The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kaduna state

  • El-Rufai begins daily free feeding for school pupils

    El-Rufai begins daily free feeding for school pupils

    Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai on Monday flagged-off free feeding Programme for 1.8 million primary school pupils in the state.

    The free feeding programme according to El-Rufai was the beginning of a different phase of the State Government’s project to expand access to education.

    In his address at the occasion held at the Aliyu Makama Road Primary School, Barnawa area of Kaduna metropolis, El-Rufai said the launch of the programme  which is to serve as a direct intervention in the health of the pupils, will also place the schools to promote education and nutrition among the pupils.

    The governor admitted that his administration will not be surprised to hear about teething problems with the take-off of the feeding, he said the problems will be swiftly addressed with continuous improvement where necessary.

    He said in executing the policy, perfection must not be allowed to be a restraint in doing the needful, adding that it is in the process of feeding the school children that the programme can be refined and perfected.

    He said. “Every school day from Monday, the Kaduna State Government will be providing a meal for 1.8m primary school pupils.

    “It is an unprecedented undertaking in this state, but one that we solemnly pledged to do when we were campaigning.

    “It is a challenge in terms of its scale, cost and the logistics required to deliver the meals every day. But our children deserve this, and more.

    “We are conscious that it would save parents break-time money, empower the women within the community who have been selected as the catering vendors and expand the market for farm products.

    “In fact, the school feeding programme is directly creating 17,000 jobs for catering vendors, each of whom will need to employ workers to help them deliver.

    “Thus there is something for everyone in the School Feeding Programme. In seeking to take care of our children, we are creating jobs, boosting demand and exposing our people to new skills and hygiene standards and providing extra income.

    “I urge everyone involved in the programme to discharge their responsibilities with the utmost sense of commitment, transparency and accountability. The monitoring mechanism must be rigorous, and we invite the school-based management committees and Parent-Teacher Associations to review and provide us their observations on the implementation of the programme at the school level.

    “We will not be surprised to hear about teething problems, but we expect these problems to be swiftly addressed within a governing ethos of continuous improvement.

    “As pragmatic people, we understand that in executing policy we must not let the perfect be a restraint on the doable. It is in the process of actually feeding our school children that we can refine and perfect the programme.

    “As I noted earlier, school feeding is a separate plan of our initiative to expand access to education, to ensure that every child can have nine years of free, decent basic education, no matter the income level of their parents. Parents have responded with enthusiasm, and at the beginning of this session enrollment in public schools rose by 64%.

    “We began our education programme with the recruitment of teachers for core subject areas, conducted a needs-assessment to identify how we can strengthen the capacity of current teachers and then announced the removal of all bureaucratic impediments to the career advancement and sense of fulfillment of professional teachers in the public school system. We made it clear that a professional teacher can rise to Grade Level 17, without having to stop being a teacher.

    “Having taken steps to raise the morale and capacity of teachers as the frontline workers in delivering quality education, the government began addressing the question of the physical condition of the theatre in which they work: the schools.

    “We inherited a baleful legacy of dilapidated schools, inadequate classrooms, and no furniture for 50% of the pupils. The schools also often lacked water and toilet facilities.

    “The APC government of Kaduna State responded by launching a school rehabilitation programme. It is a massive commitment to fix the more than 4000 public primary schools in the state and transform them into conducive places for the delivery of quality education. We will strive to complete the rehabilitation within our term of office.

    “Permit me to register our gratitude to the Kaduna State House of Assembly for supporting our vision, and passing the 2016 Budget swiftly with such massive provision for Education and the Social Sector in general.

    “We are also grateful to the Federal Government which has,  through the Office of the Vice-President, provided technical support and has committed to reimburse the Kaduna State Government up to 60% of the cost of the School Feeding Programme.

    “There is still so much work ahead. I assure you that we shall never be lacking in the commitment, determination and courage to do as we promised. We will appreciate your feedback and suggestions so that we can do better in serving you, the citizens of Kaduna State,” El-Rufai said.

  • El-Rufai no longer accidental public servant – Tinubu

    El-Rufai no longer accidental public servant – Tinubu

    Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that, Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State is no longer ‘accidental public servant’, but a determined and well groomed Governor.

    Asiwaju stated this in Kaduna on Wednesday while flagging-off the first phase of 200 brand new Peugeot and KIA vehicles for the new Kaduna Cabs Scheme (KADCABS) initiated by the Malam Nasir El-Rufai led administration.

    According to Tinubu, “Kaduna suddenly is blessed with a performer, a trailblazer and a committed governor. This time, no longer the accidental civil servant, but determined and well groomed Governor whose experience, knowledge and deep understanding of good governance which he has brought to bear in governing Kaduna people.

    “I am greatly honoured to be part of this empowerment scheme for the people by the government. This is proactive effort geared at job creation.

    “The Kaduna Cab Scheme is a long overdue initiative. And now that a people oriented government in charge, we are beginning to see not just bold ideas, but equally bold moves.

    “I have been made to understand that the Kaduna Green Cabs Programme is an initiative to revive taxi services in the state, using modern cars and well-trained owner-drivers. It will also create a new generation of owner-drivers.

    “It is an economic empowerment program aimed at not just creating wealth, but providing jobs and affordable loans to the people of Kaduna State. The advantages of this initiative range from the economic, to the sociological and security. It will help to begin to sanitize the taxi business system since a database is expected to be established and a monitoring technique.

    “I am impressed by the subsidized and soft loan nature of the scheme. It is governance with a human face. I salute Governor El-Rufai for this bold initiative and I challenge him to quickly increase the number of the cabs.

    “I am sure the last five to six months have convinced many Kaduna residents that they are indeed in capable hands. That a new sheriff is in town. One who will stop at nothing to make Kaduna excel.”

    Earlier in his address, Governor El-Rufai said, the scheme is not an exercise in political patronage, but a business and a platform being created to empower the industrious and the hard working among Kaduna youth.

    He said, aside from the 10 percent deposit each of the pioneer owner-drivers of the Kaduna Cabs have made, they will pay for the full value of the cars in monthly instalments of 36 months.

    According to the Governor, “We believe that all the major cities in our state deserve a decent taxi cab service. Whether to the airport, from hotels, or on our major roads, it must be possible for a passenger to commute in conditions of comfort and safety.

    “It is our duty to provide choice, so that a user can decide which means of transportation is best suited to their needs and pockets at any particular time. We can all agree that it is an anomaly that Kaduna, our capital city, does not have a functioning, organized and regulated taxi service.

    “We have designed this taxi cab service to do more than expand choice. In addition to safety, comfort and an enhanced user experience, the cab scheme is a means of creating jobs and empowering owner-drivers. We hope that many of our young people will find owning and running their own taxi cab a fulfilling business,” he said.

  • NYSC deploys 2,500 corps members to Kaduna State

    NYSC deploys 2,500 corps members to Kaduna State

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has deployed 2, 500 corps members to Kaduna State for the 2015 Batch B orientation course.

    Mr. Mohammed Momoh, the state’s NYSC Coordinator, made this known on Tuesday at a news conference in Kaduna.

    He said the orientation would begin on Oct. 28, adding that with the security situation in the North East, corps members posted to Gombe State would make use of the orientation camp in Kaduna State before redeploying to their state of posting.

    Momoh noted that “the orientation will be in two streams with Kaduna taking the first stream from Oct. 28 to Nov. 17, while Gombe will take the second from Nov. 25 to Dec. 15.

    “Redeployment will only be on marital and health issues,’’ he added.

    On the ban on nursing mothers and pregnant women from camp, the coordinator said he had been directed to attend to them in order not to jeopardise the wellbeing of the children.

    “Since there are no facilities for children and pregnant women, they will register and go home until the orientation is over and their posting is ready for collection.’’

    He said skill acquisition and entrepreneurial programmes had been arranged for members to be self reliant after their service year.

    He called for the support and cooperation of the people in the state to ensure that corps embers were directed to the orientation camp.

  • Kaduna approves drug control, witness protection bills

    The Kaduna State Executive Council on Monday approved draft bills on drug abuse and witness protection.

    This was also as it reviewed progress in the recruitment of 2,550 youths for KASTELEA jobs.

    Briefing the press after the meeting, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Amina Dyeris-Sijuwade, said that “these two bills signal the government’s intention to adopt new approaches to fighting crime, upholding the rule of law and rescuing young people from the ravages of drug abuse.”

    The Attorney-General explained that the drug control law provides for measures to prevent substance abuse as well for the treatment of addicts and substance abusers. The bill provides guidelines for voluntary treatment and clear processes, including judicial review, for initiating and managing involuntary treatment. All these safeguards are to ensure that the rights and dignity of persons under treatment are protected.

    On the witness protection bill, Dyeris-Sijuwade described it as an important advance for the rule of law.

    She explained that the bill “provides the conditions and procedures for ensuring special protection for persons in possession of important or sensitive information, against intimidation or threat to life that may arise from their cooperation with the public prosecutor.”

    She said that the Executive Council noted that fear is one of the major weapons criminals use when they erect hurdles against justice. This bill seeks to remove the fear that criminals implant in potential witnesses.

    Today’s sitting of the Council also approved the operational structure and staffing plan for KASTELEA, the state government agency that is being prepared for traffic and environmental enforcement duties.

    The council noted that 18, 270 persons applied for KASTELEA jobs, and confirmed that 2,550 persons would be recruited from the final shortlist. The new personnel would be chosen on the basis of 10 youths per ward, after physical and medical screening.

     

  • El-Rufai unfolds free education policy

    El-Rufai unfolds free education policy

    Kaduna State Government has unfolded a 13.7 billion naira yearly free education policy for primary and Secondary Schools students in the state.

    The State Governor, Nasril El-Rufai announced the policy at the end of three-day retreat for Commissioners and Special Advisers in the state at the Fifth Chukker Polo Ground, along Kaduna-Saminaka Express Way.

    He said the policy has taken away the burden of tuition fees, school uniforms, feeding at the state boarding schools and other sundry charges from parents every year.

    El-Rufai who warned that any principal who collect any form of fees from parents would be dealt with, described as fraudulent the 3.7 billion naira allegedly spent on school fees by the immediate past PDP government in the state.

    The governor explained that about 9 billion naira would be spent for standadized three sets of school uniforms for 1.1 million pupils in primary schools and other materials to make learning easy for them, while about 3.7 billion naira would be spent on fees and feeding for over 3,780 Junior Secondary Schools students across the state.

    The governor said government has reviewed upward the standard and quality of foods being given to students, saying that the cost of meal per student has gone up from 11 naira per meal to 61 naira.

    He added that the state would be paying about 200 million naira per term as school fees for students, while government supplement for feeding in boarding schools would gulp 200 million naira per term as well.

    According to the governor about 5,000 local tailors would be engaged to produce the single type uniforms for all the schools in the state, noting that the idea was to create jobs for local entrepreneurs in Kaduna state.

    He added that community leaders would form part of the schools managements.

    He said an extra-ordinary meeting of the state executive council also took place during the retreat where the council approved a memorandum on the creation of the Kaduna Geographical Information Service to replace all the works of the Ministry of Land and Survey.

    “Similar to what I did in Abuja, it will be a one-man stop agency for effective service delivery and I can assure you that all who have lands in Kaduna will be given evidence of ownership or title within one and half years, ” Governor EL-Rufai said.

    He said the Council also approved a memo on the merger of ministries from 25 to 13 and would soon send a bill to the state Assembly regarding the issue, stating that it is obvious that some staff of the state government would be redeployed to Schools to teach, while others would go to local government to strengthen its work force.

    El-Rufai who said henceforth the state budgets would be presented to the people at Town Meeting to enable the citizen participate in it preparation before sending it to the state assembly, also said that the 2014 reversed Kaduna Master Plan was discussed and adopted by the Council and would be sent to the assembly for legal backing soon.

    He assured that Kaduna state would follow the path and landmarks of progressive leadership as represented by the All Progressive Congress, APC and President Muhammadu Buhari, stating that transparency, accountability, strict adherence to ethics and values, integrity, openness and high sense of responsibility would be the watch words of his administration.

  • Nigerian pilgrims warned against illegal movement in Saudi Arabia

    Nigerian pilgrims warned against illegal movement in Saudi Arabia

    Nigerians on Holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, particularly women have been warned against illegal movement in Madina and Makkah.

    Chairman of the Preachers Team from Kaduna State, Malam Mukaddas Zaria gave the warning in Madina while addressing pilgrims on their conduct in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.

    He said, report reaching officials had it that pilgrims, particularly female allow strange men, most of whom are illegal residents of Saudi to lead them around the two cities.

    According to him; “in the name of going to install gold or silver plated teeth, some of our pilgrims follow strange men around. And when they get their unlawful men touch their bodies in the process of putting the golden teeth for them.

    “Besides, installation of gold or silver plated teeth is mostly done to show people at home that you have gone for Hajj. Is it not better for you to perform Hajj without showing off? He queried.

    He however advised that, henceforth, any female pilgrim who desires installation of gold or silver plated teeth should look for her state official guide, particularly those who understand Arabic Language to accompany her to the dental clinic.

    “If you go on such journey alone, and you allow yourself to be molested by bad elements, you are as good as someone who deliberately commits sin in the Holy Land, those whom the Prophet had cursed. May Allah guide us against such,” he prayed.

    He however urged the pilgrims in general to maximise their opportunity of being in the Holy Land by praising God and asking for forgiveness at all times.

    According to him, pilgrims are not in the Holy Land for tourism; therefore, they must take advantage of their presence in Saudi Arabia to pray at the Prophet Mosque in Madina and Holy Kaaba in Makkah.

    “The Prophet, may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, said whoever observes 40 prayers in his Mosque in Madina, he will ask for forgiveness for the person on the day of judgment,” Mukadas stressed.

  • Kaduna bans beggars, hawkers for security measure‎s

    Kaduna bans beggars, hawkers for security measure‎s

    Kaduna State Government has commended the people of the state for promptly embracing the crucial necessity of watchful vigilance and attention to security.‎
    This was as the government announced further measures to enhance public security in the state. 
    It said: “All beggars and hawkers are to stay off the streets until further notice. Any beggar or hawker found on the streets will be arrested, until these measures are relaxed.”
    This was contained in statement issued by the Special Assistant to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Samuel. It read that: “In addition, government reiterates that the ban on motorcycle taxis (achaba) remains in force, and the law will be strictly enforced in this regard.
    “The government hereby urges all citizens to report all suspicious persons and movements to the security agencies, and to afford these agencies their maximum cooperation. 
    “These measures take immediate effect,” the statement read.