Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, has criticised some Nigerian universities over what he called the indiscriminate and devalued awarding of honorary degrees.

Oloyede made the remarks on Wednesday during the University of Ilorin’s 50th anniversary celebration in Ilorin.

Speaking at the investiture of 65 distinguished Nigerians, including 50 ambassadors, 10 alumni, and two recipients of the Award of Excellence, Oloyede said the culture of awarding honorary degrees without merit has eroded the value and dignity once associated with such honours. “Honorary degrees have become worthless,” he declared.

Oloyede praised the University of Ilorin for distancing itself from this trend. “I was part of the team then, during my time as VC, who said the University of Ilorin should not be part of the maddening crowd of awarding honorary degrees,” he said. “I can’t remember any in the last 20 years, just because we want to be different.”

The JAMB boss also lauded the current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, for what he described as a “creative and dignified” approach to recognising excellence. He added that even the most prestigious honorary degrees could not match the impact made by the university’s new form of recognition.

“Some people even send their drivers to represent them to pick up the awards, just because it has become worthless,” Oloyede said. “From us, we say this is a big honour and we pledge to continue to serve this university, this nation, and humanity at large.”

In his response, Prof. Egbewole explained that the ambassadors were nominated by their faculties and confirmed by the university’s Centre for Advancement. He said the recipients were chosen based on merit and consistent contributions to the university’s growth.

“These individuals have consistently demonstrated loyalty to the values of our university,” Egbewole noted. “Some honourees were added in recognition of their extraordinary acts of generosity and support, reaffirming the saying that one good turn deserves another.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially renamed the University of Maiduguri in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. The institution will henceforth be known as Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri.

President Tinubu made the announcement on Thursday during an extended session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held at the State House, Abuja. The special session, attended by current cabinet members and members of Buhari’s former administration, was convened in honour of the late statesman, who passed away on Sunday.

Buhari, who died at approximately 4:30 p.m. in London at the age of 82, was Nigeria’s former military Head of State and later, a democratically elected president. He is widely remembered for his austere leadership style, integrity, and strong stance against corruption.

Angela Peters, a 56-year-old mother of five and grandmother of 12 from Australia, has defied age and public opinion to welcome twin daughters with her 39-year-old Nigerian husband, Bright, a journey she calls a miracle years in the making.

Peters first connected with Bright in 2020 through a dating app while chatting with his older brother, Emeka, who lived in Senegal. Although the initial connection didn’t blossom, she was drawn to Bright after Emeka shared a family photo. “It was like a thunderbolt, I knew this was the man I was meant to be with,” she told The Sun UK.

At the time, Peters was based in Australia, and Bright was working as a cook in South Africa. The pair began a long-distance relationship, which led Peters to travel to Nigeria in February 2021. Just nine days after meeting in person, they were married in a civil ceremony in Lagos.

“The kids were horrified when I called to tell them, but I knew that once they met Bright, they’d understand,” she recalled. Peters had previously divorced in 2019 after years in what she described as an unfulfilling marriage. Though she hadn’t planned on having more children, she was touched by Bright’s desire to become a father.

Initially, Peters believed motherhood was behind her. At 54, she was experiencing perimenopause and had been told that IVF wasn’t legally available in Australia for women over 52. “I even considered telling Bright to have a child with someone else,” she admitted.

But a visit to Nigeria changed everything. Encouraged by a friend of Bright’s, Peters explored fertility clinics in the country, where doctors offered her the chance to carry a child using an egg donor and Bright’s sperm. She described the experience as the answer to their prayers.

In December 2023, Peters learned she was pregnant, with twins, just as her husband had once predicted. The couple welcomed two daughters, Khorus and Knowyn, in August 2024.

Despite online criticism and concern from medical professionals, Peters described the pregnancy as her smoothest yet. “It was my easiest pregnancy. I felt strong,” she said, crediting the experience with bringing her family closer together.

