Umo Eno Urges Stakeholders To Safeguard Educational Facilities, Distributes Materials, Sports Equipment

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno,PhD has charged teachers, school administrators, and community stakeholders to take collective responsibility in protecting and maintaining the facilities and materials provided by government to ensure their durability and continued impact.

The Governor spoke when he flagged off the distribution of teaching and learning materials, as well as sports equipment, to basic education schools across Akwa Ibom State, reaffirming government’s commitment to strengthening foundational education.

The items, acquired by Akwa Ibom State Universal Basic Education Board(AK-SUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), were distributed at the SUBEB Headquarters in Uyo to mark the first phase of the distribution exercise, to 75 primary schools and 33 junior secondary schools across the State.

Representing the Governor, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, applauded teachers for their resilience and unwavering dedication to nurturing young minds.

He noted that the present administration which places high premium on basic education has injected a counterpart funding of N3.5bn yearly to access UBEC projects and programmes.

He further urged pupils and stakeholders to remain appreciative of government efforts and to make judicious use of the materials provided.

Prof. Umoh described Governor Umo Eno as a visionary and education-friendly leader who has consistently prioritized the welfare of both teachers and students as a strategic pathway to academic excellence.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of AK-SUBEB, Rt Hon. Anietie Etuk, Ph.D, expressed profound appreciation to the Governor for his strong commitment to supporting education through collaboration with UBEC.

This, Dr Etuk said, has continued to yield positive outcomes in the basic education sector.

He highlighted the ongoing remodeling of primary schools across the 31 Local Government Areas as a clear demonstration of the administration’s commitment to revitalizing education at its foundation.

Dr. Etuk also extended gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his sustained federal interventions targeted at improving the learning environment for school children nationwide.

He noted that the current distribution exercise is part of such strategic interventions designed to bridge gaps and promote inclusive access to quality education.

Representing the UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, the South-South Director of UBEC, Mr. Ossom Akapn Ossom, commended the AK-SUBEB Chairman for maintaining high standards and effective coordination within the sector.

He assured stakeholders that UBEC remains committed to rolling out additional programmes and interventions to further strengthen basic education delivery.

The SSA to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Dr. Essien Ndueso commended the Governor for his strong commitment to the education sector, noting that from his first day in office, he made it clear that massive investment in education would be a top priority.

Umo Eno

He emphasized that the governor’s interventions are driven by genuine concern rather than public showmanship, explaining that his focus remains on ensuring that children learn in comfortable and well-equipped environments.

Dr. Ndueso, further encouraged parents to enroll their children in public schools, stressing that the standard of facilities and quality of teachers now surpassed what’s obtained in some private schools.

Other dignitaries, including the Permanent Secretary, AK-SUBEB, Dr. Roseline Etuk, the Permanent Secretary of the State Secondary Education Board, and Dean of Education Secretaries Mr John Ekefre, in their separate remarks, lauded the collaboration between UBEC and SUBEB.

They described the initiative as timely and impactful, while also commending Governor Umo Eno for his visible commitment to educational development.

ASUU President Reveals Why Some Federal Universities Couldn’t Pay Full January Salaries

ASUU president Reveals Why some federal Universities couldn’t pay full January salaries. Christopher Piwuna, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has explained why some federal universities were unable to pay their lecturers full salaries for January.

After nearly 16 years of implementation stalemate, the federal government finally signed a renegotiated agreement with ASUU on January 14 to address the incessant strikes in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions.

The fresh agreement followed intensive renegotiations between a federal government committee and ASUU leadership which was concluded in December 2025.

However, since the beginning of February, there have been reported delays in the payment of lecturers’ salaries across federal universities.

Last week, ASUU members at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) declared an indefinite strike over the non-payment of their full salaries by the university management.

The lecturers later called off the strike after a series of meetings with the management.

As of the time of filing this report, indications suggest that many federal universities have been unable to pay full salaries of lecturers.

A source familiar with developments within the academic community told TheCable that the federal government is yet to release funds to the universities.

According to the source, the ministry of education directed the institutions to pay the full salaries of lecturers from their respective internally generated revenue (IGR).

Piwuna said the situation is largely due to practical difficulties surrounding the implementation of a new salary agreement between the union and the federal government, particularly the delay in passage of the 2026 budget.

According to him, the government has shown a willingness to implement the agreement in full, but the new salary structure cannot be fully effected until the 2026 budget is passed and signed into law.

“Concerning the new agreement, the intention of government is clear; it is to implement it in full. But I want to believe there are practical difficulties at the moment. One is that the 2026 budget has not been passed, let alone becoming law. It is until that is done that the new salary structures will be fully implemented,” the ASUU president told Nigerian Tribune.

He added that payments made in January and February largely stemmed from the efforts of vice chancellors who tried to implement the agreement with available resources.

