The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Calabar Zone has expressed reservations about the Federal Government’s student loan, describing it as a ploy to enslave Nigerian students and make them remain indebted to the country forever.
The Federal Government student loan officially came on stream last Friday when the portal for loan applications opened.
The PUNCH reports that no fewer than 3,764 students from 126 institutions sent in applications on the opening day.
The Federal Government explained that the initiative was to ensure that no Nigerian youth is denied higher education on account of lack of funds.
But addressing a press conference in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Monday, the Zonal Chairperson of ASUU, Dr Happiness Uduk, insisted that the student loan was a ploy to enslave Nigerian youths.
Uduk said it was disheartening that the people who attended schools on scholarship, enjoyed meal subsidies, bursary awards, among others, were now implementing loans for students.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, had also repeatedly criticised the student loan, saying the government should rather give students bursaries.
Uduk, in a statement jointly signed by the eight union chairpersons, reasoned that instead of loans, the Federal Government should give subvention to higher institutions.
She argued that such a move would bring about a positive turnaround in the tertiary institutions.
Uduk said, “It is disheartening that people who attended schools on scholarship, enjoyed meal subsidies, free laundry services, and bursary awards are the same running our economy today.
“Their children are on scholarship in the best foreign universities in the world but after siphoning our economy, they turn around to impose a strangulating education loan on taxpayers’ children who will be enslaved and remain indebted to the country forever. They do not mind the devastating effect of this scheme on the country, such as depression, suicide, and colossal loss of intellectuals.
“To this end, we vehemently condemn the idea of education loans and state clearly that using the money for intervention in higher institutions will bring about a positive turnaround of events that will make our institutions self-reliant with highly subsidised tertiary education in Nigeria.”
The ASUU chairperson called on the Federal Government to come to a renegotiation table and reconvene a committee to review the agreement reached by ASUU leadership and Prof. Nimi Brigs-led government committee with a view to adjusting the document according to the current economic realities so as to have acceptable salary structure for university lecturers.
She also condemned the indiscriminate proliferation of universities in Nigeria without adequate funding by both the federal and state governments, noting that the 2020 ASUU-FGN Memorandum of Action, which stressed the need to review the NUC Act to make it more potent in arresting the reckless and excessive establishment of universities, be fully implemented.
“We urge the President Tinubu-led administration to refrain from further proliferation of universities and rather consolidate on the already existing ones. What we need are universities that are adequately equipped and empowered to address the challenges confronting Nigeria not glorified schools,” she said.
On the ongoing minimum wage negotiation, the ASUU Calabar Zone urged the FG to immediately deploy the instrumentality of collective bargaining to conclude the social dialogue, saying such would lessen the invasive decline in the socio-economic lives of Nigerians.
Yusuf Adepitan, known as Ijoba Danku, a well-known promoter and talent manager, has labeled his former client, Portable, as immature.
Adepitan revealed that the controversial singer initially lied to him when they first met.
He shared that he had once taken legal action against Portable but later withdrew the lawsuit after the singer’s father intervened and pleaded on his behalf.
Expressing his regret, Danku said he wishes he had never gotten involved with Portable.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Doyin’s Corner podcast, Danku stated, “Portable is still a boy. Before Portable came to me, he lied to me. I actually sued him but his father pleaded with me and I accepted to drop the suit. If there is someone I wish I never allowed into my circle, it is Portable.”
The Lagos State Police Command has stated its officers in Ipaja Police Division have successfully repelled an early morning attack on their division by operators of commercial motorcycles, commonly known as Okada riders.
The State Police Command’s Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the attack came after police officers commenced the day’s enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in Lagos State.
“The attackers, who came in their hundreds, stormed the station with dangerous weapons, shooting at the officers and attempting to overrun the station.
“While officers and men of the division held their ground, reinforcement came from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). Two of the attackers were fatally injured during the attack,” said SP Hundeyin.
He, however, noted that this did not deter the officers from accomplishing their mandate, as over 200 motorcycles were impounded and some of the attackers arrested, with one locally made firearm retrieved.
He reaffirmed that the Lagos State Police Command will not be cowed into abdicating its responsibilities of enforcement of all duly passed laws and maintenance of law and order within the society.
LEADERSHIP earlier reported that in the unexpected incident early Monday morning, over 100 hoodlums launched a coordinated attack on the Ipaja Police Station in Lagos State, leading to a fierce exchange of gunfire with Policemen with several of the assailants reportedly killed.
Alexer Peres, the estranged wife of singer, Harrysong, has hit hard at him following his infidelity allegations against her.
Recall that Harrysong claimed that his wife, Alexer, was unfaithful in their marriage and got pregnant for another man despite marrying her due to emotional blackmail.
He said he regrets marrying into his wife’s family, claiming that infidelity runs in it as her mother, who has been married to seven men, still cheats.
Reacting, Peres debunked Harrysong’s claims, saying her mother only remarried once after the death of her father.
She also challenged the singer to come forward with evidence that she cheated on him.
She went on to claim that it is Harrysong’s mum who has six children out of wedlock for six different men.
Peres further claimed that Harrysong is a product of incest and bedwets.
On her Instagram account, she wrote:
“Do you all know that Harrysong bed wets? Yes celebrity wey Dey piss for body.
“Oh so sorry to break it to u all. I also get to deal with this daily, while calling him my lord.
“You said I convinced you to get married to me? A 20 years old girl, convincing a full grown man to get married to her?
“Please make me understand, never knew I was married to a robot, Who couldn’t make decisions for himself. Same you who told me your ex-girlfriend used charms on you.
“And now your eyes are open since u met me So it’s now me that forced marriage on you, really?
“I never knew my mum married 6 husbands wow, chronic narcissist.
“My mum only remarried when she lost her husband, as i speak, she is happily married, with her dowry paid in full.
“Since when did it become a crime for a widow to remarry? And what does the words ’till death do us part’ mean?
“Pained soul why are u trying to project your insecurities on me? We all know your mum gave birth to 6 children for 6 different men.
None of which she was married to.“And you, a product of incest. Imagine having 5 siblings and you don’t know who their fathers are.
“Why throw stones, when you live in a glass house?”
Peres said she was open to conducting DNA tests on their children to prove her innocence.
She added that the singer was the one who gave her all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases except HIV and Hepatitis B.
Nigerian filmmaker cum movie actress, Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi has on children’s day taken to social media to express how unhappy she is today.
Despite wishing all children a wonderful day, the actress and mother of one admonished parents against raising children with kids gloves because times have changed.
Toyin Abraham cited examples of youths who bash their elders on social media under the guise of being “woke” and the jungle justice which took place in Ajayi Crowther university where a student was accused of theft.
She added that children should be raised with values and be taught respect as lack of home training is currently the order of the day in many settings today.
In her lengthy note, Toyin Abraham stated:
“I am not happy on this children’s day
Happy Children’s Day to all children and to parents who were once children. As we celebrate this day, it is essential to acknowledge the need for better parenting. Recent online encounters and observations compel me to share this heartfelt message with every parent and guardian.
The quality of children we are raising today needs serious attention. We now have kids who see respect and courtesy as burdens. How do we feel reading some of the things the youth say to adults online under the guise of being “woke” or adopting a “no tolerance” attitude? Many of us were not raised the way we are raising our kids today. We are raising them with kid gloves because we believe times have changed. However, different times are not an excuse to raise disrespectful children.
Despite our age and blessings, there are still things we would not tell our parents, not out of fear, but out of respect. This Children’s Day should remind us to do better as parents and raise children who are respectful and kind. The recent tragic event at Ajayi Crowther University, where students killed a fellow student in the name of jungle justice, highlights the severe consequences of a lack of home training and moral values. Even if theft occurred, it does not justify taking another person’s life.
Respect, courtesy, responsibility, kindness, and hard work are values we were raised with. Although we may not have liked the discipline at the time, we are grateful to our parents today for instilling these values in us. We have a nation-building responsibility to raise the next generation of quality individuals.
Happy Children’s Day once again. May God keep our children for us, protect us from all forms of evil, and grant us a great celebration filled with wonderful experiences for the kids.
My name is Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi. I was once a little child, and I am now entrusted with the responsibility of raising quality children for a better society and nation.”
In a tragic incident in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, Pastor Joshua Musa was killed by bandits even after a ransom had been paid for his release.
Pastor Musa, originally from Nasarawa State, served at the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) in the Sarkin Pawa Community before his untimely death.
The harrowing event unfolded when Pastor Musa, along with his wife and several others, were kidnapped by bandits seven days ago.
Despite the payment of the demanded ransom, which led to their initial release, the bandits brutally killed Pastor Musa as they were leaving the kidnapping site.
His wife and the other victims were spared and allowed to return home.
The loss has deeply affected the community and members of the ECWA, prompting an outpouring of grief on social media.
A church member, Sunny Danbaba, expressed his sorrow online, stating, “This pastor and his wife were kidnapped at Shiroro DCC. After payment to release them, on their way coming out of the bush, they killed him.”
The motive behind the murder, especially after receiving the ransom, remains unclear, adding to the fears and concerns of the local population regarding the escalating bandit activities in the region.
As of this report, the spokesperson of the state police command, Wasiu Abiodun, has yet to release an official statement on the incident.
Former beauty queen, Precious Chikwendu, the ex-wife of former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, was conspicuously absent at the birthday soiree of their triplet sons, Liam, Aiden and Ragnar.
The boys turned six on May 21, and their father threw them a birthday party at home during the weekend.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain shared photos of the party via his Instagram page on Monday.
The photos captured FFK posing with his boys and another woman at the birthday soiree.
He captioned the photos, “What a wonderful birthday celebration we had for my three handsome sons Ragnar, Aiden and Liam on Saturday. Thanks to all those that came and that prayed for us and most importantly we give thanks to the Lord for all He has done. Blessings!”
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has been named in the Serie A team of the 2023-24 season following his impressive performances for Napoli .
This is the second consecutive season Osimhen will be named in the team of the year after he played a pivotal role in Napoli’s title-winning campaign in the 2022-23 season.
He scored 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances to win the league’s top scorer award.
Osimhen was included in the 23-man list announced on Serie A’s social media accounts on Sunday.
Despite Napoli’s poor defence of the Serie A title, Osimhen has distinguished himself with a series of match-winning performances.
Osimhen’s season has been blighted by injuries and he also missed one month of action due to his participation in the African Cup of Nations, where he led the Super Eagles to a silver medal finish in Ivory Coast.
The 26-year-old has scored 15 goals and recorded three assists in 24 Serie A appearances for Napoli this season.
He is currently the third highest goal scorer in the league behind Lautaro Martinez and Dusan Vlahovic, who have scored 24 and 16 goals respectively.
Napoli have endured a poor 2023-24 season, finishing 10th on the table which made them miss out on European competition.
Nigerians are experiencing more pain as the prices of prepaid electricity meters have gone up after seven weeks of the electricity tariff hike on April 3.
This comes after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission announced the deregulation of Meter Asset Provider.
Recall that on April 30, NERC, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and Commissioner of Legal, Licensing, and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, removed electricity meter price capping.
Before NERC announced the meter price deregulation, electricity distribution companies sold single and three-phased meters at a capped price of N81,975.16 and N143,836.16. However, a recent meter price announcement by Discos showed that the price of single and three meters have surged to as high as N135,240.01 and N241,875.00, depending on the vendor company.
DAILY POST gathered that the Abuja Electricity Company quoted between N91,835.10 and N135,240.01 for single-phased metres by different metre vendors. Also, AEDC said the price of a three-phase metre is between N160,646.93 and N241,875.00.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company’s new meter prices increased from N122,337.76 to N167,700 for a single-phase meter. Also, the phase meter rose to N206.737.42 and N258,000.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said in a ministerial briefing in Abuja last week that Nigerians’ experience following the electricity tariff hike is temporary.
Meanwhile, outside of rising energy costs, Nigerians have continued to groan over the untamed rise in the cost of food, as food inflation increased to 40.53 percent in April 2024.
Glamour Girls: My Pastor Suspended Me After I Shot A Nude Scene With Eucharia Anunobi – Zack Orji
AFOLABI
Veteran Nollywood actor, Zack Orji, has revealed that he was suspended by his pastor after starring in the popular film, ‘Glamour Girls’ of the 1990s.
Naija News reports that the thespian shot a nude scene with co-star, Eucharia Anunobi.
He, however, stated that the scene had a negative impact on his marital life.
The multiple award-winning actor said a lot of people were feeding his wife’s mind with negative stories against him which led to his pastor suspending him.
Orji made these disclosures while featuring on a podcast tagged ‘Nollywood Hardcore: The Legend’s Untold Story.’
The 1994 Glamour Girls, a two-part film, was about independent single women embarking on their independence within Nigeria’s traditionally patriarchal society through escorting.
Directed by Chika Onukwufor, the story revealed young women engaging in prostitution, as they battled between accomplishing their dreams and maintaining societal norms.
Recounting the impact of the movie on his life, Orji told Emmanuel Ehumadu, host of the Podcast who is popularly known as Labista, that his pastor called him that he had received many disturbing reports about the matter.
When asked about the impact of the film, Orji said, “Back then, we were talking about the 90s before the 2000s. I was married, yes.”
On whether he had issues with his wife, the actor said, “I did. Even though she’s an actress, so they were putting a lot of things in her mind.
“I remember after the movie was released, my pastor invited me and said that he had been receiving too many calls. (He said) How can Zack go and do this kind of thing? He said he called me because he wanted to suspend me. But he wanted to inform me first of all before suspending me.
“And he said well, he was not going to tell anybody that it was just between us. While this happened, I was on another set, we were filming in Ikeja GRA. There was this guy called Alex who was very well-known in the industry back then.
“He worked with Punch Newspapers, he came to the set where I was filming and said,” I just want to confirm from you before going to the press: is it true that you have been suspended by your church? I said who told you that?”
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Nollywood film actress Bukky Wright is one of the most celebrated actresses out of the country. Sadly, she made a departure from Nollywood for a long time, but is now back.
In a fresh interview with The Nigerian Tribune, Bukky Wright explained that she had to leave the movie industry for the sake of her children.
Stating that she lives for them, the thespian said they needed her more at the time, so she chose them over her career.
The popular actress also revealed that during her hiatus, she wasn’t just functioning as a mother, but she became a cyber security analyst. In Bukky Wright’s words:
“I just felt like doing something else for myself. I decided to go back to school and, you know, put my hands into something else. I’m happy I did. Now, I can boast that I’m a cyber security analyst. I’m certified in information security in the US. It felt good to at least try something out and go out of my comfort zone. I’ve always been somebody who would always go out of her comfort zone. I don’t believe in impossibilities.
“At the time that I left, I had to leave because my children needed me more. I’m a mother and I would always say that I live for my children. My children needed me and I had to be at their beck call. You know there is always a time in the life of a mother that your children need you the most. And when they need you the most, you have to show up for them. That was what I did, and I did not want to waste that time doing nothing, career-wise. So, I challenged myself. I challenged my children as well. Sometimes they’re like, ‘Mommy, do you want to be a professor or what?’”
Speaking on why she’s returned to the industry, Bukky Wright who recently had her Ramadan birthday prayer said:
“I feel there’s still something in me to give to the entertainment industry in Nigeria. It actually hits to the core of my fans anytime I post anything on Instagram, they’ll be like, ‘You need to come back’. My sons also kept encouraging me, they said, ‘It’s time you go back again and do something in the movie industry in Nigeria.’ Right now, I’m here for Nora Awolowo. She brought me in for ‘Red Circle’.
“It feels really good and I’m so happy about the warm welcome from everybody. I’m happy to be back. Did I miss the industry? Yes, I did.”
Popular social media personality Saida Boj has delved into her past, revealing insights and regrets concerning her relationship with a married man.
Saida Boj shared insights into her personal experiences, opening up on the emotional and financial toll of being in a relationship with a married partner.
In a recent interview, Saida Boj addressed her personal missteps, openly admitting to dating a married man in 2023.
She expressed deep regret for this decision, citing the significant financial strain it imposed on her life.
Saida Boj went on to reveal that her regrets stemmed not only from the moral implications of being involved with a married individual but also from the practical consequences of the relationship.
She expressed disappointment at not receiving financial support from her partner, which left her in a precarious financial situation.
Furthermore, she revealed that her major reason for regretting the relationship with the married man was her sympathy for his wife.
In her words;
In her words, “I was with this guy last year and he used me; he had money but didn’t give and he was a married man. I regret it so bad because I always feel pity for married women.”
See below;
Alexer Peres, the estranged wife of Nigerian singer, Harrysong, has responded to the allegation of infidelity during their marriage.
Naija News reported that Harrysong, in an Instagram live session on Saturday, claimed that Alexer was pregnant for another man while they were still together.
The singer claimed that he married into a promiscuous family.
Responding via her Instagram story, Alexer said she is open to peaceful co-parenting instead of making an issue with Harrysong to soar their relationship.
According to her, the singer put her through emotional and mental abuse, but she will not be addressing it because of her love for her children.
She wrote: “I love my kids so much and I wouldn’t want the issue I have with their father to cause a bridge in their relationship with him. Reasons why I said to my self that I just want to co-parent in peace despite the emotional and mental abuse this man put me through but I am addressing this issue because it is a crucial one, involving my mum, myself, my kids, destiny etiko and most especially “infidelity” accusations.”
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has underscored the importance of education in having an enlightened and informed population and also building a prosperous society
This is even as he decried the widespread begging on the street among Almajiri students.
He warned that northern leaders cannot educate children by leaving them begging on the streets of cities and towns.
The Sultan voiced his discontent when he spoke at the inauguration of the Zamfara State Almajiri Integrated Qur’anic Education Center,Gummi held in Gummi on Sunday.
“I am not a politician but I’m here because of the importance I attach to the programme to me and community at large.
“Qur’anic Schools are centers where religious education and values were inculcated to children, but the only source of concern was begging among almajiri students”, the Sultan said
He stated that construction of Integrated Schools is very critical to needs of society as it goes a long way in addressing out of school children and end begging in the name of learning.
He said every government must put education at the forefront, believing that all good things come from education and all bad were from ignorance.
Speaking at the event, Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara said the government would protect the future of younger ones by creating a conducive and enabling environment for them grow and thrive.
He added that in addition to 6 class rooms of 45 students capacity and130 double bed space, 12 toilet facilities and kitchen, a vocational center to train children on wood work, sowing, Messing work among others were established.
He assured the people of government commitment in providing adequate feeding and other wellbeing of the students.
The governor named the center after Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III.
The governor also inaugurated the upgraded and renovated General Hospital in Nasarwa Burkullu in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the state, and Maru Genera Hospital which was also renovated