CITAD Decries Poor Compliance of Covid19 Protocols in Kano Secondary Schools

By Yakubu Salisu, Kano

Centre for Information Technology (CITAD) has decried what it describe poor compliance of Covid 19 protocols in Kano State Secondary Schools thereby exposing students, teachers and other staffs to the risk of contacting the deadly virus.

The Kano Based Non Governmental Organization made this known on Monday during a press conference to make public it’s findings after the Centre with the support of MacArthur Foundation and International Institute of Education conducted a survey to assess the compliance of Covid 19 safety protocols in secondary schools in the State as prescribed by the State Task Force Committee on Covid-19.

According to the Coordinator, Covid-19 Project, CITAD, Ali Sabo, the survey which was carried out in 60 Secondary Schools in the State the Centre found out that there is little observance of social distancing in classrooms, dormitories, sporting arenas and dining halls, while hand sanitizers are only being provided at the gates of the schools but the use of the sanitizers is minimal in other areas of the schools.

Other findings include; failure on the part of teachers to observe social distancing and wearing of face masks, inadequate thermometers for temperature checks, poor or no mechanisms in place by the state government to ensure compliance with the directed protocols in schools.

Furthermore, that schools are poorly financed to provide adequate hand sanitizers and face masks for students and staff on daily basis, insufficient public awareness and sensitization programs in many of the schools and among the students, which still leads to doubt about the reality of Covid-19 amongst the students and teachers.

Sabo said that, their findings indicated that conditions are basis uniform across different types of schools and across different zones of the State that it would appear that the non-compliance with key aspects of the protocols is largely due to the inability of either schools or the students to provide for themselves on protection means such as face masks and hand sanitizers.

The Coordinator explained that based on their findings the Centre call on the State Government to ensure the prompt implementation of the following recommendations in order to safeguard the lives of both students and their teachers; that the state government should provide more structures to minimize congestion in class rooms and hostels, adequate protective materials should be provided.

School authorities should ensure the enforcement of all Covid-19 protocols in their schools by setting up a Covid-19 Task Force Committee in their Schools and there should be regular disinfection of classes, staff rooms, dinning halls and students’ hostels.

Other recommendations include; sustained sensitization to reach all the schools in the State, the State Ministry should establish a mechanism that will go to schools to observe compliance with the protocols.

Speaking further, Ali stated that the Centre finds it difficult to understand the rationale behind the State Government’s decision to keep it civil servants below grade level 12 at home and ask students to resume school where by should a child be infected, such a child is capable of infecting an entire family.

He said CITAD is following with keen interest development in the State Secondary Schools as regards the Covid-19 and would suggest a closure should the situation warrant that because an infected child could infected not just only his or her family alone but a whole lots of other persons.

DLAC, CITAD Hold Social Media Marketing Training

The Digital Literacy Advocacy Club and Centre for Information Technology and Development have held a social media marketing training on brand development and economic living.

The training which held on January 15th and 16th was faciliated by Ikechukwu Onyekwere and Olanrewaju Oyedeji.

At the event, Ali Sabo, who is represented Centre For Information Technology and Development noted that the Social media has become more important in ensuring development and brand growth.

He also noted that the Centre for Information Technology and Development is always ready to promote and support healthy discussions, trainings toward better usage of the Social media. Speaking also, Isah Garba from CITAD acknowledged the importance of Social media in development, business growth and job provision, noting that the CITAD is committed to ensuring that importance of Social media is better understood and maximised.

While speaking at the event, Ikechukwu who is a Digital Marketing Expert noted that there is an importance to take the use of Social media beyond just daily routine activities to ensuring better gains and at such there is a need to understand how to go maximise opportunities provided by the Social media. He also encouraged participants to apply what they have learnt into their daily lifestyle.

Olanrewaju also encouraged participants to begin to think about broader use of social media. According to him, it is importat that money is not just spent on data but also value should be gotten in return.

The event was held on Zoom and was aired Live on Centre for Information Technology and Development’s Official Facebook page.

CITAD’s 19th Annual Quiz Held at Kano State University of Science and Technology Wudil

10th December, 2020

As part of its effort to promote computer literacy and ICT awareness among students of secondary schools in Kano State, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has since 2003 instituted a yearly ICT quiz for secondary schools in Kano State. The objectives of the quiz were to sensitize the school communities on the importance of computer knowledge, encourage students to take computer studies seriously and aid advocacy on the need for school proprietors and government to provide computers to school and invest more in the area. This year’s ICT quiz held on the 10th of December, 2020 at Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil with twenty six secondary schools as participants within Kano state. The participating schools were Dawakin Tofa Science Collage, GGSS Sani Mai Nagge, GSS Ja’oji, First Lady Collage, GGUC Kachako, GSS Gano, GTC Kano, MTGSTC Kano, M.A Day Science, Governors Collage Kano, GSS Kawaji,  Dawakin Kudu Science, YBUMSS, KUST Staff Collage, GSS Gwale, GSS Rumfa Collage, Kano, SAS, Kano, GGSS Shekara, GSS Gaya Gandu, GGC Kano, GGC Dala, MSSC Gaya, GSS Gwammaja, H&M Girls Science and GTC Ungogo.

