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The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, says his union is unbothered about the alleged federal government’s plan to abolish the union.

In response to reports that the federal government intended to recognize the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), the acclaimed union’s faction, Osodeke claimed that the action was only a ploy designed to divert attention away from the real problem.

The ASUU President, who spoke Wednesday in an interview said: “No, we are not worried about any prescription. We don’t know what they call CONUA. We do not have any faction.

“Look, I don’t think we should waste our time on what does not exist. If we have a faction, why is it that all the universities are closed? Why are their members also on strike? See, we should not be playing to these people who are just looking for ways to distract the issues at stake of why we are on strike. These are just distractions. Instead of addressing the issues, you want to go and raise a team of one or two men to say we have a faction.

“They have done it during the military and it didn’t work, is it now that it’s going to work? So they should concentrate on the issues. It will be easier for the government to address the issue rather than testing to see how they can mobilize a group. Why are they coming out this time?”

He advised the government to focus on addressing the issues so as to quickly resolve the strike rather than concentrating on trying to find ways to punish ASUU.

“So the government should look at how to resolve the problem so that these children can go back to school. And all these distractions they are doing here and there.

“No work, No Pay, we want to punish you, we want to set another group. So those are just distractions that is it,” he added.

Commuters were stranded for hours on Tuesday as protesters blocked the Ekpoma area in Edo State over the dilapidated state of the Benin-Auchi Highway which its dualisation commenced in 2013.

The protesters, who vowed to occupy the road until work commences, stressed that palliatives could no longer fix the road but a complete overhauling

The protest led to heavy-duty vehicles and other road users being stranded on the road while others found alternative routes to get to their destinations. The protest led to long queues stretching from the Ujoelen area of the highway to Ambrose Alli University’s main gate and beyond, towards Benin. A similar situation applied to the stretch towards Auchi where the queue extended beyond the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital.

Speaking Monday evening, the Convener, Esan Liberation Movement, Prosper Iyere, who organised the blockade, said they would occupy the road until the government responded to their demands to fix it.

We have written several letters to all the members representing various constituencies in Edo Central and the ministers from the state and the governor on the state of the road. We gave them an ultimatum which expired last Friday.

“The state of the road has subjected us to untold hardship and we have decided that we will not leave until we see caterpillars, bulldozers and asphalt are brought here. We have also volunteered that we will render selfless service to help the contractors ensure that the work is completed,” he added.

The Federal Controller of Works and Housing, Edo State, Dr Razaq Aransiola, had said that unending litigations and citizens’ encroachment into government’s right of way had contributed to the delay in the completion of the dualisation of the Highway.

He said people had created artificial obstacles and used the same to claim damages from the state government to the extent that the ministry was considering creating a bypass out of Ekpoma because of the volume of requests for compensation from residents.

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command has allegedly impounded two Dangote trucks for smuggling 303 bags of parboiled foreign rice.

The Controller of the command, Bamidele Makinde, confirmed this at a press conference he addressed at his office in Idiroko border, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.

According to Makinde, one of the trucks was intercepted in the early hours of Tuesday with 228 bags of smuggled rice, while the other had 75 bags of rice hidden inside bags of cement.

In his statement, he asserted that: “Another Dangote truck with Kano State registration no. BCH 531 XA loaded with 228 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice of 50 kg each concealed with some bags of Dangote cement along Lafenwa, Abeokuta axis, Ogun State in the early hours of today, 23rd August 2022,“ Makinde said, confirming that the trucks and their drivers are in custody.

The Controller disclosed that the command generated a total sum of N13,848,370 from import duty and auction sales of petroleum products (PMS) intercepted during anti-smuggling operations in the month of July 2022.

He explained that the Command during its intensive anti-smuggling operations recorded a seizure of 3,154 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, saying the same was equivalent to five trailer loads.

Makinde, warned criminal elements in the state to steer clear of smuggling activities, threatening that the command is resolute to suppress smuggling among other illicit activities inimical to the economic growth of the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2015 pledge to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production. He implemented a total ban on rice imports across the whole country, to favour locally produced rice which he described as fresher and more nutritious.

In January 2018, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) confirmed that the CBN stopped issuing Form ‘M’ to importers for importation of rice. Form ‘M’ is a mandatory statutory document to be completed by all importers for importation of goods into Nigeria.