By David Torough, Abuja

At the 2026 Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) National Conference held at the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Professor Jonathan Atsua Ikughur delivered a compelling call for developing countries to embrace the digital economy and strengthen governance systems as essential drivers of inclusive and sustainable growth.

Presenting his lead paper, the statistician from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, reflected on the rapid transformation brought about by technological advancement, contrasting today’s digital ease with a past marked by inefficiencies—long banking queues, unreliable telecommunications, and risky cash-based trade journeys.

According to him, these historical constraints imposed heavy economic and social costs that digital innovation now has the capacity to eliminate.

Ikughur argued that while change is inevitable, developing countries like Nigeria have yet to fully harness the transformative power of digitalization due to weak institutional frameworks and inconsistent development planning.

He emphasized that development must go beyond economic growth to include equitable distribution of resources, improved living standards, and social well-being.

Citing global perspectives, the professor described development as a multidimensional process encompassing economic, social, cultural, and political progress.

He warned that without deliberate policies and long-term planning, countries risk remaining trapped in cycles of poverty, inequality and stagnation.

Highlighting Nigeria’s development indicators, Ikughur painted a sobering picture: high poverty rates, unemployment, population pressure, and weak institutional capacity continue to hinder progress.

He noted that despite abundant natural resources, poor governance, corruption, and lack of economic diversification have limited the country’s growth potential.

The paper identified key characteristics of many developing nations, including weak judicial systems, lack of transparency, inadequate infrastructure, and low investment in human capital and innovation.

These challenges, he said, are compounded by poor policy implementation and overreliance on borrowing.

Ikughur stressed that sustainable development requires a balanced approach that integrates economic growth, environmental protection, and social inclusion.

He pointed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global framework guiding nations toward poverty reduction, improved health and education, climate action, and inclusive economic participation.

According to him, digital technologies can play a pivotal role in achieving these goals by improving service delivery, enhancing transparency, and fostering innovation.

He however, warned that without good governance, characterized by accountability, strong institutions, and anti-corruption measures, the benefits of digital transformation may not be fully realized.

He urged policymakers, academics and stakeholders to develop clear, data-driven national strategies that align digital innovation with governance reforms.

Such efforts, he said, are crucial for building resilient economies, reducing inequality, and ensuring long-term prosperity in developing countries.

“The task before us,” Ikughur noted, “is to understand the changing world and deliberately harness its opportunities for the collective good.”

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that candidates who registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) can now print their examination notification slips.

The board disclosed this in a statement signed by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, on Thursday in Abuja.

Benjamin said the examination would commence on April 16, urging candidates to print their slips to confirm their examination date, venue and time.

He advised candidates to visit the board’s website, www.

jamb.gov.ng, and click on “2026 UTME Slip Printing” to access and print their notification slips.

According to him, candidates are encouraged to print the slips early and familiarise themselves with their examination centres ahead of the examination date to avoid inconvenience.

He said each candidate had been assigned a specific examination schedule, adding that candidates should arrive at their centres ahead of time to allow for proper screening and accreditation before the commencement of the examination.

Benjamin added that enhanced security measures had been introduced for the 2026 UTME to curb examination malpractice.

He warned candidates and centre operators to desist from any form of misconduct, stressing that strict sanctions would be applied against offenders.

British barrister Martin Hackett has been appointed as The Gambia’s first special prosecutor to try those responsible for human rights abuses carried out during the 22-year rule of ex-President Yahya Jammeh, which ended when he went into exile in 2017.

Hackett will head a newly created office charged with dealing with the cases from a period characterised by widespread repression, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was set up to document the extent of the alleged abuses.

In its final report, handed to current President Adama Barrow in 2021, it identified those most responsible and recommended their prosecution.

The TRRC, which heard harrowing testimony from victims, former security operatives and other witnesses, also called for reparations to be paid to the victims, warning that failure to act risked entrenching impunity.

The TRRC has started phased compensation payments, starting with victims of abuses committed shortly after the 1994 coup when Jammeh first came to power.

But for many survivors, financial compensation is secondary to accountability.

Among the most notorious cases highlighted by the TRRC were the 2004 killing of journalist Deyda Hydara and the murder of more than 50 mainly West African migrants, executed by security forces after being wrongly accused of plotting a coup.

A handful of perpetrators have already been convicted abroad under the principle of universal jurisdiction, including former members of the notorious paramilitary unit and death squad known as “the Junglers” – some of whom have been jailed in Germany and the US.

The appointment of Hackett, who has previously served at the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and who investigated war crimes committed by senior military commanders during the Kosovo war, is seen as a decisive step towards domestic accountability.

Attorney General Dawda Jallow was quoted as saying that Hackett had a four-year mandate and was chosen from a wide selection of candidates.

Jammeh, who refused to co-operate with the TRRC, only left power at the insistence of regional leaders.

They sent in troops to The Gambia when he refused to step down after his shock election defeat in December 2016.

Now aged 60, Jammeh has previously denied wrongdoing and is believed to be living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.