Education
NYSC faced strong student opposition at inception — Gowon
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.
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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.
The Imo State Government has banned graduation ceremonies for kindergarten, nursery, and Junior Secondary School, JSS3 students.
It has also prohibited schools from changing textbooks on an annual basis.
The directive was contained in a memo dated August 15, 2025, signed by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, and addressed to parents, guardians, and stakeholders.
Under the policy, graduation ceremonies will now only be permitted for pupils completing Primary 6 and students finishing Senior Secondary School 3, SSS3, in line with the 6-3-3-4 education system.
The government further directed that textbooks must have a minimum four-year lifespan to allow reuse by siblings and ease the financial burden on parents. Schools were also warned against deviating from the approved list of textbooks.
Ikegwuoha explained that the measures were designed to curb exploitative practices in schools, promote uniformity in teaching, and ensure that attention remains on students’ academic achievements.
The policy takes immediate effect.
A former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, LASU, Prof. John Obafunwa, has been installed as the Balogun of Ilara Kingdom in Epe, Lagos State.
The conferment ceremony, which took place on Saturday at the palace of Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo in Eredo-Epe, also saw several other distinguished Nigerians receive traditional titles. Among them were Prof. Kemi Pinheiro and Ambassador Oluwatoyin Lawal.
Speaking at the event, Oba Ogunsanwo explained that the honours were aimed at drawing accomplished indigenes and friends of the community closer to the throne to support the advancement of Ilara Kingdom. He praised the new titleholders and urged them to remain committed to service and community development.
In his response, Obafunwa, who currently serves as the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, expressed deep appreciation to the monarch and the people of Ilara. He pledged to leverage his experience in leadership and academia to promote growth, development, and youth empowerment in the kingdom.
He also described the Balogun title as a symbol of courage, leadership, and responsibility, noting that he would dedicate his new role to strengthening communal values and driving initiatives that uplift the people.
The colourful event drew a large gathering of dignitaries, including academics, traditional leaders, politicians, and business executives.
The Federal Government has approved nine new private universities, including Tazkiyah University (Kaduna), Leadership University (Abuja), Jimoh Babalola University (Kwara), Bridget University (Imo), Greenland University (Jigawa), JEFAP University (Niger), Azione Verde University (Imo), Unique Open University (Lagos), and American Open University (Ogun).
Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the approvals clear a backlog of applications, some pending for over six years, and follow stricter guidelines. A moratorium is now in place on new applications that do not meet the updated standards.
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