Eagles Believed They’Ve Won After Scoring – Rohr

-

June 12, 2024

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, called out the National Orientation Agency for teaching Nigerians the wrong version of the newly adopted old National Anthem.

Akpabio noted that what the agency was circulating was different from the one approved by the Senate.

The Senate after deliberations had gone on executive sessions for over two hours, after which the Senate adjourned plenary to July 2.

Before the Senate ended the plenary, Akpabio requested that the Senate recite the first stanza of the new National Anthem.

While the lawmakers recited the anthem, the Senate President looked at his book intermittently.

After they were done, Akpabio stated that the lawmakers should take note of the wordings of the anthem approved by the Senate and discard the one being presented by the NOA.

He said, “Take note of what we have here; what we have is different from what the NOA has.

“Where we have Nigerians ‘all’ are proud to say, they have Nigerians all and proud to say.

“Also, where we have ‘though’ tribes and tongues may differ, they have ‘those’ tribe and tongues

“Also at the end where we have ‘Nigeria shall be blessed’, they have Nigeria ‘may’ be blessed.”

“We are using shall, which is a compulsion that this country shall be blessed, so, tell the National Orientation Agency to drop what they are circulating now,” the Senate President said.

The Senate had two weeks ago, passed the National Anthem Bill 2024 to revert to the old national anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee,” replacing the “Arise, O Compatriots” version.

The bill, which speedily passed first and second readings on the same day, was assented to by President Bola Tinubu on May 29.

Lagos-Calabar Highway: Fg Reroutes Mega Project, Slashes Lanes To Six

By

-

June 12, 2024

The Federal Government says it has rerouted the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway path to avoid any possible damage to subsea cables belonging to telecommunication companies.

The government also said it had reduced the project’s size from 10 lanes to six as a cost-saving measure for the legacy project.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, who made the announcements at a meeting with contractors on Tuesday in Abuja, also said the government had disbursed a total sum of N10bn as compensation to property owners affected by the demolition necessary for the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

This was as it announced that the first 47 kilometres of the project would be open to the public by May of next year.

The government early this year began the construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway, which is designed to extend through nine states with two spurs leading to the northern states, using concrete pavement.

It later established a committee tasked with the responsibilities of reviewing, assessing and compensating landowners affected by the construction of the expressway.

On May 1st, the government began payment of N2.75bn in compensation to property owners affected by the demolition necessary for the construction of the expressway.

Section one is scheduled to begin at Eko Atlantic and end at the Lekki deep sea port.

He said, “For the three legacy projects by the administration, the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, we have cut down the project size to six lanes, especially from sections two, three, and four, it shows you that we mean business. Some people have been writing that we have stopped the project. No project is stopped. As we are talking now, over four kilometres of concrete road has been completed on six lanes.

“We had to establish a new path due to complaints made by MTN on its subsea cable and Okuaja community, we had to reroute not to the new alignment, not to the gazetted alignment but far away from the two, and we came back to a new alignment at kilometre 25. So the work is going and it’s moving smoothly. We have paid the total compensation of close to N10bn. we are not owing and the contractor is highly commended for a very beautiful job, commitment and being very reasonable.

“These projects are investments, and they have inherent returns on investments, By May 29, 2025, we will have completed section one of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. Apart from the land, we are going to acquire for tourism, factories and industries when we tow the road within 10 years we would recover the cost of the money so it is an investment.”

He added, “Sections three and four have been finalised, but we are going to do stakeholder engagement in either Cross River or Akwa Ibom because that is where those sections will get started so that we can ensure procurement. But the design is almost completed.”

Speaking further at the meeting, the minister expressed regret over the scarcity of funds, noting that the government inherited over 2,600 projects valued at N15tn.

In explaining the delay in payments to contractors, Umahi mentioned that aside from the inherited projects, the government initiated 330 emergency projects totalling N260bn.

He noted that over 80 per cent of these projects have already been completed.

He further explained that the ministry would no longer allow contractors to determine the cost of projects through the excessive use of variation of prices.

Meanwhile, the minister of works has announced that Julius Berger is expected to resume construction on the remaining section of the Abuja-Kano after resolving some challenges.

“I commend Julius Berger very highly, some of you thought we were going to be quarrelling but yesterday we resolved a lot of our issues and by this week, the Abuja-Kano work will resume.”

On the recently flooded Kara bridge, the minister stated that the issue has been rectified, ensuring there will be no further flooding.

“Also, in the next few days or weeks, we would have completed the installation of CCTV on the bridge so that we can checkmate what is happening there and we have less than 5 minutes of response time from securities agencies to avert any form of incidents,” he concluded.

Governor Yusuf Employs 10,000 Teachers, Builds 300 Labs To Revamp Education

By

-

June 10, 2024

The Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf has resolved to employ additional 10, 000 teachers and build 300 laboratories across the state, Determined to revamp the dilapidated state of primary and secondary education in Kano.

Governor Yusuf who stated this while declaring a State-of-Emergency on education in the state, said his ambition is to ensure that public schools are better than private schools in the state, even with the free-education policy of his administration.

