By Bashir Mohammed
Kano

Executive Director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Malam Zakari Yau Zakari, has said that no sustainable development could ever be feasible without entrenching peace at the lower rung of the ladder
He also identified the issue of social justice and blatant discrimination, as part of the factors, which must be addressed for the prime objective to be achieved.
Speaking at a one-day evaluation meeting on peace organised by CITAD in Kano yesterday, Zakari stated that the notion of social justice must be predicated on the premise of equality before the law, adding that the issue of addressing violent conflict could only be realistic with the citizenry being equal in the eyes of law.

According to him, the spectre of hate speech  and propaganda stunt on social media and other means of communication had taken a heavy toll on the quest to find a lasting solution to intractable conflicts stressing that CITAD was up and doing in creating the much needed awareness for everyone to comprehend.
He said CITAD had also undertaken a pain staking research on myriad cases of human right abuses stemming from the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency affirming that the result, so far, recorded was impressive given the level of response received from those appalled by the alleged wanton violations of their right.

On the problems and challenges CITAD was facing at present Yau said  CITAD was not able to reach out to the legislature at the federal level and the top military brass who were major stakeholders in ending the ongoing insurgency on the issue of advocacy and collaborative synergy
He, however, lamented that there was low awareness and poor understanding of the inner workings of the social media which serves as a veritable launch-pad in disseminating the basic information needed to engender peace saying many people were afraid to indulge in social media communication to appreciably forge ahead.

Link http://www.blueprint.ng/2015/12/24/development-without-peace-is-illusory-citad-boss/

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Executive Director, Centre For Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Malam Zakari Ya’u Zakari has said that Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable development if peace is not prevailed in the polity, saying that the issue of social justice and blatant discrimination must be addressed for the prime objective to be achieved.

Speaking at a one- day evaluation meeting on peace organized by CITAD in Kano yesterday, Ya’u stated that the notion of social justice must be predicated on the premise of equality before the law, adding that the issue of addressing violent conflict could only be realistic with the citizenry being equal in the eyes of law.

According to him the spectre of hate speech and negative propaganda stunt on social media and other means of communication had taken a heavy toll on the quest to find a lasting solution to intractable conflicts, stressing that CITAD was up and doing in creating the much needed awareness for everyone to comprehend.

He said his organistaion had also undertaken a pain staking research on myriad cases of human right abuses stemming from the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency, affirming that the result so far recorded was impressive given the level of response received from those appalled by the alleged wanton violations of their right.

He added that CITAD was not able to reach out to the legislature at the federal level and the top military officers who were major stakeholders in ending the ongoing insurgency on the issue of advocacy and collaborative synergy, saying” This is the challenge we are currently facing.”

He maintained that many people were afraid to indulge in social media communication which serves as an effective means of disseminating information needed to engender peace, lamenting that there was low awareness and poor understanding of the medium to appreciably forge ahead.

On the issue of cattle rustling, Ya’u further revealed that CITAD had established the Cattle Rustling Information System to provide an on line documentation on the incidences of the problem in the country which had now become a major problem.

He opined that the organisation had also established network of volunteers against cattle rustling that was aimed at providing the much needed framework to fight the menace, stressing that the entrenchment of peace was a collective responsibility of everyone and that the task must not be left in the hands of the government to tackle.

Link http://www.peoplesdailyng.com/nigeria-cant-achieve-development-without-peace-citad/

The state of education in the northeast is in comatose, the executive director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Mr. Yunusa Yau has said.
Briefing Daily Trust yesterday during the presentation of the survey report on the state of education in the Northeast in Abuja, he said the research conducted revealed that the educational development generally in the Northeast is presently less than other parts of the country.
“We know that there are problems, so we want to bring all the stakeholders, legislative, executive, civil societies and community representatives to discuss this problems so as to come up with collective agreement on how we can work together to reshape the state of education in the Northeast,” he said.
House of Representatives committee member on basic education, House of Representatives, Muhammad Usman lamented that the structure of education in the Northeast has collapsed completely.
He pointed out that out of the 10.5 million children out of school in Nigeria, 8.7million are from the North, adding that the Northeast states have the highest number.
He said the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) law that stipulates that 26 percent of the national budget must be allocated to education is not implemented in the Northeast as 12 percent is the highest been allocated.
Link http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/education-in-northeast-comatose-citad/124760.html#xiHr2mm7jdSijZMu.99

A non-governmental organization, the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has expressed its willingness to partner with the Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue to improve the state’s internally-generated revenue (IGR).  The state coordinator of  CITAD, Mallam Isa Garba, stated this during an advocacy visit to the Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue.
Mal. Garba said CITAD has arrived to support the board and advise it on ways that can help improve the state’s IGR for effective development.
He suggested that the board should conduct survey on the fees charged for vehicle particulars in neighboring states, specifically Jigawa and Kano, to ascertain any variation in the charges and take possible measures to motivate the citizens to renew their particulars in the state.
The CITAD coordinator also urged the board to create a data base for all vehicles registered under the board for keeping track of the times that vehicle particulars are due for renewal and be sending reminders to the owners via messages and emails.
Garba pointed out that there is the need to intensify media campaigns to enlighten the public on the economic, social and security benefits of the exercise.
He said that the board should also look for ways of reaching out to vehicle owners and liaise with transport unions for cooperation.
The acting Chairman of the board, Alhaji Yakubu Isa, commended the efforts of CITAD for the proposal of partnership.
“This comes at the right time. We will be glad to welcome a proposal from you that will guide and complement our efforts in generating revenue for the economic development of the state.
“I expect you to come up with observations and suggestions that will effectively contribute and made impact on the revenue generation drive in the state so the citizens can benefit from its economy,” he said.

Link http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/citad-bauchi-state-partner-to-improve-igr/119002.html