By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) education model in the country has come to an end.

To replace it, the Federal Government has
introduced a compulsory 12-year uninterrupted basic education model after which a Nigerian child can aspire to higher education.

With this development, the newly-introduced 12-4 education model will replace the 6-3-3-4 education system.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the scrapping of 6-3-3-4 and replacement with 12-4 on Thursday in Abuja during the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education (NCE) meeting.
NCE is the highest policy-making body in Nigeria’s education sector.

The government also sought the approval of NCE to officially adopt 16 years as the minimum entry age requirement into the country’s tertiary institutions.

The event was graced by Education Commissioners in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), agencies and parastatals under the Ministry, and development partners.

Alausa revealed that by subsuming secondary education into basic education, students will benefit from uninterrupted learning up to the age of 16.

The minister said the new policy “is in line with global best practices.

The reform will also reduce dropout rates by eliminating financial and systemic barriers that currently prevent students from completing secondary education.

“Extending basic education to 12 years will ensure a standardised curriculum that is uniformly implemented across the nation.

“This will also facilitate early exposure to vocational and entrepreneurial skills, preparing students for both higher education and employment.

“Many developed nations have implemented similar systems where basic education spans 12 years, ensuring that students acquire foundational knowledge before specialising at tertiary levels.

“This reform also aligns Nigeria’s education system with international standards, fostering better educational outcomes and global competitiveness.
“It will also lead to economic and social impact. Educated youths contribute significantly to national development.

“When students receive an extended period of compulsory education, they are better equipped to join the workforce with relevant skills.

This reform will also reduce child labour and other social vices resulting from premature school dropouts”.

Alausa highlighted the implementation strategies to successfully integrate secondary education into basic education to include: policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, teacher training and recruitment, funding and partnerships, curriculum enhancement.

By Gloria Ikibah

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to marks the 2025 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on February 6th, a group under the auspices of the African Civil Society Reference Group Inc. (ACSRG) has renewed its commitment to ending this harmful practice.

In a statement by the group on Thursdayin Abuja, it stated that over 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM, and 4.3 million more are at risk in 2024 alone. If urgent action is not taken, this number could rise to 4.6 million annually by 2030.

“FGM continues to violate the rights of millions of women and girls, stripping them of dignity, bodily autonomy, and freedom from violence.

“Despite being rooted in cultural and social traditions, FGM has no health benefits—only devastating consequences. It leads to severe complications, including infections, childbirth risks, psychological trauma, and even death. Beyond the physical harm, FGM reinforces gender inequality and limits opportunities for women and girls”, the statement read.

The ACSRG also called on governments, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, healthcare professionals, and the global community to take the following decisive steps:

• Enforce Stronger Laws – Governments must fully implement and uphold anti-FGM laws, ensuring accountability and promoting alternative rites of passage.

• Empower Communities – Sustainable change begins within. Traditional leaders, parents, and youth must drive cultural shifts that protect girls while respecting traditions.

• Expand Education and Awareness – Schools, healthcare institutions, and communities must prioritize education on the dangers of FGM, debunking harmful myths.

• Support Survivors – Women and girls affected by FGM need medical, psychological, legal, and economic support to rebuild their lives.

• Strengthen Regional and Global Efforts – FGM crosses borders; stronger cooperation among nations is vital to ending it.

“Eliminating FGM is a human rights priority that requires bold leadership, sustained advocacy, and collective action. ACSRG stands with survivors, activists, and policymakers, amplifying voices and pushing for policies that ensure every girl grows up free from harm, with the right to control her body and future.

“Now is the time for action. Now is the time for Zero FGM”, it added.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The five-year tenure of the board of the National Assembly Service Commission [NASC], under the chairmanship of Engr Ahmed Amshi, tomorrow tomorrow, Friday, February 7, 2025.

The Board held a valedictory meeting on Thursday, February 6, 2025 to deliberate and finalise its winding down process.

The commission was inaugurated in 2015 consequent upon the enactment of the Establishment Act.

The 13-member board (with two members from each geo-political zone as circumscribed in the enabling Act) was proposed under the Bukola Saraki Senate Presidency from 2015- 2019, with Senator Joy Emordi penciled down as Chairman, but the arrangement was not consummated until Saraki left office.

The board was inaugurated under Ahmad Lawan Senate Presidency in 2020 with Ahmed Amshi, a legislative aide to Lawan, getting appointed as chairman to preside over a 13-member board that comprised some former federal legislators both from the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) Act of 2014 gives the NASC the power to manage human resources, make regulations, and handle establishment matters for the National Assembly.

It is saddled with the responsibilities to appoint, promote, and transfer staff members, in addition to dismissing and exercising disciplinary control over staff members.

In addition, it establishes a retirement benefit scheme for retiring officers and makes regulations relating to conditions of service, including salaries and allowances.

NASC formulates and implements guidelines for its functions.

It handles establishment matters of the National Assembly, including appointment of the Clerk to the National Assembly, the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, and other offices in the service of the National Assembly

The Commission submits an estimate of its income and expenditure to the National Assembly each year.

The NASC is empowered to handle these functions without having to rely on the Federal Civil Service Commission.

In 2020 the Commission sent jitters down the spines of staff members by directing the then Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Ataba Mohammed Omolori and over one hundred and fifty (150) staff members due for retirement, to retire immediately.

However, after the administrative cleansing, the commission became highly political, indulging in moves, overtures, and decisions that compromised and undermined its mandate.

Recently, after successfully and seamlessly consummating the appointment of Barrister Kamorudeen Ogunlana as the substantive Clerk to the Natiional Assembly, it had gone ahead to mess up the appointment of the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly by elevating the wrong person to the position.

The plot orchestrated by Engineer Amshi saw Ibrahim Atiku named as acting DCNA, but after the top bureaucrats protested to the leadership of the National Assembly, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, intervenef to cure the mischief caused by Amshi.

Bashir Yero was eventually picked from the pool of 13 permanent secretaries to step into the position of DCNA.

It would be recalledl that the Senate confirmed the appointment of board members for the National Assembly Service Commission with Ahmed Amshi, the former Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan as Chairman. Mr. Amshi, along with 12 others, in 2015.

Amshi has served out his term of five years as the executive chairman. The same applies to members of the Commission.

In a letter read by the then President of the Senate, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, at the plenary session of Tuesday, 10 December 2019, the then President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded the names of the nominees for screening and confirmation.

Members of the Board included Babagana Modu, Sen. Abubakar Tutare, Hakeem Akamo, Tunrayo Akintomide, Atanomeyorwi Francis, Engr. Bassey Etuk, Hon. Bassey Etuk, Hon. Bailyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi, Sadi Saidu Kazaure, Sen. Julius Ucha, Nnamdi Anyaehie, Auwalu Aliyu Ohindase, and Muazu Is’haq.

The constitution of a new Board had raised several controversies arising from the earlier nomination of Sen. Joy Emordi as the Executive Chairman and the extension of tenure for the Clerk of the National Assembly.

Sen. Emordi, who had earlier been nominated for the office, was expected to take over from Dr. Adamu Fika, the immediate past Chairman whose tenure expired in July 2019, following his retirement from the Federal Civil Service.

The Senator Emordi takeover [proposed chairmanship] fell through as she did not make the list eventually.

THE CONCLAVE