In its efforts to broaden ICT literacy, the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has since 2001 been conducting Annual Information and Communication Technology quiz competition for secondary schools across Kano State. The annual competition was initiated to promote ICT knowledge among the secondary school students in order to ensure that they meet the growing demand for ICT literacy. This year’s quiz marked the 15th round in Kano State after its inception in 2001. 34 secondary schools participated which took place on 24th November, 2016 at School of Technology, Kano.
The quiz started with opening remarks by the representative of CITAD Executive Director, Malam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai who emphasized the importance of ICT education and briefed the audience about the aims and objectives for organizing the ICT quiz among secondary schools in Kano State. He then listed the following prizes to be won during this year’s ICT quiz competition.
1. First Position: Laptop and Refurbished Computer
2. Second Position: Laptop and 3-in-One Printer
3. Third Position: Laptop
4. Best Teacher of Winning School: Plasma TV
5. Teachers of the Winning schools: A Wall Clock Each
6. Contestants/Winners (6 students): 5 yards of Shadda Each
7. Participated Teachers and Students: Certificate of participation and set of books.
In his good will message, His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kano Malam Mahammadu Sunusi II who was ably represented by the district head of Dawakin Tofa, Madakin Kano, Alh. Yusuf Nabahahani Ibrahim acknowledged the developmental activities of CITAD in the state. He then stated that, the emir wishes to attend the ICT quiz competition himself in order to motivate the organizers and the participating schools in this worthy endeavor but due to certain reasons he assigned me to represent him. He finally thanked CITAD and wished them God Blessings.
The secondary schools that participated in this year’s ICT quiz included:
1. School of Arabic Studies
2. Government Girls Arabic Secondary School Albasu
3. Maryam Tijjani Governmnet Technical Collage
4. Government Girls Collage Kano
5. Government Girls Secondary School Kabo
6. Government Technical Collage Danbatta
7. Government Girls Secondary School Kura
8. Government Girls Secondary School Jogana
9. Government Secondary School Gwarzo
10. Government Technical Collage Kano
11. Government Secondary School Rano
12. Government Girls Collage Gezawa
13. Government Secondary School Shekara
14. Government Technical Collage Ungogo
15. Dawakin Kudu Science
16. Government Girls Secondary School Fatima Muhammad
17. Governor’s Collage, Kano
18. Government Girls secondary school Sharada
19. Government Technical Collage Bagauda
20. Government Girls Arabic Secondary School Maryam Shekarau
21. Government Secondary School Karaye
22. Government Collage Tudun Wada
23. Day Science, Kano
24. Government Girls Arabic Secondary School Tahir
25. Government Secondary School Sabuwar Kofa
26. Dakata Kawaji
27. Government Girls Secondary School Yar Gaya
28. Rumfa Collage, Kano
29. Government Girls Secondary School Hausawa
30. Government Secondary School Danbatta
31. Government Girls Arabic Collage Goron Dutse
32. Government Secondary School Bichi
33. Maitama Sule Science Collage Gaya
34. 1st Lady Collage

The yearly quiz also was attended by important personalities which included His Royal Highness the Emir of Kano Malam Muhammad Sunusi II who was represented by Madakin Kano and District Head of Dawakin Tofa Alhaji Yusuf Nabahani Ibrahim Chigari, Vice Chancellor, Bayero University Kano, Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello also represented by Dr. Muhammad Ajiya, Director, Center for Information Technology of the university, Commissioner of Commerce, Tourism and Industry also represented by Alh. Danjuma Babawo, representative of the Regional Manager, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Alh. Waziri Ibrahim, representative of the Managing Director, Intersystem Institute of Information Technology, Alh. Muhammad Auwal.
Others were Mr. Kinsley Iwezulu from H&M Construction Company Limited, representative of the Executive Director School of Technology, Kano, Engr. M.M Kibya, Executive Secretary Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative, Hajiya Amina Hanga, Alh. Murtala Bala Mai Sallah, and Salisu M. Indabawa, representative of the Executive Director United Action for Democracy (UAD), Media Organizations and Civil Society Organizations.
Engr. Kamal Umar of CITAD who served as the quiz master declared the quiz open by stating the rules and regulations governing the quiz competition for the participating schools. First round of the quiz featured 17 schools on the first come first serve basis. The schools were: SAS, Kano, GGASS Albasu, MTGSTC, Kano, GGC Kano, GGSS Kabo, GTC Danbatta, GGSS Kura, GGSS Jogana, GSS Gwarzo, GTC Kano, GSS Rano, GGC Gezawa, GSS Shekara, GTC Ungogo, SBSC Dawakin Kudu, GGSS Fatima Muhammad and Governor’s Collage, Kano. The quiz master asked the schools to answer three questions each and each question carries 2 marks. SAS, GGASS Albasu, GGC Kano, GGSS Jogana, GSS Rano, GGC Gezawa and GGSS Fatima Muhammad answered only one question and scored 2 marks each. MTGSTC, GGSS Kabo, GTC Danbatta, GGSS Kura, GSS Gwarzo, GSS Shekara and Governor’s Collage, Kano answered 2 questions and scored 4 marks each. GTC Kano, GTC Ungogo and SBSC Dawakin Kudu answered all the 3 questions and scored 6 marks each. This means that GTC Kano, GTC Ungogo and SBSC Dawakin Kudu emerged victorious and able to secure a place in the final round.

