The Africa Arise for Change Network (AACN) has urged Nigerians to show understanding with the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) as it faces unique challenges in bringing Nigerian tertiary institutions’ entrance examination to contemporary world standards. Reacting to protests that followed recently conducted Computer Based Test (CBT) by JAMB, the Network’s leader, Nkechi Odoma, explained that Nigerians would have reacted differently if they understood the enormity of logistics and technicalities involved in the exercise. Odoma, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, clarified that her group was not holding brief for the examination body but that it would be sad to see the innovations brought in by JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Dibu Ojerinde rolled back on account of hitches experienced this year. She noted that Nigerians however have the right and responsibility to insist that JAMB performs better next time since the examination directly impact the future of youths and the finances of their parents. “We are not saying people should not protest or air their grievances, but those of us interested in the quality of education in this country should be seriously worried when proprietors of ‘miracles examination centres’ are sponsoring protests simply because the Computer Based Test introduced by JAMB under Professor Ojerinde has sent them out of their dubious businesses. “If we truly want world standard, we should be asking how to make the next JAMB (examination) better instead of holding protests to roll back the progress made with CBT. Let us not forget that some candidates see the protests as a gamble that could pay off if the results and entire examination are cancelled. “How the poor scores of some candidates translated into attempts to disrupt the entire organisation is something we should all be questioning since the protests totally lacked all the elements that one sees in spontaneous actions that are not orchestrated or managed by entrenched interests.” Odoma stressed. According to her, candidates should face up to the reality that CBT is now the norm since most recruitment firms now use it in place of handwritten tests that are now outdated on the global scene. She stressed that the JAMB Registrar and the organisation should rather be commended for their foresight and innovative spirit as it would have been catastrophic for the nation’s educational system if the examination was still being conducted using the old method.

Do you think big and set big goals? Or you think small and set goals you are comfortable with pursuing? Well, in this article; I am going to share with you some reasons why you should think big and set big goals. “I intend to be, the richest man in the world.” – Howard Hughes One of the common traits shared by the drop out billionaires and richest people in the world is the ability to think big and set big goals. Now let me give you a practical illustration demonstrating the power of thinking big. Laskhmi Mittal built the largest steel producing company in the world; Mittal Steel. Mukesh Ambani built the biggest refinery in the world; Reliance industries. Aliko Dangote is Africa’s greatest industrialist and largest cement producer. He is also planning on building the largest refinery in West Africa. Donald Trump is one of the biggest real estate developers in the world. “Most people think small because most people are afraid of success, afraid of making decisions, afraid of winning. And that gives people like me a great advantage.” – Donald Trump Ingvar Kamprad built the largest furniture making company in the world; IKEA. Jeff Bezos built the world’s largest bookstore; Amazon. Do you think these accomplishments were a result of luck ? My answer is no. These great entrepreneurs had every reason to settle for less but they pressed on for bigger goals. If they hadn’t planned to be the biggest; they probably wouldn’t be there. “I was worth about over a million dollars when I was twenty-three and over ten million dollars when I was twenty-four, and over a hundred million dollars when I was twenty-five and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.” – Steve Jobs My motive for writing this article is to challenge your perception. I want to use this article as a medium to open your mind to the tremendous power that lies in the art of thinking big. If you are an ardent reader of this business blog, then I believe you are aware of my personal goal to become a billionaire. I personally took up that goal because I love thinking big. “I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.” – Donald Trump Now why should you think big and set big goals ? The following tips will help change your perception towards goal setting. “I think I am very goal oriented. I’d like to win the America’s cup. I’d like Oracle to be the No 1 software company in the world. I still think it is possible to beat Microsoft.” – Larry Ellison The Magic of Thinking Big and why you should Set Big Goals 1. Thinking big forces you to challenge conventional wisdom Most people have been unconsciously programmed to abide by tradition and a certain mindset. Anything outside this mindset of theirs is termed “ impossible or outrageous. ” Examples of statements portraying conventional