The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Innovation key to more girls in school and learning- UNICEF

    Innovation key to more girls in school and learning- UNICEF

    UNICEF has stressed the power of innovation to get more girls in school and improve the quality of learning for all children.

    The call was made in a statement issued in New York  to mark the second International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.

    Despite the decreasing number of girls out of school, UNICEF noted that too many around the world are still denied a quality education and a chance to reach their full potential.

    It noted that evidence shows that even though  a single year of secondary school for a girl correlates with as much as a 25 per cent increase in her future earnings millions of girls are today  still out of school, including 31 million primary school aged girls.

    “Education can transform the lives of girls and strengthen their communities,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. “Innovation can help us reach every girl by transforming education,”

    With its partners, UNICEF is exploring how technology can increase access to education for out-of-school girls and improve the quality of learning for every child.

    In South Africa, the TechnoGirls partnership among UNICEF, the government, and over 100 private sector companies is connecting 10,000 adolescent girls with mentors from the tech sector to boost their skills and job readiness.

    Innovation is also helping governments and their partners to reach the hardest to reach children who are at the greatest risk of being out of school. In Uganda, EduTrack is using SMS text messaging to connect students and schools with UNICEF, enabling them to report on learning, teacher quality, and violence in schools.

    Innovation is not only about technology. It can mean embracing new ways to overcome other barriers that keep girls out of school, like improving sanitary facilities and keeping girls safe as they walk to and from school.

    “Innovation is giving us powerful new tools to reach and teach more girls than ever before,” said Mr. Lake. “To help more girls go to school, stay in school, and complete their learning, we need to keep learning ourselves, using these new tools, generating new ideas, and scaling up the most promising innovations.”

  • Educating girls could prevent two-thirds of child marriages

    Educating girls could prevent two-thirds of child marriages

    If all girls went to primary school, one-sixth of child marriages could be prevented among girls aged under -15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia.

    This was one of the findings of the UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report released on the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.

    The report also indicated that if all girls got the chance to go to secondary school, child marriages could be reduced by two-thirds in these regions, saving almost two million girls from becoming child brides.

     Mariam Khalique, Malala’s teacher from the Swat Valley in Pakistan, and spokesperson for the EFA Global Monitoring Report said: “Every hour counts– we must educate girls to help bring about changes quickly in our society. Education gives girls dignity. How can you change your life if you don’t know how? If girls and women are empowered they can take control of their own lives and their bodies. That is why education is priceless and important for girls and women not only in Pakistan but all around the world.”

    The new EFA GMR analysis, ‘Education Transforms’, shows that one in eight girls is married by the age of 15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia.

    It also shows how education can empower girls to find greater confidence and freedom to make decisions that affect their own lives. In Ethiopia, for example, 32% of girls with less than primary education were married before the age of 15 years, compared with less than 9% of those with a secondary education.

    “Educating girls is one of the best investments we can make”, said Pauline Rose, director of the EFA Global Monitoring Report, “and yet 31 million girls of primary school age out of school, and 17 million are expected never to enter school at all. This situation desperately needs addressing.”

    In addition to preventing child marriages, the EFA GMR’s new analysis shows that educating girls can also prevent them from becoming mothers themselves when just children, risking their own, and their babies’ health in early childbirth.

    ‘Education transforms’ shows that one in seven girls has given birth by the age of 17 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. Yet 10% fewer girls would become pregnant at an age when they should be in school if they had a primary education. There would be 59% fewer pregnancies among girls under 17 years if all girls had a secondary education.

     

  • Facebook blocks a privacy setting

    Facebook blocks a privacy setting

    Popular social network, Facebook is trashing  a privacy feature that enables users regulate who can find them on the social network.
    Facebook Inc. has said that it is removing a setting that controls users’ visibility when their names are typed  in the website’s search bar.
    The management of Facebook says only a single-digit percentage of the nearly 1.2 billion people on its network were using the setting.
    The change comes on the heels of building out its search feature, which people often use to find people they know — or want to know — on the site.
    Facebook which is based in Menlo Park, California, however says users can protect their privacy by limiting the audience for each thing they post about themselves.

