News
Oyo govt. gives career option to repeaters.
AGAINST the backdrop of ‘no automatic promotion’ policy for students in public secondary schools in the state, the Oyo state government said on Tuesday that for repeaters who would not like to continue in the secondary school, there is always the option of state owned Technical Colleges towards choosing the right career for themselves, which would make their professional life.
The state commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela stated this at the sensitization workshop on key policy directions towards improved secondary school system in Oyo State held at the cultural centre, Mokola, Ibadan.
Considering the unfavorable impression, Olowofela noted that there is an urgent need to expose the parents to the benefits of technical and vocational education as solution to growing youth unemployment and restiveness.
He said, “in this constantly changing and increasingly competitive world, that country will not prosper, which has a large population of uneducated youth. Oyo State’s pacesetter status makes us ever forward looking.
“The situation of repeaters in our secondary schools is at variance with the vision of the government of the day to make the State a knowledge based economy, where unemployed graduates and secondary school leavers are equipped with competitive support service skills that make them sought after by employers”.
Speaking further, the commissioner recalled that the ‘No Automatic Promotion’ policy led to several unsavoury fallouts, saying that having been fully convinced of the beneficial nature of the policy, government forged ahead and the schools are beginning to reap the dividends accruable therefrom.
“However, an aspect of the unsavoury outcome of the policy I must not fail to mention here is the escalation in the rate of truancy and anti – social behaviours in our schools, being perpetrated by repeaters who have stopped attending classes. The Ministry has been kept on her toes working with schools to deal with the ‘no man’s land’ set up by these students. Known by different names – School Two, Phase Two, Abete, Forest, Sambisa, Desert – these locations serve as hideout where repeaters indulge their baser natures”, he explained.
While appreciating the parents for their cooperation with government in its move to restore education in the state to a sound footing, he assured that with their continued cooperation, the Ministry under his watch will continue to work in the best interests of their wards and children according to the vision of the present administration in the state.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, Centre for Organizational and Professional Ethics (COPE – Africa), Dr Adeyeye Adewole disclosed that the program is part of the re – positioning agenda of Oyo state government aimed at creating necessary awareness and proactive response mechanism from among critical stakeholders as well as engender much needed support so that everyone can adequately key into the on – going reformative strategies towards sustainable development of Oyo state educational system.
Adeyeye added that other key features of the program are to enlighten and brainstorm on key policy directions of government particularly the ‘no automatic promotion ‘ policy and the needs for other stakeholders such as parents to wake up to their responsibility as well as to provoke attitudinal change towards technical and vocational education by encouraging enrolments of pupils into available Oyo state Technical Institutions because of assurances of job creation and future prospect in the present dispensation.
He, however commended the state government for the boldness, passion and commitment to addressing critical challenges that have bedeviled the education system over time.
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
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