Ogun Government Advocates Incorporation Of Security Studies In Schools

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Ogun state government has called for the incorporation of security studies and intelligence gathering in the curriculum of schools in the state, to inculcate the habit of security consciousness in pupils even at their younger age.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota, made the call in Abeokuta, the state capital, while playing host to the Provost, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, College of Security Management, Mrs Rachael Awosusi.

She stated that the Corps would be a strong partner in promoting the new curriculum in the school with a view to broadening the horizon of the younger generation on security consciousness.

On her part, Mrs Awosusi said the purpose of the visit was to familiarise with the top management of the ministry and also see areas where they could work together, while assuring that the corps would continue to promote security and its consciousness among students in the state.

Mrs Mujota, further revealed that the ministry was already contemplating a training programme on intelligence gathering and information management for its staff in the college.

She also lauded the corps for providing security during the summer camp held in 2016, at Akin Ogunpoola Model College, Akinale in Ewekoro Local Government Area.

Source: Channels TV

Osun State Government identifies 458 unregistered schools

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Osun Government on Thursday gave two weeks ultimatum to owners of unregistered schools in the state to register them with the state Ministry of Education or stand the risk of closure.

The warning is contained in a statement signed by Festus Olajide, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Oshogbo.

The ministry said that it discovered that 458 schools in 11 local government areas of the state were operating without proper registration in 2016.

It said the affected schools had already been directed to commence the registration process of their schools with the ministry between January18 and 31.

It said 82 of the illegal schools were located in Oriade Local Government, LGA, 49 in Obokun LGA, 30 in Atakumosa East LGA and 24 in Atakumosa West LGA.

The statement said the remaining 45 of such schools were located in Ilesha East LGA, 25 in Ilesha West LGA, four in Ila LGA, three in Boluwaduro LGA, 12 in Ede LGA, 88 in Boripe LGA and 96 in Ede South LGA.

It warned that any of the school that failed to meet the registration criteria and the two weeks deadline would be closed down.

Source: Premium Times

Kidnapping: Lagos recruits military-trained guards for schools.

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Lagos— in a bid to tackle kidnapping in schools, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has disclosed that the state government is recruiting military trained personnel as guards for public schools in the state.

The move, according to Ambode yesterday, was to strengthen security in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State. Vanguard gathered that 5, 000 youths from the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas, LCDA, have been trained in military tactics and formations.

The governor disclosed this while reacting to the plea by the Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Colonel Fola Akande (retd) at the launching of the 2017 Armed Forces remembrance emblem Appeal, themed ‘Appreciating the resilience of the Armed Forces,’ held at the banquet hall of the Lagos House, Ikeja.

Though he didn’t disclose the number of personnels to be employed, but said “As part of keeping the public schools safe, we will engage majority of these trained young men.”

Within this year, two kidnap cases were recorded in schools located in eastern part of the state. Ambode noted that the state government would also increase the donation to the Nigerian legion, which was often used to cater for widows of falling soldiers, aged military officers and others, to N5 million and that two Hilux Van, will be donated to the legion for surveillance.

The governor, however, urged residents of Lagos to donate generously in the remembrance of the fallen and for the welfare of their widows, especially during this Yuletide season. Earlier, Akande disclosed to Vanguard that 5, 000 youths have been trained on military formations, to provide adequate security within the state.

He said: “We have trained able-bodied young men and women for six months on security duties. The training is completed and the trainees are waiting for deployment to schools across the state.”

On the fund, the chairman explained that the money donated last year by the state government was used to procure bags of rice, textile materials and others items for the widows and aged military officers in the state

WAEC bans Imo schools where officials were ‘locked out’, supervisor assaulted

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Two secondary schools in Imo state have been barred from registering as examination centres for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The schools have also been barred from presenting their pupils as candidates in any of its examinations for a period of five years.

Demianus Ojijeogu, head, Public Affairs, WAEC, revealed this to Punch on Thursday but declined to name the affected schools.

Ojijeogu noted that a supervisor was assaulted in one of the Imo schools while WAEC officials were “locked out for more than 30 minutes in the second school obviously to perpetrate examination malpractice”.

He said: “We don’t usually name the schools because we refer to them by their centre numbers. For the derecognised schools, examination can still hold in the school but we will not use their teachers as invigilator.

“There are 28 of those schools across the country and they can still reapply after two years, telling us what they have put in place to prevent a recurrence of examination malpractice.”

The Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC) of the WAEC recently approved recommended sanctions for cases of exam malpractice.

A communique was issued to this effect at the end of the 62nd meeting of NEC WAEC held in Lagos.

According to the communique, the recommendations of the committee should be implemented without delay.

Lawmakers Rejects Bill To Make History Compulsory Subject In Schools

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Nigerian lawmakers on Thursday threw out a bill seeking to make history a core learning subject in the nation’s primary and secondary schools.

The proposed legislation was rejected by the House of Representatives after members raised concerns about the implication of a language in it.

The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Make History a Core School Subject in Nigeria’s Primary and Secondary Schools and for other Related Matters,” was proposed by Ayodeji Oladimeji from Oyo State.

Mr. Oladimeji said he crafted the bill to address widespread ignorance of Nigerian history – and even major historical events around the world – among Nigerians in primary and secondary schools.

“I have a secretary who did not even know anything about former Head of State, Murtala Muhammed,” Mr. Oladimeji, an APC member, said. “Colleagues, we need to do something about this situation because history is highly essential for nation building.”

But Mr. Oladimeji’s proposal quickly met an opposition, first in the person of Zakari Mohammed and later from other lawmakers.

Mr. Mohammed, an APC lawmaker from Kwara, said the word ‘core’ in the heading of the bill was problematic and blocked it from passing a second reading.

