Oyo State government has ordered immediate closure of all public primary schools in four local government areas in the state. The affected local government areas are Surulere, Oyo East, Oriire and Olorunsogo. Students and teachers were asked to vacate the schools untill further notice following the abduction of unspecified number of students on Friday. THENEWSCREDIT reports that an unspecified number of students were kidnapped at LEA School, Ahoro-Esinele, and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire local government area of the state in the early hours of Friday. Our correspondent reports that the principal of the secondary school was also abducted. The state government through the Universal Basic Education Board, UBEB, ordered immediate closure of all public primary schools in the affected local government areas. Executive Chairman of the Board, Dr Nureni Adeniran, in a statement issued on Friday, explained that the decision was taken in order to allow security agencies stabilise the area. Adeniran also confirmed the killing of a teacher during the incident. He said the number of students kidnapped has not been ascertained as at the time of filing this report on Friday. He added that his ministry, in conjunction with other agencies, are on top of the situation. “The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, OYOSUBEB, expresses profound sorrow and deep concern over the unfortunate attack on LA School, Ahoro-Esinele, and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire LGUBEA, which resulted in the killing of a teacher and the kidnapping of some pupils. “As we speak, the accurate number of pupils kidnapped is yet to be ascertained, as security agencies continue to comb the affected areas and establish full details of the incident. “In the interest of safety, the Board has directed all primary schools in neighbouring communities, including Surulere, Oyo East, Oriire, and Olorunsogo, to immediately vacate their schools until further notice. This temporary measure is to prevent any secondary incidents and to allow security agencies to thoroughly stabilise the area,” the statement said.

OGBOMOSO— Palpable terror has gripped the residents of the Ogbomoso zone in Oyo State following a daring daylight invasion of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, by heavily armed bandits. The attackers violently abducted the school`s female principal along with an unspecified number of students, leaving a male teacher fighting for his life after sustaining severe gunshot wounds. The incident, which occurred in the Oriire Local Government Area, has raised fresh anxieties regarding the vulnerability of educational institutions operating near expansive, porous forest reserves. According to community sources and reports initially tracked by www.thenewscredit.com, the heavily armed gang breached the school premises unexpectedly. The quiet academic environment was instantly shattered by sporadic gunfire as the attackers moved to round up staff and students. A tutor who attempted to intervene or stall the attackers was shot at close range. The gunmen singled out the female school principal, forcing her under gunpoint into her personal vehicle. A group of students, whose exact headcount remains unverified, were bundled into the operation as hostages. The bandits capitalised on the geographical vulnerabilities of the Oriire axis. After securing their victims, the suspects used the principal`s own car to drive out of the immediate vicinity before abandoning conventional transit. Multiple local sources confirmed that the bandits and their captives swiftly retreated on foot into the dense forest reserve that directly borders the Ahoro-Esinele community. The vast woodland terrain provides extensive cover, severely complicating immediate tracking and emergency rescue efforts by local vigilantes. This school invasion marks a deeply troubling escalation in the security profile of the Oriire Local Government Area. The geographic zone has faced heightened security volatility, closely trailing a previous deadly assault where suspected bandits infiltrated a National Park Service office at Oloka Community, killing five forest rangers. Local leaders from Newsmen had previously warned that the region`s expansive forest reserves and border porousness make it highly susceptible to criminal elements using the woods as tactical launchpads. This latest school raid underscores those exact fears, bringing the reality of Northwest-style student abductions directly into the South-West region. The shot tutor was rushed to an undisclosed medical facility within the Ogbomoso zone for urgent treatment. Local hunters and vigilante groups have reportedly mobilised to comb the forest fringes, though official security statements from the Oyo State Police Command regarding a formal rescue operation are still awaited. Parents have begun withdrawing their children from surrounding schools as a precautionary measure against further coordinated raids.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has said most federal colleges of education in Nigeria now operate a dual-mandate system that allows students to earn both the Nigeria Certificate in Education and a Bachelor of Education degree concurrently. Alausa disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He explained that the initiative was introduced in 2025 to strengthen teacher education and improve enrolment in colleges of education. According to him, students admitted into the institutions begin with the NCE programme and, upon meeting university admission requirements after three years, proceed to complete a degree programme within an additional two years. “From last year alone, dual-mandate colleges of education and all federal colleges of education today, most of them, except the ones that were founded five years and below, now offer dual-mandate degree. “That student will now go, they’ll enter as an NCE, they’ll do three years. After three years, if they meet the requirement to go to universities, which is five credits, they’ll continue and do another two years and get two degrees. “Five years, you get NCE, National College of Education Diploma, and you get a Bachelor of Education degree,” he said. The minister said the reform had improved the sustainability of colleges of education and increased student enrolment into the institutions. “That has really now put colleges of education into sustainability for the future. So we’ve had more traction of students going. We need a better pool of more teachers, high-quality teachers,” he added. Alausa explained that the arrangement was similar to the pathway from national diploma programmes in polytechnics to university degrees. According to the minister, about 28 federal colleges of education have already commenced the programme, while state-owned colleges are expected to begin implementation from the 2026 academic session after amending relevant state laws. “Now, for the state colleges of education, they now have to change their individual state legislation to make that happen. “I think, as of the last count, we have almost 18 states or 17 states that have done that. “They would also be doing that from this 2026 academic session. That’s a huge change in our colleges of education,” he said. He further clarified that students who fail to meet the O’level requirements for university admission after completing the NCE programme would exit with only the NCE qualification. “If you don’t meet those requirements, you terminate at NCE. But the key thing, beyond opening up more access, is to now create pool,” Alausa stated.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Monday announced that candidates seeking admission into Education programmes and Agriculture-related non-engineering courses will no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. JAMB announced this in a post on its X handle during its ongoing policy meeting on 2026 admissions. “Candidates seeking admissions into Education Programmes and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are now exempted from UTME,” the board wrote on X. The development comes as the heels of Nigerian government announcing the scrapping of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, as a requirement for admission into Colleges of Education. The federal government said candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE, programmes, will no longer be required to sit for UTME.