wisdom are: Go to school so you can get a good job and be secured. Don’t stand out from the crowd; blend in. Humans can’t fly. Be contented with what you have. But when you think big; you force your mind to challenge such limiting wisdom and your brain begins to fashion a way out. If the Wright brothers hadn’t thought big and set big goals; humans wouldn’t have been flying today in airplanes. If Columbus had agreed with conventional wisdom that the world is flat; I wonder what would have been of international trade today. If Bill Gates had followed the conventional wisdom of “ go to school and get a job”, I doubt if he would have been one of the richest men in the world. So never accept conventional wisdom without first giving it a thought. Think beyond conventional wisdom and it will be so. 2. Thinking big challenges you to go beyond your comfort zone “Being first is more important to me. I have so much money. Whatever money is, it’s just a method of keeping score now. I mean, I certainly don’t need more money.” – Larry Ellison When I set the goal to become a billionaire in my life time; I knew I was going way out of my reality. I felt uncomfortable because that goal seems like impossibility but I set it anyway and today, I am on the journey towards achieving such goal. That’s why I love thinking big and setting big goals; it pushes me beyond my own realm of possibilities. Now let me ask this question: have you ever been to heaven before? What real life proof do you have that heaven exists? Is heaven not beyond human reality and understanding ? Yet, billions of people hope and pray to enter heaven; a place they are not sure even exists. To me, wanting to go to heaven is a big goal which is absolutely okay but what baffles me is that while people are comfortable pursuing the goal to make heaven, they feel awful setting a big goal to be accomplished here on earth. Don’t be in this group; learn to think big for yourself. 3. Thinking big stirs your passion and enthusiasm How do you feel when you set a big goal? If you feel awful that you are gunning for something big, then you need to have your head re-examined. But if you feel excited and motivated, then you are on track. A big goal is meant to fire up your enthusiasm regardless of how challenging it is. 4. Thinking big unleashes your creative instinct Thinking big unleashes your creative instinct and helps you uncover ideas that will help you achieve your goal. When the Wright brothers toyed with the idea that humans could fly; their minds came up with the possibility of such idea becoming a reality. When I set the goal to become a billionaire ; I initially doubted the possibility. But as my mind began to absorb the goal; I began to see the possibility of achieving the goal and my mind came up with a lot of creative ideas that will help bring that goal to reality. 5. Thinking big challenges you to expand your means; rather than live below your means Have you heard the statement: “ live below your means ? Well, there’s nothing wrong with such statement but I believe that perception is for small thinkers and average achievers. Big thinkers don’t live below their means; they expand their means to suit the lifestyle they desire. Big thinkers are not contented with average results; they aim for excellence. So would you rather be a big thinker or you prefer to live in mediocrity? The choice is yours. 6. Thinking big gives you a purpose to live and die for Thinking big and setting big goals give you a purpose to live and die for. It gives you something worth pursuing. When John F. Kennedy set the goal to put a man on the moon; it became a purpose he live for and today, he’s remembered for that goal. When the Wright brothers conceived the idea that humans could fly; it became their life’s purpose. When Christopher Columbus set the goal to sail round the world despite the risk based on the assumption that the earth is flat; it became his life purpose. Every man has a purpose on earth; but you can only discover yours if you think big. 7. Thinking big eliminate impossibilities Lastly, the true magic of thinking big is in the breaking of impossibilities. Thinking big makes the impossible possible. That’s why Adidas said “ impossible is nothing. ” This statement is only true if you think big and go for it. To many, the goal to become a billionaire is out of their reality and an impossible mission. But to me, it’s achievable because I have a perception that accept big challenges. So when next you think about setting a goal or executing a project, think big and your thoughts will be brought into existence.

The House of Representatives on Thursday asked the Federal Ministry of Education to immediately direct the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board [JAMB] to return to the former pencil-paper method in conducting examinations for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions. The House said “technical flaws” recorded in the latest computer-based Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination [UTME] had exposed JAMB’s lack of capacity to handle the computer- based tests. In the alternative, the House directed JAMB to conduct computer-based tests and pencil-paper examinations “simultaneously for candidates to opt for anyone of their choice.”

