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Reps to Meet ASUU, Stakeholders Over Lingering Strike

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ASUU Strike

Members of the House of Representatives are to meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other stakeholders to resolve the lingering strike embarked upon by the union.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Yahaya Danzaria, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, on Monday in Abuja.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the National Assembly, in the House of Representatives wing.

According to him, the House of Representatives is deeply concerned about the renewed strike, which seems to have defied all efforts made to find a solution.

Danzaria added that the House was concerned that there had been no agreements reached between the Federal Government and the striking university lecturers.

He said that the House was more worried about the negative consequences of the strike on the quality of education and the future of the teeming youths.

Furthermore, he noted that youths had been kept at home for the past six months despite the intervention of the House and several well-meaning Nigerians who worked overtime to see that the matter was resolved.

“In light of the foregoing, the House hereby requests another opportunity to come together with stakeholders and leadership of ASUU to seek an amicable resolution.”

He said that this was without prejudice to the fact that the matter was already in the Industrial Court.

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Crime/Security/Safety

Evans The Billionaire Kidnapper Bags 21 Year Imprisonment

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Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Special Offences Court on Monday sentenced kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, and his co-defendant, Victor Aduba, to 21 years imprisonment for kidnapping one Sylvanus Hafia.

They were accused of conspiring and kidnapping Sylvanus Ahanonu Hafia at about 5:30 pm on June 23, 2014, at Kara Street, Amuwo Odofin in Lagos and were alleged to have captured and detained Hafia and demanded a ransom of $2m.

But they pleaded not guilty to the four charges.

The judge held that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to other aspiring kidnappers

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Business

China and Russia Gets Biden warning on Hedges on Seeking Reelection

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US President Joe Biden arrives at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19, 2022, for the State Funeral Service for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. – Leaders from around the world will attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The country’s longest-serving monarch, who died aged 96 after 70 years on the throne, will be honoured with a state funeral on Monday morning at Westminster Abbey. (Photo by HANNAH MCKAY / POOL / AFP)

President Joe Biden issued forceful warnings to China and Russia on Sunday and expressed optimism over the US economic rebound, but surprised many by hedging on whether he’ll seek reelection.

In a rare, wide-ranging interview with the CBS “60 Minutes” program, Biden went back on repeated assertions by the White House that he is sure to run in 2024.

Biden, who turns 80 in November, told interviewer Scott Pelley that reelection is his “intention.”

“But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen,” he said.

“It’s much too early,” Biden said, calling himself “a great respecter of fate.”

Surveying the state of the world’s largest economy, Biden was optimistic.

He declared the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States “over” and predicted that his administration would tame inflation — the main reason for his weak approval ratings and the reason Republicans believe they can take control of Congress in the upcoming November midterms.

“We’re going to get control of inflation,” he said.

– Troops to Taiwan? –
In another surprise moment, Biden once again appeared to challenge decades of US policy on Taiwan with a vow that he would send troops to defend the self-ruled island if China tried to invade.

“Yes,” he said, adding that this would happen if there was “an unprecedented attack” — possibly referring to something beyond the frequent saber rattling conducted by Chinese military forces around Taiwan.

While Washington does arm Taiwan, it has long maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would intervene militarily if Beijing were to invade. The policy is designed to dissuade both China from invading and Taiwan from formally declaring independence.

The White House said that Biden’s latest remarks did not indicate a change but Beijing condemned the comments on Monday during a daily foreign ministry press briefing.

“The US remarks… severely violate the important commitment the US made not to support Taiwan independence and sends a seriously erroneous signal to Taiwanese separatist independence forces,” spokesperson Mao Ning said.

However, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “sincere gratitude” for Biden’s support.

“In the face of China’s military expansion and provocative actions, our government will continue to strengthen self-defence capabilities to firmly resist the expansion and aggression of authoritarianism, and at the same time deepen the close Taiwan-US security partnership,” the ministry said in a statement.

– ‘Consequential’ nuclear response –
In another tough message to the United States’ biggest economic and geopolitical rival, Biden said he had warned President Xi Jinping not to support Russia militarily in its invasion of Ukraine.

