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Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbabu, has assured of the readiness of the Government to ensure one hundred percent eradication of loop holes for examination malpractices in both public and private schools in the state.

Arigbabu, gave this assurance during a meeting with some stakeholders in the education sector at Lisabi Grammar School, Idi-Aba in Abeokuta, emphasising that the Ministry would sanitise the whole school system and would not hesitate to sanction any individuals or schools caught with any form of examination malpractices.

The Commissioner hinted that the Ministry would synergise with examination bodies especially West African Examination Council to make sure that there would be improvement in the examination processes, urging stakeholders to ensure that the State image remained unstained by remaining good ambassadors in their day to day activities.

He commended the Federal Government for giving the directives that ‘no student should be admitted into Senior Secondary School (SSS3) classes’, saying it was a welcome development that would also curb malpractices in schools to the barest minimum.

“In Ogun State, we have done a lot to curb the problem of examination malpractices to a very large extent. Let us work together to ensure that it becomes a thing of the past in the State,” the Commissioner stated.

Earlier in her opening remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Oluwatosin Oloko, enjoined teachers and school owners to shun every form of practices that could tarnish their image as well as jeopardise the future of the learners, saying they keep their integrity intact.

Responding, 2 teachers from both the Federal Government Girls College Sagamu and Idogo/Ipaja Community High School, Idogo, Yewa south Mr. James Owolabani and Mr. Adewale Adenuga respectively, commended the Commissioner on the initiatives and innovations introduced to curb anomalies in order to provide qualitative education to every child in the State.

Ogun to eliminate examination malpractice in schools – Commissioner

President Bola Tinubu is set to embark on a one-day official visit to Kebbi State on Saturday, where he will inaugurate several projects executed by the state governor, Nasir Idris.

The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday.

During the visit, the President will also serve as the special guest of honour at the 61st edition of the 2026 Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival, one of Africa’s most celebrated cultural events.

The festival is traditionally staged along the riverside of the historic Matan Fada and has received global recognition from UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Tinubu set to embark on visit to kebbi

The Kano State chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has urged the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to publicly clear the party’s National Leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, of alleged links to terrorism.

The call was made in a statement issued on Friday by the party’s Kano State Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Karaye.

Karaye said the NNPP expects the Federal Government to promptly address what he described as “unverified accusations” against Kwankwaso.

“We are urging the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Office of the National Security Adviser to promptly issue a statement clearing the name of our National Leader, Senator Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from accusations of sponsoring terrorism,” he said.

The party described Kwankwaso as a patriotic Nigerian who has contributed to education and human capital development in the country.

“The NNPP reaffirms that our National Leader is a true patriot. His investments in education and human development speak for themselves,” Karaye stated.

He also warned against the politicisation of security matters, stressing that national security issues should not be used for political ends.

“We caution against the politicisation of national security matters and call on all patriotic Nigerians to condemn such actions,” he added.

The party further appealed to the United States not to act on what it described as unverified claims.

“A country like the United States should refrain from taking action based on unverified accusations and mere political tactics,” Karaye said.

According to him, it is publicly known that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had previously sought Kwankwaso’s membership, but he declined due to differences in political ideology and party manifestos.

The NNPP insisted that the Presidency and the NSA must act swiftly to prevent what it called national embarrassment.

“We call on the Presidency and the Office of the NSA to immediately issue a statement exonerating our National Leader from these allegations,” the statement concluded.

NNPP urges Presidency, NSA to clear Kwankwaso of terrorism allegations

A Kaduna-based advocacy organisation, Kaduna Scribe, has criticised former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, over his recent outcry against alleged arbitrary arrests, accusing him of “selective amnesia” and attempting to rewrite history.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its national chairman, Ezekiel Gambo, the group described the former governor’s complaints as ironic, given what it called a “turbulent eight-year tenure marked by arrests, demolitions, labour unrest, and strained relations with traditional institutions”.

El-Rufai had recently condemned what he termed arbitrary arrests by the current administration, a remark that has drawn mixed reactions across the state. While some political allies expressed sympathy, Kaduna Scribe said the statement reopened unresolved wounds for many residents.

“It is astonishing that a man under whose watch journalists, activists and critics were routinely arrested is now presenting himself as a victim of political intimidation,” the group said.

The statement noted that between 2015 and 2023, several arrests of activists and media practitioners attracted national attention, with cases involving individuals such as Audu Maikori, Steven Kefas and Luka Binniyat becoming rallying points for free speech advocates.

According to Kaduna Scribe, while the government at the time consistently defended its actions as lawful enforcement against incitement and fake news, many civil society organisations argued that dissent was often treated as a security threat.

The statement said, “El-Rufai repeatedly warned that his administration would not tolerate what he described as ‘fake news’ in a fragile security climate. But social media commentary and critical voices frequently attracted legal consequences.”

The group insisted that current debates should not overlook the experiences of those who, it claimed, faced intimidation during the previous administration.

Beyond arrests, the statement revisited controversial demolitions carried out during El-Rufai’s tenure. Among the most debated was the demolition of a property linked to Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, once a political ally of the former governor. While the government maintained that such actions were part of urban renewal and enforcement of planning regulations, critics alleged political motives.

Kaduna Scribe also highlighted operations in parts of Gbagyi Village towards the end of the administration in 2023, which reportedly led to displacement and public unrest.

“Urban renewal cannot become urban removal,” the group stated, arguing that development must be balanced with compassion and due process.

The face-off between the Kaduna State Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over teacher competency tests and civil service restructuring led to strikes and protests. While the administration described the reforms as necessary to improve standards, labour leaders accused it of mass dismissals and insensitivity.

Traditional institutions were similarly affected by restructuring policies that resulted in the removal and reclassification of several traditional rulers, a move the government justified as administrative reform but which generated widespread controversy.

Kaduna Scribe further recalled that during the eight-year period, insecurity dominated public discourse. From Birnin Gwari to communities in Southern Kaduna, banditry, kidnappings and communal violence persisted. High-profile school abductions and the train attack heightened public anxiety.

Although El-Rufai frequently blamed limitations in federal security architecture and cross-border criminal networks, the group maintained that leadership must ultimately be judged by citizens’ lived realities.

On the former governor’s recent claims of persecution, Kaduna Scribe insisted that investigations by security or anti-graft agencies should not automatically be framed as political witch-hunts.

“Investigation is not intimidation. Scrutiny is not persecution. Public office comes with public accountability,” the statement read.

The group urged political actors to embrace transparency and allow institutions to function without undue pressure or manipulation of public sentiment.

As political alignments shift ahead of future electoral cycles, debates over El-Rufai’s legacy appear far from settled in Kaduna.

Efforts to obtain the former governor’s reaction to the group’s statement were unsuccessful as of press time.

Group accuses El-Rufai of ‘selective amnesia’ over arbitrary arrests