The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • One-Day VP

    One-Day VP

    • The demystification of political power is a good way of encouraging the youth to strive for leadership positions

    Memories of the ‘One-Day Governor’ programme initiated by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu as former First Lady of Lagos State through her New Era Foundation as the grand prize for the winner of the Spelling Bee Competition came alive on Monday in Abuja. Fifteen-year-old Joy Ogah had the rare privilege of symbolically serving as a One-Day Vice President as Vice President Kashim Shettima temporarily vacated his seat for the product of PLAN International. They were in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, as part of the activities to promote girl-child education, in partnership with the government.

    According to the Vice President, it is a very symbolic gesture through which the Tinubu administration is expressing commitment to gender inclusivity and the education of the girl-child. He said that the idea of school-feeding is another incentive the government is using to encourage education, especially of the girl-child. The Vice President gave the example of the First Lady whose education and opportunities are seen to be bearing fruits for national development, given her antecedents as former Lagos First Lady and Senator of the Federal Republic whose advocacy for education, especially of the girl-child is well documented.

    We commend the Federal Government’s efforts as outlined by the Vice President. Education is the pillar of development and they are showing that they believe in the social dictum, “when you educate a girl you educate a nation”. Experience shows that giving the girl-child equal opportunities in education is the key to gender empowerment and helps to prepare each girl to be an equal contributor to national development. United Nations (UN) statistics continually show that the girl-child and women in Nigeria are not being given equal opportunities and this impacts the poverty index.

    Beyond the girl-child empowerment, this gesture of allowing a 15-year-old to act as Vice President for a day is a very profound step in psychologically empowering many young people. It in a way demystifies political power. Watching their mate in that position tells a story…leadership is not some mysterious inexplicable venture. It screams of the possibilities in life.

    It is commendable that the Vice President took a cue from the First Lady’s legacy. It was highly competitive and students in Lagos and beyond looked forward to the Spelling Bee Competition, with an eye on the grand prize, which was acting as governor for one day.  On the face of it, it appears like the usual ‘15-minute fame’, but the impact defies this very social saying.

    Given that the world has changed in various ways, the subtle encouragement of the young ones through the organisation of competitions that throw up winners for many of the politically prominent positions like Vice President, Governor, Speaker of parliament, etc., speaks in a very loud voice to the younger generation about excellence being the bedrock of achieving leadership positions.

    Usually, the winners or those nominated are usually those that have shown brilliance, comportment, integrity and versatility.

    Most of those who have won competitions to occupy such exalted positions often give a good account of themselves. The One-Day Vice President, Ogah, impressed everyone with her speech indicating a good grasp of socio-political and economic issues. She spoke about out-of-school kids and the need for government to make sure education is for all. She pointed out that more than 60 per cent of the out-of-school are girls, emphasising by saying, “When girls are protected, peace becomes possible”. She sees herself as an advocate for the girl-child already at her age. She insists that the government must go further than just talking about policies. She believes action through implementation is key.

    With the ‘Not Too Young to Run’ bill already passed into law, giving young ones opportunities like the one under review  would go a long way in preparing young people for political and leadership positions and the country would be better for it. They are the GenZs and the Millennials making impact in STEM fields and projecting the power of ideas and youth globally. It is an inspiring idea for the wider young population who form the greater demographics in many nations. They are the future of any nation.

    We believe that the project, no matter where it is held is not just for the young people. Given the often very incisive statements made by the young people who act in such leadership capacity, it should equally speak to the older people in governments.

    Democracy is supposed to be inclusive and about the people. More often than not, older politicians make the assumption that the young do not know what is happening. The world has changed and technology and the internet have placed global issues on the palms of most humans.

    Read Also: Police arrest IBBU student over alleged cybercrimes against Bago

    We commend the Vice President for the opportunity he gave and the clarity he brought to the policies of the government as they concern education and the girl-child. For one whose region has a huge problem in that sector, it is commendable that he too is advocating and practically, even if symbolically, giving power to the girl-child.

    The optics of it stands as a solid example of walking the talk. We only hope that investment in education gets better and more advocacy for the value of education spread further, especially in the Northern region. No child should be out of school. We hope governors in the North can take a cue from the Vice President.

    Investing in education is the only key to unlocking the potential of the human mind. Infrastructure development is good but it can only be functional if complemented by human development. Every child needs education, whether boy or girl. Intellectual power has nothing to do with gender.

    Governments at all levels musty take budgetary allocation to the sector more seriously. There must be more investment in training teachers and paying them well.

     Education is the best legacy any parent and nation can bequeath to the future. The UN budgetary benchmark of 26 per cent can be met by the government and more supervisory role by the concerned agencies necessary for success.

