Presidential audit team finds N5.7 billion discrepancies in govt payroll

The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit has found discrepancies in the payroll of the Federal Governmment’s Ministries, Agencies and Departments to the tune of N5.7 billion monthly.
The Head of the Continuous Audit Team, Mohammed Dikwa, made this known in an interview with journalists on Friday in Kano on the sideline of the two-day National Revenue Retreat, organised by the Ministry of Finance.
He said the amount was the true state of their findings as at June 30, 2016, and as a result the federal government had been saved from paying that amount monthly.

After banning post-UTME, Nigeria scraps common entrance interview test into unity schools

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has announced the cancellation of the interview test for National Common Entrance Examination (NCCE) into Federal Government colleges.

A statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on Monday in Abuja said the cancellation of the test for NCCE would take effect from the 2017/2018 academic year.

The statement signed by the Deputy Director, Press, Bem Goong, said the minister could not establish the rationale for a second test for NCCE organised by the National Examination Council (NECO).

NECO to combine common entrance tests for unity schools

The National Examination Council (NECO) says it has adjusted the National Common Entrance Examination (NCCE) for admission into Federal Government Colleges in line with the education minister’s directive.

NECO’s FCT Zonal Coordinator, Abdul Mustapha, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, said the first and second tests had been collapsed into one.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, on Monday announced the cancellation of the interview test for NCCE organised by NECO.

Mr. Adamu directed the council to strengthen its examination processes with a view to achieving a quality and credible NCCE for admission into unity schools at the first test

List Of Universities You Can Write Their Post-UTME Without Choosing Them During JAMB Registration

In these schools, you can apply and write for their post utme examination if you have at least 150 aggregate scores in JAMB CBT. 

Also, you are also eligible to write  their post utme examination even if you did not choose them as
your institution of choice during your JAMB UTME
registration.

All you need is to watch-out when their post utme form will be released and apply immediately, follow up and sit for their post utme examination. 

JAMB speaks on lists sent to universities, 2016 cut-off mark

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says the recent lists forwarded to various tertiary institutions was for candidates that qualified for screening based on institutions’ capacity.
The board’s Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, made the clarification on Sunday Lagos in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

According to the statement, they are in no way the admission lists.


It added that if, however, the number of candidates on such lists

ASUU draws battle line with FG over scrap of Post-UTME

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday lambasted the Federal Government for scrapping the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, told newsmen in Abuja, that the cancellation “portends serious danger for the quality of education in this country”.

“The argument of federal government on the policy is unacceptable and potentially harmful to the future of

Borno malnutrition crisis, a national problem, says Saraki

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said the malnutrition crisis presently encountered in Borno State should be seen as a Nigerian problem which deserves the ante notion of everyone.

He promised that the issue would be addressed on the floor of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly soonest.

Saraki made this declaration on Monday while in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to pay a condolence visit to the people of the state over the death of the Alhaji Shettima Monguno.

Tension In Varsities As ASUU Threatens Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that the nation’s university sector may soon be thrown into crisis if the federal government fails to begin the total implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, especially the NEEDS assessment agreement.

The union also urged the federal government to reverse the ban on post-UTME and the granting to JAMB exclusive rights to admit students to tertiary institutions.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, ASUU president, Biodun Ogunyemi urged well-meaning Nigerians to intervene to avert a looming crisis in the university system.

NANS rejects N2,500 post-UTME screening fee

The National Association of Nigerian Students has rejected kicked the introduction of the admission screening fee of N2,500 by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education.

Mr Gbenga Ayenuro, the NANS Vice President, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure on Friday.

“NANS, which has been, and will always be, at the forefront of any and every kind of exploitation of Nigerian students in any guise was relieved by the recent ban on post-UTME.

FG Cancels 2nd NECO Test For Unity Schools

The federal government has, again, announced the cancellation of the second test conducted by the National Examination Council (NECO) for admission into federal government colleges.

The cancellation is said to be with effect from the 2017/2018 academic year.

Giving reasons for the cancellation, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu stated that the second test was an unnecessary additional financial burden on parents/guardians, describing it as unacceptable.

According to the statement signed by the deputy director, Press, of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben. Bem. Goong,  this  followed the ban on Post-UTME.

Nigerians should commend Buhari for anti-graft war –Ukaegbu

Chief Madukwe Ukaegbu has been in the nation’s political turf since 1999 when he returned from the United States of America where he studied Criminology. He served Abia State both as deputy chief of staff, Government House and Special Adviser on projects before he resigned on personal grounds. In this interview, he spoke on the vexed issue of Ohafia/Arochukwu federal road and why Nigerians should commend President Mohammadu Buhari after one year in office.
Excerpts:
President Buhari’s has clocked one year in office, what’s your assessment of his administration?
My assessment of Buhari’s administration is, I would say so far, so good and the reason I am using that word is that when certain things happen in a nation which most of us witnessed, I need to be very

Women Coalition carpets Dino Melaye, Sonala Olumhense

A women’s group, Coalition for Women Advancement in Africa (CoWAA), has condemned Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye and columnist, Sonala Olumhense, over what it described as the threats they posed to women advancement in Nigeria. Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Dino Melaye Recall that Senator Melaye purportedly threatened Senaor Remi Tinubu, wife of the APC leader with rape, whereas  Olumhense in a recent article, ridiculed the wife of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS),

Arsenal's missing men: Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil could miss start of season

Arsenal’s pre-season campaign gets underway on Friday against Ligue 2 side Lens, but they will be without a number of key players after their exploits on the international stage this summer.

ABU develops remedy for Tomato Ebola

THE Vice Chancellor, Ah­madu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, says researchers in the institution have success­fully developed a remedy for Tuta Absoluta, popularly called Tomato Ebola.

Garba who made the dis­closure while responding to questions on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, said the university’s Institute of Ag­ricultural Research (IAR), which carried out the re­search, had since submitted its findings to the Minister of Agriculture.

He added that due to the discovery, the spread of Tuta Absoluta had since been checked.

No pay, no work, Nasarawa NUT insists

TEACHERS in Nasarawa State have urged the state government to stop pay­ing their salaries in per­centages and meet their demands or else the ongo­ing strike would continue.

Mr. Francis Jatau, chair­man of the state chapter of Nigerian Union of Teach­ers (NUT), said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia the state capital yesterday.

He said past experiences with the state government had taught them a lesson, hence, the need to ensure that all demands were met before the teachers would resume work.

Amaechi embezzled N3trillion during his eight years as Governor – Rivers State government

The Rivers State Government has accused the Minister of Transport and former governor of the state, Chibuike Amaechi of embezzling N3 trillion during his reign as the governor of the state.

Speaking yesterday, the State Commissioner for Information, Dr Tam-George alleged that Amaechi left “the most abandoned projects in the history of the State,”

Tam-George claimed the former governor, borrowed N4bn Agriculutural loan from the Central Bank with no trace of farmers who benefited from the loan.

Access Bank emerges first African Bank to win Karlsruhe Sustainability Award

Barely a week after winning the 2016 Euromoney “Best Bank Transformation” Award in London, Access Bank Plc has just received the award for the “Outstanding Business Sustainability” in the 2016 Karlsruhe Sustainable Finance Awards in Germany.

This award, presented to the Bank in Karlsruhe, Germany’s most sustainable city, recognizes the Bank’s outstanding success in incorporating economic, social and environmental aspects into its corporate strategy and business processes.

The prestigious award was conferred to Access Bank, the first African financial institution to win the award in recognition of the Bank’s ability to holistically embed sustainability across the financial institution. The award ceremony was attended by Global CEOs, senior executives of winning institutions and top German government officials.

Only candidates shortlisted for admission should be charged for screening – FG tells universities

The Federal Government on Saturday explained that its ban on the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the general admission procedures, “does not in any way affect the statutory role of the Senate of any university or the academic boards of any tertiary institution conducting its admissions”.

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu , in a statement by the Ministry’s Deputy Director

Buhari, Osinbajo saying rubbish; bombings will continue – Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta

New militant group, the Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, has warned that bombing of oil installations in the region will not cease.

The militant group, also described the alleged double speak by the federal government on dialogue with the people of the region as absurd.

A statement issued by the group on Saturday also asked the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to stop parading itself as leader of the militant groups.

Uproar as new forex policy throws real sector into turmoil

THERE seems to be no let on the lamenta­tion of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector as recent government policies introduced to upscale its competitiveness have tended to throw the sector into deeper mess.

Just as the nation’s perennial infrastructural constraints have over the years limited its scope of operation, the recent flexible ex­change rate policy according to stakeholders has left the sector a whopping N300billion deficit in barely one month of implementa­tion.