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Tag: Education

  • Investments in education not yielding desired results, says Fed Govt

    Investments in education not yielding desired results, says Fed Govt

    • Minister: new approaches needed

    The Federal Government has lamented that massive investments in the nation’s basic education sector have not translated into desired results.

    Minister of State for Education Dr. Yusuf Sununu made this known while declaring open the 25th quarterly meeting of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Management with the Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Abuja.

    The minister said it was disheartening that despite the Federal Government huge investment, interventions and technical support, basic education sub-sector was still bedeviled with unpleasant occurrences.

    He said the government couldn’t continue to “sit on the fence and allow our educational system to continue to deteriorate.”

    The minister said: “The investment so far in education is extremely commendable but the output is not commensurate; not matching the input, therefore we need to do something about that….

    “It is really disheartening that despite the Federal Government huge investment, interventions and technical support, basic education sub-sector is still bedeviled with these unpleasant occurrences: learners sitting on bare floors, high rate of drop-outs, increased number of out-of-school children, poor infrastructure, dilapidated classroom buildings, inadequate learning facilities, unqualified teachers, inadequate monitoring, inequitable access and low learning outcomes which has resulted to the falling standard of education in our country.

    “We cannot continue to sit on the fence and allow our educational system to continue to deteriorate, we must take the bull by the horn and delete the name of Nigeria among the ‘Learning Poverty’ countries.”

    On the event which had its theme as ‘Redefining National and State Priorities for Effective Basic Education Delivery”, the minister called for new strategies and collaborative efforts between the federal and state governments to address the identified problems.

    “The theme is very apt because there are so many reasons we should sit down and redefine our priorities. Indices in the education (sector) are not in any way good,” the minister said.

    Sununu said it was unacceptable that Nigeria paraded the highest number of out-of-school children in the world as well as the highest low literacy rate, with a national average of about 60 percent.

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    The minister, however, expressed the readiness of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to transform the nation’s education sector through the Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the Federal Government was ready to commit more funds to the sector to boost access and quality learning.

    Sununu called on chairmen of SUBEBs to review the current state of basic education in their various states by conducting needs assessment of all schools with a renewed determination to justify the Federal Government’s huge investment in the states.

    He said: “The SUBEB Chairmen must also ensure that every child in their respective states benefit from the free, universal and compulsory basic education regardless of sex, ethnic or religious backgrounds, language or status as this will reduce the incidence of out- of-school children syndrome.”

    Executive Secretary of UBEC Hamid Bobboyi called for new approaches to holistically address problems of basic education sector.

    He said: “There are emerging trends that demand new approaches in tackling them; these therefore call for new strategies. This is what informed the choice of the theme of this meeting.”

    The UBEC boss also revealed that the commission has successfully conducted the 2022 National Personnel Audit fieldwork and the assessment on learning achievements.

    He said: “You may recall that the Kano meeting was held in the middle of the 2022 National Personnel Audit fieldwork. Shortly after, data collection for the 2022 National Assessment of Learning Achievements in Basic Education (NALABE) was conducted across the country. I am glad to report that the exercises were concluded successfully.

    “The reports of the two activities are at the final stages and they will be disseminated to the public as soon as possible.”

    Saying UBEC was collaborating with relevant partners to address the problems in the basic education sector, Bobboyi decried the present learning poverty in the country.

    He said: “Studies have shown that learners are graduating from primary school unable to read and write. Learning poverty is a function of many factors.

    “Prominent among these are the quality of school governance, teacher quality, availability of essential teaching and learning materials, and the learning environment.

    “This challenge must be addressed with the urgency that it deserves otherwise our educational system will be turning out dysfunctional citizens who are neither useful to themselves nor to their communities. It is important for us to determine where more resources should be deployed to rescue basic education.”

    The executive secretary also harped on the need for Nigeria to invest in digital technology-aided education.

    He said: “This is the sure path towards producing globally competitive citizens. The UBEC Smart Schools are models that states are expected to replicate.

    “A phased equipping of existing schools with IT infrastructure and training of teachers should be adopted as a strategy for transforming the existing schools to smart schools.