  • Uma Ukpai (1945 – 2025)

    Uma Ukpai (1945 – 2025)

    • A man of God and philanthropist of note

    “God asked me to be a bridge among different denominations,” Rev. Uma Ukpai recalled in an interview, explaining why he named his ministry Uma Ukpai Evangelical Association (UUEA) and adding that it “is not a church.”

    He shed further light on his role: “To show the world that we are not part of the competition of establishing churches, we had to bear the name… we are there to bring about revival to Christendom and to build bridges amongst different churches… that is why we could give birth to Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) – the coming together of different churches… God asked us to do that in order to bring about unity in the body of Christ.”

    Apart from being a key figure in the formation of PFN and a unifying presence, he was an example of progressive priesthood, recognising the importance of secular interventions alongside spiritual mediations. For instance, his ministry complemented its mega crusades and miracles with social services, particularly related to health and education.

    He elaborated the philosophy behind this approach, saying, “I think it is not enough to preach the gospel; we need to give social services to people who may not understand what preaching is all about.” 

    Challenges he experienced in his early life shaped his passion for poverty alleviation. His father died when he was 10. “I know what it means to lose a father and be a father from that age. I know what it is to save money to pay school fees. So, I have feelings for the poor,” he said.  

    Ukpai died on October 6, aged 80. He “met Christ” in 1958 as a member of the Assemblies of God Church. He was from Ohafia in present-day Abia State but established his ministry in Uyo in present-day Akwa-Ibom State.

    He notably held crusades across Nigeria, including the yearly Greater Ohafia for Christ Crusade, Anioma One-million-man Crusade (2016), Nsukka (2012), Greater Ibadan for Christ (1982), and Greater Lagos for Christ (1985), which led to the founding of PFN. He was also recognised as an international evangelist.

    Among his memorable moments as a minister, he listed his participation in the “Full Gospel International Business Men Convention where I was the first African to speak for four days” and requests he received “to relocate to the United States of America but I didn’t go.”

    Read Also: Tinubu mourns Christopher Kolade, describes him as “one of Nigeria’s intellectual treasures”

    He made an impact in health as chairman of Uma Ukpai Eye Centre, and King of Kings Hospital, a specialist hospital in Abia State for communities in Abia, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

    His activities were no less impactful in education as the proprietor of Uma Ukpai School of Theology and Biblical Studies, Uyo, Uma Ukpai Polytechnic Asaga, Uma Ukpai Scholarship Foundation, and Joseph Business School, affiliate of Joseph Business School Chicago, USA.

    After completing his secondary education in Nigeria, he studied at the School of Journalism and Television, Frisham, Hermitage, United Kingdom; South Florida Christian College Miami, Florida, USA; Carolina Christian University and Burke Bible College, Kentucky, USA. He held a certificate in Electrical Engineering Practice, a diploma in Journalism, a bachelor’s, and a doctorate in Divinity.

    When Evangel University Akaeze, Ebonyi State, gave him an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.), in 2016, he described the award as “a very pleasant surprise.” He added: “this is the first time I am getting a doctorate award from an academic institution… It will increase the driving force in my life to be the best a man can possibly be and to be a mentor and model to the younger generation.”

    Indeed, he lived above controversy and scandal. His influential ministry is a testimony to his life of purpose. 

  • ‘Wait-and-get’ drivers licence

    ‘Wait-and-get’ drivers licence

    • It would be a new dawn indeed if FRSC’s new plan works out

    But for the hassles that Nigerians needing drivers licence have been passing through over the years, there should be nothing special about the news from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) that it has perfected plans to facilitate issuance of the document.

    However, the ubiquitous ‘Nigerian factor’ that has afflicted other processes has equally afflicted the issuance of drivers licence. That is why it sometimes takes years for people who have completed all the processes to have permanent driver’s licence. They are first issued temporary drivers licence which may have to be renewed over and again before the permanent one is ready.

    This is an indictment not only of the agencies responsible for the licence but also successive governments under which such abnormality festered.

    But what the FRSC is now saying is that the hassles would soon be over with the technology it has now acquired.

    Hear the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed: “We have activated plans to overcome the perennial challenges associated with delays in obtaining the drivers licence and number plates. Our printing facility has been upgraded to print an average of 15,000 drivers licences daily.”

    The corps marshall disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at a press briefing to inaugurate the 2025 Ember Months Public Enlightenment and Sensitisation Campaign. The theme of the campaign was “Tech Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving”; it targets dangerous driving behaviours annually linked to increased road crashes between December 15 and January 15.

