Day: July 25, 2024

The European Union (EU) has inaugurated the second phase of its education programme – ‘Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS),’ to build the capacity of teachers in Nigeria.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi, made this known at the inauguration of the Programme in Abuja.

Isopi, represented by EU’s Head of Human Development, Leila Mathieu, said that the second phase of the programme focused on teachers.

This, she said, complemented the first phase, Education and Youth Empowerment in North Western Nigeria, inaugurated in 2023.

‘The funding for both phases amounts to 45.4 million euros, under the Global Gateway Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors.

‘It will also strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.’

According to Isopi, the EU under EISS will partner with six training colleges in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Katsina, Plateau and Oyo. The beneficiary states are expected to in turn reach out t
o a wider pool of teachers.

‘Why focus on teachers? Because teachers are the bedrock of education, they are the ones who inspire, nurture, and guide our future generations

‘Investing in teachers is investing in our collective future. All over the world they play an essential role in shaping the minds and hearts of the next generation.

‘However, in many countries, and in Nigeria in particular, teachers face numerous challenges, ranging from insufficient resources to the pressures of adapting to rapidly changing educational environments.’

Isopi said that recognising these challenges, the European Union identified with the government the critical need to support Nigerian teachers in their professional development and personal resilience.

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She said that by empowering teachers, the quality of education would be enhanced as well as ensuring that students received the guidance and support needed to succeed in an ever-changing world.

‘Specifically, the
initiative will fund the development and review of education policies and career paths for the teaching profession in Nigeria.

‘It will also ensure that teachers’ capacity and resilience are enhanced through pre-service and in-service teachers’ education programmes as well as strengthen teacher-student collaboration and learning teams at school and community levels.

‘This programme’s implementation is entrusted to our partner, UNESCO,’she said.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall, while commending Nigeria’s effort to meet up with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), expressed worry over the high number of inadequately trained teachers in schools.

‘A 2021 report by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, states that Sub-Saharan Africa faces the biggest challenge, with the lowest percentages of trained teachers in pre-primary 57 per cent.

‘In primary 67 per cent and secondary education 61 per cent among all regions.

‘The UNESCO Global report on Teachers 2023, notes that teacher attrition is a global c
oncern: between 2015 and 2022, attrition rates of primary education teachers doubled around the world from 4.6 to 9 per cent.

‘Regardless of the country’s income level, and even remuneration, teachers are leaving the profession within the first five years of practice. We must halt this worrisome trend.’

Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, said that teachers represented a significant milestone in the collective efforts to transform the educational landscape in Nigeria.

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Tahir, represented by the Director, Basic Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, commended the funding support from the EU, the technical support of UNESCO as well as the commitment of all the state governments involved in the programme.

He said the project was aimed at improving student attainment and to contribute to Nigeria’s human development through an increase in the number of qualified and resilient teachers.

He added that the project would help
in addressing the challenges confronting teachers in the country.

‘We understand the challenges our teachers face, especially in fragile and demanding environments, such as ours. This project will provide them with the tools and support they need to excel.

‘By strengthening our teachers and the teachers’ education programmes and implementing robust teacher policies, we can ensure that our teachers are well prepared, they are adequately recruited, deployed and managed.’

He added that the six states benefiting from the programme would create models of excellence that would be replicated across the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

United States Institute for Peace (USIP) has unveiled research on peace-building tagged,’Policy Levers for Peace: Sub-National and Local Peace building Mechanisms in Nigeria,’ to stem conflicts in Nigeria.

Dr Chris Kwaja, Country Director of USIP in Nigeria, at the unveiling and dissemination of the research publication in Abuja, said the project was in collaboration with the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN-WA).

Kwaja said the research examined the prevalence of violent conflicts and the emergence of peace-building actors and institutions.

This involved peace-builders at the state and local government levels, as well as in Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Katsina ,Osun and Plateau states.

‘ USIP, partnered with CORN-WA to undertake research, focused on understanding the policies and the mechanisms of how state and non-state actors have responded to peace issues or conflict.

‘This is by inquiring about the kinds of policies in place and how they resonate with the people.

‘The report showed that at
the national level, for instance, we have the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution but at the state level, only Kaduna and Plateau have peace institutions out of the 36 states.

‘Inspite of that, the Kaduna and Plateau state institutions function in a way that is appreciable working to connect with communities in advancing peace and building trust”, he said.

According to Kwaja, peace-building in Nigeria faces numerous challenges, including lack of resources, political interference, poor coordination, weak state support and limited participation of women and youths.

He said the research therefore recommended the activation and strengthening of early warning and response capabilities of states and communities to respond proactively to caution signs of conflicts.

See also Kano anti-graft agency arrests suspect over N2.3bn land scam

Others include calls for domestication of the Youth Peace and Security (YPS), and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into state policies, to ensure inclusivity in peace
and security decision-making.

Kwaja said the research recommended reform of security institutions to include and reflect the roles of women, creating a more inclusive security framework.

‘Local actors are very critical to the design of peace building, programming, however, funding for this community level peace actors is the key oxygen for driving the kind of change required.

‘The absence of all these creates conditions where communities have to resort to self-help by deploying weapons under the guise of protecting themselves from insecurity,” he said

Kwaja said the study urged donors and development partners to provide technical and financial support for developing inclusive peace-building action plans and foster coordination between government and the civil society.

He said the research tasked the Federal Government on developing a national peace policy that integrates efforts at the federal ,state and local levels, ensuring all polices are conflict-sensitive.

He said that state and local governments
were encouraged to establish or strengthen peace-building agencies and adopt localised peace-building models to improve grassroots operations.

The Operations Officer Nigeria, USIP, Thomas Adamu-Edor, said the research examined the gaps and roles of non-state actors in formal and informal peace processes in Nigeria.

This, according to Adamu-Edor, includes the work and impact of state and or community peace-building institutions in conflict transformation.

He said by strengthening the pillars of peace institutions and implementing the targeted recommendations, Nigeria would enhance her peace-building mechanisms and achieve more sustainable and lasting peace.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

United States Institute for Peace (USIP) has unveiled research on peace-building tagged,’Policy Levers for Peace: Sub-National and Local Peace building Mechanisms in Nigeria,’ to stem conflicts in Nigeria.

Dr Chris Kwaja, Country Director of USIP in Nigeria, at the unveiling and dissemination of the research publication in Abuja, said the project was in collaboration with the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN-WA).

Kwaja said the research examined the prevalence of violent conflicts and the emergence of peace-building actors and institutions.

This involved peace-builders at the state and local government levels, as well as in Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Katsina ,Osun and Plateau states.

‘ USIP, partnered with CORN-WA to undertake research, focused on understanding the policies and the mechanisms of how state and non-state actors have responded to peace issues or conflict.

‘This is by inquiring about the kinds of policies in place and how they resonate with the people.

‘The report showed that at
the national level, for instance, we have the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution but at the state level, only Kaduna and Plateau have peace institutions out of the 36 states.

‘Inspite of that, the Kaduna and Plateau state institutions function in a way that is appreciable working to connect with communities in advancing peace and building trust”, he said.

According to Kwaja, peace-building in Nigeria faces numerous challenges, including lack of resources, political interference, poor coordination, weak state support and limited participation of women and youths.

He said the research therefore recommended the activation and strengthening of early warning and response capabilities of states and communities to respond proactively to caution signs of conflicts.

See also Kano anti-graft agency arrests suspect over N2.3bn land scam

Others include calls for domestication of the Youth Peace and Security (YPS), and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into state policies, to ensure inclusivity in peace
and security decision-making.

Kwaja said the research recommended reform of security institutions to include and reflect the roles of women, creating a more inclusive security framework.

‘Local actors are very critical to the design of peace building, programming, however, funding for this community level peace actors is the key oxygen for driving the kind of change required.

‘The absence of all these creates conditions where communities have to resort to self-help by deploying weapons under the guise of protecting themselves from insecurity,” he said

Kwaja said the study urged donors and development partners to provide technical and financial support for developing inclusive peace-building action plans and foster coordination between government and the civil society.

He said the research tasked the Federal Government on developing a national peace policy that integrates efforts at the federal ,state and local levels, ensuring all polices are conflict-sensitive.

He said that state and local governments
were encouraged to establish or strengthen peace-building agencies and adopt localised peace-building models to improve grassroots operations.

