Category: Nigerian Tribune

All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency I, Engr. Toyin Okoro, and the incumbent lawmaker, AVM Rufus Ojuawo (Rtd), have traded allegations over the party’s primary election and a petition before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Okoro, through his Campaign Council, accused Ojuawo of actions capable of undermining the unity of the APC ahead of the 2027 general election, while the lawmaker denied any involvement in the petition against the party’s candidate.

The APC primary committee declared Okoro winner of the primary conducted in May, after he polled 9,798 votes against Ojuawo’s 1,842 votes. The constituency comprises Ikere, Ekiti South-West and Ise/Orun local government areas. The result has also been reported by multiple media outlets.

In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Director of Media, Strategy and Publicity, Yomi Abegunde, the Okoro Campaign Council alleged that Ojuawo had continued to challenge the candidate’s emergence after losing the primary.

The council urged the incumbent lawmaker to pursue any grievance through the recognised internal mechanisms of the party and the courts, where applicable.

Reacting to a purported protest against Okoro’s candidature, the council alleged that Ojuawo was behind the development, arguing that such actions could create tension within the APC at a time members should be preparing for the 2027 election.

‘The outcome of the primary is a matter of record, and any subsequent challenge to the candidate’s emergence should be pursued through the recognised internal and legal mechanisms available to party members,’ the council said.

It also urged Ojuawo to allow the ICPC to independently examine any petition he might have submitted against Okoro.

‘Having invoked the jurisdiction and authority of the ICPC, the appropriate course of action is to allow the Commission, as the competent statutory authority, to independently examine the allegations, conduct whatever investigation it considers necessary, and arrive at its own findings in accordance with the law,’ it said.

The council stressed that the existence of a petition or investigation should not be regarded as proof of wrongdoing until the relevant authorities complete their processes and reach their findings.

Reports in September indicated that Okoro had been invited by the ICPC to respond to allegations concerning his activities while serving as a legislative aide and his alleged links to a private company. The allegations remain subject to investigation and have not been established as findings of guilt.

The campaign council, however, alleged that the disagreement over Okoro’s candidature had gone beyond the primary and could affect the cohesion of the APC in Ekiti.

It said the party’s leadership, including Governor Biodun Oyebanji and other stakeholders, had invested efforts in strengthening the party and urged members to avoid actions that could undermine its preparations for the 2027 election.

The council further alleged that the dispute could be exploited by opposition interests and appealed to party members in Ikere, Ekiti South-West and Ise/Orun to remain calm while established party mechanisms and the courts resolve any outstanding issues.

It also urged those involved not to drag traditional rulers and other prominent individuals into the disagreement.

The council said attempts to overturn the primary result through protests would not alter the outcome, maintaining that the party’s internal electoral process had produced its candidate.

It further alleged that the dispute was part of efforts to frustrate the commitment of Governor Oyebanji and APC leaders to securing President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the state.

The council also made claims about Ojuawo’s political associations and motives, alleging that his actions were connected to wider political interests. Those claims were not independently established in the statement.

Ojuawo denies involvement

Responding through his media office, Ojuawo denied the allegations and said he had no involvement in the ICPC invitation or petition against Okoro.

‘We respectfully advise Engr. Toyin Okoro to concentrate on addressing whatever issues have arisen between him and the ICPC and to allow the appropriate institutions to carry out their responsibilities,’ he said.

Ojuawo said there was no justification for linking him to the ICPC invitation, insisting that he neither initiated nor had prior knowledge of the matter. His media team had similarly denied any connection between him and Okoro’s invitation to the anti-corruption agency.

The lawmaker said he remained focused on his legislative responsibilities and urged political actors to separate political contests from personal hostility.

‘Political contests should end when the contest ends. They should not become a basis for perpetual hostility or the manufacture of narratives against political opponents,’ he said.

Ojuawo added that he remained committed to peace, responsible political engagement and the interests of the people of Ekiti South Federal Constituency I.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of the APC primary in which Okoro defeated Ojuawo to secure the party’s ticket for the 2027 House of Representatives election.

