Nigeria Accommodation Crisis - UNILAG May Allow Squatting, Sanction Racketeers.

            Faced with inadequate accommodation, as over 30,000 students compete for about 8,000 bed spaces, the management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) may approve squatting arrangements among students, while also pledging to sanction those involved in hostel racketeering.

           ‎The Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Musa Obalola, told an online publication: “We’re deeply concerned, and I can assure you that we have been trying our best to curb hostel racketeering as much as possible. “There are several stipulated sanctions for students who are caught selling either bed spaces or squatting spaces,” he said."The minimum you can get is two or one semester suspension."

‎          The Dean of Student Affairs (DSA) explained that punishments would be imposed only after a suspected racketeer is caught, tried, and found guilty by the university’s Student Disciplinary Board. When asked about measures to address the challenges of inadequate hostels and racketeering, Prof. Obalola said that once hostel allocations are made to successful applicants, the school issues hostel ID cards, while staff conduct random checks to ensure compliance.

‎         He warned that the university would take strict action against anyone caught engaging in illegal activities. “Some students don’t consider the circumstances surrounding accommodation. Why deny your fellow students the chance to bid, keep the accommodation you already have, and still go ahead to bid and sell?” he said.

‎         In addition, the university announced plans to publish details of students involved in hostel racketeering. With government approval, it also intends to enter a private partnership to construct new hostels, providing over 7,000 bed spaces to be commissioned and delivered within 24 months. It was gathered that one of the official female hostels (Honors), with a capacity of 511 bed spaces, is currently unavailable to students due to ongoing renovations.

‎          Having experienced a similar situation in the previous academic session, many UNILAG students are again facing hostel challenges in the current session. Contributing factors include the late registration of freshers, unexplained administrative gaps in some departments, and the misconduct of racketeers and their agents. In some cases, racketeers sell a bed space for between N240,000 and N300,000, while a squatting space can cost as much as N180,000.

‎           At the beginning of the session, most freshers (100 Level and Direct Entry), due to their late registration, were forced to attend lectures from home, with some spending over N5,000 daily on transportation. In the Department of Quantity Surveying, most 200 Level students were unable to participate in the first hostel balloting for students from 200 to 500 levels.

‎           It was reported that this was due to the alleged non-registration of their courses. Amid the crisis, UNILAG management announced another balloting opportunity for students who missed out on accommodation during the previous exercise.

‎          According to an official news bulletin obtained on January 5, 2026, the DSA office disclosed that applications for temporary hostel accommodation for the 2025/2026 academic session would open on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

‎The bulletin stated in part:

   Eligibility Criteria: 200 to 500 Level students who have completed course registration for the 1st Semester of the 2025/2026 academic session, and are within the regular duration for their respective
programmes, are eligible to apply for bed spaces.

‎Application Process: Eligible students must apply online for temporary hostel accommodation during the designated application window, beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

‎Allocation Criteria: After the application window closes, temporary bed spaces will be allocated randomly among all eligible applicants.

‎The bulletin added that applications will close once the limited temporary bed spaces are filled, and notifications to shortlisted applicants will be sent on January 7, 2026. The payment deadline is January 9, 2026, and movement into the Hall of Residence will commence on January 13, 2026.

‎To address the extreme scarcity of hostel accommodation and its impact on students, the university has introduced a temporary arrangement known as Temporary Hostel Accommodation (Squatting). While acknowledging that the measure is not a permanent solution, the school emphasized that it is intended to assist students facing daily commuting challenges.

‎The bulletin clarified that allocation of temporary accommodation is the sole responsibility of the Student Affairs Division and that bona fide bed space holders are not to assign their spaces to another student.

‎Eligible students are required to submit a duly signed and stamped biodata form, proof of full payment of all school dues, and a copy of their course registration form for the current session. The bulletin reminded applicants that temporary accommodation is a privilege granted under exceptional circumstances, not a right.

Lagos to Begin BECE Registration

             
The Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of the 2026 e-registration and payment process for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in schools across the state. The exercise, coordinated by the Lagos State Examinations Board, will run from Monday, January 26, to Friday, March 27, 2026, and is aimed at promoting a seamless, technology-driven registration process that enhances transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

              The Lagos State government disclose the  statement and published on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday. The statement implies that the initiative aligns with the State’s policy of leveraging technology to eliminate physical contact between school owners and the examination board while improving service delivery.

                Speaking about the registration process, the Registrar of the Lagos State Examinations Board, Adebayo Orunsolu, said that schools are required to use the newly issued School Code for registration. He explained that public junior secondary schools should download the Offline Data Capturing Application from the board’s website at bece.examsboard.lagosstate.gov.ng. He also added that approved private secondary schools, institutions operating with special permission, and continuing education centers should access the board’s portal via pay.examsboard.com.ng to complete payment, registration, and set up general login credentials.

                 He stated that approved private junior secondary schools and approved public continuing education centers will pay a registration fee of ₦10,000 per candidate, while junior secondary schools with special permission and private continuing education centers will pay ₦15,000 per candidate.

                  The Registrar further urged schools with candidates who have special needs, such as visual impairments or albinism, to inform the Examinations Board in writing before the examination to allow for proper preparations. He added a warning that late registration may attract penalties and noted that further details would be communicated to schools through their respective zonal officers

Tutor-General urges Principal to Improve Academic Standard, Safety

            Mr. Omotayo Layemo Sanni, the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary (TG/PS) of Education District II, held a strategic meeting with principals of public secondary schools across the district. In his statement, the TG/PS stated that the meeting became imperative in order to raise the academic performance of the district, most especially in external examinations. While commending principals for their previous achievements, he encouraged them to raise the bar and improve on existing result. 

            Mr. Sanni reinforced the value of stakeholder engagement in school administration, nothing than effective bond with parents, alumni, community leaders, and other stakeholders remains key to achieving optimal academic outcomes. Pertaining the issue of school security, the TG/PS expressed concern over the rising level of insecurity in schools and informed the principals that the government would be recruiting security personnel for schools.

 However, he advised principals to actively involve community leaders in recommending trustworthy, reliable, and responsible candidates for engagement as security operatives. He further extols them on performances at different competitions both within the state and Nationality while urging them to continue to encourage the students in various extra-curricular activities for an all-round development of the students. Deliberations during the meeting largely focused on strategies for achieving outstanding results in WAEC and BECE examinations. Some Principals whose schools recorded exceptional performance in the last WAEC were invited to share best practice

           The notably principal of Civil Service Junior Model College, Ikorodu, Mrs. Bolanle Esho, spoke extensively on the significance of mentorship, cultivating a strong reading culture, and adopting the "teach-your-topic" approach among students. Similarly, Mrs. Yemisi Arogbodo, Principal of Aiyedere Ajibola Senior High School highlighted the need to effectively manage and promote only the promotable students as a strategic tool for improving academic performance. Other issues discussed included school security, effective administration, and general school management practices.

       The Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mrs. Mojisola Adeyemi-Fashola, was also on the ground to clarify certain administrative issues in schools, including the Staff Performance Appraisal and Development (SPADEV) and other data required by various government agencies. Furthermore, representatives of insurance brokers assigned to schools by the State Government were present at the meeting.

       They briefed principals on proper engagement with insurance brokers, as well as procedures and best practices for handling matters relating to the insurance of personnel and government property within schools. The meeting concluded with principals expressing renewed commitment to work collaboratively towards excellence in academics, safety, and overall school administration across Education District II.

Bayelsa Engages Media in Education Funding

 

Amid growing public concern over education funding and accountability, the Bayelsa State Educational Trust Fund (EDTF) has moved to strengthen transparency by engaging the media as a critical bridge between the board and the public. 

This commitment was expressed when the chairman of the EDTF, High Chief Fidelis Agbiki, led the executive secretary, Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu and other members of the board on a courtesy visit to the Federated Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Bayelsa State.

