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Strike: FG considers banning ASUU – Report.
Indications have emerged that Nigeria’s federal government is considering proscribing the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) if it fails to call off the prolonged strike after an offer was made to it, according to a report by Vanguard.
This is the federal government has approved an additional N100 billion for the university sector as part of the understanding in the re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement.
Besides, N50 billion was equally approved to be shared by the university-based unions as earned allowances.
The four university-based unions that have been agitating for the payment of earned allowances are ASUU, which calls its own Earned Academic Allowances, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the Non-Academic Union of Education and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.
Recall that ASUU embarked on a month warning strike on February 14, 2022 and has been rolling over the strike till date, while the other three unions, starting with NAAT, downed tools in March.
Among the contentious issues are the non-release of revitalization funds, earned allowances, problems associated with payment of salaries through the use of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS and the re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement.
While ASUU has insisted that its members should be paid through its preferred platform, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, the non-teaching staff, especially SSANU and NASU, have designed their own payment platform, the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System, U3PS.
All the the three platforms have been submitted to the government through the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, which has subjected them to integrity tests.
However, while SSANU and NASU through their umbrella, Joint Action Committee, JAC, on Saturday signed agreement to suspend the strike on Wednesday for two months, ASUU has remained adamant, insisting that the government should pay its members the withheld five months salary before it would suspend the six months strike.
The Federal Government had invoked the ‘no work, no pay’ policy for the striking public university workers and the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu on Thursday told journalists that there is no going back on its total implementation.
Banning ASUU on the cards
Vanguard quoted multiple sources in the Presidency and the Ministry of Education to have said that if ASUU refuses to reciprocate the Federal Government’s gesture by calling off the strike, the government would consider the option of prescribing the union.
One of the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Because of the priority President Muhammadu Buhari has paid to education, he has approved additional N100 billion for the universities and about N57 billion for the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
“This is part of the understanding with the unions on the re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement. The government has also approved 35 per cent increase in salary for professors and 23.5 per cent increase for other lecturers. Government also approved N50 billion for earned allowances for the striking unions.
“It will be unpatrotic on the side of ASUU not to reciprocate the government gesture and call off the strike for our children to go back to school. The government is not also unmindful of the cooperation of SSANU and NASU for being patriotic.
“It is part of the labour laws that the unions, especially ASUU, should apply cessation of strike once a trade dispute is apprehended and conciliation is ongoing.
“From available information, the Minister of Labour and Employment apprehended the strike on February 22, 2022, and subsequently held conciliation meeting on that day with ASUU and on March 1, whereas, the disputes with SSANU and NASU were apprehended on May 3 by the Minister of Labour and Employment.
“Why should ASUU say that the Federal Government has done nothing? You should also recall that the President co-opted his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and the Secretary to the government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, to join in the negotiation to end the strike. Why is ASUU recalcitrant and daring everybody?”
Expressing disappointment that ASUU had allegedly not appreciated the government efforts, the sources said the federal government had many options before it, which include prescribing the union.
“The government has so many options if ASUU refuses to be patriotic. One of the options is the proscription of ASUU which is contained in the Trade Unions Act and even in the Trade Disputes Act.
“The President can proscribe an association whose action is inimical and constitute economic sabotage to a country. In the Trade Unions Act, the President can withdraw the certificate of any organization whose conduct is not in tandem with the terms for their registration.
“Also, Section 17 of the Trade Dispute Act permits the Minister of Labour to approach the National Industrial Court. CAP 78, laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004, to refer the matter to the National Industrial Court for adjudication to enforce the legality or otherwise of the ongoing prolonged strike by ASUU and to interpret in entirety the provision of Section 18 of the Trade Dispute Act as it applies to cessation of strike once a trade dispute is apprehended by the Minister of Labour and Employment and conciliation is ongoing.”
Attempts made to confirm the option of prescribing ASUU or dragging it to National Industrial Court if it fails to suspend the strike after the alleged government offer from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, was unsuccessful at press time yesterday.
