By Chika Nwachukwu

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has warned newly-established, upgraded and adopted tertiary institutions against engaging in illegal admission, stressing that there will be no room for regularisation.

Speaking at an interactive session with principal officers of the affected institutions Monday in Abuja, JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede emphasised that all admissions must be routed through the Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS, and strictly follow due process.

“CAPS ensures transparency, fairness and integrity in admissions. Any institution attempting to bypass this platform risks nullifying such admission,” Oloyede said.

He called for the full compliance of the over 80 new institutions recently approved by the federal government to the admission procedures.

The registrar explained that CAPS, introduced in 2017, automates and standardises the admission process, while the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System, IBASS, launched in 2018, facilitates clear communication and programme eligibility checks.

 According to him, both platforms, now upgraded with institutional mail services, serve as JAMB’s sole official communication channels.

The JAMB boss lauded the federal government, under President Bola Tinubu, for its commitment to expand access to tertiary education, citing the approval of 22 new universities, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education across the country between late 2024 and 2025.

He noted that while CAPS and IBASS accounts had been created for these institutions, only programmes cleared by the National Universities Commission, NUC, National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, would be activated.

Oloyede also outlined the proper procedures for onboarding candidates, stressing that institutions must nominate designated officers to manage CAPS and IBASS access.

“JAMB will provide full technical support, but compliance is non-negotiable. Institutions must avoid shortcuts. There is no justification for admitting students through the backdoor,” he added.

A live demonstration of the CAPS and IBASS systems followed the session to acquaint the institutions with their operational protocols.

Also speaking, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Professor William Qurix said the  meeting was to acquaint heads of institutions with the workings and operations of CAPS and IBAS through which the institutions can communicate and interact with JAMB.

Qurix disclosed that some candidates had already registered for JAMB before some new universities or polytechnics were approved or established. 

According to him, such institutions would normally find it difficult to secure candidates to come to them.

“But this process has been cleared for us and we are quite enlightened. JAMB gave us assurances of prompt response to  inquiries that might come from  heads of institutions, through their CAPS or IBAS system. So definitely, this meeting has enlightened us and it will have a great impact,” he said.

Earlier, the Director of Colleges at the Ministry of Education, Dr Uche Uba noted that there are some criteria set by the National Universities Commission which which must be followed by the new institutions.

Uba urged the colleges of education upgraded to dual mode to meet  officials of the NUC to familiarise themselves with the criteria.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of NCCE, Professor Paulinus Okwelle commended JAMB for its efforts to establish a seamless admission process for tertiary institutions.

Okwelle encouraged the new colleges of education approved to run dual mode system (Degrees and National Certificate on Education) to follow the laid down processes for admission to keep them in competition.

Akwa Ibom State government Monday unveiled the State Human Capital Development Strategy Plan, with priority attention in education and healthcare.

The plan, christened ‘ARISE Human Capital Development Strategy Plan,’ was unveiled by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Uyo.

Speaking at the event, Shettima said the policy is a declaration that the true wealth of any nation lies in its human capital development, especially education and health of the citizenry.

The vice president said human capital development plans should be rooted in the people and guided by a steady understanding of the direction of the world.

He noted that the country must pay attention to citizens’ need for immunisation, unemployment and maternal mortality to effectively promote human capital development.

Shettima urged the Akwa Ibom government to ensure effective implementation of the plan at the local government level.

The vice president commended Akwa Ibom for being the first state to domesticate the national human development plan and urged other states to follow up.

“The true wealth of any nation lies in the certainty of its human capital development, especially education, health and the productivity of its workforce.

“The ARISE human capital development strategy is a template for other states of the federation to follow. We cannot build an enduring future without a solid foundation.

“Akwa Ibom has shown core leadership. It has become the first state in the nation to localise the human capital development plan,” he said.

In his remarks, Governor Umo Eno said the human capital development plan has become imperative due to the need to address the post COVID-19 challenges that the world is facing.

“It became proper for the state government to strengthen individual and institutional capacities to rise in real time to confront future pandemics.

“Apart from the above key areas, the plan is also designed to expansively provide key human-centric projects in healthcare and education.

“We are currently investing in the construction and equipping of primary healthcare centres. We are also providing quality education at the primary and secondary levels,” he said.

Eno said the state government has plans to construct model secondary schools in the three senatorial districts.

He added that Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre had trained and given start-up grants to no fewer than 4,000 people.

“Also, Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre, recently graduated about 400 trainees in various areas of marketable and entrepreneurial skills.

“These 400 graduands were trained in ICT, mechanised agriculture, carpentry, fashion design, tourism among others,” he said.

The governor commended President Bola Tinubu for this critical initiative and commitment to national development.

“We appreciate the federal government for selecting Akwa Ibom as the first state for the launch of the programme. This has shown that the president does not play politics with development.

In a goodwill message, the Group Managing Director, Techno Oil Limited, Mrs Nkechi Obi, said no meaningful development could take place without a deliberate and actionable roadmap.

Obi said for development to take place, there must be well thought-out plans to address the critical challenges militating against human capital development.

The group managing director noted that a human capital development plan is critical to the economic buoyancy of a country such as Nigeria.

She expressed the commitment of Techno Oil towards ensuring cleaner, greener, safer and more friendly environment by producing quality cooking cylinders.

Obi said Techno Oil had distributed no fewer than 20,000 units of 6kg LPG cylinders to indigent women as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Earlier, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Human Capital Development Council, Dr Nathaniel Adiakpan, said the plan represents a collective resolve to empower citizens through education, innovation and creativity.
Adiakpan noted that the comprehensive framework was designed to address the unique needs of citizens and communities. (NAN)

Jigawa State government has urged the people to embrace the Citizens Engagement Forum and voice their views on its programmes to fast track sustainable social and economic development.

Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr Sagir Musa said this during an engagement exercise Monday in Guri, headquarters of Guri Local Government Area.

Governor Umar Namadi’s administration had initiated the forum to encourage inclusive governance and ensure successful implementation of its programmes. 

The exercise, billed to be held across the 27 local government areas, would end in October.

Musa advised residents  to avail themselves of the opportunities of the engagement exercise to voice out their concerns on government’s policies and programmes.

He said the forum was designed to bring  government closer to the people and provide a platform for feedback.

The commissioner said the initiative also availed  government the opportunity to carry people along to ensure successful implementation of its policies and programmes.

Also, Senator Abdulhamid Malam Madori (APC – Jigawa South-East), commended Namadi over the execution of viable infrastructure and people oriented projects.

He noted that Namadi’s outstanding performance deserves re-election for a second term.

The senator urged politicians to rally behind the governor and support his re-election bid rather than contesting against him.

“The present governor is doing well in his first tenure so no need for anyone to think of challenging him in the 2027 election,

“Governor Namadi deserves to serve his second term come 2027 because of his outstanding performances,” Malam Madori said.

The senator promised to ensure effective representation to provide the dividends of democracy to his constituents. (NAN)