Nigerians are renowned for seeking better career opportunities abroad, and celebrities are no exception, often transitioning to new paths for improved prospects.

Below is a list of Nigerian celebrities who have publicly announced their enlistment in the US military, showcasing their career shifts from entertainment to military service.

1. Princess Chineke: The former beauty queen and actress relocated to the United States for better opportunities and joined the US Army in 2024. Known for roles in films like To Love a Sister, Stormy Hearts, and Masters at War, Chineke expressed her patriotism and gratitude toward her adopted country.

On Instagram, she wrote: “I’m an American soldier, I’m a member of a team, we are the Army and proud of our name. I answered the call of service to my country, to serve the people of the United States of America. This I will defend, so help me God. God bless America.”

2. Mayowa Dosu: The actress and producer recently joined the US Army, marking a significant career change. With a filmography including Fears (2005), Mamami, Mojere, Compromise, Pawon Strippers, Lastlaugh, and Valentino, Dosu announced her enlistment on Instagram, stating: “I am an American Soldier, I am warrior and a member of a team, I serve the people of the United States and live the army values…..! Oops!! what a journey. Who miss me ?? Sorry I was busy being an American soldier.”

3. Grace-Charis Bassey: Grace-Charis Bassey, previously known as Belinda Effah, is the latest Nigerian celebrity to enlist in the US Navy, a move that also earned her US citizenship. A prominent Nollywood actress who debuted in the 2005 TV series Shallow Waters and won the ‘Most Promising Act of the Year’ at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards, she shared her milestone on Instagram.

She posted: “Last week, I graduated from U.S. Navy boot camp as a Sailor and took the oath as a citizen of the United States. Nigeria raised me. America challenged me. I stand today stronger and more determined than ever.” Bassey dedicated this achievement to her late father, Naval Commander Asido Bassey Effah.

[TheNation]

American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez is facing a $300,000 lawsuit for allegedly sharing copyrighted photographs from the 2025 Golden Globe Awards on her social media accounts without permission, Billboard reported on Tuesday.

On January 5, Lopez made a striking appearance on the red carpet in a flowing white gown paired with a white faux fur coat.

She later posted five photos from the event, captioned “GG Weekend Glamour.” The images quickly spread online, reshared by fans and media outlets alike.

However, photographer Edwin Blanco and his agency, Backgrid, have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit, claiming Lopez posted two of their photos without proper authorisation. They are seeking $150,000 per image, totaling $300,000 in damages.

According to the lawsuit, Blanco and Backgrid argued that Lopez used the images to promote her fashion affiliations and brand partnerships by tagging her clothing and jewelry designers.

“Ms Lopez’s unauthorised use of the Images is commercial in nature, intended for the purpose of self-promotion,” the lawsuit reads.

“For example, Ms Lopez used the Images to spotlight the designer of her clothing and jewellery, leveraging the publicity from the event to promote her fashion affiliations and brand partnerships.”

The suit also claims that her representatives had previously agreed to licensing terms, but Lopez has yet to finalise the agreement.

This is not Lopez’s first legal dispute over image rights. She faced similar lawsuits in 2019 and 2020 for posting professional photos without the photographer’s permission.

[Punch]

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has raised alarm over the presence of informants and collaborators aiding insurgents from within the Nigerian armed forces, political class, and local communities.

“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them ruthlessly,” Zulum stated during an appearance on News Central’s Breakfast Central on Wednesday.

His revelation adds a new layer to Nigeria’s counter-insurgency conversation, emphasising the need for internal cleansing and enhanced intelligence operations to defeat terrorism.

The governor, who has consistently championed both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackling insecurity, reiterated that military force alone will not bring an end to the insurgency in the North-East.

He said, “Insurgency will never be ended by kinetic measures alone. We must ensure that the non-kinetic measures are also properly put in place.

“What I mean by non-kinetic measures is social, political, and economic dimensions of the crisis. Our ongoing non-kinetic measures have yielded positive results with the support of the Nigerian military.”

Zulum revealed that while not all surrendered insurgents may be fully reformed, more than 99% have abandoned terrorism and are reintegrating into society.

“I cannot completely say that 100% of those people who have surrendered are doing the right thing, but I want to assure you that over 99% are doing well and are not participating in the ongoing terrorism,” he said.

The governor also lamented that the Nigerian Army does not have the necessary equipment to fight insurgency.

“The army doesn’t have the necessary equipment on ground to fight the insurgents and I want to also inform you that, right now, the insurgents are using technology to fight the soldiers on ground.

“A few days ago, I had a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, and he said he was looking for 32 drones to end the insurgency and he’s right.

“Each drone is costing about $5.5 million, so why can’t we pull resources together to buy these drones and prioritize insecurity?

“Another issue we shall look into is that of procurement of military equipment, both hardware and software. Let’s deal directly, government to government, so that we can get value for money, otherwise most of the contractors won’t buy the equipment if you give them money.”

