Bolaji Abdullahi, former minister of youth and sports development, has asked the federal government to find “creative ways to manoeuvre around” the coronavirus pandemic so that Nigerian students can write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year.

The federal government has said students of its 104 schools across the country will not participate in the yearly examination because of the pandemic, urging states and private school owners to follow suit.

However, a number of states in southern Nigeria have declared their intention to put measures in place and go on with the examination, while other West African countries are also going ahead.

Abdullahi, who was also Kwara state commissioner for education from 2003 to 2007, told TheCable that the federal government should not foreclose the options before it.

“The best we can do is to find ways to keep life going even in the midst of the pandemic and continue to find creative ways to manoeuvre around it. It is what we are doing with the airlines. It is what we are doing with the markets. It is what we are doing with sundry other sectors that we have allowed to resume even as the pandemic rages still,” he explained.

He said the decision not to participate in the exams will affect 1.5 million students this year, and this can get complicated if the pandemic continues into next year, meaning the number of affected students will double.

Abdullahi said: “The Federal Government is understandably afraid of what could happen, God forbid, if it allows people’s children to gather to write the SSCE examination in the midst of the raging pandemic of COVID-19.

“When it comes to COVID-19, there is no easy answer, and there will always be trade-off. Federal Government is therefore choosing to err on the side of caution by asking children not to write the examinations.

“However, the easier or safer options are not necessarily the best. The relative net consequences of all available options have to be considered and weighed against one another. When we consider that this safe option will mean that about 1.5 million children will be left hanging for one year and by next year, this number will double, along with all the implications, then we must force ourselves to think more deeply and begin to consider even more difficult options. No one knows if this pandemic will end next year, or even in the next five years. God forbid, but what happens if it actually gets worse next year and the year after?”

Advising the government to be creative, he said there are questions that the decision-makers should consider in arriving at a final decision.

“Can we get the exact number of students eligible to write WASC examination this year? Can we study their spread across the country? What logistics challenge does each location present in terms of COVID-19 safety measures? How long does it normally take to write the examination? Do we need to stretch it out longer to allow fewer number of candidates into the examination hall at one time? Can we set up minimum safety requirements that each centre must meet if it must serve as an examination centre? Do we need to request for a postponement for another month or so to enable us put all these measures in place?” he asked.

“Even the south-west states would value the lives of the children more than they value education. Same with other countries in the WAEC arrangement. Why then, are they insisting on proceeding with the examinations? Are there things we can learn from them in rolling out a nationwide plan? The decision not to write the examination is an option. But we need to consider other options as well and chose what is best for the children rather than what we consider most convenient for everyone.” (TheCable)

The Federal Government has given school owners till July, 29 to meet specific guidelines for safe reopening of schools.

It said schools are expected to undertake self-assessment and send feedback to State Ministries of Education, not later than 29th July, 2020.

The government said an official date for safe reopening of schools will be announced once these guidelines are in place.

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, stated these on Friday in Abuja.

Nwajiuba said the the Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE), having consulted widely, has in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Education in Emergencies Working Group, developed and circulated guidelines for the reopening of schools.

In a statement on Friday by the Director of Information, FMoE, Ben Goong, the minister said school owners are expected to prepare and comply with the guidelines.

“Thereafter, consultations with relevant stakeholders will be held to review the situation and decide on a specific date for reopening or otherwise.

“Furthermore, the Minister said, having taken the painful but necessary decision not to reopen schools without necessary preparations to ensure the safety of students and teachers, the Federal Ministry of Education has continued consultations with stakeholders, and a mechanism to assess and monitor compliance shall be put in place,” the statement said.

The minister said the ministry has consulted with Commissioners of Education in the 36 states, the Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria,(APSON), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools,(NAPPS), Provosts of Colleges of Education, Rectors of Polytechnics, Vice Chancellors of Universities, some State Governors and development partners since Tuesday last week.

On WAEC, Nwajuiba said: “we met with WAEC on Monday and have agreed to further consult with four other countries on a new examination date.
“We appreciate the concern shown by all stakeholders and note the divergent views expressed on the matter.

“Parents should be rest assured that the safety of our students and teachers is paramount as we work assiduously towards speedy reopening of our schools for the exit classes to take external examinations.”

Agrees with 4 countries to consider new date for WAEC.

