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Senate Passes Customs And Excise Repeal And Re-Enactment Bill

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Senate Passes Customs And Excise Repeal And Re-Enactment Bill

The Senate has passed the Nigerian Customs Service Management Repeal and Re-enactment Bill, 2017.

This followed the consideration and  adoption of the report submitted by the chairman of the Senate committee on Custom and Excise, Hope Uzodimma.

Uzodinma said the re-enactment of the customs act became necessary given that the Act establishing Customs had not undergone a major overhaul since 1958.

Among many other new introductions in the new Customs Act is the provision for the appointment of a Comptroller-General from the service by the President subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Recall that the current Customs CG was before his appointment by President Buhari a retired Army Colonel.

Uzodimma said: “The primary purpose of amending this bill is to bring discipline and prudence into Nigeria Customs Service as a major revenue earning Department of Government.

“It is also to use the services of Customs to strengthen border community and facilitate trade.

“The Customs Act was legislated upon last in 1958. This is the first time that this bill is going through a comprehensive overhaul and it is as good as a brand new one.

“This bill has created a Customs Service Commission that is in charge of the day to day management of the service.”

According to the bill, “the Chairman of the (Customs Service) Commission will be appointed by the President, subject to Senate confirmation and members of the commission are going to be statutory organs of government, Federal Ministry of Finance.

“Others are Federal Ministry of Transport, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Nigeria Customs Service, Standard Organisation of Nigeria.”

Uzodinma pointed out that the creation of the commission was not to jettison the position of the Ministry of Finance, but to make the work easier.

He explained that the tenure of the Chairman of the commission as provided for in the new Act would be four years with an option to renew for another four years.

“Currently Customs should get money from non-dutiable items and it should be able to oversee the activities of dutiable cargo and non-dutiable cargo. That is what we have done,” the lawmaker stated.

“Now customs will be funded through the existing seven per cent surcharge and additional one per cent charge from the revenue generated.”

Senate President Bukola Saraki, in his remarks said the bill, when signed into law would modernise the customs service in accordance with modern realities

“It will also ensure that Nigeria complies with international commitments of World Trade Organisation, WTO,” Saraki said.

“It is a very positive development in ensuring that we have a customs administration that will be more transparent with better clarity.”

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FEC Approves Joint Partnership For Production Of Vaccines

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FEC Approves Joint Partnership For Production Of Vaccines

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved a joint venture agreement between the federal government and May & Baker plc for the production of vaccines between 2017 and 2021.

Minister of Health, Issac Adewole made this known while briefing State House correspondents after Wednesday’s FEC meeting presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

Adewole said according to the agreement, the federal government would own 49 per cent of the joint venture while May and Baker would own 51 per cent.

He noted that Nigeria has been producing and exporting vaccines such as smallpox, yellow fever, and anti-rabies vaccines to some African countries since 1940.

According to the Minister, the Vaccine Production laboratory stopped production in 1991 as the government wanted to reactivate and upgrade the facility, but that did not take place till today.

“What Council did today was to put life into this joint venture agreement that proposes to establish a company called Bio-vaccines Ltd which will be jointly owned by Federal Government of Nigeria and May and Baker Plc,” Adewole said.

He added that the vaccine production company would be expected to meet the nation’s basic vaccines requirements in the next four years with a take-off capital of N100 million.

Adewole added that May and Becker would make an equity contribution of N1.3 billion while the federal government would contribute N1.2 billion. The board of the company will comprise seven people, four from May and Baker and three from federal government.

“The company between 2017 and 2021 will produce basic vaccines that we need,” the Minister said.

“We have considered vaccines as a security issue, it is not only health but we need to consider the security of all Nigerians particularly our children.

“So, with this agreement we will be able to produce those common vaccines and from 2021 and beyond other vaccines that are necessary will also be out in board for administration to Nigerians.

“We are quite happy that today it has taken place and we believe that Nigeria has started a journey to vaccines security.”

Adewole also said that the outbreak of meningitis is almost at its end, adding that “what we are now doing is to now prepare to ensure that this does not repeat itself next year.”

