Tag: UNESCO

  • Sango Festival achieves UNESCO world heritage status

    Sango Festival achieves UNESCO world heritage status

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has formally recognised  Sango Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

    Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, has  presented UNESCO’s  certificate on the inscription  to the Alaafin of Oyo, His Majesty Oba Abimbola Abdulhakeem Owoade I.

    The minister made the presentation at the grand finale of the 2025 World Sango Festival held over the weekend in Oyo State.

    Musawa stated that the achievement marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s cultural landscape.

    According to her, the feat  is a demonstration of  the ministry’s commitment to safeguarding the country’s rich cultural heritage and promoting it as a tool for international diplomacy and sustainable tourism.

    The minister lauded the collaborative efforts between her Ministry and the Oyo community, noting that the recognition aligns with the federal government’s broader goals of cultural promotion, employment generation, wealth creation, and community empowerment.

    “I heartily congratulate your Imperial Majesty, the new Sango Chief Priest, the Oyo community, and indeed the entire Yoruba nation on the grand finale of the 2025 World Sango Festival.

    “The  Sango Festival has now attained global recognition with its inscription by UNESCO on the Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

    “This is made possible by effective collaboration between the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy and the Oyo Community.

    “This milestone firmly places Sango’s rich heritage on the world stage and underscores its importance as a shared global heritage.

    “This achievement is a shining gain of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, through our Ministry’s commitment to safeguarding our rich cultural heritage as a powerful tool for international diplomacy and sustainable tourism.

    “The foregoing further strengthens the foundation of our strong cultural identity, geared towards employment generation and wealth creation for sustainable development, empowerment of the host community, and Nigeria,” she said.

    In his remarks, Alaafin of Oyo, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the ministry for their renewed commitment to expanding Nigeria’s culture and heritage, which has led to the remarkable feat.

    The monarch reiterated the Oyo Kingdom’s cooperation with the administration and the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy to further promote Nigeria’s cultural identity on the global stage.

    The 2025 Sango Festival, which drew dignitaries from within and outside the country, served as the backdrop for the certificate presentation.

    It highlights the festival’s significance as a cultural treasure and a symbol of Nigeria’s rich heritage.

  • U.S. to pull out of UNESCO 2026

    U.S. to pull out of UNESCO 2026

    The United States will withdraw from the UN Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Communication Organisation (UNESCO)  by the end of 2026, the government said on Tuesday, only two years after rejoining the United Nations  cultural agency.

    “Today, the U.S. informed Director-General Audrey Azoulay of its decision to withdraw from UNESCO,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the U.S.,’’ it added.

    U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a review of the country’s involvement and funding in the UN in early February, just days after taking office for a second term.

    At the time, Trump said the UN had “tremendous potential but it’s not being well run.’’

    UNESCO is tasked with promoting cooperation across those sectors and is best known for its World Heritage list.

    It included sites recognised for their special cultural, historical or natural significance.

    In the statement, the State Department accused the organisation of working “to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsised focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

    “A globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.’’

    “UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation.’’

    Trump first pulled the U.S. from the cultural agency during his first term in 2018, before the country rejoined under the Joe Biden administration in 2023.

    World Heritage Sites in the U.S. included Yellowstone National Park, Statue of Liberty and the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

  • 68 journalists killed in 2024 – UNESCO report

    68 journalists killed in 2024 – UNESCO report

    The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) says for the second consecutive year, conflict zones have proven dangerous for journalists and media workers, with 2024 seeing at least 68 deaths in the line of duty.

    More than 60 per cent of these killings occurred in countries experiencing conflict – the highest percentage in over a decade, according to UNESCO new data

    “Reliable information is vital in conflict situations to help affected populations and to enlighten the world,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, said in a statement on Thursday.

    “It is unacceptable that journalists pay with their lives for this work.

    “I call on all States to step up and ensure the protection of media workers, in accordance with international law,” she added.

    The report highlights that 42 journalists were killed in conflict zones this year, including 18 in Palestine, which recorded the highest toll.

    Other countries such as Ukraine, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Sudan also saw multiple fatalities, underscoring the heightened risks in regions marked by violence and instability.

    This follows an unsettling trend seen in 2023, with more journalists losing their lives in conflicts over the past two years than in any comparable period since 2016-2017.

    While conflict zones remain a critical concern, the overall number of journalist killings decreased slightly during this year.

    A notable reduction in deaths occurred in non-conflict areas, where 26 journalists were killed – the lowest figure in 16 years.

    This decline was particularly evident in Latin America and the Caribbean, where journalist killings dropped from 43 in 2022 to 12 in 2024.

    This suggests some progress in addressing threats against journalists in peacetime, especially in regions previously plagued by violence against media workers.

    UNESCO’s data, sourced from leading international press freedom organisations, is rigorously verified to ensure impartiality.

    Cases are excluded if deaths are deemed unrelated to the victims’ journalistic work. However, dozens of cases remain under review, and UNESCO continues to monitor developments closely.

    The Organisation’s mandate extends beyond tracking fatalities. It works to protect journalists through initiatives such as the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

    In addition to physical threats, journalists are facing new challenges, including financial and legal pressures.

    UNESCO has reported a 42 per cent increase in attacks on journalists reporting on environmental issues between 2019 and 2024, highlighting the evolving nature of risks confronting the media.

    As UNESCO continues its efforts to promote press freedom and safeguard journalists, the agency calls on the international community to strengthen protections for media workers – ensuring that the quest for truth does not come at the ultimate cost.

  • ‘Spirits’ attract us to Osun Osogbo festival – Foreign tourists

    ‘Spirits’ attract us to Osun Osogbo festival – Foreign tourists

    Some of the foreign tourists, who attended the Osun Osogbo Festival, have said, beyond tourism, they are attracted to the annual event because of its cultural and spiritual values.

    The tourists, who spoke with NAN at the grand finale of the festival at the Osun grove in Oshogbo on Friday, said the spiritual benefits of the event could not be overemphasised.

    Miss Kimberly Adein, a tourist from Cuba  said she made  it as a  matter of duty, to attend the festival annually as a mark of respect for the Osun river goddess.

    Adein noted that  the Osun river is endowed with many spiritual  benefits, hence, she has kept coming  annually to participate in the festival.

    According to her, the Osun grove will continue to attract thousands of people as long the festival remains.

    Also, Mr Matthew Dodd, a tourist from the United Kingdom, said the Osogbo grove plays significant roles in the lives of its devotees and worshippers beyond what could be imagined.

    Dodd said the cultural and spiritual values of the world heritage site could not be overemphasised due to  its enormous benefits.

    He commended the organisers of the festival for making the “global event” a success.

    Another tourist, Alexy Butler, from the United States, said the uniqueness of the festival has continued to draw thousands of people across the world to the grove .

    Butler called on stakeholders in the culture and tourism sector to ensure that the beautiful and sacred site of the grove was not eroded.

    The festival, which started on July  29, is expected to end with the procession of “Arugba”  (a virgin female girl), carrying a symbolic calabash containing sacrificial items, from the King’s Palace to the groove, a distance of about four kilometres.

    The Arugba serves as a mediator between the people (devotees), who offer supplications, especially for fertility, along the procession, and their god, the Osun deity.

    This calabash is believed to have been handed to the ancestors of Osogbo by Osun goddess who instructed that a royal virgin lady must carry it to the grove on the day of the festival.

    The Osun Osogbo festival, which history dates back to many centuries, is usually celebrated in the groove, outskirts of Osogbo town.

    It is among the last of the sacred forests that adjoined the edges of most Yoruba cities before extensive urbanisation.

    In recognition of its global significance and cultural value, the Sacred Grove was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

    For the people of Osogbo land, the festival represents traditional cleansing of the town and cultural reunion of the people with their ancestors and founders of the Osogbo Kingdom.

  • FG to list Ojude Oba as UNESCO approved festival

    FG to list Ojude Oba as UNESCO approved festival

    The Federal Government says it has plans to list the annual Ojude Oba Festival as one of the festivals backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

    The Minister of Culture, Arts and Creative Economy,  Hannatu Musa- Musawa, said this on Tuesday, at the 2024 edition of the festival at Awujale’s pavilion, Ijebu-Ode.

