News
Obaseki, Kukah Highlight Significance Of Quality Education In Improving Devt Indices
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah have identified quality education as essential in improving human and capital development indices.
In his remarks at the Maiden Edo Parents’ Summit, held in Benin City as part of the 2023 Edo Education Week, the governor said parents play critical roles in sustaining achievement recorded by his administration in the education sector.
He said the educational week highlights the achievements recorded so far by the reforms undertaken by the state government in the past five years, noting “We can appreciate how far we have gone, the progress made and what needed to be done going forward in sustaining the reforms.
Obaseki commended parents for their support, adding, “I thank the parents for their continuous support which has contributed in no little way to the success recorded so far in the reform. In the last five years, we have been able to make foundational changes. We have made teachers important, introduced technology, set up school management and got communities involved to make the reforms successful.”
According to him, the education week also focuses on the last component of the reforms which is the learning standards, noting that the learning agenda has been launched which is focused on making every child a reading champion.
He said, “Every Child must learn a skill as we don’t want a situation where our children will learn without skills. The last component of the reforms is sustainability which is in the hands of stakeholders particularly parents who are critical and important to the reforms.”
On his part, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah urged parents to place a premium in educating their children in order to ensure that their legacy is remembered.
He said, “Education is important and significant because it focuses on improving great values in our children. Education is a substitute to godfatherism and nepotism.”
The Catholic Bishop commended Governor Obaseki, noting, “We thank you for repositioning, restrategizing on how the world sees Edo people through Education.
He urged parents and other critical stakeholders to collaborate with the state government in sustaining the reforms to enable the state to compete favorably in the 21st century.
“The great efforts of Governor Obaseki must be commended as he has repositioned Edo State to be able to compete favorably, efficiently and effectively in the 21st Century. The country has been faced and is still facing various forms of security challenges which are threatening the education sector.”
“As a country, we must do our best in all areas to push back those threatening the existence and success of the nation and by extension the education sector.
The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe said the focus of the governor is to restore values in the educational sector in Edo State, adding that the Education Week was planned with series of events that will add value to the lives of the students.
According to her, the parents’ summit was held as the state government considers parents as critical stakeholders in entrenching proper values in the lives of children.
Members of the Edo State Market Women Association, the state chapters of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria, pledged to support reforms and programmes implemented by the Obaseki-led administration which has improved learning outcomes in schools.
The Leader of Edo State Market Women Association, Madam Blacky Omoregie, pledged that market women will support the efforts of Governor Obaseki’s administration to ensure that children are in school during school hours.
Speaking on behalf of the religious bodies in the state, Rev. Fr. Alfred Agbonlahor thanked the governor for the great work done in the education sector in the state, urging the parents to inculcate the reading culture into their wards.
A coalition of youth organisations has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to reconsider its wanted tag on socialite, Dr Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, OFR.
The organisations, Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative said this in a joint press statement they issued on Thursday in Abuja.
According to them, the declaration of Achimugu wanted by the anti-corruption agency came to them as a rude shock.
The joint statement was signed by Comrade Emma Niboro and Ali Ameh for Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative, respectively.
They described Achimugu as a dedicated friend of the youths, who had always shown commitment to the welfare and care of the downtrodden.
According to the youth coalition, “we know the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, as a man who came with utmost zeal to sanitize the agency. He has already demonstrated this and we are proud of his achievements so far.
“However, we urge him to resist pressure from politicians, which is a plague that has dwarfed EFCC for several years of its existence.
“The commission had hitherto remained a tool for politicians to undue their perceived political foes and this has always rubbed off on the credibility of the agency.
“The case of Achumugu doesn’t appear to be different in any way, as the haste with which she was declared wanted showed there is a hand of Esau and voice of Jacob.
“Our appeal is that the commission should withdraw the wanted tag on her and give her ample time to report to the commission, as she has never been indicted of any offence whether in Nigeria or outside the country.”
While noting that Achimugu is a global figure, they added that they can always vouch for her integrity.
“We know her, she has always been of immense help to the youths and other members of the society.
“Her closeness to certain politicians should not be used as a tool to persecute or harass her,” the youths further stated.
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.