The foundation stone of the Gateway international dry port project at Kajola near Ewekoro has been laid, to kickstart its construction.
Marine and blue economy minister, Adegboyega Oyetola, who performed the ceremony, said the dry port when completed, would be a model for other inland ports in the country.
According to him, the dry port, which would create over 5,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs, would help to decongest the Apapa and Tin Can island ports, in Lagos.
The minister asked Nigeria shippers council to develop a state-of-art facility for the seamless operation in the dry port when completed, to avoid repeating the challenges facing the ports in Lagos.
He asked the shippers council to work with the Ogun state government and concessionaire to build a maritme ecosystem that would be a leader in innovation and technological advancement.
Governor Abiodun said the dry port would further open up more development in Ogun state and serve as a transport and logistic hub for Nigeria.
With the link of the dry port to the rail line, the governor said it would facilitate the haulage of containers and raw materials from Lagos ports by companeies operating in the state.
Abiodun also said the project would boost industrial activities and manufacturing in the state and increasing its ranking on economic global business index.

The House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education, Gboyega Isiaka on Saturday said that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as of September disbursed N84.2billion to the applicants comprising N27.5billion and N56.7 billion in institutional and upkeep facilities respectively.

Isiaka representing Yewa North/Imeko-Afon Federal Constituency in Ogun State said that 351,317 students have registered on the NELFUND portal out of which 258,943 have applied for either institutional or upkeep loans or both.

The federal lawmaker disclosed this at the 36th annual conference of Federal Government College, Maiduguri Old Students Association held at Mitros Residences, Abeokuta.

Isiaka spoke on Empowering The Next Generation: Education As a Catalyst For National Development (Student Loans Access To Higher Education Act 2024 in Perspective).

He said that the Students Loan Access to Higher Education Act, 2024, aims to bridge the financial gap, ensuring that deserving students can access quality higher education.

Isiaka said that the new bill removes obstacles that previously disqualified student applicants based on their parents’ loan history while the guarantor requirement has been eliminated, allowing students to apply for and receive loans subject to application and identity verification guidelines.

Applicants can apply for loans to cover tuition fees, other school fees, and maintenance allowances.

He said that the new bill as against that of 2022 has equally eliminated the family income threshold, enabling all Nigerian students to apply for loans and accept responsibility for repayment according to the Fund’s guidelines.

The lawmaker said that the beneficiaries of this loan will kick off repayment two years after observing the National Youth Service Corps but that the beneficiaries can equally request an extension of enforcement payment by providing an affidavit indicating they are not employed and receiving no income.

He however said that in the event of death or acts of God causing inability to repay, the loan will be forgiven, adding any person who provides a false statement to the Fund under the loan repayment section will be guilty of a felony and liable to imprisonment for three years.

Isiaka disclosed that the resuscitation of the student loans which started in 1972 but was later suspended is a game changer as it can widen Nigerians’ access to affordable and qualitative higher education.

He explained, “As of the end of September 2024,  the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has made tremendous progress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, paving the way for a brighter future for our nation’s students.

“The numbers speak for themselves: 351,317 students have registered on the NELFUND portal out of which 258,943 have applied for either institutional or Upkeep loan or both.

“A total of N84.2 billion have thus far been disbursed to the applicants comprising of N27.5 billion and N56.7 billion in institutional and upkeep facilities respectively.

“This is more than just a statistic – it represents hope, opportunity, and a commitment to empowering our students to succeed”.

Speaking with journalists at the event, the National President of Federal Government College, Maiduguri Old Students Association, Mr Chris Abu decried the challenge of insecurity in the country saying that this problem is threatening the essence of Federal Government Colleges otherwise commonly.

Abu also lamented the current state of education in the country condemning the grossly inadequate human resources and the sorry state of infrastructure of the education facilities in the country.

He said that the federal government, the state and the local government as well as the private sector must come together and see how this challenge could be addressed.

Abu said, “I feel a little bit bad that the status quo has changed in our Federal Government Colleges. In the past, while we were at Federal Government College, Maiduguri, Borno State, the population of the indigenes among the students was not more than 30%, the remaining 70% were students from other parts of the state and other ethnic backgrounds.

“But this has changed due to the insecurity challenge. Right now, about 60 to 80 per cent of the student population are indigenes but that is not the purpose of these Federal Government Colleges also called Unity Schools. The essence of unity school is to bring together students of diverse backgrounds and ethnicity so that we can promote the unity of the country and national integration”.

The state Chairman of FEGOCOMOSA, Barr Deji Eniseyin, said that the annual conference is to further cement the unity of the country across all the divides.

Eniseyin said, “The purpose of the unity schools is to unite the country and foster integration..while we were in school in the early 90s, we had students from other parts of the country and at an early age, we get to understand the diverse nature of the country..it says a lot about strengthening the country’s unity”.

Eniseyin however said that the unity of the country would be more strengthened if the government could listen and harmonise all dissenting voices and bring everybody to the same page of working for the progress and further development of the country.

Speaking at the reunion, Professor Joy Odedina who finished the college in 1986 said that despite being a native of Rivers State, attending secondary school in the North broadened her perspective.

Odedina, a Professor of Crop Production with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, however, lamented the wide gap in what was obtainable in the education sector at that time and now, saying that the government and other stakeholders must form a synergy to address the infrastructural deficits among other concerns.

The don equally expressed her displeasure over the removal of subjects like history from the nation’s school curriculum describing this as unhealthy to the education sector as it robs the new generation of opportunity to have a good grasp of rich history about their environment and the country as a whole.

She appealed to the Federal Government to return history as a subject in the secondary school curriculum and to prioritise holistic education, while also investing in infrastructure and curriculum development.

The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service has been drawn to a trending video of one of its senior officers purporting that the Service has not served him a letter of suspension as earlier directed by the Civil Defence, Correctional Fire, and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB). The Service views this as an act of gross misconduct aimed at misleading the public on the issue at hand.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigerian Correctional Service suspended not only the said officer in the video, but three (3) other officers following their alleged roles in various misconducts so as to allow for further investigation.

The suspended officers are the officer-in-charge of the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, Lagos, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) Sikiru Adekunle; the officer-in-charge of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, Lagos, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) Michael Anugwa; the officer-in-charge of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, FCT command, DCC Kevin Ikechukwu Iloafonsi; and Assistant Superintendent of Corrections (ASC II) Ogbule Samuel Obinna of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Abakiliki, Ebonyi state.
Recall that two (2) letters were issued by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services board (CDCFIB) with reference nos: CDCFIB/NCOS/DISP/016/VOL.II/16 and CDCFIB/NCOS/DISP/016/VOL.II/17 both dated 26th September, 2024, suspending the aforementioned officers.

The suspension which took effect from the 26th of September, 2024, was conveyed to the various officers accordingly.
The public is advised to remain resolute as the Service would ensure that thorough investigation would be carried out and any person or group of persons found culpable would be punished in line with the Public Service Rules as well as other extant laws.

Umar Abubakar AICMC, ANIPR
Assistant Controller of Corrections
Public Relations Officer