News headlines for the 24th of March 2021.

FG begs Labour over planned wage bill strike

• The Federal Government has pleaded with the organized labour not to embark on strike over the minimum wage bill in the National Assembly.
• The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, made the appeal Tuesday at the inauguration of the National Labour Advisory Council in Owerri, Imo State.
• The event was virtually declared open by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on behalf of the President,Muhammadu Buhari.
• Delivering his inaugural address, Ngige said much as he supports the organized labour’s opposition to the bill, they should not embark on strike on account of the development.
• The bill, which is before the House of Representatives seeks to remove the National Minimum Wage from the exclusive to the concurrent legislative list.

AGF frustrating our members, says ASUU

• The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, has said the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is frustrating members of the group because they discredited the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.
• Ogunyemi, in an interview, urged the OAGF not to cause another crisis in Nigerian universities.
• In a recent report the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said any person conceiving a strike after about one year of downing tools would be doing a disservice to students.
• However, Ogunyemi maintained that the Federal Government should not expect ASUU to be silent while their dues were being withheld on frivolous excuses
• While responding to the allegation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, through its spokesperson, Henshaw Ogubike, said it was not aware of claims by ASUU that the OAGF was not remitting deducted funds and was violating the no-work-no-pay agreement, as well as not paying over 100 new staff.

Kwara Hijab Controversy: I took the decision in good faith ― AbdulRazaq

• Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state has said that the decision to allow every Muslim schoolgirl who so wishes to wear hijab in public schools was taken in good faith, even as he warned parents to talk to their wards to stay away from trouble, warning that,” any attempt to take advantage of the situation to foment trouble will be met with maximum punishment prescribed by the law.”
• The governor reassured all the stakeholders that he would take care of the interests of all Kwarans according to the oath he was sworn in to as the governor said this on Tuesday evening in a state broadcast.

Ondo Amotekun seizes 100 cows over illegal grazing

• THE Ondo State Security Network Agency also known as Amotekun on Tuesday seized another flock of cows at Ipinsa community in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State.
• The development came barely 72 hours after the corps held 100 cows which allegedly destroyed some hectares of land and also caused a road accident along Akure-Ilesa Expressway.
• It was gathered that the arrest was made after the cows had allegedly destroyed the farmlands of the people of Ipinsa community.
• The men of the corps were seeing marching the cows to the headquarters of the Amotekun command in Akure, the state capital.

• On their way to the headquarters, the movement of the cows caused heavy vehicular traffic along the Oyemekun-Oba Adesida and Alagbaka roads.
• The Commander of the Ondo Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said that “Over 100 cows were arrested in Ipinsa; it was the people of the community that called to inform us about the cows.

FG begins process for concession of 12 highways

• The Federal Government on Tuesday issued a notice for the commencement of the procurement process for the 12 federal highways mapped for concession under the Highway Development Management Initiative.
• Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, issued the notice in Abuja and unveiled the portal that was developed to ensure that the procurement process was seamless.
• The 12 routes for concession under the pilot phase include Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, Kano-Katsina, Onitsha-Owerri, Shagamu-Benin and Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga.
• Others include Kano-Shuari and Potiskum-Damaturu, Lokoja-Benin, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Ilorin-Jebba, Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta, and Lagos-Badagry-Seme border.