    The festival has as its theme “Ojude Oba: Unity and Harmony, Our Gift”.

    The minister, represented by the Director of Cultural Agencies and Heritage, Dr Ben Ugo Anama, noted that the annual festival was in tune with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

    She said the mandate of the ministry was to make revenue generation from tourism to be over $100 billion by 2030.

    The minister described the annual festival as a platform for fostering the unity of the country as well as one of the country’s tourism potentialities.

    Musa- Musawa said it could be tapped into to diversify the economy from oil and generate more resources in the nation.

    She noted that in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the ministry would always collaborate with stakeholders to promote, preserve and protect the rich cultural heritage of our nation.

    The minister added that the ministry would ensure it reached its enviable height according to the vision for the ministry tagged “Destination 2030”.

    “This vision considers the potentialities in arts, culture and creative economy, in terms of its ability to create economic expansion.

    “Our ambitious goals are predicated on this drive, which is capable of yielding billions and increase the Gross Domestic Product by year 2030,” she said.

    She said that the Presidential Renewed Hope Agenda, especially for the ministry demonstrated unwavering commitment to diversify the economy and move away from the country’s over dependence on oil revenue.

    Musa-Musawa rejoiced with the sons and daughters of Ijebuland over the success of the festival and the good image it had given the country over the years.

    She said that she had observed that the festival had not received any elements of UNESCO approval as one of its approved festivals.

    The Minister said that the status of a festival like Ojude-Oba, with its profound impact on the tourism sector, deserved to be listed by the international body.

    She, however, vowed to activate all the processes to get this done without further delay.

    Also Speaking at the event, Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, hailed Ojude-Oba and described it as a festival that had given Ijebuland and the people of Ogun a distinct identity.

    Abiodun said that the festival had also become a catalyst for the development of Ijebuland and this underscored the essence of preserving the rich cultural heritage.

    The governor, while rejoicing with the sons and daughters of Ijebuland over this year’s celebration, promised to partner with the Federal Government to develop the festival and make it a global tourist attraction and destination.

    He added that the theme of the celebration was quite apt, as unity and harmony remained the bedrock of any thriving society.

    He called for a more united force to lift the country out of its present woes.

    The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the chief host of the event, was also on seat to receive over 100 age grade groups of males and females (Regberegbes), decked in attractive and impressive attire.

    They came around to pay annual homage to the traditional ruler.

    The horse riders, who were from the warrior families in Ijebuland, were also on hand to thrill the fun seekers to various acrobatic displays with their horses.

  • NCCE, UNESCO train 100 teachers on family life and emerging health issues

    NCCE, UNESCO train 100 teachers on family life and emerging health issues

    The National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, is training 100 teachers from the Northern and Southern part of the country on Family Life and Emerging Health Issues.

    The 2023 training is in two  batches with 50 teachers from five Northern States and 50 teachers from five Southern State.

    The states are FCT, Nasarawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba for the first batch while teachers from Lagos, Abia, Cross River, Ebonyi and Enugu states are for the second batch.

    The training is part of efforts by the commission to build the capacity of teachers on the subject matter who will in turn inculcate this knowledge on students in colleges of education and unity schools in the country.

    Speaking at the opening ceremony of the two-day training in Nasarawa state on Monday, the NCCE Executive Secretary, Prof Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, emphasised that family life and health are the cornerstone in which a thriving society is built.

    According to him, the NCCE expects teachers to incorporate FLEHI into school curriculum to “give knowledge on reproductive health, promote awareness and prevent the spread of HIV, build the confidence of student teachers in imparting knowledge of Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education at basic education level, for a healthy and supportive environment which is conducive to effective teaching, learning and personal development”.

    On his part, the NCCE Director of Information and Communication Technology, Mr. Plus Ekireghwo stated that since the introduction of FLEHI in Colleges of Education in Nigeria, the commission has been committed to training teachers on the best and effective ways of facilitating the course.

    He expressed optimism that at the end of the training, there will be effective implementation of FLEHI in schools across the country.