  • Cross River deputy governor’s father abducted

    Etubom Essien Cobham, the father Cross Rivers State Deputy Governor, Efiok Cobham, was on Friday morning kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Creek Town, Odukpani local government area, of the state.

    Cobham was abducted at about 1.00am in his house.

    The deputy governor’s uncle, whose name could not be ascertained, was equally believed to have been abducted by the kidnappers.

    The Nation gathered that house of the Director- General of the State Security Service, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, who is from the area, was also vandalized.

    Government officials kept mute over the situation, but residents of the area, who witnessed the incident, said the gunmen shot sporadically into the air to scare people away.

    The gunmen reportedly gained access to the area through the Calabar River, using two speedboats. They also had a dog with them.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Hogan Bassey, confirmed the incident.

    He, however, refused to disclose how they intend to rescue the deputy governor’s father.

     

  • Young Nigerian dominates again in Literature

    Young Nigerian dominates again in Literature

    The Golden Baobab Prizes for African Children’s literature, set up to celebrate and inspire the creation of enthralling African children’s stories, have announced the 2013 prize long list with seven  Nigerians nominated  in different categories.

    More inspiring is the fact that the youngest person on this list is Nigeria’s  born Fego Martins Ahia (Ogenefego Ahia) who is not only the youngest on the long list, but also the only Nigerian in his category (The Golden Baobab prize for rising writers)

    Fego was born in1995, in Lagos. He comes from a humble background of disciplined parents whose encouragement has helped him develop a passion for excellence.

    Fego is also a first year student at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA. He grew up surrounded by his father’s small library which ignited his imagination. He attributed this to why he started writing at a very early age.

    The Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Writers, which is for talented young writers below the age of 18, longlisted Fego for his story titled “The little secret,” which is a story about Kamila, a little girl from East Kenema who is curious about her father’s friend, Pa Camara, and goes to many lengths to figure out his little secret.

    Reacting to his nomination, Fego exclaims excitedly, “I feel deeply honored and humbled to have made the longlist of this year’s Golden Baobab Prizes. This is indeed a big dream come true as it was such an illuminating experience writing a children’s story that spoke to my roots in gentle whispers. Thank God for Golden Baobab.”

    Apart from his recent achievement of being longlisted for the Golden Baobab Prizes, this passion saw to it that Fego was shortlisted twice for the Litro/IGGY International Short Story Award, receiving a bronze essay award from the Royal Commonwealth Society as well as winning the inaugural Ugreen Foundation Short Story Prize.

    Other Nigerians on the longlist are:

    Ayibu Makolo (the author’s pseudonym) – Madam’s Maid and the Little Yellow Frog

    Ayibu is a medical doctor who presently lives in Scotland with her family.  She has been writing since she was a child but only began to make her work public this year. She enjoys reading classics and travelling around the world.

    Philip Begho – The Princess with a Golden Voice and the Two-Headed Monster

    Philip is an award-winning author who has published over a hundred books. He has worked as a journalist, a lawyer, a banker and a university lecturer, and has also engaged in film and theatrical productions. Philip now writes children’s stories fulltime.

    Uchenna Edith -Susan – Christmas in Kemah’s Home Town

    Uchenna is a freelance writer whose greatest passion is to inspire and empower the African mind through her writing. She is currently working on several chapters of books for children, as well as contributing articles to her favorite websites and blogs.

    Nneoma Ike-Njoku – Elelenma

    Nneoma’s decision to study Lieral Arts and Sciences at St John’s College in Santa Fe is the extension of a childhood desire to “know everything” that never disappeared.

    Besides writing, Nneoma enjoys drawing, sculpting and attempting to cook. She loves food and travelling; she enjoys how a new place makes a person breathe somewhat differently.

