Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of South-East Governors’ Forum, David Umahi, has said university education is not for everybody.

This was as Umahi stressed that it was unreasonable for the Federal Government, led by the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to borrow over N1trn to meet the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The governor spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing industrial action by lecturers at the nation’s varsities, when he received a delegation from the Nigerian Police Trust Fund by Dr Ben Akabueze, in Abakaliki, on Wednesday.

The governor, who said education and security were the most challenging problems bedevilling the country, also pointed out that the nation’s educational system is not properly articulated, adding that the basic education every nation strives to attain is secondary or vocational education.

Umahi said, “Our basic problems in this country remain security, health and education. Let me say a little about education which is in our public domain. I think that our education system is not properly articulated.

“University education is not for everybody and that is the truth. The basic education every country strives to attain is secondary school and vocational schools. These are the basic schools, and when you have these qualifications, you will be able to use it either to start up something or to be able to use it to be employed.

“There is a need to review our educational system. It mustn’t be for everybody. I am not ashamed that I have a first degree and my deputy is a PhD holder; it doesn’t matter. It is what you bring on board. So, I cannot see how we cannot sit down with leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, and iron out this problem about the ASUU strike.

“I have read on social media, newspapers how students got into trouble just by sitting at home or engaging in means of keeping themselves busy instead of being in school.

“There is no way the country Nigeria will go and borrow N1.1tn to meet ASUU’s demands; it’s quite unreasonable. Are their demands genuine? Yes, but we can start little by little.

“So, it is important for ASUU to show some understanding and for those who are negotiating on the side of the government to also show some understanding. Let’s meet ourselves halfway and open the schools to save the fate of our children.”

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara, has approved the release of over three hundred million naira to offset fees owed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) by 21,827 students of public secondary schools who wrote this year’s (2022) examination across Borno State.

The State’s Commissioner for Education, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, disclosed this on Wednesday in Maiduguri during a ceremonial presentation of cheque to officials of WAEC.

The commissioner said the money, totalling Three Hundred and Twenty Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Five Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira (N329,805,800) was already in WAEC’s account.

The cheque presentation was held at the conference hall of the state’s Ministry of Education in Musa Usman Secretariat.

Mr Zakariyau Abdullahi, WAEC’s Zonal Coordinator in Maiduguri, received the cheque.

“Government is paying N329,805,800 out of which N295,456,150 is for the settlement of State and Local Governments share, which is a subsidy of 75% of the 2022 WAEC Examination fees for 21, 827 students studying in public schools across Borno State, while the remaining Thirty-Four Million, Three Hundred and Forty-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (N34,349,650) is to settle outstanding WAEC fees for the year 2018. With these, Government has now fully settled all its financial obligations to WAEC”, the education Commissioner said.

With the recent release of over N300m to WAEC, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has so far released the combined sum of One Billion Five- Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million, One-Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand Five-Hundred and Ten Naira (N1,568,198,510) in three years, for WAEC, NECO and NABTEB exams in public schools.

The amount included the payment of N434,726,200 for 2019 exams; N391,272,000 for 2020; N412,394,510 for 2021 and N329,805,800 released in 2022.

The Governor of Borno, Babagana Umara Zulum, in his continued payments of scholarship for various categories of Borno students, has approved N19,392,000 to pay registration fees of 59 Borno students currently in law school campuses across the nation.

The registration was for the 2021/2022 academic session.

Mallam Bala Isa, the Executive Secretary of Borno State Scholarships Board, made the payment known to newsmen on Tuesday, at the Board’s headquarters in Maiduguri.

He explained that the approval was part of the Governor’s commitment to supporting capacity development of indigenes through different professions.

The Executive Secretary thanked Zulum for the support and urged benefitting students to make Borno proud in the outcome of their examinations.