Lawrence Olaoye 
…approves 109 e-learning centres for pry schools at N964m
The Federal Government has said resolving the issues concerning the on going strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is not “as simple as many of us think it is”. Public university lecturers have been on strike since February 14 after the Federal Government failed to honour its agreements with them. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after yesterday’s weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.
Mohammed, who stood in for the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, at the briefing, also said the FEC approved 109 e-learning centres contracted for N964 million for primary schools across the country. Asked what was being done to resolve its issues with ASUU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU) as well as the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), the minister said the government is worried about the indefinite closure of public universities. However, he promised that efforts were on to resolve all contentious issues. Mohammed said: “I wish that the ASUU issue is as simple as many of us think it is. I don’t think it’s that simple. But I want to assure you that a lot is going on behind the scenes.
“I think probably the Minister of Education will be better positioned to give the details. But like any government, if we’re not concerned, we would not set up all the committees which have been working on it. If we are not concerned we will not be looking for means to even assuage the feelings of the union. “We’re worried we’re concerned, and we’ll continue to work towards finding an early resolution of the problem.” On the 109 e-learning Centres, he said: “The contract was for N964 million and is in favour of Messrs Nas Navigation.
The purpose of the memo is to provide each senatorial district in the country with e-learning provision, each state has three senatorial districts and the FCT has one senatorial district “The scope of the project is the provision of satellite-based education system for about 4,360 users in the 109 senatorial districts and it was through the installation of 109 receiver satellite unit model antenna in three schools in each state. “Installation and provision of 109 vast mile server in three schools in each state connecting up to 100 device installation of 109 server units for receiver terminals and deployment of 4,360 Android tablets.” Asked to respond to the ruling against the government on the $1.7 billion suit involving JP Morgan Chase Bank by the Business Property Courts of England and Wales over the transfer of proceeds from the sale of OPL 245, operated by Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to two oil multinationals in 2011, Mohammed said: “I also read the judgment Malabu Oil and, I think, strangely enough, the judge said we were not able to establish that we lost $1.7 billion but I also read further that the lawyer said they’re studying the judgment and do think they’ll take the appropriate steps.”