Her daughter Deina, 28, admitted she was initially worried the relationship was a scam. “Then I got the shocking news that they’d got married and wanted me to be their surrogate,” she said. Learning that her mother would carry the babies herself came as a relief. “She flew through it. She’s so incredible with the girls, it’s a wonder to see.”

Encouraged by her daughters, Peters documented her pregnancy on TikTok to inspire other women facing fertility challenges later in life. “Suddenly, I had people recognising me in public, which was strange,” she said.

Now a mother of seven, Peters said the twins have brought renewed purpose and joy. “To those who dream of motherhood later in life, don’t lose hope,” she said. “It’s never too late to follow your heart.”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has quit the PDP, citing a loss of party values.

Atiku cited irreconcilable differences with the PDP’s leadership direction, marking his third departure from the party.

But Governor Seyi Makinde and party chieftain Bode George say his exit won’t impact PDP’s 2027 chances. Makinde called it a normal political move, while George labeled Atiku selfish and urged him to retire.

Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde saw his exit as beneficial. The PDP welcomed his departure, calling it “good riddance.” Atiku has been leading an opposition coalition and recently adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as his platform, with some allies already defecting to the party. His future plans remain unclear.

This marks Atiku’s third defection from the party since 2007.

The striking workers of Ogun State, on Tuesday, vowed not to sit down and talk with any government official other than Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The workers had embarked on an indefinite strike on Tuesday, over the unremitted N82bn contributory pension deductions spanning 14 years.

Addressing journalists at the secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Ogun State Council, at Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, the labour leaders said the strike would continue until the governor called the labour union leaders for a fruitful meeting.

They claimed that past meetings held with other government officials had brought no respite, adding that the issue under dispute was crucial to their survival and well-being.

Speaking during the press briefing, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Hameed Ademola-Benco, supported by his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Comrade Akeem Lasisi and representative of the Joint Negotiating Council, stated that no amount of threat or intimidation would make them call off the strike except a concrete agreement with the governor was achieved.

Ademola-Benco said, “Yes we have been receiving calls from one government official, but I told my colleagues that we are not going to meet that person, he is our major problem.

“We want to meet only the governor, His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun. He is our employer.

“We are not employees of the Secretary to the State Government, we are not employees of the Head of Service or the Chief of Staff or any commissioner.

“We are employees of Governor Abiodun. He is the one paying our salaries every month, and he is the one we want to sit with on this matter, not any other person.”

He said the contributory pension scheme was giving the workers sleepless nights, arguing that even if it was implemented, a worker who retired on the old pension scheme could be collecting over N300,000 monthly pension while someone who retired on the contributory pension scheme of the same level would be collecting N60,000 as monthly pension.

He said according to the 2013 amended pension law of Ogun State, the commencement of the scheme was slated for July 1, 2025, whereas the government had failed to remit over N82bn contributory pension deductions of the workers in over 14 years.

The NLC chairman also said the government had failed to pay workers’ leave allowances of over eight years, saying it had repeatedly reneged to fulfil several pledges on the huge outstanding running into several billions of naira.

Comrade Lasisi said the pension scheme which came into force in 2008 was designed to fail from the outset.

He said, “The administration of Governor Gbenga Daniel which started the scheme refused to pay some months, while only nine months was paid under Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s eight-year administration, with Governor Abiodun in the last six years also not paying a dime.”

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has been laid to rest at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, following funeral prayers and interment attended by numerous dignitaries led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Large crowds lined the streets of Daura and gathered at the former President’s residence to pay their last respects.

The former President’s final journey began on Tuesday afternoon, when his body arrived from London at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina.

President Tinubu and other dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Umaru Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister of Niger Republic, Ali Lamine Zeine, former President of Niger Republic, Issoufou Mahamadou, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors and business leaders, escorted the late President’s remains on the hour-long drive to Daura.

Upon arrival, a brief lying-in-state ceremony was held at President Buhari’s residence, followed by the funeral prayer (Salatul Janazah) led by Sheikh Salisu Rabiu, the Imam of the Central Mosque in Daura.

