Atiku’s Desperate Quest For Tinubu’s School Records Raises Eyebrows, By Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah

September 23, 2023

In a twist of events, U.S. District Judge has wisely granted President Tinubu’s request to delay an order that would have compelled Chicago State University (CSU) to hand over certain academic documents related to his graduation.
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – Atiku Abubakar’s demand for Tinubu’s personal school records. It’s got many of us scratching our heads and wondering: What’s the real deal here?
First things first, we’ve got to recognize that releasing someone’s personal records without their consent is a big no-no. It’s not just frowned upon; it’s often illegal. There’s a reason for this – privacy rights. Whether it’s academic transcripts, disciplinary records, or any other personal data, these are usually protected by law.
Educational institutions are like vaults for this kind of information, and they’re entrusted with safeguarding students’ privacy. Unauthorized disclosure can harm the individual and damage trust. There are exceptions, sure, like in legal or safety situations, but there’s usually a whole lot of red tape to cut through before anything gets released.
So, let’s get back to Atiku’s demand for Tinubu’s school records. Why does he want them? Some say it’s to check if Tinubu’s got the right academic qualifications. Fair point, right? Well, not so fast.
It’s essential to clarify that academic records, like certificates, are typically demanded for employment purposes. Tinubu, in line with this practice, submitted his certificates to INEC during his candidacy for public office. However, the demand for his academic records by Atiku, an individual, raises eyebrows.

Firstly, Tinubu isn’t the custodian of Atiku’s educational records, so the idea of reciprocity is puzzling. It’s not within Tinubu’s purview to possess Atiku’s certificates, and therefore, Atiku’s demand for his educational records seems misplaced.

Moreover, both parties find themselves embroiled in a legal dispute. In such a scenario, it would be unwise for Tinubu to provide evidence that Atiku is actively seeking to use against him. It’s a bit like handing your opponent the playbook before a crucial match – an action that could have serious consequences in a fiercely contested legal battle.
In essence, President Tinubu’s reluctance to release his academic records to Atiku is not about hiding anything; it’s about upholding principles of privacy, legality, and fair play in the legal proceedings.
In this high-stakes game, one must play their cards carefully, and Tinubu’s decision to protect his academic records is a strategic move in a complex chess match. For now, it seems like Atiku’s quest might need a bit more scrutiny.
Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah is the Chairman and CEO of Bush Radio Academy.

Tinubu’s 50 Million Job Promise For Youths Gets Boost At UNGA With Launch Of Talent Export Programme

Greenbarge Reporters

September 23, 2023

The determination of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu to generate 50 million jobs for the Nigerian youths got a boost at the just concluded 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in the United States of America with the launch of a national talent export programme, tagged “National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).”
The initiative is designed to create at least, one million jobs over the next five years as a special purpose vehicle.
The minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, who spoke on the sidelines of the UNGA, at an event tagged “Positioning Nigeria as a Global Talent Hub0, said that the initiative is in line with President Tinubu’s agenda to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities, and generate about 50 million jobs for the youths.
“NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service export, talent sourcing and talent export.
“As part of our strategy towards achieving this, his excellency president Bola Tinubu whose agenda for job creation, we have initiated a national talent export programme for Nigeria, which targets the creation of one million jobs across Nigeria over a five year period. NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent export.
“The Nigerian government under the leadership of President Bala Tinubu as part of the renewed hope agenda is committed to diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment opportunities, especially for youth by creating 50 million jobs. This is in tandem with the theme of this year’s UNGA, rebuilding trust and igniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”
Dr. Uzoka-Anite told a gathering, comprising officials of the World Economic Forum and the Microsoft group that NATEP will be dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service sector export industry, laying emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services.
Available data indicates that the global talent sourcing industry is valued at $620 billion as at 2020 and it is forecasted to be valued at about $904 billion by 2027.
According to Dr. Uzoka-Anite, Nigeria has the ability to supply top talent for the global service export and outsourcing business, with over 1.7 million graduates from higher education institutions entering the workforce annually.
“NATEP will serve as a dedicated entity to address the unique needs and challenges faced by talents and service export industry. The programme will lay special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth through trade and services. It is noteworthy that the global talent sourcing industry was valued at $620 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to be valued at $904 billion by 2027. With a youthful population and over 1.7 million graduates from the higher educational institutions joining the workforce each year, Nigeria has the potential to provide high quality talent for the Global Service export and outsourcing industry.”
She said that Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent export, adding that government will take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) to penetrate the continent’s huge market and target job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, among others.
“As a country we have a significant value proposition for regional and global markets for the export of services. We will actively target Greenfield and brownfield job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, among others.
“We will take advantage of the African continental free trade agreement to access the African market.
“The four pronged objectives of the NATEP initiative as follows: One to deliver one million service export jobs over the next five years; to increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria; to create economic growth and to stimulate the growth of ancillary industries and support services and to improve skills and strengthening the Nigerian brand.
“To put it succinctly, the message from today’s launch of the national talent export programme is clear. Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent experts. We have the vision and commitment and we seek your partnership and trust as we embark on this mutually beneficial journey. We look forward to partnering with you.”
In his remarks, the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said that the initiative is timely as Nigeria is loosing out of the benefits countries like India enjoy.
“I think one thing we’ve not done well, is actually to be intentional, around how we milk that opportunity for our own economic development. And this is why this program is extremely important.
“I’ve been following the Nigerian story, we’ve been losing a lot of our top talents to the world. Canada is soaking in a lot, the UK as well as. I think the UK last week or so announced that if you’ve never taught physics, but you’ve studied physics, you can now come into the UK to teach and they’ll give you £10,000 to actually come in.
“So the implication of that is that we’re going to be losing a significant proportion of people in that space of the academy.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. The best we can ever do is to be intentional about it and turn it into exports. And it’s going to become even deeper for us because this becomes a significant resource that we can tap into.
“As you all know, Africa’s 1.2 billion people, 40% are young people, Nigeria is about roughly 20% of the entire continent. And we have 60% of our 220 million people as young people. So which means we are in a very strong position to power global economy. But if we do it well intentionally, it means that we can cash in on that opportunity but also connect our people back to how good the development we want to see in the country but also on the continent.
“We cannot stop people from moving. I think this is why our president is extremely passionate about it. He’s given mandate to different ministries. I’ve got the mandate to train 1 million technical talent, we believe we can actually do much more than one million. And the intention is that we may not have the local tech economy to absorb the 1 million, so the goal is actually to export, which is also something we’ve been doing.
“But I think in the process of exporting, we, must also be intentional about it. It’s not just about exporting our people by it’s not another slave trade. It’s about making the most of it, we export for value. These people contribute and add value to the world, but also they bring value back to us as well. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about meaningful exploitation of talent. I think that’s where Nigeria I want to be.”
Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Dr. Saadia Zahidi, who also spoke at the event, promised to support Nigeria’s effort in the new talent export programme.
She said: “The World Economic Forum in Nigeria has a long standing partnership and we are very happy to support this particular effort. The forum established some months ago, a skills accelerator in Nigeria and under the leadership of Her Excellency, the minister and others, we hope that we will be able to provide support to NATEP through the continuous rescaling and upskilling of the workforce that will be a part of this initiative.
“The way these accelerators work, we bring in some of the learning and training providers, we bring in some of the companies that have the most to teach very often to the youth that are part of these programmes, and of course, bringing together the public sector as well, to then ensure that in a rapid 18 to 24 month period, there’s a rapid setup of not just the learning for those that will be part of this workforce. But that there is ongoing systems, change ongoing upskilling, ongoing rescaling so that those skills are not redundant at some point in time.”
The official launch of NATEP also featured a panel discussion moderated by Dr Femi , CEO Outsource Global, Amal Hassan,
Head of Policy for West and Central Africa for Meta, Adaora Ikenza, and Country Representative for Microsoft Nigeria, Dr Ola Williams.

Nigeria Is Greatest Economy In Africa, President Tinubu Tells The World

Greenbarge Reporters

September 23, 2023

President Bola Tinubu has assured the world leaders and shakers of the business world that Nigeria is the greatest economy of Africa.
He stressed that there is an immense opportunity in Nigeria where they can invest their money without fear.
President Tinubu spoke when he rang the closing bell of the world’s second largest stock exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ), in the world’s financial capital.
Surrounded by Nigerian business leaders and officials of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, in trademark fashion, Tinubu seized the opportunity, presented by the historic moment to boldly advance his foreign investment push as he stood in front of financial markets at the famous stock exchange.
President Tinubu said that he felt honoured to bring Nigeria to them, “and I am honoured that we are here today with a bubbling Nigerian stock market that will evolve in the West African sub-region.
The Nigerian leader said that his government would continue to address longstanding problems and impediments, such as his work to restore and unify the foreign exchange rate market to a stable and trustworthy level, allowing new investors to seamlessly bring their money into the country, free of worries about whether or not they can take their money out at any point in time.
“You are free to take in your money and bring out your money. I count on you to invest in Nigeria.”
At the Nigeria-U.S Executive Business Roundtable held just after the closing bell, President Tinubu assured prospective investors that he intentionally brought successful Nigerian industrialists and public officials to share their experiences and operational plans respectively, in addition to all that he has already done to boost the confidence of the global investment community in Nigeria’s presently reforming fiscal, monetary, regulatory and tax policy environment.
“Nigeria is an opportunity that is impossible to replicate or find elsewhere in any part of the world. We have brilliant young people who both innovate and consume at a large scale. Our entrepreneurial spirit is a major part of what makes our market totally unique, aside from demography.
“Nigerians build businesses and Nigerian businesses partner with other businesses to conduct larger business. There is enough value to spread around. Be careful of what you hear about Nigeria. You may be dissuaded out of a major opportunity that others will take up. We are here for you. We will give you all the support you need to succeed and succeed abundantly.”