    Read Also: Tinubu mourns Christopher Kolade, describes him as “one of Nigeria’s intellectual treasures”

    This is not all.

    According to Mohammed, “We are also about to commence the contactless biometric capture with on-spot printing of the licence, which will eliminate temporary licences, thereby signalling the beginning of a digitalised one-stop-shop for processing drivers licences.”

    That this news has come and gone almost unnoticed is enough proof that Nigerians do not trust the system could ever be so efficient. So, they have merely adopted a ‘walk-the-talk first’ disposition.

    We cannot afford to be that pessimistic or cynical even if we know that the fears of the ordinary Nigerian about the much-touted new dawn is not totally unfounded.

    In terms of the system that the FRSC has put in place, like the synchronisation of its processes with those of agencies like the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for access to the National Identification Number (NIN) database, etc., everything seems spot-on.

    But issuance of drivers licence in the country is on the concurrent list; meaning it is a joint responsibility between the state governments and the Federal Government. Although FRSC says it has enhanced its cooperation with state governments and their agencies such as the driving schools, Vehicle Inspection Offices (VIOs) and revenue boards to ensure seamless implementation of the new system nationwide, this is a potential area to watch. The best of technology cannot do much if one of the parties lags behind or becomes uncooperative.

    It is good that the corps has so digitised its operations with capacity to print about 40,000 licences daily, thus enabling it to clear about 400,000 of the about 800,000 backlog of drivers licences it had as a result of the new system; the fact remains that we need to constantly be on the lookout for potential loopholes that some unscrupulous officials may want to adopt to frustrate it.

    The FRSC keeps talking about things almost as good as ready after capturing. But what happens before then?

    The litmus test would be whether the road safety corps would be able to meet the middle of November deadline for clearing the backlog of drivers licences as promised by the corps marshal.

    We restate the need to guard against any area that is likely to draw back the hands of the clock so that we won’t come back to square one barely weeks or at most months after the system would have worked well initially. That has been the usual experience with government policies and projects in the country.

    And it has remained so because we have not given corruption the kind of defeat it deserves.

  • More meters coming

    More meters coming

    •NERC approves N28bn for tranche B MAF scheme

    As part of its efforts to close the about seven million metering gap in the power sector, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the disbursement of N28 billion to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to enable them procure and install meters under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) tranche B scheme.

    “DisCos shall utilise NGN28,000,000,000 (Twenty-Eight Billion Naira only) of the MAF scheme for Tranche B apportioned in accordance with their respective contributions as at the July 2025 market settlement and detailed in Schedule 1, for the procurement and installation of meters for unmetered Band ‘A’ and ‘B’ customers within their franchise areas,” NERC said.

    The money is part of government’s intervention to assist the DisCos on meter procurement to ensure that electricity consumers pay only for the power they consume and reduce friction between the customers and the DisCos.

    Not many Nigerians are comfortable with the idea of government still funding the DisCos. Afterall, they are now largely private entities and should be able to fend for themselves. But the fact also remains that the DisCos did not have the financial muscles to fund their operations.

    From their body language and attitude, it is clear they are not in a hurry to meter consumers; a primary provision they ought to have factored into their operations before they became the owners of the entities. They seem comfortable with estimated billing through which they rip off hapless power consumers.

    Perhaps nothing better supports the assertion that the DisCos are not interested in providing meters than the plan, as recently as last year, by Eko Electric to provide 355,000 meters to its customers over a five-year period. This means a paltry 71,000 meters per year. This is like a drop in the ocean by a DisCo serving a state where about 40 per cent of the power produced in the country, with its concomitantly huge metering gap, is consumed.

    If Nigerians were to go at this pace, how many decades will it take for the metering gap to be bridged?

    Against this backdrop, one can understand the predicament of the government and its reasons for making free meters available to the DisCos for onward transfer to power consumers, in many cases free of charge.

    It is instructive that the Tinubu administration’s metering initiative is not the first. The immediate past Buhari administration also initiated a 1,000,000 free meters initiative in 2020.

    Read Also: Why Nigerian Construction Act should be implemented, by Aderibigbe

    One grievous error that that administration made was that the meters that were eventually rolled out were distributed simultaneously with the ones sold to customers by the DisCos. Your guess is as good as ours on what could have happened to the free meters, especially in a country like ours where corruption is rife, and the power sector acknowledged as a leader in monumental corrupt practices.

    As things stand, we do not know whether there was thorough auditing of the previous exercises because, as at 2020, we were told the metering gap was estimated at 6.5 million. Today, we are told it is about seven million. So, what exactly is happening? The gap is supposed to be reducing as a result of previous meter rollouts.