“In January, some universities were paid in full. When I said ‘in full’ it means that what they paid reflected what we agreed on in the new agreement, while other universities couldn’t meet up with full payment,” he said.

Piwuna added that as of the time of speaking, he was not aware of any university that had paid salaries for February.

“Even for February, I don’t know of any university, as we are speaking, that has paid its workers,” he said.

‘WHY IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLICATED’

According to the ASUU president, the implementation process has been complicated by issues relating to special allowances for lecturers in the medical field, with some universities paying the allowance while others are yet to do so.

He said the ministry of education is working with the national salaries, incomes and wages commission to clarify the payment process and ensure lecturers receive what is due to them.

ASUU

Piwuna further said there have been questions from some vice chancellors about whether lecturers on sabbatical should benefit from the new agreement, underscoring that ASUU’s position is that such members are entitled to full payment.

“We do not expect that anybody on sabbatical will be denied any aspect of this agreement,” he said.

He also noted that state universities are yet to begin implementing the agreement with their lecturers, adding that ASUU has written to state governors, who are visitors to their respective universities, urging them to ensure the agreement is implemented to avoid a backlog of arrears.

“We should know that ASUU agreements cover all members across both federal and state-owned universities nationwide. So, we don’t want any university to be left behind in this new agreement,” he said.

Piwuna appealed to lecturers across the public universities to exercise patience over the delay in salary payments, expressing appreciation to vice chancellors who have made efforts to ensure partial implementation of the agreement.

He added that ASUU is hopeful the situation will improve once the 2026 budget is signed into law, which he said is expected later this month.

Peter Obi: There’ll Be Violence If Leaders Continue To Use Forged Certificates For Elections

Peter Obi: There’ll be violence if leaders continue to use forged certificates for elections. “If we continue down this path, violence may become the future of our democracy,” said Mr Obi. “We must recognise that fraud and violence cannot create true leadership.”

Ambali Abdulkabeer • March 16, 2026
Bola Tinubu and forged Chicago State University certificate (Credit: Ahmed Oluwasanjo/Peoples Gazette)
Bola Tinubu and forged Chicago State University certificate (Credit: Ahmed Oluwasanjo/Peoples Gazette)
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says violence may become the future of Nigeria’s democracy if politicians seeking elective positions are allowed to present forged certificates during elections.

“The ability for individuals to present forged certificates for election sends a troubling message to our society,” the politician stated in a statement on Sunday. “If we continue down this path, violence may become the future of our democracy.”

Mr Obi stated that the non-recognition of qualification, certificate and credibility as necessary requirements for candidates seeking elective offices further highlights the plummeting leadership standards in the country.

He added, “In the current state of Nigeria, what can we expect when leadership standards have plummeted to the extent that qualification, certification, and credibility are no longer deemed necessary for public office?”

The African Democratic Congress chieftain further condemned attacks on the party office in Bakassi, noting the development reflected how dangerously low the country’s democratic standards had fallen.

“What occurred at the ADC office in Bakassi, Cross River state, is not merely an attack on a political party; it is an attack on democracy itself.

“When thugs can storm a party office and destroy property without facing arrest, it reflects how dangerously low our democratic standards have fallen,” Mr Obi stated.

The politician reiterated that fraud and violence cannot create true leadership, adding that they will only result in chaos, which will ultimately affect our children and us.

President Bola Tinubu presented a forged degree certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission when he filed his paperwork to lead Nigeria in June 2022, Peoples Gazette can report based on the testimony of the institution he arrogated, introducing a new but potentially fatal front in the ongoing battle to oust the Nigerian leader for his documented misdeeds from years gone by.

The official repudiation of Mr Tinubu’s certificate—the only academic qualification he presented to the electoral office—came at a deposition of school officials on Tuesday in Chicago. An expanded transcript of the session is still being processed, but The Gazette has learnt about what has perhaps been the most crucial expectation of Nigerians: How the school would characterise Mr Tinubu’s certificate under oath and penalty of perjury.

Caleb Westberg, the registrar at Chicago State University, said Mr Tinubu’s certificate, dated June 22, 1979, and tendered to INEC on June 17, 2022, was not issued by the school and its administrators could, therefore, not be able to authenticate its source, The Gazette learnt.

Mr Westberg, CSU’s registrar since November 2020, also said, during the deposition that lasted about 5.5 hours, that Mr Tinubu did not apply for a replacement certificate, nor was he ever issued one.

Peter Obi

The categorical statement capped a successful outcome for the monthslong legal strategy of Atiku Abubakar, Mr Tinubu’s main opponent, who approached the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago to ascertain the authenticity or otherwise of the document.

Federal district judge Nancy Maldonado granted a final order for CSU administrators to turn over all documents relating to Mr Tinubu to the school and also sit down for deposition by an adversarial team of lawyers deployed by Mr Abubakar.