Author: News Agency Report

The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Board (CDCFIB) has called on qualified candidates to apply for full-time employment into the various paramilitary agencies from Thursday.

This is contained in a statement by the Secretary to the board, retired Maj.-Gen. Abdulmalik Jubril, on Monday in Abuja.

He urged applicants interested in being employed into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and the Federal Fire Service to apply online through the board’s portal.

“Applications should be submitted online within three weeks from the date of this publication and note that the application is absolutely free,” he said.

He emphasised that applicants must apply to only one of the four agencies of their choice as multiple applications will automatically call for disqualification.

He added that vacancies were available for the positions of Superintendent, Inspectorate and Assistant cadres.

“For Superintendent of Corrections (CONMESS 09), which is applicable to only NCoS, applicants must be holders of a Bachelor’s Degree (BSc) in medicine and surgery.

“For Assistant Superintendent I (CONPASS 09), applicable to FFS only, applicants must be holders of Degree in Law or a BSc in any of the following: Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, Water or any related field.

“For Assistant Superintendent II (CONPASS 8), applicable to NSCDC, FFS and NIS, applicants must possess a BSc or Higher National Diploma,” Jubril said.

The Secretary further stated that for the position of Inspector (CONHESS 06), applicants must be registered nurses or midwives, adding that the position was only available for NCoS, NSCDC and FFS.

“For Assistant Inspector (CONPASS 06), applicants must be holders of National Diploma or NCE in any related field.

“For Assistant II (CONPASS 04), General duty, applicants must be holders of GVE, Ordinary level, SSCE/NECO or other equivalent with a minimum of five credits in not more than two sittings.

“For Assistant III (general duty), applicants must be holders of GCE, O level, SSCE/NECO or other equivalent with a minimum of four credits in not more than two sittings,” he said.

Jubril further stated that the mandatory requirements for the recruitment exercise are Nigerian nationality, requisite qualifications, and medical fitness.

Others, he said, are free of conviction or financial fraud records, between ages 18 and 35 among others.

https://recruitment.cdcfib.org

(NAN)

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has urged the Federal Government to honour the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement or face a nationwide strike.

ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, issued this warning during a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

He stressed the importance of the government fulfilling its promises and addressing the worsening conditions in Nigerian universities.

According to Piwuna, nine critical issues remain unresolved, including the stalled renegotiation process since 2017.

He mentioned withheld salaries from the 2022 strike and unpaid entitlements linked to the contentious Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

Piwuna also criticised the delayed release of revitalisation funds and earned academic allowances due to government inaction.

Despite promises to inject ₦150 billion into universities and adjust irregular allowances by 2026, he said these commitments remain unfulfilled.

He highlighted the marginalisation of ASUU members at state institutions such as Kogi State University and Lagos State University.

According to him, victimisation, salary denial, and job insecurity persist in those universities, undermining staff morale.

On university autonomy, he said political interference has compromised the selection of leaders, citing Nnamdi Azikiwe and Abuja universities as examples.

Piwuna warned that universities are becoming battlegrounds for political and economic interests, which he described as unacceptable.

He called for a national rebirth through education, saying it is vital for Nigeria’s transformation and prosperity.

To address the crisis, he proposed a national education summit focusing on funding, autonomy, and academic welfare.

“Education empowers citizens, drives innovation, and instils values. Without it, development is impossible,” Piwuna said.

He reaffirmed ASUU’s commitment to reforming Nigerian universities and urged patriotic Nigerians and global allies to support their struggle.

“Our universities should be centres for solutions to national challenges.

“We are open to dialogue but will not tolerate further erosion of our rights,” Piwuna said.

NAN

The federal government has launched the creative economy development fund (CEDF), an initiative to support creatives, entrepreneurs, and cultural organisations in Nigeria.

The ministry of arts, culture, tourism, and creative economy announced the scheme in a statement on Sunday, according to NAN.

The ministry said the fund aims to scale projects with strong financial documentation and clear expansion plans, noting that the first phase of applications, which opened on April 28 and is expected to close on May 30, targets mature businesses needing over $100,000.

The statement said fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians, artists, tour operators, gaming developers, and other professionals in Nigeria’s creative and cultural sectors are eligible to apply.

