Education
JAMB endangering teenagers with ‘reckless’ UTME scheduling – Peter Obi
The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections,Peter Obi, has faulted the scheduling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
This was as he said the early start times are endangering the lives of young students.
Ekwutosblog reports that the 2025 UTME started on Thursday, April 24, 2025, and will end on Monday, May 5, 2025.
The former Anambra State governor, in a strongly worded statement on Sunday, expressed concern over reports that teenagers, many aged between 15 and 17, were being required to arrive at UTME centres as early as 6:30 am.
“These are teenagers forced to travel in the dark, often across dangerous and unfamiliar areas, just to exercise their right to education,” he said.
The philanthropist described the practice as reckless, citing reports of students being involved in road accidents, going missing, and suffering psychological trauma during the examination period.
“Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?” He queried.
He also argued that the issue reflects deeper, systemic problems within Nigeria’s education sector, particularly a lack of adequate infrastructure.
“Nigeria has just about 200 universities for a population of over 200 million people. That’s one university for every one million citizens, a staggering and deeply worrying ratio,” he added.
Obi compared Nigeria’s gross enrollment ratio of around 12 per cent with Indonesia’s 45 per cent, pointing out that the Southeast Asian country, with a population of 280 million, has over 4,000 tertiary institutions.
He, therefore, urged the federal government to significantly increase investment in education.
Obi suggested that even reaching half of Indonesia’s infrastructure, around 2,000 universities, would improve access and reduce the risk to students.
He urged a deliberate expansion of Nigeria’s education system to reflect the country’s growing population and protect the well-being of future generations.
Responding, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, attempted to distinguish between pre-test verification and actual UTME start times.
Earlier, a teenage girl was reported to have gone missing during her movement to a UTME centre in Ajah, Lagos.
Education
NYSC Official Arrested Over Female Corper’s D3ath After Abortion
An official of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ogun State, Abass Olalekan, has been arrested in connection with the de@th of a female corps member.
The corps member, Victoria Ariyo, serving under the Abeokuta South Local Government Area (LGA) of the NYSC, reportedly d!ed last Tuesday after undergoing abortion.
It was gathered that the corps member had terminated her pregnancy and d!ed from complications that followed the procedure.
Her remains were buried at Kobape Cemetery on Kobape-Sagamu Road in Abeokuta.
According to Daily Trust, Ariyo’s d3ath came barely a month after another female corps member, Adeleye Mary, d!ed in what has been described as mysterious circumstance.
Mary, who was serving under the same Abeokuta South LG, was attached to the Ogun State Television (OGTV) as her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA).
A source told the publication that both deceased corps members were friends.
“The first lady d!ed at her residence, which is not far from her PPA. They found her lifeless body in the apartment and, up till now, nobody can tell the cause of her d3ath,” the source said.
However, the second corps member who d!ed on Tuesday was said to have died from complications arising from an abortion procedure.
It was alleged that the NYSC official, who is the Local Government Inspector (LGI) for Abeokuta South, Abass Olalekan was culpable in the process leading to the corps member’s d3ath.
Sources told the publication that the LGI was allegedly involved in a romantic relationship with the deceased, which eventually led to pregnancy, and it was the termination that led to her d3ath.
“That is the fact in issue,” a police source who confirmed the NYSC official’s arrest told Daily Trust on Thursday.
The police source said the development raises questions about the legality of romancing “someone that should be in your care.”
Confirming Olalekan’s arrest, the source said, “He is in our custody at the command’s headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.”
The police source, however, said there is no connection between the current incident and the one that occurred last month.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed death of Ariyo and said that the investigation was ongoing.
However, he failed to respond to questions on the arrest of the LGI and the alleged involvement.
“I can confirm that the case of the demise of Victoria Ariyo is under investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department,” Babaseyi said in a terse statement.
Education
Teacher Reportedly Suspended In Kebbi After Rejecting Ramadan Palliative
A classroom teacher in Kebbi State, Abduljalal Usman, has reportedly been suspended for three months without salary after rejecting a Ramadan palliative reportedly distributed by the state government.
The teacher allegedly declined the offer of one mudu of maize and one mudu of millet and also criticized what he described as poor governance in the state.
According to claims circulating online, the action was taken under the administration of Nasir Idris, prompting criticism from some commentators who described the suspension as an attempt to silence dissent and punish a public worker for speaking out.
Critics argue that educators deserve better working conditions, fair compensation, and respect, rather than disciplinary action for expressing their views.
@Mallam_jabeer who shared the report, said …
“A classroom teacher in Kebbi, Abduljalal Usman has been suspended for 3 months without salary simply for rejecting one mudu of maize and one mudu of millet offered as Ramadan palliative from the government and for speaking out against the bad governance.
Under the leadership of
@NasiridrisKG
, the Kebbi State Government is now punishing teachers for refusing humiliation and for criticizing the weaponization of poverty.
This is bias, incompetence and total abuse of power.

Education
Tinubu makes new appointment
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Makoji Stephen as the new Rector of Federal Polytechnic Ugep in Cross River State.
The approval was granted by the Federal Government, and the appointment will take effect from March 17, 2026.
Dr. Stephen will serve a single term of five years in line with the Polytechnic Act 2019 as amended.
The decision is seen as part of efforts to strengthen leadership and improve the academic and administrative structure of the institution.
Before this new role, Dr. Stephen worked as a Chief Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration at Federal Polytechnic, Idah.
He also served as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Miva Open University, Nigeria.
Dr. Stephen began his academic journey at Ahmadu Bello University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration in 1998 with Second Class Upper Division.
He later obtained a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Benue State University.
In 2009, he earned another Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Salford in the United Kingdom.
He further completed a Ph.D. in Business and Management with a focus on Human Resource Management at the University of Salford Business School in 2016.
His doctoral studies were supported by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
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