The National Association of Scraps and Waste Dealers and Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) has commenced a 15-day nationwide warning strike over alleged price manipulation, substandard steel production and other practices by foreign-owned iron-smelting companies operating in Nigeria.

The association said the strike, which began on Thursday, October 1, 2026, involved a total cut-off of scrap metal supplies to the affected companies.

Speaking at a press conference, Deputy National President of NASWDEN, Comrade Amin Hassan Soja, said the strike would be suspended if the Federal Government and the companies addressed their grievances.

He, however, warned that the action could become indefinite if no reconciliation was reached within the 15-day warning period.

According to him, scrap dealers were suffering huge financial losses as a result of what he described as arbitrary depreciation of the prices paid for scrap metals by the steel companies.

‘Soja said dealers could lose between N3 million and N4 million on a single truckload as a result of the frequent reduction in prices.

He also accused some steel manufacturers of producing substandard iron rods by manipulating the sizes and quantities of products made from scrap metals supplied to them.

He alleged that some manufacturers convert 12mm iron rods to smaller sizes, adding that the weight of finished products supplied to customers could be significantly lower than the quantity of scrap metal purchased from dealers.

The NASWDEN leader further accused the companies of manipulating weighing scales and deducting between one and five per cent from the weight of scrap supplied to them under what he described as an ‘extra dose’ arrangement.

He linked some of the recent price reductions to global geopolitical developments, saying disruptions in international trade had resulted in large quantities of steel-related materials being purchased cheaply from some countries and imported into Nigeria.

Soja also raised concerns over the establishment of dump sites by foreign companies, alleging that the practice was driving indigenous scrap dealers out of business because they could not compete with the companies on price.

He called for Federal Government intervention, arguing that foreign steel companies should focus on manufacturing rather than directly competing with local scrap dealers for collection and supply.

According to him, the scrap industry employs millions of Nigerians, particularly youths, and should be formally integrated into the Nigerian economy.

‘We want the Federal Government to come in and formalise the sector and collaborate with us. The government should also provide intervention funds to scrap traders so that indigenous Nigerians can establish companies similar to those being established by foreign investors,’ he said.

Soja disclosed that the Federal Government had already initiated discussions with the association through the Executive Secretary of the National Steel Council, Ambassador Abdelkader Fadi.

He said the association had presented its grievances in writing and was awaiting further action from the relevant ministry.

The NASWDEN leader said members across the country had complied with the directive, claiming that trucks conveying scrap metals had been parked in several locations as the strike took effect.

He stressed that the industrial action was peaceful and that members had not engaged in any activity capable of disrupting public order.

The association urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the dispute, regulate the operations of steel manufacturers and protect the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians involved in the scrap and waste trade.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Benin (UNIBEN) Branch, has threatened to take industrial and legal action over the alleged non-payment of the full September 2026 emoluments of its members.

The union, in a statement dated 30 September and signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Dr Enaruna Edosa and Lucky Aimiyekagbon, said it would convene a congress on 5 October to determine ‘appropriate and necessary action’ if the outstanding emoluments were not paid in full by 3 October.

The development has raised fresh concerns over industrial harmony in the nation’s university system, with ASUU-UNIBEN accusing the university management of attempting to negotiate directly with individual academic staff over the fractionalisation of their monthly emoluments.

The union described the alleged direct engagement with its members as ‘direct dealing’ and a breach of Nigerian labour laws and international labour standards, urging the management to immediately discontinue the practice.

Citing International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, ASUU-UNIBEN maintained that the right to organise and engage in collective bargaining was protected under international labour standards, insisting that a recognised union remained the legitimate bargaining agent for its members.

It warned that any individual agreement reached outside the union’s collective bargaining framework would be invalid and could amount to an unfair labour practice, while urging the university to withdraw any offers or undertakings already made to individual members.

To avert a breakdown of industrial harmony and possible recourse to the National Industrial Court, the union demanded that all future proposals, notices and negotiations on remuneration and conditions of service be channelled exclusively through the elected leadership of ASUU-UNIBEN.

ASUU-UNIBEN said it remained open to constructive social dialogue but demanded payment of all emoluments for work already rendered, noting that several federal universities, including the universities of Ilorin, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Bayero University, Kano, had reportedly paid the September components in full, and called on UNIBEN management to explain its inability to do the same.

As candidates intensify efforts to outshine their opponents, the campaign organisation of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, has rejected recent accusations by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir Lawal, describing them as unsubstantiated and politically divisive.

The response followed a recent statement by Lawal after his emergence as a leader of the NDC’s political activities in the North-East.

The former SGF had accused Binani and other NDC governorship candidates in the northern zone of working against the party’s presidential ticket.

In a statement signed by the Director of Media and Public Affairs of the Binani campaign organisation, Hon. Mathias Yohanna, the campaign said it would not be intimidated by what it described as ‘indecent language’ or personal attacks.

The campaign organisation said Binani participated in a democratically convened meeting of NDC governorship candidates where decisions concerning the North-East were taken, adding that it remained committed to the decision to recognise Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the party’s leader in the North.

‘While we respect elders who stand for the truth, our respect should not be taken for granted,’ the statement said.

It faulted Lawal for allegedly referring to some NDC governorship candidates as ‘so-called gubernatorial’ candidates and ‘nincompoops’.

The campaign further accused the former SGF of engaging in divisive politics rather than building unity within the party, urging him to adopt what it called the dignity expected of political leaders seeking the mandate of citizens.

The statement also challenged Lawal’s political influence, questioning whether his political weight alone could determine the outcome of the North-East political contest.

The campaign organisation urged the national leadership of the NDC to intervene in the dispute and call Lawal to order, stressing that the party’s constitution and principles should guide political debates and interactions among members.

It appealed for the promotion of ‘conscience, integrity and respect for one another’ as the basis for building a united and peaceful party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The latest exchange is part of a growing disagreement within the NDC’s North-East structure. Six governorship candidates recently rejected Lawal’s appointment as the party’s regional leader, citing inadequate consultation, while Lawal subsequently accused some party members of attempting to undermine the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso ticket.

Swift Telephone Network Limited (STN) has acquired a Unified Access Service Licence (UASL) from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

According to the Communication Adviser, Chief Tajudeen Kareem, ‘This marks the beginning of a new chapter for one of Nigeria’s most resilient indigenous telecom companies.

STN was founded in 1998 under the visionary leadership of late Barr. (Mrs) Clara Adetuyi. He said STN began as a modest umbrella and table calling spot to support the NUGA Games. For Mrs Adetuyi, the word ‘Impossible’ never existed.

‘By 1999-2000, STN introduced voicemail services to the University of Lagos community, the first of its kind.

‘In 2003, STN became the first provider of digital landline services in Yaba, at a time when neither NITEL nor other operators had deployed digital telephony there.

‘That same year, STN helped power WAEC Direct, enabling millions of candidates to check results.

STN went on to provide landline services to the Nigerian Military, World Health Organisation and major government parastatals. In 2005, STN chose independence and secured its own operational licences from the NCC. The name change was approved in 2008.

However, like many Nigerian businesses, STN faced challenges, as its operations ceased in November 2010, following infrastructure loss and boardroom issues.

‘On 22 February 2022, STN formally submitted its application for the Unified Access Service Licence. After years of planning, regulatory engagement, and persistence, the UASL has now been granted by the NCC.

‘This licence is not the destination. It is the bridge. From a small business centre in 1998 to a UASL operator in 2026. The journey has been long. But the journey has never stopped,’ said Managing Director/ CEO, Oluwole Adetuyi.

The statement added that ‘Our ambition is clear. To build a telecommunications company that is proudly Nigerian in its roots, global in its outlook, and transformational in its impact.’

‘We want to connect people to opportunities, businesses to customers, and Nigeria to the possibilities of the digital future’, said STN’S Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, Yetunde Okafor. STN will announce strategic partnerships and roll-out plans in the coming weeks.’