NASU, SSANU shelve strike for 2 months
Recall that the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the Non-Academic Staff Union of NASU, and SSANU, had on Saturday, announced the suspension of strike effective from Wednesday, August 24, 2022, for initial two months.
The suspension of the strike, according to a statement issued by the JAC’s spokesman, Prince Peters Adeyemi, followed the conclusion of negotiation between the two unions and the Federal Government team, led by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.
The statement explained that the two months was to allow government implement the agreements reached.
“Part of the agreement is the decision of the government to set aside the sum of N50 billion for the payment of earned academic and earned allowances, cogent decision on the University Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (U3PS), release of the white paper on university visitation panel and funding of the universities.
“On the poor funding of federal institutions, the Minister said he directed the National Universities Commission, NUC, to ensure that all the schools are up-to-date on what they are supposed to do, otherwise sanctions will be visited on any institution that defaults.
“The Minister of Education also gave an assurance that no member of the unions that participated in the strike will be victimised.
“The Minister said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to devote 15 per cent of the national budget to education.
“On the salary payment system, the Minister said the alternative payment systems provided by ASUU JAC of NASU and SSANU did very well. He added that the Federal Government is awaiting the report of the technical committee it set up before taking action on the matter.”
The JAC spokesman further said: “After a very prolonged negotiations and dialogue between the two unions and the Federal Government, led by the Minister of Education and after the meeting, the two unions decided to suspend the strike for the initial period of two months.
“When we presented the offers that the government made to our members, they think that since the majority of the issues that are in contention have been substantially addressed by the government, the strike should be suspended, effective this Wednesday, August 24, 2022.”
Similarly, SSANU in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, said: “Nigerians would recall that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU embarked on a National Industrial Action on March 27, 2022.
“The National Industrial Action was for an initial two week period, but owing to the nature of response which we considered almost non-existent, had to be renewed for another two weeks, leading to another one month and subsequently three months to allow concrete decisions to be taken on our demands.
“The purpose of the strike which entered it’s 146 days today was to drive home our demands.
Poor funding, governance of state universities
“In the course of the industrial action, we had engaged with various organs of government, including the Presidency, represented by the Chief of Staff to the President.
“We had also had meetings with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister of Education and heads of various governmental agencies in order to ensure a speedy resolution of the impasse.
“As responsible unions, we have always guided ourselves with the principle that in collective bargaining, no party takes all and no party should lose all. We are not deluded in any winner-takes-all philosophy but consideration for what is best for our members, what is best for our Nigerian university system and, indeed, what is best for the Nigerian nation.
“This strike would have been avoidable if both parties, the government and the union(s) had kept to their parts of the bargain. Unfortunately, the bane of industrial harmony in the university system has been the issue of not honouring agreements freely entered into.
‘Govt has committed to respecting agreements’
“Today, (Saturday) after series of engagements with the Minister of Education and having considered the issue that led to the strike, and having satisfied ourselves that government, this time around, has committed itself to agreeing to respect the agreements that have been reached at the meetings, we believe that it is only honourable that we give the government the benefit of the doubt, while the needful is being done at the government’s end.
“To this end, we hereby inform you of a two months window given to the government to actualize the agreements that have been reached. The two months window is in the nature of a ceasefire and does not represent a closure on the industrial action.
“It is our sincere prayer, given the assurance made by the Minister of Education and our commitment to ensure an end to the ongoing impasse, that the two months opportunity will suffice for actions to be taken and the entire matter laid to rest.
“We wish to thank all Nigerians, the Nigeria Labour Congress and affiliates, the media and all stakeholders in the Nigerian educational system for their various roles so far and plead with them to continue to prevail on government to play its own side of the bargain in the interest of peace in our universities and Inter-university centres.
“In view of the above, NASU and SSANU members are hereby directed to resume duties on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.”
Meanwhile, the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, is expected to meet on Thursday to take a decision on whether to sign an agreement with the government to suspend strike.
