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OYOM Appeal To Tinubu To Appoint V-Chancellor UMSO, Board Of Governing Council

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OYOM Appeal To Tinubu To Appoint V-Chancellor UMSO, Board Of Governing Council

…Frowned At Appointment Of Acting Rector MAN

Oron Youth Movement (OYOM), has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint a Vice-Chancellor and constitute a proper Governing Council for the University of Maritime Studies, Oron ( UMSO), which has replaced the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron through a repeal act by the National Assembly.

Reacting to the appointment of Dr Kelvin Okonna, as the “Acting Rector”, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, OYOM explained that in 2022, the Nigerian National Assembly through a full legislative process which included a Public Hearing, Passage of the UMSO BILL in the Senate, Concurrence in the House of Representatives, harmonisation by both Houses and Assent by the President of Nigeria, effectively repealed the MAN Act of 2004 and in its place enacted the University of Maritime Studies, Oron (Establishment) Act 2022.

OYOM Appeal To Tinubu

“We also appeal to the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Senator Dr. Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, who as Akwa State Governor in 2010 committed the resources of Akwa Ibom State to acquire additional acreage of land and upgrade Infrastructures in the defunct MAN, Oron to meet the requirements of NUC, to intervene to ensure the speedy take-off of the University of Maritime Studies Oron.

“Specifically, we appeal that Mr President should speedily appoint a Vice-Chancellor and constitute a proper Governing Council for the speedy and effective take-off of the University of Maritime Studies, Oron ( UMSO), having been established by a legally binding University of Maritime Studies Oron (Establishment) Act. 2022 of the Nigerian National Assembly.
Finally, we strongly advise Dr Kelvin Okonna, the “Acting Rector” to tread with caution and not further embark on actions that could be seen as undermining the implementation of the University of Maritime Studies, Oron, (Establishment) Act 2022.”

In a statement made available to Core Reporters on Saturday, January 25, 2025, and signed by; Comrade Edet Eyo, Mnse, Mshe National President, Comrade Victor Onomo National Vice President 1, Comrade Edet Iyahakwa National Secretary, Comrade Victor Obiosio Nat. Director, Media & Publicity, Comrade Oyokunyi UmohNat. Director, Security & Special Duties, Comrade Sylvia Ekpot Nat. Director, Women Affairs and Comrade Emmanuel Essang Nat. Director, Organisation & Mobilization, the group wondered why a Rector should be appointed to a defunct MAN whereas the FG is yet to appoint Vice Chancellor and constitute a proper governing council for UMSO.

OYOM Appeal To Tinubu

Oron Youth Movement (OYOM), is a civil liberty organisation that represents the voice of the entire Youths of Oron Nation, which comprises the five LGAs of Oron, Mbo, Udung Uko, Okobo and Urue Offong-Oruko in Akwa Ibom State. However, the community of Oron Nation occupies the Eastern extremity of the Nigerian Nation. Bounded in the North by the large estuary of the Cross River and in the East by the Atlantic Ocean, Oron Nation is one of the few communities in Nigeria with a large Maritime environment, rich in Oil and Gas.

The believed that Oron Nation, with its Oil-rich Maritime environment, has suffered untold deprivation in Nigeria and Akwa Ibom State due to its ethnic minority status.

The pains of Ibaka Deep Seaport, which was proposed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, to be sited at the Natural Harbor of Ibaka Bay in Oron Nation, which was frustrated by the Government of Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, is still very rife in the hearts of Oron People.

The statement rea in parts, “Our attention has been drawn to the widely publicised appointment of an Acting Rector for the legally defunct Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, which runs contrary to the expectations of the people of Oron Nation. In the lengthy write-up about the appointment of the Acting Rector which dwells extensively on the achievements of the defunct MAN, Oron as a Maritime training institution and on the image laundering of the appointee Acting Rector, no reference, whatsoever was made to the fact that the Act establishing MAN, Oron was repealed by the National Assembly of Nigeria and the Act establishing the University of Maritime Studies, Oron (UMSO) was enacted in its place, since 2022.

“The Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron established, first as a Nautical College in 1977, 48 years ago, did not properly fulfil the objectives for which it was established. Nigeria, a huge Maritime Nation, still trains almost all levels of its Maritime personnel in foreign Maritime institutions at a huge cost to the Nation’s economy. This is what led to the push for the upgrade of MAN, Oron to the University of Maritime Studies to properly serve the manpower and technological needs of the Nigerian Nation for its large Maritime environment with huge economic potential. It was especially so as the Nation’s Oil and Gas production was fast moving into Offshore and Deep-Sea terrain requiring advanced skills in Deep Sea and Ocean Engineering.

