Traditional rulers in Adamawa State have expressed commitment to partner with relevant development partners to put an end to out-of-school syndrome threatening the future of the youth in the state.

Alh. Muhammadu Mustapha, the Lamido of Adamawa and the Chairman, Council of Emirs and Chiefs, who led the traditional rulers to a high-level meeting held in Yola, made the pledge on behalf of others.

The meeting was organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office in partnership with Global Partnership on Education,(GPE) in collaboration with the Adamawa State Government.

They assured that they were ready to take bold steps in the campaign to end the growing out-of-school children crisis in their domains and across the State.

The meeting, which was attended by traditional rulers from the Central Senatorial Zone, underscored the importance of collective action in tackling the out-of-school children crisis and securing the future of Adamawa youths.

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According to a UNICEF-supported report released in January 2024, over 886,000 children in Adamawa State are currently out of school.

The statistics made the traditional rulers make the pledge, marking a significant step towards addressing this pressing issue and ensuring every child in Adamawa State receives quality education.

In her remarks, Dr.Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi, stressed that the traditional leaders would be a catalyst to lead the campaign for reducing the number of the out-of-school children in their communities.

Rafique explained that Unicef as a humanitarian organization was out to protect and promote initiatives for children in ensuring that no child was left behind in all aspects of life especially, health and education.

Addressing the meeting, the UNICEF Education Expert, Dr. Abdulrahaman Ado, said that the aim of the orientation was to strengthen the roles of traditional rulers in promoting school enrollment, retention and transition, particularly, the out-of-school children, girls and vulnerable learners across the state.

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He explained that the platform was expected to be a renewed commitment by the traditional leaders to serve as education champions in their communities, supporting advocacy, monitoring and mobilization efforts and to enhance awareness and alignment of traditional institutions with state education priorities, policies and donor supported initiatives.

“Develop actionable resolutions and follow up mechanisms for sustained collaboration between traditional leaders, Ministry of Education, State Universal Basic Education Board, LGEAs and development partners in addressing barriers to education access and learning outcomes”, he added.

In his presentation on the current status of out-of-school children in the state, Mr. Rufus Hanawa, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Ministry of Education, decried the level of out-of-school children in the state.

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He lamented that the national level indicated that 10.2 million children are out of school with 8.1 million in their junior secondary school levels urging that all hands must be on deck to address the challenge head on.

Responding on behalf of the emirs and chiefs at the occasion, paramount ruler of Bachama Chiefdom, His majesty, Hama Bachama, applauded the development partners especially, UNICEF for the intervention pledging their cooperation for the success of the programme.

He advised the federal government to accord the traditional institutions a constitutional role so that legal backing can be provided for the traditional institution to function well.

He also urged the state government under Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri to address the deplorable nature of the infrastructures in the education sector in the state.

The one-day interface had all the Six Emirs and Chiefs in Adamawa Southern Zone including; Hama Bachama, Hama Bata, Murum Mbula, Amna Shelleng, Kwadi -Nunguraya and Gangwari Ganye as well as top government functionaries and stakeholders in education sector.

A philanthropist, Dr Oluwadare Owolabi, has offered scholarships for students across some secondary schools in Ekiti State.

The scholarships of N100,000 each were offered to the outstanding students in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Agricultural Science, Economics and Mathematics subjects across three schools.

No fewer than 17 students from Igogo Commercial High School, Igogo-Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area (LGA), Ayede Grammar School, Ayede-Ekiti, in Oye LGA and Odo Oro High School, Odo Oro Ekiti in Ikole LGA, benefited from the annual scholarship award.

Owolabi while addressing the students and teachers at the ceremony on Thursday noted that the gesture was his own way of assisting the students, especially the indigents, in pursuing their education careers without any form of hindrance.

He explained that the gesture would go a long way to encourage the students towards adding values to the educational development in the state.

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Owolabi, who commended the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, for his deliberate efforts and investment at improving the standard of education in the state, noted that the scholarship scheme would complement the government’s investment in the scheme.

He posited that funding of education should not be left alone for the government, saying that individuals and groups must play their parts in a bid to sustain the educational status of Ekiti State.

The donor urged the beneficiaries and other students to be dedicated to their educational pursuit and avoid distractions that could derail them from being successful and attaining their potential.

He said, “I was in their situation some years ago to be precise 1991 as a secondary school student. But we appreciate the faithfulness of God in our life, hence my decision to give back to the society, especially to the outstanding students.

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“We all know that the government alone cannot fund education, because they have too many areas and sectors to attend to. So, we decided to assist and complement the efforts of our governor, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, who has been doing well for us in Ekiti State.

“I have promised the students that this scholarship is going to be yearly and also be extended by the Grace of God. I am more passionate about having our education system improved because that is our signature as a state and we must not deviate from what we are known for.

