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Admission: JAMB, Stakeholders Peg Varsity Cut Off Marks At 140 …As Board Remits N29bn To CRF …Reps Pass Bill To Extend Validity Of Results To Four Years
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and heads of tertiary education institutions in the country have pegged the minimum cut-off mark for admissions in the 2022/2023 academic session.
The minimum cut-off mark for universities is 140 while that of polytechnics and colleges of education, respectively, were pegged at 100.
These were announced at the ongoing Policy Meeting on Admissionspresided by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja,yesterday.
JAMB’s Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who announced the cut-off after a thorough debates and votes by vice chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics and provosts of colleges of education, said the implication was that “every institution has the right to fix its own cut-off mark even up to 220 but no one would be allowed to go less than the agreed minimum marks of 100 for colleges of education, 100 for polytechnics and 140 for universities.”
The meeting also called for the review of admission criteria to give 10per cent discretional power of admission to heads of tertiary institutions.
JAM also said that only 378,639 of the 1,761,338 candidates of the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scored 200 and above.
Oloyede said 378,639 candidates scored above 200; while 520,596 scored 190 and above.
He added that 704,991 candidates scored 180 and above; 934,103 scored 170 and above; while 1,192,057 scored 160 and above.
The JAMB boss further revealed that an Ekiti indigene, Adebayo Eyimofe, scored the highest mark in the 2022 UTME.
Oloyede said Eyimofe, who wrote his examination in Abuja, scored 362 marks.
According to the JAMB registrar, Eyinmofe was followed by an indigene of Enugu State, UgwuChikelu, with 359 marks.
Other high scorers include Igbalaye Ebunoluwa 357; Emmanuel Oluwanifemi 357; Ozumba Samuel 357; Olumide-Attah Ayomide 355; Lawal Olaoluwa 355; Dokun Jubril 354; Amaku Anthony 354; and Aghulor Divine 353.
Oloyede added that JAMB allowed candidates with awaiting results to register for the 2022 UTME.
“These candidates can’t be considered for admission on awaiting result status. They must present their O’ Level results on the board’s portal before the commencement of admissions,” he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has so far remitted about N29billion directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
Adamu said the board had also granted over N1billion to tertiary institutions, and expended more than N2billion on capital projects.
Adamu added that the board had reserved N6billion for its future expansion and as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
He said that the board also provided social services such as funding the freighting and delivery of donated critical hospital equipment to 12 teaching hospitals at the cost of $257,000 and ¦ 47million.
According to him,the board has continued to serve as a model for public agencies in vision, devotion, transparency and efficiency, yielding enormous goodwill to the government and people of Nigeria.
He pleaded with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other trade unions in the tertiary education sub-sector to call off the on-going strike and embrace genuine dialogue as solution.
“I urge the leadership of tertiary institutions to partner with the Federal Government in its frantic efforts at restoring industrial harmony into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“It is clear that stable academic calendar is required for quality education and development in Nigeria.
“I also seize this opportunity to appeal to the trade unions in the tertiary education sub-sector to, in the interest of the future of Nigeria, call off the strike and embrace genuine dialogue as solution to our problems,” he said.
The minister further charged institutions to comply with the policy directives as decided at the meeting, saying that any infringement of any of the policy guidelines would be meted with appropriate sanctions.
Meanwhile, a Bill seeking to make Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) result valid for four years has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The Amendment of the JAMB Act was sponsored by Rep. Tolulope Sadipe (APC-Oyo), at the plenary, yesterday.
Leading the debate, Sadipe said many students sit for JAMB examination, come up with good grades, but for one reason or the other, they ended up not being offered admission, for no fault of theirs.
She said these students and their parents were made to bear the financial burden to sit for the examination the next year.
According to her, the excuses that JAMB allegedly keeps bringing up, in that regard, was that it was revenue generation for them.
“When you look at the number of students that apply for university admissions every year and the number that eventually gets in, it is definitely not their fault, so, why should they be penalised?
“Everywhere in the world, there is no such exams that is valid for one year; Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is valid forever.
“Most universities across the world value such exams for at least five years, but here in Nigeria, JAMB is valid for just one entry, and if you do not get it, you repeat it.
“I think this is totally unfair, there are a lot of children in this country, whose parents are struggling to put them through school.
However, while contributing to the debate, Rep. Nkem Abonta (PDP-Abia), argued that extending the validity of JAMB result would defeat the aim of the entry exams.
He said that JAMB Act, sought to regulate the mode of entry into Nigerians universities, saying that making the result valid for two to three years would cause more problems.
Abonta said the relevant committee should look at the proposed amendment critically, so as not to compound the problem, in an attempt to solve it.
Rep. Chinyere Igwe (PDP-Rivers), argued that there was a difference between an entry examination and a terminal examination.
He said, “JAMB is an entry examination, with the purpose of securing admission into a university, polytechnic or colleges of education, with a view to earning a terminal qualification”.
The lawmaker said the foreign exams mentioned by the sponsor of the bill, are terminal examinations, and not entry examination, like JAMB.
He said that when one sat for entry examination and did not make the cut off score, the exam was re-seated.
The rep said that making the result valid for two years would reduce the standard of education in the country.
Rep. Toby Okechukwu (PDP-Enugu) urged the house not to “throw the baby and bathwater away”.
According to him, students and their parents and sponsors had not only been suffering “double jeopardy, but several jeopardies”.
He said some students had continued to pass JAMB exams, and had not been able to go to school for over five years, which sometimes often results into dropping out of school.
In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Ahmed Wase, referred the bill to the relevant committees of the house, for further legislative actions.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.