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sokoto State, has announced October 9, 2026, as the commencement date for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards by registered voters in the state.

The commission urged eligible citizens to collect their PVCs at designated centres and rely only on official INEC channels for information concerning the electoral process.

INEC made this known in a statement issued on Thursday by its Public Affairs Officer, Hassan Sarki Gendane, as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary.

The commission also called on citizens to maintain peace, respect the rule of law and participate actively and responsibly in the electoral process.

According to the statement, INEC remains committed to conducting elections in accordance with the law and ensuring that every vote is properly accounted for.

It urged voters to have confidence in the electoral process and stressed that citizens have the right to freely choose their preferred candidates.

The commission congratulated Nigerians on the Independence Anniversary and called for continued support for democratic institutions and the strengthening of democracy.

The Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr Gbenga Hashim, has challenged Nigerians to reject the idea that the country must remain a third-class nation, urging citizens to take greater ownership of Nigeria’s future ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In an Independence Day message released in Abuja, yesterday, Hashim explained that Nigeria’s prolonged underdevelopment was not the result of a lack of resources, but of the failure to deploy the country’s enormous human, natural and institutional capacity for transformation.

He identified poverty, human trafficking, insecurity, institutional capture, the weakening of the civil service and the breakdown of security infrastructure among the factors holding the country back despite its enormous potential.

Hashim maintained that Nigeria’s young population should be transformed from a development challenge into the country’s greatest economic advantage through skills, education, employment and productive opportunities.

‘Nigeria is not a poor country. We have behaved like a poor country because we have consistently underutilised the enormous capacity available to us,’ he said.

He said the consequences of poor governance extend beyond economic statistics, affecting the security, dignity and future of ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, human trafficking, unemployment and insecurity thrive where citizens lack economic opportunity and institutions are too weak to protect vulnerable people.

‘You cannot permanently defeat trafficking without defeating the conditions that make human beings vulnerable to trafficking,’ said Hashim.

The Accord candidate insisted that the 2027 election should provide Nigerians with an opportunity to take greater responsibility for determining the country’s direction.

He urged voters to demand clear visions, measurable targets and accountability from political candidates rather than allowing elections to be reduced to personalities, ethnicity, religion or political slogans.

‘Nigeria belongs to Nigerians. We must stop behaving as spectators in the affairs of our own country,’ he said.

Hashim argued that an Accord administration would target the transformation of Nigeria into a $4 trillion economy within 8 years, an economy driven by increased production, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, technology and services.

He added that Nigeria must move from an economy focused largely on distributing resource revenues to one that creates wealth through production and value addition.

Hashim reiterated his proposal to raise Nigeria’s crude production to at least four million barrels per day within 24 months of an Accord administration.

According to him, the target would be pursued through the recovery of commercially viable shut-in oil wells, improved security, investment in production infrastructure, better crude evacuation and reforms to petroleum production costs.

He equally stressed that additional crude production must become a foundation for domestic industrialisation.

‘Four million barrels a day cannot simply mean four million barrels exported. Nigerian crude must power Nigerian industry,’ he said.

Hashim also reaffirmed his proposal for ?605 per litre as the starting sustainable petrol price, with a longer-term objective of reducing the price towards ?200-?300 per litre.

He said the policy would be based on lowering the actual cost of producing and delivering energy rather than returning to an opaque subsidy system.

The Accord candidate maintained that Nigeria must transform its oil and gas resources into the foundation of a globally competitive energy and industrial economy.

He proposed substantial expansion of crude production, refining, petrochemicals, gas processing, electricity generation, pipelines, storage and other energy infrastructure.

‘Nigeria must stop exporting the raw material and importing the finished value. We must capture the value chain here,’ Hashim said.

Hashim argued that affordable and reliable energy would be central to reviving Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and reducing production costs across the economy.

He equally proposed making West African integration a central pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy, arguing that the region represents a major opportunity for Nigerian economic expansion.

He contended that Nigerian manufacturers, farmers, energy companies, financial institutions and technology businesses should be positioned to serve a much larger integrated West African market.

‘Our neighbourhood is not a burden, we are one family. West Africa is Nigeria’s strategic economic space.’

He argued that Nigeria’s rapidly growing young population could become the country’s greatest economic advantage if government invests deliberately in technical education, professional skills and productive employment.

‘Our young population should be Nigeria’s greatest economic asset. We must give them the skills and opportunities to turn their energy into wealth.’

He said renewal of the civil service and public institutions would be equally important, arguing that ambitious economic targets cannot be achieved without a competent and accountable state.

‘We cannot build a $4 trillion economy with institutions that cannot perform. The Nigerian state itself must be rebuilt.’

Hashim contended that Independence Day should remind Nigerians that political independence must ultimately be matched by economic and institutional independence.

‘The Nigeria we want cannot be outsourced. It cannot be imported. It must be built by Nigerians.’

To him, the 2027 election gives Nigerians an opportunity to choose not merely a government but a national direction.

‘We are offering the vision. We are offering the leadership. But the ultimate power belongs to Nigerians.’

He concluded that ‘our independence gave us ownership of Nigeria. It is time to exercise that ownership.’

There is a lot of misconception and misrepresentation of the truth. 2025 was the year we really took on a very big innovation, especially in the aspect of introducing the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) into schools. The era of randomisation and serialisation of questions was introduced and, as we all know, whenever you are embarking on a new idea or process, no matter how you pilot or test it, you are likely to get what are commonly referred to as glitches. Meanwhile, we should not just look at it in isolation. There has been a corresponding drop in examination malpractice, which is a good aspect of the innovations that WAEC is now known for.

From 2024, there has been a drop in examination malpractice. Similarly, in 2025, we had a rate of 9.7 per cent in examination malpractice, whereas this year, the rate dropped to 8.59 per cent, a decline of 1.1 per cent. So, you find that when there is introduction of innovation for good, some people are easily beset by it, but the fact remains that there is a drop in the malpractice rate and a change in the pattern of assessment.This very year, I can confidently tell the whole world that the WAEC examination did not leak. The consequence of this was that the cyber rogue websites or cyber companies that engage in fraudulent activities or malpractice did not thrive, so they were angered. So, they are part of the aggrieved people fuelling this unnecessary controversy. There are records which indicate to us the impact of innovation, reluctance to change, and a drop in malpractice. You will agree with me that if there is no malpractice, no leakage, definitely performance will be affected.

In 2025, you had candidates who sat for English till almost 12 midnight in some centres. Also, this year in some centres, especially in Oyo, some parts of Osun and Kwara, candidates sat till late in the night for this exam. Can you tell us how much this technology that you are so proud of has helped in the conduct of WAEC examinations in Nigeria, when many candidates had to sit for your examination till late in the night? How will you explain this?

This is rather unfortunate and I want to say this emphatically that unless the stakeholders listen to us and adapt to change, we will continue to have issues which rather are surmountable. You will all recall that until the Federal Ministry of Education stepped in, schools were reluctant to come and register, such that registration of what should have been concluded in late 2024 was not concluded until April 2026. This is what you get when registrations are done very late. When we say, give us the entries in good time so that we will be able to prepare for all that needs to be planned for the conduct of the examination, stakeholders will not be forthcoming. When we finally close by our procedure and timing that will allow for a successful conduct of the examination, we closed the window and people went to the ministry saying, WAEC wants to disenfranchise our children and so on and so forth. So, delay in registration delays the preparation of the examination, printing and other logistics.

Secondly, the Federal Government had directed all examination bodies in the achievement test industry that all examinations must be conducted in the computer-based mode. So, all our arrangements were concluded to have computer-based testing deployed to schools that complied. It was also in late April that the government now formally informed us to carry out the examination in the mode that was carried out last year. We prepared for the schools that are ready and have the facilities and those schools indicated formally, not that it was forced down their throat. They indicated formally that they were ready and they had the facilities.