According to the ministry, the fund aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘renewed hope agenda’ by supporting job creation, cultural promotion, and economic diversification.

Speaking on the initiative, Hannatu Musa Musawa, minister of arts, culture, tourism, and creative economy, described the fund as a “strategic national investment” to unlock Nigeria’s creative potential.

“This is not just a financial intervention. It is a call to action for creatives, entrepreneurs, and industry enablers to scale their dreams and contribute to a thriving, inclusive creative economy,” Musawa was quoted as saying.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE LOAN

According to the ministry, the CEDF supports businesses in the creative sector by providing capital to scale production, expand market access, and build resilience.

The initiative is also expected to allow creators to leverage intellectual property as a financial asset, unlocking the value of film rights, music catalogues, digital content, and other creative works.

“CEDF offers various funding options for creative businesses, including affordable loans and credit facilities for businesses across sectors such as film, music, fashion, art, publishing, gaming, and cultural tourism,” the ministry said.

“Equity and quasi-equity investments in high-growth creative enterprises, Grant funding for socially impactful and innovative cultural projects and focus on leveraging intellectual property (IP) as a bankable asset class for securing financing.”

To apply, the ministry said interested applicants must visit CEDFnigeria.com, complete the official application form, submit project proposals, and provide the required financial documents.

“Applicants must then wait for the evaluation process and, if selected, receive support beginning January 2026 (phase one) or April 2026 (phase two). Application review, project onboarding, incubation, and acceleration for phase one will take place from June to December 2025, with the disbursement of funds starting on January 1, 2026,” it added.

“For phase two, disbursements will start on April 1, 2026.

“The second phase will open on August 4, focusing on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) requesting under $100,000.”

The ministry also said the CEDF evaluation process will be conducted by independent experts under the oversight of a private sector-led investment committee.

APPLY here

The Federal Government has approved the sum of N25 billion to upgrade laboratories and workshops in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education (Technical).

The Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, made this known during the inauguration of a 55-member committee of TETFund National Research Fund and Screening on Tuesday in Abuja.

The event also featured the inauguration of 48 committee members of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Fund.

Echono said the NRF Screening and Monitoring Committee charged with implementing and administering the intervention was set up by the Board of Trustees of the Fund.

He said in 2020, the Committee carried out a review of the three thematic areas of the NRF research spectrum and incorporated emerging issues of national developmental challenges requiring innovative solutions.

he said, “We undertook an assessment of what the requirements are to meet the change.

“And one of the things we discovered was that we have been addressing the issue around accessing and providing infrastructure to facilitate admissions of Nigerians who undertake programmes in our tertiary institutions.

“Over time, due to our poor maintenance culture, we tend to neglect the issue of quality in terms of the equipment that we have in our laboratories, whether they are functional in terms of the workshop.”

Echono revealed further that another N5 billion was also approved for skills-related equipment in the polytechnics.

He called on the Polytechnics to identify between three and five skills areas and use the opportunity to mop up Nigerians from the streets

Speaking on the benefits, he said through the teaching of basic skills, people would be able to fend for themselves and as well contribute to the economy.

Earlier, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman while inaugurating the committees, urged the academia to get involved in contributing to the development of the nation through their cutting-edge research.

Mamman said there had been a major shift by the present government to ensure tertiary institutions played their role in research, innovation and teaching.

“Universities and scholars have so much to do to make sure their research contributes to their personal growth and growth of the nation.

He reiterated the commitment of the administration to reskilling the education sector from primary to tertiary institutions in order to equip the youths with the required skills

NAN.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has urged students to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any website or service claiming to represent the organisation.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by NELFUND’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Nasir Ayitogo.

“NELFUND management has become aware of a fraudulent advertisement about a ‘Federal Study Loan’.

“Fraudsters operating the website www.fedstudyloan-gov.ng have advertised an application for the highly anticipated student loan programme of the Federal Government.

“NELFUND wishes to clarify that it has no association with this website and strongly condemns any attempts to deceive students seeking financial aid.

“NELFUND takes the security and well-being of our students very seriously and is committed to providing accurate information and resources for financing their education,” he said.

Ayitogo urged anyone affected by the scam to report it immediately to the relevant authorities.

He added that the official channel for student loan applications, which will be opened to the public in due course, is www.nelf.gov.ng.

