Education

Reps Commend Bayelsa On TETFUND Projects

The House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Other Services has said funds released for projects in tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State were being judiciously utilised.

Chairman of the committee, Princess Miriam Odinaka Onuoha, stated this during a courtesy visit to Governor Douye Diri at the Government House, Yenagoa, on Friday.

Hon. Onuoha, who was accompanied by other members of the committee, said they were in the state to measure the level of compliance on projects executed with funds received from TETFUND.

She commended the state for accessing most of the funds earmarked for tertiary education projects and that the committee will make a case for more funds for Bayelsa as they were impressed with the judicious use of the monies received.

She expressed the willingness of her committee to provide technical support to the state and work closely with the government to ensure that funds due the state were accessed and properly utilised.

The committee chairman stated that so far, tertiary institutions in Bayelsa have received about N10 billion while the state is yet to access about one billion naira.

She appreciated the governor for being a good ambassador of the National Assembly, saying she was impressed with the level of development of the state.

In his remarks, Governor Diri hailed the impact of TETFUND on public universities across the country, noting that the federal agency was filling the gaps that would have existed in the educational institutions.

Senator Diri stated that TETFUND was dear to the government of Bayelsa given its impact on the education sector and the agency deserved all the support and collaboration it can get.

The Bayelsa helmsman directed the relevant officers to ensure that funds meant for the state are accessed as soon as possible before they are mopped up by the federal government.

He equally appreciated the committee for the visit, which he said will afford them the opportunity to see the terrain, stressing that unlike other states, construction was very expensive in Bayelsa.

He said: “We are happy with TETFUND. With what you are doing in the country, you are filing the gaps that would have existed in tertiary institutions.

“In Bayelsa, we have used funds due us well. I am surprised to hear that we have one billion naira yet to be accessed. I am happy you said more will be given to us because we have used what we received well.

“Our terrain here is different. We spend more on construction and it is good that you are going for oversight. You will see why we ask for more. I can assure you that my officials will do the needful to access funds left so that they will not be mopped up.

“Let me also assure you that this government is prepared to work with the Federal Government. We have gone beyond the borders of partisanship and we are running an all-inclusive government, which we believe the president is also doing.”

Education

2025 UTME: JAMB faults result of highest scorer

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has “suspected” foul play in the results of Chinedu Okeke, the best candidate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, at the 2025 policy meeting of the board on Tuesday in Abuja, announced that Okeke, an indigene of Anambra, emerged the best candidate with 375 score, in the examinations.

Oloyede, however, said that the board made some discoveries regarding Okeke, who applied for Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos.

Oloyede explained that data from JAMB revealed that Okeke was admitted a year ago, in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in the School of Medicine.

He said that JAMB wrote UNN for clarification about the candidate, and the school revealed that Okeke is a student of the institution, and he is doing fine.

Speaking with NAN on the development, JAMB Public Communications Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin said the board suspected foul play.

“The law does not allow a student to matriculate twice, and as an undergraduate, he has an advantage over other candidates in the examinations.

“In his records, he claimed he is from the South-East, while the other record is reading that he is from Lagos State.

“We are suspecting that he is a mercenary in the examination,” Benjamin told NAN in a telephone interview.

The board also announced that John Ayuba from Gombe state came second in the examinations scoring 374, while Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara state scored 373.

Other top scorers are Ayibo Roberts from Rivers, Chibueze Omonugbo from Enugu state Tunmise Olawepo from Kwara and Leslie Afinotan, from Delta, all scoring 373.

Also in the list of top scorers are Chukwuemeka Azoyenime from Delta, Emmanuel Oyebode from Ogun and Cecil Omigie from Edo, all scoring 372 in the examinations.

Education

FG officially pegs university admission age at 16

The Federal Government has pegged the minimum admissible age for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria at 16 years.

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa announced this on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The 16-year age requirement will be enforced through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), with efforts made to accommodate candidates who would turn 16 by 31st August 2025.

However, JAMB expressed concern that some institutions had violated this directive by admitting underage candidates through channels outside CAPS and collecting substantial amounts from them as tuition fees.

“The Board implemented the 16-year admissible age on its CAPS platform and even bent backwards to accommodate candidates who would be 16 as of 31st August 2025.

“However, some institutions admitted candidates who were not up to the admissible age of 16 outside CAPS and even collected huge sums of money from them as tuition fees,” JAMB stated.

The Board noted that all such admissions were illegal and could not be processed through CAPS, adding that some of these cases had led to litigation against the offending institutions.

The 16-year minimum admission age comes after last year’s controversy, when former Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, faced backlash from stakeholders over his attempt to raise the benchmark to 18, a move many said was criticised.

In a related development, JAMB announced that beginning with the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), each candidate’s result slip will now include their national ranking among peers.

The initiative, according to the Board, is aimed at discouraging the celebration of high UTME scores in isolation and curbing the spread of fake scores.

“To curb the menace of celebrating top scorers of UTME, candidates’ ranking (position) will be indicated on the result slip for each candidate,” the Board explained.

JAMB stated that this measure would assist institutions in better evaluating the quality of applicants and provide a standardised reference point across cohorts.

It further questioned the logic of calls to extend the validity of UTME results, noting that such an extension would raise complications regarding the comparability of scores.

By publishing ranking information, JAMB believes that candidates parading falsified scores would also be discouraged, and institutions would gain a clearer sense of the academic standing of each applicant.

For context, the Board revealed that in the 2025 UTME, out of a total of 1,905,539 candidates, a score of 370 is ranked 16th, 320 is ranked 5,806th, 250 is ranked 107,819th, 200 is ranked 533,805th, 180 is ranked 948,025th, 140 is ranked 1,855,607th, 120 is ranked 1,900,872nd, while 100 is ranked 1,903,661st.

JAMB reiterated its commitment to equity, transparency, and merit-based admissions in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

The ongoing policy meeting, attended by vice-chancellors, registrars, and provosts of tertiary institutions nationwide, is expected to conclude with the approval of admission cut-off marks and other regulatory guidelines for the 2025 academic session.

Education

JAMB Sets 150 As Cut-Off Mark For Universities

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday announced 150 as the cut-off mark for admission into universities in Nigeria.

JAMB made the decision on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

According to the board, the cut-off mark for colleges for nursing stands at 140, colleges of agriculture 100, while colleges of education remain 100.

“The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions),” JAMB wrote on its X handle