Opinion
Aisha Garba : New Dawn at UBEC
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
For many years , the appointment of a World Bank Education expert , with both local and international exposure, Aisha Garba at the tail end of of 2024, assumed duty as the new Executive Secretary, Chief Executive Officer, ES/CEO, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC.
The appointment which came at a time when the clamour for gender parity and equality is at the top priority of both private and public sector, with UBEC only experiencing in Ag capacity, all the years.
Though , appointed purely on merit and coinciding with the clamor for consideration of women folk into top government positions, her appointment was to bridge the desire of Nigerians in the area of leadership and followership.
With many decades experience locally and crowned it up globally with extraordinary resume in the area of core development of Education, it was round peg in a round hole with her announcement by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the newly appointed Executive Secretary, of the commission.
While convening the maiden meeting with the staffers of the commission, she reiterated the rights of children to Basic Education to the University level , irrespective of Class, Religion, Extraction, Gender and Economic condition and stressed the need for continuous reinvigoration and revolution in line with the best practices.
She expressed worries on the growing figure of 17 Million Out of School Children OOSC in the country , and promised accelerated action in line with Article 26 of 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Aisha Garba promised to deploy similar and renewed vigour under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promote Basic Education for the school aged children, stating that Nigeria is lagging behind in the area of Basic Education, outcomes and the quest to meet up with the 2020-2030 Decade of Action Agenda for SDGs.
While explaining further , she maintained that the completion rate for schools from primary to university level , needed a reinvigoration, as the rate stood at 59% and 51% for boys and girls at the primary level, 42%,36% for Boys and Girls at Secondary School level, as over 2 Million yearn for University and Tertiary Education learning, with only 500, 000 having access to it .
With a promise to expand partnership and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, agencies and development partners , Dr Garba assured of deploying multi sectoral approach, towards synergy with Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to consolidate the new reforms and interventions.
In her statement..
“My goal is to deliver on this mandate which includes strengthening collaboration, partnerships and institutional learning for effective service delivery.”
“Together, we will work to increase access, improve quality, provide conducive and safe learning environments, supply adequate teaching and learning materials, and adopt the concept of ‘best fit’ in addressing specific basic education challenges, state by state and region by region (not a one-size-fits-all solution),” she stated.
“She added that the commission under her watch would seek multi-sectoral approach to address the demand and supply-side barriers to basic education which has continued to exacerbate the challenge of out of school children.”
“According to her, UBEC would work collaboratively with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Commissions and Development Partners on reforms and interventions to increase access and significantly reduce the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.”
“She listed some key action plans to include the deployment of appropriate interventions, use of technology, construction of critical infrastructure and the upgrading of school facilities.”
“We will ensure the integration of children with special needs, promote education for the girl-child, and work with relevant partners to make schools safe and conducive for learning.”
“In addition, we will work with local government education authorities and community stakeholders in expanding access to basic education in rural, disadvantaged and hard-to-reach jurisdictions. We will work closely with state governors to increase the uptake and utilisation of the UBEC Matching Grants through strategic partnerships and engagement,” she said.”
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
By Rinret Jennifer Mwarap
The unrelenting massacre of citizens in Plateau State has reached an alarming level. While the government claims to be taking steps to restore order, the reality on the ground tells a different story one that feels like nothing meaningful is being done.
It is heartbreaking to see our loved ones butchered without cause. The questions torment us: What have we done wrong? Who have we offended? Where did we go astray? Must we continue to endure this suffering for no justifiable reason?
The killing of innocent people in Plateau must come to an end. The government and security forces cannot afford to look away. Their responsibility is clear they must act swiftly and decisively to bring the perpetrators to justice, for the sake of the innocent victims and the children left behind.
I call on the Governor of Plateau State to rise to this challenge. Take bold and immediate action against those who seek to destroy our land and shed innocent blood. Let them face the full weight of the law.
This feels like a nightmare—how did we get to the point where the same Plateau where I once slept peacefully with both eyes closed is now a place where even sleeping with one eye open feels unsafe?
Where is the peace in our “Home of Peace and Tourism”?
When will our tears dry? When will justice prevail?
If we truly seek peace, then justice must be non-negotiable.
Ken Nnamani, a former president of the senate, says he did not beg Elisha Abbo, a former senator representing Adamawa north, on behalf of any judge after the ex-lawmaker lost his election case in court.
In October 2023, the court of appeal sacked Abbo and declared Amos Yohanna, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the Adamawa north senatorial election.
Appearing on Channels Television on Wednesday, Abbo said he was a victim of “miscarriage of justice”.
The former senator said Nnamani pleaded with him on behalf of a judge after he lost his election case in 2023.
Reacting in a statement, the former senate president described Abbo’s claim as “blatant lies”.
“My greatest surprise was to hear him state that Senator Ken Nnamani visited him to plead with him on behalf of a judge for the miscarriage of justice. This statement is a blatant lie. I do not know how Senator Abbo can boldly fabricate an event that never happened to buttress his allegation of judicial miscarriage against him,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I have never visited Senator Elisha Abbo at his house or anywhere. Up to this moment, I do not know where he lives. I have never discussed with him about his case, or any case pending or decided by any court of law in Nigeria.
“The only time I met with him was when he visited me in my house. It was more of a social visit by him. At this meeting, we never discussed his case or any case. I recall that when the matter of his political career came up, I advised him to avoid controversies as a young politician.
“The statements Senator Abbo made regarding me and his case are all fabrications. I believe I have had a sterling and distinguished public service career. I am determined to maintain my integrity and commitment to excellence till the end of my life.”
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources, says the federal government plans to commence implementing the drill-or-drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Section 94 of the PIA gives operators a period of three years to begin oil production or relinquish the assets to the federal government.
Speaking during the Cross Industry Group (CIG) meeting held on Tuesday in Florence, Italy, Lokpobiri said it is in the best interest of the country that all inactive wells go to work.
He said the federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has provided every necessary incentive to ensure international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria run smoothly and profitably.
“Now, it is imperative for these industry players to match the government’s efforts with increased investment by announcing final investment decisions (FIDs),” he said.
Furthermore, Lokpobiri discussed “the challenges, expectations, and measures to enhance the sector’s contributions towards domestic energy needs and regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa”.
He emphasised that while IOCs have highlighted engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors as a challenge, “EPCs will not come unless they see strong commitments from industry players”.
“The government has done its part to provide the requisite and investment-friendly fiscals, the ball is now in the court of the IOCs and other operators to make strategic investment decisions that will drive increased production and sustainability in the sector,” he said.
“We must also recognise that domestic crude supply is essential to national energy security. The best solution to this challenge lies in increasing production, which will ensure a balance between domestic supply obligations and external commitments.”
The minister further urged industry players to explore collaborative measures, such as shared resources for contiguous assets and the release of underutilised assets to operators ready to invest in production.