“I know it’s important for a people to know their history, but the word ‘core’ in the title of the bill is somehow,” Mr. Zakari said.

His position was later echoed by a few other lawmakers who demanded the bill be stepped down —even when they spoke highly of its importance.

The opposing lawmakers further stated that the parliament does not need to pass a bill strictly for the purpose of mandating history.

They said other key subjects such as English and mathematics are being taught in schools without special legislative backing.

But Mr. Oladimeji said he proposed the bill because he understood that history used to be in Nigeria’s early education curriculum but had since been removed.

The Nigerian government reportedly removed history from key subjects in schools in 2009.

Mr. Oladimeji said enacting the adoption of history into law should make it stringent for education administrators to expunge from the curriculum.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara, nonetheless, overruled Mr. Oladimeji’s prayers and urged him to go and rework the bill.

The defeated proposal came on the heels of relentless calls by academics for history to be restored into the curriculum for pupils.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/215001-nigerian-parliament-rejects-bill-make-history-compulsory-subject-schools.html

No public school in Lagos should ‘punish pupils’ for wearing hijab.

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, the Lagos state commissioner for home affairs, says no public school should prevent or punish pupils for wearing hijab, an Islamic headscarf.

Following the Appeal Court ruling which granted the use of hijab in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos, the state government had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment.

Hence, the commissioner said all parties involved in the case should patiently await the outcome of the appeal.

Warning against a potential crisis that could emanate if the matter is not handled with caution, he said reports that some principals punished pupils for wearing hijab to school, were displeasing.

Abdullateef made the comments at a programme organised by the Muslim Congress.

“This government headed by Governor Akinkunmi Ambode is fair to all. We are not against any religion. Those punishing pupils for wearing hijab are not sent by us,” he said.

“We have not asked anybody to punish pupils for wearing it to school. We are aware of the court judgment and we have appealed to the Supreme Court.

“Pending the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement, I sincerely appeal to all concerned parties to keep calm. We don’t want crisis.

“We don’t want this to degenerate into crisis and we will continue to respect the right of everybody as enshrined in the constitution.”

I have no regret investing in education – Aregbesola

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State says he has no regrets in committing the largest part of the state’s resources to education development.

Aregbesola spoke when he unveiled a new block of 10 classroom in Attan-Ayegbaju town, Osun, on Wednesday

The classrooms were built by the Anglican Church in honour of Chief Bisi Akande, a former Governor of Osun State and former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.

According to Aregbesola, by investing massively in education, his administration is preparing the state’s future leaders for a better tomorrow.

Aregbesola said: “Education by far has commanded our greatest engagement and resources and we owe no one any apology over this.

“As I often let people know, we are preparing for the next 25 years, what we want our children to become and where we want them to be in an increasingly digitised and fiercely competitive world.”

Aregbesola said that the dedication of the classrooms resonates with the vision of his administration’s education programmers.

In his speech, Akande, attributed decadence and immorality in Nigerian schools to the forceful take-over of the missionary schools by successive military governments.

Akande said the consequence of the military take-over of the schools across the country resulted in the displacement of people with moral integrity by fraudsters and and the vagabonds from political leadership space.

He said that the major reason why the military took over schools from missionaries was to lay the foundation for their own immorality and corruption.

According to him whether in Islamic schools or in any evangelical learning centres, all Missionary schools known to Nigerians are institutions for moral instructions.

The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, said religion remains a veritable tool for the promotion of peaceful cohabitation and tolerance in the society.

Okoh, who decried religious crises in some parts of the country, expressed hope that with a Christian faith building a school in honour of a Muslim statesman, Nigeria would soon get out of religious vendetta.

He described Akande as a true Muslim whose ideology and faith have impacted greatly in the lives of fellow beings without discrimination.

Pay us our salaries, Bayelsa teachers tells Governor Dickson

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Primary and secondary school teachers in Bayelsa State, Wednesday, deplored eight months of unpaid salaries and marginalisation in the state appealing to the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to pay the arrears.

Marking Teachers Day in low key at their secretariat in Yenagoa, the teachers, under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) said Bayelsa’s educational sector was replete with crises.

The state Chairman, NUT, Mr. Kalama John-Tonpre, reeled out the problems facing teachers in the state as non-payment of salaries for about eight months; non-implementation of teachers promotion over the years and non-payment of annual increments.

Others, according to him, are abdication of primary schools’ responsibilities by the state government and illegal dismissal of teachers employed in 2008 and 2009.

John-Tonpre among others, further decried shortage of teachers without recruitment in the school system and non-provision of instructional materials.

He said: “Some protracted but unattended issues in the sector are over-populated classrooms, poor standard of education resulting from poor funding, inconsistency and non-implementation of education policies.

“Also, there is frequent disruption of the school system, moral decadence of the youth and eventually the underdevelopment of the state.”

The NUT boss, however, acknowledged some efforts of Governor Seriake Dickson in educational development such as the construction off senatorial model schools, establishment of Teachers Training Institute (TTI) and repositioning the Isaac Adaka Boro College of Education.

He regretted that teachers were suffering from marginalisation in the state and the country.

“The current problems of the society characterised by disease, poverty, unemployment, kidnapping, militancy, injustice, lawlessness, greed for political powers and lack of conscience for humanity are all traced to the agonies of teachers”, he said.

John-Tonpre appealed to the state government to as a matter of urgency satisfy the genuine demands of the teachers in the interest of advancing education for the benefit of the underprivileged in the state.

He said: “Currently, so many teachers have retired and about a good number of teachers were dismissed from the school system with no recruitment of new ones to replace them.

