Nigerian students amass degrees to stay in Europe

By Nduka Orjinmo

Modupe Osunkoya

After more than 200 unsuccessful job applications on LinkedIn alone, Nigerian student Modupe Osunkoya knew time was running out for her to extend her stay in Belgium.

With three months left on her student visa, she either had to get a job or leave the country.

But there was another option – enrolling for her third post-graduate degree since leaving Nigeria in 2017.

“I never saw myself doing a PhD but if I go home now, there is no job waiting for me,” the 28-year-old told the BBC.

High unemployment – one in three young people are without work – and comparatively poor living conditions mean many of Nigeria’s brightest would rather take their chances abroad than return home.

So last year Ms Osunkoya enrolled for a doctorate degree in Estonia which is running concurrently with her second Master’s degree in Belgium.

She settled for Estonia after receiving no job or PhD offers in Belgium.

“The studies are [a] means to an end, and if God says the end is a permanent residency, why not?” she said.

Her PhD in Future Cities at the Tallinn University of Technology is a paid position. At the end of the four-year research she can apply for permanent residency.

She is planning to relocate to the eastern European country for the course, which like those in Belgium, is taught in English.

University graduates have increasingly found it difficult to find work in Nigeria

Ms Osunkoya is just one of many Nigerian students from families who are not part of the super wealthy elite to study overseas.

Last year, around 100,000 Nigerians travelled abroad to study, according to ICEF Monitor, which focuses on international student mobility.

Many hope to become permanent residents of their host country, and take one step at a time to achieve their goal.

Studying about Africa – in Belgium

Another Nigerian student in Belgium, Bonuola, who did not want her surname to be used, said: “People complete a Master’s degree, go back to do some advanced diploma below their academic level, then some cheap certificate, all in a bid to remain legal in the system.”

Despite getting a degree in economics in Nigeria, she decided to start from scratch when she arrived in Belgium, finishing a three-year course in business management – to buy herself time – and then proceeding to a two-year Master’s degree course in management.

She has not ruled out the possibility of a second Master’s degree and a PhD if she is unable to find work that will open the way for her to get a permanent visa.

“I am an African studying African studies in Belgium and it makes me mad,” said a third student, Ifeoma, (not her real name) who is currently doing her second Master’s degree since arriving in the country in 2019.

“I am not taking it seriously, just killing time [while I] decide on what to do,” she added.

Belgium has a controversial history as a colonial power in Africa

Tuition fees as low as 1,000 euros ($1,200; £850) per year and the relatively low cost of living for students in Belgium, compared to some other European countries, have made it an attractive destination for many Nigerians from average-income backgrounds.

“Living expenses are low – you can get accommodation for 300 euros per month,” said Ms Osunkoya.

Like many others, she left home with only a semester of tuition fees paid and enough pocket money to last a few weeks. She financed her education by working up to 20 hours per week, as she is legally allowed to do, earning up to 1,000 euros per month.

But the preferred destination for students from financially better-off families is still English-speaking countries such as Canada, the UK and the US, where there are more than 13,000 Nigerian students.

Canada preferred to UK

Interest among Nigerian students in the UK has been declining – from 18,020 in 2013/14 to 10,540 in 2017/18, a 41% decrease, according to ICEF Monitor.

One reason for this fall was the removal of a visa that allowed foreign students to work for two years after finishing their studies.

That, along with cheaper tuition fees, less stressful visa processes, and clearer pathways to postgraduate work and residency, made Canada a more attractive destination for many students.

But the UK government has since reversed its policy, hoping to claw back its share of the lucrative global education market.

Some students study in Nigeria before moving abroad to further their studies

Like most foreigners, Nigerian students typically pay more than three times the fees paid by UK students or those from EU countries.

But it can be hard for Nigerians to get white-collar jobs in the UK, and even more so in places like Belgium where language counts against them.

Flemish, French and German are Belgium’s official languages and most employers want candidates who can speak at least two of them.

Like most other Nigerian students, Ms Osunkoya is only proficient in English, although she has a basic knowledge of Flemish.

“Even if you have a post-study visa you will be competing for jobs with locals who speak the languages better than you,” she said.

Some students also complain of racial prejudice, while others say they have become over-qualified and yet have no work experience.

Last week, Belgium revised its immigration policy to allow students to stay for up to a year on their temporary visas to look for a job.

But Bonuola says she won’t be taking up the option, as once signed up for it, she would no longer be able to return to school for further degrees if she can’t find a job.

“It’s like being caught between a rock and a hard place,” she said.

