VC Charges Stakeholders On UNN Growth

VICE Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba has called for collaborative efforts of stakeholders to enable the institution realize the dreams of her founding fathers.

He stated that though the institution has in the last 54 years contributed in the development of the country through research, development as well as producing some best brains, it must do more to

ensure that certain challenges confronting the country were overcome.

Presenting his first Founders Day celebration address in Enugu yesterday, Ozumba, who was recently appointed the 14th Vice Chancellor of the school, said that staff  and student welfare, environment and campus aesthetics, academic leadership and research, academic discipline and ethics remained his  priority.

  “My agenda is to provide the university of Nigeria the leadership needed to become an academic giant and pace-setter in the quality of its successful research, the level of its innovative teaching and the robustness of its community service among universities in the developing countries”, he said.

He stated that the Founder’s Day celebration was to call to mind the dreams of the founders of the university, stressing that it would offer his administration the opportunity to review the progress so far made and areas of improvement.

Ozumba, said his administration was abreast with challenges facing the university and has constituted a committee to address them.

He said that the committee tagged ‘welfare committee’ would tackle grievances that had affected the process  of development of the institution.

  He announced at the briefing that water had been restored at the Enugu campus of the institution more than 15years after it was disrupted.

On student’s welfare, he promised the provision of better wifi services to enable them access to internet, provision of laptops at subsidized rate as well as work with the Students Union Government (SUG) to achieve set goals.

2015 MDGs Deadline: Nigeria Won’t Cry For Food – Patience Jonathan

With less than a year to the end of the United Nations Anti- Poverty Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has said that Nigeria will not cry for food as it has halved the proportion of those who suffer from hunger way ahead of the 2015 deadline.

The first lady stated this yesterday in Abuja, at the official launch of Agricultural Empowerment Programme for Rural Farmers, organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, during which over 230,000 bags of fertiliser were distributed to farmers across the country.

Dame Patience described the distribution of the fertilisers as a move aimed at bolstering the nation’s productivity as well as contributing immensely to the realisation of Mr President’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda, and commended farmers for their sacrifice which aided the country to attain goal one of the MDGs.

According to her, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2013 acknowledged that Nigeria has halved the proportion of those who suffer from hunger way ahead of the 2015 deadline.

She said, “It is a thing of joy that under President Jonathan, significant improvements have been made in the agricultural sector, particularly in the area of fertiliser distribution. The National Fertiliser Policy for Nigeria is such that fertiliser seeds are now sold by the companies directly to farmers through an e-wallet system”.

Boko Haram Video Shows Abubakar Shekau Alive

A video has been released dismissing Nigeria’s military claim that leader of Islamist group Boko Haram is dead.

In the video, Abubakar Shekau says his fighters shot down an air force jet that went missing three weeks ago.

Last week, the military claimed a man posing as the Boko Haram leader in a video has been killed.

Security analysts have questioned the credibility of the military's claim.

A Nigerian journalist, who has good contacts within Boko Haram, said on his Twitter account that he had it "on authority that Shekau is well and alive".

BBC

13 Days Before Exit From Office Fayemi Appoints 8 New Permanet Secretaries

13 days before his departure from office, Ekiti state Governor, Kayode Fayemi has appointed 8 new permanent secretaries.

According to NIGERIAN TRIBUNE, the Ekiti state government said the appointments were made due to the the need to inject new blood into the state civil service and fill all vacancies occasioned by retirement of some senior bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, Ayo Fayose, governor-elect of Ekiti has kicked against the appointments.

Fayose in a statement issued after the swearing in of the permanent secretaries said, "as much as we are not opposed to people progressing in their chosen careers, one finds the recent appointments questionable.

"It is very ridiculous for Fayemi who has less than two weeks to leave office to appoint permanent secretary for the incoming administration. It shows how evil the All Progressives Party (APC) is.

"In the last four months, the outgoing government has created 19 new local council development areas (LCDAs), employed 3,000 workers without following due process and right now backlog of salaries of workers are yet to be paid and workers are currently on strike.

Reacting to Fayose's claims, Ekiti state Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Tayo Ekundayo, speaking on behalf of the government said, "I can tell you that we are in government till October 15, 2014 and we will not hesitate to take the proper actions if there are vacancies to fill as long as there is budgetary provision for it,” saying “opposition should not be worried for whatever action taken by our administration, we are going to be held responsible for whatever action taken in the last four years. They should stop crying blue murder when such did not arise.

SOURCE: Nigeria Bulletin 

Jonathan,Tinubu, Aliyu, Northern govs, others mourn Agagu

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday led prominent Nigerians to pay tributes to former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Agagu, who died at 65 last Friday.

He described the ex -Minister of Aviation and Power, Dr Olusegun Agagu, as a man whose exemplary decorum, poise, urbanity, finesse and loyalty in the conduct of politics will be greatly missed.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said: “On behalf of himself, the Federal Government and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Jonathan extends sincere

Female police officer molested, stripped naked in Onitsha

A near commotion was averted yesterday at Bridge Head, Onitsha, when a female member of the Nigerian police, was abused, molested and almost stripped naked by a dreaded wealthy man, (name withheld)in the area who allegedly slapped the Commissioner of Police last year.

According to a tout in the park who gave his name as Tunde and witnessed the averted commotion said the

Nigeria University Lecturers (ASUU) Commence Indefinite Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) resumed yesterday the industrial action it suspended in January 2011 following the federal government’s failure to implement the agreement it reached with the lecturers.

ASUU’s National President, Dr. Nasir Isa on Monday, said the industrial action though painful would be total, comprehensive, total and indefinite and last for as long as the federal government implements details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) both parties signed in 2011.

He said that the decision to have the strike was reached at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of ASUU held at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye.

He said that the action was as a result of the inability of the federal government to implement some of the