Uneasy calm in Benue Assembly over pension bill

Confirming the incident, in chat with our correspondent on phone, a member representing Tarka State Constituency, said the bill will not see the light of day, arguing that the Governor is owing members 6 months and cannot compel them to pass the bill.

“Yes, I was in attendance at the plenary. I was not coerced into sitting. I was around on my own volition. We decided to pass the Bill because it has to do with our tertiary Institutions.

“So, what we did was basically to amend laws that were already in place.

“Two polytechnics and three colleges of education and then we worked on the bill on widows Commission. We were about 17 members out of 30”, he said.

On his part, the member representing Vandeikya Tiev Constituency, Terkaa Ucha said he was marked for harassment but ran for his dear life, maintaining that the Pension Bill cannot be passed because the Governor is not pension friendly.

“Ortom cannot pass that bill in Benue state. If he is pension friendly, we will know because my mother is a pensioner and my father died a pensioner.

“My vehicle was not vandalized but I was penciled down to be harassed but I got the information and ran for my life”, Ucha said.

Kaduna Govt promises improved school furniture, WASH facilities

The Kaduna State Government has pledged to provide adequate school furniture, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and other facilities to encourage school enrolment and retention in public primary schools.

The Executive Chairman, Kaduna Basic Education Board (Kaduna SUBEB), Alhaji Tijjani Abdullahi made the promise in Kafanchan, during a oneday sensitisation campaign on the enrolment of out-of-school children in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign was organised by the Kaduna SUBEB, under the World Bank-supported Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme.

Abdullahi, who was represented by Malam Kabiru Lawal, acting Director of Social Mobilisation, said that the government was also working to improve security in schools and improve teachers’ capacity for quality teaching and learning.

He called on the SchoolBased Management Committees

(SBMCs) to step in, particularly in the provision of WASH facilities when necessary before while awaiting government intervention.

He explained that the enrolment campaign was to mobilise relevant stakeholders to support the government to mop-up out-of-school children in the streets, motor parks, farms, houses, markets, and other places.

Also speaking during the campaign, Mrs Josephine Michael, Desk Officer of BESDA, Kaduna SUBEB, said that the effort was to ensure that no child was left behind in the government drive to provide quality education to all.

Michael appealed to the stakeholders to support the state government efforts to address the menace of out-of-school toward building the needed human capital that would move the state forward.

“BESDA, a Programme for Result (P for R) was initiated by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) with support from the Federal

Ministry of Education, designed to address the menace of out-ofschool children.

“The programme began in 2019, with a 611 million dollars loan from the World Bank, which the Federal Government gave 17 participating states with the highest number of out-ofschool children as grant.

Also, Malam Magaji Mohammed, Community Participation Officer, Kaduna SUBEB, urged the stakeholders to strengthen advocacy and sensitisation to ensure that no child was left behind.

He noted that the government was doing the best it could to provide the needed facilities in schools to enable children to learn in line with the state’s free and compulsory basic education.

Earlier, community stakeholders from Jema’a, Kaura, Zangon Kataf and Sanga Local Government Areas of the state commended the government efforts to enrol outof-school children in school.

They, however, urged the government to improve security in schools and provide adequate school furniture and WASH facilities.

One of them, Mr. Peter Owaze, said that the provisions of school furniture and other facilities would encourage children to enrol in school and remain in school.

On his part, Mr. Ango Arkilawus, lamented that some teachers and pupils were struggling for space in bushes around public school due to lack of toilet and water facilities.

NAN reports that religious and community leaders at the meeting pledged to sensitise community members on the importance of education and work with parents and caregivers to enroll their children in school. NAN

Varsity Don advocates support for traders

Prof. Obiora Okonkwo of the University of Abuja has urged governments at all levels, especially Lagos State, to intensify support for traders, given their contributions to the growth of the economy.

Okonkwo made the call in Abuja on Thursday at a meeting with the new executives of Ndigboamaka Progressives Markets Association (NPMA).

NPMA is the umbrella body of Ibo Traders in Lagos , made up of 58 market groups across the state.

It has the mandate to facilitate trade for its members, improve the volume of trade for further growth of the economy of Lagos and Nigeria in general.

Okonkwo, said the call became necessary given the high volume of trading activities and turn out by the traders and the impact to the economy of Lagos and Nigeria in general.

“This people who are representing a turnover of trillions in this our economy, as simple as they might look, they cannot be taken for granted.

“This people here have millions of youths who are engaged over their mentorship in different markets in Lagos, they should be recognised, and that is going to be our objective.

“So, they need all the support to add more to grow their business because the bigger their business becomes, the more trillions of turnovers they are turning in, the more customs duty, the more taxes to the nation.

“A good number of them are moving from trading to manufacturing, to assembling and not Just buying and selling.

“The association is a very important group to the life, future and economy of the nation because these people consist of about 60 to 70 per cent of Lagos economy’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).”

Okonkwo, who is a professor of Business at the University of Abuja Business School, said the group has worked out a way to create a mutual working relationship and understanding with the government.

”There is an improved relationship within my leadership; last year, there was a special event where they gave a special award to the Lagos governor based on association and collaboration on improved relationships.

“And the governor for the first time appointed a member of the association into the Lagos State

Market Advisory Council.

“At that meeting, the governor received an open endorsement of the association for his second term in office.”

Okonkwo, who is the National Grand Patron of the association, commended the association for the transparent and peaceful conduct of election of the new executives.

He urged them to consolidate the peace amongst members of the association.

“For the fact that they are organised and for the fact that they organised their election peacefully, is a manifestation of unity among them.

“And we shall continue to work for peace, and consolidate on the unity and understanding,

“They have been men of credibility and integrity, having successfully served in their various businesses, and that is what the society we have now needs and unfortunately it is a scarce commodity.

“I am committed to working with every one of you in whatever markets with pride, with joy to the glory of God, to attain the objectives of these associations for the benefit of members.”

The new President of NPMA, Mr. Chinedu Ukatu who is also a member of Lagos state Market Advisory Council, said the association was having a cordial relationship with the Lagos State Government.

According to him, the priority of the new executive is to intensify trade facilitation among members for the benefit of traders who consist of different races. NAN