News on the Go: 5 things that should matter to you today

• 99% score below 200 as over 21,000 candidates skip UTME resit, JAMB says
• House of Reps moves to ban commercial surrogacy in Nigeria
• Trump defends foreign student ban at Harvard

We have highlighted the five most important developments in the news today, Monday, May 26, and present them below.

5 issues in the news that should matter to you today

1. 99% score below 200 as over 21,000 candidates skip UTME resit, JAMB says: The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of the 2025 rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), revealing that 99% of candidates scored below 200. 

Out of 336,845 candidates slated for the resit, 21,082 were absent, amounting to a 93% absentee rate. 

In a statement released on Sunday, May 25, by JAMB's Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board did not explain the reason behind the high number of absentees.

However, the board has offered a lifeline to the absentees, saying they will be allowed to participate in the forthcoming annual mop-up exam, the date of which is yet to be announced.

2. PDP crisis deepens as Makinde, Wike clash over party control: Tensions are escalating within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as power struggles between Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike continue to widen divisions.

The internal rift now threatens the party’s upcoming 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 27. 

Wike, in a statement released on Sunday, May 25, announced his withdrawal from reconciliation efforts while blaming Makinde and Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State for fueling the ongoing crisis in the party.

3. House of Reps moves to ban commercial surrogacy in Nigeria: The Nigerian House of Representatives is considering a bill to outlaw commercial surrogacy and regulate the practice strictly for non-commercial, altruistic purposes.

Sponsored by Uchenna Okonkwo of Anambra State, the bill aims to protect the health and rights of women involved in surrogacy arrangements. It proposes a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a fine of N2 million, or both for violations.

4. NCC orders telecom operators to notify users of network outages: The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed all mobile network operators to inform customers about major service outages, including causes, affected locations, and the estimated downtime.

According to the NCC's new directive, consumers must also be notified at least one week ahead of any planned service interruptions. 

The move is aimed at improving transparency, enhancing user experience, and ensuring timely resolution of network issues.

5. Trump defends foreign student ban at Harvard: The U.S. President, Donald Trump, has defended his administration’s attempt to block the enrollment of foreign students at Harvard University, following a court ruling that temporarily halted the move.

Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, May 25, Trump questioned why Harvard wasn’t more transparent about the fact that nearly 31% of its students are foreigners, many from countries “not friendly to the United States.”

He also criticised the university for receiving billions in government funding while allegedly offering little information about the foreign students it admits.