Communiqué Issued at the end of a Two Days Training Workshop for COVID-19 Vaccine Champions in Kano state

Preamble
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from
MacArthur Foundation organized a two-day training workshop for eighteen COVID-19 Vaccine
Champions selected from Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Kogi, Kaduna and Kano states. The training
was held on 13 th and 14 th of December, 2021 in Kano state. The training was organized to prepare
the participants to enlighten the public on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and counter fake
narratives and misconceptions around the virus and its vaccine. Some of the areas the
participants were trained on included the following: Understanding COVID-19 Pandemic:
National and Global Perspectives, Understanding Fake Narratives around COVID-19,
Understanding Social Media-Based Campaign: Deploying the Right Tools, Understanding the
Functions and Variations of the Vaccines, Crafting the Message, Understanding Vaccine Safety
and Efficacy, Monitoring and Countering Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake News
around Vaccines, How Best to Counter Misconceptions around COVID: Leveraging the Medical
Justifications, etc.
During the workshop, numerous hindrances to COVID-19 vaccine administration in northern
Nigeria were generated and deliberated upon. Prominent among the hindrances and challenges
highlighted as stated as follows:
1. Low of awareness on the COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and safety
2. Lack of information on COVID-19 vaccine accessibility
3. Misconception on fear of adverse effects related to the vaccine
4. Circulation of fake narratives around COVID-19 and the vaccine
5. Lack of trust between the Government and the citizenry
6. Limited information on the different types of vaccine and their functions
7. People’s negative perception on the COVID-19 vaccine
In order to address the challenges and hindrances to COVID-19 administration in northern
Nigeria and ensure uptake of the virus, the umbrella of the COVID-19 Vaccine Champions
recommends the following:
1. Mass public enlightenment on the vaccine
2. Provision of sufficient information on vaccine administration spots
3. Use of local language in enlightening the public on the vaccine
4. Door to door campaigns to sensitize individuals at grassroot levels

5. Public awareness campaign through all forms of media
6. Educating the public on fake narratives about the vaccine
7. Countering social media-based misconceptions on COIVD and the vaccine
8. Engaging stakeholders on sensitization at various levels using different approaches
Conclusion:
COVID-19 vaccine is real. Doubts and fake news being circulated on the vaccine can only
increase infections and worsen situation. We therefore want to end by kindly advising people
who are yet to take vaccine to go and get vaccinated as getting vaccinated is a step towards
staying safe.
Signed:
Hamza Ibrahim-Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
Hauwa Kabir Lawal-Plateau State
Jamila Musa-Kano State
Abdullahi Barau Azare-Bauchi
Bishop Joseph Aturu-Kogi State
Abdulkadir Ashafa-Kaduna State
Kwaplki Peter Uba Borno State

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A ONE-DAY CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON GENDER COMMUNITY NETWORKS CONVENED BY CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (CITAD)

The Centre for Information technology and development (CITAD) as part of its project on
Supporting Community-led Approaches to Addressing the Digital Divide in Nigeria which is
part of larger project on community networks coordinated globally by the Association for
Progressive Communications (APC) and supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office of the UK Government, convened a one-day consultative meeting  on
Gender and  Community Networks. Community networks are telecommunications
infrastructure deployed and operated by a local group to meet their own communication
needs and also a communications infrastructure, designed and erected to be managed for
use by local communities. This communication needs can be voice, data, e-learning etc. and
can be a point of convergence for communities to come together to address their common
community problems. The meeting, attended by over 25 CSOs, Media Personnel, Women
Led-groups and CSOs from different parts of the country was held in Bafra International
Hotel, Kaduna, Kaduna State on January 15, 2022. It was also meant to generate more
voices about the need to develop policies that address the gender digital divide in Nigeria.
Additionally, it was aimed to continue the effort toward working with the Nigerian
Communication Commission to develop a national policy on community networks.
The meeting featured five presentations as follows:
1. Understanding Community Networks
2. Gender and Digital Marginalization in Nigeria
3. The Policy in Nigeria as relates to Community Networks
4. What CITAD is doing in the Relation to Community Networks?
5. Gender Issues and Community Networks
Observations
Participants observed that:
1. Women are digitally marginalized in the digital space which creates a huge gap in the
society
2. Most of the policies relating to digital technology in the country are not gender
responsive as a result of the marginalization of women in the policy and decision making
processes
3. Women voices are not heard in terms of making contributing on how to address the
gender digital divide in the country
4. Gender and women marginalization starts from girl-child
5. Online harassment discourages women effective participation in digital space
6. Security agencies pay less attention to online sexual and gender based violence against
women

7. Community networks constitute an important strategy to promote digital inclusion in the
country
8. The country currently does not have a policy to allow for the emergence and
sustainability of community networks.

Recommendations
Participants, believing that women participation in the community networks have immense
benefits in terms of bridging the digital divide in the country, made the following
recommendations:
1. Government should as a matter of urgency come up with a National Policy on Community
Networks to create the conducive environment for that will catalyze citizens’ action of
address their digital marginality
2. The ICT policies should be gender friendly, allowing for equal access to participation and to
use and benefits of digital technology
3. . Women need to be claim a space in the policy making processes so that their experiences
and challenges could be given the attention they deserved in the quest for gender digital
justice
4.  Women should be allowed to present their issues and chance to provide possible to their
problems
5.   Women should organize vigorously to ensure that their numerical strengthen counts in
policy outcomes in the country
6.  In pushing  for a policy on community networks, women should play a leading role to ensure
that the community network initiatives to do replication and reinforce the gender blindness
of existing policies in the digital space
7. Social Media influencers should do more on creating awareness to people in the rural
communities
8. Government and other stakeholders to address online gender violence as well as the
prevalence of harmful contents on the internet that inhibits women effective engagement in
the cyberspace

Resolution
The participants unanimously resolved to form a Platform of Women Activists for
Community Networks  with the following objectives:
1. Popularize the importance of women participation the emerging community networks
initiatives and see it as tool to bridging the gender digital marginalization in the country
2. Sensitizing their community members, social media followers as well as their
organizations about the importance and benefits of women engagement with community
networks initiatives
3. To advocate stakeholders involved to come up with a national gender based policy
framework for community networks in the country

4. to advocate for more women to engage digital technology general,, including the safe and
secure use of social media platforms
5. Support effort by all stakeholders to address the multifarious dimensions of the digital
divide in Nigeria.
6. campaign for special initiatives for the massive digital literacy among girls in secondary
schools so that the digital bridging process should begin at that level
Signed
Harira Wakili, Community Mobilization Officer
Yemi Balogun, Yemi Balogun Media

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A TWO-DAY KANO SOCIAL INFLUENCERS SUMMIT (KANSIS) 2021, HELD AT THE DIGITAL BRIDGE INSTITUTE (DBI), KANO, OCTOBER 27 –28, 2021

The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in partnership with the McArthur Foundation, Arewa Radio, Nigeria Internet Regulation Association (NIRA), Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), and the Facebook organized a two-day Social Influencers Summit. The summit (KANSIS) was a social clinic where participants learn, interrogated and asked questions to seek answers that would influence good governance. The summit was first introduced in 2019.

The opening session was chaired by Malam Ibrahim Tizhe former Chairman/President, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) and current Provost, College of Fellows, Nigeria Computer Society. A number of guests including Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, Senor Research, CDD, Abuja, Dr. Chris Kwaja, Centre for Peace Studies and Research, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Chief (Engr) C O Iromantu, elder statesman and pioneer EVC of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The Minister of Digital Economy and Communication also delivered a goodwill message to the workshop through the Executive Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).

