Education

CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATION: FCT Minister of State Laments Effect of COVID-19 On Children

Published

4 years ago

May 28, 2021

By Festus Fifen.

As the World Commemorates the international Children’s Day, The Nigeria Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has stated that the costs of COVID-19 pandemic for children are immediate, but warned that if unaddressed, it may last a lifetime.

The Minister who stated this at the grand finale of the 2021 FCT Children’s Day celebration held at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture, also called for generations to come together to reimagine the type of world the global community want to create for children.

According to a statement by her Media Austine Elemue, The minister noted that the Children’s Day celebration offers an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that would build a better world for the children, she however, regretted that the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a child rights crisis.

While commending the theme: “Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the total well-being of Nigerian Child: The way forward”, Dr. Aliyu however noted that the COVID-19 has affected lives and homes in so many ways; some children have lost their parents, just as the nation’s economy has been drastically affected.

The Minister described children as the torchbearer of the future, while calling on the Federal government, leaders, civil society activists, religious and community leaders, corporate bodies and media professionals to play an important part in making the day relevant for their societies

In his opening remarks, the Ag. Secretary FCT Social Development Secretariat, Dr. Kelvin Ike, commended the FCT Minister of State for reviving the FCT Children’s Day celebration despite the challenges.

He revealed that as part of activities to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day, the secretariat had a day-out with orphans and vulnerable children where a sizeable number of them selected from the registered Children’s Homes in FCT were gathered for fun-fare activities, while special prayers were also offered for children in churches and mosques.

Other activities according to him include FCT Children’s parliament election, inauguration and summit, essay writing and poem recitation competitions among selected Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary school levels and cultural dance competition.

Education

JAMB: Over 1.5m candidates score less than 200 in 2025 UTME

Published

4 days ago

May 5, 2025

News Editor

JAMB logo

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released a comprehensive statistical breakdown of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results.

The breakdown offers a full picture of the performances by Nigerian candidates in the examination conducted across the country.

According to JAMB, out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, over 1.5 million of them scored less than 200 in the exam.

It, however, announced that 4756 candidates scored above 320, 7658 candidates scored between 300 and 319.

In the statement accompanying the data, the Board said that 40,247 underage candidates were permitted to demonstrate their exceptional abilities.

JAMB further stated that only 467 of these candidates (1.16%) achieved scores that meet the threshold for exceptional ability as defined for the UTME, with their performance in the subsequent three stages still pending.

Education

Tinubu Appoints Kukah Pro-Chancellor University Of Applied Sciences Kachia

Published

2 months ago

March 18, 2025

News Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has appointed the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

He said the President also appointed principal officers for the university, including Prof. Qurix Williams Barnabas as Vice Chancellor, Sanusi Gambo Adamu as Registrar, Ibrahim Dalhat as bursar, and Prof. Daniel Abubakar as university Librarian.

President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr Thomas Etuh, representing the North Central, Chief Fabian Nwaora (South East), Prof Femi Taiwo (South West) and Zarah Bukar (North East) as members of the university’s Governing Council.

The statement noted that all the appointees were carefully selected based on their distinguished careers, leadership experience, and dedication to advancing education in Nigeria.

It added that Tinubu implored them to use their collective expertise to position the university as a hub for academic excellence and research, aligning with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

President Tinubu urged the newly appointed officers to provide visionary leadership and lay a solid foundation for the university’s growth as it prepares to admit its first cohort of students in September 2025.

The Federal University of Applied Sciences was formerly known as Nok University. It was renamed following the federal government’s takeover of its assets.

Education

FG Directs Higher Institutions To Establish Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Published

5 months ago

November 26, 2024

News Editor

Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim

The Federal Government has called on Nigerian universities to set up Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) to address cases of sexual harassment and ensure timely intervention.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, made the call at a national summit on sexual harassment in Nigerian tertiary education held in Abuja on Monday, November 25, 2024.

Suleiman-Ibrahim described sexual harassment as a global menace and a pervasive violation of human rights, particularly against women and girls.

The minister stated that the effects of sexual harassment transcend physical harm, leaving survivors with emotional, psychological, and socio-economic scars.

Suleiman-Ibrahim highlighted the present administration’s commitment to zero-tolerance against gender-based violence through several initiatives, including supporting the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 and the Sexual Harassment Prohibition Bill passed by the 9th Senate in July 2020.

Suleiman-Ibrahim pledged her commitment to championing gender equality principles and addressing gender-based violence, including sexual harassment eradication, in all its forms.

She also emphasised the need for universities to prioritise the safety and well-being of their students by enforcing policies, establishing gender-sensitive frameworks, and creating safe reporting channels