Gives proprietors July 29 ultimatum to meet specific guidelines
By Joseph Erunke.

THE Federal Government has given school owners in the country up to July 29, 2020, to meet specific guidelines towards the reopening of schools at a date to be announced in due course.
This came as it had settled with four countries on a new date for the suspended West African Examinations Council, WAEC.

Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, who stated this, Friday, in Abuja, said the ministry, having consulted widely, has in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Health, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), the Education in Emergencies Working Group, developed and circulated guidelines for the reopening of schools.

The minister, according to a statement, Friday, by the Director of Information in the Ministry, Bem Goong, “school owners are to prepare and comply with the guidelines.

“Nwajuiba said schools are to undertake self-assessment and send feedback to state ministries of education, not later than 29 July 2020, “the statement quoted him as saying.

He said consultations with relevant stakeholders will be held to review the situation and decide on a specific date for reopening or otherwise.

The minister further said, having taken the painful but necessary decision not to reopen schools without necessary preparations to ensure the safety of students and teachers, the Federal Ministry of Education has continued consultations with stakeholders, and a mechanism to assess and monitor compliance shall be put in place.

According to him, “Since Tuesday last week, we have consulted widely with stakeholders in the sector, including Commissioners of Education in all the states of the federation, the Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria,(APSON), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools,(NAPPS), Provosts of Colleges of Education, Rectors of Polytechnics, Vice-Chancellors of universities, some state governors, and development partners.”
Commenting on WAEC, Nwajuiba said, “We met with WAEC on Monday and have agreed to further consult with four other countries on new examination date.”
“We appreciate the concern shown by all stakeholders and note the divergent views expressed on the matter.

“Parents should be rest assured that the safety of our students and teachers is paramount as we work assiduously towards the speedy reopening of our schools for the exit classes to take external examinations,” he added.

The management of the Sule Lamido University (SLU), Kafin Hausa, has released the cut off marks for the 2020/2021 academic session admission exercise.

Sule Lamido University is a state-owned public university located in Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State, Nigeria. The University was licensed by the NUC on 17th July, 2013 as the 39th State–Owned University and 129th in the Nigerian University System (NUS).

SLU Cut Off Mark.
SLU minimum cut-off mark is 160.

See the cut-off marks for all the courses available in SLU below:

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

1. B.A. (Ed) English 170
2. B.Sc. (Ed) Biology 160
3. B.Sc. (Ed) Chemistry 160
4. B.Sc. (Ed) Mathematics 160
5. B.Sc. (Ed) Physics 160

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

1 B.A. Arabic 180
2 B.A. English 160
3 B.A. Hausa 170
4 B.A. History 160
5 B.A. Islamic Studies 180

FACULTY OF NATURAL & APPLIED SCIENCES

B.Sc. Biology — 170
B.Sc. Chemistry — 160
B.Sc. Computer Science — 170
B.Sc. Mathematics — 160
B.Sc. Physics — 160

This is to inform the general public that registration for the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (P-UTME)/Direct Entry Screening of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State, shall commence on 13th July, 2020 and end on 31st August , 2020.

FUNAI post UTME screening exercise shall be in a dedicated calibrated format devoid of any physical testing or examination in order not to expose the candidates to Covid-19.

FUNAI Post UTME Eligibility.
1. Interested candidates who must have scored 180 and above in the 2020 UTME and who made Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State their first choice Institution in their application for admission in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
2. Candidates who applied to study Medicine and Surgery must have a minimum score of 200 in the UTME to be eligible for the University’s P-UTME.
3. Prospective candidates who scored a minimum of 200 for Medicine and Surgery and a minimum of 180 and above for other programmes and did not choose AE-FUNAI as their first choice institution, but wish to study in AEFUNAI are eligible to apply for PUTME However, such candidates must effect ‘Change of Institution/Course’ to AE-FUNAI on the JAMB Portal on or before the closing date of 31st August, 2020.

This is also applicable to Direct Entry (DE) candidates
FUNAI Degree Courses.
The following are programmes offered in the Institution for the 2020/2021 Academic Session.