    “The commission will continue to support the states and FCT in this endeavour, especially in the areas of e-content development and training.”

  • VC canvases better funding of education to reduce brain drain

    VC canvases better funding of education to reduce brain drain

    Vice-Chancellor of Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun, Prof. Jeremiah Ojediran, has appealed to the Federal Government to improve the funding of education, to reduce the “Japa Syndrome” in the country.

    Ojediran made the appeal while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Ota, Ogun.

    The vice-chancellor noted that lack of facilities across universities, poor funding and remunerations were some of the factors contributing to brain-drain in education sector.

    “The Federal Government needs to make education more attractive by increasing funding, providing new infrastructure and improving on the ready facilities in place, to boost research and publication.

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    “In addition, they should increase salaries of workers so that they can compete favourably with their international counterparts.

    “Increasing the workers’ salary is very imperative as what people outside earned as salary is 10 times more than what people are paying in Nigeria.” The vice-chancellor emphasised the need to adequately fund education and other sectors of the economy to stem the tide of brain drain. He said that massive investment in education is the bedrock of any nation that desired to achieve sustainable economic growth.

  • NUT to Oyo: address challenges in public schools to achieve quality education

    NUT to Oyo: address challenges in public schools to achieve quality education

    Oyo State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr. Raji Oladimeji, has urged the government to address the myriads of problems in public schools so as to achieve quality education.

    Oladimeji, who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, said the shortage of teachers in public schools has been affecting the quality of education and the problem was not limited to Oyo State only, it is a nationwide challenge.

    According to him, although the Oyo State government in 2021 employed 5,000 teachers in secondary schools, it is still not enough, adding that the problem was more pronounced in primary schools than in secondary schools.

     “Also, some teachers from primary schools were also seconded to secondary schools; and that in a way should take care of the secondary school teachers’ gap.

    “His excellency has promised that there would be mass recruitment of teachers for primary schools in the first quarter of 2024, this is one of the problems affecting the quality of education,” Oladimeji said.

    He stated that besides the shortage of teachers, insecurity was another problem inhibiting quality education as interventions provided by old students’ associations, parents’ teachers’ associations, churches and non-governmental organisations in terms of equipment were being carted away by hoodlums.

    Oladimeji said hoodlums daily go into schools after closing to steal educational materials, equipment and other infrastructure provided to schools by well-meaning people.

    According to him, even statutory records were being taken away by perpetrators and the absence of these records would affect students and pupils in the future.

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    The NUT chairman, however, called for improving security in public schools as it would address a lot of issues facing qualitative teaching and learning in schools.

    “Some of our schools lack illumination and where we have illumination, wires are being removed, fans and other things and this is affecting the technological equipment being supplied to schools such as generators, computers and internet.

    “If we do not have a power supply or generator, how do we work with some of these technological materials that could be useful for teaching and learning in our schools?

     “And another thing which is not also limited to Oyo State, is the shortage of instructional materials in some of our schools. Apart from this, we need to expose our teachers to modern-day technology because of pedagogical experiences so that they will be able to approach some of these things,” Oladimeji said.

    He said the lack of real remuneration for teachers has always been a setback to quality education in Nigeria.

    According to him, some teachers are collecting remuneration in percentages which would serve as discouragement for some teachers.

  • Girl-child education gets support

    Girl-child education gets support

    • 150 benefit from workshop

    Polaris Bank and Evolve Charity have presented educational materials to 400 pupils at Ikeja and Surulere in Lagos State, to supporting  Girl-Child Education Project.

     The materials, including uniforms, bags, pens, sandals and books, were presented to pupils of Opebi Junior Secondary School, Opebi, Ikeja; Gbaja Junior Girls High School, Surulere and Gbaja Senior Girls High School, Surulere.

     This was part of activities marking International Day of the Girl observed every October 11. 

    Managing Director of Polaris, Adekunle Sonola, noted the bank’s commitment to quality education of girls.

     He said: “We believe in education and empowerment of the girl-child. This is why we partnered Evolve Charity to launch Support for the Girl Child Education Project.”

