eWASH

The British government has assured the Federal Government of its continued support in tackling Nigeria’s internal challenges.
The British Foreign Secretary William Hague gave the assurance during a meeting with his Nigerian counterpart Odein Ajumogobia. The meeting which held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London discussed issues crucial to the strengthening of relations between the two countries.

During the occasion, Hague and Ajumogobia recorded a video message to mark Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary. In the video message, Hague spoke about the UK’s determination to build on cultural and historical links between the UK and Nigeria. He highlighted the many bonds shared between British and Nigerian citizens. He pledged the UK’s support for the Nigerian Government’s vital work to deliver credible elections in 2011.

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The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, affirms that  he will focus on training and re-training of officers and men of the Nigerian Army to face contemporary challenges.

Ihejirika unfolded the focus of his administration in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

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The war of words between presidential aspirants, namely Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, (rtd), General Ibrahim Babaginda (rtd) and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Malam Nasir El-Rufai continued in throwing barbs at each other.

El-Rufai, yesterday contended that Buhari and Babaginda, former military leaders, had no place as far as the quest for new Nigeria was concerned,adding that General Buhari’s arguement against his being corrupt is not supported by facts but speculation which he said portrayed Buhari as incapable to debate on issues.

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The recently-concluded United Nations Summit revealed that many countries, Nigeria inclusive, is far from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015.

However, with only five years to 2015, many countries are still far from achieving the MDGs. But speaking at the last United Nations Summit, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon stated that although many countries were still very far from achieving the MDGs he was optimistic that they had set up recoverable frameworks for achieving these goals. In fact, President Barrack Obama clearly stated that United States would promote incentives for economic growth over food or financial aid, and encourage countries to come up with practical policies for achieving the MDGs. Similarly, other countries are strategizing, building blocs and galvanizing support to achieve the MDGs.

President Goodluck Jonathan has retreated a more reliable way of advancing secondary school in the country. Rising from a retreat organized yesterday. He said categorically that the 6-3-3-4 system of education introduced in around 1989 has failed woefully to meet the challenging educational needs of the citizens.

However, there are strong indications that the federal government may revert to the former 6-5-4 system which was in practice before the introduction of the present system as reccomended by contributors at the retreat.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day Presidential Stakeholder’s Summit, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, President Jonathan urged Babatunde Fafunwa, the then minister of education, to apologise to Nigerians for the failure of the programme.

The 6-3-3-4 system of education took effect in 1989 with the primary focus of meeting the educational needs of its citizenry and equipping the youths with life skills that would make them self reliant.

Twenty-five years after, a new system of education called the Universal Basic Education (UBE), otherwise known as the 9-3-4, has been introduced, whose curriculum is expected to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2020.

Florence Fabyan, a stakeholder at the event, said the problems associated with education were not only peculiar to education alone but a general problem that affects the Nigeria society, which could only be solved with good leadership.

She asked rhetorically if President Jonathan was prepared to provide the required leadership to transform the system since that was the needed solution to the education problem.

Faruk Lawan, Chairman, House Committee on Education, also supported joint funding of education and went ahead to advocate parental contributions. He lamented that the value of education and the curriculum that taught in higher institutions had become irrelevant to the overall needs of the country.

Okojie said morality on the part of higher education administrators was very crucial, saying without morality there could not be standard in the system.

Dibu Ojerinde, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) executive secretary spoke on the issue of space availability, discrimination in course choices and the quality of teachers, saying that if these issues were unresolved, education cannot move forward in Nigeria.

Ojerinde lamented the level of examination malpractices in the education system and noted that punishment must be meted out to culprits to serve as a deterrent to others.

He stated that most of the teachers do not cover the syllabus and attributed the mass failure in the school system to lack of good teaching and teaching infrastructure.

Addison Wokocha, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), blamed the teachers at all the tiers of education for the poor education foundation in the country.

He lamented that state governments resort to the employment uncertified teachers to teach in the respective schools, and noted that in most cases, state governments resort to deploying members of the National Youth Service (NYSC) to teach in state schools even when they are not qualified to teach.

The TRCN scribe said the body had taken a decision to stop the deployment of unqualified teachers to teach in any Nigerian school.

