was not a decision taken by the ASUU President (Dr. Nasir Fagge) or the national executive alone.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/strike-asuu-branches-meet-today-exco-wednesday/#sthash.qc3770mP.dpuf

ANPP, CPC Blasts Jonathan, Sanusi Over N5,000 Note

2012-08-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

ANPP, CPC Blasts Jonathan, Sanusi Over N5,000 Note

Sat Aug, 25 2012

By Tony Abrahams

The All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. has described as mere hypocrisy, explanations justifying the conversion of lower denominations of the Naira to coins and the proposed N5,000 note.

Both parties urged the Federal Government and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to rather account for 50k, N1, and N2 coins which has since vanished from use after conversion from note to coins.

The two political parties, faulting CBN’s explanations, and premising their arguments on precedence established that coins had never enjoyed patronage by Nigerians, as Naira notes converted to coins subsequently vanished.

They further hinted that the present move might be a premeditated move by the Federal Government to subtly embark on cash mop and further economically strangulate the people.

The ANPP, waving aside the explanations in justification of the new N5,000 note, argued that the attendant consequence would be a hike in inflation rate and imposition of more sufferings on Nigerians, even as the CPC described it as a systemic process of enhancing
“corruption in government circles.”

Further examining the economic consequences of the proposal, the ANPP, argued that the introduction would only deepen the widening gulf between the “haves and the have-nots’’ and urged the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to re-order their priorities with a view of streamlining the resources that would be “wasted in this ill-timed into more people-friendly fiscal projects”.

ANPP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, states that “Our great party believes this is another clear path to inflation and resultant suffering on the part of the hapless citizens of this great nation.

“It is an established fact that the Nigerian populace is averse to the use of coins, and, therefore, the decision by the Federal Government to convert some lower denomination notes to coins smells of a premeditated agenda to further mop up cash from the nation space and whip the Nigerian people in the process, just as it had done through the increase in the pump price of fuel and hike in electricity tariff.

In fact, one does not need an economics professor to know that this move will eventually cripple the value of the naira; countries like Japan , Germany and Singapore do not have strong currencies because they printed higher denominations.

“Moreover, going cashless has nothing to do with printing N5, 000, but everything to do with introducing valid strategies for redirecting the nation’s commercial transactions into the virtual space. Right now, what the CBN and the Federal Government should be engaged in is establishing a clear and comprehensive electronic fraud management framework, as well as delineating of responsibility among key stakeholders, and advocating enabling laws that will inspire confidence in the country’s e-payment network, both locally and internationally; not to saddle the helpless masses with more burdens.”

In a separate statement, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, the CPC’s National Publicity contends that the introduction of the N5000 note “is antithetical to the much-touted cashless economy.

“ Recently, we witnessed the allegations and counter-allegations of solicitation for and receipt of bribe money levied against certain highly influential politicians in the country. It is axiomatic to
infer that those transactions were opaque to the banking system because of the facilitating ambience of high currency notes.

“We insist that the introduction of N5000 currency note shall further exacerbate the corruptive tendencies in the Nigerian polity.

“Whilst we agree with the CBN that printing of notes is more expensive than minting coins, it is difficult to believe that the solution lies in converting the N5, N10 and N20 notes to coins.

“The cultural values of the Nigerian people do not favour use of coins. The question is: how did we fare with the previous conversion of 50k, N1 and N2 Naira notes to coins? In fact, those currencies tacitly went out of circulation as a result of disuse.”

cbn

2012-08-25T15:58:00.004-07:00

CBN To Introduce 5000 Naira Notes

The Central Bank on Thursday announced its intention to implement its naira structure review which would see the N5000 naira note as the nation’s highest denomination. Other changes stated in the review will see the the N5, N10 and N20 notes converted to coins. CBN Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, made the announcement while briefing journalists in Abuja, said that the bank would, early next year, introduce the N5,000 note. He also stated that three women who contributed to the country’s independence, Mrs. Margaret Ekpo, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Hajiya Gambo Sawaba would adorn the note. He also said that the picture of the National Assembly complex would be on the note.

2012-08-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

SAVE FUNMI LAWAL

FUNMI LAWAL whose picture you see above graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos in 2011. She just finished her Law school Bar 2 final exams barely 2 weeks ago. She patiently waits to be called to the Nigerian Bar precisely on November 7^th 2012. You can imagine the joy she and her parents are supposed to be feeling presently…
But they are presently in despair.
Funmi has been diagnosed with Malignant Sarcoma, this is a kind of Cancer which affects the supporting or connective tissues of the body such as muscle, bone, nerves, cartilage, blood vessels and fat. And it has become so extensive that it might affect some other parts of her body if surgery is not done immediately.
She needs the Sum of 4 Million Naira to enable her live the dream she has worked for over the past 20 years. This is where we appeal to you to help rally round her to help achieve this dream.
Please help Save Funmi’s life.
GTB Acct Number: 0002855164
Acct Name: Funmilayo Lawal
She can be reached on 08096617172
BB PIN: 2807E7F5
Read more about SARCOMA on www.sarcoma.org.uk/

2012-06-05T06:53:00.001-07:00

ASCII control characters

Main article: Control character

ASCII reserves the first 32 codes (numbers 0–31 decimal) for control characters: codes originally intended not to represent printable information, but rather to control devices (such as printers) that make use of ASCII, or to provide meta-information about data streams such as those stored on magnetic tape. For example, character 10 represents the "line feed" function (which causes a printer to advance its paper), and character 8 represents "backspace". RFC 2822 refers to control characters that do not include carriage return, line feed or white space as non-whitespace control characters.^[34] Except for the control characters that prescribe elementary line-oriented formatting, ASCII does not define any mechanism for describing the structure or appearance of text within a document. Other schemes, such as markup languages, address page and document layout and formatting.
The original ASCII standard used only short descriptive phrases for each control character. The ambiguity this caused was sometimes intentional (where a character would be used slightly differently on a terminal link than on a data stream) and sometimes accidental (such as what "delete" means).
Probably the most influential single device on the interpretation of these characters was the Teletype Model 33 ASR, which was a printing terminal with an available paper tape reader/punch option. Paper tape was a very popular medium for long-term program storage through the 1980s, less costly and in some ways less fragile than magnetic tape. In particular, the Teletype Model 33 machine assignments for codes 17 (Control-Q, DC1, also known as XON), 19 (Control-S, DC3, also known as XOFF), and 127 (Delete) became de facto standards. Because the keytop for the O key also showed a left-arrow symbol (from ASCII-1963, which had this character instead of underscore), a noncompliant use of code 15 (Control-O, Shift In) interpreted as "delete previous character" was also adopted by many early timesharing systems but eventually became neglected.
The use of Control-S (XOFF, an abbreviation for transmit off) as a "handshaking" signal warning a sender to stop transmission because of impending overflow, and Control-Q (XON, "transmit on") to resume sending, persists to this day in many systems as a manual output control technique. On some systems Control-S retains its meaning but Control-Q is replaced by a second Control-S to resume output.
Code 127 is officially named "delete" but the Teletype label was "rubout". Since the original standard did not give detailed interpretation for most control codes, interpretations of this code varied. The original Teletype meaning, and the intent of the standard, was to make it an ignored character, the same as NUL (all zeroes). This was useful specifically for paper tape, because punching the all-ones bit pattern on top of an existing mark would obliterate it. Tapes designed to be "hand edited" could even be produced with spaces of extra NULs (blank tape) so that a block of characters could be "rubbed out" and then replacements put into the empty space.
As video terminals began to replace printing ones, the value of the "rubout" character was lost. DEC systems, for example, interpreted "Delete" to mean "remove the character before the cursor" and this interpretation also became common in Unix systems. Most other systems used "Backspace" for that meaning and used "Delete" to mean "remove the character at the cursor". That latter interpretation is the most common now.
Many more of the control codes have been given meanings quite different from their original ones. The "escape" character (ESC, code 27), for example, was intended originally to allow sending other control characters as literals instead of invoking their meaning. This is the same meaning of "escape" encountered in URL encodings, C language strings, and other systems where certain characters have a reserved meaning. Over time this meaning has been co-opted and has eventually been changed. In modern use, an ESC sent to the terminal usually indicates the start of a command sequence, usually in the form of a so-called "ANSI escape code" (or, more properly, a "Control Sequence Introducer") beginning with ESC followed by a "[" (left-bracket) character. An ESC sent from the terminal is most often used as an out-of-band character used to terminate an operation, as in the TECO and vi text editors. In graphical user interface (GUI) and windowing systems, ESC generally causes an application to abort its current operation or to exit (terminate) altogether.
The inherent ambiguity of many control characters, combined with their historical usage, created problems when transferring "plain text" files between systems. The best example of this is the newline problem on various operating systems. Teletype machines required that a line of text be terminated with both "Carriage Return" (which moves the printhead to the beginning of the line) and "Line Feed" (which advances the paper one line without moving the printhead). The name "Carriage Return" comes from the fact that on a manual typewriter the carriage holding the paper moved while the position where the keys struck the ribbon remained stationary. The entire carriage had to be pushed (returned) to the right in order to position the left margin of the paper for the next line.
DEC operating systems (OS/8, RT-11, RSX-11, RSTS, TOPS-10, etc.) used both characters to mark the end of a line so that the console device (originally Teletype machines) would work. By the time so-called "glass TTYs" (later called CRTs or terminals) came along, the convention was so well established that backward compatibility necessitated continuing the convention. When Gary Kildall cloned RT-11 to create CP/M he followed established DEC convention. Until the introduction of PC-DOS in 1981, IBM had no hand in this because their 1970s operating systems used EBCDIC instead of ASCII and they were oriented toward punch-card input and line printer output on which the concept of "carriage return" was meaningless. IBM's PC-DOS (also marketed as MS-DOS by Microsoft) inherited the convention by virtue of being a clone of CP/M, and Windows inherited it from MS-DOS.
Unfortunately, requiring two characters to mark the end of a line introduces unnecessary complexity and questions as to how to interpret each character when encountered alone. To simplify matters, plain text files on Unix and Amiga systems use line feed (LF) alone as a line terminator. The original Macintosh OS, on the other hand, used carriage return (CR) alone as a line terminator, however since Apple replaced it with the Unix-based OS X operating system, they now use line feed (LF) as well.
Transmission of text over the Internet, for protocols as E-mail and the World Wide Web, uses both characters.
Some operating systems such as the pre-VMS DEC operating systems, along with CP/M, tracked file length only in units of disk blocks and used Control-Z (SUB) to mark the end of the actual text in the file. For this reason, EOF, or end-of-file, was used colloquially and conventionally as a three-letter acronym (TLA) for Control-Z instead of SUBstitute. For a variety of reasons, the end-of-text code, ETX aka Control-C, was inappropriate and using Z as the control code to end a file is analogous to it ending the alphabet, a very convenient mnemonic aid. ASCII strings ending with the null character are known as ASCIZ, ASCIIZ or null-terminated strings.

Binary	Oct	Dec	Hex	Abbr	^[a]	^[b]	^[c]	Name
000 0000	000	0	00	NUL	␀	^@	\0	Null character
000 0001	001	1	01	SOH	␁	^A		Start of Header
000 0010	002	2	02	STX	␂	^B		Start of Text
000 0011	003	3	03	ETX	␃	^C		End of Text
000 0100	004	4	04	EOT	␄	^D		End of Transmission
000 0101	005	5	05	ENQ	␅	^E		Enquiry
000 0110	006	6	06	ACK	␆	^F		Acknowledgment
000 0111	007	7	07	BEL	␇	^G	\a	Bell
000 1000	010	8	08	BS	␈	^H	\b	Backspace^[d]^[e]
000 1001	011	9	09	HT	␉	^I	\t	Horizontal Tab^[f]
000 1010	012	10	0A	LF	␊	^J	\n	Line feed
000 1011	013	11	0B	VT	␋	^K	\v	Vertical Tab
000 1100	014	12	0C	FF	␌	^L	\f	Form feed
000 1101	015	13	0D	CR	␍	^M	\r	Carriage return^[g]
000 1110	016	14	0E	SO	␎	^N		Shift Out
000 1111	017	15	0F	SI	␏	^O		Shift In
001 0000	020	16	10	DLE	␐	^P		Data Link Escape
001 0001	021	17	11	DC1	␑	^Q		Device Control 1 (oft. XON)
001 0010	022	18	12	DC2	␒	^R		Device Control 2
001 0011	023	19	13	DC3	␓	^S		Device Control 3 (oft. XOFF)
001 0100	024	20	14	DC4	␔	^T		Device Control 4
001 0101	025	21	15	NAK	␕	^U		Negative Acknowledgement
001 0110	026	22	16	SYN	␖	^V		Synchronous idle
001 0111	027	23	17	ETB	␗	^W		End of Transmission Block
001 1000	030	24	18	CAN	␘	^X		Cancel
001 1001	031	25	19	EM	␙	^Y		End of Medium
001 1010	032	26	1A	SUB	␚	^Z		Substitute
001 1011	033	27	1B	ESC	␛	^[	\e^[h]	Escape^[i]
001 1100	034	28	1C	FS	␜	^\		File Separator
001 1101	035	29	1D	GS	␝	^]		Group Separator
001 1110	036	30	1E	RS	␞	^^^[j]		Record Separator
001 1111	037	31	1F	US	␟	^_		Unit Separator

111 1111	177	127	7F	DEL	␡	^?		Delete^[k]^[e]

^ The Unicode characters from the area U+2400 to U+2421 reserved for representing control characters when it is necessary to print or display them rather than have them perform their intended function. Some browsers may not display these properly.
^ Caret notation often used to represent control characters on a terminal. On most text terminals, holding down the Ctrl key while typing the second character will type the control character. Sometimes the shift key is not needed, for instance ^@ may be typable with just Ctrl and 2.
^ Character Escape Codes in C programming language and many other languages influenced by it, such as Java and Perl (though not all implementations necessarily support all escape codes).
^ The Backspace character can also be entered by pressing the ← Backspace key on some systems.
^ ^a ^b The ambiguity of Backspace is due to early terminals designed assuming the main use of the keyboard would be to manually punch paper tape while not connected to a computer. To delete the previous character, one had to back up the paper tape punch, which for mechanical and simplicity reasons was a button on the punch itself and not the keyboard, then type the rubout character. They therefore placed a key producing rubout at the location used on typewriters for backspace. When systems used these terminals and provided command-line editing, they had to use the "rubout" code to perform a backspace, and often did not interpret the backspace character (they might echo "^H" for backspace). Other terminals not designed for paper tape made the key at this location produce Backspace, and systems designed for these used that character to back up. Since the delete code often produced a backspace effect, this also forced terminal manufacturers to make any Delete key produce something other than the Delete character.
^ The Tab character can also be entered by pressing the Tab ⇆ key on most systems.
^ The Carriage Return character can also be entered by pressing the ↵ Enter or Return key on most systems.
^ The '\e' escape sequence is not part of ISO C and many other language specifications. However, it is understood by several compilers.
^ The Escape character can also be entered by pressing the Esc key on some systems.
^ ^^ means Ctrl+^ (pressing the "Ctrl" and caret keys).
^ The Delete character can sometimes be entered by pressing the ← Backspace key on some systems.

ASCII printable characters

Codes 20_hex to 7E_hex, known as the printable characters, represent letters, digits, punctuation marks, and a few miscellaneous symbols. There are 95 printable characters in total.
Code 20_hex, the space character, denotes the space between words, as produced by the space-bar of a keyboard. Since the space character is considered an invisible graphic (rather than a control character)^[2]^[1] and thus would not normally be visible, it is represented here by Unicode character U+2420 "␠"; Unicode characters U+2422 "␢" and U+2423 "␣" are also available for use when a visible representation of a space is necessary.
Code 7F_hex corresponds to the non-printable "Delete" (DEL) control character and is therefore omitted from this chart; it is covered in the previous section's chart.
Earlier versions of ASCII used the up-arrow instead of the caret (5E_hex) and the left-arrow instead of the underscore (5F_hex).^[35]

Binary	Oct	Dec	Hex	Glyph
010 0000	040	32	20	␠
010 0001	041	33	21	!
010 0010	042	34	22	"
010 0011	043	35	23	#
010 0100	044	36	24	$
010 0101	045	37	25	%
010 0110	046	38	26	&
010 0111	047	39	27	'
010 1000	050	40	28	(
010 1001	051	41	29	)
010 1010	052	42	2A	*
010 1011	053	43	2B	+
010 1100	054	44	2C	,
010 1101	055	45	2D	-
010 1110	056	46	2E	.
010 1111	057	47	2F	/
011 0000	060	48	30	0
011 0001	061	49	31	1
011 0010	062	50	32	2
011 0011	063	51	33	3
011 0100	064	52	34	4
011 0101	065	53	35	5
011 0110	066	54	36	6
011 0111	067	55	37	7
011 1000	070	56	38	8
011 1001	071	57	39	9
011 1010	072	58	3A	:
011 1011	073	59	3B	;
011 1100	074	60	3C	<
011 1101	075	61	3D	=
011 1110	076	62	3E	>
011 1111	077	63	3F	?

Binary	Oct	Dec	Hex	Glyph
100 0000	100	64	40	@
100 0001	101	65	41	A
100 0010	102	66	42	B
100 0011	103	67	43	C
100 0100	104	68	44	D
100 0101	105	69	45	E
100 0110	106	70	46	F
100 0111	107	71	47	G
100 1000	110	72	48	H
100 1001	111	73	49	I
100 1010	112	74	4A	J
100 1011	113	75	4B	K
100 1100	114	76	4C	L
100 1101	115	77	4D	M
100 1110	116	78	4E	N
100 1111	117	79	4F	O
101 0000	120	80	50	P
101 0001	121	81	51	Q
101 0010	122	82	52	R
101 0011	123	83	53	S
101 0100	124	84	54	T
101 0101	125	85	55	U
101 0110	126	86	56	V
101 0111	127	87	57	W
101 1000	130	88	58	X
101 1001	131	89	59	Y
101 1010	132	90	5A	Z
101 1011	133	91	5B	[
101 1100	134	92	5C	\
101 1101	135	93	5D	]
101 1110	136	94	5E	^
101 1111	137	95	5F	_

Binary	Oct	Dec	Hex	Glyph
110 0000	140	96	60	`
110 0001	141	97	61	a
110 0010	142	98	62	b
110 0011	143	99	63	c
110 0100	144	100	64	d
110 0101	145	101	65	e
110 0110	146	102	66	f
110 0111	147	103	67	g
110 1000	150	104	68	h
110 1001	151	105	69	i
110 1010	152	106	6A	j
110 1011	153	107	6B	k
110 1100	154	108	6C	l
110 1101	155	109	6D	m
110 1110	156	110	6E	n
110 1111	157	111	6F	o
111 0000	160	112	70	p
111 0001	161	113	71	q
111 0010	162	114	72	r
111 0011	163	115	73	s
111 0100	164	116	74	t
111 0101	165	117	75	u
111 0110	166	118	76	v
111 0111	167	119	77	w
111 1000	170	120	78	x
111 1001	171	121	79	y
111 1010	172	122	7A	z
111 1011	173	123	7B	{
111 1100	174	124	7C	\|
111 1101	175	125	7D	}
111 1110	176	126	7E	~

Inspired by God

CLIENT SERVICE OFFICER JOB

Obasanjo’s 18-page letter entitled “Before it is too late”, dated December 2, 2013.

OBJ’s letter to Jonathan

STRIKE: ASUU adamant, denies knowledge of N200bn at CBN...

STRIKE: ASUU adamant, denies knowledge of N200bn at CBN

Sack threat: We are resolute in our stand – ASUU

Sack threat: We are resolute in our stand – ASUU

Don’t send students back to campuses, ASUU begs Parents

Don’t send students back to campuses,

ASUU begs Parents

We didn’t give ASUU ultimatum – Jonathan

We didn’t give ASUU ultimatum – Jonathan

online job

Inspired by God: FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked

FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked

FG to ASUU: Resume or get sacked

FG condemns ASUU’s new demands

FG condemns ASUU’s new demands

From same sex marriage to legalisation, adoption of

adultery

6 killed, many injured as Boko Haram insurgents

invade Adamawa

Robbers raid students hostel, rape female student

to coma

STRIKE Latest: ASUU NEC meeting now to hold on Saturday- Osun Defende

Cholera claims 12 lives in Otukpo, 80 others hospitalised

Rude shock awaits Nigerians tomorrow

Rude shock awaits Nigerians tomorrow

Nigerian degrees are worthless because … – Okoji

IYAYI: ASUU suspends NEC meeting indefinitely

ASUU divided over move to call off strike

STRIKE: ASUU branches meet today, exco on Wednesday

ANPP, CPC Blasts Jonathan, Sanusi Over N5,000 Note

cbn

CBN To Introduce 5000 Naira Notes

SAVE FUNMI LAWAL

ASCII control characters

ASCII printable characters

Aliases