“Consequently, some primary schools in Bayelsa State have no single teachers to teach the children – our future leaders. The issue deserves urgent attention as it portends danger at the foundation level of the education system.”

He urged the state government to reinstate the dismissed teachers and recruit more teachers to fill the vacancies created in various schools across the state.

He said: “Currently, so many teachers had retired and about a good number of teachers were dismissed from the school system with no recruitment of new ones to replace them. Consequently some primary schools in Bayelsa State have n single teacher to teach the children, our future leaders.

“The issue deserves urgent attention as it portends danger at the foundation level of the education system. The NUT, therefore, calls on the state government to urgently reinstate the dismissed teachers and recruit more teachers to fill the vacancies created”.

John-Tonpre also appealed to Governor Seriake Dickson to take up the responsibility of paying primary school teachers’ salaries because the councils alone could no longer bear such responsibility.

Speaking at the event, the National President, NUT, Mr. Michael Olukoya, in his address read by the state Secretary, NUT, Mr. Jonhson Hector, called on the Federal Government and the relevant authorities to consider raising retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years.

Olukoya further appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that only professionally trained and qualified persons were engaged in the proposed recruitment of 500,000 teachers to promote professionalism and effective service delivery.

FG Orders Reintroduction Of History In Schools

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Following the outcry that trailed the suspension of History as a taught subject in schools nationwide, the federal government on Thursday reinstated it across basic schools in the country.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who called for the disarticulation of Social Studies in the current curriculum of basic schools and reintroduction of History as a subject, said this had become imperative given the critical nature of History to the nation’s socio-political development.

The minister made the statement in Abuja yesterday while addressing delegates at the 61st meeting of the National Council on Education Ministerial Session.

The minister also urged the council to consider making the study of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) compulsory for Christians and Muslims to the end of Senior Secondary School.

Adamu said the reintroduction of History as a subject would give the Nigerian child a self-identity of who they really are.

He added that Nigeria owes present and future generations the responsibility of removing all inhibitions against opportunities of acquiring morals and ethics as taught in religious traditions.

Kenyan Govt To Give Laptops To Pupils

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Government will today Friday kick-start the delivery of digital learning devices to Class One pupils countrywide. The massive rollout plan will see all Cabinet Secretaries and Permanent Secretaries lead the distribution to 60 schools over the next one month. The plan, we have learnt, is advised by the need to fast-track the Jubilee government flagship project that has been elusive since 2013, with a total of 1.2 million devices expected to be delivered to all the 23,951 public primary schools by December this year.

The devices include laptops for teachers and tablets for pupils, which are fitted with Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)-approved content. Content for Class One and Two is available
in five subjects.

According to a schedule by the ICT Authority and Digischool-the key implementers of the project-the rollout will kick off on Friday when ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru will deliver laptops to Ortum Boys School in West Pokot County.

FG urged to domesticate ‘Change begins with me’ campaign in schools

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Young Intellectuals in Ogun state have urged the federal government to introduce the ‘Change begins with me’ campaign in primary, secondary and tertairy schools so as to inculcate a positive attitude among young Nigerians.

This was the submission of past and present leaders of Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education students associations that gathered at the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, to deliberate on the “Change Begins With Me Campaign” recently lunched by President Muhammed Buhari.

The campaign is a deliberate attempt by the President Buhari’s administration to change the negative perception and mindset about Nigerians.

Participants at the event all agreed that the ‘change begins with me’ campaign is a well thought out campaign and should be begin with the youths who are the future of the country.

All speakers agreed that until Nigerians change themselves, the country cannot make progress.

One of the Speakers who spoke on behalf of the Muslim Students society of Nigeria, Abdulateef Ganiyu, quoting from the Quran maintained that the current situation of the country, requires deep reflection and clear understanding of the tenets of the various religion on good citizenship.

Quoting from the holy Quran, he said, “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition ofbthe people, until they change what is in themselves”

Speaking at the event, Ogun State Chairman of the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Dr. Iyasere Emmanuel Doyin, called on all students irrespective of level or institution to embrace change of attitude in all their actions.

According to him, the older generation of Nigerians have particularly inflicted on their younger generation a negative and low moral value which has continued to result to the degrading quality of leadership in the country.

He recalled how as a student union leader in his hey days at the University, they could force government to do the right thing, whereas students union leaders today have become stooges of political warlords and social media activists who on daily basis denigrate the image of their own country.

He said the future belongs to the youths and urged them to embrace the campaign so as to build a Nigeria of their dream.

Students union leaders present at the event pleaded with young Nigerians to embrace skills acquisitions and become self empowered, rather than waiting for government to do everything for them.

One student union leader, Ayo Samuel said, “It is high time students pick up the challenge to liberate themselves through good citizenship and dedication to nation building. The future belong to us. We must build a country that we will be proud of. And we can only do this by changing the negatives about Nigeria.”

‘We Were Tricked Into Cultism Through Birthday Parties’ – Cult Suspects

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Eight suspected cultists have told detectives attached to Area J Police Command, not to blame them for becoming cult members. According to them, they were tricked into becoming cult members.

They explained that when they discovered they had been tricked and initiated against their will, they thought of running away, but realised it was like running away from ones shadow. They urged young Nigerians, to be wary of friends and avoid accepting birthday parties’ invitations.

One of them said: “If you don’t go for operation or cooperate with them after initiation, they would kill you. I can tell you that every one of us here, were tricked into becoming a cult member. It was
never our wish.” The suspects were arrested after they allegedly started shooting sporadically on July 16, 2016, at Ilaje, Ajah, around 7pm.

