Category Nigeria News

Former presidential candidate in the 2023 election under the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to adopt a compassionate approach in handling its services to students, following the blacklisting of several accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Anambra State.

In a post on his official X handle on Friday, Obi said he recently encountered a large crowd of students outside the JAMB office in Amawbia, Anambra State, with some even sitting on the fence. Upon speaking with them, he learned they were there to make changes to their course or institution choice services, which are ordinarily available at CBT centres.

READ ALSO: Niger Assembly Urges Bago To Ban Sign-Out Day In Schools

“While passing through Amawbia, in Anambra State, recently, I noticed a large crowd of students gathered outside the JAMB office – some even perched precariously on the fence. The scene was striking and may likely be the same in some other states across the country. Troubled by what I saw, I stopped to speak with a few of the students,’’ he said.

‘’They explained that they were there to make changes to their course or institution choices. I found this surprising, as such services are ordinarily processed at JAMB-designated CBT centres. When I inquired why they weren’t using those centres, their response was disheartening: most of the CBT centres had stopped offering the service, leaving them with few or no alternatives. ”

Obi said most of these centres had stopped offering the service after being blacklisted by JAMB, forcing students to travel long distances to the state office.  

Out of 28 approved centres in the state, he noted, 17 have been blacklisted, with many of them unaware of the specific reasons except being told they were “under investigation.  

He lamented that the development had caused financial and emotional strain for students, some of whom had made up to five unsuccessful trips before being attended to. A service that should cost about ₦1,500, he added, now costs as much as ₦15,000 at the JAMB office, including unofficial fees.

“Further investigation revealed that out of 28 JAMB-approved centres ( CBTs)in Anambra State, 17 have been blacklisted. Sadly, many of the affected centres were not even informed of the specific reasons behind this action. The explanation given was the vague phrase: “under investigation. ”

“The consequences of this are far-reaching. Students are now forced to travel long distances, sometimes from remote parts of the state, just to access basic services at the JAMB state office. “From my interaction with the students, I learnt that many have made up to five unsuccessful trips before being attended to. What is more troubling is the sharp increase in the cost of processing these changes: a service that should ordinarily cost around ₦1,500 at accredited centres now costs up to ₦15,000 at the JAMB office – often padded by unofficial fees. ”

The former Anambra governor warned that the situation risks derailing the academic prospects of many young Nigerians, especially as some universities have already begun post-UTME screening. urging JAMB to allow the affected centres to continue offering services under close monitoring until investigations are concluded.

The Niger House of Assembly has called on Governor Umaru Bago to issue an executive order banning the celebration of Markers ‘ Day and sign-out activities in all public and private secondary and tertiary institutions across the state.

The resolution followed a motion by the member representing Tafa Constituency, Muhammad Idris, who decried the negative consequences associated with such celebrations.

Idris noted that what was initially meant to be a harmless farewell gesture by graduating students has degenerated into unruly behaviour, rising incidents of misconduct, and immoral activities. He warned that the trend threatens the moral and intellectual development that the state’s educational system seeks to promote.

“The ongoing trend of signing out from schools, which is presumably intended to be a celebration by final-year students, has recently been characterised by unruly behaviour and misconduct”, Idris told the lawmakers.

READ ALSO: Bago Unveils Plan To Plant 10m Shea Trees In Niger

The motion received unanimous support from other lawmakers, who described it as a timely intervention in response to growing public concern.

Presiding over the plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Afiniki Dauda, assured the House that she would liaise with the governor and the Ministry of Education to ensure the ban is swiftly enforced.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has inaugurated a committee to identify areas in the nation’s capital in violation of the Certificate of Occupancy issued to them.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony at the FCTA headquarters in Abuja, Wike lamented that there was no distinction between commercial and residential areas in the FCT.

This, he said, contravened the master plan of the city.