While expressing doubts about the effectiveness of state police, the governor advocated for the deployment of forest guards and stressed the importance of listening to professional military advice at the federal level.

“I don’t think the state police can do better than the forest guard.

“The forest guard shall be provided immediately. The president of Nigeria needs to listen to those who can differentiate their left from their right.”

“We should not politicise insecurity. The president needs to listen to the people that can tell him the right thing. The president should listen to the army.”

[Vanguard]

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will allow a resit for candidates who initially missed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Ishaq Oloyede, registrar of JAMB, met with chief external examiners, civil society organisations, and tertiary institution stakeholders on Wednesday in Abuja.

During the 2025 UTME in April, candidates had complained of being unable to sit for the exam due to being posted to far-flung centres.

The results from JAMB’s 2025 UTME were released on May 9 after the exam ended on May 5.

A breakdown showed that more than 78 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 points out of the 400 maximum points obtainable.

This spurred protests that questioned the overall integrity of the examination process.

JAMB undertook an early review and uncovered a major “technical error”.

Oloyede said the results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centres in its Lagos and south-east zones were affected.

JAMB conducted a resit examination, starting from May 16 and extending beyond May 19.

At JAMB’s office in Abuja, Oloyede said about 95 per cent of those marked for the resit UTME in Lagos and the south-east participated.

To accommodate the estimated 5.6 per cent of candidates who missed it, he said JAMB is organising a special mop-up exercise.

Oloyede also said all candidates who missed the examination initially would be allowed to retake it, regardless of their reason for absence.

“Normally, we hold one mop-up nationwide for those with one issue or another. This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence we will extend this opportunity to them,” the registrar said.

During his May 14 conference, Oloyede attributed the 2025 UTME technical error to faulty server updates that led to the failure to upload candidate responses during the first three days of the examination.

Oloyede said the problem, which was caused by one of its technical service providers, went undetected before the results were released.

On May 15, the house of representatives resolved to probe the examination body over the technical error.

On April 19, the south-east caucus in the house of representatives demanded the resignation of the JAMB registrar.

The lawmakers also called for the cancellation of the 2025 UTME for a fresh examination to be conducted.

[TheCable]

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) is deeply concerned and worried about the continued decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to maintain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 27.5 percent since November 2024, despite a global wave of interest rate reductions aimed at revitalizing economic productivity and combating stagflation.

We are perturbed that when most progressive economies are charting a course toward industrial recovery and macroeconomic stability, Nigeria’s monetary stance tends to lead us in a different direction. Over the last quarter, countries such as members of the Euro Area, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, China, India, Thailand and Egypt, have implemented interest rate cuts to bolster economic growth and support productive sectors. Yet, our rigidity continues to create unintended consequences that may deepen the parlous performance of the productive sector.

A nation cannot industrialize on the back of prohibitively expensive credit. With the benchmark interest rate held at 27.5 percent, Nigeria has become the 6th most expensive country to source credit as local manufacturers grapple with an average lending rate of over 37 percent. This policy posture is not only inflationary, but is suffocating the capacity of the manufacturing sector. Compounded by other limiting factors, our members—small, medium and even large-scale—are finding it increasingly difficult to stay afloat, expand production lines, or even meet basic operational costs.

When credit is priced highly, production declines and the nation "imports poverty". Our concerns go beyond the debilitating impact on our numbers business. The "Nigeria First Policy", which seeks to strengthen local industry and reduce import dependence, may be under severe threat. At the heart of its successful implementation lies access to affordable financing to boost capacity utilization. Unfortunately, the current interest rate regime constrains finance costs for our members, surging by over 44 percent from ₦1.43 trillion in 2023 to ₦2.06 trillion in 2024 and rising. This represents a sharp increase that has directly depressed productivity and led to underutilization of industrial capacity.

The high cost of credit has not only diminished the flow of investments into the manufacturing sector but has also dulled the return on existing investments, with Small and Medium Industries hit the hardest. Confidence in the industrial outlook has waned, as evident in the dip in the Manufacturers CEO’s Confidence Index from 50.7 points to 48.3 points. This mirrors the growing anxiety of our manufacturers. 

A nation that woos foreign portfolio investors at the expense of its real sector may unwittingly be aspiring to build prosperity on the back of volatility. We are disturbed by the implicit prioritization of short-term foreign capital inflows over the long-term health of domestic industries. While maintaining a high interest rate of 27.5 percent may temporarily attract speculative foreign portfolio investors, it is doing so at the expense of Nigeria’s manufacturing base, which is now choked by unsustainable borrowing costs.

What is evident now is the widening profitability of the banking sector, buoyed by elevated interest margins, while manufacturers contend with shrinking margins, rising debts and declining productivity. This is an economic paradox that must be urgently addressed. The current monetary policy trajectory risks turning banks into vaults of idle wealth, while the real economy—where jobs are created and value is added—faces suffocation. A society that rewards intermediaries over producers invites long-term decline.

