​ASUP STRIKE: We’ve met all ASUP’s demands – FG, as Students storm Abuja

By Victor Habila

Some sect of students from Polytechnics across Nigeria grounded activities at the Federal Ministry of Education, demanding an immediate end to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic Staff (ASUP).

The aggrieved students lay siege at the Federal Ministry of Education, to protest the about seven weeks strike, lamenting that they were the most marginalised set of students in the country, who were still at home despite having wasted a whole academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Leading the protest, Mr Sunday Asuku, the President of National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), urged the Federal Government and ASUP to reach a compromise or risk a nationwide protest by the students.

He said: “We were home all through last year, we have wasted a whole year of our lives, there is nobody to compensate us for the year wasted and now we are on strike. How long are we going to continue like this? Our university counterparts are in class, we are the most marginalised set of students in the country.

“We can no longer keep quiet, silence is no longer golden, all we want is immediate reopening of our classes.”

Asuku further warned that should government fail to meet the demands of their lecturers and schools remain closed by next Monday, they would proceed to shut down the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.

“ASUP demanded 15 items from the Federal Government but was only able to get two which to us is not commendable. As a student body, we are interested in the government paying the lecturers their minimum wage which is accrued to two years.

“Other MDAs have received theirs since Nov 2019, why holding our lecturers to ransom. If you can give them this, then we have the right to hold them accountable for not teaching.

“We want the government to call ASUP back to a round table and give them what belongs to them else by Monday, we will grind the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.”

Addressing the protesting students, Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, insisted that the Federal has met all demands of the union.

“Every one of us is pained by what is going on in the polytechnic sector of our education, many of us spoke with ASUP at the time of their warning strike that we are not running an Adhoc government. Nothing ends today, even if I die today, Nigeria will continue and there is nothing that will stop Nigeria.

“When ASUP wanted to start this strike, we wrote them and said everything that ASUP requested for has been agreed upon, we do not have one area of disagreement.

“On the 23rd of May, we communicated to ASUP and we have given them a catalogue of everything that they said we should do that we have complied with.”

Source: Guardian

Children’s Day: Kaduna Gov’s wife advocates quality education

By Victor Habila, Kaduna

Kaduna state Governor’s wife, Hajiya Ummi Ahmad El-rufai has called on public and private partnership towards the promotion of quality education in the state.

She said Kaduna state government is on a quest to continue to partner individuals and groups with a view to guaranteeing human capacity development through massive investment in children education.

Hajiya Ummi stated this today while celebrating this year’s children day at LGEA Primary school maraban-jos in Igabi local government area of Kaduna state.

The wife of the Kaduna state Governor who took time to interact with pupils of the public primary school also expressed delight over massive investment been carried out by a philanthropist, ALH ADAMU Attah for the benefit of children of the poor.

Speaking earlier, the donor of the public primary school at maraban-jos and owner of the fifth chukker, ALH ADAMU Attah said he embarked on the project with a view to giving back to the society in line with his organization corporate social responsibility.

ALH ADAMU Attah explained that in the last ten years, maraban – JOS with a density population had no structures to accommodate pupils of nursery and primary school a situation that motivated him to partner UNICEF and other corporate organization and individuals towards the construction of one hundred and twenty blocks of class rooms in the area.

According to him,at present sixty blocks of class rooms have been constructed which is accommodating twelve thousand pupils of nursery and primary levels.

ALH ADAMU Attah further expressed his determination to continue to partner the Kaduna state government towards uplifting the standard of education, especially among children of the poor and the less privileged.
In a remarks, the village Head of maraban-jos, ALH Ibrahim Sidi described ADAMU Attah as a true Nigerian whose love for societal development must be encouraged and emulated by other wealthy individuals.

According to the village head,the children of the poor in maraban-jos can now read,write and speak English through the invaluable contributions of ALH ADAMU Attah.

Breaking: Major-General Farouk Yahaya emerges new army chief

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Major-General Farouk Yahaya as the new chief of army staff.
Yahaya, a major general, will replace the deceased Attahiru Ibrahim with immediate effect.

Prior to his appointment, Major-General Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the theatre commander of a military counter-terrorism unit in the North East.

Yahaya’s appointment comes six days after his predecessor Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other military personnel died in an air crash while on an official trip to Kaduna State.

Source: Guardian Nigeria

Children’s Day: UNICEF Tasks Government on Rights Protection in Face of Inequality, Poverty, Pandemic

By ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has called on Nigerian government at all levels to protect the rights of children to education and health in the face of growing poverty, inequality and pandemic.

UNICEF, in a statement to commemorate the 2021 children’s day, expressed concerns over the effects of Covid-19 on the children, describing it as a child rights crisis in Nigeria and the world at large.

UNICEF’s Country Director, Peter Hawkins, noted that poverty is rising, inequality is growing, and the pandemic has often disrupted the essential services that secure the health, education and protection of children and young people in the country.

He said the 2021 Children’s day comes at a challenging moment for child rights  with the COVID-19 pandemic threatening gains made for children’s development.

“It has been a challenging year for us all with the COVID-19 pandemic – not least of all, Nigeria’s children – and I want to commend efforts at all levels of Nigerian government and society to protect education, health, and protection services in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children.

“The longer the pandemic goes on, the more intense the impact on women and children. On this Nigerian Children’s Day, let us all agree that we cannot let one crisis compound another.

“The pandemic is threatening decades of progress we have made for children. Violence is perpetrated against one in four Nigerian children – and one in three Nigerian girls are sexually abused. This has only increased during the pandemic. Today of all days, we must commit to reinforce the protection mechanisms for all children”, Hawkins noted.

The UNICEF Director revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic has helped the people learned that education takes place not only in schools, noting that children can and should learn both in and out of school.

Mr Hawkins stated Nigerian children are resilient, talented and aspire to do great things, charging parents and government with the responsibility to give them the platform and encouragement to do that.

The statement reads; “We know that protecting children and investing in women and families is not only the right thing to do – it has proven to be a sound economic choice and a cost-effective tool for national development.

“As we celebrate our children today, we must act in their best interests and deploy innovative solutions to fast-track learning and health services to build back better, for every Nigerian child.”