NEWS
AI, a Tool to Resolve Nigeria’s out-of-school Children Crisis – Obasanjo
A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, says that artificial intelligence can be used as a tool to provide solution for millions of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Obasanjo made this assertion at the third international colloquium and 50th anniversary of learning opportunities organised by the Distance Learning Institute (DLI), University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Thursday in Lagos.
The theme of the Colloquium was: “The Massive and Ubiquitous Invasion of the Education Landscape By Artificial Intelligence: Whither Open, Flexible and Distance Learning?”
Obasanjo said that according to statistics, over 20 million Nigerian children are out-of-school, adding that this was part of the major crisis Nigeria’s education sector was facing.
“We have an education crisis, and artificial intelligence and open distance learning are some tools we can use to get out of such crisis.
“I also enrolled in an open distance learning university, because it is what I preach that I will practice and it worked out.
“Today, we hear that there should no difference between distance learning certificate and world learning certificate.
“I commend what the university management is doing concerning innovation development within and outside the institution,” Obasanjo said.
He noted that distance learning and teaching would solve the issues of accommodation and transportation in the university.
In her opening remarks, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, Vice-Chancellor, UNILAG, said that it was proud of distance learning, because it recognised the future of education was going to be technology based.
She said that it had been recognised that Nigeria, with the population of 226 million people, 89 percent of which were between 15 years and 30 years old, had a lot of people to educate.
“Currently, at any point in time, we have about two million people in the University system, and a quarter of these are in distance learning, while the remaining 1.5 million are taken care of by the 246 universities.
“It means that the way to go is distance learning, the bodiless universities and technology has to drive it, if we are to take care of our education.
“UNILAG is one of the most innovative university in the world, because we are not afraid to embrace change to improve the education system.
“When there was stigma about distance learning, in UNILAG, we only realised that the difference between distance learning and degree learning is the mode of delivery,” Ogunsola said.
She added that the university had started working to ensure that the DLI certificate would not be different from other degree certificates, a move that the university ‘s senate had approved.
“We also recognise that as a university, for us distance learning needs to be innovative too.
“Another way to address distance learning is introduction of distance teaching in the university.
“We did distance teaching during COVID-19, right now we are losing lecturers due to the ‘Japa Syndrome’, and we must find ways to engage them irrespective of where they are in the world.
“We will fully look into innovative ways of distance teaching. By next year, we will have started distance teaching for this programme,” Ogunsola said.
The Keynote Speaker, Prof. Ramesh Sharma, Director of Distance Education, University of Guyana, South America, said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) had an impact on open distance and online education careers.
Sharma said that AI was not a threat to people losing job at all, because some people were afraid of AI but they already had a robot vacuuming their floors.
“The different levels of artificial intelligence includes: artificial super intelligence, general intelligence and narrow intelligence.
“An AI-empowered educational ecosystem for distance learners, for students, will mean that we will become better and faster learner, which AI can do,” he said.
Sharma added that AI could enhance teaching and learning by improving academic outcomes by predicting students’ success and identifying at-risk students.
“It also helps and assist in data analysis, trend identification and provides insights from research data,” he said.
Prof. Risikat Dauda, Director, Distance Learning Institute, UNILAG, said that part of its commitment was to promote the responsible use of AI for educational purposes.
Dauda said that AI incursion in the education sector was rapidly reshaping traditional approaches to teaching and learning paradigms.
The Chairman of the programme was Prof. Kabiru Isyaku, Pro-Chancellor, Khalifa Isyaku Rabiu University (KHAIRUN), Kano; Prof. Tayo Arulogun, Vice-Chancellor, Miva Open University, Abuja was also present amongst others. (NAN)
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will step down from his cabinet position if President Bola Tinubu fails to secure victory in both the FCT and Rivers State in the upcoming 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an engagement with leadership and members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja, Wike stated that his continued tenure as a cabinet minister is directly tied to his ability to deliver political results for the president in his primary areas of influence.
Setting a specific timeline, the Minister announced that should the ruling party lose in the FCT and Rivers State at the presidential poll scheduled for January 16, 2027, he will formally tender his resignation the very next day.
“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here,” Wike said, emphasizing that his political mandate requires concrete electoral success.
