Health

Menstrual Health: RHI Targets 370,000 Girls Nationwide

By Web News 224

By Oluseyi Olarinde

The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), led by the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched “Flow with Confidence”, a menstrual health programme targeted at schoolgirls in Oyo State.

The event, held in Ibadan, brought together girls from various schools across the city.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, described menstruation as natural and “a vital part of growing up for the girl child.”

She encouraged the students to embrace the acronym FLOWER—Freshen up, Learn about the cycle, Observe good pad use, Waste disposal, Eat healthily, and Reach out to parents if they experience challenges.

Dr Ajetunmobi urged the girls to “be confident and blossom like a flower during menstruation,” stressing that no one should be bullied or mocked because of their monthly cycle.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Mr Oluwasegun Olayiwola, noted that girls “flow with confidence” when basic amenities such as water and accessible toilets are available in schools.

He said such provisions help students stay focused on their studies without avoidable distractions.

Representing the wife of the governor, Chief Tamunominini Makinde, the Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni, said no girl should miss school due to menstruation.

She announced that each beneficiary would receive 12 packs of sanitary pads to last a year.

Chief Makinde appealed for empathy from the public, especially when girls face cramps during their monthly flow.

She added: “It has often been said that ‘when you educate a girl, you educate a nation.’ This is not just a proverb; it is a proven developmental fact. Educated girls grow into empowered women who drive economic growth, strengthen families, uplift communities and contribute meaningfully to national development. Therefore, any investment in the well-being, education and confidence of the girl-child is an investment in Nigeria’s development and future stability.”

Chief Makinde also highlighted the need for support when girls experience menstrual discomfort: “Some girls experience menstrual cramps… which can sometimes make learning very difficult. Simple measures such as staying hydrated, using warm compressors, gentle stretching, proper rest, and, when necessary, taking mild pain relief prescribed by a health professional, can help them cope effectively. Teachers and parents must therefore continue to support them with understanding, patience and reassurance.”

In her remarks, the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said the Flow with Confidence initiative aims to reach 370,000 girls nationwide, especially in rural communities.

Senator Tinubu explained that the programme has already been introduced in several states, with each receiving 10,000 packs of sanitary pads for vulnerable girls.

She added: “The Renewed Hope Initiative spent a total of N2,550,297,150 to procure these customised disposable sanitary pads from a local manufacturing company in Lagos State. I therefore urge corporate organisations, parastatals, agencies and well-meaning Nigerians to key into the Flow with Confidence programme, so that we can empower and reach as many girls as possible.”

Beneficiaries expressed gratitude to Senator Tinubu and the Oyo State governor’s wife, promising to use the pads responsibly.

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Education

Cooperation, synergy needed to advance educational sector – Oyo Commissioner

By Web News 1015

Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Rahman Abdulraheem has reemphasized the need for stakeholders to interface with the government at ensuring education becomes more accessible.

Mr Abdulraheem made this known in Ibadan at a day stakeholders’ meeting aimed at presenting research findings on improving the system of education in Oyo State.

A cross-section of participants at the stakeholders’ meeting

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Alhaja Aminat Atere, the commissioner identified consistent partnership with key players as a way of developing and funding the education sector.

Mr Abdulraheem who maintained that education remains the most important investment any government could make said illiteracy was a major reason millions of people live in extreme poverty.

Also speaking, the convener, Director of Research, Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa, CSEA, Dr Adedeji Adeniran commended policies of the Oyo State government at raising education standards in the state.

While stressing the significance of research to societal development, Dr Adeniran said the state government can overcome challenges in the sector if research findings can be implemented and monitored.

Some participants who spoke with Radio Nigeria, suggested improved security and infrastructure in schools as well as the provision of special incentives and conducive accommodation for teachers at the grassroots to encourage them to deliver optimally. 

They emphasised the need for teachers to upgrade on teaching techniques, using indigenous languages and pictorial examples for illustration, to improve understanding and increase pupils’ attendance at the grassroots.

About fifty participants across Oyo State attended the programme.

