Connect with us

Headlines

How clerics preach child spacing in Kano – Interfaith chair

Published

on

Imam Hafiz Sani Abdullahi
Dr Hafiz Sani Abdullahi

Nasiru Yusuf

The chairman of Kano state Interfaith Forum Hafiz Sani Abdullahi said the group has preached child birth spacing to over one million persons in 2020.

Kano Focus reports that Abdullahi revealed this on Tuesday at the ongoing virtual 6th Nigeria Family Planning conference 2020.

The cleric who was represented by the secretary of the forum Tijjani Imam said over 340 religious leaders have been empowered with right information and messages on child birth spacing across the 44 local government areas.

According to him the members of interfaith forum have delivered sermons on child birth spacing in 420 mosques and 157 churches in Kano state.

“About 1.2m people have been reached with CBS messages through Jumaat prayers, tafsir, church and fellowships. Religious leaders have featured in over 20 live radio programmes.

“Over 100 publicly statements have been made by religious leaders on child birth spacing in Kano state,” the Imam said.

He however attributed low level of basic education as the major set back of embracing contraceptive among people of reproductive age in Kano.

The cleric added that other challenges include women’s fear of contraceptive side effects and stock out of commodities especially Long Acting Reversible Contraception LARC.

The Imam rounded of his presentation with a quotation of former Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi ll.

“Instead of having many children, why not have the ones you can cater for? These are the fundamental questions we should ask ourselves. Most of these children roaming about the streets will be adult in the next 20 years and they will be the ones recruited as political thugs by the politicians in the next 20 years, if we don’t take good care of them now.”

Nigeria’s Population Dynamics

In his presentation titled population growth and the challenges of human capital development, the chairman Association for the advancement of family planning (AAFP), Ejike Oji said the unemployment rate in Nigeria has skyrocketed from 2% in 1960 to 27% in 2020 due to population dynamics.

According to him the average fertility rate in Nigeria is 5.5 which is higher than the  2.5 of the world, with static contraceptive prevalent rate of 12% for almost a decade.

Mr Oji who is also the chairman Board of Trustees, Network of Reproductive Health Journalists Nigeria, observed that although 70% Nigeria’s population are below the age of 40, 45% under the age of 15, yet the country is the poverty capital of the world ranked 187 out of 189 countries in health care.

He said presently Nigeria has the highest infant mortality rate in the world.

How to reverse the horrible trends

Mr Oji advocated fertility reduction and massive investment in infrastructure and human capital development in healthcare sector as one of the most effective strategy of reversing the ugly trends.

Other strategies according to him include massive investment in formal and non formal education as well as policies that will ensure equity, fairness, justice and sense of security in the country.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headlines

CHAN Qualifiers: Eguavoen invites Rabiu Ali, 2 other Pillars players for Ghana clash

Published

on

 

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.

 

Continue Reading

Headlines

Kano’s Education State of Emergency: The Successes, The Challenges

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Headlines

Gov Yusuf Congratulates new NUJ President

Published

on

••••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.

Continue Reading

Trending