Source: BBC

Three Kogi Varsity Students Abducted By Gunmen

By Our Reporter

Three students of the newly established Kogi State University of Science and Technology, Itakpe, have been abducted.

Those kidnapped in the early hours of Monday included a female student identified as Jumai and a lecturer.

According to an account, the students and the lecturer were kidnapped while returning from a vigil at the Living Faith Church in nearby Osara.

The kidnappers, said to be carrying assorted weapons including Ak-47 rifles, were said to have abducted the victims along the Abuja-Lokoja- Okene highway, which traverses the towns.

They were said to have been on their way back to their school before they were dragged into the forests.

Kogi State University of Science and Technology, Itakpe, was established in 2020 and the students kidnapped are among the pioneer set.

A community leader in the area, who confirmed the incident, described the highway as dangerous to ply for motorists.

The community leader, who spoke under the condition of anonymity added that the road is particularly dangerous for those on night journeys.

“This year alone, not less than 12 cases of robbery and kidnapping have been recorded in the area and communities around the highway are daily living in fear,” he stated.

He called on the government, the police and other security agencies in the state to do more to arrest the security situation.

A principal staff of the new institution, who does not want to be mentioned, also confirmed the incident.

He said the university community has been thrown into panic as a result of the incident.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said he was yet to be briefed about the incident and promised to contact our correspondent later.

Source: The Nation

BREAKING: Institutions Get Nod to Determine Cut-Off Points for Admissions

By Frank Ikpefan

*Prof. Is-haq Oloyede

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) has adopted the minimum cut-off marks for 2021 admissions sent by tertiary institutions.

This means that there will be no uniform cut-off marks for 2021/2022 admissions.

JAMB Registrar Prof Is-haq Oloyede displayed the minimum cut off marks adopted by tertiary institutions at the 2021 policy meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to the new arrangement, universities are not allowed to go below 120 and polytechnics and colleges of education, 100 for admission.

The meeting agreed that the total fee for Post – Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination fee should not be more than N2, 000.

Oloyede warned the institutions not to go beyond the pegged fee during the meeting.

He said: “Nobody should charge more than N2,000. The total gross is N2, 000. It is not allowed by institutions to allow candidates to procure administrative charges.

“No institution is allowed to capture or demand any result upload. It is the one that we upload on caps that we will send to all of you. The biometrics supplied by jamb should be used for the exercise.”

Details shortly…

Source: The Nation

Affordable uniforms law will miss new school year

By Niall-James Convery
Business reporter

image captionThe average primary school uniform costs £315, according to the Children’s Society

A new law aimed at making school uniforms cheaper in England and Wales will not be in place in time for the start of this school year.

Headteachers are waiting for the new statutory guidance on uniforms, which will make schools place affordability at the centre of their uniform policy.

The government says schools should expect full details in the autumn.

But that means parents will not benefit from the changes as schools go back this September.

According to The Children’s Society, the average uniform costs £315 per primary school pupil and £337 per secondary pupil. 

Mike Amesbury, the Labour MP who first introduced the legislation, said he would be “incredibly disappointed” if any further delays to the guidance meant that the changes weren’t fully in force for the start of the next academic year, beginning in September 2022. 

He added that hundreds of thousands of children, parents and campaigners would be equally upset. 

• Food bank sees big demand for school uniform
• Parents demand uniform choice after stock delays

Azmina Siddique, policy manager at the Children’s Society, told the BBC it was disappointing parents won’t see a financial benefit this September.

But she added: “We appreciate that these [changes] can take a bit of time and it’s really important to get the guidance right.”

Schools will now have more time to review their policies, she said, adding: “Teachers have also told us that, while they would be very happy for the law to have been passed, in year they have had – adjusting to home learning and the impact of the pandemic – that one more thing before the summer term may have been difficult.”

Schools are also expecting a new tendering process, which will mean they can get the best value for money when selecting who makes and sells their uniforms. 

Additionally there’s expected to be a process for parents and carers to complain if they feel that’s not happening effectively at their children’s schools. 

image captionEmma Ball started the Uniform Exchange in Winsford

While they wait for legislation to cut costs, many parents have taken matters into their own hands by forming groups and swap shops, often online, to offer others items that no longer fit and to find new kit for their own children. 

Emma Ball started the Uniform Exchange in Winsford, Cheshire three years ago when her two eldest children left school and she was left with clothes she no longer had use for. 

She now collects items from parents across the area and helps get them to families who need anything from a new blazer for high school to a pinafore for winter term. 

image captionParents Corinna Baker-Sinclair and Rebecca Benson say the exchange makes sense and saves money

Source: BBC

US Oldest Practicing Attorney

The oldest practicing attorney in the US was John Morton Finney (1889-1998). He practiced law for 85 years until he was 107 years old. He had previously been a Buffalo Soldier from 1911-1914.

FOR THE ARCHIVES

John Morton Finney

Source: Vintage History

A Testimony of River Ethiope: An Anthology of a Citizen

www.amazon.com/dp/B095L8JTGK/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_tai_NH7HA6CBY136PYSRD47V

How Yoruba kingship Originated from Benin kingdom.

HISTORY

The original people and founders of the Benin Kingdom, the Edo people, were initially ruled by the Ogiso (Kings of the Sky) who called their land Igodomigodo. The first Ogiso (Ogiso Igodo), wielded much influence and gained popularity as a good ruler. He died after a long reign and was succeeded by Ere, his eldest son.

Nearly 36 known Ogiso are accounted for as rulers of this initial incarnation of the state. In the 12th century, a great palace intrigue erupted and crown prince Ekaladerhan, the only son of the last Ogiso, was sentenced to death as a result of the first queen (who was barren) deliberately changing an oracle’s message to the Ogiso. In carrying out the royal order that he be killed, the palace messengers had mercy and set the prince free at Ughoton near Benin. When his father the Ogiso died, the Ogiso dynasty officially ended. The people and royal kingmakers preferred their late king’s son as the next to rule.

The exiled Prince Ekaladerhan had by this time changed his name to Izoduwa (meaning ‘I have chosen the path of prosperity’) and found his way to Ile-Ife. It was during this period of confusion in Benin that the elders, led by Chief Oliha, mounted a search for the banished Prince Ekaladerhan – whom the Ife people now called Oduduwa. Oduduwa, who could not return due to his advanced age, granted them Oranmiyan, his son, to rule over them. Oranmiyan was resisted by Ogiamien Irebor, one of the palace chiefs, and took up his abode in the palace built for him at Usama by the elders (now a coronation shrine). Soon after his arrival, he married a beautiful lady, Erinmwinde, daughter of Ogie-Egor, the ninth Enogie of Egor, by whom he had a son.

After residing there for some years he called a meeting of the people and renounced his office, remarking in vexation. This was out of frustration as he often expressed that “only a child born, trained and educated in the arts and mysteries of the land could reign over the people”. He arranged for his son born to him by Erinmwinde, Eweka, to be made king in his place, and returned to Ife thereafter.
The new king was soon found to be deaf and dumb, and so the elders appealed to Oranmiyan. He gave them charmed seeds known as “omo yo” to play with, saying that to do so will make him talk. The little Eweka played with the seeds with his peers at Egor, his mother’s hometown. While playing with the seeds, he announced “Owmika” as his royal name. Thus, he gave rise to the tradition of the subsequent Obas of Benin spending seven days and nights at Usama before proceeding to announce their royal names at Egor.
Eweka thus started a dynasty that now bears his name. Oranmiyan went on to serve as the founder of the Oyo Empire, where he ruled as the first Alaafin of Oyo. His descendants now rule in Ile Ife, Oyo and Benin.

Note: Benin had been known as Ubini since the Ogiso period, Ubini means land of heavenly peasantry in Edo language, the Urhobo the Benin siblings had always called Benin Ubini right from when they left Benin City, Its was the Ijaw that told the Purtuguess in the 15 / 16 century of the great King of Ubini which the Portuguese misprounouce “Bini” in their book, just as the Yoruba misprounouce Ubini to Ibinu, same way they misprounouce Edo to Ado also to all the Edo names in lagos like Idumota, Idumagbo all misprounouce etc.

There has been an age long debate between the Benin and Yoruba monarchs who is head, history perfectly explains that, Historians ascertain that the Benin kingdom was founded in 1180 while the Oyo empire was founded 1300s, this perfectly clears that debate. The Benin’s are not from Yoruba nor the Yoruba’s from Benin but the Yoruba monarch carries the bloodline of the Benin ancestry, same in the north for instance the Emir of Sokoto Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar is fulani in the midst of Hausa Majority his ancestors weren’t from there, the Emir of Kano is a fulani in the midst of Hausas.

In the olden days Kingdoms Conquer kingdoms and the most powerful installed rulership. Oduduwa by the Yorubas was said to have come from the east, with many siting Saudi Arabia (Mecca) some Bhagdad, some Isreal, and recently Egypt. But all this countries are north to Nigeria and the whole of west Africa, since the exact eastern location is not certain or rather the actual eastern location is not accepted.

Benin is directly east to Oyo without dispute or much compass work.

Why would a Prince of Saudi Arabia leave his glorious kingdom passes through the hot Sahara desert through the dense forests of western Africa coming in to deep in the jungle to the western part of Nigeria to establish a kingdom for himself with an invitation or envoy. Truth being told the Yorubas reject Benin kingship because is a minority group not as large as they, but that doesn’t change history over night even the British knew how powerful the Ancient Benin kingdom was, how dominate and elegant Portuguese and Dutch explorers spoke of the Africa city with walls around it (The great walls of Benin, largest earthwork in the world) and a king sitting on a throne. The Oba palace is a UNESCO world heritage site.

In the 1440s Benin dominated trade along the entire coastline from the Western Niger Delta, through Lagos to the kingdom of Great Accra (modern-day Ghana) It was for this reason that this coastline was named the Bight of Benin. The present-day Republic of Benin, formerly Dahomey, decided to choose the name of this bight as the name of its country.

Onitcha town was founded by Benin royal house who migrated during Oba Esigie reign.

Deaguma kingdom in Rivers State has since declared their ancestry to the Benin kingdom.

Olu Atuwatse (Dom Domingo) Son of Crown Prince Ginuwa and grand Son of Oba Olua who was sent to Portugal in 1601 for advanced studies by his Grandfather, the reigning Oba. He graduated from the University of Coimbra in 1611. He is the first person to obtain a European university degree in present day Nigeria. He later married the daughter of a Portuguese noble, Dona Feirs. Their son Antonio Domingo referred to in Benin History as the Golden Skinned king, succeeded him to the throne in 1643.

The first Known Embassy Established in Nigeria was in Benin during the reign of Oba Esigie in the 16th century.

The Oldest known letter written in Nigeria was by Duarte Pires instructed by Oba Esigie which was addressed to King John II, on the 20th October, 1516AD. The second oldest letter was written by Anthonio Domingo (Great-grand Son of Oba Olua) to the Pope to seek for missionary assistance in other to spread Christianity in Benin Empire in 1652AD.

The First Storey Building in Nigeria was built at Ughoton by the Dutch in the year 1718, and it was called “The Factory”. The said building was destroyed by the British during the war against the Benins in 1897. The site of the building is still intact.

The Oldest Church in West-Africa was established in Great Benin Empire by the Earliest Portuguese missionaries in the 16th Century which is today known as the Holy Aruosa (Benin National Church). Pope Pius XII visited Benin and handed the church to the Oba of Benin, Oba Oreoghene in 1692AD

Oldest ever recorded market in Africa is Ogiso (Agbado) Market dated 60BCE.

The first ever recorded bank (Owigho) in present day West-Africa was built in Benin kingdom by Oba Eresoyen, construction started in the year 1740AD and was completed in the year 1743AD.

Short lesson, Oduduwa or rather Izoduwa was destined to rule no matter how much men tried to change his fate, destiny prevailed.

Oduduwa never came from the sky with chains as being said by the Yoruba of today for it was not possible for someone to come from the sky in 11/12 century when some nation in Europe was already having under ground train. Its no doubt Oduduwa was a Benin man as his name Oodua is Benin.

Source: Great Benin

The International Dimensions of the Fall of Afghanistan

HISTORY

By Prof. Jide Osuntokun

Afghanistan (khorasan) is not a nation but a conglomeration of different peoples majority of them being Pashtun (Pathans) who also form substantial part of the population of Pakistan. Other groups in modern Afghanistan are Uzbeks, Tajiks, Hazara, Aimaq, Turkmen , Balochs, Pashai, Nuristani, Gujjar, Brahui, Qizilbash, Pamiri, Kyrgyz, Sadat and others . However the three largest groups are the Pashtun ,the Tajiks and the Hazaras.

The territory now known as Afghanistan was once conquered by Darius 1 of Babylonia circa 500 BC and Alexander the Great of Macedonia in 329 BC among others. It once formed part of an empire stretching from Iran and extending to Delhi in India ruled at one time by Persians (Iranians) and at other times by the Rashidun Arabs. Mahmud of Ghazni, an 11th century conqueror who created an empire from Iran to India is considered the greatest of Afghanistan’s conquerors. Ghenghis Khan took over the territory in the 13th century, but it was not until the 1700s that the area was united as a single country. The people of Afghanistan were at a time either Zoroastrians , Hindus, Buddhists or pagans. It was not until between 8th and 10th centuries that the majority of the Pashtuns converted to Islam. The Pashtuns are largely concentrated in the South and parts of the East, the Tajiks are mainly in the Northeast and western Afghanistan and Uzbeks are mainly in the North.

The modern evolution of Afghanistan can be said to have begun in 1880 after the end of the second Anglo- Afghan war. Before that time Afghanistan was part of various Persian empires and its history is tied to that of other countries in the region including Pakistan , India, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The first ruler of modern Afghanistan was Ahmad Shah who united the various Pashtun tribes and by 1760 built an empire extending to Delhi and the Arabian Sea. When he died in 1772 the empire went into ruins, but in 1826 Dost Mohammad the leader of the Pashtuns restored order. He had to contend with the British empire in India against whom the Afghans fought two wars between 1842 and 1880. The war was fought by the British to prevent Russian imperial designs on Afghanistan then under their emir, Shah ALI Khan . Britain finally recognized the independence of Afghanistan on 8 August 1919 by a treaty signed in Rawalpindi and agreed that British India would not extend past the Khyber Pass. From 1919, Britain stopped giving subsidies to the country.

Although Britain did not incorporate Afghanistan into the British empire it nevertheless controlled the country’s foreign policy for 40 years from 1880 to 1920. In 1926 Amir Amanullah declared Afghanistan a monarchy rather than an emirate and proclaimed himself as King. He embarked on reforms to modernize the country and to limit the Loya Jirga (the National Council). These reforms led to revolt against him, which forced him to abdicate in 1929. The country was not stabilized until 1933 when Mohammad Zahir Shah became king. He ruled the country until 1973 . He lived to witness Britain’s withdrawal from its Raj in India and creating largely Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan whose border with Afghanistan was disputed. In fact, Afghanistan voted against the admission of Pakistan into the United Nations in 1948.

In 1953, the pro- Soviet Russia General Mohammad Daodu Khan the cousin of the King looked towards Russia for economic and military assistance while embarking on social and economic reforms. In 1965 the Afghanistan Communist Party came into being albeit secretly. In 1973, the prime minister Mohammad Daodu Khan overthrew the old king and the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan came to power. Khan abolished the monarchy and named himself himself the president with firm ties to the Soviet Union. President Muhammad Daodu Khan himself was killed in 1978 in a communist coup d’etat and Muhammad Taraki, one of the founding members of the Communist party became president and Babrak Karmal became his deputy.

Internal dissension marred the workings of the government and a revolt in the countryside led by guerrilla movement of the Mujahideen emerged to challenge the Soviet Union-backed government. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 24, 1979 to bolster the Communist regime in the country. By early 1980, the Mujahideen united against the Soviet-backed Afghanistan’s army and some 2.8 million fled the country for Pakistan, and another 1.5 fled to Iran . The Afghan guerrilla movement of the Mujahideen controlled the countryside while the Soviet troops and their Afghan supported government controlled the capital Kabul and major towns. The Mujahideen received support and arms from the USA, Britain and China via Pakistan, and by 1986 the Soviet army began a phased withdrawal from the country. By 1988, Osama bin Laden and 15 others formed the group Al Qaida (the base) to continue the war against the Soviet army in Afghanistan.

In 1989 the US, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Soviet Union signed a peace accord in Geneva guaranteeing Afghan Independence and the withdrawal of 100,000 Soviet Russian troops from the country. This did not end the war of the Mujahideen against the Afghan government led by Dr. Mohammad Najibullah which was still backed by the Soviet Union. In 1992, the Mujahideen backed by turncoat government soldiers stormed Kabul, the capital, and ousted President Najibullah from power. As soon as Kabul was taken the Mujahideen began to fracture, but eventually an Islamic State under Professor Burhannudin Rabbani was proclaimed. In 1995 a newly formed Islamic militia, the Taliban (students) rose to power on promises of peace after the exhaustion by war and famine. The Taliban outlawed the farming of poppies for the opium trade and banned the education of women and imposed draconian Islamic code on the country including public executions for a myriad of offenses. Millions of refugees again fled to neighboring countries. The former president Najibullah was in 1997 publicly executed while Ahmad Shah Masood’s northern Alliance and Hamid Karzai’s Pashtun Group in the South began to battle the Taliban for control of the country. Following Al Qaida’s attack on the U.S . embassies in East Africa, President Bill Clinton ordered cruise missiles attack on the country .

On September 11, 2001 Hijackers commandeered four commercial air planes and crashed them into the World Trade Centre in New York, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field killing thousands of Americans and nationals of other nations. Bin Laden then based in Afghanistan was fingered as the brain behind the terrible attack. British and American air forces began aerial attacks while the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan drove the Taliban out of Kabul and finally out of the country.

Hamid Karzai, a royalist ethnic Pashtun, was sworn in as interim leader of Afghanistan in 2001. Amid increased violence and chaos NATO took over security in Kabul in 2003, the Organization’s first military commitment outside Europe. In 2004, Karzai was elected president and by 2006, mission creep saw the NATO forces fighting Taliban and Al Qaida forces in the southern portion of the country.

Thus began the involvement of American led NATO forces for twenty years under four presidents , Gorge W. Bush, Barack Obama , Donald J. Trump and now Joseph Biden who rightly decided to cut the Gordian knot and withdraw from a senseless unwinnable war, having learnt from the failure of previous conquerors of the country. Biden has come under severe criticism for the hurried and shambolic execution of the withdrawal. I personally think Biden took the right step to withdraw from the conflict with a foe who was ready to fight until death.

Afghanistan, a country of 40 million people, occupies a strategic place in Central Asia and it is this centrality of its location that makes the poor country important. Pakistan, which for ethnic Pashtun solidarity had been supporting the Taliban and undermining US war efforts, may yet rue its support for the Taliban which now poses a threat to Pakistan itself, which has its own militant Talibans committed to overthrowing the government in Islamabad.

If Pakistan is about to fall, the West may again have to fight the Talibans in Pakistan because it will be suicidal to allow a “ Mad Mullah “ to have his hands on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. The same reason may force India to intervene. China with its huge investment in Pakistan and the fear of Islamic terrorists entering China’s Xinjiang Islamic dominated province has an interest in watching what goes on in Afghanistan. Infiltration of terrorists driven by jihadi sentiments into Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and on to the Russian Caucasus will compel Russia to be careful of its support for the Taliban regime unless it foreswears supports for Islamic terrorism.

In all these scenarios, the United States does not have much to lose. Its wasting 3 trillion dollars and loss of 2400 soldiers and perhaps another 2000 Allied troops over two decades of war has been a misplaced effort and an exercise in futility. If America had studied the history of the failure of attempted foreign conquest of Afghanistan, it would not have repeated the history of failure.

Bandits subjected us to 88 days of torture, threatened to kill us –Freed Niger pupils

By Romoke Ahma, Maiharaji Altine, Olaide Oyelude and Godwin Isenyo

A cross section of the freed students

News of the release of the pupils of Salihu Tanko Islamiya School, Tegina, on Thursday night threw Tegina town, in particular, and Niger state as a whole into wide jubilation.

While their parents and government officials were happy seeing them, the pupils were, however, not happy with the way they were treated by the bandits during their stay with them.

One of the victims, Furera Isah, while narrating their ordeal in the abductors’ den, said they were beaten every day throughout their stay with the kidnappers.

He also revealed that the abductors fed them with only rice and kunu.

Almost in tears, Isah said, “They beat us often. We were fed but only with rice and kunu. They would call us out in the night and beat us. We were never comfortable. They beat us every day, but they fed us three times a day with just rice and kunu, throughout the period we stayed with them.

“They called us to beat us every day, but they allowed us to say our prayers. Sleeping was also another problem. We slept in a shabby place under the rain and the sun.”

Another pupil, who merely gave his name as Musa, added that he would not wish any of his enemies the experience he and his fellow students had in the hands of the abductors.

He said since the day they were abducted, the kidnappers always beat them “mercilessly,” adding that they were not spared even when they begged their tormentors.

He said, “We went through hell. We were beaten and they even threatened to kill us, if our parents did not pay the ransom they demanded.

“We begged them, they did not listen. Though there were a few of them who realised that we could not influence the early payment of the demanded ransom, others did not care.

“We told them we were poor and that our parents were mere farmers. But they neither listened nor cared about us, even though we were speaking the same language. I will not wish my worst enemy undergo what we went through in the hands of those wicked souls.”

My child could’ve died at home the same day he died in the forest – Parent

Meanwhile, the head teacher of the school, Mallam Abubakar Alhassan, whose child died in the forest, said he was still happy that the remaining pupils returned safely from the kidnappers’ den.

The Islamic school pupils, who were kidnapped on May 30, 2021, arrived in Minna, the state capital, in the early hours of Friday.

The children, who looked weak and malnourished, were taken directly to a government health care facility within the Minna metropolis, where medical professionals were on hand to carry out checks on them. After the medical check-up, the pupils were fed.

As they were reunited with their parents, the head teacher of the school, whose son died at the hands of the kidnappers, said she was thankful all the same.

Alhasaan had five children in the school.

The head teacher was at the forefront of the process in the struggle aimed at getting the pupils released

Despite what the pupils experienced, Alhassan vowed the experience would not deter them from continuing with their education in the school.

