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Bauchi Sets Up Committee To Advance Education

Published

7 months ago

March 5, 2025

The Bauchi State government has inaugurated a technical committee on Tsangaya and Islamiyya schools in order to advance the education sector in the state.

Dr Muhammed Lawal, the state Commissioner for Education stated this during the inauguration ceremony of the committee on Wednesday in Bauchi.

According to him, the move was to incorporate the Western education into the Islamiyya and Tsangaya schools in an effort to enhance the quality of education in the state.

This, he said, is in line with the federal government’s new established structures for the integration of non-formal education for effective management.

“We want to address the issue of out-of-school children and this idea came as a result of a round table meeting so as to see how we can work together and find a lasting solution to the issue of out-of-school children in the state.

“We also want those in these schools to have formal teachings. Apart from the Islamic form of education, it is high time that they get integrated into the Western education.

“In the Islamiyya and Tsangaya schools, it is hoped that from now on, Western education will be incorporated into their curriculum.

“One of the terms of reference of the committee is to ensure proper implementation of guidelines and ensure that what is meant for the integration of Western education into the curriculum is incorporated and adopted as agreed upon,” he said.

The commissioner also explained that the committee would also ensure that the ministry has an accurate number of pupils in the annual school census.

He called on parents and guardians to take advantage of the investment the state government is putting in education to send their children to school.

“We are advocating that every child go back to the classroom, be it Islamiyya or Western form of education and our major concern is to ensure that our Western form of education is integrated in our Islamiyya schools,” he reiterated.

Also, Mr Nasir Ala, Chairman, House Committee on Education in Bauchi, who lauded the establishment of the committee, said it was a welcomed development in the education system.

“Personally, I felt overwhelmed because on November 18, 2024, I presented a motion on the floor of the state House of Assembly and it got a wider acceptance as all members of the house supported it.

“That motion called on the Executive Arm of government to remodel Quranic and Tsangaya schools to integrate foundation literacy, numeracy and vocational education or training in their curriculum.

“This is because going by the trend of the day, we in the Northern part of the country have already accepted Islamic education and some parts of West and North Africa have also accepted it.

“But what will worry you here in Nigeria is that we fail to accommodate that traditional Tsangaya and Quranic school model in our Western education as formal education.

“And this has dented the image of us Northerners that our Quranic and Tsangaya pupils are just out-of-school children and this is because they are not formally recognised,” he said.

This, he said, was due to the absence of their incorporation and integration into the Western education.

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

2 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

News

JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

7 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

7 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.