Access to affordable credit is the oxygen that sustains industrial growth and no economy has ever grown by starving its manufacturers of oxygen. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria is ever committed to collaborating with the Government and all stakeholders to achieve macroeconomic stability. We therefore earnestly beseech the CBN to urgently reconsider its monetary stance. 

Moreover, recent disinflationary trends provide justification for the CBN to cut rates. Real interest rates have improved, already giving financial investors higher inflation-adjusted returns. Therefore, maintaining a high nominal interest rate under current inflation conditions is neither necessary nor justifiable, and will only prolong the pain for manufacturers and consumers alike.*

In light of the above, MAN calls on the CBN to:

➢ Cut the benchmark interest rate significantly to reflect current realities and ease the credit burden on manufacturers.

➢ Deploy moral suasion and policy incentives for commercial banks to facilitate single-digit, concessionary interest rates to the manufacturing sector.

➢ Facilitate the approval of the ₦1 trillion earmarked for 

manufacturers under the Stabilization Plan to support industries struggling under current financial pressures.

➢ Facilitate significant increase in the capital base of the Bank of Industry (BOI) to scale up its capacity to meet the sector’s growing credit demands.

➢ Settle the outstanding $2.4 billion Forex Forward Contracts to restore manufacturers’ confidence and end the unprecedented decapitation of the financial viability of the affected industries. This will also improve access to non-locally available raw materials.

➢ Facilitate a policy direction to peg the customs duty exchange rate for importing industrial inputs, especially raw materials and machinery, to prevent further inflationary pass-through effect.

Industrial confidence is a fragile currency and once broken, it takes time to rebuild. Nigeria cannot afford to lose its manufacturing momentum at a time when the world is repositioning for the next wave of industrial transformation. The commendable reform measures of this administration may not be helped by the persistent high cost and constrained access to funds. The current monetary policy is not only undermining manufacturers' confidence but also jeopardizing national economic resilience.

We urge the Central Bank to act decisively and in synergy with the fiscal authority to ensure that Nigeria’s manufacturing sector does not sink deeper into stagnation. The time to act is now.

Segun Ajayi-Kadir mni

Director General

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria

Last Thursday, May 15, 2025, a news report has it that a bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for Nigerians of voting age has passed second reading in the House of Representatives. The proposed legislation was sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago. Leading the debate during plenary, Ago said the bill aimed to encourage citizens’ participation in the electoral process, noting that voter apathy during elections would be addressed if the bill scales legislative scrutiny. The proposed legislation stipulates penalties for eligible voters who fail to vote without valid justification, including a fine of N100,000, a six-month jail term, or both.

According to PBS News of November 3, 2014, 22 nations around the world make voting mandatory for their citizens, often starting at age 18. They are Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Belgium, Congo DRC, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Greece, Honduras, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nauru, Singapore, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Thailand and Paraguay.  In Australia, failure to vote can result in a $20 fine. I quite understand the motive behind the bill, which is to shore up voters’ turnout and cut enormous waste being incurred at every poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission. This economic loss is found in unused ballot papers printed with billions of naira.

Nonetheless, making voting compulsory in Nigeria currently and even in future is a no-brainer. Indeed, it is a joke taken too far and a needless distraction! It is against the fundamental rights of citizens. Do the sponsors of the bill think that this is a panacea or an antidote to voter apathy? Did they do their research well enough to know that this piece of legislation, which to me is dead on arrival, is a priority for Nigerians? Granted that there is abysmal voter turnout in Nigeria, the drivers of that ugly phenomenon are not known to include optional voting.

I watched a video over the weekend about Indian elections and learnt that the Asian country has over 980 million registered voters as of 2024. Out of this number, 646 million voters voted in the May 2024 general elections. By the way, India has over 1 million Polling Booths, over 2,500 registered political parties and a population of 1.438 billion (2023 estimate). How come India recorded about 70 per cent voter turnout in its last general elections, and Nigeria, with 19 registered political parties, 93,469,008 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units, recorded a mere 27 per cent in the 2023 general elections? Meanwhile, elections in India are not compulsory.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, there has been a steady decline in voter turnout since 1999. The commission said there was 57.54 per cent of voter turnout in 2007 (remember, this was adjudged as the worst election in this Fourth Republic), 53.68 per cent in 2011, 43.65 per cent in 2015, 34.75 per cent in 2019, and 26.72 per cent in 2023. There are multiple reasons for voter apathy. These include lack of good governance; labourious voters’ registration and Permanent Voters Card collection process; late commencement of voting due to INEC’s logistical challenges; restriction of movement on election day; limited voting hours (six hours i.e., from 8:30 am-2:30 pm); a lack of trust in the election management bodies that votes will count and not rigged in favour of preferred candidates as well as electoral violence. Others include inadequate voters’ mobilisation by stakeholders, such as the political parties, candidates, INEC, civil society organisations and the media; perceived miscarriage of justice by the judiciary especially in election matters; a lack of multiple voting techniques, such as early voting, voting by proxy, out-of-country voting, diaspora voting, and voting by prisoners.

