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Tag: Kebbi

  • School sacks five teachers for impregnating SS3 student

    Five teachers of the Polytechnic Academic Staff Secondary School Birnin Kebbi, have been sacked for impregnating an SS3 student of the school.

    Our reporter learnt on Wednesday that the girl was also expelled from the school.

    Sources confirmed that the decision to dismiss the five teachers followed the recommendation of a committee set up by the school to investigate the matter.

    “The committee submitted report on Monday and recommended that all the five teachers should be dismissed from service immediately.

    “The management have dismissed the teachers and the victim was also expelled from the school.

    “When the committee interrogated each of the teachers, they confessed that they have been having sexual relationship with the victim separately, so, they were sacked immediately based on the committee’s recommendations”, the source added.

    Read Also: Teachers arraigned for raping seven schoolgirls

    The affected teachers had forwarded an appeal against their dismissal to the school’s management board.

    The Principal of the school, Malam Muhammed Mahuta was said to be in hospital for weeks before the incident, but his Vice, Malam Oumar Woulandakoye confirmed the development, adding that the affected teachers had filed an appeal against their dismissal.

    ” I will advised that you should wait till the final report of the School Board, because I just received their memo now that they are going to sit on the matter tomorrow,” he told our reporter.

  • FG to permanently shut land borders over rice smuggling

    Says Thailand rice is poisonous

    Federal Government has issued stern warning against consumption of Thailand rice saying it is poisonous.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh disclosed this when he interacted with youths during The Guardians of the Nations International (GOTNI) leadership clinic held on Monday in Abuja.

    He disclosed that the land borders will soon be totally shut, in order to prevent smuggling of foreign rice and other toxic materials into the country.

    His words: “Our other problem is smuggling. As we speak, a neighbor of ours is importing more rice than China is importing. They do not eat parboiled rice, they eat white rice, they use their ports to try and damage our economy.

    “I am telling you now because in a few days, you will hear the border has been shut, we are going to shut it to protect you, us and protect our economy. You will start seeing all sorts of negative things on the internet. Let me tell you why we need to shut the border, I grow rice, I was the first Nigerian to mill rice free of stones, if you plant rice in certain parcels of land, some poisonous materials gets into the rice.”

    Ogbeh lamented that the friendly relationship that existed between Nigeria and her neighbouring African countries was adversely affecting the nation’s economy, hence the decision to shut the borders.

    Read Also: Rice smuggling: FG to shut land border in few days

    According to the Minister,  the federal government in past two years had succeeded in reducing rice importation by 95 percent and increased the number of rice farmers from five to 30 million.

    He noted that states like Anambra, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa have taken advantage of the Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) of the Federal government to upscale rice production, and such achievements will not be allowed to fizzle away through smuggling activities.

    “There are three kinds of water in their natural state; there is fresh water from the river, salt water from the sea, blackish water. If you go to the Delta in many countries, in South East Asia where they grow the rice, if you plant rice in the same place like four to six years continuously, the quantum of arsenic begins to increase and arsenic causes cancer and that is what they are dumping for us.

    “Some people say they prefer Thai rice because they are very sophisticated, welcome to poison. We just have to handwork you to prosperity otherwise, this country will not grow. My wish for you is to have a better time than we had,” he added.

  • Stray dog on rampage, attacks villagers in Kebbi

    A stray dog is on the rampage and has attacked and injured three villagers and livestock in Basaura town in Jega Local Government Area of Kebbi.

    The state Director, Veterinary and Public Health, Dr Ahmad Ambursa, made this known to our reporter in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.

    “An unknown dog was reported to have attacked residents and livestock in Basaura village of Jega Local Government Area.

    “The dog injured three persons and a number of livestock in the area as a result of its spree – bites, ” he said.

    He said the victims had been taken to Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital for treatment.

    Read Also: Two killed in deadly Ebonyi rival cult clash

    Earlier, a team of veterinary doctors, led by Dr Ahmad Muhammad, visited the village where the incident happened for confirmation on getting the report.

    The team was received by the District Head of Basaura, Alhaji Muhammad Buhari, who informed the members that the dog was from unknown destination and attacked both humans and livestock.

    “The dog was killed and burnt to ashes by youths in the area,” he said.

    Responding, Dr Muhammad told the district head that the team was in the palace to sensitise the residentston the dangers of rabies and prompt measures to be taken against the disease.

    The team also visited the scene where the dog was killed and burnt for necessary action.

  • UNICEF, states collaborate to reduce out-of-school children figure

    The United Nations Children Fund ( UNICEF ) is working with four states in the North to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the region.

