Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

National President, ASUU, Nasir Issa-Faggae The Academic Staff Union of Universities has banned a faction of the union at the University of Ilorin, led by Professor Wahab Egbewole, from going ahead with its planned procession for the late Prof. Festus Iyayi. The union said it was still mourning Iyayi, who died when a bus conveying some ASUU leaders was involved in an accident with a vehicle in the convoy of Kogi State Governor Idris Wada in Lokoja last week. ASUU said it had not approved any procession for any of its branches. It also described the planned procession in Ilorin as hypocritical. In a release issued in Ibadan on Tuesday and signed by the Zonal Coordinators of Ilorin and Ibadan zones, Dr. Ayan Adeleke and Dr. Adesola Nasir respectively, titled “Do not desecrate the memory of our late president,” ASUU said the national leadership of the union would not permit any attempt by any group in UNILORIN to desecrate the memory of its late leader. “The attention of the union h...

At least 10 Egyptian soldiers are reported killed and several more wounded in a car bomb attack near the North Sinai city of el-Arish. Al-Masri al-Youm newspaper said a convoy of buses carrying infantry soldiers was hit by a roadside bomb as it moved through the Kharouba area. The death toll was likely to rise, a security source said. Attacks on security forces in the Sinai have increased since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in July. The peninsula has grown increasingly unstable since the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak nearly three years ago. In September security forces launched an offensive against Islamist militants there, but have suffered a spate of deadly bombings. Wednesday's attack, which took place at around 07:45 local time (05:45 GMT) on the road from Rafah to el-Arish, is thought to be the bloodiest against the military since Mr Morsi was deposed. Twenty-six soldiers were wounded in the explosion, al-Ahram website reported. The attack is r...

The UN says the greatest number of refugees in the world come from Afghanistan The US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Iran of violating its legal obligations towards refugees from Afghanistan and failing to protect them from abuse. In a report published on Wednesday, HRW says thousands of Afghans have been summarily deported from Iran without a hearing of their right to remain. Thousands of Afghans enter Iran illegally every year. About 2.4 million Afghans are resident in the country. 'Real and serious danger' In its report, HRW says Iranian officials "have in recent years limited legal avenues for Afghans to claim refugee or other immigration status in Iran, even as conditions in Afghanistan have deteriorated". Iran's home office says that around two-thirds of the Afghans resident there are illegal immigrants. "Iran is deporting thousands of Afghans to a country where the danger is both real and serious," said Joe Stork...

US President Barack Obama explains his vision for a deal with Iran US President Barack Obama has urged US senators to hold off from proposing more sanctions against Iran to allow time for world powers to complete a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. A White House spokesman warned that if a deal with Tehran was not agreed, Iran would continue enriching uranium. Envoys from the P5+1 group of nations will begin a new round of negotiations with Iran in Geneva on Wednesday. Iran's foreign minister said he believed issues could be resolved. In a message on the video-sharing site YouTube, Javid Zarif said: "We expect and demand respect for our dignity. For us Iranians, nuclear energy is not about joining a club or threatening others. Nuclear energy is about a leap, a jump toward deciding our own destiny rather than allowing others to decide for us." President Obama held two hours of talks with senators at the White House on Tuesday, along with Secretary of State John K...