Nation

THE STATES

Published

12 years ago

June 7, 2010

Adamawa

Prof. Isa Chiroma of the University of Maiduguri has called for the introduction of e-learning and distant programmes in polytechnics and universities.

Chiroma made the call at a pre-convocation lecture entitled: “Challenges Facing Tertiary Education Adminstration in Nigeria” on Friday in Mubi, Adamawa.

He said it was high time to change the pattern of tertiary education to meet the socio-economic and technological demand of the country.

Chiroma said e-learning would address inadequate funding militating against smooth operations of the institutions.

“Since funding and infrastructure are the challenges, tertiary institutions should consider e-learning and distance learning programmes with sister institutions.”

Bauchi

Bauchi state Ministry of Education has set up a committee to investigate Sunday’s demonstration at the Government Technical College, Gumau.

The Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Aminu Ibrahim, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi on Friday.

Ibrahim said that in spite of the committee, the college had also constituted its own internal panel to probe the incident.

On Sunday, students of the college protested against “a strange man” who had allegedly been sneaking into the girls’ hostel.

The Commissioner said he had visited the college and met with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Gumau town.

FCT

The Federal Government on Friday said it was committed to the dual task of reviving and creating an enabling environment for the smooth functioning of existing automobile industries in Nigeria.

A statement signed by Alhaji Umar Sani, the Senior Special Assistant to Vice President Namadi Sambo, said Sambo made the statement at a forum in Abuja.

It said the forum was a meeting between the management of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) and Bank of Industry (BOI), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) and Union Bank Nigeria (UBN) PLC.

Kaduna

Zaria Local Government Education Authority in Kaduna State has introduced a new system of checking the performance of teachers, the council’s Secretary, Alhaji Mustapha Umar, said on Friday.

He told newsmen in Zaria that the measure would ensure

effective teaching and learning in primary schools.

He, however, expressed concern over the poor performance of class five and six pupils, and stressed that most of them could not even write a sentence in English.

He said: “It is unfortunate that some primary five and six pupils cannot write a sentence in English and some cannot even write their names correctly”.

Kano

Rep. Faruk Lawan, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, has joined the governorship race in Kano State on PDP platform.

He presented his letter of request to the PDP state’s executive committee members in Kano on Friday.

Lawan, who represents Bagawai/Shanono federal constituency, said his decision to run for the governorship post was informed by his desire to “restore the glory” of the state.

He particularly expressed concern over the high rate of drug abuse, especially among youths in the state as well as the ‘sorry state of education.’

He said such issues would be tackled if given the opportunity to govern the state.

Katsina

The Federal Government is to establish legal aid centres in 72 local government areas across the country this year.

Already, government has earmarked N300 million in the 2010 budget for the project.

The Director-General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mrs Nwaka Akinlami, said this in Katsina shortly after paying a condolence visit to the former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua.

“With this development, each of the 36 states of the federation will have three legal aid offices; one in the state capital while the remaining two will be in local government areas,”she said.

Kebbi

The Kebbi Government has spent N15 million on the formulation of a 10-year strategic plan to develop the education sector.

The Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Sani Rukubulo, made the announcement in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, when he addressed stakeholders, serving and retired educationists.

Rukubulo said the plan was targeted at upgrading 1,476 primary schools, 228 Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), 90 Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) and six tertiary institutions in the state.

He said the policy was also to improve the one teacher to 100 pupils ratio as well as the one teacher to 75 students to improve learning in schools.

Lagos

The immediate past Chairman of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadbu returned to Nigeria on Friday through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The Delta Airline aircraft with registration number DL 053, which he travelled in from the US , touched down at exactly 4.40pm.

Ribadu simply said, “wonderful, wonderful, wonderful,’’ when asked by journalists how he felt coming back home.

“I am very happy, I feel very great, I am happy to be back home. I am just coming now, I am happy to be back home,’’ Ribadu said when pressed further.

