United Nations Nigeria Reaffirms support for Malala Fund and Girls’ Education

By: Michael Mike

The United Nations in Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to work with Malala Fund in its mission to advance the right to education and address the challenges that keep millions of children, especially girls, out of school.

The promise was made over the weekend in Abuja during a strategic engagement by the UN team with Nobel Laureate and Malala Fund co-founder, Ms. Malala Yousafzai, alongside the organisation’s executive team and board members. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed Fall, underscored the UN’s dedication to promoting inclusive and equitable education for all.

Fall said: “The UN reaffirms its support to the Malala Fund in advancing the right of the girl-child to quality education and breaking barriers to education access,” said Mr. Fall, “No child should be left behind.”

The UN Resident Coordinator led a UN delegation comprising representatives from UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women to the meeting. He emphasized that meaningful societal transformation hinges on robust investment in human capital, particularly through education for girls and empowerment of women.

Fall added that: “Together with the government and our partners, we are committed to dismantling the obstacles that prevent children, especially the most vulnerable, from accessing education.”

He identified key barriers to education in Nigeria, including insecurity, economic hardship, climate change, and entrenched socio-cultural norms. He called for intensified efforts to promote gender equality and strengthen social cohesion as critical pathways to sustainable development.

Malala, who arrived in Abuja on September 26 for the Malala Fund Board of Directors annual meeting, reiterated Nigeria’s central role in the Fund’s global strategy for 2025–2030.

She said: “Nigeria is a priority country for Malala Fund. Since 2014, we have invested over $8 million in Nigerian partner organisations working to break down the barriers keeping girls out of school.”

She outlined the Malala Fund’s strategic priorities in Nigeria, which include: ensuring married and pregnant girls can return to school; increasing education financing and ensuring it meets girls’ needs; and using education as a policy solution to ending child marriage.

The Chief Executive Officer of Malala Fund Nigeria, Ms Nabila Aguele reiterated the commitment of the organisation to ensuring all girls could access and complete 12 years of school in Nigeria. She emphasised Malala Fund’s focus onstrengthening rights and securing resources for girls’ secondary education.

Ms. Yousafzai is expected in Abuja to engage with young girls and education advocates supported by the Malala Fund to hear firsthand their stories, aspirations, and the changes they wish to see in their communities. She will also meet with key government and civil society leaders to galvanize momentum for policy reforms and collaborative action to accelerate progress on girls’ education nationwide.

United Nations Nigeria Reaffirms support for Malala Fund and Girls’ Education

NOA Campus Debate: Yobe State University emerges winner in North-East

Yobe State University has won the North-East Campus Debate competition organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

The competition themed: “Unity in Diversity: Defining National Identity in Nigeria’s Multicultural Society,” attracted participants from six government-owned universities in the region.

Shehu Abdullahi, Gombe Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Reintegration, said this at the end of the competition, on Thursday in Gombe.

He said Yobe State University beat five others to emerge the winner.

Abdullahi said that Modibbo Adama University, Yola came second, and Gombe State University placed third.

While Federal University, Wukari in Taraba clinched fourth position, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi came fifth and University of Maiduguri sixth position.

Abdullahi commended NOA for organising the competition aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s unity and reawaken national consciousness on the responsibility of citizens to peace and nation building.

Lanre Issa-Onilu, Director-General, NOA, said that the 2025 National Campus Debate was not only about competition but values.

According to Issa-Onilu, the exercise is not merely a competition but a civic engagement platform for grooming young minds intellectually, morally and patriotically.

Represented by Ali Audu, NOA Zonal Director, North-East zone, Issa-Onilu said the debate competition served as a national space for intellectual contest, civic dialogue, and youth expression.

The competition, he said, provided a space where the next generation of Nigerian leaders were called not only to speak but to think, research, reflect and take ownership of the values that will shape Nigeria’s future.

“This year’s edition of the debate has taken on a structured and inclusive three-tier format.

“At the first level, institutions from across all thirty-six states and the FCT submitted video entries that were screened based on strict evaluative criteria.

“From there, winning institutions advanced to this current zonal stage, the face-to-face debate, where they now compete for a place at the national grand finale. That final event, by the grace of God, will take place in Abuja during Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary celebrations.

“It will be hosted at the Presidential Villa, with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria himself expected to unveil the National Values Charter, at the occasion,” he said.

He said the competition also served as a call to stakeholders, especially yout6h, to think critically about what it means to be a Nigerian.

“And to explore how our differences can become our strength, and to offer solutions that move us closer to a united and just society.”

Also, Adaline Patari, NOA Director in Gombe State, reiterated commitment towards promoting patriotism, national values and social cohesion.

Ms Maryam Isyaku, a 100 level Law student and Zainab Alkali, a 500 level medicine student, represented Yobe State University in the competition.

They expressed joy over their victory, and urged Nigerians to embrace peace.

Isyaku said Nigeria would benefit everyone more if we stand in unity and harness our differences to build a better nation.

Ibrahim, who dedicated the victory to every girl-child in Yobe, added that, “something good is coming out of Yobe, and the girl-child is at the centre of it all.”

NOA Campus Debate: Yobe State University emerges winner in North-East

BOSU to hold maiden convocation in January 2026

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Vice Chancellor (VC)Borno State University, Professor Babagana Gutti has said that the maiden convocation of the University will come up in January 2026.

He said that the management is doing all it can to dot the t’s and the I’s of its academic calendar to ensure that the ceremony takes place first thing next year hopefully.

Prof Gutti regretted that he took over a main campus that was overwhelmed with myriads of immediate challenges which to him must be fixed before other pressing issues like convocation could be handled effectively.

Going philosophical, the VC posited that life is all about challenges so even when he wanted to hit the ground running, a year ago when appointed, those issues he was not expecting to harass his sensibilities were serving as a clog in the wheels of progress.

To him, meeting lots of these hitches was not the issue, but meeting those he expected and those he did not expect as an academic was quite intriguing and it actually subjected him to serious tests in the realm of administration as a new comer in the office.

Gutti said that funding was a major issue he met on ground as expected because previous administrations did not effectively put forward their challenges on the front burner for the government to regard them as primary for the campus to function.

Transportation of members of the University community

One of those problems he met on ground was transportation especially when one considers the fact that the main campus is located at Njimtilo almost 20km from the centre of the Borno state capital.

“Transportation was a major challenge for every one when i arrived. Imagine a situation in which in the morning, it was easy to get transportation but sadly it was not the same in the evening for members of the University community to commute.

“I met about ten of the campus buses broken down and I had no choice but to fix them. That was my first task, doing what I could to ensure that students had transportation to and from the main campus.

“The situation was so bad with the vehicles that I had to change all their tyres for safety purposes and gave them the basics needed to return the buses safely back to the road.

“We also got two extra buses from somewhere through the ministry of poverty alleviation and we are expecting more by the grace of God from the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

“As for the bus drivers, they are being retrained to cope with the challenges associated with the roads. The essence is to teach them to be careful. We don’t have the resources to fix the roads but our drivers must cope with the status of the roads. “

Commenting on the trailer crash that killed two of his students last year while going home in the campus bus, the VC noted that the Dangote company took responsibility of the bills of the late students and even those who were admitted by refunding the amount spent on the students in the hospital.

He revealed that the parents did not press further charges for their wards because they believed that “these issues in our clime are usually left to God” to adjudicate but the issues are being further looked into to avert further incidents in the future.

Centralization of Administrative activities in 3 buildings on campus

Professor Gutti posited that on assuming duty, the entire campus was crowded around the senate building to get things done which was not too good for the progress of the campus community.

” I discovered that most of the daily activities was centralized in two or three offices on campus and this was because most of the departments did not have overheads for such facilities on their own.

” On seeing this I had to create overheads for every department so they did not have to come here (VC’s office) just to photocopy. I bought printers and papers for all of them to take off with the new way of doing things.”

The VC noted that one year after, everyone now has his own office facility and the work of administration is going on very well without being over centralized.

Water Reticulation on campus

Water supply was a very important commodity for institutions with large populations like his as such the non availability of this product in every building and everywhere was a major challenge.

“Imagine when i turned the taps in my office, there was no water. That to me had to be fixed so I had to ensure that it was history.

“I actually repaired all the damaged bore holes and reticulation was done to all the buildings so that the three main boreholes can supply the campus effectively.

” i could have used our funds here to dig more but the topography of the University will not allow that to happen effectively.

“Due to the scarcity of water in most of the buildings all the sock aways were blocked and even filled. We had to repair all of them and made them functional.

On water issues with the female hostel, he said the only borehole that was working in the campus a year ago was the one by the student hostel.

“There was light and water then but whether it is drinkable or not is another thing entire. However, one year after assumption of duties, 100 percent of the main campus is completely reticulated now and we are happy.

” Also, out of the intervention from TET fund another extra borehole may be added to the ones we have in the campus soon”. Said the VC

While reeling out his achievements on more water especially with the take off of the faculty of medicine, the VC maintained that moves are on to create soft water out of the harshness of the water oozing out of the belly of Njimtilo.

He regretted that there were no laboratory for the mb bs program and five other programs in the medical college to kick start

“They should start seeing cadava right from part two and we have fixed the labs for them to have such a facility to work with. We spent a lot of money to resolve these issues.

“As a matter of fact, all the generators were fixed and we spent a lot of money to make progress on this because they had all broken down.” Said Gutti.

Solarization of the campus

Gutti regretted that massive vandalism went on in many of the offices before he hit the ground running so he had to fix most of the electricals all over again.

” in most of the blocks the vandals cut all the wires and took them away. I had no option but to fix them and in the process to maintain sanity on campus.

“I had to fix solar in the student hostels so that they now have 24 hours electricity supplies because it is essential for them to study.

“Students did not have foams to sleep so we had to buy them the double bunk mattresses to lie upon.”

On personnel, he went on: “I can tell you that, we are recruiting right now and i expect the figure to go up very soon.”

Regretted the proliferation of new universities when the ones on ground are yet to have the requisite numbers of teaching staff they desire.

“We believe that most of the universities today do not have the number of requisite profs.”

On the non academics on campus, the VC noted that they don’t have much challenges with them because most of them were transferred from Kashim Ibrahim College of Education maiduguri.

What next for the university ?

The VC hinted that he had about two to three faculties which he is yearning to establish before the end of his tenure and they are faculty of computing with departments like Robotics, Cyber security, AI, software engineering ICT and many others like artificial intelligence.

” Environmental studies where we will do Urban and Regional Planning Architecture, Building, survey ect.

“The third one is the College of Law which will offer different kinds of law courses in the faculty.” Concluded the VC

BOSU to hold maiden convocation in January 2026