The minister also inaugurated a committee to oversee some issues that had sprung up between the FCTA and a private estate, River Park, located along the airport road in Abuja.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, FCTA Will Seal Properties Of Owners Still Owing Ground Rent — Wike

“Sometimes, the government will give a letter of intent to those engaging in mass housing, but we found out in most cases that the agreements are violated”, Wike said.

The minister gave two weeks for both committees to conclude their investigation and come up with recommendations for the government to take necessary implementation and action.

The Federal Government announced on Friday that the second tranche of the 35, 000 wage award arrears has been received.

The government had previously paid one month’s out of the initial five months’ outstanding arrears, according to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) in a statement released in Abuja.

READ ALSO: FG Demotes 59 Correctional Officers and Dismisses 15 of them.

The Director (Press and Public Relations), Bawa Mokwa, stated in a statement that three tranches must be paid off in order to settle the wage award arrears.

Organised labour in Tabara State has set Monday, August 11th, for a statewide strike.

Under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the unions said their decision followed a resolution reached at a meeting of the Joint State Administrative Council on August 6.

This was contained in a press statement jointly signed by NLC Chairman Peter Jediel and TUC Chairman, Sule Abasu.

According to the statement, the strike is in response to alleged irregularities by the state’s Biometric Data Capture Committee, which labour leaders claim have adversely affected workers.

They accused the committee of engaging in illegal practices and faulted the state government for failing to respond to an earlier ultimatum.

READ ALSO: NLC Condemns Sowore’s Detention, Demands Immediate Release

The statement reads, “Following the mandate of the joint state administrative council meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress that the leadership should take all necessary action to effectuate the ultimatum in collaboration with other stakeholders to check the illegality perpetrated by the biometric data capture committee. ”

“The organised Labour met on 6th August 2025 and resolved as follows:

1] Strike is hereby declared to commence from the early hours of Monday, 11th August 2025.

2] Mobilisation commences summed.

3] All workers, civil society organizations, and the masses are hereby put on notice to stock their houses for all necessary provisions.

The Technical Adviser on Communication to the Bayelsa State Governor, Don-Evarada Abednego, has decried what he called the neglect and marginalization of the Niger Delta region despite being Nigeria’s economic lifeline. &nbsp,

Speaking on The Morning Brief, Abednego said the Niger Delta faces extreme poverty, insecurity, environmental degradation, militancy, and pipeline vandalism, despite billions of dollars being generated from the oil-rich area.

“Virtually everything I’m seeing in Abuja here, perhaps in Lagos or Kano, and indeed every other state, is a product of what comes from the Niger Delta”, he said on Friday.

“The question on the ground is: what do we have in the Niger Delta? We see so much poverty… billions and billions of dollars being scooped away from the land and their soil, and what is coming back to them is health challenges”.

He lamented the decline in agriculture and fishing, major occupations in the region, and attributed it to the people’s growing frustration at the wealth generated from their resources being used to develop other parts of the country.

READ ALSO: SERAP, Others Sue FG Over Non-Release Of NDDC Forensic Audit Report

Abednego noted that while there have been interventions such as the Niger Delta
Basin Development Authority, the South-South Development Commission, and the Ministry of the Niger Delta, these bodies must work collaboratively to improve living standards. He warned of dire consequences if agitation in the region escalates.

“The people of the Niger Delta are already complaining that they are likely forgotten, and the little money that is given to them is like a part to some from the wholesome that is used in developing other lands”, he said, questioning the Federal Government’s infrastructure efforts in the area despite its contributions to the nation’s economy.

Abednego raised alarm over a public health crisis, claiming that cancer has become rampant in the mostly coastal area.

“If you carry out public health research work within the Niger Delta, you would understand that cancer has taken over almost every household.

” There isn’t an individual who does not have any traces of cancer on the skin and internally, “he said, calling for urgent attention to the healthcare needs of people.

According to him, without a safer Niger Delta, the Federal Government’s projections for increased crude oil production—and the development that depends on it—would be unattainable.