An average of 13 persons were abducted daily in Nigeria in the first half of 2021, according to a report by SBM Intelligence, bringing to 2,371 the number of persons kidnapped in the country within the first six months of the year.

SBM Intelligence  is a leading research consultancy group, versatile in the area of primary data gathering, and analyses of data that provides clarity relating to political, economic and social issues in Nigeria and West Africa.

This came as the former senator representing Kaduna central, Shehu Sani said yesterday that the north-west would be a better place, if the Federal Government could deal with bandits with the same vigour used against secessionists.

 Arsenal lost ground on their bid for a top four finish with a 0-0 draw against bottom of the table Burnley  at the Emirates on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta made just one change from the side thag lost 2-0  to Liverpool  in the Carabao Cup semifinal on Thursday with Rob holding  coming in for Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Burnley haven’t played since Jan. 8 and were able to hold Arsenal well despite the home side’s dominance in possession.

“We started slow, we looked leggy and didn’t have enough rhythm or intention to attack the way we wanted. We started to play better, more rhythm and threat and came out in the second half completely different,” Arteta said after the game.

“We tried in every different way but lacked the quality in the final third. At the end, when we have a really low block, you need spark and creativity to win football matches and today we didn’t do that.

“We need to start scoring goals and get back the players, the last four weeks it has been extremely difficult to put training sessions and squads together because of the amount of COVID-19 and injuries.”

In view of the visit to Kaduna State by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the envisaged transport difficulties, this is to inform you that the Management has approved that the 1/3″ semester examinations 2020/2021 Academic Session for Evening programme being conducted currently be shifted by two days: i.e Thursday, 20 and Friday, 21 January 2022.

In view of the foregoing, papers earlier scheduled to hold on the aforementioned days are to be shifted to next week: Monday, 24 and Tuesday, 25 January 2022, Above is to convey the approval for your information and further necessary action.

Tunisia shocked Nigeria and Burkina Faso edged Gabon on Sunday to set up an Africa Cup of Nations last-eight showdown, while minnows Comoros prepared to use an outfield player as a goalkeeper when they confront hosts Cameroon.

Veteran Youssef Msakni scored two minutes into the second half to give previously unimpressive Tunisia a 1-0 second-round triumph over 10-man Nigeria in Garoua.

Nigerian hopes of levelling were dealt a huge blow midway through the second half when Alex Iwobi, initially yellow-carded for a stamp on Msakni, was sent off after the referee looked at the VAR monitor.

In the first last-16 match, Burkina Faso needed a penalty shootout to eliminate Gabon, who forced a 1-1 draw after extra time having played 56 minutes with 10 men following the red-carding of Sidney Obissa.

Substitute Ismahila Ouedraogo scored to give the Stallions a 7-6 shootout victory after Lloyd Palun had struck the woodwork for the gallant Gabonese in Limbe.

With all three goalkeepers unavailable due to positive Covid-19 tests and injury, giant-killers Comoros will place an outfield player between the posts when they tackle hosts Cameroon in Yaounde on Monday.

Whoever is chosen to don the gloves in Yaounde must face Vincent Aboubakar, the leading scorer so far in the flagship African tournament with five goals in three group matches.

Abducted Hanifa Abubakar, a 5 years old girl was killed by kidnappers after collecting part of the N6million demanded for.

Her uncle, Suraj Suleiman, confirmed the killing and recovery of her remains at a mushroom private school in Tudunwada, Nasarawa Local Government area of Kano.

According to him, he said, ‘the abductor first took her to his wife, but the wife rejected to keep her and after his wife rejected to keep Hanifa, he took her to Tudunwada where he operates a private school and then mixed her tea with rat poison’.

He further said, “After she was poisoned to death, the kidnappers then cut her body into pieces and buried it within the school.”

It was gathered that the abductors were arrested around Zaria Road in Kano last night while attempting to collect the remaining part of ransom.

The 5-year-old was whisked away on December 4, 2021 by the kidnappers, who came in a commercial tricycle and lured her to enter for a joyride.

The incident occurred at 5pm when she and other neighbourhood children were returning from an Islamic school.

A group, the Kaduna Polytechnic ( KADPOLY) Stakeholders Forum which comprised critical stakeholders in the administration and future of the Kaduna Polytechnic, has said it was not unaware of the huge concern that the alleged undue interference of the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Professor Idris Mohammed Bugaje in the affairs of the institution was rapidly generating.

This was made known in a statement signed by Malam Musa Muhammad, Chairman and  Joseph Kazachan, Secretary of the Forum, issued to journalists in Kaduna.

The Forum said it has fully noticed that the concern predicated on the fear that the situation, if not properly handled, will degenerate into a full-blown crisis that can rob the institution of the stability it is currently enjoying.

​It is, in fact, absolutely unfortunate that Professor Bugaje who, until his appointment as the Executive Secretary of NBTE, was the Rector of the Kaduna Polytechnic and to whom tremendous support was extended by the present Acting Rector Dr Suleiman Umar who was at the time the Director of Academic Planning and later Deputy Rector, as well as other Management staff, is now, in his bid to continue to exercise full control over the institution, trying to cause uncertainty and chaos in the institution.”

“In his usual manner, Bugaje has now resorted to effort aimed at destabilizing the Kaduna Polytechnic Management and embarrass the Governing Council under Senator Mohammed Mohammed whom we all know is a respected elder.”

​”We have observed that after his attempt to cause disaffection between the community of the institution and the Management on the one hand and on the other hand between the Management and the Governing Council has failed, he has now taken the matter to the public domain by engaging the media instead of waiting for the response of the Federal Ministry of Education to his letter of complaint about the matter as required of every public servant. His allegations of breach of procedure in the reappointment of Dr Sulaiman Umar as Acting Rector for six months and allegation of monetary inducement of the Governing Council are clearly unfair, unsubstantiated and therefore mischievous.”

​”By clearly alleging, in a submission he made to the media, that the Governing Council has violated section 16 of the Polytechnic Act of 2019 (As amended) by re-appointing the Acting Rector, even further stating that the decision was monetarily influenced, the NBTE ES has shown his full colour as a person whose resolve to inflict maximum damage on the governance process in polytechnic is total.

The allegations are absolutely baseless considering the fact that the section under reference which, as quoted in his submission, provides that “In case of vacancy in the office of the Rector, the council shall appoint an Acting Rector who shall not be in office for more than six months” clearly refers to a situation in which a substantive Rector is removed on the authority of the President of the country because of gross misconduct as clearly stated in section 2 of the same Act.

This certainly is not the kind of circumstance that led to the emergence of Dr Suleman Umar as the Acting Rector of Kaduna Polytechnic.”

Moreover, the other fundamental part of the Act that Professor Bugaje has mischievously ignored is section 5, sub-section one which provides that the “Council shall have the power to do anything which, in its opinion, is calculated to facilitate the carrying out of the activities of the Polytechnic and promote its best interest.” This is a section that supports the decision of the Governing Council to make the reappointment which is clearly in the best interests of the institution as evident in the appreciable consolidation of industrial harmony and continuity of activities in the institution.”

​”Happily, the most critical segments of the polytechnic’s community which are the various staff unions and the Students Union Government (SUG) have already uncovered the plan of the NBTE ES to cause disruption in the operations of the institution and have therefore justifiably dismissed all those allegations as baseless.”

” The ASUP, in particular, has, in its reaction to the allegations as contained in a letter it sent to the Minister of Education, maintains that “section 7, sub-section one of the Act gives the Council the general powers to do anything which in its opinion is calculated to facilitate the carrying out of the activities of the Polytechnic and promote its best interest and the union strongly believes that it is in that direction the Council so Acted.”

​Having carefully studied this matter and consequently understood the fact that Bugaje is only totally out to derail the Management of the polytechnic under Dr Umar as Acting Rector, our Forum finds it convenient to connect the emerging scenario being engineered by the NBTE ES with his attitudes in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Nasarawa State, and the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology Zaria where he served as the Rector and the Director-General, respectively.”

“This Forum and the other members of the public are fully aware of the controversies that characterised his tenure in both institutions which were caused by his high-handedness and absolute disregard for established procedures and which resulted in his unceremonious exit from each.

​It was even this knowledge that made the largest section of the Kaduna Polytechnic’s community and other critical stakeholders vehemently oppose his appointment as a Rector on the 17th of September 2017. We all recall that, based on some justifiable negative perceptions about him, a lot of groups protested the emergence of Professor Bugaje as the Rector of the polytechnic as contained in a letter of complaint by Concerned Youth Citizens of Nigeria dated 22nd September 2017 and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari. In the letter, the group wondered how Professor Bugaje who “was INDICTED and SANCTIONED in a GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER” on the report of the Visitation Panel to the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa where he was a Rector could be appointed as a Rector of the Kaduna Polytechnic.”

​”In the White Paper to which the above reference was made and which was dated 5th October 2004 the Federal Ministry of Education confirmed that “most of the allegations which were levelled against the Rector Dr I.M. Bugaje have been substantiated.” It was further stated that the Visitor to the institution” is also aware of the strained relationship between Dr Bugaje and the immediate community’’ and therefore directed that “the second tenure of Dr I.M Bugaje should not be renewed.”

​The findings of the Visitation Panel which provided the basis of the government’s decision were, as stated, in a letter dated 10th April 2005 and signed by the Director in charge of Higher Education at the time, Dr P S Abdu, on behalf of the Minister of Education, and addressed to Bugaje, were “the provision of cash advance to unconfirmed officers and “glaring cases of violation of financial regulations such that the Accountant General’s Inspection Report directed immediate compliance.”

​”All the above are enough to show Bugaje’s antecedents which are all about misconduct and irregularities. It is therefore not surprising that as Rector of the Kaduna Polytechnic and up till now as the ES of the NBTE he has continued to demonstrate a tendency for the creation and sustenance of a crisis situation which will cripple the institution.”

​”On the basis of all the above facts, the Kaduna Polytechnic Stakeholders Forum wishes to make the following demands.

• Professor Idris Mohammed Bugaje should refrain from undue interference in the affairs of the Kaduna Polytechnic.
• The Federal Ministry of Education should warn the NBTE ES against such undue interference which will hinder smooth administration of the Polytechnic.
• The Management of Kaduna Polytechnic should be specifically encouraged to continue to discharge its responsibilities so that the existing stability in the institution can continue to prevail.”

“Finally, we pray to Almighty God to save our esteemed Kaduna Polytechnic from the mischief of those who are bent on causing chaos in the institution,” the statement added.

Efforts are still being made to reach the NBTE boss for his reaction as of time of filing this report. 

The Management of Kaduna State Polytechnic has expelled 85 students over malpractice and other academic misconducts.

Eight others were suspended while three students received other forms of punishment. 

This is contained in a circular with reference number KPT/CA/S/PR. 11/VOL.XXIII/417 dated September 1, 2021 and signed by H.S. Jandutse.

The students affected are from various departments cutting across 100 to 400 levels.

The circular indicated that the disciplinary measures were taken by the academic board of the institution during its extraordinary meeting held on August 25, 2021 where it considered the reports of examination malpractice committed.

Out of the 96 students tried for examination malpractice, 85 were expelled.

Eight others were suspended for failure to appear before the examination malpractice committees.

While one was exonerated, another was rusticated and one other had his certificate withdrawn for impersonation in the examination hall.

The National Assembly on Tuesday read President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter in which he declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. 

The letter was read at both the Senate and House of Representatives plenary session, a day after reports emerged that Buhari had declined assent to the bill.

Before the letter was read, the Senate had gone into a closed-door session to discuss the content of the document.

After the session, Senator Lawan read the letter in which President Buhari explained the reasons for his action.

In the letter, Buhari cited the direct primaries clause as the reason for his decision.

He argued that the clause throws up several challenges one of which is the cost of conducting direct primaries. According to him, direct primaries will increase the Federal Government’s financial burdens because they are expensive to conduct.

Aside from the cost implication, the Nigerian leader explained that direct primaries will stifle smaller parties and also raise security concerns since there would be a large turnout of voters in such a mode of election.

Buhari added that political parties should decide the best way to pick their candidates for elections, noting that his stance was based on a careful review and consultations.

According to him, the move will also lead to more litigations by party members.

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No Constitutional Breach
The President’s move ends the debate over the reason for the delay in signing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Critics and high-profile Nigerians had before now speculated over the possible reasons for Buhari’s delay in assenting to the bill.

While some believe it was the direct primaries clause, other like Governor Nyesom Wike claimed it was due to the electronic transmission of results.

Despite the debates generated before Tuesday’s reading of the letter at the National Assembly, presidential aide Garba Shehu had maintained that his principal does not need to explain his stance to the public following the expiration of the 30-day period during which Buhari was expected to sign the bill.

“And as I said, it would be disrespectful of the National Assembly, for me at this time, to say this is the content of the president’s communication, assuming that the communication has been sent to them,” he said on Sunday.

“So as I said, allow them to resume, I believe that the president will not act in breach of the Constitution. No, he will do what is right.

“The constitution says the president must sign within 30 days, the constitution did not say that there should be the disclosure of that decision within 30 days to the public when the disclosure to the National Assembly has been made.”

A group of elderly statesmen from the state of Zamfara has sounded the alarm, alleging the indiscriminate release of detained bandits and their collaborators by the state authorities.

The group urged law enforcement to stop the act, citing it as one of the factors responsible for escalating insecurity in the state.

He affirmed this during their meeting in Gusau, the state capital, where he also raised the alarm about the bad situation of orphaned children who are victims of banditry.

A former senator, Saidu Dansadau, informed reporters after the meeting.

“The committee expresses its dismay and disappointment at the indiscriminate release of criminals by the authorities who arrest them or to whom criminals are handed over when they are arrested by the military, self-defense groups or any other security organization,” he said.

“We call on law enforcement agencies in the state to, for the love of God, have a paradigm shift from this indiscriminate release of criminals and result in the indictment of criminals in the court of law because the The meeting identified this indiscriminate and incessant release of criminals as one of the immediate causes of the escalation of crime in the state.

He said the group also recommended the revitalization of community-based associations to generate funds for the establishment of primary and secondary schools to offer free education to children who lost their parents as a result of banditry to prevent the reappearance of insecurity in the future.

Mr. Dansadau acknowledged that the security situation in the state had improved significantly after the shutdown of telecommunications services.

However, he said places like Birnin Magaji, Shinkafi and Zurmi local government areas remain vulnerable to banditry attacks.

Members of the group are made up of traditional rulers, religious leaders, seniors and some political officials who came together to mobilize Muslims and Christians to pray for the return of peace in the state.

But in reaction to the group’s position, Zamfara State Security Affairs Commissioner Mamman Tsafe told PREMIUM TIMES that the accusation that the arrested bandits and their collaborators were being released discouraged security agents who are on the scene. the vanguard in the fight against banditry.

Tsafe said he would verify the veracity of the allegations before commenting further.

The girl child is a biological female offspring from birth to 18 years of age. This is the age before one becomes a young adult. This period covers the creche, nursery or early childhood (0-5 year), primary (6-12 years) and secondary (12-18 years). During this period, the young child is totally under the care of the adult who may be parents or guardians. Which means she is dependent on the significant of others.

Education is the process of providing information to an inexperienced person to help him or her develop physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually, politically and economically. Education is the process through which individuals are made functional members of their society (ocho 2005).

It is a process through which an individual acquire knowledge and realises his or her potentialities and uses them for self actualisation, to be useful to themselves and others. It is a means of preserving, transmitting and improving the culture of the society.

To educate a girl child means to train her mind, character and abilities. Education is fundamental human right that should be availed to every girl child irrespective of the age and nationality. The importance of education in the life of a girl child can never be over-emphasised.

In both spiritual and temporal mundane aspects of human existence, education is paramount. It is the light that shows the way by removing the darkness of ignorance; salt that gives the taste of life; the medicine that cures and the key which open doors. The greatest favour a girl child can get is “to get education” and “to give others education.”

Therefore, educating the girl child translates to better health for the future generations, reduction in child mobility and mortality thus triggering a snowball effect of achieving all other sustainable development goals in a viable manner. The girl child education also prepares her to face realities in society and teaches her to be a good wife and mother. When she is educated, she realises the full potentials endowed in her; she discovers to be whoever and whatever she wants to be.