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Tag: school

  • Send your child to school or risk jail term, Bayelsa Govt. tells parents

    Send your child to school or risk jail term, Bayelsa Govt. tells parents

    The Bayelsa State Government, on Thursday, said it would arrest and prosecute parents, who refused to send their children to school to acquire formal education.

    The order was issued following the signing into law of the Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Bill by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    Speaking after the 89th State Executive Council (SEC) meeting‎, the Commissioner for Education, Jonathan Obuebite, said the new law prescribed that every child of school age must be enrolled into the various model schools of the government.

    Obuebite maintained‎ that any child caught loitering or hawking on the streets during school hours would be picked up while their parents or guardians would be dealt with as provided in the new law.

    He explained that the move was to underscore the‎ importance the government attached to education, adding that it would ensure full utilisation of the huge investment made in the sector.

    He said: “We have spent over N70bn building and equipping our schools. Today we have quality infrastructure and facilities across our schools in every local government area. We feel it is important to have this law to protect that investment.

    “The law will be fully implemented. We want to thank His Excellency for his assent and members of the assembly for passing it into law. Clearly the law is to demonstrate our commitment to education in the state”.

    Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu‎ said the council expressed delight with the bill establishing the School of Midwifery which was also signed ‎into law by Dickson.

    He said the law would further boost primary healthcare delivery in the state adding that the new Primary Healthcare Development Board would be given the responsibility of coordinating and managing all health facilities built in every community.

    Also speaking, the Commissioner for Tourism Development, Ebiere Irene Musa noted that with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bristow Helicopters, shuttle services for the company’s seaplane from Yenagoa to other states in the Niger Delta as well as Lagos and Abuja had commenced.

    “We have brought our tourism potentials out ‎to the world. Just after the commissioning of the magnificent Grand Pavillion and Boat Club, Oxbow lake, we have today signed an MoU with Bristow helicopter. So it is a thing of joy that from Oxbow lake you can connect Lagos, Abuja and other states in this region”.

    The Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Kuroakegha Dorgu‎, further explained that the council resolved to acquire the land opposite the Grand Pavillion in Oxbow lake to expand the tourism site.

    He said fishing, farming, dredging and other related commercial activities had been banned to allow for smooth tourist operations in the area.

    Also, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said henceforth any community not receptive to some projects risked losing such development in their domain.

    Iworiso-Markson said the council frowned on the attitude of indigenes of some community who were always preventing the presence of meaningful development in their area because of their selfish purpose.

  • I will only return to that school if Buratai is the gateman, says pupil

    I will only return to that school if Buratai is the gateman, says pupil

    The Boko Haram attack on Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, may have created a setback for the efforts to get girls to remain in schools in Yobe State.

    One of the pupils, Faiza Mohammed, said yesterday that she would not return to school except Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai is the gateman.

    The attack on the school has also caused some level of panic across the northern part of Yobe State which witnessed fewer attacks of the insurgents in the last seven years.

    Faiza, who gave a graphic account of the pupils’ experience while avoiding the marauding terrorists, said one of her classmates was bitten by a snake as they tried to escape through the bush in the night; others broke their legs.

    Faiza praised the efforts of “our teachers who tried to keep us together”. “They tried their best to control us not to scatter into the bush but some stubborn students started jumping the fence to run into the bush. There were some of us that hid in nearby houses from the school.”

    She said the Vice Principal (Academics) and the Vice Principal (Admin) were monitoring the movement of the Boko Haram men around the school.

    “I told my mother that I will not go back to that school again, except Buratai is the gateman. But my sister’s daughter told me that my demands are impossible because Gen. Buratai cannot come down to Dapchi to become gateman in my school. What I simply want is for government to provide for us enough security.

    “Because of what my sister said, I will go back but if I see no security, I will just come back and study at home and write my final exams and my JAMB,” Faiza said.

    The state government closed down the school for one week. The Army has launched a search and rescue operation for the missing students.

    Some of the parents have taken to the social media to demand explanation on the missing girls.

    One wrote on his faebook page:

    #Tragedy #Disaster#Trauma #Emergency 

    Where are our Girls?

    Following the attack on Dapchi my hometown by suspected Boko Haram members and their penetration into the Government Girls Science and Technical College in the town on Monday 19/2/2018. A lot of families are left in confusion and trauma of not knowing the whereabout of their daughters and the authorities concerned did not give any genuine  feedback to the people.

    The Authorities insist the  Girls are missing while parents of the Girls and Community members including myself have established that those girls were abducted by the insurgents just as the widely  publicized Chibok Girls.

    I am by this urging the Government at all levels to be sincere with us and let us know and possibly participate in any effort put in place for  finding  the “missing “ girls. To the  media also, your investigative reportage  should not just stop at political wrangling, this  is a time  the  helpless community people need your  services.  

    So far, within Dapchi town alone, nothing is heard of over forty girls and no Authority consoled their families after almost 48hrs. Haba!

  • Three pupils die after biscuit meal in school

    Three pupils die after biscuit meal in school

    There was panic yesterday in Kubwa, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, following the death of four pupils at Local Education Authority II Primary School.

    They died after allegedly eating biscuits shared by an unidentified classmate on Tuesday.

    Two of the deceased, said to be from the same family, were buried yesterday.

    The victims are Na’imat Yahaya (14 – primary 4); Yahaya Garba (14 – primary 4) and Moses Sunday (primary 1).

    Unconfirmed reports said the deceased bled through their mouths and ears before they died.

    The incident caused panic in the community as parents and guardians rushed to withdraw their kids from school.

    At the school, teachers were discussing the incident; the headteacher gave an account of the tragedy to officials of the FCT Education Secretariat and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).

    Reporters were barred from the briefing; the headteacher declined to comment.

    A teacher, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “When we came this morning (yesterday), a primary four pupil fell  ill. The HOD noticed it and asked him to go home. The other child in primary five, who happened to be her sibling, was ill also. They died today (yesterday).

    “Immediately we got the news, the headteacher asked if there was any celebration, but we said nothing like that happened.

    “Later, he briefed us and we heard that another child in primary 1 died. This one fought yesterday after closing, and on getting home, he was taken to the hospital where he died.

    “After the headteacher’s address, we went into our classes, and before we knew it, Gbagi and Hausa people came into the school premises with stick, stones and bottle to attack teachers.

    “God helped us because the area council chairman came into the premises after hearing the news. He called the police and the situation was arrested. They later said we should allow the children go home but we suggested that those whose parents might still be at work should be allowed to stay, but that generated another crisis.

    “Some of the pupils ran to meet those in the secondary arm, while some ran out through the windows.”

    On whether biscuit was shared or not, the teacher said the school barred pupils from bringing edibles to school during any celebration.

    A primary 3 pupil, who allegedly ate from the biscuits, is on admission at the emergency ward of the Kubwa General Hospital.

    Looking pale in her yellow and white checked uniform, she laid on her side with her mother watching over her.

    The troubled mother said she rushed Hasia to the hospital when she learnt she ate from the biscuits.

    She said “a Muslim sister” gave her the biscuit.

    “There was a party in the school on Tuesday and my daughter ate biscuits with other pupils. We discovered that some pupils died at night.

    “So I asked if she ate the biscuit and who gave her; she said it was a Muslim sister and I was satisfied with her explanation. But the Bwari Area Council Chairman, Musa Dikko, told us to take her to the hospital because some pupils died, so I brought her here.”

    She gave her daughter some herbal concoction at home when she complained of stomach pain,  and she became scared when she heard that Nahimah, a relation and a pupil of the same school, had died.

    “When I heard that Naimat had died, I quickly brought my daughter to the hospital, but since we got here, nobody has attended to us,” she complained.

    But the Chief Medical Doctor, Dr. Lasisi Akinola, said the hospital had admitted some pupils, a situation she described as not unusual.

    “We receive sick pupils and people all the time, so there is nothing unusual about that. I know we have the body of a pupil who died after a fight, but I don’t have information on what you are talking about,” he said.

    Police spokesman Anjuguri Manzah said investigation had begun, adding that the case will be transferred to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.

    The Education Secretariat confirmed the deaths. It said that three others were hospitalised.

    A statement by the Assistant Director (Information), Anthony Ogunleye, said the school had been shut for the rest of the week to enable investigators do a thorough assignment.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Education Secretariat, Federal Capital Territory Administration, has been drawn to both media and public speculations that some pupils of the LEA Primary School, Kubwa 2, died today, February 21.

    “We regret to confirm that three pupils died and two others are hospitalised in circumstances that are still being investigated.

    “However, it is essential, in the interest of concerned parents and the public, to state the following:

    • The school is a non-boarding primary school withoutprovision for any form of government school feeding.
    • It was reported that some pupils ate biscuits bought outside the school premises and ate after school hours, which might have adversely affected their health.
    • Until investigations are completed, the cause/causes of the deaths remain speculative.
    • So far, there has been no evidence of deliberate foul play, but investigations are on.
    • Parents are advised to remain calm and be assured of the safety of their children in all FCT schools.
    • The public will be informed on the progress of investigations.

    “The Secretary for Education, Senator Isa Maina, commiserates with families of the victims.”

  • School woos old students for golden jubilee

    School woos old students for golden jubilee

    Ahead of its golden jubilee celebration in May, the first primary school in Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos, Hope Children’s School, is calling on its former pupils for support.

    In an interview, its Proprietress, Mrs Tolu Oladapo Sodimu, daughter of its late founder, Mrs Alicemay Oyin Oladipo, said the school had produced successful leaders in various fields whom it is looking for to participate in the 50th anniversary.

    “My team and I have done detailed research to locate old students of the school, especially on social media for our HOPE@50 celebration. We have found quite a few, but are still looking for everyone who has ever walked through our walls. If you’re an old student and you are reading this, please get in touch with us! We have an alumni page on Facebook – HOPE CHILDREN SCHOOL APAPA ALUMNI GROUP and we have a phone number for those who are looking to find out more information and get involved. Hope at 50 should have a formidable old students association and we are appealing to our old students to reach out to their alma mater and to celebrate and support us,” she said.

    Mrs Sodimu said the school was founded January 23, 1968 but the anniversary thanksgiving has been scheduled to hold May 1 to coincide with the memorial anniversary of its founder, the late Mrs Oladipo.

    Having existed for five decades, Mrs Sodimu said Hope Children’s School has become a family school, where workers, pupils and their parents feel a sense of belonging.

    “We are a family and community-oriented school. We have generations of families in the school. I have students who attended in the 60s whose children and some grandchildren are in the school currently. We are a trusted and effective brand, but most importantly, everyone is treated as though they are part of the family. This family orientation ensures that all students and parents are treated with the utmost care and respect,” she said.

    Though the school had achieved a lot, Mrs Sodimu said it had not being without challenges, especially given its area of operation.

    “There are many schools that have sprouted up in the community. Some of them even bear a similar name to ours and they try to tell prospective parents that we are the same school, but we are not. Some schools even copy our uniform style and colours, however the quality of our school and the education received by our students cannot be mimicked and to God be the glory, this has helped us overcome these challenges.

    “Another challenge is the high cost of educational materials, and the hard economy. We would greatly appreciate private corporate companies’ partnership and sponsorship. We are in the underserved portion of Lagos state – Ajegunle Apapa – providing quality education at an affordable fee to create credible leaders. It is not always easy to provide this service while getting little fees,” she said.

  • Entries invited for Beyond School Community (BSC) Challenge

    Entries invited for Beyond School Community (BSC) Challenge

    The Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN), has called for applications for the second edition of it’s flagship programme, the Beyond School Community (BSC) Challenge for secondary school students in Nigeria.

    The BSC Challenge is a national community development and entrepreneurship program designed specifically to engage young Nigerians in secondary schools (both private and public) to develop the critical entrepreneurial skills they need to make impacts in their communities. It seeks to inspire students to improve their communities through innovative entrepreneurial actions.

    The programme  according to a statement by the organisers provides a platform for teams of outstanding secondary school students to create community development projects that capitalize on people’s ideas and talents as the pillar for making social and economic impacts.

    “The participating students would critically think in order to answer the question ‘‘If you could solve one problem in your community, what would it be?’’ This forms the bedrock for the challenge as the students, guided by advisors and supported by their schools, take an overreaching idea and a hands-on entrepreneurial approach that empowers people to collectively tackle community development-oriented challenges.”

