Education

By Uzair Adam

Africa Academy, an Islamic online learning platform under Africa Media Network, on Saturday graduated 3,500 students who completed its free Diploma programme in Islamic studies at a ceremony held at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

The graduation marked the academy’s second convocation, established to make Islamic education accessible to Muslims regardless of location, occupation, or level of formal education.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director of Africa Media Network, Dr Habib Tijjani Tahir, said the academy was created to give people the opportunity to acquire Islamic knowledge despite their busy schedules.

He explained that the initiative was driven by the need to help Muslims understand how to worship Allah correctly, stressing that people were created to worship Him.

According to him, the academy provides free online lessons that enable students to learn at their convenience from anywhere.

Tahir said the curriculum covers various areas of Islamic studies, including Fiqh, Seerah, Tafsir and Hadith, among others.

He said the academy also encourages academic excellence by rewarding outstanding students.

Tahir said top-performing students would receive incentives, including Umrah packages and cash rewards, while other outstanding students would also receive financial rewards.

He further announced that the academy would sponsor the marriages of four students by covering major wedding expenses, including dowry, wedding trousseau, rent and other associated costs.

“We want to encourage our students not only to acquire knowledge but also to remain committed to their studies and strive for excellence,” Tahir said.

He said the academy initially offered short one-week Islamic courses with certificates but later introduced its free Diploma programme, known as “Tsangaya,” following increasing demand from learners.

Tahir noted that 2,200 students graduated in the previous edition, while the number rose to 3,500 this year.

He said the academy was targeting between 50,000 and 60,000 graduates in subsequent years, or even more.

According to him, any Muslim who can read and write and meets the required level can enrol in the programme without presenting a previous academic certificate.

He added that the initiative therefore gives students of Qur’anic and Tsangaya schools, as well as people with conventional academic backgrounds, an opportunity to acquire further Islamic knowledge.

Representing the teachers, Prof Abdulqadir Ismail congratulated the graduates and prayed that Allah would make the knowledge they acquired beneficial to them and society.

He urged the graduates to put their knowledge into practice and use it to benefit others.

“Knowledge becomes more valuable when it is practised and used to benefit other people,” Prof Ismail said.

He also appealed to the graduates to continue praying for the academy as it works towards introducing online degree programmes similar to those offered by universities around the world.

Also speaking, Sheikh Abubakar Abdussalam Baban Gwale said opportunities to acquire Islamic knowledge through platforms such as Africa Academy were not readily available in the past.

He recalled that even people with the financial means sometimes struggled to find accessible opportunities for Islamic education.

“Today, Allah has made it easy for people to acquire this knowledge,” Baban Gwale said, urging parents to encourage their children to participate in such programmes.

He added that even people with conventional academic qualifications could benefit from the opportunity, describing access to Islamic education as a blessing.

Among the graduates, Fatima Usman, 40, emerged as the best-performing student.

A mother of nine, she said she learnt about the academy through a television announcement and continued following its activities until registration opened.

“I was determined to study despite my responsibilities as a mother of nine children,” she said, adding that she remained committed to her studies throughout the programme.

Muhammad Saminu, who came second, attributed his success to consistency and effective use of the academy’s learning materials.

He said he listened to audio lessons while travelling or working and studied the PDF materials more thoroughly whenever he had time to sit down and concentrate.

Amira Nuhu Umar, who emerged third, described her success as a source of immense joy, saying the lessons had significantly influenced her life.

“My joy cannot be described. The lessons have had a great impact on my life,” she said.

She thanked her parents and teachers for their support and dedication throughout her studies.

By Prof. Abdelghaffar Amoka Abdelmalik

I was invited to conduct an external examination for three postgraduate students (1 PhD and 2 MSc) at an institution about 87 kilometres from my university. The three theses were sent days before the scheduled examination for me to read page by page, contribute to improving the work, prepare questions, and then schedule a date to travel to examine the students.

I did not drive there.

I had an instinct that whatever mileage they would pay would not cover my fuel costs. I wasn’t prepared to spend my own money to finance an examination for which I had already done several days of intellectual work. You don’t want to know the honorarium for the several days of intellectual work.

So I took a bike to the park, boarded public transport, and travelled to the institution. To make the journey comfortable, I paid for two seats. The two seats cost ₦5,000. The examination lasted 6 hours without a break because it had to be concluded that day. At the end of the day, they brought me a claim to sign, and the mileage was ₦40 per kilometre. They quoted the distance to be 74 kilometres. That meant I was entitled to ₦2,960 for travelling to an institution approximately 87 kilometres away. That’s the worth we placed on ourselves. I laughed very hard, not because it was funny but because it was absurd and ridiculous.

Then, I asked them: So academics sat down and agreed that the cost of travelling one kilometre for a professor conducting a postgraduate external examination is ₦40? That was the moment I decided that this would be my first and last time honouring a postgraduate examination invitation from that institution.

I was lamenting this experience, and what I see as the self-normalisation of poverty in our universities, to a colleague. His response shocked me. He told me that, as a postgraduate coordinator, he does receive phone calls from senior colleagues asking to be considered for external examinations. They were not invited. They were calling to ask for the opportunity. That is when I began to think more deeply about self-normalisation of poverty.

Self-normalisation of poverty is the process by which people gradually begin to accept poverty, deprivation, and poor living conditions as normal, inevitable, or even acceptable. Poverty initially produces frustration. Prolonged poverty produces adaptation. Prolonged adaptation produces acceptance. And acceptance has eventually produced defence of the very conditions that created the poverty.

The danger is not merely that lecturers become poor. The greater danger is that poverty becomes normalised by the very people who should be challenging the conditions that produced it.

Meanwhile, I got an interesting response to my last piece from a professor who is proudly saving ₦500,000 per month. I must applaud the professor for sustaining his family and all his needs with an amount equivalent to the 2025 salary that ASUU thought was not enough for him. He was able to save from his pre-CATA salary, add it to the new CATA and professorial allowance, and save ₦500k every month. Seriously, saving ₦500,000 every month in Nigeria today is not a small achievement.

Within 2 years and with consistency, the professor will be able to save about ₦12 million, ignoring interest and unforeseen circumstances. But the reality is that the current value of that 10 million is about the same as the value of ₦700,000 that an Assistant Lecturer saved within 2 years from 2005 to 2007. A 15-year-old car that cost between ₦700 and ₦1m in 2007 costs about ₦10m now. 

So what exactly are we celebrating? The fact that a professor said he can now save ₦500,000 every month?

Or the fact that it takes a professor two years of disciplined saving to accumulate money whose purchasing power may resemble what a much more junior academic could accumulate much earlier?

For a lecturer celebrating a professor achieving in 2026, what an Assistant Lecturer could achieve in 2007 is a testament to the self-normalisation of poverty.

Let’s remember where we are coming from.

When I was employed in 2005, an Assistant Lecturer’s net salary was about ₦37,000. At the exchange rate of the time, that was roughly $280. In 2006, it rose to about ₦57,000, approximately $445. By 2009, during the Yar’Adua administration, the net salary of AL increased to around ₦110,000, approximately $738.

By 2022, ₦110,000 was worth only about $246 at the prevailing exchange rate. After subsidy removal in 2023 and naira devaluation, ₦110,000 dropped to as low as $73. By 2026, an Assistant Lecturer’s salary rose to roughly ₦250,000. That’s about $180. That is what we are celebrating. 

What happened to Nigerian professors? 

In March 2012, I purchased a London-Abuja British Airways round-trip ticket for £552.09 (₦138,574.59). In 2012, a professor’s salary was about ₦460,000 (£1,832.7). That means that by May 2015, a professor at the bar could afford a week’s holiday in London with his one-month salary. The ticket cost less than one third of the salary, and the remainder would comfortably cover the living expenses. 

From comfort to survival.

Since 2015, after Buhari came to power, the comfort that Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan gave to university lecturers was taken away. Buhari’s 2022 strangulation of Academics is still very fresh. Then, Tinubu crushed that comfort in May 2023 (₦416,000, worth 277 USD for a professor at the bar) by withdrawing fuel subsidies and devaluing the naira, before a raise in 2026 to about ₦1m (750 USD) for a professor. But the value is still less than what Buhari left it at: ₦416,000 (930 USD) for a professor at the bar.

The Stalin Chicken. 

This is where the Joseph Stalin-Chicken metaphor becomes powerful. A chicken is being plucked. It is painful. It is losing its feathers. It has nowhere to go. Then the same hand that has been plucking its feathers throws a few grains of food in front of it. The chicken follows the hand.

Not because the hand has stopped hurting it. But because survival has become more important than resistance.

That is what poverty can do to human beings. It can make people grateful for crumbs from the very system whose structure has impoverished them. And I fear that some academics have become so desperate for survival that they follow the very hand that has caused their suffering, simply because that hand is now offering them crumbs.

The application of the Stalin Chicken model, especially on academics, is a brilliant one from PBAT.

I will excuse those relatively young academics who do not know where we are coming from. They cannot compare what they have with what existed before they entered the system.

Of course, we are grateful to God for our current situations. We should also be grateful for the improvements that have occurred. But gratitude should not kill critical thinking. Real academics are not supposed to become professional worshippers of crumbs. We should interrogate systems. We should ask questions. We should challenge policies. We should understand the difference between survival and progress.

However, as more senior academics mobilise for endorsement, don’t go in with self-normalised poverty in academia. Ensure that you negotiate for an endorsement package that can at least change your car. Don’t go for crumbs.

Best wishes!

By Ishaka Mohammed

The Federal Government of Nigeria has opened applications for a six-month professional teaching qualification programme for non-professional teachers in the country.

According to the Federal Ministry of Education, the programme, titled Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), costs ₦200,000, which can be paid in three instalments.

The ATPP offers two qualification routes: the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) for holders of non-education bachelor’s degrees or HNDs, and the Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) for holders of ONDs or NDs.

However, only individuals with at least two years of classroom teaching experience are eligible. 

Launched on September 7, 2026, the application portal will remain open until September 25. The application is free.

Interested and eligible individuals can apply at https://applicant.safapply.com/atpp and choose any of the following study centres:

National Teachers’ Institute

Nnamdi Azikiwe University

University of Lagos

University of Port Harcourt

University of Ilorin

Ahmadu Bello University

University of Maiduguri

National Open University of Nigeria

MIVA Open University 

Meadow Hall College of Education

Babcock University

There is more information on https://atpp.education.gov.ng/.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Workers of the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday shut the entrance to the ministry’s headquarters, stopping the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, from accessing their offices.

The workers assembled at the ministry’s entrance as a motorcade reportedly carrying the minister arrived at the premises.

A video shared on X showed the protesters occupying the entrance to the ministry. The workers were heard chanting, “Alausa must go,” as they prevented access to the premises.

The protest is linked to an unresolved disagreement between the ministry’s workers and the Federal Government over several issues, including the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos.

The workers’ unions had earlier called for the minister’s removal and rejected the reported plan to grant a 35-year concession of the college to its old boys’ association.

Apart from the King’s College concession, the unions have raised concerns about staff welfare and other administrative matters within the ministry.

Wednesday’s action suggests that the disagreement between the workers and the ministry’s management has continued despite recent engagements aimed at addressing the issues between both sides.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Kaduna State Government has approved the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN–ASUU) Salary Agreement for academic staff of Kaduna State University (KASU).

The new salary structure will take effect from the October 2026 salary.

The approval was based on the report and recommendations of a 9-member Government–KASU–ASUU Negotiation Committee established by Governor Uba Sani to review the demands of the union and recommend a sustainable framework for implementation.

The approved package covers provisions contained in the 2025 FGN–ASUU Agreement, including the revised Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and other applicable salary adjustments and allowances.

The state government said the decision reflects Governor Sani’s commitment to education and human-capital development.

According to the government, at least 25 percent of Kaduna State’s annual budget has been allocated to education since Sani assumed office. It added that 3,267 classrooms have been constructed or renovated, alongside 1,194 toilets and 90 boreholes.

The government also said 57,777 units of furniture have been supplied to learners and teachers across the state, while other education projects remain ongoing.

It further highlighted the approval of a 50 percent reduction in tertiary education fees and the extension of the retirement age for school teachers from 60 to 65 years.

On the challenge of out-of-school children, the government said more than 300,000 children have returned to education from an estimated population of over 500,000 out-of-school children inherited in 2023.

It said Kaduna’s household-mapping approach for identifying out-of-school children has since been adopted by the Federal Government as a model for addressing the problem nationwide.

The state government also said 4,050 young people have graduated from its structured vocational-training programme. According to the government, the Federal Ministry of Education has requested Kaduna’s technical and vocational training manuals for use as reference materials at the national level.

The government further pointed to reforms at the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQAA), which it said has been transformed into a more technology-driven and data-based institution.

Following the approval, the state government called on ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAAT to continue to use dialogue to resolve differences.

It said improved welfare for university staff should lead to better teaching, research, innovation and student outcomes at KASU.

The government also urged the university to pursue measures that would improve its international standing and visibility in global university rankings, including the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.

The state government commended KASU management, ASUU and other stakeholders for their patience and engagement throughout the negotiation process.

It said the approval represents an investment in the university community and a renewed commitment to making KASU a peaceful, competitive and accountable institution capable of meeting the demands of the 21st century.

The statement was signed on September 11, 2026, by Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, OON, NPOM, Commissioner for Education and Chairman of the 9-Member Government–KASU–ASUU Negotiation Committee.

By Dahiru Ƙasimu Adamu 

In northern Nigeria, disability has long been viewed as a one-way ticket to a life of begging. But Imrana Aminu Sifawa is rewriting that narrative through academic achievement.

When a child is born with a disability in northern Nigeria, tradition often dictates their future: they beg. It’s a grim expectation that has consigned countless individuals to a life of dependency rather than dignity.

But Imrana Aminu Sifawa refuses to be a statistic. Born completely blind in 2001 in Sifawa town, Bodinga Local Government Area, Sokoto State, this young man has spent his life shattering stereotypes and reaching academic heights that many sighted individuals never reach.

Imrana’s educational journey began at AA Raji Special School Sokoto, where he completed both primary and secondary education. But he didn’t stop there.

He later earned his National Certificate in Education (NCE) in Islamic Studies, with a specialisation in Special Education in Islam, from Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto. Today, he is pursuing a degree in Islamic Studies at the same institution, affiliated with Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS).

Recognising that the world is moving rapidly toward technology, Imrana earned a Diploma in Computer from Kebbi State School for Special Needs in Birnin Kebbi, where he mastered computer operation and networking.

“I have knowledge of operating computers,” Imrana declares with quiet confidence. “Even now, if you bring one to me, I will operate it. I understand its features, how it works, how letters are arranged, and how to type.”

Imrana’s intellectual pursuits extend beyond secular education. He has completely memorised the Holy Qur’an and studied Hadith extensively. His command of Islamic scholarship is evident when he quotes Imam Shafi’i: “Kulli yaumil zadal ilmi zadani ilmul bi jahali…” (Every day knowledge increases, and my knowledge of my ignorance increases…)

In Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), he has studied Mukhtasarul Khalil, Lawali, and Sani, among others.

What drives this remarkable young man? A deep-seated rejection of the fate society had planned for him.

“I grew up disinterested in begging, and I completely hate it,” Imrana states firmly.

His determination was fueled by his father’s unwavering support; his father, a retired civil servant, said that politicians and wealthy individuals never helped with his school fees.

Imrana’s path has been anything but smooth. He openly acknowledges the discrimination he has faced.

“The challenges are many, but to mention a few: discrimination,” he explains. “Whenever I set foot in education, some thought I could not do it. Some lecturers clearly hated me. Nevertheless, I endured, I resisted, and now I have attained it.”

He draws strength from the teachings of Ta’alimil Mutaalim: “Bijiddi la bi jiddi kulli muhataji…” (With effort, not with mere desire, every seeker achieves…)

Imrana is unequivocal in his message to people living with disabilities: shun begging, citing a powerful Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He warns: “Anyone who engages in begging on the Day of Judgment will wake up without any flesh on his body; it is the sign of beggars.”

In another tradition, he notes that anyone who begs invites poverty through their own actions.

“Begging is not good,” Imrana insists. “Most of those who rely on begging have many cows and flocks of sheep, but they cannot leave it; they have become addicted.”

Rather than begging, Imrana advocates for entrepreneurship as a path to dignity and self-sufficiency.

When asked about his own source of income, he reveals: “Walima (ceremonial gatherings) is one of my sources of income. When people have occasions like marriages or naming ceremonies, they invite me to present and educate attendees, and I earn income through that.”

Imrana urges wealthy individuals to provide people with disabilities with capital for investments that enable them to pursue their dreams and become stable, contributing members of society.

Several other people like Imrana can do better but have yet to receive encouragement and support.

If our society truly wants to thrive,  we must stop discriminating against people with disabilities. Instead, we must encourage them, integrate them, and support them in learning modern skills that will benefit them, their families, and society at large.

Imrana Aminu Sifawa’s story is not just about one man’s triumph over blindness; it’s a testament to the power of education, the strength of human will, and the urgent need to change society’s view of disability.

Imrana Aminu Sifawa’s message is clear: Disability is not a barrier. Begging is not a destiny. Education is the tool for success.

By The Daily Reality

Farida Bungudu, a 2026 graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, has turned years of skepticism about her home state into a record-breaking academic run, becoming the first student from Zamfara State to finish top of the Faculty of Law with First Class Honours.

Bungudu, who emerged Overall Best Graduating Student in the LL.B Class of 2026, said the journey began as “a dream few people believed in.” Critics, she recalled, argued she was “reaching too far, too fast.”

“What they didn’t know was that this dream was never about me alone,” she said. “It was about proving that Zamfara State, too, belongs in every room, every conversation, every arena where excellence is measured.”

Record-Breaking Run at ABU

Results released on Wednesday confirmed a historic performance that placed Bungudu among the faculty’s all-time best.

Her list of achievements includes:

– Overall Best Graduating Student, LL.B Class of 2026, Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

– First Class Honours, LL.B (Civil Law) 
– Third Highest CGPA ever recorded in the Faculty’s history

– 5th Female Best Graduating Student in the Faculty’s history

– First Female from the Northwest to graduate with a First Class and as Best Graduating Student in the Faculty

– First Zamfara State student from the Faculty to graduate with a First Class and as Best Graduating Student

– First Chief Judge in the Faculty’s history to graduate as Best Graduating Student with First Class Honours.

Beyond academics, Bungudu also distinguished herself in student leadership and advocacy. She served as the Second Female Chief Judge of the ABU-SRC Court, Chief Justice of the Law Students’ Society, Chairman of the LSS Privileges Committee, Chairman of the Council of Benchers, and Chairman of the LSS Judicial Council.

Her profile also identifies her as a Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) Scholar, an award-winning National and International Moot Court Champion, Best Advocate, and Best Oralist. She also served as Assistant Chief of the Ahmadu Bello University Students Support Associates.

“We now have a seat at the table”

Speaking after the announcement, Bungudu described the achievement as more than a personal success.

“Today, I stand as a voice for every Zamfara State student who has ever felt limited, overlooked, or underestimated,” she said. “We can walk into any room now, and know we belong in the conversation. We have broken through the glass ceiling, and we now hold an undeniable seat at tables once thought unreachable.”

She described the milestone as “merely a blueprint” for younger students from Zamfara and the wider Northwest.

“I have walked the path; now it is your turn to run,” she said, adding that she will later share details of “the sacrifices that happened behind the scenes to make this possible.”

For a state whose students have long faced stereotypes about their academic capacity, Wednesday’s announcement represents a new reference point. For Farida Bungudu, the achievement was answered “not with words, but with results.”

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of underage candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The board said the results are available for candidates and their parents or guardians to check their performance.

JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

Benjamin clarified that the release of the results does not mean that all underage candidates are qualified for admission.

He explained that candidates below the age of 16 as of September 30, 2026, are regarded as underage candidates for the 2026 admission exercise.

According to him, the results are mainly for candidates and their parents or guardians to know their UTME performance. They cannot be used for admission or other official purposes unless the candidate meets the conditions for exceptional consideration.

Candidates can access their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 through the same SIM card used during UTME registration.

Benjamin said JAMB had previously made it clear that only underage candidates who record exceptional performances and satisfy all prescribed conditions would be considered for admission.

He warned candidates who fail to meet the requirements against presenting their results to institutions or individuals in an attempt to secure admission.

The JAMB spokesperson said the exceptional admission process involves several stages of assessment. The process is intended to identify candidates with outstanding academic ability and sufficient maturity for tertiary education.

He said candidates must obtain a minimum UTME score of 320 and achieve at least 80 per cent in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) subjects, where applicable.

“Such candidates are also required to meet the relevant Post-UTME requirements of their chosen institutions and undergo the prescribed final assessment by experts,” he said.

Benjamin said the procedure would help the board separate candidates with genuine exceptional ability from those who only recorded high UTME scores.

He added that the assessment of exceptionally performing underage candidates had not been completed.

The board, according to him, must also give candidates who are waiting for their National Examinations Council (NECO) results an opportunity to submit the results for verification.

“The NECO results are yet to be released, and the board would therefore await their release before proceeding to the final stage of the assessment process,” he said.

Benjamin said JAMB would announce the date for the final assessment once the NECO results are released.

He stressed that admission consideration would not depend solely on UTME scores. Candidates must pass the other stages of assessment and meet all the requirements set by the board.

The spokesperson also advised candidates, parents and guardians to be wary of individuals who claim they can secure admission for underage candidates outside the approved procedure.

He maintained that sitting for the UTME and obtaining a result do not automatically guarantee admission, especially for candidates who have not reached the stipulated admission age.

Benjamin assured the public that the assessment and admission process for exceptionally performing underage candidates would be transparent, rigorous and based on merit.

By Uzair Adam

The Kano State Coordination Office of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) has commenced the practical phase of a 10-day intensive training for 23 community artificial insemination (AI) technicians, with participants now applying their skills on live cattle.

The Daily Reality reports that the practical sessions, taking place at the Artificial Insemination Centre and Farmer Field School in Kadawa, are designed to equip the trainees with the skills required to provide artificial insemination services to livestock farmers across Kano State.

The training is part of L-PRES’s plan to conduct 5,000 artificial insemination exercises across the state’s 44 local government areas and wards.

The participants are being trained in semen collection, evaluation and preservation, heat detection, selection of suitable animals and the proper insemination of female cattle.

Speaking on the practical sessions, Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, an Animal Husbandry Officer with the Kano L-PRES Project and supervisor of the training, said the trainees had progressed from classroom lessons to hands-on exercises involving live animals.

Kabiru said the training had reached its seventh day on Sunday, with the participants being assessed on their ability to apply the knowledge acquired during the earlier theoretical sessions.

“From yesterday, which was the sixth day of this training, the participants have been going through a series of trainings. That includes collection of semen, semen evaluation and examination for quality, and inseminating the female animal. Now they are into live animal practicals,” he said.

According to him, the trainees had earlier been taught how to examine the reproductive organs of cattle and correctly pass the artificial insemination gun through the vagina and cervix until it reaches the appropriate part of the uterus where the semen is deposited.

He said experts from the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, were leading the practical sessions using the facilities and laboratory at the Kadawa centre.

Kabiru explained that the participants had also been trained to assess semen quality using parameters such as colour, consistency, volume, sperm motility, live-to-dead sperm ratio, sperm morphology and pH.

He added that they had been exposed to techniques for preserving semen in both chilled and frozen forms.

“AI entails three major aspects: collection, evaluation or examination for quality, and artificial insemination of the female cows. They have been taken through these processes and today we are on the live animals,” Kabiru said.

The training supervisor expressed confidence in the participants’ performance, saying their results in the theoretical assessment and practical exercises indicated that they were capable of becoming effective AI technicians.

He disclosed that none of the participants scored below 21 out of 30 in the theoretical assessment, while some scored the maximum 30 marks.

Kabiru added that the resource persons had confirmed that all the trainees were able to successfully pass the AI gun through the reproductive tract during practical exercises, although only some had so far performed the procedure on live cattle.

He said the practical sessions would continue until the training ends on Wednesday.

Also speaking, Isa Muhammad, a trainer from NAPRI, described the participants as committed and enthusiastic, saying they had demonstrated an impressive ability to master the techniques taught during the programme.

Muhammad said the trainees’ ability to quickly learn how to pass the AI gun was evidence of their commitment to the training.

“These students are serious. They are even more than serious. During my service, I could not introduce the AI gun in two minutes, but these trainees can pass the AI gun in five, six, eight or ten seconds,” he said.

He explained that properly trained AI technicians could contribute significantly to improving the genetic quality of livestock and increasing productivity in Nigeria.

According to him, the training also exposes the participants to the use of semen from improved exotic breeds to crossbreed local cattle and enhance their productive capacity.

“This is one of the advantages of livestock production. We want to exchange the local breeds with exotic breeds. Here, we have exotic semen such as Jersey, Brahman and others,” Muhammad said.

He added that the trainees were being taught how to examine sperm cells under a microscope to determine their viability, movement and suitability for artificial insemination.

Muhammad commended L-PRES for providing the equipment and materials required for the training, saying the support would enable the participants to extend AI services to livestock-producing communities across Kano State.

He disclosed that the trainees would be provided with equipment including liquid nitrogen containers, semen straws and hormones used to induce heat in animals, among other materials needed to provide artificial insemination services.

The NAPRI trainer, however, urged the participants to safeguard the equipment and use them for the purpose for which they were provided.

“My message to them is that they should be careful and should not sell the materials and equipment. They should keep them and use them for the work,” he said.

Meanwhile, participants said the practical component of the training had improved their understanding and confidence in artificial insemination.

Faiza Umar Abdulkadir, an AI technician from Kumbotso Local Government Area, described the programme as a refresher course that had expanded her previous knowledge and skills.

She said the training had exposed her to improved techniques in heat detection, animal selection, semen handling and insemination.

“We can say this is like a refresher to us because before now we were AI technicians. But with this training, I got more knowledge about how to inseminate at the first stage and how to detect whether a cattle is in heat,” she said.

Abdulkadir said the practical sessions were particularly useful because participants were taken through semen collection and preservation before moving to heat detection and the actual insemination process.

She stressed that accurate heat detection was essential to successful artificial insemination, noting that a cow must first be confirmed to be in the appropriate reproductive stage before the procedure is carried out.

“For an AI technician, you have to be very conscious about how to select the animal. First, you have to detect whether her uterus is okay for AI because this is something we have to introduce to the farmers,” she said.

She added that the participants had also practised rectal palpation and learnt how to identify the cervix and correctly deposit semen.

Another participant, Anas Abubakar Abdullahi, said the training had equipped him with practical knowledge on selecting suitable animals and choosing appropriate breeds depending on whether the production objective was beef or dairy.

He said the trainees had also learnt how to select suitable bulls, collect semen, process it and preserve it for subsequent use.

“We have learned a lot in that aspect. We are very much grateful to the L-PRES project team for their support and effort in ensuring that we gain knowledge in this area of training,” Abdullahi said.

He said the project had informed the participants that they would receive equipment to enable them to provide AI services in communities across Kano State.

According to Abdullahi, the community-based approach would make artificial insemination services more accessible to livestock farmers and pastoralists while contributing to improved dairy and beef production.

He expressed appreciation to L-PRES for the training and support, saying the participants were prepared to apply the knowledge acquired to improve livestock production in their respective communities.

The ongoing training is expected to expand the pool of community-based artificial insemination technicians in Kano State and support the implementation of L-PRES’s broader livestock productivity programme, particularly its target of carrying out 5,000 artificial insemination exercises across the state.

By Dr Kabir Asgar

Nobody disputes that students in a university environment need to participate in sports, recreation, cultural activities, social interaction, and entrepreneurship. In fact, our great Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, itself presents holistic student development as part of its mission.

This relatively new yet popular ABU-SRC Cultural Carnival has now become a regular fixture on the calendar for every Second Semester at ABU Zaria. Looking at its popularity, the attention it’s getting from all stakeholders, and the distraction it creates, I cannot help but ask: could the timing, scale and intensity of this event be one of the factors that compete with students’ academic concentration and, perhaps, contribute in some measure to the challenges we sometimes observe in undergraduate examination performance?

Let’s think about the amount of energy, time and resources students put into their weeks-long intensive preparations for the carnival, as well as the money spent on costumes, transportation, rehearsals, entertainment and other logistics. For many students, the excitement surrounding the event inevitably competes for their attention with lectures, laboratory work, assignments, projects, and examination preparation.

I am not arguing that the university should have no cultural or recreational activities. Never. I’m aware that the training of these students and the development of their mental and industrial skills extend beyond the classroom, and that cultural activities can have legitimate educational and social value. My concern is rather about proportion, timing, end results, and priorities.

To the best of my knowledge, no assessment is conducted to investigate the academic impact of this carnival and/or other related extracurricular activities on the participating students; therefore, there is no reliable data to base a judgement on. Yet, there is a need to ask questions such as: Does its timing interfere with students’ academic responsibilities? How much time and money do students invest in the event? Who are the person(s) financing the carnival, and what return(s) do they aspire to? And, most importantly, do the educational and developmental values of the event justify its scale and its place in the academic calendar?

There is also the moral and religious dimension, which I deliberately leave aside for the moment: the nature of some of the displays, immodest dressing, unrestricted interaction between male and female students, the conduct of the rehearsals, the chaotic nature of the event and the kind of entertainment sometimes associated with such events should all be subjected to our religious and moral values.

Even if we temporarily put all those concerns aside, one fundamental question remains: What kind of university do we want ABU Zaria to be, and what should occupy the greatest share of our students’ time, attention and energy? Perhaps this is not a call to abolish the carnival, but rather a call for the university to pause, reflect, and objectively evaluate its academic, financial, social, and moral implications.

May Allah continue to guide us to the right path, amin.