As I said in my column on December 4, 2024, there are several things Nigeria needs to do if it wants to improve voters’ turnout in subsequent elections. These are as follows: INEC needs to hold all general elections on one day. Having polls over two Saturdays is wasteful and illogical. In the August 2022 Kenyan elections, polls were conducted for six political offices in one day! Also, locking down the country or state during elections is counterproductive. Many people whose polling units are not near their residences are automatically disenfranchised.

Furthermore, there is a need to increase voting hours. In Egypt and the US, where I have been privileged to observe elections, polls are held for 12 to 13 hours. In Nigeria, voting hours are just six. In addition, the late arrival of INEC officials for duties has led many potential voters to leave in frustration without exercising their franchise. There should be provision for early voting so that millions of registered voters who are going to be on election duties, such as poll officials, security agents, accredited journalists, and observers, can vote ahead of the main election day. Recall that ahead of the November 5, 2024, elections in the US, 85 million registered voters had cast their ballots days and weeks before that day.

Another thing Nigeria should do is amend our laws to allow for out-of-country and diaspora voting. In the last general elections in Kenya, Kenyans living in 12 other countries were allowed to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice without having to travel home. Also in Kenya, prisoners are allowed to vote. This is not the situation yet in Nigeria. Allowing independent candidates to contest for political offices also has the potential to increase voters’ participation. Peaceful campaigns devoid of arson, killing, maiming, and fake news can instill confidence in voters to participate in elections. Pre-election violence has the power to scare away voters on election day.

How candidates emerge victorious in Nigeria’s election is too simple. For legislative positions, it is first-past-the-post. For executive positions, you need 25 per cent of valid votes cast in two-thirds of the country, state, or wards, depending on whether it is a presidential, governorship, or local government chairmanship poll. In other climes that have adopted the French model, a contestant needs to score 50+1 votes, which is an absolute majority, to be declared the winner. In countries like Ghana and most Francophone countries, voter mobilisation is taken seriously by political parties and candidates, unlike in our clime where this onerous responsibility has been abdicated to INEC, National Orientation Agency, and CSOs.

Of course, as earlier said, there is a need for improved governance with palpable dividends of democracy to the people. All these measures, if taken, will lead to a significant improvement in voters’ turnout.

Rather than making voting compulsory, what should be made mandatory is good governance!  Imagine if public education and health services are made free; if there is no self-aggrandisement by the political class and there is low-level corruption; high-level of infrastructural development, security and welfare of citizens. Voters will not need to be coerced to perform their civic responsibility.

Though he may not like being in the headline of a newspaper, Dr Michael Olawale Omolayole will admit two things: He is a goldfish that has no hiding place, and his name will help draw attention to the colloquium on malaria that is taking place today in Ijebu-Imusin, his hometown.

The colloquium is midwifed by the Michael and Theresa Omolayole Centre for Community Development, a non-government organisation set up by Omolayole and his late wife, Theresa, for interventions in community development issues.

The colloquium, to be addressed by Prof. Oyeku Oyelami, specialist in paediatric and adolescent medicine, and Provost of Federal College of Medicine, Ila Oragun, Osun State, reflects the theme, “Malaria Ends with Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, and Reignite”, that marked Malaria Day of April 25, 2025.

Dr Titi Hassan, professor of zoology at of University of Ibadan, will respond to Oyelami’s submissions, and ophthalmic surgeon, Dr Kunle Hassan, proprietor of the White Shoe Eye Foundation Hospital, is the chairman.

 The 2025 Malaria Day global campaign is to re-energise efforts, from global to community level, to expeditiously eliminate malaria. Nigeria’s National Strategic Plan 2021-2025 is to achieve a malaria-free Nigeria, by keeping malaria parasite prevalence to less than 10 per cent and reducing mortality to less than 50 deaths in 1,000 live births by 2025.

According to Omolayole, the colloquium will provide “vital knowledge about the prevention and treatment of malaria, which is a dreaded disease in the whole of tropical Africa. It particularly affects and kills millions of children below the age of 5”.

Those old enough will remember that West Africa was described as a “White man’s graveyard” because yellow fever and malaria led to a high mortality rate of Europeans. Some suggest that Caucasian and Arab settlers chose temperate Southern and North Africa to escape the scourge of mosquitoes.

Hinting at his approval of alternative medicine, Omolayole revealed that Oyelami was in a position to “demonstrate… how some herbs and plants that surround us can help considerably in the matter (of battling malaria)”.

He adds that he had heard and read extensively “about neem (dongoyaro), lemon grass and oruwo plants” that are cheaper and more readily accessible for use to combat the devastating scourge of malaria fever.

By the way, ethnopharmacology, which Omolayole seems to be interested in promoting, is the study of what Western orthodox medicine practitioners prefer to derisively label as traditional medicines and their uses.