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES FACULTY OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES 1. Anatomy
2. Physiology
3. Medicine and Surgery

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
1. Agriculture (Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Crop Science, Soil Science)
2. Fisheries and Aquaculture

FACULTY OF EDUCATION
1. Education Agricultural Science
2. Education Biology

3. Education Business

4. Education Chemistry

5. Education English and Literary Studies

6. Education Guidance &Counseling

7. Education Management

8. Education Mathematics

9. Education Physical and Health

10. Education Physics

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Chemical Engineering
2. Civil Engineering

3. Electrical/Electronic Engineering

4. Mechanical Engineering

5. Mechatronics Engineering

FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 1. Architecture
2. Geography

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
English and Literary Studies
Fine and Applied Arts
French
History and Strategic Studies
Igbo
Linguistics(Igbo)
Linguistics (French)
Linguistics (English)
Music
Philosophy
Religion
Theatre Arts

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Accountancy
Banking and Finance
Business Administration
Criminology and Security Studies
Economics
Mass Communication
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology

FACULTY OF LAW LAW

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biology
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Geology
Geophysics
Mathematics
Microbiology
Physics
Statistics

How to Apply for FUNAI Post UTME Screening Exercise.
Eligible candidates are required to pay a processing fee of N2, 000 only. To register, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Visit the University website: http://www.funai.edu.ng, go to ADMISSIONS at the top menu or QUICK LINKS, Click on 2020/2021 Admission Screening
2. Click on 2020/2021 PUTME Screening Registration OR 2020/2021 Direct Entry Admission Registration
3. Click on ‘Prospective Students’
4. Click on ‘Click to Apply’ under 2020/2021 Admission Screening Application
5. Enter your ‘JAMB Registration Number’
6. Select your payment mode (Generate Remita Retrieval Reference Number).
7. Proceed to any commercial bank for your payment with your Remita number.
8. Return to the Application page and enter your ‘JAMB Registration Number’ again.
9. Proceed with the completion of the form
10. Submit your application.
11. Print out your acknowledgement slip.

NOTE: Candidates who successfully complete the above process will be allowed access to a link through which they can upload their O’Level credentials for screening.

For support: E-mail: [email protected]

Hotlines: 08067558863; 07066988253; 08139833300; 08170899288 and 08095813126.

This is to inform the general public that registration for the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (P-UTME)/Direct Entry Screening Tests of Gombe State University (GSU) shall commence on 6th July 2020 and end on 19th July 2020.

GSU Post UTME Screening Exercise Eligibility.
All candidates who applied to the University as First Choice.
Scored a minimum of 160 points in the UTME. for Degree Programmes in Science, Education, and Arts and Social Sciences
Scored a minimum of 200 points in the UTME, for Medicine, Pharmacy and Law Programmes. (Candidates with less than 200 points particularly for Medicine and Pharmacy Programmes, are advised to immediately change to other alternative Programmes such as B.Sc: Botany, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, and Zoology; B.Sc (Ed): Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Mathematics and Physics etc).

Possessed an NCE/IJMB/Advanced Level GCE/Diploma for Direct Entry

How to Apply for Gombe State University Post UTME Form.

Eligible candidates shall pay a Non-refundable Screening charge of Two Thousand Naira (2,000) only via Gombe State University Remita Platform [go to https://login.remita.net/remita/onepage/G0000108566/biller.spa. In the Name of service/Purpose section, select Post UTME Payment]. The Remita Slip shall be presented to the Bursar for issuance of official payment receipt and the Online Personal Identification Number (PIN) to allow them access to the University portal.

Candidates shall then visit the University portal: http://dhrd-gsu-edu.com/admissions/ to register for the Online Screening Exercise as follows:
1. Enter Jamb Registration Number and PIN in the Form
Click Login
2. Fill the Form to create UTME/DE Screening Account
3. Click Register
Candidate’s details captured shall be displayed
4. Click ‘Generate Data Form’
5. A PDF File of two pages shall be generated:
i. Page 1 of the PDF captures candidate’s Registration details
ii. Page 2 is the Candidate’s Post-UTME I.D. Card
6. Print the two pages and attach photocopies of all credentials to page 1 and bring them along with the originals on the day of the Physical Screening. The dates on which Candidates would be screened shall be obtained from the Portal during Registration.
7. Candidates are to note that they must ensure strict adherence to all the Covid-19 Advisories and Protocol on large gatherings through the processes of the Screening Exercise.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, Lagos State chapter , has said it does not support the idea of reopening schools in the state .

