News
Unity Schools’ Facilities Upgrade To Gulp N98bn
A former National Universities Commission NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, said that the 102 unity colleges in the country would require about N98 billion to elevate the quality of their facilities to world class standard.
Okebukola made the submission in an address entitled: “Re-Booting Secondary Education in Nigeria’’, which he delivered at the Speech and Prize Giving/Graduation ceremony of King’s College, Lagos.
He said that there was an urgent need to rid the system of the viruses in the form of poor quality buildings and teachers, as well as poor curriculum delivery.
“It is a delight that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is undertaking an assessment of the state of plants and machinery in all unity colleges along with assessment of their management.
“This is with a view to determining their needs. This would be followed by improvement of physical facilities in all the schools.
“I urge that we should proceed rapidly from the needs assessment to taking urgent steps towards remediation,” he said.
Citing King’s College, Lagos as an example, he said there was an urgent need for intervention to modernise many of the buildings, including classrooms, laboratories, hostels and other buildings erected over a century ago.
“With the privilege granted me by the principal of this college to be part of putting more details on its 2012-2015 King’s College Strategic Plans, I estimate this modernisation of facilities to cost about N920 million.
“I also conjecture that at the end of the assessment of all the other unity colleges by the panels commissioned to do so by the Federal Ministry of Education, our two hardworking honourable ministers would be confronted with a bill of not less than N98 billion.
“My faint suspicion is that the ministers, Chief Nyesom Wike and Prof. Ruquayyatu Rufa’i, may be intimidated by this supposedly high figure. “But I propose that they adopt the technique of the monkey that picks one banana at a time to avoid being caught by the farmer,” he said.
He also identified poor quality teachers, as well as education in federal schools as another virus that was threatening the standard of education in schools.
He said that the teachers should be subjected to comprehensive standardised tests and that the test should be based on knowledge of subject matter and ability to innovate and be creative in class among other criteria.
“All those, who fail such test should be weeded out of the classrooms and be weeded into other departments in the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said.
Earlier, the Principal of King’s College, Mr Oladele Olapeju, called on the Federal Ministry of Education to look into the timing of Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME) and other examinations.
Olapeju said that the timing of such examinations usually coincided with the time final year students were saddled with the burden of several examinations that usually distracted them.
News
Mba Seeks Closer Synergy To Check Road Accidents
Worried over the high rate of accidents on Nigerian roads, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people, the Governor of Enugu State, Barr Peter Mbah, has called for closer synergy and cooperation among security agencies to check the ugly trend and ensure safety on all the roads within the country.
Governor Mbah, made the call in an address at the Graduation Ceremony of Senior Course 2 of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Command and Staff College, Udi near Enugu.
Represented by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief Aka Eze Aka, governor Mbah noted that closer security and intelligence sharing on incidents on roads within the country by various security formations and agencies both military and para-military would lead to greater security and safety of lives and property on roads.
He stated that the state government had keyed into the FRSC vision of reduction in road crashes and fatalities, adding that it had equipped the state traffic officers with the same set targets.
“As an administration, we are making all efforts to fix and improve on all roads and road infrastructure within the state; while we are calling on the Federal Government to do the same.
“Our partnership with the FRSC for training and retraining of our road traffic officers will continue and be strengthened so that as a state it will also build its own capacity to deal with road traffic issues and challenges,” he said.
Governor Mbah, however, congratulated the graduating participants of the course, while commending the FRSC management for being in the forefront of raising the standard and quality of its staff.
According to him, “my administration will continue to partner with the FRSC and strengthen existing engagements of mutual benefits”.
Earlier, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, said that the event was significant to the Corps as it marked its commitment to continuously improve its educational and operational standard and capacity.
Biu, represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal (DCM) Bisi Kazeem, who is in-charge of FRSC Training, said that the Corps was building resiliency and increasing its service delivery capacity by equipping its officers with quality and international standard training.
By: Canice Amadi Enugu
News
PDP Opobo/Nkoro Hails Fubara On Peace, Projects
Stakeholders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Opobo/ Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State have commended the state Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara for his disposition that has fostered peace in the State.
Rising from an expanded stakeholders meeting last Saturday in Opobo Town, the body in an eight-point communique signed by its Chairman, Hon. Benneth Daminabo, Chairman of Council, Rt. Hon. Enyiada Cookey-Gam and LG party Chairman, Warisenibo Godwin Pepple commended the governor for linking Opobo/Nkoro LGA to the national grid.
In addition, it lauded the effort of the governor in pursuing the 50.15 kilometre Dual Carriage Ring Road, Elelenwo internal road, Aleto-Ebubu-Eteo Road in Eleme and Andoni Road projects.
Despite the distractions, the stakeholders said they were impressed that the governor had equally done projects in health-the unveiling of Prof. Kelsey Harrison Hospital, Agric projects at Tai and Oyigbo and improving welfare of civil servants.
In their words, “members reaffirmed their unalloyed loyalty and implicit confidence in his administration.”
Condemning the unfriendly and discourteous utterances of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Tony Okocha in different fora in the State, the forum urged the duo to desist from such action in order not to heat up the polity.
The forum pledged to stand by the governor through, “thick and thin”, the stakeholders acknowledged the contributions of women, who through prayers for the government has impacted positively in the direction and posture of the governor.
Finally, the forum unanimously expressed gratitude to the Simplified Movement and other bodies that have thrown their weight behind the governor to ensure that the administration is stable and successful.
By: Kevin Nengia
News
‘Rivers People Are Now Breathing Fresh Air Under Fubara’
Aformer Caretaker Committee Chairman of Abua/Odual Local Government Council of Rivers State, Hon Elamo Arogu, says under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the people of the State are now breathing fresh air.
Hon Arogu said Governor Fubara has given Rivers people hope, considering the impactful and people-oriented projects being carried out by his administration.
The former CTC chairman made the assertion during the Simplified Movement’s thanksgiving service and rally held in honour of Rivers State chief executive last Friday in Abua .
Arogu said under Governor Fubara, the Abua/Odual people have the confidence that the dividends of democracy will definitely get to them.
He noted that the Governor has the strong will to change the narrative in Rivers State, being the reason he is receiving massive support across the State.
“The people of Abua/Odual are strongly behind him. Our doors ate open for everyone because there is government in place to attend to the needs of the people. I believe that he will develop Abua/Odual and other Rivers council areas, hence, the massive support. This government is business- oriented and we are ready to encourage him succeed and invest in our land. The issue of a bank; road networks and other necessities of life bordering on development as demanded by the people will be considered by Governor Fubara”, he said.
He called on the opposition to team up with Governor Fubara to build a stronger, united and viable Rivers State.
He maintained that ward nine under his leadership is Simplified.
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