FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s son, Jordan bags Master of Laws (LLM) at the Queen Mary University, London, UK

Wike who shared the good news on social media, wrote

“Happy to witness, alongside my wife, the graduation ceremony of our son, Jordan, who just earned a Master of Laws (LLM) Degree at the Queen Mary University of London, UK.

As a father, I am happy for the progress Jordan, is making in the pursuit of his career,”

HND graduates with part-time National Diploma backgrounds staged a protest on Monday at the Lagos NYSC secretariat, decrying a proposed policy barring them from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

The demonstrators, holding placards with messages such as “Say No to Discrimination in NYSC” and “Equal Rights for All,” called for an immediate reversal of the policy as Batch C Stream II registration commenced.

Majaro Temitope, an HND graduate from Yaba College of Technology, described the policy as discriminatory, noting it unfairly penalises those who switched from part-time National Diploma (ND) programmes to full-time HND studies.

“Many of us struggled through our ND on part-time, only to face exclusion now. We hope our peaceful protest sparks a dialogue,” Temitope said. He urged the NYSC Director-General and the Minister of Education to intervene.

The protesters claimed to have written to relevant authorities, including the NYSC and JAMB, without receiving a response.

Adebola Osunfunrewa, from the Education Rights Campaign, criticised the proposed exclusion, calling it a setback for Nigeria’s educational system.

“How can over 3,000 graduates eager to serve be denied in a country facing teacher shortages?” he queried.

Responding to the protest, the Lagos NYSC Coordinator, Christiana Salwang, represented by Assistant Director Ehimuenma Itohan, assured the graduates their concerns had been forwarded to the NYSC Director-General.

“The director general is reviewing the matter and is committed to addressing your grievances within policy guidelines,” Itohan stated, urging protesters to remain calm.

The outcome of the deliberations remains awaited as the mobilisation process continues.

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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a new initiative, which will allow students to resit their WASSCE papers as early as January and February 2025.

This is a change from the norm, where candidates had to wait for the next private exam cycle.

The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, disclosed this while speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show in Ghana.

He explained that the new programme, referred to as WASSCE PC1, provides a faster route for students to improve their grades.

“Students who access their results now and realise they need to resit one or two papers have until 8th January to register online through our website or at WAEC-accredited internet cafés. The exams will take place from 24th January to 15th February 2025,” Mr Kapi stated.

According to him, to aid candidates in their preparations, WAEC plans to expedite the release of chief examiners’ reports, saying, “These reports will provide detailed feedback on where students may have gone wrong and how they can better approach their studies and the examination process.

“We’ve advertised this programme widely through banners, our website, and our results checker platform to ensure that both students and parents are aware,” Mr Kapi added.

He said students whose results have been cancelled are also eligible to sit the WASSCE PC1 exams, provided they have not been banned for some years for malpractice.

“For now, the exams will be conducted in regional capitals due to the limited number of candidates. Prospective participants are urged to complete their registration by the 8th of January to take advantage of this opportunity.”

WAEC, however, expressed optimism that this initiative will allow candidates to quickly improve their grades and qualify for the next cycle of admissions, avoiding a year-long delay in their academic progress.