Mosope Kehinde

Education

Illegal School: All investors need to follow due process – Commissioner

By Web News 554

Oyo State government has directed the owners of the Oke-Ogun School of Management, Science and Technology, Iseyin to immediately remove all banners and notices of the school in the community until due process on registration of the school is done.

Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abiodun Abdu-Raheem stated this at a meeting he held with the owners of the school in Ibadan.

The ministry had summoned the authority of the school over allegations from a concerned community group that the school started admitting students without due process, especially in getting the accreditation for academic programmes and the nods of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Federal Ministry of Education and Oyo State Ministry of Education.

The commissioner affirmed the commitment of the state government to maintain standards in academic programmes of all government-owned higher institutions of learning as well as those privately-owned.

“We want business owners to come to Oyo State to establish, but standards should be maintained, NBTE, NUC and the federal, as well as the state government, have a guide for investors and people interested in establishing schools, especially, a higher institution of learning in our state, they have to conform.

We have asked them to go back and follow due process in getting their registration done, getting their school accredited and same for their courses before admitting students and commencing academic activities.

We appreciate the Iseyin community for being vigilant and proactive and their resolve to reach out to the authorities at all levels to address this issue, it is our opinion that this meeting has fully addressed their agitations,” the Commissioner hinted.

Iyabo Adebisi

Education

We need to do more for out-of-school children – Oyo Education Commissioner

By Web News 796

For society to be free of social vices, it is important that the government and stakeholders partner in providing education for the vulnerable and out-of-school children in the country.

Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Raheem made this known while speaking at a scholarship programme for in and out of school children in Oyo State.

The scholarship programme which was mainly for pupils whose parents are incarcerated was organized by the Prisons Fellowship of Nigeria, Oyo State.

Represented by an officer from the Family life HIV AIDS Education Unit of the ministry, Mrs. Oluyemisi Abiola, the commissioner called on non-state actors to emulate such gestures by complementing government efforts at providing free education.

Also speaking, representative of the Oyo State Comptroller of Correctional Service, Deputy Controller of Corrections, Mrs. Bukola Ajeleti reiterated the commitment of NCoS to ensuring safe custody of offenders, their rehabilitation and reformation.

She said, “the offender is, thus assisted to become not only law-abiding but also become useful to both himself and the society at the expiration of his/her sentence”.

Chairman of the project tagged “Promise Path Mentoring and Psychosocial Children Educational Initiative”, Reverend Kayode Soyombo said the fellowship was bothered about the statistics by the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF which pegged the number of out-of-school in Nigeria to 14.2 million children.

Reverend Soyombo said the fellowship decided to sponsor thirty children of inmates in Agodi Correctional Centre, between the ages of four and eighteen through secondary education as a way of reducing out of school children who might potentially become victims of bad influences.

He stressed the need to give the inmate children better life and discourage them from committing crimes through quality education and training.

Earlier in a welcome address, Oyo State president, Prisons Fellowship of Nigeria, Prophet Boyede Sule promised to monitor the beneficiaries in their respective schools to ensure the scholarship funds are judiciously used.

Mosope Kehinde

Education

Makinde Urges Healthy Competition Among Students

By Web News 691

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has charged secondary school students to imbibe healthy competition in their academic endeavors in order to succeed in life and take active part in repositioning Oyo State and the country.

The governor who spoke through the Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, while addressing secondary school students’ participants at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Inter-Senior Secondary School Debate Competition of the South-West zone, held at Ibadan Business School, Bodija, Ibadan.

Some of the student participants at the flag-off of the South-West Zonal Competition of the President’s Schools’ Debate Nigeria, at Ibadan

He stated that quality debate is the staple of democracy in the modern world, stressing that without quality debate, electorates would never be able to engage politicians with whom the collective destiny of the people are entrusted for a period of time.

The governor noted that as a responsible government, the paramount concern to his administration has been of turning around the dwindling educational sector which he inherited from the last administration.

He added that within two years, several measures and reforms have been put in place, part of which are free, accessible, and quality education for all, with free text and notebooks for students in public schools to promote sound education, which have placed Oyo State on good ranking in terms of performance and delivery.