The Operations Officer Nigeria, USIP, Thomas Adamu-Edor, said the research examined the gaps and roles of non-state actors in formal and informal peace processes in Nigeria.

This, according to Adamu-Edor, includes the work and impact of state and or community peace-building institutions in conflict transformation.

He said by strengthening the pillars of peace institutions and implementing the targeted recommendations, Nigeria would enhance her peace-building mechanisms and achieve more sustainable and lasting peace.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Saleh Abubakar, the new Director-General (D-G) of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), has promised to combat desertification to ensure sustainable development of dry lands in the country.

Abubakar made the promise in his interaction with journalists, after he assumed office in Abuja on Wednesday.

The new D-G also promised to achieve the mandate of the Agency fully and attend to staff welfare promptly.

Abubakar commended Dr Yusuf Bukar, the outgoing D-G for his professionalism in restoring degraded lands.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar’s assumption of office on Monday followed his recent appointment by President, Bola Tinubu, on July 13.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Saleh Abubakar, the new Director-General (D-G) of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), has promised to combat desertification to ensure sustainable development of dry lands in the country.

Abubakar made the promise in his interaction with journalists, after he assumed office in Abuja on Wednesday.

The new D-G also promised to achieve the mandate of the Agency fully and attend to staff welfare promptly.

Abubakar commended Dr Yusuf Bukar, the outgoing D-G for his professionalism in restoring degraded lands.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar’s assumption of office on Monday followed his recent appointment by President, Bola Tinubu, on July 13.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Consolidated Alliance for Grassroots Mobilisation (CAGraM), has launched a smart card to mobilise and track votes and curtail election rigging in the country.

Mr Nwosu Emmanuel, Executive Secretary of CAGraM, said this in Abuja at the unveiling, data capturing and issuance of membership smart cards to leaders on Thursday in Abuja.

‘Our target is to have between three to five million members on this platform by 2026, and by 2031, we will hit the target of 30 million, and with this, we will deliver the next president in 2031.

‘This is a project that will never stop; it will expand across the country. What we have done today is to unveil the smartcard.

‘We are going to deploy this throughout the state and the data capturing will take place at the state level down to the local governments,’ he said.

He said that the group was only complimenting the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC), and not taking over its role.

Emmanuel said that the initiative would help mobilise the people at the grass
roots across the country.

He said that a situation where some sell their votes was unacceptable, adding that they were unaware of the damages they do to themselves.

He said that the smart card would also enable people at the grassroots to have access to democratic dividends, by being able to meet their representatives and place their demands.

‘We want to challenge INEC by saying that the day integrity comes to our electoral process, the political class will be unbearable to the masses.

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‘With CAGraM smart cards, the voice of the grassroots will now be heard loud and clear, and their votes will count at all elections,’ he said.

Also speaking, Mr. Silas Agara, the Director -General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), commended the group for leveraging technology to change the electoral process.

He was represented by Mr. Edmond Onwuriri, Director of Planning Research and Statistics at NDE.

‘We are glad that Nigeria is leveraging techn
ology to deal with our problems. We believe this will not be open to abuse, as those losing elections will not feel manipulated,`he said.

He said that the move would help deepen democracy as people would now regain confidence in the electoral process, as opposed to what was obtainable in the past years.

Mr. Yusuf Dantalle, Chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said the country had faced numerous challenges in an attempt to conduct free, fair, transparent and credible elections since 1960.

‘In particular, are the past years of uninterrupted democracy. It is important to note the number of registered voters and turnouts in presidential elections from 1979 to 2023.

This, according to him, would underscore the urgent need for the mobilisation of eligible voters for elections in the country.

He said that the statistics showed a downward trend in voter turnout, particularly from the 2007 to 2023 presidential elections, adding that voter turnout in recent years has been glaring.

‘In view of this, IPAC
welcomes this innovation in grassroots voter mobilisation using smart cards and technology.

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‘We hope that the security of the personal data provided would be guaranteed as members’ voting patterns would be extracted from their permanent voter card linked to the device,’he said.

This, according to him, is because the electoral laws provide for the confidentiality of citizens’s votes cast.

CAGraM is a political group focused on political and social emancipation of rural dwellers across the country, set to reinvent grassroots mobilisation through technology.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria