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The federal government is to set up a ministerial task force to
implement a new plan to develop the educational sector and provide
opportunities for over 10 million children that are out of school, the Minister
of Education, Ruqayyatu Ahmad Rufa’i, said yesterday in Dutse, Jigawa State.

She said the number of school age children who are out of school
is causing a lot of concern to the government, hence the decision to develop
the new policy.

“Already, the government is making effort to expand access to
education by accrediting more institutions to be degree-awarding ones,
especially the colleges of education and polytechnics,” she said.

The minister said quality of students, teacher education,
infrastructural development, examinations problems and technical and vocational
education, will be given top priority under the dispensation. In particular,
she said, the government was very worried about the lingering problems in the
education sector.

“Education is the bedrock for even development; any society that
wants to progress must give this singular sector deserving attention and that is
why the government had fashioned out the one-year strategic development plan
which would be implemented religiously,” said the minister.

Making a difference

Mrs Rufa’i said the new idea was to ensure a positive change in
the education sector within the period earmarked, pointing out that the concern
of the government is to ensure growth and development in the critical areas of
the nation’s education sector.

“We have had so many ministers of education in this country; my
desire is to show the difference by making a positive impact within the short
period possible,” she said. “With good and quality education, Nigeria could be
a wonder in the world.” While appreciating the concern and efforts of previous
administration in the sector, she said every administration must find a way of
impacting on the lives of the populace.

The Minister, however, charged parents and guardians to always
reciprocate government gestures by supplementing its efforts, saying education
is the responsibility of all.

A national policy on refund of money spent by states on
rehabilitation of federal government projects will be ready soon, Goodluck
Jonathan said yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The president, who was on a one-day working visit to the former
capital of the old Western Region, commissioned two federal roads in the state,
upgraded by the state government.

The reconstructed roads are Orita New Garage/Odo Ona Elewe to
Apata Road, and the Molete/Oke Ado/ Dugbe/Queen Cinema dual carriage ways.

Mr Jonathan noted that, hitherto, only on few occasions are
states getting full payment for money spent to rehabilitate federal government
properties in their domains. He said his government has therefore set up a
commission to draw a policy that would address the encumbrances experienced in
processing refund on the said projects.

“Most often, the federal government only refund part of the
monies spent on the projects, while some were not refunded at all due to poor
quality of jobs allegedly done by the state governments who executed them,” Mr.
Jonathan said.

An official of the CCC Construction Company who handled the Queen
Cinema/ Dugbe Molete road, told journalists that the road has a life span of
over 20 years if properly maintained, adding that their company will handle the
maintenance for the first one year and hand it over to the state thereafter.

While commending the governor for his effort on the said
projects and others embarked upon to ease the lives of the residents of the
state and allow the dividends of democracy to trickle down to them, the
president hinted that the committee will finalise work on the policy by the
next three weeks.

The ancient city stood still for the president, whose Nigerian
Airforce aircraft landed at the Ibadan airport, Alakia at 10.16am. He was
treated to a rousing welcome by thousands of school children, politicians,
market men and women and other residents of the city who lined up the street to
wave hands in appreciation of his visit.

The visit also coincided with the 60th birthday of the Oyo State
governor,

Adebayo Alo-Akala, for which a special service was held at the
Molete Baptist Church, Ibadan.

Praise for military

Mr Jonathan, in other remarks, noted that the military has
helped in stabilizing democracy in the country. He said but for their level of
maturity and understanding, things would have gone out of hand for the country
within the last three years.

“When I was the acting president, they advised me to remove all
the Service Chiefs. They said if I failed to remove them, I would be removed.
But I made up my mind not to remove them, even at the detriment of my position.
But we thank God that the nation’s politics has come to stabilize. I thank the
military who have been cooperative with the politicians for the attainment of
the stability,” he said.

Loyalty of deputies

He also admonished that deputies should be loyal to their bosses
in order to sustain the political stability the nation currently enjoys.

“From vice chairmen to deputy governors and vice president, they
should be loyal to their bosses because they themselves take their deputies
into confidence.

In-fighting among politicians does not raise the hope of
Nigerians because they see them (politicians) as main actors who cannot manage
themselves. We are there not by our power but by the grace of God. My
conscience will be troubling me if the Nigerian politics is not stabilized.
This is why I enjoin all to collaborate,” the president said.

In his sermon, Ola Makinde charged the president to ensure that
the next elections are free and fair and fully reflect the wishes of Nigerians.

The occasion was witnessed by many dignitaries, including former president,
Olusegun Obasanjo; Governors of Osun, Ekiti and Ogun States, Olagunsoye
Oyinlola, Segun Oni and Gbenga Daniel; clerics, notable politicians and many
traditional rulers in the Southwest.

Patience Jonathan, the wife of Nigeria’s president, yesterday
advocated the participation of more women in politics, saying the involvement
of women in the country’s politics is unimpressive.

Addressing the wives of governors and deputy governors at the
presidential villa, Mrs Jonathan said their involvement will help women advance
their rights and those of their children.

“Only seven per cent of women are presently occupying both
elective and appointed positions at the three tiers of government in the
country,” she said.

She said she invited the wives of the governors for the meeting
so that they could review the roles played by women against those expected to
be played by them in a democracy.

“The purpose of this interactive meeting is to exploit the
opportunity and contribute towards the upliftment of the standard of our
governance,” Mrs Jonathan said.

“You should know that only seven per cent of women are
occupying elective and appointed positions today in Nigeria, covering the three
tiers of government. This is far from the 35 per cent affirmative action. We
need to exploit our roles as women to lobby, to be more visible now that 2011
is by the corner.”

Also at the meeting were the wives of service chiefs and those
of principal officers of the National Assembly.

Pass Child Rights bill

She also challenged the wives of governors from the 12 states
that are yet to pass the Child’s Right bill, to lobby their husbands and their
respective Houses of Assembly to get the bill passed.

“Don’t forget your primary responsibilities as wives and mothers,” she said.
“You must contribute to peace and build bridges of unity. Take care of your
children and lobby your husbands and state Assemblies to pass the Child Rights
Act. You must encourage women to contest elections. I advise you to use your
NGOs to empower the women by identifying pressing needs of the communities.”

Since 1987, the WHO has recognized 31 May of every year as the
World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). This is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of
abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption and is primarily designed to
draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and its
negative health effects.

The theme for this year’s WNTD is “Gender and Tobacco, with an
emphasis on marketing to women”. The WHO, as well as governmental and
non-governmental organizations, are bothered by the rising prevalence of
smoking among women and the underlying factors responsible for this occurrence;
hence, the choice of this year’s theme. The theme is not only to create
awareness about the luring tobacco epidemic among women, but also to expose the
activities of the tobacco industry aimed at sensitizing women to take up the
habit of smoking.

Some decades back, seeing a woman smoke, particularly in
developing countries such as Nigeria was more or less unacceptable, but
presently, smoking among women is gradually becoming a norm.

In 1995, 47% of men and 12% of women smoke cigarettes globally,
representing an overall global smoking population of 29%. Evidence-based
research shows that currently about 1.3 billion people smoke globally of which
over 250 million (20%) are women.

A survey carried out in North-East Nigeria, in 2002, showed that
the prevalence of smoking amongst males was 45.3% while that of the females was
18.4% (this is close to 19% in the USA). Generally, smoking is 5 times higher
among men than women; however, the gender gap declines with younger age.

In developed countries, smoking rates for men have begun to
decline while for women they continue to grow. The case is different in
developing countries where the prevalence of smoking is on the increase for
both men and women.

It is an established fact that every year tobacco smoking
accounts for about 5.4 million deaths globally. Top on the list of
tobacco-related diseases are lung cancer, chronic obstructed pulmonary disease
(Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis), ischaemic Heart Disease, stroke, oral
cancer, impotence and the rest. Smoking just a few cigarettes a day can double
the risk of a woman having a heart attack. Women who smoke usually take a
longer time to conceive than non-smokers. Similarly, quitting/ giving up smoking
before pregnancy is important to decrease the risk of miscarriages and preterm
births.

