Education
Obj Lays Foundation of School for Special needs in Benue
From Chris Gaga, Makurdi
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Monday, performed a ground breaking ceremony for the establishment of a school for children with special needs and the vulnerable in Benue State.
The special school project is an initiative of the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, His Lordship, Wilfred Anagbe, as a pet project to mark his silver jubilee in the Lord’s vineyard.
Performing the ceremony at the site of the school in Igbor, Gwer LG A, Obasanjo praised the Bishop for catering for the people with special needs, who he noted need special attention but were always neglected, maintaining that, “they are disempowered, they need help. ”
He described the initiative as significant and symbolic, commending Bishop Anagbe for the project.
The former President prayed that God will reward the Bishop and all faithful for their efforts in assisting the young people with special needs to lead normal lives.
Obasanjo also lauded the collaboration between the church and government in social development of the state saying “I heard the Governor say the church work hand in hand with the government. That is how it should be and it is very commendable.”
Obasanjo emphasized that Nigerian leaders must ensure that spirituality and morality were carried along with governance for the nation to be where it should be.
He, therefore, urged the Bishop to count on his support for the needed facility development for the children in the school with a promise that he will visit from time to time to see the level of development of the school.
Governor Samuel Ortorm of Benue State, witnessed the foundation laying ceremony where he described former President Obasanjo as the father of all farmers in Nigeria.
Ortom informed that the Catholic church had been very supportive of state government and has been working as partners in the development of the state.
He noted that because of the ground breaking event, the catholic church had already constructed a road into the community and pledged to continue to partner with the church for quality service delivery in the state.
Earlier, initiator and Bishop of Makurdi Catholic Diocese, Wilfred Anagbe appreciated God for the manifestation of the project .
He said, “these set of humans are created by God. They have life and body like us and need to be attended to. We are doing this because we don’t want to leave anybody out. So we need to give them sense of meaning and belonging.”
The Bishop said the society was too materialistic and those tended to forget those who were not useful immediately, but insisted that such people had life in them and that life must be upheld.
“For us in the church, from the cradle to the grave, life is valuable and meaningful and we will do our best to uphold it.”
The Bishop said the Benue people and church in particular were also involved in agricultural activities as only the Agro -Allied industry can ensure sustainable development just ad he thanked the former president for the honour of performing the groundbreaking event.
Education
NECO Reschedules 2024 Common Entrance Exam into Unity Colleges
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)
Education
Six Nigerian Universities to Benefit from EU’s €27m Funding
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.
Education
UTME: Police, JAMB Warn Candidates Against Patronising Fake Websitess
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)