–SUBEB Teachers Protest Contempt of Court Judgment, Accuse Grace Adagba of ‘Dribbling’ Them_

It was a rainy morning, placards and pain in Makurdi on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, as a group known as “Aggrieved Primary School Teachers under SUBEB” staged a protest in the Benue State capital to demand implementation of a 2024 court judgment on the Federal Government’s harmonized retirement age for teachers.

The protesters, most of them elderly men and women, some with their children in tow, marched to government offices to express what they described as “years of injustice, unlawful retirement and salary denial” by the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.

Addressing journalists during the protest, Chairman of the group, Comrade Kpandegh Dennis, said the teachers were fighting for their right to remain in service for 5 additional years as approved by the Federal Government with effect from January 1, 2021.
Comrade Dennis recalled that while some states had implemented the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act 2022, Benue under former Governor Samuel Ortom allegedly implemented it “the other way round” by secretly paying selected teachers while retiring others.
“We instituted a legal action. And by the grace of God, we won the case on the 30th of April, 2024,” he said.

According to the judgment delivered by Hon. Justice E. D. E. Isele, the court declared that the claimants “are still in the employment of the Defendants and due for retirement upon attainment of the chronological age of 65 years or 40 years of pensionable service.”

The court also ordered SUBEB “to restore the names of the Claimants on the payroll… and to compute and pay to the Claimants their respective salaries and allowances due from the date of their purported retirement.”

The teachers accused the immediate past acting SUBEB Chairman, Mzaga Iorhemba, of forcing them into “unlawful retirement” and diverting their salaries. “You will receive alert, the money will not hit your account. So we had pay slips, no salary for such people,” Dennis alleged.

Following a petition to Governor Hyacinth Alia on October 17, 2023, the governor removed Mzaga and directed the current SUBEB Chairman, Dr. Grace Adagba, to resolve the matter.

Dennis said Dr. Adagba conducted screenings on March 14, 2024 and again on February 27-28, 2025, but “after the screening, none of us were reinstated. She dumped us and carried other persons.”

He further alleged that after the teachers’ counsel filed a motion for contempt of court, the then Attorney-General, Fidelis Mnyim, intervened and pleaded for an out-of-court settlement within 30 days. “As soon as the matter came down low, the woman started firing us again,” he said.

The group also referenced a resolution from the Tor Tiv which they said SUBEB has ignored.
With rain-soaked clothes and children by their side, the protesters appealed directly to Governor Alia and the Federal Government:

“Our appeal to government is that because Grace doesn’t want us to continue with our job — though the court has given us our right, our 5 years is intact — let them pay our 5 years to us to go and settle with our family.

“As you can see us, because of the rain, we are caught up. If not, we planned that we will come out with our children. See this small one is not up to 18 years. We have nothing to chop. We have served this state!”

In its April 30, 2024 judgment, the court granted the following reliefs:

1. Declaration; that the claimants have not attained retirement age and remain staff of SUBEB until 65 years or 40 years of service.
2. Order; directing SUBEB to restore the claimants to the payroll and pay all outstanding salaries and allowances from the date of purported retirement.
3. Injunction; restraining SUBEB from further tampering with the claimants’ employment.
4. Cost; of N1,000,000 awarded to the claimants. The claim for general damages was refused.

As of press time, SUBEB Chairman Dr. Grace Adagba was yet to respond to the allegations.

The protesters vowed to sustain their agitation until the state government complies fully with the court judgment.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has set August 31, 2026 as deadline for all candidates to accept or reject admissions offered them from the 2020 to 2025 admission cycles. It warned that those who fail to comply with the directive would risk forfeiture of such offers.

The Board advised affected candidates to check their admission status and take the necessary action before the deadline. According to a tweet on the JAMB X page:

“JAMB has warned candidates with pending previous admission offers to accept/reject them before August 31, 2026, to avoid possible forfeiture. Candidates are advised to check their admission status and take action before the deadline.”

Candidates who have outstanding admission offers are expected to log into their JAMB profiles and access the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to determine whether they have an offer awaiting their decision.

Those who wish to take up an offer are required to accept it, while candidates who do not want the admission should reject it through the appropriate option on the platform.

JAMB’s CAPS serves as the platform through which candidates can view and respond to admission offers made by institutions. The system allows candidates to monitor their admission status and indicate whether they accept or reject an offer.

The Board’s warning is particularly relevant to candidates from the 2020–2025 admission cycles who may have left previous offers unresolved.

JAMB urged affected candidates not to wait until the deadline but to check their profiles and complete the required action before August 31, 2026.

• –Politicians dictate academic staff recruitment

• –ASUU unable to see President Tinubu in 3 years

The politicisation of academic staff recruitment in Nigerian universities has been criticised by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), with the body warning that the development is undermining the quality of tertiary education.

The union also criticised the conversion of non-academic staff to academic positions without following due process.

ASUU Zonal Coordinator for the Bauchi Zone, Prof. Timothy Namo, raised the concerns at a press conference held at the University of Jos.

Namo said the long period without recruitment had created serious gaps in the university system, adding that the situation was being worsened by political interference in the employment of academic staff.

He regretted that governing councils were expected to recruit staff based on established criteria, but politicians no longer allow the process to run smoothly. In his words:

“Senators, members of the House of Assembly and other high-profile politicians would bring in lists of candidates, most of whom would not be qualified to be absorbed as academic staff.”

ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, viewed the development as dangerous to the quality of education in the country.

He said some senior non-academic staff were being moved to the academic cadre without the requisite training and qualifications.

Piwuna stressed that due process must be followed to maintain the standard and effectiveness of the university system.

He also expressed concern over the lack of interaction between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and university lecturers, saying the union had not had an interface with the president for three years.

“It has reached a point as if we are begging to see our president as the body of intellectuals. I think it is the most shameful thing for anybody in government,” he said.

Piwuna urged the federal, state and local governments to redirect their socio-economic policies towards addressing the needs of citizens and prioritise public welfare.