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Author: emiola ibukun

  • Malala Fund solicits policy for quality education

    Education
    By Ibukun Emiola
    Abuja, June 25, 2024 (NAN) Malala Fund Advocacy Manager Femi Aderibigbe has called on government at all levels to do more to improve the quality of education that would reduce the number of out-of-school children.

    He made the call on Tuesday in Abuja in a training on “Change Reporting Media Fellowship on Gender Responsive Education Planning” organised to develop journalists’ skills.

    He also emphasised the importance of funding education as critical to human capital development.

    According to him, the training is co-organised by the fund two civil society organisations to build the capacity of 27 journalists across the country with the resources needed to hold the government accountable in the education sector.

    He said that programme would develop the skills of journalists to focus on measurable impact and issue-based reports along with the ethics of journalism to create credible stories in the sector.

    “We need to speak against issues that prevent girls from accessing education up to senior secondary school.

    “You can do a random sampling to ask how many children are out of education at the senior secondary level. I am not sure most of us can speak to data on the issues that we have.

    Most times, we speak about basic education forgetting that a higher number of out-of-school children exist at the senior secondary school level,” Aderibigbe said.

    Aderibigbe noted that the country provided free education, that is, Universal Basic Education for nine years and what that meant was that it invested in its children up to the stage where they were to make career decisions and then withdrew funding.

    He said many people made their career decisions much later in life and not at the end of their junior secondary school level where free education stopped.

    Aderibigbe called for a review of the government policy on UBE stressing the need to improve funding as it is connected to human capital development and economic prosperity of the nation.

    Also, the founder of one of the partnering civil society organisations System Strategy and Policy Laboratory, Dr Murtala Mohammed, urged the fellows to base their reporting on evidence-based verifiable data and adhere to best practices in journalism.

    He stressed the importance of good and qualitative education, adding that the state governments had to prioritise education in line with sustainable development goal four.

    Mohammed, however, called on all the states to develop state education sector plans that will be gender-responsive to address some of the issues bedevilling the sector.

    The two-day training will be held in Abuja from June 24 to June 25.

    Malala Fund is an international, non-profit organisation that advocates for girls’ education.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    IBK/KAY
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    Edited by Kayode Olaitan

  • Cholera: Oyo Gov’t rolls out preventive measures in public schools

    Cholera: Oyo Gov’t rolls out preventive measures in public schools

    Prevention
    By Ibukun Emiola
    Ibadan, June 22, 2024 (NAN) The Oyo State government has rolled out some guidelines to ensure that food handlers in public schools follow strict hygiene practices to prevent contamination.

    The Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB), Dr Nureni Adeniran made this known in the instructions released in Ibadan on Saturday.

    He advised headteachers to implement the measures to prevent cholera outbreaks in public basic schools in the state.

    The SUBEB boss said that the Oyo State government, through the board, “is on top of its game to ensure that public basic schools are taking steps to ensure the health and safety of students.”

    Adeniran urged parents, guardians, as well as school authorities to adhere to safety guidelines.

    He said the board would work with Education Secretaries, teachers and other stakeholders to ensure strict compliance.

    The advisory emphasised the importance of hand hygiene, recommending that children carry hand sanitisers and frequently wash their hands with soap and water, especially before meals and after using the restroom.

    Adeniran also recommended that schools keep Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) available in their clinics to manage dehydration cases promptly.

    He said that schools should notify the state emergency hotline, 615, immediately, in case of any health emergency or suspected cholera cases.

    Adeniran said other preventive measures including comprehensive health talks on cholera prevention among learners and staff would be conducted regularly, as well as ensuring safe drinking practices. (NAN) (www.nannewsng)

    IBK/SOA
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    Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

  • Experts harp on harnessing untapped potentials in renewable energy to boost economy

    Energy
    By Ibukun Emiola
    Ibadan, June 21, 2024 (NAN) Experts in renewable energy have harped on the need to fully harness the available potentials in the sector to boost the nation’s economy.
    They said this at the Techfine Partners’ training to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Nexgen Energy and Allied Services, in Ibadan on Friday.
    According to Wikipedia, renewable energy or green energy is from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale.
    The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power and hydropower.
    A renewable energy expert with Acetronix Ventures, Mr Oluyombi Awojobi, said since being in the business of renewal energy over the last 10 years, there had been more uptake because of epileptic power from the national grid.
    According to him, more people are tending toward solar energy, out of all the renewable energy sources, stressing that government would do well to provide more incentives to further enhance uptake of the clean energy.
    “Government can come in by subsidising some of these things: inverters, solar panels and batteries because their prices are presently on the high side.
    “If there is a policy or any other means to subsidise these items, people will embrace them more,” he said.
    Awojobi said renewable energy would help Nigerians cut the cost of running generating sets by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent in the long run.
    Also, the Chief Executive Officer, De-sure Rejfresh Technology, Mr Adeniyi Omotosho, described renewable energy as ‘the future Nigeria is looking for’.
    Omotosho said that the industry had improved over the years, adding that more successes had been recorded, especially for those who started more than two decades ago.
    He called for more investments in the sector by government, saying it should also focus its agenda on improving its capability to solve unemployment problems and improve the livelihoods of Nigerians.
    One of the facilitators, Mrs Ibiyemi Ifaturoti, said though there were lots of initiatives on renewable energy, she, however, expressed the regret that they were uncoordinated.
    Ifaturoti, a Senior Consultant at Leading Learning Limited, called on government to give more incentives and subsidise renewable energy for those in the industry such as tax reduction, import duties and renewable energy components, among others.
    According to her, the more people embrace renewable energy, the better in terms of reduction of pressure on the national grid, as it would help the economy and serve the underserved communities.
    Also, the Customer Service Executive, Nexgen Energy, Mrs Oluwakemi Ayekitan, said Nigerians needed an in-depth knowledge, not just information, about renewable energy to be able to harness the enormous opportunities inherent in it.
    Ayekitan said there were lots of renewable energy like biogas and other green energy.
    “Though people look at the initial cost, the return on investment surpasses the initial amount that has kept some people from uptaking renewable energy.
    “There are lots of advantages in using renewable energy. First, the return on investment is higher than imagined.
    “Second, it supports a healthier and safer planet for the future generations, as it doesn’t emit gases into the atmosphere.
    “Also, there is the ease and convenience to use renewable energy system. It is an automated system, the newest technology like the brand we represent in Techfine,” Ayekitan said.
    Another facilitator and business development expert, Pastor Francis Madojemu, said business owners must ensure they sold quality products to Nigerians.
    “A lot of us take advantage of people. We go to China and buy cheaper versions of products; but now, there’s the need to put the customers’ benefits first.
    “It will build us goodwill when the economy picks up,” Madojemu said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    IBK/KOO/WAS
    Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa and ‘Wale Sadeeq

  • FirstBank reiterates boosting economy via creative arts

    Arts

     

    By Ibukun Emiola

     

    Ibadan, June 18, 2024 (NAN) First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) says Nigeria can boost its economy by promoting and exporting its creative arts to the world, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

     

     

     

    FBN Group Head, Public Sector West, Dr Timothy Arowoogun, said this in Ibadan on Tuesday at the recreation of a stage play, “Oke Langbodo”, at the Wole Soyinka Theatre, University of Ibadan (UI).

     

    According to Arowoogun, the bank believes anything linked with creative arts is a big business to be supported.

     

    “As a bank, we have aligned ourselves with creative arts in Nigeria and Africa because FirstBank is a global institution and we believe that we can sponsor the industry.

     

    “It is like the Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs), which is one of our core areas of support.

     

    “In Nigeria, without supporting the real sector, which creative arts, we believe, is part of it, we can’t go anywhere,” he said.

     

    He said to bring down the rising foreign exchange, Nigeria needed to build and support its SMEs to export goods and services thereby limiting the level of importation.

     

    Similarly, FBN Head of Media, External Relations and Sustainability, Ismail Omamegbe, said the bank would continue to sponsor components of the creative industry to promote SMEs.

     

    “A platform of arts is not peculiar to Yoruba folklore but it could be Igbo or Yoruba; it has to be able to drive unity and coming together.

     

    “It has to typify or exemplify what Nigeria stands for,” he said.

     

    Otunba Ayodeji Osibogun, the Executive Producer of the stage play and Chief Executive Director, Creazioni Network, said FirstBank, under its First@Arts initiative, partnered with his company to produce the play.

     

    “Oke Langbodo is a Yoruba folklore that has been adapted into various forms of literature, including plays, novels, and poems.

     

    “The story is often seen as a metaphor for life’s journey, with Langbodo representing the human spirit’s resilience in the face of adversity.

     

    “Oke Langbodo was initially created in 1977 and it’s being reproduced by Creazioni Communications with the theme that addresses human existence,” he said.

     

    He stressed the importance of youth involvement in everything being done in the country, especially as displayed by the bank in bringing the production to the Department of Theatre Arts, UI.

     

    According to him, the initiative will ensure that tomorrow’s artists are involved and ready to replace the Nollywood actors and actresses.

     

    “We are talking about moving people from the movie to the theatre, so who is going to run the theatre?

     

    “So, FirstBank and Odu’a are already thinking about tomorrow, that is why we are here,” Osibogun said.

     

    Meanwhile, the Oyo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, reiterated the importance of promoting culture and supporting the development of creative industry in the state.

     

    NAN reports that Oke Langbodo, a legendary tale of courage and resilience, was inspired by the timeless classic, “Ogboju Ode ninu Igbo Irunmole” by D.O Fagunwa.

     

    It was reimagined in English as “Forest of a Thousand Demons” by Prof. Wole Soyinka and brought to life on stage by Wale Ogunyemi during Festac 77 as “Lagbodo”.

     

    Oke Langbodo was recreated as a collusion of ancient legends with modern technology of immense digital and technological experiential possibilities. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

     

    IBK/MAS

     

    Edited by Moses Solanke

  • Stakeholders call for improvement in nation’s electioneering processes

    Election

     

    By Ibukun Emiola

     

    Ibadan, June 13, 2024 (NAN) Some stakeholders have called for improvement in the nation’s electioneering processes to ensure credible, free and fair elections come 2027.

     

    They stated this on Thursday at a town hall meeting held in Ibadan to review the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

     

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SOS Children’s Village Nigeria organised the meeting with community stakeholders in Akinyẹle and Ibadan North Local Government Areas.

     

    The Assistant Secretary, Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Musa Akinsawe, emphasised the need to increase access for persons with disabilities and involve them in planning during electioneering processes.

     

    He also stressed constant reorientation for electoral officers and continuous voter education.

     

    “Part of what we are clamouring for is accessibility to electoral venues and convenience in voting.

     

    “Elections for people living with disabilities must be easily accessible; the ballot box must be where PWDs can vote without being assisted by anyone,’’ Akinsawe said.

     

    Also, the Assistant Secretary, National Council for Women Societies, Chief Isimiola Olowoyo, identified the need for increased community engagement to restore eroded cultural values.

     

    Olowoyo said such engagements came up toward the 2023 general elections and that her association would sustain them.

     

    She said this would ensure that the right values were imbibed to translate later to good governance in Nigeria.

     

    According to her, lapses recorded in the last elections, such as inadequate security personnel, should be worked on.

     

    “They should empower more security officers so that there will be no violence and there were places where electoral materials were not available on time; this should be worked on,” Olowoyo said.

     

    Representatives of religious bodies and traditional rulers from the two local government areas called for continuous voter registration and increased awareness from the basic education level.

     

    The Programme Officer, SOS Children’s Village Nigeria, Grace Sambo, said communities should learn from past elections and choose their representatives based on competency.

     

    Sambo said ethnicity, tribalism and religion should not be the criteria to elect leaders, adding that sentiments must be thrown away.

     

    Calling for social reengineering, Sambo identified the benefits of peaceful elections and existence to include family stability which would impact children positively.

     

    Also, the state Coordinator, SOS Children’s Village Nigeria, Mr Gabriel Adajie, urged participants to rejuvenate cultural norms that promote value systems in communities.

     

    According to him, poverty and other factors have been weaponised to divide Nigerians, hence the need to change the narrative come 2027.

     

    He noted that the electorates were, in a way, encouraging the political class to continue with the norm in the country.

     

    “For us to change what is on the ground, we have to make sacrifices. We need to endure hunger so as not to continue to make the same mistakes,” Adajie said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

     

    IBK/OIF/MAS

    Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo and Moses Solanke

     