Nigeria’s state security service has freed Raymond Dokpesi, head of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida’s presidential campaign, after questioning him in connection with the Oct. 1 car bombings in the capital, Abuja.

Raymond Dokpesi

Dokpesi was released “late last night,” Kazeem Afegbua, a spokesman for Babangida, said today by phone from Abuja. “He’s been asked to come back today.”

Dokpesi, founder of Nigeria’s Africa Independent TV and Ray Power FM radio, was held in connection with the blasts that killed 12 people near the venue of the country’s 50th independence anniversary parade, AIT said yesterday, citing Kanti Bello, a senator and another Babangida supporter. He was implicated by two text messages found on the telephone handsets of one of the suspects already in custody, Lagos-based Guardian reported today, citing unidentified officials.

Afegbua said Dokpesi’s questioning won’t affect Babangida’s plan to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan to secure the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party nomination for the presidential election due early next year. “We’re more resolute now, more than ever before,” he said.

Jonathan has promised to crack down on those responsible for the explosions, which he blamed on “a small terrorist group that resides outside” the West African country, and their domestic sponsors.

Nine Arrests

Nine suspects have been arrested over the bomb attacks, Marilyn Ogar, a spokeswoman for the state security service, told reporters at a briefing in Abuja yesterday.

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Operatives at the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), on Monday, got more confidence on the current market recovery after a total of 53 stocks appreciated in price and only 12 stocks depreciated, in a trading not witnessed in the last four months.

The positive trend in the NSE market capitalisation since last Tuesday continued at the close of yesterday’s trading with an increase of 3.03 percent.

Equity research team at Proshare Nigeria Limited, an investment advisory firm, said the bulk appreciation “suggests a positive market breath”, since the equity market itself, on Monday, marked four days “uninterrupted positive trend.”

They said investors’ patronages in some sectors, particularly in banking, building materials, conglomerates and food/beverages, contributed to the “impressive bargain activities” recorded yesterday.

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President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday asked Babatunde Fafunwa, former minister of education, to apologise to Nigerians over the failure of the 6-3-3-4 system of education.

Speaking during an interactive session at the opening of the Presidential Stakeholder’s Summit, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, he said the system has failed to provide the solutions to the Nigerian educational system.

From Mr. Jonathan’s position, there are strong indications that the Presidential Summit may recommend reverting the educational system in the country to what it used to be.

Self reliant youth

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Chief Raymond Dokpesi

Operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) yesterday arrested the director-general of the Ibrahim Babangida Campaign Organisation, Chief Raymond Alegho Dokpesi, linking him to the last Friday bomb blasts in Abuja which killed more than 16 persons and injured dozens of others.

Top security sources and government officials told LEADERSHIP last night that the basis of the implication was text messages retrieved from the telephones of two of the suspects already in SSS custody.

The text messages, which the security sources said that Chief Dokpesi responded to, claimed that the suspects told Dokpesi ‘that the job had been done, when do we get our balance’.

The director of media and publicity of the IBB Campaign Organisation, Prince Kassim Afegbua, confirmed the arrest of Chief Dokpesi by security operatives to LEADERSHIP.

Afegbua said that the organisation was yet to establish links with Dokpesi to ascertain why he was been held and what transpired between him and the security operatives during his incarceration.

An emergency meeting of the campaign directorate was convened yesterday afternoon over the development. But the IBB campaign manager had raised alarm in the past that the presidency was after his life.

Super  Eagles’ captain, Joseph Yobo, has made a passionate plea to warring factions in the country’s game to sheathe their swords and unite in peace.

Joseph Yobo

On Monday Fifa slammed an indefinite suspension on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) due to government interference, after becoming frustrated with events in the West African country.

Nigeria’s ban from international football leaves their weekend’s 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea in Conakry in doubt.

And this latest setback has left the Nigerian captain seeking an everlasting resolution to the crisis that has dogged the country since the team’s elimination in the first round of the World Cup in South Africa in June.

“The players are gradually coming to camp in preparation for the Guinea game when the news broke; it’s a sad one for the players.” Yobo said.

“We just hope everyone can simply come together and resolve this crisis once and for all for the progress of the country.

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