    It would seem the present government has taken some measures to address some of the past mistakes on distribution of meters. For instance, there are timelines for virtually every aspect of the new process; from the time funds are provided to the time the meters would get to the consumers.

    In short, “The installation of meters shall be completed by 31 December 2025,” according to the NERC.

    But setting of deadlines has hardly been the problem. The problem is in getting the DisCos honour the timelines scrupulously. Any stakeholder that fails to perform to schedule should be sanctioned in line with the guidelines for the exercise.

    More important, the processes should be thoroughly audited to ensure that we do not get to the situation where the more meters are made available to power consumers, the more we need to keep supplying. By now, the metering graph should be heading southwards. If it is not, we need to find out why, so we can know whether there is genuine reason for that or not, to enable government deal with the situation appropriately.

  • Gently, gently ASUU

    Gently, gently ASUU

    •Going on strike only reflects ill-will and lack of imagination

    It should cheer the hearts of all those who love education to hear the news that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have called off their warning strike. The strike, characterised as “no work, no pay,” was going to get another deleterious fillip from the Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that was already mobilizing its troops for a solidarity strike.

    The strike was gratuitous, and only reveals a militancy directed to a wrong cause. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has said that they had advanced the position of the government in a counteroffer on the issue of condition of service and welfare of ASUU members, and that the president, Professor Chris Piwuna, had not responded before they undertook the strike.

    This smacks of blackmail. If they had come with a counteroffer to the government’s counteroffer, and that had been rejected, it might have been a reason for unease. Even at that, it was no excuse for undertaking a strike action. It only exposes a lack of good faith on the path of the university representatives.

    This must also be seen against the backdrop of some of the requests already addressed by the Federal Government. The minister announced that the Federal Government had already paid N50 billion of the earned academic allowances, and had conceded for the post-graduate supervision allowances to be paid through the institutions.

    He disclosed that out of the N150 billion NEEDS assessment fund that was appropriated in the 2025 budget, N50 billion had already been disbursed. The balance would be paid in tranches.

    He announced that promotion allowances will be paid in 2026. On the 25/35 wage award, the minister said all public servants had yet to receive theirs and the government has billed the payments for next year.

    It seems, from the foregoing, that the sore point is the condition of service and welfare. That is a very important aspect of any negotiation, but the ASUU has not denied the claims of the minister with regards to all the disbursements and concessions.

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    On the issue of payment for the eight months of strike, ASUU’s relationship with president Bola Tinubu dates back to when he was a candidate for the president assignment. He met with them and resolved that they should negotiate with Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, as he then was, and they reportedly agreed that the government would pay 50 percent of the arrears. And that sum has been reportedly paid.

    Why would they undertake a strike after all these concessions? It was reported that it was because the chairman of the negotiation committee, Ali Ahmed, had gone on leave for hajj, and that would be for three weeks and that included some family matters.

    Was ASUU aware of this? Or did ASUU see it as an excuse to dodge? Was there a lack of proper communication between the minister and his team with the ASUU men? The minister said he communicated Ahmed’s itinerary to the ASUU team.

    If ASUU did not believe him, was it worth going on strike? If they went on strike for that reason, they should have said so in public. But they gave the impression that their demands were not being met when they had not even responded to the government’s counteroffer. They should at least show candour and accept what they have received. Unless they want to convey the impression that the only important thing to them is their welfare but not the health of tertiary education.

    The idea of deploying strikes as the only way to demonstrate disagreement with government reflects a lack of imagination among the nation’s elite in the field of imagination. It has become not only a measure of blackmail but an absence of empathy with their students who stand to lose time.

    As D.H. Thoreau once said, “You can’t kill time without injuring eternity.” We know how much injury education and the country has suffered from past strikes.



  • A new leaf?

    A new leaf?

    •We are impressed that the North is beginning to see the need to hold its destiny in its hands with formation of a joint economic devt council

    In what can be described as a commendable departure from an entrenched disposition by its political elite to blame outsiders for the challenges confronting the region, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has unveiled concrete home-grown initiatives designed to address the problems of poverty and underdevelopment in  Northern Nigeria. At the end of the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS), convened by the NEF in Abuja from September 29 to 30, the group announced the formation of the Northern Nigeria Economic Development Council (NNEDC) to serve as an institutional framework to implement a new Northern Nigeria Economic Development Master plan.

    The NNIIS focused on security, policy coherence and private capital as building blocks of the region’s economic emancipation and transformation, with particular emphasis on mining, agriculture and power. It is well known that Northern Nigeria is immensely endowed to flourish in the mining and agricultural sectors given her vast arable land and bounteous mineral deposits, while power and other critical infrastructure are imperative to unleash the potential of other dormant sectors for the benefit of the people of the North and the country’s economy as a whole.