A police source said: “They went about on two motorbikes, snatching money from people and shooting sporadically.” Six of them were arrested, Ayobami Ahmed 20, Balogun Ahmed 22, Olayinka Agbeto 35, Kunle Odeyemi 29 and Lekan Adekoya 26.

When they were taken to police station, police discovered they and four other suspected cult members, Sylvester Bibra 34, aka Gardafi, Dare 27, aka Shokey and Michael Ojintan 20, earlier arrested, knew one another. They all belonged to the same Aiye confraternity.

Police are presently hunting for Ogbowon, Dammy, Segun Okondo, Lekan, Ijooba, Jungle, Bariga, Biggy, Idris, Jelili, Corner Stone, Lawal and others. It was also discovered that some of these cultists, are part of those that had been terrorising Ikota Community.

Remembering how he was tricked and initiated, Ahmed said: “I belonged to Aiye confraternity. I was initiated at Ibadan. I was initiated by my brother, Kehinde. He invited me to a birthday party. Moreover, I liked the way Kehinde used to behave. But I didn’t tell him that I wanted to become a cult member.”

Bibra said he was initiated by a friend. He recounted: “A friend of mine invited me to a birthday party. On the day of the party, I met him at Ajah Roundabout. He made a call and a commercial bus, filled with men, came to pick us. I thought they too were going to the party.

After driving for a while, one of them suddenly brought out a black band and blindfolded me. I was scared. I thought they wanted to kill me. The bus drove off again. I started crying and begging them not to kill me. They ordered me to shut up. They said if I cried, made a noise or beg, they would shoot me.

They took me somewhere, pulled off my clothes and started beating me. They later bundled me back into the bus.

“When they removed the blindfold from my eyes, they told me I had become a member of Aiye confraternity. I was angry with my friend. I didn’t ask for it. Why did he do that to me? I didn’t want to participate in any of their operation, but I was told I would be killed if I refused.”

Ojintan said that for reasons he couldn’t understand, members of the gang started picking on him. They would swoop on him and take anything of value with him. It was through that gimmick, they collected five phones from him.

The phones were collected at different times. One day, one of his persecutors, invited him for a birthday party.

He turned down the invitation. Ojintan recollected: “He told me that if I didn’t come to the birthday party, they would continue to collect my phones. I decided to go with him. At Ajah Roundabout, they blindfolded me with a black band.

When the vehicle stopped, they dragged me down, pulled off my clothes and started beating me. They told me that they were making me their member. When I got home, I couldn’t tell my father, but I told my boss. He told me to be careful. I tried to avoid those friends. I was still avoiding them when police came to arrest me. I have never gone on any of their killings or operations with them.”

Agbeto on the other hand, denied being a member of any cult. He said he is married and has two kids.

Source: New Telegraph

FG Begins Reconstruction Of Schools, Police Stations In North East

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, yesterday, said the Federal Government has commenced reconstruction of schools and police stations destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the North East.
Lawal made this known in Hong, Adamawa State, during the graduation of 500 students trained by Buba Industrial Village.
The training was part of the Youth Empowerment Programme introduced by Yusuf Buba, the member representing Gombi /Hong Federal Constituency.
He said reconstruction of the region was part of the electoral campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The SGF stressed that the aim was to bring lasting solution to insurgency and rebuild destroyed infrastructures in the region.
“The Federal Government has begun reconstruction of schools and police stations among other facilities destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region.
“The present APC – led government is determined to guarantee peaceful co-existence among Nigerians and ensure that citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity or religion, benefit from the dividends of democracy,” said Lawal.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced plans to deploy more men in its counter-insurgency operations in the North east.
Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar stated this on a visit to military formations and traditional institutions in Borno State where he announced that “the Nigerian Air Force is exploring the possibility of expanding the Air Force troops in the North-East to ensure total restoration of peace in the shortest time possible.”
He also explained that “with the planned expansions, more personnel will be deployed and more platforms created to widen our operations towards timely and speedy response in counter-insurgency campaigns.
“We are already widening the roles of our regiments as special combat forces to secure and protect key points after successful operations.”
Abubakar’s pledge is coming on the heels of successes recorded by the Air Force in its ongoing fight against Boko Haram.
An Unmanned combat Aerial Vehicle (UAV) belonging to the force, recently destroyed a logistics base used by Boko Haram.
The Air Force said the UAV was on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission when it came across the gathering of Boko Haram terrorists at Garin Moloma, about one kilometre north of the Sambisa Forest, a Boko Haram enclave.
The need for additional platforms by the Nigerian Air Force also occurs in the light of recent crashes experienced by the service.

Credit: Sun

Daniel A. Moses: OAU No More “Oba Awon Universities”?

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The self-acclaimed “Oba Awon Universities” (King of universities) is fast losing its credibility for which it was acclaimed king. OAU, which is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s finest universities in terms of academic prowess and otherwise is now beginning to ridicule itself amongst others through its very irrational actions. No thanks to both the school management and its students.

In the late hours of December 1^st 2015, the governing council shut down the school indefinitely and still went ahead to suspend the Students Union Government (SUG). So shameful of the school management, I must say. This development only came after students boycotted lectures demanding better welfare conditions, fumigation of the halls of residence which have been conquered by bedbugs, rats amongst other demands.

Instead of the management to look into these demands, all they could think of was to shut down the school and mute the student’s mouthpiece.

What is the justification of collecting large school and Hostel fees from students if they cannot be provided with basic amenities like good power supply, clean water, neat environment and habitable halls of residence. I really do think the school management should start acting like fathers and mothers that they are to their students and NOT display a Master-Slave relationship with them.

The fast declining reputation of the Obafemi Awolowo University has left me pondering for hours, days or maybe weeks if this once great university is still the “Oba Awon Universities”.

Now, on the part of the Students Union Government, I want to vent my disappointment at the way matters are being handled by its leadership. In my little sojourn on planet earth, I have come to discover what is called a “dialogue” and I think the union officials should have discovered that too.

You don’t always resort to violent protests to make a certain body meet your demands. There are more civil ways of doing this. Also, if we are conscientious in observing this scenario, we would discover that most of the strike actions that occur in OAU are majorly products of these violent protests by students. So what is the gain?

Now to fellow students, even if you are supposed to be living in luxury given the large amount of hostel fees you pay, the reality is you are NOT living in one. There are certain things you can organise yourselves or contribute money to carryout to make your environment a more habitable one. This is why we are higher animals.

Should we keep watching until the great ife is diminished enough to be called “Omode Awon Universities” (Child of Universities)? I guess not.

Tweet @oluwadaniemoses

Anambra Govt. Seals Banks, Hotels, Schools Over Tax Evasion

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Anambra Government on Thursday sealed-off no fewer than 35 buildings in the industrial town of Nnewi over the refusal of the owners to pay property rate of over N150 million.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the buildings included commercial banks, hotels, business plazas, filling stations, hospitals, residential homes as well as primary and secondary schools.

Mrs Chinenye Okafor , the Head, Human Resources and Administration, Anambra Property and Land Use Charge (APLUC), explained that the closure followed various court judgments obtained against the tax evaders.

Okafor said after the exercise, that the affected buildings owed the state government a total sum of N150, 455, 814.59

She said that the agency, in 2014 and 2015, carried out similar enforcement in Awka and Onitsha on 125 buildings, noting that more buildings would be sealed-off as soon as judgments were obtained.

“We are advising property owners in the state, particularly in Onitsha, Awka, Ogidi and Nkpor, to go and pay their property rates or face the wrath of the law.

“We had discussion with some of them and they had promised to pay since November 2014, but up till now, we have not seen any positive response from them.

“We are no longer interested in continuing with appealing or sensitising them because we have tried it for more than two years now and nothing was coming out of it.

“The government has considered the second option of litigation and enforcement this time after dialogue had failed,” Okafor said.

(NAN)

Student Suspended For Sharing Inhaler With Classmate Gasping For Air

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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A Texas middle school student was suspended after sharing her inhaler with an asthmatic student who was gasping for breath on Tuesday. She now faces up to 30 days at alternative school, following a hearing on Friday.
Indiyah Rush, 12, may also face a month in an alternative school as part of her punishment, Fox4 reported.
Rush, a A/B honor roll student, was in gym class at Schrade Middle School in Garland, Texas when her classmate began wheezing and gasping for breath.
“Asthma gets worse by every second,” Rush, who has had the disease since she was 5, told Fox4.com.

Rush offered the girl her inhaler and the two were sent to the principal’s office, where Rush was
punished with several days of at-home suspension and 30 days of alternative school.

According to the school district, sending a student to a month of alternative school is an automatic punishment for sharing a controlled substance, which includes prescription drugs like inhalers. The final punishment may change after a hearing scheduled for Friday.

“It’s a prescription and one student’s severity with asthma may not mirror that of the girl who let the other borrow hers and that could have resulted in some pretty significant issues,” Chris Moore, Garland Independent School District spokesman, told Fox4.

Rush’s mother is concerned that time at an alternative school is an excessive punishment.

“My kid would be mixed with kids that are using drugs at school or being caught with drugs, acting out in class,” Monique Rush told Fox4. “I don’t want any of that to rub off on her.”

“I was just trying to save her life,” Indiyah said. “I didn’t know I was doing anything bad.”

Source: FNC

UNN Students Cry Out Over ‘Mandatory’ N70,000 Laptop Fee

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Recently, the university administration in it’s bid to industrialize the school with information technology introduced a mandatory policy, where all students must own a laptop and pay N70,000 as laptop fee. But many students are unhappy that such levies have been imposed on them.

Students said that this new policy is making education so difficult for the poor, as with this policy, many students would now be paying close to N200,000 in a federal university per session.

The students are calling the new Education Minister to call the vice chancellor to order..that laptop ownership should be a choice and not mandatory!

Kaduna State Government Approves Compensation For Rimi College Allottees

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Staff Reporter

As part of its human capital development agenda, the Kaduna State Government is committed to expanding access to quality education. Central to its education reform programme is the restoration of the iconic schools whose facilities have been encroached by public institutions and private concerns. The recovery of school lands is imperative to better position the schools to properly discharge their primary mandate.

The recovery exercise is now being implemented in Rimi College, Kaduna. Founded in 1941 as Saint John’s College, the school occupies 24.387 hectares of prime land. Three governments eventually excised a total of 3.19 hectares, which they gave to private individuals. The school also lost its students’ hostels which were converted to offices for some state and federal agencies.

The Government is determined to restore Rimi College as a boarding school of quality. Appropriate relocation notices have been sent to the state and federal agencies occupying the school premises. The private land owners have also been served notices of revocation. Those who have valid titles and development approvals are having their properties valued for the purposes of compensation.

At its meeting of 16 November 2015, the Executive Council of the Kaduna State Government approved the payment of N378,357,752.00 as compensation for the first 19 properties whose valuation processes have been concluded. More compensation payments will be considered as other properties are valued. In addition, the titleholders will be given replacement plots of land.

In the interest of transparency, the Government considers it prudent to publish the names of the individuals that were allocated plots of land within Rimi College by previous administrations. The Government is aware that some of the 38 beneficiaries of the allocations took no steps to develop their plots because they had reservations about building on school property. Government hopes that our elite would subscribe to a consensus that preserves and respects the integrity of social assets like schools and hospitals.

