The Federal Government will soon inaugurate a dedicated radio station to broadcast lessons for adult and non-formal education learners across the country.

Director of Literacy and Development at the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Dr John Edeh, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Saturday.

Edeh, who is also overseeing the commission, said the initiative was approved by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to expand access to learning in remote communities.

He explained that radio remained the cheapest and most accessible medium for reaching marginalised and hard-to-reach populations.

According to him, the station will broadcast literacy and vocational education programmes nationwide and beyond Nigeria’s borders.

“Already, we have started the implementation process with the National Commission for Nomadic Education, and this approval was granted by the Minister to ensure that the radio station is established.

“With the radio, we can also leverage myths, so that it can broadcast lessons to every nook and cranny of the country, and this radio station also covers other countries.

“We are using digital technology now to reach our learners wherever they are,” he said.

Edeh added that the radio platform would be jointly utilised by NMEC, the National Commission for Nomadic Education and other agencies responsible for the education of out-of-school children.

“That radio will become a non-formal education radio station, so it will be utilised by our commission.

“Those three agencies will have access to use the radio station to broadcast lessons.

“So, there won’t be any issue of any area not being reached.

“When broadcasting begins, the frequency will be shared with learners so they can tune in from anywhere,” he said.

Edeh added that the initiative formed part of the government’s digital strategy to ensure no learner was excluded from education due to location or circumstance.

Rivers State Governor ,Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The affirmation followed the widespread speculations that he has defected from the ruling APC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the ongoing realignment of political forces ahead of the 2027 General elections.

Fubara made the clarification during an inspection tour of the newly constructed General Hospital and the fully remodelled Neuropsychiatric  Hospital, in Rumuigbo, Obiakpor Local Government Area of the State, recently.

He said that contrary to the erroneous reports  in a section of the media in the last couple of days, suggesting that he had joined another political party, he remained a member of the ruling party and will continue to work for the overall interest of the party.

“I know that there have been a lot of drama in the media; one story or another. I am a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and nothing has changed. People should stop using whatever situation  that they pick up from the social media or their own interpretation of any situation to present me wrongly.

“I’ve not gone anywhere; I’m still a member of the APC and I remain a member. Whatever happens, what is important is supporting the overall interest of the party,” he said.

The governor, who was conducted round the facilities by the Director of Medical Services in the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, expressed delight at the completion of the  two  projects which, according to him, were conceived to address critical needs in the health sector in the state.

He recalled that while the  rehabilitation of the Psychiatric Hospital became necessary at some point, the administration also discovered that the area had no General Hospital to take care of the basic health needs of the people.

“This very project,  if you could remember, when we came in we had an issue that required our sudden visit and it  had to do with mental health. So, when we came here for the inspection of the Rehabilitation Centre  that the board was trying to put together, we found out that we had more issues than even the mental  health issue.

“We didn’t have a General Hospital to serve the people within this area. The closest medical center that they had here was the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) which is very far from here. We felt that with the space we have in this compound, it will be proper for us to  also have a General Hospital situated in this particular facility to take care of the neighboring communities up to Rumuola,  Rumuolumeni and all the surrounding areas.

“Today, to the glory of God, we can see that the project is already completed. It is not 95 percent complete, it is a hundred percent completed.

“We’re happy because, it is a promise made and a promise fulfilled. Like I’ll always say,  what is important is doing what will touch the life of our people. Our people should be first and that is how important this project is for us in this administration,” he said.

Following the coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State last Friday, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed dismay and called on state governments to act, saying, “Yorubaland is now under siege.”

The organisation, in a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday, declared that the latest attacks reinforced growing fears that the terrorists appeared determined to overrun the South-West and, ultimately, the entire South.

The statement sympathized with families of the victims of the attacks and prayed for the quick recovery of those who were injured.

Afenifere’s spokesperson said the organisation’s leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, “was saddened to hear this unfortunate incident which occurred the same week he marked his 100th year on earth.”

Terrorists had last Friday attacked three schools – Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing a vice principal and kidnapping a number of school children.

Ajayi said, “He sympathised with the victims and their families, just as he prayed for the quick recovery of those who were injured. Besides, he expressed the hope that a total stop would be put to the life-threatening insecurity situation in the country without further delay.”

He declared that the latest attacks reinforced growing fears that the terrorists appeared determined to overrun the South-West and, ultimately, the entire South.

The organisation’s spokesperson said, “The actions of South-West governors in recent times do not suggest that they appreciate the enormity of the responsibility they shoulder concerning the security of their land.

“In view of the fact that the primary duty of government is the security and welfare of the people, governments in South-Western states of Nigeria must prove that they are alive to their constitutionally assigned responsibilities.

“Everything must be done to ensure that no area in the region experiences an attack by kidnappers and bandits anymore,” he said.