Other personalities that graced the sessions included, Professor Attahiru Mohammed Jega, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Professor Habu Mohammed, Director, BUK Press, Professor Uba Abdallah, immediate past Vice Chancellor of the Nationla Open University, Prof Amina Kaidal of the University of Maiduguri, Ms. Osia Ojibo, the Country Director, Amnesty International. amongst others.

Presentations were delivered physically and online by people including the representative of the Director General (NITDA), Mr. Ebuka Agodo of Facebook, London, Idayat Hassan, the Director, CDD, among others. In all there were a total sixty-seven presentations in seven plenaries and 16 parallel panel sessions.

Giving the objectives of the Summit whose theme was “social media for accountable governance and peace building” the Executive Director of CITAD, Y. Z. Ya’u emphasized the importance of the Summit as an incubator of great ideas for democratic struggles, an opportunity to spread innovative systems that work in enterprise and social development and opportunity to learn from each other. He added that, the summit is expected to share ideas on how to address the serious challenges confronting our nation, especially rising conflicts and insecurity.

The summit was attended by four hundred and five people (405) consisting of 291 physically and 114 online.

Observations

Participants observed that the social media in Nigeria, like in other countries, is being deployed with both positive and negative consequences, as follows:
Positives Impact’
1. As demonstrated by several of the presentations at the Summit, many social influencers are deploying social media creatively to address various social problems in the country
2. Youth across the country are using the social media to demand accountability from duty-bearers such as the #EndSARS experience
3. Many are using social media to campaign for national unity, understanding and peace building in the country
4. Social media is being used to expose corruption and to promote transparency and accountability
5. Social media is creating a voice for citizens
6. Women and others are using the social media to expose gender-discriminatory practices and to promote inclusion and gene justice in the country

Negatives Impacts

1. Ill formed uses of the social media are contributing to the spread of divisive narratives and undermine national cohesion and unity
2. Many are consuming fake news, disinformation and misinformation with negative consequences to the society such as is the case with various fake news and misinformation about the COVID vaccine for incense
3. Hate speech is contributing to social mention across many divides in the county and in some cases had catalysed violence
4. Social media content is pervasive that makes citizens to hardly different between truth and lies
5. Gender-related harmful and negative contents is further contribution to the digital marginalization of women, making the efforts to overcome the gender digital divide doubly difficult

Challenges

participants also noted with concern certain challenges that need to be addressed including:
1. The Northern society reduces active women participation in western education and politics due to social and cultural values, an attitude that socially deny their access to rights and justice
2. Some social media influencers are made to be of different beliefs such that it divides citizens to take side or position on issues raised in a nation example; religion, culture, economic, political
3. There is an appreciable number of over 129 million users of Facebook in Nigeria; opportunity for encouraging positive social influence
4. Youth participation in Nigeria’s politics is largely on social media and
5. The film industry especially the Kannywood influences the demeaning of some cultures such as the Hausa communities through infiltrating alien cultures thereby destroying the indigenous ones
6. There is a disconnect between the numerical voting strength of youth and composition of political leadership in the country
7. Although youth are the dominant users of the social media, they have not so far been able to turn this into a political asset for their political inclusion
8. Youths are only used in politics for personal interests rather than improve governance
9. In spite of the positive impact of digitalization, there are emerging negative consequences that need to be addressed
10. Participants generally, agree that the negative aspect of the social media is enormous and must be addressed by both government and public.
11. The different dimensions of the digital divide are real and have led to the leaving of many people outside the benefits of the digital opportunities

Recommendations

1. Participants called for conscious self-oversight on the part of users of various social media platforms to check the excesses of fake news and other negative issues not in the interest of the nation
2. Government, organizations and citizens are urged to join hands together to socialize people on how to make good use of the social media
3. Called for Direct political party primaries and electronic transmission of results after voting reduces the extent of electoral fraud and urged the President to endorse these elements of our electoral reforms
4. The NASS should be engaged and encouraged by CSOs to review the legal framework of the electoral spending to curtail the influence of money on our elections
5. Social Influencers in Nigeria should be identified through their positive contributions in the society and recognized
6. Youth were challenged to be proactive and innovative on politics so as to create and claim space in governance process for themselves
7. Youth groups across the country should set agenda for political parties with a view to involving them in systems and structure of governance
8. Digitalization of education sector helps in expanding learning opportunities such as distance learning. This practice should be supported by government in order to allow space for inclusive learning especially for women and people in remote areas
9. Facebook to be engaged to commit themselves in combating and removing hate speech and fake news and particularly, disinformation from their platforms in conjunction with internal and external fact checkers
10. CITAD encouraged to rename next summit to reflect “Nigeria social Influencer’s summit”
11. In this digital age, crazy ideas are needed to provoke people to think deeply by presenting complex and multiple ideas in images presented in a soft manner

Signed:

Haruna Adamu
Chairman,
Communique Committee

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A ONE-DAY CIVIL SOCIETY CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON COMMUNITY NETWORKS CONVENED BY CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (CITAD)

The Centre for Information technology and development (CITAD) as part of its project on Supporting Community-led Approaches to Addressing the Digital Divide in Nigeria which is part of larger project on community networks coordinated globally by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) with support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through its Digital Access Programme (DAP), convened a once day consultative meeting of Civil Society Organizations on Community Networks. Community networks is a telecommunications infrastructure deployed and operated by a local group to meet their own communication needs and also a communications infrastructure, designed and erected to be managed for use by local communities. This communication needs can be voice, data, etc. and can be point of convergence for community to come together to address their common community problems.

The meeting, attended by over 40 CSOs from different parts of the country was held online using zoom on July 27 was meant to sensitize them on the importance of community networks as a tool for addressing the digital divide. Additionally, it was meant to explore the possibility of a joint advocacy for the government to develop a policy framework for the community networks, noting that at the present, the country does not have a policy for community networks t, a situation that has hampered their evolution and growth. 

The meeting featured four presentations as follows:

  1. Concept and Benefits of Community Network
  2. Community Network in Practice: Experience from of Fauntsuam Foundation
  3. Community Networks in Africa
  4. The Policy Vacuum with Respect to Community Networks in Nigeria

Observations

Participants observed that:

  1. There is no policy or regulation to recognize community networks as distinct operators with appropriate conditions for their operations 
  2. That at the moment there are over 100 unserved or underserved communities who are digitally excluded in the country
  3. That although there are over 298,823,195 connected lines out of which 297,536,702 were said to be active in the country, only about 40% of these are connected to the internet, meaning that internet penetration in the country covers only about 40% of the population.
  4. That most of the blind areas are in either hard to reach, rural communities or poor communities where affordability is a problem, hence the market mechanism is not able to provide connectivity to them since it would be unprofitable. 
  5. That although the Nigerian Communication Commission is favourably disposed to midwifing the policy framework for community networks, there are still many challenges that have to be addressed for community networks to flourish and be sustainable in the country
  6. Community network will bring opportunities for direct access to education and health care for rural residents

Recommendations

Participants, believing that community networks have immense benefits in addition to providing veritable tool for bridging the digital divide In the country, recommend that:

  1. The national regulator should hasten the processes of articulating a National Community Networks Policy for the country 
  2. That NCC should formal regulations allowing the use of TVWS technologies to address access challenges have yet to be issued
  3. That community networks should be categorized as a different layer of operators and be given license exempt 
  4. That community networks should be considered as start –ups and be eligible to national support systems for start ups 
  5. Efforts should be made in expanding high speed network and network infrastructure to underserved rural communities
  6. Government through USPF, NCC and NITDA should facilitate the setting up of community networks centres at rural and hard to reach areas
  7. That government should support an initiative that offers free or subsidized spectrums to local communities

Resolution 

The participants unanimously resolved to form a CSO Coalition on Community Networks with the following objectives:

  1. Popularize community networks as catalyst tool for addressing digital divide and promoting digital inclusion in the country 
  2. Sensitizing their community members about the importance and benefit of community network 
  3. To conduct sustained advocacy for the national telecommunications regulator to come up with a national policy framework for community networks in the country 
  4. Support effort by all stakeholders to address the multifarious dimensions of the digital divide in Nigeria.

