News Agency of Nigeria
Stakeholders urge FG to revitalise education sector
Education , Community

Stakeholders urge FG to revitalise education sector

By Blessing Ibegbu

Some stakeholders in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, have urged the Federal Government to revitalise the education sector.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Karu, that there was an urgent need to revive the sector in the country for better equitable quality education.

Mr Daburi Misal, a staff of Bingham University, who applauded the appointment of an educationist as minister of education, believed that the minister would ensure a better education system.

“The new minister of Education is a Professor of law, very experienced with the Nigerian educational landscape, so my expectations of him are very high.

“I expect him to make a very huge impact by solving the numerous challenges in the education sector. Principal amongst them is the issue of funding for research,” he said.

Misal said nations that are doing well all over the world in terms of development owe their successes to investment in research.

Misal also urged the minister to prioritise the welfare of personnel in the sector in order to maintain stability and retain our best hands.

“The country has continued to lose valuable personnel to constant search for greener pastures. We cannot make headway as a nation if we cannot retain our best minds.

“We cannot progress if the funding for education continues to fall below the 26 per cent threshold of UNESCO recommended budgetary spending on education by governments,” he said.

Mrs Folashade Vincent, Proprietress of Wemicent International Schools, Koroduma Island, Karu, Nasarawa State, urged the minister to ensure adequate funding and proper infrastructural development to enhance learning in Nigerian schools.

Vincent emphasisedon the need for the reformation of the education sector by reviewing the present curriculum and proper training of teachers.

“Our curriculum should be reviewed because for decades, we have been using same curriculum. There should be an improvement.

“Compulsory training and retraining of teachers should be given priority. Most teachers are not in tune with current trends in the sector. You cannot give what you do not have.

“Training of teachers should be inculcated into the curriculum and funded too, thereby making it easier for the teachers,” she said.

Vincent urged the minister to put an end to the Academic Staff Unions of University (ASUU) strike by initiating positive changes in the sector.

“Let the Nigerian youths and students be able to attend Nigerian universities without fear, rather than running away to seek better university education elsewhere,” she said.

Mr Linda Dabit, a teacher, said that the state of education in the country calls for a state of emergency in the sector.

She urged the minister to look into the area of infrastructure, welfare and training in the education sector, especially secondary and primary.

“I was privileged to supervise a NECO examination in different schools, and I discovered that there are insufficient classrooms and chairs for students and pupils to sit on.

“We need more schools to be established and more classrooms. Imagine, the whole of Nyanya in FCT, it’s only one Senior secondary School in spite of the dense population.

“Teachers welfare should be given utmost priority; steady workshop and training to update their knowledge and also every allowance due to them be cleared,” Dabit said.

Dabit commended the government for the implementation of the 65 years teachers` retirement age.

“I believe that the president Bola Tinubu`s administration through the new minister as an academia would revive the sector. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

================
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Joseph Edeh

Kaduna communities not benefiting from constituency projects due to poor implementation – CODE
Community

Kaduna communities not benefiting from constituency projects due to poor implementation – CODE

By Sani Idris

The Community Monitoring Team (CMT) of a Pan African NGO, Connected Development (CODE), says on Friday that community members are not benefitting from constituency projects due to poor implementation.

Mrs Ladi Bonat, Coordinator of the CMT in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State, stated this during a town hall meeting on Friday in Lere.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was on Deepening Citizens Interest in Government Spending and Addressing Accompanied Corrupt Practices (DeSPAAC) project.

The DeSPAAC project was being implemented by CODE with support from MacArthur Foundation to mobilize communities and empower them to provide effective public oversight on government spending.

“Our people have not reaped the full benefits of constituency projects due to poor implementation, abandonment and corrupt practices by officials and contractors executing the projects.

“Such individuals have often gotten away with their actions because citizens, communities and activists have not paid sufficient attention to government spending on project implementation,” she said.

She explained that CODE had established the CMTs, made up of members from different community structures, mobilise citizens, train and empower them to track the implementation of the constituency projects.

She said that the members of Lere communities and other stakeholders have adopted CODE’s Follow the Money strategy to track government spending on various projects in the communities.

“The results have been quite impressive as citizens have been monitoring the implementation of constituency projects, leading to completion of some of the projects while engaging government officials on abandoned ones.

“We are now in the third year of the project, and we are taking steps to sustain the momentum and deepen the outcomes of the implementation of the DeSCAAP project in the LGA,” she added.

Bonat explained that the town hall meeting was organised to review the performance of the project, strengthen engagement with government, and present key findings of monitoring activities in the last two years.

