The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, on Thursday said Secondary schools in Nigeria lack competent teachers needed for the effective handling of 37 trade subjects which are currently being offered as compulsory subjects at the level of Senior School Certificate Examination.

The minister said this during the national conference on Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and GIZ Nigeria in Abuja.

Adamu who also lamented the apathy shown towards technical education in Nigeria, said the government would continue to bridge skill gaps and create employment via technical education.

He said, “Presently, most of our schools need ompetent teachers and instructional materials for effective handling of the 37 Trade subjects which are already being offered as compulsory subjects at Senior School Certificate Examinations since 2013.

“Worst still, the entrepreneurship education courses being offered in many Tertiary Institutions could not energize the students’ entrepreneurial spirit and mindset for self-employment.

“Also, some of the challenges we have had to deal with include public apathy towards TVET leading to low enrolment in the technical schools, inability to review curricula within the five years’ time frame, lack of tools and equipment or obsolete equipment in our Colleges, dearth of academic staff with cognate industry experience relevant for the training of students to meet the needs of employers.

“I am aware that Nigeria is still faced with the challenges of skills gaps, especially in the area of technical and vocational fields which need to be addressed adequately. I admit that these challenges did not come overnight, but as a result of long-time neglect and poor management.

“Consequently, the present administration, in tackling these challenges head-long, therefore, has continued to increase the budgetary provision to the Education Sector through National budget, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Petroleum Trust Development, and through intervention from World Bank Fund and  African Development Bank Fund. We cannot rest on our oars until the desired goals are achieved.

The head of Programmes, Skills Development for youths employability at GIZ Nigeria, Hans Bruns stressed the importance of vocational training.

A Lecturer with the Federal University of Technology (FUTA) Akure ,  Dr Gideon Idowu has emerged the winner of the 2021 Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer (JWO) Research Grant for Africa.

According to the organisers , Idowu won the award after his entry was adjudged the best from a pool of 292 entries from applicants from 27 African Countries.

The grant is under the aegis of the Oppenheimer Generations Research & Conservation .

“After a continent-wide search, with entries from 27 countries across Africa, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Gideon Idowu from the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Nigeria, is the 3rd recipient of the annual Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer (JWO) Research Grant.”

The organisers said while announcing the winner .
Idowu will use the grant for research work focusing on the effects of microplastics and chemical contaminants on the environment.

”Through Dr. Idowu’s research work, policymakers and communities will gain a better understanding of the effects of microplastics and chemical contaminants on people and the environment,” the organisers said.

He was given the award in South Africa on Friday the 5th of November 2021.

“The JWO Research Grant was established to honour the late Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer and continue her extensive contribution to and passion for Africa, the environment, and science.

“The JWO Research Grant seeks to support an emerging researcher from Africa, who leads innovative research focused on the natural environment, including, but not limited to; environmental science, conservation, geology, and archaeology.

The research should address a real-world, African issue of current and future importance.”
The winner must have a strong link with a credible African Institution .

Dr Idowu described the grant as a unique honour and needed support to lead a new study across the Continent.

The Vice Chancellor of FUTA , Professor Joseph Fuwape, has congratulated Dr Idowu.

He described the grant as another validation of the excellence and global relevance of FUTA , its faculty members and students.

He said he was confident that in the extant tradition of FUTA, Dr Idowu would discharge his work creditably well for the benefit of the continent and in consonance with the expectations of
Oppenheimer Generations Research & Conservation

The year 2020 Benue state best graduating WAEC Student, 17 year old Joy Amuh who for lack of money could not seek admission into a tertiary institution has been offered a N500,000 scholarship by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, BIPC, in conjunction with the Eunice Spring of Life Foundation, ESLF.

Presenting the award to Amuh in Makurdi, founder of the ESLF and First Lady of the state, Dr. Eunice Ortom said the scholarship came timely as it would enable the awardee pursue her dream of higher education in any Nigerian University.

The first lady, who commended the Managing Director of BIPC, Dr. Alex Adum for his foresight and accomplishments since assuming leadership of the organisation two years ago despite the challenging times, urged him and his management team to sustain the tempo.

Earlier while introducing the awardee, who finished with nine distinctions from Saint Paul Secondary School Otukpo, to Ortom, the BIPC Managing Director said the gesture was in fulfillment of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, to the people of the state.

According to him, “it marks a very important day for our great company, the BIPC as we kick-start one of our CSR projects of awarding the overall best graduating student of the WAEC WASSCE of Benue State origin a scholarship of N500,000.00

“What we are witnessing today is the beginning of our CSR project which is anchored on rewarding merit and excellent performance of Benue youths particularly in the academia in order for them to realize their potentials of attaining the next level of education at the post secondary and post graduate levels.”

The Managing Director further disclosed that the company had also instituted a Masters Degree Scholarship with the Sum of N1million and would soon meet the management of Benue State University to identify and reward any student who emerged the winner.

“The last phase of our Company’s commitment to Benue people shall be the sponsorship of a talent haunt programme tagged ‘Voices/Hands off the Street.”

Reacting, Amuh appreciated BIPC and ESLF for the support, saying the gesture would enable her actualize her dream of a university education and eventually becoming a broadcast Journalist.

Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Branch has said that the process of appointing Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami is not clear and that the branch of the Union is not convinced about the appointment.

ATBU is Pantami’s alma mater and where he started his career as a lecturer. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Mohammad Abdulaziz had in a letter he wrote on behalf of management, staff and students of School, congratulated Pantami.

ASUU has however dissociated itself from the congratulatory letter, saying that the VC did not consult it before congratulating the Minister on its behalf in “an appointment that is shrouded in a lot of controversies.”

