Graduation

KANO – The Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) has graduated 35 personnel who benefited its staff development scholarship scheme as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen professionalism and improve service delivery.

The Managing Director of the agency, Alhaji Faisal Mahmud-Kabir disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Kano by the Public Relations Officer of the Agency, Abubakar Ibrahim.

According to the statement, the scholarship programme was introduced to equip personnel with relevant knowledge and skills to enhance the agency’s operational efficiency.

It said the beneficiaries had complete programmes in motor and electrical mechanics, road traffic management and other disciplines relevant to the agency’s mandate.

It noted that the initiative was part of broader institutional reforms designed to reposition KAROTA as a professional organisation driven by competence and continuous capacity building.

‎”We want to build a workforce that is knowledgeable, disciplined and capable of delivering efficient traffic management services.

“The era when KAROTA personnel were perceived as lacking in formal education is gone. We have deliberately invested in human capital to change that narrative.”

The Managing Director assured personnel that KAROTA will continue to sponsor staff willing to pursue further education in fields relevant to its operations.

He commend the graduates for their dedication and resilience and assure them that their newly acquired qualifications will be given due consideration in future promotion exercises.

Earlier, the Director of Administration and General Services, Alhaji Mahmud Haido, congratulated the graduates and the agency for creating opportunities for staff to improve their qualifications.

‎Haido said that KAROTA will liaise with the office of Kano State Head of Civil Service to ensure formal recognition of officers’ qualifications and appropriate placement.

‎Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Yahaya Suleiman, thanked Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf and KAROTA management for the opportunity to further their education.

He pledged that all the graduates would apply knowledge and skills acquired to improve their performance and contribute more effectively to the agency’s mandate. (NAN)

A Nigerian woman has tragically d!ed less than 20 hours after arriving in the United Kingdom to attend her child’s graduation ceremony.

The heartbreaking news was shared on X by user SK the Plug, who identified the woman as Mrs Oluranti Olufunmilayo Esther Akinyemi (nee Oluwalana/Ogundana).

According to the post, she travelled to the UK on February 11, 2026, ahead of her child’s graduation scheduled for February 18.

However, in the early hours of February 12, she reportedly suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was rushed to Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

She was said to have remained in a coma for three days before being declared clinically dead on February 14.

AWKA – Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra has banned graduation ceremonies and Christmas parties in schools across the state to reduce the financial burden on parents and guardians.

Soludo gave the directive during a campaign rally organised by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Friday at Awka North, ahead of the Nov. 8, governorship election.

He said that the move was part of his administration’s effort to make education more affordable and equitable for all families.

The governor expressed concern over what he described as unnecessary expenses imposed on parents through school-related activities.

“This is to owners and administrators of government, private and mission schools in Anambra. We have set out some basic standards to ensure that the poor are not made to spend so much just because their children are in school.

“One of the measures includes discontinuing the use of textbooks designed for students to write in. This practice forces parents to buy new textbooks annually.

“Once a child finishes a class, he should be able to pass on his textbooks to his younger siblings,” he said.

Soludo also frowned at the practice of organising ‘graduation ceremonies’ for pupils moving from one class to another, which often require parents to pay for gowns or uniforms.

He described such activities as unnecessary and exploitative.

“Even Christmas parties, parents should not be made to pay for such. These are too many expenses on poor parents,” the governor said.

Soludo warned that the state government would begin strict enforcement of the new directives, adding that any school found violating them would be sealed.

“These activities will end in Anambra schools because we will begin enforcement and any school that fails to comply or violates these standards will be closed.

“I will personally see to that. And when we seal your school, you can go to court. We will meet there,” he said.

The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting quality, accessible and affordable education for every child in the state. (NAN)

LOKOJA – The Kogi government has banned incessant graduation ceremonies in basic and secondary schools across the state as part of reforms in the education sector.

The decision was announced by the Commissioner for Education, Mr Wemi Jones, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Lokoja on Wednesday.

The government also banned “students’ signing-out” ceremonies in tertiary institutions within and outside the state.

Jones said incessant graduation ceremonies in nursery, primary, and secondary schools are prohibited in Kogi with immediate effect.

He noted that the practice has become unaffordable, exerting financial pressure on parents and encouraging social ills linked with such celebrations.

The commissioner said the ban is intended to reduce parents’ financial burden and encourage more meaningful ways of celebrating pupils’ and students’ achievements.

He further announced a new policy requiring parents to provide separate notebooks for classwork and assignments, instead of using textbooks as workbooks.

Jones explained that the policy aims to make textbooks reusable by siblings from the same family.

“The use of textbooks as workbooks, especially in private schools, must stop. Parents must provide separate notebooks for their children,” Jones said.

He added that new celebration modalities would be introduced to encourage competition and commitment to studies, without social ills or undue pressure on families.

Jones stressed that pupils must progress through required classes without skipping grades.

He also announced that writing mock examinations would now be mandatory before registration for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The commissioner said the new policies take immediate effect across the state.

He reaffirmed the commitment of Gov. Ahmed Ododo’s administration to enforcing the Kogi education law, introduced in 2020.

Jones urged stakeholders to support the Ministry in ensuring full implementation of the policies and education law.

He also emphasised the need for private schools to comply with regulations and provide quality education services.

“We will work together to develop education, reduce out-of-school children, and ensure compliance with laws,” he stated.

Jones called on private schools to charge moderate fees while providing quality services to transform education in the state.

Stakeholders at the meeting commended the Ministry’s efforts and pledged continuous support for the government’s education initiatives.

They, however, urged the government to recruit more teachers in public schools and establish a committee to regulate textbooks in line with state standards.

Reports that participants included Local Government Education Secretaries, NAPPS, ANCOPPS, SUBEB, and NAPTAN representatives, among others. (NAN)