The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman has conceded his decision to peg the admission age of undergraduates to 18, following protests from stakeholders at the ongoing Policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
Mamman said Heads of tertiary institutions could be allowed to admit candidates who are 16 years of age, gain admission into tertiary institutions of their choice.
The minister was forced to succumb, following the argument that students under the age of 18 had already registered, sat and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and were awaiting admission.
Leading the motion, Vice Chancellor of Elizade University Prof. Kayode Thadius Ijiadunola who got massive support from other heads, registrar and admission officers participating in the policy meeting, proposed 16 as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.
He said, “What happens to those who have written this year’s exams and passed their exams? We reject 18 years as the minimum age requirement and are proposing 16 years.”
While the hall erupted in support of 16 years as a minimum requirement, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, asked where parents and candidates were rushing to?
Oloyede said: “The only point is they have taken examinations and at that time they were not told or aware and therefore if we want to enforce it, it should be from subsequent years.”
The minister in response had said, “I can work with that but I want to remind you of one thing, even that argument cannot stand if we want to go by the law which states 6-3-3-4 as our system of education, it won’t stand but for practical reasons, for this year, I will allow it to stand.”
Reiterating the minister’s decision amidst a resounding applause, Prof Oloyede added, “We thank the minister for conceding but from next year we will enforce it.”
Earlier, the minister while delivering his address as chairman of the 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) policy meeting on Education holding on Thursday in Abuja, had called for enforcement of 18 years as the new minimum admission age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.
Immediately after the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman made the announcement, the stakeholders who turned out their members from across tertiary institutions in the country, voiced resistance which turned the session into a rowdy one.
The minister who was unable to proceed with his address as a result of the uproar, had asked “are we together?”
However, the stakeholders had responded with a resounding “No!”
The minister who seemed unperturbed with the development, had continued with his address as he tried to give reasons for pegging the new admission benchmark at 18.
It took the intervention of the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, to restore order to the policy meeting with his plea of “Please pay attention please!”
The policy meeting on education is an annual event. It authorised the commencement of admission into tertiary institutions in the country.
More details later…
BREAKING: Minister makes u-turn, concedes to 16yrs University Admission benchmark for 2024
BREAKING: Minister makes u-turn, concedes to 16yrs University Admission benchmark for 2024
Italian journalist to pay €5,000 for mocking PM’s height
A Milan court has ordered a journalist to pay Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni damages of 5,000 euros ($5,465) for making fun of her in a social media post, news agency ANSA and other local media reported on Thursday.
The journalist, Giulia Cortese, was also given a suspended fine of 1,200 euros for a jibe on X in October 2021 about Meloni’s height that was defined as “bodyshaming”.
Meloni took legal action against Cortese after the two women clashed on social media.
Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party was in opposition at the time, took exception when Cortese published a mocked-up photo of her with a picture of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background.
Cortese responded with further tweets including one that translates as “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall. I can’t even see you.”
Meloni’s height is given as between 1.58 m and 1.63 m on various media websites.
Cortese can appeal against the sentence, and Meloni’s lawyer said the prime minister would donate to charity any damages she eventually receives.
A high number of lawsuits brought against journalists were cited this year by Reporters without Borders, which relegated Italy five places to 46th in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Meloni is not new to taking journalists to court. In 2023, a Rome court fined best-selling author Roberto Saviano 1,000 euros plus legal expenses after he insulted her on television in 2021 over her hardline stance on illegal immigration.
Journalists at Italian state broadcaster RAI went on strike in May in protest against the suffocating control over their work by Meloni’s government.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from According.
Contact: [email protected]
BREAKING: Autonomy: Senate moves to establish Electoral Commission for LGAs
A Bill seeking to establish a federal agency for the conduct of local government elections has scaled first reading at the Senate.
The Bill titled, “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024” was sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa.
Details to follow…
BREAKING: Autonomy: Senate moves to establish Electoral Commission for LGAs
Ondo Amotekun operatives decry lack of welfare, no appointment letters
The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, has been enmeshed in controversy over a lack of adequate and proper welfare for its operatives across the state.
According to sources within the corps, since their years of engagement with the security agency, there have yet to be any formal employment letters issued.
Some of the operatives who craved anonymity disclosed that, due to the nature of their jobs, which most times required them to spend days in the forest, they had never been considered for any form of allowance.
While accusing the corps’ leadership of insincerity with the operations of the agency, the aggrieved operatives revealed the actual number of personnel within the corps had always been shrewd in secrecy, a move they described as a ploy to embezzle funds.
One of the operatives serving in the Central Senatorial District of the state said, “I can confirm that none of us is happy at the moment. The zeal we had when we joined the corps had waned.
“You can imagine the frustration of not being properly engaged as an Amotekun operative. As for the little salary we do get, we have never been considered for any allowance.
“Even when the issue of palliatives was everywhere and the heat of the fuel subsidy was still hot, we were not given anything at all. As a family man, how do they want us to be motivated to continue to put our lives at risk?
“And you know how this place works; no one dares to talk. We are not treated rightly as security operatives. It is sad.”
However, the budget performance report for the state indicated that expenditure for the corps in the first quarter of 2024 was N674 million while the corps received a total sum of N1.5 billion out of the N2.7 billion budget in 2023 and N1.45 billion in 2022.
On the issue, the leadership of the corps in the state stressed that the process of recruiting operatives from the corps is not in tandem with the normal civil service, indicating that a move has begun towards harmonising the salary scheme of the corps with other states in the south-west.
“The recruitment process for the Amotekun Corps, being a paramilitary organisation, is different from that of other civil service organisations. We are, however, trying to have a harmonised salary scale for Amotekun officials in Ondo and some other states.”
Ondo Amotekun operatives decry lack of welfare, no appointment letters
Israeli strike kills Islamist commander in eastern Lebanon
An Israeli drone strike in eastern Lebanon has killed a commander in the Lebanese Islamist group al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (Assembly of Islam), an ally of Hamas.
According to local media reports, Muhammad Hamid Jabara, from the town of Qaraoun, was killed at 6:30 local time (0330 GMT) Thursday by an Israeli drone attack that targeted his truck.
The report said that the attack led to the whole vehicle being set ablaze.
In June, the Israeli army said it had killed Ayman Ratma, who was responsible for weapons supplies for the Palestinian militant group Hamas and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya in eastern Lebanon.
The militant group did not comment initially.
The organisation is close to Hezbollah and Hamas and claims to support the Shiite Hezbollah militia’s fight against Israel.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon.
Most recently, the fighting has escalated significantly with casualties on both sides.
Israeli strike kills Islamist commander in eastern Lebanon
Nigerian Universities admitted over one million students illegally –JAMB reveals
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has revealed that some tertiary institutions in the country illegally admitted over one million students.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, made this revelation on Thursday in Abuja at the ongoing policy meeting on 2023/2024 admissions.
The policy meeting, which has heads of tertiary institutions in the country, and other stakeholders in attendance, sets the tone for admissions into tertiary institutions in the country.
According to the JAMB boss, the Board has been able to regularize 600 of the numbers admitted illegally.
He added that a lot of the students with illegal admissions do not have the basic qualifications for the course they registered to study.
“Over 1 million students were admitted illegally. We registered about 600 of them because a lot of them don’t have the basic qualifications,” Oloyede said.
Nigerian Universities admitted over one million students illegally –JAMB reveals
FULL LIST: 2024 UTME top scorers
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday unveiled the list of 2024 top scorers of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The list was unveiled by the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede during the ongoing policy meeting of the Board in Abuja on Thursday. They are;
1. Olowu David – 367- Ondo state
2. Alayande David- 367- Oyo state
3. Orukpe Joel-367- Edo
4. Emmanuel Jeremiah-366- Akwa-Ibom
5. Essiet Etini-365-Akwa-Ibom
6. Ezenwoko Zara-365-Abia
7. Umoh Joshua-365-Akwa-Ibom
8. Mamudu Abdulraham-364-Edo
9. Adeleke Abdulbasit-363-Kwara
10. Echem Victor-363-Rivers
11. Etute Emmanuel-363- Edo
12. Jedidiah Chidiebube-363-Imo
13. Adesanya Oluwatimilehin-363-Ogun
Deborah, has three years of experience covering the education sector, trade unions, politics and international affairs, and is a journalist with The According
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from According.
Contact: [email protected]
Ex-Barcelona star Bartra, model girlfriend end relationship
Former Barcelona and Spain defender Marc Bartra and his model girlfriend Jessica Goicoechea have reportedly ended their relationship, according to Spanish journalist Abel Planelles.
According to Mirror UK, the couple, who had been together since 2001, gained attention earlier this year when Goicoechea revealed their unusual “sex deal” on a Spanish talk show.
During an appearance on “La Resistencia” in May, Goicoechea shared details of their intimate arrangement.
“If we don’t do it one day, you have to do it twice the day after,” she explained, with Bartra present in the audience. The pact was reportedly devised to maintain their connection during periods of separation.
Despite their attempts to keep the relationship alive, Planelles reported that the couple’s romance has now “broken”. However, he added that they remain on good terms.
He stated, “From what those around me tell me, there is no bad vibes, there is no bad relationship. In fact, on the contrary, there is a good relationship.”
The couple’s journey has been tumultuous, with previous breakups and reconciliations. They went public with their relationship in November 2022, shortly after Bartra’s divorce from journalist Melissa Jimenez, with whom he has three children.
Goicoechea, a successful model and influencer with 1.8 million followers, began her career at 15 and has since launched her own fashion collection and cosmetics brand.
Bartra, 33, who currently plays for Real Betis, is known for his stints at Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, where he was involved in a traumatic incident when the team bus was hit by a bomb blast.
