₦airaland Forum

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, UNILORIN, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, has said that of the 104,000 JAMB candidates that applied for admission into the university, only about 11 per cent would be admitted.

He explained that the university could only admit about 11,000 students out of those writing the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, being conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB,


Ambali spoke during the 40th anniversary of UNILORIN Department of History and International Studies, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Thursday.

According to him, “UNILORIN remained the most applied university in Nigeria by admission seekers for the consecutive fourth time”.

The VC pleaded with the 93,000 applicants who will not be offered admission and their parents and guardians to show understanding with the university over the development.


In his remarks, Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed said the study of history is important to understand the past and predict the future

He called for the protection of historical monuments in Nigeria.

Ahmed who was represented by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Aminat Ahmed said his administration will construct roads that will give access to historical sites in the state.


He reiterated the commitment of his administration to maintain a peaceful and secure environment in the state as well greater access to quality education in the state.

Head of Department, History and International Studies, UNILORIN, Dr. Ibrahim Jawondo called on corporate organizations and philanthropists to assist the department in its quest for more infrastructural and human capital development.

SOURCE: http://www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-only-11-percent-of-unilorin-applicants-will-be-admitted-vc-ambali/

Former ​p​residential spokesman, Reuben Abati​ ​has laughed at the high rate of First Class degrees being churned out by Nigerian universities.

​This is contained in his latest article titled, ‘The First Class degrees galore’.


Abati quoted an investigation ​which ​reveal​ed ​that in the last five years, 16 Nigerian universities have produced a total of 3, 499 first class graduates.

​The report noted that between 2011 and 2016, 12 of these universities produced 2, 822 First Class graduates, and it seems this First Class galore is a growing fashion, particularly among the private universities.

​But Abati is not impressed. He said the development must be looked into to ensure that the First Class holders can actually match their envious degrees intellectually.​


​‎He wrote: “​This trend should ordinarily be a good thing: if Nigeria can manage to produce more First Class intellects, this should reflect on the long run on the country’s business, social, economic and cultural life. We would have more Ph.Ds hopefully, and so produce more qualified, research academics, especially now that close to 60% of Nigerian university lecturers do not have a Ph.D.

​”​The more brilliant persons a country’s education system is able to produce, the better, such persons can indeed make a significant difference and drive the leadership process on all fronts. ​The only problem is that this growing trend needs to be interrogated. Previously, a First Class degree, the equivalent of a Distinction, was something quite rare, awarded by Departments after very careful consideration.

​”​I am not too sure that the entire Faculty of Arts of the University of Ibadan would have awarded up to 3,000 First Class degrees in the entire history of that Faculty. University departments talked about a First Class as if it was a comet. When students got a 2:1, they were the real lords of the Department, and even then a 2:1 was never given out in bus-loads.


​”​I recall the story of a former colleague at the University of Calabar who was denied a First Class in those days, because he slapped a young lecturer, who had just been recruited and who did not know that this particular student was the star of the department and his Faculty.

​”​It was our final exam. He was summoned to appear before a disciplinary panel and told matter-of-factly that university degrees were awarded on the basis of character and learning. Check: it was always character before learning.​ ​He made the First Class grade, but they gave him a 2:1. He was later appointed a Graduate Assistant though.

​”​He was also recommended for a Commonwealth Scholarship and sent to Cambridge for graduate studies. He would later prove to be a true First Class Brain.​ ​​It was also the practice in those days for lecturers to remind brilliant students of the achievements of those who had obtained First Class degrees. Because they were not too many, a First Class graduate served for many years as a role model for succeeding generations.

​”​It was also the case that there were more First Class graduates in the Sciences, Engineering and the Applied Sciences. The Humanities produced fewer First Class graduates. Some of our lecturers used to ask: “What do you want to write that will earn you a First Class? You must be really exceptional to know all the answers in literature, history or philosophy?”

​”​Those were the days when a Professor would start a class and frighten you with the information that the last student who scored an A grade in the course was a certain Professor so and so who ‘sat in this same class 30 years ago!’ If you must get an A, you’d have to prove to me that you are smarter than him.

​”​University authorities created such big myths around a First Class degree that many students just didn’t want to kill themselves trying to get one, only to be disappointed at the end of the day. The students who tried were not necessarily popular. They were labeled “Triangular Students”, “Bookworm”, “Effiko”, or “Akukwo”.

​”​Students in the 2:1 category felt more relaxed, many of them could even be as good as the First Class students, but just didn’t bother to apply themselves hard enough. The 2:2 students were easily the most popular. They would proudly tell you “they wanted to pass through the university and also allow the university to pass through them.” Maybe they were right.

​”​In later life, many 2:2 graduates still ended up with Ph.Ds and even became Professors, or captains of industry. We also had those students in the Third Class and Pass categories: we referred to them jokingly as the “let my people go, no-future-ambition crowd”. If you ended up with a First Class, your colleagues congratulated and admired you, but they didn’t feel like they had failed in any way.

​”​The Nigerian education system in those days was so good every graduate left the campus confident that he or she had been well-equipped. First Class graduates by the way did not enjoy any special privileges. There were employment opportunities in the country.

“Companies came to the schools and the youth corps camps to recruit prospective staff, and many “let my people go” graduates also got jobs and opportunities as soon as they graduated!​ ​​So much has changed. It looks like there is now a greater emphasis on people getting better paper grades, and with the way our universities are churning out the First Class grades, very soon, there will be a First Class graduate on every street corner.

​”​One justification given for this is that the population of students in Nigerian universities and the number of courses, have increased. With 153 universities, we should logically, so the argument goes, expect more First Class graduates. It is also possible that university students in Nigeria today are smarter than the ones before them.

​”​Except that the quality of their grades is at variance with the quality of their skills or the environment that is producing them. No one will argue that the quality of our universities, both private and public, is poor, for instance. Where are the outstanding scholars in our universities who are breeding First Class graduates? Where are the First Class universities churning out high grades?

