2012/2013 JAMB UTME results released, Withholds 27,266 results in eight states

The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board has released the results of the 2012 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, with only three candidates scoring above 300.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the results of 27,266 candidates across eight states were withheld for various reasons.

This was stated by JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, at a news conference in Abuja.

This was stated by JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, at a news conference in Abuja. A total of 1,503,931 candidates were registered for the 2012 UTME, which held across the country on March 24, making it the one with the highest number of registered candidates since the existence of JAMB.

Contrary to earlier fears that the Boko Haram sect would disrupt the exam in some Northern states, Ojerinde, said the State Security Service and other security agencies had been engaged to deal with any security threat. The exam proceeded on the set date without any security problem.

At the news conference, Ojerinde, the JAMB Registrar, listed Abia, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers as the affected states, due to malpractice such as extortion of money by some examination officials.

“In 2012 UTME, we had some disturbing news of extortion of money from innocent candidates by greedy proprietors and supervisors all these persons will be brought to book,” he said, adding that the outcome of investigation would determine if more results would be released..

Ojerinde said 72, 243 scored 250 and above while 336,330 scored below 170. He said 374,920 candidates scored between 170 and above, 601,151 candidates scored between 200 and 249 while 901 scored between 270 and 299.

“In 2010, 96,451 results were recorded invalid, while in 2011, the figure reduced drastically to 28,069, due to sensitisation on 2011 UTME.

“For the 2012 UTME, the number was drastically reduced to 5,161; the board will continue to work to ensure that the incidence of incomplete and invalid results is totally wiped out,” he stated.

Ojerinde said that Imo had the highest number of applicants with 123,865 candidates; Delta came second with 88,876 candidates while Anambra placed third with 84,204 candidates.

Conversely, FCT recorded the lowest number with 3,380 candidates, Sokoto placed next with 5, 664 candidates while 5,713 candidates sat from Zamfara.

He said the University of Lagos recorded the highest applicants with 83,865 candidates; Nnamdi Azikiwe University came second with 82,148 candidates while University of Benin came third with 80,048 candidates.

He said arrangement had been made for candidates to check their results online using JAMB web site, www.myjambonline.com, and using the scratch card used earlier for registration.

NECO GCE 2011/2012 RESULTS RELEASED

For the fourth year running, the National Examination Council (NECO) recorded another mass failure in the 2011 November/December External Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), with less than 10 percent recording credit level in English language.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the council, Prof. Promise Okpala, stated this at a press briefing in Minna on Wednesday.

He, however, said the result was an improvement on the 2010 candidates’ performance, adding that the 2011 SSCE recorded low enrolment and malpractices compared to the 2010 edition.

Breakdown of the results made available to journalists and posted on the council’s website showed that less than 10 percent or 10,457 of the 110,724 candidates who sat for the external examination passed English Language with credit and above.

However, the candidates recorded an improved performance in Mathematics, as 41.19 percent got credit and above in the subject as against the 17.85 percent recorded in 2010.

Prof. Okpala also said there was a 50 percent drop in the candidates’ enrolment as only 104,187 candidates sat for NECO in 2011 as against 235, 933 that sat for it in 2010.

To check your result, click on Neco result checker

Subsidy Removal - We Will Block It Legally - Reps

The  House of Representatives will do everything legally possible to stop the removal of fuel subsidy, Deputy Minority Leader Rep Suleiman Abdurahman Sumaila (ANPP, Kano) has said. 

Reacting to the announcement of removal of subsidy by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) yesterday, Sumaila said when the House resumes from the Christmas break on January 10 the lawmakers will examine the situation and take necessary action.

  "We will use the law to stop this inhuman act. It's another form of terrorism against Nigerians that are already impoverished. We will not fail to salvage them from this bondage and enslavement," Sumaila said.

  The House, according to the Minority Leader, had already taken a stand rejecting subsidy removal and as such it will not fail to protect its position since that is the wish of all Nigerians.

  Although Sumaila did not disclose in specific terms what action the lower legislative chamber will take, sources said the MPs are contemplating inserting the subsidy fund in the 2012 appropriation bill currently undergoing legislation before the National Assembly.

  The House had before going on recess last December rejected fuel subsidy removal while considering the Medium Term Expenditure Frame Work (MTEF) of the Federal government for 2012-2013.

  The MPs have said that subsidy removal was "premature" and as such revenue sources other than that should be explored by the government.

NEWS SOURCE: VANGUARD

B-R-E-A-KING NEWS: Supreme Court affirms Jonathan’s victory

The Nigerian apex court, the Supreme Court, this morning, upheld the election of President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo, bringing to an end, eight months legal tussle.

The apex court said the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC failed to prove that the election was marred with irregularities.

It will be recalled that CPC and its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari went to court to challenge the victory of President Jonathan, claiming irregularities and massive rigging by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the April election.