She added that the meeting was also organised to present constituency project nomination monitoring tools for effective monitoring and reporting.

“The goal is to ensure communities take active interest in government spending in critical social sectors of education, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene and use the Follow the Money tools to track implementation of projects.

“We also want to empower our communities with knowledge and skills to be able to engage government officials on how to get their demands across and have their views respected.

“We equally want to strengthen synergy between communities, government officials and anti-corruption agencies.

“There is also the need for the government to respond to community advocacy and take action to positively address situations relating to project selection and implementation,” she said.

The CMT coordinator also stressed the need for citizens to actively participate in budget preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for quality service delivery.

This, according to her, will ensure that the needs of the people are met, ensure transparency and accountability in the delivery of constituency and other projects implementation.

“We also want to strengthen the commitment of community members, CMTs, Community Development Charter (CDC) Champions, and other stakeholders to sustaining the DeSPAAC project outcomes in our communities.

Earlier, the project assistant, CODE, Zaraphat Haruna, had explained that the organisation was established in 2012 to empower marginalised communities to demand for quality goods and services from the government.

Haruna said CODE was achieving this by creating platforms for dialogue and building citizens’ capacity to hold their government accountable through its “Follow the Money” initiative.

“CODE currently influences dialogue, transparency and accountability in governance in nine African countries,” she said.

NAN reports that the meeting was attended by the CMTs, CDC Champions, government officials, community and religious leaders, women, youth, implementing agencies, and other stakeholders. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

SA/FDY

======

Edited by Philip Yatai

Flood: NEMA distributes relief items to 7,811 households in Bayelsa
Community

Flood: NEMA distributes relief items to 7,811 households in Bayelsa

 

By Ruth Oketunde

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief items to victims of the 2022 flood, as well as vulnerable persons in Bayelsa.

 

Mr Mustapha Ahmed, Director-General, NEMA, represented by Mr Justin Uwazuruonye, Head, Abuja Operations Office, NEMA, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Abuja.

 

He said that the distribution carried out in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, was part of the first phase of the Special National Economic Livelihood Emergency Intervention of the Federal Government.

 

According to him, the Federal Government approved the items to assist the 7,811 households to cushion the effect of the flood disaster.

 

He said the items distributed included food and non-food items, such as tools for livelihood support, agriculture seedlings, rice, beans, vegetable oil and blankets.

 

Others are: Mattresses, Seedlings, Pesticides, Fertilisers, sewing machines, grinding machines and sprayers.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Julius Toba-Jegede

 

 

Palliative distribution will continue throughout my tenure – Gov. Zulum
Community

Palliative distribution will continue throughout my tenure – Gov. Zulum

 

By Yakubu Uba

Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno says that his administration will sustain the distribution of palliatives support to the less-privileged and communities affected by insurgency throughout his tenure.

 

Zulum made the announcement on Tuesday in Maiduguri while inaugurating the distribution of Federal Government’s palliatives to 100,000 vulnerable households.

 

Zulum said that while Federal Government provided for 100,000 households, his administration is providing for additional 300,000 households to make a total of 400,000 households.

 

He explained that Borno case is peculiar as some areas were devastated by the insurgency and returnees were yet to have full access to their farmlands, hence the need to continue supporting them.

 

“Today we are here to inaugurate the distribution of palliatives to 100,000 less privileged people in Borno under the presidential initiative in addition to the 300,000 households that would benefit from the state palliative,” Zulum said

 

He lauded President Bola Tinubu for the support, adding that his administration had added a bag of 10kg beans to each bag of rice provided by FG for the vulnerable households in the state.

 

While nothing that 2,000 vulnerable persons would be selected in each ward for the palliative, particularly in urban areas like Maiduguri, Zulum said that every household would benefit in rural communities of the LGAs affected by insurgency. (NAN)

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

Qatar to build 500,000 housing units in Kaduna
Community

Qatar to build 500,000 housing units in Kaduna

 

By Hussaina Yakubu

The Qatari Government has inaugurated  the construction of 500,000 mass housing units project for vulnerable and less-privileged persons in Kaduna State.

 

 

Qatar’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Ali Bin Ghanem Al-Hajri perfomed the official inauguration of the project on Wednesday in Kaduna.

 

 

Al-Hajiri lauded Gov. Uba Sani for his support towards  the success of the Qatar Sanabil Project in the state.

 

 

He said  that the Qatari Charity had also pledged various interventions and empowerment programmes for the less-privileged and  underserved across the state.