President Tinubu and the late President’s close family members witnessed the final interment at 5.50 p.m

The state funeral was marked by full military honours, including a reveille and a 21-gun salute. A weeklong programme of events will continue later on Tuesday with a condolence visit to President Buhari’s family by the Presidential Committee.

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has filed paperwork to begin construction of a Deep seaport near his fertilizer and oil refinery plants to make it easier to export goods — including liquefied natural gas — and support the rapid growth of his industrial empire, Bloomberg reported.

Dangote plans “to build the biggest, deepest port in Nigeria,” took wings after he sent in the paperwork for permission in late June, he said in an interview.

The proposed Atlantic seaport in Olokola, Ogun state, lies about 100 kilometers (62 miles) by road from the billionaire’s fertilizer plant and petrochemicals refinery in Lagos. Dangote currently exports urea and fertilizer through an on-site jetty he built, that also receives heavy equipment for the refinery.

Once completed, the port will link the conglomerate’s logistics and export operations and rival facilities in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, including the Chinese-funded Lekki Deep Sea Port opened in 2023.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday night paid tribute to the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, who died in London

Obasanjo described him as a patriot, who played his roles as a soldier, administrator and statesman.

Obasanjo, who spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said Buhari died when Nigeria needs experience of past leaders to pull the country out of its current crisis.

He said “It is with a heavy heart that I received this afternoon the passing to glory of a colleague, a comrade, co-patriot, General Muhammadu Buhari, who, as a soldier he played his role as soldier; as an administrator, he played his role as an administrator; as a statesman, he played his role as a statesman.

His demise comes at a time like this that we need the totality of the experience and what I may call statesmanship of all of those who have had opportunity to run the affairs of this country in the past to get us out of the situation we are in.

“He will be sorely missed, and may his soul respect in perfect peace,” Obasanjo said.

Two missing students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) Ondo State have been found dead.

The duo have been identified as Andrel Eloho Okah and John Friday Abba.

They were found dead in a bush around the town.

Though the circumstances of the death of the students still remain hazy, TVC news reported that their bodies were discovered over the weekend.

The remains of the students were reportedly discovered in a bush in a border community between Ondo and Ekiti States.

The students were declared missing about three weeks ago after their classmates observed that they were not attending classes.

While Okah was a student in the Department of History and International Studies of the institution, Abba was an Economics student.

They were both 200-level students of the university.

The school authorities and colleagues of the students have been searching for them for the past two weeks with the Ondo State Police Command also notified of the development.

A security sources also confirmed the discovery of the remains of the students , “The two missing AAUA students were killed by suspected abductors, and their bodies have been found where they were hidden.”

A student was also reported to have confirmed that that the corpses were located in the bush, a situation, he said has thrown the university community into mourning.

The President of the institution’s Students Union Government (SUG), Akeem Ologbon, in a statement on Monday, confirmed the death of the students and discovery of their remains.

He said the discovery of the remains of the students has caused deep sorrow across the entire academic community.

Ologbon also recalled the steps taken by the union when it got the news that the students were missing.

“Specifically, we reached out to the anti-kidnapping squad in Akure, which has the mandate and expertise to handle such sensitive cases,” he said.

“In addition, we alerted all relevant security formations within the state. We can confirm that the newly appointed Commissioner of Police has been fully briefed on the situation and is taking the matter seriously.

“We also reached out to the Nigerian police (Scorpion squad) in Akure. These engagements were aimed at ensuring that the case received the attention it deserved and that a coordinated response was initiated across multiple security agencies.

“As we continue to process this painful news, we urge all students and members of the university community to remain calm and avoid circulating unverified information. The Student Union is in close contact with official sources and will disseminate only accurate and confirmed updates as they become available.”

He, however, appealed for calm despite the pain and anger caused by the news of the killing of the students while assuring that justice for the deceased will be pursued relentlessly.

“No stone will be left unturned until the truth is uncovered and accountability is achieved.”

However, the Ondo State Police Command is yet to react to the development.