The Tide’s source reports that the EFCC’s former chairman was received by his wife and three children.

Niger

The Concerned NITEL/MTEL Staff Association of Nigeria (CNSAN), Niger chapter, on Friday, protested the non-payment of their 26 months salary arrears and pension entitlements.

The Tide’s source reports that members of the association carried placards calling for the payment of their life pension scheme to reduce their suffering.

One of the placards read: “26 months without salaries; 308 dead.”

Mr Oluti Gabriel, President of the association told the source in Minna on Friday that, “members want to be returned to life pension agreement we signed with the Federal Government.”

“Government should pay for declaring us redundant and asking us to go before our time.”

Ogun

A don, Prof. Labode Popoola, has appealed to the Federal Government to show serious concern to the catastrophe posed by climate change.

Popoola, a professor of forest economics and the Dean of Post Graduate School at the University of Ibadan, gave the warning on Thursday in Ota, Ogun State, at a capacity building workshop on climate.

In his paper ,“Understanding Climate Change: Context, Drivers and Impacts”, Popoola, represented by Dr. Jimoh Saka, a lecturer in the university, said that 80 per cent of the inhabitants of the Niger stood the risk of being displaced as a result of climate change.

Plateau

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Plateau, on Friday in Jos, presented working tools to 30 women under the 4,700 jobs scheme.

The disbursement is in addition to the recent training of 50 persons on information and communication technology and events management, while 30 people were trained in agriculture.

Speaking shortly after the Friday event, the Plateau NDE Coordinator, Mr Monday Dalyop, said that 20 other women penciled to receive the tools could not do so because they could not present guarantors.

Sokoto

A Non-Governmental Organisation under the aegis, “Unity Education Empowerment Initiative,” has donated 10 wheelchairs worth over N160,000 to physically–challenged students of Abdulrashid Adisa Raji Special School,Sokoto.

Its Chairman, Sqn.Ldr Aminu Bala-Sokoto(rtd),told newsmen in Sokoto, that the beneficiaries included seven female and three male students respectively.

“They were drawn from the nursery, primary and secondary sections of the school. They were hitherto crawling to their classes from their hostels.”

“The gesture is aimed at alleviating their suffering. We have plans to donate crutches, brail machines, walking sticks and hearing aids to more students of the school soon,’’ he said.

Yobe

The Yobe House of Assembly has passed into law a bill compelling every household in the state to plant trees in its environment.

The law also prohibits illegal felling of trees.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Wakil Sarki, announced the enactment on Friday in Damaturu at a news conference to mark the World Environment Day.

He said the law was aimed at inculcating the habit of collective environmental sustainability in the people and also giving them acceptable guiding principles.

According to him, the law will teach them how to plant trees and spell out punishment for anyone found guilty of cutting trees illegally.

Nation

Participants At Experience-Sharing Workshop On Child Marriage In Kaduna

Published

9 hours ago

November 29, 2022

The Tide

The Kaduna State Government has reiterated commitment to end child marriage by improving access to education, food security and economic growth.
The Acting Governor of the state, Hadiza Balarabe said this at the inauguration of a two-day experience-sharing workshop on child marriage in Kaduna yesterday.
She said child marriage has been identified as one of the key challenges affecting northern part of the country which portends negative consequences on education, sexual and reproductive health.
According to her, child and forced marriage are harmful and a violation of human rights, stressing the need to change the narrative towards ending the menace in the country.
“This will require that we terminate the root cause of the problem which has been proven that it will evolve, leverage and harmonise instrument of law; and will need the good intending of leaders, all socio-cultural institutions and stakeholders,” she said
Balarabe said the state government accorded premium to human capital development as panacea to the root cause of the social problem, adding that government had introduced 12-year free and compulsory education for all in the state.
She said, “many girls in the northwest often got married before the age of 18 which called for concern.
“While some are between 15 years and taken out of school and become pregnant with complications due to long labour and undeveloped pelvic”.
The Kaduna state Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Baba described child marriage as a global issue and harmful practice to the society.
She advised parents and guardians not to push children under the age of 18 to early marriage, adding the practice caused devastating end to the life of a child.

Nation

SON Moves To Curb Substandard Products

Published

9 hours ago

November 29, 2022

The Tide

The Director-General, Standards Organisation Of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, has said for Nigeria to curb the menace of substandard products, the nation must surmount the challenge of low disposable income that drives purchase of substandard products.
Salim stated this during the 50th Anniversary Celebration of SON in Abuja, Monday.
Salim, who identified the challenge of foreign trade policy of some governments that actively encourage exportation of substandard products said “while acknowledging the modest achievements and strides of SON in the last 50 years, my vision for the organisation in the next 50 years is to be the foremost standardised body in Africa and among the top ranking globally.

“While this vision is achievable, the organisation will need to surmount several challenges such as changes in government policies like the often removal of the organisation at points of entry. Huge population growth with limited resources giving rise to communal restiveness.
“Limited research and development activities to keep pace with rapid innovation in the society; the likelihood of harsh weather and increased natural disaster occasioned by global warming; increase in litigation against activities of the organisation”.
He continued, “to mitigate the expected challenges, we need to evolve as a dynamic and innovative body, investing in the following critical areas: efficient workforce with the required skill set, cutting edge technology, appropriate and strategic infrastructure, and enhanced meaningful collaboration with stakeholders”.
In her keynote address, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Maryam Katagum, said SON played a crucial role in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
Katagum assured the Organisation of the Ministry’s continued support in achieving this feat.

Nation

FG Recommits To Lift 100m Out Of Poverty

Published

9 hours ago

November 29, 2022

The Tide

Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba has reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 through its Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
Jedy-Agba disclosed this at the 2022 Nigeria Energy Forum Day 2, Virtual Edition, held in Lagos, Monday .Earlier at the Day 1 physical event, President Muhammadu Buhari had unveiled government’s plans to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms Kachollum Daju, said this when she addressed newsmen in Abuja.
According to the Minister, ETP will lift about 100 Nigerians out of poverty and drive economic growth of the country.
“It will also bring modern energy services to the full population and managing the expected long-term job loss in the oil sector due to global decarbonization.
“The plan focuses on the rapid build out of sustainable energy systems to tackle energy poverty in the nation,” the Minister said.
He said in designing the plan, key targets from relevant policies and initiatives such as the 2020 Economic Sustainability Plan, the Nigeria Electrification Project, the National Decarbonization Programme and the Presidential Power Initiative was employed.
“The ETP is geared towards low-carbon development of Energy systems across 5 key sectors; Power, Industry, Cooking, Transport, and Oil and Gas.”
Jedy-Agba said the plan had been approved by the Federal Executive Council and adopted as National Policy.
“An Energy Transition Implementation Working Group (ETWG) has been established to drive the implementation of the ETP along with key International Partners.
“The ETWG is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and comprises of several key ministers, including the Ministers for Environment, Finance, Works and Housing, Petroleum Resources, Foreign Affairs and Power.
“The Working Group and its secretariat, the Energy Transition Office, have been engaging with in-country stakeholders, development partners, financiers and the international community for the delivery of the plan,” he said.
He said the ETP analysis shows that delivering Nigeria’s net-zero target requires 1.9 trillion dollars spending up to 2060, including 410 billion dollars above business-as-usual spending.
Speaking on the plan, the Team Leader, Green Economy Co-operation Section, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Inga Stefanowicz, said Nigeria was not standing aloof on the ongoing transition.
According to her, EU will contribute some 400 million Euros worth of projects and programmes to the ETP.
“This amount may seem modest when compared with the needs and the ETP estimates, but it is also the role of our funds to act as catalysers of change, reforms, private sector and international development finance investment.
“We are proud to have achieved such positive spillovers for Nigeria already and we look forward to working together more,” she said.