By Tolulope Sobiye Ogunbowale

A new academic session is knocking at the door. But before the first lesson is taught, there is a question every educator should ask: Am I really prepared for the journey ahead?

In my last publication, I reflected on how learners could make use of their holidays through reading, learning new skills, helping at home and engaging in activities that support their growth.

As the holiday draws to a close, attention now shifts to the other side of the classroom. If learners are expected to return ready to learn, should teachers not also return ready to teach, guide and inspire?

Preparing for resumption should go beyond arranging lesson notes, checking the timetable and organising teaching materials.

It is an opportunity to reflect on the previous session, identify areas for improvement and return with purpose. Every teacher should pause and ask: What worked last session? What challenged me? Which learner needed more support? And what can I do better this time?

Every educator needs a teacher’s survival kit. It may not come in a box, but it should contain knowledge, patience, empathy, flexibility, good communication, resilience, creativity and humour. These qualities can help teachers navigate difficult days.

A good teacher must remain a learner. Before resumption, educators should revisit their subject areas, study the curriculum, refresh their knowledge and explore ways of presenting lessons. The world is changing rapidly, and learners are changing with it. A teacher who continues to learn is better prepared to teach and would be respected for what he teaches.

Hence, knowledge alone is not enough. The teacher must also prepare the heart. Every learner comes to school with a different story. Some return eager and confident; others may be carrying challenges that are not immediately visible. Some understand lessons quickly, while others need patience and encouragement. The prepared teacher looks beyond the struggle and sees potential.

The story of Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide, LASU’s overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session, offers a reminder of the influence educators can have. Despite financial difficulties, he received support from people who believed in him, including teachers who reportedly assisted him during difficult periods. Such acts remind us that a small gesture can become significant in a learner’s journey.

This lesson aligns with the story of Rita Pierson, the renowned American educator who, in her popular talk, Every Kid Needs a Champion, emphasised the importance of teacher-learner relationships. Her message is simple but powerful: children need adults who believe in them. They need teachers who look beyond grades and see possibilities.

A struggling child today may become tomorrow’s outstanding graduate, professional or leader.

Flexibility is essential. Not every lesson will follow the plan. A learner may struggle with a topic, a teaching aid may fail, or an unexpected situation may change the programme. A prepared teacher knows when to adjust while keeping the learning objective.

Technology aids the teachers ‘research, yet no device can replace a teacher who listens, encourages, corrects and understands learners.

Communication matters just as much. In other words, words can make or mar. A careless statement can weaken confidence, while “I believe in you” can encourage a learner to try again. Teachers should correct without humiliating, discipline without degrading and encourage without unfair comparison.

Finally, teachers must remember that they are human. Teaching can be demanding, and constant giving without rest can lead to exhaustion. Rest, collaboration, support and healthy boundaries are necessary. Self-care is part of staying effective.

Let educators prepare more than their classrooms. Prepare the mind. Refresh the knowledge. Organise the materials. Strengthen the patience. Renew the purpose. Most importantly, prepare the heart.

The learners have had their season of holiday preparation. Now it is the teacher’s turn.

Let every educator return with a survival kit filled with knowledge to teach, patience to understand, empathy to care, courage to encourage, flexibility to adapt and resilience to continue.

Years from now, a learner may forget a lesson or test score, but may never forget the teacher who saw something in them and chose to believe.

From Reform to Prosperity: A Case for President Tinubu’s Re-election

By Fredrick Nwabufo

In the past three years, the hard work of scaffolding and foundation laying has been accomplished; the reforms have been sown, and now we are harvesting prosperity. With Renewed Hope Agenda 2, we will deliver today while building for tomorrow.

Suleiman sits in the examination hall. His palms are sweaty, and beads of despair are dropping on his lap. He has not paid his fees and is scraping by on odd jobs. It is the crucial second-semester examination. Suleiman faces a major challenge to his dream of getting a higher education: funding. But his determination is greater than his fear.

In his 200 level in 2024, word came to him about the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND); he did not hesitate; he put his foot on the pedal, applied and got funding for tuition and upkeep. Today, Suleiman’s dream lives. Not aborted. In his immortal words, he says: “NELFUND helped me cross the finish line. It was a lifeline.”

We now have close to two million students like Suleiman to whom NELFUND has given a lifeline, a new passport to prosperity, and a reason to dream again; to believe again, and redouble their faith in the possibilities of our nation.

The challenge of funding higher education is a serious concern worldwide. In the US, 60 per cent of students who drop out of college cite financial strain, and in the 2023/2024 academic session alone, more than 10 million students received various forms of financial aid.

NELFUND is a historical novelty. It is a programme that the young beneficiaries of today will talk about and pass down to their children, just like our parents regaled us with tales about a time in Nigeria when

higher education was at its peak; when hostels were roomy, and a smorgasbord of full chicken and milk was served expressly at school cafeterias.

