Author: Sodiq Mojibola

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Christopher Piwuna, a professor of medicine at the University of Jos, Plateau State, has decried the poor welfare of Nigerian academics, revealing that some of the union’s past leaders, who dedicated their lives to education, still do not own a house. Mr Piwuna said one of his predecessors, Dipo Fasina, popularly known as “Jingo,” who taught Philosophy for 34 years at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), still lives in the university’s staff quarters because he has no house of his own. A source on the campus said Mr Fasina, though…

The Nigerian press is facing unprecedented economic pressure, with soaring newsprint and operational costs threatening the survival of newspapers and broadcast outlets, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has warned. Speaking at the 21st All Nigeria Editors’ Conference (ANEC) in Abuja on Wednesday, themed “Democratic Governance and National Cohesion: The Role of Editors,” NGE President and Vanguard editor, Eze Anaba, highlighted the multiple challenges confronting the media industry, including soaring operational costs, insecurity, misinformation, and a steady decline in public trust. Mr Anaba noted that the price of a tonne of newsprint has soared to between N1.3 million and N1.4…

For over 100 days, the medical school of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) has been shut, leaving hundreds of students out of class, due to a strike by clinical lecturers demanding the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS). The strike, declared on 1 August by lecturers under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) and the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has grounded academic academic activities in the institution, leaving more than 900 students across 100 to 600 levels stranded. The students had staged a three-day protest earlier last…

DevReporting, in partnership with Education as a Vaccine (EVA) and with support from the Malala Fund, has launched a specialised reporting project aimed at strengthening accountability, transparency, and gender-responsive reporting in the Oyo State education sector. The initiative brings together 14 journalists from print, broadcast, and online media to produce in-depth, evidence-based stories that highlight how education financing, citizen participation, and gender policies shape learning outcomes, particularly for girls’ access, retention, and completion of secondary education. During a virtual briefing session held to commence the project, participants were taken through the editorial expectations, logistical support framework, and reporting guidelines for…

Policymakers, IT experts, and industry leaders have called for urgent action to close the digital divide that continues to exclude rural Nigerians from the country’s economic potential. At Nigeria’s First Rural Connectivity Summit held in Lagos, alarming data of over 80 million Nigerians still underserved with electricity, while over 20 million of the population still find themselves in unserved regions without any form of access to connectivity. The summit, organised by Business Metrics Limited on Wednesday, rallied industry experts for a forward-looking dialogue to address barriers associated with digital connectivity in rural areas and recommend sustainable solutions while making actionable…

The authorities at the University of Lagos have reacted to the alleged increment of its students’ fees, insisting that the new development aimed at removing hidden costs. In an exclusive interview, a senior principal official of the university, who does not want to be quoted, said the new total payable fees displayed on each of the students’ portals, contains all legitimate fees and levies charged by the institution, including those earlier charged separately by the various departments and faculties. READ ALSO: UNILAG Int’l Week hosts global voices on how Africa can lead in AI The source, a member of the…

Nigeria’s former Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Michael Omolewa, an emeritus professor of the history of education at the University of Ibadan, has urged the government to rethink its approach to basic education, insisting that education should not only be inclusive but also integrated to unite skills, culture, and civic values. Speaking at the Adunni Foundation’s maiden Basic Education Torchbearers Awards (BETA)  event in Lagos, Mr Omolewa described education as the foundation of true independence and national progress. The Adunni Foundation, a social impact organisation on Tuesday honoured the torchbearers of Nigeria’s basic education,…

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has condemned what it described as an attack on press freedom in Imo State, following a violent mob assault on Uchechukwu Olebara, a journalist with Radio Maria 106.7 FM, Owerri and the prevailing culture of impunity allegedly aided by the state government. On Monday, 13 October, Mr Olebara was assaulted by operatives of the State Environmental Monitoring and Compliance Unit. Efforts to seek justice, according to CJID, have further exposed the depth of impunity against journalists in the state. In a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Journalism Programme at CJID, Busola…

Nigerian tech expert and Founding Partner of Future Africa, an investment company focused on building and scaling digital economy businesses, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has accused Western countries of “committing crimes against humanity” by allegedly restricting sales of chips to other countries of the world. The allegation is coming at a time when both the United States of America and China are engaging in tough contests over sales of semiconductors (chips), which are said to be “integral to the global economy and a vital component of advanced technologies.” Recently, American lawmakers called for broader bans on sales of chipmaking tools to China, revisiting the…

Tension is mounting across Nigeria’s universities as non-academic staff join the wave of agitation over unmet government promises. Members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) on Thursday staged nationwide protests to demand the full implementation of agreements signed with the Federal Government in 2022. The National Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU had after a meeting on 6 October issued a circular directing all branch leadership in the universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to convene a  joint congress in their respective campuses…