By Joab Apollo

On Monday 11^th May, 2021, Kenya’s Education Cabinet Secretary, Professor George Magoha announced the results of the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, an annual exercise that determines students’ admission to Universities and colleges.

However, the results did not live up to its billing as the same inequalities that have seen schools dominated by middle class children hogged the limelight amidst claims of the re-emergence of exam cheating.

While relatives and friends of students who posted good results took to social media to express their excitement, a debate was simultaneously raging on the quality of education Kenyans are receiving in their schools.  With the runaway employment getting out of hand in the East African country, Kenyans blame national exams for deteriorating standards of education in the country.

“What we have now is an ugly situation where everyone pulls all the stops to pass exams, either through cheating or bribing people to sit exams for them,” Kibe Gicheru, a resident of Kayole, Eastern part of Nairobi told this writer, as he and a host of other residents gathered at a restaurant to discuss the results.

“Yet the Ministry of Education still insists it’s up to some good. Nothing has changed. The poor get shortchanged systemically by a people not willing to change.” interrupted his friend who introduced himself as James.

Over the last few years, Kenya’s Education Ministry has moved to thwart rampant exam cheating by introducing stringent rules during examination, which include arrests of those found Hawking exam papers and cancelation of results of schools caught cheating.

However, the measures seemed not to have yielded any fruits as the education Cabinet Secretary himself recently admitted during the examination period that some schools were hiring experts to sit for exams for their students. Cases of crooks selling exam papers also resurfaced.

This has led to Kenyans calling for a ban of national exams.

According to educationist Wandia Njoya of Daystar University, Kenyan exams system “cheats passers that the passers are intelligent and hardworking, and everybody else is not.”

Kericho Senator, Aaron Cheruiyot, opined on Twitter thus: “At what point do we tell the A students that there is a very high likelihood that 10 or 15 years time, they will be working for their classmates who scored C?”

Over the past years, the country has witnessed numerous As in national examination, which continues to be questioned given the country’s dismal performance in research and technology. Many graduates are jobless while some have been branded half-baked by international organizations like the World Bank.

Niger State Governor, North Central Nigeria, Abubakar Sani Bello has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the people of Munya local government area over the boat mishap that claimed several lives recently.

Governor Sani Bello in a statement, said the situation is a disturbing one as the people were already battling insecurity in their communities.

The Governor who empathized with the people, assured them that all is being done to make them peacefully settled down in their ancestral homes.

“I am deeply concerned with the incident that happened, particularly almost all of the victims were those affected by insecurity in their communities and were forced to have fled their ancestral homes.

“I want you to know that the State and the federal governments have not abandone you, and God too has not either, you should see what is happening now, as a trying moments which will soon pass by the grace of God.

“I am telling you the truth, we are making every necessary efforts in addition to the weekly special prayers we have started to ensure that all the criminal elements in our State are flushed out”, he said.

He prayed God to forgive all the shortcomings of those who loss their lives, grant quick recovery to those injured and erase the ugly memory from their minds.

The Governor equally prayed God to comfort the families of those that died and help in rescuing the remaining people.

It was reported that a boat conveying about 100 people including women and children capsized while returning from Zumba in Shiroro local government area.

The passengers were said to be Internally Displaced Persons from some communities in Munya local government area, taking refuge in Zumba community.

About 30 bodies have been recovered, over 60 rescued while search is still on for about seven more persons.

Mary Noel-Berje
Chief Press Secretary to
the Governor of Niger State

A socio political group, ‘Senator Bala Mohammed Support Group’ has called on Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state to Contest for the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, come 2023.

The National Coordinator of the group, Dr. Engr. Richard J. Agene who made the call Sunday while addressing a press conference in Bauchi said that the call was meant to have a true leader that will salvage Nigerian state from its current state of insecurity.

“we have embarked on a nation-wide consultation with critical stakeholders across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, as well as 774 local government areas across our country for this very important gathering”, he said.

According to the group, it was no longer news that Nigeria is in dire need of leadership; “our security architecture have collapsed, the economy is in shambles, government institutions have become helpless, poverty has taken over the land”.

The group added that killings, kidnapping, banditry, maiming, arm-robbery, insurgency, sexual abuse, corruption among other vices have almost become the country’s new national anthem.

The group further said: “our nation, the once pride of Africa has been brought to her knees”.

The Coordinator of the group noted that Nigeria is in dire need of a strong, visionary and purposeful leader, who has the capability, will power and zeal to lead the citizens on the right path and correct the abnormalities.

Dr. Agene said as Nigerians and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the group is aligned with the efforts of the party as the rallying point of all men and women of goodwill to rescue the country from the stranglehold of the incompetent, divisive and overtly corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC), come 2023.

The group said it was convinced after thorough and extensive consultation with stakeholders across the six geo-political zones of the country, that the Bauchi state Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed is the most credible, competent and reliable leader for the presidential seat.

“It is in this regard that this group is calling on the Governor of Bauchi state, Sen. Bala Mohammed, to please answer our call to lead in the task of salvaging the country from total collapse, by making himself available to CONTEST for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigerian come 2023”, the group said.

The group said Senator Bala possess the much-sought credentials for the purpose as a visionary leader who can unite Nigeria and redirect her national energies for productivity, wealth creation and political stability.

They noted that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state who served creditably well as Minister of Federal Capital Territory from 2010 to 2015 where he led many reforms and laid solid foundation for the stability and massive development of the federal capital will equally perform very well if given the mandate as president.

Dr. Agene said Bala Mohammed as a deligent public servant who served in various capacities before venturing into politics has made an indelible marks in Bauchi as a Governor within two years of his administration by embarking developmental projects across the state.

“Moreover, considering the zoning principles of our beloved party, and the inclination by party stakeholders to zone the presidency to the North East or South East in the interest of equity, justice and fair-play our country, we are pleased tom report that consultations so far made indicate a preference for Senator Bala Mohammed, who is from the Northeast”, the group said