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We’ll Sustain Growth of Science Education—NNPC

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By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Maikanti Baru, has expressed the commitment of the corporation to the growth of science education in the country.

The state-owned oil firm chief made this pledge at the grand finale of the NNPC 2017 National Quiz Competition held on Tuesday in Abuja.

He disclosed that the corporation’s stand was informed by the critical role of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the quest for nation building.

“To ensure that best standards are maintained when it comes to the quality and integrity of the quiz competition, NNPC has also gone into partnership with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS), as well as the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN),” Mr Baru stated.

At the end of the annual contest which began on Monday 13, November, Delta State carried the day with 75 points after breaking a tie with Abia State which came second with 70 points.

Ondo State came third scoring 65 points.

Mr Baru disclosed that beginning from this year’s series, the Corporation would commence offering a one-off educational grant of N100, 000 each to all State winners of the competition, adding that a scholarship award of N300, 000 would be granted the overall winner per session, while the second and third place winners would receive a scholarship award of N250, 000 and N200, 000 respectively per session for the duration of their tertiary education.

“I am very happy to see that three of the contestants are female, contrary to the notion that science education is primarily for males. These three females battled with their counterparts and came out victorious. Despite this feat by the female contestants, I want to throw up a challenge to teachers and parents alike across the country: The girl child should be encouraged to excel in core science, technology and engineering subjects,” Mr Baru enjoined.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, represented by the House Committee Chairman on Downstream, Mr Joseph Akinlaja, applauded the NNPC for sustaining the programme in the past 17 years and for grooming the leaders of tomorrow through the Quiz Competition.

He stated that the House of Representatives stood with the contestants and the NNPC for the event which he described as epoch making event.

“Education makes the people to be easily governed, but makes it difficult to enslave them. I urge the students to remain focused and wish them all the best in the contest,” Mr Dogara submitted.

In his goodwill message, Governor of Sokoto State, Mr Aminu Tambuwal, commended the management of the NNPC for sustaining the quiz competition in the last 17 years, noting that the Corporation has not only ensured the survival of the competition but has made it a pan-Nigerian contest.

“It is really a national event and has the characteristic of a football match in Nigeria whereby all sections of the country are represented. For instance Master Sunday Enokela that represented Sokoto State is not an indigene of the State but we are very proud of him and we came all the way to support him. So, I commend the initiative of the NNPC and I am very satisfied with the outcome and organization of the competition,” Governor Tambuwal observed.

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, who also spoke at the event, congratulated NNPC for its support to the education of the youths in the country.

Mr Obaseki stated that he was proud of the representative of his State, Master Hassan David, of Word of Faith Secondary School, Benin.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Ibe Kachikwu, congratulated the participants for excelling in their academics by emerging champions of their various states and zones and urged the Governors to continue to serve as fatherly figure to them by encouraging the contestants in their educational pursuit.

Mr Kachikwu stated that the essence of the event in the lives of the contestants might not be apparent now, disclosing that in future, it would add up to their curriculum vitae.

Speaking in similar vein, the Minister of Education, Mr Adamu Adamu, represented by the Director, Research and Planning of the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Chioma Nwadei, applauded the NNPC for promoting STEM education, stressing that the competition promised to put the country in a good stead among the comity of nations.

Other dignitaries who spoke at the event including the Head of WAEC, Nigeria, Mr Olu Adenipekun and Registrar of National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Charles Uwakwe, commended and identified with the NNPC for promoting excellence amongst the youths, stressing that they are the leaders of tomorrow and that the investment in their education was in the right direction.

Mr Adenipekun advised other corporate bodies to invest in the education of the youth in the country.

On his part, pioneer winner of the NNPC quiz competition, Mr Sunday Aliu, applauded the NNPC for giving him the platform to excel in his educational pursuit, adding that the rare opportunity has made him to contribute to the Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) project which is the deepest offshore project in the country.

He encouraged the participants to take advantage of the exposure the quiz competition had afforded them, by excelling in their academics, describing himself as a testimony to the success of the Nigerian Content in the Oil and Gas Industry.

Mr Aliu works with Total Upstream Nigeria Limited as Integrated Control and Safety Systems Engineer (ICSS).

