The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Kebbi: From rice to soya

    Kebbi: From rice to soya

    After its bumper rice production, Kebbi State is attracting partnership interest from far afield, Lagos State being the latest to seal a pact with it on soya farming. KHADIJAT SAIDU reports

    Is Kebbi State now the rice capital of Nigeria? Well, that is arguable, but after its exploits last year, overshooting its production target with over 850 metric tonnes of the grains, it could stake its claim. Yet, Kebbi is not all about rice. The state prioritises agriculture, seeing it as the only dependable activity that could guarantee food security apart from its economic benefits.

    It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari has made no secret of his determination to improve the base of Nigeria’s economy by reviving agriculture and opening the mines, among other measures. He must be proud of Kebbi.

    The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Garba Dandiga told reporters that the state has achieved a lot in rice production as well as in wheat and other crops, adding that more states have been developing interest to partner with it in order to make food available in their states.

    The commissioner further pointed out that Kebbi State government through the agriculture ministry has sponsored over 20,000 farmers to produce Soya beans in Zuru area and also given them fertilizer and seed.

    He said the state government will buy 100 tractors for farmers across the state. He added that Kebbi and Lagos state governments have agreed to sponsor over 40,000 farmers to produce soya beans in nine local government areas of Kebbi.  Garba Dandiga confirmed this, saying the agreement also involved private company.

    Both states have partnered on rice production, a deal which produced what is tagged “Lake Rice” sold only in Lagos State at N12,500.

    The commissioner said that the ministry has also set up a committee to look into the communities that are producing vegetables such as tomatoes, pepper and water melon and see how they can be improved upon to meet up with the agreement the state has with Lagos State.

  • Minister laments poor power supply to Abuja

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has called for improvement in the volume of electricity supplied to Abuja from the national grid to effectively power critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital.

    Bello made the call while receiving the new Managing Director, of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who led the company’s management team to the Minister’s office on a courtesy call.

    The minister, who stated that the 11 percent electricity allocated from the national grid to the FCT and other neighboring states covered by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) is grossly inadequate, called on the TCN to allocate more power to the Abuja Distribution Company with specific instruction that the extra power should be dedicated to the Territory.

    He said, “Powering the city’s critical infrastructure like the streetlights, the hospitals, water treatment plants and the entire waste management value chain, especially the liquid waste management has been a big challenge with epileptic power supply. We have been faced with a number of options, some which include just going off grid. But we realize that going off grid, the immediate solution will be using fossil fuels, putting generators all over the city and of course that affects the environment critically”.

    The Minister continued, “Really, I want you to look at some short term solutions. We need power in Abuja, not just to make the city look beautiful but even for the security of the city. I’m sure when you go round the city at night, the infrastructure is there. We have put street lights in most of the major streets, but simply no power and we wouldn’t want to use generators in multiple locations.”

    In a statement issued by the Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister explained that the FCT’s geometric expansion has exceeded all plans and expectations; saying, “it is very clear even from our data and your records that the way in which the city has been expanding within the last two decades, we are talking of an area with a population running into six million already which is overstretched”.

    The Minister who recalled that a special arrangement around the Katampe area which existed some years back took care of power supply to the FCT, called for a return of such projects to tackle the problem of power shortages in the capital city.

    The Minister noted that in the alternative, “We could also identify a system where you can run the streetlights directly from your facility and we are willing to pay, so that that can be looked at as a priority project, independent of the distribution company because it’s priority for us. The seat of power of the country is in Abuja with the President, National Assembly, the highest courts in the land as well as the diplomatic community are all here. This is the centre of Nigeria. We cannot afford to leave Abuja to be dark at night”.

    He tasked TCN to look at specific areas in the Federal Capital City like the Central Business District, the Three Arms Zones, the hospitals and the security zones; emphasising, “I don’t know what the legal implication will be but you could look at it under national security to find ways to solve that”.

    Bello revealed that recently the FCT Administration released the sum of N500 million to the AEDC being part payment of its bills; stressing that FCTA has been very punctual in paying its electricity bills since he assumed office.

    Bello stressed that the FCT Administration believes that power is a critical social infrastructure that every government has to support and assured them of his support and cooperation.

    The Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed appreciated the warn reception of the Minister.