    “As we delve into the discussions over the next two days, it is crucial to understand the evolving landscape of family life and health issues. The challenges faced by our educational institutions are multifaceted, ranging from mental health concerns to changing family dynamics. We must recognise and address these issues with empathy, understanding and a commitment to positive change.

    “I want to assure participants that we have highly experienced resource persons put together to conduct this training”, he added.

    Representative of the Head of Education Sector, UNESCO, Oye Tomori – Adeleye emphasised the importance of this training, especially to teachers who are highly influential to the lives of children.

    She said teachers have the most important job in the world which is imparting positively in the lives of children and guiding them on the right path.

    The UNESCO rep further charged teachers to ensure that children in their schools are aware of their reproductive health and issues surrounding family health.

    One of the facilitators at the training, Mrs Immaculate Dona-Ezenne, a Chief lecturer from the FCT College of Education, Zuba, stressed the need for teachers to domesticate issues ranging from puberty, girl child education, violence at home, the right to exist as a human being, HIV/AIDS and other emerging issues in Nigerian schools.

    She added that, “The training is a learner centered training and the emphasis is for everybody who is coming here to change, transform his or herself into a facilitator”.

    Another facilitator and Director of Directorate and Undergraduate, Federal College of Education Okene, Innocent Ene said judging from background, so many people are not comfortable calling their reproductive organs with the exact names.

    Ene, who stressed the importance of the knowledge of one’s body parts, urged teachers to build confidence in their students to call their reproductive and sexual organs by their real names.

    Also, Adamu Panni, a teacher from Federal Government Girls College Jalingo, promised to inculcate the knowledge received from the training to the children in his school.

    The concept of Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW), Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) are all embedded in the 2020 reviewed FLEHI (GSE 124) Minimum standard of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, meant for the training of pre-service teachers for Basic Education level in Nigeria.

     

  • U.S. to rejoin UNESCO after 12 years

    U.S. to rejoin UNESCO after 12 years

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Monday announced that the United States has decided to rejoin the organisation in July.

    The U.S. will rejoin the UN cultural agency after having stopped all funding in 2011 and announced its complete withdrawal from the agency.

    UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay told Member States that the decision was “a strong act of confidence in UNESCO and in multilateralism”.

    He added that it was also an expression of confidence  in the way that the agency was implementing its mandate on culture, education, science and information.

    UNESCO said that in a letter sent to Azoulay, the U.S. State Department “welcomed the way in which UNESCO had addressed in recent years emerging challenges, modernised its management, and reduced political tensions”.

    The country stopped funding UNESCO in 2011 after the organisation extended membership to Palestine. At the time, U.S. funding made up 22 per cent of the agency’s budget.

    The United States is a founding member of UNESCO and had also withdrawn from the organisation in 1984, then rejoined in 2003.

    The full return of the U.S. as a UNESCO Member State was made possible by an agreement reached by Congress in December 2022.

    The agreement was part of the $1.7 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Bill, authorising the resumption of financial contributions to the organisation.

    The suspension of contributions in 2011 took place after a large majority of other UNESCO countries accepted Palestine as a Member State.

    This made the U.S. to trigger a 1990 law passed on Capitol Hill forbidding funding for any international body that admitted Palestine.

    However, the legislation last December, granted waiver to the 33-year-old law.

    The formal withdrawal from UNESCO by the U.S. occurred on January 1, 2019, with Israel following suit.

    As of December 2020, the U.S. reportedly owed UNESCO around $616 million in unpaid membership dues.

    According to news reports, U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, had spoke in Washington in favour of rejoining UNESCO.

    He reportedly told lawmakers in April 2022, that it was important to be a member to help shape its norms and standards, and contribute to its critical work in education and artificial intelligence.

    In its press release announcing the U.S. decision, UNESCO said new initiatives have been launched empowering the organisation “to fully tackle contemporary challenges”.

    It said the challenges include issues such as the ethics of artificial intelligence or the protection of the ocean, “while emblematic new field campaigns, including the reconstruction of the old city of Mosul Iraq.

    It said these “have allowed the organisation to reconnect with its historical ambitions.”

    A new “financing plan” linked to the U.S. returning to the fold, will now be submitted to UNESCO’s General Conference, for Member States’ approval.

  • Recreating the Holocaust in their own image – By Owei Lakemfa

    Recreating the Holocaust in their own image – By Owei Lakemfa

    The month of January 2023 has been one of the bloodiest in the Palestine with at least 35 killed in various Israeli raids.  Uncharacteristically, some Israelis were also killed. This happened when a lone Palestinian, armed with a handgun killed seven Israelis in East Jerusalem, the traditional home of the Palestinians.

    Last year, 170 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids with about 10,000 injured.  The Israeli system does not discriminate between adults and minors;  Israeli forces between September 29, 2000 and December 26, 2008, killed 1,084 Palestinian children.

    Many of these conflicts arise out of the forced displacement and resettlement of Palestinians into internally displaced peoples camps, and the continuous illegal encroachment of Israeli settlers on more Palestinian lands like Jenin.

    The January 2023 killings in the Palestine coincided with this  year’s International Holocaust Remberance Day which held on Friday January 27. It marked the horrific mass murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany. There can be nothing more despicable than the Holocaust.  There can be no excuse.  But there is something about selective memory in world affairs. Without intending in any way to down play the horrific holocaust, how come   the international community does not remember the 15 million Africans massacred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC by the Belgians under King Leopold  II?

    For  the massacre of  six million Jews, West Germany agreed in September 1952 to pay Israel $714 Million  as reparation, why is Belgium not made to pay reparation for 15 million massacred Africans? Rather, Belgium continues to keep the wealth and artefacts stolen from the DRC. Why does ‘The International Community’ pretend the genocide in the DRC never occurred?

    The criminal Holocaust was carried  between  1941 and 1945, but about four decades before, genocide was visited by the same German establishment  on the Namibian people. In that first genocide of the 21st Century,  the Germans who wanted to turn that beautiful country into a White Settler state, killed 65,000 of the 80,000 inigeneous Herero people, and over 10,000 or half of the population of the Nama people.

    It was also in Namibia that the German establishment first experimented the mass killing methods like gassing people which they used in the Holocaust. Perhaps if the world  had stood against the Namibian genocide, that of the Jews, four decades later, would have been avoided.  In April 1915, the Turks began the extermination of the Armenian people. About 1.5 million Armenians were massacred. Maybe  if the world had risen up against the Armenian genocide, that against the Jews  would not have occurred.   But because  the powerful arm of humanity rather than criminalise genocide, has been selective on which mass slaughter is acceptable and which is not, we continue to experience the horror, and in some cases, the perpetrators get away with it.

    However, that a people were victims of genocide does not mean they would condemn the next genocide or even not perpetuate their own. This is the case of the genocide being carried out against the Palestinians by the Israeli state. This has gone on for decades, yet the ‘international community’ is not only silent, but states like  the United States of America, USA has never hidden its full support for the Israeli  establishment which is perpetrating these crimes against humanity.

    Israel has in the last few years become even more emboldened to perpetrate its genocide against the Palestinians following the accession of President Joe Biden to power in the USA. In a speech in July, 2022, Biden said: “seeing Israel thrive, seeing the wildest dreams of Israel’s founding fathers and mothers grow into a reality that Israel’s children enjoy today, to me is close to miraculous…A nation that has forged peace before and can do it again…And a nation that will never dwell alone, because as long as there’s the United States you will never be alone.”

    Except for the Belgian genocide in the DRC which was based on  economic  greed, perpetrators of genocide are usually  guided by  self-righteous ideology which gives them a sense of superiority and makes them see their victims as inferior beings.

    Nazism, the ideology of Hitler’s Germany saw the Aryan as a racially pure and superior people  with the divine   duty  to rule the world. They saw the Jews as inferior beings who may contaminate them. So to them, in exterminating the Jews, they were not killing human beings.

    This was the same ideology that informed  the Apartheid system which saw Whites as superior with the divine right to own South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, and if necessary, to eliminate the indigenous Black population, which to them, are inferior beings.