 

 

“These include, scholarships for orphans and children of the poor, distribution of sewing machines, welding machines , irrigation pumping machines, salon kits, and drilling of hundreds of boreholes across the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State,” the envoy said.

 

 

Speaking at the event which held at the Millennium City Kaduna, the governor  lauded the Embassy of Qatar in Nigeria and the Qatari-owned Sanabil Project for keying into what he described as “business-friendly environment inherent in Kaduna State.”

 

 

Sani commended the Qatari Government for choosing Kaduna to be the location of its Mega Economic City and the mass housing project for the vulnerable and underserved citizens.

 

 

 

 

“The Economic City will provide world class infrastructure and make Kaduna a reference point in modern and affordable accommodation with adequate security and a conducive atmosphere for business activities.

 

 

“The Economic City will facilitate international trade, while serving as a platform for local entrepreneurs and traders.

 

 

“It will also harness product value chain opportunities and improve economic growth,” he said.

 

 

According to the governor, the project will make provisions for houses, clinics, shops, poultry farms, farmlands for rainy season and irrigation farming.

 

 

 

 

He said that choosing Kaduna State as the location for such a mega project was an indication of trust in his administration’s drive for investments.

 

 

“Our vision is to make Kaduna the Leading Economic Hub in the North. We want to create a business cluster that will drive competition in the Northern Region,” Sani said.

 

 

He explained that Kaduna State is rich in natural and human resources and gateway to many parts of the country.

 

 

He lauded the immediate past government for working assiduously to upgrade the infrastructure in the state.

 

 

“We are determined to build on that legacy to fast track the economic development of the state.

 

 

“The Kaduna State Government will continue to provide the Qatar Charity and other interested genuine investors,the support they need to complete all projects,” Sani added.

 

 

The Qatar Sanabil Project is a multi-million dollar project that will impact positively on the lives of over 500,000 poor, underserved and vulnerable citizens of Kaduna State, according the the promoters of the project.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Shuaib Sadiq/Julius Toba-Jegede

Gwagwalada (FCT) residents decry unhygienic transportation of meat
Community , Health

Gwagwalada (FCT) residents decry unhygienic transportation of meat

By Uche Bibilari

Some residents of Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT have decried the unhygienic means of transporting meat from abattoirs to the market.

Those who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday said the use of wheelbarrows, motorcycles and rickety vehicles to transport meat was worrisome and posed serious health challenges.

A civil servant, Mrs Oyindamola Adegbenga, decried the wheelbarrow mode as unhygienic and equally denounced the way meat is handled at the abattoir.

“I used to like meat, but after seeing the way they use wheelbarrows to transport meat and sometimes even carry the meat on their heads, I stopped buying from the meat stalls.

“I can only eat meat that I am sure about the way it was handled. Most times, we gather ourselves and buy a cow, kill it and share the meat. This way, I am comfortable eating such meat.

“I think whoever is in charge of abattoirs should educate the butchers on proper ways of meat handling,’’ she said.

Adegbenga called on government to provide better means of transporting meat to markets and to other designated places.

Mr Darlington Eboh, an artisan, said while he did not place much emphasis on the way meat is handled, those in charge should do things the proper way and professionally too.

Eboh said those in charge should find out how meat is handled in developed countries and replicate same in Nigeria.

A butcher, Mr Suleiman Mohammed, said meat handlers would comply if government introduced better means of conveying meat from abattoirs to markets.

“For now, wheelbarrows, motorcycles and these old vehicles you see around are our means of transporting meat and we will continue to use them until there are alternatives,” he said.

Reacting to the submissions, Dr Sidiama Adamu, Principal Veterinary Officer, Gwagwalada Abattoir said plans were underway by the FCT Administration to provide haulage vans to convey meat from abattoirs to markets.

He said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently donated refrigerated meat vans to the FCT Administration and that the latter planned to provide more.

He added that the abattoir management regularly sensitised butchers on how best to handle meat, and noted that it was unhygienic to litter the slaughter slab with meat after slaughtering the cows.

“Ideally meat is supposed to be hanged after slaughtering the cow. Meat is not supposed to have contact with the slaughter slab after the cow has been slaughtered.

“Unfortunately, that is the only available system in the country right now.

“The skinning is supposed to be done while the slaughtered cow is hung; that makes it more hygienic as the meat will not come in contact with cow dung,” he said.

Adamu also told NAN that veterinary officers regularly inspected cows brought to the abattoir to be slaughtered so as to stave off anthrax or other animal diseases transmittable to human beings.

