Headline
FULL LIST: 107 Private Varsities To Be Investigated By FG’s Panel
The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday, inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee to look into the activities of private and foreign universities operating in the country.
The committee has, as some of its members, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede; the Minister of Youths, Jamila Bio-Ibrahim; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar among others.
One of the committee’s terms of reference stated that private universities established in the last 15 years be investigated.
“Without prejudice to the periodic accreditation exercise of the NUC, examine whether or not private universities established in the last 15 years have in the place prescribed facilities, appropriate management structure, adequate funding of programmes, requisite staff (nature of staff-full time, contract, adjunct, visiting, other types),” the term of reference read.
Already, Nigeria has a total of 147 private universities as listed on the website of the NUC.
Analysis of the dates of establishments revealed that 107 private universities were established in the last 15 years.
In this piece, PUNCH online highlights the private universities established in the last 15 years that may fall under the searchlight of the FG’s investigative panel.
They are;
1. Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State
2. Baze University, FCT Abuja
3. Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State
4. Glorious Vision University (formerly Samuel Adegboyega University), Ogwa, Edo State
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5. McPherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ajebo, Ogun State
6. Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State
7. Southwestern University, Oku Owa, Ogun State
8. Evangel University, Ebonyi State
9. Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State
10. Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos State
11. Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun State
12. Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State
13. Hallmark University, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State
14. Kings University Ode-Omu, Osun State
15. Michael & Cecilia Ibru University, Owhode, Delta State
16. Mountain Top University, Makogi/Oba, Ogun State
17. Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwalbom State
18. Summit University, Offa, Kwara State
19. Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo, Delta State
20. Hezekiah University, Umudi, Imo State
21. Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos State
22. Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State
23. Clifford University, Abia State
24. Coal City University, Enugu state
25. Ojaja University, Ilorin, Kwara state
26. Dominican University, Ibadan, Oyo State
27. Kola Daisi University., Ibadan, Oyo State
28. Legacy University, Okija, Anambra State
29. Spiritan University, Neochi, Abia State
30. Precious Cornerstone, Ibadan, Oyo State
31. PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State
32. Atiba University, Oyo, Oyo State
33. Eko University of Medical Sciences, Ijanikin, Lagos
34. Skyline University, Nigeria, Kano, Kano State
35. Greenfield University, Kasarami-Kaduna, Kaduna State
36. Dominion University, Ibadan, Oyo State
37. Trinity University, Laloko, Ogun State
38. Westland University, Iwo, Osun State
39. Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa-Ibom State
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40. Thomas Adewumi University, Oko-Irese, Kwara State
41. Maranatha University, Lekki, Lagos State
42. Ave-Maria University, Piyanko, Nasarawa State
43.AL-Istigama University, Sumaila, Kano State
44. Mudiame University, Irrua, Edo State
45. Havilla University, Nde-Ikom, Cross River State
46. Claretian University of Nigeria, Nekede, Imo State
47. Karl-Kumm University, Vom, Plateau State
48. Nok University, Kachia, Kaduna State
49. James Hope University, Lekki, Lagos state
50. Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Kano, Kano State
51. Capital City University, Kano, Kano State
52. Ahman Pategi University, Patigi, Kwara State
53. University of Offa, Offa, Kwara State
54. Mewar University, Masaka, Nasarawa State
55. Edusoko University, Bida, Niger State
56. Philomath University, Kuje, Abuja
57. Khadija University, Majia, Jigawa State
58. ANAN University, Kwall, Plateau State
59. Pen Resource University, Gombe, Gombe State
60.Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri, Borno
61. Margaret Lawrence University, Galilee, Delta State
62. Khalifa Isiyaku Rabiu University, Kano, Kano State
63. Sports University, Idumuje, Ugboko, Delta State
64. Baba-Ahmed University, Kano, Kano State
65. Salsa University Of Medical Sciences and Technology, Sokoto, Sokoto State
66. Nigerian British University, Asa, Abia State
67. Peter University, Achina-Onneh, Anambra State
68. Newgate University, Minna, Niger State
69. European University of Nigeria, Abuja, FCT
70. Northwest University, Sokoto, Sokoto State
71. Rayhaan University, Kebbi State
72. Muhammad Kamalud-Deen University, Ilorin, Kwara State
73. Sam Maris University, Supare, Ondo State
74. Aletheia University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State
75. Lux Mundi University, Umuahia, Abia State
76. Maduka University, Ekwegbe, Enugu State
77. Peaceland University, Enugu, Enugu State
78. Amadeus University, Amizi, Abia State
79. Vision University, Ikogbo, Ogun State
80. Azman University, Kano, Kano State
81. Huda University, Gusau, Zamfara State
82. Franco British International University, Kaduna, Kaduna State
83. Canadian University of Nigeria, Abuja, FCT
84. Miva Open University, Abuja, FCT
85. Gerar University of Medical Sciences, Imope-ljebu, Ogun State
86. British Canadian University, Obudu, Cross River State
87. Hensard University, Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State
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88.Phoenix University, Agwada, Nasarawa State
89. Wigwe University, Isiokpo, Rivers State
90. Hillside University of Science and Technology, Okemesi Ekiti, Ekiti State
91. University on the Niger, Umunya, Anambra State
92. Elrazi University of Medical Sciences, Kano Kano State
93. Venite University, Iloro-Ekiti, Ekiti State
94 Shanahan University, Onitsha, Anambra State
95. Duke Medical University, Calabar, Cross River State
96. Mercy Medical University, Iwara, Iwo, Osun State
97.Cosmopolitan University, Abuja, FCT
98. Iconic Open University, Sokoto, Sokoto State
99. West Midland Open University, Ibadan, Oyo State
100. Amaj University, Abuja, FCT
101. Prime University, Abuja, FCT
102. El-Amin University, Niger State
103. College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna, Kaduna State
104. Jewel University, Gombe, Gombe State
105. Nigerian University of Technology and Management, Apapa, Lagos State
106. Al-Muhibbah Open University, Abuja, FCT
107. Al-Bayan University, Kogi state
Headline
Russia Insists Ukraine Must Cede Land Or Face Continued Military Push
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he would end his Ukraine offensive if Kyiv withdrew from territory Moscow claims at its own — otherwise his army would take it by force.
