By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata

A Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has said strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have declined under the current administration, noting that the union has embarked on only one strike since 2023.

Olusegun made the claim in a statement on his X handle on Tuesday, describing the lone action as a nine-day warning strike and attributing the development to deliberate government interventions in the education sector.
According to him, the situation marks a departure from what he described as frequent and prolonged strikes under previous administrations.

“The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has only gone on strike once since the inception of the Renewed Hope administration; a warning strike that lasted nine days,” he said, adding that the progress was the result of sustained engagement with the union.

However, checks show that while there has been no prolonged nationwide strike since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, ASUU has issued several ultimatums and embarked on brief warning actions over unresolved issues, including funding and allowances.

Olusegun also said the Federal Government had recorded a major breakthrough following the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU agreement, expressing optimism that the development could end recurring strikes in public universities.
He listed key interventions to include the exemption of federal universities from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the release of ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances, and a ₦150 billion allocation in the 2025 budget for university revitalisation.

The aide further cited a new salary review agreement signed on January 14, 2026, and ongoing reforms under the Renewed Hope agenda, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), as part of efforts to stabilise the university system.

By Adenike Lawal

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement of the sale of application forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The announcement was made in a photostatement signed by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and shared on the Board’s official X handle on Tuesday.
JAMB stated that candidates must be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to be eligible for admission. Underage candidates may be considered only after a rigorous evaluation and must score at least 80 per cent across required assessments.
UTME registration will run from January 26 to February 28, 2026, while e-PIN vending begins January 19 and ends February 26, 2026. The 2026 UTME examination is scheduled for April 16 to 25, with the optional Mock-UTME holding on March 28.
For Direct Entry, sales and registration will take place from March 2 to April 25, 2026, exclusively at JAMB State and Zonal Offices.
JAMB fixed the cost of DE forms at ₦5,700, UTME without mock at ₦7,200, and UTME with mock at ₦8,700, urging candidates to comply strictly with the guidelines and timelines.

By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed tertiary institutions involved in irregular admission practices to immediately reverse such admissions.
JAMB said it discovered cases where higher-ranked candidates were bypassed for applicants with lower scores, describing the practice as a clear violation of admission guidelines. The directive was contained in the board’s weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin.
The board said affected institutions have been formally cautioned and ordered to reverse the admissions. It reiterated that admissions must follow the approved three-tier framework of Merit, Catchment Area and Educationally Less Developed States, stressing that candidates must be selected strictly in descending order of ranking.
JAMB warned that skipping a better-ranked candidate for a lower-ranked one under any category would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, the board dismissed a complaint by a candidate who alleged unfair denial of admission by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, saying investigations showed she did not rank high enough to qualify within the institution’s quota.
JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to fairness and transparency and advised candidates to seek clarification through official channels rather than spreading unverified claims on social media.