The 2020 ICT Quiz had a 224 attendees including the Vice Chancellor of Kano State Science and Technology Wudil (KUST), Professor Shehu A Musa, Professor T.S, Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, KUST, Aminu Bello Muhammad, Registrar, KUST, Abubakar Shehu, National Information Technology Development Agency, Hashim Muhd T. Ministry of Education, Usman Usman Dalhatu Nigeria Communication Commission, Kano Zonal Office, Khalid Imam, Kano State Science and Technical Board, Abdurrashid Abubakar, Gaya Emirate Council and Hafsat M. Abdullahi from the Centre of Information Technology, Bayero University, Kano

In his welcome remarks, CITAD Executive Director, Engr. YZ Ya’u who was represented by the Centre’s Training Coordinator, Malam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai said over the years CITAD saw the need to support and boast the ICT sector by initiating and coming up with various programmes including the ICT quiz. He continued to state that The ICT quiz is one of the several efforts CITAD has been putting in the development of ICT knowledge among the young people in the country including several trainings and workshops with different objectives. Malam Abdullahi added “so far the Centre has recorded a lot of successes and achievements from this initiative by bringing different secondary schools within the state together in order to boast their moral and academic performance”. Announcing the prizes to be won, Malam Abdullahi said in this year’s ICT quiz First place position will go home with All in One Computer, Second Place Position will be given Refurbish Desktop Computer while third Place will receive a Printer and best teacher will also go home with Plasma TV, 32 inch.

Another prizes to be given at the event were as follows: all participants of the winning Schools will receive Techno Tabs Android phones.

Remarking at the event, the chairman of the occasion, Prof. Shehu A. Musa, Vice Chancellor, KUST, Wudil expressed his happiness and appreciated CITAD for initiating this gigantic and life changing program. According to him, this kind of event will change the thinking of young people and encourage them to take career in the field of ICT. Professor Shehu assured CITAD on behalf of the university to keep on hosting the quiz annually. He also announced that the university will take responsibility of awarding the prize of first position with a computer, the university will also give N20,000 to each participating school from first to tenth positions and N50,000 for the best teacher. He also announced that he will personally give N20, 000 to the first place position, N20, 000 to the second place position and N10, 000 to the Third place position.

At the end of the competition, GTC Ungogo emerged 1st Place Position, MSSC Gaya emerged 2nd Place Position and GTC Kano emerged 3rd Place Position. Malam Anas Usman Aliyu of GTC Ungogo won the best teacher award.

Whatsapp: The Revolutionary Tool of the Naiveté

By Y. Z. Yaú

It is itself a revolution when a leading promoter of IT in Nigeria such as Mallam YZ Ya’u is turning his back on social media usage, with particular reference to radical democratic politics. But this piece is not just a critique of degeneracy in radical praxis but also a treatise on the political economy of digital capitalism, touching on the false hope of technological fix, the limit and potential of protest politics and the occupying or nicotine nature of social media. Do read it but not in a hurry because, otherwise, Mallam will not get the knocks and kudos he has invited by the barbs he has thrown at radicals, the IT monopolies, social movement agitators and more! – Intervention!

The author

Three or four years ago, I toyed with the idea of doing an academic paper with the title “Fighting with their Fighters: Making Revolution in the Age of Social Media”. It was borne out of two circumstances, first my optimistic advocacy about technology as a transformative tool and secondly my excitement with the Arab spring. The Arab Spring held such a fascination for me such that it has often been a reference point for my discussion about the power and possibility of technology in social revolution. At that time, I was more taken in by the outliners of the eruption in the Arab world than in the actual developments and build-up of events and processes to the eruptions. For all it mattered, Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian who set himself on fire to spark off demonstration there, was an icon, with his iconic picture in flames, inspiring up demonstrations across many cities of several Arab countries.

The hope was that we were waiting for our own Bouazizi and some saw him in the flames of the #EndSARS protests. I didn’t see him. Yet even in this, as Laeed Zaghalami contends in his article “The Internet promotes democracy, like the ‘Arab Spring’ in the book Busted: The Truth About 50 Most Common Internet Myths, “Arab Spring, if there ever was one beyond the Western narrative with this name, has neither resulted in newly democratized societies and national states, nor did the upheavals have their origins in Internet or social media”.

Ironically what prompted me to think about the paper referred about was what actually ended that naive reading that we could have the Nigerian revolution through our WhatsApp interactions. We had four years ago planned to to mark the 150 years of Volume 1 of Marx’s Capital which was published in 1867; 100 years of Lenin’s Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, published in 1917 and the 100th anniversary of the October 1917 Russian Revolution and eventually did that in 2018. As part of the process, we set up a WhatsApp Platform, originally meant to help us in coordinating the process of the conference and communicate with prospective participants. However, later it became a platform bringing Marxists, socialists and even anarchists to discuss the possibilities of the Nigerian Revolution.

I functioned for over a year as an admin for the platform but as the days went by, it brought torture that was becoming unbearable for me. In the end I decided that rather than expelling people who are so undisciplined, I should just save my sanity and withdraw, which was what I did and left the platform. But in Nigeria, once you are on WhatsApp, it is impossible not be added to many platforms that you never asked to be added, and so it is I found myself in many groups that I did not know why I was added in the first place and not knowing what purpose I am serving by being there.

But this had afforded me an opportunity to pick up on a number of observations in this unique Nigerian cyberspace that I would like to share here. My comments are not to all general purpose WhatsApp groups but those that claim to either be set up for the transformation of Nigeria or those that aim at a socialist or even a Marxist revolution in the country. And there are many of these but the interested reader can do a little research for himself or herself to discover them.

My first point is that people set up groups and simply add whoever they think should share their objectives, even when these objectives are not shared. The very ethic of consent is thrown away. It is ironical that many of these people who set up these groups could shout about digital rights yet the right to consent which is foundational in digital rights discourse is easily dispensed with.

Second, there is an allusion to the need to transform Nigeria. All too often this is vague that you do not get clear understanding of what the agenda is, that is if it ever was articulated. This is why often you see members arguing and abusing each other at cross purpose. The more vociferous and abusive one becomes, the more is respected in the group.

Third, the more members of the group fight among themselves and abuse each other, the more it is assumed to be revolutionary. The venom is reserved not for the bourgeois enemy or the reactionary ruling class but for the renegade comrades who could not accept the point of view of other comrades. Off our groups, we demand that government respect dissenting views but when in our groups, we are highly intolerant of dissenting views. There is such a love for abusive language that is it is celebrated as the hallmark of intellectual sophistication and evidence of great learning. We love democracy but without its imperative for plurality of views.

The nicotine dimension on a global scale

Fourth, only members of the group (or some members of the group) have the correct answers to our problems. Any other opinion is either irrelevant or reactionary. Conformity is a desired behaviour. The objective is not to sell our agenda by winning converts but more interested in scoring debating points. The binary fixation does not leave room for learning from others and the possibility of alliance building. It is either you wholly agree with or you are part of the enemy.

Fifth, there is no attempt to engage others who are outside the group. In this case, there is no need to expand the circle of the revolutionaries. Only those within can be trusted with the revolution. There is no need to win new cadres. Such outsiders will pollute our ideological purity. At any rate, they will not understand the sophisticated logic of the arguments and cannot contribute anything meaningful.

It doesn’t come off that way but if certain insiders are not certified as sophisticated, then it can only mean that the masses cannot be informed and capable of knowing what they want. They should not be involved in the high level discussion of the revolution. In this, the very tenet of Marxist credo that the people make their revolution is jettisoned. The group will make the revolution on behalf of the masses. The opinion of the masses is irrelevant and, any way, they are not socialists and cannot be socialists, and yet, we will do a socialist revolution, obviously for them.

In this, we also have no trouble in inverting democracy, not as the rule of the majority – the people – but as the rule of the most sophisticated elements. Should someone point out this, there is a ready-made answer: we have to transcend bourgeois democracy where people buy opinion with money. Here we buy opinion on the basis of robust rational arguments.

There is also the gleeful consumption of fake news and unverified reports. When these appear to support the dominant views of the members of the group, they are celebrated enthusiastically as sign that we are winning the struggle. On the other hand, where reports sharply contrast the dominant views of the members of the group, these are dismissed as fake news, not worthy of the attention of enlightened people like members of the group. What do you think of misinformation? It is good if its aids the cause of the revolution but is reactionary propaganda when it works to undermine the cause of the revolution. After all, we can cite an army of post-modernist scholars such as Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Fredric Jameson to rationalise that is there is nothing like the “truth””. Everything is contingent. “Truth” is mere perspective or standpoint.

There is also the fluidity of purpose: every topic or subject is opened to discussion on the platform except those directly relating to the objectives of the group. Here, exhibitionism in theoretical demonstration is celebrated. No matter of tactics or strategy, not even a consideration of whether the revolution is a real possibility, is discussed. But there is endless discussion about the illness of the country, the inability of the ruling class to deliver but not the inability of the revolutionaries to move the revolution forward and grab power. There is plenty space for all sort of conspiracy theories.

There are no ground rules of conduct for the group, or at least, they are not respected by anyone. Debates, if they are, are not meant for building consensus among group members but rather for scoring points. There is no closure on any issue as anyone can at any time return to a past issue. There are no priority issues but the fanciful ideas of most active members. No resolutions are reached in the way of furthering the objective of the group.

As the debates become more rancorous, driven by the craving for points and attention, soon cleavages and divisions begin to emerge. In the fullness of time, factions materialize and all energy is now devoted in factional fights.  In turn, factional fights lead to the collapse of the group and the emergence of new ones which are doomed to repeat the same fate and the revolution is ended before it starts.

Spaces of the Arab spring that have turned hollow

It is often given that people as a collective in an organized form, make the revolution. In the WhatsApp revolutionary narrative, no organization is needed to carry out the revolution. All you need is a torrent of posts and a flurry of debates. The WhatsApp is the organization. Because of this, no organizational issues are discussed, and no plans for building one are ever elaborated upon. Instead, the lack of organization is celebrated as a sign of democracy. Marxist theory of revolution privileges the revolutionary vanguard which has the historic responsibility of mobilizing for the revolution. Perhaps the vanguard is all online that it cannot exist offline.

Caught in the luxury of netizenship, the revolution seems to find no escape from Alvin Toffler’s world in which the working class has disappeared, and so you have Marxist revolution that will not be made by the working class and not for the working class either but for the highly combative netizens of the cyberspace. Yet as Sebastian Berg argues, “Digital instruments are used to make organizations more inclusive and reduce old barriers, but they will not replace organizations and politics”.

Ok, so now we have unlimited opportunities to rant and vent our anger on the system but we do not recognize that the limitless opportunities are constrained by information overload. People are not hungry for any news or communication but thirst for persuasion, they need to be rationally persuaded to change their views. We now have communication without social mobilization. So, in all practical purposes, these exchanges in WhatsApp groups are meant for the group members and not meant for those outside. It is an elementary logic that no social revolution will take place without social mobilization.

There is also the crude and naive understanding that the social media made the Arab Spring possible and, therefore, it will make the Nigerian autumn possible. Social media did enable communication and coordination but there were already organizations to mobilize people for the spring and it was not that people were at home fiddling with the handsets that made the protest possible. There were people on the streets, in the barricades and there were people at home, behind their screens. There is also the link between these two groups of people who moved things, food, drinks, handled logistics. These cannot be done via WhatsApp!

