FG scraps JSS, SSS, introduces a 12-year basic education model.

The Federal Government has announced the elimination of all Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools in the country, introducing instead a mandatory 12-year uninterrupted basic education model. After completing this model, Nigerian children will be eligible for higher education. 

This initiative replaces the existing 6-3-3-4 education system with a new 12-4 structure. Additionally, the government has sought the approval of the National Council on Education (NCE) to officially adopt 16 years as the minimum entry age for the country’s tertiary institutions. 

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed these developments on Thursday in Abuja during the extraordinary NCE meeting for 2025. The NCE is the highest policy-making body in Nigeria's education sector. 

The event was attended by education commissioners from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), along with various agencies and parastatals under the Ministry, as well as development partners. 

According to the Minister, by integrating secondary education into the basic education framework, students will benefit from an uninterrupted learning experience until the age of 16. 

Alausa emphasized that this new policy aligns with global best practices.

 He stated that the reform aims to reduce dropout rates by eliminating financial and systemic barriers that currently hinder students from completing their secondary education.

 "Extending basic education to 12 years will ensure a standardized curriculum that is uniformly implemented across the nation," Alausa explained. "This will also allow for early exposure to vocational and entrepreneurial skills, preparing students for both higher education and employment." 

He noted that many developed nations have adopted similar systems where basic education spans 12 years, allowing students to gain foundational knowledge before specializing in higher education. "This reform also aligns Nigeria's education system with international standards, enhancing educational outcomes and global competitiveness," Alausa added. 

He pointed out that educated youth contribute significantly to national development. 

"When students receive an extended period of compulsory education, they are better equipped to enter the workforce with relevant skills.

 "This reform will also help reduce child labor and other social issues that arise from premature school dropouts."

 Alausa highlighted various implementation strategies to successfully integrate secondary education into basic education, including policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, teacher training and recruitment, funding and partnerships, as well as curriculum enhancement.

NIMR appeals for funds and sends an SOS to FG to rescue it from EKDC

The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, says, it will resuscitate its outstations in some parts of the country to expand research activities on public health issues.

It also plans to deploy some senior researchers to those facilities and make them fully functional according to the institute's mandate.

The outstations which are in Kainji in Niger State, Maiduguri, and Asaba, Delta State are currently dormant, apart from that of Delta where some collaborative work is being done with support from the State Ministry of Health.  

To achieve this, NIMR wants the government to prioritize funding for research to help address internal health challenges and improve people's quality of life. 

The Director-General of NIMR, Professor Oladapo Obafunwa who made the call during a media chat in Lagos, explained that 95 percent of research works carried out by the institute were funded by foreign donors, thereby limiting its scope of research.

"We have the facility to explore these things, NIMR is that expert at the background that people don’t see, we hope that a forum like this will help us to get across, to not just the average man on the street, but also legislators,  "A lot is said about chronic renal diseases and renal failure with dialysis, kidney transplant in the country, we need to find out if there is anything in our water and food that we need to revisit to know and the genetic predispositions to chronic renal diseases". he explained

The DG who also sent an SOS to the federal government to come to its aid as the Institute is facing difficulties posed by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, stated that, EKDC has failed to provide a meter or repair damaged panels despite repeated requests but rather, sending heavy bills to the Institute.

"The problem NIMR has is with the Eko electricity distribution company, " When you hear statements like, ‘we will shut you down, we will disconnect you,’ you will start wondering, is it that people don’t understand what it means? NIMR has no meter up till now. Letters have been written four times asking for the so-called damaged panel to be repaired but nothing has happened,” Prof. Obafunwa explained.

To mitigate this issue, he said NIMR is exploring alternative energy sources, including solar power. Prof. Obafunwa thanked one of the institute’s principal investigators who has sourced funds to install inverters with solar panels.

Professor Obafunwa who said, NIMR has the facility and human capacity to handle some of the health challenges and proffer solutions said, it is also ready to investigate the Human Metapneumo Virus, HMPV, but reassured Nigerians that so far, no outbreak has been reported.

The Director of Research, Professor Stella Smith who gave reasons for the Malaria resistance strain currently being experienced in the country to include, improper diagnosis and non-adherence to drug prescriptions, advised members of the public to present cases early, complete their medication and follow up cases to get the desired results. 

“This is why the government and legislators need to approve more funding for local research, focusing on pressing health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other non - communicable diseases.

Professor Smith said, " We need to recalibrate and focus a lot more on issues about our health conditions ".

FRSC calls for peace as NANs threaten to close FRSC Command.

The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC has called on the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS  have been urged to reconsider its stand and withdraw the reported threats to the Corps. 

In a statement signed by the Assistant Corps Marshal, Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide,

the Special Operations which is a fallout from the increasing abuse of the Nigerian number plates by organizations and faceless individuals who desire to drag the nation back to the old days of indiscriminate, unregistered, and irregular use of number plates. 

This he said, undermines the gains of enhanced security uniformity, data storage, and retrieval under the National Uniform Licensing Scheme (NULS).

According to the statement, " Commanding Officers nationwide have been directed not to succumb to any intimidation or threats by individuals or organizations in the guise of promoting acts likely to compromise the objects of the National Vehicle Identification Scheme and national Security while carrying out their statutory responsibilities of keeping the nation highways safe and secure for all road users ".

In addition, the Special Operations were necessitated by reports of forgery and duplication of number plates by some reputable Nigerians and organizations hence if immediate remedial actions are not taken, Nigeria'sa security could be compromised knowing that the majority of crimes are vehicles-related. 