He spoke at the Open Arena, Kano Government House, in a well-attended ceremony with dignitaries from across the globe, including his mentor, former Governor of Kano state and National Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

According to him, before taking over as Kano state Governor, about a year ago, the problems in the education sector were multi-faceted.

He added that We faced a severe shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate teacher training programs, and a lack of basic amenities such as clean water and sanitation in many of our schools.

Governor revealed that his administration has resolved to build an additional 300 state- of-the-art laboratories in 100 schools across the state.

He said the provision of these facilities will provide the students with hands-on experience in scientific inquiry, fostering a culture of experimentation and discovery that is essential for their future success.

Governor Yusuf also announced the construction of 1000 classrooms across the State within the next academic session.

He revealed that his administration met no fewer than 4.7 million pupils sitting on bare floor in primary schools across the state upon assumption of office in May 29, 2023.

Governor Yusuf made the revelation during the occasion of the Declaration of State of Emergency on Education in Kano state held on at the Open Arena, Kano Government House.

He said the state government was declaring the State-of-Emergency on education with the full support of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

Governor Yusuf stated that the lack of instructional materials further compounded the problem, leaving our teachers and students to struggle with outdated and insufficient resources.

UK Labour Party Pledges 100,000 New Childcare Places

By

-

June 10, 2024

UK’s Labour party has pledged to create 100,000 additional childcare places and more than 3,000 new nurseries as part of its childcare plan.

Labour says it will turn classrooms in existing primary schools into school-based nurseries, for an estimated cost of around £40,000 per classroom.

The money would come from VAT levied on private schools, a move which has been previously criticised in the sector and by other parties.

Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer said if elected, his party will create the childcare places needed to turn the page and rebuild Britain.

The number of nursery and primary school children in England is predicted to fall in the next four years.

Labour says it will use the space freed up in primary school buildings for the 3,334 new high quality nurseries, which would be set up in high-need areas which lack enough childcare places.

They could be run by the primary schools themselves or by local private and voluntary sector nursery providers.

The funding will come from Labour’s plan to remove what it has called unfair tax breaks from private schools.

Last year, Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said Labour’s plans to remove the tax breaks and charge private schools 20% VAT was part of a class war to punish aspirational parents.

On Sunday Labour’s shadow attorney general, Emily Thornberry told Newsmen that the policy could increase class sizes in the short term.

However, her colleague, the party’s shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said that wasn’t right and that there had been a misunderstanding.

She told Newsmen that pupil numbers were forecast to fall and that increased class sizes won’t be the outcome.

Labour said its announcement is the next stage in its long-term plan to deliver a modern childcare system that better supports parents from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school.

Tanzanian Education Ministry to Renovate 500 Nursery Schools

By

-

June 10, 2024

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has launched a-five year Challenge Fund project for rehabilitation and renovation of about 500 nursery schools in the country.

The Project, to be carried out by the government and Montessori Community of Tanzania (MCT), will spend over 50,000 US dollars for each centre, under sponsorship of the Arthur Waser Foundation.

MCT Director, Sarah Kiteleja, said this recently during the organisation’s annual general meeting.

Ms Kiteleja explained that the project will be covering both public and private nursery schools, in efforts to improve teaching and learning environment for babies from an early stage.

He said improvements will also involve in-office capacity building training to teachers. We need every child to be well.

He affirmed that the project is set to takeoff any time after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between MCT and the government, with the former having already submitted important documents to the latter.

Launching the Project, Director of Primary Education in the Ministry, Abdul Maulid commended MCT for supporting the government’s efforts towards improving the learning environments for babies.

He also praised MCT partners, including the Mwanza-based Amani Girls Organization that has been promoting nutrition, in a bid to develop cognitive abilities at childhood level.

Nutritionist for Amani Girls, Margareth Cyprian, supported the motion that free education misinterpretation hinders the efforts, with majority parents skipping school feeding programmes, under the pretext that the government does everything for school children.

Education Ministry Nudges Private Investors to Close Staggering 3,000 Schools Gap in Zimbabwe

By

-

June 10, 2024

Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE), Torerai Moyo says there is a shortage of 3 000 schools in the country and challenged private investors to construct learning centres in order to ease the deficit.

He said Government alone cannot close the schools gap, hence the need for players with free funds to build infrastructure across all provinces.

Addressing delegates during the official opening ceremony of Matanah Christian College in Chinhoyi, Moyo, who was represented by Director of Secondary (MoPSE), Patrick Ngandini, said investment into education helps ameliorate the burden on government to provide social services.

He said it is very heartening to see private partners contributing to the education of this young generation.

The minister highlighted the need for collaboration between government and private investors to avail more learning centres and called on unregistered colleges to regularise their operations.

As you are aware, government alone cannot meet the needs of the nation given the budgetary constraints. For instance, the information at hand is that we have a shortage of close to 3 000 schools.

Investments by partners like Matanah take some burden off government. This is why we call upon all those who are operating illegally to register their institutions and take their place among nation builders.

Moyo said he was impressed by the exhibitions mounted by students displaying various innovations, a testament Matanah Christian College was on course to implement the heritage-based curriculum framework.

