Testing the efficiency of a serving teacher without classroom activities compares with testing the swimming capacity of fish in the mud. Teaching requires demonstration of knowledge and pedagogical skills. All that has been made public so far on Kaduna test items were instruments assessing knowledge of special subject areas. Only NCE Primary Education Studies in our Colleges of Education teaches the core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies...). A good test should factor the training context in which the teachers were trained. Testing teachers on all subjects even if it is on Primary Two content may come with surprises. In-service training is one option between sacking and tolerating bad teachers. Some of us in the industry find it difficult to accept the assumption of 21,000 untrainable teachers in the teaching workforce of a given state. The only options in Kaduna are that one is either qualified or sacked. I have not seen any Tweet or Facebook update from ...

Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, has been named the United States Malaria Fight Ambassador in Nigeria. Yari was named along with Alhaji Aliko Dangote as the ambassadors of Malaria fight for 2016 in Public and Private Sectors respectively, at this Year’s World Malaria Day in recognition of their contributions to the fight against Malaria in Nigeria. The event during which the Governor was recognised was jointly organized by the United States International Development Agency (USAID); the US President’s Malaria Initiative in Nigeria and the United States Mission in Nigeria.

Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, the governor, said outbreak of diseases is clearly a punishment signal from God for the sins of the people. Sanusi immediately took him headlong, declaring that the statement is “horrendous” and “Islamically incorrect”. He then added the clincher: 90% of the problems around the north are self-inflicted and can be solved. I will illustrate his point. There are 24 state hospitals in Zamfara, but there are only 22 doctors in those hospitals attending to “our huge population” of two million  people . You will notice that this has nothing to do with fornication. A governor who cares so much about the wellbeing of the people he was elected to lead would not go and sit down in Abuja while they are being ruined by preventable diseases. I reckon that the first case of meningitis was recorded in Zamfara in November 2016. The state neither handled it nor alerted the federal authorities until February 2017 when it had gone out of hand...

By Lawal Barau The rate at which Youth of northern extract are taking elicit drugs is becoming out of proportion. The addiction is noticeable even amongst ladies who are potential mothers to yet unborn generation. This trend is not only worrisome but also alarmingly disturbing. It is a common thing to sight ladies mixing elicit drugs with soft drinks in order to prevent their parents or guardians from knowing. ( see the pic under ). As for the boys, they take all sorts of drugs in the open without the fear of parents, elders or any law enforcement agent, after all some of them are their partners in crimes. The situation has gotten out of hand and beyond redemption. So often you see dealers and retailers of hard drugs not only on the streets of our cities but also in our towns and villages. The multiplyer effects of these degenerative tendencies are not only affecting the present fibre of our nation, but also shaking the foundation of our future. These Youths are indeed the futur...

"Dear Mr President, I am one of your unapologetic admirers, I went all ways to advocate for your emergence . I lost friendships and resources promoting your candidature. In fact, I named my son after you; I call him Muhammadu Buhari - all these I did because I wholeheartedly believe in you. Everyday I pray for your success, I pray for your good health - I spend energy defending your actions even in the face of obvious indefensible template. I am dangerously linked to your person and ideology that I can take bullet for you. However, recently manifestations from your desk has left me somewhat helpless and deflated. You are demystifying the phenomenal brand called Muhammadu Buhari. Laxity and overt complacency is taking over your fascinating antecedents. You are withering away your goodwill so fast. Your too democratic stance is not helping the wheel of governance. You are leaving too a wide room for indolence. Your lieutenants are abusing responsibilities while you watch ...