Commission pledges to eradicate illiteracy, endemic poverty in north east

The North East Development Commission Education Endowment Fund (NEDC-EEF), on Friday in Abuja has expressed commitment to the eradication of illiteracy and endemic poverty in the North East region.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the fund, Mr David Sabo Kente (DSK), made the pledge at the inauguration of the board by the Chairman of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Gen. Paul Tarfa retired.

Kente said that the board would assiduously work towards the development of sufficient human capital in order to acquire adequate capacity for infrastructural and socio-economic development of the region.

He also said that the fund would build human capacity for the north east zone through scholarship endowment;
Offer citizens of member States equal opportunity in ICT skills acquisition and educational training at graduate and post graduate levels.

” We are also determine to provide educational training for families at Ward , Local Government and Senatorial district levels in all the States.

” And further the education of over 2400 beneficiaries of the Safe School Initiative (SSI) beyond Secondary School level;
Offer opportunity for training orphaned children and other vulnerable groups currently not benefitting from the safe school initiative.

” We will also provide short term but impactful entrepreneurship training programmes to candidates whose primary school or secondary school education were truncated by the Boko Haram and other crisis.

” Similarly, we intend to offer special scholarship opportunities to talented youths engaged in sports, and also establish a North East Regional Sports Institute in the future and support the training of Nurses, Midwives and retraining of Teachers and vocational training for women and youths.

” These will in no small measure, fight the menace of low human capital and illiteracy which has been traced to be the highest in the north east compared to the rest of the six geographical zones in the nation,” he said.

Kente said based on the UNDP Human Development Reports of 2018, north east States have a Human Development Index (HDI) scores below the National average.

” Ranging from a high of 0.4286 in Taraba to a low of 0.3238 in Bauchi State, less than half of that of Lagos State at 0.6515,the State with the Highest HDI score.”

He assured that the board would partner with States Education architecture, local and international development partners in the education sector, as well as donor agencies, to achieve it core mandate of creating an educated citizenry.

” This we believe will change the educational landscape of the region.

” Our intention and target is to get the first set of beneficiaries of the programme into various institutions by the beginning of the next academic session.”

Kente used the occasion to appreciates the support of the Chairman and Members of the Governing Board of NEDC for setting aside the approved grant to enable the board hit the ground running with the activities of NEDC-EEF.

FIGHR TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS ON GENDER BASED VIOLENCE

By Millicent Umoru-O

The Federation of International Gender and Human Right (FIGHR) a Division of the Maternal Care Project of United Nations (UN) Women Gambia, New York held its 2020 cohort Fellowship on Gender Based and Human Rights Violence (GBV) Advocacy program.

Gistflash gathered that the fellowship which is the first of its kind will be a joint venture, focusing on the development of the Global Ambassador Program as offered by Global Minds Connect (GMC) and Peer Advocacy Education Program as offered within FIGHR. This cohort offers to assist GMC and their pledge to educate and embark on ‘‘One Million Ambassadors’’ to help eradicate GBV and governing bodies of the African Union, ECOWAS and the United Nations in their effort of ending Gender Based Violence, internationally.

The Founder and Lead Advocate, FIGHR, Dr Ameena Ali, during the FIGHR 2020 Gender Based Violence Advocacy Fellowship organized to raise Global Youth Ambassadors said the mission of the fellowership, amongst others is to make sure there is a voice for all those affected by Gender based violence. Adding that the vision is to be a solution to GBV and empower the younger generations with education and knowledge in eradicating GBV.

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Dr. Ameena said the inaugural meeting is to introduce the participants and also give an insight on what the 12 weeks training will entail.

adding that, the training will all be done virtually and after the training, participants will be certified as well as become Ambassadors for Gender Based Violence in their countries.

The virtual meeting featured participants from different countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, India, South Sudan, Afganistan etc.

She urged all to take the 12 weeks training seriously so as to be able to teach and advocate for the eradication of Gender Based Violence in their various countries. She noted that, a certificate will be issued at the end of the training

According to Dr. Ameena, after the 12 weeks training, Ambassadors will be required to go out and teach, enlighten as well as help people in both urban and rural areas to know more about Gender Based Violence and assist in eradicating it.

She further stated that the certificate will facilitate the registration of Non Governmental organisation (NGOs) and Community Service Organisations (CSOs), as that will help the ambassadors reach out to the needed audience. The training which started on 4th of August, 2020 will run till October 2020.

I want to be a police officer to fight corruption, says boy in ‘mummy calm down’ video

Oreofeoluwa Lawal-Babalola, a little boy who inspired the viral “mummy calm down” video, says he wants to be a police officer in the future so as to fight corruption.

The 4-year-old boy spoke of his dream career when he featured on an Instagram Live chat with City People TV on Friday.

“I want to be a police officer to fight corruption,” he said while fielding questions from Seyi Kehinde, the host.

The little boy said his comment in the video was to plead with Toluige Olokobi Babalola, his mother, not to administer disciplinary action on him.

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He expressed excitement about the attendant popularity the video has brought to his family, while also lauding his mother.

On her part, Toluige, who also featured on the live session, said she never envisaged that the video clip — which was done out of sheer fun — could become an internet sensation in the blink of an eye.

“It was God that destined it this way, I never envisaged it would fetch us such popularity,” she said.

She said the development had turned her from the usual “everyday person with nothing special” and his boy to a celebrity, whom many people now crave to speak with.

The mother of two, however, dismissed claims that she was abusing the little boy in the video, noting that her action was borne out of her desire to correct him from further wrongdoings.

On how the video found its way online, Toluige said she had shared it with her sister in America to catch a glimpse of Ore’s trademark theatrics whenever she wants to spank him for wrongdoing.

She said unknown to her, her sister, who could also not contain her laughter after watching the video, shared it to a group she belonged to and consequently hit the internet.

She also revealed that Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state — who earlier requested to meet Ore — had already reached out to inform them he is working something out for him.

Toluige enjoined Nigerian parents to always dissipate attention into discovering the inherent potentials in their children, adding that such could be their ticket to stardom.