News
Nationwide Shutdown: Banks, Electricity, Others to Join ASUU
Many unions and students bodies have decided join the strike in sympathy with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from this week, which may lead to a total shut down of their operations, an action capable of exacerbating the precarious economic situation in the country.
Business Hallmark reported that the unions are irked by the government’s lackadaisical attitude to the plight of students whose future are at stake.
Unions including the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) have indicated their intentions to shut down airports in solidarity with the striking ASUU.
This is coming even as the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) stated last week that it would shut all financial institutions to join the NLC in its solidarity strike over the lingering ASUU strike. ANAP in a statement by Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, its general secretary, called on President Mohammadu Buhari to end the strike without further delay.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had penultimate week given notice to its members to embark on a nationwide protest on July 26 and 27 in solidarity with ASUU.
Comrade Saidu had earlier stated that the protracted strike had led to an unprecedented upsurge in social vices by students and in the process, led to a ridiculing of Nigeria’s educational system, making it a laughing stock.
“ASUU, NASU, SAUTHRIAI, NAAT had been on strike for more than four months due to the apparent failure of government to sign the re-negotiated 2009 agreement with ASUU, failure to honour the terms reached in the May 2022 MoU signed with ASUU, and habitual failure of government to respect collective bargaining agreements willingly signed with labour unions.
“Our children are using eight years to read courses of four years with resources being wasted. We cannot continue this way.”
On the same note NUBIFIE in a release by Anthony Abakpa, its national president, and Mohammed Sheikh, general secretary, said “if, after the one-day protest by NLC on this issue nothing is done, the union will have no other option than to call out all our members in banks, insurance and other financial institutions in solidarity with ASUU.”
Also, NAAPE in a statement by Umoh Ofonime, its deputy General secretary, said the refusal of the federal government to honour the agreement signed with the union since 2009 “is very disturbing considering the negative impact the prolonged strike will create in the life of these children.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had earlier threatened to join the nationwide strike if the ASUU crisis was not immediately resolved.
The union while expressing worry and concern over the prolonged strikes by university unions, condemned what it called the “lackadaisical attitude” of the federal government towards finding a lasting solution to the crisis.
Williams Akporeha, president of NUPENG, and Afolabi Olawale, general secretary, said the strikes by ASUU, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) had paralysed universities for months.
The union asked the federal government to “immediately address and resolve all demands of ASUU, NASU and SSANU without any further delay to avert national solidarity actions from our members across the country.
“The rank-and-file members of NUPENG align with the NLC’s position on protest against unfortunate situation in the tertiary education sector and will not hesitate to join in the proposed nationwide strike on the matter,” the union added.
Meanwhile, federal government is making surreptitious moves to break the ranks of the academic union.
The move to decimate their ranks appears to be yielding minimal result as already a breakaway faction of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)- Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), has dissociated itself from the ongoing strike in Nigerian universities.
In a press release authenticated by‘Niyi Sunmonu, its national coordinator, and Ernest Nwoke, national publicity secretary, CONUA noted that it is not part of its decision to embark on the ongoing strike by ASUU.
The release read in part: “The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) would like to seize this opportunity to announce its independence as a union of academic staff in Nigeria’s public universities. Being a separate and independent union, it has never been part of the decision to embark on the industrial action which has paralysed academic activities in our universities for five months now”.
CONUA said it is of the view that strikes will have a negative effect on the Nigerian university system. It added that the negative effects of the strikes have always been greater than their positive outcomes.
The union stated : “Our strongly-held view is that strikes wreak great havoc on the university system, and the concessions that are earned after every strike, over the decades, have amounted to pyrrhic victories when weighed against the systematic destruction of the local and global image of university education in Nigeria.
“Our preferred alternatives to strikes in resolving industrial disputes, therefore, include constructive engagement and constant dialogue with all stakeholders.”
“As CONUA, we are of the strong belief that strikes should never be a strategy of first recourse. Their deployment should be contemplated only when all other options have failed, and they should not appear to be motivated by a desire to cause maximum damage.”
The union noted that its members continued with academic activities at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma after the strike declared by ASUU.
“In fact, before the incident which caused the students to be asked to vacate the campus, most of our members had concluded their lectures. Since it wasn’t our members who declared a strike, lumping us together with those who are on strike is therefore patently unfair,” it said.
When the federal government knew that the attempt to break the ranks of ASUU was not yielding needed results it resorted to continue the negotiation but ASUU was not impressed.
In view of this, two weeks ago, President Buhari ordered Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour who has been leading the negotiations with ASUU to step down from ongoing negotiation with the body .
ASUU has on its part has repeatedly blamed Dr. Ngige for allegedly constituting clog in the wheel of the progress of the negotiation towards addressing the crisis.
Buhari gave the directive during a briefing by the heads of the various concerned ministries, departments and agencies of government penultimate Tuesday in Abuja. He also agreed to the suggestion by Adamu Adamu, minister of Education, to take over the negotiations.
Mr. Adamu was said to have cleared the air on the protracted crisis, as he made it known to the gathering the reason behind his prolonged silence on the matter, adding that his labour and employment counterpart had since 2016 argued “that only the labour ministry has the mandate to negotiate with striking workers unions in Nigeria.”
For a business to remain strong and relevant, experts have urged entrepreneurs to engage in solving problems in the Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) space and build strong partnerships.
The experts stated at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Business Series with the theme, “Stronger Together: Building Powerful Business Partnerships for Progress.”