He also briefed the council about the unfortunate incident where a body was flown into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo, by Kenya Airways without the necessary approval.

“The standard procedure is that for you to fly in a body into Nigeria you need a waiver, a sort of approval by the Federal Ministry of Health.”

The health minister said the ministry had already notified the International Civil Aviation Authority so that Kenya airways will be formerly sanctioned.

“But we want to assure Nigerians that the body tested negative to Ebola and any of the hemorrhagic fevers.

“We know the cause of death but for confidential reasons we do not have to disclose it. But it is nothing really to worry about,” he said.

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N/Assembly To Raise Teachers’ Retirement Age to 65

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N/Assembly To Raise Teachers’ Retirement Age to 65

The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, have received assurances from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, that the National Assembly will come up with legislation aimed at encouraging teachers to always give their best.

Among them is the increase of the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years in order to retain more experienced teachers in public schools.

Dogara made the pledge when he received a delegation from the NUT who paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.

He said that the House is in support of an upward review of teachers’ retirement age as was done for academic staff members in tertiary institutions.

“We have done it for the tertiary institutions and the judiciary, so nothing should stop us from taking the bull by the horns,” Dogara told the teachers.

“They say that wine gets better with age, it was the same consideration that motivated us to raise that of university lecturers, raise that of judges.

“So this is something we can pursue. Thankfully, it doesn’t require constitutional amendment; it is something we can achieve by amending the existing law.

“That is the responsibility of the parliament and we assure you that we will do something about that so that the benefit that comes with experience and wisdom will not be lost,” he added.

The Speaker also stressed that the welfare and working condition of teachers must also be upgraded to enable young and intelligent Nigerian citizens aspire to be teachers.

He said: “If we don’t have people who will sacrifice their time and energy to impart knowledge on our children, then like I said, we have lost the future.

“This government which is a government of change must be prepared to change the narrative by ensuring that teachers are motivated and the condition in which they work are conducive at all levels, so that they can deliver on their professional calling.”

The NUT National President, Micheal Olukoya, had in his earlier remarks appealed to the speaker to use his position to press that payment of teachers’ Salaries be moved to the state government.

“We want the responsibilities of paying the salaries of Teachers be handed over to State Governments in which case the salaries component of the revenue allocation of the Local Governments will have to be transferred to the states and restructure the fiscal allocation of our national resources in favour of the states to guarantee uninterrupted and unfettered primary education in Nigeria,” Olukoya said.

Additionally, the teachers union demanded that teachers’ salaries be paid from first-line charge from the federation account through the Universal Basic Education Commission.

Speaker Dogara however advised the union to channel their request for salaries of teachers to be handed over to state governments or paid from first-line charge from the federation account through the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, to the Constitution Review of the House of Representatives for consideration.

OXFAM Village Savings Scheme Hit $600m In 20 Months

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OXFAM Village Savings Scheme Hit $600m In 20 Months

 

By Yekeen Nurudeen

The Head of Programmes, Oxfam Nigeria, Constant Tchona has said that assets of  its Village Savings and Loans Associations, VSLAs, have reached $600 million in less than 20 months of its establishment.

He made the disclosure in Abuja at the strategic meeting between Oxfam, Bank of Industry, BoI and the VSLAs local partners on the modalities for the disbursement of loans to the VSLA groups by BoI.

“For about 20 months we have mentored the small scale farmers, their assets have grown. They now have total assets of over $600 million since the inception of the scheme.

“This meeting is to review the Bank of Industry  proposal on Government Enterprise Empowerment Program, GEEP, agree on the transaction dynamics for the GEEP/OXFAM loan scheme and come up with next steps for the respective stakeholders leading to the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU,” Tchona said.

He said the scheme, which operates in five states of Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau and Kebbi states is targeted at 80, 000 farmers in the five states by 2018 and also 15 million others in West Africa with Nigeria expected to have about five million of the regional target.

On her part, a member of the BoI GEEP team, Aisha Abdullahi said GEEP scheme was initiated by the Federal Government through the bank to improve financial inclusion in the country by providing credit access to 1.6 million Nigerian Micro Small and Medium Enterprise, MSME and youths in the 774 local governments of the country.

She said that the maximum amount of loan by the beneficiaries of the Oxfam VSLA is N30,000, payable monthly over six months with five percent administrative fees and which must be for commercial purpose only.

Also the program officer VSL/Water, Eyong Sunday said the scheme currently has 1, 105 groups of 26, 484 members comprising 18, 547 (70 per cent)women and 7, 937 (30 per cent) men.

JAMB Withholds 76,923 Candidates’ Results Over Exam Malpractices

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JAMB Withholds 76,923 Candidates’ Results Over Exam Malpractices

 

By Yekeen Nurudeen

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB on Wednesday said it has withheld results of 76,923 candidates who sat for the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME over allegations of examination malpractices.

Registrar of the Board, Ishaq Oloyede who disclosed this in Abuja at a press briefing said the results were being withheld for further investigations.

Oloyede who blamed what he described as the high intensity of examination malpractices on connivance between parents and Computer Based Test, CBT centers’ owners urged parents to encourage their wards to be self-reliant for them to be able to confront life challenges.

According to the Registrar some parents paid as much as N200,000 to arrange special centers for their wards while some proprietors of centers installed wireless equipment to jam the Board’s question.

But he gave assurance that JAMB was prepared to improve on the examination next year by putting in place a facility that can deactivate whatever technology that might be used to download its questions by CBT centers operators.

He also revealed that a total of 3,811 candidates who registered late for the matriculation examination would undertake a supplementary examination noting however that the Board discovered that more than 50 percent of those who are going to take the supplementary examination actually took the first one.

“At the end of the registration, 1,718,425 candidates had registered for the 2017 UTME.  I did mention also that registration would continue in compliance with the directive of the House of Representatives.

“After that, 3811 candidates registered late for the examination and those people have now been harvested. We went on with the examination, those 3811 who registered when the examination was going on; we have scheduled them for examination.

“But we now found out that a number of these 3811 had actually registered before and they did another registration because they thought we had closed registration and we would not cross check.

“We have been able to cross check and we are assuring them that anyone of them whose name is found to have registered before would not be allowed to write the examination.

“Surprisingly, more than 50 percent of those who registered for the second one scored more than 220. So we felt if we had wanted to punish them is to cancel the one they have scored high, but we felt that the best thing to do is to allow them to waste the N5000 they had expended in registering for the second examination.

“So far, we have released the result within 24 hours of examination; we released 1,606,901 results after the examination leaving us with a balance of 80, 889 results.

“Out of this 80,889 we have deliberately withheld 76,923 results for further investigation because of alleged malpractices in the centers where the examinations were held.

“We do not mean that these 80,889 candidates, all of them committed infractions. We did not say so; in fact those who committed infraction may be less than 10 percent of the total number.

“When something happens in a center pending investigation to know who was involved and who was not involved, the best thing is to withhold the results of certain candidates.”

The JAMB Chief added that results of the examination would no longer be released 24 hours after it had been conducted until all issues relating to the conduct of the examination have been resolved.

“If I am in the position to conduct this examination next year, I will not release results immediately. I will take all the complaints and issues and address them. That is the best international practices but I had demonstrated to you that we have the capacity to release the result,” he said.

CSOs Want Military To Stop Intimidation Of “Boko Haram” Journalist

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CSOs Want Military To Stop Intimidation Of “Boko Haram” Journalist

Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria have asked the Nigerian Military to stop the “bullying” and “intimidation” of Ahmad Salkida, a Nigerian journalist who has covered extensively the Boko Haram insurgency.

In a joint statement signed by representatives of CSOs including former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Chidi Odinkalu, the groups noted that acts of hostility against independent journalists and public commentators were becoming more regular by the day.

“No fewer than five current governors have thrown journalists and public commentators into detention in the past few months over their comments and reports regarding public policies initiated by these government agencies,” the statement read in part.

“Weeks ago, Ahmad Salkida, an independent journalist whose consistency in reporting objectively on the human crisis situation in the Northeast, raised the alarm, following a report he published on the released 82 Chibok girls, that his life was under renewed threat.

“As a matter of fact the Nigerian Army had in August 14th, 2016 declared Salkida a wanted man without justification.

“Having willingly submitted himself for interrogation Salkida was released without any charge or indictment by the military authorities.

“The same military authorities found nothing professionally unbecoming to use against him, but would not publicly admit this.

“But the threat to his life, attempts to block him from professionally seeking a livelihood, attempts to profile him and intimidate him continued.”

According to the statement, recent attempts against Salkida involve using a “sponsored shadowy group to place spurious charges in court against him.”

The CSOs also recalled the harsh treatment meted out on Amnesty international by the Nigerian military “following its professional work of calling out government on its deplorable human rights records.”

“The government became so incensed as to suggest that Amnesty International was undermining the Nigerian government’s sovereignty and that the agency was working with the violent terror group, Boko Haram.

“Today, similar accusation of working with Boko Haram has been central in the petitions lodged by another shadowy group, the Incorporated Trustees of Overt Legacy and Human Development Initiative, in the court against Salkida.”

The statement called on the Federal Government “to swiftly investigate the activities of these neo-NGOs and several individuals online and offline threatening Salkida and parading themselves as defenders of government.”

“We also urged all appropriate security agencies to guarantee the safety of journalists and public commentators all over Nigeria and to particularly guarantee Salkida’s continued professional practice without let or hinder.”

Among the CSOs that signed the statement include Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD; Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC; Section on Public Interest and Development Law, SPIDEL; Coalition for Democracy and Progress, BOCODEP; Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD; North East Youth Initiative for Development, NEYIF; Say No Campaign Nigeria and the Zero Corruption Coalition.

Others are Centre for Environmental Education; Coalition for Improvement of Public Expenditure Management, BACIPEM; Centre for Women and Adolescent Empowerment; Alliance for Credible Election, ACE; Protest to Power Movement; International Press Centre; and the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO.

Bomb Attack Kills 80, Injures Over 800 In Kabul Afghanistan

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Bomb Attack Kills 80, Injures Over 800 In Kabul Afghanistan

A huge suicide bomb ripped through a secure area of Kabul at the height of Wednesday morning rush hour, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 300, Afghan officials said.

The blast, which came a few days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was one of the deadliest to hit the Afghan capital in recent years.

The bomb exploded in the diplomatic quarter near the German Embassy and the Afghan presidential palace.

The bomb, concealed in a water delivery truck, detonated at 8:22 a.m. local time outside the offices of a major local cellphone company and a popular TV station.

It hit about 400 yards from the German Embassy in one of the busiest parts of town, near big supermarkets and shops.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack in a statement. No group has yet claimed it.

The BBC has confirmed that its Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir, who had worked with the media firm for four years and had a young family, died in the blast.

Four BBC journalists were also injured, but their injuries are not thought to be life threatening, according to a BBC World Service statement.

The French embassy was damaged in the explosion, Marielle de Sarnez, French minister for European Affairs, told Europe 1 radio.

Initial reports do not indicate that French nationals are among the dead, she said, adding that she is “extremely cautious” until that has been confirmed.

Separately, the US Embassy said it did “not appear to have been the target of the blast,” a spokesperson said.

Operation Resolute Support, the NATO-led international mission to support Afghan forces, said the “vigilance and courage” of Afghan security forces had prevented the vehicle entering the green zone, but ordinary people had paid the price.

“The attack demonstrates a complete disregard for civilians and reveals the barbaric nature of the enemy faced by the Afghan people,” it said.

Facebook activated its Safety Check feature in Kabul following the attack.

The latest attack highlights the deteriorating security situation across Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, another attack targeted foreign troops near the US Embassy in Kabul, killing eight people. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.

US military officials told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month that the Pentagon is considering sending additional troops to Afghanistan.

The troops could consist of Special Forces personnel and more conventional soldiers, and would be part of the NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan army in its fight against militants.

There are about 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan – the majority are involved in training and advising Afghan troops.

About 2,000 US service members participate in a counter terrorism mission that targets terror groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS.

US troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly 16 years, where the government and coalition allies are battling several terror groups, including the Taliban and ISIS.

Investor Sues Head of Service, Others Over Contract Fraud

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Investor Sues Head of Service, Others Over Contract Fraud

By Yekeen Nurudeen

An investor in the hospitality industry, Wajul Catering Services Limited, has dragged the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HCSF, Winifred Oyo-Ita, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to court over an alleged plot by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, OHCSF, to defraud it.

The company filed the suit on April 25, after allegedly exhausting all official channels to get justice, including writing a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The subject of the case is the Federal Civil Service Club located at Mabushi, which the company said was leased to it on December 29, 2015 through an offer letter,  after meeting all conditions set for the lease.

The lease award letter, which was obtained by www.icirnigeria.org stated that the firm was given the lease for the running and infrastructural development of the club under a Public Private Partnership, PPP/Lease Arrangement subject to renewal at a lease amount of N75 million for the first five years and subsequent increase of 10% on the lease amount at each 5 years renewal, totaling 20 years.

Documents obtained by this website indicated that the offer letter to the company did not contain any deadline for payment of the lease amount since there were tenants still occupying the property whose rent had not yet expired.

The two parties also agreed that the tenants would have to vacate before a final PPP agreement in respect of the lease could be signed.

Thus, after heated negotiations with the tenants and officials of the OHCSF, the existing lawful tenants of the club agreed to be paid off in lieu of their tenancy.

Wajul said it was requested to refund the tenants the sum of N9 million being the balance of their rent as part payment for the lease rent. In compliance, the company paid the tenants off through a bank draft for the sum of N7.5 million and cash in the sum of N1.5 million.

After the payment, the two tenants vacated the property on May 14, 2015 as agreed.

But the leasee could not take possession of the property as there were still about 20 squatters who also said they had rights to occupy the club premises. When the leasee complained to the OHCSF, it was asked to take all “necessary measures” to take possession.

Subsequently, the company procured the services of security men to take possession from the squatters. It sent in quantity surveyor to determine the extent of renovation and other works required at the club. The firm then mobilised contractors to site with the sum of N30,794, 557 out of N102, 648,525 required as cost of the renovation and infrastructural development of the club.

Following this, the company wrote the OHCSF informing it of the imminent transfer of the balance payment of N37.5 million into the Treasury Single Account and credit transfer of N28.5 million into the Club’s UBA account, preparatory into executing the PPP agreement.

According to the hospitality firm, at the start of the lease, it had been asked that when the time was due, it should pay the lease rent partly into the Treasury Single Account, TSA, the federal governments consolidated revenue account for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs (50%) and partly to the club’s account.

Surprisingly, the OHCSF through one H.O Alayaki, a director in the office, wrote the company to “hold on” saying a committee set up by the Head of Service was going to audit the financial records of the defunct management committee of the Federal Civil Service Club. He said the audit would be for two weeks and advised that the contractor, who had started renovation work, should stop work in order to allow the committee room to carry out its assignment.

Nearly a month later, a letter from the OHCSF signed by Alayaki stated that the lease of the Club was now “an award of contract.” The company claims the letter did not clearly explain why the lease had become a contract award and that all efforts to get clarifications from the relevant officials, including the Head of Service, were rebuffed.

On November 10, 2016, the intent of the dilly-dallying became clear. A letter from the OHCSF informed the company that it did not accept the lease offer within one week and therefore it had been revoked – a claim the company said was false.

While the HOS insisted that Wajul did not accept the offer within one week and as a result could not lay claim to the club, the company said it formally accepted the offer through a letter dated December 30, 2015 adding that the Secretary of the PPP Committee, Charles Anuwe, acknowledged receipt of the letter.

