The Gabchyari community in Darazo Local Government, Bauchi State, say the only Primary and Junior Secondary School (JSS) in the community with a student population of 350, has only three teachers.

This was disclosed by some members of the community in separate interviews in Gabchyari on Monday.

They said that the situation has contributed to the high number of out-of-school children in the area and appealed to Bauchi State Government to deploy more teachers to the school to save the situation.

One of the community members, Malam Isa Ibrahim, said that the dearth of teachers in the school had also discouraged many parents from sending their children to school.

“We want the government to help us get more teachers here, teachers are very important and needed in this school,” he added.

Similarly, Yahaya Adamu, another resident, called on the state government to renovate the school, to make the environment conducive for teaching and learning.

He disclosed that out of the three blocks of six classrooms in the school, only two are in good condition.

Adamu added that the lack of potable water in the community had contributed to the nonchalance of the students and parents to learning.

“It is very hard for the students to get water before they go to school, they spend most of the time searching for water during school hours.

“This makes them not to attend classes on time. And even if they go, they are always tired from the rigour of fetching water,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi Muhammad, a teacher, said the school has only two teachers for the JSS classes and one for the primary school section.

“Sometimes, people ask us `what do you teach them, because you are only three teachers in the school’.

“We have one teacher who doubles as the headteacher with more than 200 pupils in the primary school and 150 JSS students.

“Most times, I and my partner in the JSS assist by teaching in the primary classes. We go there to do our best,” he said.

Reacting, Mr Abdullahi Muhammad, the Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, said that posting of teachers was the responsibility of local governments’ Education Secretaries.

Mohammed however said Gov. Bala Mohammed had pledged to recruit more teachers to address the dearth of teachers in the state.

He assured that the recruitment of teachers by the state government was imminent, adding that the governor was very committed to the pledge.

On school renovation, Muhammad said the governor had approved huge amounts of money for such projects, adding that rehabilitation work was ongoing in some schools across the 20 LGAs of the state.

He charged the people especially in rural areas to improve their maintenance culture with a view to protecting school infrastructure and other facilities provided by the government.

Also commenting, Mr Opeyemi Olagunju, Communications Officer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office, said that the organisation had identified the community as one of the hard-to-reach areas in the state.

He said that the community and similar others urgently need of more teachers and conducive classrooms for learning as well as safe drinking water. (NAN)

The Kogi All Progressives Congress (APC) Guber Candidate, Mr Usmam Ododo, on Sunday, unveiled a Primary School Teacher, Salifu Joel, as his running mate for Nov. 11 governorship election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the running mate is the current Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), and the Treasurer of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kogi.

Gov Yahaya Bello, who spoke at the event at the Government House, said that the choice of Mr Joel, a class teacher and unionist as the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, was borne out of the party’s desire to carry every body along in its quest for the development of the state.

Bello assured that he would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the APC won the Nov 11 governorship election in the state.

“APC will follow and abide by all the existing electoral laws to win the Nov 11 election, more so that my administration has performed creditably well in the areas of provision of infrastructure, quality education, healthcare delivery, among others.

“We have shown competence, dedication and Commitment to Kogi people in terms of performance to also ask for their votes in the next governorship election.

“In this dispensation, we won’t tolerate any politics of bitterness nor condone any act of political violence because Kogi as a state is bigger than any personal interest.

“Politics of ethnicity, religion will never be a barrier and has no place in Kogi, therefore, you should desist from any comments that can put you in trouble tomorrow, ” he warned.

Also, the State’s APC Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, congratulated the party’s guber candidate and his running mate, and commended the governor for providing good leadership to the party.

He said it was ap and commendable, the choice of the running mate to Ododo, coming from a very critical section of the society as a teacher.

Joel said: “I am short of words for me as a classroom teacher to be nominated as the running mate and deputy governor to the APC guber candidate.”

“When I was first approached, from the bottom of my heart, I joyfully and heartily accepted the position, because it is divine.

“I wish to assure that I will do all I could to ensure that our party becomes victorious in the forthcoming governorship election, ” Joel assured.

In their goodwill messages, the National President of TUC, Mr Audu Anaba; Kogi NLC Chairman, Mr Gabriel Amari and the immediate past NLC Chairman, Edoka Onu; commended the governor for choosing one among the labour unions as Ododo’s running mate.

They assured the governor of their total support to mobilise votes for Ododo/Joel ticket to ensure that they emerged the next Governor and Deputy Governor of Kogi State. (NAN)

From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

Salem University Lokoja has appointed two new Professors as Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) to help steer the institution to greater heights.

A statement signed and issued by the university’s Registrar, Dr Emmanuel Adejoh, in Lokoja on Friday, said that the appointments were with immediate effect.

The two new DVCs are Prof Sunday Okpanachi (Prof.

The Registrar said that the appointments were approved by Senate at its Regular Meeting held recently.

Adejor disclosed, “Prof Sunday Okpanach, a Director of Academic Planning, is now DVC Administration while Prof Adebayo Williams, Dean, College of Law, is now DVC Academics.

“The two DVCs were nominated by our senate and subsequently approved by council to meet the challenges of the university and of the society,” the registrar said.

He said that the council expects a lot more from the new DVCs at ensuring that the university is placed among the World academic best institutions.

According to him, the appointment is for the period of two years renewable after the first tenure of they could prove their worth.