FG can meet ASUU’s demands with a month crude oil sales –Peter Obi

 

 .Tells Tinubu that 2023 Presidency not anybody’s turn

.Court adjourns union’s case to Sept 16

.Nigerians ready for real change -Abure

.Obi is hale and hearty –Aide

.Labour to activate structures in 774 LGAs -Wabba

 

 

Obiora Ifoh,  and Chigozie Ikpo, Abuja

 

 

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, says the Federal Government can meet the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities with the income it generates from the sale of crude oil in just one month but the government of the day does not have the political will to solve the problem.

 

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, spoke on Monday at the National Retreat of the party in Abuja and reiterated that  next year’s Presidential election is not based on ethnicity or religion, hence it is nobody’s turn.

It would be recalled that Public universities in the country have been shut down for about seven months since February 14 when ASUU embarked on its industrial action.

 

Mr. Obi promised to sign a performance agreement with the Nigerian Labour Congress to make sure that ideas generated at the retreat are followed to the latter.

 

Apparently referring to the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi insisted that since there was no place where Christians or Muslims buy things cheaper, or Yoruba or Hausa’s have free light than others in the country, then the coming election is about character and competence and not any body’s turn.

The Labour party standard bearer said, “We will do this retreat now, after election we will do another one, election next year will not be based on ethnicity, we have had it before, it would not be on religion.

“There is no place that Christians buy things cheaper, there is no place that Muslims buy things cheaper. It will not be by my turn, it is nobody’s turn. It must not be by connection. Election next year must be based on character and trust, it must be based on competence.”

The Presidential candidate also stated that corruption is pervasive in Nigeria because leaders are involved, “If a leader is not stealing, and the family around him are not stealing we will reduce corruption by 70 percent. I was Governor for eight years, there is no where money is missing.

“I am in this retreat to listen, let us put it in writing when we succeed, you must be around to say this is what we have agreed on. Even if we don’t achieve 100 percent, we must have made sacrifices.”

In his welcome address, Barrister Julius Abure, National Chairman Labour Party said Nigeria now has a golden opportunity to redefine how politics should be played, saying that the present challenges were due to failure of leadership.

“Our leaders do not have what it takes to drive development. This is what has been lacking, no one is safe, insecurity has taken over something needs to be done and urgently and I am happy Nigerians are ready for the real change not like the APC change in 2015.”

He said he was happy that Nigerians are joining the Labour Party on a daily basis and urged NLC, Trade Union Congress and all Labour affiliates to join hands, adding this is an opportunity that should not be allowed to waste.

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), on his part said Nigerians cannot continue to be a consumer nation, “we need to go back to production, which will tackle unemployment. Corruption is an organized crime against the Nigerian public.”

He said protest and strike alone cannot fix Nigeria and called on workers to be ready to work to bring about good leadership in the country instead of strike and protest.

Wabba said leadership is about energy and intellectual capacity and explained that those saying Labour Party do not have structure will be surprised, adding that Labour is ready to activate its structures in the 774 local government areas of the country.

 

However, The National Industrial Court of Nigeria ,on Monday, adjourned to September16, proceedings in the suit filed by the Federal Government against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the industrial action embarked upon by the union about seven months ago.

 

The preceding judge, P.I Hamman, adjourned the suit until 16 September for further mention, to allow parties in the suit – the federal government and ASUU, to file and exchange their written submissions.

 

The Federal Government approached the court sitting in Abuja, requesting an order for ASUU to resume it continues to engage the union to address their dispute.

 

A statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, indicated that the matter was referred to the registrar of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria by the Minister, Chris Ngige on Thursday 8 September.

 

At Monday’s proceedings, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sought to join the suit as an interested party.

 

SERAP’s lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegnoruwa (SAN) said his client had filed a similar suit compelling the Federal Government to honour its 2009 agreement with the striking lecturers.

 

He said SERAP’s request to join in the matter is based on the need to forestall the duplicity of outcomes concerning the industrial dispute. However, counsel to the Federal Government, Tijjani Gazali (SAN) opposes SERAP’s application to consolidate the suits.

 

He told the judge that SERAP’s application was premature as the case was billed for mention on Monday.  Counsel to ASUU, Femi Falana, however, argued that he was aware of the efforts by lawyers to file court papers in the suit on Monday.

 

Justice Hamman ruled that the suit is not ripe for consolidation by SERAP. The judge said he was only presiding over the matter as a vacation judge and that the case would be assigned to another judge for adjudication.

 

He ordered the parties in the suit to file and exchange court documents as he adjourned the matter to Friday, 16 September 2022.

Also, The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, and by the grace of God, fueled by his merit, the next President of Nigeria, Mr. Peter Obi,  is back to the country. In the last three weeks, he  transversed  the world, convincing Nigerians on the need to take back their country and move in sync with the rest of the world.

 

Kindly ignore the falsehood making the rounds that he  was attacked. May God forbid that even the very thought of such barbarism be visited on him.

 

Obi has consistently reiterated his belief that politics should always be devoid of violence. This remains his political credo.

 

It is pertinent to note that the news, coming shortly after Barr. Festus Keyamo’s press release, alleging plan by Obi to stage manage his own assassination is worrisome. It shows that the devil may be at work in endless and familiar scheming. We shall continue to entrust Mr. Peter Obi into the protection of the Almighty, while he ensures he is adequately protected to see through the work of re-building Nigeria that providence has entrusted unto him.