To address certain political contortions, NELFUND is a zero-interest facility open to all Nigerian students in tertiary institutions. It is only due for repayment two years after the completion of the NYSC. Critical programmes like NELFUND should not be fodder for populist politics. The programme’s essence must not be lost or minimised. It is principally to offer an opportunity for higher education and a better life for any Nigerian student, as well as to enrich the productive workforce and expand access to jobs and economic opportunities.

From yesterday’s challenges, Nigeria is transitioning today, undergirded by economic policy shifts—such as fiscal realignments and fuel subsidy removal—toward long-term stabilisation, infrastructure returns, expanded federal revenue distributions to states, job creation, and emerging microeconomic gains. Without eliminating the residual challenges, the gains from macroeconomic stability are already reaching critical segments of the population.

Today, states can pay workers’ salaries, a departure from the past when 27 states could not meet this obligation; there is an improvement in wages and income; there is CREDICORP, which is supporting workers to buy essential goods and assets; there is education financing, as well as direct financial grants to low-income households and small businesses, among others.

Essentially, the Tinubu administration has kept faith with the core pillars of its original manifesto. It has honoured foundational commitments, translating policy blueprints into tangible infrastructure and structural reforms. What it said it would do, it has done.

It has not been an easy road to tread, really, but it has been far from a Golgotha experience. Our economy has reached a sufficient recovery and is already on a stronger growth trajectory.

Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.43% (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2026, higher than the 4.23% recorded in the second quarter of 2025, driven by improvements in the oil, manufacturing, agricultural, and services sectors, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The NBS also reported inflation falling to 15.43% in July 2026 from 15.91%.

Days ago, Moody’s revised Nigeria’s outlook to positive and affirmed its B3 rating, citing stronger external buffers and sustained reform momentum. Global index provider FTSE Russell had also confirmed that Nigeria’s capital market would be reclassified from “Unclassified” to “Frontier Market” status, effective from the opening of trading on Monday, September 21, 2026, after nearly three years of exclusion.

Months ago, Nigeria’s stock market emerged as the world’s best-performing equity market in dollar terms, eclipsing South Korea, as investor confidence grew amid an improving macroeconomic outlook and ongoing economic reforms.

Today, our foreign reserves are over $53 billion, the highest in nearly two decades. In June, Nigeria was ranked as the best-performing African economy in the 2026 World Competitiveness Ranking released by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

In the past three years, the hard work of scaffolding and foundation laying has been accomplished; the reforms have been sown, and now we are harvesting prosperity. With Renewed Hope Agenda 2, we will deliver today while building for tomorrow.

Nwabufo is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Bauchi State, says it will conduct a five-month voter education exercise to mobilise participation in the 2027 general elections.

The Director of the agency, Adamu Sarkinyara, said this in an interview on Wednesday in Bauchi.

Sarkinyara said that the exercise targeted about one million youths, to ensure conduct of free, fair and violence free elections in the state.

He said that the agency has mobilised about 500 civil society organisations, to facilitate smooth conduct of the exercise across the 20 local government areas of the state.

The director said that parts of the mandate of the agency was to sensitise Nigerians on good governance, democracy and civic participation.

“NOA is a key stakeholder on election matters, we have three mandates: pre- election campaigns, voter education, and peace building toward free and fair elections,” he said.

Sarkinyara said that the agency would monitor the conduct of the election, and report its findings to the public, government, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said that the agency would also address political parties with grievances, to encourage compliance to the Electoral Act and relevant laws.

“As part of the post-election role, we train people on good governance, we will organise a workshop in collaboration with the Development Exchange Center (DEC), and other agencies towards building the capacity of the local structures on governance, transparency and accountability,” he said.

Sarkinyara said that the exercise was designed to build the capacity of the newly elected local council chairmen on open government partnership, transparent and inclusive governance.

Nigerian Grammy winning artiste, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has become the first Nigerian artiste to surpass four billion views on YouTube.

The milestone was achieved through the combined views of music videos and other content on the artiste’s official YouTube channel.

The development underscores the global appeal of Burna Boy’s music and the growing international reach of Afrobeats.

The singer’s catalogue includes popular songs such as “Ye,” “On the Low,” “Last Last” and “For My Hand”, which have collectively attracted hundreds of millions of views on the video-sharing platform.

Burna Boy had earlier made history in 2021 by becoming the first Nigerian artiste to surpass one billion total views on YouTube.

The achievement comes amid a series of international milestones recorded by the artiste, whose music has continued to attract audiences across Africa, Europe, North America and other parts of the world.

Industry observers say the achievement reflects the increasing role of digital platforms in taking Nigerian music to a global audience.

Also, the milestone places Burna Boy among the leading African artistes on YouTube and sets a new benchmark for Nigerian music. (NAN)