    This initiative by the NEF is far more productive than the recent preoccupation, for instance, by sections of the northern elite with blaming the incumbent President Bola Tinubu administration for allegedly marginalising the region in terms of appointments and budgetary allocations for infrastructure projects. Detailed statistics released by the presidency have since debunked this notion and it is heartwarming that the NEF is charting a more positive cause. It is up to the elite of the North to seize the bull by the horns and assume responsibility for the development of their region; a task that no one else can do for them.

    Following the showcasing of investment opportunities by investment promotion agencies, corporate sponsors and deal room/matchmaking sessions, it is significant that pledges worth over $10 billion were made by investors across the mining, agriculture and power sectors. This is surely a foretaste of the tremendous potential of this regional development initiative if its foundational principles and blueprints are meticulously and efficiently implemented.

    For one, the scope of participating stakeholders at the summit that produced these developmental initiatives was wide-ranging and comprehensive. They included representatives of the Federal Government, northern state governors, academics, private sector operatives, civil society representatives, financiers and development partners.

    The truth is that all hands must be on deck to meaningfully address the conundrums of poverty and underdevelopment that have ravaged and made most parts of the North a hell on earth. However, we believe that representatives of the local government councils, traditional rulers and community leaders as well as security agencies in the region should also have been part of the deliberations.

    Equally important is the need to work closely with the newly established North- East, North-West and North-Central Development Commissions to actualise the region’s developmental goals. It is important for the region to cultivate and link up with international development partners to aid in achieving these goals.

    A key feature of the summit was the signing by the governors of the region of the Northern Nigeria Economic Development Charter, through which they committed their states to a unified regional economic vision. There is no reason why the state governments should not be more impactful in realising developmental objectives and improving significantly the well-being of their citizens given the humongous resources available to them as a result of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms.

    The implementation of the Northern Nigeria Economic Development Master plan (NNEDM) will be coordinated jointly by the NEF and the Northern Nigeria Governors’ Forum, which will also supervise the new Northern Nigeria Economic Development Council. It is indicative of the seriousness that went into the deliberations that a Joint Implementation and Monitoring Taskforce (JIMT) has been charged with overseeing transitional actions and publishing an operational roadmap within 60 days.

    There is a sense of urgency about the action plans and prescribed mode of operations that suggests a desire to go beyond the talk shops that previous summits represented and transform theory into visible practice this time around. For instance, the NNEDC has been charged with issuing quarterly scorecards to track measurable outcomes such as jobs created, energy capacity added and investments mobilised. We agree with the Director-General of NEF, Professor D.D Sheni, that this event signalled “a decisive pivot in Northern Nigeria’s development journey and that “With security as the bedrock, policy coherence as the framework, and private capital as the engine, Northern Nigeria can transform its endowments into sustainable growth “.

    Some of the measures outlined to achieve the sectoral goals of the development initiative include mobilising capital market instruments such as infrastructure funds, sukuk/green bonds, and  project bonds to finance generation, transmission, distribution and off-grid/mini-grid solutions in provision of power; institutionalising land administration reforms, including digitised cadaster, clear titling and time-bound consent with community benefit agreements and grievance redress mechanisms to modernise agriculture and launching a Northern Nigeria Capital Mobilisation Programme to leverage Direct Foreign Investments, pension funds, as well as sovereign and diaspora capital, among others.

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    This initiative to extricate Northern Nigeria from the stranglehold of poverty and underdevelopment acquires added urgency as the socio-economic situation in the region continues to deteriorate with attendant worsening youth unemployment, declining agriculture, a collapsed industrial sector, a dearth of qualitative social services in education and health and gradual descent into existential anarchy.

    Some features of the abysmal quality of life in the North include high child mortality with 187, 134 and 97 deaths per 1,000 live births in the Northeast, Northwest and North central, respectively; about 16 million out-of-school children; high rates of malnutrition, with millions of children in particular affected by stunting, wasting and anaemia; high electricity deficit worsened by incessant vandalisation of public power supply infrastructure; over 90 per cent reliance on firewood and charcoal as cooking fuels with deleterious effects on human and environmental health, as well as drastic plummeting of agricultural productivity as a result of sustained insecurity and the consequences of climate change.

    Impressive as these proposals for fundamental transformation in the North are, we can only hope that they indeed transcend rhetoric and impact the development of the region positively. Northern Nigeria is too richly endowed to continue to be bogged down by the blight of poverty.

    Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Bauchi State Investment Summit, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 111, stressed the need for such summits to translate into practical results as the North’s challenges called for homegrown solutions motivated by visionary leadership.

    In his words, “We come together, deliver fine speeches, and host prominent industrialists – but at the end of it all, what do we achieve?…No one can develop our region better than we can. We must take charge of own destiny “. These are words of truth and wisdom.

  • Compulsory, but…

    Compulsory, but…

    • Good policy on Mathematics, but there’s need for fine-tuning

    It’s a new dawn in the administration of Nigeria’s education system. The Federal Government lately unveiled a policy by which Mathematics is no longer a required subject for students seeking admission into Arts and Humanities in tertiary institutions.

     The policy is reportedly aimed at making tertiary education more inclusive and flexible – allowing students who have not earned credit scores in subjects unrelated to their chosen fields of study to yet be considered for admission.

    The Federal Ministry of Education, on October 14, announced the policy that education minister Tunji Alausa, said was part of efforts to expand access to tertiary education. According to him, the reform became necessary after years of restricted access that left many qualified candidates unable to secure admission. “Every year, over two million candidates sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), yet only about 700,000 gain admission,” he stated, noting that the trend was not for lack of ability on the part of students but rather outdated and overly stringent entry requirements that must give way to fairness and opportunity.

    “The reform is a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education, creating opportunities for 250,000 to 300,000 additional students to be admitted to our tertiary institutions each year,” a statement by the ministry spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, added.

    The new framework applies to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and Innovation Enterprise Academies (IEAs) across the country as follows:

    Universities: Minimum of five credit scores in relevant subjects, including English Language, obtained in not more than two sittings. Mathematics is mandatory for Science, Technology and Social Science courses.

    Polytechnics (ND Level): Minimum of four credit scores in relevant subjects, including English Language for non-science courses and Mathematics for science-related programmes.

    Polytechnics (HND Level): Minimum of five credit scores in relevant subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

    Colleges of Education (NCE Level): Minimum of four credit scores in relevant subjects, with English Language mandatory for Arts and Social Science courses, and Mathematics required for Science, Vocational and Technical programmes.

    Read Also: English, maths compulsory for all O’level students, says FG

    Colleges of Education (B. Ed Level): Minimum of five credit scores, including English Language and Mathematics as applicable to the course of study.

    Innovation Enterprise Academies (IEAs) are to adopt the same minimum requirements as polytechnics for the National Diploma (ND) programme, with the National Innovation Diploma (NID) now abolished.

    It added that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) is currently re-accrediting all IEAs to align with the new ND standards, with institutions that fail the mark to be de-accredited.

    The new policy elicited criticisms from stakeholders who feared pupils could be denied exposure to Mathematics and attendant training in critical thinking, logic and inductive reasoning at secondary level.

    Government returned at the weekend to clarify that English Language and Mathematics remained compulsory subjects for all students sitting for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) despite the adjustments to tertiary admission requirements.

     A statement on October 19 by the ministry spokesperson explained that “The adjustment affects only admission criteria for certain programmes, not the requirement to take these subjects.”

    Nigeria’s tertiary institutions are perceived as too restrictive with admissions. This partly accounted for the systemic contradiction whereby promoters were seeking to establish new institutions because of many students denied admission, whereas existing institutions were underutilising their carrying capacities.

    It was only recently that government addressed the contradiction by placing a seven-year moratorium on new institutions.

    We welcome the policy. What remains to be done, in our view, is for government to devise a scheme for sustaining pupils’ interest in Mathematics up to the SSCE, because the temptation will be strong to use the subject as a placeholder in examination when pupils know they would not be needing it for tertiary admission.

    This will worsen the failure rate. If that happens, the intended benefits of basic training will be lost and the upcoming generation could be worse off for it.

  • Another fuel spasm?

    Another fuel spasm?

    • Nigerians deserve to know all that is going on

    With petrol prices hovering around the N1,000 per litre mark across major cities in the country in the past week, the twin ghosts of high fuel prices and its concomitant of instability, once assumed to have been slain, would seem far from interred. In the Lagos area, Nigerians woke up Monday last week to find that the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, (petrol), sold a day before at N850 per litre had jumped to N950.

    At Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) retail outlets in Ogun and Lagos, it sold for N928, up from the previous N870.  In Sokoto, parts of Edo, Rivers, Oyo and Gombe states, prices ranged from N900 to N1,000 per litre, amid reports of long queues and panic buying.

    As would be expected, it has been a babel of voices ever since. NNPCL spokesperson, Andy Odeh, said the company adjusted its pump prices like every other retail outlet because the depots increased their gantry rates.