    He promised that TCN in collaboration with the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will look into the request for more allocation of power to the Abuja zone; saying that his company is presently working on the possibility of bringing in additional power lines through Lafia, Nasarawa State into Abuja.

    The Managing Director disclosed that currently TCN transmits power into the FCT through Gwagwaglada and Suleja axis but would make it a tripod arrangement with Lafia axis being added.

     

  • Senator provides transformers, boreholes for Kogi constituents

    The Senator representing Kogi Central, Ahmed Ogembe has donated 25 boreholes and six transformers to the five local government areas in the district.

    The boreholes are spread across the five council areas of Adavi, Okene, Okehi, Ogorimagongo and Ajaokuta.

    He disclosed that work has reached advanced stages at the Okene multipurpose civic centre.

    Represented by his media aide, Mr. Yemi Duke, during the presentation, he described his achievements in one year as evident that he is determined to give priority to the welfare of the people in his district.

    He said, “It is evident that we have a representative at the senate who is ready to give priority to the welfare of his people.”

    Speaking on the civic centre in Okene, Duke said it was the initiative of the senator, as local government chairman, but which he could not complete before the end of his tenure.

    “The senator initiated the idea of the civic centre to serve as a rallying point for the people of the council area, but could not complete it then, as he won the election to the senate.

    “He therefore decided to complete the project to achieve his dream of bringing the people together under one roof,” he said.

    He listed other his other priority areas to include empowerment with direct impact on the people in view of the current economy recession.

    He thanked the people for their mandate, adding that he is determined to do his best at good representation in the Senate.

  • A code for peace from Jos

    A code for peace from Jos

    At a meeting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, religious leaders from the Northcentral states fashioned out a formula for much-needed peace. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    Why were youths the focus of a meeting held in Jos, the Plateau State capital, by religious leaders in search of peace in the Northcentral states?

    The answer is not farfetched. Youths have become a veritable tool in the hands of unscrupulous elements who foment trouble.

    Take Plateau State, the venue of the meeting, for instance. Between 2001 and 2011 when the state momentarily lost its homely and peaceful status due to incessant crises, it was youths who were at the forefront of the destruction. They targeted churches and mosques, burning them down, amid other acts of violence.

    Plateau was not the only theatre of violence. Crisis has also engulfed several parts of the North, even when you take Boko Haram out of the picture. Wherever trouble broke, youths were readily recruited to perfect the plan, and worship centres have almost always been worse-off.

    That was why the clerics made youths their focus, arguing that if you give them a good orientation not just about the dangers of bloodletting but also the grave error of attacking spiritual centres, there would be peace.

    The religious leaders had a lot of help from a Jos-based international organisation known and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) which has been building peace in the state since 2011.

    The NGO identified major causes of religious violence in the North and initiated moves to tackle them. To tackle them, it engaged the clerics from several Northcentral states, knowing their prime role in the society.

    In fact, it was the NGO that noticed that churches and mosques and other sacred religious centers like cemeteries, even praying grounds are often attacked when violence breaks.

    In a two-day meeting organised by the NGO for religious leaders of the Northcentral zone, participants unanimously adopted a universal code of conduct which aims to protect and preserve holy sites even during crisis.

    A communique issued after the meeting which was attended by religious leaders from Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, pointed out that, “The North-Central Zonal meeting examined the provisions of the Universal Code of Conduct on Holy Sites. The Code contains 10 articles on the protection of Holy Sites, defined as ”places of profound significance and holy religious attachment such as mosques, churches, cemeteries, synagogues, etc, whose special character and integrity are to be preserved and protected against all violence and desecration.”

    The adopted code encourages religious leaders, traditional institutions and other interfaith bodies to see it as a template for cooperation in protecting holy sites. In the spirit of the code, the participants suggested the adoption and implementation of the code.

    How is the code to be implemented? By education, monitoring, documentation, joint visits and denunciations by religious leaders of attacks on holy sites, among other activities.

    As part of the strategies agreed by the religious leaders in the zone, the adopted universal code will be translated into local languages, while worship centres will be used for conducting research on faith-based issues. This means that holy sites shall be promoted as centres for learning for religious adherents. The sites will also be made a role model to religious practitioners while both religions will be made to empower families especially mothers as the first and best teachers for the restoration of family values.

    The religious leaders who have already formed an inter-faith group also resolved to facilitate key religious leaders to advocate for the inclusion of religious studies in schools. They also made a strong case for the education of youths as well as teaching them relevant entrepreneurial skills.  Even social media will be used to  counter misinformation and indoctrination.

    The increasing use of hard drugs among youths was also an issue at the meeting. To solve this, the group wil liaise with relevant government agencies to prohibit these identified drugs.

  • An Amazon departs

    Tears flowed freely last Wednesday from the eyes of some cabinet members during the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The reason for the tears was not death or any unpleasant news.

    It was because one of them, the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, was attending the FEC for the last time.

    She is scheduled to resume duties at the United Nations as new Deputy Secretary-General on  March 7, 2017.

    So the valedictory session held in her honour, before the meeting came to an end, was very emotional.

    All those who spoke during the session, had good things to say about Mohammed.

    Though they believed that the appointment she is taking at the UN is not really for herself but for Nigeria.

    At the same time, they believed that her contributions and wealth of experience are still needed in Nigeria to overcome the present challenges it is facing.

    They were caught between whether she will be more relevant to Nigeria at home or at the UN.

    The tears were definitely mixed feelings on how Nigeria can have Mohammed representing Nigeria at the UN and at the same time actively playing her role in Nigeria’s stride to overcome it challenges.

    Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed said: “I will just try to say we are all going to miss her. Most of us met you probably for the first time when we came for confirmation and we have been interacting with you since we all became members of FEC.

    “I think your contributions, intellectual depth, your exposure, all have contributed to assist government in its assignment of servIng the people. The only consolation is that you are leaving to assume high responsibilities and we are very confident that you are going to make us proud. Actually speaking, you are the darling Minister for all my girls. They look up to you and they wanted me to tell you oh, our Idol is leaving for the United Nations and I said yes, I am very happy about it. I wish you all the very best.” he said

    Amina Alhassan, the Minister of Women Affairs, said: “Mr. Acting President, it is difficult for me to describe to my sister, Amina because everybody here knows who she is and what she is capable of doing.

    “You are a pride to womanhood. You have never failed us and I am sure where you are going to now, you won’t fail us. You are kindhearted. Everybody knows that. You help without asking. Just like my brother, the Minister of Information said, there was something you did for me that I will continue to remember and you know it. The quality contributions that you have given in our meeting, we will miss that and as Minister of Women Affairs, Mr. Acting President, I am pleading on behalf of the Nigerian Women that the person that will replace my sister here, of not as good as her, should please be a woman (laughter).”

    The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jubril, who worked directly with Mohammed,  said “For me, this is a very emotional moment and I very unusual…for the last 15 months, to me, have been a period that I always cherish in my career. It is has been 15 months full of exciting moments and experiences having to work with a near-perfect team leader.

    “I believe that we were able to achieve what we achieved because of the quality of the Minister that I have worked with. In the last 3 months, I will say, it has been traumatic for me, trying to gather the reality of her departure. But one thing, I know that I have learnt a lot, she has added value to what we are doing in this country and it is something that you cannot take away from her.

    “The only thing I can say is that in leaving for the UN, the President has decided to give his best. A gold fish has no hiding place. That is what’s happening today. As she moves on to greater height, I will like to wish her all the best and I do hope and pray that (voice shaking, crying) the Ministry of Environment will carry on in order not to disappoint our country.”

    Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said: “I will start by praying God Almighty will see her through in her next assignment. Indeed, she is a lady per excellence, very articulate, focused, forward-looking, amiable, very friendly, very direct, very sincere, very open and more importantly, I found in her this huge patriotism that has driven through, not only now but much before the current assignment as Minister of Environment.

    “She’s quite knowledgeable. Indeed, she has impacted knowledge. She has become a role model even for my daughter, Fatima who went to the University to study Environment, who has graduated with 2:1 and who has never met Amina, of course, but she’s been her driving force.” he added

    Science and Technology Minister, Ogbonnaya Onu, said “Looking at the Honourble Minister of Environment, the positions that she held in the past, I can summarize briefly that she is a gift to Nigeria and now Nigeria is giving her as gift to the world. I wish you success in this high office that you are occupying on behalf of our country and for the good of humanity and I congratulate you.”

    On his part, Mines and Steel Minister, Kayode Fayemi, said “What do you say of a woman of substance who has affected lives in every facet either as civil society activist, a public official, a professional in the private sector? It was Oliver Wendel Homes who once said that not to affect your environment is not to live.

