Education
FG releases N50bn to settle ASUU, other university staff allowances
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, on Wednesday, announced the release of N50 billion by the Federal Government to the academic and non-academic staff unions of federal universities for the settlement of earned allowances, as promised by President Bola Tinubu.
This was disclosed in a statement titled “FG Releases N50bn Earned Allowances to Varsity Unions, Tinubu Reaffirms Education Priority”, issued by Folasade Boriowo, Director of Press at the Federal Ministry of Education.
Boriowo stated that the move “stands as yet another testament to Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to fundamentally transform Nigeria’s education sector. It reflects the administration’s bold resolve to transition the nation from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy through strategic investments in education, infrastructure, and human capital.”
According to the Minister, “This intervention is not just a financial transaction—it is a reaffirmation of our President’s belief in the capacity of Nigerian youth and the invaluable role that academic and non-academic staff play in nurturing them.
“By prioritising their welfare, we are laying the foundation for a future where every Nigerian child receives highly qualitative and globally competitive education.”
The Minister expressed President Tinubu’s heartfelt appreciation to both academic and non-academic unions for their sustained trust in his administration and for fostering an atmosphere of peace and cooperation across Nigeria’s federal institutions.
“Notably, the country is currently experiencing one of the longest uninterrupted academic sessions in recent history—a feat attributed to the mutual understanding and shared commitment between the government and the university community,” the statement added.
The President reiterated: “The youth are the heartbeat of our country. Their future is extremely important to me and my administration. Keeping our children in school is not negotiable. It is my commitment that strikes
in our institutions will soon become a thing of the past.”
Recall that university-based academic unions have been at loggerheads with past governments over the failure to release earned allowances, among other demands.
Newly admitted students of Enugu State College of Education (Technical), ESCET, have been urged to embrace academic discipline saying any student who indulges in anti-social vices would be rusticated.
The institution which is affiliated to the University of Nigeria Nsukka ( UNN) made this known at the weekend during the 19th matriculation ceremony for over 500 new students admitted into the various programmes of the college including National Certificate of Education, NCE, Degree, Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) and Outreach.
Provost of the College, Dr. Stella Chinweudo Ekwueme, in her address at the occasion, congratulated the students and urged them to take their academic journey seriously.
ESCET Provost, Dr. Stella Chinweudo Ekwueme
She emphasized the importance of regular class attendance, timely completion of assignments and extensive use of the College Library.
“I urge you to embrace academic discipline, personal integrity, and responsible conduct. Cultism, drug abuse, and other vices have no place in our academic environment,” the provost said.
Dr Ekwueme told the students that the College maintains strict zero-tolerance policy on such matters, encouraging them to contribute meaningfully by upholding high moral standard while in the institution.
Vice Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Oguejiofo T. Ujam, represented by the Director of Academic Planning, Prof. Anthony Attama, also addressing the students, reemphasizes the need for strict adherence to institution’s laid down rules and regulations.
He assured them of the University’s commitment to creating a conducive academic environment for all and encouraged them to report any form of exploitation from any staff to the appropriate authority through the office of the Dean Students Affairs.
He also cautioned against involvement in cultism warning that “any student found to be involved in secret cult activities will be rusticated”.
The Vice Chancellor condemned cybercrime, stating that the university “frowns at all forms of ICT-assisted crimes.
In a show of government support, the Hon. Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah in a speech presented by His Special Adviser, Dr. Obinna Muouh, assured the College Community of the unwavering support of Governor Peter Mbah to the College.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment’s to enhancing the welfare and development of the institution.
The well-added ceremony was marked under a convivial atmosphere as newly admitted students took their matriculation oaths symbolizing the official commencement of their academic pursuit at the College.
Aderibigbe, a student of Starville International School, Jabi, Abuja, also scored 86 in Physics; 68 in English and 84 in Economics.
The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while giving a breakdown of the 2025 UTME statistics, noted that 12,414 of the over 1.9M who sat the UTME scored 300 and above, with only 4,756 scoring 320 and above.
Last year, out of 1.9 million candidates who sat the 2024 UTME, only 8,000 candidates, or 0.5 per cent, scored above 300 points in the examination.
The 2025 UTME results were officially released to the public on Friday, with over 1.5 million candidates scoring below 200, which is considered the average benchmark.
The UTME, which is scored over a total of 400 marks, tests candidates across four core subjects.
While the Use of English is mandatory for all, candidates are allowed to choose three other subjects relevant to their intended course of study.
Reacting to the performance data, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the results reflect the effectiveness of government efforts to curb exam malpractice.
Speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, Olamide’s father, Niran Aderibigbe, expressed gratitude to God over the result of his son.
“He hopes to study Architecture at Covenant University or the University of Ibadan.”
The PUNCH
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released a comprehensive statistical breakdown of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results.
The breakdown offers a full picture of the performances by Nigerian candidates in the examination conducted across the country.
According to JAMB, out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, over 1.5 million of them scored less than 200 in the exam.
It, however, announced that 4756 candidates scored above 320, 7658 candidates scored between 300 and 319.
In the statement accompanying the data, the Board said that 40,247 underage candidates were permitted to demonstrate their exceptional abilities.
JAMB further stated that only 467 of these candidates (1.16%) achieved scores that meet the threshold for exceptional ability as defined for the UTME, with their performance in the subsequent three stages still pending.
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