Day: September 13, 2024

The Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi), an NGO, has unveiled a Center for Digital Development and Innovation Research (CDDIR) in Abuja.

The Executive Director of AREAi, Mr Gideon Olanrewaju, said during the inauguration, that the initiative was to harness digital technologies in enhancing education and development in Nigeria.

Olanrewaju said that the centre would provide access to digital tools and information for marginalised communities, and empower individuals through digital skills training and employment opportunities.

This, according to him, will promote inclusive and equitable access to education, through online and offline digital technologies.

‘It will also advance gender equality and women’s empowerment through digital innovations and research.’

He added that the vision of the centre was evidence-based research; where decisions would be informed by rigorous data; and where knowledge would be created with the communities the centre intends to serve.

Also, the organisation’s Dire
ctor of Programmes, Ms Edidiong Simeon, said the centre would create a cluster of digital innovation, expertise, and skills development.

This, she said, would ensure consistent use of evidence to inform policy formulation, resource allocation, and programme implementation for digital education.

‘We seek to develop digital transformation initiatives in close cooperation with the industry and academia.

‘This is part of our commitment to preparing students and professionals for the integration and application of digital technologies for the advancement of learning and teaching.

‘We will also leverage structured data, contextualised applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and geospatial data to achieve a digitally competent society, where all people use knowledge and skills in digital technologies to improve their livelihoods,’ Simeon said.

She said that the organisation’s support would also entail designing government-led capacity development initiatives towards realising the digital capa
cities of Information and Communication Technology professionals.

‘This will boost digital literacy and skills of citizens, thereby, developing knowledge resources that enable digital transformation from the grassroots.

AREAi’s, Digital Communications Officer, Mr Omoniyi Lawson, said CDDIR would work across four components to achieve the desired goals.

Lawson identified the components as design research for digital innovation; digital research and capacity development for digital transformation; digital learning design and assessment and digital technology appropriation in education.

‘These components are crucial to achieving the mandate of the centre and making the desired impact,’ he said.

On her part, Ms Bertha Agbendeh, Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning, said that the centre’s innovation research would revolve around generation and use of data, evidence and analytics.

This, Agbendeh said, would help clients, such as governments and international NGOs, education service
providers, local institutions, state ministries and other stakeholders to understand and analyse complex digital challenges.

‘Primarily, we will provide experienced field officers with all the equipment and local knowledge, to ensure high-quality primary data collection that relies on indigenous knowledge systems and rigorous techniques.

‘This will provide the needed context-relevant evidence for solutions either to known, or sometimes, undefined needs.

‘The measure will enable us to develop new digital products and services that will radically make a difference to children, families, organisations and governments

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) has empowered more than 400 girls to enhance their digital literacy skills through its Digital Skills Accelerator Programme.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Mr Gideon Olanrewaju, made this known at the unveiling of AREAi’s 2023 Annual Report, on Friday in Abuja.

The event is themed ‘Transforming Education for Lifelong Learning’.

Olanrewaju stated that more than 6,000 children benefited from AREAi’s foundational skills development programme across 13 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

He highlighted the organisation’s efforts to transform education across Nigeria, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four – Quality Education.

Olanrewaju said AREAi partnered with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and IDPs and other stakeholders to implement foundational learning in IDP camps.

He also said that the organisation focused on the impact of its FASTRACK programme, which reached more than 120 comm
unities nationwide.

Olanrewaju said, ‘Our 2023 report, ‘Transforming Education for Lifelong Learning’, reflects our mission to translate our actions into meaningful learning for all.

‘Strategic collaborations enabled us to support beneficiaries through community-based learning and innovative access to alternative education.’

He added that AREAi contributed significantly to bridging learning gaps, promoting digital inclusion, and providing work-readiness skills development opportunities for children and at-risk youth from low-income homes.

Ms Edidiong Simeon, Director of Programmes, AREAi, said the organisation leveraged collaboration with the government and partners to transform refugees’ literacy capacity.

‘A pilot programme delivered foundational and digital skills to 4,000 learners across eight IDP camps in Abuja and Nasarawa states.’

Ms Funmilola Bamidele, Senior Programme Manager, AREAi, said the FASTRACK programme, focusing on literacy and numeracy, reached over 25,000 beneficiaries, recording a 6
5 per cent improvement in literacy and numeracy among participants.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, through its Weights and Measures Department, has reaffirmed its commitment to curbing the shortchanging of customers in the country.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Amb. Nura Rimi, said this when he led a team of directors and senior officials on the ministry’s annual surveillance exercise on Thursday in Abuja.

The permanent secretary was represented by Mr Mohammed Abbas, Director of Reform, Coordination and Servicom of the ministry.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team visited some selected petrol stations and shops within the city centre.

