PRESIDENT JONATHAN CONDEMNS THE JOS BLAST

President Goodluck Jonathan has strongly condemned the bomb blasts in Jos, Plateau state, which led to the loss of many lives. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati Tuesday said the president described the perpetrators of “this tragic assault on human freedom as cruel and evil”. According to Dr Abati, the president has directed all relevant agencies to mobilise support and relief efforts in aid of the victims. The presidential Spokesmand said President Jonathan has also assured all Nigerians that government remain fully committed to winning the war against terror, and this administration will not be cowed by the atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilization. The Statement reads: : “President Jonathan has also expressed Nigeria’s deepest appreciation to the international community on the success of the recent Summit in Paris on the security situation in Nigeria hosted by the President of France, H.E. Francois Hollande.

Lagos Traffic Control - LASTMA, Federal Task Force Officials Clashes

fficials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and men of the Federal Task Force in Lagos clashed in various parts of the state over a disagreement on who was authorised to control traffic in the state. It was learnt that the task force, which began recruitment and training a few months ago, began operations fully on Tuesday to the chagrin of LASTMA. The task force officials were seen on many roads in the state including Ojota, Ikorodu Road and Toll Gate. It was learnt that in many of the locations where they were posted, the members of the task force and LASTMA officials had heated arguments that almost degenerated into fisticuffs The Commissioner for Information in the state, Lateef Ibirogba, said in a statement that it took the intervention of the police to restore normalcy. Ibirogba questioned the motive of the task force and alleged that they were a security threat. He said, “The police intercepted a strange group of usurpers posing as traffic officials on Lagos roads. Dressed in grey and black uniforms, the group, numbering about 35 invaded Lagos roads like Ojota, Toll Gate and Ikorodu Road at about 7am, causing confusion on the roads in their attempt to take over the job of LASTMA.” Copyright PUNCH.

LASU Lecturers Begin Strike begins

Lecturers of the Lagos State University, Ojo on Tuesday commenced an industrial action, which they said was “total, comprehensive and indefinite.” Addressing journalists in Lagos, the Academic Staff Union of Universities LASU Chairman, Dr. Adekunle Idris, said the failure of the university authorities to meet their demands prompted the strike. According to him, members of the union took the unanimous decision at their congress in Ojo. Idris said, “The congress, after exhaustive deliberation, concluded that core issues that are germane to survival of the university and career of our members have been neglected by the authorities.” The union’s National Executive Council, he added, authorised the chapter to embark on the strike at a meeting held at the University of Ibadan from May 14 to May 15. He added, “We declare that as from Tuesday, May 20, we, the academic staff of LASU, are withdrawing our services to embark on a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike. “It is a sad decision we are compelled to take and have taken it with every sense of responsibility.” He said the three core demands of the union yet to be met by the university authorities include the reversal of the high tuition and the repeal of the “No Vacancy, No Promotion’’ policy in the university. According to him, the implementation of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment) Act 2012, already operational in other universities, is also still pending at LASU. The union, he noted, had explored all avenues to dialogue with the authorities and the opinion leaders in the state in a bid to avert the strike but they did not yield results. “ASUU-LASU had used every opportunity to persuade the appropriate authorities to consider all our concerns in good time. “Regrettably, the union had no choice but to declare a trade dispute and at several times met the management, governing council and chancellor, but the issues remained unresolved. “We are at loss as to why the authorities have refused to frontally address these issues for over one year. “Our goals are noble and so we intend to pursue them to a logical conclusion,” Idris said. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that ASUU-LASU on March 24 had issued the management a 21-day ultimatum to meet its demands. The union also gave a 14-day ultimatum effective April 15, and another seven-day ultimatum on May 1. The union finally gave a three-day ultimatum on May 12, which expired May 14. But reacting to the development, the LASU Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kayode Sutton, told NAN that the authorities had not received an official letter from the union on the action. Sutton said, “Officially, the management has not been communicated about the strike declaration by ASUU; we await a letter to that effect.” He added that of the initial 21 demands by the union, there were only three demands that the authorities had yet to meet.

Jos Bomb Blasts Death Toll At Least 118 – NEMA

LAGOS (AFP) – At least 118 people were killed in a car bomb attack in the central Nigerian city of Jos, the country’s relief agency said on Tuesday, warning that the death toll could rise further. “The exact figure of the dead bodies recovered as of now is 118,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the city, told AFP. He added that “more bodies may be in the debris” of buildings which collapsed due to the intensity of the blasts. Fifty-six people were injured in the twin blasts, said Abdulsalam. The military said that improvised explosive devices were hidden inside a truck and a minibus and went off within 20 minutes of each other. Chris Olakpe, the police commissioner of Plateau state of which Jos is the capital, told reporters earlier that 46 people were killed and 45 others were injured. He maintained later: “We are saying 46. That’s the number we have in the morgues. But we are not ruling out more bodies.” Plateau state lies in the so-called Middle Belt of Nigeria, where the largely Christian south meets the mainly Muslim north, and has been the scene of long-standing ethnic and sectarian conflict for years. It has also been hit by Boko Haram militants, who have been waging an insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast since 2009. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/jos-bomb-blasts-death-toll-least-118-nema/