Signed

Y Z. Yaú

Executive Director 

Communiqué Issued At The End of a Two-Day Training for Hate Speech and Violence Against Women Online Monitors Held At Ni’imah Guest Palace Kano, Kano state.

Date: Friday 16th August, 2019.

#No2HateSpeech #No2ViolenceAgainstWomenOnline

Introduction

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) organized a two-day training for monitors of Hate Speech and Violence Against Women Online in Nigerian cyberspace. The monitors training is part of the project CITAD is implementing with support from National Democratic Institute (NDI) on addressing gender hate speech and violence against women online. twenty (23) young social media activists comprising male and female from different religious, tribal and regional backgrounds were trained on hate speech, monitoring and countering, hate speech identification, classification, dangers, etc as well as violence against women online.  Gender hate speech and campaign against and violence against women online were thoroughly discussed.

Our Concern

Hate speech and violence against women online are gradually becoming threats especially to Nigeria’s diversity. Nigeria being a multi ethnic and religious country stands vulnerable in the midst of the two cyberspace monsters. While hate speech keeps polarizing ethnic and religious backgrounds of Nigerians, violence against women online discourages most women and girls from leveraging the social media for educational, entrepreneurial, research, political participation and expression, etc purposes, and in some cases violence against women online completely stop women from using social media. The foregoing and couple of other disturbing experiences hinder women and girls’ usage of social media platforms. It is on this basis that we wish to recommend the following:

  1. We recommend having a nationally agreed definition of hate speech to avoid ambiguity or misinterpretation or political abuse of the term.
  2. Government should be sensitive and concerned about gender hate speech and deploy punishable mechanisms against perpetrators of gender hate speech
  3. The federal government should have a functional agency with skilled personnel to embark on continuous sensitization of Nigerians on hate speech and violence against women online.
  4. Perpetrators of hate speech and violence against women should be punished and the punishment be publicized.
  5. Our educational curriculum should incorporate lessons on hate speech and violence against women right from primary schools.
  6. Religious and traditional leaders should collaborate with civil society organizations and sensitize Nigerians on gender-based violence and hate speech.
  7. Newspapers should monitor comments/posts/ on hate speech and gender-based violence on their websites/social media platforms to ensure hate speech and gender-based violence do not thrive.
  8. Media organizations should enlighten the public on the dangers of hate speech and gender-based violence.
  9. Social media users should be conscious of Nigeria’s diversity while making posts, commenting or reacting to content online.
  10. Nigerian entertainment industry should join the campaign against hate speech and gender-based violence through their content.

Signed:

  1. Hamza Ibrahim – Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
  2. Nahimah Ajikanle Nurudeen – Lagos state.
  3. Jimoh Ogere Wosilat – Kogi state.
  4. Apreala Violet Wealth – Bayelsa state.
  5. Bulus Miracle Ayenajeyi – Abuja
  6. Joy Buba Ndirpaya – Bauchi state.
  7. Nwafor Chiamaka – Enugu state.
  8. Bashir Sharfadi – Kano state.

Communiqué Issued At The Social Influencers Cluster Meeting On Anti Corruption And Accountability Project

PREAMBLE

On January 15, 2018, the Social Influencers Cluster on Deepening Anti-Corruption and Spreading Accountability led by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and supported by MacArthur Foundation held it First quarter meeting. The participants were sub grantees working on anti-corruption and accountability project. Over 20 Social Influencers took turns at the meeting to speak on their experience on the project on anti-corruption and accountability. The meeting which held at Newton Park, Abuja allowed members of the cluster to review their work and reflect on the uptake of accountability and anti-corruption issues in the current campaigns by political parties for the 2019 General Election.

