SPAN BROADCASTING SERVICE

Sultan Hints On Setting Up Girls-only University

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Saturday, reiterated the commitment of the Sultanate Council to the education of the girl-child, debunking the notion that Islam is against the education of women.

In furtherance of the Sultanate’s commitment, he added that preparations had reached advanced stage for the establishment of All- Women University of Medical Sciences in Sokoto state.

The Sultan made this known while speaking at the launch of three books on women scholars of the Caliphate authored by Dr. Sadiyya Bello of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto Saturday, the monarch maintained that Islam encourages women to acquire education, contrary to insinuations that the religion abhors women acquiring education.

According to him, women scholars of the Caliphate have made great contributions to the society. He therefore called on scholars to engage in research on the works of past leaders of the Sokoto Caliphate for the benefit of the society.

ASUP/COESU Strike: FG Insists On No Work, No Pay

The Federal Government has said there is no going back on its ‘no work, no pay’ policy against striking workers of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Staff Union (COESU).

This came as the Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Education appealed to the government to intensify efforts to resolve the five months strike by the academic and non academic staff of the Colleges of Education.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, who spoke during a courtesy visit of the Provosts to his office in Abuja Friday, said it would be unfair to continue to use taxpayers monies to pay the salaries of the striking workers.

“You believe that you can go on strike and your salary would continue. You are happy, collecting your salary when you are not working. We take other taxpayers’ money, and you are smiling to the bank,” he said, stressing that the striking workers cannot blackmail the government into changing its mind on the ‘no work, no pay’ policy.

Wike disclosed that he received a letter from ASUP where the union allegedly noted that since the policy did not work with their counterparts in the Universities, it would not work with them.

“Government is serious this period on ‘No work, No pay’. Issue of blackmailing government everytime, it will no longer work,” he said and added that the unions cannot continue to insist that things must be done their own way.