​”​Within the same period that Nigerian universities produced more than 3, 000 First Class graduates, only one Nigerian university –the University of Ibadan- was ranked among the world’s top 800 universities, number 601 as at September 2015.

​”​In the older Nigerian system that I described, Nigerian universities boasted of world-class intellectuals, with some of them ranking among the very best in their fields. There were top research libraries and laboratories in our universities and the environment was conducive for intellectual pursuit.

​”​Obafemi Awolowo University, known then as the University of Ife, was considered the most beautiful campus in Africa! Tourists visited our universities to visit either the zoos or take pictures. The animals in the zoos have been sold or eaten, the libraries are old, with a few now digitalized, the laboratories are either non-existent or they lack equipment.

​”​The university authorities complain of poor funding; the lecturers do not always get their salaries and research grants.​ ​​The idea of the university is in trouble. These days, Nigerian academics become Professors with “scholarly, research essays” published in departmental journals or in journals published by their friends in other departments and printed in Somolu or Dubai.

​”​There are Professors who have never published an article in a leading international journal or conducted any significant research. A National Universities Commission official quoted by the Daily Trust tried to justify the First Class galore in Nigerian universities by saying NUC is not aware of anybody buying First Class degrees and that “our system is one of the best.” I hope that is not the mind-set of the NUC.

​”​Could it be that the examinations have become too easy or that the teachers have become less rigorous in setting standards? It is sad to hear for example, that students in the Humanities, and Management and Social Sciences in some universities now sit only for multiple-choice examinations at the end of the semester, because they are so many and the lecturers can’t mark exam papers?

​”​Our education system is far behind the rest of the world. Are we dealing with a problem of grade inflation? Any degree at all, is useless without the skills and competence to justify it. Private universities in Nigeria are reportedly more notorious for giving out high grades as a marketing strategy to attract rich parents to patronize them.

​”A First Class or 2:1 degree may get you a job, and provide you an advantage in the face of the unemployment crisis in the country, but what will keep you on the job is something far more than the paper you hold: talent, skills, competence, creativity, people and communication skills and the ability to work with a team to achieve results.

​”​Many employers of labour in Nigeria, have had to retrain new recruits because they are often confronted with graduates with good grades, who can neither write nor think, or who may have learnt whatever they know through simulation or alternative methods. This is the real, worrisome trend, and it only gets worse: the evidence can be seen, increasingly, in the low quality of public debate, the public and private sectors and our cultural life.

​”​Many professional associations try to raise the bar by setting rigorous standards for membership qualification, but of what use is a university system that may have adopted the tactics of GSM companies, offering bonus top ups, to gain market share?​”​

SOURCE: http://www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/reuben-abati-mocks-high-number-of-first-class-degree-in-nigerian-universities/

[color=#000000]The Management of Akwa Ibom State University says the institution has expelled 21 students for various offences committed in 2016.

Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eno Ibanga, told newsmen in Ikot Akpaden, on Saturday that the students were expelled for various offences ranging from phone theft to grievous harm, among others.

Ibanga noted that due process was followed before the students were expelled.

He explained that the Students’ Disciplinary Committee was set up by the university to ensure that students who had committed
various offences were dealt with.

“If you have an issue and your case is sent to student disciplinary committee and we have students’ information handbook that tells you the dos and don’ts in the
university.

“We don’t want to encourage truancy, and misbehaviour, when you commit an offence, we send you there and then if you are found culpable, you will be expelled from the institution.

“This is a democracy, we don’t just wake up and expel somebody, you must follow due process before anybody is expelled,’’ Ibanga said.

The vice chancellor added that the
institution had zero tolerance for cultism.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/akwa-ibom-state-university-expels-21-students/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Management of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has
refuted the purported suspension of the Registrar of the institution, Dr Mrs Modupe Ajayi, by the Federal Ministry of Education.

The Federal Government had on
Thursday announced the suspension of the embattled Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola and the Registrar, Dr. Mrs Modupe Ajayi.

A letter signed by the Acting
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Hussaini Adamu, noted that the duo was
suspended in connection with their ongoing trial at the behest of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission.

FUTA Head of Information and
Protocol Unit, Mr. Adegbenro
Adebanjo, in a statement made
available to journalists in Akure,
stressed that Ajayi still remains the substantive Registrar of the
university.

It was, however, learnt that the
Federal Ministry of Education
confused the office of the Registrar with the bursar, Mr. Emmanuel Oresegun, who is being tried alongside with Daramola for
corruption charges.

“Therefore this statement dispels the false and patently misleading
information making the rounds that the Registrar of Federal University of Technology Akure,
FUTA Dr Mrs. Modupe Ajayi was
suspended from office. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

“Dr Ajayi continues to carry out her duties and responsibilities as the Registrar and Secretary to the
Governing Council of FUTA until the expiration of her term of office at the end of May, 2017,” the statement read in part.

But FUTA Students Union Government (SUG) condemned the suspension of the principal officers, describing the action of the minister as illegal and “subtle usurpation” because it didn’t make a recourse to the institution’s governing council.

The SUG President, Mr. Oladele Segun, lamented that “It is surprising, appalling and draconian for the Minister to bow to pressure from retrogressive forces that are determined to take a pound of flesh from the FUTA Vice Chancellor and the Bursar.

“It is pertinent to state categorically that the corruption trial of the Vice Chancellor and
the Bursar, which was cited as the
reason for this illegal suspension, is before a court of competent
jurisdiction.

“Thus the Students’ Union finds it
undemocratic, autocratic,
unconstitutional and an abuse of
court process for the Minister of
Education to unilaterally suspend
the top university officials without
recourse to stipulated guidelines.

