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FG, AMLI Educate Parents, Schools on Hurried Child’s Implications

Published

4 years ago

November 17, 2022

Joel Ajayi

In its determination to tame the monster called Hurried child syndrome in the country, the Federal Government and some critical stakeholders has embarked on serious advocacy, awareness and education of guardians, parent and schools especially private schools owners on the negative implications.

The Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu gave this warning at the one day Stakeholders Town Hall meeting for the hurried child project organized by A Mother’s of Love initiative AMLI in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency NOA and others agencies on Thursday in Abuja with the theme: “The hurried child syndrome: “Implications for sustainable National development.”

The Child Syndrome is the condition in which parents over-schedule their children’s lives, push them hard for academic achievement, and expect them to act and react like miniature adults.

The Minister, who was represented by Director, Senior Secondary Schools, Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir the Deputy Director, Senior Secondary Education Department in the ministry, said “rushing and pushing the education of children by parents and schools must stop.”

Minister described the trend as “counterproductive and distorting the natural growth and development of children.

According to him, Most pupils transit from primary five or even primary four to secondary school. This leaves most schools without the primary six classes.

“This unhealthy trend is also found in the Senior Secondary School where students in SSI and SS2 sit for terminal and university entrance examinations.”

Adamu, who attributed the trend to parent’s desire and impatience, misconception of the interpretation of the Nigerian Education system (6-3-3-4), added that the practice could impact the child and the society negatively.

Other problems, he said, were weak regulatory enforcement of the National Policy on Education, as well as the lack of sensitization on the negative impact of the practice.

Malam Adamu urged all quality assurance agencies and practitioners to be up and doing in tackling this menace.”

In her remarked, the Chief Executive Officer of AMIL, Mrs Hannatu Enwemadu, said the meeting was to provide platform for stakeholders to take action and curb the practice of hurrying children during their formative years.

“So, to give this advocacy a national feel, we have to bring it here to Abuja to present the issue nationally.

“We will assess and create awareness among government and inter-government agencies, international bodies, to work for collaboration and partnership,” she said.

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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.

The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.

Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.

According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.

“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.

“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”

The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.

Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.

“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.

Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.

Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.

He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.

Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.

He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.

To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.

In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization

Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.

Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.

“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.

In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee

is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.

The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

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