The Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America, USA, has appointed the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a Full Visiting Professor and Senior Mentoring Scholar of E-Governance and Strategic Government Studies.

Ekweremadu, according to a statement made available to GrassRoots.ng by Mr. Uche Anichukwu, his
Special Adviser (Media), the appointment letter dated February 2018, is expected to mentor doctoral students, junior lecturers, as well as take a lead in advising the University’s research centre on academic issues related to E-Governance and Strategic Government Studies.

The university, which described the Senator as “a motivation to the Nigerian youths, both at home and in diaspora”, predicated his appointment on his intellectualism and long experience in leadership in Nigeria and Africa.

It explained that its doctoral students and lecturers also have ambitions to serve in government and not just in the academia and would, therefore, benefit from his experience.

The University’s letter reads in part: “Southern University was founded in 1880 and has always been at the forefront of academic research, as well as mentoring of many from the black community in the USA.

“Looking at your academic, administrative, and overall leadership in Nigeria and Africa, you fit perfectly in Southern University’s goal to remain a leading research and teaching institution in the United States and beyond.

“We are excited to have you join our University and our Research Center. We believe the background you bring from your pool of experience will be most valuable to the University community as a whole.

“It is our fervent hope, sir, that you will accept this offer.

“Once again, congratulations, Professor Ike Ekweremadu”.

A senior legal practitioner and former lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, UNEC, Ekweremadu holds Ph.D. in Law and has undergone executive strategic leadership trainings at the Harvard University and Oxford University.

The Senator is an author of several books  and has delivered over 25 public lecturers, mainly on the subjects of good governance, constitution making, and the principles of federalism at both local and international fora such as the Osgood Hall Law School, York University, Ontario, Canada; Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, USA; Parliament of the United Kingdom; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Federal University of Technology, Minna; University of Ibadan; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka as well as several Commonwealth and ECOWAS fora.

Ekweremadu has also held several leadership positions, including Local Government Council Chairman; Chief of Staff, Government House, Enugu; Secretary to the Government of Enugu State; and is currently serving a fourth term as Senator and third term as Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate.  He is the only Nigerian that has serves as the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament.

The lawmaker is the founder of the Ikeoha Foundation, which bursary awards ha…
[4:28 PM, 3/8/2018] Media at Award: Multiple Taxes: NAPPS Draws Battle Line with FCT, Others

Hajiya Samira Jibir, the President of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, FCT Chapter, says the association will henceforth resist multiple taxation on private school owners.

Jibir, who made this assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja, said that multiple taxation is unacceptable and would be resisted.

She added that multiple taxes by different authorities in the territory were seriously affecting members of the association.

Jibir said: “We are particularly concerned about unresolved issues, especially relating to the Federal Capital Territory Authorities and Area Council revenues, which continually interfere in our business activities.

“We have sued for harmonisation of all taxation and fees through FCT-FIRS, National Assembly, Joint Tax Board, Area Councils and other relevant organisations without solution, rather we always have rude officers going round our schools.

“In most scenarios, school owners are threatened with school closure and in few cases some schools are closed down by every sector that comes to our schools for levies.

“This is very unfair and unacceptable as we are Nigerians contributing immensely to the education gap and reducing unemployment, which is the bane of conflict, poverty, youth unrest, under development and growth.’’

The president regretted that for over 15 years, both the FCTA and operators of private schools were yet to agree on the issue of school land allocations.

She said that most school owners had eventually secured expensive loans from the commercial banks to acquire school plots, which according to her, had translated to high running costs for private schools.

She also observed that admission process in schools were not in compliance with the established UBE standard.

She noted that almost all the schools run a personalised seven or eight years’ basic education, instead of the nine years’ basic education structure.

Jibir stated: “Most students do not complete the Middle Basic Education class (three years from primary four to six), but skip primary five class to Junior secondary one (J.S 1).

“Primary six classes have disappeared from our schools and Nigeria is probably the only nation in the world not complying with the Universal Basic Education.

“I was amazed to learn that 556 private schools were shut down by the Department of Quality Assurance in 2016.

“With such huge number of defaulters, it leaves one wondering what the overall situation of private school management in the FCT was like.’’

According to her, more disheartening is that most schools in the area councils are yet to perfect Title Deeds of legal mortgages due to unclear bureaucracy from AGIS.

In another development, the secretary, Education Secretariat of the FCTA, Senator Isa Maina told NAN that the administration was reviewing guidelines regulating the establishment and management of private schools in the territory.

The secretary noted that the present guidelines were too weak and had given way for the proliferation of substandard schools across the territory.

He described as disheartening, some reports concerning the conducts of some private schools in the nation’s capital, adding that quality assurance should be of paramount interest to private school operators.

Maina, however, pointed out that NAPPS, an umbrella body of private school owners, remained valuable strategic partners in the development of education sector of the FCT.