Education
LAUTECH Will be Envy of Other Nigerian Universities—Aregbesola Boasts
By Dipo Olowookere
Governor of Oyo State, Mr Abiola Ajimobi and his Osun State counterpart, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, have lamented the non-resumption of academic activities at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, in spite of their spirited efforts to restore normalcy.
The owner-states governors bared their minds during the submission of the report of the Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN)-led visitation panel, set up over the crisis rocking the university, at the Governor’s Office, Ibadan, on Friday.
Also at the event were the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council, Prof. Wale Omole; Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin, and others members of the governing council and the visitation panel.
The panel was set up in October, last year, to chart a fresh path forward for the institution, which had been thrown into crisis for more than eight months due to the industrial action embarked upon by its academic and non-academic staff.
Although the school was reopened by the management on January 27 following the injection of over half a billion naira by Oyo and Osun States, the institution’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had refused to return to classes citing unresolved issues with the management.
Mr Ajimobi commended the panel for what he called a thorough and in-depth job done, assuring the panel of full implementation of the recommendations.
He, however, harped on the need for the collaboration of corporate bodies and individuals to set up a trust fund for the funding of the institution giving the pervading reality of paucity of funds in the country.
The Governor said, “Awolowo was a realist and he saw the need to finance education while alive. He also had the resources to apply to the vision then and we all benefitted from his gesture. Today, oil revenue, which is the mainstay of sustaining education funding through federal allocation, had dropped.
“Oyo State that used to get N5.2billion as monthly allocation now gets as low as N2.5billion and we have to pay salaries of workers and finance social infrastructure. How do we survive that without looking inward?
“The reality on the ground requires that we look at different ways of doing things. There is need for repositioning of the university, especially on the structure. The non-resumption of academic activities after our (governors) efforts is worrying.
“LAUTECH should be the flagship of the South-West. There is nothing wrong in the whole South-West states buying into the ownership, relying on the internally-generated revenue from the school alone cannot help.”
On his part, Mr Aregbesola said the whole crisis was regrettable, but inevitable having been allegedly brought about by a sharp drop in the states’ financial power, occasioned by the crash of petroleum price in the world market.
He disclosed that the next assignment would be to set up a Technical Implementation Committee that would draw up a white paper from the report of the visitation panel.
Mr Aregbesola said, “The whole situation is regrettable, but I’m of the opinion that the academic staff and students of the university are not unaware of the present financial challenges facing the states, which culminated from the drop in our monthly federal allocation.
“We are happy the panel has done a marvellous job and the next step is for the two states to put up a technical implementation committee that would work on a white paper from the visitation panel’s report.”
The chairman of the panel said the panacea to the crisis bedevilling the academic institution was the establishment of a trust fund and strategic funding by the owner-states governments in the form of subvention.
Mr Olanipekun said it was a well-known fact that throughout the world, funding of university education did not rest squarely on government, but with support from corporate individuals and bodies in the form of trust fund.
He said, “Government alone is incapable of funding university education. Talk of great universities all over the world, you will talk of Harvard. The budget of Harvard University is more than that of Nigeria.
“How did they come about this? It is through trust fund and we are also recommending same as a solution to the funding crisis of LAUTECH. Maybe Nigerian universities would start to learn from LAUTECH if our recommendations are implemented.
“But, we are recommending that for now the university need money; the immediate thing is for the university to reopen. It has been out of session for eight months.
“Therefore, we are recommending that for now, the university must be given some subvention for it to reopen in the short term and after that the implementation of the other steps and recommendations could be also followed.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Prize for Literature has unveiled an 11-title longlist for its 2026 edition, selecting the outstanding poetry collections from a record 223 submissions received for the competition.
This was contained in a press statement signed by General Manager, External Relations & Sustainable Development, Mrs Sophia Horsfall.
The announcement, by the chairman of the Advisory Board for the Prize, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, marks a significant milestone in this year’s competition and reflects the exceptional quality, creativity and diversity of contemporary poetry.
The longlisted titles, arranged alphabetically, are:
1. Adult Love by Tanure Ojaide
2. Bakandimiya by Saddiq Dzukogi
3. Black Passport by Paul Akpomuje
4. 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase
5. Ceremony for The Nameless by Theresa Lola
6. Corpus: Animistic Verses by Ayo Oyeku
1. Floral’s Love Colony by Tares Oburumu
2. The Origin of Wounds by Malik Gbolahan
3. The Years of Blood by Adebayo Agarau
4. Unbind Me Now by James Ugwu Eze
5. Why Does God Need a Gun by Ogaga Ifowodo
Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo described the announcement as an important stage in the 2026 edition of arguably Africa’s biggest and most prestigious literary Prize.
She noted that the collections demonstrate the remarkable capacity of poetry to illuminate human experience through thoughtful reflection, cultural memory and artistic expression.
The academic added that the works revisit history while interrogating dominant historical narratives and exposing the forces that shape collective identities and social relations.
