News
Perm Sec budget urged Ministries Departments and Agencies in Borno to retire budgetary allocations in time
Perm Sec budget urged Ministries Departments and Agencies in Borno to retire budgetary allocations in time
By: Bodunrin Kayode
The Permanent Secretary, Borno Ministry of Budget and Planning Dr Peter Solomon has called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) in the state to retire their budgetary allocations to assist the Ministry plan effectively for the next fiscal year.
Granting an interview during a pre-budget workshop for directors of finance, planning and budget officers Tuesday in Maiduguri, Dr Solomon stressed that the performance of the budget and the 25 year Borno development plan cannot be assessed effectively if erring parastatals refused to retire details of their funds allotted to them on a yearly basis.
While responding to a question by this reporter on the performance of the budget, the permanent secretary stated that the ministry can only assess performance “high or low” when releases of retirements get to them as at when due.
He added that performance cannot be read directly because their sister finance ministry hardly get the needed retirements as at when due. ” We have hammered on this but we don’t know what else can be done to increase their ability to retire their budgetary allocations. They just keep dragging their feet and dragging us backwards.
“Every Ministry is expected to retire at least by the first week of the following month so we expect these retirements to take on a timely basis but we are not seeing the timely reports as expected yet we are already talking of fixing a new budget. Retirements is about how far we have been able to go in the business of budgeting for the state and don’t forget we have a supplementary budget which we have been planning even before the flood came around to destabilize the entire system.” Said Solomon.
The Permanent Secretary regretted that in spite of the fact that there may be many challenges to surmount as a new ministry, the inability of ministries to retire their budgetary funding is a big challenge which they are taxed with.
Dr Solomon however noted that performance can easily be assessed by the approval of the Governor Professor Babagana Zulum and these approvals will tell you about what will be carried out on the ground. And then after the approvals, you will have to also consider also the issue of what has been released and how effectively the projects have been carried out.
“Look at those gigantic schools the Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum is building all over the place. It is obvious that contractors would not have been able to work if these monies were not released in time.Once monies are released, it is always expected that these projects will be carried out. That is what has been going on in the state because his excellency does not waste time to approve as long as he believes the project like all those bridges affected by the flood must be repaired so that commuters can enjoy using these facilities.” said the permanent secretary.
On the new monitoring and evaluation department, the permanent secretary said that since that department has been transferred to their ministry, they have been trying their best to meet up the challenges of the MDA’s since the budget ministry is a young ministry.
“It is just recently that we were told to take over the monitoring and evaluation department but with workshops like these and the town hall expected for tomorrow, we expect to give them enough training to meet up to our expectations. However,even before then, the Ministry of finance gives us feedback on releases. We are all still together as our commissioner is the one supervising the two ministries for now. But basically our business is to give conveyance and approval after the Governor has approved that project.
” Sometimes people come and make demands for funds forgetting that we cannot give out such funds without budgetary approvals. We don’t release monies like that. What we do is to authorize and then convey to the officer for release in the finance ministry where clients will go and receive accordingly.” Said the perm secretary.
Perm Sec budget urged Ministries Departments and Agencies in Borno to retire budgetary allocations in time
News
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
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
News
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
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
Health
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
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
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