“I was in their shoe over three decades ago but with perseverance, hard work and commitment, I was able to become who I am today. So, they too can be great and successful with the support we are giving them.”

He promised to follow up with the beneficiaries on their journey in a bid to offer more support in the future.

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Speaking, the Onise of Odo Oro Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Jemilehin Aladesodedero I, commended the philanthropist gesture of the donor, noting that the investment would in no small measure help the students attain their potential in future.

He urged the beneficiaries and the entire students across the three schools to remain focused on their educational career and come up with excellent results to encourage the donor.

Responding on behalf of the principals of the beneficiary schools, the principal of Odo Oro High School, Johnson Oladimeji, lauded the gesture of the donor to reward the outstanding students in the school.

“Your decision to reward the best students in each subject is not only a commendable act of giving back but also a noble investment in the future of our children,” he said.

He assured the donor that the school would remain committed to providing a conducive learning environment for students to thrive, adding, “we welcome your ideas, mentorship and partnership as we build a brighter future together.”

Tunde Odesola

By some indices of human assessment, such as professionalism, intellect, carriage, humility, handsomeness, etc., the erstwhile Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari (of bitter memory), Mr Femi Adesina, was not cut from the same cloth as many of his colleague editors. There was the tale of a toad-eyed, bosomy and big-mouthed female editor of a weekend newspaper, whose pair of laser-sharp designer glasses could identify a ‘dollarful’ brown envelope in pitch darkness. She’s a Jebusite. Unhatable, oga Adesina is disarmingly different, however.

Meeting Adesina is like walking into a room scented with simplicity and kindness. Who can hate a pair of white eyes nestling on a cherubic black face with a signature haircut and an innocent smile? I can’t.

I once told the story of how I met editor Adesina. I’ll tell it a second time. Twice, I met Adesina in close quarters; twice, I learnt a lesson in humility. The first time I got in the Adesina orbit was around 15 years ago. It was at the Source, Ile-Ife, where his relative was getting married. He had invited the Publisher, Conscience International Magazine, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, who extended the invitation to Osun State newspaper correspondents, on the platter of comradeship.

Adesina didn’t turn water into wine at the marriage, which was held inside the compound of SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Lagere, Ile-Ife, but he fed us to our throats, just like Jesus fed the 5,000 multitude. While we were still picking our teeth and sipping drinks after the meal, Oga Adesina began to pack our used plates by himself, like a male servant, but some of us protested and managed to wring some of the plates from his grip. Oga Adesina, at the time, was the editor of The Sun newspaper while we were mere correspondents.

We were three correspondents at the party: The Nation state correspondent, but now the Alagbeda of Agbeda-Ijesa in Ilesa-West Local Government Area of Osun, Oba Adesoji Adeniyi; National Life state correspondent, Omo’ba Wale Olayemi, of Otan Ayegbaju, and my little self.

A Yoruba proverb says, “If the youngster knows how to wash his hands properly, he will have the opportunity to dine with elders.” Eldership is not always an index of age. Sometimes, position or competence confers eldership. Not too long after dining with elder Adesina, I was promoted to the position of news and politics editor of Saturday PUNCH, triggering my relocation to Lagos. I was later appointed group politics editor of the three PUNCH titles. That role came with its perks. One of them was an annual invite by the U.S. Consulate in Lagos to their July 4 media seminar marking America’s Independence Day.

I was a guest at one of such events when I came across The Sun newspapers’ top dog again. This time, a former editor of The PUNCH, Mr Gbemiga Ogunleye, was also present. An extraordinary mentor and exemplar, if Oga Ogunleye lived during the time of Sango, the god of thunder, a news shrine would have been erected in his honour. He would have been worshipped to date as Ogunleye, the god of news.

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I was super excited to be at the seminar with industry giants. I looked forward to hearing divergent views from participants like Adesina, whose newspaper articles I was following, but with whom I’ve never had the opportunity to interact professionally. When Adesina finally spoke, nuggets of humility and intelligence dropped like precious stones from his lips.

The Adesina whom I knew wasn’t the same Adesina who served Buhari. I’m not talking about integrity here; his integrity remains his integrity, but I’m talking about a media guru who sits smugly and clings to the totem of Buhari while the burning train plunges downhill to doom. Adesina, in his heart of hearts, knows the disaster Buhari was, but, in order not to be seen as someone who spread the Buharian good news, which turned out as sad news, he has decided to carry the Buhari cross till he breathes his last.

In his 488-page book, “Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015 – 2023), Adesina says he left his good job at The Sun, where he earned three times more than what Buhari offered, describing his time in Buhari’s administration as national service.

