The lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has for seven months now, grounded academic activities in public universities, has entered a new phase.

Following unsuccessful attempts to get ASUU to call off the strike, the federal government of Nigeria has dragged the union to the National Industrial Court.

The development was announced on Sunday through a statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun. He said the Federal Government took the decision after dialogue between it and ASUU failed.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, in an official letter dated September 8, and addressed to the Chief Registrar of National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, asked the court to accelerate the hearing so as to bring the issue of strike to an end.

The letter, which the court received on September 9, has the title:”Forwarding of a referral instrument in the trade dispute between federal government/federal ministry of education and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”

The government wants the National Industrial Court to order ASUU members to return to work while the matter is being addressed by the court.

“In view of the fact that ASUU members have been on strike since February 14, and have refused to call off the action despite apprehension of same, it would be appreciated if this dispute is given an accelerated hearing in order to bring the dispute to an end,” the letter reads partly.

The case, which is scheduled for mention at 9 am on Monday, has a list of prayers from the Federal Government.

The government is asking the court to determine whether the strike by ASUU is legal or not. It also wants the court to interpret in its entirety the provisions of Section 18 LFN 2004, especially as it applies to the cessation of the strike once a trade dispute is apprehended by the Minister of Labour and Employment and conciliation is ongoing.

The list of the things the government is asking the court to do is as follows:

“Interpret the provisions of Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8. LFN 2004, titled “Special Provision with Respect to payment of wages during Strikes and Lock-outs,” specifically dealing with the rights of employees/workers during the period of any strike or lock-out. Can ASUU or any other union that embarked on strike be asking to be paid salaries even with clear provisions of the law?

“Determine whether ASUU members are entitled to emoluments or “strike pay” during their period of strike, which commenced on February 14, 2022, more so in view of our national law as provided in Section 43 of the TDA and the International Labour Principles on the right to strike as well as the decisions of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association on the Subject.”

“Determine whether ASUU has the right to embark on strike over disputes as is the case in this instance by compelling the Federal Government to employ its own University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) in the payment of the wages of its members as against the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) universally used by the Federal Government in the nation for payment of wages of all her employees in the Federal Government Public Service of which university workers including ASUU members are part of or even where the government via NITDA subjected ASUU and their counterpart UPPPS university payment platform system software to integrity test (vulnerability and stress test) and they failed.”

The Federal Government also wants the court to determine the extent of ASUU’s demand since the 2020 Memorandum of Action (MOA) that the union signed with the government.

The new turn of events underscores the government’s growing habit of trying to use the court to achieve its aim amidst industrial conflict. In August 2021, the federal government filed a lawsuit against striking resident doctors, under the aegis of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), before the National Industrial Court.

The federal government had asked the court to order the doctors to return to work otherwise, it would implement the ‘no work no pay’ policy – a method it has also deployed against ASUU.

In September 2021, the Industrial Court sitting in Abuja ordered the striking doctors back to work. In its ruling, the court held that there is no amount of money that will compensate for the loss of lives in the circumstances.

However, unlike the doctors’ strike, ASUU’s strike poses no risk to human lives apart from economic hardship emanating from it and the future of Nigerian students that it is jeopardizing. It is therefore not clear if the federal government stands a chance of getting favorable court judgment this time.

ASUU had on August 29 declared total and indefinite strike after its meetings with the federal government failed to yield a desirable result. Among the demands of the academic union is funding that amounts to more than N1trillion. ASUU said that the fund will be used to revitalize public university education in Nigeria.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the parent company of the Ecobank Group, today announced that the current Group Chief Executive Officer, Ade Ayeyemi, will retire after he attains the age of 60, in accordance with ETI policy. The Board of Directors selected Jeremy Awori to succeed Ade Ayeyemi as Group Chief Executive Officer. The relevant effective dates will be communicated in due course.

Alain Nkontchou, Ecobank Group Chairman, thanked Ade for his immense contribution during his seven years at the helm of the Ecobank Group as Group CEO. He added that, “Ade can be rightly proud of his success in leading the implementation of the Roadmap to Leadership strategy, navigating Ecobank through challenges, seizing opportunities, and positioning Ecobank for sustainable long-term growth. Ade’s deep knowledge, unrivaled vision, commitment and infinite passion made all the difference. It has been a real pleasure working with him. I count on his continuous support to ensure a smooth transition as we onboard Jeremy Awori as the new Group CEO.”

“Jeremy Awori is a highly respected leader in the banking industry with significant achievements in his previous capacities. The Board of Directors strongly believes that his drive and strong focus on results will be vital in steering the Group in its next phase” Alain Nkontchou stated.

Ade Ayeyemi expressed his deep gratitude for the opportunity to lead the Ecobank Group and stated: “It is a privilege to lead an amazing team of Ecobankers in bringing the Ecobank Group back to growth and continuing to realise our commendable pan-African mandate.” He also expressed his commitment to a smooth transition and onboarding of his successor.

The incoming Group CEO, Jeremy Awori, responding to the announcement of his appointment said: “It is a great honour to be appointed Ecobank Group’s Chief Executive Officer. I look forward to consolidating the transformation of Ecobank, a truly pan-African institution full of talented people, while innovating to create value for all Ecobank’s stakeholders. I am humbled by the opportunity to contribute to the continent’s economic development and financial integration with Ecobank Group”

Jeremy Awori is joining Ecobank Group following a twenty-five-year long career in the banking industry, with almost a decade leading Absa Bank Kenya Plc as the CEO & Managing Director.

Before joining Absa, Jeremy held multiple leadership roles at Standard Chartered Bank across the Middle-East and Africa. He brings a wealth of experience, skills, and industry know-how to the Ecobank Group.

As the cryptocurrency industry continues to evolve, several well-known blockchain ecosystems have emerged, each claiming to have what it takes to resolve difficulties and constraints that pose limitations to financial transactions.

There is fierce rivalry among blockchains to attract investors, build profit margins as well as establish a support community. Investors are always watching out for trends and making educated guesses on what projects are profitable for investment. Big Eyes Coin (BIG), Polkadot (DOT), and Algorand (ALGO) are cryptocurrency networks that are pioneering game-changing blockchain technologies. In this article, we will highlight why you have to feature these currencies in your portfolio.

Polkadot (DOT): Multi-Layer Blockchain

Polkadot (DOT) is a decentralized protocol that connects various incompatible blockchains. Polkadot (DOT) is an open-source layer-zero blockchain technology that enables blockchains and decentralized (dApps) programs to communicate and share data (assets and data). The ecosystem is powered by the DOT utility token. While major blockchain networks such as Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) have achieved success in their own businesses, there is no compatibility.

The Polkadot blockchain’s native coin, DOT, is utilized to facilitate staking and governance on the platform. DOT can be purchased and traded on the majority of the main cryptocurrency exchanges available today.

Polkadot is built on the main network known as the relay chain. This main network is linked to a number of parallel chains, which can connect to other networks via a connecting layer or bridge. Polkadot also offers a proof-of-stake consensus method, which is worth highlighting.

Polkadot can process up to 1,000 transactions per second due to its unique infrastructure. Ethereum is currently the most popular DeFi cryptocurrency. However, it will only be a matter of time before DeFi projects like Polkadot catch up and take over the coin market.

Algorand (ALGO)

Algorand (ALGO) is a two-tier decentralized network that serves as a digital currency as well as a blockchain platform. Because it is an open-source blockchain, anyone can inspect and contribute to the platform’s protocol. ALGO (ALGO) seeks to be a highly efficient, scalable platform that allows transactions to be completed rapidly.

This platform employs a two-tier blockchain infrastructure, combining the benefits of layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains. Its foundation layer also provides intelligent contract integration, asset generation, and atomic cryptocurrency swaps, which are all responsible for security and compatibility.

Algorand (ALGO) creators claim that their cryptocurrency would outperform others because of its speed, efficiency, architecture, and governance. This platform claims to solve the “blockchain trilemma” by combining the trustlessness, immutability, and complete decentralization of traditional cryptocurrencies with speed and security.

This platform validates and approves transactions using a modified version of the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, also known as Pure Proof-of-Stake, rather than the mining-based Proof-of-Work method used by Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. As a result, it has a significantly lower computational resource demand and can settle transactions in a matter of seconds.

Users can check payment legitimacy without retaining a balance for block verification and individual payments. Algorand (ALGO) aspires to establish a blockchain that delivers actual values to initiatives to build a global economy with an eye toward economic innovation. As a governance token, this platform will grant users voting rights to make critical decisions about the platform’s future.

Big Eyes Coin (BIG): Meme Coin To Revolutionize The Industry

Big Eyes Coin (BIG) aims to be a blockchain ecosystem that promotes unparalleled user growth by utilizing NFTs to give users access to a variety of productive events and information. The community-focused project will contain a dynamic tax structure aimed to ensure long-term viability through the introduction of Autoburn features, liquidity pool acquisition, marketing wallet, and other features.

Big Eyes’ mascot is an anime-style cat with bulging pupils, which deviates from the usual meme coins. Because many meme coins use dogs to identify themselves, the token already has an advantage over its competitors. Big Eyes took this strategic move because its developer regarded the cat’s ambiance as a “billion-dollar industry” that could be capitalized on by focusing on the “cute” market.

Big Eyes Coin (BIG) intends to leverage on the growing relevance of NFTs in the crypto industry. Big Eyes intends to include an NFT collection among its top ten initiatives, with NFT activities taking place throughout the year. You will be able to join the Big Eyes Sushi Crew if you obtain a Big Eyes NFT.

Big Eyes Coin (BIG) provides a completely decentralized environment in which community members may conduct all forms of transactions (buying and selling) at ultra-fast rates with no transaction fees. Consumers will only be required to pay taxes during NFT transactions (buying or selling).

Finally, the cutting-edge development team is devising revolutionary marketing techniques to boost the popularity, acceptability, and adoption of the meme coin. You can’t sit back living small, be part of the BIG community!

For More Information On Big Eyes (BIG):

• Website: https://bigeyes.space/
• Telegram: https://t.me/BIGEYESOFFICIAL
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BigEyesCoin