First Allocation: 1999 by the government of Colonel U. F. Ahmed

	NC/KD	Allottee	Plot No.	Size
1	KD 8880	Lt. Col Akaagerger I. Joseph	7A	980m²
2	KD 13022	Kurfi Umaru Ibrahim	7B	1530m²
3	KD 8886	Fatima Yabi Ahmed	9	1500m
4	KD 9296	Abba Tijjani	9A	1300m
5	KD 29438	Hajiya Zainab Ahmed Dasuki	9B	1200m
6	KD 9361	Abdulbasset Mohammed S.	11	1100m
7	KD 8885	Lt. Col. Musa Mohammed	11A	1550m
8	KD 9360	Said Hashim	11B	970m

Second Allocation: 2012 by the government of Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa

	NC/KD	Allottee	Plot No.	Size
1	KD 30859	Hon. Joshua Yakubu Barde	1	503m²
2	KD 30673	Hon.Yunusa Garba Turawa	2	503m²
3	KD 33194	Hon. Hassan Jumare	9	523m²
4	KD 31857	Hon. Bashir Muntake	4	524m²
5	KD 31820	Ibrahim Abdullahi Abba	4A	382m²
6	KD 31779	Simon Gudu Madaki	5	664m²
7	KD 30977	Hajiya Lubabatu Usman	6	619m²
8	KD 31073	Danladi Gabes	7	970m²
9	KD 30674	Hon. Shehu Usman Tahir	8	476m²
10	KD 31633	Alkali Bawa	9	768m²
11	KD 31181	Hon. David Umar Gurara	10	836m²
12	KD 30572	Hon. Labari Shelly Tela	11	759m²
13	KD	Hon. Ibrahim Suleiman	12	718m²
14	KD 31203	Hon. Felix Hassan Hyat	13	504m²
15	KD 32613	Celestine Mathew Tokan Luka	14	454m²
16	KD	Mrs. Emelda D. Yashim	15	433m²
17	KD 31525	Abdulsalam Muazu	16	557m²

FG Urged To Criminalize Failure Of Parent To Enrol Children In Schools

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Staff Reporter

A group has urged the Nigerian government to criminalize the failure of parents to enrol their children in schools.

The charge was given in Abuja by a nongovernmental organization, Paulash Initiative, during its programme to increase awareness of the impact of girl child education.

The founder of the group, Folashade Okomayi, said unless the government makes non-enrollment of school-aged children an offence punishable by law, Nigeria will not be able to rid itself of out- of-school children.

“I think what the government should do is that when children are seen hawking; or doing menial jobs during school hours; government should take them somewhere and trace their parents or wards,” she said.

“If they punish one or two parents under a certain law that should be enacted for the purpose; others will take caution.”

Mrs. Okomayi added that the rally was organised to enlighten Nigerians about the growing challenges facing the girl child in the country.

“A lot of girls are still being subjected to the background in our society. When you talk about growing number of out-of-school children, the greatest number of those affected is girls,” she said.

“In terms of domestic violence, girls are also mostly at the receiving end. The story is the same when you talk about child marriage.”

Credit: PremiumTimes

‘Fayose, Others Should Return To Elementary School’ – Information Minister, Lai Mohammed

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has suggested that Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti and others kicking against President Muhammadu Buhari’s Treasury Single Account policy should return to elementary because they have failed to understand the workings of the policy.

“Those behind the rumour that a single company made N25 billion from charging one per cent of TSA funds that passed through the company’s software, may need to return to elementary school to get some lessons in arithmetic,” he said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Segun Adeyemi, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

“This is because in order for one per cent charge to fetch N25 billion, the funds accruing into the TSA
must have reached N2.5 trillion.

Yet, the total amount of funds in the TSA to date is still much less than 2 trillion.

“More importantly, at the time the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ordered that all monies that were erroneously charged as ‘revenue’ be returned to the TSA Account late last month, the TSA had less than N800 billion.

“It therefore beggars belief that anyone could attempt to mislead the public by raising a false alarm that a firm made N25 billion in TSA charges.”

Mohammed appealed to Nigerians not to allow those who had been funding their lavish lifestyles and encouraging corruption, to the detriment of ordinary citizens and without bothering about national interest.

He said the accusation was to sabotage the laudable TSA programme with contrived lies, dangerous innuendoes and misinformation.

It would be recalled that Fayose , in a statement on Sunday, declared that he would not be part of the meeting the Federal Government was to hold with state governors on the TSA because the policy itself was a fraud against Nigeria and its people as it is aimed at recouping money spent on the last general elections by the APC, as well as raise money for future elections, especially the Kogi and Bayelsa States gubernatorial poll.

Fayose also asked the Federal Government to expose those behind REMITA so that Nigerians would know those “through whom the All Progressives Congress, APC, is siphoning Nigerian money to fund Kogi and Bayelsa States governorship election.”

He added that System Specs the company that manages TSA made N25 billion.

Governor Reportedly Orders Suspension Of Prayers In Schools

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has given a directive that henceforth no public or private primary and secondary school in the state should hold morning or afternoon prayers.

The governor also directed that all teachers with effect from next year must be in suits during official hours. A letter signed by the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Education, Mrs Anne O. Odey, dated October 21, said the suspension of prayers will subsist till further notice.

The directive which was sent to all zonal heads in the state said, “the ministry hereby directs all public and private primary and secondary schools across the state to suspend all assemblies (morning and afternoon) till further notice.”

All school heads were directed to comply strictly or risk sanctions.

Credit: DailyTrust

Saeed Malami: Kings College, Reclaiming Our Past Glory

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The 20th of September, 2015 marks 106 years since the creation of undoubtedly Nigeria’s foremost leading secondary institution. Over the course of the century, Kings College Lagos has produced an array of public servants, professionals, global leaders, and game-changers who, in one way or another, attribute some of their success to the strong moral foundation and pedestal that the institution provides its students. Its core values of truth, honesty, obedience, patriotism, integrity and chivalry resonate with a large percentage of the individuals among us who salute ‘Floreat!’ to each other. Its exceptional staff stronghold, coupled with the backing of an active alumni association, and the fact that it is a Federal Unity College continues to attract the best minds from across the country. Kings College is indeed a remarkable institution of which anyone is proud to bear the brand.

Sadly, the solid brand is no more what it used to be. In recent times, it has failed to churn out the standard caliber of gentlemen it once produced. It can no longer proudly assert its position as the foremost secondary school in Nigeria. It has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons: from dilapidated infrastructure to inadequate boarding facilities and poor management of the school. In all earnest, yes, these are some of the problems it faces among others. However, in my opinion, these are all symptoms of the basic problem: overpopulation. With an average of 470 students per set and 55 per class, the school is densely overpopulated. Inevitably, there is immense pressure on resources and this leads to every other problem it faces.

The dense overpopulation is as a result of the cringe to be associated with Kings College. A great number of people want to have their children or wards enrolled into the institution and would resort to any lengths to do so. They bribe and coerce, blackmail and lobby, all in order to gain admission into the institution. Fingers point to the current principal, Otunba Dele Olapeju, as the mastermind behind the admission scandals that warp Kings College Lagos. I tend to believe otherwise and here’s why. When a parent approaches you with a call from someone in a higher position of authority than you are, you have no option but to oblige their request. When you only receive less than 20% of the allocated amount of money for the school every year, you are forced to be entrepreneurial and find other means of supporting the college fund. When there are incomplete projects around the school, and you hardly have enough money to cater for the students’ wel lbeing, you tend to admit students whose parents would willfully complete these projects for you. These little discrepancies here and there are what have led to the bloated images of corruption that the PKC is accused of, and consequently, the overpopulation of the school. To make him seem a victim of circumstance is impossible as he is equally flawed by malpractices, especially regarding the very suspicious PTA fees that students are required to pay every term.

Nonetheless, it is imperative to bring into view the role admission-seekers play in the maladministration of the college. As a friend of mine once bluntly stated, “Not everyone can be a king, sincerely, if everyone becomes king, who would be the subjects?” Parents need to understand that the door to Kings College is strictly based on merit and no back doors or windows are open to people who fail to reach the required standards. As such, they should work on their children to reach the standards instead of working on the standards to meet their children. Kings College does not turn boys to men anymore, rather it turns children to boys. You can find 8 and 9 year olds being admitted to JS1 and somewhat expecting the system to mature them. The system is not one that is set to build a child that is not mature enough to work on himself. Kings College in its entirety is a journey of self-realization that one undertakes by himself that the school guides him through to produce a wholesome Kingsman.

Truly, a smaller population would enable Kings College yield more impact on the students it admits. Numerous initiatives by the Kings College Old Boys’ Association and other organisations for its students have failed in the past due to the large population. If there were fewer students as it was in the past, proper guidance would be given to every individual to enable them attain their utmost ability and craft them into fine young gentlemen.
Federal Unity Colleges stand as an embodiment of a government’s dedication to education. Kings College is a foremost federal institution and should remain so. However, I believe that to salvage the school from plunging any further into the abyss, a well-planned public-private partnership deal needs to be struck regarding the administration of the school. As long as the director continues to be produced from within the system, the problems facing the school will remain a constant hindrance. It is high time that the KCOBA steps in as an intermediary to broker such a deal that would allow the director to be selected from outside the civil service, given the near end of the tenure of the current principal, and resolve a way to cut down the population of the school.
In all sincerity, this might be the only solution to save an institution we so dearly love and admire and indeed restore her past glory.
Floreat!

Saeed Malami
KCOB 2015
@ss_malami on Twitter

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

Lagos Insists On Same Resumption Date For Schools

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Lagos State Government yesterday directed all schools to commence the 2015/16 academic session, saying the state would no longer condone disharmony in the calendar.

The government, citing poor turnout of pupils on resumption of the new session, also urged parents and guardians to cooperate by presenting their wards for the new academic session.

Permanent Secretary (PS), Lagos State Ministry of Education, Olabisi Ariyo, while monitoring day-one activities in public schools yesterday, said there was no point extending the holiday as some stakeholders had recently clamoured in the state.

Read More: ngrguardiannews

Army Reopens Schools In Madagali

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Following the takeover of all territories overrun by the Boko Haram insurgents and the restoration of peace, the Nigerian Army has re-opened primary and secondary school classes for the returnees.

Speaking to NAN in Madagali on Saturday, Lt. Col Chibueze Agbuabo, the Commanding Officer, 143 Rangers Battalion, said the officers had voluntarily opened classes for the pupils and students.

“Now that normalcy has been restored in the area and the communities have resumed their daily activities, the Army has opened the hitherto shut classes where pupils and students are being taught,” Agbaubo said.

According to the battalion commander, the development was to ensure that the young ones are not idle, even as all government and private schools in the areas are still under lock and key.

He said the development was also to help the students fill up the gap they had lost during the invasion by the insurgents.

Read More: nigerianpilot

Fred Amata’s Son, Oreva Amata Graduates With First Class From UK University Of Kent

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Oreva Amata is veteran Nollywood actor, Fred Amata’s son with ex-wife Agatha. And the young brilliant man has just graduated with a First Class in Economics from the University of Kent, Canterbury in the United Kingdom. Big congrats to him.

