Education

Lead City University, Ibadan, have defeated Ghana’s University for Development Studies 1-0 at the 15th West African University Games in Ile-Ife. The victory handed the reigning African university champions their first defeat of the competition and boosted Lead City’s chances of reaching the knockout stages. UDS had earlier defeated Afe Babalola University 4-2 in their opening Group B match. However, Lead City delivered a disciplined defensive performance to keep the Ghanaian side from scoring, while converting one opportunity to secure all three points. The result has thrown Group B wide open, with the teams continuing their battle for qualification to the knockout stages.

Nigeria’s Amos Dangut has officially assumed office as the 14th Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the West African Examinations Council, WAEC. Dangut took over on October first, 2026, succeeding Pateh Bah of The Gambia. He will serve a five-year tenure, ending in September 2031. Before his new appointment, Dangut served as the Head of WAEC’s National Office in Nigeria from October 2023. During his time in that role, he championed innovations including computer-based WASSCE, digital electronic marking and the digital certificate portal. Dangut has worked with WAEC for more than two decades, holding various positions in test development, examination security and administration.

The Federal Government has suspended the planned takeover of King’s College, Lagos, by the school’s Old Boys’ Association for two weeks. The decision followed a meeting between the education ministers and representatives of education-sector labour unions in Abuja on Wednesday. The government also ordered the withdrawal of police officers deployed to the school, while the unions agreed to suspend their industrial action. A seven-member committee will now review and negotiate the government’s agreement with the King’s College Old Boys’ Association. The dispute began after workers protested the concession, arguing that it could amount to privatising the Federal Government-owned unity school. However, the government says King’s College has not been sold or privatised, stressing that ownership remains with the Federal Government. The Old Boys’ Association also maintains that it only intends to manage and improve the school, promising not to increase school fees or sack teachers. Education Minister Tunji Alausa says the arrangement applies only to King’s College and will not be extended to other Unity Colleges. He added that about 20 Unity Colleges are being considered for rehabilitation using approximately 20 million dollars redirected from a World Bank-supported programme.

The Federal Government is expanding its training programmes in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and other emerging technologies to 15 more tertiary institutions across the country. The expansion was announced during the commissioning of a TETFund and Renewed Hope Initiative ICT Experience Centre at Kwara State University. The new centres are being constructed in institutions across Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Yobe and Zamfara states. The programme, championed by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu through the Renewed Hope Initiative in partnership with TETFund, is designed to give young Nigerians access to digital learning, creativity, research and technological innovation. The centres will feature ICT laboratories, interactive digital displays, conference facilities and exhibition spaces. TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono says the initiative will expose students to emerging technologies while helping to bridge Nigeria’s digital skills gap and improve graduate employability.

The Nigeria Customs Service says it has committed about ₦70 billion to Corporate Social Responsibility projects across the country. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this while speaking with journalists after commissioning renovated facilities at Ife Girls’ High School in Ile-Ife, Osun State. He said education and critical infrastructure are among the major areas being targeted, as the government cannot address the country’s infrastructure needs alone. At Ife Girls’ High School, Customs renovated four classroom blocks, a laboratory, a staff building and the principal’s lodge. Adeniyi said the intervention was aimed at improving the learning environment and giving greater attention to girl-child education. He added that the Service has identified other schools across the country for similar interventions.

The Federal Government and the National Youth Service Corps are moving to deepen the digital integration of education records to tackle certificate fraud and improve the verification of academic qualifications. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting with the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, in Abuja. Alausa says the digital reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda are designed to close loopholes in the management of educational records and make it easier to authenticate qualifications across the country. He says the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank is collecting and verifying university certificates, while the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure is being developed to link records throughout a learner’s educational journey. The minister also says discussions are ongoing with the NYSC on an application programming interface that will allow faster verification and seamless exchange of relevant data between both institutions. He identifies discrepancies in names, issues involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of NCE holders into HND programmes as some of the challenges requiring urgent attention. Alausa says the ministry will work with agencies including the National Board for Technical Education, JAMB and the National Identity Management Commission to develop lasting solutions. The proposed measures include introducing a national Learner Identification Number and a standard system for recording names across government education and identity databases. The government has also strengthened measures against examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions. The move comes amid renewed efforts to prevent fraudulent credentials from being used for employment and NYSC mobilisation. The NYSC Director-General, Nafiu, says the Corps is ready to deepen its partnership with the ministry, adding that digitalisation has strengthened its operations. He says the introduction of QR codes has virtually eliminated document cloning within the NYSC.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, had released the 2026 UTME results of underage candidates for viewing. However, JAMB clarified that the release of the results did not automatically make the candidates eligible for admission. It said only underage candidates who met the requirements for exceptional consideration would be admitted. Candidates below the age of 16 as of September 30, 2026, were classified as underage for the admission exercise. JAMB said eligible candidates needed a minimum UTME score of 320 and at least 80 per cent in relevant SSCE subjects, where applicable. They would also have to meet their chosen institutions’ Post-UTME requirements and undergo a final assessment. The Board said the assessment process was still ongoing and would await the release of NECO results before completing the final stage. It also warned parents and candidates against individuals claiming they could secure admission for underage candidates outside the official process.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Gombe State University chapter, suspended its planned total and indefinite strike action. The union reached the decision after a congress meeting on Friday, August 21, giving the Gombe State Government and university management until October 2026 to fulfil agreements reached with the union. The agreements included the implementation of a new salary scale for academic staff and payment of outstanding arrears owed to members. ASUU said the suspension was conditional and warned that the strike would resume if the agreements were not implemented by the deadline.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has called for a stronger focus on vocational and technical education in Nigeria, saying the country’s emphasis on certificates and degrees without practical skills had contributed to unemployment and economic challenges. Fubara made the call on Wednesday while commissioning three projects at Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Rumuola, Rivers State. He said the education system needed to equip young people with practical skills that could help them become self-employed and create jobs. The governor recalled that Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education system was originally designed to expose students to vocational training and prepare them for either higher education or skilled employment. He, however, lamented that the country had gradually moved away from that vision. Fubara said polytechnics and entrepreneurship centres should be given greater importance because they could help students develop technical skills and become employers of labour rather than job seekers. He also said his administration was focused on projects that would directly improve people’s lives and address societal challenges, stressing that technological advancement had made practical and technical skills increasingly important. The governor urged students and residents to protect the newly completed facilities from vandalism and encouraged communities to take ownership of government projects.

President Bola Tinubu has approved a new funding arrangement for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, directing that liquid funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as well as certain unclaimed dividends, be channelled into the student loan scheme. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. He said the move was aimed at strengthening NELFUND’s finances as demand for student loans continued to increase. Alausa explained that only liquid EFCC-recovered funds that were free from legal disputes would be transferred to NELFUND. He clarified that the directive did not include forfeited properties or other assets recovered by the anti-graft agency. The minister also said FEC had approved the transfer of unclaimed dividends from the Capital Market Trust Fund and the Dormant Account Trust Fund to NELFUND. He said the decision was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to expand access to tertiary education and ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent qualified Nigerian students from pursuing higher education.