Group sensitises 500 pupils on digital rights in Kaduna community

Agroup under the auspices of Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation has sensitised more than 500 school children on digital rights in Kauru, the headquarters of Kauru Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.

The Executive Director of the Foundation, Mrs Grace Samuel said during the event yesterday that the sensitisation was in commemoration of the 2023 International Day of the African Child.

Samuel said that the event was organised in collaboration with Save the Children International (SCI), under the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) programme.

She said that the sensitisation was in line with this year’s theme, “The Rights of the Child in the

Digital Environment”, to remind stakeholders of their duties toward protecting the rights of children.

She pointed out that the global digital revolution has significantly changed the world, adding that no child should be left behind in the digital age while in search of education.

She explained that the Day of the African Child, being celebrated on June 16 of every year, brings global attention to the barriers faced by African children in their quest for quality education.

The Executive Director urged parents and caregivers to support, motivate and inspire their children to learn and acquire quality education for a better future.

She disclosed that the Foundation was working with stakeholders to tackle extreme poverty, which she described as a “huge barrier” to accessing quality education in Africa.

Mr Michael Oche, SCI’s Community Mobilisation Coordinator, under the PLANE programme said that collaboration with Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation would ensure children’s access to quality education in the area.

Oche pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty had pushed a lot of children out of school, particularly in rural communities, adding that PLANE intends to reverse the situation.

One of the pupils, Hafsat Mohammed, who commended the organisers of the event, said that the knowledge of the advantages of digital technology in learning was quite helpful.

Mohammed called on the government and other stakeholders to support children to access their rights in the digital environment and tap from its numerous benefits.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Kauru LGA, Alhaji Bashir Dawaki who was represented by the Vice Chairman, Mr Augustine Baye commended the foundation and SCI for the support.

Dawaki lamented that the absence of electricity in the area would frustrate any attempt to expose children with digital learning and urged the State government to address the problem.

Mrs Hauwa Amwe, an official of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kaduna State Wing, pointed out that most children in rural communities have been left behind in the digital age. Amwe stressed the need to expose children to digital learning platforms for improved learning outcomes.

Gov. Bago calls on diaspora Nigerlites to return home for devt

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called on Nigerlites in the diaspora to come back home and contribute to the growth and development of the state.

Governor Bago made the call when he received a blueprint from a pressure group code-named Technocrats and Professionals in Niger State at the Government House, Minna.

The Governor assured that his administration would work closely with professionals in different fields.

He said the report of the group is in line with the vision and mission of his administration, disclosing that plans are underway to cultivate eight million hectares of land in the state under its onefor-one policy.

In his remarks, Professor Mohammed Yahaya Kuta who led the team congratulated the Governor on his emergence as the Governor of the state and presented the blueprint for an integrated approach to support the implementation of his transformation agenda for the state.

Prof. Yahaya Kuta called on the Governor to consider and explore the document for full implementation.

Traditional rulers to sensitize Gombe citizens on roles of family planning

From: David Hassan, Gombe

Traditional rulers who are major stakeholders in society are to engage themselves actively in creating awareness concerning family planning among women.

According to report, Gombe state has a high maternal mortality ratio of 813 per 100,000 lives and out of this number, in 1000 children born, at least 8 women die of complications.

With this report, evidence also showed that with childbirth spacing practice among women, the figure can reduce by 33 percent.

According to NDHS 2018, the rate of sexual activities among young people is high considering that 22 percent young women aged 15 to 24 had sex before 15 years.