Education
ASUU: Only workers Captured by IPPIS will Receive Salaries, Buhari Insists
President Muhammadu Buhari has said only federal workers that have been captured by the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform will continue to receive salaries.
Buhari said this when he presented the 2021 budget of N13.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), currently on industrial action, has vowed never to key into the IPPIS platform, as demanded by the government.
NAN reports that ASUU had since claimed to have developed an alternative salary platform for University workers.
ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said that the union’s ongoing strike would continue in spite of government’s decision to reopen schools shutdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.
“We started our industrial action before the outbreak of coronavirus disease in the country.
“All the issues we raised are yet to be addressed. The government is free to open its schools, just like our members are also entitled to their dues.
“As we speak, our members are being owed between three to six months of salaries. The government’s so-called fund saving platform, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System is a colossal failure.
“Apart from that, the government is yet to take any step to revitalise the education sector among others,” he said.
However, Buhari, who insisted that all federal workers must enrol into the IPPIS platform, said the directive was meant to check fraud including payment of salaries to non-existent personnel as well unauthorised allowances.
Buhari also directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that they obtained necessary approvals before embarking on fresh recruitment.
He warned that any breach of the directive would be severely sanctioned.
Buhari said that the Ministry of Education’s capital allocation had been increased by 65 per cent to improve the education of Nigerian children.
The president revealed that funds had been provided for the provision of scholarship to Nigerian students at home and abroad.
“We have provided funds for the upgrade of security and other infrastructure facilities in our Unity Colleges nationwide.
“To improve access to education, we have made provision for the establishment of five new Federal Science and Technical Colleges.
“We have also provided for the payment of allowances to 5,000 teachers under the Federal Teachers Scheme,’’ he added.(NAN)
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has re-scheduled the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination into Federal Unity Colleges and the entrance examination into Federal Government Academy, Suleja.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday by Azeez Sani, acting Director, Information and Digital Communication of the council.
Sani stated that the common entrance examination earlier scheduled for April 20, 2024, would now hold on June 1, 2024.
He also said that the entrance examination for Gifted and Talented Children into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, earlier scheduled to hold on May 4,
2024 would now hold on May 25, 2024.
He added that the rescheduling of the two examinations was due to low enrollment of candidates.
He enjoined candidates, parents, guardians, schools and relevant stakeholders to take note of the new dates.
Sani said that registration of candidates would continue till the new dates of the examinations. (NAN)
By Eddy Ochigbo
No fewer than six Nigerian Universities have been selected to benefit from the 15 Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme Projects funded by the European Union (EU) with €27 million under the flagship Youth Mobility for Africa.
Permanent Secretary, of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs.
Didi Walson-Jack, who signed the agreement at the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education in Brussels, said Nigeria would also benefit from the regional Team Europe Initiative on Opportunity-driven Skills, Vocational Education and Training in AfricaUnder the initiative, the European Union would spend €27 million, allocating €1.
8 million to each of the Projects in the education and healthcare sectors in Africa.These Projects, which are to be facilitated by various Universities, aim to enhance learning mobility opportunities for Students, Trainees, and Staff across the Continent, focusing on developing high-level green and digital skills.
The participating Universities include the University of Lagos, the University of Port-Harcourt, Ebonyi State University, the Federal University of Technology, and the University of Nigeria.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the police have warned candidates preparing for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) against patronising fake websites.
The two bodies gave the warning at a joint news conference in Abuja on Saturday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said there were several fake websites created by unscrupulous individuals with the intention of misleading candidates.
He urged candidates to be wary of their tactics, saying the fake web sites were designed to deceive innocent candidates into providing personal details such as registration numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers.
“Both JAMB and the Nigeria Police Force condemn these fraudulent activities and hereby reiterate the readiness to safeguard the interests of candidates and maintain the integrity of the examination process.
“We urge parents, guardians, and all stakeholders to ensure that candidates print their UTME Notification Slips only from the Board’s approved website: www.jamb.gov.ng.
“Candidates can print their slips from the comfort of their homes or visit any of the over 700 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide,” he said.
Adejobi explained that the force was familiar with the tactics employed by fraudsters, especially during the annual assessment and admission exercises.
He, therefore, said that both organisations was actively sensitising candidates and the public about these deceptive practices.
“Any candidate who visits these fake sites will definitely have unreliable information and thereby miss out in the forthcoming exams.
“Candidates are advised to print their UTME Notification Slips before Friday, 19th April, 2024, to access vital information about their examinations.
“Any website other than www.jamb.gov.ng offering UTME slip printing services is fake and designed to defraud candidates,” he said.
He also called on candidates to beware of web sites offering ‘live’ questions and answers, as they were false and deceptive, saying that accessing such materials was prohibited.
He further said the board was partnering with the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) to address online scam-related issues seamlessly.
He assured candidates and the public of the force firm dedication to ensuring a fair and transparent examination process.
He also stressed that the Inspector General of Police had ordered the NPF-NCCC to go after scammers and fraudsters who engage in cyber related crimes and create phishing sites/portals.
On his part, the JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, pledged the Board’s commitment to continue in playing its role
He, therefore, urged candidates to ignore any unsolicited messages noting that they were from elements who aim at defrauding candidates.
The 2024 UTME is scheduled to commence on Friday, April 19, and end on April 29. (NAN)
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