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     Managing Director of Pacegate, owners of Evolve Charity, Umesh Amarnani, noted the essence of such intervention, saying “the schools are our responsibility by adoption, and we will provide the pupils with supplies.”

     Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) also empowered over 150 young girls to mark the day.

    It held workshops at five schools in Lagos, with 156  pupils. They focused on gender leadership and training, providing girls tools to be technologists and innovators.

     Executive Director, Lesi Oreoluwa, emphasised importance of a gender-balanced society for social and economic development of the nation.

     W.tec Monitoring Evaluation and Research Assistant, Monsurat Oshinfisan, noted W.tec is passionate about all-round wellbeing and bringing more girls into technology.

  • Free education bill

    Free education bill

    • What is required now are incentives, not force

    Last week, the Senate passed, for second reading, a bill that prescribes financial penalty as well as jail term for parents and other persons who have children of school age in their custody but refuse to enable them receive at least basic education up to Junior Secondary School 3. The new bill seeks to update and strengthen the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act of 2004 which imposes fines of N2,000 and N5,000, respectively, on parents and guardians who default in providing their children with basic primary and secondary school education.

    Thus, the fines in the amended bill have been increased to N20,000 and N50,000, respectively, while culpable persons may also face a term of imprisonment for one month in addition to the fine.

    The bill is no doubt motivated by the desire to ensure that no child of school age is denied the right of obtaining basic education as a minimal condition for acquiring the indispensable prerequisites to build on for success in life.

    This is reflected, for instance, in section 2 of the bill which states that “every government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age”. The legislation also mandates that “every parent shall ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his primary school and junior secondary school education by endeavouring to send the child to primary and junior secondary schools” and that “Every parent shall ensure that his child receives full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude by regular attendance at schools”.

    It is true that a situation in which more than 20 million Nigerian children of school age are out of school is clearly alarming and unacceptable. Such children are denied the opportunity of maximally developing their potential and will, most likely, become liabilities to society.

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    In cities and other urban areas across the country, hundreds of boys and girls of school age can be seen selling wares in traffic, serving as illiterate apprentices to artisans or perpetrating sundry crimes engendered partly by idleness.

    Will the punitive legislation proposed by this bill provide an effective remedy to this problem? It is unlikely. The bill assumes, for instance, that governments actually provide free basic education for children so that parents and guardians have no excuse for not sending children to school. But even in many cases where governments have formally announced the policy of free education mainly by abolishing tuition fees, children are still required to pay other kinds of assorted levies that add up to a considerable amount. At the root of the inability of many parents to send their children to school, therefore is the pervasive poverty in the land.

    This means that only a tiny percentage of the population are able to send their children to private schools, most of which charge high fees. Unfortunately, most governments have not lived up to their responsibility of providing qualitative, well equipped and attractive public schools to cater for those who cannot afford private schools.

    Provision of an effective, efficient and affordable public school system should therefore be the focus of governments rather than the premature imposition of fines or imprisonment for those who cannot send their children to school.

    However, governments should work in conjunction with stakeholders in communities such as traditional rulers, opinion molders, religious leaders and non-governmental organisations to help mobilise and encourage parents and guardians to send their children to school. The existing incentives to make education attractive to children such as the various school feeding programmes should also be improved and expanded. Efforts should be intensified, both by government and civil society groups, to overhaul the values of society and inculcate the virtues of hard work, honesty, discipline and sound character in people. The current prevalent penchant for quick acquisition of wealth by all means predisposes the youth to pursue ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ criminality, cultism, ritual killing or sexual perversion rather than education as a way to perceived success.

    In any case, the proposed bill is a federal law which can only be enforced if domesticated by state governments that have constitutional responsibility for basic education.

  • Governors seek 15 per cent of budgets for education

    Governors seek 15 per cent of budgets for education

    The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday urged members to commit above 15 per cent of state budgets to education.

    Chairman of NGF and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, led the call at a briefing in Abuja.

    It was organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, with the theme: “Scaling Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Nigeria.”