Mohbad, A Star After Death, By Benjamin Njoku

Greenbarge Reporters

September 23, 2023

In the world of music, there are few artists whose dreams of fame are achieved as soon as they release their debut songs. And there are also those who toil day and night without receiving the recognition they deserve until they are no more. Mohbad no doubt belonged to this latter class of artists.
Unfortunately, it took death for a star like Mohbad to be born in this clime. In fact, since his demise on Tuesday, September 12, Mohbad’s popularity and fame soared like never before. His sudden exit has also unravelled a lot of unpleasant issues that have long been swept under the carpet on the Nigerian music scene.
While Mohbad was alive struggling to hold his own on the country’s music scene, not many took notice of him, and his music. Desmond Ekwueme, a passionate entertainment follower and writer confessed he only knew about him after his death. It is so with many.
Perhaps, he was considered as ‘a nobody’, who was ridiculed, attacked, underestimated and ignored by society and the music industry during his lifetime. But now that he’s no more, everybody is idolizing the 27 year-old singer, showering him with love and gifts that he never enjoyed while he lived.
Suddenly, Mohbad’s art has taken on new meaning, garnering new interest. And Mohbad is the new bride of the world. His name is on the lips of everyone within and outside the shores of the country.
Besides the controversies trailing his death, resulting in the trending hashtag #justiceformohbad on social media platforms, including X, formerly known as Twitter, and the nationwide protest, Mohbad unarguably has joined the league of pop stars who became legends after their death.
Before his exit, Mohbad was known by only a few fans and his influence was limited to the street music lovers. It wasn’t until last week after his death that the world decided to take a second look at the singer’s works and career. He was a talent.
While the singer’s death has been making headlines on daily basis, with many fans and celebrities across the world demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the true cause of his exit, his songs have continued to dominate major streaming platforms, as his management has vowed to recover his royalties from his former record label, Marlian Records.
Amid high emotions since Mohbad’s exit, tributes from across the world have raised serious concerns about potential industry bullying. Many have called for the arrest of the late singer’s former boss, Naira Marley, with whom he had a public feud following his exit from Marlian Records last year. The backlash against Naira Marley on social media has led to the ban of his songs by one of the radio stations in Ibadan, SplashFM, for the duration of the investigation.
Also, two major music channels, Soundcity and MTV Base followed suit during the week by removing Naira Marley’s songs from their playlists, in the wake of the artist’s said soured relationship with Mohbad before his passing. However, no evidence has been traced to Naira Marley.
Meanwhile, defending himself from all the allegations of bullying levelled against him, Naira Marley has called for a comprehensive probe into MohBad’s demise and pledged to support efforts to uncover any potential foul play or injustice.
“No family is perfect, families have disagreed but no harm whatsoever was wished on Mohbad. “So many things left unsaid but the love was always there. This tragedy is not only a loss for us, but also to everyone you touched musically around the world,” Naira Marley stated.
However, despite his defense, accusing fingers are still being pointed at him and Sam Larry, even as fans and colleagues have continued to hold peaceful protests across the country demanding justice for the late singer.
But while the world awaits the outcome of the investigation of a 13-member special panel instituted by the Lagos State Police Command to ascertain the cause of the singer’s death, it’s important to remember that Mohbad didn’t just create music, he fought for it and died for it.
For many, Mohbad’s songs will always represent inescapable sadness, pain, bright sparks of joy, moments of excitement, and all the emotions in between. His song ‘Peace’ during the week claimed the number two position on the Billboard Charts, only trailing CRAVITY’s track ‘Ready Or Not’ and surpassing American rapper Nicki Minaj’s ‘Big Difference.’
The song has climbed the charts on Apple Music Nigeria. Released in September 2022, Peace peaked at number 23 on the Top Songs chart, an enviable feat worthy of accolades. In the song, Mohbad expressed his struggles, singing, “wetin be this one like this, been through many many things, many many gist, but I still find my peace.”
In addition to the achievement, the late singer’s EP ‘Blessed’ has entered the top Albums chart in Nigeria, clearly resonating with mourning fans and newer audiences. This posthumous landslide success speaks to the impression Mohbad left on Afropop music during his short but promising career,
His tracks ‘Feel Good’ and ‘Ask About Me’ have also secured the 5th and 8th positions, respectively.
Six of his songs currently occupy the top 10 spots. ‘Ask About Me’ holds the top spot, followed by ‘Beast & Peace’ at number 2, ‘Sabi’ at number 5, ‘Feel Good’ at number 6, and ‘Pariwo featuring Bella Shmurda’ at number 8. Mohbad has continued to rise on the global digital artists’ ranking, which steadily updates the best-selling artists in the world. His hit singles like “Ponmo, Feel Good”, and “KPK (Ko Por Ke)” are also climbing the charts.
But the most touching of the singer’s songs is his unreleased dirge, which surfaced online, where he foretold his own death in the song, leaving fans grieved by his lyrics. The lines preempted Mohbad’s thought about the future, in which he considered what others would say about him after he’s gone.
He sang “Love me while I’m still here, cause heaven is our residence,
“Jah is my confidence, every man is a walking dead”
“When I’m there no more, people will love me more.”
“Talk about the things I’ve done, discuss my rights and wrongs “
“When I’m laying dead on the floor, when I can’t talk no more”
“If I go live forever, Shebi Oluwa”
This is the song that will outlive the late singer.
His colleagues didn’t patronise Mohbad while he was alive — Portable
While he was alive, Mohbad didn’t enjoy the accolades and outpouring of love that greeted his exit. Wherever he may be, the late singer will surely have peace, even though the sad memories of his last days may rarely be erased.
For Portable, his colleagues and fans didn’t do enough to encourage and patronize the singer when he was alive. In a video message shared via his Instagram page, the singer said he wants to be celebrated and appreciated now that he is still alive, stressing that he doesn’t want “the fake love” being shown to Mohbad.
“You guys didn’t post Mohbad on social media when he was alive, but the moment he died, you all started streaming his music and posting his pictures. Please, appreciate me while I’m still alive. Make una dey celebrate people na. Na bad news una dey post. Help me while I’m still alive. Motivate me. Celebrate me while I’m still alive. Please, listen to my music, dance to my songs, download my songs. Not when I die, then you will now start streaming my songs, ”Portable said.
However, while many are calling for Naira Marley’s arrest, veteran gospel reggae singer, Righteousman has advised aggrieved fans and colleagues to exercise caution, insisting that there are many questions surrounding the death of Mohbad that are begging for answers. .
According to him, “I am not in support of Naira Marley because of his kind of lifestyle, but we must ask simple questions in respect of the hospital, where the late singer was rushed to, the nurse that attended to him and why his father was in a hurry to commit him to the mother earth? Why are some people covering up the hospital?
“We don’t know what to believe again. And that’s why I am being cautious of what to say here. I have been hearing Mohbad’s music for years but I never knew he was the artist behind the songs.”

Intending Muslim Pilgrims In FCT Asked To Deposit N4.5 Million For 2024 Hajj

Editorial staff

September 22, 2023

The Federal Capital Territory Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has advised intending Muslim Pilgrims for 2024 to deposit a minimum of N4.5 million only pending its final determination by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

A statement today, September 22, by the Assistant Chief Information Officer of the Board, Ahmad Saleh asked the intending pilgrims to make the payment through a bank draft, payable in favour of the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Abuja.

The statement said that the board has fixed September 25th for the commencement of the sale of forms and registration of 2024 intending Pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It advinsed intending pilgrims to submit their valid international passports and NIN at the point of registration with the Area Officers at their respective Secretariats, in the six Area Councils in the FCT, nearest to them.

It said that the Board does not accept cash deposits and does not entertain registration by proxy, adding that the Board strictly adheres to the principles of first come, first serve principle.

World Bank Intervens In Nigerian Irrigation Farming, Pledges Total Commitment

Editorial staff

September 22, 2023

The World Bank has intervened in the irrigation farming in Nigeria, Pledging to reposition it for sustainable economic development and for food security.

The Bank made the pledge when its team on Sustainable Power and Irrigation in Nigeria/ Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria, (SPIN/TRIMING) project officials visited the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev. The officials of the Bank were led by Jun Matsumoto Matsumoto.

He acknowledged the successful transformation of irrigation asset management in Nigeria through the establishment of water users associations.pastedGraphic.png

He noted the pivotal role played by the associations in ensuring the sustainable management of irrigation resources and called for support in achieving the project’s objectives.

He emphasised the critical importance of collaboration in the upcoming SPIN project and elaborated on its core objectives. Matsumoto said that one of the objectives is the utilisation of existing water resources infrastructure to address Nigeria’s water resources and energy requirements. He said that the project would include comprehensive technical assistance studies focused on large-scale water resources management, and the development of multi-purpose dam hydropower projects.

This was even as Professor Utsev said that achievements already recorded in Nigeria’s TRIMING project is impressive.

He emphasised the integral connection between economic sustainability and food security, underlining the TRIMING project’s pivotal role in enhancing food production.

The minister welcomed the proposal to replace TRIMING, set to expire in 2024, with SPIN, saying that it would address Nigeria’s pressing challenges in the area of food sufficiency.

Professor Utsev reaffirmed Federal Government’s commitment to food security, improved irrigation techniques, and enhanced farming practices across the country.

He expressed gratitude to the World Bank for the remarkable progress recorded on the project over the past nine years and expressed optimism that it would yield even more significant outcomes.

