Educationist harps on importance of informal learning to children’s growth

An Education Advocate, Mrs Katmaan Senlong, has harped on the importance of educating the children beyond the ‘four walls’ of the classroom.

Senlong, the CEO of Rupetta Academy Tech Swimmers: Coding, Chess & Swimming Club gave the advice in a chat with newsmen at the end of a maiden Summer School organised by the Academy in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summer club programme culminated in a vibrant summer party that brought together enthusiastic students, dedicated instructors, proud parents, and the local community.

Senlong said the need to educate the young ones through informal means could not be over-emphasised, adding that it would help in fostering the overall growth and development of children in the country.

“An informal setting such as what we offer in our club, aims to equip children with the skills necessary to thrive in today’s ever-evolving world of technology.

“Children are empowered and introduced to new skills in a fun and engaging manner, while embracing the joy of learning.

“Each club activity brings a unique set of benefits that contribute to holistic growth and development,” she said.

Senlong explained that the Club was a pioneering institution dedicated to nurturing young minds through a holistic approach to education.

She said with a focus on technology, swimming, and chess, the academy empowers children with valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom, fostering their overall growth and development.

“Coding, for example, enhances problem-solving abilities, creativity, and self-assurance, while swimming improves cardiovascular health, muscle strength, coordination, and balance.

“Moreover, chess, a game renowned for enhancing critical thinking, memory, and self-discipline, encourages strategic thinking and forward planning.

“Children are challenged to anticipate various scenarios within the game, fostering a sharp intellect.

“By the end of the program, participants would have acquired a comprehensive skill set, preparing them for future academic and professional pursuits,” she said.

She said that the Summer School, which aimed to nurture young minds through a blend of technology, sports, and strategic thinking, proved to be an inspiring journey of growth and achievement.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable success of our first summer club programme.

“At Rupetta Academy, we believe in nurturing holistic development, and this summer was a testament of our commitment.

“Seeing the children thrive in technology, swimming, and chess, while building valuable life skills, fills us with immense pride,” she said.

She expressed her gratitude to the parents, instructors, and the community for their unwavering support in making the summer club a resounding success.

Senlong stressed that the academy remained committed to fostering a nurturing environment where children can explore, learn, and grow to their fullest potential.

Mrs Nenrot Goyol, a parent, at the event expressed her appreciation for the Summer School’s impact on her ward.

She said that her child’s confidence had soared since joining the Summer School.

“They’ve not only learned to code and swim but also gained vital problem-solving skills through chess.

“This experience has been transformative,” she said.

Seven-year-old Eliana Akinrowo also shared her excitement, saying that the summer club had indeed left a lasting impression.

“I never thought coding could be this much fun and winning my first chess match was the best feeling ever,” she said.

NAN also reports that the summer party was indeed a grand celebration of the accomplishments achieved by the children during the program.

Participants showcased their newfound coding skills through tech demonstrations, displayed their prowess in swimming and engaged in intense yet friendly chess matches that highlighted their strategic prowess.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Kogi guber: We’re presenting most sellable candidate – APGA

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Kogi, says the party is presenting the most sellable candidate in the Nov. 11 governorship election in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Idoko Kingsley Ilonah is the APGA governorship candidate with Yakubu Bawa as his running mate.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday in Lokoja, the spokesperson for Ilonah/Bawa APGA Campaign Council in Kogi, Mr Aliyu Ibrahim, said the party’s candidate remained the most qualified and suitable among others.

According to him, Ilonah is a man of capacity and has the ability to harness the fortunes of Kogi to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths, provide quality functional education with improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the state.

“Our candidate has capacity, he is a man of integrity, and competent to bring the desired development to Kogi.

“Ilonah is the most sellable among all other candidates presented by other political parties,” Ibrahim said.

He assured that APGA government in Kogi would not rely on monthly allocations from the Federal Government to develop the state if voted to power.

The spokesperson emphasised that the party was adequately prepared for the governorship election, and urged the electorate to come out enmasse to cast their votes for APGA.

