KADUNA WEEKLY REVIEW10th December, 2018

IN THIS EDITION

No. 62

Kaduna Gov't to Provide Furniture, Upgrade Facilities in Public Schools- CommissionerEl-Rufai Cautions Politicians against Hate SpeechCivil Servants assured of Continuous Performance Enhancement TrainingCorps Members urged to be Apolitical in the 2019 ElectionsNational Youth Council Inaugurates CommitteesKDSG: Working Towards Improving Youth Stakeholdership Kaduna State Hosts NACOFEDGovernor's Wife Commissions Government Orphanage

FOCUS MDAs:KADUNA STATE PEACE COMMISSION

OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF SERVICE

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MINISTRY OF YOUTHS, SPORTS & CULTURE

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Kaduna State Gubernatorial Candidates of different Political Parties while makinga Pact with each other to ensure that the 2019 General Elections in Kaduna State

is conducted peacefully.

The Kaduna State Government has said plans are underway to upgrade facilities in all public schools and provide the needed furniture to enhance teaching and learning.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Alh. Ja'afaru Sani, said this during his visit to the Government Junior Secondary School, Rigasa and Government Secondary School, Makera in Kaduna.Sani, who was in the schools to check teacher's attendance and punctuality as well as the state of facilities in the schools, expressed concern over students' population and inadequate chairs in both schools.At Rigasa, the Principal of the school, Malam Dahiru Alhassan, said that the school has a student population of 5,295 with 21 classes.Alhassan said that this indicated an average of 252 students in a class without adequate chairs.Also, Malam Yahaya Nuhu, the Principal of GSS Makera, said that the school, with a population of 1,522 students was faced with deficit classrooms, chairs and other facilities.The commissioner said that the state government would renovate the schools, construct additional classrooms and provide the needed chairs and other facilities to improve the quality of teaching and learning.“As a matter of urgency, we will include the schools in the next phase of schools reconstruction to provide conducive environment for learning.“We are determined to continue until all our public schools are equipped with needed facilities.” The Commissioner said.While speaking on teacher's welfare, Alh. Ja'afaru Sani said that implementation of salary increments and tax waiver for public school teachers would begin when recruitment for secondary school teachers was concluded.He also said that other incentives like teachers' training and retraining and sponsorship for local and international conferences were being rolled out for the teachers for professional development.

Kaduna Gov't to Provide Furniture, Upgrade Facilities in Public Schools- Commissioner

Alh. Ja’afaru Sani, Commissioner of Education, while addressing Students during the visit.

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has warned politicians and their followers to desist from engaging in hate speech, falsehood and ethnic sentiments in the social media, capable of breaching peace in the state.

The governor stated this at a summit themed: Towards Peaceful 2019 General Election in Kaduna, organized by the Kaduna State Peace Commission (KAPECOM).

El-Rufai Cautions Politicians against Hate Speech

Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i during his address at the Summit.

He further stressed that campaigns for the upcoming elections should be based on issues and achievements.El-Rufa'i said, to a large extent, most people believed that the 2015 elections were credible, hence it was inevitable that Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan had to concede defeat and in Kaduna, the governor also called to accept defeat.According to him, it was the massive rigging of elections in 2011 that led to widespread violence at that time and Kaduna State lost over 800 lives.He added that the 2015 election was a game changer, because everybody believed that it was credible, particularly in the northern part of the state.Speaking about the exemplary election conducted in Osun State recently El-Rufai declared that as a candidate of APC, if INEC conducts the 2019 election with the same kind of credibility as Osun, there would be no violence at all, because it is rigging that leads to violence. He also asserted that he won't wait for results to be announced before conceding defeat, if he loses the upcoming election.

Earlier in their remarks, chairmen and gubernatorial candidates of other political parties who spoke at the event said that they were ready to play by the rules and urged the ruling part to desist from using the instruments of the state in its favour.

The official closing ceremony of the 2018 Batch 'C' Orientation course for corps members deployed to Kaduna State at the NYSC camp, was smooth and successful.

The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad Elrufai congratulated the corps members for a hitch-free and successful orientation program which is key to a result-oriented service year. He commended their high sense of discipline and commitment during their orientation course and assured them that more effort is being made towards the provision of some critical facilities in camp including the ongoing rebuilding of the camp pavilion. The Governor of Kaduna State, who was represented by the Commissioner of Youths, Sports and Culture, Hon. Daniel Danauta, reminded the corps members that the nation is in a defining period and gradually moving towards the 2019 general elections. He enjoined them to remain

Corps Members urged to be Apolitical in the 2019 Elections

Hon. David Danauta, Commissioner of Youths, Sports and Culture, while inspectingthe Guard of Honour at NYSC Camp Kaduna.

Members of different Political Parties in Kaduna State showing their supportfor a violence free election in 2019 after making a pact with each other on that.

In line with its revival mission, the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, has inaugurated committees to take care of issues relating to the welfare and development of youths in the state. The members of the committees were sworn in by the Acting Director of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Haj. Maryam Muazu, during the council's non-elective congress at the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Secretariat, Kaduna.

The congress had in attendance, state executives of the National Youth Council, Kaduna State Chapter, Youth officers from all the local governments in the state, representatives of youth councils from every local chapter, councilors, deputy directors and heads of education and social development departments of each local government. The Acting Director of Youth Development and her team were there as observers.The Committees inaugurated were; the State Central Congress Committee, Central Electoral Committee and Local Congress/Electoral Committees.

The National Youth Council of Nigeria is neither a political body nor its activities. According to Maryam Muazu, the objective of the Youth Council is to cater for the welfare and development of the youths in the state. National Youth Council of Nigeria is the umbrella body of all youth associations, clubs and NGO's.

National Youth Council Inaugurates Committees

Haj. Maryam Mu’azu, Acting Director of Youth Development (Standing)Mr. Emma Akut, Director of Culture (left) and Mr. Christopher Yashim (Right)

S.A on Youth and Culture at the meeting.

Participants at the Congress.

Kaduna State Ministry of Finance in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has organized the 2018 National Council on Finance and Economic Development (NACOFED) Conference in Kaduna.

Declaring the Conference opened, His Excellency, the

Governor of Kaduna State Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-rufai

enumerated some of the achievements and reforms of his

administration which are aimed at improving the lives and

future of the next generation. His Excellency explained that

while the education sector weeded out 22,000 unqualified

teachers, 25,000 qualified ones were employed to replace

them.

He said the reform in the health sector has also reduced

infant and maternal mortality while youth and women

empowerment is not left out.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai further stated that the reforms in the

area of ease of doing business has improved the ranking of

Kaduna State from 20th position in 2016 to 1st position in

2018 while zero – based budgeting and other reforms have

put Kaduna State as one of the leading state in the country.

His Excellency also called on politicians to focus more on

developmental and people oriented programmes rather than

re-election. Noting that, when politicians take decisions in

the interest of the people, their re-election would be the

concern of the people.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Minister of Finance,

Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed emphasized on the need to

support the present administration's economic policies to

diversify its revenue bases and generate more income.

The Minister called on all states of the federation to intensify

efforts at improving the IGR through the development of

non-oil sector. She commended states like Kaduna who are

being proactive and positive in the implementation of

Treasury Single Account (TSA) adding that such compliance

is the right step to accountability and transparency.

The three-day event was well attended by experts in financial

and economic sectors from within and outside the country,

some of whom were; Dr. Mahmud Isa Dutse, Permanent

Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alh. Ahmed Idris,

Accountant General of the Federation and Alh. Muhammad

Ismaila Nguru, Yobe State Commissioner of Finance.

During the event several papers were presented and several

observations were raised such as the mineral sector of the

Nigerian economy which has the potential to accelerate

patriotic and apolitical in their involvement in the conduct of the general elections and ensure that their contribution is such that will promote free, fair and credible elections which the nation expects nothing less.

economic growth of the nation has long been neglected

following the discovery of oil. Also, Nigeria's GDP compared

to human capital index is logging behind its peers across the

globe. Tax compliance is very low in Nigeria due to weak

enforcement and low tax morale.

It was also recommended that government at all levels

should declare a state of emergency on Internally Generated

Revenue (IGR) and bring all potential tax payers into the tax

net. Furthermore, government should take deliberate

measures to focus on the development of the mining sector.

In his closing remark, the Kaduna State Commissioner of

Finance, Hon. Suleiman Abdu Kwari expressed appreciation

to the Governor of Kaduna State and all who made out time to

grace the occasion, share their thoughts and contribute as

Nigerians seeking for an alternative for oil, thereby

diversifying the economy.

Gov. El-rufa’i, Haj. Zainab S. Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Dr. Mahmud Isa Dutse,Perm. Sec. Federal Ministry of Finance and Hon. Abdu Kwari, Kaduna State

Comm. of Finance at the event.

Kaduna State Hosts NACOFED

Members of the National Youth Parliament, Kaduna State Chapter, have paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Youths, Sports and Culture, Hon. Daniel Danauta in Kaduna. While interacting during the visit, discussions were centered on issues relating to Kaduna State youths of which the Commissioner reminded the parliamentarians that they are the state ambassadors of youths to the rest of Nigeria and the world entirely. He counselled them to appreciate the fact that they carry the dreams and aspirations of more than 3 million youths on their shoulders.

Kaduna Government has assured the state civil servants of continuous skills and performance enhancement training to boost productivity in the public sector. The Permanent Secretary, Department of Establishment and Training, Office of the Head of Service, Malam Ibrahim S. Jere stated this while declaring open a two-day Skills and Performance Enhancement Training organised for senior officers and others from the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies at the Banquet Hall, General Usman Katsina House, Kaduna. Describing the workshop as one of the components of the Public Service Revitalization and Renewal Program to enhanced service delivery, he said that the present administration of Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is committed to improving on the orientation of public servants through constant training and retraining to make them do things differently and achieve robust results.He stressed that more civil servants in the state will undergo training in their different fields to facilitate the implementation of government policies and programs.

The Permanent Secretary commended the state government for giving civil servants the opportunity to harness the potentials embedded in them for efficient and effective service delivery, urging participants to take advantage of the training and improve on their skills.

Participants at the workshop.

Danauta further stated that the intention of the Ministry is to

revive a working synergy among youth stakeholder groups

such as the Youth Parliament and the Youth Council in

Kaduna State.The National Youth Parliament moves advisory motions to the presidency on issues that concern youths in Nigeria. This visit, took place a day after the successful congress of the Nigerian Youth Council, Kaduna State Chapter.The Parliamentarians, 3 in number, represent the three senatorial zones of the state.

The Wife of the Governor of Kaduna State, Arc. Hadiza Isma El- Rufa'I has called on well-meaning Nigerian with the leading of discharging social welfare services to visit the newly renovated Kaduna state orphanage home. She made this call while commissioning the orphanage home at Magajin gari, Kaduna. Arc. Hadiza noted that it is always preferable for children to grow in family settings and passionately called on Nigerians to adopt and foster orphans and the vulnerable children to give them adequate parenting.Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Mohammad Baba reiterated the commitment of Governor El-Rufa'I's administration to ensuring that the welfare of children is given top priority in the state. The commissioner further explained that, at the inception of this administration, findings revealed that most adoptions were not done in the interest of the children. Thus, informing the ban on adoption and fostering in Kaduna.She also explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development with technical support from Ministry of Justice, has come up with regulatory frame work for operators of orphanages in the state. These frame works she said, will be given to these operators alongside child welfare, protection and other relevant documents to serve as guide lines for best practices and warned that defaulters would be sanctioned accordingly. Mrs. Baba also called on good citizens of Kaduna State to support the efforts of the orphanage in any way they can as government cannot do it all alone. Also speaking at the occasion was the Chairman of Kaduna North Local Government Area, Alh. Saleh Shuaibu, who pledged the unwavering support of his council to the facility. The chairman noted that taking care of these children is the responsibility of all. Also present at the occasion were Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Magajin gari Police Station, CSP Tukur Garba, District head of Doka, represented by Sarkin Hausawa, Alhaji Abdulkadir Bamalli who also pledged total support and security for the home.

Hon. Daniel Danauta, Comm. of Youths, Sports and Culture, Christopher Iliya,S.A. Youths & Culture with the members of the National Youth Parliament.

Governor's Wife Commissions Government Orphanage

From R - L- Mal. Ibrahim S. Jere, Perm. Sec. of Establishment and Training Dept,Mr. Isiyaku Buzun, Perm Sec. of Public Service Office and Mal. Bashir Mohammed,

D.G. Bureau for Public Service Reform at the event.

KDSG: Working Towards Improving Youth Stakeholdership

Civil Servants assured of Continuous Performance Enhancement Training