Women are also at risk of passive smoking when exposed to smoke
from the burning end of a cigarette or exhaled smoke from a smoker, which is
injurious to one’s health. Worthy of note is the effect of passive smoking on
children, particularly newborns, causing sudden infant death syndrome. Other
tobacco-related diseases specific to women include cancer of the cervix,
premenopausal breast cancer, early menopause, dysmenorrhea (painful periods),
osteoporosis (weak bones), premature wrinkling, hearing loss to mention a few.

One could pause for a moment and wonder what could be
responsible for the increasing smoking rates among women. Well the reason is
not implausible – the tobacco industry! A former Director-General of WHO Dr.
Harlem Brundtland once said that “Tobacco is a communicated disease. It is
communicated through advertising and sponsorships”. We can say that the tobacco
industry has really been successful in spreading the tobacco epidemic from men
to youths, and now, to women and young girls.

Targeted at women and girls The tobacco industry engages in
activities that directly lure women into smoking. Sometimes, their
advertisements/brands are specifically targeted to the women and young girls;
for example, Virginia Slims Cigarettes advertisements in Hong Kong and Japan
were specifically designed for the women population. The marketing of tobacco
products to women by the industry is an attempt geared towards the replacement
of nearly half of current smokers who will die prematurely from tobacco related
diseases. In simple terms, if the tobacco industry can get more women to smoke,
in just a matter of time, smoking will be “normalised” and more youths would
accept smoking as the norm and easily cultivate the of habit .

Certain measures have been taken by the WHO to reduce the demand
for tobacco products through some of the articles of the FCTC (Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control) which include high taxation on tobacco products,

ban on advertisements, promotions and sponsorships by the
tobacco industry,

smoke-free public places, prevention of tobacco sales to minors
e.t.c. Of course, the WNTD 2010 with the aforementioned theme is yet another
step taken to curb this epidemic.

Women are indeed nation builders. Any activity that serves as a
threat to the health and social well-being of women should be resisted by all
stakeholders. Tobacco consumption is deadly in any form (smoking, chewing,
snuffing ) and it causes more harm than good. Women should remain healthy and
help put an end to this social and public health hazard that is eating up the
fabric of our society.

So in closing, ladies stand up for your right, stay healthy, secure
your future and say ‘No’ to tobacco.

Owotomo is an independent
Tobacco Control Activist based in Lagos

Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has faulted reports that
one of his wives, Halima Shekarau, is planning to contest Kano Central
Senatorial seat in 2011.

Mr. Shekarau, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on
Media and Public Relations, Sule Ya’u Sule, stated categorically that none of
his wives is a politician, let alone one aspiring for any political office in
the state.

He also expressed wonder that some “faceless persons” would
spread such news.

“We are in possession of posters urging one of my wives to
contest for a senatorial seat. This is baseless, because my wives are complete
housewives and do not intend to take part in partisan politics,” he said.

The governor spoke after the rumour gained ground that he has
decided to field his cronies for various elective positions in the state. He
added that the posters urging Halima to contest were printed without either his
knowledge or that of his wife. Mr. Shekarau however, declined to mention the
name of the group behind the campaign.

He spoke hours after one of his long time ally, Sani Rogo,
declared for the Kano South senatorial seat.

He appealed to people who think they wish the governor’s family
well or want them to contest for any position, to immediately desist from
printing posters or related materials urging any of them to vie for a political
post in the state.

New women centre

Meanwhile, Mr. Shekarau has laid the foundation of a Women
Development Center at Kofar Na’isa, Kano City, that would cost the state
government about N1.4 billion.

He revealed that the idea was conceived as part of his
administration’s determination to make women more productive and self-reliant.

“It is when women are educated and empowered with skills that
they can make more positive contributions to nation building”, he said.

He explained that the project was designed to provide
beneficiaries with education and vocational skills that will enable them live
meaningfully as human begins.

Mr. Shekarau urged women in the state to avail themselves of
opportunities provided by the state government to improve their living
conditions and to enhance the status of their families.

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Maimuna Kabir Khalil, said when
the new Center is completed, it will be a model in the country.