Opinion
Barau; Honor To Whom It Is Due
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
For the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin it was an honor well deserved, considering his stint to the development of humanity, Health and Education at large not only to Kano state, but Nigeria at large.
Considering his selfless contributions to the development of Education in Nigeria as Chairman Senate Committee on TETFUND in the 8th Senate which oversees the activities of Universities and Polytechnics across the country, away from his personal contributions to the development of social services in Nigeria.
Senator who thrived as public figure in his private life had continued to touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians not minding tribe, creed or religion in all spheres.
The Deputy Senate President demonstrated similar feat when he was elected in June by his appointment of three major language extraction of Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa as major members of his cabinet among many others.
With diverse orientation and exposure, the Deputy Senate President had a record of using mats to attend to his visitors at the 9th Senate during his visiting days and hours considering his popularity and acceptability by his constituents.
A personal experience was when in the 9th Senate ,as Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, he had interacted with people freely without restraints.
A consumate and pan Nigeria politician of high repute, Barau scaled through a tough and turf political environment in Kano state not minding the Kwankwasiya tsunami that swept Kano political landscape in 2023 general elections to return to the Senate for consecutive three times , a distinct acceptability rare in recent times.
Highly accessible and assessible, Senator Barau official recognition and honor by the Bayero University Kano BUK with a doctorate degree (Honoris Causa) , was evidenced and manifest of his recognition for selfless and stateman’s disposition in his public life.
This was evidenced when the city of Kano was almost challenged for two day Friday and Saturday between 1st of March and 2nd of March, 2024 in honor of Senator Barau’s investiture with a doctorate degree with dignataries from all walks of life
The overwhelming presence of who is who in Nigeria to the city of Kano almost changed the narration and local parlance of Kano is bigger than anyone or anything you came with, meaning in Hausa Language ” Kano , Tunbin Giwa, Ko dame Kazo, ampika”.
The Deputy Senate President who represents Kano North in the Senate started as a federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives before moving to the red chamber in 2015.
Aside personal interventions, he recently assisted over 600 undergraduates in the payment of tuition fees to Bayero and other universities across the country.
He has indulged outside public glare and media coverage in the sponsorship of school pupils from primary, secondary, Colleges of Education and Polytechnics across the state and the country at large.
For Senator Barau , it is a usual routine to assist the less privilege through empowerment, poverty reduction and charitable donations both at home and outside the state.
Recently he donated many buses to the two road unions in Kano to reduce to the barest minimum the effects of fuel subsidy removal among many others, and also donated large sums of items to the people of Kano state to cushion the hardships.
These among many others and constituency projects in Kano North as well as attraction of projects to institutions including payment of health bills to indigent patients of Kano state, that had been a recurring decimal.
No doubt, the city of Kano witnessed an upsurge of both vehicles and human movements as well as who is who in Nigeria to honor Senator Jibrin Barau, Deputy Senate President DSP of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Aside people’s movement into Kano to witness the epoch making occasion, the national dailies were awash with congratulatory messages , including the Radios and Television stations across the country.
For Senator Barau, it is yet another opportunity to continue to serve the country with passion to better the lots of ordinary Nigerians.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF, A Public Affairs Analyst on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
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.
The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), a leading Pan-African student body, has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Ogun State under Commissioner of Police (CP) Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, for its commitment to security and community engagement.
In a statement released on Thursday, the President of PSM Nigeria, Comrade Ambassador Okereafor Bestman, highlighted the CP’s efforts in strengthening collaboration between the police, stakeholders, and other security agencies to maintain peace and stability in the state.
“It is worthy of note that CP Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, has further fostered a harmonious working synergy between the police, stakeholders, and other security agents aimed at ensuring peace and tranquility in Ogun State,” Okereafor said.
The student leader expressed confidence in CP Ogunlowo’s leadership, stating that Ogun State is on track to becoming one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria under his administration.
He also praised the professionalism and dedication of the Ogun State Police Command in tackling crime, regardless of its scale.
Additionally, PSM acknowledged the Ogun State government’s continued support for security agencies, particularly in providing mobility and logistics to enhance their operational efficiency.
The commendation comes at a time when security remains a top priority for residents and authorities in the state, with ongoing efforts to curb crime and ensure public safety.
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
On assumption of duty in January, 2025 , the new Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Boss and well grounded World Bank expert , Aisha Garba envisaged the need to reposition the Basic Education through interfacing with the critical stakeholders.
Amongst them is the office of the National Security Adviser , NSA, led by Malam Nuhu Ribadu whose achievements in the last few years in the area of security has become distinct and outstanding.
Therefore, seeking to cooperate and collaborate with the office became germane and needful particularly the protection of lives and properties of actors in the promotion of Basic Education ranging from the pupils , teachers , workers and facilitators to enable it drive the new wave to curb Out of School Children OOSC in the country.
Aside providing the basic security arrangements for schools , the need to engage the security apparatus at the level of National Security Adviser NSA became needful, so as to address the sophistry of security problems in the country, to nip in the bud any unforseen circumstances.
With the high rates of kidnappings, abduction , banditry, cattle rustling, ritual tendencies among many other vices, the idea of bringing on board , the security architecture of the country in all ramifications will assist the commission to consolidate the implementation of Basic Education policies and programs, also introduce new ones .
Since pupils at the Primary, Junior Secondary and Secondary Schools are prone to such ugly development and security issues , the need to be proactive on the part of the commission became timely and desiring.
This led to the success story of the bilateral interface between the management of the commission and NSA, to streamline, perfect and chart a new course on the issue of security of actors in the Basic Education.
The visit described as timely and long overdue, discussed fruitfully the way forward and the immediate and long term intervention of both agencies in the area of collaboration.
According to the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba she stated by discussing” strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing educational access and security in Nigeria. ”
She further said” the engagement focused on strategies to address challenges such as the safety of schools, particularly in vulnerable regions, and the promotion of equitable education for all children.”
“the meeting highlighted the critical intersection between education and national security and the need for collaboration between UBEC and Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), on improving access to basic education and safety of safety schools across the nation. ”
“This collaboration underscores the government’s commitment to fostering a secure and inclusive learning environment as part of its broader agenda to strengthen the nation’s educational framework,” it added.
“UBEC boss had pledged to engage critical stakeholders to break down barriers to education and create inclusive learning opportunities for children across the six geopolitical regions of the country.”
“She said: “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”.
Highlights of the program which included the engagement of both bodies with a commitment to ensure the introduction of security architecture in schools in Nigeria is achievable.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.