“In addition to the annual State quiz, debate and Spelling Bee competitions, the government is also promoting the participation of Oyo students in national competitions with the intention of sponsoring deserving students for international competitions, to boost their talents, skills and as well, inculcate qualities of sportsmanship, teamwork and cooperation among the students who are the leaders of tomorrow.”

“Debating is one of the best tools available to a student for development of his or her oratory skills as well as the confidence to express themselves effectively, so it should be promoted by the government, private organizations and individuals, so that we can put our education quality where we desire.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the National Coordinator, President’s Schools’ Debate Nigeria, Elder Dare Oritu, opined that the importance of debate to the country and the world cannot be overemphasized, adding that debate has been widely used across the world as a tool for dialogue between conflicting interests.

He maintained that the significant role of debating in democratic nations includes the resolution of conflicts among diverse groups, which has made some levels of impact in Nigeria, despite her numerous challenges.

Governor Makinde however expressed hope that the competition would achieve the desired success, while admonishing the Judges to discharge their duties without fear or favor, urging them to encourage debaters to play according to the laid down rules and regulations.

Also in attendance at the occasion were the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry, Alhaja Aminat Atere and other top government officials at the Ministry.

Wasiu Olatubosun (P.hd),

Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism

Education

Schools’ Resumption: We are prepared to protect further spread of Covid-19 – Oyo Govt.

By Web News 834

As students in primary and secondary schools in Oyo State are preparing to resume on next Monday 6th July 2020, the state government has announced various measures that have been put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus in schools.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, who made this known today at his office in Ibadan, said various trainings have been given to categories of school heads, principals and teachers on how to monitor and report any symptom of Covid-19 to the authority.

Mr Olaleye said the state had set up Emergency Operation Centers, EOCs, in the state capital and at the zonal levels and had appointed Incident Managers for each school who would report any emergency directly to the EOCs through special communication lines.

He stated further that each class would have a Warder whose duty is to relate his or her observations to the Incident Managers .

Among the measures are compulsory hand-washing points at the school entrances and at the entrance of each classroom as well as alcohol-based sanitizer for the use of students and teachers.

Heads and teachers of public and private schools had been trained on Covid-19 prevention measures as schools resume .

He added that each school had been mandated to strictly enforce social distancing and observe other protocols against Covid-19 among teachers and students as laid down by NCDC.

Mr Olasunkanmi said the fear being exercised by the general public over the resumption was appreciated by the government, as it had helped the administration to still go deeply into keeping to stringent measures to avert the spread of the virus.

Oyo State Government announced that teachers of public schools in the state should resume on Monday 29th of June in preparation for the July 6th students’ resumption.

Signed:

Wasiu Olatubosun,

Hon. Commissioner for information, Culture and Tourism,

Ibadan. Wednesday 1st of July, 2020.

Education

Oyo Forum of LAUTECH Calls for End to Joint Ownership

By Web News 1140

Oyo State Forum of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH Ogbomoso, have staged a peaceful protest to Governor’s office, Ibadan demanding that Oyo State Government take full ownership of the institution.

LAUTECH is jointly owned by Osun and Oyo state government.

Scores of the forum during the peaceful protest described the joint ownership of LAUTECH as an unprofitable business hindering the future of the students on a daily basis.

The protesters carried various inscriptions such as “Insincerity on the part of Osun subvention”, “Oyo has fulfilled its part till June this year”, “No more joint ownership” and “Seyi Makinde save souls”.

Speaking with newsmen, the leader of the forum, Chief Adewuyi Adediran explained that Osun State Government was not ready to fulfill its part on LAUTECH agreement which he said was affecting the payment of workers’ salaries of the institution.

Chief Adediran stated that full ownership of the institution by Oyo State Government would bring an end to the incessant strike action slowing down educational activities in the institution.

Addressing the protesters, the Commissioner for Education in Oyo State, Professor Daud Sangodoyin noted that the state government was taking necessary measures to resolve the issue of LAUTECH amicably.

Professor Sangodoyin however, appealed to the staff of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology to take caution on impending strike not to further hinder the academic calendar of the institution pointing out the government understood their predicament.

Iyabo Adebisi