He said he told Xi that US and other foreign investments in China would be disrupted and to think otherwise would be “a gigantic mistake.”

He also said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses nuclear or other non-conventional weapons against Ukraine the US response will be “consequential.”

When asked what he would tell Putin if the Russian leader was mulling such a move, he said: “Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.”

Biden praised the Ukrainians for their gritty fight against the huge Russian invasion and said “they’re defeating Russia.”

Asked how to define victory for Kyiv, he said “winning the war in Ukraine is to get Russia out of Ukraine completely.”

– ‘More to give’ –
Despite his poor ratings and polls showing Democrats likely to lose control of at least one chamber of Congress, Biden said he is upbeat.

Noting that employment is booming and the economy is strong, Biden said “we hope we can have, as they say, a soft landing.”

On whether at his age he is physically and mentally able to continue in the gruelling job, Biden said: “watch me.”

“It’s a matter of, you know, that old expression — ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating.’”

When asked his source of inspiration when times get tough, Biden mentioned his son Beau who died in 2015 but also his parents’ exhortation to “just get up.”

Biden said he had “a lot more to give.”

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Crime/Security/Safety

Osun Lawmaker’s Father Mufutau Lawal Narrates Ordeal in Captivity of Kidnappers

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Mufutau Lawal, father of Kofoworola Babajide, the minority leader of the Osun Assembly: narrates one month ordeal in captivity of kidnappers

Mufutau Lawal, the father of Kofoworola Babajide, the minority leader of the Osun State House of Assembly who was abducted in Ede town on 5th August after a commotion that resulted into burning down of his house has regained his freedom.

Lawal’s son, a member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the lawmaker representing Ede North State Constituency in Osun State House of Assembly, had told journalists that his father was missing after the commotion.

He had also expressed fears that he may have been burnt inside the house or killed with his remains taken away by the arsonists with insinuations that the action may have been carried by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the state.

But Lawal who was set free and rescued in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State after missing for one month told journalists that his abductors forcefully took him away on a motorcycle from his house in Ede to a shrine along Ilesa road in the state for ritual purposes.

While narrating his experience, Lawal said, “I was in front of my house in the evening when I saw these people in their numbers. They alighted from motorcycles and some children who were playing beside where I sat, ran away. Some of them said they should burn me alive, while some said they should gun me down and I was already scared when one of them said they should pour petrol on me and set me alight.

“Not long after they left, another set of people came and immediately they alighted from the motorcycle, ordered me to climb the motorcycle. I asked them where they were taking me to One of them responded, ‘we are taking to you to meet your son, Akogun’. Because of my age, my sight is already blurry, I couldn’t see clearly as we were going. But after a while, I noticed we were on Ilesha route, because that’s my route when I was young.

“I asked again where they were taking me to and the one behind me said, ‘if you ask any question again, we will kill you here’. I stopped asking them questions. We were going on a high speed. Then, it was already dark, so I can’t see anything again.”

“Later, we got to a place, there is a house there and I was asked to go inside. I met an old man with a boy, the man is a herbalist and he welcomed me. Those who carried me to the place left.

“I saw the herbalist as he consulted his oracle. After many incantations, the herbalist asked me if we have any deity in our family and I told him no, that we don’t have any deity but my wife family has one they do worship which is ‘Sango’, the traditional god of lightening. The herbalist then said, ‘I can see’ as he shook his head. Later, I noticed that he was calling those who brought me to him to come and carry me that I can’t be used.

“Those who brought me didn’t answer and I was there for weeks before they came back six days ago around 3am to carry me.

“As we were going in the middle of the night, I noticed that a car was coming behind us and not quite long, the motorcycle that they used to carry me stopped and I was asked to enter the car. It was the car that carried me to Lokoja in the morning.

“It was there in the station that they contacted some people in Osun to get my son’s phone number. They called him to inform him that I came to explain how I got to Lokoja. It was my son who arranged how I got back to Osun,” he said.

Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson, confirmed that Lawal was freed by in Kogi and was brought back to Osun by the police.

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