    “There is no doubt that Amina has affected our environment. She’s affected all of us who have had the privilege to meet and know her. As a beneficiary, in some way, I would even say, we have been working together in the last two decades in the civil society, monitoring our work in the MDGs and being a beneficiary as a governor in Ekiti State and then working as a colleague and partner in the FEC, her prodigious intellect, her capacity as hardwork, her never say die attitude, whether she is going into the bushes of Shakira after mines accidents or Ogoni land or Bama, she’s ever so committed to the work.

    “We are proud of her. We know that she’s a star the world will come to appreciate in this new position that she has and we wish her God’s speech.” he said

    Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Zainab Ahmed, said “Mrs. Mohammed is up to my mother. So, I have never called her by her first name. I call her Aunty. I want to say thank you because she has been an inspiration and a role model not just for me for so many of us who come from the northern part of Nigeria.

    “She has shown us what hardwork and dedication can bring. She’s been an ambassador to us and this job doesn’t come as a surprise to us. It is just a stepping stone to where she should be going. She’s close to me in the act of politics, in the act of getting along with my colleagues in the FEC. She always gives her advice. She’s not afraid to say what she think is right. I will live every day, thanking you for who you are.” she said

    Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, said “I just met Amina Mohammed on the plane a few years ago and she was talking with so much passion about MDGs and I found it incredible that she has the incredible gift of making something very mundane, very, very exciting.

    “And she did precisely when she got to Environment which a lot of us don’t understand. She made it very exciting. I called her mama Ogoni because she even got everybody very passionate about Ogoniland. I know she’s going to do incredible well where she is going.

    “So, I feel incredibly proud of her and I know that she’s doing amazingly well. I will miss her on the side of the table will miss her because she supplied us with chocolate. We will certainly. But the thing I will mostly miss about her is just her capacity which is incredibly. She reads. She understands. Anything she says.”

    The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, said “Your life has been quite a big event and your star is still shinning and it is going to shine even brighter. Your future is going to be quite more glorious than today.

    “As you go there at a time that Nigeria is in the dark cloud of financial stress and recession, you appeared on the world stage to play a role which is almost beyond comprehension. She was our colleague, she came out of this cabinet.” he stated

    Osinbajo said “This is well deserved. I have always been very fascinated by her incredible understanding of so many things. It is amazing that you have one person who seems to know so much. She is competent in practically everything: finance, planning, environment even law sometimes.

    “I recall that when the discussion was going on about her going to the UN or not, she spoke to me about it and sought my opinion. My view was that that was an incredible opening. And for me, we are more likely to find a good minister of environment and we may certainly not be able to get another shot at being the deputy secretary-general of the UN.

    “So I thought this was too good to miss and I thought this is a right decision. I am happy she took that decision. She has been a good role model for many young people, especially my two daughters. They always say of her that she is the best. A lot of young women are inspired by her and her contributions. That is a role she must continue to play.

    “My only problem is how she talks. She talks so fast and I had an occasion to tell her that it’s really difficult to follow what you are saying. You have to speak a lot slower. I think I am one of the few who can follow what she says because my first daughter also speaks very fast and I have learnt to cope with that. Now, I think she has slowed down considerably and I think I might have influenced that a bit.

    When given the opportunity to speak, Amina Mohammed “I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for the privilege of being here to serve. For the Acting President, I want you to please extend my deepest gratitude to President Buhari, our leader. He is not here today but he is in our hearts and prayers. He gave me this opportunity to serve.

    “I thank the Acting President for your wise counsel and for being there for me. Based on your advice, I have been trying to speak slower. I have been trying because the secretariat have been telling me to write whatever I say. I promise I will speak slower on the 38th floor.

     

  • New vista opens

    Beyond providing qualitative learning, a new educational centre in the nation’s capital proves the private sector has much to offer, victor oluwasegun 

    Education is essential for growth and national development. And the enormous resources being pumped into the sector annually by the Federal government is sadly insufficient. The need for private sector participation has been continually emphasized by many pundits.

    The desire for qualitative players in the sector who will impact the youths positively and close the yawning educational chasm has never been more real than in the present circumstance in the country’s history

    This is why the commissioning of Brookstone/Northern Coalition of UK Universities (NCUK) International Foundation School in Abuja was a source of excitement for the city last week.