In his victory speech, the overall winner of this year’s competition, Isioma Nelson Ifeanyichukwu, who is a student of the Federal Government College, Warri, thanked the NNPC for giving back to the society through its annual quiz competition, pledging that he would remain a good ambassador of the competition.

The 2017 edition is the sixteenth in the competition’s history. The first edition in 2000 was limited to the Niger Delta.

However, in recognition of the strategic importance of the Quiz to NNPC Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals, the competition went nationwide in 2001.

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

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Education

UniJos Suspends Exams Over Deadly Jos Attack

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The University of Jos has suspended all examinations scheduled for Monday and Tuesday following growing tension in Jos, after a deadly attack in Anguwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The management of the institution also advised students and staff to remain indoors and stay vigilant.

According to reports, the attackers, who rode on motorcycles, stormed the community at about 7:30 pm while residents were going about their normal activities, firing indiscriminately and causing panic.

Many people were killed, while several others sustained injuries in the attack.

“The attackers just rode past and started shooting sporadically. People were running in different directions,” a source told Channels Television.

The broadcaster also reported that in the aftermath of the attack, angry youths reportedly blocked major roads within the community, raising fears of escalating tension.

UniJos, in a statement issued on Sunday by the Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, Mr Emmanuel Madugu, said the incident had heightened tension, necessitating the decision.

“In view of the late evening fatal attacks by unknown gunmen on residents of Angwan Rukuba (an area that hosts many staff and students of the University), and the consequential tensions it has generated in and around the area and environs.

“The Vice Chancellor has directed that all examinations scheduled to hold on Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March 31, 2026, are postponed, and will be rescheduled accordingly. That members of the University community be advised to be very vigilant and extra careful with their movements (On and off Campus) with IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

“For emphasis, members are strongly advised to AVOID COMING OUT VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING, and should REPORT IMMEDIATELY any sign or shadow of breach of the public peace to the University Security Division on 08035895323.

“University Management is actively liaising with the relevant Security agencies and monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of the lives of members of the University community. Further relevant updates will be communicated in due course,” the deputy registrar added.

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8 Best Editing and Proofreading Services in 2026 for Academic Researchers

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Editage Proofreading Services

The top editing services for academic researchers in 2026 include Editage, Wiley Editing Services, Taylor & Francis Editing Services, Sage Author Services, and Scribbr. In this article, we’ll look at the key features of each of these, and some others, to help you choose the best proofreading service for your own research paper. We’ll also share the 4 key aspects you must consider when choosing a proofreading service.

Top 8 Editing & Proofreading Services for Academic Researchers

1. Editage

With over 23 years of experience in academic publishing, Editage has edited over 2 million research papers and is trusted by 40+ publishers, 500+ universities, and 1000+ research societies. Editage employs over 3,000 subject matter experts as editors. It offers comprehensive publication support, including services such as journal selection, statistical review, and figure preparation. Most service packages include free journal formatting. Editage also provides a specialized service designed to help prevent the desk rejection of your paper.

2. Wiley Editing Services

Wiley Editing Services has edited over 25,000 manuscripts in the past 3 years, with an acceptance rate of 62% (the acceptance rate of Wiley journals in general is around 28%). Wiley Editing Services offers authors slab-based pricing with clear turnaround times. Another feature of their editing service is free word count reduction by 10-20% depending on service package. It has a specialized academic translation team and offers authors design support in creating graphical abstracts and infographics.

3. Taylor & Francis Editing Services

Designed to support Taylor & Francis authors, Taylor & Francis Editing Services has a no-questions-asked quality guarantee and commits to re-working your manuscript until you are satisfied. Clients can choose from three levels of English language editing, and the company also offers you a free language scorer tool to help you choose the right level of editing for your manuscript. After your paper is accepted for publication, you can also avail of services to help you create lay summaries, video abstracts, etc. to promote it. Taylor & Francis also offers a range of live webinars for researchers to acquire new skills.

