Why Borno refused to sack 10,566 unqualified teachers

… Zulum approves N1 billion for teachers’ training

By Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi

Long before the administration of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, Borno State was faced with a crisis of teacher recruitment and remuneration.

Some of the issues surrounding primary school education in Borno are complex, including the decision by Governor Zulum to retain those that were confirmed to be unqualified and the concern about their salaries.

Many people are angry and dismayed and have shared sentiments that are now trending on social media about why a state governed by a professor of repute like Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum will have some teachers still receiving paltry sums as salary.

The truth is that these category of teachers should be learners in a classroom and not teachers.

In 2020, the Zulum-led administration had sought to sanitise the state’s primary education system to ensure that quality education is imparted, following the devastation caused by Boko Haram insrgency. He constituted a committee headed by Dr. Shettima Kullima to determine the actual workforce of teachers and their competence to impart quality education. The final report revealed a scary outcome that less than 33% were fit to teach.

According to the 2020 report, a list of 26,450 teachers and non-teaching staff was submitted before the verification committee; among them, 18,451 teachers participated, and 2,628 with fake certificates were identified.

Zulum then constituted another committee in February 2022, headed by the current Commissioner for Education, Engr. Abba Wakilbe, to conduct a competency test on basic literacy and numeracy for the teachers who had been cleared for biometric capture.

The committee’s report confirmed that about 10,566 teachers out of 15,823, representing 66% of all Borno primary school teachers, failed the test and are not qualified to teach.

More so, 6,227 teachers were identified to be trainable, and 4,339 teachers were untrainable.

Upon receiving the report from the Engr. Wakilbe-led committee, Zulum instantly directed that 5,257 who have passed the test and are confirmed to be qualified to teach should be upgraded and start receiving N30,000 as minimum wage. I can confirm that the directive has been fully implemented and they have started enjoying the minimum wage.

The government also decided to retain those that were confirmed to be unqualified, because in a state like Borno that is coming out of the insurgency, sacking this number of people will further compound the rate of unemployment.

If not for his compassion, Zulum had the option to relieve all of them, but decided they should remain on government payroll and that all of them should be posted to work in other sectors within the local government workforce, including involvement in the planting of trees in the Ministry of Environment.

Among them, Governor Zulum directed 1,468 that had undergone Emergency Teacher Upgrade Programme with the National Teachers Institute and are certified to have obtained the minimum teaching qualifications start receiving the minimum wage salary next month.

Furthermore, an additional 3,000 under the trainable category were shortlisted for another training that would allow them to obtain the requisite teaching qualifications.

… Zulum approves N1b for teachers’ training

Resulting from the competency test, Gov. Umara Zulum has also approved that about 6,227 teachers that were certified to be fit for training should be sponsored to obtain the required qualifications and sent back to classrooms. Zulum, had on 19th of March 2024, approved N1b for the training of these teachers.

These feats were widely reported by Nigerian newspapers, including the LEADERSHIP, DAILY INDEPENDENT, THE SUN among other news outlets open for verification by the general public.

Since assuming office in 2019, Zulum has prioritised the enhancement of education in Borno State by putting in place all the necessary infrastructure and improving the workforce deficit.

The governor has, on other occasions, approved the recruitment of over 4,000 teachers, 1,000 for secondary schools and 3,000 for primary schools.

Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi
Senior Special Assistant on New Media

Why Borno refused to sack 10,566 unqualified teachers

FG REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION IN NIGERIA

— As Justice Minister, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN Commissions NHRC’s Lagos State Office at Ikeja

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in Nigeria by providing the enabling environment for the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to effectively realize its mandate.

The Government also promised to support the NHRC to own its offices nationwide to further entrench its independence and strengthen its strive to protect the rights of citizens.

The Honorable Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN who made this statement on the occasion of the commissioning of the Lagos State office of the NHRC noted that the operational independence of the Commission has been future strengthened with the construction of it own offices.

“Under the Paris Principles, such national human rights institutions are to be independent in the execution of their mandate, structure and operations” .

Section 6(3) of the NHRC Act 1995 as amended, stipulates that the Commission in carrying out it’s mandate and operations shall not be subject to the control of any authority or person, he added.

“Accordingly, the ownership of their place of operations (office) constitutes an important aspect of their independence. I am happy to say that since this administration, the government has not interfered with the independence of the Commission”, the AGF said.

The Chief Law Officer of the Federation noted that in fact, during the last dissolution of Boards of all parastatals, the government exempted the Governing Council of the Commission from the general dissolution of Federal Government Boards due to its independence under the enabling Act and the Paris Principles.

In her opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Governing Council of the NHRC, Dr. Salamatu Suleiman, FICMC, thanked the Honorable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and other highly distinguished guests for gracing the occasion of the completion and commissioning of the Lagos State office of the National Human Rights Commission in Alausa, Ikeja Lagos.

According to the senior lawyer, the history of the realization of this project needs to be told as a testimony of the determination of the Commission to strengthen its operations and independence.

She recalled that the Commission was established through the National Human Rights Commission Act 1995 as amended and that in its determination to entrench its independence from the beginning, the Commission commenced its daily operations from its own independently owned buildings in the six geo-political zonal headquarters of Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano, Jos and Maiduguri between 1996 and 2002.

“Over time however, the acquired Lagos office building was no longer befitting and structurally fit to meet the challenges and demands of a modern office suitable for the operations of a national human rights institution like the Commission.

The need for inclusivity and diversity in the working environment of the Commission necessitated a new office structure after 23 years of the acquisition of the Lagos office building and the other zonal headquarters”, the Chairperson narrated.

She observed that things like ramps, lifts, mediation rooms and conference rooms have become key components of any structure for conducting business by a national human rights institution like ours.

The project, she stated, was fully funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria with no donor support.

“The Commission is indeed grateful to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Budget office of the Federation, the National Assembly for appropriating funds for the execution of this laudable project. It is our fervent hope that the dream of realizing the construction of the remaining State offices of the Commission will soon be a reality”, she added.

In his speech at the occasion, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu OFR, SAN said the Commission had identified the ownership of its offices as one of the indices of its independence under the Paris principles from inception, but due to inadequate financial resources in the Commission, it could not continue on the trajectory of owning all its offices, the way it had started at inception from 1996 to 2002.

The Chief Human Rights Officer of Nigeria recollected that the Lagos office being commissioned today was the first to be awarded in 2019 while the others were awarded in 2020.

“It is hoped that by the end of this year, the Commission will be completing at least 8 of the 9 projects while the 9th project will hopefully be completed before the end of 2025. The delivery period has been 4 to 5 years. This is due to the lean financial resources available to the Commission”, the Executive Secretary stated.

He used the opportunity to appeal to the National Assembly and the Budget office to appropriate more funds to help the Commission further realize its mandate to provide adequate protection to Nigerians when their rights are violated.

Finally, he thanked the Chief Judge of Lagos state, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, the Hon Attorney General of Lagos state, the Commissioner of Police for Lagos state, civil society organizations, human rights defenders like Chief Femi Falana SAN, and the Media who work with us daily to resolve complaints on human rights violations.

Other dignitaries and stakeholders who also graced the occasion were, Chairman House Committee on Human Rights and Legal Matters, Hon. Abiola Peter Makinde, representative of the Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, representative of the Commission of Police, Lagos State, Chairman Nigerian Bar Association, Ikrodu, Bayo Akinlade, representative of the Director General Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, representative of International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Victor Lutenco (Senior Programme Coordinator), representative of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr. Frederick Uche Oko, and the Vice Chairman NBA Lagos State, Esther Jimo, etc.

FG REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION IN NIGERIA

Nigerian Troops rescue 2 Kidnap victims in Plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN on Tuesday rescued two kidnapped victims during an aggressive patrol in plateau state.

The operation dubbed “HAKORIN DAMISA IV,” thwarted the kidnap attempt along Maraban Jama’a road in Jos LGA.

Intelligence sources told Zagazoma Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region that the troops deployed at Bisichi while responding to the distressed call on the kidnapping activities, stormed to the scene and discovered a brown Peugeot.

The sources said that the troops conducted a search Operation in the surrounding bushes and rescued the owner of the vehicle one Mr Abdul Bello along with another lady Miss Sekyen MELODY Yapshak who was kidnapped at her parents residence opposite Nigeria Police college.

The rescued victims were taken to the police college clinic for medical check and the vehicle was moved to the troops location for further action.

The source emphasized the commitment of OPSH to maintaining its efforts toward tackling security threats in the region.
He also highlighted that the operation will continue to target criminal elements and bring them to justice.
End

Nigerian Troops rescue 2 Kidnap victims in Plateau