“This framework is aligned to the national vision of Zimbabwe of becoming an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society by 2030 and driven by the National Development Strategy 1 and 2.

Through heritage-based studies, it is possible for learners to acquire valuable skills while at the same time monetise the skills before completing Ordinary Level, and can use those skills at any exit level.

To underline its commitment to vocationalisation, in line with the new curriculum thrust, Matanah Christian College Finance Director, Simbarashe Matumbike, handed over a gift of a welding machine to Moyo.

During the official opening ceremony, Zimbabwe Independent Colleges Association (ZICA) president, Tapera Chikandiwa presented the first ever in the country, the inaugural Gold Class Award to Matanah for its state-of-the-art infrastructure, ambience and positive growth trajectory.

We are so impressed about the solid infrastructure and hereby decided to officially present the Gold Class for the first time in Zimbabwe to Matanah in recognition of exemplary commitment to academic excellence, promotion of spiritual growth, dedicated community service and sacrificial contribution to national development, especially as we victoriously march towards Vision 2030.

Your dedication to providing a holistic education which nurtures body, mind and spirit is truly commendable. Your students’ achievements, character and compassion are testament to the outstanding work of your faculty, staff and leadership.

In 2000, the Matumbikes opened the college to serve the local community motivated by the need to alleviate the shortage of secondary schools in the town, which has a ballooning population.

The first cohort of learners enrolled at inception at the height of the deadly Covid-19 era is now set to sit for its Ordinary Level in November.

Matanah Christian College has grown in leaps and bounds, now boasting an enrolment over 350 high school learners pursuing different specialties, including sciences, humanities and commercials.

NAFEST 2024 To Hold In FCT To Resonate Unity- Asika

By

Koko Lawrence

-

June 10, 2024

The Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Obi Asika, says the 2024 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) will be held in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

NAFEST, a flagship programme of NCAA, is acclaimed to be a veritable cultural platform for promoting national unity, mutual acceptance and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, culture and religious differences.

According to Asika, the 2024 edition of the annual cultural fiesta which is the first under his watch as director-general of NCAC, will be held in the nation’s capital to resonate the call for national unity.

He said the FCT edition was symbolic of the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and will chart new trajectory for the cultural fiesta.
He added that NAFEST had come a long way, and it was high time it was improved with new innovations and packaged to attract larger audiences, including the diaspora community.

“This year’s NAFEST will be hosted in the FCT and we are trying to inolve all stakeholders, especially the FCT authority because we need collaborations,.
“Abuja, first of all is a beautiful city, and then is Nigeria’s capital, so, we are set to give it the global media attention it deserves.
“The festival will be revamped with some key elements and initiatives that are brand new, and it will be exciting because it will be another way to showcase incredible things that Nigeria has to offer.
“Nigeria is a melting point of incredible contents and talents, and most of these have just been happening randomly without any real organizational support from the government.
“But all of that have changed and the deliverables and roadmap are being put together and we are just beginning implementation,” he said.
The NCAC helmsman said that culture was a veritable tool for economic transformation, adding that innovations to boost economic activities in the FCT and Nigeria at large would be introduced into the festival.
“Besides its entertainment benefits and what it represents nationally, NAFEST can be a source of national revenue as obtainable in other climes.”
According to him, youth participation shall be encouraged by ensuring that Nigeria music stars from across the country perform at the festival.
“We want expansion of culture, business expansion, economic expansion in the territory and then in every other edition of the festival.

Asika said the seventh edition of the annual International Arts and Crafts Festival (INAC), also a flagship programme of the NCAC, will also be repositioned to have more international participation.

“INAC is going to run for at least two weeks in our arts village toward the end of the year, and that will be after NAFEST, which is holding for a week.

“We really need to get more African countries on board for INAC, we want their participation, as we already have countries outside the continent among participants,” he said.

Stay Calm Super Eagles Are Beatable, Gernot Rohr Tells Upset-Seeking Cheetahs Of Benin

By

-

June 10, 2024

What a twist of fate! Gernot Rohr, the former Nigerian manager now leading the Cheetahs of Benin to stay calm as they face the Super Eagles in a 2026 World Cup qualifying duel.

Obviously, he has seen the precarious situations of his former team even as he hopes to exploit the weaknesses he had observed from the players, most of whom had trained under him.

According to La Nation, a newspaper in Benin Republic, Rohr has told the Cheetahs to stay calm as the Super Eagles are beatable.

He told them that a defeat of the Super Eagles will help the current third place Group C team to consolidate while compounding the Super Eagles’ woes.

The Franco-German technician recognizes the strengths of this Nigerian team, unfortunate finalist of the Afcon 2023 but believes in the ability of his Beninous players.

The Benin Republic confidence is further buoyed by their ability to hold African champions, Cote d’Ivoire to 2-2 draw three months ago and their defeat of the Amavubi of Rwanda last Thursday.

They are however conscious of the fact that the Super Eagles will be determined to regained their esteem after their ego had been brutally bruised by the trio of Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Another Day Of Reckoning For Under-Performing Super Eagles

By

-

June 10, 2024