Shettiman Fika establishes school for marriage education in Potiskum

By: Yahaya Wakili

Abdurazak Abdullahi Usman. Shettiman Malamai Fika Emirate Council. A proprietor of Shettiman Malamai School for Marriage Education (SMSME), Potiskum, Yobe State. Abdurazak explains the aims and objectives of the establishment of this great school.

Alhamdulillah, the aims and objectives of this school can’t be overcounted, but I will shortlist at least five to six major and basic aims and objectives that I can list right now. As I always reason why our community settlers are so rop, we are very immoral in our businesses, labors, and public activities; even in our religious aspects, we are not morally sound. So where the problem is, I used to ask myself all the time where the problem is since we belong to the same and single homes, all of us. So my answer is that from that particular place we are missing morality, so we have to go back and settle that particular house that we come from; maybe, Insha Allah, after settling and addressing such cases, we would reproduce a moral community or moral citizens in our localities.

“As I am saying, when you look at our people around the nation, you will see widows, divorcees, and the young child moving around without a standard of living; this brings them to the hardship of living, and this pushes many people into immorality, so they may become something that is not good. So we intend to address such cases in our localities, calling the attention of our religious leaders, traditional rulers, the government itself, and other individuals to come and join our hands together to address these cases. When we address it, we would minimize the number of divorces and the problem of orphans and all the problems around us, this case of banditry, kidnappers, Boko Harams, thieves, and all the problems that we are encountering in this nation when we address the case of matrimonial cases and domestic problems. Insha Allah, by Allah’s will, all the things will be solved.

“Adding that, you will see a woman coming to you seeking assistance. She will say even if you will use her, just settle her problem; she will give you herself. This is very unfortunate. Our Prophet, Muhammadu Sallallahu Wa Sallam, said that when the issue of “Zina” becomes an unavoidable thing in society, wait for the Allah discipline and the consequences, so we are in the consequences now. So we have to come back and sit down and think twice about why these problems are increasing. Not even to stop at how they are, they are increasing, so we have to at least stop the problem even if we can’t declare all the problems we have to stop them as they are because we didn’t know the new generation would happen to them since we see what is going on right now.

So this and many reasons push us to the establishment of this school, to call it Shettiman Malamai School for Marriage Education at this Yobe, and even in Borno, Taraba, and Adamawa, there is no school like this one; this is the first one to be established in this 2024 year. We hear about Bauchi and Gombe; there was something like this some years back, but it did not even function well. We think and we are seeking Allah’s assistance to make this school stable, standard, long-lasting, and helpful to the community, to our government, to our nation, and even to the globe at large, Insha Allah.

About the challenges, As you already know, nothing is going without money. Our challenge is money; we have no huge amount to render all the services we intend or we want to deliver to the society. We have the “Zauren Sulhu, which is a guidance and counseling committee that will sit every week, twice a week, to settle the issues of couples or the issues of divorces, widows, orphans, and all the problems of matrimonial homes, so you have to give them something to ease their coming to the office and bring them back to the house, and this will not be without money.

Abdurazak maintained that, and after all, the school that we are going to give teaching and entrepreneurship skills to the women because we have many problems with the marriage is money, when the husband can’t afford his responsibility, so the more challenge will come from his wife:Give me, give me, you have not, you have not, so the shetan or devil gets the access to come and make problems in your matrimonial living, so the money is our more basic challenge to this education, but with Allah’s help, everything is possible, because we see the hands of our government come into these initiatives.

Shettiman Fika establishes school for marriage education in Potiskum

USAID Partners to Launch the African Creative Blueprint and Strengthen Nigeria’s Creative Industry

By: Michael Mike

The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday announced its latest strategic partnership with Ascend Studios, a creative-industry organisation providing capacity building, mentorship, social, educational, and economic empowerment to women and youth to propel Nigeria’s creative sector.

This partnership, according to a statement issued by US Embassy in Nigeria, will catalyze additional funding to strengthen Nigeria’s burgeoning Nollywood industry with additional partners including Paramount Nigeria, Venture Garden Group, and renowned music executive Ralph Simon.

According to the statement, the strategic partnership labeled the Africa Creative Blueprint, will strengthen Nigerian youth with the skills and resources needed to compete in the creative industry and also elevate Nigerian creatives to the international stage.

USAID Nigeria Mission Director Melissa Jones in her remarks, said: “The U.S. government is eager to enhance Nigeria’s capacity as a leading player in the creative economy and encourage global partnerships. This partnership will create a stream of high-quality, commercially viable content that can compete on the world stage.”

The statement recognized that while Nigeria’s film industry has achieved global recognition, it faces structural challenges that hinder its full economic and creative potential. Key areas for improvement include expanding film distribution channels, enhancing production quality through advanced equipment, developing stronger screenwriting and story development practices, and reinforcing intellectual property protections. Addressing these gaps would enable the creative sector to capture a broader audience and support more sustainable revenue streams for filmmakers.

