Education
Catholic Bishops Rejects Christian Education Bill
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has rejected a bill seeking to establish National Council of Christian Education, pointing out that the proposal violates sections 10 and 42(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
Rather than promoting a bill that violated the secular character of Nigeria, the bishops tasked the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which originally pushed for the bill at the National Assembly, to promote legislations that decisively address unprovoked attacks on Christians in the North, among others.
They rejected the bill in a statement by the President of CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji and Secretary, Bishop Donatus Ogun, revealing different parts of the bill that contravened the country’s grundnorm.
The bill, which seeks to develop, regulate and approve syllabuses/contents at all levels of Christian education, was sponsored by Hon. Rimamde Kwewum, Hon. Beni Lar, Hon. Yusuf Ayo Tajudeen, Hon. John Dyegh, Hon. Solomon Bob and Hon. Benjamin Mzondu.
Among others, the bill was also designed to certify Christian religion education instructors at basic and secondary levels; approve the content of all Christian Religion Education in all schools and accredit programmes of Christian theological institutions.
In its design, the bishops lamented that the bill made no exemption for seminaries and other religious institutes owned by the various Christian denominations across the federation.
On this ground, the bishops claimed that the bill infringed on the rights of these various Christian denominations to provide instructions and formation according to their respective doctrines, citing Section 42 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.
The section stipulates: “No religious community or denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for pupils of that community or denomination in any place of education maintained wholly by that community or denomination.”
They also claimed that the bill “is incompatible with the secular character of the Nigerian State as enshrined in Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“In as much as the governments at the federal or state level, has not and cannot adopt any religion as its official religion, it must respect the juridical principles that govern the relationship between the State and the Church,” the bishops pointed out.
The bishops explained that the idea of pursuing a bill “to regulate religious studies in secular schools came up during the education summit organised in 2019 by the Association of Christian Schools in Nigeria, a body of mostly pentecostal private school owners and some protestant denominations.”
They observed that the bill was neither intended to regulate theological concerns nor to have anything to do with theological institutions as originally intended and conceived.
After discussing the idea, the bishops disclosed that CAN decided to pursue it by asking the lawmakers to sponsor the bill, alleging that some elements were added to the bill at some points, which certainly are not in the interest of the Church.
They further said the bill “is unnecessary and impracticable because of our doctrinal differences. Our juridical autonomy in matters of education is being surrendered to the government.”
They also challenged CAN to undertake “a proper needs assessment to determine the needs of Christians in Nigeria that would require the support of the government. Asking the government to establish a Council for Christian Education simply because Muslims have one is counterproductive.
According to the bishops, it is imperative to revisit and properly examine CAN’s original purpose as opposed to what is expressed in the bill presented at the National Assembly.”
They also tasked CAN to explore the possibility of going for “a bill that addresses our concerns as Christians. For example, in most parts of the North, there have been unprovoked attacks on Christians.
“For over 40 years, well before Boko Haram’s destructions, thousands of our churches have been destroyed across northern Nigeria. No one has been charged nor has compensation been paid. Christians face serious challenges and obstacles in gaining access to land to build their places of worship in northern Nigeria.
“Christian children are hardly given admission to schools because they bear Christian names. Where they could enter higher institutions, they are denied high-profile courses like Medicine, Architecture, Engineering, etc. Christian Religious Education is prohibited in some parts of the North.
“Should CAN determine that there is a need for a National Christian Council for Education, such a Council, which must recognise the doctrinal differences of the various Christian denominations, should be under the full control of CAN and not of the government.
“Where there is genuine collaboration in Nigeria between the State and the Church, Government funding can be available to such Council without it being a government “parastatal.
“Therefore, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, due to the injurious nature of this bill, as reflected in the foregoing paragraphs, strongly expresses its absolute objection to this bill,” the bishops observed.
In a bid to contribute to educational advancement and development, the Neo-Black Movement (NBM) of Africa, Obafemi Owode Sub Zone, under the Ogun Region, has donated educational materials to selected government primary schools in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The initiative aligns with the Support-A-School-Child Project, spearheaded by the national leadership of NBM, aimed at bolstering education across Nigeria.
The donation was presented by Ambassador Tehinse Olanrewaju Ayoola on behalf of the Obafemi Owode Sub Zone.
Speaking at the event, Ayoola emphasised that the gesture would be an ongoing effort, particularly considering that Obafemi Owode is the largest local government area in Ogun State.
He urged students to remain focused on their studies while steering clear of cultism, drug abuse, and other social vices.
According to him, guiding young students in the right direction is crucial in preventing them from straying onto the wrong path.
The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to NBM of Africa, Obafemi Owode Sub Zone, for their support and prayed for the continued growth of the movement.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has unveiled its initiative to establish 18 new Innovation Hubs in tertiary institutions throughout Nigeria in 2025. This effort aims to bolster the nation’s research and innovation landscape.
During the closing ceremony of the 30th Cohort of the Research for Impact (R4i) initiative, held at the Innov8 Technology Hub in Abuja, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arch. Sonny Echono, shared the details of this ambitious project.