    The organisation is implementing its Cash Transfer Programme ( CTP ) in Sokoto, Niger, Zamafara and Kebbi states to boost enrolment in schools in the region.

    Its Education Specialist, Azuka Menkiti, said the CTP, which was introduced in 2014, had increased girls enrolment by 61 per cent in Sokoto and Niger and also contributed in the retention of pupils in school.

    She disclosed these in a presentation at a two-day media dialogue on Educate a Child and CTP in Sokoto.

    Menkati, who said the 10.5 million out-of-school children figure widely quoted may be out of date as its new programme may have reduced the figures.

    UNICEF believes several intervention programmes such as the cash transfer programme ( CTP ) as well as the Department for International Development ( DFID )-sponsored Educate a Child ( EAC ) project may have altered existing data on out-of-school children, hence such figures can no longer be reliable to aid planning in the sector.

    She said there was need for a review of the figures, so as to come up with a more reliable data.

    Her observation was also recently echoed by Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who placed the number of out-of-school children at about 8.6 million.

    “The UNICEF cash transfer programme has been successful because it was targeted at addressing the economic barrier in education and we recently conducted assessment which has shown improvement in enrolment of girls children.

    “For us in making education accessible to everyone, we need to start empowering every family because poverty has become key problem hindering children from attending schools,” she said.

    She said the EAC project was aimed at increasing the quality of teaching, particularly for girls, at the basic education level, apart from expanding access to school.

    Menkiti explained that high level of poverty, which was found to hinder families from sending their children to school necessitated the CTP where cash gifts were offered to induce students to be in school.

    She noted that beyond cultural and religious factors, it was imperative for the government to mainstream girls’ education into their programmes by changing the mindset of all stakeholders towards the enrolment of girls in schools.

    “For UNICEF CTP has been successful because it was targeted at addressing the economic barriers in education and we recently conducted an assessment that has shown remarkable improvement in enrolment of girls.

    “For us, in making education accessible to everyone, we had to start empowering every family because poverty was identified to be a key problem hindering children from attending schools,” the UNICEF education expert added.

    She urged other states desirous of boosting enrolment in schools to replicate the CTP.

    Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, said the state had recorded an increase in enrolment, empowerment, and drastic reduction of street hawking among girls through the programme.

    The Sultan, represented by Sani Jabbi, District Head of Gagi, said majority of female children have embraced education.

    The monarch, who was represented by Sarkin Yakin Gagi, Sani Umar Jabbi, said the state would continue to support girl-child education by ensuring that they are enrolled in schools.

    “We will continue to struggle to the end of our lives to ensure that every girl-child is enrolled in school, complete the school, transit to secondary school ‎and complete it. We need more professionals in human resources… We need more human resource in teaching profession in Sokoto. What we have now is largely dominated by males. About 60-80 percent is male dominated and demand for human resources in education and health is needed.

    “In the rural areas we have high burden of child-maternal mortality, as a result of the community not allowing females to search for knowledge in health-related professions as a result of male domination. It means there is need for all males to support girl-child education so that we can have more human resources for females in the health and education profession. We will continue until we ensure that 50 percent female and 50 percent male‎ is achieved. But for males to be 80 percent is unacceptable.

    “The curriculum being introduced in western education is still from western imperialism and has not been adjusted. We are still strongly against mixing mature males and females in school to mingle together.‎ So that’s why it tends to limit male participation.”

    Niger State CTP Coordinator, Idris Azika, said the state had concluded arrangements to spend N193 million in the next 3years.

    Azika added that 12,911 beneficiaries would be paid in the first phase of the state owned cash transfer sustainability plan.

  • Kebbi APC Congress yet to hold at 6:15 pm.

    The Kebbi State Congress of the All progressive Congress (APC) did not hold as at  6.15pm on Saturday.

    Journalists and security agencies waited at the  Haliru Abdul stadium, venue of the congress since 9am but no delegate or  national official showed up .

    All efforts to reach the Congress committee proved abortive.

    A reliable source informed our correspondent that all the contestants were having a meeting with the  State Governor at the government house.

  • UNICEF targets 501,749 out-of-school children in northern states

    The United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ) says it hopes to expand access to quality education for 501,749 out-of-schildren in four states in the north by 2020 under its Cash Transfer Programme (CTP).

    The CTP is being implemented in Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara under the Educate A Child (EAC-CTP) and Girls Education Project phase 3 (GEP3-CTP) project across 18 Local government Area in the state.

    UNICEF Education Specialist, Azuka Menkiti, disclosed this at a two-day workshop for Education Correspondent in Sokoto, on Wednesday.

    The workshop was organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau ( CRIB ) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ).

    The CTP is a UNICEF Programme which hopes to increase enrollment in schools and also keep pupils in school by giving their parents money to provide human capital development for them children.

    The target under its EAC-CTP intervention is to reach 41,391 child beneficiaries and their female caregivers in four years: 31,044 in Kebbi State and 10,347 in Zamfara State.

    “The overall goal of EAC is to expand access to quality basic education for 501,749 out-of-school children (OOSC) by 2020 in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

    “Our main hope is that by 2020, we will be able to bring 501,749 into school. That is almost half a million who are missing education.

    “The project is being implemented in partnership with target state governments, which have a high-burden of out-of-school girls, in northern Nigeria.

    “Through its interventions, GEP3 aims to improve access, retention and quality ensuring that learning outcomes for girls improve,” she said.

    She identified poverty as a major reason why children, especially girls, are not attending primary schools in the north.

    According to her, the focus of UNICEF is to increase access of children in the north to education and to ensure that quality learning actually took place in primary schools.

    She said enrollment had increased in states where the cash transfer intervention project had been implemented by UNICEF.

    “Cash transfer comes quickly as a very good solution that will reduce poverty. The main purpose is to reduce the poverty related reasons that prevent boys and girls from going to schools.

    “Cash transfer addresses solely issues of enrollment. It is directed at addressing demands in education,” she added.

    Commissioner for Higher Education, Sokoto, Dr: Muhammed Kirgori, said the state governor, Aminu Tambuwal had declared a state of emergency on education in the state in order to address the challenges of out-of-school children in the state.

    The commissioner said the state government was concerned by the huge figures of children not going to school.

    This, he said, has made the government to come up with short, medium and long term solutions to the problem of education in the state.

    He also said the state government had released 500 million to sustain the cash transfer  Programme in the state.

    “We key into the cash transfer programme of UNICEF and other partners because of the impact it has made in the sampled local government.

    “We have introduced the Programme in all the twenty three local governments in the state,” he said.

  • Doctors storm Kebbi for medical outreach

    To ensure a healthy society with the prevailing health workers’ strike, about 100 doctors have arrived Kebbi State for medical out reach.

    The state goverment has therefore, advised the public to avail themselves of the opportunity of the free medical outreach at Kebbi Medical Center  Kalgo. The free medical outreach is being provided by a team of doctors drawn from Moses Lake in United States and Pro-Health International based in Nigeria.

    The team comprised gynecologist, surgeons, family health experts, pediatricians dentists, anesthetists, nurses and pharmacies.

    Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, while speaking with newsmen at the hospital, advised people to afford themselves the opportunity provided by the outreach to seek treatment and  consultancy.

    Director, Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Dr. Aminu Bunza, who is also the Chairman clinical committee,   said: “We are expecting more patients this time around due to the JOHESU strikes across the country and increase in public awareness “

    The team comprised Kebbi State Medical workers, medical personnel and doctors from UDUTH Sokoto, University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan and Pro health International. There are also student volunteers from Kebbi State School of Nursing and School of Health Technology and members of the Moses Lake Medical team from the United States. The team will be working together while building the capacity of medical workers in a teaching environment.

    Over 50,000 people have benefited from the three previous outreaches, especially with regards to surgeries across specialities. “This time we are targeting over 35000 thousand patients of different illnesses to be treated.  All expenses for all patients are free, including free feeding. The outreach is expected to last for three weeks,”he said.

    Meanwhile, Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Umar Kambaza has explained the reason why the Kebbi State embarked on the free medical out reach for the 4th time was to allow common man access specialised health care services, adding that not only Kebbi people benefitted, but other people from various states came to benefit from the outreach.

     

  • FG trains 200 principals on drug abuse prevention in schools

    The Federal Ministry of Education has trained 200 schools principals in Kebbi have been trained on drug abuse prevention in their schools, to stem the tide of drug abuse among students.

    The Director Education Support Service Department in the ministry, Mrs Justina Ibe, said on Thursday in Birnin Kebbi during the training that the menace of drug abuse among students has become alarming.

    “We all have knowledge of the implications of drug abuse on personnel, social and family life and how the use of drugs is ravaging Nigerian youth.

    “I must say that there is no part of Nigeria that is free from this scourge, not even the rural communities.

    “That is why all hands must be on deck to confront and reduce the menace to the barest minimum,” she said.

    Ibe who was represented by Akinmarin Abiola said the programme was an evidence-based school drug prevention programme that emphasised comprehensive social influence approach to tobacco, alcohol and cannabis.

    She stressed that the menace had been on the increase among youth and children of school age.

    Read Also: Northern govs wives meet to tackle drug abuse, addiction by women

    The director commended the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime and Wife of Kebbi Governor, Dr Zainab Bagudu, for organizing the training and inauguration of Community Volunteer Drug Counselors in February.

    She advised the state ministry of education, school authorities, teachers and parents to demonstrate commitment in checking the drug abuse menace.

    “The ministry should also ensure that adequate resources are provided so as to have a meaningful impact on the lives of youth in the state,” she added.

    In her remarks, the  Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Education, Hajiya Rafa’atu Hammani, said the state was ready to support efforts at curbing drug abuse among students and stressed that all school principals would be properly trained on prevention measures.

    She added that counselors would be deployed to all schools to complement the efforts of the principals.

    NAN

     

  • Bagudu assures corps members of maximum security in Kebbi

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi has assured corps members posted to the state of maximum security during their primary assignment.

    The governor gave the assurance during the closing ceremony of the 2018 batch ‘A’ orientation course at NYSC permanent camp, Dakingeri, Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi on Wednesday.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government ( SSG ) Alhaji Umar Yauri, Bagudu said “forget about fears and worries in your respective places of primary assignment because adequate security and better welfare arrangements have been worked out for you.

    “I am pleased today to note that you have tremendously adjusted to the new environment, and have also put behind you all agitations and worries of the unknown. Let me use this occasion to inform you that the stater government has put in place adequate measures to ensure that you have a hitch-free service year in Kebbi.

    “I therefore enjoin you to accept your posting as an act of God and report to wherever you are posted to without fear, but equip yourselves with courage and determination to be part of our collective drive to develop the education sector in the state.”

    Read Also: Bagudu promises commitment to online entrepreneurship

    Gov. Bagudu commended stakeholders in the country for their dedication toward training Nigerian youths through the NYSC, stressing that corps members should live up to the expectations of the scheme by serving the country with diligence and patriotism.

    The NYSC Coordinator in Kebbi, Alhaji Lawal Turawa, commended the corps members for their good conduct and endurance during the 21 days orientation exercise.

    He said “NYSC members posted to Kebbi have indeed chosen and taken the path of greatness by imbibing the good ideals of our founding fathers. They are well prepared to exploit to the fullest the last drop of their energy to serve the country in every nook and cranny of the state”.

    He urged corps members to be law abiding citizens and partner the state to secure the environment.

    NAN

  • Enlist in military, NYSC boss urges corps members

    Brig.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC ), has urged corps members to consider enlisting in the armed forces.

    Kazaure gave the advice in an interview with the News men on Tuesday at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Sagamu, Ogun.

    The director-general, who inspected various physical and combat activities of the 2018 Batch ‘A’ corps members deployed to Ogun, said he was impressed by their level of discipline.

    Kazaure, who also watched the quarter-guard,  Man-O-War regiment, martial arts combats as well as the  band display of the corps members, said   he was certain that they would excel in the military.

    He described the Ogun Orientation camp as one of the best in the country, noting that it had been persistent over the years in maintaining excellence in the training of corps members.

    “With what I have witnessed here today, I can confidently state that this has been by far the best set of corps members ever received in Ogun State camp.

    “Their level of discipline and adherence to the teachings of their instructors has been excellent and I urge them to maintain the status quo.

    “The orientation programme was designed to help prepare corps members for the challenges ahead during their service year and these ones will do very well to cope.

    “To join the army, there are guidelines. You must be physically, medically and mentally fit.

    “The army will subject you to a lot of exams both written and oral before the final selection. If you meet all the required indices, you will be enlisted,” he said.

    Kazaure also said he was inspired by the display of the band to pioneer the NYSC inter-state band competition for corps members with added rewards for outstanding groups.

    He urged the corps members to be good ambassadors of the NYSC during their service year by promoting the ideals of the scheme.

    Read Also: NYSC DG laments poor state of Ebonyi orientation camp

    Kazaure added that the NYSC would be considering posting more corps members to farms under the scheme in Oyo, Abuja, Bauchi and Kebbi.

    The Ogun NYSC State Coordinator, Mr John Okpo, thanked the director general for the visit while reiterating the commitment of the NYSC in Ogun in complementing the scheme in nation building.

    He said the 2018 Batch ‘A’ corps members comprising 2,513 individuals including 1,161 males and 1,352 females distinguished themselves by arriving very early in camp.

    Okpo urged the corps members to equip themselves with the necessary skills for self-reliance through the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development ( SAED ) programme.

    The NYSC official said the orientation, which commenced on April 19, would close on Wednesday.

    NAN