The education crisis confronting Sokoto State, Kebbi State and Zamfara State is forcing policymakers to rethink traditional interventions. With an estimated 1.9 million children out of school across the three states, attention is shifting from remedial enrolment drives to a more foundational question: what happens before a child ever steps into a primary classroom? At a two-day media dialogue in Sokoto, stakeholders argued that the region’s education recovery strategy must prioritise Early Childhood Development (ECD) as a structural reform, not a supplementary programme. The dialogue, organised by the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board in collaboration with UNICEF and funded…
Author: TheStories
An aspirant for the Kebbi North Senatorial zone, Hussaini Suleiman Kangiwa (Sarkin Arawan Kabi), has welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of his visit to Kebbi State. The President is set to attend the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival and commission key development projects by Governor Nasir Idris. Kangiwa described the visit as historic, highlighting the Federal Government’s support for Nigeria’s cultural heritage and the state’s ongoing development. He noted the Argungu Festival’s global recognition for promoting unity, tourism, and economic opportunities. The senator aspirant also praised Governor Idris for the people-focused projects, emphasising their role in boosting infrastructure,…
Northwest University Sokoto (NWUS) has signed its first international Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Lahore, Pakistan, to deepen academic collaboration, research exchange, and global institutional engagement. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mukhtar Umar Bunza, disclosed this on Monday during a press conference, describing the agreement as a milestone in the university’s commitment to internationalisation and capacity development. He said the partnership aligns with the vision of the Founder and Pro-Chancellor, Sen. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, to advance higher education through cross-border cooperation and position the institution within the global academic ecosystem. According to Bunza, the MoU establishes a structured framework…
For doors of favour and divine intervention to open in today’s competitive world, individuals must have either a product or service to offer, not prayers alone, Reverend Michael Olobo Adaji has said. Adaji, Zonal Pastor of the Christian Evangelical Fellowship of Nations (CEFN), Sokoto Missionary Zone, stated this in a message titled “Understanding the Principles of Open Doors.” He contended that while knowledge and understanding are crucial, they are insufficient to open doors without something tangible — products or services — to offer.“ The global market or economy only respects products or services, which explains why buyers are part of…
“Circumstances do not make the man; they reveal him.” James Allen’s words resonate deeply within the Nigerian and broader African context, where poverty is often explained almost entirely as a product of failed systems. Weak governance, corruption, colonial legacies, insecurity, poor infrastructure, unemployment, and limited access to capital are frequently cited, and rightly so. These structural realities are not imaginary. They shape opportunities, constrain choices, and create unequal starting points. Yet, even within the same cities, villages, institutions, and households, people facing similar constraints often experience radically different outcomes over time. This reality suggests that beyond systems and policies, poverty…
A former Commissioner for Tertiary Education in Niger State and Executive Director, Finance, at the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Prof. Bashar Nuhu Tachi, has congratulated Governor Umar Mohammed Bago on the occasion of Niger State’s 50th anniversary. Prof. Tachi also extended his felicitations to the Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, and the entire people of Niger State, describing the golden jubilee as a historic milestone worthy of gratitude and reflection. In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Special Duties, Yahuza Isah Erena, and made available to THESTORIES on Tuesday, Prof. Tachi expressed profound gratitude to Allah for granting…
The Chairman of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, Isyaku Bawa Kuta, has sworn in seven newly appointed supervisory councillors, charging them to uphold accountability, teamwork and dedication in the discharge of their duties. A statement by the Principal Information Officer of the local government, Abubakar Abdullahi el-Kurebe, said the swearing-in ceremony, which took place on Wednesday at the Local Government Secretariat in Kuta, formally marked the commencement of the appointees’ official responsibilities across key sectors of local governance. Speaking at the event, Hon. Kuta expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the smooth conduct of the ceremony and described…
Recent public debate on whether tax authorities can lawfully direct banks to debit taxpayers’ accounts without a court order has brought the issue of the “power of substitution” back to the centre of Nigeria’s fiscal discourse. Some commentators have portrayed this authority as a radical expansion of state power. Yet both the Presidential Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms Committee and the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service have clarified that the power is neither novel nor arbitrary. It is deeply rooted in Nigeria’s tax architecture, reflected in earlier statutes, and consistent with global best practice in modern revenue administration. At the…
Inside a quiet hall in Sokoto, dozens of Islamic clerics sat side by side, their phones and notebooks open, listening closely as they learned how a single fake video or voice message could ignite fear, division or even violence. For many of them, this two-day workshop was their first direct encounter with the hidden world of artificial intelligence, deep fakes and digital manipulation. The training, Organized by Alkalanci a Hausa-language fact-checking and media literacy organisation dedicated to combating fake news, misinformation, disinformation and mal-information in collaboration with the Sokoto State Ministry of Religious Affairs, brought together religious leaders from across…
Nigeria is once again at a familiar crossroads where policy choices expose deeper structural contradictions within the federation. The ongoing controversy surrounding the siting of the proposed National Gold Refinery in Lagos State is not merely an administrative disagreement; it is a constitutional, economic, and moral question that strikes at the very heart of equity, federal balance, and inclusive development. The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has rightly raised fundamental concerns about the decision to locate a gold refinery thousands of kilometres away from the primary gold-producing regions of the country. The Coalition of Funtua Community-Based Organisations strongly aligns with this…