Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Federal Government has clarified that it never signed any binding agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known on Thursday while addressing journalists in Abuja. He explained that documents often cited by the union, including those from 2009 and 2011, were merely proposals presented during negotiations and not formal agreements.

“The documents ASUU has been referring to as agreements were just proposals that were never signed,” Alausa stated.

The minister, however, assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains committed to addressing the long-standing concerns of university lecturers.

Alausa also dismissed media reports suggesting that he had scheduled a joint meeting with ASUU and the Minister of Labour and Employment, describing such claims as inaccurate.

Former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha, has passed away.

Mustapha, who led the Service between 1999 and 2003, retired in December 2003 after more than three decades of active duty.

His death was confirmed on Thursday by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, in a statement on his social media platforms.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Musdafa, former CG of Customs. A man of service, dignity & duty whose legacy will live on. My prayers are with Lamido Adamawa, the Musdafa royal family & all who mourn him. May Allah grant him Aljannah Firdaus,” Fintiri wrote.

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, has alleged that his life and those of the company’s management staff are under serious threat.

Ojulari, who disclosed this on Thursday, said the threats are linked to the reforms he introduced in the oil and gas sector, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to revamp the nation’s moribund refineries.

According to him, some powerful individuals opposed to the ongoing changes are allegedly plotting to force him out of office.

The NNPCL boss raised the alarm while receiving a delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo, at the company’s headquarters in Abuja.

The Anambra State House of Assembly has suspended the member representing Ayamelum Constituency, Bernard Udemezue, for three months over a social media post disclosing his entitlements as a lawmaker.

The suspension was announced during plenary on Tuesday following the adoption of a report by the House Committee on Rules, Business, Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Majority Leader Ikenna Ofodeme.

Udemezue had shared a message in a WhatsApp group largely made up of his constituents, revealing his allowances and stating that each lawmaker receives ₦10 million quarterly from the state government for constituency projects.

The disclosures angered his colleagues, who described his conduct as unparliamentary. The committee recommended his suspension without salary and barred him from appearing within the Assembly premises during the period.

Reacting to the decision, Udemezue insisted he did nothing wrong, arguing that his intention was to keep his constituents informed about his activities in the Assembly.

He further alleged that his suspension was an act of victimisation, claiming some lawmakers were upset because the revelation exposed that many pocket funds meant for constituency projects.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered six banks to provide the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) with details of all accounts and transactions linked to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters.

Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Tuesday after granting an ex-parte motion filed by the IGP’s counsel, Wisdom Madaki.

In the motion, the police told the court that Sowore is under investigation for alleged terrorism financing, money laundering, and fraudulent activities.

Ruling on the application, Justice Nwite held that the request was justified.

“I have listened to the submission of the counsel to the applicant and I have also gone through the affidavit evidence. I am of the view and so hold that the application is meritorious. The prayer is hereby granted as prayed,” the judge said.

The second day of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference in Enugu was on Monday disrupted by protests demanding the release of Bright Ngene, a Labour Party lawmaker representing Enugu South Urban Constituency in the State House of Assembly.

Ngene is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence imposed by a magistrate’s court over a community dispute. His supporters, however, maintain that the conviction was politically motivated.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Release Bar. Bright Ngene Now, a Political Prisoner of Conscience” and “NBA, Please Save Our Democracy”, the protesters accused the state judiciary of deliberately stalling his appeal.

Addressing journalists, protest leader Benedict Kachukwu described Ngene’s incarceration since July 2024 as a miscarriage of justice.

“Due process was not followed in his trial. We appeal to the NBA and senior lawyers at this conference to intervene and ensure justice is done,” he said.

Security operatives prevented the demonstrators from entering the International Conference Centre, venue of the NBA conference. Nonetheless, the protesters staged a peaceful demonstration around the premises before dispersing.

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has uncovered and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country.

The discovery was made during a recent nationwide crackdown on unaccredited institutions.

In a statement outlining its achievements, the commission confirmed the closure of the illegal colleges, stressing its commitment to sanitising the teacher education sector.

“The NCCE identified and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country. The commission also conducted a personnel audit and financial monitoring exercise in all 21 federal colleges of education,” the statement read.

The Presidency has refuted reports suggesting that Nigeria had an empty stand at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga clarified that President Bola Tinubu’s delegation is attending the summit for high-level engagements, not for trade exhibitions.

According to him, the Nigerian team is concentrating on securing strategic partnerships in key sectors, including power, industry, and agriculture.

The clarification followed viral photos on social media showing an empty space marked “Nigeria,” which drew criticism from the public. Onanuga, however, described the reports as misleading.

“Nigeria is not participating as a trade exhibitor,” he said, adding that while some of the concerns were driven by patriotism, they reflected a misunderstanding of the country’s actual objectives at TICAD9.