President of NAAT, Conrade Ibeji Nwokomma, in a telephone chat with Vanguard yesterday, said: “We held a zoom meeting on Saturday and directed our branches to call a congress for a referendum and come for a physical NEC (National Executive Council) meeting on Thursday August 25.
“After the meeting, we will be in a better position either to suspend the strike or to continue with it. Once the branches give the go ahead, we will suspend the strike for three months.
“The referendum will be on the release of enabling circular for the Consolidated Salary Structure for Tertiary Institutions, CONTISS 14 and 15. The payment arrears of seven months of occupational hazard allowance for members and the payment of arrears of the minimum wage and the consequential adjustment of our members that were omitted in that payment.”
- INJUNCTION AND STAY OF EXECUTION
- CARGO REMAINS UNDER ARREST
In a surprising twist of events, its decision delivered today, the Federal High Court in a surprising shift from the true nature of FirstBank ’s claim held that the matter is not a maritime claim but rather, a simple case of debt recovery. This is quite surprising considering the fact that the order sought is to prevent further fraudulent sale of crude on the FPSO.
Shockingly, the court also held that the Arrest Order against the cargo, because it was exparte in nature, expired by effluxion of time within 14 days of its issuance.
Aggrieved by the decision, FirstBank lodged an appeal against the decision of the FHC. Also, FirstBank filed an application for an injunction of the court against GHL, pending the determination of the appeal. The Cargoes of Crude Oil on the FPSO TAMARA TOKONI remain arrested.
While FirstBank has great respect for the courts, it strongly disagrees with the ruling, which, in our view, constitutes a miscarriage of justice.
FirstBank remains committed to protecting and securing the interest of its members and will relentlessly pursue justice against mischievous debtors seeking to use the machinery of the law to perpetuate mischief and evade their responsibility to offset outstanding obligations.
About FirstBank
First Bank of Nigeria Limited “FirstBank”, established in 1894, is the premier bank in West Africa, a leading financial inclusion services provider in Africa, and a digital banking giant.
FirstBank’s international footprints cut across three continents ─ Africa, Europe and Asia, with FirstBank UK Limited in London and Paris; FirstBank in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone; FBNBank in Senegal; and a FirstBank Representative Office in Beijing, China. All the subsidiary banks are fully registered by their respective Central Banks to provide full banking services.
Besides providing domestic banking services, the subsidiaries also engage in international cross-border transactions with FirstBank’s non-Nigerian subsidiaries, and the representative offices in Paris and China facilitate trade flows from Asia and Europe into Nigeria and other African countries.
For 130 years, FirstBank has built an outstanding reputation for solid relationships, good corporate governance, and a strong liquidity position, and has been at the forefront of promoting digital payment in the country with over 13 million cards issued to customers (the first bank to achieve such a milestone in Nigeria). FirstBank has continued to make significant investments in technology, innovation and transformation, and its cashless transaction drive has been steadily accentuated with virtually 23 million active FirstBank customers signed up on digital channels including the USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code.
With over 42 million customer accounts (including digital wallets) spread across Nigeria, UK and sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank provides a comprehensive range of retail and wholesale financial services through more than 820 business offices and over 233,500 agent locations spread across 772 out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
In addition to banking solutions and services, FirstBank provides pension fund custody services in Nigeria through First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited and nominee and associated services through First Nominees Nigeria Limited.
FirstBank’s commitment to Diversity is shown in its policies, partnerships and initiatives such as its employees’ ratio of female to male (about 39%:61%; and 32% women in management) as well as the FirstBank Women Network, an initiative that seeks to address the gender gap and increase the participation of women at all levels within the organisation. In addition, the Bank’s membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate policy that is consistent with UN Women’s Women Empowerment’s Principles (WEPs) ─ Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Nondiscrimination.
For six consecutive years (2011 – 2016), FirstBank was named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” by the globally renowned The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” eight times in a row, 2011 – 2018, by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.
