By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately implement the newly approved salary structure for university lecturers or face a possible nationwide shutdown of public universities.

The union issued a four-day ultimatum on Thursday, with its president, Christopher Piwuna, saying failure to act within the deadline would trigger a strong response.

Speaking at Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State, Piwuna said the government must begin payment under the new salary arrangement without further delay.

“We have issued a four-day ultimatum from today to the federal government to commence payment of the newly approved salary structure. Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the union,” he said.

The warning comes months after ASUU and the federal government signed a renegotiated agreement in January, aimed at resolving long-standing disputes and preventing the recurring strikes that have plagued Nigeria’s university system.

At the heart of the agreement is a revised salary structure designed to improve lecturers’ welfare and finally address issues stemming from the controversial 2009 FG-ASUU pact, which remained largely unimplemented for years.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Nigerians can expect a steady improvement in electricity supply within the next two weeks, following the completion of maintenance work on a critical gas pipeline, according to Adebayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise TV on Thursday, Olowoniyi addressed the recent nationwide blackouts that have disrupted homes, businesses, and industries. His remarks came just days after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, issued a public apology over the worsening power situation.

Olowoniyi defended the minister’s apology, framing it not as an admission of personal failure but as a demonstration of accountability. “I think, first of all, I’d like to start with the apology from the Honourable Minister, which we believe is all about taking leadership in the sector,” he said.

“It is not necessarily directly his fault for the challenges that we have, but as the Minister of Power, it was the right leadership step to say, ‘I take ownership of this issue, and I’m going to prefer a solution that would ensure power supply comes back in the shortest available time.'”

The adviser attributed the recent grid instability to disruptions in a major gas pipeline, which supplies fuel to power plants responsible for approximately 75 per cent of the nation’s electricity generation.

“One of the major gas pipelines in Nigeria was undergoing maintenance, and gradually that process is being completed,” Olowoniyi explained. “We’re sure that within the next two weeks, full gas pressure will be back on the gas pipelines, and the power plants will be able to get enough gas at least to go back to their level of generation that they had in the last two to three months.”

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Kabiru Turaki, a factional national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following his failure to appear before the court.

Justice U.P. Kekemeke issued the warrant on Thursday, ruling that the former minister had provided no valid justification for his absence from the proceedings.

The warrant stems from a one-count charge filed against Turaki by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). The charge alleges that Turaki provided false information to the police in a petition dated October 2022.