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Insect Invasion: An appeal from a council chairman in Yobe
Insect Invasion: An appeal from a council chairman in Yobe
By: Yahaya Wakili
Farmers and the people of Fika local government area of Yobe state have cried out for help following a situation of insect invasion of their farms, rendering the people helpless in attempts to control the menace. This informed a call by the Executive Chairman of Fika local government area, Hon. Abdu Bukar Gadaka, to appeal to the Federal Government, Yobe State Government, none-governmental organizations (NGOs), and well-meaning individuals and organizations to join hands in providing assistance to the people.
According to the chairman, the call has become imperative because the lives of the people are in danger because this year the insects have destroyed all the farm products of the people of the local government area. He stressed that a farmer who was getting 40 bags before now gets only three measures (mudu of grains, as the locals called it). This is because insects have eaten the whole farm products of the people of the Fika local government area.
“We wrote an appeal and sent it to the Yobe state ministry of agriculture, and we also sent it to His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni CON, and the government sent us insecticides, which we distributed to the people’s farms. However, the insects have destroyed all the farm products, and the worst areas affected are Lampo and Gashinge; Garu and Fusami wards were also worst affected. The products destroyed by the insects include shoghum, millet, genin corn, beans, and sesame, among others; all were damaged by the insects, but the groundnut is not affected. This is not the issue of drought because this year we got enough rainfall because for many years we didn’t see rainfall like this year, so this disaster is from God,” he said.
“Yobe state government gives us insecticides first; we spray it; then we make another write-up; now the people from the federal ministry of agriculture visit us; we went round with them; they bring us insecticides, but it’s too late; it can’t be used this year; farmers will keep it against next year.” He added.
He called on the federal government, Yobe state government, NGOs, and well-meaning individuals to assist his people with food security, adding that “let’s come and rescue the lives of our people; let them assist the people during this difficult time. Insects have cleared all the farms and land of the people of Fika local government. I call on the people to be patient and continue praying to Almighty Allah (SWT); we can’t do otherwise; this is what God brought on us. Let us continue praying to God to bring us a solution.
“My message is to the Federal Government, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Yobe State Government, under the able leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni CON, Minister of Agriculture, is to establish the Federal College of Agriculture in Gadaka because of the farming in the area. Since the time of the North East, they know Gadaka with farming of groundnut because of the nature of the land. Therefore, I am appealing to the Federal Government to come and establish the Federal College of Agriculture here in Gadaka. We have the site and land, and GGSS Gadaka has promised to give us a temporary side for the takeoff of the college. I start discussing with them all this with a view to boosting food security in the area and the state in general.”
He said Gadaka is notable in farming since North East people from Asia, that is, Arab people, used to come and buy groundnuts from Gadaka, adding that the area is close to Ngaji water. He said if the college is established, the lecturers will have access to research either in fisheries or agriculture, and they will also advise the farmers on how to improve their farming.
“I am also appealing to His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni CON, Chiroman Gujba, to upgrade our maternity health clinic to the General Hospital status; the federal comprehensive health center we have is too small to cater to the needs of our people, so that our people would have access to easy health facilities.
“We are lucky enough Yobe State House of Assembly committee on health and Commissioner of Health have visited the maternity health center Gadaka and recommended it. I am appealing to the Inspector General of Police and Yobe state government to establish Police Divisional Headquarters in Gadaka where DPO will be posted; the outpost we have now is too small to cater to or combat the rate of crimes in the area. We have a number of populations, the wide of the land; therefore, there is a need for Divisional Police Headquarters in Gadaka.” He added.
Insect Invasion: An appeal from a council chairman in Yobe
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
By Aisha Gambo
The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).
The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.
She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.
According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.
“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.
Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.
She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.
According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.
She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.
Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.
She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.
The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.
She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.
Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.
She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
By: Zagazola Makama
Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.
The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.
According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.
Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.
Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.
The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
By: Zagazola Makama
A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.
The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.
According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.
The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.
The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.
The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
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