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.