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) president, Abubakar Maigandi Shettima, on his part claimed that it was members of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) that hiked fuel prices, following the no-loading situation at the 650,000-capacity Dangote Refinery.

    IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, would add the bit that the refinery had only recently slowed loading operations due to internal reorganisation and labour-related disruptions.

    Most significantly, there have been no suggestions about the matter being anything but local and contrived; nothing about the usual stuff – rising crude prices in the global market, but rather a case of players’ actions and inactions precipitating instability in domestic fuel prices!

    Still, there is a lot happening in the industry that has remained unknown – or perhaps at this time unknowable – by Nigerians. One of them is the latest data suggesting that imported petrol actually accounted for 72.64 per cent of total consumption in the last nine months. The data, drawn from the records of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) showed the country as consuming 12.5 billion litres of petrol between October 2024 and July 2025, of which 9.08 billion litres were imported, with the balance of 3.5 billion litres sourced from the Dangote Refinery.

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    In October 2024, Nigeria was said to have imported 40.43 million litres per day, that is, 1.253 billion litres that month, while Dangote Refinery supplied only 7.09 million litres, a mere 14.9 per cent of the total. In January, the import component came down to 56.3 per cent, with Dangote supplying 592.1 million litres, said to be its best performance so far. February and March are said to have maintained similar trends, with local supply hovering near 45 per cent.

    In May, domestic supply again fell sharply to 472 million litres, leaving importers to cover nearly 72 per cent of demand. In July, Dangote Refinery could only meet 31.5 per cent of the nation’s needs.

    Yet, the story all this while is that Dangote Refinery has more than enough capacity to supply the nation’s fuel needs. This is a refinery whose officials only in June were on record as saying that it shipped some 90,000 metric tons of gasoline to Asia, the first petrol export outside of West Africa. That these figures, taken together, are simply not adding up is putting things mildly. In fact, there are grounds to suggest that Nigerians are not being told the whole truth about what is going on.

    Nigerians surely deserve to know what is going on. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), in particular – owes Nigerians a lot of explanation. So does Dangote Refinery – an entity that the country has given so much in fiscal support and patronage.

    Heaping all of the blame on DAPPMAN and other players in the fuel import segment as many are tempted to do won’t cut; not this time when the refinery– based on available public records – is known to have supplied only a fraction of the nation’s fuel needs.  

  • Pointless angst

    Pointless angst

    •The FG should grind out results from its reforms and ignore the World Bank double-speak

    The World Bank’s release of the “Nigeria Development Update” (NDU), October 2025 Edition, has elicited a Federal Government snarl at its harsh muse from Bretton Woods: author and finisher of its tough reform agenda! To the government’s ears, it all sounds as gratuitous cant from the World Bank.

    Indeed, and to be fair: the bank sounds not unlike that mischievous Yoruba fellow that lured robbers to a farm, but also alerted the farm owner to, red-handed, catch the thieves!  The pains the Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) now wail over result from their own harsh prescriptions!

    But in fairness too to the World Bank/IMF: they have consistently stuck to their orthodoxy; which many claim — nay swear — is rigged to sustaining the cultural and economic hegemony of the West, against the other global emerging economies.

    Now, is that claim true, or a wild conspiracy theory?  Still, Bretton Woods has never compelled anyone to take its bitter pills. Yes, it has “conditionalities”, harsh, rigid and doctrinaire. But only nations that have run down their economies, to a virtual point of no return, seem self-compelled to gulp that tough brew.

    So, to the extent that Nigeria freely chose to travel the World Bank path, for the tough and bold reforms to fix its tottering economy — and in all fairness, it has picked up verifiable results by that free, even if painful choice — why should it deny the bank the privilege of a progress report, on a process it’s midwifing?

    On the surface, that’s a fair call: witness that same NDU pointing to progress already made; and stressing how the twin-basic shock therapy of ending petrol subsidy and floating the Naira, against foreign currencies, has tightened the economy; and is building robust fundamentals for sustainable growth.

    The NDU executive summary: “Nigeria has made notable progress in stabilising its economy through bold reforms in fiscal, monetary, and trade policy … but these gains have yet to significantly improve living standards.  With food inflation and poverty still high, the report calls for urgent action to reduce inflation, enhance public spending efficiency, and expand social protection.”

    All clear and fair?  Not exactly, especially with the mechanical misinterpretation of the Nigeria’s alleged poverty rate — not from specific or discrete data but from a woolly agglomeration that paints a far direr situation, which borders on disinformation.

