This is Xmas and New Year greeting to all our supporters, partners and visitors to our website. May the new year bring more happiness to all of us.

Y. Z. Ya'u, ED, CITAD

This year’s annual Information and Communication Technology (ICT) quiz competition organized by Center for Information Technology and Development for secondary school Students closed on Saturday 29^th November, 2008 at Kano state School of Technology.

Organized by the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) the competition was attended by twenty nine secondary schools, from Kano, Katsina, Bauchi and Jigawa States.

Each school was represented by two students. Winning school for this quiz was Government Girls Science and Technical College Kano, while Government Technical College Wudil and Hauwa Memorial College Funtua came second and third respectively. Announcing the winner the managing Director Midwat computer Institute Kano Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim Nashe also said this year overall best student was Maude Yusuf from Government Technical College, Wudil while Nusaiba Ibrahim Rabi’u from Government Science and Technical College, Kano emerged as the best female student. Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim Nashe announced the prizes for the outstanding participating schools and students.

The winning school, Government Girls Science and Technical College Kano won a brand new Laptop computer donated by Microsoft Nigeria, the second best school Government Technical College, Wudil won a brand new desktop computer while Hauwa Memorial College, Funtua, Katsina which came third won a new LaserJet Printer. Other prizes included Television Set for the best female student; refurbished PC was given to the best male Student, wall clocks were given to the winning schools’ teachers. Computer text books were given to all staff and students who participated in the competition.

Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim Nashe, the Proprietor of Mediwat School of Computer Sciences announced donation of computer to one of the participating schools from Kano State, GSS Sharada. He said the donation was to signal his enrollment to the Old Student Personal Computer (OSPC) scheme of the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), which was launched two days earlier in Kano.

In his speech the representative of the Kano State Commissioner for Education who is also the Director for Education Support Services, Alhaji Rabi’u Yusuf Alhaji congratulated the winner and commended CITAD for the wonderful initiative which he urged other IT organizations to emulate. He said the Ministry was fully prepared to support this programme.

Alhaji Rabi’u Yusuf Alhaji then asked the organizers to seek for government support of for this very useful initiative. Also speaking at the occasion, the representative of the Education Committee Chairman of House of Representative Hon. Farouk Muhammad Lawan, Alhaji Sani Mukaddas pledged to support such educative efforts focused towards upcoming generation.

During the two day quiz competition, the Kano State Special Advisor to the governor on education and information Technology, Dr. Bashir Galadachi, who declared it open, delivered the keynote address during which he urged the students to take the use of IT very seriously and therefore make effort to learn. The Special Advisor was accompanied by Hajia Maryam Sulaiman Ahmad and Alhaji Ahmad Maizube, both staff from his office. Also represented at the occasion was NIIT Kano Center by Mr. Martin and Miss. Peace Ajawuile.

In his closing remark the Executive Director of CITAD, Y. Z. Ya’u expressed appreciation at the support and the assistance given towards successfully conduct of the quiz competition. He thanked the students, their teachers and the principals of the participating schools for honoring the invitation to be part of the quiz competition.

Y. Z. Ya’u appreciated the support and the general good will of the public and private sectors as moral boosting to the CITAD. He pointed out that the donation made by the largest IT company in the world, Microsoft to the competition had shown how far the initiative has gone in IT world. He also thanked the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Office of the Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Education and Information Technology for their support to the quiz programme.

The Executive Director then commended the Kano State Government dynamism in educational pursuit, assuring that CITAD will continue to be committed to producing self-reliant and patriotic up-coming generation of the youth. Other organizations that assisted according to the Executive Director were the Intersystem Computer Services Limited, Kano, the Mediwat School of Computer Science, Kano, Freedom Radio, Kano, Jigawa State Hotel, Dutse, Horizon Telecommunications Limited, Kano, Directorate for Social Re-orientation, Kano State, APCON and the School of Technology, Kano State Polytechnic. He also acknowledged the contributions of many individuals, too numerous to mention in making the event a success.

Mallam Aminu Beli

Chairman ICT Quiz Committee

The 2^nd Jigawa State IT Quiz for Secondary School Students held on 25^th November 2008 at the Conference Hall, Jigawa State Library, Dutse. This year, only seven (7) schools attended the quiz which is less than the number of the schools that participated last year. The schools that have participated in the quiz were Government College Birnin kudu, Government Girls Science Secondary School Jahun, Federal Government College Kiyawa, Computer Girls College Roni, Dutse Model International School and Government Science Technical College Hadejia. In the attendance were the Sole Administrator of the New World Radio Jigawa, Alhaji Umar Kyari Jitau Madamuwa, the Special Advisor to the Jigawa State Governor on Information Technology who chaired the occasion, Head of IT College of Business and Management Studies Jigawa (CBMS) Najeeb Abdulhamid Gambo as the Guest Speaker

After the opening prayer, a welcome remark was made by the representative of the Executive Director of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) Isyaku Garba (Project Coordinator). In his remark, he said the objective of the quiz was to raise awareness among Secondary School students and to encourage the study of computer education in secondary schools. He also mentioned that the program would assist the government to understand the level of ICTs education in Secondary Schools in the state. After the remark, a paper was presented by the Head of IT Najeeb Gambo. The paper addressed the relevance of ICT in achieving students’ academic excellence.

Out of the fifteen schools that were invited seven attended the quiz competition. The schools included Government Day Secondary School, Bulangu, Government College, Binin Kudu, Dutse Model International Secondary School, Dutse and Government Girls Secondary School Jahun. Others were Government Computer Girls’ Secondary School, Roni, Federal Government College, Kiyawa and Government Technical College, Hadejia

At the end of the quiz competition three schools emerged winners. Girls Secondary School, Roni which came First to take a home a computer set. Federal Government College Kiyawa which came Second winning a printer while Government College Binin Kudu placed third with a prize of a scanner. The overall best student award of a television set went to Abdurrahman Mustapha of FGC, Kiyawa and the best female participant of a stereo set was won by Khadija Abdulkadir of Government Girls Computer Secondary School, Roni. The prizes were distributed to the winners by the Special Adviser to the Jigawa State Governor no Information Technology, Alhaji Bala Ibrhahim and Hajiya Zaiba Uba Ringim of Radio Deuche Valle

The 6^th Annual inter-secondary schools computer quiz organized by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) will hold on Friday, 28^th and Saturday, 29^th, November, 2008 at the Auditorium of School of Technology, Kano State Polytechnic, Kano. The objectives of the Quiz are to sensitize the school communities to the need for computers, encourage students to take computer studies seriously and aid advocacy on the need for school proprietors and governments to provide computers to schools.

About 50 schools from different parts of the nine states will be competing for the various prizes to be won at the competition. These include a new laptop for first place position, a new compute set for second place position and a refurnished computer for third place winners. Other prizes are a television set for the overall best student, a radio set for the best female participant and a scanner for the teacher of the best schools. Additionally, all participants will get a participation prize of two computer books each other are also other supporting prizes such flash memories, scholarships for training for both teachers and students of the participating schools

Last year 30 secondary schools from Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Katsina States took part in the competition which held in from 7-8, December 2008 at the Murtala Mohammed Library Complex, Kano.The top three winners last year were by Hauwa Memorial, Funtua, Katsina State, Government Girls Computer Secondary School, Roni, Jigawa State and Government Arabic Secondary School, Jama’are, Bauchi State, first, second and third respectively.

The two day event will start with an opening session to be chaired by Dr. Bala Mohammed, the Director of Kano State Social Re-orientation Agency which the Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on IT will be Guest of Honor. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Bashir Galadanci, the Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Education and Information Technology. Other Guest include the National President of the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), the Citizenship Manager of Microsoft Nigeria, Hajia Jummai Umar-Ajibola, the State Commissioner for Education, the Zonal Controller, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Alhaji Adamu Amshi who will chair the second session , the Vice Chancellor of the Kano University of Science and Technology, Prof. Ibraheem Shehu Diso who will chair the final session and the Chairman House Committee of Education, House of Representatives, Hon. Faruk Lawan.

The second Annual inter-secondary schools computer quiz for Jigawa State organized by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) will hold on Tuesday, 25^th November, 2008 at the Conference Hall of the Jigawa State Library, Dutse. The objectives of the Quiz are to sensitize the school communities to the need for computers, encourage students to take computer studies seriously and aid advocacy on the need for school proprietors and governments to provide computers to schools.

Sixteen schools from different parts of the state will be competing for the various prizes to be won at the competition. These include a new computer set for first place position, a refurnished computer for second place position and a printer for third place winners. Other prizes are a television set for the overall best student, a radio set for the best female participant and a scanner for the teacher of the best schools. Additionally, all participants will get a participation prize of two computer books each

The three top schools will represent the state at the 6^th North ICT Competition which holds on 28^th and 29^th November, 2008 in Kano. Participants at the Kano event will include schools from at least eight other states across the north.

The occasion which will be chaired by the Special Adviser to the Jigawa State Governor on Information Technology, Alhaji Bala Ibrhaim has the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Ruqqayya Ahmed as Guest of Honor while the Head, Department of Computer, Jigawa State Polytechnic will deliver the keynote address

This year’s Annual ICT Quiz Competition for Secondary Schools organized by CITAD will take on the 5^th and 6^th December, 2008. The venue shall the Conference Hall of Mumbayya House, Bayero University, Kano. Since 2004, the organization has yearly organized the event which brings students of secondary schools to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of ICTs. Last year over forty schools from four states took part in the event, in addition to a special preliminary round for Jigawa State schools. This year over 60 schools from eight states would compete in the two-stage event. The first stage is the qualifying round which will hold in some of the states during the last week of November. Winners of the qualifying round will meet in Kano for the second and final stage of the competition. This year’s competition will be supported by a number of organizations including the Kano, Zamfara, Jigawa, Kaduna States Government, Nigeria Communications Commission, Microsoft Nigeria, and many other organizations. For more information contact citadev@gmail.com.

The Nigerian office of the UK development agency, Department for International Development (DFID) has donated 50 used computers to CITAD. The donation was routed through the Computer Aid International, which is a computer refurbishing and distribution partner of CITAD, based in the UK. Miss. Anne Musyoki of the West African Desk of CAI signed the donation acceptance paper on behalf of her organization.

CITAD intends to refurbish the computers and donate them to secondary schools. This gesture is part of the contribution of the organizations to support IT education in schools. The computers were handed over to CITAD representative, Malam Isyaku Garba on 28^th October in Abuja by the IT Administrator of DFID, Mr. Adesina Idris. The computers have since been brought to Kano and CITAD staff are working to refurbish them.

As part of its capacity building in ICT, CITAD has commenced a training programme for teachers of Government Secondary School, Gwale, in Gwale Local Government of Kano State. The training which began on 28^th October 2008 is at as a result of a request to CITAD by the Principal of the school who said the school needed assistance to get more teachers in IT for it to utilise its ETF-donated Diginet centre. The school is one of the five secondary schools that have received a set of 20 computers each from the ETF supported Schoolnet Nigeria. CITAD is manager of the schoolnet facilities in Kano State. The training which will last for four weeks would cover basic office skills as well as techniques of IT training. Ten teachers are taking part in this first round. All the schools under the Schoolnet Project are expected to begin implementing the newly approved national computer studies curriculum for secondary schools.

In continuation of its stakeholder consultations on the Kano ICT Park the Office of the Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Education and Information Technology on Thursday, 23^rd October held an interactive meeting with bankers and telecommunication companies. The event which held at Horizon Hotel, Kano was attended by representatives of banks and telecommunication companies operating in Kano. Speaking at the occasion, the Special Adviser Dr. Bashir Galadanci said that the forum was meant to discuss on how the state government can partner with bankers and telecommunication companies to make the ICT Park reality. He briefed the participants on the project from its conceptualization to its current stage and explained the rationale for the choice of the ICT Park as a mechanism for the implementation of the state’s ICT policy. CITAD’s Director, Y. Z. Ya’u who made presentation on the Role of Banks and Telecommunication Companies in the ICT Park identified three different roles that they could play. They include being tenants in the park, beneficiaries of outsourcing programme of the ICT Park companies and financers and partners for the infrastructure development in of the Park.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Wednesday, 22^nd October, 2008 held another round of career talk on the computer profession for students of secondary schools. The career talk which held at Government Secondary School (GSS), Dala, Dala Local Government of Kano State is part of the ongoing programme of CITAD to enlighten school communities on the importance of ICTs as well as sensitize students to take career in the computer profession. The event held at the Assembly Hall of the school. The key presentation was by Malam Ahmed A. Yakasai who in his speech stressed the need for students to make effort to acquire ICT knowledge. He said given the current educational backwardness of the north, only by embracing ICTs would we be able to bridge the gap. It is necessary for eac and every one of you to acquire computer knowledge” Mal Ahmed added. Other speakers at the event from CITAD included Yusha’u Sani, Abdullahi Ismail, Abdulrashi I. Sadiq and Abdullahi Danbalarabe.

Speaking the occasion the Principal of school, Malam Hamza Ashana thanked the facilitators for the lecture and expressed appreciation and gratitude to CITAD for electing GSS Dala to benefit from the programme. The Academic Officer of the school, Malam Kabiru Musa promised the students of the school would be participating in the coming CITAD organized Annual ICT Quiz. About 80 students attended the talk who were also given copies different publications on ICTs.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) held its July Version of its Monthly Lecture Series on the 30^th July, 2008 at American Corner, Murtala Mohammed Library, Ahmadu Bello Way, Kano.

The Speaker was Dr. Yusuf M. Adamu of the Department of Geography, Bayero University, Kano who made his presentations on “ICTs in Healthcare”. He thrilled the listening audience with indebt analysis of the subject matter. Among some of the points mentioned by him were: how ICTs have helped in Learning and Research, how Diagnostic Software help Doctors in consultations, how JIS help Geographers to know endemic areas and how it helps to manage the diseases dictated in such arrears. He also talked about how ICTs help in Medical Record Keeping. The challenge faced by ICTs usage according to him is lack of will power by our policy makers to put enabling environment for the usage of ICTs. He also noted that misplaced priorities are part of the problems that we have among the Policy Makers.

The session was chaired by Dr. B. A. Grema, Chairman Nigerian Medical Association, Kano State Branch, who made his keynote address on the Importance of ICTs in Effective Healthcare Delivery. He also highlighted some challenges facing ICTs usage in the Health Sector. He gave an instance where heavy HiTec instruments are lying unused due to lack of power supply that would power them.

The Lecture was attended by over 40 participants drawn from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Government Health Sectors, Academia, Labour, Media and Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

On Monday, 15^th September 2008, Scott Reed, an intern from the Global Information Internship Program (GIIP), University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, who had been serving with CITAD completed his period and left for the USA. During his stay with CITAD Mr. Reed conducted IT training rounds for staff of CITAD, Mambayya House and the Development Research and Project Centre (dRPc). He also helped to set up new websites for CITAD (www.citad.org and www.trainin.citad.org) as well as trained the staff of CITAD to maintain the sites. In appreciation of his stay with CITAD Mr. Reed donated his laptop to the staff of the organization. Making the presentation of the laptop, Mr. Reed said that he will continue to remember and cherish his stay with CITAD and pleaded to continue to assist the organization. While receiving the donation on behalf of CITAD, the Director of the organization said that they were happy to host Mr. Reed who would now become the Ambassador of the organization in the USA. Mr. Scott Reed came to Nigeria on 22^nd July and stayed for a period of almost three month. His posting to CITAD was part of a partnership between CITAD and GIIP aimed at promoting technology skill exchange and development in the area of ICT.

The Buji Youth Development Association (BYDA) organized Accountability Forum in Buji Local Government. The activity took place at the Community Primary School on Wednesday April, 3rd 2008.

Read More

On Thursday, August 14, 2008 CITAD held its regular Career Talk Program on ICTs for students and staff of Aminu Yusuf Government Day Arabic Senior Secondary School, Hadeja. The aim of the program was to sensitize the participants about computer system and its components as well as its usages for human development in this modern world of Information Technology.

 

The program was attended by over 60 students and teachers. In his welcome remarks, the principal of the school Muhammad Furya Abubakar thanked CITAD for selecting his school to be among the beneficiaries of its famous Career Talk, which according to him came at the right time when the school is in dare need of the program. In his own part, the representative of Hadeja Zonal Education Office, Musa Ibrahim called on CITAD to partner with Jigawa State Ministry of Education so as to organize a bigger event that would create wider awareness on ICTs among schools in the State.

 

The program was facilitated by a CITAD Team consisting of Mallam Ahmed Abdullahi Yakasai, Mr. Scott Reed of the GIIP, University of California, USA., Haruna Adamu Hadejia, Abdullahi Isma’il and Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo.

Last month I took part in an ICT rural road show organized by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) at Gagarawa, Gagarawa Local Government of Jigawa State. The event took place at the Local Government Computer Training Centre, established over three years ago. As the event progressed, participants now realizing the excellent facilities at the centre began to wonder how come that over three years since it was established nobody had been given any training from the facilities at the centre? We were to learn that since the computers were deployed, no trainers had been recruited to train potential beneficiaries of the centre. The computers have merely been kept as items of decoration to be show to visiting dignitaries and journalists. I have since found out that the situation is virtually the same in all the 27 local governments of the state. It is possible in this Jigawa State might have demonstrated some form of exceptionalism, however, the same situation could be found in virtually all the states of the federation or indeed the whole of Africa, where government officials concern with projects usually ends with the award of contracts.

 

The story behind this is that there is increasing unmet demand for information and communication technology (ICT) skills in the country. While basic digital literary has become globally a necessity for all, there are simply few opportunities in Nigerian and Africa for people to acquire these skills. Because of the high demands for ICT skills, the few who could train others are quickly absolved into high paying jobs in the financial and ICT sectors leaving us with facilities but not trainers.

 

Read More