Shettima’s Birthday:  APC Youth Parliament Awards Scholarships To 60 Children

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The APC Youth Parliament has announced plans to sponsor the education of 60 underprivileged children for one year as part of activities marking the 60th birthday of Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The Chairman of the group, Mr. Kabiru Garba Kobi, disclosed this yesterday in Bauchi while speaking with journalists on the significance of the Vice President’s birthday.

Kobi said the initiative was conceived as a gesture of appreciation to Allah for the life and service of Shettima, whom he described as a leader committed to the development of the North-east and Nigeria at large.

According to him, selecting 60 beneficiaries was deliberate, representing the 60 years attained by the Vice President.

“As our esteemed leader marks his 60th birthday, we have decided to sponsor the education of 60 children in Bauchi, reflecting the number of years God has blessed him with, in his honour.

“We are proud of his achievements and his contributions to national development. He has remained a unifying force in the North-East and an important voice in the progress of Nigeria,” Kobi said.

The APC Youth Parliament chairman described the milestone as an opportunity to reflect on Shettima’s journey in public service, noting that the Vice President had demonstrated intellectual depth, courage, strategic foresight, humility and commitment to the public good throughout his political career.

He also commended Shettima for his partnership with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in implementing the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Kobi praised the Vice President’s role as chairman of the National Economic Council, saying his coordination of economic policy discussions between the federal government and the states had demonstrated his experience and understanding of national issues.

He expressed confidence that Shettima would continue to deploy his experience and expertise toward supporting President Tinubu and advancing the interests of Nigerians.

Kobi prayed for continued good health, wisdom, strength and divine guidance for the Vice President as he continues to serve the country.

On the 2027 general elections, the APC Youth Parliament chairman said President Tinubu would have no reason to regret choosing Shettima as his running mate, expressing confidence that the Vice President would contribute significantly to the party’s electoral success.

He said youths and other stakeholders across the North-east regarded Shettima as a dependable leader, pledging the group’s commitment to mobilising support for the APC in the region.

Kobi further expressed optimism that a renewed mandate for the Tinubu-Shettima administration would enable the Federal Government to consolidate its reforms, accelerate development and expand opportunities for youths and women.

He described the Vice President as a patriotic and visionary Nigerian whose resilience, humility and dedication to public service continue to inspire young people across the country.

2027: UNICEF, Bauchi Govt Urges Media to Advocate for Increased Public Financing, Accountability for Children’s Healthcare, Welfare 

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi 

As the 2027 general elections draw closer, the Bauchi State Government through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Bauchi Field Office engaged journalists in a Media Dialogue, urging them to make use of their media platforms to advocate for adequate public financing of children’s health and ensure that issues affecting children remain a priority in government policies and budgets.

They were also challenged to leverage their platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections to campaign for adequate public financing of children’s welfare and ensure child-related issues dominate government policies and budgets.

The dialogue, held at Yimir Hotel, Bauchi yesterday, was part of UNICEF’s advocacy efforts to strengthen public financing for children and attracted 60 media practitioners from Bauchi, Gombe and Plateau states.

Speaking at the event, Umar Muhammad Shira, the Managing Director of the Bauchi Radio Corporation and Zonal Chairman (Zone B) of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), emphasised that the press holds a critical social responsibility to champion the rights, health, and welfare of children.

According to him, “We must use our platforms to advocate for adequate public financing of children’s health and ensure that child health remains a priority in government policies and budgets.” 

He noted that funding the social sector is a vital investment for the country, adding, “When we finance children’s health today, we secure a healthier, stronger and more productive generation tomorrow.”

Shira urged journalists to utilise investigative journalism, public enlightenment, and constructive engagement to expose funding gaps, amplify vulnerable voices, and hold duty-bearers accountable.

He said the media had a critical social responsibility to champion the rights, health and welfare of children.

“As working partners with UNICEF, the media has a critical social responsibility to remain vanguards for the rights, health and welfare of children,” Shira said.

“We must use our platforms to advocate for adequate public financing of children’s health and ensure that child health remains a priority in government policies and budgets.

“Every child deserves access to quality and affordable healthcare, regardless of their location or family background.

“Through responsible reporting, investigative journalism, public enlightenment and constructive engagement with policymakers, the media can help expose funding gaps, amplify the voices of vulnerable children and hold duty-bearers accountable.

“Investing in children’s health is not simply an expenditure; it is an investment in the future of our society. When we finance children’s health today, we secure a healthier, stronger and more productive generation tomorrow.

“As partners with UNICEF, let us renew our commitment to making the rights and welfare of every child a sustained priority in our newsrooms and across our media platforms.”

Shira urged media practitioners to take advantage of the opportunities provided by their profession and commit their energies to pushing for better policies, particularly those affecting children.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office represented by Abdulrahman Ado, Education Specialist and Officer-in-Charge highlighted that robust social policy is vital to improving children’s well-being. 

