The Federal Government says members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, will get half of their withheld salaries should President Bola Tinubu approve the payment of their salary arrears.

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, revealed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday monitored by DAILY POST.

The minister said the non-academic staff members of universities were not on strike for the same period in 2022 as their academic counterparts.

He stated that the government has been doing everything possible to get a relief for them.

Asked what has delayed the payment to NASU and SSANU members, Mamman said, “No, it has not been approved.

“There is a court judgement on no work, no pay. ASUU getting four months’ pay was actually a discretion and decision on the part of the President. So, it doesn’t automatically transfer (to NASU and SSANU) but the matter is under consideration.

“I don’t think it is safe to put a time on it but it’s safer to say that we are on it and we are pushing.

While speaking on the claim of discrimination by NASU and SSANU, the minister said, “That cannot be right, there is no rating. These are people working in the same terrain, they are doing different things but all working towards the same goal.

DAILY POST reports that in March, SSANU and NASU members embarked on a one-week warning strike to protest their withheld salaries by the Federal Government.

The two unions criticized the Federal Government for paying withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, while neglecting the non-academic unions.

All the unions had embarked on an eight-month strike in 2022 to press home some of their demands including a better welfare package.

DAILY POST recalls that the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against the unions but President Bola Tinubu last October approved the release of four of the eight months withheld salaries.

SSANU and NASU accused the Federal Government of unfair treatment and discrimination by failing to pay them like their academic counterparts.

The Federal Government has initiated the process of receiving feedback from Nigerians through its upgraded Citizens’ Delivery Tracker App.

The app was launched on Monday and allows Nigerians to monitor government projects and initiatives.

During the unveiling in Abuja, Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, disclosed that the app, accessible at app.cdcu.gov.ng, will soon be available on Google Play Store and Apple Store within a month.

Developed by the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) in consultation with various stakeholders, the app furnishes citizens with information on key government projects, policies, and programs.

Bala-Usman emphasized its role in fostering a “strong feedback loop between citizens and government” on the administration’s eight priority areas under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.

The unveiling marks the culmination of a months-long process initiated by Tinubu following his announcement of plans for ministerial assessment at the Cabinet Retreat last November.

One comment read: “I want to appreciate the wonderful work done by the Hon Minister Umahi and his team on Lagos 3rd Mainland Bridge and hope the same will be done on Ibadan-Ife-llesa Expressway. I was on this road last weekend, and I can confirm that it requires attention.

“I believe in the renewed hope of the government and trust that the Hon Minister with his pedigree and track record in Ebonyi State is up to the task. Please keep it up sir!”

Someone not satisfied with what the Minister of Power, Adelabu Adebayo, wrote: “He’s the worst minister so far. Power has become epileptic even more. We barely have light. Sometimes 3 weeks. If they bring it by luck, it’ll stay for just an hour and they interrupt again. He’s a failure”

Another person urged the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, to have a monthly training programme for teachers.

“Why won’t this ministry train and retraining technical teachers or have a specific target on this issue. That shows that you still want us to remain on the second generation on technology level but claimed that we next to develop nations.

“Please, dont let technical teachers be giving our children 1970 or 80s definition of new technology in 2024. Have a monthly program for them.

On the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, a comment reads: “I Don’t even know the minister by name until now. They should be in our faces and partner with mainstream media to promote national cohesion, Social media is there. Let them leverage on it to relate with citizens.”

The suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, has expressed her intention to take legal action against the British Broadcasting Corporation over what she claims to be defamatory statements.

Edu made this known through a letter signed by her legal representative, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and addressed to the BBC offices in Abuja and London.

In the letter titled ‘Request for immediate retraction of defamatory article published on BBC website against Dr. Betta Edu’, the lawyer expressed the harm caused to Edu’s reputation, as well as the emotional distress and suffering endured as a result of the publication.

It accused the BBC of failing to uphold journalistic fairness and due process by not giving Edu a chance to respond to the allegations prior to publishing the article.

The letter read, “We write to express our deep concern regarding the recent article published by the BBC on its website titled: “Betta Edu Probe: Nigeria Recover $24m in Poverty Minister Investigation- EFCC” with the byline “Nigeria has recovered 30bn naira ($24m; £19m) as part of an ongoing corruption probe into a suspended minister, the financial watchdog says.”

“The aforesaid article, which presents information purporting to relate to an ongoing corruption probe into the activities of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria, is replete with innuendoes and insinuations which suggest that N30bn has been recovered in the course of the ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from our client and that the 50 bank accounts connected with the recovered sums are linked to our client.

“Furthermore, your article proceeds to cast aspersion on our client by referencing her earlier suspension (to allow for unfettered investigations) in the following terms: ‘Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister Betta Edu was initially suspended in January over the alleged diversion of $640,000 of public money into a personal bank account’.

“First and foremost, the language used in describing our client’s purported involvement in the alleged corruption case suggests guilt without allowing for the presumption of innocence, which is fundamental in any fair and unbiased reporting.

“The reckless manner in which the article was crafted, without providing our client with the opportunity to respond to the allegations before its wide publication, is a clear breach of journalistic fairness and due process and demonstrates a complete disregard for journalistic integrity and professionalism.”

The letter continued, “For the avoidance of doubt, our client has neither been indicted nor found culpable of any act of financial impropriety in relation to her stewardship of the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry in Nigeria. It is also pertinent to emphasise that neither N30billion nor any amount whatsoever has been traced to or recovered from our client’s bank accounts nor has any proceed of crime been traced or recovered from her to warrant the scurrilous article under reference.

“Suffice it to say that in the aftermath of the publication of this scandalous article (which the BBC caused to be disseminated to millions of persons across the globe), our client has been inundated by calls and messages from friends, associates expressing their shock and consternation. Our client has suffered immeasurable reputational damage, psychological trauma and anguish as a direct consequence of the publication and dissemination of the article.

“In the light of the above, we hereby demand that the BBC, forthwith and immediately, pull down the offensive article from its website and/or any other associated platform. Furthermore, we demand that the BBC, within 48 hours from the receipt of this correspondence, issue and publish an immediate and unqualified retraction of the aforementioned article and a public apology to our client, for the false and defamatory content published. This retraction and apology must be given the same prominence as the initial offensive article.

“Take notice that should the BBC fail and/or neglect to comply with the above demands, we have our client’s instructions to, without further recourse to the BBC, initiate swift legal action(s) before the appropriate Courts to obtain redress for the injurious falsehood peddled in your article, and to seek punitive and exemplary damages in the sum of US$ 50 million against the BBC for the damage and injury suffered by our client.”

President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu in January 2024.

Edu’s suspension followed criticism after a leaked memo on December 20, 2023, revealed that she directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585m to a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget.

The ministry, however, stated that Oniyelu was working as the Project Accountant, Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

The family of a Nigerian business leader who died in a Southern California helicopter crash that killed five others in February filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming the flight should have been grounded because of treacherous weather.

Relatives of Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former chair of the Nigerian stock exchange, allege in the court filing that the charter company, Orbic Air LLC, improperly flew the helicopter despite a “wintry mix” of snowy and rainy conditions in the Mojave Desert where the crash occurred on Feb. 9.

Ogunbanjo, 61, was killed along with Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Nigeria's Access Bank, and Wigwe's wife and 29-year-old son. Ogunbanjo was on his way to Las Vegas to attend the Super Bowl.

Both pilots — Benjamin Pettingill, 25, and Blake Hansen, 22 — also died. They were licensed as commercial helicopter pilots as well as flight instructors.

Andrew C. Robb, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, said Ogunbanjo's family is seeking "answers and accountability.”

“Helicopters do not do very well in snow and ice,” Robb told The Associated Press. "This flight was entirely preventable, and we don’t know why they took off.”

Ogunbanjo's wife and two children filed the suit in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Wednesday against Orbic Air and its CEO, Brady Bowers, alleging wrongful death and negligence.

The suit also names the unidentified successors of Pettingill and Hansen, whom Ogunbanjo’s family also faults.

Orbic Air did not reply to an email and phone call seeking comment.

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause of the crash. In February, the agency released a preliminary investigation report that outlined the helicopter's flight path and provided details about wreckage that was strewn across 100 yards (91 meters) of desert scrub.

Investigators found the fuselage was fragmented, and the cockpit and cabin were destroyed. Damage to the engine and the metal deposits that were found would indicate that it was operational at the time of the crash.

The report cited law enforcement, saying several witnesses who were traveling in vehicles along Interstate 15 had called 911 to report observing a “fireball” to the south. The witnesses reported that it was raining with a mix of snow.

The helicopter left Palm Springs Airport around 8:45 p.m. on Feb. 9 and was traveling to Boulder City, Nevada, which is about 26 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers were set to play that Sunday in Super Bowl 58.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and payment for Ogunbanjo's burial and funeral expenses, as well as other damages.

Robb's firm, Robb and Robb LLC, represented Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, in her lawsuit against the pilot and owners of the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas in 2020, killing the NBA star, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others. The lawsuit was settled in 2021 for an undisclosed amount.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu joined the Muslim Faithful across the country for the Eid-el-Fitr prayers on Wednesday, April 10.

The prayers were held at the Dodan Barracks Eid prayer ground in Obalende, Lagos.

He was joined at the prayer ground by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat; the Minister of Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola; former Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, and the Private Secretary to the President, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, among others.

37-year-old Simon Harris emerged as Ireland’s youngest ever prime minister on Tuesday, April 9, while pledging to bring new ideas.

Harris replaces Leo Varadkar who abruptly quit last month citing personal and political reasons.

On Tuesday, Ireland’s parliament voted 88 to 69 in favour of Harris who was then officially installed at a ceremony with President Michael D. Higgins.

The centre-right Fine Gael party selected Harris as its leader following an uncontested election after Varadkar resigned but the young politician faces key elections within months as well as domestic pressure to tackle crises over housing and opposition to migration.

Harris told parliament:

“This is very much a partnership government and I intend to lead us in the spirit of unity, collaboration and mutual respect,” he said, watched by his wife and two children.

“I want to bring new ideas and new energy and, I hope, a new empathy to public life. Time is certainly short, and there’s a lot to do,” Harris added.

Varadkar quit last month saying that at the age of 45 he no longer felt he was the “best person” to lead the country. Varadkar, the youngest prime minister when first elected in 2017, said Tuesday said he “always knew” Harris would fill the top job.

“This has perhaps come a little bit sooner than he might have planned or expected. But I know he will rise to the occasion,” Varadkar said.

“He has the empathy, energy, experience, campaigning skills and political antenna to take us forward.”

Harris joined the youth branch of Fine Gael at the age of 16 and quickly rose through its ranks.

A county councillor at the age of 22, he was elected to parliament in 2011 as a 24-year-old.

At the time he was the youngest MP and was nicknamed “Baby of the Dail” (Irish parliament).

He was appointed health minister in 2016 aged just 29 and higher education minister in 2020.

Also, Harris’ prominence on social media, especially TikTok, has made him one of the most visible politicians in Ireland.

A South African Electoral Court has cleared a former president, Jacob Zuma, to contest the upcoming election.

In a judgement delivered on Tuesday, April 9, the court upturned the decision made by South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission, SAIEC, last month, barring Zuma from contesting elections.

SAIEC had barred Zuma from contesting the forthcoming elections due to his criminal record.

In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment for defying a court order to appear before a judicial commission.

The probe was centred on corruption allegations in government and state-owned companies during Zuma’s presidential term from 2009 to 2018.

However, in a brief court order, the electoral court said an appeal by Zuma and his party was successful, noting that the objection against his candidature had been dismissed.

“The decision of the Electoral Commission is set aside,” the court wrote.

Following the clearance, Zuma is expected to run for the presidency on behalf of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which he founded last year after leaving the African National Congress, ANC.

The election is set to take place on May 29

The impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has begun the process of filing a formal petition against the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa.

Following his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly, Shaibu, through the legal representation of B.I. Dakum and Co., has contacted the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, for a complaint form.

The request, dated April 8, 2024, comes in the aftermath of the seven-man panel’s investigation into misconduct and perjury allegations against Shaibu, which led to his impeachment.

