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By Abdul Hassan

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has faulted plans by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mr Nyesome Wike, to partner with Israeli security experts on security challenges.

MURIC stated this in a statement on Thursday, by its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola in Abuja.

“The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, yesterday disclosed that he was working on a deal to partner with Israeli security experts for the improvement of security in Abuja.

“We like to warn that such collaboration with the state of Israel will exacerbate Nigeria’s security problem by escalating it from a local crisis to an international fracas engineered by MOSSAD (Israel’s secret spies) with the likelihood of Nigeria becoming the center of rivalry for global espionage outfits like the American CIA and the Russian SVR and FSB.

“We believe that Wike is now courting the Israelis because, like most Nigerian Christians, he holds the wrong notion that Israel is a Christian state whereas the reverse is the case. Several instances confirm that the only religion Israel recognises and respects is judaism.

“Just yesterday, Wednesday, Sept.4 Jews spit on Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem, Christians are under constant attacks in Israel,” he said.

Akintola added: “To cap the edifice, Israel’s arrogant posture at the United Nations as it shuns the latter’s resolutions is legendary. At least 45 UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s aggression against Palestianians.

“A terrorist state cannot be the ideal security partner for us in Nigeria. Wike should take the Israelis to Rivers State. Israel constitutes an existential threat to both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.”

NAN

By Rita Iliya

Gov. Umaru Bago of Niger, has decried the falling standard of education especially in public schools in the state.

Bago who said this during the 2023 World Teachers` Day celebration on Tuesday in Minna, called for attitudinal change toward the sector.

The theme of the celebration is: The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse teacher shortage in Minna.

Bago was represented by the Deputy Governor, Mr Yakubu Garba on the occasion.

He acknowledged that enhancement of teachers’ salaries was overdue and promised to address the salary gap of teachers in the state.

“Firstly, we need to change our attitude generally, if you are a teacher, we understand your plight, I want to plead with all teachers to be patriotic and resilience in impacting knowledge,” he said.

He said that government would look into the challenges affecting teachers and promised to pay 50 per cent of outstanding October salary within the next 10 days.

In a remark, Mr Akayago Mohammed, Chairman of NUT in Niger, said the event was to celebrate the contributions of teachers to nation building.

He said that it was unfortunate that teachers, who impact knowledge on the lives of people, are always neglected and reduced to beggars.

Akayago appealed to Bago to review teachers’ salaries upward  and other challenges ranging from over population of pupils, lack of teachers and dilapidated structures amongst others.

In his Keynote address, Alhaji Yabagi Alfa, former Registrar, Niger College of Education, Minna, said the country needed highly qualified and motivated teachers.

He said that to reverse the shortage of teachers, government should allocate more resources for in service training of teachers, increase their remuneration to retain them.

Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed, Commissioner, Basic and Secondary Education, said the governor had given the ministry a matching order to study and proposed measures to address shortage of teachers and improve the sector.

Speaker of the House, Mr Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, assured that the state house of assembly would come up with legislation to review the old education laws, especially on area of teachers` welfare.

NAN

By Benson Ezugwu

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has set up a committee on payment of N30,000 minimum wage to primary school teachers in the state.

Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Enugu State wing, Chief Theophilus Odo, made the disclosure on Thursday in Enugu during the 2023 World Teachers’ Day celebration.

Odo, who said that he was a member of the committee, thanked the governor for the gesture.

Speaking on the theme for this year’s Day: “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage,” he stressed the need for the re-ordering of a new value system.

“There is the need for re-ordering the societal value system, such as stewardship, steadfastness, commitment to service, sincerity, etc. which an ideal teacher epitomises

“It is this kind of moral vision against the false value of acquisitive, oppressive and exploitative society that will awaken Nigeria teachers to their duties and responsibilities to the nation, as it was in the past,” he said.

Odo drew the attention of the governor to the need for recruitment of new teachers in the state and the release of outstanding promotion of teachers.

He also demanded for the payment of outstanding leave allowances to teachers in both primary and post-primary schools in the state.

“We also demand for donation of an 18-seater bus to the union for ease of movement, as the ones donated by successive governments can no longer travel beyond Enugu metropolis because they are old,” he said.

The NUT chairman urged parents, students and the society at large to accord teachers their due respect, adding that “honour should be given to whom honour is due.”

He condemned, in totality, situations where teachers were beaten up in the presence of their students and guardians, saying it was most unfortunate.

“Teachers themselves should see commitment to service and hard work as their watchword and be guided at all times by the ethics of the profession,” he said.

Speaking at the occasion, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, who represented the governor at the occasion, described teachers as role models and mentors.

He said that government would continue to support the teaching profession in the state.

In her keynote address, a don, Prof. Obiamaka Egbo, said the theme of this year’s celebration resonated deeply with the Nigerian context, where shortage of teachers remained a significant challenge in the pursuit of quality education for all.

She said that education was regarded as a fundamental right and powerful tool for personal and national development in Nigeria.

“However, the quality of education we provide for our children and youth is at a crossroads, largely due to the critical shortage of well-trained and motivated teachers.

“To reverse this shortage, we must first understand the global imperative behind this issue and then apply it to our unique Nigerian situation,” she said.

NAN

By Kingsley Okoye

The Senate has urged the Federal Government to redeem the N10 billion promise made to the people of Benue to rebuild the destroyed communities.

Senate resolution was sequel to adoption of a motion at plenary on Thursday on need to restle displaced people of Gwer -West , Markurdi and Guma local government to their ancestral home and avert imminent humanitarian crisis in the state.

The motion was sponsored by Sen.Zam Tartenger(APC- Benue).

Tartenger in his lead debate recalled that  farmers of Gwer-west, Malardi and Guma Local Government area of Benue state have been sacked and displaced by bandits masquerading as herders in the last seven years .

This, he said had resulted in the people taken abode at camps under deplorable and excruciating conditions at Naka, Agagbe, Ahagena North Bank, Daud, Umanger, and Ghajingba in Gwer-west, Makurdi and Guma Local Government Areas respectively.

He said that the continued stay of the people at the camps potentially exposes them to humanitarian crisis, outbreak of diseases and other health challenges .

According to him, statistics from the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BENSEMA) indicated that as at September 2022, the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Benue State stood at 1, 597,000 persons.

He expressed worry that catering for the huge population was beyond the financial strength of state government.

He further expressed worry that, between January and October, 2022, 560 children living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) camps scattered in Gwer-West, Makurdi, Guma and other parts of Benue as reported by BENSEMA were malnourished.

He said that the immediate past Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo who had paid a sympathy visit to Benue in 2015 promised the people the sum of N10 billion for resettlement of the displaced people.

According to him, the promise has unfortunately be kept in breach.

Senate further in its resolution urged Chief of Defence Staff to immediately facilitate and supervise the quick return of all displaced persons to their ancestral homes and provide a sustainable security corridor to all flash points within the affected communities.

It also directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to provide medical,Food and other relief materials to the displaced persons.

NAN reports that in 2018, the federal government approved a rehabilitation fund of N10bn for victims of killer herdsmen attacks in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, as part of efforts to resettle thousands IDPs.

Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made this known during a visit to IDP camps in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

He told over 34,000 IDPs who are taking refuge at the Abagana camp that the government is doing everything possible to ensure they are immediately resettled in their ancestral homes.

Osinbajo who also promised to supervise the rehabilitation process, announced a three-point solution of providing adequate security for the communities, rebuilding destroyed homes and restoring farmlands currently being occupied by invading herdsmen to enable food production.

NAN

By Abbas Bamalli

Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State says the government will audit all local council workers as part of measures to ensure efficiency and eliminate fraud in local government financial system.

The governor announced the manpower audit during a meeting with the Chairmen, Heads of Personnel and Treasurers of the 34 local government areas in the state.

“We have received several complaints on the payrolls of our local governments which are very disturbing, hence, we want to sanitise the local government system in our dear state.

“A situation where some fraudulent persons collect more than their salary is worrisome, but we are determined to stop such evil practices,” the governor was quoted in a statement on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula, as saying during the meeting.

Radda said all local council workers must be physically present during the manpower audit, so as to identify genuine staff across the 34 LGAs.

NAN