BEATZLOADED

The Executive Secretary, Kogi State Universal Basic Education, SUBEB, Mallam Nuhu Ahmed has said that the change mantra of the Federal Government will amount to null if the quality of teachers in the educational sector is not enhanced. Ahmed stated this yesterday in Lokoja at a five-days training for quality assurance officers organised by the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC and the state SUBEB with the theme: Strengthening the Capacity of Quality Assurance officers for Improved Quality Delivery.
According to him, “Nigeria cannot developed without quality education. The quality of our education will determined the quality of our country, and the quality of our basic education will form the bedrock of the educational output of the country. “The dream of a change Nigeria will be a mirage if their are no quality teacher in the schools. The need for qualitative basic education delivery must be intensified by the government because without quality teachers there cannot be quality product amongst the students.
Our teachers also should stop blaming government but make themselves a better and quality persons that will impart positively on the students to enhance the level of education in the country. We (teachers) have a lot of work to do in our quality assurance operations. It is hoped that you (teachers) have all prepared yourselves appropriately for the great task.
UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Dikko Suleiman on his own, said the standard of education has not fallen but the quality of product was what was missing in the educational sector, “The requirement of five credit including maths and English for admission into tertiary institutes has not changed, what has changed is the quality of those students and how they obtain their result.
Assuring quality is a major challenge in our basic education system. This is largely due to the incidence of infrastructural decay, declining standards as well as maladministration. Other challenges include limited synergy among relevant stakeholders and departments resulting in institutional constraints and role conflict, scarcity of current and reliable data on quality issues and low learning outcomes in literacy, numeracy and life skills.
Dikko thereby called on stakeholders in the sector to ensure that standard is enhance in order to meet the qualitative education stipulated in the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, “The UBE programe is grappling with week Quality Assurance mechanism at the SUBEB, LGEA and school levels; minimum standards as prescribed for learning achievement have not been realised to a large extent. We, therefore, have a lot of work to do in our quality Assurance operations.

Northern Nigeria is majority Muslim and largely Sunni.

IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa claimed dozens of the group’s members were killed when soldiers opened fire and “hundreds more were injured and arrested” when Zakzaky’s home and the sect’s mosque were attacked. Zakzaky’s deputy and the group’s head of security were among the dead but the whereabouts of Zakzaky and his family was unknown, he added. There was no independent confirmation of the death toll, although army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said Sunday evening there was “loss of lives”, without specifying numbers.

Local residents said soldiers backed by tanks invaded the Gyallesu area of Zaria and fought running battles through the night with hundreds of IMN members trying to block troops from reaching Zakzaky’s home. Hundreds of sect members had mobilised from different parts of the north in response to an appeal on social media from the IMN leader for protection. Throughout the night gunfire rang all over the neighbourhood as soldiers kept opening fire on hundreds of Shia followers who kept trooping to the house of their leader to guard it, said local Balarabe Gwargwaje.
“The house has since been demolished, On Saturday, Shiite faithful blocked the main road outside their Husseiniyya religious centre, where hundreds had gathered for a ceremony. The crowds obstructed traffic, including the convoy of Nigeria army chief Tukur Yusuf Buratai, witnesses and the military said. The military claimed the Shiites attacked Buratai, which left soldiers no option but to retaliate.

The army said IMN members, who set barricades and bonfires on the road, were armed with “dangerous weapons” in a “deliberate attempt to assassinate the chief of army staff and members of his entourage”. The troops responsible for the safety and security of the Chief of Army Staff on hearing explosion and firing were left with no choice than to defend him and the convoy at all cost as well as open up the barricaded road for law abiding citizens.
Buratai was on an official visit to the city, the statement issued late Saturday said.  IMN spokesman Musa, however, said there was “no reason” for opening fire and the group was made up of “defenceless people out to perform a religious ceremony.

Conflict and war

“The gallant soldiers have continued their advance, raids and patrols to further deny the Boko Haram terrorists freedom of action.

This came even as Lagos State Government reassured residents of the readiness of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration to ensure the Yuletide season is devoid of traffic gridlock and criminal activities across the metropolis.
The tanker laden with 33, litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, which exploded after spilling its contents on the road at about 2 am last Saturday, razed over five cars and buildings built along the canal.
The Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental relations, Mr. Oluseye Oladejo and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni. who was represented by Chief Superintendent of Police, Waidi Ayilara and other agencies, disclosed this at a joint media briefing to address various issues concerning safety and protection of citizenry during and after the Yuletide period.
Oladejo lamented that the danger of indiscriminate dropping of cigarette stubs or fireworks, especially at this period poses a great challenge and could lead to fire outbreaks.
He said, “An example of this threat was the recent Ojuelegba tanker accident, where someone reportedly dropped the left-over of a cigarette into a canal where the spilled content spread to which ignited the fire. This was immediately combated by the State fire service and other responders.”
Oladejo, said law enforcement agencies have commenced operations to apprehend the suspect for prosecution, according to the state laws. He said that worried by the inherent danger of indiscriminate dumping of cigarette stubs across the state, government would not hesitate to enforce the existing law banning public smoking. Oladejo, therefore, warned residents not to test the will of the state government, noting that violating laws is not acceptable.
“The anti-smoking law 2014, volume 47, carries a fine of N10, 000 to N15, 000 or....Read More

To realize the December deadline to stamp out insurgency in Nigeria, Mr. Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin, has promise to send 800 soldiers to fight alongside Nigerian troops.
Yayi’s reveal  on a day President M. Buhari also charged him to ensure that he conducted a credible election that would herald his exit from office next year.

The visiting president, who addressed State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with his host at the presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, stated that the soldiers were battle ready. According to him, Benin Republic would always stand by the government of President Buhari to ensure he succeeds in office. He said, “President Buhari took over the mantle of government at a time terrorism occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram is high.
To fight terrorism, Benin is ready to send about 800 men to join the men that are already prepared to fight terrorism. The team is battle ready for deployment.

The will power is there and Benin is committed to deploying the men. Benin will always remain on the side of Nigeria in its trying times.
The sub region is also going through serious problems of development. Fighting Boko Haram is becoming difficult because OPEC countries are going through oil crises. We will always stand beside Buhari in his fight against corruption. In his response, Buhari stated that his government was committed to defeating the insurgents. He said that the terrorists had retreated to the hinterlands of the North-east due to the intensified military operations in the region.

He called for the cooperation of neighbouring countries in the fight against terrorism, oil theft amongst others, revealing that it was for that purpose that Nigeria would be hosting the Economic Community of West Africa States in less than two weeks from now.
Meanwhile, a statement by the presidential spokesperson, Mr. Femi Adesina about what transpired during the closed-door meeting stated that president Buhari tasked Yayi on transparent polls next year February. Whatever happens in Benin is of particular interest to Nigeria because we are very good neighbours. I will like to congratulate the President of Benin for successfully completing two terms in office, and his plan to hand over power after the elections in February,  said the President.