There is also the naïve belief that social media, or indeed any technology is neutral which it is not. Technology is just an expression of social ideas which embody ideological stands and biases. How it is inserted and appropriated in society is conditioned and constrained by the social ideas that enabled the production of the technology.

In this, we often overlook two insights about technology. First, that it is mere tool and therefore subject to appropriation and reappropriation. It was not invented to carry out social revolution but it can be reappropriated. However, that has to come through the deconstruction of the embedded ideas in the technology. The second insight is that technology has historically been a site of class struggle. While it may have lessened the burden of the worker, it is in addition to alienating him from the his or her labour, the tool to take away control of the work place autonomy the worker has by the capitalists.

Closer to the internet, we miss its addictive nature and furiously keep posting but also that begets its own logic. Tristan Harris, a designer at Google, contends that “smartphones are engineered to be addictive”. We get hopelessly trapped and addicted to our social media that we cannot account for how much time we spend on it. We also find we are unable to withdraw, and retrace our steps, to detox or declutter. The cyberspace is premised on the basis of attention grabbing. That is why commentators have called it the attention economy. Michael Goldhaber, author of Attention Economy and the Net warns that when we all get our website, the “increasing demand for our limited attention will keep us from reflecting, or thinking deeply (let alone enjoying leisure).”

 We get worried when no one likes our posts, no retweets or even comment about them. Ultimately, we forget about transforming the world and become excessively concerned about the attention that our posts are getting. The reality is that internet is not meant to make revolution but to create super profits for entrepreneurs around it. So by design, it is meant to take as much of your time as possible, leaving you with no time to do the essentials for transforming society.

Can Nigeria Overturn the Tide Against Decline in Reading Culture?

By Y. Z. Ya’u

Sunday, December 27th, 2020 was another exiting day as the duo of Mujahid Ameen Lilo and Alee Lawal, both teenage authors conducted the Twin Hills Writing Workshop for young aspiring writers. Held at the America Corner, Kano State Library, the workshop had two tow tracks: a short story writing track facilitated by Lilo himself and a poetry section, facilitated by Alee lawal. The closing session featured speeches by prominent Kano–based writers, including Dr. Bala Mohammed of the Faculty of Mass Communications, Bayero University, Kano (and a Weekly Trust back page columnist); Ismail Bala, a leading poet from the north who has many anthologies to his credits, Dr. Maryam Ali, a prominent novelist, Mal Auwalu Hamza, a pioneer in the novel writing culture in Kano and the Bilingual poet and cultural writer, Khalid Imam whose poems have been translated in into many languages and currently the curator of the All Poets Network (APNET).

In a way, all the speakers were united by three things. First, as teachers, they have a keen interest in developing the talents of young people. Second, all are passionate about writing and in which they have done more than their due share in promoting a culture of creative writing in Kano. Both Hamza and Ismail were ex-chairmen of the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA), Kano Chapter while both Khalid and Maryam were equally state officials of the association. Maryam was, in addition, a one time national official of ANA.

Dr. Bala Mohammed it was who undertook the task of trying to transform the love genre early Hausa novellas into a broader spectrum of concerns when he was the Director General of the Kano Social Reorientation Agency, Adaidaita Sahu, many years back. Third, they are all successful and experienced writers. Listening to them this afternoon was, therefore, more than a semester worth of classroom lectures.

They all made the case about writing, not just as a hobby but also as a vacation and profession from which young writers could earn a living, although Maryam was sensitive enough to put a caveat here that they should not look up to writing as a substitute for a job! This point led to my reflection which was on the very point that Maryam left: whether writing can sustain young people in Nigeria?

Writing in Nigeria face many problems, one of which is the observable decline in reading culture. Because would be writers need to read in order to perfect their crafts, they have to rise up to the challenge of a culture that de-motivates them from reading. But it also de-motivates the writers from writing because the products are ignored by the potential market.

I was born in the “LeaderRoom” days. “LeaderRoom” I later understand to be the way children in my community in my childhood time used to pronounce “Reading Room”. In those days, every community with a primary school had a reading room at the centre of the community where both pupils and members of the public could go and read in the evenings or weekends. There were a few collections but we had opportunity to read. People often came with their books. So, it was not a library in the classical sense but a place where people met people who were interested in reading. It was a major point in laying a foundation for a reading culture that nourished many a generation.

Compare that to what obtains today: first, the reading rooms have disappeared, with many converted into private properties. The libraries outside state capitals have become extinct. Community libraries are laughable structures actually, full of cobwebs. In the state capitals, the libraries have been turned into glorified event centres, hosting more dancing and wedding events than reading activities. It is something to be thankful that we still have the American Corner to meet in the case of Kano. Even in the libraries of the academia, those books are old, rotten, full of dust, with missing pages and parts of pages while the librarians are much younger than any of the books in their collections. But even old books are useful except that people hardly go to read the dinosaur of books.

Last month, I spent a couple of hours at the beautifully set National library in Gombe without seeing a single person walking into the library to consult the books in the shelves. For the past three years, we have laboured to set up a community library in Jamaare, Bauchi State. Each time I visit, the volunteer Librarian complains that no one visits to use the books.

So it is true, we are up against a monster called decline in reading culture. But this is a gross oversimplification of the problem. There is obviously a decline in reading culture but it is much more than a decline in reading culture. That visit to the National Library, Gombe afforded me an opportunity to address young aspiring writers like this group and to address one aspect of this decline of reading culture which I argued, was actually a change in our reading culture. And so today I want address another aspect which is that the thing we see as decline in our reading culture includes a change in our reading culture but also more fundamentally, a profound change in our value system.

The infrastructural anti-thesis to a reading culture across Nigeria, from the Northeast to Niger Delta

All hopes not lost?

Let us start by recalling the past. In the past, the three most important persons in any community in Nigeria were the traditional leader of the community, the Imam of the Friday Mosque or the Head Pastor of the community and the Headmaster of the community school. This is again oversimplification, because in a multi-religious community, you could have two or more religious leaders but I count this as one person because they perform essentially the same functions. In those years, secondary schools were few and mostly boarding, meaning that their students, teachers and principals were accommodated outside the community. Being at the periphery of the community, they were not considered as fully integral part of the community so the status of principals of the secondary schools was indeterminate.

In those days, the most respected of the people were not the richest but the more knowledgeable ones or people who could be relied upon to address communal problems with their wisdom. Usually, the preparation for princes required elaborate training in learning and character so that they could lead their people. In the same way, you did not become an Imam or Pastor or even Headmaster without learning. Each of these three was distinguished by their possession of knowledge. They were not the richest people, often they were poor or just not rich. But they were well respected and their voice carried an authority whose power and command was never doubted.

Communities valued knowledge. Money was useful but it was not valued over and above knowledge. It was needed but it was not the basis of respect in the society. Knowledgeable people were valued for the very reason that they possessed knowledge. For this reason, people who wished to be respected had to acquire knowledge. When you acquire money and you have no wisdom, they derisively dismiss the person as “money missed road”.

Today the table has turned against knowledge. The most important basis for respect in society now is money and more money. Rich people, no matter how foolish, are now the most important voice in their communities. They decide who gets elected or appointed to what position, what issues to be tackled and those to be ignored. In short, they make all the decisions for the community. The community leader is respected only to the extent that he has money. As for the religious leaders, they are tolerated but not respected. Teachers are seen as the dregs of the earth and no village girl wants to marry one.

There is only one way to acquire knowledge that is by reading and learning. Libraries are indispensable instrument for knowledge dissemination. But there are many ways in which you can make money: you can become an armed robber, a kidnapper or a cultist. You could be a heartless corrupt public servant or a politician. Whichever method you take to make your money, you can only amass money at the detriment of the people and the community.

If you are a corrupt civil servant or politician, you make your money by ensuring that the money meant to build schools is put into your private account for you to build mansions. If you are an armed robber, you waylay the parents of the children as they struggle to raise money for the school fees of their children. If you are a kidnaper, you plan and take away their children either on their way to school or on their way back home from school. Cultists kill children in school. The combined effect of all these roads to money making is to make the education system dysfunctional and prevent learning.

But there is also the taunting and exhibition: money makes it look like hard work does not pay, learning does not pay and knowledge is irrelevant in the scheme of things. In this scheme, there is no place for schools or libraries and no one cares about learning and knowledge production. Each new mansion that rises in the community is an assault on the education system and to reading culture. Who will read when it has no value? So we traded money for knowledge and the result is that education is at the bottom of our value system.

This is how we end up with learning infrastructures daily being destroyed. Teachers are ridiculed and laughed at. Libraries are considered more useful if they are converted to events centres. No space is being allowed for learning and reading.

If we are to rebuild a reading culture, we have to rethink our value system. I have no magic formula of how that can be done but I see hope in the work that young people like Mujahid Lilo, Alee Lawan and Adamu Usman Garko are doing. Interestingly, all of them are teens authors, working hard with determination and passion to raise even a younger generation of writers, for who we are here. This reminds us that there is hope and once there is hope we will always strive and in the end we shall overcome and triumph. For this this reason, I see every reason to support the work they do. Congratulations to the beneficiaries of this workshop. We hope you will also run several similar workshops to share what they have learnt here in what we in CITAD call ‘the Learn and Teach Others’ (LATO) paradigm. It is a paradigm that has served CITAD well in its early years, running many LATO computer training workshops for teachers of secondary who then volunteered to teach other teachers, a process that quickly saw the multiplication of ICT skills in and among teachers in our schools.

The author is of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, (CITAD), sponsors of the Twin Hills Writing Workshop, Kano.

Formal Commissioning of the Centre for Information Technology and Development Social Media for Accountability Lab and Radio Studio

Held On the 14TH OF DECEMBER, 2020

The Centre for Information Technology and Development on the 14th of December, 2020 formally commissioned its Social Media for Accountability Lab and Radio Studio. The two projects which have been established with support of Macarthur Foundation, aimed to train youth and students on Social media for accountability and give the university journalism students an avenue to practice what they have learned in the schools. The projects are also established to train youth on anti-corruption fight and accountability. Personalities at the event were Honorable Commissioner, Kano State Ministry of Information, Comrade Muhammad Garba who was ably represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Malam Usman Bala, Professor Habu Muhammad Fagge of the Political Science Department, Bayero University, Kano as the chairman of the occasion, Engineer Y.Z Ya’u, the Executive Director, CITAD and Mr. Oladayo Olaide, Deputy Country Director, Macarthur Foundation who joined the event virtually.

In his remarks at the commissioning of the social media lab and radio studio, the chairman of the occasion, Professor Habu Muhammad Fagge described the social media for accountability lab and the online radio as one of the most important event in the state. Prof. Habu stated that he was very delighted to serve as the chairman of the occasion as it was a history making event because whenever people talk about social media what first came to their minds was that it is a platform where all such of social nuisance is taking place. But today CITAD has changed the narrative and turned it into something very important; for knowledge production. Remarking further, Professor Habu stated that social media is a modern invention that links individuals with other groups, organizations with other organizations and organizations with state and non-state actors. He called on youth in the state to use social media for instrumental purposes and encouraged them to use it for knowledge production, communication, public enlightenment and research. He also described youths in northern Nigeria as the harbinger of transforming the society through modern techniques, innovation and technological development and social media encapsulate all of these. He stated that as many youth in northern Nigeria are everyday joining the social media without a proper knowledge on how to use it, this project commissioned by CITAD will help greatly in putting the youth in the right direction.

Speaking at the occasion, the Executive Director of CITAD, Malam Y.Z Ya’u stated that the reason behind the establishing of the social media lab was to train youth on how best to use the social media and to see to the creation of a New Nigeria where justice and accountability will prevail. He continued by saying that social media provided an avenue for people to inject their voice and many individuals are using social media without tapping its potentials and how best it will benefit them and their country. Also, the Executive Director stated that the Online Radio which has since started its transmission on internet was being established to promote accountability, good governance and democracy in the country, noting that democracy cannot and will not flourish without having fertile avenues where citizens will voice their opinions and this type of radio (online radio) has revolutionized the broadcast industry and given millions of citizens access to radio stations without spending much. The Executive Director also stated that the social media lab was always open to Kano state Ministry of Information for training it information officers and other staff.

In his goodwill message, Mr. Oladayo Olaide, the Deputy Director at MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria said he was very delighted seeing this project had become a reality. Mr. Olaide reiterated the importance of adhering to covid19 protocols as the Foundation is always encouraging its sub-grantees to respect the protocols. He also added that the Foundation was very delighted to be partnering with CITAD in this work because the essence of the social media lab and the radio station were to enhance citizens’ voice which is what the Foundation has been supporting for a very long period of time. He said the launching of the two projects were not just for the people to come and see the laptops in the lab or the journalists to witnessed the cutting of the tape in the studio but to create a platform for citizens to be able to better engage in the campaign for accountability, fight against corruption and contribute to consolidation of democracy in the country. Emphasizing that, the radio was being launched to create avenue to disseminate information and for the exchange of information between and among citizens, he added. He concluded that the success and impact of the launching of the two projects will not be judged by the number of attendees today but by the changes that the projects are able to catalyze through the information generated and the feedback that are transform into action points.  Finally, he called on social media users to be ethical and responsible on the way and manner in which they use to engage in good governance without throwing the country into further chaos.

In his commissioning remarks, the special guest of honor at the event, Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Comrade Muhammad Garba who was ably represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Malam Usman Bala, mni expressed his happiness and commended CITAD for taking the lead in this important revolution. According to him, democracy is about engaging positively and these two projects are what they intend to do. He noted that social media is a tool for construction as well as destruction, he thanked CITAD for kick starting this project to sensitize youth on using social media to promote accountability. He expressed his ministry’s readiness to collaborate with CITAD in this project.

Kano: CITAD Commissions First Social Media Lab, Online Radio Studio in North

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has commissioned a social media lab and online radio studio in its headquarters in Kano state.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, held at the CITAD’s headquarters in Kano yesterday, Executive Director of the organization, Yunusa Z. Ya’u said the facility was first of its kind in Northern Nigeria.
He said the facility, which was commissioned for use by the Kano Commissioner for Information, Mallam Muhammadu Garba, would be used to promote social media entrepreneurship, accountability and good governance.
He explained that the social media lab, donated by McArthur Foundation, is equipped with 40 sets of state-of- the-art laptops and a modern radio presentation studio.
Ya’u however stated that CITAD is going to train 5000 social media users in Kano in the next three months on ethical journalism as a means of providing social responsibility, accountability and good governance in the country.
“We at the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) intend to train 5000 social media users on ethical journalism in the next three months” he stated.
He explained the need for the Social media to be utilised positively not only for entrepreneur but also for promoting transparency, accountability and good governance while explaining how it has broken all barriers and provided a platform for expression of voices of the public.
“Social media should be used to promote accountability, transparency and democracy.
“The social media did not only create jobs but also serve as means to check governance and fight against corruption.
“People will fight corruption when they understand why their children cannot go to school, why their are no effective healthcare delivery services, why there are no good roads or why they cannot travel from Kano to Kaduna due to insecurity. It is through ethical journalism that all these could be achieved” he stated.
In his goodwill message, the information commissioner, represented by Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Usman Bala, called for the establishment of an international or a regional framework for social media practices.

He commanded CITAD for the initiative, adding that the Non Governmental Organization had contributed immensely to the development of social media in northern Nigeria.

CITAD to Train 5,000 Youth on Ethics of Social Media

By Yakubu Salisu, Kano

The Executive Director, Centre for Information Technology CITAD, Yunusa Z. Ya’u has revealed that the Centre intends to train 5,000 youth in the next three years on the ethics of using the social media to promote accountability, fight corruption and consolidate democracy.

Ya’u made the disclosure on Monday during the official commissioning of the Centre’s social media lab and first online radio station in Kano.

According to him, the social media which gives the ordinary citizens avenue to express their opinions about governance as it concerns them, like every technology requires certain skills for professional utilization without which will lead to a the abuse of the platforms.

He said, “democracy is about voice without which there would be no democracy and progress and at CITAD, we believe that the voice of the masses matters.

Through the social media, we hope to reach out to more persons as it cuts down the cost of communication to engage them, educate and enlighten them on the need to transform into a mass movement geared towards making Nigeria a country where justice, security, education and hospitals functions amongst many other”.

Yunusa further stated that the radio station which will disseminate information as expected would also serve as a venue for students studying Mass Communication to practice what they have learnt in school just as the social media lab furnished with 40 new Laptops would be put into immediate use.

Declaring the lab and station open, the Honorable Commissioner of Information, Kano State Ministry of Information, Comrade Muhammad Garba commended CITAD for the revolution of bringing into perspective the societal need on the social media.

Garba who was represented by the Ministry’s Perm. Sec. Usman Balla stated that the initiative to train youth on ethical issues surrounding the use of social media is a move in the right direction and a frame work worthy of emulation.

” I commend the Centre for this move, being the first of its kind in the state and would further strengthen citizen/Gov engagement.

The initiative is remarkable one because the social media can serve as a tool for construction but at the same time, and a tool for destruction if not handled with care,” he added.

 

 

CITAD to Train 5000 Youth on Ethical Use of Social Media

By Abbas Yushau Yusuf

The centre for information Technology and Development CITAD says it will embark on the Training of 5000 Youth on the Ethical use of social media and for Accountability and fighting corruption in the next three years.

The Executive Director of CITAD Malam Y. Z Yau stated this during the commissioning of Social Media laboratory and Radio Studio provided by the centre with support from MAC Arthur Foundation.

Usman Bala Overseeing The Radio Studio 

Malam YZ Yau said the emergence of Social media has democratize information and the need for citizens to speak on how they are governed on social media becomes very necessary.

According to the Director, Social Media provided an avenue for people to inject their voice and many individuals utilised Social media without tapping how its used for good and the country.

He said CITAD will train 5000 youth on how to use social Media ethically for the next three years.

CITAD Charges Kano Secondary Schools On ICT Inspired Learning
The CITAD Director added that the reasons behind the creation of the social Media Lab is to train Youth on how best its used and to see to the creation of New Nigeria where justice and accountability will prevail.

He noted that the Social Media lab will also train Youth on using the Social Media for Accountability and fighting corruption.

Malam Y Z Yau added that the Online Radio Studio will be used in training Journalism students to practice what they have learned in Schools.

In a remark the chairman of the occasion Professor Habu Muhammad Fagge of the Department of Political science Bayero University Kano said Social Media is one of the modern inventions that links individuals to groups and groups to organisations.

The University Don further called on social Media users to utilise the all important medium for conducting research and public enlightenment..

Professor Habu Fagge also called on the user’s to exploit the Social media in doing away with societal ills and make people understand the problems bedevilling the society.

 

In a remark the state commissioner for information Comrade Muhammad Garba represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Usman Bala Muhammad congratulated CITAD for inventing the online Radio which is the first of its kind in Kano.

Winners Emerge for CITAD 19th Round Annual ICT Quiz for Secondary school

By Yakubu Salisu, Kano

Centre for Information Technology CITAD, yesterday, announced the winners of its yearly ICT quiz for secondary schools aimed at promoting computer literacy and ICT awareness among secondary school students in Kano State.

The quiz which took place at Kano State University of Science and Technology Wudil, also sensitizes the school communities on the need for
computers, encourage students to take computer studies seriously and
aid advocacy on the need for school proprietors and government to
provide computers in the various schools.

After the competitions among 26 schools, GTC Ungogo emerged 1st Place Position, MSSC Gaya emerged 2nd Place
Position and GTC Kano emerged 3rd Place Position with Malam Anas Usman
Aliyu of GTC Ungogo claiming the best teacher award.

Items won include; All in One Computer System for the First Position, Refurbished Desktop Computer for the second runner up, and a Printer for the third runner up while the Best Teacher went home with a 32 inch Plasma TV, and Participants of the winning Schools also got Techno Tabs Android phones each.

Chairman of the Occasion, Prof. Shehu
A. Musa, VC KUST, Wudil assured the university will continue to host the annual quiz which he believe will further create the desired goals amongst the students.

He also announced that the university will take responsibility of awarding the prize of First place Position, while his school will also give N20,000 to each participating School from
first to tenth positions and N50,000 for the best teacher.

Musa also announced to give from his personal pocket N20, 000 to the first place position, N20, 000 to the second place position and N10, 000 to the Third place position.

One Day Workshop for Online Journalists on Writing for Accountability and Anti-Corruption Issues Organized by CITAD with Support of MacArthur Foundation

Held on the 28th of November, 2020 Virtually

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support of MacArthur Foundation had on the 28th of November, 2020 as part of its Anti-Corruption and Accountability Project in Nigeria organized a one day virtual workshop to online Journalists on Writing for Accountability and Anti-Corruption Issues in Nigeria. The essence of organizing the workshop was to deepen the understanding of the journalists on accountability and anti-corruption issues and shift their attention to writing on the subject matter. The workshop also aimed to enhance the Understanding of the Dimensions of Accountability and Corruption, Sensitize the Journalists to Pay Attention to Issues of Accountability and Anticorruption in their Contents and Enlist Online Journalists to improve their Contribution in Exposing Corruption and Impunity through their Platforms.

Media being one of the pillars of democracy and institution that hold government accountable and report on issues that affect the lives of the ordinary citizens, CITAD found them to be partners in fighting corruption in the country. However, as the world of journalism is shifting to an online one globally and many of the traditional media are losing their readers and listeners, so the attention of organizations, governments and individuals most especially in the developing nations is shifting towards online journalists. This bring the need for organizations to focus on training and sensitizing these journalists on pressing issues that are crippling the economy and development of developing countries i.e. corruption.

At the workshop, experts in the area of Anti-Corruption and Accountability, Public Procurements and Human Rights enlightened the participants about the importance of writing on anti-corruption and accountability issues in their platforms. Dr. Jide Ojo, a Writer, Journalist and Development Consultant discussed on Corruption: Theoretical and Definitional Discuss. Dr. Ojo took the participants through the Definitions, Concept and Impact of Corruption on Good Governance. The second speaker, Dr. Aminu Hayatu, a Lecturer with Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano (BUK) discussed on Understanding the Many Dimension of Accountability. In his discussion, Dr. Hayatu emphasized on how to hold government officials accountable, Issue of Ethics and Legality for Journalists and how Journalists will avoid Writing Fake News. While Dr. Chris Kwaja from Modibbo Adama University of Science and Technology, Yola discussed on Human Rights Abuses as Corruption. Dr. Kwaja focused on the Relationship between Human Rights Abuses and Corruption, he explained to the participants how journalists are everyday being abused in the course of their duty by security agents and how those abuses are being categorized as corruption because in many occasions it led to suppressing of truth and denied the journalists the right to report things as they are. And finally, Dr. Aminu Aliyu of the Economics Department, BUK dwelled on how journalists will know if there is Corruption in a Project. In his presentation, Dr. Aliyu mentioned some elements that can help to understand whether there is corruption in a project like the Size of the Project, Uniqueness and Complexity of the Project, Public Sector Projects, Project with Several Sub-Contractors, Culture of Secrecy, lack of Transparency and due Diligence and High Cost of Integrity.

On his remarks at the workshop, the Executive Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, Engineer Y.Z Ya’u who was represented by the Programmes Coordinator, Ibrahim Nuhu stated that CITAD has for long being working with journalists to ensure transparency and accountability in the public sector and this particular workshop is unique looking at the nature of the participants who are mostly young people with passion to make change in the society. He urged the online journalists to use their platforms for promoting good governance in the country and not allowed themselves to be used by the politicians to suppress truth.

 

CITAD Urges FG to Soften Process of Accessing Loans for Young Entrepreneurs

By Mohammed Ahmed, Bauchi

The Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD, has called on the Federal government to soften the process of accessing loans by young entrepreneurs in the country.

The job placement coordinator at CITAD, Sagir Ado made the call on Wednesday, during an entrepreneurship career talk with students of Aliyu Mai Sango Junior Upper Basic Secondary School, Jama’are in Bauchi state.

He stressed the need for government to simplify requirements for accessing loan from lending financial institutions to young entrepreneurs.

Abubakar lamented that  entrepreneurship is facing challenges because young entrepreneurs were not finding it easy to strive.

“There are problems of sources of capital and even the lending institutions we have, make requirements difficult for a common entrepreneur.

“The high cost of doing business in Nigeria, make entrepreneurs take risks because they want to make profit.

“Where the expected returns from a venture is lower than the opportunity costs, it will act as a disincentive for the entrepreneur,” he said

Abubakar added that Lack of strong patent law is a serious challenge for young entrepreneurs, adding that the local entrepreneurs are not well protected by the Nigerian law.

According to him, another challenge was lack of knowledge in the basic sciences and technology.

He emphasized the need to encourage entrepreneurs to apply science and technology in their   entrepreneurial activities.

“Government should make provision of laws that will protect our local entrepreneurs and also give them the necessary support.

“Government should also put measures that can help to reduce the cost of doing business by ensuring steady supply of electricity, providing infrastructure such as roads, water, etc,” he said.

Abubakar however urged the students to embrace entrepreneurship to become employers of labour not job seekers.

Our correspondent reports that  entrepreneurship career talk was organized by CITAD to mark this year’s global entrepreneurship week with the  theme: ‘Open young Students’ Eyes to the Opportunities Offered by the Entrepreneurial Path’.

Responding on behalf of the students, Mr Imran Salihu and Miss Abdullahi said the training session would equip the students with the skills and knowledge to be self-employed.

They said it would provide skills for  starting and managing their own businesses as well as become employers of labour.

They also noted that the initiative would help in assailing the rising unemployment concerns among youths.

CITAD ICT Centre Itas-Gadau

SN Location / Community Number of Computers List / Type of Training Conducted in the Centre No of Trained Participants Accompanied Pictures with Captions
1 Itas/gadau 50 Diploma in information technology. 20  
2     Certificate in information technology. 30  
3.     I C T for kids’ computer training. nil  
4.     C B T  Training form JABM. 10  
           
           
           

CITAD ICT Centre Jama’are

SN

Location / Community Number of Computers List / Type of Training Conducted in the Centre No of Trained Participants Accompanied pictures with captions
1 Jamaare  114 Diploma in information technology. 500
2 Jamaare 14 Certificate in information technology. 25  

 

3. Jamaare 14 I C T for kids’ computer training. 1000
4. Jamaare 14 C B T  Training form JABM. 300

CITAD ICT Centre Abuja

SN Location / Community Number of Computers List / Type of Training Conducted in the Centre No of Trained Participants
1. Leleyi Gwari (Kwali Area council Abuja) 7 desktops Microsoft word, Excel, Power Point, core draw, Internet 30
2. Tungan Ashere(AMAC) 7 desktops Microsoft word, Excel, Power Point, core draw, Internet 30
3. Dakwa(AMAC) 7 desktops Microsoft word, Excel, Power Point, core draw, Internet 15
4. Passepa(Bwari Area council Abuja) 7 desktops Microsoft word, Excel, Power Point, core draw, Internet 50
5. Gaube(Kuje area council Abuja) 7 desktops Microsoft word, Excel, Power Point, core draw, Internet 50