NAN reports that the NELFUND said no fewer than 1.2 million Nigerian students in tertiary institutions and government-recognised skill acquisition centres will be among the first batch of beneficiaries.

The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, on April 18 said the money to fund the loan scheme is one per cent of the revenue generated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service annually. (NAN)

Hitches were reported at some centres in Lagos on Friday as the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began across the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that no fewer than 1.9 million candidates registered for the computer-based examination nationwide.

NAN correspondents who monitored the first day of the examination in Lagos report that technical hitches occurred at the Wisdom House, Yaya Abatan, Ogba, one of the Computer-Based Test centres, early in the day.

Some candidates claimed that the hitches led to some of them being logged out before the expected time.

One of the affected candidates, who gave her name as Precious, said she was scheduled for the first session.

She said that she got to the centre at 6:30 am, did her biometrics and went in for the examination.

According to her, a few minutes after commencement of the examination, there was power outage that led to the shut down of all the systems in the hall.

She said that it took about 45 minutes for the centre operators to rectify the challenge and even when they did, many of them could no longer log in.

“A lot of time was again spent by the centre owners battling to get the challenge resolved and eventually when they did, most of us could barely do only two subjects, while others could not attempt any before we were finally logged out, signaling the end of examination for the first session,” she said.

Confirming the issue, supervisor of the centre, Mrs Aisha Abdulbaqi, said no fewer than 50 candidates were affected by the development.

She cited land cable of the centre and the systems as the main issues.

“We are thinking of what to do about these candidates who are affected. I guess the only way out will be rescheduling them,” she said.

The centre administrator, who did not want his name in print, said the entire development came up abruptly.

He said that before now, the systems and all other backups had been in top shape.

“It was just a technical glitch, and when it occurred, we immediately rallied round to fix it and everything started working again”, he said.

NAN reports that the second session for the day that was supposed to begin by 9.00 a.m was postponed to 4.00p.m. in the same centre, because of another technical hitch.

“The examination for the second set has now been also postponed, because the technical officers from JAMB have been battling to push the examination to no avail.

“This is no longer a fault from the centre, rather a hitch from the side of owners of the examination.

“The candidates for the second and final session will have to wait and get another biometric verification done before the time,” the centre administrator told NAN.

At the Al-Miyzan CBT centre, Ikotun-Idimu, the same issue was also recorded, as candidates scheduled for the 7.00 a.m. examination were affected by technical hitches on the system.

The centre administrator told NAN that a complaint had been lodged at JAMB, to see how the issue could be resolved.

They noted that candidates affected would be sent emails of when they they might likely be rescheduled for the examination.

Mrs Ajike Ajibola, a business woman, whose daughter was posted to the centre, said that they left their home early so they could meet up with the 7.00 a.m examination.

“But my daughter told me she could not do any examination on entering the hall, because the system was not coming up.

“This is the second time of bringing my children to this center, it is always this same issue.

“JAMB officials must be aware of this situation and address it immediately, because my daughter must write her examination,”she said.

“Another parent, Mr Adeniyi Adesonkan, who said his son was affected, described the development as disappointing.

He said that the failure of technology during such critical events in the country was worrisome.

“My son had prepared rigorously for this examination but with this situation, he won’t be happy.

“JAMB officials should always monitor and supervise these centres before accrediting them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the examination began as scheduled in other centres visited, with record of few candidates coming in behind time and some others absent.

At the WAEC Test and Training Centre (WTTC) Ogba, the exercise went smoothly, with no incidents recorded for both the first and second sessions.

Prof. Ibrahim Imam, a supervisor for Centre 1 at the venue, told a NAN correspondent that the exercise was hitch free.

“I want to say that so far, it has been a cosy ride. There has not been any hitch, impersonation or examination malpractice, in any form.

“However, about four candidates did not show up for the examination at the centre.
“We started by 6.30 a.m. with the biometric verification and other necessary checks and so far it has been excellent.

“Even though it is Day 1 of this examination, we can comfortably say, this centre will be hitch free all through the exercise, because of the facilities and the environment.

“The candidates too have been of good behaviour, just like members of staff of the centre, who have been at their best, to ensure an excellent outing,” he said.