She noted that the political activities leading up to the 2027 elections present a strategic opportunity for the press to put children’s issues at the forefront of public discourse.

“Electioneering is on the way. Let’s talk about financing for children. The media is key to understanding our mission at this time as you engage the government, politicians and candidates,” Rafique stated.

She observed that while development partners continue to support the government, their financial contributions are minimal compared to total state resources. 

She urged both policymakers and the media to scrutinize the actual impact of budget allocations, ensuring subsequent interactions with political candidates demand concrete plans for child protection and healthcare. 

Zonal Development Commissions Will Deliver Dividends of Democracy to Nigerians, Says NEDC Board Member

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

A two-term member of the National Assembly currently serving on the board of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Hon. Sam Onuigbo, has expressed optimism that the zonal development commissions established by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will provide a new platform for delivering critical infrastructure, restoring livelihoods and bringing the dividends of democracy closer to Nigerians across the country.

The erstwhile federal lawmaker, who spoke during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja yesterday, said the commissions represented a deliberate attempt to address developmental challenges peculiar to the various geopolitical zones while complementing the efforts of state and local governments.

He specifically cited the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) as evidence that regional development agencies could make a significant difference when properly funded, supervised and focused on their statutory responsibilities.

According to him, the devastation inflicted on the North-east by Boko Haram insurgency had created an enormous reconstruction challenge that could not have been adequately handled through the conventional government structure alone.

Onuigbo, who is the President, GLOBE Legislators International (GLI), said the NEDC had consequently become an important instrument for rebuilding communities, restoring basic infrastructure and returning displaced Nigerians to normal life.

“I want to say that, yes, the development commissions established under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration are well-intentioned, and you begin to see the impact as we go forward,” he said.

He recalled that the NEDC was established after the law setting up the commission was passed in 2017, describing its interventions across the six states of the North-east as a positive demonstration of what regional development commissions could achieve.

Onuigbo said the commission had undertaken reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed during the insurgency, including roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and police stations, while also supporting the resettlement of internally displaced persons.

“If you follow what is going on in the North-east, first you have to talk about the level of devastation caused by Boko Haram and other insurgent groups, destruction of roads and bridges and houses, police stations, hospitals, anything that had to do with the state.

“But the North-east Development Commission has done a fantastic job of reconstructing all these buildings, bringing back the people in the IDP camps, resettling them, constructing roads and bridges, building schools, working on issues of health, hospitals and all that,” he stated.

The climate change advocate also disclosed that the commission had undertaken scholarship programmes and other interventions aimed at rebuilding human capital in the region.

He further revealed that the NEDC had received approval from the federal government to deploy electric vehicles in the region, describing the initiative as part of the broader efforts to modernise infrastructure and improve the quality of life of residents.

“So, if you put together what they’ve been able to do, scholarships, the construction of police stations, hospitals and all that in the six North-east states, you then agree that this is a positive development,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the other zonal commissions recently established by the Tinubu administration could replicate the NEDC model, provided their resources were properly deployed and their operations subjected to effective oversight.

“I have no doubt that these other development commissions that have come up, I’m talking about the South-east Development Commission, and others, are going to go a long way in ensuring that the money that they receive is properly deployed, judiciously applied for the good of the people,” he said.

The former lawmaker argued that the essence of establishing development commissions was to ensure that Nigerians, particularly those living in rural and underserved communities, could directly experience the impact of government policies.

He said the commissions could bridge developmental gaps by concentrating resources and interventions on areas that had suffered decades of neglect or had been devastated by conflict.

He also linked the regional development commissions to President Tinubu’s broader development agenda, arguing that their interventions could complement federal projects and strengthen economic activities across the country.

He said the South-east Development Commission, in particular, represented an important opportunity to address longstanding infrastructural and developmental challenges in the region.

The commission was established after President Tinubu assented to the South-east Development Commission Establishment Bill in 2024. 

The former lawmaker recalled that he had participated in efforts to establish the commission during his years in the National Assembly, stressing that its eventual creation provided an institutional framework for tackling the region’s developmental challenges.

He argued that the establishment of zonal commissions should not be viewed as a duplication of the responsibilities of state governments, but rather as a mechanism for coordinating large-scale regional projects that transcend individual state boundaries.

He said the commissions could also promote regional integration, stimulate investment, create employment opportunities and improve access to essential services.

The former lawmaker, however, emphasised that the success of the commissions would ultimately depend on accountability, prudent financial management and their ability to translate budgetary allocations into tangible projects.

His position comes amid growing national attention on the performance and financial management of the newly established development commissions, with lawmakers already subjecting some of them to scrutiny over expenditure and project implementation. 

He maintained that the ultimate test should be whether ordinary Nigerians could see and feel the difference through improved roads, schools, hospitals, security infrastructure, economic opportunities and restored livelihoods.

According to him, if properly managed, the commissions could become one of the most effective mechanisms for delivering the dividends of democracy to Nigerians, particularly communities that have historically remained outside the immediate reach of major federal development projects.