Nigeria

By Uzair Adam

Kano State has emerged as the leading state in Nigeria based on the number of candidates who obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO).

The development was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Director-General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Kano, on behalf of the Kano State Government.

According to the statement, Kano recorded 74,413 candidates who secured at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, ahead of Lagos State, which placed second with 72,496 candidates, while Oyo came third with 55,543 candidates.

The result marks the second consecutive year Kano has recorded the highest number of candidates meeting the five-credit benchmark, including English Language and Mathematics, after achieving a similar feat in the 2025 NECO examination.

Reacting to the development, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf congratulated the students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders, describing the performance as an indication of the progress being recorded in the state’s education sector.

Governor Yusuf said the back-to-back performance demonstrated that the government’s sustained investment in education was producing measurable outcomes.

He assured residents that his administration would continue to prioritise education through increased funding, improved learning facilities, recruitment and training of teachers, scholarships and support for indigent students.

The governor said the state government spent more than N4.4 billion in 2026 to sponsor candidates for the Senior School Certificate Examination, particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

According to him, the intervention was aimed at removing financial barriers that could prevent students from participating in the examinations and ensuring they sat for the examinations under improved conditions.

Yusuf said the latest NECO performance was part of the broader improvement being recorded by students in the state under his administration.

Education has continued to receive a significant share of Kano State’s budget under the current administration. In 2024, about 29.95 per cent of the state budget was allocated to the sector, while the allocation rose to N168.35 billion, representing 31 per cent, in the 2025 budget.

For 2026, the state allocated N405.35 billion to education out of a total budget of N1.478 trillion, representing about 30 per cent of the overall budget.

The governor said the government’s investment in education extends beyond examination sponsorship to include classroom renovation, recruitment of teachers, provision of learning materials and uniforms, scholarships and other interventions aimed at improving the quality of education.

The statement also highlighted several awards and recognitions received by Governor Yusuf for his administration’s education-related policies.

In 2024, Leadership Newspaper named him Governor of the Year for Education, while New Telegraph recognised him as its Education Development Governor of the Year. The Nigeria Union of Teachers also named him Teachers’ Friendly Governor of the Year in the same year.

In 2025, Blueprint Newspaper recognised Yusuf as Governor of the Year for Education at its national conference in Abuja, while ThisNigeria honoured him as its Courageous Governor of the Year.

The statement further said the administration received education-related recognition internationally in 2026, including an international literacy and learning award and an education spending award attributed to Universal Learning Solution and City University, Paris.

Other recognitions listed in the statement include the Vanguard Governor of the Year Award for Good Governance in 2024, the BusinessDay Governor of the Year Award in 2025 and the African Governor of the Year Award presented by African Leadership Magazine in Casablanca, Morocco.

Yusuf dedicated the latest NECO achievement to the students, teachers, parents and people of Kano State, assuring them that his administration would sustain its investment in the sector.

He said the ultimate objective was to build an education system capable of equipping young people in the state with the knowledge and skills needed for higher education, employment, innovation and leadership.

The governor also referenced the scale of the state’s education system, noting that Kano recorded more than five million schoolchildren in the latest annual school census.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the state of the Nigerian economy, calling on the President to apologise to Nigerians and leave office.

Atiku made the demand in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

The former vice-president described the Tinubu administration as one of the most ruinous governments Nigeria has experienced and accused it of making life increasingly difficult for citizens while continuing to accumulate debt.

“A government that says more money is coming in must explain why it keeps borrowing and why the people paying for its policies cannot see the promised gains.”

He cited figures from the Debt Management Office, which put Nigeria’s public debt at ₦166.79 trillion as of June 30, 2026, compared with ₦49.85 trillion in March 2023.

“After more than three years of demanded sacrifice, Nigerians are left with higher food, transport and energy bills, strained public services and a recorded public debt of ₦166.79 trillion as at 30 June 2026, according to the Debt Management Office.

“Nigeria’s recorded public debt stood at ₦49.85 trillion in March 2023 and ₦166.79 trillion by June 2026.

