News

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Secretariat of the Students Representatives Council (SRC) of the Institute of Administration, Kongo, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was gutted by fire on Friday, February 18.

The secretariat, which served as an office and accommodation for SRC executives, was gutted by fire that reportedly started from a neighbouring shop at about 5:50 pm.

After speaking with the Director of Welfare of the ABU SRC, Comrade Usman Tukur Babangida, the Daily Reality gathered that the fire razed about two rooms down and personal properties of the students’ executives occupying those rooms were destroyed entirely. He also said other rooms of the SRC executives were partially affected.

Mr Tukur noted that if not for the timely intervention of the institution’s fire service, the fire would have razed down the entire secretariat and nearby buildings. 

The Daily Reality also gathered from sources who witnessed the accident that no loss of life or injury was recorded.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The G-7 faction of All Progressive Congress (APC), under the leadership of Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, sweared to have proceeded to the Supreme Court.

The faction said they will proceed to the supreme court over the crisis rocking the party in the state.

Ahmadu Haruna Zago revealed to BBC Hausa Service that their lawyers were studying the court’s ruling for a possible appeal. Zago said, “We will appeal. Abiding by the ruling is quite different from filing an appeal. Our lawyers are studying the court’s ruling.”

The Court of Appeal, Thursday in Abuja, has invalidated the ward and local government congress by the APC faction led by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau in Kano.

The court has rejected the judgment of an FCT High Court, which declared the Shekarau faction victorious.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Niger Republic has sought greater cooperation through the strengthening of students’ exchange programmes and other related issues on collaborations with tertiary institutions between the country and Kano State.

The Niger Republic Minister of Vocational training, Kassoum Mamane Moctar and his counterpart of Education and Scientific research, Dr Mamadou Djibo from the same neighbouring West African country, made the proposal.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Hassan Musa Fagge, in a statement signed Thursday, disclosed.

The minister said many years back, students from Niger Republic came to Nigeria, particularly Kano, to study in various tertiary institutions.

He said, “now we want that students exchange programme to be revived and sustained”.

“Through the partnership, we will promote quality of education and research in both our tertiary institutions, which will be of benefit to all of us,” he stated.

Responding on behalf of the Governor, his Deputy Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna said Kano State is ready to collaborate with Niger Republic in areas of interest and benefit.

Gawuna thanked the delegation from Niger Republic for the visit and assured them of cooperation.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Following a horrific attack on foreigners by criminals, the Nigeria Union South Africa (NUSA) confirmed the death of another Nigerian, Nicholas John, in South Africa on Thursday.

Mr. Collins Mgbo, the President of NUSA, disclosed John’s death in a statement to NAN on Thursday.

On February 12, a mob allegedly attacked John, an Ogun State native, at his shop in Kimberly, Northern Cape, South Africa.

Many young Nigerians who immigrated to South Africa to find work have continued to perish.

According to NAN, at least 128 Nigerians have been slain in the erstwhile Rainbow Nation since the beginning of 2019.

On December 12, 2021, a man named Olusola Solarin died after hoodlums attacked him and stole his money.

Mgbo revealed that John’s South African wife had just been married for three months.

On the circumstances surrounding Nicholas’ death on Tuesday, the NUSA president stated that a South African gang assaulted him on February 11 for allegedly purchasing a stolen laptop.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has called on his rivals, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and others, for reconciliation in order to enhance the unity and stability of the APC in Kano state.

Ganduje made the call a few moments after being declared victorious at the Court of Appeal in Abuja this morning. The governor, who said he was pleased with the judgment, has extended a hand of unity to Shekarau and the G-7 faction of the APC in the state.

The Daily Reality reports that the court of Appeal in Abuja has invalidated the ward and local government congress by the APC faction led by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau in Kano. The court has rejected the judgment of an FCT High Court, which declared the Shekarau faction victorious.

In an interview with the Daily Trust, while reacting to the court judgment, the governor said, “his confidence in the judiciary had been strong since the beginning of the case, and as such he is very happy with the judgment.”

Ganduje, who spoke through Malam Muhammad Garba, the state’s Commissioner of Information, said the judgment would further enhance the unity and stability of the APC in Kano state.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has invalidated the ward and local government congress by the APC faction led by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau in Kano.

The court has rejected the judgment of an FCT High Court, which declared the Shekarau faction victorious.

The courts’ decisions were delivered on Thursday morning by Justices Haruna Tsammani, B. I. Gafai and J. Amadi.

APC crisis is one of the issues that has been raising dust between the factions long since Shekarau was declared to have defeated Ganduje.

The court has also described the crisis as an internal matter, not a pre-election matter.

Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice for Kano State, Barrister Lawan Musa, said that the judgment of the lower court had been set aside.

Barrister Lawan Musa, “The judgment of the lower court has been set aside for lack of territorial jurisdiction and also because it is an intraparty affair.

The third ground is that even the originating process used to file the case was wrongly done, as such, even the originating process was set aside. All the decisions are unanimous,” he added.

By Muhammad Sabiu

On Wednesday, shooters suspected of being kidnappers abducted 22 people and injured four others in Idon, Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

Mr. Aboki Danjuma, a resident of the Idon community, said the criminals arrived around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday and started shooting sporadically.

Justina Joseph, Mary Joseph, Rejoice Joseph, Stephen Joseph, Samson Ladan, Christiana David, Boniface David, Helen Aminu, Mirabel Aminu, Precious Philemon, Nelson Philemon, and Christian Philemon were among those taken away by the bandits, according to a councillor in the Kajuru Local Government Area of the State, Bala Jonathan.

Yosi Gabriel, Stephen Clement, Jinkai Musa, Derrick Obadiah, Daniel David, Paul David, Istifanus Peter, Miracle Matthew, Jesse Charles, and Favour Daniel are among the other names on the list.

According to him, David Maigaya, Micah Musa, Josephine Matthew, and Marshall Musa were the four injured people.

Since the time of posting this story, ASP Mohammed Jalige, the Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, has yet to confirm the killings.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Emeka Nwogbo, a teacher at Arise and Shine Nursery and Primary School Asaba, apprehended over allegations of beating his 19-month-old pupil, Obinna Udeze, to death, has debunked the allegation.

Nwogbo argued that there must be other underlying issues that killed Udeze as he claimed the child didn’t die while he was punishing him.

He stated that he flogged the late Udeze as he had to whip ’a baby’ and that the child was punished because he pushed another child.

The teacher said, “I did not cane the child to death; I flogged him as I’m supposed to flog a child. I flogged him as little as I could; I did not kill the child.

“I am not responsible for his death. They should go and check this thing very well. I flogged the child because he pushed another child and hit the other child’s head,” he added.

The 19-month-old pupil breathed her last after allegedly being given 31 strokes of the cane by the school owner on Monday, February 7, 2022.

The baby had fallen into a coma after he was beaten while the beating left several marks on his body, and died five days later at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, the state capital.

While addressing the journalists, the state police commissioner, Ari Muhammed Ali, said a” post mortem examination will be carried out to ascertain at least the cause of death.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

 The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has said that the federal government is ready to meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on all issues they have raised.

Adamu said that he was surprised by the decision of the union to embark on a four-week strike. 

He added that the decision of the university lecturers came abruptly amidst ongoing meetings that aimed at resolving the menace.

The minister stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions from State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja. 

However, despite several negotiations, the minister also cleared the government of any fault over failure to reach an agreement with ASUU. 

According to him, “ASUU, unfortunately, they have gone on strike, and I am looking for them because all the issues are being addressed. The last thing that happened was that our committee looked at their demands, but there are renegotiations going on. They submitted a draft agreement which the ministry is looking at.”

Speaking on ASUU’s draft agreement, Adamu said, “A committee is looking at it. Immediately it finishes, the government is meant to announce what it had accepted. Then suddenly, I heard them going on strike.”

Clearing his name over allegations from ASUU about his absence from meetings, the minister said, “ASUU will never say that. I always call the meeting myself. The meetings I didn’t attend were those that happened when I was in hospital in Germany.

“We want a peaceful resolution. The federal government is ready to meet them on all issues they have raised, and if there are so many meetings and the gap is not closing, then I think it’s not the fault of the government.

Asked about the possibilities of reconciliation between the FG and ASUU  before the end of the 30-day strike, he said, “I can’t give you time. I am ready to reach an agreement with ASUU now, but since I’m not the only one, I can’t give you time, but certainly, we are going to reach an agreement very soon.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

A senior lecturer with the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Dr Ibrahim Siraj, has described the four-week strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as a necessary evil Nigerians must learn to live with.

Siraj said that as we could not stop the strike, we could do whatever we could to minimize the ‘losses’ that come with it while anticipating the benefit.

The academic who disclosed this on his social media platform stated that if only we could use some formulas, we are all winners – driving many benefits from the strike.

The writing he titled, “How to Make the Month-Long ASUU Strike a Win-Win Situation”, provided some formulas which he married them up with the benefits worth driving if put into practice.

Dr Siraj wrote, “Federal Government is given an ample opportunity to study ASUU demands, engage in serious and sincere negotiation and finally seal a deal. This will save the system from further disruption and damage.

“And with the countdown to 2023 general elections just starting and political activities expected to reach their peak later in the year, no better time than now to do it. They can resolve this one and concentrate on their politicking. Win.”

He added that “for lecturers, this is a time to sort out all issues relating to continuous assessment (CA), have some rest, finish writing that paper, gain some renewed energy and hope for the best from the struggle. In-sha-Allah it will usher into a better university system: better teaching and learning conditions, better remuneration, and more productive scholarship. Win.”

Moreover, Siraj stated that this is also an opportunity for the students to prepare for the coming exams “eat up the notes, ‘cram’ the handouts and do additional reading and consultation on the topics. This could translate into better performance and ultimately higher grades. Win”.

“Final year students could use the window to invest more time in writing their projects. So, in addition to aiding timely completion, it could also enhance the quality of the output. Win,” he stated.

The lecturer stated that the adjustment in the calendar means that BUK students will spend a better part of the blessed month of Ramadan at home. Thus, he said, “this means students and teachers will have more time to devote to seeking Allah’s pleasure in the holy month. Win.”