“If I lose FCT, I’m not supposed to be FCT Minister. By January 17, 2027, I will announce my resignation as FCT Minister should the President lose in Rivers State and the FCT,” he stressed.
Outlining his political strategy for the territory, Wike revealed that the administration is building a multi-party coalition to secure victory across various elective offices in the FCT.
He explicitly endorsed candidates across legislative tiers while reiterating total support for the president’s re-election bid.
“Let us be clear on direction: for the Presidency, it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu! For the Senate, Philip Aduda is a man of the people, unlike those who only appear on television. The two House of Representatives candidates we are supporting are also here. They are former Area Council chairmen.
“In the FCT, we are running a unified coalition across parties to deliver results.
“If I cannot deliver FCT as Minister, then I am not qualified to hold this office. We have a firm agreement, and today is the final affirmation.”
The announcement comes amid ongoing efforts by the FCT Administration to resolve the long-standing relocation and land allocation exercise for thousands of traders and mechanics operating within the Apo Mechanic Village corridor.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for candidates with outstanding admission offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises to Nov. 30, 2026.
JAMB spokesman, Dr.
Fabian Benjamin, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.Benjamin said the extension followed the temporary unavailability of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) for about 96 hours.
He said the extension would give affected candidates a final opportunity to either accept or reject their outstanding admission offers.
“The Board has approved Nov. 30, 2026 as the final deadline for candidates in this category to indicate whether they wish to accept or reject their outstanding admission offers,” he said.
He recalled that the Board extended the deadline to Sept. 30, 2026, adding that the recent disruption to CAPS necessitated the further extension.
Benjamin warned that candidates who failed to act by Nov. 30 would no longer be allowed to accept or reject the outstanding offers within the current window.
“Any subsequent request to update an admission record relating to these previous years will attract the applicable penalty fee,” he said.
He said candidates whose admissions were not on the matriculation list could face difficulties accessing benefits, including participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
The spokesman advised all affected candidates to take action before the deadline rather than wait until the last day.
He said candidates who accepted their offers would be able to print their admission letters, while those who rejected them would have their dashboards reverted to “Not Admitted”.
According to him, the process would enable JAMB to update its records and ensure that the national admission database accurately reflected candidates’ current status.
Benjamin said candidates no longer studying at the institutions where they were offered admission could accept the offer and later apply for correction or deletion, where applicable.
He added that candidates currently pursuing a second degree programme, but still having an unaccepted admission offer from a previous year could reject the old offer and continue with their current programme.
“Candidates who have been offered admission in the 2026 admission exercise but still have an outstanding admission offer from an earlier year have no cause for apprehension.
“Such candidates may reject the previous admission offer, and doing so will not affect their 2026 admission,” he said.
Benjamin said the extension was also aimed at helping JAMB maintain accurate and reliable national admission records.
He reiterated that Nov. 30, 2026 was the final deadline for accepting or rejecting outstanding admissions from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises.
“At the expiration of the deadline, all outstanding admission offers from these years that have neither been accepted nor rejected will automatically revert to ‘Not Admitted’ status on the Board’s records,” he said.
He urged all affected candidates to take immediate action, stressing that failure to accept an admission offer within the stipulated period could render the offer invalid.(NAN)
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Board of Directors of the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has inspected the ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation works at Taraku Mills Limited, ahead of the planned test run of the factory.
The inspection, led by the Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr.
Raymond Asemakaha, CFA, provided members of the Board with an opportunity to assess the level of work carried out at the facility and preparations for the commencement of operations.Conducting the Board around the factory, Dr. Asemakaha explained the progress made so far and assured that the facility would be test-run during the weekend as part of efforts to prepare the mill for full-scale production.
The Board Chairman, Lady Elizabeth M.N. Shuluwa, commended the GMD, the technical team and staff of Taraku Mills for their commitment and dedication towards restoring the facility to productive use.
Lady Shuluwa also expressed appreciation to the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for his support and commitment to the revival of the state’s industrial assets.
She called on the people of Benue State to support the efforts to revive Taraku Mills and other state-owned industries, stressing the importance of collective ownership and support for initiatives aimed at creating jobs, boosting economic activities and improving the state’s industrial base.
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