The panel, constituted by Chief Judge Okungbowa, has faced scrutiny over its procedures and conclusions.

Shaibu’s legal move, articulated in a letter signed by Adaze A. Emwanta, a former Commissioner for Information and Orientation under Governor Godwin Obaseki, alleges that Justice Okungbowa abused his office, engaged in official misconduct, and violated his oath of office.

The letter underscores Shaibu’s intention to formalize these accusations by filing a petition under the Judicial Discipline Regulations 2017.

The letter titled “Re: Notice to obtain a complaint form to file a formal complaint against Hon Justice Daniel Okungbowa, the Chief Judge of Edo State for abuse of office, official misconduct and desecrating his oath of office,” reads in part, “We write as Solicitors to Rt Hon. Philip Shaibu, who until this morning was Deputy Governor of Edo State.

“Rt Hon Philip Shaibu has instructed us to file a formal complaint to your council against Hon Justice Daniel Okungbowa, the Chief Judge of Edo State for abuse of office, official misconduct and desecration of his oath of office.

“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to formally request a complaint form prescribed under the Judicial Discipline Regulations 2017 to enable our client to file his complaint against the subject Judge.”

A date has been fixed for the arraignment of the immediate past governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, son, and five others, for alleged bribery.

The Kano State High Court fixed April 17, 2024 for arraignment of Ganduje, his wife and son.

Ganduje and the others will be arraigned on eight counts bordering on a $413,000 bribery allegation, diversion, and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N1.38bn, among others.

It was earlier reported that the Federal High Court in Kano ruled that the Kano Public Compliant and Anti-Corruption Commission lacks the power to investigate Ganduje over an alleged $5m bribery video.

Justice Abdullahi Liman, while delivering his judgment, said the offence was a federal offence that could be prosecuted by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Justice Liman said the Kano anti-graft agency had a limitation in investigating the former governor.

But on Monday, the state governor, Abba Yusuf, urged the EFCC to release the result of its probe into the alleged dollar bribery video involving Ganduje.

Yusuf, in a statement by his spokesperson, Sanusi Tofa, said Ganduje should rather prepare to face his trial instead of talking about non-existent failure in the current administration.

“For whatever option, the Kano State Government would advise the acting National Chairman of APC to show cause why his name, that of his family, and the entire people of Kano should permanently be erased from the global embarrassment that the dollar video has generated,” he said.

However, in a writ of summon sighted by PUNCH Online on Tuesday, the Kano State Government, in a criminal suit, named Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lesage General Enterprises as respondents and assembled 15 witnesses to appear before the court.

The case is fixed for April 17, 2024, before Justice Usman Na’aba of the state High Court Number Four.

Confirming the development to Daily Trust, the state Attorney General, Haruna Dederi, said the case has been filed, and all parties involved will be served accordingly.

“It is very true. We have filed the case but what I cannot confirm is whether he is served or not but he will definitely be served. What he (Ganduje) doesn’t understand is that you cannot run away from the evil day, it will definitely come to you and this will even serve as a deterrence to all of us.

“He was saying that we can’t prosecute him forgetting that the offence also falls under the category of the state offences. It’s not totally a federal affair,” he said.

The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, says Nigerians in the region are regretting their support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election.

The spokesman of the forum, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman made the claim in an interview with Guardian on Tuesday.

He noted that in subsequent polls, particularly the 2027 general elections, the region will prioritize unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in Nigeria.

“The North made a mistake in voting Bola Tinubu to the presidency in 2023, and it is unlikely that they will repeat the same error in the future.

“They have learned from their past misstep and will strive to select a candidate who can unite the country and govern in the best interests of all Nigerians.

“Moving forward, the North will be more cautious in selecting a candidate for the presidency. They will prioritize someone who is seen as more inclusive, less controversial, and more aligned with the interests of all regions of the country”, he said.

DAILY POST recalls that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, polled the highest votes from the region to beat his major contenders, including a Northerner, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Since his inauguration in May 2023, the president has been widely criticised over some policies of his administration, which were tagged by the opposition as anti-masses.

Tinubu was also accused by Northern groups of lopsided appointments in the federal government.