    For those parents seeking the best university education abroad for their children and wards especially in the United Kingdom, a new vista has opened with the commissioning of the Abuja Centre of Brookstone/ NCUK as they have direct access to 16 universities in the UK after a year’s foundation school.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Hon. Zakari Mohammed who chaired the First Educational Fair of the School in Abuja last week commended the School for winning the Best Academic Award at NCUK Partner Conference 2016.

    Mohammed, who spoke at Brookstone / NCUK 2017 Education Fair in Abuja where the award was presented, noted that it was a feat the country should be proud of.

    The NCUK has over 30 centres globally including partnerships in Kenya, UK Ireland, China, Japan, South Korea, Columbia in South America, but gave the award to Brookstone International Foundation School for being the best academic partner in the world.

    Mohammed, said the award is no small feat, adding that education is the bedrock of civilization and that Nigeria and Britain have always had a healthy partnership especially in the area of Education.

    He said private sector participation is essential in education as the government cannot do all that is necessary to ensure quality education for all. According to him, the Chairman of the Governing Board, Kalada Apiafi and his wife, Betty should be encouraged.

    According to the lawmaker, it would be impossible for the teeming youths in the country to get the right type of education unless the government creates an enabling environment for private sector participation in education.

    Speaking on the award, he said: “I think, it’s a translation of hard work. It didn’t just come overnight and from all the testimony we’ve heard today, it’s like the icing on the cake.

    “Definitely what you should know is that whatever you’re doing people are watching you so, I believe that hard work was translated here today and the award, I wish them well.

    “But it’s the beginning of better things to come for the school from the benefit of hindsight. If from 2003 some of these feats can be recorded, it means that so much hard work has gone into it.

    The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright in his speech said it is wrong for people to say the United Kingdom does not give visas to students wishing to study in the UK. According to him, over 90 percent of visa request from Nigeria is approved.

    “Some people think that perhaps the UK government approach to Nigerian student, that we don’t want them in the UK is wrong. Indeed we value very highly Nigerian students.

    “I don’t know how many Nigerian students you think are currently studying in British Universities. It’s about Eighteen Thousand, that’s the fourth largest international group. I don’t know whether you know that over 90 percent of all visa applications to study in the UK are approved…not rejected, approved, for Nigerians who want to study in the UK.

    “There’s been an increase in 8 percent in the number of students since 2009/2010 and we do hope the growth will continue as awareness of the quality of the overall education experience in the UK continue to increase.”

    Andrew Straughan , the Marketing Development Executive for NCUK while speaking on why they were giving Brookstone the award said:

    “Brookstone throughout the three years we have worked with them has continued to display the very highest quality both in terms of the academic support they can give to their students and also through the pastoral process.

    “We feel that Brookstone demonstrate the key qualities which is why we thought it was very apt to give them the award.”

    He said the NCUK has over thirty Centres globally “these include partnerships in Kenya, UK Ireland, China, Japan, South Korea, Columbia in South America.

    “It’s an award to be very proud of for Brookstone and we are happy to give them the award too.”

    The Chairman, Board of Governors, Mr. Kalada Apiafi, while speaking about the school said the International Foundational Year is a progression of strategic plan.

    “We started our Nursery and Primary in 2003 and we proceeded to open the secondary school in 2006. And then we partnered with NCUK to establish an international foundation year Programme in 2013. And here we are setting up an international Foundation Year Programme in Abuja in 2017.

     

  • Kwara, SON make case for made-in-Nigeria products

    The Kwara State government, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and an industrialist have pushed for made-in-Nigeria goods as a recipe for the country’s economy development.

    They said this in Ilorin, the state capital, at the presentation of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)’s certificate of mandatory conformity assessment programme (MANCAP) to the managing director of an Ilorin-based Forgo Battery Company Limited, Joseph Offorjama.

    The state Commissioner for Commerce and Cooperatives, Alhaji Abubakar Rifu said Nigeria does not need to rely on imported products to grow its economy.

    The commissioner, who was represented by a director in the ministry, Hajia Aisat Abubakar said, “We are happy that SON is ensuring standard for us to have value for our money. If we can get value for our money we don’t need to consume imported products. The campaign for buy Nigerian-made products would have started a very long time ago so that we will appreciate ourselves.

