Education
ASUU: There’s nothing to celebrate in Nigeria at 62
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, lambasted the Federal Government, saying there is nothing for Nigerians to celebrate, as the country marks its 62nd Independence anniversary tomorrow, October 1.
University lecturers have for more than seven months embarked on strike action, which has paralysed academic activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
In an interview with The Guardian, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said from politics and economy to security, education, healthcare and religion, the country has failed to live up to the dreams of its founding fathers at the dawn of Independence in 1960.
He said it was regrettable that 62 years after the nation’s independence, it was still grappling with leadership challenges.
He said: “When you take a look at all the sectors, you ask yourself, what are we celebrating? In Nigeria today, a flight from Abuja to Lagos is about N100,000 and anybody going by road is not sure of his safe arrival. Civil servants are earning N30,000 a month, which is less than a bag of rice.
“There is nothing to celebrate, our children are at home; those in secondary schools have been taken over by private schools where little or nothing is happening. I think we should just use this period to reflect on all the things that have gone wrong in the country and how to address them. Our young men and women are at home and the government is not bothered. It is a very sad development.”
He called on the Federal Government to increase the annual budgetary allocation to education as recommended by UNESCO.
“It is very easy to address some of the challenges we are facing. Go to the countries around us, they have made education a priority. Ghana dedicates over 20 per cent of its national budget to education and we give just 5.3 per cent, which means we don’t have any value for education.
“Any government that is serious about education will allocate a huge part of its budget to education and train the youth,” he said.
VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the elite in Nigeria must make sacrifices for the benefit of citizens, who also should be deliberate to create unity, with equity, justice, rule of law, accountability as components.
This was the summation of Prof Osinbajo’s remarks yesterday at the ‘Nigeria at 62 Independence Day Anniversary Public Lecture’ held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
He said: “We who are the elite are a privileged class, but privilege comes with responsibility. It is the French who describe it as ‘Noblesse Oblige,’ the responsibility of privilege.”
Osinbajo noted that “the story of successful societies is the story of how the society’s elite – its best educated, its political and religious class, influence, direct and lead their societies to progress.
“Put differently, every successful society is the product of a conscious, elite consensus; the implicit and explicit agreements of the elite to change their societies for good. But the elite must be prepared to make the sacrifices for the benefit of everyone.”
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While the Vice President noted the temptation for society’s elite, whether political, religious or intellectual, to seek benefits for self only, the greater good demands a higher sense of sacrifice and responsibility.
The guest lecturer at the event was the former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, who spoke on the topic, Elite and National Unity.
Afolabi noted what he described as the “immense responsibility of the Nigerian elite,” which is in resolving the country’s challenges, fostering national unity and development.
SPEAKING in same vein, a policy advocacy group, Citizens’ Common International (CCI), has said Nigeria’s 62nd Independence anniversary was coming at a time that calls for sober reflection and collective action.
While stressing that a time like this required a sharp focus on building a nation that works for many and not a few, the group said the country today is far from the dreams of its founding fathers.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Executive Director of CCI, Olalekan Oshunkoya, enjoined all Nigerians to contribute their quota towards steering the country away from the brink.
Oshunkoya said CCI is collaborating with critical stakeholders to conduct a national survey among youths on what elected leaders should be doing to deliver the new Nigeria young people desire.
He explained that the research tagged: ‘The Nigeria Youth Voice Survey’ is expected to cover 24 cities across the federation.
“As we explore our fate in Nigeria’s future, we are asking our peers to share their experiences on what it means to be a Nigerian. We are also asking about deepening our democracy, political participation, inclusion and active citizenship.”
Also, the Director-General, International Law, Diplomacy & Economy Research Centre, Ndubuisi Idejiora-Kalu, said the findings and opinions from the survey will be compiled into a publication titled: ‘A Nigeria for the Many: A manifesto for the Nigeria we desire.’
MEANWHILE, Nigerians have been called upon to vote for candidates with history of positive performances, capable with skills to transform the lives of the masses. This was made known by the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Cyril Omorogbe, in Uyo, where he added that unqualified and greedy leaders were the bane of Nigeria’s development 62 years after attaining independence.
He lamented that the country has not been lucky when it comes to leadership. Omorogbe vowed not to be instrumental in giving people bad leaders, as he vowed to protect people’s votes by ensuring their choices emerge through their votes.
He called on politicians to go out and convince the people based on what they intend to do with their mandate to improve the lives of citizens, rather than plotting to rig on election day.
The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) on Tuesday laid the foundation for the establishment of a multi-billion-naira boarding college in Abuja, aimed at bridging the education gap in Nigeria and building a brighter future for children and women.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, President of DEPOWA and wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs. Oghogho Musa, said the initiative was driven by a long-held dream to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s educational development.
“We are here today to bring a dream to reality,” she said. “This college is geared towards contributing to the educational development in the country, as well as building a future for children in the country.”
Mrs. Musa noted that DEPOWA has consistently played an active role in humanitarian and empowerment efforts over the years, including skills training, personal development seminars, fitness events, scholarship programmes, and free medical and awareness checks.
She emphasized that the main beneficiaries of the association’s initiatives have been widows and orphans of fallen military and police personnel.
“Additionally, DEPOWA provides formal education for school-age children and women of pertinent and older families through the school located at Mogadishu Cantonment here in Abuja,” she said.