A more academically arrogant definition of alternative medicine is that it aims to achieve the healing effects of orthodox medicine, even though it lacks biological plausibility, testability, repeatability or evidence of effectiveness.

But, then, any form of medication, orthodox or alternative, must be taken with a pinch of salt. That is probably why doctors suggest that patients should always seek second opinions. Some have even suggested that patients could use orthodox and alternative medicine to complement each other.

Perhaps a more acceptable definition of alternative medicine is that it includes medical practices that are not considered to be part of conventional or orthodox medicine and focuses on holistic approaches, natural therapeutics and alternative systems of healing, many of which are backed by a long history of usage and cultures.

It is also important to stress that there is a need to ensure the safety of the medications and the qualification or expertise of those who will dispense the alternative medicine options, as it applies to the use of Western orthodox medicine.

In addition, the methods of alternative medicine are not taught by regular university medical schools. But it is obvious that alternative medicines have returned with a vengeance, to the extent that vendors of herbal medicines are sometimes allowed to hawk their remedies to patients even in the wards of some Nigerian medical teaching hospitals.

Perhaps the biggest blow to Big Pharma is that alternative medicine gives patients very easy access to exceedingly cheaper herbs. Alternative medicine includes herbal medication, acupuncture, homoeopathy, massage therapy, yoga and meditation and significantly reduces the need to pop pills that come with significant negative side effects.

The lobby for alternative medicine, or at least another approach to the use of medication, was taken to another level by Dr Stella Immanuel, a Cameroonian, who studied medicine at the University of Calabar in Cross River State of Nigeria.

She led an audacious crusade for the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, America’s food and drug administration agency, in panic mode on behalf of Big Pharma, promptly shot the idea down with reports of “serious heart rhythm problems” and other ill-defined health issues.

But Dr Immanuel’s effrontery rang throughout the world as Donald Trump, in his first term as America’s President, seemed to have weighed in on her side. But Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of America’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was on the side of orthodox Western medicine and the financially munificent Big Pharma lobby.

But the world took notice of the debate, and many in the metropolitan economies of North America and Western Europe and the peripheral economies of South America, Africa, Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe stampeded in droves to patronise outlets that sold herbal medicines to combat the dreaded Covid-19 grim reaper.

Two state governors in Nigeria, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, publicly admitted to having been cured of COVID-19 after taking herbal medicine. Testimonies of the efficacy of herbal medicine thus suddenly became more fashionable.

Dr Olorunninbe Mamora, a medical doctor and Minister of State for Health to former President Muhammadu Buhari, even promised that the government would work with herbal medicine practitioners to find solutions to COVID-19.

However, the cynicism of the Western orthodoxy against alternative medicine is so high that the world may miss the little steps that are capable of delivering the great benefits of cheaper and less complicated drugs to the world.

Little do these Euro-American cynics know that South African botanist, Dr. Zimara Dubeni, found out that Moringa oleifera leaf extracts can enhance food safety, reduce synthetic additives and improve public health if used to preserve raw chicken meat that can otherwise breed foodborne diseases.

The intervention of the Omolayoles’ MATOCCODEV is timely, considering the recent report of a breakout of Lassa fever that has caused 138 deaths in 15 Nigerian states. To be sure, Lassa fever is somewhat different from malaria fever.

Lassa fever is a viral illness transmitted by rodents, and malaria fever is a parasitic infection that is spread by mosquitoes. Whereas symptoms of Lassa fever are headache, fatigue, and, sometimes, bleeding, vomiting and kidney issues, those of malaria fever are chills, sweats, and, when it really gets worse, include seizures, fainting, coma and even death.

Today, MATOCCODEV is going to be facilitating the sharing of knowledge on the prevention of malaria fever and distributing, for free, 25 units of treated mosquito nets that were popularised by Rotary International.

Omolayole expects that the colloquium will attempt to explain the nexus between orthodox medicine and herbal medicine that is considered to be more cost-effective and more readily available, especially in rural communities.

Maybe Nigeria’s healthcare policymakers should give more than passing attention to the malaria colloquium taking place at Ijebu-Imusin today.

The Zamfara State Government has debunked a story claiming that Zamfara Christian convert, Zainab, is set to stand trial in Sharia Court on Friday for switching religions.

A statement by the spokesperson of the Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the report is completely false and taken from social media sites that seek to generate traffic.

The statement added that it has been verified beyond a reasonable doubt that no such case exists before any Shari’ah Court in Zamfara State.

“The attention of the Zamfara State Government has been drawn to mischievous fake news circulating about a 22-year-old Miss Zainab Muhamadu, who is facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity.

“We want to categorically state that it is the handiwork of enemies of peace, who are hellbent on creating a tension where there is none.

“The fake news, which was spread on social media by an online platform notorious for circulating unverified stories and falsehoods, is nothing more than a failed attempt to disrupt peace.

“The Zamfara State Government has acted swiftly by summoning all relevant authorities and security agencies to verify the authenticity of the story, which ultimately proved to be a blatant falsehood created by Sahara Reporters.  

