Education
Oyo Pledges Continuous Reward for Hard Work in Education
By Dipo Olowookere
The Oyo State Governor, Mr Abiola Ajimobi, says his administration will continue to reward excellence in academic activities, as it sets out to revamp the academic standard of the state for greatness with appropriate policies.
He made this commitment at the recent inauguration of Oyo State Schools’ Governing Board; a new initiative to coordinate the administration of secondary schools in the state.
The event also witnessed the recognition of the best overall student in the 2015 WAEC who is an indigene of Oyo state.
The awardee, Mr David Babalola, a 200 level Medicine student of the University of Ibadan with CGPA of 7.0, flanked by his parents Prof. and Mrs Babalola stood tall as Governor Abiola Ajimobi presented him with cash award and scholarship at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
Mr Babalola, an indigene of Saki from Oke Ogun axis of the state was described by Governor Ajimobi as one of Oyo State’s brightest minds as he came out in flying colours in the 2015 WAEC examination, scoring A1 in eight subjects including English Language and Mathematics with a total of 673.7626.
At the event, a Development Expert, Mr Michael Ale who was also made the Chairman of Jericho High School told Mr Babalola “We are very proud of you, David. To show how delighted we are with your performance, to encourage our other children to do the same, and to demonstrate our government’s commitment to excellence, I hereby announce the award of a full scholarship to you till you complete your current course of medical studies at the University of Ibadan.
“In addition, the sum of N250,000 is to be given to David in recognition of his outstanding achievement, and for bringing glory to himself, his family and the good people of Oyo State”.
Mr Ale, who gave David N100,000, pledged to do more, “I was impressed with the CV of the best student in WAEC 2015, his impressive achievement, I think the more you encourage, the more he grows in knowledge.
“I donated N100,000 to support his scholarship that was given to him by Oyo State Government and also a means of assisting the state government”.
“We shall look beyond now, in five years to see that we bring value that is necessary, the value that we expected in a public school that will look more like a private setting, especially Jericho High School brought me up to this level, it invested in me and has done a lot for me in the area of education, social interaction, ethics and moral value.
“Within the next two years the school will experience great transformation especially in the performance of the students and I can say very clearly that students can’t perform without teachers, so we are going to start our repositioning from the teachers.
“We are not going to work on Jericho High School alone, we are going to collaborate with other schools and learn from their own way, we are going to copy and imitate good things from those schools,” Mr Ale added.
It would be recalled that the Oyo State Government also recently rewarded 26 pupils from various schools who have represented the state in various National competitions for being good ambassadors.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi, who presented the gifts to the 26 pupils for their excellent performances in Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN), Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), competitions in Ibadan stated that there is no amount of time, energy and money that can be regarded as too much on Education.
According to the commissioner, “Education as we all know is a veritable tool and instrument to alleviate and subsequently banish ignorance and poverty, whatever is devoted to education therefore multiplies in turn.”
Professor Olowofela reiterated the government’s policies such as stoppage of mass promotion of students, promotion based on 80 percent class attendance and above average performance, inauguration of Schools’ Governing Boards (SGB) for effective control and teaching, massive renovation of schools and supply of science equipment would help to save education from its present position.
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.