TRIMING strengthened quality of and access to productivity-enhancing and market access services for 130,000 farmers in four rehabilitated irrigation schemes.

They are the Bakolori Irrigation Scheme in Zamfara, Middle Rima Irrigation Scheme in Sokoto State, Kano River Irrigation Scheme, and Hadejia Valley Irrigation Scheme in Jigawa. The project provides technical assistance to establish a Farmers’ Management Centre at each of the irrigation schemes.

Source: NAN.

Board For Technical Education Boss Wants Govt To Remove HND/BSc Dichotomy Or Scrap HND

Editorial staff

September 22, 2023

The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Idris Bugaje has asked the Federal Government to scrap the Higher National Diploma (HND) in the Polytechnics if the government would not remove the dichotomy between HND and BSc.

Professor Bugaje in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that the discrimination against HND holders is uncalled for as it usually prevents the holders from attaining the highest directorate level in the public service.

According to him, the HND-BSc dichotomy is a colonial syndrome and it is unfortunate that Nigeria is yet to get out of this syndrome.

He said that the Board has written to convince the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Federal Ministry of Education to allow HND holders to go straight for two year Masters programme.

He said that the letter had however not seen the light of the day.

“Basically, what brought the top-up programme was the discrimination that we have endured over the past decades against HND holders, who for no fault of theirs ,shown nationalism by even coming to the Polytechnics to learn skills.

“HND is equivalent all over the world to a first degree, yet Nigerians are discriminating against HND holders, they are not allowed to reach the highest directorate level in the public service.

“Their progression is being attenuated over the years. When they want to convert, they are asked to step down to a lower level for no cause of theirs simply because they have not presented a BSc.

“So we felt, which is the way out and currently there has to be PGD, but PGD is not the best for HND holders because anytime they want to take employment in a University even after their Doctorate, they will still ask them to present their first degree.”

The executive secretary explained that the Board copied foreign models to assist HND holders in attaining managerial positions.

He said that the first degree should not be used as the only yardstick for progression in academia, adding that encouraging skills is a way to go if a country must grow and develop.

“So NBTE therefore looked at the best global practices, we have discovered what is happening in Ghana, South Africa, the European Union and Asia.

“What we discovered is the best option for Nigerian HND by taking the holders through a one-year top-up which will allow them to acquire BSc.

“By doing this, in theory, they have BSc and in practice they have HND and whenever you give them any assignment, they will perform more than anybody else.

“So that is the purpose to allow them to progress because all efforts to bring sanity to the system had failed. And I am of the opinion that if the federal government doesn’t want to remove this dichotomy, let the Federal Government scrap the HND as done in Ghana.”

Professor Bugaje suggested adopting the South African model in such a way that after the HND programme, the holder seeking academic career, can proceed to a one-year Bachelors top-up rather than the PGD before the Master’s degree.

We Erred, Presidency Disclaims Tinubu Being First African Leader To Ring NASDAQ Bell

Greenbarge Reporters

September 22, 2023

Nigeria’s Presidency has apologized for referring to President Bola Tinubu as the first African leader to ring the bell at NASDAQ on Wednesday, September 20 in New York.
NASDAQ is an acronym for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, a stock exchange, based in the United States of America.
“This error is sincerely regretted,” an unsigned statement today, September 22, from the State House Media and Publicity said.
The terse statement read: “We inadvertently referred to President Bola Tinubu as the first African leader to ring the bell at NASDAQ on Wednesday in New York, based on the information provided by a third-party event organiser.
“We have since found out that this information was/is incorrect as a former African leader has indeed had the privilege.
“This error is sincerely regretted.”

University Of Abuja Accuses COREN Registrar Of Blackmail Over Its Engineering Programmes

Editorial staff

September 22, 2023

The management of the University of Abuja has accused the Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engineer Adisa Ademola Bello, of blackmail over its engineering programmes.

Reacting to what it called “recent media reports” attributed to the registrar, the Acting Director of Information and University Relations, Dr. Habib Yakoob, in a statement today, September 22, said that the management of the University found the registrar’s statement misleading, “and an attempt to undermine the integrity of our engineering programmes.”

Dr. Habib drew the attention of the registrar to 2015 when having undergone rigorous review process by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and COREN, the University of Abuja received full accreditation of its Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering programmes as well as interim accreditation of its Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programmes.

“Since then, the University has successfully graduated numerous cohorts of students, many of whom have gone on to make significant contributions in their respective fields to national development.

“To attempt to illegitimise such a breakthrough via a press conference by the COREN Registrar, who, until recently, doubled as the external examiner for one of the engineering programmes in our University, smacks of blackmail.”

The university’s spokesman said that while it is true that COREN wrote letters a couple of times, requesting to visit the University for the purpose of “Outcome Based Education (OBE) accreditation of Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering,” his inconsideration for the challenges faced by the University of Abuja for several months, occasioned by strike actions and the outbreak of COVID-19 “is to say the least, upsetting.

“Let it be known that the University of Abuja has never shied away from exposing its facilities to regulatory bodies, more so when a lot of rapid infrastructural and academic developments have been taking place in the University for some time now.

“Just a couple of days ago, the University received good news from the National Universities Commission (NUC) approving three of its engineering programmes, B. Eng Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, B. Eng Architecture, and B. Eng Agricultural Engineering.

“The programmes were approved, along with 23 others presented by the University during resource verification exercise of the NUC. “This, indeed, is no mean feat.

“That the University of Abuja acknowledges the importance of accreditation as a means to ensuring that our engineering graduates meet the necessary professional qualifications and standards, does not confer on COREN the right to stampede our institution through a needless press conference.

“We believe that as a professional body, COREN should develop a better mechanism of relating with universities, instead of its current ‘headmaster approach’ to issues that demand cordiality.

“The management expresses sincere gratitude to students, staff, alumni, parents, and the wider community for their unwavering supports over the unfortunate comments by COREN about the status of the engineering programmes and its threat to blacklist the University.

“As we continue to provide high-quality education, comprehensive support services, and opportunities for personal and professional growth in all our programmes, we appeal to everyone to remain calm and reinforce their belief in the integrity, professionalism and standards that the University of Abuja has maintained for some years now.”

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Oloyede Chairs 2023 GOCOP Confab In Abuja

Greenbarge Reporters

September 21, 2023

The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede will serve as the Chairman of the 2023 Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP)
In a statement today, September 21, the chairman of 2023 Conference Planning Committee, Danlami Nmodu, mni said that the conference will be held at Abuja Continental Hotel (Old Sheraton) in the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday October 5, 2023 at 10.00am
He also that the theme for the 2023 conference is “Nigeria: Roadmap for Socio-Economic Recovery and Sustainability.”
Nmodu said that the choice of the topic is informed by current socio-political and economic realities facing Nigeria where a new set of leaders at national and state levels has emerged after the 2023 general elections.
He recalled that Ishaq Oloyede, a Nigerian professor of Islamic Studies and academic, was a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin. and was reappointed registrar and chief executive of JAMB for the second term in 2021 by the immediate past President, General Mohammadu Buhari, retired.
Oloyede is also the Secretary General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs since 2013
Past Speakers at the Conference include: Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto who delivered the 2019 lecture on “Economy, Security and National Development: The Way Forward”. In 2021, Mr. Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation keynoted the Conference in his capacity as Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19. He spoke on: “Post Covid-19 Pandemic: Recovery and Reconstruction in Nigeria”. In 2022, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission delivered the address titled: “2023 Elections: Managing the Process for Credible Outcome.”
GOCOP was established to ensure that online publishers uphold the tenets of journalism in doing their jobs and our membership is a constellation of editors and senior journalists, whom, having distinguished themselves in their various stations in the print and electronic media, ventured into online publishing which is both the present and future of journalism globally. Currently, the Guild has over 90 corporate publishers as members.

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