The programme started at around 11:00, it was started late because it was sanitation day in Enugu state. The participants were drawn from students, youth, women group, traditional titled holders, journalists and Civil Society Organizations.

It started with self-introduction by the participants, welcome remarks by Isah Garba, who welcomed the participants to the programme and took them through the background of the CITAD peace project in general, and specifically the monitoring and countering of hate and dangerous speech, its objectives, goals and activities. He also made the participants to know that the Enugu progarmme is the third in the series of the regional sensitization programmes that CITAD is conducting in the country with one programme in each of the six regions in the country, started from Damaturuin Yobe state for the Northeast and Jos in Plateau state for the North Central.

The next was a presentation on understanding Dangerous Speech, which was also taken by Isah Garba and he led the participants to define hate speech with specific focus on the contextual working definition, which is summarized to be  regarded as dangerous speech any speech act that is aimed at inciting the audience to denigrate against people others of the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, geography and any other socially conceived parameter with the purpose of marginalizing them or placing them at some disadvantage that is contrary to the provisions of the universal declaration on human rights as well as the international covenants on rights of the people. This does not include the peculiar joking relations that exist in some communities, practiced between two or more ethnic/linguistic groups that have historically been used as a conflict resolution mechanism.

Another area torched in the presentation is the transition or difference between hate speech and dangerous speech. Dangerous speech is considered as speech that contains call to action such as, kill, loot, beat, discriminate, evict or riot. The participants were also made to understand that for any speech to be considered worthy for categorizing as hate speech, the speakers influence and position has be look into, the audience’s possibility of reacting to the speech and the level of the speakers influence on the audience plus the medium of disseminating the speech considering manipulation of the medium by the speaker and level of frequent repetition of the speech.

Ibrahim Nuhu took the second presentation which is Strategies of Countering Dangerous speech. He first lead the participants to appreciate the fact that for anybody to effectively counter hate speech ne needs to have full knowledge of what hate speech is. The participants were taken through varies ways o countering dangerous speech including means of preempting methodologies.

During the general discussions participants unanimously agreed on the existence of so many hate speeches cutting across religion, region and ethnicity, some as a result of misconceptions, others deliberate by either politicians or some so called religious leaders.

They also commended CITAD and MacArthur foundation for planning to sensitized the populous on this menaces and teaching ways of countering them to curb violence and promote peaceful coexistence in the country. It was also recommended that these sensitizations should be started from the scratch through catching children young right from the primary and secondary schools level since most of the distortions and inculcation of hatred among the people is mostly started there. The programme was closed at around 5:00pm and participants left for the various destinations.

On the 5th November 2016 peace clubs advisors from Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe states met at Khairan Guest Palace, Bauchi to deliberate on the proportions and expectations of the peace clubs and the students for peace clubs. During the meeting the participants appreciated  CITAD  effort of coming up with the initiative of engaging  youth  in the campaign against violence and promotion of peace in the country  and  thanked MacArthur Foundation for supporting CITAD to do the job.

The participants also recognized peace and stability as an imperative to development and youth especially those in schools as a better tool for promotion sustainable peace in country especially if the idea of tolerance, understanding and respect for diversity is inculcated in them at their tender age.

CHALLENGES

The participants identify the following challenges as impediments of effective running of peace clubs activities in most of the secondary schools and the tertiary institution.

1. The academic engagements of the students of tertiary institutions that nowadays deter most of the tertiary institution students from participating in other extra-curricular activities.
2. The economic situation that makes students to be combining studies with other income earning activities,  make some students to restrict themselves to  only studies and other financial activities and shun any activity that will not generate income for them.
3. In Yobe state  there is restriction of any public gathering that will  be crowded  due to the insurgency, this will affect some of the sensitization programmes and peace campaign to be conducted by the clubs
4. Lack of access to phone and restriction of phone usage by students in boarding schools will affect and exclude the student in engaging in the online campaign against hate speech and other peace promotion activities.
5. Lack of internet services in some schools is another challenge for online activities

RECOMMENDATIONS

The participants recommend that if below measures are taken the clubs will be very effect:

1. S4P members should use the orientation period in first semesters to sell the idea to new students as they come before been occupied by other academic activities.
2. Banners to welcome students to the campuses should be provided to be fisted at strategic places on the campuses as a means of drawing the attention of new students on the existence of the clubs in the schools
3. Students that are not allowed to use Cell phones in schools should be encouraged by the advisors to be doing the online campaign at home during holidays and in school the advisors to be collecting the peace messages from the students and share them online but the name of the students that designed the messages should put as acknowledgement
4. The advisors should be more proactive through organizing activities such as quizzes, debate, cultural dances, drama etc to make the clubs more attractive to the students
5. CITAD should provide identity for the members  especially  customized T shirts to make the students proud of their membership to the clubs
6. Excursion and experience should encourage and support by CITAD among the schools where the clubs exist
7. If possible noticed and banner should designed for the clubs for their meetings and notification of the existence of the clubs I the schools
8. Advisors should get means of using the media in amplifying the activities of their clubs
9. All advisors should send list of their members and minutes of their meetings to CITAD  on or before Friday 11th November 2016

Report of NorthEast Regional Meeting for Peace Advisors And Students for Peace (S4P) Leaders, Organized by CITAD with Support from MacArthur Foundation.

On 5th November, 2016 the Centre for Information Technology And Development (CITAD) organized a one day Regional Meeting for Peace Advisers and Students for Peace (S4P) Leaders held at Khairan Hotel, Bauchi, Bauchi State. The Meeting kicked up at 10:00AM with registration of participants, opening prayers by one of the participants and self introduction.

The session started with brief insight of the works of CITAD, Its missions and vision; this was done by Ali Sabo, CITAD. The floor was later preceded by the presenter of the day, in the name of Isah Garba, CITAD, he started with highlighting some of the key roles CITAD maintains as strategiesfor peacec campaigns. These include:

• Social accountability
• Free computer training for secondary school teachers (Sighting Bauchi as a case studty)
• Computer quiz competitions for secondary schools
• Open mind programs
• Peace and  its campaign
• Monitorung hate speech
• Peace clubs and S4P

From there, he moved on with the presentation proper were he stressed the need to engaged youth in peace campaigns, he also pointed that there is strong need for  interaction between peace clubs in secondary and tertiary institutions, this will help in:

• Raise awareness
• Sensitize students in eradicating extremism
• Provide training on the issue on peace
• Serve as the security to stands firm on good
• Makes them have confidents on the peace
• Support them and encourage them to involve others too

Some activities of the activities of CITAD include:

• Computer skills training
• Entrepreneurship training
• Social media ethnic training
• Writing workshops

In the course of his lectures, he informed the audience that CITAD is ever ready to sponsor provision of publicity and IEC materials to any school in question.

He mentioned some of the basis the club should be run, among which are:

• Targeting just 50  students in each school, for CITAD to chew selected schools well
• The targeted states are Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Katsina though pressureis mounted on the centre to include Zamfara  

Some prizes are also reserved for outstanding clubs (Best 3) each term and year respectively.

Programs for the advisors are also highlighted.

Wider engagement programs of the center include:

Monthly social peace messaging competition, track hate speech on Facebook, Twitter and Istagram and tight engagements; touching many places.

At the end of the presentation, these questions were thrown to the floor members (participants)

1. Deliberate on how to make the clubs more effective

The responses from the floor:

• Using available facilities
• Help the students to know themselves
• Continue to sharing ideas (among the clubs)
• Including debate, quiz and cultural displays will encourage more students to join the move
• Missions and vision has to be pronounced well, this will help in making larger society embrace it all
• Introduction of jingle
• Encourage them to join using cash and kind
• Call ministry of education to create time for peace clubs (This was addressed immediately by the presenter, saying that Wednesdays are selected for clubs, the issue here is with Yobe alone but Isah Garba assured him that his point is noted, actions will be taken soon)

1. How the students can be more attracted

• Peace advisors should be committed
• Students are attracted by new things, use of banners, excursions and the likes (Isah Garba commented on this, one big constraint is with NGOs policies. On going out, each student has to be insured and some teacher leave when they got all the necessary know how on peace )

1. Propose parameter for evaluating the performance of the clubs

• Through regular visit
• Following what each club does on their social media handles
• In schools were phone are allowed, regular assessment on what they are expected to learn

1. Contributions to how the activities we proposed can be delivered and suggest additional ones

• Mentoring fresh students, right at the gate
• Conniving with SRC, Registry, Dean Student Affairs
• Involving high profiled persons will encourage others
• Good communication between the students and advisors
• Introduction of local languages, some people are poor in English

A question was raised by one of the participants from Gombe, Is there any provision for special schools (Disabled ones)?

She was answered YES by Isah Garba.

She went on to expatiate more on the need to include special education students in the circle.

The program ended at 3:00PM