Education
New Education Secretaries Tasked to Ensure Effective Monitoring of School Activities
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The new 33 education secretaries inaugurated across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State last Friday have been charged to ensure the effective monitoring of school activities in the state.
Chairman of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (Oyo SUBEB), Dr Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, tasked the appointees in Ibadan, the state capital.
He also implored them to improve education quality in their localities and reduce the number of out-of-school children, warning them against the abuse of the privileges of the office and stressing that there would be sanctions for any form of abuse.
Mr Adeniran said the State Universal Basic Education Board had laid a very strong and solid foundation for the new education secretaries in the areas of infrastructural development and manpower upliftment of both teaching and non-teaching staff.
He added that the Board had raised the bar for the learning process for both formal and non-formal learners, the welfare and training of teachers and ensuring well-orchestrated primary school administration.
The Oyo SUBEB also charged the appointees to be “high-fliers” in subject content mastery, knowledge and skills that would guarantee prudence, accountability and transparency in their new appointments.
“You, as education secretaries, are now well positioned to build on the existing foundation and even add value where it is necessary,” he declared, admonishing them to work hard for the success of the education sector with their new appointments “so that at the end of it all, your names will be written in gold among those that have immensely contributed to the success of this administration.”
Mr Adeniran said he was convinced that their appointment by Governor Seyi Makinde was in recognition of their capacity, capability and contributions over the years to the development of education in the state.
“With you, a new era of primary school administration and leadership has, once again, been ushered in.
“In addition, you are expected to work very hard at your jurisdiction to complement the efforts of the State Universal Basic Education Board in particular and the Universal Basic Education Commission in general,” he said.
He urged them to buckle up for the few challenges they may face, saying they must deal with them accordingly in line with the dictum that “there are no insurmountable challenges.”
Mr Adeniran, however, called for strict compliance with the rules of engagement so that the whole system will be run as envisioned for the benefit of the State and pupils/learners who are supposed to be the future leaders.
“You are expected to exercise strict caution when making decisions and always seek clearance and advice from the Board on grey areas in order to avoid embarrassment and mistakes that could be costly while running your office.
“It is my fervent prayer that you succeed in all your undertakings and endeavours during your tenure as Education Secretaries within your various jurisdictions,” he said.
Speaking earlier, a member of the board, Mr Akeem Oladeji, opined that their appointment was a deliberate action and a clarion call for them to join the present enviable train of education administration, as exemplified in the state to be in tandem with the four cardinal agenda and focus of Mr Makinde.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Raji Oladimeji, assured the board and the new secretaries of the union’s support and cooperation, congratulating them on their appointments.
One of the scribes, Mrs Morenike Adeniran from Ibadan South-West Local Government, while speaking on behalf of 32 others, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve the state.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has denied claims of mismanagement in disbursing student loan funds.
This development comes after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it was investigating alleged corruption in the disbursement of the funds.
In a statement by the fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, NELFund said ICPC’s comment was taken out of context.
“These reports, which suggest misappropriation and mismanagement of funds, are entirely false, grossly irresponsible, and deeply damaging to the integrity of an institution established to deliver financial hope to millions of Nigerians,” Mr Oluwatuyi said.
“All institutional fees are paid directly to verified institutions, while upkeep allowances go into the verified bank accounts of eligible students,” she said.
“The reports circulating in the public space are based on outdated figures and previous interventions that predate our operations.”
Equally, the ICPC has clarified its earlier statement on the student loan.
The institution’s spokesman, Mr Demola Bakare, said the agency’s move to investigate the disbursement of the funds was due to claims that 51 schools were involved in illegal deductions and exploitation related to the NELFund scheme.
“The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients,” the agency’s statement partly read.
In an update, Mr Bakare clarified that: “Unintentionally, the word ‘NOT’ was missing in the second to the last paragraph of our earlier press release in respect of an ongoing investigation regarding the Student Loan Scheme. The missing word created an erroneous impression that the alleged discrepancies or diversion had been established.
“We admit that this is not the case, indeed, we accept that the same part of the sentence also contradicted the whole paragraph. The paragraph ought to read: ‘The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has NOT been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.’
“For avoidance of doubt, the commission has only established the total amount of funds received and disbursed so far by NELFUND. The impression of diversion and the issue of discrepancies do not exist at this stage; the investigation would have to move into the receiving institutions and persons before any reasonable deductions could be made.”
It was claimed that out of the N100 billion approved for disbursement, about N71.2 billion was unaccounted for, prompting an investigation by the ICPC.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has clarified that it has not affirmed claims that about N71.2 billion of the N100 billion disbursed as student loans under the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme were unaccounted for.
Recall that there were reports that no fewer than 51 tertiary institutions were implicated in illegal deductions and exploitation related to the NELFUND scheme.
The schools were accused of making unauthorized deductions ranging from N3,500 to N30,000 from each student’s institutional fees received through the loan fund.
The ICPC had commenced a probe into the matter and in a statement on Thursday, it said investigation revealed that the total money received by NELFUND as of March 19, 2024, was N203.8 billion, with N44.2 billion disbursed to 299 institutions, covering 293,178 students.
In the statement, ICPC said it “confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.”
Some hours later, after the revelations raised dust, the agency clarified that it made an error in the statement, noting that, “The paragraph ought to read The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has NOT been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.”
“The general public is urged to exercise patience as thorough investigations require time and ample resources,” the new statement signed by its spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said, stressing that, “Our investigations are still ongoing, and there are no indictments yet.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, has announced that its 2025 convocation ceremony would take place on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
According to the official schedule, the convocation lecture will hold on Monday, May 5, at 11 am at the Kesington Adebutu Media Resource Centre, located within the institute’s premises.
The main convocation ceremony is slated for Tuesday, May 6, also at 11 am, and will take place at the NIJ premises.
The convocation will cover graduating students from the classes of 2022 through 2024 across its National Diploma, Higher National Diploma, and Post Graduate Diploma programmes.
Business Post gathered that students who excelled during their academic pursuits at the monotechnic would be recognised and awarded for their feats.
Graduating students are expected to receive their certificates immediately after the convocation.
The event is expected to bring together the management, academic staff, students, alumni, and dignitaries from the media and communication sectors to celebrate the achievements of the graduating students.
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