In addition, Wajul said efforts made to seek audience with the Head of Service through letters on the lease arrangement were abortive as there was neither invitation nor reply to its letters from the OHCSF.

Since then the OHCSF has allegedly taken steps to eject the company from the club without any intention to refund the money it has spent on the property.

In a Motion on Notice filed by Wajul, the company is praying the court to restrain the respondents and their agents from dispossessing it of the property until the final determination of the case.

In an affidavit deposed to by Babatunde Fakoya, a director of the company, he claimed that the respondent had personal interests in the property.

“The applicant has it on good authority that some companies have been submitting expression of interest to the first respondent and have received assurances in respect of the property.”

The firm alleged that the concerned government officials were using their positions to perpetuate illegal acts for personal benefits.

Fakoya, in a chat with our reporter, lamented that the firm’s investments into the moribund Civil Service Club have been hanging in the balance since it has been barred from taking over. He expressed reservations about the sincerity of the Federal Government’s drive to woo local and foreign investors to reflate the nation’s economy when its officials are out frustrating investors.

“I was in New York sometime in 2014 or thereabout when Abike Dabiri was meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora and asking them to come back home and invest. I actually didn’t believe her until an uncle of mine convinced me that one can invest in Nigeria.

“And when they called for bids for this club, I of course had my misgivings about it but the same uncle said, Tunde, give it a trial. Now, I have tried it and where are we now? I’m not sure the Federal Government is serious in its desire to woo investors into this country” he said.

When contacted to react to the allegations against the Head of Service and other officials, Haruna Rasheed, Director in charge of Communications at the office of the Head of Service of the Federation declined comments on the lease arrangement arguing that the matter had become a legal matter.

“I don’t want to comment on this issue because it is a legal matter. Let us wait till after the matter has been decided in court and then we can talk about it,” he said.

Sokoto: The Road to Liberation

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Sokoto: The Road to Liberation

By Sani Yusuf

If there is a state in the North that is doing what states in the region should be doing, it is undoubtedly the seat of the Caliphate. The Northern Governors’ Forum, NGF, has repeatedly lamented that illiteracy and poverty have been responsible for extremism and insurgency in the North, but for many years it has been all talk and little action.

But many expected a new turn with the election of the All Progressive Congress, APC, a party of progressives, into the government houses of 18 out of the 19 Northern States in the 2015 general election. Two years after their elections, only two or three states in the region are doing things differently.

One state actually stands out among the lot, and that is Sokoto, where Governor Aminu Tambuwal has brought a new vision and dynamism into governance. It is not any exaggeration to suggest that Sokoto is the road to liberation, and one can only hope that the government sustains the current tempo.

Looking at the two-year score cards of most of the states, none is as impressive as that of the Tambuwal administration. The administration is addressing in a holistic way the major obstacles to progress in the North.

Tambuwal realised the importance of education as a tool for poverty alleviation and liberation of the mind, and the first thing he did on assumption of office was a declaration of State of Emergency in the education sector. That shows a leader and a government that takes educational advancement of his people seriously. He followed up with the establishment of a technical committee on state of emergency charged with the responsibility of developing a framework for education in the state.

The committee found that education budgets had been abysmally low in the state and recommended a boost. A blueprint for education that recognises funding requirements to develop the sector was put together, and subsequently education has received the highest budgetary allocations.

In 2016, education got N34.5 billion, which is 29 per cent of the entire budget – the highest budgetary allocation. This was repeated in 2017 with even a higher margin, with N38.4 billion allocation, representing 27.3 per cent of the total budget outlay.

Apart from paying over N2.2 billion on scholarships for indigenes of the state, the administration has passed the Right to Education Bill, making it the first state to do so in the country. The bill provides for free and compulsory education for all children between ages 6 and 18. It also criminalises refusal to send children to school, and parents will be liable to criminal prosecution if they stop their children from attending school.

Sokoto became the first Nigerian State to pass the education act, ma
Sokoto became the first Nigerian State to pass the Right to Education Act which guarantees compulsory education for persons between ages 6 and 18. Photo Credit: Ventures Africa

Statistics have shown that the girl child in the north is probably the most backward educationally and socially, with little incentives to break from the past. The Tambuwal administration has not only created an Agency for Girl Child Education to supervise and implement policies targeted at the girl child, but over N158 million had been disbursed to 10,564 families to enable them allow their female children go to school. Female teachers have also been sponsored for specialised training and posted to communities to serve as role models.

Due to education incentives, a record 1.2 million pupils were enrolled into schools for the first time in the 2015/2016 academic session alone. New schools are being constructed and old ones being renovated.

The other critical sector where the North has comparative advantage but failed to utilise is the agriculture sector. Tambuwal is empowering farmers and boosting food production in Sokoto. A baseline survey to capture irrigable land, farmers date, farmers groups and clusters for easy planning and investment promotion has been conducted and 300 indigenes trained on grain/food security. The training was done by Henan University of Technology via a partnership with the Umaru Ali Shinkafi (state) Polytechnic, Sokoto.

The state is also encouraging diversification. Indigenes are being encouraged to go into fish and dairy farming. At least 140 fish farmers, made up of mostly women and pensioners, have been supported with grants and starter-packs of tanks, fish feeds and fish seeds. Over N19 million has also been invested on their training.

Herdsmen and farmers clashes have been a recurring problem in the North and an obstacle to food security. The administration has approved establishment of nine grazing reserves to be developed in order to enhance meat and milk production, and end farmers’/herdsmen clashes.

The government knows the agriculture revolution cannot be sustainable without the involvement of the private sector. It has therefore encouraged and promoted private sector involvement through rice outgrower programme with Dangote Rice at Goronyo and Middle Rima Valley. Sokoto farmers have been empowered to engage in dry season farming, meaning they would be at work all through the year.

Not less than 1000 farmers have been engaged for the 2017 dry season farming with 500 hectres committed to the project as a pilot scheme. Also 15,000 units of water pumping machine were procured and sold to farmers at subsidized rate of N10,000 per unit. The state procured 981,000kg of rice seeds for distribution to farmers free of charge at the cost of N294.4 million.

Although it is not yet uhuru and it may not be in the short term. But if the current initiatives and tempo are sustained, Sokoto is on the road exiting mass poverty and educationally backwardness.

Sani Yusuf wrote from Sokoto (07037072938)

Ministers Advocate Teaching Of Mathematics, Sciences In Indigenous Languages

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Ministers Advocate Teaching Of Mathematics, Sciences In Indigenous Languages

 

The federal ministries of science and technology as well as Education are unanimous in their convictions that teaching mathematics and other science subjects in indigenous languages at primary and secondary school levels will help the students to better understand and appreciate the subjects.

Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, and his Education counterpart, Adamu Adamu, made this known on Wednesday at the inauguration of an inter-ministerial committee on teaching of mathematics and science subjects in local languages in Abuja.

Onu expressed optimism that the inter-ministerial committee would come up with strategies that will enable the usage of local languages as effective tools for teaching mathematics and science subjects.

He said the project will help Nigerian students to understand mathematics and science subjects better as well as promote the growth of science and technology for national development.

The minister noted that government was worried over the low interest in mathematics and science subjects by students.

Onu said the deployment of local languages in the teaching of science subjects has proven successful in countries like India and China who have since become global giants in science and technology.

“For us to build the country of our dreams, for us to make Nigeria a truly great nation, a nation that is able to feed and house its citizens, a nation with a stable currency, we must embrace science and technology,” the minister said.

“Nigeria will remain a dependent nation if the citizens did not embrace science and technology, because no nation can become great without science and technology.

“If Nigeria is to be great then, Nigerians must embrace science and technology. The socio-economic challenges we are facing in the country is as a result of inadequate application of science and technology,” he said.

In his speech, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who was represented by a top director in the Education ministry, Useni Adamu, agreed that using local languages to teach science and mathematics would help in better understanding of the subjects.

Adamu said the project will hopefully lead to a major breakthrough in the area of science and technology.

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