He explained that Kogi has huge challenges of unemployment, infrastructure deficit, youth restiveness, and low IGR that required urgent solutions.

“The rate of unemployment is very high in Kogi with prevalent poverty which must be urgently addressed.

“The citizens are suffering in the midst of plenty; Kogi is richly endowed with human and mineral resources.

“If elected as Kogi governor come November, our administration is poised to change the narratives within the shortest period,” he said.

He assured the people that under the APGA government, Kogi would largely depend on the internally generated revenue for its development.

He stressed that APGA administration would explore several other avenues to avoid waiting for monthly allocations, saying youth empowerment would be the party’s focal point.

He promised that the APGA administration would establish fashion or garment industry in the state.

The spokesperson, therefore, urged the electorate to chose wisely and vote for Ilonah/Bawa APGA ticket in the coming election in the state.

Also speaking, the Chairman of APGA in the state, Mr Moses Ajodo, said Ilonah has capacity which he had proven over time in his private businesses.

Ajodo stressed that if Ilonah is given opportunity to govern the confluence state, he would adequately utilise its numerous resources to the benefit of the people.

On his part, the Director General, Ilonah/Bawa APGA Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Arikora, enjoined the party leaders and members to go back to their various local government areas and mobilise total support for the candidate.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Sheriff extols leadership qualities of Shettima

A former Governor of Borno, Sen. Ali Sheriff, on Wednesday described the Vice President, Kashim Shettima as a leader who examplies the core values of good leadership.

Sheriff made the assertion in an interview with newsmen shortly after he paid a solidarity visit to Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for finding Shettima worthy and competent to be his running mate.

Sheriff said:” I am here to see the Vice President of Nigeria, who is my younger brother, whom I worked with very closely when I was the governor of Borno State.

” So, I came to bless his office formerly as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wish him well.

” You know God is wonderful. Today, somebody who worked with me for more than 10 years cand today he is the number two citizen of Nigeria.”

The APC chieftain recalled with a pride that he handed over the governorship of Borno to Shettima in 2011, adding that the vice president worked with him at various levels of governance.

Shettima added:” I handed over governorsgip of Borno State to him, he worked with me in various levels of governance and he had exhibited a quality of leadership from time memorial.

” And by divination, His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu picked him as his running mate.

“So, I’m a happy man today and I came to bless his office and wish him well.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

FCTA, professionals meet over building collapse, undeveloped plots in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Wednesday met with building professionals, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders to address the problems of building collapse, undeveloped plots and abandoned structures.

Addressing journalists after the meeting in Abuja, the Director, Department of Development Control, FCTA, Mr Mukhtar Galadima, expressed FCTA’s concern over substandard structures and the spate of building collapse in the FCT.

Galadima explained that the meeting was to exchange views on how to stop the menace of building collapse in the FCT.

According to him, working with experts outside FCTA would help in strengthening supervision with a view to ensuring that only quality projects are delivered in the FCT.

“As a responsible agency, we have to be proactive in addressing the cases of building collapse. We have to work with professional bodies and regulating agencies.

“The meeting will help us to constitute a committee that will be making suggestions on tackling the menace of building collapse and substandard structures.

“We are going to engage with professionals and regulatory bodies continuously to discuss technical issues and strengthen supervision of building projects.

“This will help us to share responsibilities on how to ensure quality and safe buildings in the Abuja city,” he said.

Galadima disclosed that the committee which will soon be constituted will also examine issues surrounding abandoned structures and undeveloped plots and come up with solutions.

Also speaking, Mr Cyril Nwafor of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), urged the National Assembly to implement the council’s recommendations submitted to it since 2010.

He listed the recommendations to include involvement of only registered professionals in handling projects and discipline of those behind failed projects.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other professional bodies at the meeting included the Architect Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) among others.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Ex-Ambassador decries poor reading culture in Nigeria

Former Nigerian Ambassador to the Scandinavian countries, Godknows Igali, has decried the poor reading culture among Nigerians.