    “I want to congratulate Forgo Battery for doing the right thing. We are indeed very happy with you. We will always support you; we will always be there for you when you need our services. The government is very happy with you. I encourage you not to compromise standard in

    your production. Let the customers recognise you.”

    Kwara state Coordinator, SON, Sunday Yashim said “patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods is the only way to grow the country’s economy.

    “The impression that made-in-Nigeria products are substandard is the mentality of the black man. He does believe in himself. The truth about it is that any product that is manufactured has minimum requirements and almost all the products we have certified have met those minimum requirements.

    “Any product that has our logo, it is assumed the product is of high quality. And SON is an autonomous parastatal. If the product falls short of the minimum standard members of the “public is at liberty to see redress in the law court.”

    Speaking with reporters shortly after receiving the MANCAP certificate, Mr. Offorjama listed some of the challenges confronting manufacturers in the country as “difficulty in sourcing foreign exchange to import some vital materials that are not available locally; difficulty in getting spare-parts for some of the machines as they are not made here; unavailability of technical-know-how. So have to pay through our noses to import experts periodically to handle some things for us.”

    He admitted that locally produced goods are far better than imported ones in some instances, adding that “the local products are good and even much better, because battery has a life. The modern batteries now which are maintenance free start the day they are sealed. If you buy batteries that have been regulated by SON-Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) freshly made then you have got true value for your money.”

    He urged the Federal Government to help local manufacturers to get foreign exchange with ease.

    “This should be urgently attended to because most factories still need foreign exchange to get spare parts and some raw materials that are not available here”, he said.

    In the area of power cost, we think government should stop the upward revive of tariff until supply improves. Presently too, there are clamours for other sources of power which we highly encourage.

    “So having other sources of energy through gas and solar is welcome development.

    With that energy cost can be competitive. Over time, as the economy improves we will see how to source raw materials from research institute that available to make these materials known and where they are. And we will explore them to reduce the cost of importation.”

     

  • Firm equips school lab

    The dream of science students of Day Secondary School, Tunga, Minna, Niger State to use a standard laboratory for study got a boost when Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, an oil exploration company, refurbished their archaic laboratory. The oil firm spent over N3 million to bring the old laboratory to life.

    The school, which was established in 1988 with about 200 qualified teachers and a student population of about 4,000, had been using inadequate and obsolete  apparatus, thereby denying students the opportunities to investigate, engage in scientific reasoning, manipulate equipment, record data, analyze results, and discuss their findings.

    Head of Science Department of the school, Aisha Yusuf, said, with the upgraded laboratory would improve students’ performance in the two subjects.

    According to her, numerous challenges had faced laboratory approach in science instruction raging from the use of inadequate labs to outdated facilities.

    She said the school borrowed facilities from other schools to be able to form reagents or carry out experiments especially during external exams.

    At the commissioning/ handing over of the equipment to the school recently, the Senior Adviser, Public and Government Affairs, of the firm, Abdullahi Jibrin, said, the refurbishment of the combined Physics/ Chemistry laboratory was part of the company’s commitment to shaping lives through improved education in Nigeria.

    According to him, MPN supported the education project through the Network for science Education Advancement (NSEA).

    He stated that ExxonMobil subsidiaries had contributed over N10 billion Naira in supporting good education in neighboring communities and across Nigeria.

    “Education is vital to the development of communities and is the means through which tomorrow’s future leaders are built. This is why over the years, ExxonMobil subsidiaries have contributed over N10 billion naira in supporting good education in our neighboring communities and across the nation.

    “Through this project, we hope to further improve the quality of education received by the students in this community.

    “This project Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN) three million six hundred and eighty five thousand naira only (N3, 685, 000.00). It is our hope that the beneficiaries will endeavor to make the most of this opportunity, and that through projects like this, we will improve education and raise the standard of living across communities in Nigeria.

    “We expect that the laboratory and all equipment will be maximally utilized for the benefit of all. The laboratory has been upgraded and provided with equipment such as; conical flasks, a galvanometer, test tubes, screens, micrometer screw gauge, optical lenses and litmus papers etc,” Jibrin said.

    The Principal of the school,  Mr. Ibrahim Anzag, said the school had grown from strength to strength over the years and that in spite of crumbling laboratories and other facilities, 60 per cent of the students achieved credit in at least five subjects in both the Senior School Certificate Examination  (SSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) exam in 2016.

