The immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, has said the cost of registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) must increase, despite the political pressure such a decision could create for his successor, Segun Aina. Mr Oloyede, a professor of Islamic Studies, made the remark on Friday at a formal handover ceremony, where he transferred leadership of the board to Mr Aina, a professor of Computer Engineering. “I pity the incoming registrar, because people will praise me and say Oloyede reduced JAMB registration fee, but if he increases the fee, even by…
Author: Ibrahim Awotunde
Nigeria’s public basic and secondary schools enrolled 40.1 million learners during the 2024/2025 academic year, a new report says, warning that the country’s education system is struggling to provide the classrooms, teachers and facilities required for the growing population. The learners were enrolled across 107,042 public schools, according to Nigeria’s Education Capacity Crisis: Closing the Gap Between Enrolment Growth and System Capacity, a policy publication by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership. The report, authored by Temitayo Shenkoya, a professorial researcher and Anita Olatunde, a research assistant, argues that Nigeria’s most pressing education challenge has shifted from enrolment to…
The Governing Council of the University of Ibadan (UI) has appointed Peter Olapegba, a professor of social and health psychology, as the institution’s 14th Vice Chancellor. Mr Olapegba, who currently serves as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), will assume office on 1 November, when the tenure of the incumbent Vice Chancellor comes to an end. The appointment was announced on Wednesday in a statement issued by the university’s Directorate of Public Communication after the Governing Council approved the recommendation of the Joint Council-Senate Selection Board. Eight candidates, one appointment According to the statement, the appointment followed a competitive selection process conducted…
Panelists at the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) 2026 have urged the government, the private sector and individuals to increase investment in early childhood development (ECD), especially for children from birth to age eight in crisis-affected communities. The discussion took place during a session titled “How do we finance Early Childhood Development?” moderated by the Education Technical Adviser at Save the Children Foundation, Peter Fajuno. The panel featured Zara Goni, Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank; Samuel Ajayi, Programme Manager (Education) at Sterling One Foundation; Tobi Ransomed, Education Adviser at Plan International; Priscilla Ibadin, an ECD Youth Ambassador…
As the “Olodo Uprising” debate captivated social media, Nigerian students quietly returned home with global honours in mathematics and science. This feature explores what that contrast reveals about Nigeria’s attention economy, investment in education and the values shaping what and who the country chooses to celebrate. Chimdiebube Onwubiko, Don Munachimso and Egejurum Onyedikachi represented Nigeria at the 2026 International STEM Olympiad, competing against students from over 150 countries. The trio qualified to represent Nigeria after emerging among the best contestants at the Southeast Mathematics Olympaid, a competition that attracted over 11,500 participants from across the region. Munachimso won gold…
Nigeria’s democracy remains largely procedural, centred on elections and constitutional order, but has failed to deliver the economic welfare, social justice, security and citizens’ rights that define democratic governance, the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, Umaru Pate has said. Mr Pate, a professor of communication at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), made the submission on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the 18th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Media Lecture in Lagos, themed ‘Beyond the Ballot: Measuring Democracy Through Security, Welfare, Accountability and Public Trust.’ According to him, democracy should not be…
The Nigeria Police Force was linked to 118 of the 219 state-led civic space violations recorded in Nigeria in 2025, accounting for 54 per cent of such incidents, according to a new report by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). Launched on Monday in Lagos during the 18th WSCIJ Media Lecture, themed ‘Beyond the Ballot: Measuring Democracy Through Security, Welfare, Accountability and Public Trust’, the report, ‘Silenced Voices, Shrinking Space: Civic Freedoms Under Pressure’, documented 245 incidents of civic space restrictions across Nigeria between January and December 2025. Of the 245 incidents, 219 (89.4 per cent) involved state…
Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has rewarded customers holding its Bumper Account savings product with more than N400 million in anniversary bonuses, reinforcing the bank’s strategy of encouraging long-term savings through guaranteed annual cash rewards. The payout, which UBA described as one of the largest under the Bumper Account initiative since the product was introduced in 2020, was credited directly to eligible customers who maintained the required average account balances during the qualifying period. UBA Bumper Account is a savings product that rewards customers with an annual cash bonus on the anniversary of their account, provided…
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Folasade Ogunsola, a professor of Medical Microbiology, has called on doctoral researchers to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria and the African continent. She spoke at the opening of the second edition of the African Engineering and Technology Network (AFRETEC) UNILAG Doctoral Academy, themed “Doctoral Research as a Catalyst for Community Impact.” Mrs Ogunsola told participants that the continent is confronted with many problems that are yet to be solved and urged researchers to be the ones to provide solutions. She said a professor told her 20 years ago…
After 53 years, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is set for a major transformation, following the Federal Government’s approval of sweeping reforms affecting its leadership, orientation programme, deployment process and operations. The reforms were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting in Abuja on Monday, presided over by the President, Bola Tinubu. The council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, to amend the NYSC Act to provide the legal framework for implementing the changes. The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the reforms are aimed at transforming…