Some candidates who sat for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, have rejected their scores to the examination being sent to their phones, saying the results are beyond their expectations. Speaking to Vanguard Learning, some candidates said JAMB is intentionally tampering with and failing candidates. For Anuoluwapo Oni, “I wrote the exam on March 5 but my result was tampered with as another person’s result was sent to me and posted on the JAMB website. Please note that I am not the only one with this problem, and we need a platform to voice our complaints.” For Joy Ezeani, “2016 UTME candidates, especially those that took their exams on 8th to10th of March 2016, are pleading with JAMB officials to stop scoring us too low. The systems we used were not good as they were always tripping off and we would have to wait for the server to come up. That really wasted our time.” In the same vein, Femi Adeoti said “JAMB is intentionally failing candidates and most of my friends and classmates are negatively affected. If you do very well, JAMB will score you 36 or less. I am really pained because I am a distinction student from Yaba College of Technology, so I wonder how I can score 184 in ordinary UTME. Please help us get our messages across." Calling for the scrapping of JAMB as its objectives have been compromised, 22 years old Umar Ali from Kano State, said this year’s examinations show that JAMB can’t organise credible assessment of students for admission into tertiary institutions. He said: “The CBT mode of examination is a very good development if there is constant electricity, but this year’s exam was conducted at a time when electricity generation is below 1,570 MW. "

[img][/img] Soldiers stormed St. Michael’s Road and confiscated newspapers bearing Biafra reports – Nigerians condemn the action, describing it as undemocratic Soldiers have reportedly confiscated newspapers containing reports on the pro- Biafra agitation from vendors in Aba, Abia state. The Nation reports that the confiscated papers were both unsold and new editions of New Republic, Vesym, Freedom Journal and The Authority. According to the sources the troops, believed to have come from 144 Battalion, which is under Ohafia 14 Brigade, raided St. Michael’s Road at about 7am in two Hilux vans and confiscated the papers bearing Biafra reports.
They packed the unsold and current editions of the papers and went away. One of the sellers said: “At about some minutes past seven, soldiers in two Hilux vans arrived with one of the vendors that they picked along Mosque, asking him to point at the person who gave him the paper. But the vendor could not, because the person who gave him the paper had gone. “They asked to know the publishers or suppliers but got no response. Then they confiscated New Republic, Vesym, Freedom Journal and some copies of The Authority, which carried Biafra stories. “We are yet to be told the reason for the confiscation, but the truth is that we have lost money as many readers were disappointed.” A publisher, who asked not to be named, criticised the action of the soldiers. He said they were overstepping their bounds and pledged that “attempts by the military to gag the press will fail. We are publishing reports about Biafra like other national dailies do. Let them close down all the media houses because they are carrying Biafra stories, after all, we are not the only ones publishing stories on Biafra.”
The foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development, a non- governmental organization, issued a statement criticizing the development. It defined it as anti-democratic adding that soldiers have no right to confiscate newspapers, no matter what is published, except on the orders of a competent court. “Nigeria is not a banana republic and therefore, the principles of democracy, as practiced elsewhere, should be respected,” it said. The arrest of the IPOB leader and director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has caused an upsurge of protests in the south-east. Pro- Biafran activists are protesting against Kanu’s continuing detention. Kanu was arrested in Lagos in October 2015 and is standing trial for treasonable felony charges.

– Asari Dokubo has called on President Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu and restore Biafra – He said Kanu did nothing wrong in calling for self-determination for Biafra The former Niger Delta militant leader Asari Dokubo has called on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to free the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. Dokubo in the article published by The Trent has said that time will come and everyone should come together to make sure Kanu is freed and Biafra is restored. The former militant said: ”Kanu did not commit any crime by calling for self- determination and he should be freed. It is never a crime to call for self-determination, thus, he should be freed. Biafrans have to put away their differences and make sure he comes out. When I was in detention, Igbo came together to bring me out. Nnamdi has done tremendously well and has shown resoluteness in the Biafra struggle. Our goal is our independence and the good of our people. ”IPOB should extend their campaign to every region in Biafraland and not just Igboland. The Biafra gospel should be preached everywhere and people should be told why they should fearlessly join in this movement.” “It is our collective responsibilities that will make Biafra restoration a success. “The Biafra struggle is for everyone and no one can do it all alone, thus, everyone should do away with differences and come together to make sure Kanu is freed and Biafra is restored. Leadership should not be our interest now; everyone should focus on our goal, which is the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra. “Any Biafran who wants to deny the fact that Kanu catalysed this quest for Biafra independence is lying to himself; it is an obvious truth. “This is not time to nurse grudges against one another so that our enemies will not take advantage of it and then use it against us.

[color=#006600][/color] The fact that the conduct of 2016 UTME examinations was laden with technical hitches is no longer news. The candidates who participated in the CBT examinations were purported to have all been awarded with arbitrary scores which were everything but commensurate with the efforts and expectations of the candidates. The scores were abysmally low and have resulted in peaceful protests in some states of the Country. As a result of this, many online fraudsters who claim they can upgrade JAMB scores have been doing everything to steal from the desperate students. The one they are just beginning to do is to spread rumours and circulating some figures which they claim are the general JAMB CUT-OFF marks of various institutions. Some say that registration for post utme screening exercise has started and they compel the ignorant candidates to pay into their private accounts for processing of forms. Many say the JAMB cut-off mark for federal universities is 200, others say it’s 180. You are hereby advised to ignore those rumours as they are not coming from the Authorities of any tertiary institution. No such official statement has been made by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). So don’t believe anybody who compels you to pay into any account to effect your UNN post-UTME registration as the registrations are currently NOT ongoing. You are urged to be patient and diligent in your preparations for the screening exercise. Yes, you need adequate preparation if you must get your dream course despite your low JAMB score. The school is just about tidying up first semester examinations and would soon commence second semester activities. The 2016 post utme screening exercise would probably come up in July. When the school is done with the planning and preparation, they would come up with the announcement. The information to look out for in the school’s official announcement are: the school’s official JAMB cut-off mark for the session, the commencement of the sales of post-UTME online pre-registration scratch cards/forms, the nationwide distribution outlets (mostly, banks) of the scratch cards, the duration of the online pre- registration, the dates for the Screening Exercise, the campus(es) to be used, and so on. You are therefore advised to bookmark this website (www.myunndreams.com.ng ) on your browser and keep visiting it on a regular basis for prompt updates on admission matters. Let me also inform you that when the school is ready to conduct the 2016 post UTME Screening exercise, the announcement will definitely be on one or two national dailies and on the school’s official website. So don’t be afraid of missing out. Finally, let me remind you that we are committed to giving you the right information and news updates as they unfold. So just stick around. Do your best to keep in touch with this website. If you want to see the departmental cut-off marks for 2015, >>Click Here<<. You can also follow the link: >> MY UNN DREAMS STUDENTS’ FORUM<< to join thousands of other UNN aspirants in our Facebook forum who are currently interacting and engaging in Group Discussions and Revision Classes in preparation for the 2016 UNN PUTME Screening Exams. Click this link: >> SURE SUCCESS << to find out how you can obtain your own copy of UNN Admission Preparatory Handbook in your locality. There you find up-to-date UNN post UTME Past Questions solved in the most comprehensive and learning friendly ways, and well-researched advice on how best to prepare for a successful admission search. It’s still yours sincerely, HD wishing you the very best in the forthcoming Aptitude Test. For secrets on how to smash the exam, click UNN Admission Success Secrets .

This is to inform you all that the 2016 Official JAMB Cut off marks For All Universities (Private, State, Federal) and has been listed below. You have to take your time checking this because it detains where you stand for the next Post UTME exam. 2016 Official JAMB Cut off marks For All Universities As you will see below, we have listed out cut off point for Federal Universities cut off point for state Universities. You will see that not all federal universities accepts cut of mark of 180. Some are 200 and above. So we believe that at this point this 2016 Official JAMB Cut off marks For All Universities will be important to you. 2016 JAMB Official Cut off marks for Federal Universities Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi ATBU cut of mark – 180 Ahmadu Bello University , ABU Zaria cut of mark – 180 Bayero University, Kano BUK cut of mark – 180 Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun FUPRE cut of mark – 180 Federal University of Technology, Akure FUTA cut of mark – 180 Federal University of Technology, Minna FUTMinna cut of mark – 180 Federal University of Technology, Owerri FUTO cut of mark – 180 Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State FUD cut of mark – 180 Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina FUDutsinma cut of mark – 180 Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State FUKashere cut of mark – 180 11.Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State FULafia cut of mark- 180 Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State FULokoja cut of mark – 180 Federal University, Ndufu-Alike , Ebonyi State FUNAI cut of mark- 180 Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa FUOtuoke cut of mark – 180 Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State FUOYE cut of mark – 180 Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State FUWukari cut of mark – 180 Michael Okpara Uni. of Agric., Umudike MOUAU cut of mark – 180 Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola (MAUTECH, formerly FUTYOLA cut of mark- 180 National Open University of Nigeria , Lagos NOUN cut of mark – N/A Nigerian Defence Academy NDA Kaduna cut of mark– 180 Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK cut of mark – 180 Obafemi Awolowo University OAU Ile-Ife cut of mark– 200 Police Academy Wudil cut of mark – 180 (2015 cut-off mark confirmed) University of Abuja UNIABUJA cut of mark – 180 Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta FUNAAB cut of mark – 200 Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi FUAM cut of mark – 180 University of Benin UNIBEN cut of mark – 200 University of Calabar UNICAL cut of mark – 180 University of Ibadan UI cut of mark – 200 University of Ilorin , UNILORIN cut of mark – 180 University of Jos, UNIJOS cut of mark – 180 University of Lagos, UNILAG cut of mark – 200 University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID cut of mark – 180 University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN cut of mark – 180 University of Port-Harcourt ( UNIPORT cut of mark – 180 University of Uyo (UNIUYO cut of mark – 180 Usumanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUSOK cut of mark – 180 Also Read this JAMB Result Withheld Update - Some Withheld Released JAMB 2016/2017 Cutoff Marks for State Universities Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU cut of mark – 180 Adamawa State University Mubi (ADSU) – 180 Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (AAUA) – 180 Akwa Ibom State University of Technology, Uyo (AKUTECH) – 180 Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma – 180 Anambra State University of Science & Technology, Uli – 180 Bauchi State University , Gadau (BASUG) – 180 Benue State University, Makurdi (BSUM cut of mark– 180, Medicine – 200 Bukar Abba Ibrahim University, Damaturu – N/A Cross River State University of Science & Technology, Calabar (CRUTECH)- 180 Delta State University Abraka DELSU cut of mark – 180 Ebonyi State University EBSU cut of mark – 180 Ekiti State University EKSU cut of mark – 180 Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu – 180 Gombe State Univeristy (GSU), Gombe – 180 Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL) – 180 & above for Sciences, Agriculture, Languages, Education & Arts; 190 & above for Management and Social Science Courses Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuoumeni – 180 Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri – 180 Kaduna State University (KASU), Kaduna – 180 Kano University of Science & Technology (KUST), Wudil – 180 Kebbi State University, Kebbi (KSUSTA)- 180 Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba – 180 Kwara State University (KWASU ), Ilorin – 180 Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso – 180 Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos – 180 Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) – 180 Niger Delta Unversity ( NDU ), Yenagoa – 180 Northwest University (NU), Kano – 180 Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago- Iwoye – 180 Ondo State University of Science & Technology, Okitipupa – 180 Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Oshogbo – 180 Plateau State University, Bokkos (PLASU) – 180 Rivers State University of Science & Technology (RSUST) – 180 Sokoto State University, Sokoto (SSU) – 180 Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode (TASUED) – 180 Taraba State University, Jalingo (TSU) – 180 Technical University, Ibadan – 180 Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina (UMYU) – 180 Check below you will find comment box, just in case you have any question about the checking of 2016 Official JAMB Cut off marks For All Universities listed above. We are here to clear your doubts. Good Luck.

JAMB Special Appeal To 2016 UTME Candidates And Parents
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in a statement has appealed to the public to remain calm and understanding following the planned protest by individuals under the aegis of education consultants. The statement made available by the JAMB’s public relations officer, Dr Fabian Benjamin asked the aggrieved candidates to channel their complaints to the public complaints unit of the board or visit JAMB offices nationwide instead of allowing themselves to be used in pursuit of selfish interests. Part of the statement reads, “We are not perfect as an organisation but we are working hard to ensure that Nigerian education is better than it is. We have taken the risk to do the unthinkable so as to change the paradigm. “We will continue to call on all Nigerians to give us the benefit of the doubt and with their collective support we will give them one of the best CBTs globally." The board added that the worst CBT is far better than the best paper and pencil test (PPT), where candidates pouring acid on invigilators, bolting with questions papers and engaging in all forms of gross examination malpractices.