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Poor Education: Catholic Archbishop knocks Government over multiple taxes on Missionary Schools
The Archbishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Bishop Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso yesterday lampooned the Governments of Nigeria for piling up huge taxes burden on Missionary schools in Nigeria who are obviously filling up the gaps in educational institution.
Ndagoso who spoke during the thanksgiving Mass for Sacred Heart School after the Supreme Court Victory that returned the school to the Catholic Church in Kaduna Archdiocese, maintained that ” It is the responsibility of the Government to provide quality education for Nigerian children especially at the first 6 years foundational classes. They won’t allow us to do our best with the little money we have they are bringing all manner of taxes to cripple us and frustrate us meanwhile we are helping the public by providing Basic Education for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe and religion”
According to Archbishop Ndagoso, “Nigeria’s Education has become what it is after taking over schools in the early 70s. Remove the missionaries school there were no schools and the few schools were for the elites and well those who took over schools may have meant well but looking at what is happening now they must be regretting now, they have scattered the education and have destroyed it completely. They should go to the rural areas and see what education has become. The education system has become in a sorry state and only those extremely rich can afford private schools but as a church our missionary schools are public schools and we don’t discriminate everybody goes to our schools a man with or without religion can go to our schools”
Narrating how the school started, he revealed that” This school was originally built by us, (the Catholic Church) by my predecessor Archbishop Mycathy SMA and you know the Sisters rallied around with management as it was established to cater for the children of the elite especially when the textiles were established, the foreigners who came here to work were looking for a good school for their children and at that time Capital school was the only school that catered for the Children of the Elite and it was not enough and therefore the Lebanese Community went to my predecessor and requested that a school be established for their children and so this school was established with the OAL Sisters taking care of it.”
” Along the line, because of the way it was established, few parents were selected to constitute as the board and then came the Government takeover of Schools and so the school was not taken over by Government officially but some individuals who were on the Board decided to take the School and turn it to their own and that was how the battle began, a battle that lasted for nearly 40 years. The people in the Board were claiming the school is their own so my predecessor stood his ground going through the Court process for almost forty years, it was only in January 2019 that the Supreme Court gave the school back to us. As we got back the school in 2019, the COVID-19 came and a lot of things happened but we took over and we started reorganizing our it and since then I have been trying to come but I said let’s things settle first before I come officially to visit the school, so today I have come, I said let’s us organized Mass of thanksgiving to God for what has happened it could have gone the other way but the truth can’t be hidden. Even when the truth is glaring people use whatever means to change things but God helped us using Barrister Toroh SAN who fought from the beginning all these years to the Supreme Court in 2019 pro bono for the Archdiocese of Kaduna, so this is my official visit to the school so we are saying the Mass of thanksgiving to appreciate God and all those God use along the line especially Barrister Toroh SAN and his team to bring back the school to us.
The Assembly of Councillors in Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State has removed the local government Chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Beli, and his Deputy, Hon. Usman Adamu, from office.
Their removal followed a committee investigation that found them guilty of gross misconduct, financial mismanagement, failure to perform their duties, and abuse of office.
A resolution signed by 10 councillors, including the council leader Hon. Wali Adamu and his deputy, officially declared the offices of both the Chairman and Vice Chairman vacant with immediate effect.
The resolution explained that, “The removal of the Chairman and his deputy is based on the findings of the investigation committee, which has established that the chairman and his deputy were engaged in financial, mismanagement, failed to perform their duties, breached the trust placed on them, and abused their office.”
While briefing journalists of this development, the Council Leader explained that both Beli and Adamu have faced increasing scrutiny for their management of the local government’s affairs.
He claimed that they have failed to perform their duties and have severely breached the trust placed in them by the people of Shira despite several warnings, and they can no longer afford to tolerate such conduct.
All efforts to get the reaction of Beli and Adamu have proved abortive so far.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says Nigerians are unfair to former military president, Ibrahim Babangida following the recent release of his memoir.
In the 420-page memoir titled, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida’, the former military leader admitted that MKO Abiola won the 1993 election his government annulled.
His admission after 32 years generated different reactions across the country, with some critics saying that it was coming too late.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Uzor Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, said that Nigerians are not being fair to Babangida.
“On the Babangida’s book, I think Nigerians are very unfair to Babangida because he came out on his own,” the former Abia State governor said on the programme.
“When I say the story is not complete, I wanted President Babangida to write more of the stories because the stories have not finished. There is more to the story, there are officers who told Babangida you cannot hand over to this man.”
Senator Kalu said that Babangida came out on his own to say what many people have not dared to say for a long time.
He said that Babangida in his book disclosed that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup, “a sin” which he said people have held against the Igbos for many years.
‘IBB should write a second book’
Senator Orji Kalu said that there is a need for Babangida to write a second book which will contain roles that other top military officers played in the June 1993 election fallout.
According to him, Babangida himself was in danger at the time considering the way he left power.
“More military people that were there should talk about this. There should be a second part of the book because if you mention only one name or two, it is not complete,” he said.
“They should go all hog and tell Nigerians the truth. Babangida should write a second book, I know that Babangida was in danger throughout those periods. If you remember the way he left power, you will know something was wrong.”
The annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election between Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and his main challenger Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) has remained a controversial political discussion in Nigeria.
The Federal Government, the European Union, International IDEA, and other stakeholders have emphasised the need for the enforcement of laws and policies addressing sexual offences and gender-based violence. They also stressed the importance of protecting vulnerable Nigerians.
This call was made at the 2nd Annual Conference of Commissioners of State Ministries of Women Affairs in Abuja, themed ‘Sub-National Policy and Practice for Enhancing Rights, Protection, and Justice for Women, Children, and Persons with Disabilities.’ The conference was organised by the European Union-funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC-Phase II) Programme of International IDEA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
Concerned by the low levels of inclusion for women, children, and persons with disabilities (PWD) in national affairs, stakeholders gathered to strategise on ways to advocate for vulnerable citizens in Nigeria. They noted that achieving gender equality requires transforming social norms and power dynamics that support the political, social, and economic empowerment of the most marginalised, especially women, children, and PWD.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by her Senior Special Assistant on Women and Community Engagement, Princess Joan Jummai Idonije, stated that this year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” is particularly relevant. It emphasises the need for renewed commitment and bold action to tackle gender parity issues.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim reiterated the importance of critically evaluating Nigeria’s policies and governance structures to ensure that interventions lead to tangible outcomes, particularly at the sub-national level where the needs are most urgent.
“We must ensure that every intervention is tracked, evaluated, and reported. Investing in state-level gender data systems will help us measure progress and feed into the national Women’s Empowerment and Protection Dashboard, ensuring accountability and transparency in our collective efforts,” she stressed.
She also appreciated RoLAC and other development partners’ continued support of women, children, and vulnerable groups. She commended State Commissioners for Women’s Affairs for their leadership and dedication to advancing gender equality at the sub-national level.
Danladi Plang, Head of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, urged state Commissioners to pursue the enactment and implementation of relevant laws for women, children, and PWD. He called on authorities to allocate resources and make investments to ensure the sector thrives beyond political rhetoric.
“The core objectives of the Rule of Law Programme are to increase access to justice for women, children, and persons with disabilities. Since 2017, in collaboration with the European Union, we have been implementing this programme across several states. We’ve supported the creation of legislation such as the Child Protection Law and the VAPP Law in various states,” Plang said.
He further explained that state ministries and commissioners are crucial in influencing policy implementation and serving as catalysts for change within their cabinets.
In an interview at the event, Plang disclosed that the Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) have assisted over 8,000 survivors. “Last year, we commissioned the NCPWD to ensure office buildings are accessible, and we’ve continued advocating for legislative changes with Commissioners to ensure that vulnerable groups are supported,” he said.
Oluwatoyosi Giwa, Project Manager of the Access to Justice RoLAC Programme, emphasised the conference’s goal to produce action plans that would directly benefit vulnerable citizens.
“By the end of these three days, we hope to develop actionable strategies that Commissioners can implement in their states to improve the lives of women, children, and persons with disabilities,” Giwa said. “Let us speak our truth and share our experiences so we can learn from one another and bring back tangible solutions.”
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, noted that many Nigerian states have enacted laws for women.