    The Kwara governor, represented by the Vice Chairman of NGF, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, said there was a need to remove all barriers to education.

    He said: “We must follow the UNESCO standard for an education system that is progressive and sustainable. 

    “Governors at the various states must commit above 15 per cent of our budget to education.

    “I support the call for a state of emergency but it must be backed by actions. 

    “The resources must be provided and we must look at issues that have mitigated against achieving that sustainable growth.

    “It is one thing to declare a state of emergency but it’s another thing to put all the resources and elements that will allow us to achieve it.

    “So I support putting the resources in place to allow us to move fast at it. 

    “Our education is in crisis and a state of emergency should be declared in all sectors. 

    “We need a solid roadmap and I believe it is a collective involvement.”

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    Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, said the learning crisis needed an urgent solution.

    He said: “Education is the cornerstone of societal progress and individual empowerment, yet the challenges we currently confront demand our immediate attention, dedication, and action.”

    He expressed the political will of President Bola Tinubu to raise education budgetary allocation from eight to 25 per cent.

    UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, noted the UN General Assembly outcomes in September where countries were urged to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4.

    Munduate said this was to regain ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw unprecedented school closures globally.

    She said: “Three out of four children in basic education in Nigeria cannot read with meaning or solve simple math problems.

    “When children fail to learn to read in the early years, they fail to read to learn in the subsequent years. Failure to learn begins to alienate children from the curriculum and their peers.

    “This contributes to the staggering dropout rates each year between the first and last year of primary school.”

  • Confab focuses on digital education

    Confab focuses on digital education

    Participants at the Sixth Annual International Association for Innovations in Educational Assessment (IAIIEA) conference will learn about modern approach to e-learning and e-assessment and their applications in knowledge management.

    The theme of the conference, to hold from Monday at Anchor University Ayobo, Lagos State, is “Digitalised Educational Assessment for Entrepreneurial Productivity”

    Conference topics will cover applications of advanced measurement models (Item Response Theory), artificial intelligence (AI), assessments for university admissions, formative assessments, innovative item types, and others.

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    Attendees will benefit from hands-on experience with innovative item construction, advanced psychometrics, and tools for test development, including advanced item banking platforms for development of paper and online assessments.

    Eminent persons for the event include Prof Zarko Vukmirovic, from Creative Associates International, United States, Mohamed Abdellatif, from AGI, Egypt, Prof A. Afemikhe, from University of Benin, Akinyele Ariyo, from CQ Tech, U.S, and Kanta Sharma, from Computer Engineering and Application Department, GLA University, India.

     Prof Johnson Fatokun, deputy vice chancellor of Anchor will give the keynote address, and Akinola Mosobalaje, of ICT University, U.S, will present the lead paper.

  • Stakeholders validate curriculum guidelines, academia-industry framework for outcome-based engineering education

    Stakeholders validate curriculum guidelines, academia-industry framework for outcome-based engineering education

    Nigeria has become a temporary signatory to washing accord, which gives engineers from member states opportunity to work in member countries without restriction or recertifications.

    This automatically puts Nigerian engineers in the international engineering market and supports the aspiration of Nigerian engineers who wish to practice abroad.

    However, retaining this privilege and converting it to permanent status requires Nigerian engineering education to become outcome-based in compliance to the requirements of this international engineering alliance.

    This made engineering stakeholders and experts gather to develop and validate curriculum, guidelines and framework for implementation of outcome-based education in engineering through two sets of workshops.

    The first hybrid workshop was organised at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) on August 28, which developed these educational instruments.

    The second workshop, which validated these educational instruments took place on September 22 at the Nigerian Society of Engineers’ Auditorium, National Engineering Centre, Abuja.

    The two stakeholders’ workshops featured experts from the industry, academia, regulators, advocacy groups and student representatives, and were organized by EngineeringXpress.

     EngineeringXpress is a sustainable engineering education project sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering, Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Onyia Construction with collaboration of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria COREN, Nigeria Society of Engineers and Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN and University of Nigeria, UNN.

    The workshop chairman and COREN Council Member Engr. Prof. Abdulkarim Nasir said that the workshop could not have come at a better time than now as COREN and other stakeholders are focused to implement outcome-based education in engineering across Nigeria.

    He expressed gratitude for the organizations. Also, the Director of Research, EngineeringXpress and Head of Agric & Bio Resources engineering department, UNN Engr. Prof. Chinenye Anyadike thanked the Royal Academy of Engineering and all collaborating organizations for sponsoring EngineeringXpress. She also that all the participants at the workshops.

    The Principal Investigator and coordinator of EngineeringXpress Dr. Uzor Onyia explained that unlike the disjointed structure currently in place, the introduced curriculum guidelines and academia-industry framework is designed to close the gap between industry and academia. Expanding the role of the industry in training of future engineers and ensuring that academic research projects are led by industrial emerging trends and technologies. Thereby enabling the students to acquire industry relevant skills and experience which in school.

    The Keynote Speaker and Registrar of COREN Engr. Prof. Adisa, A. Bello while acknowledging the series of work done by EngineeringXpress, thanked the participants for their commitment and efforts but also called for continued inclusive approach to outcome-based engineering education. According to him; 

    “I sincerely thank the organisers and the grant winners of the Royal Academy of Engineering aimed at identifying and developing industry relevant engineering skills for a safe and innovative engineering education and practice in developing countries. I wish to restate the commitment of the Council to work closely with all stakeholders towards engineering regulation, promotion of value creation, technology development and economic growth…Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, on June 14, 2023, Nigeria (COREN) was admitted into the Washington Accord of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) as a provisional signatory status member, placing Nigeria on the global engineering map. The implication of this is that our certificates are now internationalised and mobility of our engineers will be so recognised in all member jurisdictions like Germany, India, Britain, USA, Canada, Mexico etc. To stay on this elite global engineering map, our educational status which is substantially equivalent to the member jurisdictions, must be improved upon from time to time. This requires us to fully implement Outcome-based Education in our engineering education. OBE is about graduating engineers with handson engineering skills and competencies. This aligns with this project titled, “Sustainable Engineering Education through Innovation and Industry Based Skills Development and Practice – EngineeringXpress”. EngineeringXpress is contributing to the building and maintaining the capacity for safe and innovative engineering education and practice by understanding and closing the existing gaps between engineering education and practice in Nigeria. This will further promote the triple helix of Academia-Industry-Government.”

    President of the Nigeria Society of Engineers Engr. Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari-Wudil thanked the participants and sponsors of EngineeringXpress, the Royal Academy of Engineering. He expressed the continued commitment of the Nigeria Society of Engineers towards the full implementation of outcome-based engineering education in Nigeria. similarly, the President of Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN Engr. Dr. Elizabeth Eterigho, FNSE expressed delight at the successful development and validation of the curriculum guidelines and academia-industry collaboration framework.

    She stated her optimism that the effort would improve the capacity of Nigerian engineers especially women. She thanked Dr. Uzor Onyia and Onyia Construction for their commitment to EngineeringXpress and assured that APWEN will continue to support and collaborate with the worthy course for improved engineering education and practice in Nigeria. she further advocated for change in the traditional method of teaching and assessing engineering students and called for practical and entrepreneurial based educational approach.

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    During his remark The Dean of Engineering Faculty, UNN and Director of World Bank African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development ACESPED Engr. Prof. Emenike Ejiogu insisted that that academia-industry collaboration is critical to make engineering education more stimulating and exciting for today’s students. He further thanked the participants, organizers and sponsors of EngineeringXpress for achieving this very important requirement of outcome-based education for Washington accord.

    It is worthy to note that the former vice president of COREN Engr. Prof. Cliford Nwoji, chairman of Engineering Curriculum Committee, UNN Engr. Prof Constantine Mabjiogu, Engr. Prof. Sikiru Ottan, Engr. Prof. Wilfred Oknokwo chaired respectively chaired the five syndicate groups to validate the curriculum guidelines and academia-industry collaboration framework. Each group further presented the recommendations for the improvement of these outcome-based educational instruments for engineering in Nigeria.

