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…
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Again, Nigerian govt says no admission for students below 18 years, warns JAMB, institutions
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
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JAMB announces multiple top scorers
Three candidates scored 367 during the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and by that emerged as the highest scorers for the examination.
This was revealed at the ongoing 2024 policy meeting by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday in Abuja.
They are Olowu Joseph from Ondo State, Alayande David from Oyo State, and Orukpe Joel from Edo State.
In 2023, Umeh Nkechinyere emerged as the highest scorer with a 360 aggregate score.
JAMB earlier noted that it won’t announce the 2024 highest scorer to avoid a repeat of the “Mmesoma matter.
Recall that Ejikeme Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student, claimed to score 362 as against her actual score of 249 in the 2023 UTME JAMB portal.
“It is common knowledge that the Board has, at various fora, restated its unwillingness to publish the names of its best-performing candidates, as it considers its UTME as only a ranking examination on account of the other parameters that would constitute what would later be considered the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions,” Oloyede said
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Coalition faults Supreme Court judgement on LG financial autonomy
A coalition under the auspices of the United Nigerians Against Crimes (UNAC), has faulted the recent ruling of the Supreme Court granting full financial autonomy to local government areas in the country.
The coalition, in a statement on Wednesday, said the judgement was incomplete as it requires further examination from legal minds.
In the statement issued by UNAC’s Director-General, Dr. Abdullahi Y. Bayawo, the organisation said granting local government chairmen financial autonomy without political autonomy is unrealistic.
“The governors’ authority over the appointment of State Electoral Commissioners, who conduct local government area elections, undermines the effectiveness of financial autonomy,” Bayawo said.
The group further urged the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to seek an urgent interpretation of the judgement at the Supreme Court to ensure that the judgement is comprehensive and practical.
READ ALSO:Ex-Delta gov, Ibori, once convicted of fraud, faults Supreme Court judgment on LG autonomy
Bayawo also called on the National Assembly to make laws that will empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections for the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
“We will not tolerate any governor who attempts to undermine this judgement,” Bayawo stated.
He added that the group will take decisive action against any governor who fails to abide by the judgement of the apex court.
“Members of UNAC will take decisive action against any governor who fails to respect the people’s right to local government autonomy.”
The statement however, reassured peace-loving Nigerians to remain calm and law-abiding, as they would be monitoring all actions taken by governors in their respective states.
“We believe that true democracy can only be achieved when power is devolved and accountability is ensured,” Dr. Bayawo added.
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India passenger train derails, overturning carriages
A passenger train derailed Thursday in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh and medics were dispatched to the site, a local medical officer said, with footage of the accident showing several overturned carriages.
The Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed in Gonda district, near the Hindu holy city of Ayodhya, at around 2:30 pm (0900 GMT), Indian media reported.
Chief Medical Superintendent of Gonda District Hospital, Anil Kumar Tiwari, told AFP that a team of medics had been rushed to the accident site.
India’s railway network remains the main form of travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur.
Last year nearly 300 people were killed when a passenger train collided with a stationary goods train, with the derailed compartments then striking another fast-moving passenger service.
India’s worst-ever rail accident occurred in 1981, when a cyclone blew a train off its tracks and into a river in the state of Bihar, leaving 800 dead and more than 100 injured.
At least seven people were killed when an express passenger train and a goods train collided in June in India’s West Bengal state, derailing three passenger carriages, police said.
AFP
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NASU, SSANU protest over four-month withheld salaries
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) have initiated a nationwide protest due to the four-month withholding of their salaries.
As early as 7:30 am, union members gathered at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, preparing to march towards the Federal Ministries of Education and that of Labour and Employment to deliver letters expressing their grievances.
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“We are here to demand what rightfully belongs to us,” remarked Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU.
The unions have engaged in multiple discussions with the government regarding their withheld salaries but have not seen favorable outcomes.
Read also: RipplesMetrics: FG released N3.05 trillion to 774 local governments in one year
Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige had enforced the ‘No work, no pay’ policy during a prolonged strike by the four university-based unions in 2022, resulting in the withholding of salaries for participating members by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu granted amnesty to the university workers and ordered that four months’ worth of withheld salaries be paid to them.
The post NASU, SSANU protest over four-month withheld salaries appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Why we blocked NASU, SSANU members from leaving protest venue – Police
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command, has revealed why its operatives restricted members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU from leaving the protest ground at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
There were reports that the protesters who stormed the Unity Fountain in the early hours of Thursday to protest four-month withheld salaries, were restricted from marching to the Federal Ministries of Education and Labour and Employment.
According to the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, who spoke with journalists at the protest ground, the unions planned to present letters to both ministries.
Clarifying why they were restricted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said in a chat with TVN, that it was an agreement between the unions and the command.
According to the PPRO, they agreed that the protest would only happen within the Unity Fountain to avoid going into the street to cause lawlessness.
She said, “They wrote to protest, but it was agreed that it will be within the unity fountain where representatives of each association will address the press and subsequently take their complaints on behalf of others to the appropriate authorities without entering the streets, thereby causing lawlessness.”
