Education
Northern Governors Laments high number Out-of-School Children
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Northern State Governors Forum (NSGF) under the leadership of Alh. Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya has lamented the regions number out-of-school children.
Inuwa expressed the forum’s displeasure in a communique issued on Tuesday at the end of its meeting held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.
He disclosed that, Northern Nigeria currently bears the burden of the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, noting this is an unacceptable reality the forum must urgently address.
” Every child deserves access to quality education and the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to succeed in today’s rapidly changing global economic landscape.
“As leaders, we have a moral obligation to invest massively in education and skills development, healthcare, and social services to unlock the full potential of our youth and empower future generations,” Inuwa maintained.
Meanwhile, It would be recalled that the Northern Governors were in Washington DC for a security summit t fashion ways toward ending the scourge of insecurity in their region.
While commenting on the State of insecurity, The Chairman, who is the Governor of Gombe State, sympathized with the people of Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, and Zamfara States, over their unprecedented security challenges recently.
He urged the states governors to stand together in solidarity by offering a firm commitment to supporting their fellow northern brethren during their difficult times.
According to him, security remains top on their agenda, and during their last meeting, they reaffirmed their willingness to work with the Federal Government to provide lasting solutions to the security challenges bedeviling their region.
” We have had various engagements with the National Security Adviser, service chiefs, a coalition of northern civil society groups, and other relevant stakeholders on charting a way forward for sustainable peace and stability in northern Nigeria.
Commenting on the State Police, the Chairman noted that, as the nation continues to deliberate on the issue of state police, it is important that they begin to explore state policing models that are built on the foundation of cooperation and collaboration amongst their northern states.
” Economic development is paramount to our region’s prosperity. We consider economic development as the long-term solution to our security challenges.
” In this regard, the revitalization of the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) is at the heart of our economic agenda for northern Nigeria, stressing we must also explore innovative ways to invest in critical infrastructure capable of unlocking the huge industrial and economic potentials of the northern region.
” Regional integration remains a cornerstone to their collective vision for a prosperous northern region and urged the forum to deepen their collaborations in infrastructure development, human capital enhancement, trade, security cooperation, and cultural exchange.” He added.
The Kaduna State Governor, Sen. Uba Sani, who is the host, said since their inaugural Meeting, they have individually and collectively fashioned workable strategies and implemented some measures to tackle their security challenges.
” We have made remarkable progress in degrading criminal elements laying siege to our communities. The Federal Government under the dynamic, focused, and courageous leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR has demonstrated total commitment to winning the war against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality. It has strengthened its partnership with the Northern States and sustained its support to us.
” Today’s meeting allows us to look at our successes and challenges so far in the war against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping and fashion new strategies for a final push against these enemies of development.
Our Correspondent reports that the meeting was attended by Gombe State Governor, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kebbi Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, and Bauchi State
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)