“To ensure accountability and certainty, the state government has confirmed with the Grand Khadi of the Zamfara Sharia Court of Appeal regarding any similar cases. He stated that there has never been such a case before any Shari’a court in Zamfara State.

“The question is, where does this perilous and divisive narrative originate? What are its underlying motives? What do those promoting this story hope to accomplish in the long run?

"We are living in intriguing times. Media platforms that should provide the public with verified stories are becoming complacent, merely copying and pasting content from social media accounts eager for likes and comments.

“The woman whose picture was used in the fake news is not Nigerian. Her name is Aalia, and she is from Texas, United States.

“The Zamfara State Government believes it is essential to clarify that nothing of this nature is happening in the state. This situation exemplifies yellow journalism that we must all denounce.

“We urge the relevant security agencies to investigate the source of this fake, misguided story, which seeks to create significant religious tension, and prosecute anyone found responsible. We must all do our part to ensure the peace of this country.”

SULAIMAN BALA IDRIS

Spokesperson for the Zamfara Governor

One of the founding theses of public administration reform philosophy is that the dysfunction and reconstruction of the administrative system must be figured out both in theory and in practice, and public administration had therefore historically functioned within frameworks of communities of practice and service and their knowledge networks. And that, among other things, implies that theory and practice must first be seen as being two sides of the same coin rather than two mutually exclusive frameworks. When I made the decision so early in my public service career to study the theoretical foundations of the Nigerian public service system, it dawned on me that dissecting the dysfunctional dynamics of the public service system provokes theoretical insights by which to engage with these same dysfunctions.

However, the gross anti-intellectualism of the policy space in Nigeria contributes to one of the fundamental deficiencies in the institutional framework of the public service in Nigeria: a mix of conception-reality and passion without knowledge gaps that manifest in terms of a mismatch between theoretical and reform paradigms on the one hand, and local conditions, circumstances and realities on the other. Indeed, administrative reforms are conceived and implemented to a significant extent with scant recognition that public administration has a theoretical foundation that is way distinct from the theoretical assumptions of the core management science.

We therefore arrive at a most significant reason why the public service system has been struggling to constitute the institutional mechanism to backstop democratic governance and its dividends for Nigerians. If we take it as axiomatic that the bureaucracy is a necessary complement to democracy, then it implies that the public service must be in topnotch shape—in terms of human resource management, performance accountability and productivity metrics—to be able to deliver on the imperatives of good governance. The public service system in Nigeria has however been struggling with the necessity for institutional reform that will transform it into a worldclass mechanism that could serve the need of a developmental state and its democratic requirements.

Ultimately, the fate of the public service and its optimal functionality—its capacity readiness to service democratic governance anywhere—lies firmly in the type of theoretical questions we ask in terms of what should drive the practice of public administration. The big questions are fundamental questions that articulate the relationship between theory and practice, and provide the directions that enable theorists and practitioners to make sense of any endeavor. The big questions that public administration is confronted with help to shape how it grounds its frameworks, dynamics and paradigms, especially when applied to the working of the state and the imperatives of governance.

Three initial big questions have been offered that are meant to ground public management. One: how can public managers break away from non-innovative fixation with excess of procedural rules which prevent pubic agencies from achieving measurable result and outcome? In other words, how might we ignite the shift from current input-process fixation to an output-outcome-impact-results-based management framework? Two: how can public managers motivate their workforce to achieve more in performance terms? Three: how can public managers measure these achievements?

These how-questions underscore the capacity of the public manager and her capacity to facilitate the capacity readiness of the public bureaucracy. This approach, especially in public administration, focuses on the public managers and their objective of capacitating the public agencies as an organization with its own unique character. However, as the objection goes, such an approach is limited in its failure to connect the functionality of the public bureaucracy or agency to the institutional demands of a democratic government. Public administration in a democracy is a whole ballgame all by itself. Once we see the intimate connection between public administration and a democracy, then we immediately see how there is a need for new set of big and fundamental questions that will adequately guide public administration practice within a democratic context.

Seven of such questions have been provided in the literature. “(1) What are the instruments of collective action that remain responsible both to democratically elected officials and to core societal values? (2) What are the roles of nongovernmental forms of collective action in society, and how can desired roles be protected and nurtured? (3) What are the appropriate tradeoffs between governmental structures based on function (which commonly eases organizational tasks) and geography (which eases citizenship, political leadership, and societal learning)? (4) How shall tensions between national and local political arenas be resolved? (5) What decisions shall be “isolated” from the normal processes of politics so that some other rationale can be applied? (6) What balance shall be struck among neutral competence, representativeness, and leadership? (7) How can processes of societal learning be improved, including knowledge of choices available, of consequences of alternatives, and of how to achieve desired goals, most importantly, the nurturing and development of a democratic polity?”