Vice President Kashim Shettima expressed excitement on Saturday as 12 of the girls abducted from their secondary school in Chibok in 2014, but who eventually regained freedom, formally completed their university education at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola. The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, also celebrated the graduation of the 12 girls, remarking that adversity is not the end of life when the right corrective steps are taken. The 12 were among hundreds abducted from Chibok 12 years ago, but were later freed and subsequently enrolled at AUN with sponsorship from the Federal Government. Vice President Shettima, during AUN’s 17th Commencement (Convocation) of the Class of 2026 in Yola, said that although the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls remains a wound on the conscience of the nation, some measure of redemption is being achieved as 12 more of the girls complete their university education. Represented at the occasion by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, Shettima commended AUN, a private university owned by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for holding the girls to the same academic standards as other students. “To the girls, I assure you that your country has not finished its obligation to you,” Shettima said, while the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development noted that the Federal Government has further plans for the graduates. The minister, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Esuabana Nko Asanye, said the government has invested heavily since the recovery of the first set of abducted schoolgirls and would not abandon the fresh graduates. Although hundreds of students graduated during the convocation on Saturday, attention centred on the 12 Chibok girls, two of whom, in separate interviews, expressed their joy at becoming graduates. The President (Vice Chancellor) of AUN, Professor DeWayne Frazier, said in his commencement address that the 12 Chibok girls would walk across the graduation stage in a sacred moment of triumph over fear, resilience over trauma, and hope over everything that once sought to silence their future.

Over 35 million candidates have written examinations conducted by the National Examinations Council, NECO, in the last 25 years, according to the Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Wushishi. Wushishi disclosed this at the Council’s 25th anniversary gala and awards night in Minna, where he said NECO, established on July 10, 1999, was created to provide a national alternative examination body following long-standing demands for a credible and locally responsive assessment institution. He said the figure of about 35 million candidates reflects cumulative participation in NECO examinations over the years, including the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and other assessments conducted by the Council. The Registrar also referenced the institutional background of NECO, noting that its creation followed recommendations from government panels between 1977 and 1997, which repeatedly highlighted the need for a national examination body. The event also featured the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Emeritus Professor Dibu Ojerinde, former NECO Registrar from 1999 to 2007 and ex-JAMB Registrar, in recognition of his role in the early development of the council. NECO also recognised schools and states based on performance indicators in its SSCE Internal examinations since inception. Dority International Early Learning School was named the overall best-performing secondary school, followed by Federal Government Academy and Air Force Comprehensive School. In the state category, Bayelsa State was recognised for recording the highest percentage of candidates with five credits and above, while Lagos State was acknowledged for registering the highest number of candidates for NECO examinations. Ogun, Edo, Kaduna and Oyo states were also recognised for various performance outcomes in the SSCE Internal results. Wushishi said the Council would continue to review its processes and adopt technology-driven approaches to improve examination administration and maintain standards.

The Federal Government on Wednesday banned recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional usage. It declared that the use of the title by such recipients constitutes a misrepresentation of academic credentials, which will henceforth be treated as academic fraud, with attendant legal and reputational consequences. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing State House correspondents on two Federal Executive Council approvals that had not been announced at the last cabinet meeting, which held on April 30. Alausa, who appeared alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, said the FEC approved a uniform policy for the award and use of honorary degrees by Nigerian universities. The policy, he explained, is designed to end what he described as decades of indiscriminate conferral of degrees for political patronage and financial gain, and to restore public confidence in the integrity of academic titles. He said, “The recent trend we’ve seen with the award of honorary degrees has revealed a growing abuse and politicisation of this academic privilege. “We’ve seen awards being used for political patronage, for financial gain, as well as the conferral of awards on serving public officials, which, as part of the ethics of honorary degree awards, should not happen.” Under the new policy, recipients of honorary degrees may no longer put “Dr” before their names. Instead, they must cite the full honorary designation after their name. Giving examples, Alausa explained, “For instance, you can use Chief Louis Clark, D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature, Honoris Causa)” or “Mrs Miriam Adamu, LL.D. Hons.” Alausa said this format clearly reflects the honorary rather than earned academic nature of the award. “Recipients shall not prefix doctor to their names in official, academic or professional usage,” the minister said, adding, “Misrepresentation of honorary degrees as earned academic credentials shall be considered academic fraud and subject to legal and reputational consequences.” The policy also restricts the types of honorary degrees Nigerian universities can confer to four: Doctor of Laws (LL.D), Doctor of Letters (D.Lit), Doctor of Science (D.Sc), and Doctor of Humanities It further bars universities without active PhD-awarding programmes from conferring honorary degrees at all. Alausa said the restriction was aimed at addressing the proliferation of newer institutions that have been awarding honorary doctorates despite being less than five years old and lacking postgraduate research programmes. The minister noted that all honorary degrees must carry the words “honorary” or “Honoris Causa” on the award certificate and in all references. For over a decade, concerns over the commercialisation and politicisation of honorary degrees have been raised in Nigeria’s academic community, with universities often accused of awarding the degrees to wealthy donors and public officials in exchange for financial patronage rather than merit. In 2012, the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities attempted to address the challenge in what became known as the Keffi Declaration. The declaration outlined guiding principles for the award of honorary degrees. However, it had no legal or executive backing and was therefore largely ignored, Alausa said on Wednesday. He explained, “The association doesn’t have any legal backing to enforce anything. “That is why we brought this to the Federal Executive Council, which now gives it legal and executive backing.” The minister said the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) will issue a circular to all vice-chancellors, registrars, and governing councils in this regard. He also noted that convocation programmes will be monitored for compliance with the policy, and the government will collaborate with the media to discourage improper attribution of academic titles to honorary recipients. The ministry will also publish annually a list of legitimate honorary degree recipients to protect the integrity of earned academic qualifications, Alausa said. He noted that the NUC has the statutory power to enforce the policy.

The Federal Government has announced plans to scrap the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and introduce a Learner Identification Number to track pupils from primary school through their academic journey. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday. According to Tribune, the Minister explained that the proposed reforms are aimed at improving access to education and ensuring better tracking of pupils across the country. He noted that the common entrance examination would be phased out and replaced with a more comprehensive evaluation system. He said, “It will be replaced by Continuous Assessment, CA. The CA will reflect the performance of the pupil from primary one and even if a pupil is transferring from one school to another, he will take it along to his new school.” The minister added that the new system would help address gaps in the transition from primary to secondary education, particularly the large number of pupils who fail to progress to the next level. Providing data to support the reform, Alausa said millions of pupils enrolled in public primary schools do not continue their education at the secondary level. “We have over 50,000 public primary schools in the country with over 23 million pupils. However, from statistics available to us, only a little over 3 million among those pupils move to the junior secondary school level in our public schools, then the question is, where are the about 20 million not enrolled in our public secondary schools?” he queried. He noted that the situation points to a major access problem, stressing the need for state governments to build more schools. “It is obvious that we cannot say our private schools accommodate all of them. The issue is simply lack of access and we are working on that. There is need to build more schools and I have met the Nigerian Governors’ Forum over that. State governments need to build more schools to accommodate more pupils and students,” he said. To address tracking challenges, the minister said the government would introduce the Learner Identification Number for pupils from the primary school level. “To also follow up on our pupils and students, we are introducing the Learner Identification Number right from primary school level for our children. It will be unique to each child and they will have the number no matter where they started schooling or later transferred to,” he explained. He added that the system would enable authorities to monitor students’ progress and identify those who drop out of school. “If somebody is expected to be in JSS class one and he is not there, we will be able to know the reason why he is not continuing his education,” Alausa said. The minister further disclosed that efforts are ongoing to revive the school feeding programme to boost enrolment in public schools, adding that the initiative may be moved to the Federal Ministry of Education for improved monitoring. The proposed reforms form part of broader efforts by the government to strengthen the education sector, improve retention rates, and ensure that more Nigerian children complete basic education.

It appears the days when parents happily welcome their children’s school assignments are fast disappearing. More parents are now rejecting the assignments, concentrating more on their businesses, as the economy bites harder. The increase in price of goods and services, coupled with low purchasing power, has made many women to double their hustles, along with their wifely duties. These factors have reduced the time spent to assist children with homework, especially those in kindergarten and nursery classes. Economy&Lifestyle discovered that to contain the situation, parents now turn down voluminous school homework, citing lack of time to help children and that the scope of homework are too broad for their children’s age. Mr. Judith Shaba, a women’s wear vendor, said:”My daughter’s teacher have her french homework. A subject they just started teaching the previous week. I returned the homework back to the school. How does a 4 year old learn a new language in just a week.” On her part, Mrs. Fatimah Braimoh, a food stuff vendor said:”My son’s school teacher gave him eight homeworks. “He usually disturbs me especially with the homework he doesn’t understand. I am a 9-5 worker and also have a side hustle I do. “Everyday, same routine. I hardly have time for myself. “Recently, I just told my son to do the homework he can do and the next day the homework was in his bag. She was just smiling. “How do you give a 3 year old eight homeworks? “A child wakes up in the morning by 6 a.m and returns home by 4 p.m and you expect the child to still continue with loads of homeworks without resting. Is he a robot? Even a robot has a limit of workload.” Mrs. Sheriffat Audu, a provision seller said she returned her son’s homework undone to the teacher. “My child was told to write 1-1,000. A primary one pupil. The quantitative and verbal reasoning, English language, Tracing and painting. “I just packed everything back to the teacher and told her if she cannot give my child one or two homework, she should not bother giving at all. “How can I return home stressed and my child stressed and the only time we have to rest is to be used for homework that is beyond her Intelligience Quotient? “These schools should please rest with these voluminous homework they give to children below six years. It is too much for their brain.” However, some parents are now depending on Artificial Intelligience tools to address these numerous homework issue. Mrs. Judith Ogedengbe, a non-teaching staff of a tertiary institution said: “I stopped complaining to my son’s school since my compliant did not stop them from giving him many homeworks. “A friend introduced me to Chat GPT and that is what I have been using to help my child with his homework. “It is not easy hustling and returning home to large volume of homework. “The shouting, correction, threatening and all tricks to make the child concentrate is overwhelming too. “Schools need to trim down on these excessive draining homework because children also need to rest.”

The Federal Ministry of Education has officially dismissed reports circulating on social media that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is no longer mandatory for admission into tertiary institutions. The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, described the reports as "malicious," "baseless," and "entirely fabricated". JAMB remains the only legally recognized body empowered to conduct entrance examinations and coordinate admissions into all universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Nigeria. The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) continues to be a prerequisite for undergraduate admissions. The misinformation appears to have misinterpreted the "Renewed Hope in Action" initiative, which focuses on streamlining O`Level entry requirements to expand access to education, but does not eliminate JAMB’s role. As of February 21, 2026, JAMB registration is ongoing and is scheduled to close on February 28, 2026. The 2026 UTME examinations are slated to hold from April 15 to April 25, 2026. The Ministry has urged prospective students and parents to disregard any information not from official channels.