Education
IPPIS: You Can’t Turn Universities to Core Civil Service, ASUU Insists

From Chris Gaga, Makurdi
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that there was no going back on its position against the planned enrollment of its members on Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) by the Federal government.
The Union’s President, Prof.
Biodun Ogunyemi, who stated this in a chat with newsmen after an interaction with its members at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM) on Friday, accused the federal government of trying, through IPPIS, to over-localize Nigerian universities and take them back to the core civil service.The National President however, confirmed that less than 15 lecturers have been registered in ASUU-FUAM against the wish of the union.
“What IPPIS is out to do is to take universities back to the core civil service. We fought that under the military way back in 1992. In fact, the first law that led to autonomy that we are talking about was signed 1993. Our negotiations with federal government since 1992 has always had this component of any circular that is inconsistent with the university autonomy to the extent of its inconsistency will be null and void.
“So, that is to clear the line between the core civil service and universities. The universities are meant to be governed by their laws. The Head of Service is not the employer of universities’ academic staff.
“In fact, under the military, they sacked some of our senior comrades. People like late Prof. Iyayi and the thing was tested in court. The then Head of State, a military president gave directive that Iyayi should be sacked and that matter was taken up to the Supreme Court and he defeated the military government.
“And government pronounced at the Supreme Court that governing councils are the employers of universities academics. So, to that extent, we are convinced that we are on the right track.
“The employers of universities academics are their governing councils and not the Head of Service. Universities are not part of civil service and there is no where in the world where such practice as they are trying to impose on us in Nigeria obtains.
“And we have sited this example before. Ghana at some point, introduced IPPIS but later they excluded the universities because they know it would not work.
“What they (FG) are trying to do in Nigeria is to over-localize us (ASUU) but universities are international learning and research environments. We are now in the age of internationalization. That is why people talk about global ranking of universities, they don’t talk of local ranking of universities.
“It would be an anathema for us to allow government to over localize us. To buy into IPPIS means we are surrendering the autonomy of the universities which is highly cherished all over the world.”
Asked what would happen if the federal government makes good its promise to stop salaries of universities lecturers who refuse to enroll on the IPPIS scheme, the ASUU President said the union would have no other option than to activate it’s resolution on ‘no salary no work’.
He said the information making the rounds that some of its members were secretly enrolling on the IPPIS is not totally correct stressing that the number of its members who may have betrayed its cause was very insignificant.
“The information making the rounds is not totally correct about the number of our members who are betraying the cause of ASUU. I can tell you authoritatively that in this branch (ASUU-FUAM), those who have registered against the wish of the Union are less than 15.
“If you have over 700 members in a branch and you have less than 15 going against the wish of the Union, we can say the number is insignificant. But more importantly, our union has a way of handling matters like that when you work against the directive of the Union.
“We have our own procedure of handling matters by taking them through the procedure for handling disciplinary issues. And that is what we are going to do in this matter.
Education
UNICAL VC Promises to Resolve Dentistry Students’ Crisis

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi has promised that she would do everything humanly possible to ensure that the ongoing crisis in the institution’s Department of Dentistry, is resolved.
Prof.
Obi made the promise in Calabar during a press briefing, stressing that she will resolve the crisis before leaving office.She explained that the problem predates her administration, and pledged to intensify efforts to rectify the crisis.
She added that the crisis was as a result of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)’s refusal to induct 2016 Dentistry students of the institution.She also debunked claims circulating on social media that the institution’s Dentistry programme has lost its accreditation, describing the reports as “misinformation and distortion of facts,” clarifying that the programme remains fully accredited and no students have been directed to transfer to other universities.
“At no point did the University ask Dentistry students to seek transfers to other institutions, nor were they advised to ‘go and learn a trade’ as falsely alleged online,” the VC stated.
“I will feel very bad if I leave without solving this problem and the students are left hanging without knowing their fate. I won’t be fulfilled,” she said.
She reaffirmed the University’s commitment to ensuring all Dentistry students graduate and are duly licensed as dental surgeons.
She noted that the Dentistry programme commenced in the 2013/2014 academic session, and in November 2019, the University secured pre-clinical accreditation from the MDCN and full clinical accreditation was subsequently granted in December 2022.
The VC added that the university’s synergy and partnership with the Minister of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to upgrade its facilities.
“All we asked for is time to engage with other institutions, update the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and follow through on due processes,” she noted.
Speaking further, Obi said that some of the affected students demanded to be transferred to the Department of Medicine and Surgery but said it was not the solution as the department was already saturated.
She urged the affected students to remain calm, noting that the university was doing everything possible to resolve the issues before the end of her tenure.
Education
NUT Reaffirms Commitment to Teachers’ Professional Development in Kwara

From Abdullahi Abubakar, Ilorin
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kwara State Wing has restated its commitment to strengthening the professional growth of teachers across the State, to enhance the quality of education delivered in public schools. Speaking at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop in Ilorin, the State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Yusuf Wahab Agboola, noted that continuous training of teachers remains a vital component of educational reform and improved classroom delivery.
The training, organised in collaboration with the NUT National Secretariat, is targeted at selected teachers and focuses on the “Study Circle Conveners’ Model”—a grassroots strategy for enhancing peer-to-peer learning and participatory leadership within the education sector.
Comrade Agboola explained that the workshop aims to equip teachers with practical skills in collaborative learning, peer engagement, and innovative teaching practices. He expressed optimism that the training would promote professional bonding among teachers and foster collective solutions to challenges facing the education sector.Also speaking at the event, the National Coordinator of the NUT Study Circle Project, Comrade Solomon Igbelowowa, traced the initiative’s roots to 1985 when it was introduced in Nigeria by the Swedish Teachers Association, having recorded success in Sweden and other parts of the world. He commended the Nigerian Union of Teachers for sustaining the project over the years and urged participants to engage fully and make the most of the training opportunity.
The workshop was officially declared open by the National President of the NUT, Audu Amba, who was represented by the 3rd National Vice President, Bashir Oyewo.
He encouraged teachers to approach the sessions with dedication and punctuality.
Education
JAMB Sets 150 Cut-off Mark for University Admissions

By Tony Obiechina Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The decision was reached on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, with stakeholders from various tertiary institutions in attendance.
According to JAMB, 140 was approved as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture will admit candidates with a minimum score of 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 announced via its official X account.