Alhassan, who declined to disclose the amount that was paid to the bandits before the release of the pupils, described the process leading to their release as “a long process”.

He said, “It is a long process as we can’t mention everything here. We received blessings from people that we know and the ones that we don’t know. Late Pastor TB Joshua prayed for us before he died, the Imams and other pastors, Muslim communities and a host of other people also prayed for the release of our students.

“I am feeling comfortable now that they are back. Only one died but we thank God that we got them (others) back alive. The child who died is my child. We are not closing down the school, we will continue with it.

“If we do close the school, the generation that we are protecting will feel bad. I believe it is my child’s destiny to die that day because if he was at home with me, he could have died that same day as well. So I thank God for everything.”

On the measure being put in place to protect the school in order to avoid another ugly experience, Alhassan said, “We usually protect the town before now. We will re-strategise and see how best to further protect the town and our school. We will take more measures to protect the school.”

One of the parents, Idris Umar, described the 88 days that the pupils spent in the kidnappers’ den as “the most dreaded 88 days of my life.”

“It is a terrible thing for a parent. We just heaved a sigh of relief now that they are back. We don’t wish that they (the kidnappers) come again but we will improve on our security in the town,” he said.

Asked if he would still allow his children to go back to the school, he answered in the affirmative, saying, “The school is secure but we will still do more to protect our children. I only saw my children from afar now, but they are fine.”

Meanwhile, the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, while receiving the pupils and reuniting them with their families, appreciated those involved in the rescue operation.https://00b8a46abd4fc6abd45864b3c4f472b8.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Recall that the pupils were released barely 24 hours after the governor returned from a security tour aimed at boosting the morale of security operatives in the state.

The security personnel were said to have flushed out bandits in Ma’undu community that was deserted by residents due to incessant banditry activities for about a year.

Bello disclosed that a total of 91 children and two passers-by were kidnapped out of which 92 regained freedom. He regretted that one of the pupils died in the hands of the abductors.

Bello expressed concern over the callous manner in which the bandits operated, adding that their activities were in no small measure discouraging parents from sending their children to school.

The governor, however, assured the gathering that the criminals would be hunted down and be made to face the wrath of the law.

He said, “This goes to show the sickness and madness in the heads of some people. Otherwise,  I cannot explain or imagine why you should abduct an innocent three-year-old child and keep him or her for over 80 days.

“This has affected the morale and confidence in people and has made even parents to think twice before they send their children to school.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-7167863529667065&output=html&h=280&slotname=7746968165&adk=2796154474&adf=560092432&pi=t.ma~as.7746968165&w=748&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1630168754&rafmt=1&psa=1&format=748×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpunchng.com%2Fbandits-subjected-us-to-88-days-of-torture-threatened-to-kill-us-freed-niger-pupils%2F&flash=0&fwr=0&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&adsid=ChAI8L2niQYQhoz7_9j8moMEEi8ARK2iELQ3lspcPn-sxgKHbFe0JbYplWB-MlDXNsYK3V0NDT9D8Q9w-PP4n5nDSQ&dt=1630168575083&bpp=6&bdt=202278&idt=1125&shv=r20210824&mjsv=m202108240101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D95b1a7ec8b1cf831%3AT%3D1628349805%3AS%3DALNI_MZH37yqmyzS1JaI3z4hib-UclC9gQ&prev_fmts=748×280%2C748x280%2C300x600%2C0x0%2C748x280&nras=1&correlator=2941406035986&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=727077525.1581419611&ga_sid=1630168576&ga_hid=718182166&ga_fc=0&u_tz=60&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=1024&u_w=768&u_ah=1024&u_aw=768&u_cd=32&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=5&ady=7345&biw=768&bih=911&scr_x=0&scr_y=3482&eid=42530672%2C44748449%2C44747621%2C31062297&oid=3&psts=AGkb-H–hYxfQ34d97ZUd20xXYmDKgYsujQOeXPQy1R0LnhevnAM4XuJi1b9NjgT0ejXIzjEAJhdat0xbA%2CAGkb-H_OYEDiqHDpefXUBJs1r_cdSYEfCV3SJMHDBXmr_g9CeeQRSWuBFgoaNSPyKIqyiR578MwASYUfvw%2CAGkb-H_YybMZKDE37R1wuxPttnK15v_92Jo1-XS7z9HfocYfbwNRWm5T78-WD-shROLzF4bAOT2SUcXy-g&pvsid=835638811354663&pem=836&eae=0&fc=896&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C768%2C0%2C768%2C1024%2C768%2C982&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=P9fvKKheMt&p=https%3A//punchng.com&dtd=M

“However, I can assure you that we will do whatever it takes to bring the kidnappers to justice. We have put in place all necessary measures to hunt, arrest and prosecute those involved in this heinous act.”