NEWS SOURCE: VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Fuel subsidy removal suicidal – Owie

Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Roland Owie, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore advisers urging him to remove subsidy on fuel, if he does not want to commit political suicide.

He also called on the President and Federal Government to reconcile all Nigerians, starting from the North, to stem insecurity in the country and secure the current democratic set-up, which he said Nigerians laboured for.

Owie who spoke with Vanguard, yesterday, blamed the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he said earned the highest revenue in the history of the country but failed to build a single refinery.

He said: “I have said before that the removal of fuel subsidy was anti- God and anti-nation. How is it that children whose mother sells rice, will take their plates to buy rice outside; it is madness. How long does it take to build a refinery?


“What is happening in the country is that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, senior staff have been enjoying this irresponsibility of fuel importation hence they did not made any attempt to repair the existing four refineries.”

NEWS SOURCES: VANGUARD NEWSPAPER.

NigComSat-1 Returns to Space

THE much taunted replacement satellite of the Nigerian Communications Satellite-1 has returned successfully to the space with the launch yesterday (Monday) evening.

Daily Champion gathered from China where the Long March 3B (LM-3B) launch vehicle from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, located in South West China was conducted as at 5.40pm.

NigComSat-1R is in fulfillment of the Chinese company's promise to replace NigComSat-1, which was de-orbited due to malfunctioning of Solar Array Deployment Assembly (SADA) on November 10, 2008.

Buhari to Jonathan - Leave Subsidy, Tackle Graft

Former head of state retired General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged President Jonathan to focus on tackling corruption in government instead of removing fuel subsidies.

Buhari, who run for president in April on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, spoke in Abuja at the inauguration of the CPC Renewal Committee, headed by former FCT minister Nasir el-Rufai, aimed at repositioning the party.

"I have already said it. I said in Adamawa last week that our party does not believe in it (subsidy removal). Let them wipe out corruption and we will live happily ever after," he said while commenting on the controversial subsidy removal policy.

CPC has been bedevilled by internal recriminations since the April elections, when it failed to win most of the positions it expected to clinch easily.

Explaining the formation of the el-Rufai committee, Buhari said, "One critical consideration has compelled us to initiate the renewal of the party 30 weeks after the general election. While the elections of 1999, 2003 and 2007 have inspired hopes that were later dashed, the general elections in 2011 have demonstrated one reality that we, as Nigerians and as a people must not accept.

"The elections showed that millions of people could stay away from voting, yet the state and its umpire agencies could generate pre-determined electoral outcomes' Nigerians must not accept this evolving reality because it is evil and everyone must remember that evil has a life span and will one day collapse and judge itself."

He said it was discouraging that 10 years after the return of democratic rule in Nigeria, political parties have remained a platform for selling or trading public office nomination tickets, rather than being the fulcrum for which effective public service can be provided for our people.

"In the past, the real issue that keep coming up from the lips of our followers and sympathizers is not whether they trust us. It is whether they can afford to put their hopes on us, given the uphill task that they think have to be accomplished in order to bring about the change that they strive for. This renewal effort will address this issue very well and will be a big opportunity to prompt conviction among Nigerian voters nationally, across age, gender, ethnicity and religion. We must all do everything within our powers to rebrand and reposition our party into a highly effective and efficient political organisation," he said.

El-Rufai, for his part, said less than N1 billion was spent on fuel subsidy in 2007, adding that it was regrettable that issue now was the amount of money being stolen in the name of subsidy.

He said, "It (subsidy removal) was monumental fraud. The government is trying to tax Nigerians for their inefficiency and corruption. When we were in government, you don't even hear of billions of naira being paid as subsidy. There was subsidy, yes. We adjusted the prices several times to reduce the gap. But the last year we were in office, the amount of money spent on subsidy in the budget was less than N1 billion. Today, you are talking of N1.3 trillion. There is something wrong. What has happened? Has the corruption of Nigerians multiplied 10 times or 12 times since then? Has the exchange rate changed so much or the price of oil?"

On the renewal committee, el- Rufai said, "Our committee knows how difficult it is to bring about renewal and change. People and institutions everywhere tend to resist change once they discover their comfort zones however difficult. Some resist change even in times of progress, talk less of adversity. Obviously, our party and its teeming members must admit that the past few months have been ones of adversity, of raised expectations, dashed hopes and blatant theft of our national hopes and aspirations.

"Yet, history has shown that it is often out of adversity that the foundations of greatness are found, formed and developed. Political and economic events in Nigeria indicate clearly that our great party must reform or face even more inordinate challenges, if not terminal decline. Nigerians look up to our party as that of social justice, public service and integrity in governance. Only our party has the leadership and membership committed to unlocking Nigeria's potentials and providing equal opportunity for all. Therefore, we must rise up; reorganise to fix the dysfunctional political economy of Nigeria."

NEWS SOURCE:Daily Trust newspaper