Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced firm plans to raise the salaries of teachers as part of sweeping reforms to strengthen the state’s education sector.

Speaking while declaring open the 28th quarterly meeting of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Maiduguri, Zulum said improving teachers’ welfare is central to his administration’s long-term development agenda.

“We have to ensure that accommodation is provided for teachers, and very soon, inshaa Allah, the government of Borno State will roll out plans to motivate teachers,” he said. “Most importantly, there must be a deliberate effort to encourage technical and vocational education. Therefore, very soon, Borno State Government will implement plans to increase salaries of teachers.”

Zulum noted that the state had already fully implemented the National Minimum Wage for teachers in primary and secondary schools, adding that the forthcoming salary increase would serve as an additional incentive to boost performance, retention, and professional commitment.

The governor reaffirmed that education remains the foundation of development and prosperity in Borno, stressing that improving teacher morale through better pay and welfare packages is critical to delivering quality education to children.

His remarks came as Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, and UBEC officials outlined broader national reforms aimed at improving inclusivity, digital monitoring, and data-driven planning across Nigeria’s basic education system.

Minister reafirms FG’s commitment to quality education for children

Earlier, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to providing inclusive access to quality basic education for all children nationwide.

Speaking at the 28th quarterly meeting of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Maiduguri.

He said investing in inclusive education would create platforms where children and adults could interact, learn, and build mutual understanding.

Alausa also said empowering teachers with quality training was central to national renewal, hence the need to impove the quality of infrastructures in government schools.

The minister also directed state executive chairmen of SUBEBs, who were unable to transform their administrative system digitally to do so before the end of the year.

He insisted that it was only through the digital transformation that the federal government could perfect its plans and address most critical issues affecting progress in primary education system as it were.

In her remarks, Aisha Garba, the Executive Secretary, UBEC, expressed hsppiness on how the minister’s reforms had touched the lives of millions of children.

She also noted that the gaps in data collection was already affecting the accurate measurement of progress as planned.

Garba urged SUBEBs chairmen who were yet to comply to facilitate the process in their respective states as agreed.

The excutive secretary reiterated the UBEC’s commitment to strengthening basic education, improve quality and standard in primary schools.

She said the theme of the meeting reflects the focus on digital monitoring systems aimed at improving accountability, transparency, and efficiency in service delivery.

She said UBEC had adopted digital data collection to generate reliable annual statistics, which guide planning and enable states to address specific educational needs.

The executive secretary, however, described education as a powerful engine for national transformation and a pathway out of poverty,

Garba urged participants to use the meeting to strengthen collaboration and improve ongoing initiatives.

No fewer than eight students of the University of Jos have died in a road traffic crash along Zaria Road, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau.

Mr Peter Longsan, the Public Education Officer of the Plateau Command of the Federal Rwod Safety Corps (FRSC), confirmed the incident to newsmen on Thursday in Jos.

He said that the incident occured at about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Longsan, who disclosed that the accident involved two vehicles, said seven of the students died on the spot while one died at the hospital.

He attributed the crash to speeding and wrongful overtaking.

“The crash involved a trailer and a bus with 11 persons, all students of university of Jos.

“Seven persons died on the spot as certified by the Doctor, one victim later died in the hospital, bringing the total number of deaths to eight.

“Three other victims are currently receiving treatment at the hospital; all victims were males.

“Eye witness reports testified that the bus was on a high speed and engaged in wrongful overtaking, which led to the loss of control and the eventual crash,”he said

It is being speculated that the students were returning from a “social event” when the crash occurred.

Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, on Thursday charged newly decorated senior officers to uphold the highest standards of integrity, discipline and strategic leadership.

Aneke gave the charge at the decoration of the newly promoted Air Vice Marshals and Air Commodores of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), in Abuja.

He described the promotion of the officers to the ranks of AVM and Air Commodore as a strong vote of confidence in their professionalism and capacity to shoulder higher responsibilities.

According to him, military promotions are earned through dedication, competence and character, noting that each new rank demands higher trust, deeper responsibility and the courage to take tough decisions.

“Your new rank places you at the strategic level where policy direction meets operational reality.

“You are now directly responsible for shaping strategy, guiding operations, making critical decisions and ensuring optimal performance across commands, units and personnel under your authority.

“As you take on these heightened responsibilities, always remember that victory in modern conflict does not rest solely on platforms or weapon systems, but on the quality of leadership at every level—most especially at the senior command tier,” he said.

The CAS said the officers were stepping into leadership at a time when Nigeria faces complex and evolving security threats, including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft and information warfare.

He emphasised that the service now relies heavily on senior commanders who can think strategically, act decisively and lead with moral authority.

The CAS tasked the officers to set the tone for discipline, prudent management of resources and operational excellence across their formations.

He encouraged them to lead with humility, fairness and consistency, and to actively mentor the next generation of commanders.

“Your actions, decisions and personal example will cascade throughout the Service.

“You must set the tone by enforcing discipline, upholding professional standards and ensuring that resources entrusted to you are managed prudently, transparently and with the highest sense of accountability.

“Leadership at this level must go beyond titles or insignia—it must be rooted in service, integrity and moral authority.

“As the saying goes, rank is not only worn on the shoulders, it is also carried in the mind and in the character,” he added.

Earlier, the Chief of Administration, NAF, AVM Anthony Martins, commended the officers for the discipline and professionalism that earned them their elevation.

Martins said the promotions reflect the rising standards and leadership development initiatives driving the Air Force under the current administration.

He urged the officers to view their new ranks as a call to higher service, while also acknowledging the families, mentors and colleagues who supported their journey.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Defence, Minister of State, Permanent Secretary and representatives of the services chiefs as well as other senior military officials, families and well-wishers.

Former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, has called for the urgent review of Nigeria’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) law to strengthen sustainable development across the country.

Afolabi spoke on the sidelines of the 2025 Annual National Conference of the Association for Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Afolabi who described EIA as a critical tool for guiding environmentally sound development, noted that the law had remained unchanged since it was enacted in 1992.

He said the age of the legislation — now 33 years — makes it necessary to revisit both its content and its practical application to reflect current realities and emerging environmental challenges.

Afolabi, also a former Director of Pollution Control at the Federal Ministry of Environment, said the EIA was essential for any development to be sustainable.

“The tool of Environmental Impact Assessment is essential for any development to be sustainable.

“But the law was made in 1992. We need to review it, both in terms of content and in terms of practice. It is still a work in progress,” he said.

He also described the EIA as a vital decision-making instrument that helps determine whether a project could proceed based on its potential environmental and social impacts.

He added that the scope of the EIA is robust enough to be expanded beyond project-level assessment to support wider societal well-being, including governance processes.

“When we assess the impact of any activity, we weigh it and make a pronouncement — go or don’t go.

“It’s such a robust tool that we can extend it even beyond projects to the overall well-being of society,” he said.

He urged policymakers and stakeholders in the environmental sector to prioritise institutional strengthening and modernization of the EIA framework.

He added that this would improve compliance, enhance transparency, and align Nigeria with current global best practices.

The Nigerian Press Council (NPC) has reiterated its commitment to partner with the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) in the fight against online piracy.

The Executive Secretary of NPC, Dr Dili Ezughah, disclosed this during a seminar organised by NCC for journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.

The theme of the seminar is “Beyond Reporting: The Media, Copyright and the Nigerian Creative Economy”.

Ezughah, who was represented by Mr Jacob Atang, Director of Marketing, said the partnership with NCC would reduce online piracy to the minimum.

He said that the council has the responsibility to regulate the activities in the print media and to ensure that ethical activities are carried out by journalists in the print media.

According to him, in Nigeria today, we face a lot of incidences of fake news, misinformation, disinformation, particularly in the online media.

He said online media has made those not trained as journalists, because they have an Android phone, decide to publish information that could cause a lot of problems in the country.

The NPC boss said they were presently working on a pre-fact checker app that would monitor people’s activities.

“The pre-fact checker will be able to identify that this thing an individual is doing is not correct. It is misinformation, disinformation, and then stops the disinformation from going public.

“We want to stem the tide of this misinformation, fake news, disinformation and other things,” he said.

He added that NPC was working on expanding its scope of operations.

“We have prepared a bill, an amendment to the existing bill, to ensure that the Press Council covers the electronic media.

“Electronic media, where we hope that the pre-fact checker app that we are presently working on will be of great use and importance to the country.

” I want to assure NCC DG that NPC will partner with the commission to fight against online piracy,” he assured.

Mr Jahman Anikulapo, Art and Culture Advocate, who spoke on the topic ‘The Journalist’s Guide to Effective Reportage of the Copyright Sector’, said that the role of the media was to give information and educate.