Among the businesses visited by the team were NNPC Mega Station Zone 1, AA Rano Filling Station, Shoprite Lugbe, and Sahad stores Area 11.

Rimi highlighted the critical role of the exercise in ensuring compliance with standards and protecting consumers.

‘This annual surveillance is designed to ensure that consumers get value for their money. We aim to ensure that fuel stations and dep
artment stores adhere to safety, standard, and customer protection measures.

‘This initiative aligns with the current administration’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, which prioritises consumer welfare and business integrity,’ he said.

He commended the NNPC mega station for maintaining high standards.

He urged other fuel stations to emulate their practices, noting that all the pumps were in good working condition and met the expected standards.

Also speaking, the Director of Weights and Measures, Mr Olajide Bamidele, while restating the importance of the exercise, expressed delight at the compliance rate of the facilities visited.

‘Honestly, it seems as if we are really coming up in Nigeria. Of all the places we visited today, we recorded about 95 per cent compliance.

‘Except the one we saw at Shoprite along Lugbe road, where one of the scales was not good, and we decided to seal the place.

‘So when the machine is ready for calibration or when it must have been calibrated, we will go back and unseal it,’ Bamide
le said.

NAN reports that at the Sahad stores, Area 11, some 50 kg, 10 kg, and 5 kg bags of foodstuff weighed okay, and some even exceeded the required measurements.

The weights and measures director advised business owners to maintain compliance and ensure that customers got value for the money they pay.

He commended the NNPC, and the AA Rano LPG dispensing section for meeting the required standard benchmark.

‘We have already confirmed here that the certificate is okay. It will expire this month, and they are already processing another one.

‘We checked the scale. I think they need a little calibration, but at least the tolerance is still okay, so they do not have any problem with us, and we confirm compliance with standards.

Bamidele said that although the headquarters conducted the surveillance annually, the ministry’s officers were deployed regularly nationwide to conduct random inspections.

He expressed optimism that the ministry will embark on similar visits nationwide in the coming week.

‘These
unannounced visits ensure that fuel stations and shops nationwide remain compliant year-round.

‘The Weights and Measures department is critical in ensuring that businesses operate transparently and fairly, promoting consumer confidence in the market.

‘Anyone found guilty of defrauding consumers is held accountable, just like the scale that was sealed at the Shoprite today,’ he said.

He said that surveillance was essential for fairness, accuracy, and standards.

The director urged consumers to report any case of non-compliance to any Weights and Measures department close to them for adequate action.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has sought the support of stakeholders in eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria.

Mr Monday Johnson, UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, made the call in Lagos at a two-day media dialogue on ending open defecation in Nigeria and eradicating NTDs.

According to him, NTDs are diverse group of conditions caused by a variety of pathogens (including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, toxins) and associated with devastating health, social and economic consequences.

Referencing the Nigeria master plan for NTDs 2023-2027, Johnson said that the country had the highest NTD burden in Africa, with more than 200 million people at risk of at least one of the diseases.

Johnson, however, said that WASH was critical in the prevention and care for all the 17 NTDs.

The UNICEF WASH expert noted that NTDs were associated with poverty and prevalent in areas that had poor sanitation, inadequate or no safe water sources and substandard housing
conditions.

Johnson said that NTDs and poor access to WASH contributed to a vicious cycle of poverty and disease, adding that the disease could lead to catastrophic health expenditure and reduced economic productivity.

He said the goal of the programme was to progressively reduce morbidity, disability, and mortality due to the disease using integrated and cost-effective approaches with the view to eliminating NTDs in Nigeria by 2030.

Johnson noted that to eliminate NTDs by 2030, there was a need for behavioural change among the people by embracing the use of toilets and avoiding open defecation.

He said that achieving open defecation-free Nigeria should include the use of any form of improved toilets that prevent exposure of faeces to the environment, to move up the sanitation ladder.

He advised people to always cultivate the habit of disposing of faeces (human and animal) in the toilet and avoid urinating in the river, lake or pond, among other measures.

In his remarks, Mr Dare Olatunji, Sanitation and
Hygiene Manager, Water Aid, said adequate provision of potable water and clean hygiene were important in achieving open defecation-free Nigeria.

Mrs Chizoma Opara, a Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, said that only 18 per cent of Nigerians, that is 37 million people, have access to safely managed sanitation services.

Opara, who is also the National Coordinator of the Clean Nigeria Campaign, noted that the national vision was that by 2030, every Nigerian would have access to safely managed sanitation, and hygiene facilities in cities, small towns and rural communities.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Friday, provided free medical services to 3,370 residents of Abuja.

The services, provided under the FCTA’s ‘Renewed Hope Medical Mission’ included health promotion, antenatal care (ANC), immunisation, HIV and diabetes screening and dental care.