While their relationship has ended for now, Planelles suggested that reconciliation isn’t impossible.
“They follow each other, they get along well, but it is true that the relationship has ended. You never know if there might be a second chance or a third chance, but right now the relationship between the footballer and the influencer would be broken,” she said.
Again, Nigerian govt says no admission for students below 18 years, warns JAMB, institutions
The Federal government has again repeated an earlier directive that students below the age of 18 years should not be granted admission into institutions of tertiary learning in the country.
The Minister of Education, Mister Tahir Mamman, gave the directive in Abuja on Thursday at the 2024 Policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
READ ALSO:JAMB unearths 3,000 fake graduates, calls for crackdown on illegal admissions
The federal government had in April this year through Mamman, also given the same directive during a monitoring exercise of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
The minister who had decried the activities of some parents, who he said were pressuring their underage students to get admission into tertiary institutions, said the 18-year benchmark was in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
More to come…
The post Again, Nigerian govt says no admission for students below 18 years, warns JAMB, institutions appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
IPOB hints it may resort to violence over continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu
The outlawed Igbo separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday hinted that it may resort to violence if its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu is not released from custody.
The group gave the warning when it trumpeted a popular saying by John F. Kennedy that “Those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable”.
It threatened the Nigerian government of serious consequences if anything should happen to its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who had been in detention since his arrest in Kenya in 2021.
The group raised an alarm following a revelation on Wednesday by Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, who said the IPOB leader is seriously ill and should be released for adequate medical treatment.
After a mandatory visit to Kanu in the facility of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) in Abuja, Ejimakor put up a post on his X handle which said:
“Today, DSS finally allowed MAZI NNAMDI KANU’s physician to see him. The Doctor’s preliminary report presented complex medical conditions that require that #MNK be taken to a hospital for more detailed diagnosis. This will follow a report that will be sent to DG-DSS by the Doctor.”
Today, DSS finally allowed MAZI NNAMDI KANU's physician to see him. The Doctor’s preliminary report presented complex medical conditions that require that #MNK be taken to a hospital for more detailed diagnosis. This will follow a report that will be sent to DG-DSS by the Doctor.
— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) July 17, 2024
However, in a statement by IPOB media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group called on the government to release Kanu unconditionally to avert what it calls a gathering storm.
“The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the resolute leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, once again call for the unconditional release of our leader from DSS solidarity confinement over his deteriorating health condition,” IPOB said.
“The Nigerian government is intentionally provoking IPOB by refusing to release our leader even when the Nigerian and International Courts have ordered for his unconditional release.
“IPOB wishes to reiterate that the life of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is in danger in the solitary confinement of the DSS in Abuja.
“We have persistently called on the Nigerian government to release our leader as both international and local law institutions have ordered for his release.
“Many prominent Nigerians, religious, traditional, and political leaders, including 50 members of the National Assembly, have equally called for his release.
“But the Tinubu’s government has refused to listen to the voice of reason by refusing to release Mazi Kanu, just like his notorious predecessor’s government of Buhari.
“Tinubu’s government has discontinued similar cases of terrorism and treason charges against two Yoruba activists and a Fulani militia leader.
READ ALSO:IPOB alleges soldiers collude with gunmen at checkpoints to kidnap passengers in the S’East
“In the case of an Igbo man, unarmed freedom activist Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, this same Tinubu’s government, have vehemently refused to release him.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had subsisting local and international judgments that ordered for his release, unlike the other cases discontinued by the federal government without any court judgment.
“We are enumerating all these injustices to demonstrate that the Federal Government of Nigeria is intentionally provoking the anger of IPOB and Ndigbo.
“IPOB has maintained a non-violence approach in the Biafra struggle irrespective of the high-handedness of the Nigerian government against Biafra activists.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is seriously sick and must be released unconditionally from DSS solidarity confinement for him to treat himself before something unpredictable and unimaginable happens to him.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s health is going down every day under DSS solitary confinement because of the nature of his health issues.
“IPOB is calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Attorney General, Fatai Fagbemi again to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu so that he can go and treat himself before it’s too late.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB members have been persecuted for over a decade by the Nigerian State because of Biafra’s self-determination.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was kidnapped and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and has been detained in solitary confinement for over 3 years.
“Although no court in Nigeria has found him guilty yet he is being persecuted by the tribal bigot government of Nigeria.
“President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, please note that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is sick and something terrible can happen to him if he is not released.
“Nothing must happen to him in the DSS solitary confinement in Abuja. As John F. Kennedy said, “Those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable.”
IPOB Press Release: July 17, 2024
AVERT THE GATHERING STORM AND RELEASE MAZI NNAMDI KANU AS HIS HEALTH DETERIORATES- IPOB
The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the resolute leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu once again call for the… pic.twitter.com/Z59bpT2Tvz
— IPOB Liverpool Central (@ipob_central) July 17, 2024
The post IPOB hints it may resort to violence over continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