“The move to actualise the upgrade of MAN, Oron to UMSO commenced in earnest in 2010 when several visitations to MAN, Oron, were made by the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) to assess both the academic and physical infrastructure in MAN, Oron and to recommend the requirements for the upgrade of MAN, Oron to a Maritime University. After meeting the requirements of NUC which included the acquisition of more land space and upgrade of Infrastructures with the resources of Akwa Ibom State, the then Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, who is now the Nigerian Senate President, forwarded a memo to the then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, GCON, in 2015 and obtained approval for the upgrade of MAN, Oron to a University. Unfortunately, the approval given by President Jonathan without legislative backing could not be enforced.

“However, in 2022, the Nigerian National Assembly through a full legislative process which included a Public Hearing, Passage of the UMSO BILL in the Senate, Concurrence in the House of Representatives, harmonisation by both Houses and Assent by the President of Nigeria, effectively repealed the MAN Act of 2004 and in its place enacted the University of Maritime Studies, Oron (Establishment) Act 2022.

OYOM Appeal To Tinubu

“The UMSO Act, which has since been gazetted, is now a law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Thus, the Institution called MAN, Oron, has legally ceased to exist.

“We in OYOM, as law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, are dismayed about the confusion surrounding the Take-off of UMSO, whose Establishment Act was enacted in 2022. First, it was an illegal appointment of a Governing Council in 2024 for MAN, Oron which no longer exists, instead of appointing a Governing Council for the newly established UMSO. Now, in 2025 is the appointment of an Acting Rector for MAN, Oron which legally has ceased to exist, instead of appointing a Vice Chancellor for UMSO. Also, information reaching us has it that the Management of the defunct MAN, Oron, under the leadership of the Acting Rector, is admitting new students, not minding the fact that MAN, Oron has lost its legal status as a training institution and any certificate issued therefrom would be deemed invalid.

“The Oron people and, indeed, Akwa Ibom State are deeply worried about the foregoing after they had ceded several hectares of their ancestral land to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the realisation of the University of Maritime Studies, Oron, in line with the requirements of the National Universities Commission (NUC). It appears that some Agencies of the Government of Nigeria are playing unwholesome politics with the Take-off of the University of Maritime Studies whose establishment Act had been duly enacted about two years ago.
Nigeria is a country governed by the Rule of Law.

“The University of Maritime Studies Oron (Establishment ) Act 2022 is a Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. People in leadership positions responsible for implementing the Act must not act in a way that could be interpreted as they are flouting the Act.” The statement said.

OYOM warned, this action of the FG if not reconsidered could be dangerous as citizens interpreting their actions could lose their respect for the Rule of Law in Nigeria. Saying,
“On behalf of the people of Oron Nation and indeed Akwa Ibom people, we in OYOM hereby passionately appeal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, that in the interest of justice and the Rule of Law, to please direct the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to take immediate actions to ensure that the provisions of the University of Maritime Studies, Oron, (Establishment) Act 2022, are accordingly implemented. This should bring to an end the rigmarole tactics of appointments into the legally non-existent MAN, tending to delay the immediate commencement of the University.”

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Education

Education minister Tunji Alausa Decries Proliferation Of Versities, Seeks Improvement Of Existing Ones

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Education minister Tunji Alausa

Education minister Tunji Alausa Decries Proliferation Of Versities, Seeks Improvement Of Existing Ones

Education minister Tunji Alausa decries proliferation of Versities, seeks improvement of existing ones. Mr Alausa said that there was no need to put pressure on the president to establish new universities

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has hinged the current proliferation of universities on the increasing pressure being mounted by lawmakers.

Mr Alausa spoke at the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

The federal government is facing mounting pressure to reform the country’s education sector.

With almost 200 bills pending in the National Assembly for the creation of universities, there is a growing concern that the system is becoming overwhelmed.

Mr Alausa explained that renewing the capacities of existing institutions was more important than establishing new ones.

According to him, there is no need to put pressure on the president to establish new universities.

He said, “We must focus on our capacities. We need to stop this from happening. There’s so much pressure on the president. We have to at least be sensitive to it as well.

“They (lawmakers) are passing a lot of bills. Today I can tell you that there are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue this. Even though we have a lot of them, the capacity for a university to admit is not there. What we need to do now is to rebuild the capacities so that we can offer more viable courses to our citizens.’’

He added that the enrolment rate was not commensurate with the recent number of universities.

“If you look at the entire enrolment together, the one per cent of private universities account for just 7.5 per cent of total undergraduate enrolment. The total number of undergraduate enrolments today is just about 875,000, which is at least fairly low.

We have universities with less than 1,000 undergraduate students, and there’s this intense demand for more universities to be opened. We have to stop that,” he said.

He added that several key proposals had been put forward to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector.

Speaking on specialised universities, the minister appealed to the institutions to focus on their mandate.

According to him, there is a need to reduce the number of non-technical courses offered in specialised universities and instead make them available in conventional universities.

He also pledged the commitment of the federal government to reducing the number of out-of-school children and creating opportunities for them in tertiary institutions.

On speculation of scrapping the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund), Mr Alausa said the Education Tax Fund would continue indefinitely.

Education minister Tunji Alausa

Education minister Tunji Alausa

“What we now need to do is to begin to open up more resources to develop infrastructure, build engineering workshops and build laboratories in these universities.