Anthrax is a bacterial infection occurring naturally in the soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals. People can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

Adamu said veterinary officers also sensitise and educate butchers regularly on how to identify unfit animals and how to handle them.

“It is our responsibility to educate butchers on the symptoms of anthrax.

“One of the major signs of anthrax disease is sudden death of an animal with blood gushing from its mouth, ears, anus and nose. The blood of such infected animal does not clot.

“Butchers are not supposed to go close to such animals. We always advise them to run away because humans can also contract anthrax by inhaling the anthrax spores,” he said.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed one case of anthrax disease in a mixed livestock farm in Niger on July 13.

It was the first animal case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the West Africa outbreak in Ghana in June 2023.

The ministry reported eight other cases on the farm in Niger and the animals that died were observed to have been bleeding from external orifices without the blood clotting. (NAN)(www.nannews.com.ng)

================
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Alli Hakeem

Nasarawa community groan over lack of electricity
Community , General News

Nasarawa community groan over lack of electricity

By Fatima Abubakar

Some residents of Masaka, Nasarawa State, on Monday bemoaned the lack of power supply to the area, while also lamenting over the cost of using generating set.

The residents, who expressed their pain in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), described their agony as unbearable.

They complained that they have had to live in darkness for over three months.

Mrs Lovina Elisha, a housewife, expressed unhappiness over the situation while calling for an immediate intervention from relevant authorities.

She said that lack of power supply had given merchants using alternative power supply to extort those who patronise them for services relating to power.

Elisha said: “In the absence of electricity, I take my phone to charging centres and they charge as much as N200 because they use fuel in their generating sets, which even costs more.

“This had been our plight for a while now. We need those in charge to come to our rescue because it is becoming unbearable.

“If this will continue, I may have to dump my phone at home and go without it because I am just a housewife and do not have a source of income,” she said.

Similarly, another resident, Mr Ebuka James, said that the situation has rendered some electrical appliances useless in several households.

He said that most people could not afford to store perishable goods in fridges or freezers anymore because of the inconsistent power supply.

This, he added, has cost so many households the loss of good amount of food.

Mr Timothy Dara, another resident who operates a phone charging centre, said that the situation was doing more harm than good to his business.

According to him, business boomed more when electricity is inconsistent and fuel is affordable for those with generating sets to alternate.

He, however, said that the inconsistent power supply alongside the hike in price of fuel made business slow and frustrating for all.

“At first, with the inconsistent power supply, people patronised me because I charged as low as N50, but now, because of the hike in fuel price, I had no option than to increase my charges.

“Unfortunately, I don’t get customers again because I charge as high as N200 per phone.

“Sometimes, I am forced to reduce it from N200 to N150 because not everyone can afford to pay N200 to charge a phone, with the drastic challenges in the country,” he said.

Mr Rownald Peter, an official of the electricity company in Kuchikau area of the state, told NAN that the power outage in the area was due to a technical fault from the power feeder serving the area.

He said: “Our engineers are currently working hard to restore power there. We plead for more patience from the people as all hands are on deck to get everything back to normal.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

=============
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Vincent Obi

Fix bad roads in Dutse, residents beg FCT Administration
Community , General News

Fix bad roads in Dutse, residents beg FCT Administration

By Esther Paul

Residents of Dutsen communities in Bwari Area Council of the FCT on Sunday called on the FCT Administration to fix bad roads that had become death traps in the area.

Some of them told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the bad roads had slowed down businesses and increased the hardship of residents.

Mr Adamu Bala, a commercial tricycle operator, said he took the daily risk of leaving his vehicle at Dutse Market rather than taking it to his house because the road had become impassable.

He lamented that this was apart from spending heavily on the repair of the tricycle as it regularly broke down on the bad road network in the area.

“With the current inflationary rate in the country, one cannot break even in business.

“I beg the Bwari Area Council to come to our aid and fix the roads. If this is the only thing it will do for us, we will be grateful,’’ he said.

Bala noted also that the roads would soon become totally impassable with the onset of torrential rains if repairs were not carried out quickly.

Mr Peter Abu, a commercial bus driver, shared Bala’s views as he said roads in the area quickly wore out his tyres making him to replace them too often.

He called on the government to alleviate the sufferings of the people and not to continue to remain adamant to their plight.

He expressed regret at plying roads in the area and said he was incurring losses every day.

Another motorist, Mr Charles Jonathan, expressed the same views.

“One ends up spending all his earnings to fix the vehicle because of bad roads,’’ he said.