    Mr. Anzag, said effort will be made to boost the academic performance of students with the rehabilitation of the laboratory, adding that the laboratory would be used with care.

    He called on the state government to recruit lab technician to keep the facilities in good shape.

    The principal said delinquent behavior which had been a major concern in the school had hugely reduced among students.

    He cited lack of classroom and office furniture, perimeter fencing, sporting facilities and relevant textbooks as the major challenges affecting the school and called on the state government to address them.

  • Niger to build N29m parks

    Niger State is planning to build trailer parks in five of its communities.

    The Director General of the state Public Private Partnership Agency, Alhaji Isah Abdulkadir disclosed this during a capacity building seminar for Fadama III Staff in Minna, the state capital, saying the trailer parks will gulp N29 million.

    He said that the trailer parks will be built in Suleja, Mokwa, Makera,Lambata and Tegina to ease traffic on the road.

    The DG said that the Memoradum of Understanding has been signed and that work will soon start, adding that the parks will be completed before the end of the year.

    Abdulkadir who asserted that public private partnership is working in the state said that other intervention to develop the state is being taken through PPP.

    Speaking on the Minna City Centre which have been abandoned for years, he said that revival efforts are on ground to ensure the center is completed. “The Minna City Center have some technical issues which are undergoing some discussions on how to utilize it.”

    The Fadama state Project Coordinator, Mr Aliyu Usman Kutigi, an engineer, stressed the need to encourage private sector participation in a bid to manage scarce resources available in the sector.

    He further said that 8,000 farmers are being mobilised for the 2017 wet farming cultivation as Fadama is promoting all the year round farming.

    Picture the aesthetics the parks will introduce to the state. It will mop up much of the traffic congestion and disorder in Niger, which other states will like to copy.

  • Peace Corps helps IDP’s vulnerable kids

    THE horrors of being violently displaced in your country are multiple. You are only lucky to escape alive, for some of your neighbours, sometimes even family members did not. Those who fled Boko Haram attacks have experiened this, but there is more. Sometimes, those who survived have no parents, or are living with physical challenges.

    At the Aisha Buhari Special School for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Vulnerable Children in Abuja, there is quite a number of these vulnerable children. For them, life can be quite an ordeal.

    But there was cause for cheer at the school when the Commandant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) Dickson Akoh visited bringing with him items worth thousands of naira.

    There are about 168 male children from various families in the school.

    They expressed joy and happiness that they could find shelter far away from home.

    Akoh, who showed love to the children, said it has been a corporate social responsibility of the PCN to engage in national advocacy that engender youth development and nation-building.

    Akoh went further that factors that bring about vulnerability of children vis-à-vis Internally Displaced Persons should be vehemently kicked against as every child deserves a home and the right to be loved.

    Represented by the Deputy Corps Commandant in charge of Finance, Omolola Ahmed, the PCN boss said: “pet projects are being embarked upon by first ladies of various states government but none can be compared or given reference to supporting vulnerable and under-privileged children who were displaced unconditionally, lost their parents and rendered homeless as that being embarked by the wife of the President, Hajia Ashia Buhari.

    “Her Excellency in this unalloyed magnanimity has taken the bold step to give home to the homeless, put food in the mouths of those without hands to provide for themselves, and ultimately give hope to the hopeless. In our view and that of the general public, it is widely said that posterity will never forget you.”

    It is also pertinent, Akoh said to point out that the corps has reached out to several charity homes and most recently the IDPs home at Durumi in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja.

    He acknowledged the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration which has gone beyond the confines of fighting corruption, retrieving looted funds to making sure that youths are given the necessary platform to exhibit their God-given talents.

    Akoh prayed for Buhari to return in good health and vigor, adding,  “He will in recourse to the socio-economic advancement of our youths, speedily and convincingly assent to the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Peace Corps.         Situated in Gwarinpa, the Principal of Hajia Aisha Buhari Special School for the Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) and Vulnerable Children, Ben Onwudinjo said the children who are victims of the Boko Haram insurgency hail from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States and were selected from 14 IDP camps in FCT/Nasarawa States.

    Onwudinjo said the children depend on well-meaning Nigerians to survive.

    He disclosed that the: “wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari has formally adopted the school as one of her pet projects, hence the official change of the name of the school to  Hajia Aisha Buhari Special School for the Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) and Vulnerable Children.