• FG approves age 18 as age limit for WAEC and NECO
• NBS reports Nigeria’s GDP increased by 3.19% in the second quarter of 2024
• FG threatens to shut down filling stations with overpriced fuel sales
• ASUU and NUT air differing opinions on FG’s age limit for WASSCE students
• NYSC announces call-up letters for Batch B Stream II is now available

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

FG approves age 18 as age limit for WAEC and NECO

The federal government has once again introduced a paradigm shift in the educational sector by approving 18 as the legal age limit for students interested in writing the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO).

Therefore, the FG has prohibited students below 18 from participating in these secondary school-leaving examinations.

The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, announced that the age limit was in line with the earlier announced age limit for writing the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

NBS reports Nigeria’s GDP increased by 3.19% in the second quarter of 2024

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released a report stating that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) saw a growth of 3.19% in the second quarter of 2024.

According to the report, the growth rate was higher than the 2.51% recorded in Q2 of 2023 and also higher (2.98%) than in Q1 of 2024.

NBS appraised the growth of the Services sector, revealing that it contributed 58.76% to the aggregate GDP.

“In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP at basic price stood at ₦60,930,000.58 million in nominal terms,” the report stated.

“This performance is higher when compared to the second quarter of 2023 which recorded an aggregate GDP of ₦52,103,927.13 million, indicating a year-on-year nominal growth of 16.94%.”

FG threatens to shut down filling stations with overpriced fuel sales

The federal government has announced that it would be shutting down independent fuel marketers for their overpriced fuel sales in the face of fuel scarcity as they have a huge part to play in the queues spreading across the country.

Many filling stations across the nation have been said to sell their fuel at ₦900 or ₦1000 per litre while the NNPC still strives to sell its petrol between ₦568 or ₦617 per litre, this is what has caused long queues in filling stations as everyone is trying to purchase petrol at a cheaper rate.

The federal government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has announced that petrol pumps found selling petrol at exorbitant rates will be closed as independent marketers claim they buy fuel from private depot owners at the rate of ₦850/litre; hence, the ₦900-₦1000/litre.

“Our depot people see a different price because we ask them to publish the prices at the depots daily, and it is not ₦850/litre. Our field agents at the depots give us a different figure,” the spokesman for the NMDPRA, George Ene-Ita countered.

ASUU and NUT air differing opinions on FG’s age limit for WASSCE students

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) have aired their differing opinions on the matter of the FG implementing the 18-year age limit for writing WAEC and NECO in Nigeria.

While the NUT condemned the law, ASUU supported the federal government and approved the implementation.

The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, stated that the law was not new but was rather being enforced, and those under 18 would be allowed to write their exams this year. Still, starting next year, anyone below 18 will be banned from writing the WASSCE, NECO and UTME exams.

“So, we are not coming up with a new policy, contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination,” Prof Tahir said.

NYSC announces call-up letters for Batch B Stream II is now available

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has released its call-up letters for all graduates who registered for the Batch B Stream II program.

The NYSC management revealed that its three-week orientation camp will begin on August 28, 2024, and continue until September 17, 2024.

The NYSC also shared some safety information and regulations regarding how prospective corps members travel when leaving their homes for designated camps around the country.