“This suspension, if allowed to hold, is an attack on the autonomy of the University system. It contravenes the
provisions of the Universities
Miscellaneous Act No.11 of 1993 (as amended) by decree No.25, 1996 and further amended in 2003 and 2012, and other items contained in the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and the unions.”

The union faulted the minister for the removal of the principal officers, describing it as “the outcome of an unguided passion
and power tussle by unscrupulous
elements in the Ministry of Education.

“The constitution is very clear on the procedures to be followed in the appointment and disengagement of Vice Chancellors and none of these procedures
was followed by the Minister of
Education in the FUTA case according to the provisions of the University Miscellaneous Act.

“The power to appoint and remove a substantive Vice Chancellor, and when the need arises, an acting Vice Chancellor, is
vested in the Governing Councils.

FUTA has a Governing Council in place, thus the action of the Minister is an attack on the Nigerian Constitution.”

The student body urged the Federal Ministry of Education to rescind its action because it does not augur well with the campus and the Nigerian University system at large.

“He cannot desecrate the revered
Nigerian academic culture. Our appeal to the Federal Government is for the immediate reversal of
the unconstitutional and hasty
suspension of the FUTA Vice
Chancellor and the Bursar,” the union said.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/ajayi-modupe-remains-futa-registrar-management/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Kwara State Government on Friday shut three schools in the state for alleged examination malpractice.

This was disclosed by the State’s
Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Musa Yeketi, in a chat with journalists in Ilorin.

Yeketi listed their names as Topklass Secondary School, Kilanko, Ilorin, Banwo International College, Ajase-Ipo and AJVIC College, Amoyo near Ilorin.

He explained that the schools were shut because they registered external candidates for the West African Examination without
duly informing the ministry.

According to the commissioner, the Banwo International College registered over 200 external candidates, which far outweighed
its facility and the number of students in the school.

“The management of the college never consulted our ministry for approval.

“Also, two other schools in Amoyo and Kilanko, registered external candidates without

due consultation,’’ the commissioner said.

He alleged that at one of the schools, the ministry discovered that while some candidates were already writing the essay part of a particular subject, others were still
on the objectives.

“When we raised a question on this, the management could not give a tenable explanation,’’ he said.

Yeketi warned that the present
administration would not give room for examination malpractice or non-compliance with statutory requirement in the education
sector.

He recalled that some schools were closed about two months ago for failure to register or due to the substandard environment.

“Those schools still remained shut.’’

He, however, said the schools would be reopened when they fully complied with the directives of the ministry.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/exam-malpractice-kwara-state-government-shuts-down-three-schools/[/color]

[color=#000000]Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has stated that the UTME examination scheduled for May 13 has not been postponed. He made the clarification in a chat with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

Oloyede therefore appealed to candidates to ignore such rumors, adding that candidates should not fail to sit for their exams today. The Registrar, who disclosed that 120 prison inmates are part of the 1.7 million candidates that will sit for UTME, enjoined the candidates to go to their respective centres for the examination. The registrar said that the examinations would still hold as scheduled except for those that have Seven Days Adventist service. He also advised UTME candidates to always check their e-mails for further updates, noting that some candidates are fond of giving out their passwords and e-mail addresses to strangers in spite of several warnings from the board.

“Candidates should be aware of fraudsters who hide under cyber cafe operators to defraud innocent children.

“We have caught some of them while mischievously collecting money from candidates with the help of some security officers,’’ the JAMB boss said.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-utme-not-postponed-registrar/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has informed candidates​ for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME)​ that the Board has sent their examination notification​ (e-slips) to their email address.

The exams will begin on Saturday May 13, 2017.

JAMB in an update on its website on Thursday, added that candidates can also reprint from any CBT accredited Centre or by logging in to their profiles on http://www.jamb.org.ng

JAMB​ said the advice became imperative because of agitations by some candidates over non-communication on their examination centres by the board to them, less than 72 hours to the commencement of the all Computer Based Test.

The exam body registered 1,736,571 candidates for the 2017 UTME scheduled to hold in 624 centres nationwide.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-gives-utme-candidates-update-on-exam-e-slips/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said that operatives from the Nigeria Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and
other Related offences Commission, ICPC, will monitor the examination centres in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UMTE.

The exams will begin on Saturday May 13, 2017.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede told newsmen in Abuja that each test centre will have a supervisor, a technical officer, a
verification officer, three proctors as well as security agents.

“Each state will be superintended
over by a head of a tertiary institution (Vice-Chancellor, Rector or Provost) who coordinates the supervisors under his or her jurisdiction”, Oloyede added.

“It is certainly not going to be
business as usual in the conduct of
the Board’s examination and other processes.

“In line with this resolution, the Board had secured through diligent prosecution, the conviction of two Nigerians who forged the Board’s results and came around for verification.

“At the moment, we have lodged
complaints against a number of
Computer-Based Test, CBT, centre
owners for one infraction or the
other and a number of them were
arrested, cautioned, while others are to be prosecuted so as to serve as a deterrent to others”, he added.

The JAMB boss warned candidates
not to fall for the ploy of fraudsters who he said were out to defraud them.

He pointed out a case at the Federal Government Science Technical College, Orozo,Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, where somebody was sending bulk messages to candidates to come
and reprint their slips claiming to be from JAMB.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-engages-efcc-icpc-police-to-monitor-utme-exam-centres/[/color]

[color=#000000]Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, says the state maintains its record as the highest in Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB,
applications due to his free education programme.

Okorocha spoke in reaction to figures released by Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, which showed that Imo State again topped applications for the 2017
JAMB Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

A statement by his Chief Press
Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “the Rescue Mission Government in the state with
Governor Rochas Okorocha on the
driver’s seat, has acknowledged the report credited to the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede that Imo State has again topped the JAMB applications this year (2017) with 101,868
applications out of the total of
1.7million applications.

“Prof. Oloyede had said at a press
briefing in Abuja, Tuesday that Osun State came second with 88,653 applications, while Oyo
State came third with 87,811
applications.

“This beautiful development would make it the sixth time since 2012 that Imo would come first in JAMB applications.

“The enviable records did not come by happenstance. They are all products of the free education
programme in the state which
occasioned the astronomical
increase of the school enrolment in the state from 280,000 in 2011 to more than 800,000 at the moment.”

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-why-imo-remains-number-one-in-utme-applications-gov-okorocha/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Joint Admission and Matriculation
Board (JAMB) has clarified that cut-off points are not set by the body.
The exams will begin on Saturday May 13, 2017.

He explained that a policy committee chaired by the Minister of Education, with the Board, Vice-Chancellors, Provosts of Colleges of Education and Polytechnic Rectors as members, is saddled with the task.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said this at the news briefing on Tuesday in Bwari, in preparation for the conduct of
this year’s UTME.

He described cut-off points to be a
minimum requirement and not an
indication that one was admissible.

The JAMB boss reiterated the Board’s resolve to prepare more after learning all the lessons from its past to organize for a successful examination.

“Following the continuous determination to curb the incidence of examination malpractice and other related offences, we will use the Biometric Verification Machine to verify candidates before admitting them
for exam”, he said.

He added that JAMB registered a total of 1, 736, 571 candidates for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Oloyede also gave a breakdown of duly registered candidates for the 2017 UTME.

“In the last UTME conducted in 2016, a total of 1, 272, 284 candidates registered for the
2015.

“The figure for the 2017 UTME shows an increase of 464, 287 applicants when compared with last year’s figure of 1, 272, 284,” Oloyede said.

He disclosed that Imo state had the highest applications having 101, 868, this was followed by Osun, Oyo, and Ogun with 88,
655, 87, 811 and 81, 349, respectively among the top ten.
Others include, Delta – 81, 108, Anambra – 77, 253, Kaduna – 72, 104, Kano – 70, 276, Kogi – 70, 150 and Benue – 68, 916.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-registrar-speaks-on-cut-off-marks-breakdown-of-registered-utme-candidates/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has said that it has set up 624 centres for the over 1.7million candidates that will be writing this Saturday’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) nationwide.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stated this on Tuesday while speaking to journalists in Abuja about the board’s preparation for the exams.

Oloyede also disclosed that 321 blind candidates would participate.

He added that efforts had been made to curtail examination fraud, as Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, will be mounted
in all the various centres and adequate security arrangement will be provided.

Oloyede, however, noted that many candidates and parents have not recovered from what he described as “technophobia”, the fear of technology, as they still think that the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) method make things difficult.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-sets-up-cctv-cameras-in-624-centres-for-2017-utme/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has concluded the sale of 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms, recording over 1.7 million applications.

The exams will begin on Saturday May 13, 2017.

This is contained in a statement on Sunday by JAMB spokesman, Fabian Benjamin.

The Board urged Nigerians to have trust in its processes as they are meant to enhance productivity, eliminate examination malpractice and promote transparency to an unprecedented level.

It reads further: “We registered a number that has never been done in the entire 39 years of the existence of JAMB within a time
frame Nigerians were sceptical about.

“The highest we have ever had was 1.5 million, this is record breaking. We will look at the system so far and make adjustments where necessary to ensure a full proof process of registration and examination.

“We are always sure of our systems and will continue to expand our frontiers of thinking to transform the Board to an
agency that Nigerians will be proud of.

“JAMB wishes to state clearly that it will continue to be very open in all its activities and ensure inclusiveness even in the areas
of its finances.

The disclosure of the actual number of candidates registered is a clear invitation for the public to know what the Board has realised from the sale for this year and we
are not perturbed because we have nothing to hide in our dealings. We are determined to make Nigerians proud of us.

“Examination is all about transparency and an agency that conducts such a competitive
examination must be above board in all its life cycle. As we conduct the 2017 examination beginning from Saturday May 13, we call on all Nigerians to give us the needed support.

“We will do our very best and where they notice challenges, we will work without hesitation to ensure that it is corrected immediately for candidates to have a smooth examination.

“Nigerians should note that there could be one or two challenges in some centres; but the most important thing is our ability to
urgently address such when they rear their face. We use this opportunity to call for patriotism. Let us learn to always support
our agencies, they are not as bad as we are always quick to want them to be.

“Nations are grown through innovation and there is no innovation if there is no trial. Please don’t be quick to condemn,
rather look at the end result and see how all of us can contribute to the Nigerian education of our dream. We have resolved to bell the cat in order for other public
examination agencies to thrive.

“We will also not be distracted by some highly placed Nigerians who, for selfish personal interest of what they were making but which they are no longer making
through corrupt practices and others for sheer envy and personal grudges against actors in JAMB, resolved to do everything to
paint all our processes even at infancy level in bad light.

“Thank God, the number of registration and short period as against the six months in the past has vindicated us”[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/jamb-utme-exams-begin-saturday-may-13-record-1-7million-apply/

[color=#000000]The Osun state Government on Thursday declared a gymnastics exercise, known as calisthenics as an integral part of the curriculum in all the schools across the state.

Director of Development of Social and Grassroots Mobilization and Guidance, Office of the Governor, Mr Adebayo Ojo, disclosed this at a press conference, which preceded a training workshop for coaches
of the programme, in Osogbo, the
Osun State capital.

Ojo explained that the special sports activity with a new and wider template would teach and instill the spirit of team coordination and strength of problem-solving in the students, and prepare them for future
challenges.

He opined that the new template as approved by Governor Rauf
Aregbesola would also allow
interested private schools to
participate actively.

According to him, the state
government will be responsible for the funding of the training, when support would be sought
from social and corporate
organisations as sponsors.

Ojo said the programme would soon be institutionalized in the school academic calendar in the state.

“Calisthenics is an integral part of a rejuvenated education system in the state, it has enhanced organisational capacity and
understanding of system by the
students,” he said.