Why we blocked NASU, SSANU members from leaving protest venue – Police
RipplesMetrics: FG released N3.05 trillion to 774 local governments in one year
In a groundbreaking ruling, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark judgement, granting financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country. The court decreed that it is unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds allocated to local governments, paving the way for the councils to manage their finances and make independent decisions about their expenditures.
This significant decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for grassroots governance and development.
For almost a decade, conversations about local government autonomy have circulated the Nigerian governance space as most state governments have extreme control over the appointment and expenditure of this last tier of government.
The core functions of local government include the management of pre-school, primary and adult education; public health; town planning; roads and transport; and waste disposal, for which allocations are released.
However, the control of state governments stalls these functions. In 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari, signed an Executive Order to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary, legislature, and local government councils. But this did not suffice.
This development, under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, made the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), file a lawsuit on behalf of the Federal Government, seeking to grant full autonomy and direct funding to all 774 local government councils in the country; in which the state governments counterclaimed.
READ ALSO:RipplesMetrics… Fuel scarcity: How Nigerian govt subsidised cost of fuel in the two decades
With this new ruling, Ripples Metrics looks into the allocation that has been made to the local government under Tinubu between June 2023 and May 2024.
Local government allocation
Allocations to the local government are always disbursed through the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) monthly. FAAC is responsible for reviewing and adopting the allocation of funds to states of the Federal government of Nigeria.
The revenue obtained from crude oil, taxes and other statutory revenues are disturbed with a sharing formula that allocates 52.68 per cent to the federal government, 26.72 per cent to states, and 20.60 per cent to local governments.
Within the first year in office of Tinubu, a total of N3.05 trillion was disbursed to the 774 local governments. This means that the average allocation the local government got for every month was N254.51 billion for the period under review.
From the data compared by RipplesMetrics from the National Bureau of Statistics website, more allocations were disbursed to the local government since the removal of the fuel subsidy in May 2023.
Meanwhile, for just the first five months of 2024, the LGAs have been allocated a total of N1.42 trillion which is almost 50 per cent of the allocation in Tinubu’s one year. The highest allocation was received in May 2024 with N293.82 billion shared.
Furthermore, RipplesMetrics learned that between January and May 2024, the federal government allocated a total of N1.88 trillion to itself, based on the sharing formula, while the state governments received N2.04 trillion.
While experts and civic organisations have commended the Supreme Court ruling, there are concerns over the implementation of this ruling. In recent developments, most states have begun to conduct local government elections as part of an effort to adhere to the ruling.
By: James Odunayo
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Taraba: House committee chairman urges, govt, individuals, others to invest in sports
The Chairman of the Taraba State House of Assembly Committee on Sports, Anas Shu’aibu, has underscored the importance of collaboration between individuals, corporate organizations, and the government to invest in the sports sector.
On Thursday, in Jalingo, Shu’aibu highlighted sports as a profitable industry if well harnessed.
He argued that such investments could significantly assist in reducing youth unemployment in Taraba and the country at large.
While encouraging young men and women across the state and Nigeria to dedicate themselves to sporting activities, he announced that efforts to revive the state male and female football clubs are in the pipeline.
The Taraba Football Club and Taraba Queens, as observed by TVN went into extinction throughout the tenure of the past administration led by former governor Darius Dickinson Ishaku.
Piqued by this development, the House Committee Chairman, who also represents the Karim-Lamido II Constituency, said both the legislative and executive arms of the government have agreed to join forces to revive the two football clubs.
Emphasizing the potential benefits of sports for both personal development and economic growth, he expressed confidence in the incumbent state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, catapulting the sector to the height.
Citing the participation of various teams in recent competitions within and outside Nigeria, as well as the continuation of the Olympic Day run in the state, as evidence that governor Kefas has given priority to sports and youth development, he urged the people of the state to put aside their differences and support the governor to invest in sports and other sectors.
He also applauded the state government for its plans to renovate the Jolly Nyame Stadium, which according to him, will help in improving the state’s internally generated revenue, IGR.
Also praising the Commissioner of Youth and Sports Development, Joseph Joshua’s whom he said is committed to the realization of governor Kefas’s Moving Forward Agenda, his committee, as stated by him, will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that it work closely with the ministry to revive all sports that are currently cap in hands seeking for recognition.
Taraba: House committee chairman urges, govt, individuals, others to invest in sports
Olympics: House of Reps lead support for Team Nigeria with N100m pledge
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has gotten ball rolling as they call on other Nigerians to support the Team Nigeria ahead of their participation at the Olympic Games.
The House committed N100 million to support the team as they head out for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.
The financial pledge was made on Wednesday, July 17, during a plenary session attended by the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, along with some athletes, the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), and the Paralympics Committee of Nigeria (PCN).
Read Also: ‘Our expectations are high’ – Sports Minister charges Team Nigeria ahead Olympics
Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu announced the support on behalf of Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, stating that the funds would be collectively sourced from the salaries of House members.
“I am conveying the decision of the leadership of the House to you. To kick the ball rolling, we are supporting you with a sum of N100 million,” Mr. Kalu said.
“We are using this opportunity to call on other lovers of sport to support the team because sport unites us all as a nation. We urge the private sector to support the team,” Mr. Kalu added.
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