In 2022, the Top 100 African Bank rankings released by The Banker Magazine ranked FirstBank as number one in Nigeria in terms of Overall Performance, Profitability, Efficiency and Return on Risk. Also in 2022, the Bank received the “Most Innovative Retail Banking Product in Nigeria (FastTrack ATM)” and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” awards from International Finance Magazine. FirstBank was also awarded “Best Corporate Banking Western Africa, 2022” and “Best CSR Bank Western Africa, 2022’’ by Global Banking and Finance Magazine.
Other notable awards in FirstBank coffers include: “Best Bank in Nigeria” by Global Finance magazine – fifteen times in a row; “Best Private Bank in Nigeria-2021” awarded by Global Finance magazine; “Best Internet Banking Nigeria” and ‘’Best CSR Bank Africa’’ by International Business Magazine.
In 2023, FirstBank received notable awards including “Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2023” by Global Finance Awards; “Best Sustainable Bank in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Bespoke Banking Services in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Financial Inclusion Service Provider in Nigeria 2023” by Digital Banker Africa; and “African Bank of the Year” by African Leadership Magazine; ’’Best Corporate Bank in Nigeria 2023’’ by Euromoney Awards and ‘’Most Innovative Banking Brand – Nigeria 2023’’ by Global Brands Award.
Other laudable feats in 2023 include FirstBank’s international recognitions on major indices by Euromoney Market Leaders, an independent global assessment of the leading financial service providers where FirstBank was crowned:
Market Leader: (tier-1 recognition) in Corporate Banking,
Market Leader: (tier -1 recognition) in Digital Solutions,
Highly Regarded: Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR),
Highly Regarded: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Notable: in SME Banking.
Significantly, FirstBank’s Global Credit Rating was A+ with a positive outlook while ratings by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s were A (nga) and ngBBB+ respectively both with Stable outlooks as at September 2023. FirstBank maintained the same level of international credit ratings as the sovereign; a milestone that was achieved in 2022 for the first time since 2015.
Our vision is ‘To be Africa’s Bank of first choice’ and our mission is ‘To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible. This commitment is anchored on our core values of EPIC – Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Innovation and Customer-Centricity. Our strategic ambition is ‘To deliver accelerated growth in profitability through customer-led innovation and disciplined execution and our brand promise is always to deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence to position You First in every respect.
Olayinka Ijabiyi
Ag. Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
First Bank of Nigeria Limited
FirstBank of Nigeria Limited, West Africa’s premier bank and a key player in financial inclusion, will today (Wednesday) host the groundbreaking ceremony for its new, green-certified headquarters in Eko Atlantic City, Lagos.
The 40-storey building, set to become the tallest structure in Nigeria, promises to be a technological and environmental marvel, with advanced, eco-friendly construction designed to set new benchmarks in Africa’s financial services sector.
A statement on Wednesday signed by Olayinka Ijabiyi, Ag. Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank said the ceremony marks the beginning of a transformative journey that highlights commitment to innovation, excellence, and customer satisfaction.
“The new headquarters will feature a sustainable, green-certified design aimed at reducing operational costs while positioning FirstBank as a leader in sustainable banking practices,” it said.
Olusegun Alebiosu, CEO of FirstBank Group, stated, “We are thrilled to reach this important milestone in our pursuit of excellence. Our new head office will be a world-class structure that reflects our dedication to innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. We believe this development will play a key role in driving economic growth and long-term value for all our stakeholders across Africa.”
With a legacy of over 130 years, FirstBank has consistently been a trailblazer in innovation, customer service, and sustainable business practices. The bank operates across nine countries on three continents, reinforcing its international presence.
Femi Otedola, Chairman of FirstHoldCo, remarked, “Today’s ceremony underscores the importance of collaboration and the unwavering support from various sectors in realizing our vision for the new headquarters. We are deeply grateful for the continued support from our customers and stakeholders as we bring this vision to life.”
The groundbreaking event will be attended by distinguished guests, including the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, as well as senators, lawmakers, state governors, federal ministers, and key figures from various industries. This event marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in FirstBank’s rich history, cementing its position as a leader in Africa’s financial landscape.
1.54m bopd production figure (quoted by THISDAY for October) is for September, not October,’ What NUPRC boss told highest body of petroleum explorationists and stakeholders in Lagos.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) confirmed the 1.8 million barrels of per day (bopd) production figures earlier released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited) at the conference organised by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in Lagos.
This newspaper, which reported the Commission boss, Gbenga Komolafe, to have said this to stakeholders, maintained that the development is contrary to a report making the round that the NUPRC contradicted the NNPC Ltd figures.
Speaking at the 42nd Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists Annual International Conference & Exhibition in Lagos, Komolafe said that Nigeria’s crude oil output, including condensate, increased by 16.56 per cent to 1.8 million barrels per day, bpd in October 2024, from 1.54 million bpd in September 2024.
He said that as a result of this feat, Nigeria has exceeded the 1.5 million bpd quota of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.”This represents an increase of 253,710,bpd to reach 1.8 million bpd in October, up from 1.54 million bpd in September 2024, representing 16.56 per cent month-on-month rise,” he said.
Represented by Enorense Amadasu, Executive Commissioner for Development and Production at NUPRC, the NUPRC boss declared that efforts were underway to further increase oil output to two million bpd by December 2024.
Highlighting the theme of the conference, “Resolving the Nigerian Energy Trilemma: Energy Security, Sustainable Growth and Affordability”, Komolafe, said the organization is committed to expanding Nigeria’s oil production capacity.
Checks by this newspaper showed that this is the same position of the NNPC Ltd, which said it and its partners have revved up crude oil and gas production to 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) and 7.4billion standard cubic feet (bscf) per day.
The company announced this at a press briefing, maintaining that the feat was achieved in compliance with the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.This newspaper gathered that these figures are, contrary to misconstrued report, the same with the ones announced by the NUPRC.
Disparity Where There Is None A THISDAY review of the delayed October production figures by the NUPRC, which is the oil and gas sector upstream regulator, claimed that Nigeria produced 1.538 million bpd of crude oil and condensate.
The three-month low production data released by the NUPRC, the report claimed, contradicted the report announced by the national oil company and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Oil), which specifically put production at 1.808 million bpd.
Looking Beyond 1.8m bopd, Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, who reiterated that the Company revved up oroduction to 1.8 m bopd, declared the target to even increase the production to 2 million bopd.
Kyari congratulated the Production War Room Team that anchored the production recovery process.“The team has done a great job in driving this project of not just production recovery but also escalating production to expected levels that are in the short and long terms acceptable to our shareholders based on the mandates that we have from the President, the Honourable Minister, and the Board,” Kyari explained. Giving details of the efforts of the Production War Room, the Chief War Room Coordinator, and Senior Business Adviser to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawal Musa disclosed that the feat was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Joint Venture and Production Sharing Contract partners, the Office of the National Security Adviser, as well as government and private security agencies.
He said the interventions led to the recovery of production cut across every segment of the production chain with security agencies closely monitoring the pipelines. He stressed that when the Production War Room team was inaugurated on the 25th June 2024, production was at 1.430mbpd, but the team swung into action, culminating into it sustaining the production recovery to 1.7mbpd in August and hitting the current 1.808mbpd in November.
“We are confident that with this same momentum and with the active collaboration of all stakeholders, especially on the security front, we can see the possibility of getting to 2mbpd by the end of the year,” he stated.
Also speaking on the development, Chairman of the NNPC Ltd Board of Directors, Chief Pius Akinyelure, who also congratulated the team, said he was happy to be part of the production recovery process, adding: “today, I will leave this place with my heart full of joy”.
He charged the Company’s Management to come up with a cashflow projection based on the new production figures to facilitate planning, stressing that he was looking forward to further production increase to 3mbpd.
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