    At the end, the former president of Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria APWEN Engr. Dr. Felicia Agubata thanked the Royal Academy, Lloldy’s Register Foundation, Onyia Construction, COREN, NSE, APWEN and UNN for sponsoring and supporting EngineeringXpress. She also thanked all participants and organizers for their committed effort to the full implementation of outcome-based education in Engineering.

    Event Photos click the link to access all the pictures

  • Kogi Governor Bello visits Education minister

    Kogi Governor Bello visits Education minister

    The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, yesterday visited the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, in Abuja.

    Governor Bello’s visit had a dual purpose: firstly, to extend his heartfelt congratulations to the minister on his well-deserved appointment, and secondly, to provide an update on the remarkable progress and developments in the field of education within Kogi State under his administration.

    In a warm reception of the governor who was accompanied by Aisha Bello an engineer, Prof Mamman expressed deep appreciation and commended the outstanding developmental achievements witnessed in Kogi State under Governor Bello’s leadership.

    He emphasized that the governor’s remarkable efforts in the education sector had garnered significant recognition.

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    Prof Mamman praised the establishment of another state-owned university, the second within the span of Governor Bello’s seven-year administration.

    He expressed admiration for the governor’s unwavering commitment to advancing the objectives of the All Progressives Congress Party (APC).

    The minister gave assurance that both he and the entire ministry management were fully dedicated to realizing the education-related goals set by Mr. President for Nigeria.

    Prof Mamman expressed confidence in Mr. President’s capability to effect positive transformations, emphasizing that his ministry would spare no effort in supporting the administration to fulfill its educational mandate.

  • Fed Govt, VCs commit to improving standard of varsity education

    Fed Govt, VCs commit to improving standard of varsity education

    The Federal Government and Vice-Chancellors of universities have committed to improving the standards of university education.

    Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman said President Bola Tinubu, who is the visitor to all federal universities, was very serious about turning the nation around.

    Mamman said this when the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) and the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission visited him in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The delegation had the opportunity to discuss several critical challenges faced by public and private universities.

    The minister noted that Tinubu’s approach to governance was “very business-like” and that all his ministers would be subjected to quarterly performance reviews.

    He assured that the ministry under his watch would address the fundamental and structural issues from primary to tertiary education and work with stakeholders to ensure that the sector was turned around.

    He noted that a key focus for the universities would be aligning educational outcomes to national productivity, research innovation and entrepreneurship among graduates to promote self-reliance and reduce dependence on white-collar jobs.

    In a statement by the Secretary- General, CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, the chairman of the committee, Prof. Lilian Salami, highlighted some key challenges faced by universities.

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    The statement reads: “These include funding, recruitment of staff, universities’ autonomy, aspects of university laws that conflict with other laws and unending industrial disputes with university-based unions.

    “Prof. Salami presented the committee’s study report on “Challenges, Opportunities and Sustainable Models for Nigerian Federal Universities” as their input to finding lasting solutions to the challenges facing public and private universities.

     “She thanked the minister and his team for the warm reception. She formally invited them to the diamond jubilee celebration of the committee, which takes place from the 9th to 11th October, 2023 in Abuja.”

    The meeting, which held at the Federal Ministry of Education Secretariat in Abuja, was attended by the State Minister of Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andrew David Adejo, the Chairman of CVCNU Salami, members of the executive board of the committee.

    Some of the VCs at the meeting included: Prof. Kabiru Adeyemo, VC, Lead City University; Dili Dogo of Nile University; Prof. Ibiyemi Bello, VC, LASU; Fatima Tahir, VC Bauchi State University, Gadau; Prof, Allen Agih, VC, Niger Delta University; Prof. Barnabas Qurix of Bingham University, Prof. Mu’azu Abubakar Gusau, VC, Bello, VC, LASU, Fatima Tahir, VC Bauchi State University, Gadau, Prof, Allen Agih, VC, Niger Delta University, Prof Barnabas Qurix of Bingham University, Prof. Mu’azu Abubakar Gusau, VC, Federal University of Gusau and the Secretary-General CVCNU, Prof. Ochefu.