Anikulapo, who is also a seasoned journalist, said such information must be information that journalists should use to enlighten and empower the public.

According to him, when a journalist is empowered, such a reporter will manifest his or her potential.

He urged journalists to see themselves beyond reporting, but see themselves as advocate.

“As a cultural reporter, you must be an advocate who will engage the public and the creative sector you are covering, as you belong to the ecosystem.

“We should be observant to see copyright abusers and advocate for it.

“Copyright is somebody`s work, infringement is stealing. We have to advocate on it and partner with NCC to ensure that people’s work is not infringed,” he said

According to him, when you defend the rights of others as a journalist from the creative community, you are equally defending your rights as well.

“Build relationships with NCC to enable them to reinforce their work for the betterment of society, “he said.

He appreciated NCC DG for standing firm in ensuring that the creative sector moved forward.

Mr Mike Akpan, Principal Partner Alpha-Edge, who spoke on ‘Copyright Basics for Journalists’, said that it is an exclusive right conferred by law on an author or creator of a work, to authourise the doing of certain acts related to the work.

According to him, what journalists produce fits into different classes of protected work because articles are literary work.

Akpan said that a person not employed as a journalist, but creating a work for publication, might retain copyright in their piece.

“A photo journalist is protected as an artistic work under the copyright act, ownership of copyright in a photograph is photographer.

“There are several forms of content creation which may include blogging, photography, website, uploading, updating and maintenance, article writing, videography, among others.

“This content may be copyright-protected depending on its nature, but note that not all text materials may qualify as a literary work.

” But to qualify as a work it must be something that afforded information, instructions or pleasure in the form of literary enjoyment,” he added.

He further said that journalists must find an ethical balance between reporting issues of concern to the public and respecting the intellectual Property (IP) rights of individual organisations.

“A work of an author is protected automatically upon its creation, and registration is not a requirement of protection, although there is provision for voluntary registration with NCC,” he said.

According to him, copyright and neighbouring rights play a crucial role in protecting the IP of creators and incentivising the production of new creative work.

“There is need to understand the legal framework by understanding the scope, duration and enforcing these rights so that journalists and media can respect the legal framework and contribute to a thriving creative ecosystem,” he said.

Traditional rulers and government officials have led a landmark march to commemorate 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Sokoto State.

GBV refers to any act of violence directed against an individual based on his or her gender.

It is a widespread menace that affects people of all ages and backgrounds, manifesting in various forms such as physical, sexual and psychological violence, including intimate partner abuse, trafficking and forced prostitution, considered as serious violation of human right.

The 16 Days of Activism Against GBV is a United Nations’ international campaign that runs from November 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, through Dec. 10, which is the International Human Rights Day.

This period highlights that violence against women is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights worldwide.

The campaign was started in 1991 as a strategic effort to unite and amplify calls for the elimination of violence against women and girls.

Each year, the 16 Days of Activism galvanise organisations around the world and draws the attention of governments to the urgent and critical issues around GBV.

The theme for the 2025 16 Days of Activism is ‘Unite to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls’.

In Bodinga LGA, the District Head, Alhaji Bello Abdurrauf, enjoined parents and teachers to promote awareness programme against all forms violence and need for youth especially girls to report incidents.

Abdurrauf described the strategic awareness initiative towards rising consciousness to eradicate GBV the society and underscored the importance of collective efforts against the menace.

He stressed the need for people to be united in the fight to protect the rights and dignity of all Nigerians, especially the most vulnerable.

“Through collective action and reforms, we can build a society where safety, justice and equality prevail,” he said.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, commended the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and other partners on their support to tackle violence against women and girls

Alhaji said the march and the associated activities were not just symbolic gestures, they reflect our resolve and call to action against gender-based violence head-on.

He called for more action on digital violence which had become a growing threat against women and girls, noting that the programme would continue to support partners working to eliminate all forms of discrimination and abuse.

In Sokoto South LGA, District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, urged the stakeholders to take decisive action to safeguard the vulnerable population and ensure accountability for perpetrators of GBV.

Umar-Jabbi highlighted all forms of GBV and solicited for more collaborative measures on sanitizing the society from all forms of abuses, cultural beliefs and misconceptions as well as harmful practices.

UNFPA Programme Officer, Mrs Rabi Sagir, Director, Women in the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Hajia Hauwa’u Jabo, counselled tje students on the dangers of GBV.