Other residents and business people in the area also expressed the same misgivings about the roads and pleaded with government to repair them. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

=========
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Alli Hakeem

Olubadan seeks partnership with police against land grabbers  
Community

Olubadan seeks partnership with police against land grabbers  

Oba Lekan Balogun

 

By David Adeoye

The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Olalekan Balogun has sought partnership with the Nigerian Police to get rid of the land grabbing menace in Ibadan.

 

A statement issued on Saturday in Ibadan by the Personal Assistant to Olubadan, Mr Dele Ogunsola, indicated that Oba Balogun sought for the partnership when the Olubadan in Council hosted the State Commissioner of Police, Ademola Hamzat in his palace.

 

According to the statement, Hamzat and some senior officers of the command were on a familiarisation visit to the Olubadan palace at Alarere area of Ibadan.

 

The statement added that the Ibadan traditional ruler noted that there must be synergy between the traditional institution and the police before the war against the land grabbing could be successful.

 

It said the traditional ruler maintained that the commitment of his reign to the total eradication of land grabbing could not be compromised, hence his request for all hands to be on deck.

 

“I’m passionate about ensuring that the unwholesome tag of Ibadan being notorious for land grabbing be permanently removed.

 

” Let everybody desirous of owing land in Ibadan be free to do so without let or hindrance.

 

“A code of conduct is already in place that any of my Baales or Mogajis found getting involved in shady land deal would be removed and I seek for your cooperation as law enforcement agent,” Olubadan said.

 

The statement said that he commended the leadership of the police command for the efforts made so far to track down the culprits behind the recent killing of a newly inducted nurse, whose corpse was found at Oke-Sapati junction, Yemetu in Ibadan.

 

He charged the police authority not to relent until the truth about the incident manifests and the offenders face the wrath of the law.

 

The statement said in his remark, Hamzat assured Olubadan of his command’s commitment to work with the traditional institution as being requested.

 

It added that the CP recalled that the same issue of land grabbing was part of his discussions with the state governor, Mr Seyi Makinde during his visit to him.

 

According to the statement, the CP said the governor had assured him that his administration is working to strengthen the law against the land grabbing.

 

“This, to us in the command is cheering and enabling, when we have in place an enabling law that empowers us to work optimally, we will be motivated.

 

“So, with the new law coming as promised by the governor, I can assure our revered father that your wish for a city free of land grabbing menace is almost in place,” he said.(NAN)

SEMA boss assures IDPs in Plateau of government support  
Community

SEMA boss assures IDPs in Plateau of government support  

Gov. Caleb Mutfwang 

 

By Peter Amine

Mr Sunday Abdu, Executive Secretary, Plateau State Emergency Management (SEMA) has assured the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state that government is working towards addressing their needs.

 

 

 

Abdu who gave the assurance on Thursday when he visited the IDP camp in Mangu, Mangu Local Government of Plateau, urged them to be of good behaviour as they wait for the interventions.

 

 

 

The executive secretary told the IDPs that government was doing everything within its powers to nip in the bud, the problems that brought them to their current predicament.

 

 

 

“I want to tell you that this predicament will not last long and I encourage you to be appreciate government, private organisations and individuals for what they have done so far to assist you.

 

 

 

“Government is aware of your challenges and our coming here is to further assess your situation and see what we can do to reduce your sufferings.

 

 

 

“Please be patient, government is working tirelessly to meet your needs and that will be done very soon.

 

 

 

“While you’re here, please stay in peace devoid of any rancour and desist from any acts that are contrary to our norms as Plateau people. Desit from illicit activities like drugs, sex, theft and all what not.

 

 

 

“Be rest assured that government is working hard to address what has caused this disaffection and confusion in our land,’’ he stated.

 

 

 

Mr Artu Markus, Management Committee Chairman of Mangu Local Government commended SEMA for the role it is playing since the beginning of the unfortunate incident.

 

 

 

Markus assured the people that government is working closely with security agencies, community leaders and relevant groups to ensure that normalcy is restored so that the people would return to their communities.

 

 

 

Mr Markus Gomwesh, Financial Secretary, Mwaghavul Development Association, thanked the state government and promised to pay the medical bills of the IDPs.

 

 

 

“We also thank government for tilling the lands where the crops were mowed by the invaders who want our people to die of starvation.

 

 

 

“We were thinking that the possibility of this people returning to their ancestral homes would be a very big challenge but seeing the tractors recultivating the destroyed farms we have hope,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

X
Welcome to NAN
Need help? Choose an option below and let me be your assistant.
Email SubscriptionSite SearchSend Us Email