While speaking with some selected journalists at the Union Secretariat on Thursday, State Chairman of the Union, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa said: “We had congress on November 4th, and we agreed that we should dissociate ourselves from that congratulatory message written by the VC. We have a disclaimer to that effect.”

In the report of the Union in Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Inuwa said it is surrounded by “a lot of holes in that report, if you look at the report, it does not follow the character and manner that ASUU does things. . Though, investigation is still going on. The Zone has yet to state their position at the NEC, we will be having a NEC meeting on the 14th.”

ASUU said that it is not convinced that all the procedures of becoming a professor were exhausted. “Appointing somebody to the rank of professor follows some procedures, to some extent we are convinced that these procedures are exhaustively followed, it is still questionable. But if it is proven beyond reasonable doubt we don’t have an option other than to acknowledge it but for now we are not convinced.”

Inuwa said that is why the Union is distancing itself from such a congratulatory letter written by the Minister’s alma mater —ATBU.

The Union argued that according to information available to it, the minister left Nigeria for a varsity in Saudi Arabia as senior lecturer

“In the case of the Minister, his last appointment in a university, Saudi Arabia was as an assistant professor –is a nomenclature that is used by the Americans. Assistant professor is equivalent to a senior lecturer in Commonwealth countries.

“As a senior lecturer you are supposed to satisfy a waiting period of three years. You must have some publications locally and internationally. One must have attended conferences and presented papers, one must have been involved in teaching undergraduates and postgraduates –depending on the conditions of service of a university to become an associate professor(reader).

“What we heard about the Minister is that he’s an assistant professor. The year he left for Saudi Arabia, he claimed that he’s an associate professor, that he applied to them as an associate professor but unfortunately, when they were referring people to check his publications online he forgot to remove a journal that captured him as an assistant professor.”

He added that teaching quality and style are part of the assessment required to rise to professorial rank. He said that the minister was not in the academic environment within the period and could not have been qualified for that appointment.

The non-teaching staff in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) on the auspices of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) have threatened to shut down the institution on November 15 if their members are not paid their arrears of minimum wage and earned allowances.

UNN-JAC comprises the Non-academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU).

Briefing newsmen on Thursday in Nsukka shortly after protesting in some streets in the school, the Chairman, Paul Arua stated that a three-day nationwide protest that started on Wednesday was in compliance with a directive from the national executive of the union.

Some of the placards borne by the protesters had read: “FG pay us our overdue minimum wage arrears now; “We totally reject the proposed skewed sharing formula of earned allowances”, “We reject the present sharing formula between reaching band non-teaching staff,” among others.

Erua explained that the national leadership issued the directive on the warning protest after its meeting on Nov 8 over the inability of the federal government to pay members arrears of minimum wage and earned allowances after a series of promises.

“If after November 15 our arrears of minimum wage and earned allowances are not paid by the government, JAC will embark on an indefinite strike that will paralyse both academic and administrative activities in UNN,” Arua said.

“It’s unfortunate that the government’s series of promises to JAC national executives on the payment of arrears of minimum wage and earned allowances have not been redeemed.

The UNN-JAC chairman urged the government to review its sharing formula on funds released for earned allowances between teaching and non-teaching staff in public universities in the country.

“A situation in the past when the government gave 75 per cent of earned allowance released to teaching staff and 25 per cent to non teaching staff is unfair and will no longer be accepted,” Arua said.

“Any earned allowance released by government for public university staff should be shared 50, 50 between teaching staff and non teaching staff, in the interest of fairness and equity.”

Erua advised all non-teaching staff in UNN to register with their unions as any unregistered staff would no longer benefit from earned allowances.

Lagos State Government says it will begin registration of the pupils shown in a viral video observing assembly in a water logged area of Makoko, Lagos Mainland into the State public schools.

This according to the government is a short term measure for the children of the community to have access to quality education.

Site of the orphanage and school operated by Mawumadoka Children Foundation at Oko-Agbon, off Iwaya Road, became popular when a video showed pupils gathered for a morning school assembly being conducted inside a water pool.

The foundation owners said the viral video was shot in June this year, by a team to raise funds for the rebuilding of the orphanage and the small space being used as school premises.

“The kids were asked to pose for the video in the dirty water to attract public sympathy.”

According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Education, Ganiu Lawal, the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB, has been directed to register pupils within the community into the following six public schools – Adekunle Anglican Primary School, Makoko Primary School, Ayetoro African Church Primary School, Fazil Omar Primary School, Ahmadiya Primary School and Talimu Islamiya Primary School.

“There are six public schools in the area, but some parents prefer to send their wards to the orphanage, which incorporated school lessons as the population of the children continued to grow. In fact, many of the older children in the community attend Adekunle Primary School, and other public schools around the area, but the Foundation retains the younger pupils,” the statement further reads.

The Lagos State House of Assembly had earlier invited the Mawumadoka Foundation officials and stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and its agencies, on the issue.

The meeting resulted in another visit by the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Ganiyu Okanlawon Sanni who led members of the committee on a fact- finding mission to the community, alongside the Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, the Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Adebowale Aderemi, Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Wahab Alawiye-King and other top government officials.

The Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo noted that the Makoko orphanage/school has thrown up once again the challenge posed by unregistered low cost schools in parts of the State.

‘’We are doing everything possible through inter-agency collaboration to ease the process of approval and get the schools standardized; it is a cause of action this Government is seriously committed to. The State is also working with public and private institutions to support low cost schools and give them access to resources and funding to improve their schools.” she said.

She stressed that the Ministry, in collaboration with the Office of Civic Engagement, will continue to encourage residents to access quality education in public schools as provided by the State Government.

The Commissioner maintained that the Ministry would continue to engage members of the community on the need to safeguard the health and wellbeing of all school age children in Makoko and other adjoining areas.