NEWS
Benue Declares War on Illegal School Levies
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Benue State Government has declared zero tolerance for illegal charges and levies in both public and private schools in the State, warning Principals and all Administrators to desist from collecting any unauthorised fees from learners.
The Executive Secretary, Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examination Board (BEQAEB), Dr. Terna Francis gave this warning during the board’s maiden meeting with principals of public and private schools held in Makurdi, the State capital, Wednesday. He further said that the government has made e-Dossier compulsory for all learners, stating that the platform was introduced to serve as an automated performance tracker and a credible record of learner progress from Basic 1 to Basic 9 and from SS 1 to SS 3.According to him, the system will also help the board to rank schools by performance and monitor the migration of students at the point of registering for external examinations and eliminate excuses and bring transparency and speed to school operations and enhance early release of exams results.He intimated that the Board has fully automated all payments for its examinations to be done online or through the banking system to cut down corruption and other illegalities in the system.According to him, with this new development, no staff of the Board is permitted to collect payment, issue receipts, or act as an agent for any school or candidate, adding that henceforth, no cash transactions or issuance of manual receipts will be tolerated under any circumstance.He directed principals and school administrators to exclusively channel all complaints and enquiries to the office through official communication channels, stressing that unauthorized collection or handling of funds by staff will attract immediate disciplinary action.The executive secretary noted that Governor Hyacinth Alia In his characteristic boldness and foresight, took decisive action, restructured the entire examination system by merging the defunct Examinations Board with the Bureau for Education Quality Assurance. “The new BEQAEB is therefore not a cosmetic change; it is a total rebirth aimed at efficiency, integrity, and accountability.”Our examination system lost credibility. The defunct Benue State Examinations Board, as you well know, became synonymous with corruption, inefficiency, and lost confidence. We witnessed delays in the release of results, years of unissued certificates, irregularities in exam conduct, and a deep erosion of public trust.”These failures embarrassed our education system and robbed our students of the dignity of genuine assessment. But let me be clear today — those dark days are over”, Dr. Terna assured.The executive secretary announced that the government has approved N18,000 plus N250 transaction fee, totaling N18,250 as registration fee for BECE and MOCK examinations in the State.He however said Governor Alia in his compassion for Benue students and parents, approved a palliative of N8,000 per student, leaving them to pay only N10,250, saying that the palliative applies only to those who register within the stipulated early registration period as captured in the official timetable.”Once the deadline elapses, the system will automatically revert to the full ₦18,250 for late registration.This policy is not negotiable”, he said.He warned that henceforth, no student shall be cleared to sit for any external examination without participating in the Mock SSCE, maintaining that gone are the days when Principals deliberately refuse to register candidates for MOCK with the intention of bribing their way to be cleared through the back door.Speaking on the implementation of the new national curriculum recently introduced by the Federal Government, Dr. Terna said BECE remains the first school leaving certificate, as it is now illegal for anyone to issue certificates after Primary Six.”The law will be fully and fearlessly implemented. Our enforcement unit has been empowered to ensure total compliance of all the policies and violators will face sanctions without exception”, he said.
By David Torough, Abuja
The founders and Senior Pastors of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Dr. Paul and Dr. (Mrs.) Becky Enenche, have successfully trained and empowered 100 individuals in agribusiness as part of their commitment to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Dr.
Paul Enenche made the announcement during the church’s Thanksgiving and Testimony Service on Sunday, highlighting the initiative as a strategic effort to promote self-reliance and agricultural productivity.According to the cleric, each beneficiary will be allocated at least one hectare of farmland to commence farming activities upon completion of the training programme.
He further disclosed that the beneficiaries will receive monthly stipends to support them until their agricultural produce is ready for harvest.Dr. Enenche noted that the training and empowerment programme represents a significant investment, with each participant’s training costing approximately ₦500,000.
The beneficiaries, who constitute Batch A of the Entrepreneurship Agribusiness Training Programme, graduated from the C.S.S. Farm and Skills Acquisition Centre located along the Keffi–Abuja Road. The entire programme was fully sponsored by Dr Paul,Dr (Mrs.) Becky Enenche and the church as part of their ongoing efforts to empower individuals with practical skills and sustainable means of livelihood.
The initiative reflects the church’s commitment to transforming lives through both spiritual and socio-economic empowerment.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality ahead of the 2027 general election, saying INEC has no candidate or political party to favour.
In a post obtained from INEC’s X handle on Sunday, Amupitan stated this during a visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb.
Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, as part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement and preparations for the 2027 elections.The visit formed part of activities surrounding INEC’s planned interactive meeting with staff and readiness assessment at the zonal level.
The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners, the Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Technical Assistant, Chief of Staff, Special Aides and other senior officials of the commission.
Amupitan described traditional institutions as important stakeholders in the electoral process because of their influence and reach within communities.
He said elections were fundamentally about the social contract between citizens and those entrusted with public office, stressing that public trust was essential to the success of democracy.
According to him, INEC has commenced preparations early because of the size and complexity of conducting elections across Nigeria.
He said the commission had moved away from last-minute preparations and was testing, auditing and strengthening its operational systems well ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan assured the Emir that INEC remained committed to neutrality, fairness and transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have no candidates, we have no political party, we have no interest other than the sovereign will of the people of Nigeria,” the INEC chairman said.
He added that the commission would continue engaging traditional institutions and other stakeholders as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.
The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to Garko Local Government Area to track and contain dogs suspected to be infected with rabies.
The service said the suspected rabid dog had bitten 18 people in Garko and its environs.
The NFSS State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the service, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, on Sunday in Kano.
Al’ameen said: “The command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid has attacked residents in Garko town.
“The dog has so far bitten 11 persons in Garko town before moving to neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai.
“It has also attacked and bitten seven additional persons in the affected communities.”
The commander further explained that they had received another report that two more dogs had been infected with rabies in the area.
Al’ameen said personnel of NFSS Garko Division, under the leadership of the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected areas to track and contain the infected dogs.
He urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.
The commander also advised residents who might have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs to seek immediate medical attention.
Al’ameen assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.(NAN)
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