However, she explained that the existing facility is limited in scope and cannot provide the kind of holistic education the association envisions. “The school premises is considerably constrained for holistic education and hence the need for the building of a boarding college to facilitate the much-needed expansion of its educational facilities,” she said.
Mrs. Musa stressed the urgency of the intervention, citing UNESCO statistics that place Nigeria among countries with the highest number of out-of-school children—estimated at about 20 million.
“Having a low net enrollment rate of 64.6 per cent in primary education and also a pupil-teacher ratio of 37.65 per cent, this demonstrates that classrooms are over-projected, making them challenging for teachers to provide individualised attention,” she stated.
“As DEPOWA members, we have resolved to introduce a positive change in this regard by constructing the DEPOWA college to further provide a supportive and a nurturing environment for students to develop.”
She added that the college, which sits on 8,000 square meters of land in Asokoro, Abuja, is estimated to cost N10 billion. She revealed that architectural and engineering designs are already completed and that original equipment manufacturers have been contacted.
“By the commencement of academic activities, the college will have facilities such as modern classrooms equipped with interactive boards, sports and recreational facilities,” she said.
“It will also have well-stocked libraries with ICT capabilities, practice rooms for trade projects, and vocational skills such as photography, videography, among other facilities that may be necessary for functional learning.”
According to her, the college will raise educational standards and demonstrate the government’s commitment to investing in the future of Nigerian children.
Also speaking, the Head of the DEPOWA Education Committee, Mrs. Eniola Ekubi, clarified that the college is not being established due to a lack of schools, but rather to provide functional education that meets the needs of today’s learners.
“This project is a direct intervention in support of the non-kinetic operations of the defence and services headquarters,” Mrs. Musa concluded, expressing confidence that the initiative will leave a lasting impact on education in Nigeria.
The Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Effurun, has matriculated a total of 1,625 students in her 2024/2025 academic session, with a charge to exhibit good character.
The ceremony, held on Friday in Effurun, Delta, was a combined matriculation of the Full time and School of Industrial Continuing Education Programme students.
Addressing the matriculants, Dr Samuel Onoji, the Principal and Chief Executive of the PTI urged the students to exhibit good character while in the institute.
Onoji, while congratulating the matriculants, warned that the institute had zero tolerance for social vices.
He mentioned some of the social vices to include: examination misconduct, physical and sexual assault, indecent dressing, prostitution, cultism, stealing, certificate forgery, bullying and harassment.
Onoji advised the students to be focused and determined, curious and innovative, respectful and responsible and be proactively engaged in extracurricular activities in the institute.
Onoji also encouraged the students to access the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) programme of the federal government to alleviate their financial needs.
He said that the institute received her first NELFUND disbursement on Feb. 11, 2025, adding that the beneficiaries had been paid.
The PTI boss said the institute was dedicated to training middle level manpower for the oil and gas industry.
“Today marks a significant milestone in your academic journey, and I am delighted to share this experience with you.
“PTI has established international collaborations and partnership that enhance our curriculum, facilities and research capabilities that are industry-focused and aligned with the industry to address identified skill gap in the oil sector.
“Our programmes are designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills and competencies required to excel in dynamic and highly technical fields,” he said.
Onoji urged the students to uphold the highest behavioral standard, respect, and integrity in line with the rules and regulations of the institute.
The PTI boss emphasised the importance of hard work and dedication, saying that the oil and gas industry was highly competitive and dynamic.
He said that the campus was a safe and inclusive environment that promoted learning, growth and personal development.
Onoji assured parents of the matriculants that the institute was committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment that would enhance academic excellence, personal growth and character development.
One of the matriculants, Mr Monday Ejiroghene, thanked his parents and the institute for the admission and promised to justify the confidence reposed on him by way of exhibiting good character.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, has expelled a student, Goddy-Mbakwe Chimamaka Precious, for assaulting a lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies.
The decision, conveyed in an official expulsion letter dated February 13, 2025, was signed by the Acting Registrar, Mr. Victor I. Modebelu.
The university stated that the expulsion followed recommendations from the Student Disciplinary Committee, which found Precious guilty of gross misconduct in violation of the institution’s disciplinary regulations, specifically Regulation 4 (SDR).
The incident, which sparked widespread outrage after a viral video surfaced online, reportedly involved Precious attacking Dr. Chukwudi Okoye, a lecturer in the department. Sources indicate that the altercation ensued after the lecturer interrupted a TikTok video she was recording on campus.
The expulsion letter, which confirmed the university’s zero-tolerance stance on indiscipline, directed Precious to vacate the school premises immediately and return any university property in her possession.
“The Ag. Vice-Chancellor has received the report from the Student Disciplinary Committee on the case of your assault on a lecturer from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, which was found to be a gross misconduct and violation of the Students Disciplinary Regulations, particularly Regulation 4 (SDR).
“Consequently, the Ag. Vice-Chancellor has, on behalf of the University Senate, approved the Committee’s recommendation that you be expelled, and you are hereby expelled from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The expulsion takes immediate effect.
“You are expected to vacate the University premises immediately and return any University property in your possession,” the letter stated.
This development reinforces UNIZIK’s commitment to maintaining discipline and academic integrity within the institution.
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