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Education: What We Want Tinubu To Do – NUT, NANS, NAPTAN, ASUP, CONUA

Published

3 years ago

March 12, 2023

With the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the recent presidential election, various stakeholders in the education sector have expressed their views on what they expect from him.

This is not unexpected given the prime place of education in the development of a nation and the various challenges besetting the sector.

It is no news that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, put the figure at over 20 million, while the federal government is saying it is about 13 million.

The incessant industrial actions by university teachers, and non-teaching staff, the poor state of facilities in schools, poor funding of the sector, among others are matters of concern to the stakeholders.

University lecturers’ desires

The National President of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, said he expects better welfare packages for lecturers among others.

“What we earn now is not enough to take anybody home. There should be an improvement on that. Also, there should be policies that will ensure uninterrupted academic calendar.

“A situation whereby lecturers and university workers are forced to go on strike and thereby disrupting the system is not good. It doesn’t allow for collaboration with foreign lecturers.

“There is no doubt that the sector should be made better to attract foreign students and lecturers like we used to have in those days. Nigeria is losing out in the global education market. We can earn foreign exchange by attracting foreign students. All over the world, foreign students pay higher than indigenes and universities and even governments make money from that.

“We can attract foreign students when our schools are well-equipped and the standard is high. We already have the required manpower, it is only the facilities that we need to improve on. The new leader must not pay lip service to education. He cannot afford to pretend that all is well,” he stated.

Polytechnic lecturers

The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe, told Vanguard that there should be a change of attitude towards education by the incoming administration.

“The outgoing administration has not shown any good attitude to education at all. It is very unfortunate. Over two years was lost to strike by tertiary institutions in the country.

“The level of funding was also poor. The attention given to education must improve. We don’t want any lip service paid to the sector. The issues are in the public domain and properly documented. The incoming administration must hit the ground running,” he said.

Parents’ expectation

Speaking for parents, the National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, opined that special focus must be placed on education.

“He should focus attention on education as it is the bedrock of the development of any country. Without quality education, other sectors such as health would suffer. We expect the new president to focus on education. The rot is too great to be ignored.

“We also expect a lasting solution to the issue of strikes by university teachers and workers. The issues involved must be resolved and no recurring of such again. Basic education must also not be neglected.

“It is the products from that level that go to tertiary institutions and once they are not good, there is little that can be done to remedy the situation at higher levels. Teachers must be motivated and infrastructure improved on.”

NUT’s position

The Secretary General of the Nigeria Union if Teachers, NUT, Dr Mike Ene, noted that any nation that hopes to be competitive globally should not toy with education and the welfare of teachers.

“If we want to move forward, we must take education serious. Budgetary allocations to the sector must be real and let there be massive recruitment of teachers . Teachers are the heart of the sector. Some states have not recruited teachers for about 10 years now. Public university workers must also be taken care of.

“We must guide against these recurring strikes by university workers and teachers. When they go on strike, like we had in the recent past, the negative effects of such strikes are felt many years after and they are not good for us as a nation.

“Also, every child must go to school. Education is a right of every citizen. It is the high illiteracy level in the country that makes some people to and kill without thinking twice.

“We also don’t expect the continuation of abduction and killing of teachers and students by miscreants. That is unknown to our society. Those behind that are people who want to discourage people from acquiring formal education,” NUT said.

NANS’ thought

The Southwest Coordinator of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Adejuwon Emmanuel Olatunji, expressed optimism that Tinubu would live up to expectations.

“Firstly, I would like to congratulate the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his electoral victory. We want to say that he should prioritize the education sector as well as other sectors.

“We have seen and heard his antecedents and we believe he can do better than what we have now.

“It has always been a kind of anthem for politicians who are being elected into office to promise heaven on earth before election and later change once they attain power.

“But We believe in him and we want him to make a change in all sectors and the country as a whole.

“He should formulate policies that would make people comfortable, address unemployment and find ways whereby students graduating get jobs easily.

“He must also address the issue of strikes in schools.

“He should also make education affordable and reduce tuition fees in all institutions which will make our students to enjoy education the way people did in the olden days,” NANS added.

VANGUARD

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JUST IN: Tinubu Directs INEC Chairman Yakubu To Immediately Proceed On Leave

Published

8 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to proceed on leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure.

Insider sources say the move comes in response to what they described as Mahmood’s “last-minute betrayal” of the All Progressives Congress government that appointed him.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma reportedly met with President Tinubu shortly after the president returned from a 12-day working vacation, alleging that Mahmood’s efforts to register new political parties at the end of his tenure had disrupted Tinubu’s preparations for a second term.