The Lagos NUT Chairman , Mr Adesina Adedoyin , while reacting to the decision of the South – West governors to commence the West African Senior Secondary Examinations in August said it was disheartening that the governors and the Federal Government could not take a uniform decision.

He said, “ The Federal Government is saying no resumption and the South -West governors are saying pupils should resume. There should be a synergy between the federal and state governments. The task force members know the extent of the pandemic and if the curve has not been flattened, they will not advise schools to reopen . ”
He explained that the teachers and pupils were ready to resume, but the health of every stakeholder should be considered .

“ It is people who are alive that can write examinations and use certificates for further studies . What is paramount now are the children; they are the most vulnerable. You don’ t know where they have branched or visited on their way home . If we are not careful , the cases we have might increase ,” Adedoyin said.
He added that the NUT in the state would not support school resumption because of the rising COVID -19 cases and the limited testing centres available in the state .

Meanwhile, the national body of the NUT has expressed concern over the inadequacy of primary school teachers in the country which , it said, has dropped from one million to about 600 ,000 .
The union said it was unfortunate that states like Abia and Benue had been indebted to teachers with each of them owing between 10 and 11 months of salaries.

The NUT General Secretary, Dr Mike Ene , in an interview with our correspondent, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector .

“ We used to have over one million teachers in the country ; but today, we have about 600 ,000 .

“ Abia State is owing our teachers 10 months ’ salaries, Benue State is owing 11 months ’ salaries . We are urging the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector ,” Ene said .

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, said it arrested a Computer Science Undergraduate of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Kenneth Gift, 22 for alleged cybercrimes.

Operatives also nabbed his girlfriend, Dandy Spice, and his mother, Dorah Aninah, in Agbor, Delta State.

All suspects were apprehended for alleged internet fraud.

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, announced the operation in a statement.

The trio’s arrest was sequel to a petition from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

A 5-bedroom duplex has been recovered from them.

Others are Mercedes-Benz CA250, Mercedes-Benz C250, Mercedes Benz GLK 350, laptop computers and mobile phones

The suspects have made useful statements and will be charged to court as soon investigations are completed”, Oyewale added.

RECTOR of Kaduna Polytechnic, Professor Idris Bugaje, on Thursday said the institution has taken all necessary measures and set for to for safe re-opening for students once it gets the Federal government’s nod.

Bugaje told journalists at the Polytechnic’s main campus that the institution has produced its own sanitizing machine and acquired advanced technology that can measure temperature.

According to the Rector, “we have an Ultraviolet, UV based sanitizer. We are using that with 210 nanometers. This bandwidth of ultraviolet radiation is not hamful to the eyes or skin. So by the time you pass through this machine, any type of germs or virus in your body will be killed.”

He added that the institution has a very robust clinic to accommodate sick patients and all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) have been put in place.

Following the sudden closure of schools across Nigeria and other parts of the world, a school classroom in Borno State has been converted into a poultry farm.

The Federal Government has insisted that all schools remain closed until safety is guaranteed in wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Although South Eastern/Western States are appealing to the Government to reopen schools especially for students who intend to take the 2020 WASSCE, Northern States supported the Federal Government on the prolonged school closure.

A man identified as Olusegun Iselaiye has taken to Twitter to share photos of a classroom in Borno State that has been converted into a poultry farm.

He however shared some online pictures of numerous domestic fowls and birds feeding on food laid on what used to be the floor of a classroom.

He tweeted “School Owner Converts Classroom Into Poultry Farm In Borno.”

Chairs and desks were piled on top of each other on one side of the room to create space for the poultry farm.

Nigerians who reacted said the Northerners do not have education in mind and that is why they can do such to a classroom meant for learning


@OgbeideSmith wrote: “It is because most schools in the North have been converted to poultries that’s why they are kicking against reopening of schools in the country so that their chickens can mature and harvested before they reopen”.

@captkennypeter wrote: “No wonder the Northerners don’t want to write WAEC this year. @waecnigeria see for yourself where a classroom in which exam ought to be conducted is being used as a poultry farm”.

@KassandraUgoch1 wrote: “Next level oh! Chicken students! I hope they were not also enrolled under the school feeding program. We are still wondering how billions were spent feeding school children ,during the total lockdown period. Those chickens must know something. In fact the Shehu, must hear this”.