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BREAKING NEWS: Nigerian Senate Plan To Tackle Food Insecurity Through Modernisation of Agricultural Education
The Senate Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions has unveiled plans to modernise Nigeria’s agricultural education and research system as part of efforts to tackle food insecurity.
The committee’s Chairman, Sen. Sharafadeen Alli, during a media parley held in Ibadan on Monday, added that the plans would also boost job creation across the country.
NAN reports that the media parley held ahead of the maiden National Legislative Summit and Expo on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions.
The forthcoming summit is titled “Unfolding the Potential of Agricultural Colleges and Institutions through Collaboration and Innovation to Enhance Food Security and Job Creation”.
Alli said the committee had initiated high-level diplomatic engagements with Malaysia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to facilitate technology transfer.
He added that the committee had also engaged in investment and training to overhaul Nigeria’s agricultural education system.
According to him, the committee is determined to transform agricultural institutions from theory-based centres into practical and innovation-driven hubs with the capacity to deliver impactful results.
“The era of treating agricultural education as purely academic is over.
“Our goal is to ensure that between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of training focuses on practical areas such as crop production, livestock, and agribusiness,” he said.
He explained that the initiative informed the decision to organise the first National Legislative Summit and Expo on Agricultural Colleges and Research Institutions, from Tuesday to Friday.
The senator further revealed that the committee was reviewing existing laws guiding the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).
He said that more than 16 affiliated research institutes need to improve their operational efficiency and align their mandates with the nation’s food security agenda.
According to him, the Senate supports the establishment of specialised institutions, including the proposed Federal College of Agriculture in Shani, Borno, to strengthen agricultural development in underserved regions.
“Despite the logistical challenges, the committee has continued to engage heads of agricultural agencies to ensure that over 35 research institutes contribute meaningfully to national food security goals.
“Our focus remains on producing skilled manpower that can bridge the gap between agricultural research and practical farming,” Alli said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director, National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Prof. Muhammed Attanda, described the summit as timely, noting that Nigeria urgently needs a strong legislative framework to drive agricultural development.
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Former Vice President, Condemns Tinubu’s Security strategy As Ex-lawmaker Dies In Captivity
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday faulted the security strategy of President Bola Tinubu following the death of former House of Representatives member, Abba Adamu, in kidnappers’ captivity.
Adamu was reportedly abducted by bandits along the Abuja-Kaduna highway on May 3 and died in captivity nine days later despite efforts by his family to secure his release.
Reacting in a statement issued in Abuja through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the incident as a grim reflection of the worsening insecurity across the country.
The former VP said the death of the ex-lawmaker was not only a personal tragedy but also a damning indictment of a government that had allegedly failed in its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.
He said, “Adamu’s death is yet another grim reminder of the worsening collapse of security under the Tinubu administration. Let us be brutally honest: Nigeria is under siege, and this administration appears either overwhelmed, indifferent, or dangerously incompetent in the face of this national emergency.
“When a former member of the National Assembly can be abducted on one of the country’s most strategic highways and die in captivity, what hope remains for the ordinary Nigerian who lacks visibility, influence, or protection?”
The chieftain of the African Democratic Congress lamented that insecurity had become widespread, with citizens allegedly being kidnapped from highways, farms, communities and homes while government responses remained inadequate.
“This is no longer about isolated incidents. It is now a horrifying pattern. Nigerians are being kidnapped from highways, farms, communities, even their homes, while the government continues to issue sterile statements and recycled assurances that bear no resemblance to the lived reality of our people,” he stated.
Atiku further alleged that insecurity under the current administration had evolved into what he called “a cruel national routine,” saying many Nigerians now travel in fear while businesses and farming activities continue to suffer disruptions.
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The Waziri Adamawa also criticised the continued attacks along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor despite repeated assurances by security agencies and huge budgetary allocations to the sector.
“A government that cannot secure its highways cannot claim to govern. A government that watches citizens get hunted like prey has failed the most elementary test of leadership.
“It is particularly tragic that the Abuja-Kaduna corridor and surrounding routes have remained notorious theatres of terror despite repeated promises, security budgets running into trillions, and endless propaganda about progress,” he added.
He questioned the Federal Government’s security strategy and demanded accountability from the administration.
“Nigerians deserve answers. What exactly is the security strategy of this administration? Where is the urgency? Where is the accountability? How many more deaths must be recorded before this government realises that press releases do not defeat bandits?
“No amount of political spin can deodorise this failure. A nation where former lawmakers die in captivity while criminals operate with audacity is a nation in distress.
“At this point, what Nigerians need is not another hollow condolence message. They need decisive leadership, coherent action, and measurable results,” he stated.
Atiku also extended condolences to the family of the deceased, the people of Jigawa State and other Nigerians affected by insecurity, while urging the Federal Government to treat the nation’s worsening security crisis as an emergency.
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The Complete Official Record of UTME Top Scorers Since 2013 To 2026, As Published By JAMB.
2026
Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin
State: Ekiti
372 / 400
The latest name to top Nigeria’s most competitive exam, Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin scored 372 in the 2026 UTME, choosing the University of Lagos to study Medicine and Surgery. She was closely followed by Enwere Kingsley Ikenna (370) and Bamisile Ayomide Emmanuel (369), with several other candidates recording 368 and 367.
2025
All-time record
Okeke Chinedu Christian
State: Anambra
374 / 400
JAMB’s official press conference document, delivered by Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede on May 14, 2025, listed the best score of the 2025 UTME as 374 — the highest recorded since the computer-based test began in 2013. The Registrar described it as “the best highest in the last one and half decades.”
2024
Olowu Joseph Oluwasijibomi (Ondo), Alayande David (Oyo) & Orukpe Joel Ehijele (Edo)
367 / 400 each
Three candidates shared top honours in the 2024 UTME with identical scores of 367, making it a rare triple tie. Their registration numbers — 202440343695GA, 202440097040EF, and 202440089418GA — are confirmed in JAMB’s official records. It was a year when only 0.46 per cent of the 1.8 million candidates who sat the examination scored 300 and above.
2023
Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere
State: Anambra
360 / 400
A student of Deeper Life High School in Mowe, Ogun State, Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere (Reg: 202330325356GA) scored 360 to emerge the highest UTME candidate in 2023. Her achievement attracted national celebration, and Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo offered her a full scholarship.
2022
Adebayo Eyimofe Oluwatofunmi
State: Ekiti
362 / 400
Adebayo Eyimofe Oluwatofunmi (Reg: 202211075576JA) topped the 2022 UTME with a score of 362.
2021
Monwuba Chibuzo Chibuikem
State: Not disclosed
358 / 400
Monwuba Chibuzo Chibuikem (Reg: 10054281ID) scored 358 to lead all candidates in the 2021 UTME. He later went on to study electrical, electronics and communications engineering at the University of South Florida in the United States.
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Female UNILAG-bound candidate tops UTME, varsities keep 150 cutoff
One million admitted out of two million UTME candidates in 2025
FULL LIST: Ogun candidate emerges top scorer in 2026 UTME with 372 marks
2020
Maduafokwa Egoagwuagwu Agnes
State: Anambra
365 / 400
Agnes (Reg: 21398306DF), a graduate of Louisville Girls High School in Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State, scored 365 — a score that stood as the highest in the CBT era until 2025. She went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Duke University in the United States under the institution’s Karsh International Scholarship..…For more, Complete your reading
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