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Buhari seeks Senate confirmation of Danbatta as EVC NCC
Nasiru Yusuf
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to confirm the re-appointment of Umar Danbatta as executive vice-chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for a second term of five years.
Kano Focus reports that Senate President, Ahmad Lawan read the letter at the start of plenary on Tuesday.
“In accordance with the provisions of section 8 subsection 1 of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) act, 2003, i am pleased to present for confirmation by the senate the nomination of professor Umar Danbatta as executive vice-chairman of the governing board of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) for a second term of five years,” part of the letter read.
Who is Professor Danbatta?
Born in Danbatta Local Government Council of Kano State, Prof. Danbatta obtained his BEng, MSc degrees from the Technical University of Wroclaw in Poland and his PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) UK respectively.
Buhari reappoints Dambatta as EVC NCC
He has served as a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Technology of Bayero University Kano for 28 years, where he taught courses in telecommunications engineering and electronics and held academic positions of Dean of the Faculty and Head of Department at different times.
His main administrative responsibilities, in the university, included Deputy and Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Administrator of the Works Department and later, Director of the Centre for Information Technology (CIT).
He was also a member of over 60 University committees and task forces, including numerous stints as Chairman.
In administrative and other responsibilities outside the university, he has served on over 20 committees, prominent among which was his Chairmanship of the Implementation Committee of Kano State University of Science & Technology, after which he became its pioneer Deputy and Acting Vice-Chancellor when it took off in 2001.
Prof. Danbatta has supervised more than 60 PhD, MEng and BEng projects in diverse areas of telecommunications and has also served as external examiner to seven universities and polytechnics and is an assessor, technical reviewer and editorial member to eight research journals.
Pantami tasks Danbatta, NCC on digital economy
He has to his credit more than 50 articles in journals, conference proceedings and technical reports.
He is also the author of a six chapter, 167-page book titled Elements of Static Engineering Electromagnetics.
He is a recipient of 18 distinguished awards and certificates of honour. Prof. Danbatta has served two terms of five years as a Member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and is also a COREN registered engineer and member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
He was the Vice President of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), International Centre for Advanced Communications Studies, which was established in the year 2004 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to build capacity for the Nigerian/African telecom industry in the diverse areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Until his first appointment as the EVC, Prof. Danbatta served as a member of the Implementation Committee of the Northwest University Kano, as well as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Kano University of Science & Technology, Wudil.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The government has introduced new guidelines for fee increment.
Kano State Government has prohibited private and voluntary schools from arbitrarily increasing fees and forcing parents to purchase materials directly from the schools.
KANO FOCUS reports that Executive Secretary of the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institution’s Board( KSPVIB,) Comrade Baba Abubakar Umar, gave the warning in an interview with journalists.
The Executive Secretary said that some schools have been taking advantage of parents through hidden charges and exorbitant fees.
He said to address this issue, the board has introduced new guidelines.
According to him, “Schools must convene a Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting to discuss any fee increments”.
He also stated that school must then write to the board seeking approval for the increase, attaching the attendance sheet from the PTA meeting.
He added that”At least two-thirds of parents must be present at the PTA meeting”
Comrade Abubakar dated that, the board has received complaints from parents who were charged excessive fees or amounts different from what was initially agreed upon.
He therefore disclosed that despite the current economic situation, schools must be realistic and fair in their charges.
“The board will work with relevant authorities to prosecute schools that operate illegally or evade taxes”
He however maintained that the board is committed to ensuring that schools provide safe learning environments and employ qualified teachers.
“Parents are encouraged to report any schools with substandard teaching or unsafe conditions”
Comrade Abubakar emphasised that, new census forms will be distributed to private and voluntary schools to ensure accurate data collection and effective monitoring. Saying that the board remains open to dialogue and discussions with schools willing to comply with the law.
He commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his commitment to education, allocating 30% of the state’s budget to the sector and declaring a state of emergency.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reported that two people have died and two others were injured following the collapse of a two-storey building in Noman’s Land, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that the NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Officer, Dr. Nuraddeen Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident on Thursday, said the agency received a distress call around 2:00 a.m. from a Good Samaritan about the building collapse.
Dr. Abdullahi stated, “The agency received a distress call today at about 2:00 a.m. from a Good Samaritan that a two-storey building collapsed in Noman’s Land Quarters, Kano.”
He further said, “Upon receiving the information, we quickly dispatched our rescue team to the scene.”
Dr. Abdullahi added, “Four persons were rescued by our team—a husband, wife, and two children. Unfortunately, the two children were confirmed dead, while the couple were rushed to the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital, Kano, for treatment.”
The NEMA Coordinator also noted that search and rescue operations were still ongoing to find any persons trapped in the building.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano students from Kano are the top applicants of the student loan scheme, data from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund has revealed.
KANO FOCUS reports that NELFUND, in a data chart posted via its official X handle, @nelfnigeria on Friday, highlighted the number of applicants per state of origin.
According to the data chart, students originally from Kano State topped the list of applicants with 17,122 applicants; Borno followed suit with 13,798 applicants while Benue had 11,754 applicants. The three states were the only states with over 11, 000 applicants.
The implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.
Barely a month after his inauguration as president, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which creates a legal framework for granting loans to indigent or low-income Nigerians to facilitate the payment of their fees in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The law, reenacted earlier this year, created the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
NELFUND is saddled with the responsibility of handling all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.
The fund, according to the act, is to be funded from multiple streams and will engage in other productive activities.
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