She stated that despite their varied emphases, the books share a commitment to exploring the endurance of individuals and communities in the face of violence, oppression, and social fragmentation.
Commenting on style and language, she said the books display an impressive diversity of poetic techniques marked by lyrical intensity, symbolic depth, and artistic innovation.
“Many employ densely poetic, allegorical, and elegiac modes that invite multiple layers of interpretation, while others draw extensively on folklore, oral traditions, and contemporary realities to create a compelling fusion of past and present. Their language is generally fluid, evocative, and aesthetically refined, relying on vivid imagery, emotional resonance, and intellectual sophistication to communicate complex ideas. These works demonstrate how poetic language can illuminate social realities, challenge established perspectives, and give voice to both individual and collective experiences.
“The next stage will demand a closer reading of each work, with attention to language, form, originality and lasting literary value,” she stated.
She also commended the judges for their work and reaffirmed the Advisory Board’s commitment to a credible process, literary excellence and the promotion of a strong reading culture.
The announcement of the 11-title longlist formally opens the next phase of the shortlist of three in August and the possible announcement of the winner in October.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by NLNG, carries a cash award of $100,000 for the author of the winning book. In its 22nd year, the prize rotates annually across four genres – prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature – with the 2026 edition devoted to poetry.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has slashed the fees for the assessment and ranking of textbooks ahead of the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking Policy scheduled to commence in September 2026.
The reduction, approved through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), was aimed at easing the financial burden on publishers and authors while facilitating compliance with the new national textbook quality assurance framework.
The decision comes ahead of the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking Policy introduced by the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality and standardisation of instructional materials used in schools across the country.
Announcing the development in a statement on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Mr Salisu Shehu, said the assessment fee had been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title had been cut from N1 million to N750,000.
He said the revised fees take immediate effect and apply to all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment and ranking.
Mr Shehu also disclosed that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee of N2,000 per page would receive refunds of the excess payments, adding that details of the refund process would be announced in due course.
He urged all stakeholders in the publishing industry to comply with the new fee regime.
“Under the policy, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be approved for use in Nigerian classrooms from September 2026, while unranked textbooks will no longer be permitted,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister explained that the initiative was designed to tackle the proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure that teachers and learners have access to high-quality, curriculum-compliant instructional materials.
The minister restated that NERDC will continue to exercise its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks for use in schools, but that approval alone would no longer be sufficient under the new policy.
“Instead, every approved textbook will undergo a structured national evaluation and ranking process by expert committees to determine the most suitable and highest-quality books for each subject and level of education,” he said.
The minister was optimistic that the National Textbook Ranking Policy will strengthen quality assurance in education by providing schools, teachers and parents with reliable guidance on the best instructional materials for teaching and learning.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A free educational initiative to equip children with practical Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills needed to grow, thrive and prosper in a rapidly evolving world has been put together in Lagos.
The programme, Young Innovators Camp, commenced on Monday in the Lekki area of Lagos State. It is organised by MONAT, with Fidelity Bank as the sponsor.
Participating children, who must be between 4 and 10 years, will have a hands-on learning experience focused on creativity, innovation, problem-solving and critical thinking. They will be introduced to age-appropriate STEM concepts, guided build sessions and other engaging activities designed to stimulate curiosity and encourage practical learning.
The camp will also feature small group learning with facilitators, financial literacy sessions, creative activities, and other interactive experiences that support confidence-building among participants.
Every participant will also receive a specially curated gift pack filled with educational resources and STEM learning materials to encourage continued exploration and learning at home, making the camp both a memorable and transformative experience.
The Young Innovators Camp reinforces Fidelity Bank’s ongoing investment in initiatives that prepare children and young people for the future. It builds on the bank’s education-focused interventions, including initiatives such as SWEETA, which supports children, and the lender’s broader CSR agenda, which prioritises youth empowerment, education, skills development and access to opportunities that can improve long-term outcomes for individuals and communities.
“The future will be shaped by those who can solve problems, think creatively, and harness technology to improve lives.
“At Fidelity Bank, we believe these abilities should be nurtured from an early age.
“Through the Young Innovators Camp, we are giving children the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a fun, practical and engaging way that inspires curiosity, builds confidence, and encourages innovation.
“We want every child who participates to leave believing that they have the potential not just to succeed in the future, but to help create it,” the Divisional Head of Brand and Communications at Fidelity Bank, Mr Meksley Nwagboh, said.
“As a bank committed to helping people grow, thrive and prosper, we see education, particularly STEM education, as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.
“Today’s young innovators will become tomorrow’s engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors and technology leaders.
“By partnering with Monat, we are investing in a generation equipped with the skills, mindset and confidence to solve real-world challenges, create opportunities, and contribute meaningfully to national development.
“This is more than a summer camp; it is about unlocking potential and inspiring the next generation of innovators,” he added.