“I expect President Tinubu to put the full account before Nigerians. He should identify the old debt newly recorded, the foreign debt whose naira value rose with the exchange rate, and every new loan contracted since he assumed office. He should show what has been repaid and what remains outstanding. Accounting explanations must not become a hiding place for fresh borrowing,” he said.

Atiku also criticised what he described as a gap between official claims of economic recovery and the experience of ordinary Nigerians.

“The Tinubu economy is producing two Nigerias: one in which ordinary citizens are suffocating under rising food, fuel, transport, electricity, education and housing costs, and another in which those with wealth, access and privilege are far better positioned to protect and multiply their fortunes.”

“That is the fundamental contradiction at the heart of these reforms. Government celebrates macroeconomic indicators while millions of citizens struggle to translate those statistics into food on the table.

“An economy cannot be declared successful simply because government revenue is rising, reserves are improving or official statistics look better while the purchasing power of ordinary citizens is being destroyed. The true test of economic policy is whether Nigerians can afford food, transportation, housing, education, healthcare and electricity,” he said.

He further pointed to rising fuel prices, saying petrol had sold for about ₦1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja and as high as ₦1,500 in parts of northern Nigeria in September. He also said diesel prices had exceeded ₦2,000 per litre.

“The philosophy of an economic reform cannot be that the poor surrender more and more while those already insulated from hardship become increasingly comfortable. Nigerians were promised that today’s pain would produce tomorrow’s gain. After more than three years, they are entitled to ask: gain for whom?

“A mother cannot feed her children with a government revenue announcement. A worker cannot pay transport fare with a speech about reform. Nigerians do not eat GDP figures, FAAC allocations or PowerPoint presentations. The numbers must eventually arrive at the dinner table,” he said.

Atiku also raised concerns over the amount of government revenue being used to service Nigeria’s debt.

“BudgIT reported that by the third quarter of 2025, debt service had reached ₦12.52 trillion against ₦18.63 trillion in revenue — 67.2 per cent. In practical terms, roughly ₦67 out of every ₦100 of the revenue reflected in those figures went to debt service.”

“Money committed to debt service is money unavailable for competing public needs. Nigerians were told to endure the pain because there would be gains. Where are those gains?”

He referred to remarks made by Tinubu at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi in May, where the President reportedly said Nigeria expected to spend about $11.6 billion on debt servicing in 2026.

“If President Tinubu understands abroad what debt payments are taking away from Nigeria, then he must explain at home why the borrowing bill continues to grow.

“History warns us where this road can lead. Fiscal distress does not begin on the day a bailout is announced. It develops when borrowing becomes routine, debt service consumes an ever-larger share of available revenue and governments repeatedly borrow to finance gaps that previous borrowing failed to close.

“Nigerians should not have to wait for creditors to tell them what their household budgets already reveal.”

Atiku also called for greater disclosure of the country’s external debt-service obligations for the second quarter of 2026.

He said the President and the All Progressives Congress (APC) should apologise to Nigerians over the hardship he attributed to the administration’s economic policies since 2023.

“President Tinubu should apologise to the families who can no longer afford decent meals; to workers whose wages disappear on transportation before the month has properly begun; to parents struggling to pay school fees; to pensioners whose incomes have been destroyed by inflation; and to businesses fighting daily to keep their doors open.

“Nigerians were asked to sacrifice. Fuel subsidy was removed. The naira was allowed to depreciate sharply. Electricity and transportation costs rose. Government revenues increased, yet borrowing continued. After all of this, the Nigerian people are entitled to ask one simple question: what exactly did our sacrifice buy?

“An apology is not too much to ask from a government under whose watch millions of Nigerians have been pushed into deeper economic distress. Leadership must have the humility to admit when policies have inflicted enormous pain on the people they were supposed to serve.

“Good economics must ultimately improve human life. If government revenue rises while families become poorer; if debt rises while public services remain inadequate; if citizens surrender subsidies, pay higher prices and endure declining purchasing power while government continues borrowing, then Nigerians have every right to demand a full account of where their sacrifice has gone.

