Tag: News Agency of Nigeria

The Police Command in Enugu State is to collaborate with stakeholders to implement the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative in primary and secondary schools starting from June.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Ebere Amaraizu, made the plan known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Tuesday.

The Federal Government initiated the project to protect schools and children   against violence, such as attacks by terrorists and kidnappers, following attacks on schools, especially in the Northeast.

“The command has concluded arrangements to partner principals and proprietors of public and private secondary schools in Enugu State to promote and maintain sustainable safety of lives and properties in our schools.

“The command will also collaborate with the state Ministry of Education and Post Primary School Board, among other bodies,” Amaraizu said.

He said the police were being proactive to ensure schools were safe and secure for teaching and learning.

Schools and pupils have been subjects of attack by kidnappers, who have often demanded huge ransoms from relations of their victims to ensure their releases.

The threat to the safety of school children came to the fore in 2014 when more than 200 schoolgirls in Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno, were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents.

 

Bishop Martins Uzuokwu, Catholic Bishop of Minna Diocese, on Saturday cautioned traders against increasing the prices of essential commodities indiscriminately during and after the Ramadan period.

Uzuokwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna that the abundant benefits associated with the holy month of Ramadan cannot be over emphasized.

He said that there was the need for traders to demonstrate kindness during and after Ramadan, especially for the less privileged in the society.

“The Diocese has reached out to its followers, who are traders not to increase prices of essential items indiscriminately during and after the Ramadan in order to get Allah’s blessings.

“Ramadan period is not only a period to pray and fast. Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking,” he said.

“Ramadan period is a period for Muslims to re-evaluate their lives in the light of Islamic guidance and to shun sinful acts.”

The period is characterised with abundant blessings and it is only when a believer adheres strictly to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the tenets of the holy month that he will get Allah’s abundant blessings.

He also enjoined Muslims to use the period to pray for peaceful co-existence among the diverse ethnic, religious and political groups for the growth of the country.

He called for more religious tolerance and understanding for peace, progress and political stability in the country.

 

Students and teachers from the 13 secondary schools that participated in the quiz and cooking competitions organized by the National Museum, Lagos had commended the organizers for the initiative.

NAN reports that the management of the museum organized the competitions as part of activities to commemorate the 2017 International Children’s Day.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the competitions were relevant to their academic and social lives, and that it should be organized annually.

They said that the quiz competition exposed them to various areas they had forgotten in the subjects taught in schools where they were asked questions.

They added that the cooking competition also afforded them the opportunity to understand the importance of most recipes and ingredients they used to take for granted while cooking at home.

Now, we are abreast of the usefulness of such ingredients required to prepare some meals and they have become a part of us, they said.

They, however, advised the organizers to provide a more spacious auditorium that could accommodate more representatives from other schools in future.

Miss Mistura Taiwo from Abcel Academy, Awoyaya in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State, said she was glad to have participated in the competitions where she emerged the overall winner.

“I am excited to have achieved this feat on my first day of visiting the museum. I wish to repeat it in the future.’’

For Hannah Adelaja from Starlight Model School that clinched the second position, the quiz and cooking competitions were entertaining and educating.

She called on the management of the museum to organized similar competitions on a regular basis for secondary school students.

Adelaja suggested that the museum’s management should increase the representatives from each school from one to two in future.

“The competitions were lively and challenging, participants should be two students from each school as against the current one.’’

Also, Mohammed-Nabil Umar from Toybat Comprehensive High School, Gbagada, advised the management of the museum to organize the competition in more spacious auditorium for more students to attend in the future.

Nabil-Umar who came third in the competitions said, “This is the first time I will be visiting the museum and am happy with how I performed.

“The competition was fun, well organised and entertaining,’’ he said.

Similarly, Miss Idera Abdulkarim, from Toybat Comprehensive High School, said that she had learnt to be conscious of time and be neat in everything she was doing including competitions.

“I now know that speed, neatness and time management are all important in any competition,” she said.

Mrs Abidemi Amida, a teacher from Lekki Peninsular College, advised the museum’s management to always provide cooking utensils for participating schools because of the hazards of moving them.

“I observed that my students enjoyed every bit of the competition but I want the management to provide the cooking utensils next time because it is difficult  moving them here from our school,’’ she said.

Another teacher, Mrs Opeyemi Abesin from Bittaqwa School in Ajah, said the competition was an interesting experience for her as she learnt new cooking techniques from it.

“I look forward to bringing my students again to compete in the competitions. It should be organised for them every term,’’ she said.

Miss Itunu Akande, also a teacher from Starlight Model School, Alagbado in Ijaye area of Lagos State, wanted more schools to be involved in the competitions.

She said that the museum’s management should create more awareness among schools about it.

“This is an opportunity for the museum to attract more visitors to attend its programmes and generate revenue,’’ she said.