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Group To Launch Education Champions League In Rivers
A good governance advocacy group, Unity House Foundation (UHF), has announced its readiness to commence Education Champions League in Rivers State.
The league, which will be to known as the ECL Quiz and Debate Competitions, will be for all secondary schools in the state.
The competition, a part of the August Meeting, series organised by the UHF will also hold other conversations that help the intellectual well-being of the community at large.
The competition has been slated for launch March, 22nd in Port Harcourt during the 2024 edition of the August Meeting series by the group.
Speaking on the development, UHF national leader, Kingsley Wenenda Wali, said the mission of the ECL is to bridge the gaps in quality interpersonal communication and nation building by promoting the culture of reading and writing among young ones and all generations.
Wali emphasised the need to change the wrong conversation of the citizenry seeing everything from the perspectives of politics- the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said: “The ECL is intended to promote and encourage a reading culture. To take us away from people who do nothing else than politics. To create the possibility of getting the city back to reading habits. We want to create a society, generation that is readership friendly.”
The UHF leader stated that parts of the competition would be quizzes, book readings, and reviews, as well as revitalizing existing libraries and building new ones.
Announcing that the reading challenge has already secured sponsorship for the first 3 years, Wali said the second price of the competition has been instituted in honour of ace broadcaster, late Boma Erokosima.
He said winners of the competition would be provided scholarships, grants and other incentives to advance knowledge, education, and literacy within and outside Nigeria.
Wali stated that the UHF would take necessary measures and provide services or assistance, including the establishment of information centers, educational, research, and training institutions, etc., for the betterment of society, particularly for the aforementioned class of persons and others.
He said: “The purpose of the Education Champions League Quiz Competition is to encourage Reading, analytical and critical thinking skills among secondary school students to motivate them to improve their language skills and help them with finding their level of English while comparing their test results with their peers and students from other schools.
“Based on that it is strongly recommend that all schools should nominate only those students who can represent them within the context of proper articulation, expression and presentation. The goal is to create even and fair conditions for all test participants”.
Wali announced that the event would also be for the 1st quarter 2024 book reading saying that the book slated for the day is “On A Platter Of Gold” written be Bolaji Abdulahi.
He said: “One of the biggest problems we have in Nigeria is that people don’t read, people don’t write. People putting down what happened when they were in office so that others can learn from them.”
Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media and Public Communications to Nyesom Wike, the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has responded to the recent appointment of Bashir Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.).
Olayinka took to X (formerly Twitter) to address discussions surrounding this leadership transition. His post aimed to clarify that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not dismiss Mele Kyari, a northerner, to replace him with a southerner, as some speculated. Instead, Olayinka pointed out that Ojulari, like Kyari, hails from the northern region of Nigeria.
According to Olayinka’s post on his official X account, he emphasised that Bashir Ojulari is from Kwara State, located in North Central Nigeria. Additionally, the new Board Chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, originates from Borno State in the North East.
His post stated: “Bashir Ojulari, the new NNPCL CEO, is a northerner from Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. The new Board Chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is also a northerner, from Borno State, North East Nigeria.”
Olayinka’s statement came in response to narratives suggesting that the appointment was politically motivated to favour one region over another.
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of 16 travelers in Uromi, Edo State, while warning against retaliatory violence targeting Southerners in Northern Nigeria.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, MBF Spokesman Luka Binniyat denounced inflammatory threats from individuals claiming to represent Northern interests in response to the killings.
Recalled that the victims, were allegedly armed hunters, traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano when they were attacked by a mob that accused them of being kidnappers.
“The MBF strongly condemns the unlawful killing of any Nigerian citizen, including those who lost their lives in Uromi,” the statement read. “However, we categorically reject any attempt to use this tragic incident as a pretext to unleash violence against Southerners residing in Northern Nigeria.”
The forum assured that the Middle Belt would not become a battleground for reprisals, emphasizing that it remains a safe haven for all law-abiding Nigerians. It urged community leaders and youths to remain vigilant and prevent any attempts to instigate violence, calling for anyone with such intentions to be handed over to authorities.
The MBF also reaffirmed its commitment to justice for all victims of violence across Nigeria. The statement highlighted the ongoing security challenges facing Middle Belt communities, citing persistent attacks by armed herdsmen with little government intervention.
” We hope that the swift response to the Uromi killings would serve as a precedent for broader action against criminal elements terrorizing the region.
“Thousands of our people remain in captivity, and vast portions of our land are still under the control of violent outlaws—primarily Fulani militants,” the statement noted.
“Justice must be served across the board.”
The MBF concluded by reiterating its support for the ongoing investigation into the Uromi incident and calling for a fair and decisive crackdown on all forms of criminality across the country.
BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto
The Deputy Speaker, Sokoto State House of Assembly, Kabir Ibrahim kware, has commended governor Ahmed Aliyu for executing numerous developmental projects without taking loan from any financial institution.
Ibrahim Kware whp gave the commendation when he led other members of the State Assembly on Sallah homage to governor Aliyu, added that, the governor is very prudent in managing resources to achieve results.
“There was never a time you approached us with a request for permission to borrow money from any financial institutions whether at home or abroad,”he affirmed.
This , according to him, is worthy of commendation considering the myriad people- oriented projects the governor is executing across the state.
Speaking on behalf of the State’s Judiciary, Sokoto State Chief Judge, Justice Muhammad Sa’idu Sifawa, commended the governor for the construction of additional Court rooms at the State High Court.
Justice Sifawa also expressed delight over the way and manner the governor responds to issues affecting the Judiciary, which he said, is a clear testimony of the good working relationship existing between the three arms of government in the state.
Responding to the commendations, governor Ahmed Aliyu appealed for more synergy among the three tiers of government in the overall development of the state.
A statement by Abubakar Bawa, the Press Secretary to governor Alhmed Aliyu reaffirmed his principal’s unwavering commitment of the executive arm to providing the direly needed dividends of democracy to the people of the state,in line with his campaign promises.
The governor also urged lawmakers to present all the needs of their constituencies for prompt and diligent implementation.
“”I want to assure you that my doors are always open for you at any given time, to listen to the demands of your people.”
He reminded them on the need to put politics aside and work together with the executive arm for the progress and even development of the people they represent.
Turning to the members of the State Judiciary, the governor appealed to Judges and Khadis to ensure the quick dispensation of justice, so as to decongest the correctional centres.
“It is worrisome to see how inmates are languishing in correctional centres for minor offences in the name of awaiting trial.
“We recently appointed seven additional Judges and 7 Khadis, which is the first in the history of Sokoto State.
“The idea is to enhance the manpower in our Judiciary so as to speed up the dispensation of justice,” he added.
The governor further assured the members of the Judiciary of his administration’s readiness to ensure their welfare at all times.