In the same vein, the Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr
Festus Olajide thanked Aregbesola for introducing the programme, saying calisthenics game has
enhanced organisational capacity and understanding among the youth.

Olajide averred that education is the basic requirement that determines the future of the youth, adding that all hands must be on deck to encourage young ones to participate.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/osun-state-introduces-calisthenics-to-schools-curriculum/

[color=#000000]As registration for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination closes today (Friday), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said that an unprecedented number of 1.7m candidates registered for the examination.

The Head of Information, JAMB, Mr. Fabian Benjamin, who said that the number of registered candidates have “never been
recorded in the history of the board’’, however, noted that JAMB had put in place adequate facilities to accommodate the upsurge in the number of candidates.

About 1.2million candidates registered for the UTME in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

With a cost of N5,000 per registration form (excluding an additional N500 for the reading text), our correspondent learnt that the board raked in N8.5bn
from the sale of forms.

Benjamin, who spoke in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday, noted that the board would conduct the 2017 UTME on April 13.
He said, “In 2016, about 1.2million
candidates wrote the examination. It was the same in 2015 and that was why we
projected for 1.5milion candidates this year. This year, registration period was reduced from six months to one month.

But, despite the short registration period and capturing of 10 fingers, we have recorded 1.7million candidates. This shows the effectiveness of our processes.

It also shows that whenever you have a setback you should not step back.

“We have put everything in place to ensure the success of the examination. We have the capacity to accommodate 1.7million candidates. In 2016, we used 510 computer-based centres, including six foreign centres for 1.2million candidates.

This year, we are making use of 633 centres. There is an increase of more than 100 centres to take care of the additional candidates.’’

Benjamin also noted that less than 10 per cent of registered candidates sat for the mock examination which held on Saturday. He added that the results had been released to the candidates.


“The mock examination came out as our best conducted examination. We wish it was the main examination. We could have
held it the first time but we wanted the best that we could be proud of. The number of candidates who sat for the
mock examination could have been higher but we had to shut the portal,’’ he said.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/utme-jamb-rakes-in-n8-5-billion-from-form-sale/

[color=#000000]The West African Examination Council has launched an electronic information-sharing portal for candidates sitting for the November/December diet of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

According to a statement from the council on Thursday, the portal generates e-mail addresses for each candidate for better engagement between the council and candidates. It added that the portal would ensure that the council was abreast of user experience during registration,
conduct of the examination and result releases.

The statement, signed by the Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Deminus Ojijeogu, noted that the portal, tagged Candidates Interactive
System, would provide candidates with information such as change of venue, disruptions in time table and notification of results, among others.

He added that the platform which would be made available to school candidates next year would enable them to correct errors.

Ojijeogu said that the council had
deployed “a new electronic information sharing and dissemination system/platform, otherwise called Candidates
Interactive System (www.waecKonnect.com). This is to enable the council to communicate effectively with candidates during and after examinations.

“Candidates can interact with one another and get first-hand information and notification from the council by logging onto the portal with their unique bio data
information that was used at the point of registration.

“This will also afford them the opportunity to acquaint themselves with current technology tools that will be useful for them in the future and know the Nigeria Examinations Committee decision on results.’’[/color]

SOURCE:www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/waec-introduces-e-portal-for-private-candidates/

Though he did not emerge with a gold medal at the recently concluded PZ Cussons Chemistry Challenge, Samuel Oyelami, a Senior Secondary School 2 pupil
of Tomia Community Secondary School, Alagbado, Lagos, left with his head high as the first runner up in a contest which recorded more than 3,000 entries from
public and private schools in Lagos State.

Oyelami, in company with 14-year-old Justin Anyika from Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, were the only two
finalists from public schools. A pupil of New Hall International School, Lekki, Lagos, Dara Ogunmola, won the contest.

But, this is not the first time pupils from public schools have put up a good fight in the annual competition. In 2016, 17-year-
old Wajul Kareem of Abibat Mogaji
Millennium Senior Secondary School, Agege, and Jude Chineke of the same school emerged second and third in the contest.

And though 16-year-old Justin Nwaoha of the Isolog College, Ojodu, Lagos State, won the 2015 edition of the challenge, Jamiu
Animashaun of Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos, emerged the first runner-up while the third runner-up was Jeremiah Onu of Festac Senior College, Festac, Lagos.

Speaking to our correspondent, the Principal, Tomia Community Secondary School, Mrs. Kovie Alagbe, said that public school pupils could do as well as their
counterparts in private schools.

“I joined this school in October last year and I made sure I encouraged teachers and pupils to be confident. We have quality teachers and we groomed our
pupils to be outstanding in the
competition. Our pupils have won some awards in the past but this is the first time our pupils will come this far in this particular competition,’’ she said.

For Mr. Ademola Adebiyi, a Chemistry teacher with Federal Government College Ijanikin, Lagos, Anyika’s performance has
shown that public school pupils can win the top prize of the contest next year.

“This is the first time my school will participate in the competition and, for me, it is a huge success. Justin is just 14 years old and he is very intelligent. I thought he
was going to win. At a stage, I even doubted if I understand Chemistry when I saw the way he handled the questions.

Justin is an introvert and even when other pupils went on holiday, he stayed back and we coached him. We met with him
everyday for coaching. I am sure that a pupil from a public school will win next year,’’ he said.

According to the Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Yomi Ifaturoti, the 2017 edition of the
competition, themed, Be A Winner, was designed to stimulate and inspire the learning of Chemistry among pupils and
raise their level of reasoning to
demonstrate the importance of chemistry in the society.

While Justin was awarded with a
N700,000 cash prize, laptop, N100,000 was presented to his teacher and N100,000 worth of laboratory equipment for his school. Aside from computers,
Oyelami and Anyika were awarded N450,000 and N350, 000 respectively.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/again-public-school-pupils-shine-in-chemistry-competition/

[color=#000000]The management of the University of Jos (UNJIOS), has warned its students against
using social media to publish anything negative about the institution.

The Vice-Chancellor of the school, Professor Sebastian Maimako, gave the directive on Wednesday during the matriculation ceremony for 7,000 students ahead of the new session.

Maimako stated that students must obtain written permission from him through the registrar, before they go ahead to post such
information.

“In line with the extant rules of the university, no student is permitted to publish anything concerning the university without the written permission of the vice-
chancellor through the registrar,” he said.

He also banned any form of indecent dressing, directing security agencies to arrest any student whose appearance was
deemed inappropriate.

Maimako also warned that improperly dressed students would be barred from entering offices and attending lectures.

A total of 31,759 candidates chose UNIJOS as their first choice, with 25,785 for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and 5,974 for Direct Entry in the 2016/2017 session.
[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/unijos-warns-students-against-use-of-social-media-bans-indecent-dressing/

[color=#000000]Students of the Obafemi Awolowo
University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have accused the institution's Dean of Students' Affairs (DSA), Professor G.O Akinola, of high-handedness and actions capable of sparking a religious crisis on campus. The
students, under the banner of Concerned Great Ife Students, made the allegations in an open petition against Professor Akinola. Jointly signed by Comrades Emman O. Emma, Sodunola Obafemi and Uzor, the petition was copied to the university's Vice Chancellor, Registrar and the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). In the petition, the students alleged that on 30 April, the DSA issued an order barring fresh students from entering the halls of residence with their parents. The order, argued the students, lacked common sense.

"It requires just common sense to
conclude that parents need to assist their wards with their luggage and also know where their children will be residing. Such order is ‘understandable’ in the face of the poor welfare and and ridiculous conditions the incoming students are subjected to, and
the desperate act of the Dean to cover up," the students stated.

While at Mozambique Hall, where she issued the order, she was alleged to have descended on the leaders of the Muslim Students society of Nigeria (MSSN), whom she stopped from welcoming and
assisting new members on the pretext of preventing indoctrination.

"Such an action from the Dean (who is supposed to harmonize all religious interests on campus for the sake of peace), is an open declaration of religious division among students," argued the
aggrieved students.

They also claimed to have seen the DSA excoriating a fresh female student, who had her bag on her head. The DSA was said to have claimed that the bag containing the students’ belongings was too heavy and could not be allowed in the hostel. Her decision was protested by three students, whom she got arrested by the university security personnel.

"It was in the course of intervening in such prevailing anomalies that three students (Michael Lenin, Afoo and VON) asked the Dean certain questions.
However, before much was said, the response the students got was
brutalization by the university security personnel, ordered by the Dean. The university security personnel, led by ‘Baba Ibeji’, were drunk," alleged the students.

The students warned that the university is unsafe if it has drunkards in its security team.
They also argued that the attack on the students, as ordered by the DSA, is an invitation to cultism.

"Students, who no longer find their safety assured by the university management will
seek security elsewhere. Fundamentally, the Dean and the security personnel, who brutalized the students, for no just cause,
have infringed on the rights and liberty of these students under the Nigerian law," stated the disaffected students. On account of that, the students are demanding that the DSA and the security man, ‘Baba Ibeji’ be sanctioned.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/05/oau-dean-dsa-in-trouble-as-the-students-wrote-petition-against-her/

[color=#000000]The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has so far registered 1.5 million candidates for the 2017 Unified
Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said this on Saturday during pre-JAMB mock examinations.

Oloyede said: “So far, it has even been better than our expectation, it was a mock, the intention was to test the technology and it proved to be perfect.

“I think from what we are seeing, we are more than ready for the main examination.

“At least 90 per cent of the examination centres have reported positively, there have
been proper downloading and preparation; even after the exam we had uploaded responses of 80 per cent.

“We have done it to show that what works elsewhere across the world should work in Nigeria; we believe we can do it efficiently;
we will continue to do our best.

“We have registered over 1.5million candidates in less than five weeks; we believe that the reality we have put in place
is good enough.’’

Oloyede said that 633 centres were used to conduct the mock examination for 153, 000 candidates across the country.

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/jamb-1-5million-candidates-register-for-2017-utme-registrar/[/color]

[color=#000000]The Rivers State government says it has concluded plans to ban all unapproved schools operating in the state with effect from September this year.

State Commissioner for Education,
Prof. Kaniye Ebeku disclosed this when he led members of the Rivers state House of Assembly Committee on Education on an inspection of ongoing rehabilitation work at Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokwuta in company of officials of the state Ministry of Education.

Prof. Ebeku said about five thousand illegal private schools are operating in the state.

He said that publications will be done in both National and local papers in the coming days with the full names of the affected schools.

According to Ebeku, “We found that there are so many unapproved quacks schools operating in the state and this is not acceptable for many reasons. They deliver poor quality education and because they are operating underground they are
not paying required taxes as legitimate approved organizations.

“We would not want this to continue anymore which is why we want them seize operations.”

Chairman of Rivers State House of
Assembly Committee on Education, Farah Dagogo pledged the commitment of the state
lawmakers to partner the state
ministry of education to ensure the maintenance of all schools infrastructure currently under
rehabilitation by the Rivers State
government.

Dagogo said the Assembly will help to sustain the maintenance of infrastructure in the Education sector of the state.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/wike-moves-to-ban-5000-unapproved-secondary-schools-in-rivers/

[color=#000000]
The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has announced that registration for the General Certificate Examination (GCE) 2017 for private candidates starts on
Friday, 28th April.

This was disclosed via the examination body official tweeter handle, @waecnigeria.

It reads: “This is to inform intending candidates for the WASSCE for private candidates 2017 that registration begins
on Friday this week.

“Candidates are expected to pay a
registration fee of thirteen thousand, nine hundred fifty naira N13,950 at any of the approved bank or any accredited agents to
obtain the registration pin and information VCD.

