In its effort to see to the reality of empowering citizens through the ICTs, the Center for Information Technology and the Development (CITAD) has extended its network and programmes to Bauchi State. This it did through opening of its Bauchi State Office and the holding of the First Bauchi State ICT Quiz for Secondary Schools in Bauchi State. The programme which held at the Auditorium of Government Girls College, Azare on 12 June, 2010 was chaired by the Director of Science and Technology, Bauchi State who was responded by Malam Danjuma Babaji.

Prizes being displayed before presentation	Cross Section of the participants	Certificate being presented to the perticipants
From Left: Special Adviser to the Bauchi State Governor on IT, Director Bauchi State Broadcating Corporation, Exacutive Director CITAD	Cross section of visitors and participants	Prizes being given to the winners
Certificate being presented to the participants	Prize lifted by one of the winners	A participant ansewring quiz question

The Special Guest of Honor who stood in for the Alh. (Dr.) Aminu Saleh CFR, GCON Wamban Katagum was Dr. Asabe Sadiyyah Mohammed, the Deputy Provost, A.D. Rufa’i College for Legal and Islamic Studies. Other Guest at the occasion included the Special Assistant to the Governor on Information Technology, Malam Babayo Gamawa, Alh. Ibrahim Sani the News Director, Bauchi State Television Authority, the Special Assistant to Governor on Poverty Alleviation, Baba A. Shitu, that on Youth Empowerment, Alhaji Ibrahim Alaska, the representative of the Member State House of Assembly representing Azare constituency Hon. Ibrahim Adamu the representative of the Managing Director, Synergy Technology Resources Solution, Azare Mal. Abba Adamu, School of Sciences, College of Education, Azare, NUT Chairman, Katagum Zone and many others.

Eight schools from the state participated in the quiz the pioneer but remarkable quiz. The schools were Government Secondary School (GSS), Itas, Government Arabic College, Jama’are, Government College, Azare, Government Day Technical College, Jama’are, Government Technical College, Gadau, Federal Government College, Azare, Inuwa Dahiru Memorial Secondary School, Azare and Government Junior Secondary School Itas.

The programme started at around 11:00am with an opening prayer by Mal. Mohammed Auwal of Synergy Resources Azare and remarks from the Guest of Honour, Dr. Asabe Sadiyyah Mohammed. Thereafter, Mal. Ahmad Yakasai, the Quiz Master read the rules governing the quiz.

The quiz ended with three schools emerged as winners as follows: the Government Technical College, Gadau took the first position, Government College, Azare took the second position while Government Arabic College, Jama’are went with the third position. At the end of the quiz prizes were given to the winning schools, the prize for the first position was a new desktop computer donated by Alh. (Dr.) Aminu Saleh CFR, GCON Wamban Katagum and Former Secretary to the Federal Government who was also supposed to be the Guest of Honour at the occasion but could not attend due to some unavoidable reasons. The second prize was a refurbished computer donated by Hon Ibrahim Adamu, Member, Bauchi State House of Assembly won by Government College, Azare while GAC, Jama’are took a HP Printer as the third position, the teachers were not left behind in enjoying their preliminary reward at the quiz. The teacher of the school that took the first position got a HP Scanner while teachers of the second and third positions got a Wall Clock each. The best overall performing student, Salim Bashir from GTC, Gadau got a LG Television donated by Malam Abbas Mohammed, Special Assistant (Liaison Office, Abuja) to Kano State Governor while the best female student got a Tape Recorder.

At the end of the distribution of the prizes CITAD staff and the invited guests proceeded to the new CITAD Bauchi State office for official commissioning of the office situated at Central Office Building, opposite Emir’s Palace, Azare. The formal opening of the office was done by the Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor Mal. Babayo Gamawa who thanked CITAD fro taking the initiative and urged to collaborate with the State Government in the efforts to promote IT development in the state.

Following the opening of the office, CITAD delegation and the gusts paid a courtesy call on Alh. (Dr.) Aminu Saleh CFR, GCON Wamban Katagum to thank him for the support he has given to the organization and to wish him speedy recovery following a car accident in which he sustained some injuries. He thanked CITAD and urged to come up with a plan of action for its activities in state, now that it had formally established its presence. He also called on the State Government to make effective use of the organization to train teachers of secondary schools in the state so that computers provided to schools that were currently lying idle due to lack of instructors would b put to effective use. CITAD Executive Director who led the delegation thanked the Elder statesman for the support and contribution he has been given to CITAD and promised him that the new office would soon stare both community pubic enlightenment and training programmes  for the benefit of the citizens of the State. Also speaking that at the place, the Director of News, Bauchi State Broadcasting, Alhaji Ibrahim Sani, expressed the readiness of his organization to partner with CITAD especially in the area of public enlightenment to promote better appreciation of IT and its use in the state.