The Senate has launched an investigative hearing into the implementation of the Federal Character Principle in public sector recruitment, with lawmakers expressing readiness to amend the existing law to address persistent imbalances.
The inquiry spearheaded by the Senate Committee on Federal Character, aims to scrutinize how federal ministries, departments, and agencies have complied with constitutional provisions mandating equitable representation of all regions in federal appointments.
Speaking during the opening session, the committee chairman issued a stern warning to Chief Executive Officers and heads of invited agencies, cautioning that failure to appear before the panel would attract punitive measures.
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Lawmakers underscored that the growing discontent over lopsided recruitment patterns must be addressed through legislative reforms. They vowed to tinker with the Federal Character Act to make it more enforceable and reflective of current realities.
The probe led by the Senate Committee on Federal Character, drew representatives from various government agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service to answer questions about their recruitment processes.
Lawmakers unanimously expressed concern over the level of public discontent regarding perceived marginalization, underscoring the need to address the lopsidedness and invoking penalties where necessary.
Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who represented the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, echoed similar concerns, stressing that lawmakers were under pressure from their constituents.
He noted that many applicants from rural areas are disadvantaged due to lack of internet access and are often unaware when recruitment portals open.
In a pointed comment, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, emphasized the importance of the principle to national cohesion.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has admitted that errors affected candidates’ performance during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which was held across different centres in the country.
The Registrar of the board, Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, also broke down in tears while admitting to the error.
“Once again, we apologise and assure you that this incident represents a significant setback…. We remain committed to emerging stronger in our core values of transparency, fairness and equity.
“It is our culture to admit errors because we know that in spite of the best of our efforts, we are human; we are not perfect,” Oloyede said as he wiped tears off his eyes with a white handkerchief.
He also announced that about 379,997 candidates in the just concluded 2025 exercise would retake the examination.
This followed widespread complaints of technical glitches, unusually low scores, and alleged irregularities in the questions and the answers during the exercise.
‘Man Proposes, God Disposes’
However, in a post on its X handle on Wednesday, the examination body established that a technical glitch affected 157 out of the 887 centres.
It said this was responsible for the general low performance of the candidates.
It said, “Man Proposes, God Disposes! It has been established that a technical glitch affected 157 centres out of the 887 centres in the 2025 UTME. This was basically responsible for the general low performance of the candidates scheduled to sit the examination in those centres.
“As such, all the affected candidates will be contacted to reprint their examination slips towards retaking their examinations starting from 16th May, 2025.”
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2025 UTME Breakdown
JAMB released a statistical breakdown of the 2025 UTME, which revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates who took the examination scored below 200.
In a post on its official X on May 5, it highlighted that 1,955,069 candidates sat for the examination, and 1,534,654 candidates—representing 78.5 percent—scored below the 200 mark.
A breakdown of the results showed that only 4,756 candidates (0.24 percent) achieved scores of 320 and above, while 7,658 candidates (0.39 percent) scored between 300 and 319.
Just 12,414 candidates (0.63 percent) scored 300 and above.
For the 250-299 score range, 73,441 candidates (3.76 percent) were recorded, while a larger proportion, 334,560 candidates (17.11%), scored between 200 and 249.
The category with the highest number of candidates was the 160 to 199 range, with 983,187 candidates (50.29 percent).
Further down the scale, 488,197 candidates (24.97 percent) scored between 140 and 159, and 57,419 candidates (2.94 percent) scored between 120 and 139.
A percentage of candidates, 3,820 (0.20 percent), scored between 100 and 119, while 2,031 candidates (0.10 percent) fell below the 100 mark.
In addition to the overall results, JAMB also disclosed that 40,247 underage candidates were allowed to participate in the examination due to their “exceptional abilities.”
However, only 467 of these candidates (1.16 percent) achieved scores that met the defined threshold for “exceptional abilities.”
In 2024, over 1.94 million candidates registered for the UTME, with 1,904,189 candidates taking the examination across 118 towns and more than 700 centres.
JAMB also said that only 0.4 percent of candidates who took the 2024 examination scored above 300, while 24 percent scored 200 or higher.
Malpractices, Investigation
JAMB also reported that 97 candidates were involved in examination infractions in the 2025 UTME, while 2,157 others were investigated for “suspected malpractices”.
The board further noted that 71,701 candidates were absent from the examination, and those facing biometric challenges were being investigated.
JAMB also noted that those cleared would be rescheduled for examination at designated centres.
It added that some results, including those of blind candidates and candidates in the JEOG category, are still being processed and will be released once finalised.
JAMB had assured that candidates who faced biometric challenges or were involved in investigations would be given fair treatment, with rescheduling for those cleared.
On Monday, it ordered an immediate review of the 2025 UTME following a wave of public complaints alleging technical glitches, incomplete questions, and unusually low scores.
In a statement issued by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the board acknowledged what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” since the release of the UTME results last Friday.
It said the development had prompted it to fast-track its annual post-examination review process, typically occurring months after the exercise.
“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” JAMB said in the statement.
Benjamin had added that if any faults were found in the system, the examination body would not hesitate to implement “appropriate remedial measures.
“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, chief external examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and vice chancellors from various institutions.”
While speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief last week, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, attributed the mass failure to the efficacy of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.
He said the Board’s computer-based testing system “had made cheating nearly impossible” and should be extended to other national examinations such as WAEC and NECO.
The Borno State Government has arrested 73 underage children involved in substance abuse.
The children were picked up from different locations, including Bulabulin Kasuwa and Gwange Kasan Gada.
The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, which led the exercise, explained that the action was a bold and decisive step to curb the growing menace of drug abuse and the involvement of children in unlawful activities on the streets of Maiduguri.
The move followed the circulation of a disturbing video on social media showing a young boy, barely in his teens, openly admitting to abusing drugs.
According to a statement from the ministry on Wednesday, many of the children, aged between 12 and 15 years, were not only abusing substances but also exposed to criminal activities.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, said the children were successfully taken off the streets and transferred to the Bulumkuttu Rehabilitation Centre in Maiduguri.
There, they are expected to undergo comprehensive rehabilitation, counselling, and reintegration programs under the care and supervision of the Borno State Government.
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While addressing the children before their relocation, Gambo expressed deep concern over the rising trend of drug use among minors and stressed that the government would not stand by and watch the future of its youth being destroyed.
“You are still very young, and you deserve a better life than this. We are not here to punish you, but to support you. The Borno State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, is committed to giving you another chance to live a meaningful and responsible life,” she told them.
The commissioner added that the ministry would continue to trace, rescue, and rehabilitate more children at risk across the state while working closely with security agencies, traditional leaders, community members, and NGOs to eliminate the root causes of drug abuse and child endangerment.
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of five Resident Electoral Commissioners submitted by President Bola Tinubu in March for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The confirmation followed the receipt and consideration of a report by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Electoral Matters during plenary on Wednesday.
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Presenting the report on behalf of the Committee, Senator Simon Lalong, urged the Senate to confirm the nomination of five individuals as Resident Electoral Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission having passed the screening exercise.
The approved RECs are Umar Yusuf Garba (Kano State), Sa’ad Umar Idris (Bauchi State), Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako (Anambra State), Umar Mukhtar (Borno State) and Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem (Bayelsa State).
Tinubu had on Monday swore in two newly appointed INEC commissioners.
Meanwhile, the President has transmitted a proposed ₦1.783 trillion statutory appropriation bill for the FCT to the Senate for consideration and approval for the 2025 financial year.
In his communication to the upper chamber on Wednesday, President Tinubu urged the Senate to give the bill expedited consideration, noting that its passage was critical to ensuring an effective and service-oriented administration for residents of the FCT.
Responding to the request, the Senate invoked Order 78 to allow the bill to scale second reading the same day it was introduced.
However, the accelerated process did not go without a grudge as an opposition lawmaker, Senator Abdul Ningi, raised concerns about the procedure under Order 77 (3 and 4), pointing out that lawmakers had not been provided with copies of the bill prior to the debate.
The Senate, therefore, began debate on the general principles of the FCT Statutory Appropriation Bill for the 2025 fiscal year.
Leading the debate on the bill, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that the proposed legislation seeks to authorise the issuance of ₦1,783,823,708,392.00 trillion from the FCT Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund to finance personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
The budget breakdown includes N150.35 billion for personnel costs, N343.78 billion for overhead, and N1.29 trillion allocated for capital projects.
Bamidele underscored that the primary objective of the budget was to drive an effective and enduring service-oriented administration, with a strong focus on completing ongoing projects that have significant impacts on infrastructure and essential services in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a proposed ₦1.783 trillion statutory appropriation bill for the FCT to the Senate for consideration and approval for the 2025 financial year.
In his communication to the upper chamber on Wednesday, President Tinubu urged the Senate to give the bill expedited consideration, noting that its passage was critical to ensuring an effective and service-oriented administration for residents of the FCT.
Responding to the request, the Senate invoked Order 78 to allow the bill to scale second reading the same day it was introduced.
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However, the accelerated process did not go without a grudge as an opposition lawmaker, Senator Abdul Ningi, raised concerns about the procedure under Order 77 (3 and 4), pointing out that lawmakers had not been provided with copies of the bill prior to the debate.
The Senate, therefore, began debate on the general principles of the FCT Statutory Appropriation Bill for the 2025 fiscal year.
Leading the debate on the bill, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that the proposed legislation seeks to authorise the issuance of ₦1,783,823,708,392.00 trillion from the FCT Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund to finance personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
The budget breakdown includes N150.35 billion for personnel costs, N343.78 billion for overhead, and N1.29 trillion allocated for capital projects.
Bamidele underscored that the primary objective of the budget was to drive an effective and enduring service-oriented administration, with a strong focus on completing ongoing projects that have significant impacts on infrastructure and essential services in Abuja.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday, said budgeting under President Bola Tinubu’s administration is not for survival but for economic transformation that guarantees sustainable growth.
He stated this at the 15th Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers in Abuja.
Shettima, who noted that there was a nexus between engineering and governance, said budgeting could not be approached haphazardly or based on emotions but must be carefully handled in a way that guarantees results.
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According to him, just like engineering, where every bolt and nuts are accounted for, every dime has to be accounted for in every budget.
“What if we approach the national budget the way an engineer approaches a machine, each bolt and each beam aligns, each weight and measures accounted for, each output carefully tested against the blueprint?
“What if the budget planning wasn’t just a routine exercise but a technical operation in nation-building, driven by strategy, logic, and long-term calibration?This is the thinking we are institutionalising in the current administration,” he stated.
“We are not just budgeting for survival. We are budgeting for reality. We are budgeting for reality. We are budgeting for transformation. We are building systems that speak to productivity to sustainability, and progress.”