Sokoto ADC Inaugurates LGA Coordinators, Begins Membership Revalidation

Sokoto ADC inaugurates LGA coordinators, begins membership revalidation. He said the exercise would also reshape its structure.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Sokoto State chapter, has inaugurated 23 local government coordinators to commence membership revalidation across the state.

Inaugurating the coordinators on Monday in Sokoto, the state chairman of the party, Bello Keegan, said the party registration was a significant step in the effort to strengthen the party tentacles.

He said the exercise would also reshape its structure and grow its grassroots base for the upcoming general elections.

Mr Keegan said the party had conducted a statewide stakeholders’ meeting on Sunday and met with some chieftains ahead of a mass rally to be organised as a mark of strength.

Also speaking at the event, the national financial secretary, Akibu Dalhatu, said the exercise would be conducted in all the 244 political wards of the state.

Mr Dalhatu further said the exercise would run concurrently with both e-registration and physical exercise.

“The ADC introduced e-registration exercise with aim to make easier for the people willing to join the party.

ADC

“The ADC is well prepared to dislodge the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration at all levels because Nigerians are yearning for an alternative platform to send the APC government packing.

“ADC is the perfect platform to serve as an alternative to the ruling APC which plunged the country into untold hardship courtesy of its bad economic policies,” he said.

Mr Dalhatu called on youth, women and all Nigerians to embrace the ADC for the desired change.

ASUU President Reveals Why Some Federal Universities Couldn’t Pay Full January Salaries

ASUU president Reveals Why some federal Universities couldn’t pay full January salaries. Christopher Piwuna, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has explained why some federal universities were unable to pay their lecturers full salaries for January.

After nearly 16 years of implementation stalemate, the federal government finally signed a renegotiated agreement with ASUU on January 14 to address the incessant strikes in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions.

The fresh agreement followed intensive renegotiations between a federal government committee and ASUU leadership which was concluded in December 2025.

However, since the beginning of February, there have been reported delays in the payment of lecturers’ salaries across federal universities.

Last week, ASUU members at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) declared an indefinite strike over the non-payment of their full salaries by the university management.

The lecturers later called off the strike after a series of meetings with the management.

As of the time of filing this report, indications suggest that many federal universities have been unable to pay full salaries of lecturers.

A source familiar with developments within the academic community told TheCable that the federal government is yet to release funds to the universities.

According to the source, the ministry of education directed the institutions to pay the full salaries of lecturers from their respective internally generated revenue (IGR).

Piwuna said the situation is largely due to practical difficulties surrounding the implementation of a new salary agreement between the union and the federal government, particularly the delay in passage of the 2026 budget.

According to him, the government has shown a willingness to implement the agreement in full, but the new salary structure cannot be fully effected until the 2026 budget is passed and signed into law.

“Concerning the new agreement, the intention of government is clear; it is to implement it in full. But I want to believe there are practical difficulties at the moment. One is that the 2026 budget has not been passed, let alone becoming law. It is until that is done that the new salary structures will be fully implemented,” the ASUU president told Nigerian Tribune.

He added that payments made in January and February largely stemmed from the efforts of vice chancellors who tried to implement the agreement with available resources.

“In January, some universities were paid in full. When I said ‘in full’ it means that what they paid reflected what we agreed on in the new agreement, while other universities couldn’t meet up with full payment,” he said.

Piwuna added that as of the time of speaking, he was not aware of any university that had paid salaries for February.

“Even for February, I don’t know of any university, as we are speaking, that has paid its workers,” he said.

‘WHY IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLICATED’

According to the ASUU president, the implementation process has been complicated by issues relating to special allowances for lecturers in the medical field, with some universities paying the allowance while others are yet to do so.

He said the ministry of education is working with the national salaries, incomes and wages commission to clarify the payment process and ensure lecturers receive what is due to them.

ASUU

Piwuna further said there have been questions from some vice chancellors about whether lecturers on sabbatical should benefit from the new agreement, underscoring that ASUU’s position is that such members are entitled to full payment.

“We do not expect that anybody on sabbatical will be denied any aspect of this agreement,” he said.

He also noted that state universities are yet to begin implementing the agreement with their lecturers, adding that ASUU has written to state governors, who are visitors to their respective universities, urging them to ensure the agreement is implemented to avoid a backlog of arrears.

“We should know that ASUU agreements cover all members across both federal and state-owned universities nationwide. So, we don’t want any university to be left behind in this new agreement,” he said.

Piwuna appealed to lecturers across the public universities to exercise patience over the delay in salary payments, expressing appreciation to vice chancellors who have made efforts to ensure partial implementation of the agreement.

He added that ASUU is hopeful the situation will improve once the 2026 budget is signed into law, which he said is expected later this month.

Lent, Ramadan: President Tinubu Orders Nationwide Rice Distribution To Christians, Muslims

Lent, Ramadan: President Tinubu orders nationwide rice distribution to Christians, Muslims. President Bola Tinubu has ordered the distribution of rice across Nigeria for Christians and Muslims during Ramadan and Lent.

Tosin Ajuwon • March 16, 2026
BAGS OF RICE used to illustrate the story
Bags of rice [Credit: Premium Times Nigeria]
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the distribution of rice across Nigeria for Christians and Muslims during Ramadan and Lent.

A statement by the State House on Sunday said the gesture was intended to support families during the fasting period.

The statement said the intervention reflects the values of compassion, charity and solidarity associated with the two sacred seasons, which are widely observed across the country.

“Under the directive, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors will deploy their grassroots network nationwide to coordinate the distribution through structures at the state, local government and ward levels, structure, ensuring that families across the country benefit from the support during this season of fasting and reflection,” said the statement.

According to the statement, a similar intervention was implemented during last year’s Christmas celebrations, when rice was distributed nationwide to support Nigerians during the festive season.

It further explained that the continuation of the programme demonstrates Mr Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to supporting citizens during significant religious and cultural moments while promoting national unity.

“Both Muslim and Christian communities will benefit from the nationwide distribution as part of the effort to ensure that the spirit of compassion that defines Ramadan and Lent is reflected in political support for families across the country,” it added.

Rice

Lauding the gesture, Governor Hope Uzodimma said the programme reflected the president’s belief in strengthening national unity through acts of care and support for citizens.

According to the Imo governor, Ramadan and Lent are periods that remind Nigerians of sacrifice, generosity and the need to support one another.

He said the Renewed Hope Ambassadors network would ensure that the distribution reaches communities across the federation.