While it is in Adesina’s rights to fetishise the shroud of Buhari, I feel his justification of Buhari spending undisclosed tonnes of pounds sterling on personal foreign medical trips while Nigerian hospitals were in a shambles was a slap on the face of Nigerians. It was a sin, too.

In the interview on Channels Television, Adesina said, “Buhari has always had his medicals in London, even when he was not in the office. So, it was not about the time he was president alone. He had always had it there,” adding that UK medical doctors had been managing Buhari’s health before his election in 2015 and were well acquainted with his medical history, making it unwise to change medical teams, mid-treatment.

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What the wise special adviser was saying was that Buhari, from birth, had never been sick, never been treated in a Nigerian hospital. As soon as he was born, herdsmen hoisted him on a cow, and off to London hospital they went.

Mr Special Adviser, stop feeding Ngerians with nonsense, please! It is a no-brainer that Buhari’s medical records lay in various military hospitals located in the states where he served, before his health became a national liability, after he snatched power.

Of course, you know, Mr Adesina, that Buhari had his QAmedical records in a few military hospitals where he received treatment as a middle cadre and senior officer. So, the same way he transferred his medical records abroad was the same way he should’ve transferred his medical records back to the country, upon assuming power in 2015, if his promise of change wasn’t a shortchange.

As a Christian, I expect Adesina to throw away the empty can of Buhari’s deodorant and not kick it about like a little village boy kicking a self-made ball of knotted rags. Buhari has gone to his grave with his innumerable leadership imperfections. Adesina should let him rest in peace, and not in pieces.

Nothing defines Buhari’s self-centredness and megalomania than his exposure by Aisha, his wife, and daughter, Zarah, in September 2017. Both mother and daughter intoned that Aso Rock clinic, meant to treat their breadwinner and his First Family, was shambolic, under Buhari’s very nose.

Zarah, in a series of Instagram posts, said, “More than N3bn budgeted for the State House clinic and workers there don’t have the equipment to work with? Why?” Where is the money going to? Medication only stocked once since the beginning of the year? Why? State House permanent secretary, please answer. Why isn’t there simple paracetamol, gloves, syringes… Why do patients/staff have to buy what they need in the state house clinic?”

Wait for her mother’s bomb. Aisha said, “…as you are all aware, Nigeria wasn’t stable because of my husband’s ill health. We thank God he is fully recovered now. If somebody like Mr President can spend several months outside Nigeria, then you wonder what will happen to a common man on the street?

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“(A) few weeks ago, I was sick as well; they advised me to take the first flight out to London. I refused to go. I said I must be treated in Nigeria because there is a budget for an assigned clinic to take care of us. I insisted they call Aso Clinic to find out if the X-ray machine was working; they said it was not working. They didn’t know I was the one who was supposed to be in that hospital at that very time.

“I had to go to a hospital that was established by foreigners, in and out 100 per cent. What does that mean? If something like this can happen to me, no need for me to ask the governors’ wives what is happening in their states.”

Sadly, it’s this incompetent Buhari that Adesina was defending after he had sucked the nation dry, treating himself at The London Clinic when he should have ensured the establishment of good hospitals back at home. For Buhari and the members of the ruling class, it was okay if diseases struck Nigerians dead on the streets, provided they could access adequate healthcare abroad.

Spending donkey’s years receiving treatment in a £3,500 per day elite clinic that caters for the British royal family and political leaders, exposes Buhari as a sailor without a compass. He was the soldier without a gun; an Ogun without iron; a Sango without thunder. Buhari was nothing.

But Buhari had a heart. He had a heart strong enough to push him to spend 225 days outside the country on medical trips, visiting no fewer than 40 countries since 2015. That was Adesina’s hero, whose reign amounted to zero in eight years.

I suspect that without realising it, Adesina was in a toxic relationship with Buhari, like a husband-and-wife abusive relationship, where the husband regularly beats the wife, but the wife soldiers on, wipes her face when a knock sounds at the door, smiles and opens the door, adulating her husband. Or, Adesina probably knew it but was encaged?

With his meagre earnings, where Mr Integrity got the money to fund his expensive healthcare treatment in one of the most expensive clinics in London should be a source of investigation for the EFCC, but corruption is fast killing Nigeria before Nigeria kills corruption.

I pity the Ipetumodu-born Adesina, but I don’t understand why his dove chose to fly with vultures. I put the Adesina kernel on a stone and smashed it with a stone, just to unravel why the tender earthworm crawled to the table salt. Questions popped up in my mind: Why do people smoke when they know smoking kills? Why do people traffic drugs to Saudi Arabia when they know what would happen to their necks? Why do people scream Christiano Ronaldo when they know Lionel Messi is the GOAT? Why?

Insecurity. Compensation. Disillusionment. Hypocrisy.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola