Headlines
Pantami tasks NCC to get rid of ‘improperly-registered’ SIM cards
Nasiru Yusuf
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami has directed the new Chairman, Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Adeolu Akande to purge the industry of improperly-registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.
Dr Pantami also charged the NCC to develop regulations on the number of SIM cards an individual or organisation can have at any particular time, as well as ensure seamless integration of SIM data with the national database of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Dr Pantami said this on Thursday during the swearing-in ceremony for Mr Akande, who is representing the South West zone, as the chairman of NCC Board of Commissioners, and Chief Uche Onwude, the commissioner representing the South-East zone.
The event took place at the Minister’s office in Abuja.
Mr Pantami gave the new chairman a marching order to hit the ground running by providing necessary direction for effective regulation of the telecoms industry in Nigeria.
He said: “The NCC board must hit the ground running. There is no time for celebrations now and no time for honeymoon. We would congratulate the NCC board after you must have completed your tenure with resounding successes and achievements that have positive impact on Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, Mr Akande, who spoke after taking his oath of office, assured of his readiness to work with other members of the Board and Management team of the Commission to exceed expectation in providing quality directions for effective regulation of the nation’s telecommunications industry.
Mr Akande, who had served as chairman of the board of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) before his present appointment, said there is no doubt that the NCC, as the nation’s telecom regulator, has a major role to play in the development of the Nigerian economy, especially in the area of effective regulation that can bring efficiency across sectors.
He said: “We want to thank everybody who has been with us since our nomination by the President in the last two months. There is no doubt that NCC has a major role to play in our national life at this time, especially in the area of security.
“For instance, many people on the street believe that security of lives and property will be bolstered once the NCC is able to properly address issues connected to Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) registration because we would have helped to resolve a critical percentage of our security issue significantly.
“I know our minister is someone, who normally sets high expectations and standards. I have worked with him at NITDA and I know he is somebody who normally expects the best from his team. To this end, I give you the commitment of the board and management of the NCC to work together to meet and exceed expectations”.
Who is Professor Adeolu Akande?
Mr Akande is a professor of political science and notable scholar of media and politics. He was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as Chairman of the NCC Board on December 23, 2019.
He was subsequently confirmed on February 5, 2020 by the Senate, the upper chamber of Nigeria’s federal bicameral legislature.
With the swearing-in of Akande and Onwude, the NCC now has a fully-constituted board of commissioners as stipulated in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003, and all the six geopolitical zones are represented on the Board.
While giving the Vote of Thanks, Prof. Umar, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, expressed the Commission’s gratitude to the Minister for his continuous support to the Commission and requested the minister to kindly convey the Commission’s appreciation to the President for “ensuring that we now have the full complement of the NCC board members.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Home-based Super Eagles coach, Augustine Eguavoen has invited Kano Pillars legendary midfielder, Rabiu Ali, and 29 players for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers against Ghana.
KANO FOCUS reports that the 8th edition of the continental championship – reserved exclusively for footballers plying their trade with clubs in their country’s domestic Leagues with standard contracts – is scheduled to take place in February 2025 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Kano Pillars’ evergreen midfielder, Rabiu Ali, who has scored eight goals this season, is among the players called.
The 44-year-old Ali has been a key player for Kano Pillars this season alongside Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa.
Other Kano Pillars players invited are Aminu Adam Sani and Nelson Abiam.
All the invited players will arrive at the Remo Stars Sports Institute, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State on Wednesday, 4th December 2024, where the team will train ahead of the first leg of the qualification fixture against Ghana’s Black Stars B, billed for the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, 22nd December.
The second leg will take place at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 28th December.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
By some definitions,education is both the act of imparting knowledge to others and the act of receiving knowledge from someone else. Scholars have also defined education as the knowledge received through schooling or instruction.
Education plays a very important role in the life of a person as it trains,equips and prepares him or her to face and surmount the challenges of life.
This essential sector has, however, suffered neglect in Kano State,over the years, with primary schools and secondary schools sustaining dilapidated classrooms, dearth of furniture, teachers and instructional materials, among other challenges.
This apparent decay in the sector prompted the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to declare a State of Emergency to arrest the situation and restore the lost glory of education in the state.
While declaring the State of Emergency in the sector on June 8,2024, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf said inter alia:”As your elected Governor entrusted with the solemn responsibility of steering our state towards prosperity and progress, I cannot ignore the glaring reality that confronts us in the realm of education.
“With education being our number one priority, and believing that education is not only a public good, but also the greatest asset that any people can bequeath to its upcoming generation because no people can grow beyond the quality and standard of their education system, we must, therefore, take radical but practical measures to reposition education provisioning in our State.
“Nearly four out of every five classrooms in our primary and junior secondary schools are marred by dilapidation and disrepair, rendering them unsuitable for the noble pursuit of knowledge.
“Today, I stand before you to announce the declaration of a STATE OF EMERGENCY in the education sector. A state of emergency, as declared today, is an extraordinary legal measure that allows us to take some bold steps to address these critical challenges swiftly and effectively,” the governor said.
Five months after the commencement of the implementation of the State of Emergency in the all-important sector, members of the Correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ),Kano Council,set out on a tour of projects being executed by the State Government under the initiative,and their findings were quite revealing as they were educative.
The tour took the Reporters to many primary and junior secondary schools in whose premises a one-storey block of four classrooms each is being constructed across the 44 local government areas of the state to address the challenge of inadequate infrastructure bedeviling the education sector.
The Writers also monitored the provision of furniture and instructional materials as well as the deployment of more teachers as part of the efforts of the Government to respond to the challenges in the sector.
The schools visited included but not limited to Namadi Primary School,Unguwar Jakada in Gwale Local Government Area,Sabon Layi Special Primary School, Bichi,in Bichi Local Government Area, Dawakin Tofa Model Primary School in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area and Garin Dau Central Primary School in Warawa Local Government Area.
Others include: Hotoro South Special Primary School, Chula Central Primary School in Ajingi Local Government Area,Yelwa Model Primary School in Dala Local Government Area,Ungogo Special Primary School in Ungogo Local Government Area and Kumbotso Special Primary School in Kumbotso Local Government Area.
In virtually all these schools visited,it was observed that the implementation of the State of Emergency has taken shape with the construction of one-storey block of four classrooms reaching advanced level of completion, provision of more furniture and instructional materials and deployment of additional teaching staff.
Another notable development in the schools is the high level of attendance of pupils and teachers, with lessons going on steadily, which,it was gathered, was encouraged by the ongoing efforts of the State Government to improve the standard of education, especially as it was evident in the provision of furniture and teaching aides such as books and writing materials.
Some stakeholders interviewed appreciated Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for launching the education revival programme.
The stakeholders whom included Sarkin Fulani Dagacin(Village Head) of Kumbotso,
Aminu Iliyasu, described the measure as “bold and timely.”
“The ongoing implementation of State of Emergency in the education sector by the State Government ably led by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf,is a welcome development as it will address the decay in the sector,”Iliyasu said.
He particularly commended the construction of one-storey block of four classrooms for primary schools across the 44 local government areas of the state, as well as the provision of furniture and instructional materials and deployment of more teachers to primary schools in the state.
On his part, the Headmaster of Kumbotso Special Primary School, Shuaibu Idris, commended the State Government for its provision of more classrooms, furniture and teaching aides to the school.
The gesture,Idris said, would boost teaching and learning in the school,but appealed to the State Government to deploy more of such infrastructure to the school.
Similarly,the Headboy of Yelwa Model Primary School in Dala Local Government Area,Saminu Sunusi, and the Headgirl of the school,Hadiza Ahmed Sulaiman, lauded the introduction of the State of Emergency by the State Government,saying the initiative would boost school enrollment and improve the education sector.
In the same vein, Nura Yusuf,the Headboy of Ungogo Special Primary School in Ungogo Local Government Area,and his counterpart,the Headgirl of the school,Jamila Isa Suleiman,said they were encouraged by the provision of additional infrastructure, teachers and instructional materials under the initiative.
On his part,the Headmaster of Dawakin Tofa Modern Primary School in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, Sabi’u Sunusi Idris, commended the State Government for providing furniture, teaching materials,water and toilet facilities in the school, so also Latifatu Jibrin Bichi and Abdulrahaman Idris, both parents of some pupils in the Sabon Layi Primary School,Bichi, who lauded the government for intervening in the education sector.
Like any government work, however,the implementation of the State of Emergency in the education sector is confronted by challenges.These include inadequate furniture, teaching and learning materials, toilet facilities as well as dearth of classrooms and teaching staff in the primary and secondary schools visited.
It was also observed that lack of perimeter fencing, inadequate number of security guards, near total absence of libraries and dispensaries were prevalent in the schools.
These challenges formed part of the testimonies of stakeholders met on ground, including Aminu Iliyasu,the village head of Kumbotso,who said that poverty and hunger are distracting primary school pupils in the area.
Iliyasu lamented that many of the pupils stray away from school and indulge in petty trading and other menial jobs because their parents cannot provide adequate care for them and other members of their respective families.
“Because of the prevailing poverty and hunger in the country, many of the pupils have to indulge in petty trading and other menial jobs so as to complement their families’ income,” he said.
In this situation,the village head said, the parents find it difficult to make any material contribution to the State Government’s efforts to revamp education.
Another major challenge facing the implementation of the State of Emergency as testified by some primary school pupils including the Headboy of Yelwa Model Primary School in Dala Local Government Area,Saminu Sunusi,and the
Headgirl of Ungogo Special Primary School, Jamila Isa Suleiman,is the inadequate number of toilet facilities in the schools.
The pupils complained that the existing toilets in their respective schools are grossly inadequate, forcing them to either do their sanitation at home or defecate in the open.
Dearth of furniture and inadequate number of teaching staff are also part of the major challenges as lamented by the Headmaster of Hotoro South Special Primary School, Habibu Sani, and his Sabon Layi Primary School, Bichi counterpart, Malam Auwal Baduku.
Both Headteachers said shortage of chairs and desks had compelled the pupils to be receiving their lessons on bare floor.
Similarly,the Headmasters said, the low number of teachers had compelled them to ration them between the multitudes of classrooms in their respective schools, which they pointed out,is inimical to the implementation of the State of Emergency programme.
Again,some other Headteachers complained that lack of perimeter fencing had exposed their schools to the menace of trespassers and thieves, which according to them, negate the State of Emergency initiative.
The findings of the tour clearly revealed that in spite of the challenges,the State of Emergency in the education sector as declared by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf,is working as planned.What is now needed is more vigour in its implementation as requested by the stakeholders.
••••Reaffirms Commitment to Press Freedom and Journalists’ Welfare
Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has congratulated Comrade Alhassan Yahaya on his election as the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Comrade Yahaya emerged victorious at the 8th Triennial Delegates Conference held on Thursday in Owerri, Imo State.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Governor Yusuf described the election of Comrade Yahaya and his team as a reflection of the trust and confidence reposed in them by journalists nationwide.
He called on the new leadership to promote inclusiveness, maintain the ethical standards of journalism, and focus on capacity-building initiatives to align with global best practices.
The governor emphasized the critical role of a free press as the Fourth Estate of the Realm in safeguarding democracy and advancing societal development.
He reiterated Kano State’s commitment to ensuring the welfare and safety of journalists, recognizing their vital contributions to informing and educating the public.
Governor Yusuf expressed optimism that the new NUJ leadership would steer the union toward transformative achievements that would strengthen the media industry for the benefit of the nation.
He also pledged his administration’s support in fostering a thriving and independent press.
The Kano State Government wished the new NUJ leadership a successful tenure filled with impactful milestones for the media professional.
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Kano’s Education State of Emergency: The Successes, The Challenges
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