We also must recruit international standard teachers so that we can begin to get these universities to deliver high-quality education that will be known throughout the country.

“When it comes to the education tax, I think a tax fund is going to be advanced now because I’ve heard some information in the new tax bill about tax funds being subsidised by the year 2030,” he said.

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Education

NAWOJ: Women Journalists Advocate Continuous Learning For GrowthS

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NAWOJ

NAWOJ: Women Journalists Advocate Continuous Learning For GrowthS

NAWOJ: Women journalists advocate continuous learning for growthS. Ms Kadiri said that the foundation aimed to prevent workplace medical emergencies caused by high BP.

Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos Chapter, Adeola Ekine, has said that continuous learning drives growth in journalism.

Ms Ekine stated this in Lagos on Thursday during the commemoration of International Women’s Day.

The IWD 2025 theme is ‘Accelerate Action’, while NAWOJ’s symposium topic was titled ‘Young Women in Journalism: Mentorship, Growth and Breaking the Glass Ceiling.’

According to Ms Ekine, young women must embrace opportunities for self-improvement through training programmes, digital media literacy, investigative journalism, and ethical reporting.

She emphasised that as the media landscape evolves, journalists must stay ahead, ensuring their voices and narratives remain relevant, credible, and impactful.

Ms Ekine added that breaking the glass ceiling requires audacity, resilience, and collective effort.

She urged women to pursue leadership positions, join editorial boards, and take decision-making roles in media organisations.

Director of News at Lagos Television, Abimbola Bello, questioned what actions women should accelerate under the IWD 2025’s theme.

Ms Bello stated that women must accelerate action in various areas and across different initiatives.

She noted that the symposium encouraged women journalists to assess their roles, goals, and priorities.

She said this was a time for women to reflect not only on their jobs but also on nation-building and issues affecting women.

Consultant at J.K.A. Aggey Foundation, Oluseyi Kadiri, said the foundation supports women, girls, and the less privileged.

Ms Kadiri stated that the foundation partnered with NAWOJ to provide medical services for symposium participants.

She said, “We are checking blood pressure (BP) and sugar levels because health is crucial. Women in journalism should know their BP and sugar levels to avoid being overworked without realising the risks.’’

NAWOJ

NAWOJ

Ms Kadiri explained that the foundation aimed to prevent workplace medical emergencies caused by high BP.

She encouraged women journalists to celebrate their achievements and contributions to the media industry.

She advised women to check their BP at least twice a month.

Health Education Officer at Local Action Committee on AIDS (LACA), Ikeja LGA, Rashidat Sanni-Afolabi, urged women journalists to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.
Ms Sanni-Afolabi said educating women on HIV/AIDS during pregnancy could help prevent mother-to-child transmission.

She noted that while people often dislike taking medication, proper sensitisation and education could improve adherence.

She called on women journalists to prioritise HIV/AIDS stories and increase awareness levels.

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Jigawa Government, Azman University Partner To Enhance Education Development

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Jigawa Government, Azman University Partner To Enhance Education Development

Jigawa government, Azman University partner to enhance education development. Ms Muhktar said, “I assure you that the Jigawa State government will continue to be a valued partner.’’

The Jigawa State government said it will partner with the Azman University to enhance educational opportunities and promote human capital development.

Governor Umar Namadi stated this during a courtesy visit by the Vice-Chancellor, Fatima-Batool Mukhtar, on Thursday in Dutse.

She said the state government would explore areas of collaboration to support innovative learning and sponsor students in specialised programmes to enhance skill development.

The governor said the partnership also focused on computing, data science, aviation management and artificial intelligence (AI).

“I assure you that the Jigawa State government will continue to be a valued partner,” she said.
Mr Namadi highlighted the relevance of the specialised programmes being offered by the university and reaffirmed his commitment to explore opportunities for indigent students.

He said that the introduction of innovative online courses was designed to attract students and scholars to the university.

Earlier, Ms Mukhtar said the institution was committed to quality education, innovation and excellence.

She said the university introduced online learning services, a compulsory e-learning week and the Students’ Consultative Forum, to encourage students engagement in decision-making.

“We have online services that allow students to attend lectures from home, while lecturers can also teach from their homes.

For the students and staff to be familiar with this, we have set aside one week every semester for compulsory e-learning week,” she said.

She also called for more collaboration in computer programming with notable industry players such as Cisco, Huawei and Oracle Academy.

Jigawa

Jigawa

“Your Excellency, Azman University is already gaining strength in computing programmes, and already we have registration with Cisco, Huawei and Oracle Academy. We are certified instructors for Huawei.

“So, we would like to appeal to your excellency to partner with us in your community development projects and skills development for youth for certified courses in computing programmes,” Ms Muktar said.

The VC commended the state government over the 32 per cent budgetary allocation to the education sector and the N3 billion grant to the scholarship board in the 2025 fiscal year.

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