A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has hailed President Bola Tinubu for his education policies.

Dogara spoke on Thursday at the Federal University of Lokoja, Kogi State, while delivering a Special Public Lecture, titled “Empowering the Future Generation: The Founders’ Vision and Legacy”.

The public lecture was part of the week long activities for the institution’s 9th Convocation.

Dogara said the president deserves commendation, especially for the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which he stressed has given hope to students whose educational dreams would have been cut short for lack of funds.

He said, “Education remains our most powerful weapon against poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment. It is the idea of planting seeds of hope, creating pathways to opportunity, and building a place where talents are refined and human potential is unlocked.

“NELFUND, a programme designed to remove financial barriers to higher education for indigent Nigerian students with interest-free loans, had disbursed N99.5billion to fund tuition and upkeep allowances.

“As we speak, and as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Mr. President has prioritised inclusivity and equity in access to education.

“We are witnessing the gradual dismantling of systemic barriers, particularly for marginalised groups such as women and persons with disabilities. No one doubts Mr. President’s commitment to ensuring that every young Nigerian, regardless of background, has access to quality education.

“To those who have often wondered why I promote President Tinubu s education policies, you have found one of the answers. Why would any sensible person who has benefited immensely from education do otherwise?”

He enjoined the graduands to take advantage of their knowledge to solve Nigerian problems, urging them to develop a global mindset with local relevance.

“Think globally but act locally. While embracing international best practices, never forget your roots. The solutions to Africa’s problems must be African-led, though globally informed.

“Whether you become engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs or public servants, always ask: How can I apply global knowledge to solve local problems?” he said.

He also tasked them to seek innovation and entrepreneurs, embrace lifelong learning, commit to ethical leadership and be good stewards for the university.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had approved a final reopening for a period of hours to enable tertiary institutions yet to complete their student verification exercise to do so.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on by Director, Strategic Communications of the Fund, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

The Federal Government, in partnership with the European Union, on Thursday inaugurated a National Programme Steering Committee to oversee the €40 million Education and Youth Empowerment in Northwest Nigeria programme.

The programme, which is being implemented in Jigawa, Kano, and Sokoto States, aims to tackle out-of-school children, facilitate teacher development, and promote youth skills acquisition in the Northwest region.

The committee, chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and co-chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, will meet annually to provide strategic guidance, with a secretariat handled by the EU Technical Assistance Team.

Also, quarterly technical meetings are planned to monitor progress closely.

Speaking in Abuja, during the official inauguration of the committee, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, praised the EU’s unwavering partnership and investment in Nigeria’s education sector, which has continued to improve access, equity, quality, and system resilience.

The Permanent Secretary, represented by the Director of Poly Education and Allied Institutes, Dr Usman Ejeh, said, “The EYEPINN project represents one of the most strategic interventions aimed at addressing the persistent challenges of out-of-school children, teacher capacity development, safe learning environments, and skills acquisition for youths in Nigeria’s Northwest region.

“The EU’s continued support through programmes such as EYEPINN and Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems reflects a shared commitment to empowering our young people and ensuring that every child, irrespective of gender or background, has the opportunity to learn and thrive.”

Highlighting the committee’s role in ensuring accountability and integrating results into national policies, he added, “The committee serves not only as a platform for oversight, but also a forum for strategic dialogue to ensure that the collective efforts of all partners are coherent, complementary, and impactful. The success of EYEPINN depends on how well we collaborate, federal, state, and local governments, working hand-in-hand with our international partners.

“We must ensure that every Euro invested translates into measurable impact, better learning outcomes, empowered teachers, safer schools, and a more resilient education system that leaves no child behind.”

In her remarks, Team Leader, Human Development, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Leila Ben Amor Mathieu highlighted the programme’s significance as the delegation’s first standalone education initiative.

“This is the EU Delegation to Nigeria’s first project solely on education. It is our flagship project. We hadn’t had any before. We really wanted it to be designed in tune with the ministry and to serve the needs of Nigerian people,” she said.

Stating that the EU is committed to remaining a very strong partner to Nigeria, as shown in its commitment for the period of 2021-2027, she said, “We have about €800 million for that period only on national programmes, plus another several hundreds that benefit Nigeria, but out of regional programme windows.”

Stating that the project aims to address existing gaps in basic education, she said, “This is a €40 million project that we fund through UNICEF, Plan International, DIME, and also some technical assistance provided to the ministry. We would have loved to add secondary education, but we stopped at basic education, in particular, targeting out-of-school children and nomadic education. We worked with the Quranic schools.”

Confident that the project should start delivering results, she added, “So, now we should start to see results and be able to deliver results. We have our partners from the World Bank that are also in charge of checking the impact of what we do.”

UNICEF’s Chief of Education, Vanessa Lee, described the programme as timely, “It came at a critical time in Nigeria’s education reform progress to support both the Federal and the State Ministries of Education and Universal Basic Education Board and State Universal Basic Education Boards in transforming the education system.”

Stating UNICEF’s continued commitment to getting every child learning in Nigeria, she added, “We continue to lead and support in the area of digital data transformation, education financing, reducing the number of out-of-school children, especially through establishing integrated Quranic centres and learning centres, scaling up foundational literacy and numeracy with the government, and providing teachers with school-based professional learning and learning through play teacher professional learning.”

Country Director of Plan International, Dr Charles Usie, lauding the EU’s broad support across Nigerian sectors, including education, health, said, “Today is a special day for the EU and for all of us because what this programme has done is actually to bring hope to a lot of children who probably will still have been left on the streets, with no support and with no help.”

Country Director, Save the Children International, Duncan Harvey, added, “This is indeed an important step that will encourage and improve the leadership of the overall programme. Every child, no matter their status, no matter where they are living, no matter their gender, ability, or disability, every child deserves the right to quality basic education.”

The Northwest region of Nigeria is currently grappling with a severe educational crisis, marked by a significant number of out-of-school children.

According to recent estimates, approximately 20 million children are out of school in Nigeria, with a disproportionate number coming from the Northwest region.

The region’s educational landscape is plagued by insecurity, poverty, and inadequate educational infrastructure.

The establishment of the University of the African Aviation and Aerospace University has received stakeholders’ support at a public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation Technology.

This was made known through a statement made available to The PUNCH by the committee on Thursday.

The committee said the hearing was held to advance legislative efforts for the formal establishment of the African Aviation and Aerospace University, Abuja.

When fully operational, the African Aviation and Aerospace University is expected to be a pioneering institution in the region, offering specialized training and research in aviation and aerospace technologies.

According to the statement, the hearing, which brought together a broad spectrum of key stakeholders from across the aviation and aerospace sectors, aimed to enrich and support the bill seeking to establish the university through an Act of Parliament.

The statement partly reads, “The occasion which took place at the Conference Rm 231 of the House of Representatives was well attended by various prime Stakeholders cutting across the whole gamut of the Aviation and related industries,who made their respective presentations towards enrichment of the Bill.”

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ibrahim Kana, emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to the university project and the importance of legislative backing for its long-term success.

Also, the Pro-Chancellor of AAAU and former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Goni Aji, highlighted the significance of the event, describing it as “a major step in institutionalizing the university through legislative means.”

Notable participants included representatives from the Office of the Chief of Air Staff, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigeria Meteorological Agency.

Others include, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, among others.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, who spoke through the House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, reiterated the commitment of the House to drive the bill through legislative channels.

In his closing remarks, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation Technology, Tajudeen Abiodun, expressed gratitude to attendees and assured that the committee would give the bill “expedited attention to ensure its timely passage.”

Earlier, representing the Senate Committee on Aviation Technology, Patrick Ndubueze, also pledged the Senate’s support and assured stakeholders of concurrence when the bill reaches the upper chamber.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM