A nationwide shutdown, planned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in collaboration with pro-democracy groups over a number of issues, including the planned removal of oil subsidy by the Federal Government, privatization and the rising cost of living, as well as Boko Haram and the attendant violence, overshadowed all other stories in Nigeria this week.
In one of the issues, the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, this week stirred the honet’s nest when he insisted on deregulation of fuel prices, arguing that the country must not continue to feed refineries abroad to the detriment of the ones at home by paying subsidies on imported refined petroleum products.
However, ASUU and the pro-democracy groups, as well as the labour movement, reacted angrily by planning a warning strike and a full blown shutdown should government go ahead with the policy.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned severally against the removal of the subsidies, at least until the domestic refineries are meeting domestic consumption needs.
Tribune headlined its story on the strike as ‘ASUU, pro-democracy groups oppose proposed removal of fuel subsidy’, reporting that ASUU, Campaign for Democracy (CD), United Action for Democracy (UAD), Wednesday kicked against the proposed removal of fuel subsidy, protesting that any attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan to increase the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, would be resisted.
This is just as the NLC concluded plans to hold a sensitisation rally in Abuja against the proposed fuel hike.
Taking a stand on the proposed fuel hike at a commemorative rally in honour of the late Comrade Chima Ubani, the President of ASUU, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, represented by Dr. Ayo Olowe, said the union aligned itself with the position of the various pro-democracy groups in the country over the proposed increase of the fuel pump price, describing it as unacceptable.
Also, the president of the CD, Dr. Joe-Okei Odumakin, stated that the removal of fuel subsidy being proposed by the Federal Government would lead to increase in the pump price of petroleum products, increase rate of poverty, reduction of life expectancy, to mention but a few.
‘Fuel price hike: Protesters besiege National Assembly’, was the headline of the Trust, which reported that hundreds of workers this week marched to the National Assembly in show of opposition to government’s plans to remove subsidies on petroleum products, which experts say would send price of petrol shooting up to around 150 naira (US$ 1) per litre.
The protesters, under the auspices of the NLC and the Trades Union Congress (TUC), marched several kilometres from the Julius Berger junction to the National Assembly complex in Abuja to protest the planned fuel price increase, privatisation of public enterprises and tardiness in implementing the new national minimum wage.
The Vanguard, with the headline ‘Privatisation: NLC, TUC barricade NASS Complex’, reported that the nation’s labour movement this week embarked on street march within Abuja to protest against the Federal Government’s privatization programme.
Leaders of the two umbrella labour unions in the country later urged the National Assembly to ensure that those found to have defrauded the nation during the privatization programme should be punished.
According to the Tribune, whose headline was ‘ASUU begins warning strike September 26’, ASUU has threatened to commence a one-week nationwide strike as from 26 September, 2011, to protest the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement between it and the Federal Government.
The ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Bauchi zone, Dr. Usman Abubakar, who disclosed this at a press conference in Jos, said the union would declare total strike if the Federal Government did not honour the agreements.
Abubakar said it was a surprise to the union that up till now, the Federal Government had not found it fit to honour the agreement signed with the union more than three years ago.
He said one aspect in the agreement, yet to be implemented, was the issue of university funding, pointing out that the agreement was that the Federal Government should increase the funding of universities gradually until it reached the 26 per cent agreed.
According to him, other aspects of the agreement yet to be implemented were payment of earned allowances, among which were allowances related to post-graduate training, project supervision, excess workload, teaching practice/field trip allowance, hazard, responsibility and assessment for professional appointments, amongst others.
He condemned the non-implementation of the 70-year retirement age for university teachers.
The Guardian captioned its story ‘Labour rallies, to resist hike in cost of living’, reporting that organized labour in Nigeria Thursday took their grievances against the reforms initiated by the Federal Government in two critical sectors – power and energy (downstream arm of the oil industry) – to the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The rally was also to make the Senate act on its findings during the just-concluded probe of the privatisation of public enterprises carried out by the Federal Government during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Labour warned that it would resist the government’s resolve to hike electricity tariffs and fuel prices soon.
On Boko Haram and violence, the Vanguard headlined its story ‘UN HOUSE BLAST: SSS places 25 million naira reward on Mamman Nur’, reporting: ‘To get to the bottom of the August 26, 2011, Boko Haram suicide attack on the United Nations House in Abuja, which claimed 23 lives and maimed 150 others in Abuja, the State Security Service (SSS) has announced a 25 million naira (US$ 600,000) reward for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the mastermind, Mamman Nur.
SSS Spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, in a statement, pleaded with the public to contact the nearest police station, military formation or any other security agency with information on Nur.
This is as a splinter group of the Jamaatu Ahlil Sunna Lidawati wal Jihad (Boko-Haram) denied killing their ex-leader’s brother in-law, Alhaji Babakura Fugu in Maiduguri, few hours after former president Obasanjo visited the family last Saturday.
Mourning Fugu, the factional sect described his death as painful and unfortunate, and warned media houses of stiffer action should they continue to misrepresent the group.
Meanwhile, Obasanjo and former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, have sued for peace to end the prevailing orgy of killings in the country as Borno elders and Catholic bishops differed on the necessity of President Jonathan dialoguing with Boko Haram leaders.
The Tribune headline on the story was ‘Oil facilities threatened as suspected Boko Haram members arrive in Warri’, with the riders ‘FG deploys soldiers at northern borders’, SSS places N25m reward on information about UN House bombers’.
The paper reported that there were fears over likely attacks on oil installations in Warri, Warri Local Government Area of the restive Delta State, as security agents were, on Sunday, put on red alert, following a report on the arrival of three vehicles loaded with suspected Boko Haram members.
The paper gathered that the vehicles that brought the suspected sect members arrived in Warri at about 4.00 a.m.
Warri houses major oil installations from which the country derives the largest percentage of its revenue.
The paper said undercover security agents were informed about the development by an informant, leading to a frantic security search for the suspected Boko Haram members.
In another story on the sect, the Vanguard reported under the headline ‘Boko Haram targets Lagos, Delta, others’.
According to the paper, new intelligence reports available to the armed forces had shown that following a round-the-clock alert in all military formations across the country to prepare for possible Boko Haram bombings, the group has perfected plans to use Federal Government, states, or Services Registration (Plate) numbers as a decoy to gain access to federal and military establishments for selected suicide attacks.
It was also discovered that in addition to the number plates, the group has commenced the massive procurement of materials used for the manufacture of bombs — Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) like gas cylinders, air conditioners, compressors of refrigerators and metal scraps for explosive ordinance making.
Vanguard gathered that aside the military formations and federal establishments in the federal capital territory, specific cities where the group believes successful suicide bombings would create the required national damage and panic are Port Harcourt, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Anambra states.
Consequently, it was leant the defence headquarters has issued a signal, titled ‘Boko Haram Plans to Penetrate Targeted FG Establishments’ to all military formations in the country, warning that no formation should take the threat lightly as the sect thrive on the element of surprise.
Vanguard, with the headline ‘Britain joins fight against Boko Haram’, reported plans by the British government to assist Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.
It said that against the backdrop of increased terrorist attacks in the country and fears that the Boko Haram sect may have targeted the bombing of foreign embassies operating in Nigeria, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Lloyd, has declared that Britain was willing to provide intelligence and technological support in the nation’s fight against terrorism.
Lloyd, who disclosed this when he paid a visit to the Minister of Defence, Bello Haliru Mohammed in his office, said the very close bilateral relations between Nigeria and Britain had made it imperative that issues of terrorism, which are condemnable acts, are tackled headlong together in the interest of the people of both nations.
The paper also reported the stampede at the National Assembly following a Boko Haram bomb scare Tuesday.
The headlines read — Tribune (Lawmakers flee National Assembly Over Boko Haram bomb scare’; It’s false alarm -Security’; ’15 suspected sect members arrested in Warri’ and ‘UK to partner Nigeria on Boko Haram’.
The Sun headline on the story was ‘Stampede over bomb scare at N’Assembly’; and the Trust ran the story under the headline ‘MPs, workers flee N/Assembly over bomb scare’.