Agbiki explained that the visit was aimed at deepening public understanding of the Fund's mandate, stressing that journalists play a vital role in educating citizens on how education funds are managed and deployed.

He noted that the current board, inaugurated in October last year, considered it necessary to formally introduce itself to the press and reaffirm its readiness to work closely with journalists in the interest of the education sector.

According to him, a strong relationship with the media would not only promote awareness of EDTF programmes but also help build public trust, adding that openness and regular engagement remain key priorities of the board.

In his remarks, the executive secretary, Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu, described education as the backbone of any society, warning that neglecting young people could create long-term social and economic challenges.

He said his acceptance of the role was driven by a lifelong commitment to youth development, adding that a well-educated population is essential for sustainable growth and stability in Bayelsa State.

Prof. Etebu therefore appealed to the media to report the activities of the EDTF in a manner that promotes unity, development and shared responsibility for the future of education.

Responding, the chairman of the Federated Correspondents' Chapel, Mr Tife Owolabi, welcomed the board and commended its openness, urging continuous access to information to enable accurate reporting and public accountability.

By Okem Mbah, Leadership Newspaper

Festivity, Fun, Fantasy come alive at Dansol Charity Fun Fair

Tofunmi Akinwale, an IT student with school connect magazine from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism [NIJ], Ogba, Lagos witnessed the glamorous and fun-filled Dansol Charity Fun Fair on the eleventh of December 2025. It was the first time seeing charity being demonstrated by students with a lot of lessons to take home. Here is his account of the event.

Charity as we know it, has been a symbol of hope, and an aspect of reality that brings together people of different race, ethnicity and different age groups. It is quite a remarkable blend of community engagement, social interaction, festivity and fantasy.

On the eleventh of December, Dansol High School students took it upon themselves to support in any way they can through the auspicious Dansol Charity Fun Fair. 

The event came alive with excitement and large turn-out of students, parents and fun-lovers at the school’s premises located at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos thus making the event colorful.

At eight in the morning, the event had started. The whole place is agog with sound of music (you could hear the speaking blaring from a distance), baloon  decorations and of course the students dressed in gorgeous outfits to kill thr day. Well, since this event only comes alive once in a year, you could imagjne the fever, the frency and the vibes it would be greeted with. I think students of Dansol even value this event than their valedictory service (VS) with the happiness and excitements on their faces.

If you think that the Dansol Charity Fun Fair 

is all about charity, then you are mistaken. At the event, you can see activities like games (both indoors and outdoors games) to keep the fun up and running. If you are foodie, then, I bet you have a lot of funs coming to this event. All kinds of foods from fast food to solid and snacks were on display at various food stalls with some side attractions. You will be tempted to buy some food even if you don’t have a long throat. They are so irrestitible. The aromas from one of the stalls nearly made me to forgot the note I was about to jot. The surprise is that this foods are prepared by students themselves. If you ask me what education beyond the four walls of the classroom is, what I saw at this event is a testament to that! Beyond the fun, fantasy and excitement, the heart of the event lay on its mission. The Charity Fun Fair serves as a reminder that giving does not have be solemn, sordid or eloborate it can be joyful, colourful and addictive.

The morning goes by with the smell of fun as the prestigious occasion keeps the human mind happy major highlight of the charity fun fair was the food drive, where clothes, food items, and other basic necessities were distributed to members of the neighbouring community. The initiative attracted a large turnout, as residents expressed joy and appreciation for the gesture. Many of the beneficiaries praised and appreciated the school and their students for their generosity and concern for the well-being of others. The whole atmosphere was painted with gratitude, as smiles became the trademark in this annal occasion. The warm interactions reflected this event is a signature of the positive impact of the event on the community.

The event moved on as the students paraded to the center of the Charity Fair both the junior students and the Senior students with joyful emotions as each student moved around with his or her friend in groups. They move from one stall to the another purchasing items and food available.

After conducting several interviews to ask the students about the event and how high their level of fun and excitement were, Aliena Ibechi, said, "Today's event is called the Charity Fun Fair, and it is a day where we come and show what we can create whether food or bracelets - things like fruit juice, earrings, toys and snacks. That, we also sell it to ourselves and there is also a food drive and charity at the beginning of the program".

Speaking with another student, Mosunmola Adetunji, said, "Well today we are having what we call here in Dansol a Charity Fun Fair, and it basically giving out to charity and also having fun amongst ourselves and with those outside the school. We also do food drive which we did this morning, and we gave different items like foodstuff, bags, shoes to the less-privileged in Agidingbi area.

The event continues as parents, grandparents with teaching and non-teaching staff glazed in admiration of the students' activities as the senior students move from one end of the food stalls to the jewelry point most especially the female students. A junior student ran to her parents for more money with excitement to purchase more candies eager for more fun.

As the Charity Fun Fair comes to a very memorable end, it was more than just a day of games and entertainment, I learnt an important lesson on charity from this ‘beautiful angels’ and that is the role of supporting education and fostering community spirit with enthusiastic participation. The event successfully combined fun with meaningful impact as students bond with one another. This proves even a simple fun fair can make a lasting difference. I can’t just wait to witness another, Charity Fun Fair.

The Human Brain, powerful than AI – Smeirat

The human brain has been described to be more powerful than the Artificial Intelligence (AI) as AI can only diagnose disease or an ailment, but can’t cure it. This assertion has been expressed by Engineer Sami Smeirat, the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship in Jordan during the UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy week in Jordan.

He made this assertion during a panelist session on the theme: “Media and Information Literacy in the age of AI-Generated Information. During this session, an AI was brought which answered questions intelligently from both the participants and the panelists. According to him, “AI can only have psychological human behaviour not genetics because each of the human system has a unique genetic structure. The human brain is better than Ai because God has given us out of His divine wisdom. That is why we can only say AI is just a blessing and not a curse.”

Mrs. Francesca Ciriaci, the moderator of the session said that the AI (Robot) who reasoned intelligently and responded to questions during the session hasn’t been pre-programmed to abuser the questions as it was all the innovation of AI.

The aim of the session was to imbue participants with the power of AI in the area of media and information literacy in this digital age.

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) males things easier, information accession and our world less-stressful, yet one shouldn’t fully rely on the AI for everything because it has its limitations.

Over-reliance in the AI would make the students lazy, won’t give room for creativity, innovation and personal development since this device is always with them to help us do their work and sometimes unravel complexity.

For example, a device like Chat GPT is good device it would help students with assignments, essay writing and projects in the matter of minutes. It could also help students generate idea on any subject matter, but won’t help them to think on their own and develop their own thinking faculty because they have the AI to rely on.

“As good as this devices are” Engineer Smeirat still believes that “the most inalienable and indispensable resource that has been given to us is still the human brain as it is far more better than the computer or AI.’

“While the AI can do a lot of tasks at the split of a second, no human invention or scientific innovation can outwit the human brain or compare with it.”

During the UNESCO Hackathon, two students, Danish and Mohsen presented the ‘Mahw’ to the participants and how it works. The Mahw us an app developed these students out of curiousity in order to combat fake news, hate speech, dis/misinformation in their region and has been tested and proven effective to check the verac

UNESCO to train Bloggers, Content-creators, Journalists on Media and Information Literacy

 

Media and information literacy are not only critical for information dissemination, informed society but also for peaceful co-existence in order to build democratic ethos and also enjoying the dividends of democracy.

A recent survey on Google by Lynn and Becker put Nigeria at 67.76 percent ahead of Cameroon, Somalia, Morocco, Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Belize, Mauritius, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nepal, Guatemala, Cape Verde, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nicaragua and Nepal. Nepal was at the lowest rung of the ladder in terms of intelligence quotient (I.Q).

Leveraging on the Intelligence Quotient (I.Q) of Nigerians as it relates to using the social media for information literacy, UNESCO has said it would soon train bloggers, social media influences, content-creators in order to help them to do their jobs on the Internet for a more informed society. 

This idea was mooted at the Global Media Literacy and Information Conference organised by UNESCO in Amman, Jordan under the parsonage of His Excellency, King Abdullahi II Ibn Hussein, the king of Jordan who played host to the Global Media and Information Literacy conference in the region.

On why this group should be trained to inform their online audience and the general public, Prof. Deena Abi Thiab, Head of Jordan Programme Office, UN-Habitat says, “There is still much to learn from content-creators, bloggers, social media influences in the area of media and information literacy as we can’t afford to throw away the baby with the bath-water. They should be seen as critical catalyst toward achieving the goal of information dissemination on the media space.”

“What i think we should rather do is to equip and train them so that they can be well-equipped to do their job and also to better inform their audience.”

This view is not different from what Dir. Sunday Baba, the representative of the Honouranle Minister of Information and National Orientation (NOA) at the UNESCO conference, “we need to equip content-creators, and those who are posting stuffs on the social-minded with skills so that they are better-equipped to do their job and make them custodian of the right information for a well-informed society.”

He opened that by giving them the needed skills, hate-speech, dis/misinformation, fake news would reduce drastically and the narrative would change to enhance our democratic values.

Speaking further, he said, since most Nigerian youths are adept in social media skills and are always online posting one thing or the other, the onus lies on us to train them to become better in their roles of informing the public.”

On what really gave rise to the proliferation of dis/misinformation on the social media by content-creators and others, Dir. Farouk Osmar, Secretary-General, National Union of Journalists, Somalia, spilled the beans by saying “Content-creators are dominating the media by the day while traditional media are lagging behind in their role of information dissemination and awareness.”

This he noted has given rise to some overnight journalists and emergency reporters who misinform and mislead the public through their posts. He also said that since the journalist who should be at the forefront of informing, educating the public are slacking in their responsibility, they are in turn giving a leeway for those who are not in the mainstream media to take over.

Still on this, Mrs. Nesrine Slapui, a journalist, writer and filmmaker in Morocco and France explains that the role of Journalists or the media is to “inform the people on how to inform themselves and to ensure the transparency of information. She opened that “it is about checking news to inform the people’ and not the other way round as the content-creators, bloggers, social media influencers are doing.

On what the ethics of online reportage should be, she said, “fact-checking, critical-thinking, informed decision that won’t be counter-productive on their audience should be the ideal of news and information sharing.

Unlike the traditional media, content creators, social media influencers, bloggers are too much in a hurry to post their content without checking and verifying the source.

But during the MILWeek (Media and Information Literacy Week 2024) in Amman, Jordan, UNESCO announced that all these anomalies would soon be a thing of the past as efforts have bene put in place for effective media education and literacy so that people are not dis/misinformed and the veracity of what is posted online is properly checked before posting them.

In this regard, UNESCO has made available an online course, “The Authoritative Voice” and “Each one for another.”  The courses have been designed in partnership with the Knight Centre for Journalism, USA.

On the overall aim of this program, UNESCO said it is to “equip digital content creators with essential media and information literacy skills by identifying their strengths, weaknesses and needs. The course will also empower digital content creators and strengthen and help them in information sharing.”

On why these courses have been designed, UNESCO said “we have seen the need to design this course y to train content creators - bloggers, social media influencers and journalists because digital content creators significantly inference public opinions, trends and consumer behaviours.”

“Despite this, there is a lack of comprehensive research into their motivations, ethics and accountability. As the UN agency with the mandate of promoting freedom. of expression, access to information and mass media, information literacy, UNESCO aims to understand the dynamics of digital contents.”

According to UNESCO, “this initiative will lead to development of a comprehensive survey. By leading tips effort, UNESCO seeks to enhance content-creators and informed digital citizens.”

Apart from these courses, there are many other courses like: “Media Literacy: Fostering a Cognitive Emotional Approach,” “The Need for Media Literacy: A Comprehensive Learning Experiences” among others. All thse courses are available on the UNESCO website as an e-learning courses.”