Four seasoned business owners including: Beauty Entrepreneur, Dabota Lawson; Real Estate Mogul and Entrepreneur, Wale Ayilara; Journalist and TV producer Peace Hyde and Fashion Entrepreneur, Mai Atafo, encouraged participants to solve problems, invent in products & service and, create value to remain stronger in business and thrive amid competitive business environment.
Ayilara expressed that an entrepreneur must be able to solve problems and build a strong partnership in order to remain relevant in a challenging business environment.
He stressed further that there are a lot of business opportunities in Nigeria and questioned where consumers money is directed into.
Lawson said the inability to find a suitable sensitive skincare that matches her skin tone forced her to start her company.
On her part, Hyde stated that she ventures into media on the backdrop of telling Africa’s stories to international audiences.
Atafo said passion made him venture into fashion, maintaining that being an entrepreneur in Nigeria is tough work.
Speaking earlier, UBA’s Group Head, Retail and Digital Banking, Shamsideen Fashola, highlighted the critical role of partnerships in today’s dynamic business environment.
“In an increasingly interconnected world, the power of collaboration cannot be overstated. At UBA, we recognise that collaboration is the cornerstone of sustainable business success.
“The ‘Stronger Together’ Business Series is designed to inspire entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to forge meaningful alliances that drive progress, unlock opportunities, and contribute to Africa’s economic transformation,” Shamsideen said.
Nigeria’s leading commercial bank, First Bank of Nigeria, has joined forces with Mighty Media Plus Network Limited for the maiden edition of the QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit.
Also supporting the event are Nigeria LNG (NLNG) and Shell Nigeria, two major players in the country’s energy and development sectors.
Chief Executive Officer of Mighty Media Plus Network Limited, Olumide Iyanda, announced the partnerships in a statement on Monday.
Mr Iyanda described FirstBank’s involvement as a strong statement of the bank’s belief in the power of Nigeria’s creative sector.
“FirstBank’s support is a reaffirmation of its long-standing commitment to promoting the creative economy,” he said. “Through First@arts, the bank has become a reliable partner to talents, institutions, and organisations working to grow Nigeria’s cultural assets.”
First@arts is FirstBank’s platform for supporting the arts. It provides financing, advisory services, and exposure for creatives across the value chain. The bank has backed major cultural events and partnered with institutions such as British Council, Duke of Shomolu Productions, Live Theatre Lagos, Freedom Park and Terra Kulture.
Among the projects FirstBank has supported are The Headies Awards, Lagos International Theatre Festival, The Oxymoron of Kenny Blaq, Kurunmi, Eni Ogun, and Oke Langbodo.
Iyanda also praised NLNG for its role in promoting excellence in literature and science through The Nigeria Prize for Literature, The Nigeria Prize for Science, and The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.
“NLNG has shown leadership by rewarding creativity and innovation in ways that impact both the literary and scientific communities,” he said.
The prizes, worth up to USD100,000, are among the most prestigious on the continent. They celebrate Nigerian authors, critics, and scientists whose work makes a real difference.
Shell’s support for the summit reflects its ongoing commitment to education and social development. The company focuses on sustainable, community-driven educational projects, ranging from scholarships to infrastructure development and ICT donations.
“Shell’s belief in education as a foundation for long-term progress aligns with our vision for the summit,” Iyanda added.
He further noted that more sponsors will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit, themed “Financing as Catalyst for a Thriving Creative Economy,” will take place on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The venue is the prestigious Radisson Blu Hotel, Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
The summit will bring together creatives, investors, policymakers, and business leaders to explore solutions to the funding challenges facing Nigeria’s creative industries.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strongly denied allegations of lack of integrity and transparency directed at its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, by columnist Steve Osuji.
In a statement issued by Dele Oyewale, spokesperson, EFCC. the commission described the claims as “worrisome and unjustifiable,” particularly criticizing the personal attacks on Olukoyede.
“More worrisome was his attack on Olukoyede for no justifiable reason. Allegations of lack of transparency, accountability and integrity deficit are wild and clearly off the mark,” Oyewale said.
He questioned the basis for the allegations and defended Olukoyede’s leadership since taking office.
“The question is: in what way has Olukoyede fallen short? Is it by insisting that the right things should always be done? By moving the nation’s anti-graft war forward radically and unprecedentedly?
“By bringing forth a preventive framework to tackle corruption and reaping bountiful gains for the nation?
“By recovering the globally-acclaimed 753 duplexes and other apartments, which are proceeds of fraudulent dealings for the nation?
“By launching the EFCC into a global map of accomplished anti-graft agencies? By handling 50,000 case files in one year?
“By embarking on a courageous internal cleansing system and other progressive initiatives to deepen and strengthen the anti-corruption fight?
“It is cowardly and uncharitable for any columnist to hide under vague and opaque cover to splash mud on Ola Olukoyede, arguably one of the finest breed of anti-graft czars around the world.”
Olukoyede, through the statement, reaffirmed that the EFCC has consistently submitted its annual reports to the National Assembly as required by law.
“Equally preposterous are claims of re-looting of assets by officers of the Commission. For the purpose of clarification, the Commission does not recover monetary assets into its covers and the non-monetary assets that are recovered are disposed of following clear pronouncements by court and proceeds paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account account in the Central Bank in line with provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
“The EFCC does not operate in secrecy. All its operations are regularly communicated to the public, including public auction of assets. To deliberately cast the Commission in the mould of fraudulent engagements or criminality is not only mischievous but also untenable,” the statement concluded.
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