    The Israeli Zionist ideology, like Nazism, sees the Jews as a superior race to whom God had given the Palestine; a land flowing with milk and honey.  They project themselves as God’s  ‘Chosen People’ who are superior to their Palestinian neigbours. The leading Israeli ideologues like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see the Palestinians as inferior beings, hence killing them as they have done for decades and stealing their lands is a spiritual duty.

    This is also why the Israeli state, using its secret service, the MOSSAD goes around  the world killing those they see as the enemies of Israeli. This is why Israel in its massacres, does not differentiate between adults and children.

    After building a terrorist state, the Israeli establishment is always raiding and killing the Palestinians in the name of fighting ‘terrorism’ and terrorists. It is so lawless and disdainful of international conventions and opinions that  the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has a list of  46 journalists killed since 2000 by the Israeli military.

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO,  has documented  21 journalists in the Palestine killed by the Israeli military since 2002. The most infamous murder of a journalist was that of Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh who while standing with colleagues with a bold press tag on her, was taken out by an Israeli military marksman.

    To the Israeli establishment, anybody opposed to its genocide in the Palestine, is a terrorist. This is why they are always attacking and bombing Iran and its military facilities. This is why they bomb Syria without provocation.

    The civilized world knows that the Palestine belongs to two major nationalities; the Israelis and the Palestinians, hence it is has settled for a two-state solution in which both peoples would live in secured states of their own. But the Israeli establishment which is today, peopled mainly by far right elements, wants to steal what is left of the Palestinian lands after its aggressive land grab began in 1967. In doing this, Israel is ready to exterminate the Palestinians thereby creating a new Holocaust in their own image.

  • TheNewsGuru launches ASUU-Edu desk

    TheNewsGuru launches ASUU-Edu desk

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG), poised to become a leading voice in delivering incisive and succinct reports on education in Nigeria, has launched an education desk.

    TNG, through the education desk, will especially report on the ongoing impasse between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government with a view to bringing both parties to a point of compromise.

    Recall that Nigerian public universities have been shut down since February 14, 2022 as a result of the disagreement between the FGN and ASUU. Unfortunately, the general public seems to be uninformed or at best, misinformed about the precarious nature of the intractable ASUU strikes.

    For the sake of clarity, it is important to paint vivid pictures of Nigerian Universities’ realities from a better perspective. The public need to realize the enormity of the problems posed by the current closure of our public universities.

    Before now, Nigerian universities were already operating a fractured programme and were in the recovery mode from the impact of COVID-19 and the 2020 ASUU strike. A session had been lost as a result of the school’s closure in 2020.

    By the time schools reopened by the end of 2020, many universities were engaged in accelerated marathon academic programmes to recover the lost years and meet up with the already disrupted academic calendar.

    Unfortunately, that was far from realized as the strike reared up again due to the Federal Government’s failure to honour the series of agreements reached with ASUU. Now, universities will have a backlog of students on the admission queue as two sets of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) have been conducted, yet, the 2020/2021 academic calendar was yet to be covered.

    What this means is that universities will have to perform the magic of covering 2020/2021, 2021/2022, and now 2022/2023 academic sessions by whatever means to produce results. How this will be achieved remains a puzzle for everyone to unravel.

    This is to tell us the magnitude of the challenges that the current industrial conflict pose and why all hands must be on deck to bring all concerned parties, especially the Federal Government to save the soul of the Nigerian University education and indeed the general public education system.

    This is the sole aim of the TNG ASUU Education news desk.

    For memory’s sake, ASUU-Federal Government conflicts have a long history that is worth recounting.

    ASUU was established in 1978 as a response to the need to address the deterioration of education in the country, especially under military rule.

    From history, the genuine intention behind the establishment of ASUU has always been misconstrued to be politically motivated. And this is despite the fact that available evidence has shown that the root cause of the incessant ASUU-Federal Government industrial conflict is hinged on poor remuneration that results in high brain drain among the academic staff of Nigerian Universities as well as poor working conditions.

    From the National Universities Commission records, ASUU has embarked on strikes over 23 times between 1992 to 2013 and over three times under the present administration between 2017 and 2022.