The Russian army has been slowly but steadily grinding through eastern Ukraine in costly battles against outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces.
Washington has meanwhile renewed its push to end the nearly four-year war, putting forward a surprise plan that it hopes to finalise through upcoming talks with Moscow and Kyiv.
“If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations,” Putin said during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. “If they don’t, then we will achieve it by military means.”
Russia controls around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. The issue of occupied land, which Kyiv has said it will never cede, is among the biggest stumbling blocks in the peace process.
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Another important issue in the talks are Western security guarantees for Ukraine, which Kyiv says are needed to prevent Moscow from invading again in the future.
Washington’s original plan — drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies — would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.
The US pared back the original plan over the weekend following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but has not yet released the new version.
Putin, who has seen the new plan, said it could be a negotiation starter.
“Overall, we agree that it could form the basis for future agreements,” he said of the latest draft, which the US is thought to have shortened to about 20 points.
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US negotiator Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow next week to discuss the revised document, Putin said.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is meanwhile due to visit Kyiv later this week, Ukraine’s top presidential aide Andriy Yermak said.
– ‘Little can be done’ –
In his remarks Thursday, Putin repeated the claim that Russia had encircled the Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region — the most fiercely embattled area and a key target for Moscow’s forces.
“Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded,” he said, using the Russian names for the cities.
Moscow was also advancing in Vovchansk and Siversk, as well as approaching the important logistic hub of Guliaipole, he added.
The Russian offensive “is practically impossible to hold back, so there is little that can be done about it”, Putin said.
READ ALSO:Trump Urged Ukraine To Give Up Land In Peace Deal Talks — Official
Ukraine has denied Pokrovsk and Myrnograd are encircled, insisting its forces continue to hold the enemy along the front line.
Putin also questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy and said signing any agreement with him would be legally “almost impossible” at the moment, a suggestion that has drawn groans from Kyiv and its allies.
According to data analysed by AFP from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces have conquered an average of 467 square kilometres (180 square miles) each month in 2025 — a step up from 2024.
Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
Headline
Morocco Jails French Rapper Maes For Kidnapping Bid
A Moroccan court has sentenced French rapper Maes to seven years in prison on charges including the formation of a criminal gang and attempted kidnapping, local reports said Wednesday.
Maes, who has roots in Morocco and whose real name is Walid Georgey, was arrested upon landing in Morocco in January after fleeing the United Arab Emirates, where he feared he could be extradited to France, the reports said.
French authorities had issued an international arrest warrant for him over a separate criminal case.
He appeared in court late Tuesday and was found guilty of “forming a criminal organisation, attempted abduction and unlawful confinement” of a rival in Morocco, news website TelQuel reported.
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The rapper with over a billion views on his YouTube channel was accused of tasking a gang and hitmen with killing the rival, but the plot was foiled, TelQuel added.
Maes has denied all charges, with his lawyers calling the case “empty” and “arguing that no evidence linked him to the other defendants”, TelQuel added.
Ten other people were sentenced as part of the case, with terms ranging from one to 10 years, according to news website Media24.
AFP was unable to independently verify the reports as prosecutors were not immediately reachable for comment.
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In 2020, when Maes was one of France’s most-streamed rappers, he fell victim to extortion attempts in his native Sevran, a suburb north of Paris, according to reports.
He retaliated by opening fire with weapons he had at home, leading to a shootout. He then fled to Dubai with his family, according to an interview with French YouTube channel LEGEND.
Following the killing of his manager in 2022, he was suspected of ordering reprisals against those he believed were behind the murder, according to reports.
AFP
Headline
UK Court Clears Comedy Writer Of Harassing Transgender Woman
A London court on Tuesday cleared Emmy award-winning comedy writer Graham Linehan of harassing a transgender activist online but found him guilty of criminal damage to their mobile phone.
Linehan, who co-created the popular 1990s sitcom “Father Ted” but has more recently become well-known for his gender critical views, had been accused of sending Sophia Brooks “abusive and vindictive” messages on social media.
He was also charged with criminal damage after deliberately knocking a phone out of Brooks’s hand as they filmed him on the sidelines of a London conference.
Ruling on the case, District Judge Briony Clarke said she was not convinced Linehan’s conduct “was oppressive and unacceptable beyond merely unattractive, annoying or irritating”.
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Clarke also concluded Brooks was not “as alarmed and distressed as they portrayed themself to be”.
But convicting Linehan of criminal damage, the judge ruled he was “angry and fed up” and did not use “reasonable force” when the phone was taken from Brooks.
Clarke fined him £500 ($655) and ordered him to pay costs of £650 and a statutory surcharge of £200.
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The Irish writer, who also co-created the popular sitcoms “Black Books” and “The IT Crowd”, became embroiled in a free speech row in Britain earlier this year over his anti-transgender stance.
It followed his arrest at London’s Heathrow Airport by armed police over accusations of inciting violence with his X posts insulting transgender people.
The arrest sparked a backlash and claims of state overreach, including from US tech billionaire Elon Musk. But in October, UK prosecutors said they would take “no further action” in that case.
AFP
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