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NBTE trains North-West quality assurance assessors

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North West Assurance Meeting

 

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has commenced the training of Quality Assurance Assessors in the Northwest zone.

Declaring the five-day training workshop open on Monday in Kano, the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, said that the training was supported by the World Bank under the “Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS)“ project.

Bugaje, represented by his Special Adviser, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, explained that the World Bank was supporting the Federal Ministry of Education and some selected states to promote technical and vocational education in the country.

He said the project was geared towards enhancing the quality and relevance of skills in the country, noting that the IDEAS project was in six states across the federation.

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The NBTE boss disclosed that the project was meant to intervene in the development of the technical colleges and skills sector in Nigeria.

He described the initiative as vital for the growth of the Nigerian economy.

Bugaje expressed regrets that over the years technical colleges were not functioning as expected.

He said this made the World Bank to provide a $200 million loan for the Federal government to reposition technical colleges in some selected states in order to close the skill gaps in the country.

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Bugaje, who lamented the shortage of quality assurance assessors in the country, noted that the participants would be trained with a view for them to be able to train youths in skill acquisition.

“The number of quality assurance assessors is not more than 1,500 in a country of 200 million people and that is why the Federal Government is partnering with IDEAS to close the gap,” he said.

The Project Manager of IDEAS, Abbati Muhammad, said that the World Bank was supporting the IDEAS project in each of the participating state with $200 million credit facility for its smooth implementation.

According to him, the project has four components with the core objective of enhancing the capacity of the Nigerian skills development system to produce relevant skills for the formal and informal sectors.

He explained that the training would enhance their capacity to effectively carry out their assigned activities across all the four project components of the scheme.

Muhammad explained that some of the challenges in the sector could be surmounted through the National Skill Qualification Framework developed to achieve the occupational standardisation.

Earlier, the commissioner for Education, Ya’u Yanshana, said that Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje launched the project ‘Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills“ recently.

According to him, the implementation of the project signifies the seriousness and commitment of those managing the IDEAS project.

He commended the NBTE for its concerted efforts to see that much was achieve within the life span of the project.

Represented by the Executive Secretary, Science and Technology Schools Board, Ahmed Abdullahi, noted that advent of knowledge economy and educational competences were prized above natural resources as the prime factor in national development.

“The combination of science, technology and mathematics education is acknowledged as the pivot of economic and industrial development, with its sub-sector, Technical, Vocational Education and training (TVET) as the pillars of the economy.

“A country’s standing in science and technology and in TVET defines her stand in the ladder of the world economies.

“Success stories of the newly industrialising countries (NICs) such as as Korea, China and Malaysia attest to the fact that the systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge is a major actor to leapfrog into sustainable economic development, ” he said.

He urged the participants to make good use of the knowledge they had acquired for the overall development of the state and the country at large.

Some of the participants, who spoke to our correspondent commended the organisers and promised to share the knowledge with others.

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KEDCO Promotes 1500 Staff In Major Staff Welfare, Performance Boost

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Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has approved a merit-based promotion of 1,500 members of staff as part of its ongoing commitment to staff welfare, motivation, and building a performance-driven workforce.

In a statement released by the company’s spokesperson, Sani Bala Sani, it was highlighted that the promotion exercise is the most significant in the company’s history, underscoring KEDCO’s renewed commitment to human capital development as a critical pillar of its ongoing transformation agenda under the current core investor-Future Energies Africa (FEA) and management.

According to the statement, the exercise followed a comprehensive performance appraisal process and aligns with best practices in corporate governance, fairness, and transparency. It was designed to recognize deserving staff who met the eligibility criteria in line with the company’s conditions of service, and have demonstrated dedication, competence, and resilience in supporting the company’s operational turnaround and improved service delivery.

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Speaking on the development, KEDCO’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abubakar Shuaibu Jimeta described the move as a strategic investment in people, noting that the staff remain the company’s greatest asset.

“This promotion exercise is not just a reward for hard work; it is a statement of intent. At KEDCO, we are building a culture where performance is recognized, excellence is encouraged, and our people are empowered to deliver value to our customers and stakeholders,” the MD/CEO said.

The development forms part of broader workforce reforms aimed at boosting productivity, enhancing customer experience, and positioning KEDCO to meet the evolving demands of the power sector. It also reflects the company’s resolve to foster industrial harmony and sustain a motivated workforce capable of driving operational efficiency.

In a statement by Sani Bala Sani Head corporate communications KEDCO reaffirms its commitment to continuous staff development, capacity building, and improved welfare, stressing that a motivated workforce remains central to achieving reliable, efficient, and customer-focused electricity distribution across its franchise area.

 

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Presidential Aide Sparks Fury with AI-Generated Photo of Tinubu

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

On Sunday night, Presidential aide Dada Olusegun posted an AI-generated image on X depicting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meeting with Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, in Paris. The image, bearing a visible Grok watermark, was shared alongside claims that the two leaders had met that day in the French capital.

The fabricated visuals have ignited a firestorm online, with netizens demanding answers. Many are questioning why an AI-generated image was necessary to portray a meeting with Rwanda’s President. A deeper, more troubling question has also emerged: Is this a deliberate attempt to create the illusion of a fully engaged and active President while, in reality, his condition and whereabouts are being obscured?

The controversy feeds directly into recent, unverified reports circulating widely that President Tinubu’s current trip to Europe is primarily for urgent medical treatment, allegedly due to a deterioration in his health.

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Analysts suggest the AI imagery could be a rushed effort at damage control, designed to quell growing public skepticism about the undisclosed purpose of his travel. The move, they argue, may inadvertently signal that the President is not in good health and that the administration is attempting to manage perceptions.

Officially, the Presidency announced on December 28, 2025, that Tinubu would travel to Europe before proceeding to Abu Dhabi for the 2026 Sustainability Week Summit at the invitation of UAE President His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed AlNahyan. However, this narrative is now under intense scrutiny.

The speculation is fueled by precedent. In April 2025, Sahara Reporters published a report claiming President Tinubu was receiving treatment at a hospital in France. If the current rumors of another medical trip are verified, it would mark the second such occurrence in less than a year.

This escalating situation has drawn sharp observations from political commentators, who warn that a leader with recurring serious health issues raises profound concerns about stability and capacity.

With the 2027 presidential election on the horizon, many are already stating that a president in evidently deteriorating health must not be re-elected, framing the controversy not just as a matter of transparency, but of national fitness for office.

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Gombe Schools Resume From Second Term Holidays”

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As schools resumes today Monday 5th January, 2026 for the commencement of the second term 2025/2026 academic session, the Honourable Commissioner of Education, Prof Aishatu Umar Maigari has appealed to parents and guardians to send their wards back to schools as academic activities commences immediately.

This was contained in a statement released by
Saidu Bappa Malala the
Special Assistant Media to the Honourable Commissioner over the weekend on the verified Facebook handle of the ministry.

She also called on teachers to be dedicated to their responsibilities with vigour and renewed commitment for the development of education.

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Professor Maigari assured that Government is rolling out new innovations this year in the areas of manpower and skills development in an effort to further improve the welfare needs of teachers in the state.

While wishing teachers and students success in the new academic session, Prof Aishatu Maigari said as usual the Ministry will despatch team of quality evaluators to monitor the resumption level in schools.

In that regard, the Ministry is working closely with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Gombe State Senior Secondary School Education Board (GOSSEB) to ensure Quality and Service delivery in the education sector.

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