Unfortunately, it is not just sufficient to align public administration and public management to the imperatives of democratic government, as these seven questions by John Kirlin of the University of South California has attempted to do. A further criterion is missing. And this, because the experience of public administration and democracy differs from context to context. The contextual criterion ensures that the fundamental big questions we need to ask will be those that will take seriously the peculiarities and uniqueness of the context within which public administration will be expected to interact and backstop democratic governance. This is even more so in the Nigerian context where public administration and democratic government must factor postcolonial circumstances into the type of fundamental questions they are meant to engage with.

The Nigerian state, since its post-independence trajectory, has generated its own unique experience of public administration. This can be framed in terms of the myriad attempts at achieving institutional reform of the public service system inherited from the British colonialists. The commencement of the democratic experiment in 1999 puts a new spin on the urgency of bending public administration to the demands of democratic governance that will transform the quality of life of millions of Nigerians who have been promised the dividends of democracy. How then can we articulate the fundamental questions that should guide our understanding of the relationship between public administration and democratic governance in Nigeria? What are the critical issues that the government, its bureaucracy and public administration theorists ought to make the core of their reflective endeavor?
In what follows, I frame seven of such big questions in line with my many years of theoretically and practically engaging with the perils and promises of the public service as a mechanism for democratic fulfilment in Nigeria.

One: How can public managers break away from non-innovative fixation with excess of procedural rules and regulations that prevent public agencies from producing results and outcomes that translate to better life to the people in a democracy? This question speaks to the centrality of the “I-am-directed” Weberian tradition and the centrality of the input and process-oriented business model that undermine the output-oriented model which demands performance, efficiency, productivity.

Two: ⁠How can the public service resolve the seemingly jinxed pay and remuneration policy problem which has prevented the public service from achieving an excellent talent management regime that enables attraction and retention of talented professionals and some of the scarce skills the service requires to perform at optimal levels? This is a question that stems from government’s loss of status as the employer of choice which in turn has eroded civil service’s prestige as a brand, as well as the inability of the public bureaucracy to attract and retain the brightest and the best while managing adversarial industrial relation that undergirds employer-employee contractual obligations.

Three; ⁠How can public managers measure the achievements of their agencies in a way that is game-changing for performance of government and the productivity of the national economy? The success of democratic governance in Nigeria is aligned to the urgent need for a shift in the productivity paradigm that ensures that the public service system becomes motivated by a performance management that increases the productivity profile of the Nigerian state.

Four: ⁠How can the nature and role of the state be sustainably redefined and how to leverage same to organize and utilize government resources to better achieve the collective good? The nature and the role of the state keeps changing in relation to its governance responsibility. And this demands that the success of public administration is seen in terms of the state’s relationship to other non-state and nongovernmental actors that are stakeholders in the governance space.

Five: ⁠How can the public service regain public trust and foster social equity within framework of stewardship relationship with the people in a democracy? This question addresses the modalities by which the public service system function as a democratic institution that is transparent, accountable and open to the citizens as the most significant component of a democratic government.

Six; How should NGOs be empowered so they can play more positive role in society and in getting public policy to achieve the common good, and how can their desired roles be better protected? NGOs, as a nonstate actor, opens up the governance space (hitherto dominated by government and its agencies), and serve as the critical mediator between the government and the citizens.

Seven: ⁠How can the public service strike a balance between the values of being neutral and non-partisan as basis for strengthening professional ethics and the public servants’ capacity to speak truth to power? The founding dichotomy in public administration—the politics/administration distinction—insists that the politician and the administration must operate on different level of the policy divide. However, this dichotomy must be balanced with the capacity of the public servant to confront and engage with policy somersaults that fails the test of policy intelligence and action research.

These big questions constitute core issues which the public administration profession in Nigeria must foreground as the central reflective points for rethinking the functionality of the public service in Nigeria’s quest for democratic distinction on the continent.

*Olaopa, a Professor of Public Administration, is the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Abuja

There has been a lot of brouhaha over the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. Over 2 million candidates registered for the examination, and about 1.94 million sat for it. Over 75% (1.5 million+) scored below 200. This development has not gone down well with parents and candidates who took to social media to express outrage.

However, according to Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the performance data for the 2025 UTME falls within the expected range based on trends from the past 12 years. “This is not peculiar to this year. The performance statistics are consistent with those of the last 12 years,” Oloyede stated. He cited previous years to support his claim, noting that in 2024, 76 per cent of candidates scored below 200, while in 2022, 78 per cent of the 1.7 million candidates also fell below that mark. In 2021, only 803 out of 1.3 million candidates scored above 300.

The 2025 UTME has become one of the most controversial in recent history, not just due to the number scoring below 200, but because of the complaints revolving around the efficiency of the system and the credibility of the results. The problem also raises critical questions about the exam process, integrity, and educational equity. The controversy is resulting in efforts aimed at understanding what could have gone wrong, if anything was indeed wrong.