“Normal registration period is from Friday April 28 to June 28. After obtaining registration pin, candidates should log on to www.waeconline.org for registration.

“Candidates should also note that the registration procedure has been designed to accommodate biometric features that will be used for validation at the exam
center.

“Candidates who wish to register for the exam after the close of entries can be accommodated as ” walk-in-candidates” provided they register 24hours to the start
of the paper(s) they intend to write.

“The “walk-in-candidates” fee is
twenty five thousand naira, N25,000.”[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/gce-registration-begins-on-friday-waec/

[color=#000000]Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) University of Ibadan Chapter, Dr. Deji Omole has asked the Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Professor Ishaq
Oloyede to voluntarily resign his position for the lopsided nature of the ongoing JAMB registration coordinated by the Board.

Omole noted that the registration problems being experienced by candidates are major set-back and may jeopardize the ambition
of candidates who are interested higher education.

The don who made this known while speaking with journalists on Wednesday in Ibadan, then called on the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu to call the
Registrar to order not to make life difficult for the children of the masses who yearn for quality public education.

Omole while speaking on the heels of the cumbersome registration procedure introduced by the JAMB registrar which he
said has succeeded in wasting time the candidates are supposed to be using to read at what he called fraudulent registration centers.

He reiterated the call of the union for the scrapping of the examination body, added
that universities must be allowed to design its standard examination for its own candidates.

While stating that the performances of the the JAMB registrar since assumption of
office has further confirmed the position of the union that JAMB has outlived its usefulness, urging the Federal government to do the needful in order to save public
education.

Omole further alleged that the Registrar connived with private universities by reducing the number of public universities
candidates can choose to one instead of two.

He also faulted the one-month registration as against the usual three-month window coupled with the cumbersome registration
challenges, describing the policy as inhuman and insensitive to the yearnings of Nigerian students.

The ASUU boss further noted that the fact that a mock examination was stopped due to logistic reasons underscores the point of
the incompetence of the Registrar, noting that if candidates could not do mock, how sure are they to pass the examination.

“Why will anybody make life difficult for candidates whose parents are struggling to live under the terrible condition the government has made them to live in? Why would somebody introduce changes that is only known by members of the board?
”We have made a case for the scrapping of this body because in the present instance, the introduction of different registration procedure has turned candidates to victims of fraud while different centers now make
business by arranging with private schools who bring all their students in group to come and register while children of the
masses look on.

”This is a failed approach to change and the Registrar admitted this with the cancellation of the mock examination. How can we ensure that the candidates prepare
well for the exams when they spend weeks waiting for PIN and are at the mercy of registration officers who force them to go
to cybercafe where they have arrangements to first create their profile before they can have their PIN?

”This is where people are duping the Nigerian children. This is a total failure.

Students must have at least three months for registration, its procedure must be open and their options to public universities
must not be limited to serve the agenda of the proprietors of private universities.”[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/jamb-ASUU-faults-registration-logjam-asks-oloyede-to-step-aside/

[color=#000000]The Edo State Police Command, has arrested a Professor and some lecturers of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma over alleged cult- related activities.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday in Benin, the Edo State capital, the State Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, said a double-barrel gun, single-barrel gun and
one pump action gun were recovered from one of the arrested academics.

Gwandu disclosed that the arrests
were made in response to distress
calls from members of the university community.

He said, “The professor was arrested. He was granted bail. The case is under investigation. “It was a distress call from the community; the university community made a call that cult groups were killing people; they
killed so many.

“And at the time when they (policemen) went to inspect a site,
they discovered more than 14 beheaded students at that particular time.

“We have a lot of issues with that
particular university. There are some senior lecturers that were
apprehended with firearms.

“So, we are going to arrest those who are mentoring and those who are real cultists and charge them to court. There is no going back.”[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/professor-lecturers-arrested-in-ambrose-ali-university-over-involvement-in-cultism/

[color=#000000]The government of Zimbabwe has assented to the payment of school fees by parents using livestock or labour for the school.

This is due to the economic realities in the country. Primary and Secondary Education Minister
Dr Lazarus Dokora disclosed over weekend that school authorities should be flexible and not turn away pupils because their parents have no money to pay tuition fees.

He told Zimbabwe media, “Our schools have to be flexible and ensure those who do not have money to pay fees can work.
“For example, if there is a builder in the community, he/she must be given that opportunity to work as a form of payment of tuition fees.”

The development was further elaborated by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr
Sylvia Utete-Masango who said that payment using livestock is reserved for rural areas while those in towns and cities can pay by working for the school.

However this option raised divergent views from parents while the country’s teachers’
association called for a change in the policy.

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association Secretary-General, John Mlilo said, “I do not think that it’s sustainable with regards to parents in urban areas … so many parents have
outstanding balances.

“Therefore, I am trying to imagine those 1000-plus parents coming to work at a school … Why spend time doing manual labour at a school when they can go there
to look for a good job?”

A bill has been recently tabled in parliament to direct banks to accept livestock as collateral for cash loans to informal businesses.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/zimbabwe-government-mandates-schools-to-accept-livestock-as-school-fees/

[color=#000000]The management of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo has reiterated its commitment to wage war against any act of indiscipline among its students.

ACU in a statement by its Registrar, Mrs. Adenike Fatogun and made available to journalists on Monday said that the university was not shut contrary to insinuation that it was shut.
She said the statement had become imperative following “rumours by mischievous elements” that the University is
currently shut down.

While clarifying that “The University is currently on Easter break from Wednesday 12th April to Sunday 23rd April 2017,” the
Registrar insisted that “immediately after, the Mid-Semester examinations will hold
from Thursday 27th to Friday 28th April ,2017.”

“Although, the University experienced recently a very common incident of unruly
behaviour by some students who have appeared before the institution’s Students’ Disciplinaty Committee, leading to the
expulsion and suspension of students found guilty, given the University’s highly cherised characater of a faith-based
Christian institution governed by rules and regulations in conformity with Christian
Ethics and commitment to raising Godly intellectuals.