OBSERVATIONS

  1. Participants noted with dismay that corruption has remained a major development challenge  in the country in spites of the efforts by all
  2. That current campaigns by the major political parities are enmeshed in corrupt practices such as buying delegates, buying of PVCs, arbitrary replacement of candidates, etc
  3. That parties are yet to come up with clear frameworks and strategies for deepening anti-corruption and spreading accountability  in the post-election period
  4. That intrigues, competition and political calculations have rendered the government anti-corruption agenda ineffective,
  5. That citizens are still largely onlookers for a fight that should be their

COMMITMENTS

The members of the Cluster reiterated their commitment to deploy creative and innovative strategies to campaign for the mainstreaming of anti-corruption and accountability issues in the electioneering campaign and in enabling citizens to hold elected governments accountable. In particular, the cluster members shall continue to work in their various spheres to:

  • Sensitize and mobilize citizens to take anti-corruption struggle as theirs and therefore demand to play active role in it
  • Create more opportunities for multiplying the grassroots voices against corruption and placing them before the table of candidates and their political parties especially
  • Create avenues for candidates and parties to explain their strategies to the electorates on how they intend to tackle corruption and improve on accountability if elected
  • To engage with all anti-corruption agencies and authorities in the country with a view to getting them to be more proactive, more effective, efficient and more rooted in in rule of law in the investigation and prosecution of proven cases of corruption
  • To continue to monitor and provide evidence-based documentation about the impact of corruption on the lives of citizens as means for advocacy and engagement with other stakeholders

RECOMMENDATIONS

Participants agreed to the following recommendations”

  1. That there is need for transparency in the prosecution of the Federal Government anti-corruption agenda
  2. That all state governments that do not have state level anti-corruption agencies should do
  3. That as part of the oversight function of the National Assembly, should have a robust and clear anti-corruption mechanism that will investigate and report corruption practices in the ministries, departments and agencies they oversight to relevant anti-corruption agencies
  4. That there is need for inter-agency cooperation and coordination in the fight against corruption at all levels
  5. That political parties should come out with clear anti-corruption strategies for the country
  6. That political parties and candidates should make their themselves available to citizens’ forums to explain their manifestoes, especially aspects dealing with anti-corruption and promoting accountability
  7. That civil society groups are urged to document campaign promises of candidates and parties with a view to using these as benchmarks for holding elected persons accountable in the post elections period
  8. That parties and candidates are urged to focus on issues in their campaign than personality
  9. That electorates are urged to carefully  scrutinize the manifestoes of the various parties and the candidates and make informed judgment on election days

CITAD: Dr. Tunde Misbahu Akanni (CITAD)

Danlami Nmodu (Social Influencer)

Ayo Obe (Social Influencer)

Richard Akinnola (Social Influencer)

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF CITAD-M4D PUBLIC POLICY DIALOGUE ON EDUCATION

The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from Mobilizing for Development (M4D) has since September, 2015 been implementing a project entitled: ‘’Strengthen Local CBOs and Informal Institutions for Improved Access and Quality of Education’’ in some selected Local Governments of Kano State. The aim of the project is to improve access to and quality of basic education in the Dawakin Tofa, Sumaila and Garin malam Local Governments of Kano State.

Having carried out research, conducted advocacy and enlighten the Community Based Organizations, traditional leaders and the teeming local populace in the three local governments for six months, CITAD decides to hold a Public Policy Dialogue with respective relevant stakeholders in attendance, the idea is to further generate vital observations and recommendations in order to develop a roadmap for basic education as regards the finding and experiences of the three local governments. The event took place on 15th March, 2016 at Murtala Muhammed Library in Kano, Kano state. Below are observations, challenges and recommendations generated during the event. This communiqué hereby appeal to the concerned bodies to urgently take the necessary actions in order to salvage poor state of basic education so that the future of our younger ones will be bright.  