FRSC management expressed dismay that, Nigerian students who ought to be at the forefront of a law-abiding nation would resort to issuing such threats to FRSC, an organization committed to bringing sanity and regularity to the vehicle registration system.

The statement says, the duty of the Corps also involves the resolution of vehicle-related crimes and the enhancement of National security, which is pivotal to proper vehicle identification and resolution to the insanity and chaos that characterized the number plates system in the past. 

It advised the Leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANs, to toe the path of peace by seeking more information and understanding of the ongoing operations.

Police hand over 165 suspected Immigrants to NIS in Kebbi.....says investigation continues

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested 165 immigrants said to be from Francophone countries and handed them over to the State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation. 

A statement by the Police Command image maker, SP Nafiu Abubakar, made available to Radio Nigeria in Kebbi state says an intelligence report revealed that over Two Hundred persons were discovered in a Three-Bedroom Flat in the Kuwait area of Birnin Kebbi metropolis. 

The statement said the residents were raided by a team of Detectives attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and successfully arrested One Hundred and Sixty-Five (165) occupants.

It stated that" while on the investigation, it was discovered that, all of the arrested suspects were from Francophone countries of Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Mali, and Ivory Coast " 

" Investigation further revealed that the suspects are residing in Nigeria without any valid documents and allegedly involved in Qnet Ponzi Scheme ". 

The statement said, on conclusion of the preliminary investigations by the Command, the arrested suspected immigrants have been transferred to the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kebbi State Command, for the continuation of the investigation and further necessary action.

Story by  Abdullahi Tukur

REMAPSEN condemns unrest in DRC: calls for peace.

 

The African Media Network for the Promotion of Health and the Environment, REMAPSEN, a non - non-governmental organization, has expressed dismay at the killings in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

Describing the country as one of the most productive countries of REMAPSEN, the President of the organization, Bamba Youssouf, noted that, because REMAPSEN remains strongly attached to life, it cannot ignore the hundreds of deaths and thousands of those injured in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, describing it as barbaric.

In a statement signed by the President at the weekend, he says, " We have a special thought for all our colleagues from the DRC who are members of REMAPSEN, whether at the central, regional, or national levels " We pray for a rapid and definitive return of peace in all parts of this great country, the DRC " 

It will be recalled that, for weeks, there had been clashes in Eastern DRC, causing heavy losses of human life.

Fighting between Rwanda-backed rebel group; M23 and government forces led to the killings of hundreds of civilians, women, and children mostly affected.

Thousands have also fled into the bushes as the rebels overran and captured the mineral-rich Goma region and advanced to the DRC capital, Kinshasha as the health system shut down in parts of the country.

Julie Ekong

Farmers In Shonga get Relief materials: calls for regulation of development in flood-prone areas.

Farmers in Shonga, Edu local government area of Kwara State have received farm inputs and other relief materials to cushion the hardship caused them by the devastating flood that washed away their rice farms.

Speaking at the distribution of the relief materials, members representing Pategi Moro and Edu Federal Constituency, of Kwara State Ahmed Saba expressed worry over the damages caused by the flood.

He expressed dismay at the billions of Naira lost to the flood due to a lack of awareness and information from the Water Resource Management (WRM).

 Saba thanked the state government for assisting the farmers with some relief materials.

" I appeal to the State and Federal government to implement policies on the management of land use, regulate development in flood-prone areas, as well as invest in the construction of drainage systems to prevent a recurrence ". Saba

 He called for the creation of public awareness activities on flood risks and provided emergency response and relief services.

Items distributed to the farmers affected by the flood in Shonga included Knapsack sprayers, Water pumping machines, Solar Engine pumps, Chemicals, Rice seedlings, and Fertilizers among others.

ALI RABIU

Engage in environmentally friendly practices: wildlife experts tell Nigerians.

     A group of Conservation professionals has stressed the need to collate reliable data on bird species in the country to strengthen biodiversity.

    At a stakeholders meeting in Abuja on Citizen Science Advocacy in Conservation Practices, Dr Alao Mitchell, the Director of Wildlifeife Disease Surveillance and Ecosystem Heath, in the Ministry of Livestock Development, urged Nigerians to engage in environmentally friendly practices.

   " According to him, the event is aimed at communicating citizen science data of the species for management and advocacy, adding that," the data when generated will aid in making policies that will protect animals and humans".

  A Deputy Director in the Ministry of Environment, Mr Aiwuyo Christopher, described birds as essential creatures who help in preserving the environment.

He explained that " Nigeria has about 975 species of birds which help in pest control, plant pollination and also spread seeds".  

    The Executive Director of the Organization, A.P Leventis Foundation Nigeria, Mr. Hope Useita, said, that The organization is in partnership with the Federal government, as some stat, es, and other organizations to train youths and farmers in farming and other relevant skills for self-reliance.".

   On her part, the Manager of the Nigerian Birds Atlas Project, under the A.P Leventis Ornithological Research Institute of the University of Jos, M.rs Talatu Tende, says, "The objective of the project is to raise awareness about the importance of birds within the environment and understand how growth in human population is affecting their population and distribution around the country.

   The Head of the Africa Office, of the Tropical Biology Association in Kenya, Mr Anthony Kuria, while sharing his country's conservation strategies, stated that" the Government of Kenya invests hugely in the wildlife sector which is one of its top revenue earners ".

EMMANUEL KUTARA/SHEKARA