“President Tinubu and the APC owe Nigerians that account and they owe them an apology. Apologise to Nigerians. Account for the money collected. Reconcile the borrowing. Explain the charges. Show the people what their sacrifice bought. Then make a solemn pledge to step away from governance rather than ask Nigerians for another mandate to endure this suffering.

“The real test of this economy is not whether the numbers look good in government presentations. It is whether ordinary Nigerians can afford to live.

“Reconcile the borrowing. Explain the charges. Show Nigerians what their sacrifice bought. Apologise for the hardship. And leave governance to those prepared to make life affordable again.”

By Sabiu Abdullahi

At least five miners have been killed and two others injured after gunmen attacked a mining site in Marit village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The incident occurred on Saturday amid heightened tension in parts of the state.

The spokesman of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), Rwang Tengwong, confirmed the attack and said it occurred at about 1pm.

He said, “Five persons were killed while two others sustained injuries in the attack. It is a very sad and painful development. Our people are once again mourning the loss of lives to violence.

“We condemn this attack and call on the security agencies to urgently take steps to protect our communities and prevent further attacks.”

A member of the community, Simon Mundat, also confirmed the incident and described the loss of lives as devastating.

Mundat said, “We are deeply saddened by this attack. Five people have been killed and two others injured.

“This is a very painful situation for the community. We appeal to the authorities to strengthen security in the area so that our people can go about their legitimate activities without fear.”

Attempts to obtain comments from the spokespersons of Operation Enduring Peace and the Plateau State Police Command, Captain Polycarp Oteh and SP Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as of press time.

The attack came days after the Plateau State Government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in three local government areas, including Barkin Ladi, following a series of attacks and killings.

The state government, through the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, had on Friday condemned the continued attacks in affected communities and urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding.

Meanwhile, security operatives, with support from local hunters, reportedly repelled an attack by suspected terrorists on Latok community in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area.

A resident, Danat Noel, said security personnel and local hunters responded to the attack and engaged the assailants, forcing them to retreat from the community.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has denied allegations that he betrayed the confidence placed in him by the President, saying investigations into the accusations against him have been made public.

Gbajabiamila spoke on Saturday at the 2026 Gbajabiamila Mega Empowerment Programme held at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

The allegations against the former Speaker of the House of Representatives were linked to a probe into the activities of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body described in the report as fictitious.

Gbajabiamila said investigations, including an inquiry conducted by the House of Representatives, had cleared him of wrongdoing.

According to him, the investigations were allowed to run their course despite calls from some quarters for him to be condemned before the process was completed.

He said, “The past few months have tested me in ways I never expected. Stories were written, strange accusations were made, lies were told, and my integrity was questioned. Three years ago, the people of Surulere, the people of Lagos State, and those who love me in Nigeria, stood me in their prayers and spoke up for me when it mattered.

“I will never forget that. I thank you all. The investigative reports are in the public domain.

“Many people wanted me to rush to judgement and give a verdict before the investigation. They refused and insisted on due process. Let me also say, Mr. President knows his Chief of Staff very well. Having worked closely with me for many years, he was therefore supremely confident that I was not in any way involved in those nefarious things.”

Gbajabiamila said the controversy had not affected his commitment to his duties in the Presidency.

He also warned those he accused of orchestrating attacks against him that he would not be distracted from his responsibilities.

“Let me speak plainly and directly to all those behind the attacks. No amount of money, no amount of blackmail or lies, whether sponsored from within or outside, will detract me from my work and the work Mr. President has given me to do.

“And to anyone using my name to defame people or misrepresent me, know that the law will always catch up with you.”

The Chief of Staff also spoke about his relationship with Tinubu, saying his loyalty to the President had remained intact despite occasions when he might disagree with some political decisions.

“In politics, loyalty is the currency we spend the most. I have been with Mr. President for many years…I did not question his leadership and never betrayed his trust in me. I stayed loyal then and I remain loyal now. My commitment to his Renewed Hope agenda is unshaken,” he said.

Gbajabiamila said the empowerment programme was designed to support about 5,000 residents from communities across Surulere.

