Metro

Nigeria: Affected students want ban on Benin Republic varsity’s certificate rescinded

Published

3 months ago

September 1, 2024

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has been urged to lift the prohibition on Ecole Superieure Management University certificates from the Benin Republic by some affected persons.

With over 600 students affected, Fighting back tears, the parents and students expressed their amazement after learning of the Federal Government’s decision about the ESM University in the Benin Republic.

The undergraduates claimed that being taken out of school at a time when they were already improving and after their donor had made significant educational investments amounted to endangering their future.

Speaking to reporters, Mrs. Josephine Hycienth, a visually impaired widow and parent of the troubled students, expressed her relief that her son was able to attend Benin Republic University on scholarship and lamented the difficulties she had been going through since her husband’s death.

She stated, “Nobody cares about us since after my husband’s death. I want President Bola Tinubu to come to our aid. They should not cancel their education.

“If my son is allowed to come back home, nobody will assist in his education, I need the president to help.”

Moses Nicodemus, a 200-level computer science student at the institution, expressed shock at the development. “I returned to Nigeria for my Industrial Training only to hear that my school is not accredited.”

He added, “That is why we are calling on our President to come to our aid. Our father (the cleric) has spent millions of naira on our education. We need help. We have tried to study to come out with good grades and certificates.”

Chinyere revealed that he checked the legitimacy of ESM University at the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, before sending the pupils there, and he got a satisfactory response.

He beseeched Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the President, to persuade her husband to take into account the risks involved in abruptly terminating the pupils’ education, while also expressing dismay at the development and turn of events.

Chinyere said that he has made significant investments in the academic growth of the pupils, stressing that the money used for them came from tithes and church contributions, which he said he has promised to utilise to support capacity building and outreach to the needy.

He said, “Before I started this scholarship, I went to the Ministry of Education, Abuja, to verify if ESM is accredited. Also to verify if the graduates of the school will be able to participate in NYSC in Nigeria. And all these were confirmed positive before I paid the first school fees. That guarantee I got from the education ministry in Nigeria made me send students on scholarships to the school in Benin Republic.

“Yes, I have many students on scholarships in Nigeria; why send students to Benin and other countries for studies? The issue is that the system (government) made education very strenuous for students, and the government policies made education very difficult. Every day, people come to my house for scholarships: less-privileged, widows, orphans etc. I have more than 4,000 students currently on scholarships right now. I am not talking about the people that have graduated.

Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, said last week that more than 22,500 Nigerians are flaunting phoney diplomas that they received from Togo and the Benin Republic between 2019 and 2023.

According to him, more than 21,600 students in the Benin Republic received their diplomas from unaccredited colleges within the allotted time, while roughly 1,105 students received theirs from certain unaccredited universities in Togo.

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Metro

Zambia: Farmers’ union warns of uncertain future for agriculture sector

Published

20 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Small-Scale Farmers Development Agency (SAFADA) of Zambia has warned of uncertainty on the future of the agricultural sector, stating that its outlook over the next 25 years remains uncertain and gloomy.

The Executive Director of SAFADA, Boyd Moobwe, who raised the concerns in a telephone interview with Zambia Monitor on Saturday, expressed regrets that the agric sector was facing critical challenges that could hinder its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and overall economic growth by 2030.

Moobwe admitted that the rapid changes in agriculture due to new technologies and innovations, has been slow amid the inconsistent implementation of these advancements which raises questions about the sector’s ability to survive amidst the growing threats of climate change, political instability, and economic difficulties.

The SAFADA Director pointed out that many of the problems plaguing agriculture were self-inflicted.

“The current measures for agricultural and rural financing are inadequate due to poor data analysis and utilisation,” Moobwe said.

Agriculture, he said, “had the potential to revive the economy if proper policies were introduced and if small-scale farmers were fully involved in planning and implementing agricultural projects.”

Metro

Nigeria: CSO urges President Tinubu to investigate missing funds in Humanitarian Ministry

Published

1 day ago

November 24, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A Nigerian civil society organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has called on President Bola Tinubu to launch an investigation into the over N57 billion that allegedly went missing in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021.

The organisation, in a statement on Sunday, urged the president to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, as well as other anti-corruption agencies to commence a probe into the allegations without delay.

In the letter issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare and addressed to President Tinubu, the group warned against sweeping the allegations under the carpet as the Nigerian public has a right to know what happened to their money.

“The allegations amount to stealing from the poor. There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations,” the watch dog group said.

“The allegations also suggest a grave violation of the public trust, the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the country’s anticorruption legislation, and international anticorruption obligations.

“Hundreds of billions of naira are also reportedly missing in other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“Poor Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the widespread and grand corruption in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviations and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“According to the 2021 annual audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, (the ministry) in 2021 failed to account for over N54 billion meant to pay monthly stipends to Batch C1 N-Power volunteers and non-graduate trainees between August and December 2021.

“The money was not directly paid to the beneficiaries. The Auditor-General is concerned that the money may have been diverted. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury. He also wants suspected perpetrators of the diversion to be sanctioned in line with the Financial Regulations.

“The ministry reportedly failed to account for over N2.6 billion of public funds meant for the home-grown school feeding programme during Covid-19, as the programme was never executed. The money was allegedly paid to five contractors to procure, package and distribute Covid-19 palliatives to Kano, Zamfara and Abia states, but without any trace.

“The ministry also reportedly spent over N78 million to carry out a survey on the ministry’s Covid-19 response to states and vulnerable groups but without any approval or document.

“The ministry also reportedly failed to account for N400 million meant to pay stipends to 4,450 independent monitors for October, November, and December 2021.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.

“SERAP urges you to immediately enforce the judgment by Hon. Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, ordering your government to release the spending details of N729 billion by Mrs Sadia Umar-Farouk, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development,” SERAP warned.