Olota speaks on ban of under-18 candidates national exams

Oba Abdulkabir Obalanlege, the Olota of Ota in Ogun State, has said that banning under-18 students from sitting for national examinations will limit the potential of the children.

Obalanlege said this in a goodwill message at the 15th Anniversary of Adedokun International Schools at Iyana-Iyesi Multipurpose, Ota.

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FG Accuses Chinese Firm Of ‘Fraudulent’ Move To Strip Nigeria’s Assets Over Jets Seizure In a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga alleged that the Chinese firm is trying “to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge”. In the dispute involving an arbitration award, the court in Paris ruled in favour of the Chinese firm, allowing it to seize three presidential jets on routine maintenance in France as “security” for claims in a decades-long judicial matter between the foreign company and the Ogun State government. Free-Trade Zone Row Back in 2007, the foreign firm signed a contract with the Ogun State government to manage a free-trade zone but the contract was revoked by the state government in 2015. Displeased, Zhongshan initiated an investment treaty arbitration against Nigeria under the bilateral investment treaty between the People’s Republic of China and Nigeria (the China-Nigeria BIT). The arbitrators ruled that Nigeria was in breach of its obligations under the China-Nigeria BIT and awarded Zhongshan compensation amounting to millions of dollars. The Nigerian government and the subnational appealed the matter in “eight” jurisdictions including the United Kingdom and the United States. The latest jurisdiction is in France, where three Nigerian presidential jets are on routine maintenance. According to reports, the court in Paris held that the seizure of the jets was to “preserve the claim arising from the arbitration award dated 26 March 2021, made by an ad hoc arbitral tribunal”. But the Nigerian government said it is “not under any contractual obligation with the company”. “The case in which Zhongshan is trying to use every unorthodox means to strip our offshore assets is between the company and the Ogun State Government,” Onanuga said, flaying Zhongshan which he said “has no solid ground to demand restitution from the Ogun State Government based on the facts regarding the 2007 contract between the company and the State Government to manage a free-trade zone”. “When the contract with Ogun State was revoked in 2015, the company had only erected a perimeter fence on the land earmarked for a free trade zone,” he said. Arm-Twisting Tactics? Onanuga said despite that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has been working with the Ogun State Government on an amicable resolution, “Zhongshan obtained two orders from the Judicial Court of Paris dated March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, without any notice being duly served on the Federal Government of Nigeria and Ogun State Government”. “This arm-twisting tactic by the Chinese company is the latest in a long list of failed moves to attach Nigerian government-owned assets in foreign jurisdictions. “The material facts in the transaction between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan point to another P&ID case in which unscrupulous and questionable individuals falsely present themselves as investors with the sole objective of undercutting and scamming Governments in Africa.” He claimed the foreign company “withheld vital information and misled the Judicial Court in Paris into attaching the Nigerian government’s presidential jets, which are on routine maintenance in France”. “The use and nature of the Presidential jets as assets of a Sovereign entity whose assets are protected by diplomatic immunity forbid any foreign Court from issuing an order against them. “We want to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is working with the Ogun State Government to discharge this frivolous order in Paris immediately. “Nigerian Government will always work to protect our national assets from predators and shylocks who masquerade as investors,” he noted. Shrinking Presidential Fleet The court order came amid a controversy surrounding the planned purchase of a new presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu who has had to use hired jets for official trips in recent times due to faulty presidential jets. The health state of the Presidential Air Fleet has been source of concern of late. In May, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa. Last December, a presidential aircraft, Falcon 900B, was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft.

August 16, 2024

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had on August 25, 2024 announced a move by the Federal Government to ban students below 18 years from sitting for examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council, National Examinations Council and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

According to Obalanlege, restricting under-18 students from sitting for WAEC and NECO examinations will limit the children’s potential in terms of competing with their peers around the world.

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“My advice to the Federal Government is to follow the international best practices rather than limiting the potential of our young ones,” he said.

Obalanlege said that this would help to enhance the standard of education in the country.

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He congratulated Niyi Adedokun, the Founder of Adedokun International Schools, urging him to establish more schools across the state for the benefit of the residents.

In his response, Adedokun appreciated the Olota of Ota and presented him with an award for assisting the school to tackle the challenges encountered while erecting its buildings.

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He urged the public to invest in Ota and its environs, adding that Obalanlege was always ready to help investors.

In his welcome address, Dr. Mike Fatukasi, the Principal of the school, said the school had achieved a significant milestone and excellence in education as it marked 15 years of existence.

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“As you are aware, this year we are placed on number 17 amongst the best 25 secondary schools in Nigeria,” Fatukasi said.

Also, Patience Evans-Osabuohien, the Chairperson, Parents-Teacher Association of the School, Iyana Campus, urged the Federal Government to revisit and look into the decision on age limit.

Evans-Osabuohien urged the Federal Government not stop under-18 from entering the universities

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She said that the children would be lured into bad gangs, thereby increasing crime rate in the country.

The News Agency reports that awards were presented to long servicing staff and individuals for their contributions to the development of the school.

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NAN also reports that the school, which commenced operation in September 2009, with 50 students, has established four more campuses in Sango-Ota.

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