Attorney. Policy. Education. Ideas. Scholar
Joined August 2011
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Three years ago, I went to Wegmans to purchase a few things. On my way out, I met an elderly woman dressed very elegantly who appeared pale and was asking for support. I gave her some money, and asked if she wanted some groceries and asked if everything was okay. She told me she had just received a doctor’s report indicating that she had about four months to live.
I said a few words of prayer with and asked for her contact information, helped her with groceries, and stayed in touch. I would call and text occasionally to check on her. Sometimes, I would pray with her and ask her to watch GCK. She lived well beyond the four months the doctors had predicted. This evening, I received a call informing me that she had gone to be with the Lord and I was informed that she also left a note for me.
I am grateful that our paths crossed and that I could be there for her in some small way. Sometimes, we never fully understand the impact of a simple act of kindness or how much it means to someone.
May God grant her soul eternal rest and comfort all those she has left behind. 🕊️
Jacob retweeted
Want to understand Nigeria's higher education system, the policies shaping it, and how they affect students and institutions? Subscribe to the @iReadInitiative YT channel for policy analysis, conversations, and updates.
youtube.com/@ireadtoliveinit…
Jacob retweeted
The @OfficialNUC has announced it will audit every university’s enrolment against its approved quota after matriculation. But audits work only if breaches carry consequences.
JAMB’s own data show 706,418 approved places went unfilled in 2025, yet the most sought after courses remain heavily oversubscribed. Law drew 58,033 applicants for 10,874 places, medicine and health sciences drew 433,293 for 148, 486, and social sciences drew 256, 364 for 161, 337.
Our new explainer shows where the pressure lies and what the NUC, JAMB and government should do next.
ireadtolive.org/go/nuc/
Dear Prof. Utomi, I am junior to you in academia and young enough to be your son, but I respectfully disagree with your position on this issue. If these allegations are unfounded, as I hope they are, why has Anthony Kila, who is not known to shy away from national issues, not publicly addressed them?
Respectfully Prof, please look beyond your friendship and encourage him to clarify the issues with verifiable evidence. Character and intellect are important, but they do not replace documentary evidence when academic credentials are questioned.
We must not lower the standard for accountability by any measure!
I know Anthony Kila. I was late to awareness of all the trending stuff about his career. I have never had need to ask of his certificates and letters of appointment and so cannot claim to have those details. But if he has never gone to school then those who have must ask for a refund. We watched the cyber mob bully Jason Arday, youngest black professor ever appointed at Cambridge to his early death. Incidentally I first met Anthony Kila in the city of Cambridge, England in 2006 when I was beginning a run for the office of President of Nigeria. Among those in the mob to lynch Arday were white professors pardoned mistakes of worse nature. I do not know who may be going after Kila in a country where many people give academic and non-academic titles to themselves and the status conferral function of the media elevates them to celebrity. But it does not seem normal. I can empathize from my experience.
When years ago a journalist tried to suggest my stay at VWoN had something to do with its demise I posted N12million for anybody who could come up with a shred of evidence in that regard. Fifteen years on and no one has tried to claim the bounty. When I became the first professor of Pan African(Pan Atlantic) parent of the Lagos Business School someone at Unilag went … huh until he found out that the evaluating team was led by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Perhaps if Professors like Adele Jinadu in Pol sci and Joe Umo at UNILAG had not met me in grad school abroad and interacted with my HOD Elinor Lin Ostrom who went on to become the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, someone will write something demeaning about my education.
Kila is a smart and good man. I cannot guarantee he has not made mistakes but to suggest he has not gone to school is spectacularly stupid.
Jacob retweeted
punchng.com/nelfund-risks-co…
Also speaking Prof @yomitheprof , an educator and human resources strategist, faulted the Federal Government for removing a means-test provision from the student loan legislation and questioned the continued increase in tuition fees by some institutions.
He said the draft bill initially restricted beneficiaries to people below a specified income level, but the provision was later removed.
The way Prof. Segun Aina is moving ehen, I can’t even keep up! Good moves, steady results. Konibaje o! 🙌🏽
Happy Birthday dear brother. May God bless your new age. Congratulations!
I have plenty of reasons to be grateful today. Some I can explain, others I am still trying to make sense of.
For the life I planned, the life that happened, and everything still to come.
Happy birthday to me! 🥂
#OctoBabs14
Jacob retweeted
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞!
Education systems are paying more attention to Social and Emotional Learning. Yet, its integration into Education Sector Plans has not kept pace.
Discover it here: iiep.unesco.org/en/articles/…
Since we published our brief on the Sustainability of NELFUND, someone from the organisation has consistently viewed my LinkedIn profile, including today.
Whatever you are looking for, may God help you find it. Let me reiterate, @iReadInitiative is an independent, evidence-based higher education policy think tank. Our work is grounded in research, data, and objective policy analysis, not political interests or institutional loyalties.
We exist to examine policies, interrogate evidence, and contribute to informed public discourse on Nigeria’s higher education system. Our independence is not negotiable, and our work will not be compromised by who is pleased or displeased with our findings.
Our commitment is to credible research and the public interest. This work is for Nigeria and Nigeria alone.
Anthony Kila has been unusually quiet in recent days amid the developments surrounding questions about his academic qualifications. For someone who has consistently been vocal on national issues, I hope he addresses the concerns publicly and promptly. The allegations are serious enough to warrant a clear response.
INVESTIGATION: How Anthony Kila falsified all his academic qualifications – from Bachelor’s to Doctorate
premiumtimesng.com/news/head…
If people have spent hours working for you, they deserve to be compensated and paid on time. Feigning ignorance or failing to take responsibility for resolving the issue is unbecoming of someone who claims to be well-educated and exposed.
I would have expected some of the people whose faces appear on his flyers for recent events to have reached out to him and encouraged him to resolve any outstanding issues. There is a Yoruba adage that elders should know better, but that wisdom seems to be missing here. When people work for you, paying them what they are owed is not an act of generosity; it is a responsibility.
Such conduct should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
The person who approved this message should first be placed on compulsory leave, then enrolled in a customer service class immediately. After that, transfer the person to a village in Damaturu for a month, so he or she can personally experience the kind of poor service reception you are providing to customers.
Over the past months, I have spoken with academics and professionals deeply invested in Nigeria’s higher education system. Many tell a striking story of how they received free and affordable education, graduated into jobs, and entered a workforce that had a clearer pathway from the classroom to economic opportunity. Some grew up in families shaped by public service and the Foreign Service.
Today, that pipeline feels broken. At what point did we lose the connection between the town and the gown? How many employers actually help shape curricula, provide internships, fund research, teach, and recruit directly from our institutions?Who are we educating, and who is waiting to employ them?
Jacob retweeted
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board @jamb_hq has announced plans to establish a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) centre in Ottawa, Canada. The Board disclosed this following a visit by its Registrar, @profsegunaina to the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa.
JAMB has run foreign centres since at least 2013 without publishing separate candidate numbers, costs or outcomes.
Before Ottawa opens, we have some recommendations for JAMB to consider.
Read our commentary here : ireadtolive.org/jamb-foreign…
We have asked @jamb_hq some questions following its plans to establish a UTME Centre in Ottawa, Canada:
1. What is JAMB’s specific objective in conducting the UTME abroad?
2. How does JAMB select the countries and locations for overseas UTME centres?
3. How many candidates have taken the UTME at each overseas centre?
4. How many of these candidates were subsequently admitted and enrolled in Nigerian tertiary institutions?
5. What is the cost of operating each overseas centre, and what is the cost per candidate?
Read our full commentary here: ireadtolive.org/jamb-foreign…
May God rest the soul of Mr. Tayo Opaleye. He was a dependable ally and was always very efficient in assisting students with processing their academic transcripts and facilitating their WES evaluations through the Registrar’s Office, all at no cost to the students.
We talked about this several times while he was here. I am sure he would be at peace knowing that one of the things he deeply desired has now been implemented.
Congratulations to everyone involved in leading this important innovation. It is a meaningful step forward for students and graduates.
Follow #iReadPolicyTracker as we track and explain every higher education policy in Nigeria. #NigeriaHEPolicy