“In this wise, the University insists that its students be disciplined, well dressed, punctual at lectures and worship service, among other requirements as dictated in the institution’s Students’ Handbook on rules and regulations.

Consequently, the University will not allow any act of cultism, taking of narcotic drugs and alcohol, sexual immorality on campus and other dissident
behaviours that are at variance with the principles of a faith-based institution.

“The Management is doing its best to ensure academic excellence, protection of the rights of the students, provision of sporting and recreational facilties, and a
serene safe and conducive environment for learning.

Moreover Ajayi Crowther
University is comparatively a very low fee charging private University in Nigeria; the
University allows payment of fees in three instalments. The University Hostel facilties,
which provide students with the desired comfort, are owned and operated by Diocese of the Anglican Church. Fees charged for accomodation are not just
inclusive of residency; electiricity, water, refuse disposal and salaries of hostel management staff are also components of the overall school fees.

“The University provides students with relatively adequate faciltiies to guarantee their peaceful and progressive study experiemce in the University. Expectedly, the
University is staffed with distinguished Professors and other categories of qualified academic who ensure that the institution
continually rank among the best in the various courses of offer in the University. In the same spirit, the University provide scholarship to students including cash awards to those who are recognised as
University scholars on the basis of the exceptional students’ Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs) in First class and Second Class Upper Division. Gladly all
academic programmes are accredited”.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/ajayi-crowther-versity-to-go-tough-after-students-unruly-behaviors/

[color=#000000]Ahead of the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
has reached a deal with the Nigerian Army to secure the the Computer Based Tests (CBT) centres with a view to having a hitch free examination.

A statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB,
Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, at a meeting with the military high command in Abuja solicited for the intervention and cooperation of the Nigerian Army in the
forth coming examination.

While commending the Nigerian Army for uniting the country particularly the feat it recorded in the insurgency war and restoring peace in other turbulent areas,
Oloyede outlined his mission to Defence Headquarters.

He said, “We are here to thank you for the wonderful job you have been doing, all Nigerians are happy with you for the wonderful feat you have recorded in the
discharge of your duties, and your quest for an indivisible and united country.”

He pointed out that the mandate of JAMB was to conduct matriculation examination
and place suitably qualified candidates desirous of qualitative education to all Nigerian tertiary institutions adding that the Board was at the verge of the first process hence the need to secure the venues, candidates and examination officials.

“This need became imperative to seek for security intervention from the Army, particularly in turbulent areas”, he said.

The Registrar noted that over 678 centres across the country against the last year’s figure of 650 CBT centres would be put to use with estimated 1.5million candidates
for the examination, adding that
1.237million candidates have already submitted their application already.

Oloyede also told the Chief of Army staff that there was collaboration with Nigeria
Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) to airlift candidates in riverine areas to their CBT centres.

He pleaded that the COAS intervene as the NLNG intervention though noble was not enough.

The JAMB Registrar while listing some security prone areas like North East, South South among others, noted that the process
of seeking admission through the conduct of examination should not be truncated, adding that the sight of security presence during the examination would give the
candidate a high level of satisfaction and confidence.

He informed the Army management that this year the Board is capturing candidates
ten fingers to forestall any incidence of multiple registration as noticed with previous years registration.

Oloyede said the Board also insisted on profile creation and other processes to strengthen the education data and ensure
that candidates do not go through hell years after graduating from tertiary institutions.

In his remark the Chief of Army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, described the visit as unique and symbolic stating that the military would ensure that there is peace and harmony in the country.

The COAS said as part of their constitutional responsibility the Nigerian Army would continue to uphold and make sure that the
task given to them is accomplished.

He said some of the flash points pointed by the Registrar are not only safe but habitable and he disclosed that normalcy, particularly in the North east has return even as he promised to deploy troop for more surveillance and protection during the period stated for the examination.

The Chief of Training and operations was directed to liaise with officers and men on ground to strengthen the security of the
centres and officials particularly those in turbulent states.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/jamb-army-strike-deal-security-for-2017-utme/

[color=#000000]The Bayelsa State Government has decided to stop “forthwith all foreign scholarships at undergraduate level” to indigenes of the state as is the case with some states in the country.

Explaining the reason for the ban, the State Government said its action was a means of sending a “message” to parents of students
on its scholarship scheme who have failed to appreciate its efforts.

The state government took the action in reaction to reports saying it allegedly neglected students from the state currently
on scholarship at the Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, United States.

Reports had it that parents of the twenty one affected students alleged that the state government refused to meet up with its obligation of paying their children’s school fees, a development that is now threatening their graduation from the prestigious institution.

However, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jonathan Obuebite in a statement described such report as not only “false and malicious” but a “calculated attempt to blackmail and embarrass the Governor Dickson’s led restoration government.”

Obuebite maintained that the students were at no time abandoned as the state government has been in constant touch with the university.

The Commissioner stated that while other states have withdrawn their students due
to financial constraints, the Bayelsa State government is “consistently funding scholarship programmes across various
universities in Europe and America of which Lincoln University students are part of.”

Assuring of its commitment towards building a strong educational sector, the state government stressed that there is no way it can shy away from sponsorship with the current students having less a month to
complete their programmes.

The statement said, ” We view the claims and the manner it was widely publicized as wicked and malicious. This is a clear case of
blackmail by the parents association, a campaign of calumny and a means to
tarnish the image of the government and ridicule all its lauable achievements in the
education sector”.

It added that the governor has already approved and authorized the release of the sum of two hundred million naira (#200,
000, 000.00) only to be paid to the institution.[/color]

SOURCE: www.dailyschoolgist.com.ng/2017/04/no-more-foreign-scholarship-for-undergraduate-students-bayelsa-state-govt/