Dr Kolawole Mauruf, another supervisor at Centre 2 of the same WTTC, said that a total of 12 candidates did not show up in his own centre.

He said that 238 sat for the examination for the first session but could not say the number that were present for the second and final session for the day.

Some candidates that wrote the examination, however, complained of misplacement of options for some questions in the ‘Use of English’ paper.

Also, Mr Yomi Otubela, Proprietor, Lagooz School and CBT center, Agege, said that the two batches that sat for the examination at the centre recorded no hitches.

Otubela said though the examinations were just starting, the centre was fully prepared for the task.

“Any centre having issues this year must be from their end, because JAMB has provided necessary things for a seamless examination.

“From tomorrow, we will be expecting more candidates, because three batches are writing tomorrow,” he said.

NAN reports that the examination taking place in over 700 centres nationwide, will be concluded on April 29.

The Naira, on Monday appreciated to N1,080 per dollar in the parallel market, from N1,230 per dollar last weekend.
Similarly, the Naira appreciated in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM, to N1,136.04 per dollar.

Data from the official trading platform of the FMDQ Exchange revealed that the Naira gained N6.34.

This represents a 0.55 per cent gain when compared to the previous trading date on Friday, April 12, exchanging at N1,142.38 to a dollar.

However, the total daily turnover reduced to 251.60 million dollars on Monday down from 281.34 million dollars recorded on Friday.

Meanwhile, at the Investor’s and Exporter’s (I&E) window, the Naira traded between N1,227 and N1,000 against the dollar. (NAN)

Some candidates who sat for the 2023 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Board (JAMB) mock examinations scheduled for March 30 have expressed concern over some technical hitches experienced during the examinations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who monitored the examinations in some Computer Based Test (CBT) centers discovered that while some centres had hitch-free sessions, some had some technical problems.

At the Zinaria CBT centre in Maraba, candidates expressed satisfaction over the process saying that this showed the main examination would be hitch-free.

One of the candidates, Emmanuel Adetiba, said that the mock examination started at 7.00 a.m. which according to him, is a good start.

“The examination started on time which to me is a good development. I had no issues signing into my computer and I was able to do my exams without any problem.

” I want to commend the board for the process as I believe that the main examination will also be smooth as we have experienced today,” he said.

At the Junior Secondary School Jikwoyi, Miss Blossom Nwanguma, said the computer system she used experienced technical hitches which delayed her scheduled time of starting the examination.

Nwanguma said that the examination started early at the stipulated time of 7.00 a.m. for the first batch and 9.00 a.m. for the second batch.

“For me, at this centre, I experienced some technical challenges with my computer,this is because the system went off just before I started my English language examination.

“ This actually occured like three times. Although, I was able to finish within time.

” Some computers were malfunctioning during the exams but technicians on ground were able to arrest the situation by fixing them,” she said.

On the other hand, at the Royal Midland CBT centre, One man Village, Nasarawa State, the mock examinations did not hold due to technical hitches.

Candidates at this centre were, however, moved to Future Gate CBT centre in Ado, for their mock examinations.

However, the Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, rescheduled examinations for candidates who were unable to sit for the 2023 mock due to some technical hitches experienced at their centres.

Oloyede, who promised all candidates who registered to write the 2023 mock examination the opportunity to sit for the exams, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja.

Oloyede, however, said that the board would reschedule the mock examination to hold on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1, for some candidates who were unable to sit for theirs at the commencement of the examination on Thursday as earlier scheduled.

While responding to technical hitches recorded in some centres, the JAMB registrar said that the board had expected specific challenges following the test of its facilities for the main unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scheduled to hold on April 29.

He acknowledged the technical hitches faced by candidates who sat for mock exams on Thursday adding that the examination was held to test specific facilities of the board in preparation for main examinations.

“We are aware of all those things we are monitoring and that is why it is a mock examinations. We are holding it to test specific facilities of the board on a large scale in preparation of main exams.

“What is important is that all candidates who registered for mock examination will be able to sit for their mock.

“For those who were not able to write today, JAMB will reschedule them for Friday and Saturday,” he said.

It would be recalled that JAMB had earlier announced that it would examine 176,408 candidates in its 2023 mock examination scheduled to hold on Thursday, March 30.