    ‘Tunji Ajibade – In the End

    ‘Tunji is a Communications (Writing/Editing) Consultant, Literary Administrator and newspaper columnist. He lives in Abuja, Nigeria. ‘Tunji has published short stories, dramas and children stories – many of which have either won, or have been nominated for awards.

    Olorunfunmi Temitope – Grandma’s Hens

    Olorunfunmi is a graduate of Fine Arts from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is the Lagos Liaison Officer of Life in My City Arts Festival. He writes poetry, short-stories and is presently working on his debut novel.

    The Golden Baobab Prizes for literature has since its establishment in July 2008 inspired the creation of riveting African children’s stories by gifted African writers. The Prizes invite entries of unpublished stories written by African citizens irrespective of age, race, or country of origin. The Prizes are organized by Golden Baobab, a Ghana-based pan African social enterprise dedicated to supporting African writers and illustrators to create winning African children’s books.

    The organization’s Advisory Board includes renowned authors Ama Ata Aidoo, Patrice Nganang, Jay Heale and Maya Ajmera.

    Golden Baobab is supported by Echoing Green, Reach for Change, the Global Fund for Children and The African Library Project.

     

  • Syria monitors win Nobel Peace Prize

    The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the body overseeing destruction of such weapons in Syria, has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

    The Nobel Committee said it was in honour of the OPCW’s “extensive work to eliminate chemical weapons.”

    BBC says OPCW was established to enforce the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

    It recently sent inspectors to carry out the dismantling of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

    The watchdog picks up a gold medal and 8m Swedish kronor ($1.25m; £780,000) as winner of the most coveted of the Nobel honours.

    Pakistani schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousafzai and gynaecologist Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo had been tipped as favourites to take the award.

    Others who had been listed as contenders were Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning); the United States soldier convicted of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks and Maggie Gobran, an Egyptian computer scientist who abandoned her academic career to become a Coptic Christian nun and founded the charity Stephen’s Children.

    But an hour before Friday’s announcement, Norway’s public broadcaster reported the award would go to the OPCW.

    The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention has contributed to the destruction of nearly 80 per cent of the world’s chemical weapons stockpile.

     

  • Mikel unfazed by Ethiopia’s ‘bumpy’ pitch

    Mikel unfazed by Ethiopia’s ‘bumpy’ pitch

    Chelsea star Mikel Obi has said he is unfazed by reports the Eagles will play on a “bumpy” pitch in Ethiopia in Sunday’s World Cup playoff.

    The Nigeria advance party to Ethiopia led by the Nigeria Football Federation technical committee chairman Chris Green has already warned the players that they will play on a bumpy pitch at the Addis Ababa National Stadium.

    However, Mikel has assured the Eagles will cope with the poor pitch.

    “We have heard about the poor pitch, but that should not stop us from qualifying for the World Cup because most of us started on such pitches,” Mikel told MTNFootball.com

    “Personally, I started my football on the streets of Jos, playing with stones and rocks, and I know the various injuries and problems we suffered doing that.

    “I don’t have a problem with such a pitch as long as it is not an artificial pitch.

    “Our focus is qualification for the World Cup and so we hope to win on Sunday.”

    Fellow Eagles star, Victor Obinna Nsofor, also told MTNFootball.com they are very much aware of the difficult local conditions in Ethiopia.

    The Lokomotiv Moscow striker, who was part of the team who played out a 2-2 draw with Ethiopia two years ago, insisted a sharp change in weather, bumpy pitch and a partisan home crowd will not affect them.

    “We are not taking the Ethiopians for granted, we are aware of what we are going there to face on Sunday. I played there in 2011 and I know how bad the pitch was, we expect same on Sunday,” Nsofor said.

    “The weather too wasn’t friendly and the fans will be there to support their team. But we know all these and they won’t affect us because they are not strange to us.

    “We have prepared well for the game. We believe in ourselves and God will crown our efforts.”

     

  • Zuriel: African Girl Child ambassador

    Zuriel: African Girl Child ambassador

    Penultimate week, she was in Malawi during which she formally launched the second country destination point in her Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up program, aimed at inspiring the African Girl Child.

    Her country of origin, Nigeria was the first port of call in March for the take off of the programme.

    Today, as the world marks the International Day for the Girl Child, 11 year old award winning documentary film maker, conference speaker and writer Zuriel Oduwole is guest of the Tanzanian government in continuation of her campaign for the education for the African girl.

    “I am hoping that the parents of girls in Africa will see me as an example, and see that their girls have a lot of potential in life, and can achieve great things in life,” she told The Nation in an interview.

    Zuriel’s accomplishments at her young age make her a true model of what the IDGC is about-giving the girl child to the opportunity to maximize her full potentials.

    Her rise to fame through the creation of documentaries from a school project validates the theme of this year’s IDGC which is Innovating for Girl’s Education.

    “When I was nine, I entered a school competition called, “National History Day.” And I was the youngest student to enter the competition. In that competition, I had to create a presentation, an exhibit, a performance, or a documentary,” she recalls.

    With her mastery of new media, Zuriel who though lives in Califonia with her parents in the United States has become a foremost African ambassador and postal girl of the African Child.

    At ten, Zuriel made history as the youngest person ever to be interviewed in Forbes, the global iconic magazine title.

    To her credit, she has interviewed top personalities worldwide including eight African Presidents, Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote and Tennis super stars – Venus and Serena Williams.

    She also recently interviewed America Civil Rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York.

    Having proved by her exploits that the African Girl is a bundle of talents waiting to be empowered, Zuriel’s clarion call on African leaders to should be taken more seriously and acted on.

    “I like everyone to know that educating and fighting for the education of the Africa Girl Child, is an investment in Africa,” she says.

    Justifying her work on documentary on promoting positive image of Africa, Zuriel once described herself as “an African Child – a Nigerian Girl Child.”

    She is indeed a true child of Africa which Nigeria and the continent should be proud of and be an inspiration to every Girl Child.

     

  • Educating the Girl Child

    Educating the Girl Child

    The importance of the girl child in any society cannot be overlooked. In the words of Barr. (Mrs) Funmi Falana “an untrained girl child is indeed an untrained society” depicts the danger of not training the girl child.

    Having recognised the importance of the girl child in the society, United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 every year as the “International Day of the girl child”. This day according to UN is to “focus attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” A day set aside to promote human rights and address discrimination and violence faced by girls.

    The theme for this year’s girl child day is: “Innovating for Girls’ Education”. The theme shows the quest for effective, efficient and sustainable methods of educating the girl child.

    Having noticed the overwhelming evidence of the girl child education in serving as a powerful transformative force for societies, UN calls for innovative ways of educating the girl child effectively.

    According to a website research, an estimated 5.5 million children are trafficked annually for forced child labour and sexual exploitation while 67 percent of the illiterate people in the world are women and girls. This is attributed to early marriage and other cultural practices.

    The United Nation Children’s Fund on twitter: @UNICEF puts the figure of 31 million as the amount of girls deprived of education.

    “What can be done to make sure that the girl child is educated? After all, educating girls is the single most powerful investment for development. And it is their right.

    “But even though more girls are entering school than ever before, 31 million are still denied this right.

    “Those that do attend school face major challenges- discrimination, financial stress, and threats to their safety, to name just a few.

    “It is clear that the world needs new, creative solutions to help girls everywhere overcome these barriers to learning and achievement,” as stated on UNICEF’s twitter handle – @UNICEF

    The theme for this year is chosen due to the ‘perceived low returns from poor quality of education,’ which has prevented the girl child from achieving adequate learning outcomes.

    This year’s International Day of the Girl Child is meant to address “innovation in partnerships, policies, resource utilization, community mobilization, and most of all, the engagement of young people themselves.

    Some of the areas UN requires its member states to focus are:

    • Improved public and private means of transportation for girls to get to school—from roads, buses, mopeds, bicycles to boats and canoes;
    • Collaboration between school systems and the banking industry to facilitate secure and convenient pay delivery to female teachers and scholarship delivery to girls;
    • Provision of science and technology courses targeted at girls in schools, universities and vocational education programmes;
    • Corporate mentorship programmes to help girls acquire critical work and leadership skills and facilitate their transition from school to work;
    • Revisions of school curricula to integrate positive messages on gender norms related to violence, child marriage, sexual and reproductive health, and male and female family roles.

    According to a senior lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, policies concerning the girl child are mostly tied to culture and religion. This she says makes the girl child vulnerable to all sorts.

    “People hide under the cloak of culture and religion to do many things. We all should look at whether these are according to global best practices. Before a law is passed, you should ask yourself if this were to be my child would I allow it,” she says

    Ogwezzy calls for continuous sensitisations and enlightenments that will result in a better informed nation. She also calls for the Child Right Act passed by the National Parliament in 2003 to be the benchmark for legislating on the girl child issues.

    The university don says: “The girl child should take advantage of current opportunities now the world is beginning to see her gain. Go to school. Gone are the days when your parents say you should not go to school but go into your husband’s house.”

    She calls on the girl child to discover her self worth and importance to nation building, adding, “Learn how to carry yourself, if your teacher is interested in you, you can turn him down politely.”

    In his goodwill message to commemorate this day, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, calls for improved investment in the girl child education in order to achieve a common future. Ki-moon identifies the importance of education in dislodging issues of discrimination and violence experienced by the girl child.

    In his words: “Empowering girls, ensuring their human rights and addressing the discrimination and violence they face are essential to progress for the whole human family. One of the best ways to achieve all of these goals is to provide girls with the education they deserve.

    “Yet too many girls in too many countries are held back simply because of their gender. Those whose mother was also deprived of an education, who lives in a poor community, or who have a disability face an even steeper climb. Among girls who do make it to school, many face discrimination and violence. I launched the Global Education First Initiative to accelerate progress in getting every child into school, especially girls. We are aiming to teach more than reading and counting; we are striving to raise global citizens who can rise to the complex challenges of the 21st century.

    “To achieve meaningful results, we need fresh solutions to girls’ education challenges and we must heed the voices of young people. I have heard from girls around the world participating in the consultations for the new Girl Declaration. I resolve to ensure that Global Education First mobilizes all partners to respond to their powerful call for empowerment.

    “More broadly, our campaign to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and shape a vision beyond that date must address the concerns and potential of the world’s girls.

    “On this International Day of the Girl Child, let us work together to invest in education so that girls can advance in their personal development and contribute to our common future,” Ban Ki-moon says.

    Two years ago, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. To mark the day last year, UN chose the theme: “Ending child marriage”.

     

     

  • Plumber arrested with cocaine

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 29 year-old plumber, Ogu Talent Okechukwu, in connection with unlawful importation of 945 grammes of cocaine.

    The suspect, according to the agency had attempted to import 57 wraps of cocaine he ingested from Brazil when he was caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

    The arrest occurred during the inward screening of passengers on an Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi.

    The NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, said that the suspect ingested a total of 57 wraps of cocaine packed in male condoms.

    “The suspect, Ogu Talent Okechukwu excreted 57 wraps of powdery cocaine packed inside male condoms and sealed with cello-tape. It is a dangerous practice because many drug traffickers have died due to leakage in such wraps of narcotics,” Hamza stated.

    He also added that the case was under investigation.

    The suspect in his confessional statement said that he was lured into drug trafficking because of his inability to pay his 150,000 naira house rent.

    “I am a plumber. I am married with two children and my wife just delivered our second baby. My problem was how to pay my rent of 150,000 naira. While looking for money I was introduced to drug trafficking.

    “They promised me 300,000 naira if only I will bring drug from Brazil. My travel expenses were sponsored. While in Brazil, I was given 100 wraps of drugs to swallow but I could only take 57 because it was my first time and it was not easy to ingest. I feel very bad now, “Ogu who hails from Imo State told investigators.

    The NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, while commenting on the arrest called on members of the public to avoid crime and promote societal peace.