The Bauchi state government has faulted an allegation that education projects are poorly executed in the state, insisting that the allegation was baseless and unfounded.

Dr Muhammed Lawal, the state Commissioner for Education, faulted the allegation on Monday, during a one day meeting on Roadmap to Equality, Tools for Transforming Girls’ Education in Bauchi organised by Connected Development (CODE ) funded by MALALA Funds.

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.

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Lawal added that with the reorganisation of SUBEB, things have changed positively as the Staff were now more up and doing than before.

He explained that efforts were ongoing to ensure that SUBEB takes complete control of Teachers recruitment and supervision in order to ensure that things are done the right and proper way.

The Commissioner stressed that the State Government was committed to ensuring standard and quality educational services delivery in order to produce students that could compete with others from across the country.

While declaring the meeting opened, the Commissioner commended the organisers of the meeting adding that it was coming at the right time.

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Earlier speaking, Hamza Lawal of the MALALA Funds explained that the meeting was basically to present the findings on the status of Girls education in the State based on the outcome of a survey conducted in 4 LGAs of the State.

He assured that the MALALA Funds would continue to support development and growth of Girls education in the State so as to bridge the gap in the sector.

In her remarks, Partnership Manager, Nigeria Malala Fund’s, Maryam Danburam, commended the development of Education in the state in spite of the huge number of out-of-school children saying that the gap is gradually closing up.

She assured that the Fund will continue to have its presence in the state in order to improve the quality and standards of education of the girls.

Prof. Adisa Bello, Former Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) says that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) is working tirelessly with the council to curb quackery in engineering in Nigeria.

Bello stated this in Bauchi on Monday during a public lecture and launching of a magazine by the final year students of Engineering department of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.

According to him, COREN on its own has an Engineering Regulatory Monitoring Unit visible and working in 29 states of the country, saying if the unit finds anyone culpable of quackery would be handed to the ICPC for further prosecution.

“COREN is council for regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and it started in 1970 and it has its laws amended in 1992, 2004 and 2018.

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“The specific one I’m referring to is the amendment in 2018 which categorically gave COREN the mandate to prosecute offenders of engineering.

“Anybody that is not a registered practitioner in engineering and is practicing engineering should be prosecuted by COREN.

“And COREN is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that this is done. COREN currently has a memorandum of Understanding with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and this commission is doing everything possible to ensure that offenders are prosecuted,” he said.

Bello, who is also a lecturer at the department of Mechanical engineering, ATBU, recounted how a multi-billion naira 21 storey building collapsed in Lagos where COREN did investigation, after which some engineers were found wanting and handed over to ICPC for proper prosecution.

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“COREN has what is called an investigative panel and once this panel establishes that someone is culpable, it takes you to the ICPC and then straight to the court.

“Also, during our examination, we normally write examinations for qualifications and one individual came with a fake result and we called on the ICPC and they have done all their investigations and found the person culpable and right now he is under prosecution,” he explained.

The don called on higher institutions and academics to ensure that all their engineering programmes were properly accredited by the National University Commission and COREN.

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In a paper titled, Smart Cities and the role of Engineering and Technology in building the Urban future, Dr Ibrahim Ikara, Head of Department, Civil Engineering, ATBU, said engineers played a critical role in smart cities through the design of modern infrastructure, disaster resilient systems and eco-friendly neighborhoods.

Represented by Engr Muhammad Suleiman, Ikara listed some of the challenges of building smart cities in developing nations to include infrastructure deficit, limited funding, low level of digital literacy among citizens.

He called on policy makers and implementers to adopt and pay closer attention to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM to achieve the set goals.

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Northeast Zonal Centre, under the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President has partnered with traditioner rulers in Northeast to curb the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the region.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi on Sunday, Maj-:Gen Abubakar Adamu (Rtd), the Northeast Zonal Coordinator, NCCSALW Northeast Zonal Centre, said the partnership was imperative due to the crucial roles the traditional rulers played in shaping the society.

He emphasized that with the involvement of traditional rulers, in fighting the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), issues of insecurity would be a thing of the past.

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While explaining that NCCSALW under the office of NSA was established in 2021 as the institution framework for the regulation and control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the country, Adamu said the proliferation of these small arms and light weapons paved the way for increase in banditry, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery and all sorts of insecurity in the country.

“Please sir, we want you to help us look into these things and help us fight the proliferation of illicit weapons.

“We want your total involvement in advocating and campaigning against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and we believe that with your collaboration with us in this regard, issues of insecurity will be reduced to bearest minimum .

“I believe without this, there will be no banditry, violence, cultism, political thuggery Boko Haram, ISWAP and others.

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“As part of the efforts of the Federal Government to curtail and fight the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons, that is why the NCCSALW was created.

“It is part of the responsibility of this NCCSALW to be advocating, sensitizing communities and key stakeholders in the fight against the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons,” he said.

Responding, the Shehu of Borno promised to mobilise all the traditional rulers to work hand in hand with the centre in order to tackle the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons in the state.

He also appreciated Maj-:Gen Abubakar Adamu (Rtd) for collaborating with the traditional rulers in fighting the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons in the state.