    Here, the official Federal Government response, via Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication: “While Nigeria values its partnership with the World Bank … the figure quoted must be properly contextualised.  It is unrealistic,” the release dismissed the bank’s claim that 139 million, out of an estimated 220 million Nigerians, now live below the poverty line.

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    Dare explained that the bank’s stock figure — living below US$ 2.15 a day, picked as global poverty line in 2017 — is rather misleading.  It’s no 2025 headcount of the Nigerian poor.  Rather, it’s a raw historical consumption data, mechanically applied on Nigeria, not a number which a specific, rigorous study threw up.

    This loose application of data, the Presidency affirmed, made a mess of genuine anti-poverty efforts — as the conditional cash transfers to the 8.5 million poorest-of-the-poor Nigerian households — going hand-in-hand with the tough reforms. There’s some merit in that argument.

    Which is why the World Bank should be wary of imposing its one-shoe-fits-all raw data, as some definitive and authoritative global poverty rate.  For one, it should be more sensitive to countries swallowing its bitter pills.

    For another, it should be careful that its data — loosely applied, therefore not that accurate — do not feed the cynical hysteria of local opposition politics, eager to shoot down the same reforms it’s fostering.  That is enlightened self-interests, if it really wants these economies to find their levels.

    Even then, the stringency of the Federal Government response to the NUD, being favourable in the main, is surprising.  Might the government be craving a flat validation from the bank, hence its clear over-sensitivity?

    If it did, it wasted its care — and that has nothing to do with World Bank/IMF reports.  Rather than such craving, it should focus and grind out positive and verifiable results from its reforms.

    Already it has the momentum: IMF already revised upwards its projected growth for Nigeria: to 3.9 % (in 2025) and 4.1% (in 2026). The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also just announced inflation falling from 20.12% in August, to 18.02% in September — with the additional boon of falling food prices.

    That’s the validation the government needs.  If it stays that way, Breton Woods too would change tune.

  • Congrats, Nigerian judiciary

    Congrats, Nigerian judiciary

    •Homes for judges, acceptance into global body call for celebration

    It was a tale of two good tidings, the past week for Nigerian judges. First was the admission of the National Association of Judges in Nigeria (NAJN) into the International Association of Judges (IAJ). NAJN was admitted as the 93rd member of the IAJ at the latter’s 67th annual meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

    Mr. Tobi Soniyi, the media aide to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice  Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, announced the development last week.

    In her acknowledgment of the attainment, the CJN, said: “Nigeria embraces this membership with humility, commitment, and a deep sense of responsibility. We recognise the values that this association upholds, and we are determined to contribute actively to its mission.”

    She went further: “We are committed to further strengthening the independence of our judiciary, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring the continued protection and promotion of human rights in our country.”

    We commend the CJN for her pioneering effort to get Nigerian judges into such a global body. As reported, the IAJ, was founded in Salzburg, Austria, in 1953, as a non-political professional platform for national associations of judges from across the world.

    The primary objective of the association is to safeguard judicial independence and the advancement of human rights and freedom. Presently, the IAJ comprises 93 national associations or representative groups from across all the continents.

    We believe such a platform will provide a good opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas, and aid our judiciary to inculcate international best practices. Such an international body will also be a bulwark against interference in the affairs of the judiciary, since the body has consultative status with notable United Nations organs.

    We urge the judiciary to make the best of the opportunity, more so, as Nigerian jurists have distinguished themselves at the international level over the years.

    The other good tiding is the decision of the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory to build permanent residences for the heads of courts, namely – President of the Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge of the FCT High Court and President of the National Industrial Court.

    Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, flagged off the very commendable project, last week, with a promise to deliver within 12 months.

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    The minister said the Certificates of Occupancy have already been processed, which confirms the ownership of the structures by the jurists is permanent.

    We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of FCT for the laudable initiative to bring comfort, security and independence to the heads of the judiciary. No doubt, having a roof over their heads would imbue the Judges with the necessary confidence to deliver justice without fear or favour.

    Even the temptation to indulge in unwholesome practices would be drastically reduced.

    We see the gesture as a good way to encourage the judges to do more, and hope other cadre of judges would receive similar encouragement in the nearest future.

    Providing reasonable comfort for the Judges is in the best interest of justice delivery, and the society at large.

    We urge state governments to ensure that they replicate the Federal Government gesture at the state level. After all, what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

    Where there are no enough resources to build houses for all judges, they can be given land and a mortgage put in place for them to access, to build their private residences.

    We hope our judges will reciprocate the good tidings with greater efficiency in the delivery of justice. Without gainsaying, attaining the position of a judge is somehow divine. Having and exercising such privilege is a life opportunity that must be guided jealously.