The governor, however, said that the children had been examined and declared fit to join their families except for four of them who he said would require more medical attention.

Bello, while addressing journalists at the Government House, announced that only 92 pupils were kidnapped from the school instead of the 136 that was in the news before.

Nevertheless, he said the head teacher had explained that some of the parents misled them on the number of the children affected.

“We had a record of 136 but after three weeks, we discovered that some escaped but despite that, some parents who reported that their children were among later discovered that their children were not part of them (the kidnapped pupils.)

“They later found their children but they didn’t inform the school. What we see now are those we believed were taken away. So it became difficult to come out again to change the number,” he said.

Source: PUNCH.

Covid-19: Surge in children’s issues forecast post-pandemic

By Robbie Meredith

Health professionals expect a “surge” of issues about children’s emotional health due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That is just one of the key findings of a wide-ranging report into how services to children and young people have been affected.

The report by experts from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) was carried out for the Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY).

It found children had been “severely impacted” by restrictions.

The review of the effect of Covid-19 on the planning and delivery of children’s services was carried out by academics from the Centre for Children’s Rights at QUB.

It is a companion report to one from the Children’s Commissioner reflecting the views of more than 4,000 young people.

The NICCY report found that the pandemic and lockdown restrictions had “a severe impact” on their education, mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Loneliness

The QUB report was based on interviews and focus groups with 38 professionals working with children and young people in areas such as health, education, early years, child protection and youth services.

It saidbb “crucial services” were “put on hold” or made “more difficult for children and young people and their families to access during the pandemic”.

In the health sector, professionals expressed concerns about children’s mental health.

“There’s solid data that shows that when you close schools and close services mental health issues increase in children and young people… young people’s loneliness is kind of being neglected,” one told the authors.

“There are babies being born to mothers who are mentally ill now as a result of the pandemic,” another said.

“Every single adult who’s now hitting that threshold for mental illness, the risk of mental illness in their child increases.”

The report said that vulnerable children, newcomer children, refugees and asylum seekers were particularly vulnerable to physical and mental health problems.

“Children with disabilities and complex needs, pre-existing and life-limiting conditions, mental health issues, and children with refugee status may have endured the greatest health related impact,” it concluded.

“They missed essential therapies, surgeries, respite care and cancelled outpatient appointments to track their illness and rehabilitation.”

‘Under the radar’

Another professional interviewed by the authors spoke of “a whole generation of invisible children” who had not received the healthcare they needed.

“Another group of children who may have fallen under the radar during the pandemic are adolescents,” the report said.

It noted, for example, that some young people had limited access to sexual health advice and treatment.

One health professional spoke of “increases in gonorrhoea, chlamydia among young women, gonorrhoea among young men, but also syphilis has gone up 32%”.

In schools, teachers had “additional and significant responsibilities”.

“This ranged from the extra time spent preparing materials to late-night phone calls and emails with parents to find out why some children are not engaging with remote learning,” the report said.

When many pupils were educated remotely teachers were “less able to effectively monitor children who may be perceived as vulnerable for a range of reasons or to keep an eye on safeguarding issues”.

Families of children with disabilities were also said to have struggled.

“During the first lockdown when they closed off all services, including schools, mental health services, health services, parents were calling up, they were struggling, they were really struggling,” a children’s worker told the authors.

Significant impact

Some professionals criticised the way the Department of Education had communicated changes to schools.

“If there’s anything that is vaguely controversial it comes out on Friday afternoon after schools are closed,” one told the report’s authors.

• Pandemic ‘had severe impact’ on young people

Youth workers said that the abrupt closure of schools, youth clubs and community groups, leisure centres, parks, museums and libraries had left “children and young people with few choices and places where they could spend their free time in a safe and enjoyable way”.

“You’re now seeing people going ‘actually play is’, what we’ve been saying for years, it is one of the most critical activities children engage in,” one told the report’s authors.

“And the pandemic is showing, through all of the research around mental health and around physical health, it’s showing the impact of not having access to this.”

“By removing that it actually impacts significantly on children and young people’s lives.”

Many professionals said, though, that services “improved over time” and that there had been more collaboration between those in different sectors and agencies.

Many also said they had found new ways to deliver services that would benefit children and young people in the future.

But there were still concerns.

“There was concern about what recovery would look like, not just for working arrangements but in terms of increased needs of children and young people, service provision and resourcing,” the report concluded.

It also included a number of recommendations based on those from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Source: BBC