4. Sage Author Services

Realizing that 76% of authors find writing a paper for publication most difficult of all the research stages, Sage Author Services offers clients a range of editing services with easy tools to compare them and select the one suited for your paper.  There is also a combination translation + editing service geared towards ESL authors, and a plagiarism check support service. You can get unlimited Q&A with your editor after your paper is edited. Their website also has an easy-to-use calculator for you to choose pricing and delivery speed.

5. Cambridge University Press Author Services

Cambridge University Press, a part of Cambridge University, has a long-standing commitment to advancing research and human knowledge. Their author services offers 24/7 support and a certificate guaranteeing the quality of English in the edited manuscript. Besides offering three levels of editing service, Cambridge University Press also has translation support available for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. There is a separate manuscript formatting service and a specialized “video shorts” service to make your published paper easy to share on social media.

6. Scribbr

Scribbr, a trusted brand in edtech, has a network of over 700 editors and writing coaches for students. All editors have passed through an in-house training program called Scribbr Academy. Scribbr offers clients access to free AI-powered tools and an extensive Knowledge Base for university students (especially undergraduates). Scribber also has a rapid turnaround time of just 5 minutes for AI-powered proofreading. The company offers specialized proofreading services for capstone projects and essays.

7. Scribendi

Established in 1997, Scribendi has processed over 800,000 manuscripts and has a team of over 400 native English-speaking freelance editors. The company is highly rated on Google Reviews and offers specialized services for ESL students, including dissertation proofreading with a 10% student discount. Another specialty of Scribbr is field-aware editing for humanities and social sciences researchers.

8. PaperTrue

PaperTrue works with students, authors, and businesses around the world to create error-free documents. New customers get a free 300-word sample. The company follows a rigorous 3-step checking process for every assignment. PaperTrue is rated 4.6 on Reviews.io and offers specialized editing services for college assignments, admissions essays, and personal statements. The company also has a large bouquet of solutions for book authors: typesetting, cover page design, etc.

How to Choose a Proofreading Service for Your Research Paper

Here are 4 things that you need to consider when you are choosing a proofreading service:

Quality:

Everyone will claim to be the best. How can you tell which proofreading services are really good? Look for services that have many subject matter experts, those backed by scholarly publishers, and those that transparently disclose whether their services are powered by AI or not.

Turnaround time:

A rapid-fire editing service isn’t always better. You need to budget time even after your paper is edited to check the editor’s changes and respond to any queries. Look for a service provider with a reasonable turnaround time, and one that is flexible with turnaround time if you have budget constraints.

Price:

Instead of thinking that cheap equals good, look for proofreading services that have transparent pricing that is easy to follow. Check what is included in your service package, especially re-editing support and manuscript formatting.

Additional support:

Look for a provider who can assist you at every stage of your publication journey and even with post-publication promotion. Such providers will care more deeply about your article and your publication success. Also, such providers will likely have editors who are experienced in academic research and who understand the challenges authors face during the publication process.

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Again, NELFUND Extends Deadline for 2025/26 Session Loan Applications

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has granted another extension for its Student Loan Application Portal to accommodate institutions that requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session.

According to the statement signed by NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Ms Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, on Thursday, the extension applies only to institutions that submitted formal requests, allowing eligible students extra time to complete their applications.

“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has approved an extension of its Student Loan Application Portal for institutions that have formally requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session,” the statement read.

Business Post reports that at the beginning of March, NELFUND announced an extension to the deadline by a week for its student loan application portal following a notable rise in nationwide interest driven by ongoing awareness campaigns.

Speaking on the development, NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, reiterated the Fund’s commitment to ensuring that eligible students at participating institutions can access the student loan programme.

“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions have the opportunity to access the student loan programme,” he said.

The Fund urges students in affected institutions to take advantage of the extension and submit their applications through the official portal.

It also emphasised its dedication to transparency, accountability, and providing sustainable financing solutions to remove financial barriers to higher education in Nigeria.

Established to administer the Nigeria Student Loan Scheme, NELFUND was enacted into law by President Bola Tinubu in April 2024.

The initiative provides interest-free loans to students in public tertiary institutions to cover tuition and living expenses.

Beneficiaries are required to repay the loans after completing their education and securing employment, aiming to increase access to higher education for students from low-income backgrounds.

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