Education
InterswitchSPAK 2.0 Hits Airwaves
Interswitch Group, the leading Pan-African payment solution company, commenced the airing of the InterswitchSPAK 2.0 TV show on Saturday, November 2, 2019.
The InterswitchSPAK TV show is another aspect of the Interswitch Switch-a-Future project, a CSR initiative of the company focused on driving increased interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among Senior Secondary School students across Africa.
The first episode of the TV show featured a critical segment of the CSR initiative – The InterswitchSPAK 2.0 Masterclass. This was an engagement session, where the 81 finalists from the qualifying examination interacted with some successful men and women in the society, as they shared knowledge and experiences from school, work and family life to inspire the students.
Mitchell Elegbe, GMD/Founder, Interswitch Group, spoke about the need to be trustworthy. He said to become successful in life, it was necessary to be trustworthy.
Alongside Mitchell Elegbe, other speakers who engaged the students were Dr. Ola Orekunrin-Brown, MD/Founder, Flying Doctors Nigeria and Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade, and Investment, who was represented by Ayokunnu Ojeniyi, Project Manager, Enabling Business Environment Secretariat, office of the Vice-President.
Another highlight of Episode One was the grouping of the students into their respective teams. The students were grouped into nine teams and each team was expected to analyse a problem in a selected sector of the economy, and present the best possible solution to the problem, leveraging technology.
The selected sectors under review included: agriculture, electoral processes and financial services. Each team is made up of nine members, with two team captains who are volunteers from Interswitch. They were to guide and mentor the students as they tried to proffers solutions to the given challenge.
The second episode of the TV show introduced the Innovation Challenge. Innovation Challenge, you wonder? Well, the Innovation Challenge is to inspire and motivate students to think outside-the-box while solving problems and pushing the limits of innovation to address Africa’s many challenges.
So far, Team Mercury has presented their brilliant technological solution after identifying a problem in Agriculture. The team gave a good account of themselves leveraging technology to unite key players in the Nigerian Agricultural system for easy access to goods, information, funds etc.
The winning team from the Innovation Challenge gets the Founder’s Award. Each member gets a laptop and the opportunity to work on the solution at the Interswitch Lab as an intern at Interswitch Headquarters for two weeks.
You will recall that the InterswitchSPAK 1.0 Innovation Challenge was won by Team Neptune who proposed a technological solution in the Nigerian healthcare sector; specifically proposing easier access to National Health Insurance.
Incidentally, Interswitch recently acquired majority stake in e-Clat Healthcare Ltd. As a result of this acquisition, the combined healthcare and payment technology solutions are expected to position the Interswitch Group as both a health-tech solution and payments provider of choice to the healthcare industry going forward.
Another interesting part of Episode Two, is the swift shift from a spirit of camaraderie to that of competition among the team members. After the collaboration to present the solution for the Innovation Challenge, the student will move into another phase of the show for the quiz competition where the nine- member team is pruned down to three for the next stage of the competition.
Sounds interesting, right?
So, would you want to know the next STEM innovators? Do you want to know the team that goes home with the Founder’s Award? Keep watching the InterswitchSPAK 2.0 TV Show. And if you are not already watching, get a seat in front of your TV set again this Saturday.
The show airs on Africa Magic 154 on Saturday, at 5pm till 6pm. There will also be a repeat broadcast on at 2:30 – 3:30pm.
Other television stations broadcasting the show are AIT Network on Saturday, at (7pm) , TVC Lagos on Saturday, at (8pm) and Sunday, at(5:30), STV Jos on Sunday, (6pm) NTA Kano on Sunday, at (8pm), EBS Edo on Sunday, at (4pm), NTA Port-Harcourt on Sunday, at (5pm), DBS Asaba on Sunday, at (7pm)and OSRC Akure on Saturday, at( 6pm).
Each episode will also be uploaded on YouTube, should you miss any.
Amazing right?
Then, join us for the next 14 Saturdays (till February 8, 2020) as we witness the making of another team of African innovators.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has suspended the proposed review of registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The Federal Ministry of Education made the announcement on Monday in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Boriowo Folasade.
The ministry announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated June 18, 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken.
The Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, directed that the proposal be placed on hold, with the Ministry acknowledging the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public since the planned increase became known.
The Ministry said the proposed fee review was driven by rising operational costs that have accumulated over several years without a corresponding adjustment to examination registration fees.
It said the current fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in costs covering logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the integrity of public examinations.
“The proposed review was informed by the prevailing economic realities and the rising cost of conducting credible national examinations,” the statement said.
“The current examination registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in operational costs,” the Ministry added.
The ministry said the proposed fee hike will no longer take effect as earlier planned, while acknowledging that the concerns raised by Nigerians warranted a pause in the process.
“The proposed review of examination registration fees will not take effect, as earlier communicated, pending the conclusion of the consultation process,” the statement confirmed, adding that the June 18 letter conveying the proposed adjustment has been formally withdrawn.
“This decision underscores the Ministry’s determination to ensure that policies affecting millions of Nigerian students and their families are carefully considered, socially responsive and reflect the collective interest of the nation,” it said.
The Ministry outlined a fresh stakeholder engagement process that must be concluded before any decision on examination fees is made, signalling that the review has been delayed rather than permanently shelved.
The Ministry said it will engage extensively with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour and other education stakeholders as part of the renewed consultation process.
It said the goal of the consultation is to ensure that any future decision is “fair, sustainable, transparent and responsive to prevailing realities while safeguarding access to education,” framing the suspension as a course correction rather than an outright reversal of policy intent.
“The Ministry acknowledges the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public and appreciates the keen interest shown by Nigerians in matters relating to access to quality education,” the statement read.
The Ministry assured Nigerians it would keep the public fully informed throughout the consultation process, saying the welfare of students and equitable access to quality education “remain at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the education sector.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The examination fees of Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) have been increased by the federal government by about 82 per cent to N50,000 from N27,500.
A circular signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim, disclosed that the new fees would become effective in 2027.
In the notice, it was disclosed that the government approved the upward review of the fees following a request by WAEC.
It was further disclosed that the decision to jack up the fees was reached after a March 31, 2026, meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies, where the need to review examination fees was discussed.
“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Minister of Education on March 31, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed, the Minister directed that WAEC and NECO should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE,” the statement read.
“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of N50,000 only, as the new examination fee per candidate, with effect from NECO SSCE (Internal), 2027,” it added.
**Modibbo Adama University Emerges Grand Prize Winner, Secures N50m
A leading integrated independent exploration and production company with full-cycle upstream delivery capability, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P), has reaffirmed its commitment to developing Nigeria’s next generation of engineers.
This commitment was highlighted during the grand finale of the maiden edition of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event recognised outstanding student innovators whose engineering solutions addressed real-world challenges, marking the culmination of months of regional qualifiers, prototype development, mentorship and boot camp sessions that equipped students from universities and polytechnics across Nigeria with practical skills in engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Olympiad attracted 984 participants across 375 teams from more than 80 tertiary institutions representing all six geopolitical zones of the country.
Delivering the sponsor’s address, the General Manager, Engineering and Capital Projects, FIRST E&P, John Alamu, emphasised that the competition reflects the company’s commitment to equipping students with the practical knowledge and innovative mindset required to excel in engineering and strengthen Nigeria’s future workforce.
Alamu, noting that initiatives such as the Engineering Olympiad provide a structured platform for young talent to transform innovative ideas into practical solutions that contribute to the country’s technological and industrial advancement, stated that, “FIRST E&P believes that developing STEM capacity is an investment in this country’s ability to solve its own problems. The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad has taken young engineers and taught them to think beyond the drawing board, and FIRST E&P is proud to have been a funding partner for this initiative. I commend NCDMB for championing the Olympiad and Enactus Nigeria for successfully delivering a platform that is helping shape the next generation of Nigerian engineers and innovators.”
In his address, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Silas Ajimijaye, expressed appreciation to FIRST E&P for their unwavering support in successfully delivering the Olympiad.
Ajimijaye added that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy, which aims to build indigenous engineering capacity and equip young Nigerians with the knowledge and skills needed to drive industrial competitiveness, technological advancement, and sustainable national development.
The competition concluded in the awarding of prizes, with Team Mavericks of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Adamawa State, winning the grand prize of N50 million and a Centre of Excellence building for its Faculty of Engineering.
The team’s winning innovation, Ubuntu Sapphire, is a community-powered rapid alert system that uses affordable devices to instantly notify neighbouring households and emergency responders during emergencies, offering a practical solution aimed at strengthening community security and emergency response infrastructure.
Speaking after receiving the award, Team Lead, Dr David Patrick, expressed gratitude to the organisers and sponsors for providing a platform that fostered innovation and practical learning.
The University of Ibadan emerged as the first runner-up, receiving N30 million and N75 million worth of engineering equipment for its Faculty of Engineering. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, secured third place and was awarded N20 million and N50 million worth of engineering equipment. The University of Jos finished fourth, receiving N10 million.
