The Gombe State AGILE (Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment) Project has officially commenced its Training of Trainers under the Life Skills Component, marking a significant step toward the effective implementation of the initiative aimed at empowering young girls across the state.

The five-day training, organized by the Guidance and Counselling Development Association in partnership with the Gombe State AGILE Project, kicked off at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe with the participation of key stakeholders and representatives from various institutions.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Gombe State AGILE Project Coordinator, Dr. Amina Haruna Abdul, represented by the **Deputy Project Coordinator, Aishatu Sambo, reaffirmed the project’s commitment to achieving its objectives. She emphasized that life skills development is a critical aspect of the AGILE initiative, stressing the importance of laying a solid foundation for its successful and systematic execution.

“Life skills are essential for shaping the future of adolescent girls in Gombe State. We are committed to ensuring the proper implementation of this component in line with the overall goals of AGILE,” said Dr. Amina.

Also speaking at the event, the **World Bank National Team Lead, Mrs. Dorcas Kadangs Yakubu , praised the state’s effort and pace in establishing a strong foundation for the project. She urged the facilitators and organizers to strictly adhere to the World Bank’s project objectives and operational guidelines, warning against any deviations, as the Bank maintains a zero-tolerance policy on project mismanagement.

The State Component Lead on Life Skills, Walida Maryam Muhammad, highlighted the purpose of the training, noting that it was designed to equip master trainers with basic and practical knowledge on life skills. The trained participants will, in turn, train teachers in public schools across the state to cascade the knowledge to adolescent girls.

Participants in the training were drawn from tertiary institutions, faith-based organizations, and guidance and counseling bodies across Gombe State.

Throughout the training sessions, presentations were delivered on critical areas such as Life Skills Development, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Safe Space Demonstrations, which are essential components of the life skills curriculum.

The training is expected to significantly enhance the capacity of educators and mentors to support and empower adolescent girls in Gombe State through quality life skills education.

The Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has expended over 3 billion naira for 141,175 (one hundred and forty-one thousand, one hundred and seventy-five) Kano students who passed the 2024 qualifying examinations to sit for this year’s WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS (2025).

In a statement issued by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Information, Ibrahim Adam, it was noted that the Commissioner for Education, Ali Haruna Makoda, announced to newsmen in Kano that the State Ministry of Education had released the results of the qualifying examinations for secondary school students in Kano.

These students are studying under the Kano State Teachers Service Board and the Science and Technical Schools Board, where 75 percent of them qualified to write the senior school certificate examinations of WAEC, NABTEB, NECO, and NBAIS (for Arabic students).

Ali Haruna Makoda stated that the students eligible for payment by the Kano State Government under Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf are those who scored five credits and above.

The Commissioner maintained that all secondary school principals and directors should notify their students of their results so that the state government can effect the payment.

The 2025 qualifying exams for WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB will enable the students to sit for their 2025 examinations required for admission into tertiary education.

Ibrahim Adam, the Special Adviser to Governor Yusuf on Information, said that since the inception of the administration in May 2023, it has settled registration fees for Kano indigent students for WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS.

The Special Adviser pointed out that apart from settling the fees, Governor Yusuf’s administration has also paid huge outstanding debts for WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB left behind by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administration.

He also said it is part of Governor Yusuf’s declaration of a state of emergency on education and an effort to mitigate the high number of out-of-school children that have bedeviled the state.

The North West Development Commission (NWDC) has announced the cancellation of its foreign scholarship application process in response to a new policy directive from the Federal Government prioritizing local education.

In a statement issued by the NWDC management on Thursday, May 8, 2025, the commission confirmed that the cancellation is in line with a recent federal directive urging public institutions to focus on strengthening educational capacity within Nigeria.

“This decision follows the Federal Government’s announcement on May 7, 2025,” the statement read. “We are fully committed to aligning our programs and initiatives with national priorities, especially those aimed at promoting local content and indigenous capacity building.”

The Federal Government’s directive was conveyed through a press statement signed by Mrs. Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education. The statement emphasized the need to redirect resources towards improving domestic institutions and ensuring more Nigerians have access to quality education at home.

“The policy is designed to reduce reliance on foreign academic systems and bolster Nigeria’s educational sector by investing in local universities and training institutions,” Mrs. Folasade said in the official release.

The NWDC reiterated its support for this policy, noting that it will explore new avenues to support educational and human capital development within the region. “The commission will provide updates on further opportunities and programs in due course,” the NWDC statement concluded.

The move is expected to impact hundreds of applicants who had hoped to pursue studies abroad under the commission’s sponsorship but may now need to consider domestic options supported by the commission in future initiatives.