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The Oyo State
governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, on Wednesday condemned the recent strike
by the state chapter of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

Describing the
strike as unreasonable, Mr Akala, while speaking to correspondents at
the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2), Lagos said that the employees
are aware that they will go back to their job, but still went ahead
with the industrial action.

“The only thing is
that we should try as much as possible to be reasonable in this
country,” he said. “You (workers) know you are going to come back to
work, why do you have to suffer our children for no just cause?”

Two months ago,
primary and post primary school teachers in Oyo State embarked on an
industrial action, which lasted for seven weeks following agitations by
the workers for the implementation 27.7 per cent of enhanced Teachers
Salary Scale (TSS).

The strike was, nevertheless, called off on Tuesday after the state government responded to the yearnings of the teachers.

Mr Akala, however, expressed satisfaction with the teachers’ resolve to end the strike.

“But we thank God that they (teachers) are back. We have given them what they want,” he said.

Meanwhile, the
governor also talked about the recent ban of the state chapter of the
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) will bring a lasting
solution to the protracted crisis bedevilling the leadership of the
association.

Mr Akala declined
commenting on the developments after the proscription of the union by
his government, stressing that he does not care about whoever is not
comfortable with the ban.

“What I know is
that I’ve banned activities of NURTW in my state and that is all. I am
not interested in who is who; let them go and meet their national
leaders,” he said.

On August 8, Dotun
Oyelade, special adviser to governor Akala, in a statement, announced
the proscription of the union following series of crisis in the
management of the association, adding that all corporate activities
undertaken by the union in the state were hitherto suspended.

Condemning the
fracas in the union and the loss which it has cost the State, the Oyo
helmsman maintained that ‘lasting’ peace and quiet will be returned to
the association following the ban.

“It (the ban) will bring solution,” he said. “When they (union
leaders) are no more in power, that will be the lasting solution to the
crisis in the state.”

The future of the
present leadership of the All-Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) hangs in the
balance as the party convenes its National Executive Committee (NEC)
meeting tomorrow.

Sources said
yesterday that the meeting was convened by members to show their
disapproval of the committee, led by Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, the National
Chairman of the party, and its handling of party affairs. The crisis
erupted after the current executive committee nullified the party’s
“caretaker committee clause.” The clause would have created a temporary
committee to run the party while it was on vacation until the current
executives’ tenure expired on September 6. Following the move, party
members gave the executives seven days to call a meeting, in line with
the party’s constitution. “When the deadline expired last week, the
party’s state chairmen, vice-chairmen, and other members called the NEC
meeting,” said a party member who spoke under condition of anonymity.
“From their body language, they are not willing to go and so that is
why we have decided to call the meeting.”

Party insiders also say members who are dissatisfied with its
affairs are “filtering away.” “Due to the behaviour of the executives,
the party has lost prominent members to other parties,” said the
source. “Instead of attracting new members, the old members are leaving
and it is not good enough for our party.” ​

Twenty-two members
of the Plateau State House of Assembly have been quizzed by
anti-corruption officials over how they spent N880 million in two years.

The lawmakers
reportedly received N20million each in 2007 and again in 2008 as
“constituency allowance,” and are now being quizzed by investigators of
the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission
(ICPC). “The lawmakers were guests of the commission since last week as
the commission’s investigators took them in batches,” said Folu
Olamiti, the Media Consultant to the agency. “The last batch of eight
was attended to yesterday.” The commission began investigations after
it received a petition from “concerned elders of Plateau State” who
complained that none of the lawmakers executed projects for which they
received the money. The ICPC officials will also be looking into
whether the contracts were inflated, how the contracts were awarded to
determine whether there was competitive bidding, and whether or not the
contracts have actually been executed. Investigators would be going to
the contract cites.

Illegal allowances

Salaries and
allowances of state legislators, as well as other elected public
officials, are by law to be determined by the Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). The approved amount as annual
constituency allowance for state legislators according to the RMAFC
website is 50% of their basic salary which amounts to less than N400,
000. The annual N20million being received by the Plateau State
legislators as constituency allowance is not only higher than the
approved figure, but is higher than the approved total package
(salaries plus all allowances) the legislators should receive.

Mr Olamiti explained that the commission would be finding out if the
“legislators violated any law by approving such an amount for
themselves.” A source at the anti-graft agency said “there is no doubt
that they collected the money, what we want to find out is whether they
utilised the money they received for the purpose it was meant.” The
source confirmed that although the lawmakers collected the allowance
again in 2009, the ICPC may not include that in its investigations
because “they (the legislators) could claim that the 2009 contracts
were still ongoing.” Collection of illegal and unapproved allowances is
not limited to Plateau State legislators. Members of the National
Assembly are believed to receive between N35million and N48million as
office running cost every quarter. Following statements credited to
former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the ICPC last week asked the clerk
of the National Assembly to furnish it with the vouchers and slips of
all payment made to federal legislators since 2007.

Telecommunications
operators in Nigeria want the federal government to do a better job of
protecting telecom infrastructures, such as base stations and
fiber-optic cables, across the country.

Operators say the
regulation has become necessary because of the rise in vandalism,
abuse, and the indiscriminate shutting down of cell sites. He said such
activities threaten the functionality of the equipment and impact
negatively on the quality of service rendered by the operators.

Gbenga Adebayo,
chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of
Nigeria (ALTON), made this call when his group paid a visit to the
executive vice-chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)
on Tuesday, in Abuja.

“We are of the view
that telecom infrastructure should be classified as national security
infrastructure and should be protected by law. These infrastructures
are owned by operators, but they provide services for the public,” he
said.

Mr Adebayo said
that without adequate protection of the infrastructure, the entire
national network is open to all forms of abuse.

Government issues

He condemned the
recent disconnection of some telecommunication installations by the
National Environmental Standard Regulatory Agency (NESREA), saying that
the agency did not follow due procedure.

He said the agency
had asked the group to submit an environmental impact assessment audit
report on sites across the country by the 24th of August. However, the
group said the agency began disconnecting sites in Abuja, Kaduna, and
Lagos on the 23rd – a day ahead of schedule.

“It is very
unfortunate and our concern is not just on the commercial losses, but
on the impact on quality of services. It is sad that an agency of
government would subject operators and Nigerians to that kind of
hardship,” he said.

Mr Adebayo said
that some of the sites that were shut down were hub sites that provide
services to other secondary stations. He called on the NCC to intervene
in the standoff, adding that the matter could go to court if
negotiations fail.

The NCC’s Eugene
Juwah promised that the commission will continue to hold discussions
with NESREA to mitigate the impact of such disruptions on quality of
service. However, he said the commission could not protect
infrastructure; rather, that was the priority of the police.

The National
Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), on Wednesday, solicited the
intervention of some Yoruba leaders on the crisis of ego plaguing the
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho.

The students’ body,
in a statement made available to journalists, specifically called on
former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, the governors’ forum, and Afe
Babalola to wade into the crisis and call the duo of Governors
Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Adebayo Alao-Akala of Osun and Oyo States to
order.

The call is coming
about 24 hours after the southwest branch of Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN) warned on the implication of the crisis on the future of
education of the owner states, the institution itself, its students,
and members of staff.

NANS said it
condemned the ‘needless’ struggle over the control of the management of
the institution, positing “the lingering crisis has seriously affected
the reputation of the institution regarded as the ‘Best State
University in the country and the 76th Best University in African
continent.’

“The latest
issuance of two weeks ultimatum by the National Universities Commission
(NUC), for the two states to resolve the crisis, has evidently showed
some publicity.

“We, therefore,
sincerely appeal to the senses of reasoning and patriotism of
Governors’ Forum, the monarchs in the south-west region, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo, Aare Afe Babalola, and other eminent Nigerians to
collectively wade into the crisis and find the lasting solution to the
disengagement war.

“Students and
members of staff are grievously suffering from the agony of the series
of actions embarked upon by the Governors Adebayo Akala and Olagunsoye
Oyinlola,” the students said.

Dashed hopes

NANS stated that
the crisis has dashed the hopes of students who had hoped to become
graduates in the next few weeks, urging the governors of the
owner-states to quickly agree on the position of the vice chancellor
and the Governing Council before the deadline issued by the National
University Commission (NUC) to avoid its hammer of licence revocation
on the institution.

“It is our
conviction that in the general interests of the masses of both states,
the two proprietors should amicably resolve, harmonise, and make public
pronouncement that there exist now, a proper governance structure in
the institution,” NANS said.

“To emphasise their harmonisation, they should accede to the
yearnings of the striking unions on the campus as a matter of urgency,
so that the institution will resume normal academic activities. This is
in the interest of the students and the good reputation of the
varsity,” the union said.

Madonna and Demi
Moore may be fuelling talk of a growing trend for older women on the
prowl for younger men but a study has said the phenomenon of the
“cougar” is a myth, confined to the world of celebrities.

The study of online
dating, by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), issued
last week found men and women are still rather traditional when it
comes to searching for their ideal partner.

Women generally seek an older and, therefore hopefully, wealthier man, according to the UWIC study.

Men, on the other hand, desire a young and attractive female, and often prefer a much younger partner as they themselves age.

The findings,
published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, disputes the
“cougar” phenomenon popularised in TV shows and movies like “Cougar
Town” starring Courteney Cox and “Sex and the City” of women aged over
40 seeking “cubs.” Psychologist Michael Dunn of UWIC’s Cardiff School
of Health Sciences led the study which involved analysing the age
preferences of 22,000 men and women using online dating sites across 14
countries and two religious groups.

“A critically
important consideration for advertisers on online dating sites appears
to be the age of a potential partner,” Mr Dunn said in a statement.