The statement said: “To address these challenges, USAID teamed up with the Nigerian and American private sectors to launch the Africa Creative Blueprint. At the core of the collective $3.5 million investment, the Africa Creative Blueprint will provide intensive training skills in TV production to 3,500 Nigerian youth and develop a skilled TV workforce of at least 200 youth to create a high-quality, music-infused 13-episode TV drama. The TV drama will be a powerful medium to convey social messages, promote positive change, and foster inclusive growth and equitable opportunity in Nigeria.”

It revealed that the training will take place across six Nigerian cities—Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Benin, and Asaba—ensuring wide-reaching access to this unique development opportunity.

It said the Africa Creative Blueprint is now accepting applications for the training programme and cast/crew member employment. The programme will select from directors, writers, producers, production coordinators/managers, editors, production designers, cinematographers, costumiers, assistant directors, actors/actresses, composers, sound designers, lawyers, accountants, and production finance professionals (including sales agents).

“We are honored to be selected as the recipient of USAID funding,” said Inya Lawal, CEO of Ascend Studios. “This collaboration represents a milestone for the Nigerian creative sector and opens opportunities for us to elevate African stories on a global platform. Through this initiative, we are building the infrastructure needed to develop world-class creative talent capable of transforming the industry.”

USAID Partners to Launch the African Creative Blueprint and Strengthen Nigeria’s Creative Industry

Yobe Govt hails VP’s Office, NEDC for organizing 1st Batch In-Person training of 100 Teachers under ASSEP

By: Inusa Salihu

The Yobe State Government under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni has hailed Office of the Vice -President, Senator Kashim Shettima and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for launching the first batch In-Person two-day training of 100 Secondary School Teachers under the Accelerated School Support Education Program (ASSEP).

Besides, all the benefitting teachers are from Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Agriculture (STEMA) subjects.

Addressing the participants, the Yobe State Focal Person, Hon. Mulima Idi Mato, said, the gesture would compliment efforts of the present administration which is committed to transform or enhance good quality of education across the state, even as he urge them to pay attention throughout the training exercise.

He added that, governor Buni since inception declared state of emergency in the education sector, pointing out that, even in the 2025 Appropriation Bill which was recently presented to the State House of Assembly, a substantial amount of over N108 billion was allocated to the sector.

“Let me use this opportunity to commend the initiators of this laudable program aim to provide quality of education in our dear land.

“As we started the first batch training with 100 Teachers across various schools in the state, more teachers are to benefit from the next batches, as they are all expected to cascade the knowledge gained down for better teaching and learning.

“I urge all participants to pay serious attention throughout the exercise for the betterment of our teachers, students and parents/guardians in Yobe state”. Mato stated.

Declaring the programme open in Damaturu, the state capital, Personal Assistant Domestic & North-East Affairs, office of the Vice-President, Comrade Mahmud Muhammad said, the gesture which are to be in batches, is intended to cover teachers in public and private schools across the North East states of Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa and Gombe.

Muhammad also said, the exercise is inline with the education revitalization commitment under the supervision of the Senior Special Assistant on Regional
Development to the President, office of the Vice President, Dr. Mariam Masha with support from NEDC and Project Implementation Team (PIT).

“I am honored to recognize Vice President Kashim Shettima’s Visionary Leadership in Launching the Accelerated School Support Education Program (ASSEP), which aim to transform education quality in the northeast region in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and education revitalization commitment under the supervision of the Senior Special Assistant on Regional Development to the President, office of the Vice President, Dr. Mariam Masha with support from the NEDC and PIT.

“May I on behalf of the Project Implementation Team (PIT) use this medium to commend the continuous efforts of the Yobe State Government under the dynamic leadership of Hon. Mai Mala Buni, in uplifting the standard of education in the state.

” To our hardworking teachers, your participation in the 1 -Million Teachers’ Black Belt virtual training reflects an exceptional commitment to excellence.

“This in-person training marks a significant step in skill enhancement, aligning our teaching practices with global standards to elevate educational quality and inspire students’ achievement.

“His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni, underscored the importance of education in Yobe by declaring a state of emergency on Basic and Secondary education in his first inaugural speech in 2019. His vision aligns with the timeless belief that ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. (Nelson Mandela).

“This declaration has led to substantial reforms, investments in infrastructure, and an increased focus on training for quality education, ensuring that our youth are equipped for success.

“As we evaluate the impact of this training through student assessments and performance metrics, we are hopeful that Yobe will be part of the leading state.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to all partners for their steadfast support, with special appreciation to the NEDC and the MD/CEO Alhaji Mohammed Alkali for their essential sponsorship, which has played a critical role in bringing this program to life, which would help to shape a brighter, more prosperous future for the Northeast region”. Muhammad said.
Also in his remarks, the Team Lead, Mr. Gbenga Ojo said, the training will provide needed skills and knowledge for the teachers to enable them deliver lectures and reposition the education sector for a better, so that, students would be able to write reports, memos, design websites, speak good english and cope with modern realities.

Yobe Govt hails VP’s Office, NEDC for organizing 1st Batch In-Person training of 100 Teachers under ASSEP