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The Big 5: SSANU and 2 other unions warm up for strike, Dino Melaye mocks APC over parallel congresses and other stories

Here are the stories you should be monitoring today:

A strike action may be impending in the universities following accusations by members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), that the federal government is failing to honour its own part of agreements reached with non-teaching staff, seven weeks after suspension of its industrial action.

In a communiqué signed at its National Executive Council meeting at the Bayero University, Kano, by the National President, Comrade Samson Chijioke Ugwoke and the National Public Relations Officer, Abdussobur Salaam. SSANU “warned that Nigerians should not blame the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NAAT, NASU and SSANU if it resumes the suspended nationwide industrial action, because seven weeks after the last Memorandum of Understanding signed by government and the unions, government has failed to honour its own part of the bargain.”

It also accused the government of fragrantly disobeying the judgment of the National Industrial Court (NIC) on university staff schools.


The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), continued yesterday as it’s state congresses  ended in predictable confusion in many states yesterday, prompting parallel state executives in at least seven states in largely peaceful gatherings.

It was reported that parallel executives emerged in Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Zamfara, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kwara, among others.

The congress however was bloody in Ondo State as thugs numbering no fewer than 25, reportedly invaded the parallel congress held at the BTO Event Centre, Akure. chased the delegates out of the hall, destroyed the ballot papers, and upturned the tables, chairs and electronic equipment in the venue.


Senator representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye has mocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the outcome of the nationwide state congresses which held on Saturday.

The exercise was characterised by irregularities as parallel congresses held in over seven states while suspected thugs broke into some venues and chased out party members and delegates.

Melaye in a tweet on Saturday night, taunted the party saying it is now blessed with 72 state chairmen, implying that each state elected two leaders.

“Congratulations to the 72 new state chairmen of APC. Every where na double double. What a blessed party,” the senator tweeted.


The Kano police state command says it is not on a manhunt for the reporter, said to have published a video of  Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris struggling to read a speech at an event.

Reports say Aminu Nurudeen, a Liberty television reporter who allegedly published the video is said to have gone into hiding after the Kano police invited him for questioning.

In a statement on Saturday, Musa Majiya, spokesman of the Kano police command, said “The command hereby debunks the news as false in its entirety and an act by mischief makers.”

“No journalist was arrested nor invited by the command for interrogation over the video clip. It is crystal clear that the command maintains cordial relationship with the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Correspondence Chapel and all bloggers,”  he added. (The Cable)


Stakeholders at a meeting organised by the Federal Government in Abuja have differed over solutions to killings by herdsmen in Benue and other states. While some insisted on return to grazing reserves, others urged herdsmen to ranch their cattle, to forestall clashes between them and farmers.

In his remarks, Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, blamed criminal elements and not religious motives for the killings, linking the murders to demographic, environmental, social and economic dynamics.

At the meeting, while the Birma of Biu and Chairman, Council of Kingmakers, Alhaji Ibrahim S. Birma as well as a representative of the Miyetti-Allah Association, identified attractive grazing reserves as the solution to the clashes, arguing that compensating farmers without doing the same for herdsmen would only breed bitterness.

The representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), however opposed a return to grazing, urging herdsmen to adopt ranching, as is done globally. He  added that it would be almost impossible to recover lands earlier designated as grazing reserves, in view of population explosion and development.

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