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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