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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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Okpebholo Believes In Courage, Capacity Says Edo Poly Rector

Published

2 hours ago

October 16, 2025

Editor

The acting rector of Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, Dr Nosakhare Arodoye has promised to implement to the fullest the SHINE agenda of the state government.

Dr Arodoye said he was appointed by the governor to change the narrative of the Polytechnic from the present state to global standard with market-ready graduates and wealth creators within and outside Nigeria.

He spoke during the handover ceremony of the leadership in the state tertiary institution.

According to him, “the governor sent me here for development that will position this institution in a manner that will be productively and evidently attractive to all for visible intellectual results and deliveries.

“I’m for greater impact, lesser noise, the governor as a game changer understands this hence he approved my appointment as a tool for change in Edo Poly. Governor Okpebholo believes in courage and capacity.

“The governor is not a cut to size, he knows how the academic environment works. You can see that his team is made up of global scholars and that is where I belong.

“I’m here to work, I’m going to teach, courses must be allocated to me. I go for what people run from as a progressive, just like the governor, you can see the turnaround of things affecting every area positively.”

Earlier, the immediate past acting rector, Engr. Sylvester Omoruyi briefed the new rector on the present state of the institution particularly the continuous support from the state government.

He said Sen Monday Okpebholo has cleared the backlog of salaries as staff now receive their salary as at when due.

He noted that a total of twenty-two programmes have successfully been accredited with NYSC calling for various HND awarding departments.

On partnership, he said the polytechnic is currently in collaboration with Xianzi and Fuzhou Polytechnic in China where seven students are currently undergoing studies on student exchange programmes.

Before arriving at the polytechnic premises, Dr Arodoye had visited the palace of the Elawure of Usen, Oba Oluogbe III.

News

JUST IN: Senate Confirms Amupitan As INEC Chairman

Published

4 hours ago

October 16, 2025

Editor

The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Red Chamber confirmed Amupitan after a voice vote conducted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and after undergoing screening and answering questions posed by the lawmakers.

Amupitan had earlier arrived at the National Assembly complex earlier, exchanged pleasantries with Senators.

He was accompanied to the chamber by the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, and other dignitaries.

At about 12:50 p.m., the nominee was ushered into the Senate chamber by the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abubakar Lado, and was already seated ahead of the commencement of the exercise.

Amupitan was allowed into the hallowed chamber after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved that Order 12 be set aside to allow visitors into the chamber, and he was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).

Senate President Godswill Akpabio welcomed Amupitan, his family members, and well-wishers to the Red Chamber, commending them for their presence.

Before introducing himself to the Senators for the question and answer session to take off, Akpabio disclosed to his colleagues that the nominee had been cleared by the office of the National Security Adviser after vetting.

According to Akpabio, the office of the Department of State Services had also cleared him.

The Senate President also said that the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, having done a fingerprint search on him, cleared him and said that he had no criminal records with the police.

The screening exercise commenced at about 12:55 p.m. following Akpabio’s opening remarks, during which he outlined the procedures to be followed by the lawmakers in considering the nominee’s credentials.

The screening session focused on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and measures to deepen the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Following his confirmation by the Senate, Amupitan will oversee preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and lay the groundwork for the 2027 general elections.

President Bola Tinubu had nominated Amupitan, a Professor of Law from the University of Jos, to succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

The President’s letter conveying Amupitan’s nomination was read on the floor of the Senate by Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Jos, Amupitan, is widely regarded for his expertise in constitutional and international law.

News

IPF Commends Tompolo’s Commitment To Security In Delta, Nigeria

Published

8 hours ago

October 16, 2025

Editor

Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF) has commended High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, for his remarkable commitment to improving security in Delta State, Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.

In a press statement by its national president, Comrade Ozobo Austin, the IPF described Tompolo’s gesture towards Delta Security Trust Fund as a demonstration of his firm commitment to promoting peace, security, and progress in the atate, Niger Delta and Nigeria.

The group’s leadership lauded Tompolo’s philanthropic efforts, which according to them, portrayed his dedication to the well-being and prosperity of the country.

Recall that Tompolo promised continued support for the Delta State Security Trust Fund after making a handsome donation at the event held at the government house yesterday.

“The unprecedented donation and firm commitment to peace and security in the country by High Chief Tompolo are shining examples of his leadership and dedication to the development of Delta State, Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole.

“We commend him for his vision and generosity, and we urge others to follow his footsteps in supporting initiatives that promote peace and security in Delta State and Niger Delta region.

“High Chief Tompolo’s support will go a long way in enhancing security measures in Delta state and contributing meaningfully to the overall development of the country,” the statement reads.