In the latest turn of events on May 14, 2025, a very emotionally regretful JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, apologised to the public in a press outing reported by major national newspapers. He accepted that there were indeed regrettable technical issues from their end that had affected the outcome for some candidates. According to the analysis, a total of 379,997 candidates across the 157 centres in Lagos and the South-east would retake their examinations. Prof. Oloyede said the board has decided that all candidates affected in 157 out of 882 (17.8%) centres will be contacted to retake their examinations starting Friday, May 16th.

“So, I appeal to the candidates and those affected by the error of our system to accept this explanation as the truth of the matter without embellishment, please. I apologise and take full responsibility, not just in words,” Prof. Oloyede stated. He informed the media that affected candidates would be contacted by JAMB through text messages sent to their registered phone numbers, email addresses, profiles, and phone calls. He directed them to reprint their examination slips for the rescheduled examination dates.
He said the board has contacted the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which is currently holding its West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), to allow JAMB some slots for candidates to take the exams, and WAEC has agreed. “Any candidate with a clash of timetable, particularly for Agricultural Science on Friday, would be rescheduled,” Prof. Oloyede said.

“However, we have endeavoured to ensure that no such thing exists. Most, if not all, such candidates are scheduled for Saturday. Fortunately, the prescribed texts for SSCE are also the prescribed texts for UTME, apart from the reading text of the UTME, which carries just 10 marks in our Use of English test.”
While 206,610 candidates were affected in the 65 centres in Lagos zone, 173,387 candidates were affected in 92 centres in Owerri zone. JAMB reportedly examined samples from across the country, but no sign of any abnormality has been detected in any centre other than the ones mentioned. Prof. Oloyede, however, added that the exercise continues.

National Readiness for Digital-Only Exams

Many factors could account for why about 75% of candidates have been annually underperforming at UTME. It is a national shame that we have been accepting this situation as normal at the annual JAMB meetings with University Vice-Chancellors. This national acceptance of low quality as normal has been forcing Universities to scramble for the 25% above 200 and then set very low standards to fill up vacant positions. After all, profit is now the major part of setting up Universities, especially in the private sector.
The 2025 UTME imbroglio throws up several issues that have been yearning for solutions. There has to be more readiness in embracing digital-only exams, both on the part of the examining agencies/service providers and the service users/candidates. For instance, some supervisors noticed system malfunctions at CBT centres – freezing screens, login problems, and loss of answers. Some candidates reportedly logged out without submitting or could not navigate between subjects. Those were absolutely no faults of the service users/candidates.

The digital divide is a problem for the use of CBT centres for UTME. Many candidates, especially from rural or low-income backgrounds, lacked basic computer literacy. A supervisor’s report highlighted that some candidates didn’t know how to operate a keyboard or mouse, much less navigate the CBT interface. In simple terminology, technological illiteracy or, at best, semi-illiteracy is yearning for solutions. Not many candidates or customers of JAMB grew up with the advantage of using computers as a regular everyday life item. There has to be some middle ground for inclusivity.

However, the answer is not to opt out of technological change but to come up with answers on how to democratise the availability of knowledge on technological change that is spreading in our world to all Nigerian children who are actively motivated towards education. Though JAMB could play a role in deploying some of its earnings for such a purpose, the answer should involve society and its governance structures at large. We must be more intentional with issues that affect the destinies and future of young Nigerians. The UTME exercise should not just be seen as a mere exercise, but as a very important platform through which the future technocrats and crop of people who would take over the skilled manpower machinery of the country are practically filtered. It is good that the public reaction has met with responsible action from JAMB in this case.

Recommendations on the Way Forward

Beyond being a revenue-generating tool for the government, with special commendations on the registrar’s commitment to returning funds to the Federal government, JAMB must continue to recalibrate, fine-tune its structure, and ensure it delivers excellently.

Nigeria requires massive digital literacy campaigns in secondary schools, especially rural ones. The 774 local governments, with more funding expected to result from the autonomy they are expected to have under the present dispensation, should invest in computer-based modern libraries. Private entities could also be encouraged to spend some of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds on setting up computer-based libraries.

CBT Simulation Workshops should become mandatory for all candidates before UTME and similar exams. Independent Audit of CBT Centers and Software Providers should be a regular effort of regulatory bodies, including JAMB.

Despite the uproar over the 2025 UTME, it’s important to recognize the integrity-driven leadership of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who has consistently fought corruption and pushed for reforms. However, even strong leadership needs to be adaptive and listen to the cries of the people. A calm, evidence-based review of 2025’s UTME is not only necessary—it’s urgent.

The JAMB Registrar has indeed demonstrated maturity and good leadership. He readily showed empathy by agreeing truly that there was failure in the system and took responsibility, with corrective follow-up actions. Currently, what should be key are preventive solutions, such that there is no future recurrence of the underperformance at UTME.

Prof. Babafemi A. Badejo, author of a best-seller on politics in Kenya, was a former Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, a former Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Chrisland University, Abeokuta, and currently a Legal Practitioner and Consultant at Yintab Strategy Consults. He is the 2025 Nelson Mandela Distinguished Africanist Awardee of the African Annual Conference at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.