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1,227 UNIPORT Graduates Petition VC To NASS
No fewer than 1,227 graduates of the University of Port Harcourt have petitioned the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ndowa Lale, to the National Assembly, for withholding their degree certificates and refusing to mobilise them for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on the premise that they paid their final year school fees late even after a Federal High Court sitting in Rivers State had ordered the VC to issue the students their various certificates and mobilise them for the compulsory national service.
The petition was submitted through Hon. Solomon Sloddy Adaelu, member representing Obingwa, Osisioma and Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, during the House’s plenary session, yesterday.
In the letter addressed to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajiabimila through Hon. Engr. Solomon Adaelu, the students unambiguously stated that they were duly admitted to the University of Port Harcourt into their various departments, passed through successive levels, paid fees, wrote and passed all the examinations prescribed.
They also argued that the Senate of the institution approved them for graduation, and had their names published on the 31st Convocation Brochure of the university.
They further explained that when it was time for clearance and offset of fees, the university bursar informed them that there was a directive from the VC that students who failed to pay their fees before the October 4, 2016, should not be graduated.
They said that they were directed to repeat the final year, notwithstanding the fact that they had all passed their final year examinations.
They told the lawmakers that “the affected students, unanimously challenged the decision of the university at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt”, saying that “before challenging the matter at the court, the students had succumbed to the school demand, repeated their final year despite having passed it earlier. They were coerced to pay another school fees for 2015/2016 academic session”.
They argued that despite repeating their final year, passed class of 2015/2016 Academic session in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 session, paying another round of fees, the school has yet refused to graduate, issue them their certificates or mobilize them for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Part of the petition reads, “The Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, found them victimised, gave them judgement, ordered the school to graduate them, mobilize them for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and refund them the school fees illegally collected from them in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic session.
“The university refused to comply, rather approached the Court of Appeal. The students feel depressed, frustrated by the appeal filled by the university with the ultimate aim of keeping them stranded, and of course, helpless.
“The students have before written to the Governing Council of the university to intervene but no response from them.
“This year marks it three years of their graduation without certificate, without Job. This is quite frustrating and amounts to wickedness in high places by the University of Port Harcourt management”, the aggrieved students told the federal lawmakers, and solicited their intervention to compel the university authorities to do the needful.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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