    The causes always range from funding for universities’ revitalization; funding of state universities; establishment of Academic Staff’s pension scheme (NUPEMCO); increasing annual budgetary allocation to education up to 20%; payment of Earned Academic Allowances; amendment of pension and/or retirement age of academics on the professorial cadre from 65 to 70 years; reinstatement of university councils that were prematurely dissolved; and upholding universities’ autonomy among other demands.

    Presently, the Nigerian government spends less than 9% of its total annual budget on education and allocations to the Nigerian Universities fall below UNESCO’s 26% standard.

    Again, the average ratio of teaching staff to students is 1:100 in most universities as opposed to the standard maintained in universities of advanced countries such as Harvard University, 1:4 etc and far higher than the Nigerian Universities Commission’s (NUC) prescribed 1:30 ratio.

    It is also very important to recall the current United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) report that Nigeria now has 20 million cases of out-of-school children which is the highest record in the history of the nation.

    These realities make it very imperative to beam an in-depth searchlight on the Nation’s education sector in general and the Nigerian public universities in particular with the ASUU-FGN imbroglio in focus with the intention to tease out meaning from the entire conflagration for a possible lasting solution.

    The TNG Edu-desk will be anchored by Dr. Gregory Obinna Ugbo. Dr. Ugbo is an early-career lecturer and researcher in the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Universities, Oye-Ekiti where he teaches courses in Media Research and Media and Society.

    The Edu-desk will be further enriched with the contributions of experienced professors in the field of communication and journalism.

    Thus, Professors Charles Okigbo, who is an Emeritus Professor of Strategic Communication at North Dakota State University; Prof. Adamu, Ladi Sandra who is the first Professor of Broadcasting in Northern Nigeria, a seasoned scholar and journalist; and Professor Musa Muhammed, a Professor of Communication at the Department of Media and Creative Industries, United Arab Emirates University, will furnish the readers with scintillating reports and perspectives on the issues around the education system in Nigeria.

    Special reports on the TNG Edu-desk can be accessed here.

  • President Buhari pledges support as Nigeria hosts major cultural, tourism, literacy events

    President Buhari pledges support as Nigeria hosts major cultural, tourism, literacy events

    President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged full support for three major international events scheduled to hold in Nigeria in October and November.

    According to him, these events are opportunities to showcase the nation’s rich heritage in culture, arts, tourism and entertainment as well as advancements in media freedom.

    Nigeria will be hosting the 2022 UNESCO Global Media, Information Literacy (MIL) Week in Abuja in October.

    The country will host the first Global Conference on Cultural Tourism and Creative Industry in Lagos also in October.

    In November, it will host the 2nd Global Association of Literary Festivals Conference in Abeokuta.

    President Buhari’s spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, stated on Sunday in Abuja that the president welcomed decisions by organisers of the three separate historic events for Nigeria to host the fiestas.

    The organisers are UNESCO, the UN World Tourism Organisation and the Global Association of Literary Festivals.

    The president assured all stakeholders and participants of the warmth and hospitality of the people of Nigeria.

    On MIL Week, Buhari noted that “it is instructive that Nigeria is attracting positive international attention as a country that promotes media freedom and freedom of expression.’’

    According to him, the country recognises the important roles information, literacy and media education play in sustainable development.

    On the first Global Conference on Cultural Tourism, the president noted the rapid growth of Nigeria’s film, fashion, music, and ICT sectors.

    He assured that the increase in international appeal and acceptance of Nigeria’s products would continue to spur government to devote more resources to the sectors.

    He recalled the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), established by his administration to provide single-digit interest rate financing for young Nigerians in fashion, film-making, music and information Technology.

    CIFI is managed by the CBN in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee.

    According to the president, the 100 million dollars re-development of the National Theatre, Lagos, into a world-class Creative Park is also on-going.

    The National Theatre complex has been handed over to the CBN and the Bankers Committee.

    President Buhari said he trusted that the literary world would find many good things to celebrate about Nigeria when members meet in the historic city of Abeokuta.

    Abeokuta is the homeland and birthplace of one of Nigeria’s finest literary icons and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

    The president expressed delight to welcome international visitors to Nigeria and urged compatriots to use the period to exhibit the values “that make us a unique, friendly and peace-loving people’’.