News

Bauchi One Of Most Educationally Disadvantaged States In Nigeria – Expert

Published

1 month ago

August 22, 2025

Hyeladzira James Mshelia, Assistant Director, Programmes and Community Engagement, Connected Development (CODE) says Bauchi state is one of the most educationally disadvantaged states in Nigeria.

She stated this during a one-day meeting on Roadmap to Equality Tools for Transforming Girls’ Education in Bauchi, organised by CODE and funded by MALALA Funds.

According to her, while the state government has placed education at the top of its budget priorities allocating over N40 billion across sectors, significant challenges still remained visible.

Mshelia, who is also the Girl-Child Education Project Manager of CODE, said some of those challenges included infrastructure gaps where many classrooms are held under trees.

“It also includes high dropout rates for girls driven by poverty, early marriage, cultural norms, and poor learning environments.

“There is also low enrollment and completion: Of over 538,000 school-age children, 12–14 years, nearly half are girls, yet many never enroll or complete school.

“Teacher quality concerns: 25% of teachers are unqualified, and only 31% are women, limiting female role models for girls in schools.

“There are also these gender-blind policies that fail to address the specific barriers faced by girls and other marginalized learners,” she said.

The expert further emphasized that for education to truly deliver on its promise as a pathway to a gender-just world, both girls and boys must benefit equally.

This, she said, was the reason Connected Development with support from Malala Fund, conducted a comprehensive Desk Review of Bauchi State’s education policies and legal documents
to assess their level of Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning (GRESP).

She explained that their analysis revealed gender blind and critical gaps that hinder the achievement of gender equality in education across Bauchi State.

“While most policies reference gender, they lack clear, actionable strategies to address systemic inequalities affecting girls’ access to quality education.

“Insufficient Budgetary Commitment – Education budgets do not explicitly earmark funds for gender-responsive interventions, making implementation inconsistent.

“Teacher Recruitment and Training Gaps – Policies lack robust provisions for recruiting more female teachers, particularly in rural areas, and for integrating gender-sensitive pedagogy
into teacher training.

“Weak Monitoring and Accountability Systems – Existing frameworks do not collect or disaggregate education data by gender, disability, or vulnerability status, among others.”

She called on all stakeholders like the government agencies, civil society organizations, community leaders, development partners, and the private sector to adopt, adapt, and champion this plan, saying “together, we can ensure
equity, quality, and justice in education for every child in Bauchi State.

“With deliberate, gender-responsive policies and inclusive planning, we can create a system where every child,
especially every girl, has the opportunity to learn, complete school, and thrive”.

Responding, Dr Muhammed Lawal, the state’s Commissioner for Education, faulted an allegation that education projects are poorly executed in the state, insisting that the allegation was baseless and unfounded.

According to him, the State Government, through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), was ensuring effective monitoring and supervision of every project across the State.

He added that the state government is doing everything possible to take the education sector to greater heights in the state.

News

Boko Haram Once Nominated Muhammadu Buhari As Negotiator – Jonathan Revealed

Published

2 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday, disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari as their negotiator.

Jonathan said Boko Haram chose Buhari to negotiate with the Nigerian government on their behalf.

He made the disclosure while speaking at the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.

Jonathan said the insurgents named Buhari after his then-administration set up several committees to explore dialogue with the group.

Jonathan said: “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.

“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and had a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.”

Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.

News

Edo: Pandemonium As NDLEA Operatives Chase Escaping Driver With Shooting

Published

4 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

There was pandemonium at Oka Market, Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City, Friday, as operatives of the State Command of Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) shot sporadically in chase of an escaping driver.

In the course of the commotion, traders and residents took to their heels, probably to avoid being hit by stray bullets, while others were confused, not sure of what caused the sporadic gunshots.

The sporadic gunshots which lasted more than five minutes at the gate of the NDLEA Head Office, by Oka Market, followed a hot chase of an articulated vehicle driver who was said to have brushed their (NDLEA) vehicle.

The driver, who reportedly brushed the NDLEA vehicle refused to stop for negation, which prompted officers at the scene to alert their colleagues who waited at the alert.

According to eyewitnesses, as the escaping articulated driver approached the NDLEA office, officers who were said to have been alerted by their colleagues pursuing the trailer began to shoot.

Seven of the tyres of the trailer were deflated by bullets of the NDLEA operatives yet the driver refused to stop.

The officers continued to shoot while pursuing him, until he was caught.

A source said that the driver brushed their vehicle on the way, and that every effort by the officers to stop him so they could settle the matter proved abortive; hence the gunshots and deflation of the tires.

“It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tires, he was still running, but we caught him and they are bringing him back to our office,” he concluded.

Calls and messages sent to the commander, Edo State NDLEA Command, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, were not responded to as at when filing this.

News

JUST IN: Court Bars Police From Enforcing Tinted Glass Regulation

Published

6 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court sitting in Warri has issued an order directing the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain the status quo in the ongoing case concerning the controversial tinted glass permit.

The case, Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025: John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector-General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, came up for hearing today.

Delivering the interim order, the Court directed the police authorities to respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.

Confirming the development, Kunle Edun, SAN, who led the legal team, noted that the directive is a major step in ensuring that the rule of law is upheld while the substantive issues in the case are being determined.

Details of the ruling and the next adjourned date are expected shortly.

Further updates coming soon…