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NYSC faced strong student opposition at inception — Gowon

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Former Head of State and founding father of the National Youth Service Corps, General Yakubu Gowon, has commended the scheme’s managers for upholding the vision that led to its establishment over five decades ago.

General Gowon made the remarks during a courtesy visit by the newly appointed NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Acting Director, Information and Public Relations of the NYSC, Caroline Embu, on Wednesday, Gowon acknowledged the initial resistance the NYSC faced from Nigerian students at its inception in 1973.

However, he noted that the NYSC had since evolved into a nationally recognized platform, promoting unity, integration, job creation, and youth empowerment across the country.

“The former head of State and founding father of the National Youth Service Corps, General Yakubu Gowon GCFR, has commended the managers of the Scheme for sustaining the vision that informed the establishment of NYSC.

He said the NYSC was greeted with strong opposition from Nigerian students across the country at inception, had not only overcome the initial misgivings but had grown to become a nationally recognised and accepted tool for fostering national unity, integration, development, job creation, and youth empowerment in Nigeria.

“He acknowledged the multi-dimensional contributions of Corps Members to national development over the 50 years of the Scheme’s existence.

“He further praised the deployment policy of NYSC, which exposes Corps Members to the various peoples and cultures of Nigeria, by posting them to States and geographical locations other than their own,” the statement partly read.

He urged Brigadier General Nafiu to build on the legacies of his predecessors and take the scheme to greater heights.

In response, Brigadier General Nafiu described the NYSC as “a divine project that has been of significant blessing to the country,” while expressing appreciation for General Gowon’s continued support and sought his mentorship as he leads the scheme.

Education

NABTEB to embrace computer-based test in examinations – Registrar

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The National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB) will embrace Computer-Based Test in subsequent Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) common entrance examinations and other examinations of the board.

Muhammed Aminu Muhammed, NABTEB’s Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, stated this at Uromi, Edo State, during the monitoring of TEVT’s common entrance examination into the federal technical colleges.

Represented by the director of the quality assurance department, Osaigbovo Pius, he explained that the board is putting infrastructure on ground that would enable it to conduct CBT examinations in subsequent examinations of the board.

He further explained, “CBT is the way to go now. JAMB is already doing it and WAEC may follow next year.

“We want to ensure that the infrastructure to enable the CBT exam is on ground.”

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NECO: 64,000 candidates take common entrance exam in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo

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No fewer than 64,000 candidates from Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo have participated in the 2025 National Common Entrance Examination, NCEE, for admission into Federal Government Colleges, conducted by the National Examinations Council, NECO.

Speaking after monitoring the exercise at Model Secondary School, Maitama, and Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the smooth conduct of the examination.

“I’m very happy with the way the exams have been conducted. They started on time, students were orderly, and invigilators were present and active. We had 64,000 candidates, 30,000 male and 34,000 female, which shows a strong interest in our unity colleges,” she said.

The minister emphasized that the turnout reflects continued public trust in the unity school system.

“Nigerians are still eager to have their children in Federal Government Colleges. This turnout shows that parents still value the role of unity schools in national cohesion,” she added.

On his part, the NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, confirmed that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registered candidates with over 15,000, while the Republic of Togo had the lowest with 17 candidates.

“We had about 109 candidates from Benin Republic and Togo combined, all Nigerian citizens residing there. This is a truly regional exercise that affirms the reach and reputation of our unity colleges,” he said.

Wushishi noted that no challenges were reported during the conduct of the exam.

“Materials arrived on time, the exam started as scheduled, and so far, we’ve seen no issues. This smooth process gives us hope that upcoming senior secondary exams, both WAEC and NECO, will follow suit,” he stated.

The NECO boss also acknowledged the inclusion of children with special needs, assuring that accommodations like braille materials and support personnel were provided.

On her part, the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, said admissions into unity schools will be based on merit, state quota, and exigency, the latter catering largely to children of civil servants.

“Final admissions will depend on the released results, but we remain committed to a fair and inclusive process,” she noted.

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Peter Obi Reacts After UNIZIK Staff Told Him That They Have Been Working For 5 Years Without being paid salary.

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‎On June 6, 2025, Peter Obi, a notable Nigerian politician, drew attention to the distressing situation of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) staff in Awka, who have gone unpaid for five years.

‎In a post on X at 4:30 PM WAT, Obi shared insights from his meeting with the affected teaching and non-teaching staff, describing their experiences as “shocking and heartbreaking.

‎” These employees, hired between 2019 and 2020, have been excluded from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), a federal payroll platform, resulting in non-payment of their salaries.”

‎He state the affected staff told him that they have written multiple petitions and appeals, both within Nigeria and international bodies but their situation has remained unchanged.

‎He called on the Federal Government to urgently enroll the staff on IPPIS and settle all outstanding salary arrears, framing the situation as both a humanitarian and moral concern. Obi stressed that neglecting educators jeopardizes the nation’s future and that the dignity of Nigerian workers must be upheld.

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