He listed cash assistance, vehicles, electric tricycles, buses, security patrol vehicles and an ambulance among the items provided under the programme.

The Lagos State Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, commended Gbajabiamila for maintaining close ties with his constituents.

Hamzat also called for support for President Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that other candidates he described as politically unstable could not match the President’s political experience and capacity.

He said a politician who could not manage a political party would struggle to manage a complex country such as Nigeria, while describing Tinubu as a politician who had remained with his party and helped build it from its foundation into what he called the largest political party in Africa.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

At least six inmates have died within a week following a suspected cholera outbreak at the 115-year-old Kurmawa Maximum Prison in Kano, with Amnesty International Nigeria calling on the authorities to declare an emergency and take immediate action to prevent further deaths.

The rights organisation said a number of inmates are currently receiving treatment as the suspected disease continues to spread within the prison. It warned that the actual number of deaths could be higher.

Amnesty particularly raised concern over the condition of critically ill inmates and called for their immediate transfer to hospitals for appropriate medical treatment.

The organisation also expressed concern about the large number of awaiting-trial inmates held at the facility, noting that some prisoners can spend years behind bars without being convicted of a crime.

According to Amnesty, overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate food and limited access to healthcare remain serious problems in Nigeria’s correctional facilities.

It warned that failure by the authorities to respond urgently to the situation at Kurmawa Prison could result in additional deaths and potentially amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, a serious human rights violation under international law.

Amnesty called for urgent measures to contain the suspected outbreak and improve conditions in Nigerian prisons, stressing the need for the country to ensure that the treatment of inmates complies with human rights obligations and international standards.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has raised concerns over the scale of alleged corruption involving public officials in Nigeria.

Olukoyede spoke in Abuja on Thursday at an event organised to mark the 80th birthday of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi.

According to the EFCC chairman, the commission receives more than 20,000 petitions concerning alleged public-sector corruption each year. He said some of the cases reveal disturbing levels of financial misconduct.

“I receive over 20,000 petitions in a year in respect to public corruption, all terrible. What is going on? Like every minute, public officers take money, and if you go through some of our case files you will weep.

“The way people take national resources and Nigerians are victims of these fraudulent activities. And we must come together for once in our lifetime and say no to the activities of some of our leaders,” Olukoyede said.

He alleged that some public officials enter government with less than N100,000 in their bank accounts but accumulate substantial wealth within a few years of assuming office.

Olukoyede said investigations by the commission had traced millions of dollars to some officials who allegedly had modest financial resources before taking public positions.

He also alleged that some officials acquire hundreds of houses while still serving in government.

The EFCC chairman said the alleged misuse of public resources was having serious consequences for the country and described corruption as a major threat to Nigeria’s development.

He called on public officials to account for their activities and decisions while in office.

Olukoyede further stressed the need for accountability and transparency across the public service, saying those entrusted with public resources must be prepared to explain how they handled them.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned N84 million to an Edo State businessman, Ekhahon Abraham, after recovering the money from a woman accused of diverting the funds.

The EFCC’s Benin Zonal Directorate presented a draft for the recovered amount to Abraham, according to a statement issued by the commission.

The commission said its operatives recovered the money from Anita Eborome after an investigation into a petition filed by the businessman.

According to the EFCC, Abraham had paid Eborome N84 million for a parcel of land measuring 115ft by 135ft in a community in Edo State.

The businessman reportedly constructed a perimeter fence on the property after making the payment. However, the fence was later demolished by a man who claimed to be the rightful owner of the land.

The development prompted Abraham to seek a refund of his money from Eborome, but he reportedly failed to recover the funds.

The EFCC said its investigation later established that Abraham transferred the money to Eborome, who allegedly diverted it for personal use.

The commission quoted Abraham as saying:

“Abraham said after making payment, he erected a parameter fence on the land but it was pulled down by a man who claimed to the be rightful owner.

“Based on that incident, he sought for a refund of his money but met a brick wall as Eborome came evasive hence he was advised to petition the Commission.

“During investigation, it was discovered that Abraham transferred the money to Eborome but she diverted the money for her personal use.”

The draft was presented to Abraham by the acting Zonal Director of the EFCC, Deputy Commander Sa’ad Hanafi.

Hanafi said the commission would continue to carry out its responsibilities professionally and prevent fraudsters from benefiting from funds that do not belong to them.

The EFCC said the recovery followed its investigation into the complaint and the tracing of the funds transferred to Eborome.

By Muhammad Abubakar 

The Ulama Forum in Northern Nigeria has strongly condemned the killing of 37 young Nigerians, including teenagers as young as 16, by personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.

In a press release signed by Convener Aminu Inuwa Muhammad and Secretary Engr Basheer Adamu Aliyu, the Forum described the killings as “shocking, disgusting and dastardly” and called for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation.

The Forum also raised alarm over reports of armed tribal militants attacking Fulani settlements in Mbamnga, Mambilla, Taraba State, particularly Wuro Geroji, where several people and livestock were reportedly killed, homes burnt, and hundreds of women and children forced to flee to Cameroon.

The Ulama Forum urged the Federal Government to ensure appropriate compensation and relief (diyyah) for victims’ families, strengthen security in vulnerable communities, prosecute those found culpable, provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons, and facilitate the safe return of those who fled to Cameroon.

It emphasised that the protection of human life remains a fundamental responsibility of government and security institutions, stressing that every Nigerian deserves protection regardless of ethnicity, religion or location.

The Forum extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for eternal rest for the departed, healing for the injured and displaced, and lasting peace, security and justice for Nigeria.

By Hamisu Adamu Dandajeh

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often called “inevitable”. The only question, we’re told, is timing. Nevertheless, the data says otherwise. Even the world’s most electrified economies remain overwhelmingly combustion-powered on the road. Nigeria’s constraints run deeper still. They are not only rooted in physics, minerals and money, but also on political willpower.

Start with Norway. It is the closest thing the world has to a completed EV transition. Battery-electric vehicles made up 96–97% of new car sales in 2025. Decades of tax breaks, toll discounts and bus-lane access built that number. But look at the cars actually on Norwegian roads, not the ones sold this year. Only a third of the total fleet is electric. That is the highest share in the world. And it still leaves two-thirds of Norway’s cars running on combustion. Sales dominance and fleet electrification are not the same thing. That gap is the central fact of this entire debate.

Other countries make the point harder. China crossed 50% EV sales penetration in 2025. Its road fleet is still only about 13% electric. Germany’s EV sales share collapsed from 29% to 19% when subsidies were cut, then recovered to 28% once they returned. Adoption moves with subsidy, not momentum. The US sits at roughly 10% of new car sales, stalled since federal tax credits expired. Japan’s EV sales share fell from 3% to 2% in 2025.

Globally, the EV fleet reached about 116 million units in 2026. The world’s total car fleet exceeds one billion vehicles. China alone holds 61% of all EVs on earth. A 30% sales share this year still means a fleet penetration of five to seven per cent. Cars last fifteen to twenty years. Old stock does not disappear because new sales shift. This is steady progress. It is not imminent replacement.

Nigeria’s problem is a different category of constraint. The national grid serves over 220 million people. It generates between 4,000 and 4,800 megawatts on a good day. That is about 20 watts per person. Pakistan manages 180. Indonesia manages 250. The United States manages 3,530; 176 times Nigeria’s figure. You cannot charge an EV fleet on a grid that cannot keep the lights on. Nigeria’s grid still collapses outright. Generation crashed to 20 megawatts nationwide in January 2026.

Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan targets 60% EV fleet share by 2050. Today, EVs are under 1% of the country’s vehicles. That is a few tens of thousands of cars; by industry estimate, no official figure exists. Import duty waivers pushed nearly 4,000 more EVs into the country in the first half of 2026. They are landing in a market where the grid runs at 30% of installed capacity. Barely half the population has a grid connection at all. Public charging stations number around a dozen nationwide.

Here is the telling part. Nigerian charging operators now run diesel and petrol generators to keep their own chargers working when the grid fails. The EV system depends on the fuels it is meant to replace. A car charged from a diesel generator is not a clean-energy solution. It is a combustion engine with an expensive extension cord.