It was when examination actually commenced that WAEC had to now go to the press to start printing and that affected the logistics and conduct of examination. While all of this was going on, there was a particular day when teachers were demonstrating against the kidnap of their students and teachers. On that very day, all the supervisors, we had downed tools and before we could salvage the situation, it was late for some of the schools. Technology glitch does not occur in CB-WASSCE because the test environment is a secure one. It is certain that this kind of cutting and shutting off a candidate does not arise in the conduct of the CB-WASSCE. That is the clarification I would want to make here.

How many schools actually participated in WAEC this year and how many schools opted for CBT?

We have over 25,000 schools that enrolled for the examination and out of this number, the number that opted for the CB-WASSCE is in the region of about 200 schools.

Can you give us the percentage?

That is insignificant.

If we now have only 200 and we are claiming that we have opted for CBT, would it be appropriate to say WAEC is preparing for a CBT examination?

I told you that we had plans to do it on a larger scale until the formal directive from the Ministry came. That was why and how we found ourselves here. Otherwise, the plan is for virtually all the schools, particularly in urban and semi-urban centres, to do the exam using CB-WASSCE. It was only the rural schools which did not have access to technology that we would have conducted the pen-and-paper examination for. It was at the last minute that our plans changed based on the directive we received.

Will you say that the logistic challenges that you mentioned, the protest, among other challenges that you faced never affected the results of the students this year?

Yes, I will confirm to you emphatically that it did not affect the results.

Some schools observed that some of their students who did very well in UTME and other international exams such as IELTS, GRE and scored high grades, had some of the same candidates’ records in this year’s WAEC, something that they felt was below their competence. How do you justify that?

I am glad that I am talking to people who are in the education sector. Let me use myself as an example. When I was in Form 5, I took a look at Nigeria’s GCE question paper and I compared it with the London GCE question papers and I also compared it with Nigeria’s, the WAEC question paper. Believe me, the questions are on different standards. You will not expect the performance of candidates to be the same, too. Let me come to that one of the UTME that you mentioned. Did you know that UTME is a ranking test and not an achievement test? The conditions under which you sit UTME are different from that of WASSCE. It is an aptitude test, whereas WASSCE allows you to express what you have learnt in school. Let me also add this, that some people have a wrong impression that if you have an A1 in Further Mathematics, you should also have an A1 or even better grade than in General Mathematics. This is not true.

The logic and precepts of Further Mathematics is different from that of General Mathematics. I have a blood relation who also in his time, passed Further Maths very well, but he did not do well in Mathematics. Some people also think that if you are good in Physics, you should also be good in Mathematics. No, the two subjects are independent. They have different contents. More so, the IQ of the individuals in each of these subjects differs and their delivery and the marks obtained are bound to be different. Hence, I want to emphasise that you doing well in an international examination does not mean you will in WASSCE. If you must, you have to use our syllabus. You have to be guided by other resources like the Chief Examiner’s Report. When I was in secondary school, I bought for myself the WAEC examination syllabuses, which I used to assist myself. Today, I go to schools and I see that nobody has that.

We have even come up with an innovation to say, okay, let us give these candidates the opportunity to have a feel of what the CBT examination environment looks like. As a result, we provided a virtual examination environment for them to test themselves, as well as produced a hard copy of the past questions and answers for candidates to practise, but I heard people resisting and saying they do not need it. How can you sit for an examination without the right resources that will give you success in it?

Has the result of visually impaired candidates been released and what is the percentage?

With regard to results of candidates with special needs, I will say yes. However, we have a peculiar case in this instance. Usually, when we release results, we have those that have one issue or the other that we take time to manually resolve. It happens that the larger numbers come from this category and that is why we always make room for a form of regulated control assistance to be given to these candidates. I am sorry; I do not have the percentage record here with me because I did not expect the issue to come up. I can authentically inform you that we have released results of candidates with special needs.

There are so many private schools that have zero tolerance for examination malpractice that recorded poor results for the first time in their many years of participating in your examination. Don’t you think it is high time for a third-party review of WAEC results before they are released?

Let me quickly clarify here that I did not say that private schools failed because of exam malpractice. I never made such statement. I only said the road to malpractice has been closed against schools that are used to engaging in exam malpractice and that their performance will definitely be affected there. I did not direct the statement to either the public or private schools. However, we know that there are schools that thrive on malpractice and we are on the lookout for them. We are always monitoring them to hold them when we have evidence. So even when we see you or we do not see you and we have made the condition difficult for you not to perpetrate malpractice. I said there was no leakage, there was randomization, there was serialization. Why would they not fail when they are used to copying and committing other forms of exam malpractice? This goes across all the schools. It is not only in a few select school.

On how WAEC is being marked, our procedure is standard. We follow the best practices in assessment. In fact, let me even say that for this very last examination, we improved supervisors and examiners’ remuneration. Even before this year, WAEC remuneration, compared to others, if not the best, is one of the best. We did not stop there. This year, we ensured that anyone who would mark our script had his or her certificate verified to ensure that we have qualified people to work with. Apart From that, we also have checking activity to ensure that there is adequate transfer and proper computerisation. In any examination where you have humans marking it, there could be some level of subjectivity. The only instance where you can remove subjectivity is when you deploy the zombies or the computer to mark either through the E-marker, or most importantly, the AI, which we have not yet deployed.

This now calls for Nigerians to begin to pray and get prepared for objective methods because as long as assessment has the human aspect directly involved in it, there is going to be some force of subjectivity. For anyone who feels that the scores are not a true reflection of the performance, the right and the only thing, the best thing to do, is to apply and we will do the needful. We have been doing it over the years.

Let me also say that when you apply for review, is the scores could go up or it could go down. So, it is not a guarantee that if you apply, your candidate score will go up. It could go down depending on the assessment. Yes, we have a marking scheme, which is supposed to guide us. All papers are important. To some people, mathematics is more important, some go into the exam hall just to pass Music. For some, it is just to pass Food and Nutrition.

Is the review free? How much does it cost per script?

Definitely, there is a fee but I cannot quote the amount right now. Anywhere in the world, not only with WAEC, there is always a fee to pay if you apply for a review. It is not free of charge.

We would be glad to know the exact amount; you as the head should have it at your fingertips?

It is about N6,000 per script. Yes!

What happens after a school has paid for a review and it was discovered that the error is from WAEC, will they get a refund? And what will be the lot of students whose moving ahead in life is guided by the initial wrong markings?

Yes, of course. You see, WAEC does not operate in isolation. Our practice is the same as is done by other examination bodies worldwide. Serious money goes into the review exercise, but most times, many of the cases do not even warrant the stress. From the statistics I have, which I said will soon be given out, many of the schools are just agitating because they heard that there are marking issues, whereas there are really no issues.

Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has directed civil servants across the Federal, State and Local Governments to commence a three-day warning strike from midnight on Friday, October 2, 2026, following the expiration of the deadline earlier given to the Federal Government to address its demands.

The directive was contained in a circular signed by the National Secretary of JNPSNC, Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga, and addressed to the National Presidents and General Secretaries, as well as State Chairmen and Secretaries of the council.

The council recalled that its national leadership had earlier resolved to commence the three-day warning strike if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu failed to address the issues contained in its letter to him dated September 21, 2026.

It had given the President till October 2 to heed and implement its demand that the Federal Government either reduce the price of fuel to N500 per litre or approve an immediate wage award for workers to cushion the impact of the high cost of transportation and goods and services resulting from the recent fuel price increase.

The council said the deadline had now elapsed without the demands being addressed, prompting the commencement of the warning strike.

‘Consequent upon the above, the strike shall start with effect from midnight of Friday 2nd October, 2026 to Sunday October 4th, 2026,’ JNPSNC stated.

Directing workers across the three tiers of government to join the action, the council said the prevailing economic hardship was affecting workers, their dependants and vulnerable Nigerians.

‘In the same vein, all Public Servants in the services of Federal, State and Local Governments are to join the warning strike because an injury to one is an injury to all,’ it stated.

The council said the worsening economic situation had made life increasingly difficult for workers and other Nigerians, particularly against the backdrop of rising transportation costs and the increasing prices of goods and services.

‘The economic and mental hardships are becoming unbearable and frustrating,’ it stated.

JNPSNC consequently directed its national and state structures to commence immediate mobilisation of public servants for the three-day warning strike.

‘The time to act and mobilise workers for the three days warning strike is now,’ the council declared.

The warning strike is scheduled to commence at midnight on Friday, October 2, and run through Sunday, October 4, 2026.

The council urged its leadership structures to disseminate the directive to workers across the country.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has sponsored 120 inmates of the Medium Security Correctional Centre, Kuje, of the Nigerian Correctional Service for the National Examination Council (NECO) and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) examinations.

The philanthropic gesture by the Speaker, which held at the facility, was part of the activities marking his 61st birthday on Thursday.

This is just as inmates who benefitted from Speaker Tajudeen’s scholarships last year and scored distinctions in their exams commended him for identifying with them.

A team from the Speaker’s Office, which delivered the message to the inmates through the management of the correctional centre, noted that the ceremony was special to the Speaker, hence the gesture.

‘I leave you with three words: Believe. Learn. Rebuild. Believe that your future can be better. Learn everything that can make you a better person. And when the opportunity comes, rebuild your life and make a positive contribution to society,’ the Speaker noted.

The highlight of the event was the announcement that the Speaker would register 120 inmates for this year’s NABTEB and NECO examinations in continuation of his commitment to ensuring that incarceration does not become a barrier to education, personal development, and the opportunity to build a better future.

‘Let this occasion remind us that no human being should be defined only by his worst moment,’

his message, delivered by the Special Assistant on Humanitarian Affairs, David Igbe Okponya, read further.

He enjoined the inmates not to see their present circumstance as their final destination, noting that ‘whatever brought you here is part of your history, but it does not have to define the rest of your life.

‘Use your time here wisely. Read, study, learn a trade, acquire a skill, and build your character. When the opportunity comes for you to return to your communities, return prepared to contribute positively to your families and to Nigeria.’

There were also testimonies by previous beneficiaries as well as the cutting of the birthday cake with the inmates.

An inmate simply identified as Adeolu, who benefited from the examination sponsorship last year, said ‘a big thank you’ to the Speaker, whom he described as ‘the foundation builder-that is what we call him in here.’

Another former beneficiary simply identified as Chikwendu gave his testimony of how he switched from science to art, sat for the NECO examination sponsored by Speaker Abbas and got seven distinctions.

He said: ‘Last year, you were here to plant a seed. I want you to know that, that seed has germinated. We are indebted to our father, the Right Honourable Speaker.’

The Education Desk Officer, DSC Adikwu Owoicho, in his overview, disclosed that over 2,000 inmates have been registered for various educational programmes in the FCT Command, with those registered in 2025 recording encouraging performance in both NABTEB and NECO examinations.

‘The Speaker is taking the lead in the number of NECO and NABTEB registration sponsorships nationwide. The NGOs are doing their best, but the Speaker is taking the lead,’ he said.

Earlier, the Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Christopher Peter Jen, who represented the Comptroller General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, MFR, in his welcome address, commended the Speaker complementing the efforts of the NCoS to empower inmates as part of its reformatory efforts.

The CGC described education as a critical pillar of the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration mandate of the Service. He also advocated for employment opportunities for reformed inmates, noting that they have been reformed and are ready to contribute meaningfully to national development.

In his remarks, the representative of the Deputy Controller General in-charge of Inmates Training and Productivity (ITP), SC Igomu Augustine, appreciated the organizers for remembering the inmates and for supporting the Service to make inmates productive and useful upon re-entry into the society, adding that the Speaker is taking the lead in the registration of inmates for NECO examinations across custodial centres.