• ASUU awaits Buhari on no-work-no-pay, holds NEC meeting
• Nigeria 2023: Buhari assures a stable and safe Nigeria upon hand-over
• Nigerian doctors in the UK lament exploitation, slave labour
• ‘Japa’: UK set to curb excess dependants from Nigerian migrants
• Governor Wike appoints 14,000 advisers

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

ASUU awaits Buhari on no-work-no-pay, holds NEC meeting

The Academic Staff Union of Universities is still awaiting the decision of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the no-work-no-pay rule invoked by the Federal Government since its strike began eight months ago.

The President’s decision on the matter is key to a decision the union will take on whether to call off the strike or continue.

It was further learnt that only the President can grant the waiver for the arrears of the striking lecturers to be paid.

Meanwhile, branches of ASUU will begin consultations on Wednesday (today) over the possibility of calling off the strike.

The union’s National Executive Council will meet on the matter on Thursday.

Confirming the development, the National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, noted that the union would meet.

He, however, did not disclose the date and the place where the meeting would take place.

“Yes, we will meet and take our decision,” Osodeke simply said.

ASUU had on Monday, February 14, 2022, embarked on a strike over what the union described as the failure of the government to meet its demands.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, after what he described as “failed negotiations” dragged the striking lecturers before the National Industrial Court.

The court, on September 21, ordered ASUU to call off the strike.

The Court of Appeal also handed down a similar order last week.

Nigeria 2023: Buhari assures a stable and safe Nigeria upon hand-over

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised again that when he leaves office in 2019, he will leave Nigeria stable and peaceful.

The President spoke at the ceremony where Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who had done great things in a variety of fields and did so with pride and honor for the country were given awards. He had previously reaffirmed this commitment in Abuja the day before.

Buhari also pointed out that the medals given to 447 people weren’t only for show; they were also intended to serve as a reminder to citizens of their duty to the country, no matter what line of work they were in.

He declared, “I will pass on a Nigeria free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders, as I promised before in my Independence address to the nation.

“We will continue to root out all forms of banditry, criminality, terrorism and insurgency in the land.”

Nigerian doctors in the UK lament exploitation, slave labour

Nigerian doctors and other medical workers from less-developed countries who work in the UK have complained about unfair treatment at work.

This information was made public by the BBC on Tuesday. They also said that an investigation had shown that Nigerian doctors hired by a British healthcare organization were forced to work in private hospitals in ways that were not allowed by the National Health Service (NHS).

Even while the British Medical Association (BMA) called the situation “shocking,” some hospitals refuted the Nigerians’ claims.

In 2021, the BBC met with a number of international medical professionals, one of which was Augustine Enekwechi, a young Nigerian physician who worked at the exclusive Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital.

Enekwechi claimed that he worked extremely long hours, remaining active for an entire week at a time. He said that he couldn’t leave the hospital, and he said that the office was like “a prison.”

The doctor added that the difficulties could endanger the health of hospital patients.

Enekwechi stated, “I realized that working tired puts the patients at risk and also puts myself at risk for litigation. I was under continual stress and worried that something would go wrong, so I felt helpless.”

‘Japa’: UK set to curb excess dependants from Nigerian migrants

The number of relatives that immigrants are allowed to bring into the UK may be restricted, according to the country’s regulations.

Nigerian migrants are found to bring in the most dependents when compared to other migrant groups, according to the UK’s Daily Mail.

Suella Braverman, the UK Home Secretary, is reportedly considering strengthening the laws governing dependents.

This is because the Home Office’s statistics on immigration showed a huge difference between the nationalities of people coming to the UK to work and study.

In spite of the fact that Nigerian students made up just 7% of all foreign students during that time, the report reveals that Nigerians made up 40% of all dependents who traveled with foreign students in the year leading up to June.

The UK granted student visas to about 34,000 Nigerians, who brought with them 31,898 dependents in total. In the year leading up to June, 8,972 Nigerians were granted work visas, and they brought with them 8,576 dependents.

“This is the highest on record in our time series,” a Home Office spokeswoman said. “The large increase represents both a rebound from lower numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase over the pre-pandemic period.”

Governor Wike appoints 14,000 advisers

Ahead of the 2023 general election, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is making serious moves to ensure the state is under his control.

This is following the appointment of 14,000 advisers for various political units in the state.

The appointment may be seen as an attempt to exert control over party structure in the state.

Recall that governor Wike and the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have been embroiled in a political battle over the control of the party’s leadership.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the spokesperson to the Governor, Kelvin Ebiri.

He said the advisers will play a pivotal role in the administration.

The statement read in part: “In addition to the 14,000 advisers, Governor Wike has also appointed 319 Ward Liaison Officers and 40 Local Government Area Liaison Officers.

“The appointments are with immediate effect”, it said.