AL-MUHARRAM 14 1431 A.H.
THURSDAY DEC. 31 2009
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Jigawa Ist to receive 2009 UBEC/SUBEB intervention fund---Educ Minister
From ISMAILA MUHAMMAD, Dutse
The minister of state, federal ministry of Education, Hajiya Aisha Jibril Dukku has said that Jigawa state was the only state out of the 36 states of the federation that received its 2009 Education Intervention Fund from the Universal Basic Education Commission as a result of its excellent performance.
Hajiya Aisha Dukku disclosed this when she paid a courtesy call on the Jigawa state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido at Government House, Dutse, as part of her two days official working visit to the state.
She said that the state government under Lamido has paid the backlog of 2006, 2007 and 2008 counter part fund and left many states who ledged behind, a development which qualified the state the access to its 2009 intervention fund from the federal government.
The minister of state Education said what she saw during her visit to educational institutions in the state was amazing and beyond comment.
Hajiya Dukku who described Governor Lamido as a progressive, dynamic and committed leader, said “What I saw in terms of giants stride especially in the educational develop-ment was a very serious progress, I kept quite” she pointed out.
The minister stated further said that, Jigawa was at minus – 0 in 2005 when the intervention fund came into being adding that the state is receiving,the least fund, but she noted that the achievements recorded by the Lamido administration with meager resources were enormous.
Hajiya Aisha Jibril who described education as the backborn of any development, said she was proud to be a teacher maintaining that it was a profession ordained by God the Almighty, adding that if Muslims want to worship God, they must acquire at least a certain rudimentary level of knowledge.
The minister who congratulated Governor Lamido on organizing an education summit to find the measure that could avert failure in WAEC and NECO examinations, pointed out that Jigawa state was lucky to have a committed, transparent and accountable leader.
Hajiya Dukku stated that in some states there were several cases where, the chairmen of SUBEB had problems with their commissioners of education, citing some instances where in some states, the SUBEB chairmen were more powerful than their deputy governors, because of the money being released to the SUBEB for educating Nigerian children.
She said that in Jigawa state, the trend was different as the commissioner of education, science and Technology and the state SUBEB Chairman as well as their staff were working as one family, a situation she dedicated to Governor Lamido.
In his response, Governor Sule Lamido who described the minister as a philosopher and orator, also sees education as the key to human civilization and also is the foundation of human being through process of teaching and learning.
“Our Holy Prophet of Islam was a teacher, because he noted God sent Angle Jibril who taught him how to read and write likewise other prophets were teachers.What differentiate humanbeings and animals were that, human being has mental faculty while animals have instinct,” he further mentioned.
The governor explained further that any society that abandoned education has abandoned its huge resources, adding that it was on slippery sand.
He told the minister that whatever the state government achieved on education and other sectors, was through their collective efforts, saying that he and his cabinet members, political party and all stakeholders ,work as a team for the betterment of the people of the state.
Governor Lamido also disclosed that effective judicious resource application and management were the brain behind their success, adding that they customize everything in Jigawa accountable to the people of the state.
He asserted that, while going to Danmasara village in Dutse local government area of the state, he saw small children of 4 to 5 years on the bare floor taking lessons, as a leader he thought that something must be done which he said was what informed the construction of a model primary school through UBEC and SUBEB intervention project of 2005 and 2008.
Alhaji Lamido thanked the federal government for paying the state its two years intervention fund in block, adding that he is prepared to make any commitment in terms of paying the state’s counter part funds.
