Education
ASUU: Nigerian Govt. condemns ongoing strike as illegal
ASUU: Nigerian Govt. condemns ongoing strike as illegal
The federal government of Nigeria has condemned the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as illegal, appealing to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to advise the union to abide by the provisions of the Trade Disputes Act and call off its ongoing strike.
“The university teachers are registered under the Academic Staff Union of Universities and affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress, but that affiliation is only in name. It is not indeed because they don’t obey the Labour Act concerning conciliation,” argued the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
He explained: “For example, ASUU declared a month strike and called it a warning strike. It did not notify their employer, the Ministry of Education, nor did they notify me, the minister of labour, that there is a breakdown in negotiation.
Mr Ngige stated this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 2022 edition of the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) in Lagos.
The labour minister disclosed this in a statement signed by the ministry’s spokesman Charles Akpan.
“I’m using this opportunity to plead with the NLC to which ASUU is affiliated, to call them to order, make them obey the law, to let them know what the Trade Disputes Act says,” the minister stressed. ”As university teachers who are even teaching industrial law, to abide by the law. They should call off that strike. That strike is not appropriately instituted.”
He added, “I have conciliated and made sure the issues in disputes have been decisively been dealt with.”
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Mr Ngige also urged the council to discuss, as part of its agenda, a workable recipe that appropriately conciliates disputes with associations not properly registered as trade unions to ensure that they fully abide by the provisions of the law.
“What will be the relationship with workers organisations that are not properly registered as trade unions? The labour act is there, and it says the minister can discuss it with them. But they do not fully conform with legal provisions,” Mr Ngige pointed out.
According to him, the Trade Disputes Act permits a labour minister to apprehend and deal with “these workers” not registered as a union.
“This is because they do not fully understand the nuisances or obey the labour laws as it should be. If you are a union, you give adequate notice before proceeding on strike,” he explained further. “If you are a union too and your strike is apprehended, you go back to your work while the necessary adjustment is made to give you justice.”
The minister noted that some associations in the health and education sectors, including the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), were not properly unionised.
NAN
UNIMAID Student Drowns in Gwange River, Another Rescued
By: Zagazola Makama
A tragic drowning incident has claimed the life of a University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) student, while another was rescued after they went swimming at the Gwange River Bank in Maiduguri.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on March 14, 2025, around 7:00 p.m., when two UNIMAID students, identified as Abafras Abdiel from the Department of Forestry and Silas Sule from the Department of Geology, went to the Gwange River Bank behind ECWA Church for a swim.
While diving, both students drowned in the river, prompting an emergency response. A combined rescue team, including the police, divers, and fire service personnel, was immediately mobilized to the scene.
The rescue team managed to retrieve both victims and rushed them to the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri. While Abafras Abdiel was admitted for treatment, Silas Sule was unfortunately certified dead by doctors. His body has since been deposited at the hospital for autopsy and further investigations.
The authorities have urged students and residents to exercise caution when engaging in activities near water bodies, especially during the dry season, when river currents can be unpredictable.
UNIMAID Student Drowns in Gwange River, Another Rescued
Federal University Gusau: A 300-level student died in a bandit’s den in Zamfara
By: Our Reporter
This is truly heartbreaking. Zarah Abubakar Shehu, a 21-year-old 300-level student at Federal University Gusau, was abducted along with her two siblings by bandits in the early hours of Sunday, November 3, 2024, from their home in the Damba area of Gusau, Zamfara State.
The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of ₦35 million for their release. After much struggle, the family managed to gather ₦10 million, which the kidnappers agreed to accept. However, even after receiving the money, they still refused to release Zarah. Instead, they demanded four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil.
Zarah and her siblings spent four months in captivity. When all the items were finally gathered, the kidnappers’ leader was informed. He then called his men to check on the captives. To everyone’s horror, his men responded that only two children remained; one of them, Zarah, had passed away and had already been buried two days earlier.
Zarah was the only daughter of her mother, making her loss even more devastating. Her passing is not just a tragedy for her family but a heartbreaking reflection of the ongoing insecurity in Zamfara State and the pain that countless families endure.
Federal University Gusau: A 300-level student died in a bandit’s den in Zamfara
Gunmen Kidnap Four Students in Katsina State
By: Zagazola Makama
Suspected armed bandits have abducted four students from Paris Quarters, behind the Federal University, Dutsinma, in Katsina State, security sources told Zagazola Makama on Sunday.
The attack occurred at about 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, when the assailants, reportedly in large numbers, quietly invaded the area and whisked away four individuals.
The victims have been identified as Wali Kayode (25), Fahad Muhammad (20), Emmanuel (surname unknown), and another yet-to-be-identified person.
Security operatives were mobilized to the scene immediately after receiving a distress call but the bandits had fled.
Security sources said that Efforts are ongoing to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victims safely.
Gunmen Kidnap Four Students in Katsina State
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