Echono emphasized that this initiative reflects TETFund’s dedication to nurturing a culture of problem-solving research, entrepreneurship, and technological progress. He highlighted the critical role of education and research in fostering national development and sustainable growth.
The R4i program, developed in partnership with Innov8 Technology Hub, is designed to enhance the capabilities of researchers and academics, empowering them to conduct innovative research that directly addresses societal challenges.
The Fund is committed to institutionalizing Research & Development (R&D) within Nigerian universities and fostering connections between research and industry. Echono explained that the phased establishment of Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres will enable participants to apply their skills continuously and mentor others in their innovative endeavors.
He acknowledged the importance of research in enhancing the quality of life in the nation and expressed gratitude to Innov8 for its collaboration in transforming the innovation ecosystem. Participants were encouraged to leverage their training to develop impactful innovations for their institutions and communities.
“I am pleased to recognize the impressive commitment displayed by participants of previous cohorts during their training, which led to significant innovations addressing various societal needs,” Echono remarked.
He also noted that several innovations from prior editions were showcased at the inaugural TETFund National Research Fair/Exhibition in November 2024, and he expressed confidence that the current cohort would similarly demonstrate their innovative outputs.
Echono detailed the phased funding approach for establishing Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres, stating that the first phase will involve 12 institutions under the 2023 intervention, followed by 18 institutions in the 2024 intervention, and another 18 in 2025.
“These facilities will empower program participants to implement what they have learned at the innovation hubs and guide others,” he added.
Professor Idris M. Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), also addressed the audience, underscoring the necessity of patenting innovations and registering trade names for intellectual property protection. He urged Nigerian polytechnics to spearhead practical innovation by applying scientific principles to develop products and technologies that could enhance Nigeria’s technological status.
Bugaje criticized the country’s dependence on foreign manufactured goods, such as vehicles and electronics, and called for a shift towards local production. He cited examples from Rwanda and Uganda, encouraging polytechnics to promote teamwork and take proactive measures to demonstrate Nigeria’s innovative capabilities, thereby contributing to the national economy.
“I believe many of the innovations you have showcased are patentable, as securing patents is a crucial step in innovation. You must protect your ideas and discoveries. Furthermore, if any names have been proposed, trade name registration is also essential,” he stated.
He emphasized the urgent need for innovation in Nigeria, reminding attendees that despite being one of the world’s largest economies, Nigeria lacks a recognizable indigenous technology. “This training is vital as it fosters teamwork, which is integral to the innovation process,” he concluded.
Mr. Edward Singhatey, Director at Innov8 Hub, encouraged participants to take the knowledge gained back to their institutions and share it with their students to foster innovation. “We must focus on commercializing our research,” he urged, motivating attendees to utilize the resources at their disposal effectively.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) says it will partner with relevant agencies to boost Artificial Intelligence (AI) studies in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono, said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
He said the Fund had drastically scaled up textbook production in addition to other initiatives such as ICT centres to position Nigeria as a leader in AI in Africa.
He said this was part of TETFund’s contribution to the nation’s quest to tap into the multi-trillion dollars global digital economy.
According to him, AI is one of the few subject areas where the Fund could send scholars abroad for further training because it had not fully developed in Nigeria.
“We don’t send anybody outside anymore. But AI is a new and expanding field. It is one of the few areas we are training people abroad because we want to lead in Africa,’’ he told NAN.
He said the Fund had supported the development of AI textbooks, covering topics such as AI in teaching and learning, ethics, and curriculum development.
Echono said the aim was to boost the use of AI and to get the tertiary institutions to begin to exploit and use it in teaching and learning.
He said that in addition to book development, TETFund had trained over 3,000 scholars in AI and emerging ICT trends in the last two years in collaboration with leading institutions.
He explained that the initiative had resulted in the ICT training of over 17,000 educators through the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme.
“We started with general ICT training because we’ve been doing a lot of ICT training. If the teacher is not ICT-savvy, even for him to put his lecture on the platform is a problem.
“For him to interact with the students on the platform or to send his mark, to do his marking scheme, to relate, to get presentations, even zoom meetings would be a problem he must be ICT literate.
“After that we started letting them understand how they can use ICT, how they can leverage on it to improve the quality of their delivery and the experiences of their students,” he said.
“We want to leapfrog others in ICT, robotics. We are coming very strong in robotics now, but we are late comers, some people are already doing it before us.
“But we don’t want anybody to be ahead of us on this continent. So we are pushing those frontiers,” he said.
Echono also said that the present TETFund management inherited a stagnated book development programme that published only 20 books in 13 years.
He said that upon assuming office in 2022, he challenged the book development committee to meet ambitious targets of producing more books.
“I said, in the first year, you must do 50, if not I’m going to disband it, we’re wasting money coming to do meetings, talking, and not seeing the books.
“Later, I said I want to see up to 100 books being published and they said it can be done. We’ll give you all the support, publicise and advertise to Nigerian authors.
“We identified the subjects where we do not have enough textbooks. We Tasked the professors and all the experts in that field to put things in order..
Echono said this challenge spurred the book development committee as TETFund published 50 books in 2023, another 60 shortly after with another tranche of 50 textbooks published recently.
He explained that another batch of 50 textbooks was currently in under production. (NAN)