Observations

  • Education needs collective support
  • The southern states have gone far in establishing community schools, the north should the same and in order to fully support the education sector
  • PTA and SBMC should join hands and do more to rescue the decay in the education sector
  • Basic education is fundamental and lacking it invites social vices
  • Resolutions of the conference should be extended to the government, media, concerned bodies and the general public, that will help salvage the poor state of education
  • The Nigerian standard of Teacher-Pupil ratio is one teacher to thirty four (34) pupils, the study found varying degrees of alarming ratios e.g 1-73 as against 1-34
  • Three (3) local governments were selected for the study out forty four (44) LGs in Kano state, empirically the study ought to fully state that.
  • Are the findings applicable in all the local governments of Kano state, are there differences and why.
  • There needs to be reasons for enrolment rise and fall in order to back the data up.
  • In all the local governments, the out of school children are higher than those in schools, the study should give reason for that as well.
  • Teacher-pupil ratio helps ensure quality of education, the teacher can easily asses the students, interacts with them, supervise their homework, therefore teacher-pupil ratio is vital to education sector. How does the sampling goes and why. The study has found out 1-73 teacher-pupil ratio as against the official Nigerian standard of 1-34.
  • Poor state of infrastructure as found out by the study is also a major setback to education and unless necessary action is taken, the sector will witnessing backwardness
  • The world has advanced greatly in terms education and we are left behind
  • Any country that abandons education  sector will surely become slave among peers
  • Population should not be an excuse, because primary schools pupils in China are more than the Nigerian population yet they are provided with equipments to carryout experiment. The Chinese are what they are because of education, they produce and manufacture everything because they have education

Challenges:

  • Some pupils use mud blocks as desks to take lessons
  • Some parents could not give their pupils five naira break stipend
  • Fifty (50%) of teachers are not qualified which result in producing poor students
  • Some schools completely don’t function when it rains
  • Many teachers do obtain/buy fake certificates from educational institutions
  • Teachers unions are not supportive of government in terms of ensuring quality teachers because there was an incident when the government planned to conduct examination in order to sieve unqualified teachers but the union objected the move
  • Lack of many female teachers
  • The northwest was rated zero in education at a conference in Abuja last week (Prof. Diso)
  • Kano state SUBEB has more than 6000 schools and pay over N2bn monthly salary

Recommendations:

  • The society must fully support the education sector as well as move from holding conferences to implementing the resolutions of the conferences.
  • SUBEB needs to be organizing workshop to PTA/SBMC in order to enlighten and educate them on what is expected of them so that the sector will move forward.
  • Community leaders should pay regular courtesy visits to the wealthy and others that are willing to assist and solicit their intervention in the education sector
  • Government should create a joint account and provide autonomy on resources disbursement and the community must be watchful of how funds are spent.
  • The school curriculum should be reviewed to suit the changing needs and situations.
  • SUBEB must support the community groups and volunteers with structures, facilities and manpower where necessary.
  • Remuneration, promotion, annual increment and general welfare of teachers ought to be seriously looked at.
  • Ministry for local government affairs must be engaged in order to tackle problems from the grass root.
  • CITAD should expand their effort by engaging more development partners.
  • Reposition the thinking and mindset of the society, government, educational bodies and everybody in the society.
  • Overhaul the education sector and make it a participatory activity.
  • Basic education should be made free and compulsory for all.
  • Educational agencies must be accountable to the resources they are allocated.

Key Recommendations to the Government:

  • Government must ensure quality and welfare of teachers; enact law to punish parents who stop their children from going to school.
  • The government must equally cooperate, strengthen and work with relevant development partners on education.
  • It must also involve traditional leaders and community groups to help manage education at the grass root level.
  • Local government chairmen must also liaise with the community for annual budget and estimate on education.