He said it was a
commonly held assumption that with the advent of female financial
independence, women were now free to target men of any age group, as
securing financial security from older, wealthier males was no longer a
priority.

“The transference
of female desire from relatively older men to relatively younger men,
it has been argued, is reflected by the growth of the toy boy
phenomenon,” he said.

“The results of our
research challenge these assumptions. Although there was some cultural
variation in extremes, the results showed clearly that women across all
age groups and cultures, targeted males either their own age or older.”
Mr Dunn said a strikingly different pattern of age preferences was
evident in men.

Younger men, aged 20 to 25, either targeted females their own age or marginally younger.

Consistent pattern
But as males aged, they clearly expressed a preference for women
increasingly younger than themselves, with this pattern also being
cross-culturally consistent.

“These findings are clearly supportive of evolutionary theory,” Mr Dunn added.

“A wide variety of
evidence has shown that women, when considering a potential long-term
partner, focus more than males on cues indicative of wealth and status
and these logically accumulate with age.

Males conversely
focus more intently on physical attractiveness cues and these are
clearly correlated with the years of maximum fertility.” A UWIC release
added: “Madonna and Demi Moore are said to be influencing a whole new
generation of ‘cougar’ women who see much younger men as their goal
when looking for a long-term partner.

“But this notion of the ‘toy-boy’ phenomenon is dispelled as a myth
which only exists in the world of celebrity rather than reflecting real
life.” The countries involved in the survey were Australia, Brazil,
Britain, Canada, China, Greece, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya,
Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Ukraine.

The Lagos State
government, yesterday, announced a law banning motorcyclists, popularly
known as okada, from carrying pregnant women and children.

Babatunde Fashola,
the state governor, at the Stakeholders Forum on Motorcycle (Okada)
operations, said the ban which also includes road safety measures and
restricts the movement of motorcyclists, especially from all Lagos
bridges, will take effect from September 1.

Mr Fashola said the
move was for “the preservation of human lives and the safety of
property, and called on government agencies including the police,
traffic management agencies and state task force agencies to enforce
the law.”

Case for the underage and unborn children

Speaking on the ban
on the carrying of pregnant women and underage children, the governor
said, “The child has no say but our government has the right to stand
up on behalf of that child.” He also reiterated the need for crash
helmets and other road safety measures, saying that his government had
decided against placing an outright ban on commercial motorcycling
because of the service it provides the public and “for those who
provide these services as a means of livelihood.”

‘The danger of okada’

Also speaking at
the forum, Marvel Akpoyibo, the state police commissioner, said
okada-related accidents accounted for an average of 70 per cent of road
accidents in the state, between January and May this year.

Mr Akpoyibo, in his
call for appropriate measures in curbing the spate of accidents, said
further analysis showed that 14 per cent of okada-related accidents in
the state within the five-month period were fatal.

“Although a large
section of Lagos populace have come to regard commercial motorcycles as
a necessary evil, it has become imperative for government to
intervene…. To this end, stringent measures must be taken to curtail
the excesses of commercial motorcycle operators,” he said.

He, however,
identified “corrupt practices on the part of law enforcement agents, in
the issuance of vehicle and drivers’ licences, and dearth of
infrastructure and road signs” as some of the factors also responsible
for carnage on the roads.

Some stakeholders’ grudges

However, not all
the stakeholders were fully satisfied with the government’s decision,
as evident in the grumbling by the crowd during the forum, especially
regarding restrictions of motorcycles in some parts of the state.

According to Dansu
Alphonsus, a commercial motorcyclist in Ikeja, the banning of
motorcycles in some parts of the capital city will ‘indirectly ban him
from working’.

“I ply Ikeja area,
so by banning okada along Obafemi Awolowo way, Alausa, and Mobolaji
Bank Anthony way (all in Ikeja) will affect me too much; it’s like not
working again.”

“We should be
allowed to carry pregnant women also; it will not be good if they are
stranded where they cannot easily get transport,” he said.

Another commercial
motorcyclist, Joseph Oladoja, said the implementation of the law will
largely depend on government’s resolution to curb corruption in
obtaining drivers’ licences and other road usage permits.

“For instance, the
rider’s card which is supposed to be N800, we pay about N1,600 to get
it; the number plate which is N4,000 normally, we spend N6,000 to get
it, and this discourages most okada riders. It will be easier to
sanitise our roads if we also curb corruption in those offices,” he
said.

Courier services,
along with the okada riders, also stand to face major challenges as a
result of the new law, starting from next month.

Oladipo Akinyele of
Xpress Partners Limited, who spoke for Courier services in the state,
said their services “will be greatly affected by the restrictions
placed on motorcycles.”

“Our business
services people in core areas where it is only easy for motorcycles to
reach,” he said, in his appeal for a review of the law.

Mr Fashola,
responding to requests from the motorcyclists and courier service
owners, said his administration will look into the issues.