  • Nigerians hail Tinubu over planned executive bill on new minimum wage

    Wage
    By Ibukun Emiola
    Ibadan, June 12, 2024 (NAN) Nigerians have commended President Bola Tinubu for his promise to send an executive bill on the new national minimum wage (NNMW) to the National Assembly, asking him not to dash the hope of the workers.
    They stated this on Wednesday while reacting to the president’s national broadcast to commemorate the 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria.
    A former Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, noted that the presidential address highlighted the significance of the June 12, 1993 presidential election believed to have been won by the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.
    Olayinka said that the election was adjudged to be the freest and fairest election in the history of in the history of Nigeria.
    “That election was held some 31 years ago, and in the nature of things, most Nigerians who are currently under 40 may not recollect what happened before and immediately after that event.
    “It is gratifying that the president paid deserving tributes to all the heroes of June 12, many of whom are no longer alive today,” he said.
    The former vice-chancellor also stated that the promise by Tinubu to transmit an executive bill to the national assembly on a new minimum wage as soon as possible would douse the tension among Nigerian workers.
    According to him, the bill is in order since it is widely accepted that workers in both the public and private sectors of the economy deserve a living wage for survival.
    Also, a financial expert, Mr Tunji Adepeju, described the presidential address as good, noting that it recognised those who sacrificed their lives, time and resources to take the country out of the quagmire of that time.
    “Like the president said, some of them were in exile for some time, while some lost their lives during the period, but here we are today enjoying democracy continuously for 25 years,” he said.
    Adepeju expressed happiness with the president’s statement that there had been some agreement with organised labour on the new minimum wage.
    “What that portrays is that labour leaders might not be telling us the truth. At the end of the day, all the N250,000 and N494,000 that were being thrown on the papers were just demands that they themselves did not believe in.
    “The figures were just being paraded to satisfy the wishes of their members.
    “Now, the president has tactically disclosed to Nigerians that they an agreement had been reached and fortunately, the labour leaders and others were part of the tripartite committee that look into the issue,” he said.
    The financial expert described as a thing of joy the assurance given to Nigerians by Tinubu that with his administration’s policies and programmes, Nigerians would be better off at the end of the day.
    Adepeju noted that the president said that he would do all within his powers, even as he sent warnings to those who were out to destabilise the progress being made by his administration.
    “I want to believe that those people, whether they are politicians, bureaucrats or businessmen, would exercise some caution, going forward,” he said.
    However, a Professor of Education Evaluation, Adams Onuka, said he was not impressed by the contents of the presidential speech, aside acknowledging the roles played by some heroes of the democracy which the country is enjoying now.
    Onuka said that the speech only made a veiled acknowledgement of the harsh economic condition currently being experienced by Nigerians.
    “The president could not tell us in his speech exactly what the minimum or living wage agreed upon. No concrete amount was agreed as minimum, not even a living wage was stated. This, to me, smacks of not being transparent enough.
    “The speech would have highlighted in concrete terms the steps being taken to bring the nation’s economy country to a prosperous path, the timelines for realising it and how it will be realised,” Onuka said.
    He stressed the need for the president’s economic team to sit down and articulate ways out of the present quagmire.
    “For me, so much was left to be desired in the speech and it is quite below my expectations,” the don said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    IBK/KOLE/WAS
    Edited by Remi Koleoso and ‘Wale Sadeeq

  • World Environmental Day: Group sensitises students on environmental abuse

    Environment

     

    By Ibukun Emiola

     

    Ibadan, June 5, 2024 (NAN) A Non-Profit Organisation, Eleven Eleven Twelve Foundation (EETF), has decried the effects of human pollution and land degradation on the environment across Nigeria.

    EETF Founder, Mr Adetunji Lam-Adesina, cried out at a symposium to commemorate the 2024 World Environmental Day in Ibadan on Wednesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the organisation used the forum to sensitise students on the effects of pollution and land degradation on the environment, emphasising urgent actions to reverse the trend.

    According to Lam-Adesina, the current situation indicates that the world is in distress due to continuous harmful practices by humans.

    “Hence, the need to sensitise young people to inculcate good habits that would protect the earth.

    “It takes all of us to get the environment back to what it should be. Our planet needs help and it takes all of our efforts and actions to get it back.

    “Today, we decide to focus on the youth, as we need their efforts now more than ever because the future belongs to them.

    “And we need to carry them along so that we can catch them young and instil the culture of giving back to the environment in them,” he said.

    Earlier, a professor of Agricultural Engineering, Emilolorun Aiyelari, underscored the need to harness the weather and the nation’s abundant natural resources to reverse desertification and drought.

    According to him, the government should step up tree planting and treat the soil well to address food insecurity and climate change.

    “We have all it takes to grow crops in Nigeria; good weather and water bodies that can be tapped for irrigation.

    “If we do this in the North, cattle herders will not migrate to the South.

    “This will address some of the insecurity issues in the country, as farmers will once again have the confidence to farm,” he said.

    Prof. Grace Oloukoi of the Department of Urban and Environmental Management, Lead City University, Ibadan, said land degradation has a way of impacting every aspect of the environment.

    She emphasised the need to protect nature and restore the damage done to the land.

    “For us to live well, go green and embrace planting trees; we are already restoring and enriching the earth by so doing.

    “We must stop plastic pollution and other habits that have adverse effects on the earth,” Oloukoi said.

    On what the education sector could do to promote sustainability, Mrs Helen Ojehomon, Deputy Head of School, Ibadan International School, said environmental management should be inculcated into the school curriculum.

    According to her, environmental awareness or knowledge is not a subject that should be taken on its own but something to be integrated into all of the subjects.

    “So, while treating economics, we should be talking about environmental impact as well; the same thing for agriculture and other subjects.

    “This is necessary so that students can understand that no man is an island, and nothing is completely separate, but they are all interconnected and the environment is what joins all of these together,” Ojehomon said.

    Two students of the participating schools, Oluwalonimi Jenrola of American Christian Academy, and Precious Adejumo of Ibadan International School, thanked the organisers for the knowledge gained.

    Both students said they would henceforth become advocates for the promotion of good environmental habits among their peers.

    NAN reports that the 2024 World Environment Day is themed, “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience” with the slogan, “Our land, Our future’. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    IBK/KOO/MAS

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    Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa and Moses Solanke