The Chairman, Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Education, Mr Abel  Bala has commended Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State  for taking the education sector to the next level of development.

He said that  Sule has performed well in the education sector in the area  of structures and instructional materials among others.

Bala stated this  at three-Day Workshop organised by the  Conference of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Nasarawa State Chapter in Lafia on Wednesday.

The theme of the Conference is ” The Impact of ICT on School Administration and Management”

Bala, who is the Chairman of the Conference, said that  Sule has made adequate  budgetary provision in 2025 for the education sector in the state.

” I want to thank  the governor   for placing premium on the education sector.

” Sule is aware that education is the way that drive the nation to its greatness.

” Therefore, he deliberately chopped up this year’s  budget to take care of  the provision of structures and instructional materials.

” I make bold to say this in my capacity as the Chairman, House Committee on Education because as a committee, we have the statistics.

“We have visited schools and we have been synergising with all critical stakeholders in  this sector,” he said.

He urged the participants to complement  Sule’s efforts by providing quality and sound education to the pupils and students.

Bala  also urged them to ensure the  judicious utilisation of facilities and laboratory equipment provided by the government.

” I equally thank the officials of ANCOPSS for the remarkable unity among them.

” I  implore you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn and  re-learn skills and techniques on ICT,” he said.

The lawmaker appreciated Dr Danladi Jatau, Speaker Nasarawa State House of Assembly for the support the committee is getting from him and called for its sustenance.

” I want to appreciate   Jatau for the support we received from him as a committee” he added.

Earlier, the Chairman of ANCOPSS, Mr  Aloko Williams,  said that ideas and experiences are expected to be shared during the workshop for the overall development of the education sector.

He appreciated the State Government and the House of Assembly for their efforts in uplifting the standard of education in the State.

The chairman thanked dignitaries that attended the event for thier contributions towards the development of education in the state. ( NAN)

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday, said he will be the one to write condolence message of those that rumoured he collapsed at a function and was rushed to France.

Wike stated this while speaking with journalists after inspecting some ongoing projects to be commissioned at the 2nd anniversary in office of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in May.

He said there was nothing wrong with his health and he is sure that he is healthier than some of them that are spreading the rumour.

It would be recalled that it was rumoured by some online blogs that Wike last week collapsed while having a meeting and was rushed to France, adding that he had stroke.

The FCT Minister while responding to the rumour said, initially he didn’t want to dignified the rumour mongers with response, that is why he kept quiet, because it was to divert attention and it is all part of politics and therefore, he won’t be distracted.

According to Wike,  “I don’t want to give credence to people who are only interested in carrying rumours. First of all, I am a human being; it is not a ghost that will collapse. It is human beings that will collapse if there is any problem with their health not mine. Unfortunately, for them, I did not collapse and I did not show any sign that I have any health problem. Let me tell you what happened. What happened was that you saw that the former Head of Service (in Rivers state) came out to let the public know what was going on, how they planned to bomb the House of Assembly complex and how they planned to attack national assets. In order to divert attention from people not focusing on that, they had to bring one rumor that they not me, have been flown overseas.

“There was no time I collapsed; there was no time anybody took me overseas. But you see me everyday. The day Mr President broke iftar on his birthday, I was there. The next day, I led Abuja residents to pay Sallah homage. I see all those stories just died down. This is politics. We have thick skin. Those things don’t bother us. We are not distracted. We are focused on our jobs. So, I thank Nigerians for being worried, which it should be, but people should not wish their fellow human beings such a thing to happen. Even though everyone will die one day but it is only God that says the day you will die not any human being.

He noted, “So, you have seen that I am even healthier than most of them who carried that rumour and I will write their condolence letters. I can assure you that I will write their condolence letters. So, there is nothing like that.”

The FCT Minister, who visited the International Conference Center (ICC), Judges quarters, ongoing road project at Ghishiri, Apo, etc, said he is very satisfied with the pace of work and the various contractors handling the projects have all already assured him they will deliver the projects before the deadlines especially those that are to deliver for the 2nd anniversary of Mr. President.

On how his administration has been managing with funding these projects, he said, no resources is enough but it has to do with managing the funds you are provided.

“The contractors believe in us; they have confidence in us. I just paid some money to them this morning. So, it is about the management of the little resources. No resources can be enough. It is about the management. That is what they are saying on display. We are very happy that they are not complaining”, he said.

Some determined constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District on Thursday vowed never to back down on the recall process of Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the National Assembly.

Rather, they insisted that they would fine-tune the process.

The constituents, in a statement issued on Thursday by Salihu Habib, said there was no going back on their resolve to bring the Kogi senator back home.

They, however, thanked the Independent National Electoral Commission for validating 208,132 (43.

The renewed determination by the concerned constituents was sequel to INEC’s declaration of some defects in the recall petition they had hitherto presented to it.

INEC had, in a statement on its X handle on Thursday said the petition failed to meet the minimum requirement prescribed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The constituents, who are registered voters of Kogi Central, said that they had mobilised more than the 50 per cent plus one threshold of registered voters and submitted their petition with full documentation.

They, however, noted that the validation of 43.86 per cent by INEC was a confirmation that Kogi Central constituents had rejected the senator.

“Apparently, INEC cancelled not less than 35,000 signatures from the administrative signatures collected.

“We will liaise with INEC within the full ambits of the constitution and regulations to demand for transparency in the handling of our petition.

“We have utmost confidence in the commission not to subject the recall process to ambiguity or administrative opacity,” they said.

They expressed gratitude to INEC for proving naysayers, who queried the authenticity of their figures, wrong.

“We thank INEC for making it clear that the bulk of the people of Kogi Central are behind us and that we did not import a crowd like a desperate, embattled lawmaker,” they said.

The petitioners insisted that the recall of Akpoti-Uduaghan “for misconduct and divisiveness” was non-negotiable.

“We are firm in our resolve to restore dignified and collaborative representation to Kogi Central senatorial district. We will no longer indulge someone who will do and say anything just to remain politically relevant.

“The whole of Nigeria watched her deceptive rally last Tuesday where she openly made comments capable of setting, not just Kogi State, but Nigeria ablaze.

“We will pursue all lawful and constitutional means to ensure our voices are heard and respected. After God, power belongs to the people,” they stated. (NAN)