He noted that the country was gradually losing this to modernism.

Amb. Igali stated this in Abuja on Wednesday at a reading colloquium with the theme, “Appraising the Aesthetics of Reading Culture in Nigeria”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Igali is the former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway.

He said that reading was beyond relating with ideas written with ink on paper, adding that man had always read before the advent of technology.

“The whole idea of reading has been from the beginning of history. I disagree with those who believe that reading is only when you put ideas on ink and paper.

“Man has always read but now gradually, reading culture has been taken over by modern society.

“In the past, we took reading so importantly, now reading is disappearing with the evasion of technology.

“In sub-saharan African, most people do not read as much as they ought to, while some other societies are also losing the culture of reading,” he said.

Igali, therefore, advised Nigerians to cultivate reading habit, adding that such would promote knowledge and history of the society.

Mrs Theresa Tobuyei, the author of the book titled, “GASP,” said the book was a summary of the devastating effect of years of ethnic crisis that rocked Warri in Delta.

Tobuyei, a Bayelsa-based lawyer, said the crisis recorded casualties between 1997 and 2003, which attracted the attention of international peacekeeping and human right bodies around the globe.

“The book titled, “GASP,” was written to bring out the devastating effects of the crisis, and the lasting horrible memories it has had on the lives of victims and other people that witnessed it.

“It was in a bid to appraise the negative consequences of the violence in the light of the active and passive conflicts still plaguing the Nigerian state, Africa and the world, that I wrote GASP.

“It is a literary piece that focuses on the consequences and psychological issues that arose from the scars inflicted on the people, especially marginalised groups.

“Such groups; which include, children, young people and women, in the times of the crisis, wars and armed conflicts, around the world.

“GASP is a piece of literature that unearthed the harsh realities of how, even decades after the end of active violence, the victims still struggle to embrace their now-tainted lives,” she said.

The author explained that GASP was a fictional tale about some young girls, who physically witnessed the brutality of the Warri crisis; with each of them losing a principal member of their families.

She said the story, as contained in the book, captured how the girls were separated by the circumstances of life.

“Also, the book, displayed how each of the girls navigated their way through life, while nursing the scars that the crisis left behind.

“The book considered other societal vices, like electoral and domestic violence, bullying, sexual assault, child abandonment, displaying the travails and triumphs of her characters,” she added.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

FG to revamp steel sector to boost Nigeria’s economy

The Federal Government has is set to revamp the nation’s steel sector to enhance the economy as well as create employment opportunities.

The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuabi Audu, said this in Abuja when he met with heads of agencies and departments in the ministry.

Audu said that Nigeria’s abundant mineral resources hold the key to reshaping the nation’s economic landscape and extending the benefits of democracy to every Nigeria.

“By tapping into the latent potential of the steel sector and channeling it into lucrative ventures, we can ensure that the dividends of democracy reach every citizen.

“The steel sector stands as a pivotal pillar of Nigeria’s industrial growth, carrying the potential to provide substantial job opportunities for the youth.

“To realise this vision, the government is fully dedicated to implementing an extensive array of measures designed to attract reputable international investors,” he said.

Audu said that every Nigerian deserves to partake in the benefits that democracy brings, adding that a core tenet of democracy was its ability to uplift individual needs and aspirations.

According to him, the government is steadfastly focused on cultivating an environment conducive to ensuring these advantages.

“In the pursuit of attracting investments, the Federal Government remains resolute in its mission to boost economic growth and empower its citizens through the potential of the steel sector.

“This is by fostering strategic alliances, facilitating investment inflow and cultivating a business-friendly atmosphere, the government envisions a future marked by prosperity, progress, and collective advancement,” he said.

The minister said that Nigeria was ready to take a leading role in the global steel market, adding that the transformative journey was poised to reshaping the nation’s economic trajectory.

“This is to ensure that the benefits of democracy are tangible and accessible to all.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria