Education

Ajaero faults partial implementation of minimum wage in Abia varsity

Published

8 months ago

October 17, 2025

Ajaero said non-teaching staff on levels 7 to 15 in the university were excluded from the wage adjustment, while levels 1 to 6 of both teaching and non-teaching staff benefited.

He made this known on Wednesday when Governor Alex Otti received a delegation of the NLC led by him in Umuahia.

Ajaero stated, “Permit me to point out that the minimum wage (of 2024) promised and paid to Abia workers was denied to Abia State University on levels 7 to 15 of non-teaching staff, while levels 1 to 6 teaching staff and non-teaching staff benefited.”

The NLC President said his visit was motivated by issues “at a conscience level,” adding that the NLC had earlier written to the governor and others to address some pressing labour concerns.

“Basically, while we were here, there happened to be issues at a conscience level, for which we wrote a letter to the governor and other governors in the country.

“And he was one of the few who responded and gave us a closed date. This is the first official receipt we have paid to any government house in the Southeast since we came abroad,” he said.

Ajaero added that the NLC’s criticisms were aimed at helping governments improve governance and welfare delivery.

“We do our own criticism to enable any government that is concerned to do more. The issue of minimum wage to cohorts, the health sector, buses, secretariat, check-off dues, and TSS to teachers, among others, is of paramount importance to us.

“I think that the issue of even monthly check-off dues in those areas, because the one I said before was national, but in those areas, even where they have paid their arrears, the dues were not implemented.

“The question is, what is happening? Where is our money going? So, we are not afraid — the best thing is to have a first-hand discussion with the governor so that we can manage it very well,” he said.

The NLC boss commended Otti for the progress made in Abia State, saying the government’s achievements should reflect on workers’ welfare.

“Definitely, things have improved in Abia. I think that Abia is not doing badly, and it should reflect on the workers.

“We normally have NLC schools where we train workers half-time and two times a year. For some time now, we have observed that people are not coming from Abia. I think we should look into it.

“That is where the issue of maintaining industrial peace and harmony, negotiation skills, and all that is treated. Anybody who enters Abia will know that there is a big difference,” he added.

Responding, Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare, describing his government as labour-friendly.

“For us, our relationship with Labour has been very cordial, and we all work for the same purpose. Because at the end of the day, government is about the welfare of the people, and who are the people? The people who work,” Otti said.

He disclosed that his administration recently recruited 5,394 new teachers and was in the process of employing 771 health professionals to strengthen the education and health sectors.

“You may also have heard that not too long ago, precisely by the 22nd of last month, 5,394 new teachers were recruited and deployed to our schools.

“Interestingly, the minimum wage for teachers is higher than the ordinary minimum wage. As we speak, we are hiring about 771 medical professionals to deploy to our hospitals,” he stated.

Otti also revealed that his administration was currently paying 16 years of outstanding death benefits to the next of kin of deceased Abia workers, in addition to settling pension arrears owed by past administrations.

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Education

Ondo sets up committee on safe school programme due to Insecurity

Published

17 minutes ago

June 17, 2026

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The Ondo State Government has set up a steering committee for safe schools programme in the state.

This was said to be a part of the efforts to protect school children from kidnapping and other forms of criminalities in the state.

The Safe Schools Initiative is a Federal Government programme, designed to protect students, teachers, and educational infrastructure from violence, kidnappings, and others forms of attacks.

At the inauguration of the committee in Akure on Tuesday, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Igbekele Ajibefun, explained that the committee was specifically created to carry out critical responsibilities, provide strategic direction, and enhance coordination among stakeholders.

According to him, members of the steering committee include , representatives from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Amotekun Corps, religious and traditional leaders, and Parents-Teachers Association.

Charging the committee members, the commissioner who is the chairman of the committee said , “You are to support the implementation of the Safe Schools Programme and strengthen mechanisms to prevent security threats in the educational institutions of the state.”

As the chairman of the committee, Ajibefun emphasised that the success of the initiative largely rests on the active participation of all stakeholders.

Explaining that security is a shared responsibility requiring vigilance, preparedness, resilience and collective action, Ajibefun admonished the members to discharge their duties with diligence, commitment, integrity, and a strong sense of purpose.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry—who also serves as the secretary of the committee, Akindele Ige, stated that the establishment of the committee was s a direct response to the growing security threats targeting schools.

Ige noted that recent attacks have reinforced the need for deliberate, coordinated, and sustained efforts to protect students, educators, and school infrastructure across the state.

He affirmed that “No meaningful teaching can take place where there is fear, and no effective learning can occur where there is insecurity.”

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Education

Teacher’s detention sparks uproar among Lagos colleagues

Published

2 days ago

June 15, 2026

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Colleagues of a Lagos teacher, Peter Shodipe of Ijaiye Ojokoro Junior College, have appealed to authorities to thoroughly review the circumstances surrounding a drama presentation that allegedly triggered panic among students in the school.

Shodipe was arrested after a co-curricular programme organised by the National Value Education Department of the school caused confusion when some students mistook a drama presentation on banditry for a real-life attack.

The incident, which occurred during a Wednesday co-curricular activity, later drew the attention of the police after frightened students shouted that bandits had invaded the school.

Speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, sources within the school maintained that Shodipe was merely carrying out an approved educational assignment.

A teacher in the school, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation, said the programme had been planned as part of activities marking National Awareness Day and was intended to educate students about insecurity, particularly banditry and kidnapping.

According to the source, the National Value Education Department, comprising teachers of Social Studies, Civic Education, Security Education and History, had agreed to organise a pep talk, quiz competition and drama presentation focusing on the causes, effects and prevention of insecurity.

Shodipe, who was assigned to coordinate the drama, reportedly selected students from JSS3 for the presentation and supervised rehearsals a day before the event.

The source said, “The drama was not a standalone activity. It was part of a broader educational programme. We prepared quiz questions, assigned teachers to different responsibilities and planned awareness talks.

“The drama was intended to help students understand the realities of insecurity and the importance of vigilance. It was never conceived as entertainment or content for social media.”

The source explained that preparations for the programme began within the school compound on the morning of the event.

The teacher specifically noted that the preparations were observed by officials of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps stationed at the school.

“Students changed into costumes near the school gate while officials of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps stationed at the school observed the preparations.

A staff member volunteered a bus to serve as a prop for the drama, and the vehicle remained on the school premises throughout the preparations.

“Some parents dropping off their children also saw students changing into costumes and understood that a drama presentation was about to take place,” the source added.

However, confusion reportedly erupted when the bus moved into position for the performance.

Some students who had not been briefed on the exercise allegedly began shouting, “Bandits! Bandits!” causing panic among other students and staff members.

The situation escalated as frightened students fled into neighbouring schools within the educational complex before some eventually ran onto nearby roads.

This also prompted concerned residents to alert security agencies.

Another teacher in the school, who also preferred not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the incident, said police officers later arrived and arrested Shodipe.

“When the officers arrived, they first went to the principal’s office. The principal later took them into the staffroom, where Mr Shodipe was identified.

“Education officials and school administrators subsequently made efforts to intervene, but by then the matter had already been escalated beyond the divisional level before the teacher was transferred to the state command headquarters,” the source said.

The detention of the teacher has generated concern among colleagues, particularly following comments made by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, who described the incident as content creation.

Speaking during a strategic meeting with police officers on Friday, the police commissioner said, “I can recall a teacher tried to create content around banditry and some other students who were not there got to know of this, and this caused a lot of pandemonium within the school.”

He further warned content creators against raising false alarms, stating that anyone found creating unnecessary content around sensitive security issues would face the law.

However, the colleagues strongly disputed that characterisation, insisting that describing the activity as content creation misrepresented the context in which it occurred.

The teacher further said, “We were surprised to hear it described that way because this was not a skit designed for social media and nobody was creating content.

“Mr Shodipe is a classroom teacher. He was assigned by the department to coordinate one aspect of an officially approved school programme, just as other teachers were assigned to handle the quiz and awareness sessions. Everything happened within the framework of teaching and learning.”

The source said the existence of departmental plans, rehearsals and other programme components demonstrated that the exercise was educational in nature.

“If this had been a personal project, people might understand the allegation. But this was a departmental activity involving multiple teachers and students. There were meetings, preparations and assigned responsibilities. The unfortunate panic that followed does not change the original purpose of the programme.

“The programme involved several teachers and formed part of activities approved by the department. What happened was an unintended consequence of a role-play exercise, not an attempt to create online content or spread a false alarm,” the source added.

The teacher acknowledged that communication gaps may have contributed to the misunderstanding but argued that any shortcomings should be treated as administrative issues rather than criminal conduct.

“We are not saying everything was perfect. Looking back, perhaps more people should have been informed because of the sensitive nature of the topic. But there is a difference between a mistake in planning and a criminal act. Nobody intended to cause panic, and nobody gained anything from what happened,” the source added.

The sources further appealed to the authorities to consider testimonies from parents, security personnel, students and staff members who witnessed the preparations before reaching any conclusions.

“What we are asking for is fairness. Let investigators speak with the teachers who planned the programme, the security personnel who witnessed the preparations and the parents who saw the students getting ready for the drama.

“We believe Mr Shodipe deserves a fair hearing and should not be punished for what appears to have been an unintended misunderstanding.”

It was gathered that efforts by Shodipe’s family to gain access to the detained teacher have so far been unsuccessful.

When contacted for a reaction, the Secretary of the National Union of Teachers in Lagos State, Gbenga Ayetobo, said the union had no information on the incident.

“No information for now, please,” he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comment as calls and text messages sent to her phone number were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

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Education

OAU has fulfilled founding fathers’ vision, says TETFund boss

Published

2 weeks ago

June 5, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The executive secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, has said the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has lived to the ideals of its founding fathers, breeding experts in various fields of human endeavors.

Echono, while delivering a lecture to mark the 65th anniversary of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, also said investment in research and innovation systems will generate practical solutions suited to local realities.

The TETFUND boss, in the copy of the paper obtained in Osogbo on Friday, paid glowing tributes to the pioneer and successive Vice Chancellors of the university for sustaining the legacies of the university’s founding fathers.

“The Great Ife has remained a symbol of commitment and purposeful leadership. Expectedly, the university has lived to the ideals of its founding fathers as the breeding ground for erudite scholars, legal luminaries, successful businessmen, diplomats, accomplished technocrats and administrators, including its legion of Nigerian National Merit Award Winners, who are contributing to national development, and have continued to uphold the reputation of the university,” he said.

Speaking on the concept of research and innovation, Echono noted that research and innovation remain key drivers of national development, saying nations that have achieved sustained economic growth and technological advancement have done so through deliberate investment in knowledge generation, scientific inquiry, and practical innovation.

He added that in present day global economy, development does not depend on natural resources, but on the capacity to create, apply, and commercialize knowledge.

“Research and innovation remain key drivers of national development. Nations that have achieved sustained economic growth and technological advancement have done so through deliberate investment in knowledge generation, scientific inquiry, and practical innovation.

“In today’s global economy, development does not depend on natural resources but on the capacity to create, apply, and commercialize knowledge. Nigeria’s developmental challenges, though significant, also present opportunities for innovation-driven transformation.

“Addressing issues such as unemployment, insecurity, hunger, healthcare limitations, industrial underdevelopment, and technological dependence requires sustained investment in research and innovation systems that generate practical solutions suited to local realities,” Echono said.

Commending President Bola Tinubu for focusing on research and innovation that can provide solutions to challenges peculiar to the country and her people, Echono also stressed that building a fully functional and innovation-driven economy requires deliberate efforts to address issues of funding constraints, insufficient infrastructure, inadequate motivation, limited academia-industry collaboration, and challenges in commercialising research outputs.

He emphasised that the role of TETFund in enhancing the capacity of tertiary institutions in the country for research and development through its interventions activities has become increasingly strategic for strengthening Nigeria’s research and innovation ecosystem.

He further said that by supporting research funding, academic capacity development, innovation hubs, commercialisation initiatives, and entrepreneurship programmes, TETFund has been repositioning institutions in the country as active contributors to national development.

He declared that Nigeria’s “Sustainable development largely depends on how effective we are at leveraging knowledge, innovation, and technology to grow national economy, expand opportunities, create jobs and wealth, develop new products and services and improve the well-being of its people. This is essential for national growth, competitiveness, and long-term stability.”

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Simeon Bamire, said the institution has been recording steady growth since it’s establishment about 65 years ago and commanded the sacrifices and commitment of staff members and students towards sustaining legacies of excellence OAU is reputed for.

The PUNCH reports that Bamire announced plans to unveil the N10bn President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Centre of Excellence in Intercultural Dialogue and Youth Empowerment on June 8 as part of activities marking the institution’s 65th anniversary.

Bamire said the centre was designed to serve as a platform for research, dialogue, leadership development, innovation and youth empowerment.

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