The governor also claimed that Mahmood was covertly backing a candidate in the Imo State governorship election.

Following this briefing, Tinubu reportedly requested that Mahmood suspend all official duties and proceed on terminal leave.

The decision has thrown the commission’s schedule into disarray, leading to the abrupt cancellation of Mahmood’s final quarterly consultative meeting with political parties, as well as a planned session with civil society organisations.

Tinubu is now expected to submit the name of a new INEC Chairman to the National Assembly in the coming days.

Mahmood was appointed to office by then-President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015, succeeding acting chairperson, Amina Zakari.

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400 Golfers Storm Abuja For Nigeria @ 65 Tourney

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2025

Editor

More than 400 golfers are set to compete in the Nigeria @ 65 Independence Golf Tournament at the Tukur Yusuf Buratai International Golf Resort and Country Club, Abuja.

The week-long tournament, organised to mark Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary, will also honour retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Army.

The Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Dr James Agbonhese, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the tournament aims to promote unity, camaraderie and national pride.

“This is more than a sporting competition. It is a reflection of our national values; unity, perseverance, discipline and excellence,” Agbonhese said.

He said the event would also feature the commissioning of new facilities at the resort, including a midway hut, a modern golf practice range, a back nine starter shed and a golf cart bay.

Agbonhese commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Grand Patron of the tournament, for his unwavering support.

The Vice Chairman of TYB Golf Club, Dr Ali Peters, who represented the Club Captain, Maj.-Gen. Samson Jiya, said the event was a symbolic tribute to the military’s role in safeguarding national unity.

“As we celebrate, we must reflect on the legacy of our founding fathers and the sacrifices that brought us this far,” Peters said.

He added that the new facilities would greatly improve the golfing experience for members and visitors.

Jummai Adamu, a member of the LOC, said more than 100 female golfers, including three professionals, would participate in this year’s tournament, reflecting golf’s growing popularity among women in Nigeria.

Tournament Manager, Mr Shola Adebayo, said the event would feature daily games, networking sessions and cultural showcases.

“It’s set to deliver not just top-level golf but an unforgettable experience for everyone involved,” he said.

News

Fire On Board Forces Lagos-Atlanta-bound Aircraft Diversion To Ghana

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2025

Editor

A Delta Airlines flight en route from Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta, United States, was forced to make an emergency diversion to Accra, Ghana, following a fire incident in the aircraft’s oven.

According to the spokesperson for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, on Thursday, the incident occurred on Tuesday, 23 September, affecting Flight DL055, which had departed from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

He said airline officials confirmed that while the fire was swiftly contained and posed no threat to passengers, the delay caused the crew to exceed their expected duty time, making them unable to continue the journey as scheduled.

Following the unscheduled landing in Accra, the airline initiated rebooking arrangements for stranded passengers. Some were accommodated on a Delta Accra-New York service the same evening, with further passengers rebooked on the following night’s flight.

He said, “However, some passengers were rebooked on the airline’s Accra-New York flight the same evening, and this effort was repeated on Wednesday night for additional passengers.

“Flight DL055 LOS – ATL finally departed from Accra today, 25 September 2025, at approximately 1200 hrs.”

In a related development, Delta Airlines also cancelled its inbound flight ATL-LOS (Atlanta to Lagos) for Thursday, 25 September.
Though passengers were said to have been informed in advance, “The airline provided hotel accommodations and ground transport for those who still reported to the airport.”

To mitigate the disruption, the airline rebooked 23 affected passengers on Air France, while others were scheduled to travel via British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa.

The remaining passengers will be airlifted on Delta’s regularly scheduled flight tomorrow, 26 September, at 11:40 a.m.

He added, “Regarding today’s 25 September 2025 ATL – LOS arrival cancellation, although passengers were duly informed about the cancellation, the airline accommodated those who arrived at the airport by providing transportation to hotels as reported in the flight disruption this morning.

“Twenty-three passengers had been rebooked on Air France, while others would be airlifted on British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa Airlines. The remaining passengers are scheduled to depart on the airline’s scheduled flight tomorrow, 26 September 2025, at 1140 hrs.”

Contrary to earlier reports, the Air France flight from Lagos has not been cancelled and is expected to operate at 01:30 a.m.

“Air France flight has not been cancelled as speculated, but would operate at 0130 hrs. Kindly note that I am attending meetings in Montreal, but I have had to constantly leave the hall to make calls and get feedback.

“Follow-up continues. While wishing you safe travels, do not hesitate to reach out to me if there is a further need to,” Achimugu added.