Other services are hypertension screening and management, sickle cell disease and nutritional assessment, amongst others.

The FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, during the commencement of the medical outreach in Bwari Area Council, reiterated the FCTA’s commitment to meeting the health needs of the people.

Mahmoud noted that Nigeria was one of the African nations with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality.

She attributed the development to poor ANC attendance, low facility-based delivery, and low uptake of immunisation and family planning services, especially in hard-to-reach communities.

She also argued that rapid population growth in the FCT has increased demand for health services.

To
address some of the challenges, the minister said that the FCT Administration had taken steps to improve primary health care system in the territory.

She particularly said that the administration was currently renovating, upgrading and building more primary health centres across the six area councils of FCT, including employment of more healthcare workers.

Earlier, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, noted that despite improving access to quality healthcare services in FCT, many communities remained underserved.

Fasawe said that the free medical outreach was part of global best practices being used to provide targeted medical and surgical care to meet the health needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations.

‘This strategy has been successfully adopted in many parts of Nigeria. It takes healthcare services directly to those who need it most, through mobile health service delivery,’ she said.

The mandate secretary explained that the medical outrea
ch was expanded to cover more communities following the successes recorded in a similar exercise held in Kuje Area Council.

She said: ‘We attended to 1,578 general outpatients, with 42 referred to Wuse and Asokoro Hospitals for surgery.

‘Dental services were provided to 302 patients, including 45 extractions, 12 dentures, and five operculectomia, with 48 referrals to Wuse Hospital.

‘For eye care, we saw 931 patients, provided reading glasses to 531 patients, and made 91 referrals to Asokoro Hospital, where 29 cataract extractions have been completed.

‘Antenatal care was also provided to 74 women, with 49 enrolled in health insurance

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, says the ministry will partner with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in promoting government policies and programmes.

Bagudu said this when the management staff of NAN, led by its Managing Director, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, visited him on Thursday in Abuja.

NAN reports that the visit was to brief the minister on the upcoming Maiden Annual International Lecture of the agency scheduled to hold on Oct. 3.

The theme of the lecture is: ‘Insecurity in the Sahel (2008-2024): Dissecting Nigeria’s Challenges, Genesis, Impacts, and Options’.

Bagudu, commended the agency, adding that the topic chosen for the lecture was crucial for the advancement of the country.

‘The ministry is willing to relate, support, participate and join hands with NAN not just on the lecture, but to encourage consensus building.

‘We are facing challenges, but we are still a blessed nation; blessing cannot go anywhere if we do not work for it according to the scripture.

‘We n
eed to communicate and drop the anger and join hands together for a better future,’ the minister said.

He said that mutual relationship with all stakeholders, particularly the media was important.

Bagudu said that the failure of federalism could be corrected by the media in reporting the true facts and bringing the citizens under one umbrella.

He said that part of the ministry’s mandate was to interact with all groups and mobilise public support for government programmes and policies.

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The minister expressed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu in taking the country to the next level.

Speaking earlier, the managing director of NAN, Ali lauded Bagudu for the tremendous achievements he recorded as Governor, Senator and now a minister under the present administration.

Ali said that the lecture was imperative looking at Nigeria’s state of insecurity and NAN’s position of disseminating news across international level.

‘We are here to in
timate you of our impending first international lecture organised by NAN. We are here to let you know first hand, and also to invite you formally,’ he said.

While speaking on the choice of the topic, Ali said NAN management was looking at the state of insecurity, as not only a disturbing issue in Nigeria but within the Sahel region.

‘Actually, we are looking at insecurity in the Sahel region, and that is why it is an international lecture.

‘The insecurity is becoming a serious issue, and we restricted it between 2008 and 2024.

‘it is part of the national effort to enliven public discourse on the debilitating challenges of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and militancy, among others,

‘We have renowned speakers expected to be present and the key note speaker will be the former president of ECOWAS,’ he said.

According to Ali, the agency is the biggest news content provider on the continent of Africa, with several partnerships with renowned media across the globe.

He said that the agency had 36
offices nationwide and 12 zonal offices with plans to open more district offices.

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The managing director commended efforts of the present administration in fighting insecurity by equipping the Nigerian Armed Forces to curb the ugly situation across the country.

‘So, we are looking at all of these, beyond the shores of Nigeria.

‘We are convinced that the editorial board of the News Agency of Nigeria will look at this beyond Nigeria, at the Sahel region, which has remained a hotbed of crisis,’ Ali said.

Members of the NAN delegation includes the Director of Administration, Abdulhadi Khaliel, the Editor in Chief, Ephraims Sheyin and the Director Special Duties, Mr Mufutau Ojo.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria