PRESS STATEMENT NORTHERN GOVERNORS FORUM AND IDB: THE WHOLE NORTH IS IN NEED BUT NORTHEAST IS IN CRITICAL NEED

We, the undersigned members of the Northeast Education and Social Accountability Cluster have welcomed the recent move by the Northern Governors Forum in partnering with the Islamic Development Bank to address the turbulent developmental challenges facing the Northern part of Nigeria.   The move is a clear indication of the forum`s effort in searching for all possible ways to transform the region amid the critical economic situation of the country.

While we are aware that the aim of the partnership is for the development of the whole Northern Nigeria, we wish to appeal to the forum on the need to concentrate more on the Northeastern Nigeria because of its peculiar developmental needs caused by the Boko Haram insurgency. Even in the Northeast it is obvious that the sector that requires immediate attention is education. Schools have been destroyed as a result of which many children are out of school. Therefore, it will be good if rebuilding schools features top in the agenda of the forum. Also recruitment, training, retraining and motivation of teachers need to be given consideration.  

In view of the above demand, we call on the Governors of the States in the Northeast to provide a reliable documentation of the destroyed schools. This should include name and location of the   schools, the extent of destruction, etc so that non-state actors can track the channeling of the funds meant for the schools reconstruction effort.

We also wish to point out that while money is needed, it is important that Governors are transparently prudent in the use and management of state funds. We urge them to be consultative in making their decisions on the reconstruction agenda by engaging communities and other stakeholders as well work with civil society organizations to allow for transparent tracking of the use of these funds.

Meanwhile, we call on the National Assembly to ensure a speedy passage of the Northeast Development Commission Bill that is before it, as it will serve as an instrument for coordinating all different interventions aimed at transforming the Northeastern Nigeria.

 

Signed:

  1. Kabiru Sa`idu Dakata, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Kano. 08064891110
  2. Mohammed G. Wuyo, Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP), Borno. 08063309633
  3. Enoch Raymond, Centre for Environmental Education and Development (CEED), Taraba. 07065550217
  4. Rebecca Hassan, Association of People Living with Disability, Gombe. 08036582745
  5. Aishatu Margima, Women and Youth Empowerment for Advancement and Health Initiative (WYEAHI), Adamawa. 08025225194
  6. Isah Garba, Bauchi Coalition for Improvement of Public Expenditure Management (BACIPEM), Bauchi. 08064867312
  7. Halimatu Laminu, Network of Civil Society Organizations, Yobe. 08025561637
  8. Dauda Mohammad, Northeast Youth Initiative Forum(NEYIF),  Yobe. 08035548664
  9. Asma`u Joda, Centre for Women and Adolescent Empowerment, Adamawa. 08032917070
  10. Ibrahim Yusuf, Society and the Future, Gombe. 08061153231

Education in Northeast comatose – CITAD

The state of education in the northeast is in comatose, the executive director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD),  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