His celebrity parents had ended their marriage way back in 2005. A union that also produced a daughter named Stephanie.

Cultism : I Paid N35,000 To Join Cult Group – Suspect

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Staff Reporter

A 31-year-old suspected cultist, Ikechinachi Chinyere, has said he paid the sum of N35,000 to join a cult group in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, because of the harassment and intimidation he was facing from cultists in the area he lived.

Chinyere made the revelation yesterday while speaking to newsmen at the headquarters of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Rivers State Police Command, where he was paraded along with 91 other suspected cultists and five suspected armed robbers.

He said, “I have been facing intimidation at where I live, so in December 2014, I met one of them to teach me their orientation so the boy said I will pay him money before he will teach me their orientation so that they will not be intimidating me again.

“So I gave him N35,000. Last week Tuesday (March 17, 2015), I was in my house at Rumuobiakani when the police came and arrested me. I am not a thief; I don’t fight; I don’t take alcohol. The problem is that if I go to them (cultists), they will excuse me because I don’t know all their orientation.”

Also speaking, another suspected cultist, and a 300-level Accountancy student of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, Chika Rex Evans, admitted being a member of the Vikings Fraternity.

Evans said, “I was arrested at my school matriculation party. I was with my friends during my school matriculation party and when we heard police siren; we started running so the police chased us and arrested us.”

Also paraded was the leader of the five-man armed robbery gang, Daniel Samuel, who admitted being an armed robber, explaining that in the operation in which he was arrested, they were sent by a brother to the victim.

Samuel said, “I dropped out of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri, in Port Harcourt. I cannot say I am using it to help my family. I have something I am doing so when this man called us and provided the items for us, we went for the operation.

“Somebody (name withheld) told us to come and meet him at Uyo; when we got there he said his elder brother refused to give him money and that his elder brother was bringing money to his house and that we should collect the money and give him his own share. It was on our way back that police arrested us at Akpajo junction.”

Briefing newsmen earlier, police spokesman in the state, Ahmad Muhammad, said the armed robbery suspects were arrested at Akpajo Junction, along the East-West Road, in Rivers State, while on their way back from Uyo after robbing one Akpan Usen Bassey of about N1.6million.

Muhammad stated that other items recovered from the gang included a Sienna bus with registration number RH399CH, one locally made revolver, one live cartridge, 17 assorted cell phones, and an international passport belonging to the victim.

FG Plans First Degree As Minimum Teaching Qualification

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Staff Reporter

THE Federal Government is set to make first degree the minimum teaching qualification in Nigeria.

Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, disclosed this yesterday, when he received Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury, who paid him a visit in his office in Abuja.

He said the Federal Government would explore all measures to restore the respect, dignity and status of teachers in the country.

He was reacting to Ambassador Suomela-Chowdhury’s declaration that all teachers in Finland had a minimum of masters degree and that teaching is a highly competitive profession because of huge interest by too many qualified people.

The minister, who said the target of the Federal Government was to make first degree as minimum teaching qualification, noting that from 1980, the minimum teaching qualification to teach in schools was National Certificate in Education, NCE.

He said this could be upped to first degree in time to come, adding that currently, there was a number of graduates teaching in primary schools in the country.

Shekarau recalled that the country was able to get over the practice in the past where primary school leavers were engaged to teach.

He said: “The level was raised to Teacher Grade 3 in the 60s, and later on in early 70s, it was minimum of Grade 2, and this was later phased out in the early 80s to a minimum of NCE.

“Gradually we will get there. We hope that a day will come when all our schools including pre-primary will be handled by university graduates.

“The rate at which our universities are increasing shows that in time to come that will be our target. We have a lot to learn from each other regardless of the factor of the size. The challenges are the same.”

He said apart from the general agenda of government for improving access and quality of education, his particular concern as Minister of Education was to improve the quality of teachers as a key factor.

Schools to Remain Open During Election

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The federal government has directed that all schools from the primary to the tertiary level should remain open during the general elections. The decision was reached at a meeting between the federal government and the 36 states Commissioners for Education, including the F.C.T. Education Secretary.

The meeting presided over by the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, agreed that no holiday should be declared for the elections considering the fact that schools have lost much ground following their closure to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Shekarau promised the state governments to ensure that adequate security are provided for boarding institutions marked as polling units for the elections.

Read More: Punch

Cameroon Says 20,000 More Troops Needed to Fight Boko Haram

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Staff Reporter

Cameroon says it is recruiting 20,000 more defense and security forces to fight Boko Haram following reports that the terrorist group, based in Nigeria, is recruiting young Cameroonians to fight for them.

Senator Haman Paul, who hails from northern Cameroon, told VOA about Boko Haram’s recruitment of young Cameroonians to fight for the creation of an Islamist caliphate in northern Nigeria.

“That was something that we witnessed in Maroua (in Northern Cameroon). People told us actually that they found people in town that were not actually people that they were used to. Listen when you (the government of Cameroon) find that one part of the country is in a very delicate situation, you better manage prevention and facts instead of consequences,” said Paul.

Another lawmaker from northern Cameroon, Sali Dairou, said just last week that Boko Haram seized cattle from Cameroonian ranchers who lived along the border with Nigeria’s Borno and Adamawa states, a stronghold of the militant group. He said the ranchers have lost thousands of cattle.

Dairou said the militants also killed some of the cattle ranchers, and thousands of their cows went into the wild. He said this was a huge loss and no rancher has the courage to go to the boundary with Nigeria and bring back his remaining cattle.

Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, said the threat posed by Boko Haram has led many people from the border areas to flee.

He said northern Cameroon is the hardest hit as many schools have remained closed and people are abandoning their farms and cattle.

Credit:VOA

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