Category: Education

ABUJA, NIGERIA (Agency Report): UNESCO Read and Earn Federation (UNESCO-REF) has partnered with the Police Officers Wife Association (POWA) and the United Kingdom Global Universities Application Portal (UAPP) to support Nigerians pursuing higher education abroad.

The President of UNESCO-REF, Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, said this at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan said the new partnership was designed to complement existing student funding interventions.

He explained that while current scheme of NELFUND mainly support students studying within Nigeria, the new facility would remove financial barriers for those seeking admission into foreign institutions.

He said the pilot phase of the programme would commence at the police secondary school before expansion to other parts of the country by September.

He disclosed that the programme had partnerships with more than 250 universities across the world, providing broad opportunities for beneficiaries.

He added that the intervention aligned with the education strategic priorities and national development goals focused on improving access to learning.

According to him, eligibility is open to all categories of learners, including undergraduate, masters and doctoral candidates, regardless of institution type or location.

“This facility ensures that our collaboration is not only about opening doors to international university applications, but also about providing the financial backbone that makes opportunities attainable.

“It is this reason for our synergy, combining UNESCO-REF vision with UAPP Global reach.

“This is to dismantle these barriers, democratise access, and create a holistic framework where ambition is matched with resources and dreams are matched with pathways,” he said.

He noted that the scheme would accommodate students from public and private schools across the country without language restrictions.

He announced sponsorship of admission processes for the first 40 police secondary school students selected under the initiative.

He said the implementation of the programme would begin immediately, while payment structures would be managed by designated financial partners.

The National President of POWA, Mrs Elizabeth Egbetokun, said the new education partnership would expand higher education access for Nigerian youth, especially police secondary school students.

Egbetokun said the MoU aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on education.

She said the initiative supported the vision of the President, which prioritised education as a driver of national transformation, inclusivity and social mobility.

According to her, the programme will begin in police secondary schools before expanding nationwide to ensure no child is excluded from global higher education opportunities.

“I am especially delighted that this initiative will be piloted in the police secondary schools.

“From this pilot, the programme will spread to other schools and institutions across the country, ensuring that no child is left behind the pursuit of higher education and global opportunities,” Egbetokun said.

According to her, the partnership promotes transparency, accountability and innovation while strengthening confidence among parents, society and young Nigerians.

Egbetokun called on government agencies, private sector actors and civil society to support the initiative to improve access to education for underserved communities.

Mr Alan Bahia, Global Director of Business Development, UAPP, said the collaboration would streamline secure university applications and provide end-to-end guidance for Nigerian students.

Bahia added that the pilot included fee waivers, mentorship and priority processing for the first 1,000 participating students to reduce entry barriers.

He reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to transparency, measurable impact and nationwide expansion of opportunities for young Nigerians. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Memorandum of Understanding is under the category two and 15 of UNESCO-REF Strategic Intervention Programme-Alpha (SIP-Alpha).

ABUJA, NIGERIA (Agency Report): The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has inaugurated a seven-member advisory committee to drive the establishment and effective use of multipurpose laboratories across tertiary institutions in the six geopolitical zones.

The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Sonny Echono, while inaugurating the committee in Abuja on Tuesday, gave them one month to provide strategic guidance on the design, equipment specification, deployment and sustainable management of the laboratories.

Echono said the initiative aimed to strengthen research culture and infrastructure to transform Nigeria from a consumption-driven nation into a competitive producer in the global knowledge economy.

“Today’s event is part of the legacies of the present administration to build in this nation a research culture.

“It is also to support infrastructure that will help to transform our country from one of consumption to one that not only produces, but is able to compete with its peers across the globe,” he said.

Echono explained that the committee would review and update previously recommended equipment lists, considering rapid technological changes and risks of obsolescence.

According to him, the terms of reference include reviewing equipment proposals, recommending cost-effective procurement options and advising on adequacy of the management framework.

He added that the committee would propose measures for effective operationalisation, long-term sustainability, industry collaboration and possible revenue generation for the laboratories.

Echono noted that rapid technological disruption required constant review, stressing that sustainable economic growth depended on innovative, solution-driven research supported by adequate infrastructure.

He assured that the laboratories would have alternative power supply to guarantee uninterrupted, round-the-clock research activities.

Responding, Chris Maiyaki, the committee chairman and former Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), thanked TETFund for the confidence in the committee and pledged timely delivery on the national assignment.

“We do not take for granted the confidence and the trust that you have bestowed on us to contribute our own quota in the successful execution of this very important national assignment of historic significance,” he said.

Maiyaki said members had studied the terms of reference and were prepared to meet expectations toward successful execution.

He added that modern, centralised laboratories would bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in higher education and research.

An early inferno has engulfed the Nnamdi Azikiwe University College of Health Sciences in Nnewi, Nigeria’s Southeast.  

It was not clear what started the inferno and when, exactly. Residents of the academic community reportedly woke up to it.

Emergency services have mobilised to the scene to contain the raging inferno.

As of the time this report was filed, school authorities are still investigating the situation and have not yet determined the extent of the fire damage.  

New Post Africa (NPA) earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu has dissolved the Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, and sacked the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh. Also sacked by the president is UNIZIK’s registrar, Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike.

Eserinune Mojaye, a Professor of Communication at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has urged the Federal Government to intensify campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to protect the future of the girl-child. Mojaye made the call in Abuja at the 29th inaugural lecture of the university with the theme: “Constructing and Deconstructing Journalism Practice and Communication Research in Nigeria: A 40-Year Experience.

He stressed the need for information and communication as the enduring solution to the problem. “Rather than legal prohibition, many studies have suggested that information and communication are more likely to provide an effective and enduring solution to the problem,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities rolled out a plan in 1997 to eliminate the practice of FGM within three generation. The plan emphasised the need for all governments in Africa to legislate against the practice and enforce national plans to it.

Mojaye said that rather than using a legal approach to deal with the matter, governments at all levels should focus on using effective communication to address the matter. According to him, communication plays a vital role in health promotion and health education. He noted that effective communication empowers people to seek what is best for their health and to exercise their right of good quality health care. “Communication is also a vital tool in the promotion of behaviour change in all areas of health, including reproductive health. “In many countries of the world, communication has made open discussion about reproductive health issues possible.

“However, in Nigeria, communication campaigns have not been well utilised in the crusade for the abandonment of FGM. “My studies on FGM show that the mass media have not been effectively used to inform and educate people on the dangers and health consequences of FGM. “As I found out in my studies, more impact would be made in the crusade for the abandonment of FGM if the mass media were used to disseminate messages and create awareness about the negative health consequences of the practice. “I, therefore, recommended in my studies that mass media messages, especially those aimed at informing and educating, should be an integral part of any effort to eradicate the practice of FGM,” Mojaye said. He noted that while communication had shaped how people conduct their daily lives, it had also transformed the lives of individuals and society at large.

The Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, commended Mojaye for his vision, noting that communication could affect people’s way of living. Peters, who was represented by Prof. Isaac Butswat, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, NOUN, said the lecture was a significant event in the professors’ career, where they share research, achievements and other engagements with the larger society. He assured that the institution would continue to invest in research and development of its workforce.

(NAN)