Electric two- and three-wheelers are the exception. They are gaining real ground, often paired with solar charging. They already beat petrol bikes on lifetime cost. But a solar-charged motorcycle and a grid-dependent passenger car are different problems. Confusing the two is where much of the optimism about Nigeria’s EV transition breaks down.

Four structural constraints hold the combustion engine in place even in wealthy, grid-secure economies. Minerals come first. The cobalt supply gap is projected to widen from 15% to over 25% by 2040. Lithium demand is set to more than triple. The real bottleneck is refining, not mining. China controls most of that capacity, regardless of where the ore comes from. Battery supply chains are nearly as exposed as the oil trade they aim to replace.

Grid capacity is the second constraint, and it is not just a developing-world problem. The US grid faces simultaneous demand growth from data centres, reshored industry, building electrification and EV charging. Data centre demand alone is forecast to more than double by 2035. Ninety per cent of US charging operators cite grid limits, not construction cost, as their biggest obstacle. Lagos and Chicago differ in degree, not in kind.

Fleet turnover is the third. Cars stay on the road for over a decade. Fleet electrification always lags sales electrification. Norway proves it: a third of its fleet is electric, compared with 97% of its sales. Even a Nigeria that hit 100% EV sales tomorrow would run a majority-combustion fleet well into the 2040s.

Heavy-duty transport is the fourth. Electric truck sales more than doubled in 2025. They still make up barely one in ten trucks sold worldwide, and mostly in China. Long-haul freight, shipping, aviation and heavy equipment remain unsolved. Battery energy density per kilogram still trails diesel and jet fuel by a wide margin. These are the vehicles moving most of the world’s freight.

None of this argues against electric vehicles. Norway’s numbers are real. China’s manufacturing scale is real. The direction of travel is toward more electrification. But “more” is not “complete replacement,” and only the first claim survives contact with the data.

Nigeria’s real constraint is a 4,000-megawatt grid serving a quarter-billion people. That leaves meaningful EV penetration limited, for now, to solar-charged two- and three-wheelers and isolated pilot fleets. The industrialised world faces a different but equally real constraint: a mineral supply chain that cannot yet support the scale being promised, a grid under pressure from EVs and data centres at once, and a vehicle stock so large that even a fully electrified sales market takes a decade or more to become a fully electrified road.

The honest forecast is not replacement. It is long, uneven coexistence. EVs will take a growing share of new sales where grids and supply chains allow it. Combustion engines will keep doing the heavy lifting for the existing fleet, and for the jobs battery technology still cannot do. Anyone promising a firm end date for the petrol or diesel engine is selling a story the numbers do not support.

Hamisu Adamu Dandajeh is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Fuels, Energy and Climate Change, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Email: hadandajeh@gmail.com

By Ibrahim Yunusa

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the commencement of the Faculty of Law at Federal University Dutse (FUD), alongside 30 new full-time academic programmes beginning from the 2026/2027 academic session. The approval was contained in a letter dated September 11, 2026, signed by the Director of Academic Planning, NUC, Abubakar M. Girei, and addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ahmad Mohammed Gumel.

The newly approved programmes cover diverse fields, including Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Information Systems, Common and Islamic Law, Community Health, Medical Laboratory Science, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Radiography, Optometry, Parasitology and Entomology, Environmental Standards, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Applied Geology and Remote Sensing, as well as several education programmes.

At the postgraduate level, NUC also approved PGD, M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes in Forestry and Wildlife, Accounting, Treasury and Finance, Banking and Finance, and Information Technology, alongside Master’s programmes in Banking and Finance and Accounting and Finance. The development expands FUD’s academic offerings across technology, health, science, education and management disciplines.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ahmad Mohammed Gumel, described the approval as a significant milestone in his administration’s effort to introduce new academic programmes. He said the programmes were designed to respond to emerging educational needs and equip students with relevant skills for industry and societal challenges. However, admission into the MBBS programme will not take place in the 2026/2027 academic session due to ongoing restructuring and adjustments in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.