The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Akwa Ibom says it has trained 729 of its members on Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

The union, however, said that the beneficiaries were all members of its Itu local government branch.

The Chairman of the union in Itu, Mr Saviour Udoh, made this known to newsmen in an interview at Mbak Atai, headquarters of the Local Government Council

He said that the training ran for three months during which the teachers were exposed to basic principles of computer appreciation and application that would make them ICT literate.

Udoh noted that it was necessary for the teachers to acquire the knowledge so as to transfer it to their students.

“ICT training has become necessary in primary and secondary schools because the current school curriculum requires the students to have computer knowledge,” he said.

He noted that the programme had given the teachers the basic skills of computer operations and that they were now equipped to implement the ICT aspect of the school curriculum.

Udoh called on the State Universal Basic Education Board and the state government to provide computers to the teachers to assist in the practical learning of the ICT subjects.

The NUT boss explained that the 729 teachers were the first beneficiaries of the training, adding that the exercise would continue till all teachers in the area benefited.

In another development, Alhaji Hassan Sadauki, Head of Hausa community in Akwa Ibom, has said that Muslims in the state will have a low-key Eid-el-kabir celebration.

Sadauki told newsmen in Uyo that the high cost of living was the reason for the decision of the Muslim community in the state not to have a commemorative celebration.

He said that currently only few Muslims in the state could afford a ram whose slaughtering was often associated with the Eid-el-Kabir festival.

Sadauki said that even the price of rice and other food items had gone up in the state, taking them out of the reach of the average families including the Muslims.

He said that a 50kg bag of rice which sold at N7,500 recently in the state had gone to N8,500.

Similarly, Sadauki said that price of an average-sized ram had risen to between N25,000 and N30,000 from about N20,000 it was sold before this period.

Noting, however, that it was compulsory for every Muslim to slaughter a ram for the celebration.

Sadauki called on wealthy members of the Hausa community in the state to remember the less privileged among them.

“Times are really difficult and that is why we are adopting a low profile approach to this year’s sallah celebration.

“Ram, rice and other food items have become quite expensive to buy but because we must celebrate, we want to do it low-key.

“But I wish to call on the wealthy Muslims in the state to remember the poor ones,” the community leader said.