    In the  maiden edition of the programme held in 2017 the following schools emerge as first, second and third place winners respectively: New Frontiers Change Agents – Gateway Excel College, Benue State, Team Go Green – Baptist Boys High School, Ogun State and Team VIM from Chrisdom Schools, Kaduna State.

    According to the  association the second edition of the challenge would incorporate a Youth Leadership Summit to increase awareness, impact and create a larger platform for successful teams.

    Speaking at the flag off of the 2nd edition in Lagos, the President of MWFAAN, Segun Fatudimu said as the country with the highest population in Africa, “Nigeria needs to invest more in her human capital development so that we can create sustainable solutions to our economic challenges.’’

    According to Fatudimu, ‘‘The question this Challenge poses to our young ones is: If you could solve one problem in your community, what would it be?’ We want them to identify problems within their communities and propose solutions that have both social and economic impact. We need to foster collaboration among our future leaders and empower them to develop skills that will transform their lives and our nation. ”

    The President further explained that ten Finalist teams will receive invitation to the Pitch competition and Youth Summit in Lagos, Nigeria. In addition, the top three winning teams will receive/share exciting cash prize of N400,000, mentoring and educational grants. There would also be a Teacher Prize to be given to the most outstanding and committed teacher amongst the competing schools.

    The competition is open to secondary school students in rural, as well as urban areas within the age range of 13-18 throughout the country.

    To apply, interested students should download the application form online at www.mwfaan.org.ng/bsc and follow the instructions to the letter, identify one significant problem in a specific community and propose an innovative solution with social and economic impacts and then build a team comprising of 3 students in the age range of 13 to 18 and select a teacher as an Advisor.

    Furthermore, the participants would then take YALI Learn course online and upload at least a member’s certificate as a Team with the help of the advising teacher. It is imperative that the proposed solution significantly addresses at least one relevant targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

     

    Students must  submit an online application and upload the certificates of the YALI learn courses before the deadline; Sunday, 25th March, 2018

    All applications received will be duly scrutinized and judged by an independent panel judges and each participating team will receive a feedback regarding the outcome of their applications/ (and successful finalists would be mailed accordingly)

    More information on how to apply, can be found on the challenge website, mwfaan.org.ng . or mail bsc@mwfaan.org.ng  for enquiries and uploading of Application Forms.

  • As the kids return to school

    The vacations are over and children are back in school for the commencement of second term academic session.  As usual, this development, especially considering the closeness of the resumption date with the just concluded Yuletide season, is eliciting challenges and excitement among parents, guardians, teachers and of course, pupils.

    For parents whose wards particularly attend private schools, the fear of school fees is always the beginning of wisdom.  Agonizingly, in most private schools, school fees continue to soar high while most parents and wards’ take homes remain poor. For those whom for one reason or the other the wards have to change school, the situation becomes more complicated.

    School resumption can actually fill the parents with dread and anxiety because of its huge financial implications. This is why some have cultivated the habit of paying ahead of the school resumption to forestall embarrassment. Sadly, many cannot really help the situation because their income is just too low.

    Consequently, most parents are forced to go cap in hand, begging from friends and relations that are considered better off financially for assistance towards tackling this perennial problem.

    Parents and guardians alike apply for all forms of loans, overdraft and so on from banks and other financial institutions in order to meet up with their huge financial demands of educating their wards. The advice is that parents and guardians should not be engrossed in this problem to the extent of contributing to out-of-school children phenomenon. If private schools are not affordable, public schools are to a large extent free in most states in Nigeria. In Lagos State, for instance, the government runs an inclusive educational system aim at ensuring all children complete nine years of basic education.

    No doubt, many kids will find it difficult to get back to the school routine, notwithstanding that it was just a three weeks holiday. They’ve been accustomed to watching late movies, playing computer games and the social media. Yes, it’s easy for kids to become night owls when they can sleep the next morning. These habits can make the first week of resumption quite challenging, even for the most motivated student. With holiday festivities over, the kids need help to get back-to-school mode. We have to give them the tools they need to have a “ready, set, go” attitude in the New Year and academic term.

    Before sending him/her back to the classroom, cut on screen time and ease back to a reasonable bedtime. Take inventory of your child’s school supplies. Does he/she need refills on exercise books or pencils? Help him/her return to school with pencils sharpened and notebooks organized. Parents should not send their children to school like a farmer going to farm without farming tools. It is not just right.

    While it is true that you may have had a PTA meeting just before the break, but then if not, you need to take a moment this month to check in with your ward’s teacher about your child’s progress. It is still early enough in the year to work on behaviour or skills that could hold your child back from reaching his/her full potential in his current grades. In achieving this, there is a need to constantly keep the line of communication open. Just like at the start of the year, your child will have to get back into the habit of regular homework. The more often you can make yourself available to help your child, the better.

    If we have done our part, then questions can now be asked about what governments and school proprietors have done in preparing for the resumption. We can ask questions like, what has been done regarding problem of inadequate teachers, water and sanitation challenges where they exist. In the area of security, have they cut the overgrown grasses and also do something about collapsed or collapsing school fences? Has anything been done to improve on the quality of public education? How much are governments across the nation concentrating on improving schools until they meet the highest ideals in the current budget and the long run.

    Despite the overwhelming challenge of school resumption to many parents, it is painful to note that the transporters usually see this time as a period to add to the pains. It is not a wild assertion; the reality is that transport fares are often hiked throughout the early weeks of resumption. It is another unwelcome tradition. The ‘Okada’ and ‘Danfo’ bus business will boom but it is a time everyone must be ready to caution unruly behaviour of transporters in the aspect of zebra crossing, over speeding especially along school roads.

    For the philanthropists and few politicians that have made provision of free school bus a project, it is a legacy that will definitely live after them. It’s time for more people to come into the fold because every investment in our children is a sure venture into the future of our dear nation.

    Meanwhile, parents and guardians alike should continue to do the best they could to ensure that their children are well educated while governments across the country should continue to invest more in education. This is where the future lies.

    • Musbau is of Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
  • Lawmaker donates classrooms to Lagos school 

    Lawmaker donates classrooms to Lagos school 

    A block of classrooms and offices donated by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Sikiru Adebayo Oshinowo to Anthony Model Primary School, Ajao Estate,Lagos,was yesterday unveiled.

    Oshinowo said he made the donation in fulfillment of a promise he made to the community during campaigns two and half years ago.

    “Two and half years ago,  we came to this community, begging for votes and making promises, so what you are witnessing today is a fulfillment of that promise,” he said.

    Oshinowo,  a geometrist and builder by profession, said when he saw the  deplorable state of the classrooms, he immediately decided that a new and befitting building for studying, was priority.

    He said the gesture was also a reward for the entire Kosofe constituency’s belief in him,  having supported him for four successive terms at the House of Assembly.

    “The people of Anthony community and the entire Kosofe Local Government have done for me what money cannot buy, hence this a way of paying back. If I give a select few Keke Marwa, it will one day  pack up, but  this is a legacy that will outlive generations.”

  • Dear Child, school is not for slapping Satan

    Dear Child, school is not for slapping Satan

    Dear Child, I understand that school has become the rattlesnake that swallows its own tail, the ethical swamp where teachers lead scholars to absorb criminal etiquettes like sanitary towel. How long since you soaked up our dam of folly?

    I cannot paint to you what knowledge was nor can I teach you the fire in Jonathan Swift’s heart as he wrote If.

    I can’t teach you the swirl of half-familiar, half-strange songs of Gabriel Okara’s Piano and Drums.

    I can’t teach you to feel the madness of the unfettered poet neither can I oblige you the wisdom of Ise logun ise lest you fail to find in D.O. Fagunwa, a kindred spirit.

    But I could unschool you from the gospel of the new enlightenment. Alas! I see you dance where the beat splays rhythm. I see you stomp your feet as you sing and slap Satan: Gba, gba, gba…gba Satani leti ! (Slap, slap, slap…slap Satan’s ears) in ‘praise and worship’ every morning at the school assembly.

    Then you do the fundamentalist hustle into decrepit classrooms where you learn to war with ‘infidels’ on the watch of perpetually inept teachers, everyday.

    We have left the era of the teachers that taught us to be leaders of men. We are in the era of the tutors that bandy the “end time” in lieu of expensive knowledge, for which papa burns sweat and mama goes a-borrowing, everyday.

    And so you learn, not knowing. And so you grope, not feeling. And so you grow, ill-equipped to pursue the future you would never have.

    But who cares if tomorrow dies with the glow of our desultory sunset, today? You have got the ‘word’ and it’s all that matters.

    You, a mere child, have become “prayer-warrior” and unrepentant merchant of the “end time.”

    I do not blame you kid, for we force you to believe that you were at birth, a sinner, were you?

    It is the way of the world to make you die before your time, will you? Would you rather live? Would you rather know?

    Would you rather feel all that makes life worth living and all that makes it worthless? Would you rather lose, yet find, life’s conceit and essence in a single line of poetry?

    Would you rather find the pains and comfort of certainty in the cold, harsh chambers of science?

    Would you rather live by the “word” as you should know it or as you have been tricked to believe it?

    Would you rather go to school to learn how knowledge could really become power?

    I hope you discover why at birth, you chanced on our twilight of death: death of knowledge, death of being, death of history, death of joy, at the end of our sad, sad life.

    Child, in your eyes, I see our “better tomorrow” in full blossom and demise. I see you walk the beaten path because you have been taught to tread no other.

    In your eyes, I see the fires of decadence burning, I see the dreams of a fraudster. In your silence, I hear the rumours of dawn that’s radiant with moonshine. In your eyes, I see the dreams that rebel; I see the patriot’s death, the politician’s greed and the vanity of impatient youth.

    “Money talks bullshit works;” “Woe betide knowledge, and pain, and toil.” Labour has lost its honour, in your eyes. I should ask why but I know you know that “Slow and steady” wins no race in our fatherland.

    I see you have learnt to despise teachers, hate the police and treat journalists with disdain, because we taught you to see them as human antlers on the pate of the damned.

    We have thought you to follow the money thus you avoid the mindless burrow like a mole grasping through blindness of bliss and sorrow, on the bypass to fast-fleeting fortune.

    Child, you will grow up inept to blame us and fault others for the mistake your life would become, if you follow the fleeting path.

    You will lay the fault for choices no one forced you to make on us, on others, worse still, on our Creator. We have failed you. Fault accepted, blame resolved, will you now grow up?

    I hope things change soon. I hope you find thirst for history, hunger for poetry and insatiable craving for the ends of science.

    I hope you find the joys of childhood, the trauma of adolescence and the tumult of early adulthood. I hope you learn life’s bitter truths early enough.

    I hope you get to understand that school is for learning and the worship houses should do for slapping Satan.

    Perhaps you will discover the ignorance of your learning process and understand that slapping Satan every morning would make your life no better. The best-heard prayers are hardly said. They are the shiny rivulets masking the face of the factory hand. They are the recalcitrant throb in the forelock of the insatiable scholar and teacher. They are the fires burning within the heart of the patriot dying to make a difference.

    I hope you get to make a difference. I hope you become the patriot we never were.  Perhaps you will learn to become a man on your own terms and eventually become more than an appendage of the dreams of those whose hands are white and their hearts, black.

    But having gone through the rites of rot we call schooling, can you guarantee the future we may never have? Will you parade something more than a charred brain?

    I hope you shame us. I hope you grow up, find purpose and put our wealth to better use. I hope you become a true leader of men.

    If you don’t, you will end up tormenting us like the ruling class, or the militants pretending to fight for the poor in the creeks of the dying delta and the forest of Sambisa, ‘in the name of God.’

  • Buhari’s wife to women: go back to school

    Buhari’s wife to women: go back to school

    Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has urged northern women to go back to school to better their lot.

    She spoke at the graduation ceremony of 1,000 women trained under a skill acquisition programme funded by her pet project, The Future Assured, at the multi-purpose indoor sports hall in Bauchi State.

    Her words: “Any woman who is not educated will lose  opportunities in the modern world. If you cannot read, many opportunities will pass you by.”

    The First Lady, who was accompanied by wives of the Adamawa and Nasarawa states governors, as well as top government officials, said the Federal Government set aside N500,000 billion to support women and youths. She added that he NGO was working to ensure they are empowered in education, health and skills.

    She appealed to corporate organisations, politicians, community and traditional leaders to support the graduates to stand on their own.

    Wife of the Bauchi State Governor, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed, who founded the Bauchi Sustainable Women Economic Initiative and Peace (B-SWEEP), thanked the First Lady for the gesture to better the lives of the women.

    She said Mrs. Buhari, on her last visit to the state, brought foodstuff “which we shared to all the women in the 20 local government areas”.

    Chairman of the Bauchi State Commission for Youth and Women Rehabilitation And Development (BACYWORD) Ahmed Farouk said the 1,000 trainees were carefully selected for the programme, adding that the commission has gotten Governor Mohammed Abubakar’s approval to source and rehabilitate about 1,000 women and youths involved drug abuse and other related behaviours at the Citizens and Leadership Training Centre, Shere Hill, Plateau State.

    According to him, at the end of the rehabilitation, 500 of them would be trained on the repair of smart phones and other sophisticated electronic gadgets, while the other 500 would receive specialised training in the design and creation of software applications.

    Already, 2000 youths have been recruited to provide security and social services by ensuring orderliness in public places and government facilities in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and in the 20 local government areas in the state. Each of them gets between N15,000 to N18,000 monthly.

  • Buhari’s wife to Northern women: go back to school

    Buhari’s wife to Northern women: go back to school

    Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha has charged Northern women to go back to school and acquire western education to better their lot in compliance with growing global trends.

    She gave the charge at the closing ceremony of a 1,000 graduates of skills acquisition programme funded by her pet project, the  Future Assured, a non-governmental outfit, at the Multipurpose Indoor  Sports Hall in Bauchi.

    She said: “any woman that is not educated will lose a lot of opportunities in the modern world. If you cannot read, many opportunities will pass you by”.

    Citing herself as an example, Mrs Buhari who was accompanied by wives of Adamawa and Nasarawa states’ governors and top government officials, announced that before marrying President Buhari, she had her secondary school education and went to the university after marriage, not knowing that she would be the wife of Nigeria’s President one day.

    “I urge you women to go back to school,” Aisha stated.

    She said N500,000 billion had been set aside by the federal government to support women and youth and  her NGO was working to ensure they are empowered in areas of education, health and skill acquisition.

    She appealed to corporate organizations, politicians, community and traditional leaders to support the graduates so that they could stand on their own.

    Wife of Bauchi State State Governor, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, founder of Bauchi Sustainable Women Economic Initiative and Peace (B- SWEEP), thanked the wife of the President for the support given to over 1,000 women and youth selected and trained from the 20 local governments of Bauchi state to better their lives.

    Acknowledging the support the President’s wife has given to women and youth in the state, Hadiza Abubakar said during Hajiya Buhari’s last visit to Bauchi, she brought food items for the people, which “we shared to all the women in the 20 local government areas”.

    She assured Hajiya Buhari of her continuous support of not only women and youth but also the entire people of the state for President Buhari, saying “as you know, Bauchi is one of those states President Buhari has much support”.

    Commenting on the training, chairman, Bauchi State Commission for Youth and Women Rehabilitation And Development (BACYWORD),Ahmed Farouk said that “the 1,000 trainees were carefully selected for skills acquisition programme sponsored by FUTURE ASSURED”.

    “And the  commission has received the approval of Governor Mohammed Abubakar to source and rehabilitate about 1,000 women and youth involved drug abuse and other related behaviours at the Citizens and Leadership Training Centre, Shere Hill, Plateau State”.

    According to him, 500 of them on completion of their rehabilitation will be engaged in training on the repairs of smart phones and other sophisticated electronic gadgets, while the other 500 would receive specialized training in the design and creation of software application.

    Already,2000 youth have been fully recruited to provide security and social services by ensuring orderliness in public places and government facilities in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and in the 20 local government areas in the state. Each of them is being paid monthly salary of between N15,000 and  N18,000

    The 1000 beneficiaries of the Future Assured funded skills acquisition programme were given certificates and undisclosed contents of envelopes to begin their trades.