Flooding: River Niger water levels under control, says NIHSA 

No fewer than 16,614 candidates enrolled to sit for the November Diet of the Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination, PQE, conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, across the country. The examination conducted in Abuja and major city centres in the country was observed to be hitch-free, while officials of the Federal Ministry of
TRCN conducts Professional Qualifying Examination for 16,614 candidates nationwide

No fewer than 16,614 candidates enrolled to sit for the November Diet of the Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination, PQE, conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, across the country.

The examination conducted in Abuja and major city centres in the country was observed to be hitch-free, while officials of the Federal Ministry of Education monitored the process.

But beyond the conduct of the examination, the Council now under the leadership of Acting Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Stella-Maria Nwokeocha is undergoing financial challenges, following the delisting of the agency from those funded directly by the federal government.

Lamenting the situation, Dr Nwokeocha said the agency has had to cut down its operational costs and merely depend on development partners to exist.

According to the Ag Registrar, it has been harrowing taking staff on training and paying emoluments.

Her words, “We met so many challenges but we try to cut down on cost, everything boils down to sacrifice, for instance, staff of the agency I praise them for that because they have been very understanding. For something like training, we had to cut down on drastically that, instead, we do group training.

“We are calling for improved funding, I have to be open with you, some development partners are helping us in certain ways but we cannot rely on that alone, we are asking the government to put us back in its funding plan, even if they cannot put us back, they can decide to take up payment of staff salaries”.

Director, Certification and Licencing, TRCN, Dr Jacinta Ezeahurukwe, who spoke with newsmen on Saturday, noted that the PQE is designed to test the professional knowledge of those in the teaching profession.

According to her, it was a prerequisite for licencing and certification of teachers before being allowed to teach in the classrooms in Nigeria.

While giving further insight into the conduct of the examination, she revealed that some technological innovations have been introduced to make the exercise more seamless.

According to Dr Ezeahurukwe, TRCN recently introduced an App which generates examination numbers for the candidates, as against the previous exercise when such numbers are provided manually.

She explained that very soon all candidates would have to enrol online and generate their examination details themselves.

“You are aware that we introduced an App that detects impersonation, it ensures that it is only the people who registered for this examination that would write it, which we also use for accreditation.

“Apart from that we used to give them their numbers manually but now we have ensured that the computer generates the number, this is to ensure the sanctity of the examination so that nobody does anything funny. The registration numbers were later communicated to the candidates.

“We are getting to a point where every candidate will be registering online, each year we improve on our processes, as you can see today the exam is more seamless than before because we have also tried to manage the crowd, “Ezeahurukwe told reporters covering the beat.

TRCN conducts Professional Qualifying Examination for 16,614 candidates nationwide

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Government Affairs, Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East, PDP), has called on the Senate to empower the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, with enhanced legal authority to address illegal mining activities in Nigeria. Senator Onyesoh stated this on Thursday during a public hearing for
Senator Onyesoh opposes creation of Mine Rangers Service

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Government Affairs, Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East, PDP), has called on the Senate to empower the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, with enhanced legal authority to address illegal mining activities in Nigeria.

Senator Onyesoh stated this on Thursday during a public hearing for the “Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigeria Mines Rangers Service (NMRS) to Prevent, Combat Illegal Mining, Artisanal Mining, and Other Crimes, and for Related Matters, 2024 (SB 253).”

In a statement released by his SA Media and Publicity, Peter Oriri, the senator said creating an additional agency like NMRS would be redundant and inefficient.

The bill, introduced by Senator Mohammed Onawo (Nasarawa South, PDP) and which passed through a second reading on September 25, 2024, aims to establish a specialised force to tackle illegal mining and related issues.

Senator Onyesoh argued that instead of duplicating functions across agencies, NSCDC should be strengthened to fulfil its constitutional role in curbing illegal mining.

He proposed bolstering NSCDC with additional personnel, modern equipment, patrol vehicles, adequate housing, and increased allowances to improve officers’ morale and effectiveness in protecting national infrastructure.

The hearing was attended by several dignitaries, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Diket Plang (Plateau Central) as the special guest of honour, and Senator Ekong Sampson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, who served as the chief host.

Representatives from key agencies, including the Nigerian Customs Service, Army, Immigration, Peace Corps, and officials from the Ministries of Justice, Interior, and Mines and Steel Development, as well as youth groups and traditional leaders, also participated in the hearing.

Senator Onyesoh opposes creation of Mine Rangers Service