Public Affairs Analyst

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board was established in 1978 to deal with the problems associated with the conduct of concessional examination by the then existing federal universities. By August 1988, JAMB was empowered to conduct matriculation examinations for entry into all polytechnics and colleges of education in the country and to place suitably qualified candidates in the available places in these institutions. Over the years, the Board has initiated various reforms to bring its activities in line with modern trend in the conduct of matriculation examinations. When JAMB kicked off matriculation examination in 1978, it was based on Paper and Pencil Test. Under this system, candidates were to shade the correct answer out of options usually given. It is called multiple choice or objective examination. This system of examination was fraught with many sharp practices and challenges. Under the PPT, it was easy to cheat. Candidates colluded with supervisors through monetary ...

The phenomenon of child marriage is gaining ascendancy in Nigeria. More troubling is the fact that many of these child brides are abducted and forced into marriage. Kidnapping and indeed child abduction is not new in Nigeria. It has a long history. Many of the victims were kidnapped for ransom, trafficked to be used as sex slaves or house helps, forced into marriage or used for money ritual and other diabolical purposes. This newspaper featured on its front page last Sunday, March 13 the story of Ifesinachi Ani, a 15 year old SS2 student of Government Secondary School, Apo Resettlement who was abducted in Abuja and taken to Zaria, where she was reportedly converted to Islam and married off. The linkman to the abductors, Baba Abdul, who has been arrested by the police, claimed that he sold the girl to scouts allegedly sent by a prominent northern Emir. The AUTHORITY on Sunday had reported the sinister activities of a band of syndicate abductors whose primary objective is to lure...

Since the emergence of All Progressives Congress in July 2013 and the decampment of former Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to the party with many of his commissioners and members of the state house of assembly in 2014, the political landscape in Rivers State has dramatically changed. Amaechi who hitherto had been having a running battle with the ex-president Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency was practically ran out the Peoples Democratic Party. He was constantly being antagonised by his former Chief of Staff, Chief Nyesom Wike who was then the Minister of State for Education now the Governor of the State. At some point under the former governor, now Minister of Transport, all the three arms of government were in crises. The state House of Assembly had to be shut down after the emergence of two factions in the assembly with both claiming leadership. Also, Amaechi’s appointment of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Peter Agumagu as the Chief Judge of Rivers Stat...

On February 25, 2014, fifty-nine school boys of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State were murdered in cold blood by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. Before then, from 2009 when the activities of the extremist group turned violent, several schools have been razed in North East Nigeria particularly in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. However, the abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014 nudged the Federal Government of Nigeria to take a drastic step to make security of Nigerian schools a priority. Thus, in partnership with the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr. Gordon Brown and     a coalition of Nigerian business leaders, the FG established “The Safe Schools Initiative” on May 7, 2014, during the World Economic Forum Africa in Abuja. The objective of the SSI is to urgently protect schools across the country from future attacks and kidnaps. The SSI is being complemented by other development programmes such as the Presiden...

For some time now, successive Nigerian governments have been mouthing the slogan of “Buy Made in Nigeria”. Unfortunately, it has been more of cliché or lip-service. Even government officials do not buy into this idea. Goods and services in the presidency, legislative assemblies and most of the Ministries, Department and Agencies are still exotic. The vehicles, dishes, computers, furniture, and even consultants engaged by these MDAs and presidency are mostly foreign. There is this erroneous believe that everything imported is good and more durable than locally made products. This is a fallacy! While there are some products that cannot be sourced locally, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of others that are available in our domestic markets. There is no better time to genuinely start to patronise locally manufactured products than now. With the dwindling oil prices in the international market and the scarcity of international currencies like Dollar, Pound Sterling and Euro, it...

Nigeria is a country of conundrums. Some of my compatriots are very adept at undermining any noble projects and exercises, all in a bid to gain undue advantage or self-enrichment.   The monster called corruption manifests in diverse ways though many people think of it in financial or monetary terms. Quite alright, bribery, kickback and financial inducements all form part of corruption. However, there are many more ways corruption rears its ugly head than in terms of Naira and Kobo.   Padding or bogus additions of figures is one of such corrupt practices rampant in Nigeria. Nigeria last held its national census in 2006. Before then, there have been countrywide enumeration in 1952/53, 1962/63, 1973 and 1991. All of these have been enmeshed in controversies. This is because national headcount is a political and economic instrument. Political in the sense that it gives voting advantage to a more populous community. It also forms the basis of creation of state and local gove...