*Group urges Nigerians to shun acting against Buhari
…Saraki seeks alignment of education curriculum with industry requirements
The Senate has cautioned the sponsors and participants in the protests by a coalition of civil society organizations, operating under the aegis of #OurMumuDonDo, and demanding for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over his medical vacation in the United Kingdom to stop heating up the polity with their unreasonable demands.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate said the protesters were only creating unnecessary tension in the country and seeking to divert the attention of the Presidency from the economic and security issues which are being tackled with vigour.
The Senate noted that President Buhari had complied with the provisions of the nation’s grundnorm, the Constitution, which stipulated that he must handover to the Vice President and duly inform the two chambers of the legislature about his medical vacation.
“The President has broken no law and therefore we do not see any justification for this diversion and noise making. The sponsors are merely seeking cheap publicity at the expense of the peace of Nigeria. We, in the National Assembly, are satisfied that there is no vacuum. The Federal Government is working. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is providing the required leadership. So, there is no reason for the protests.
“All Nigerians now should focus on praying for the safe return of the President. We in the Senate are happy about the report by the Governors and party leaders who recently visited President Buhari in London and we know he will soon return to continue to provide leadership to our people and the rest of Africa.
“We therefore call on the protesters to stop all these demonstrations and let their sense of patriotism overshadow the zeal for activism by joining other Nigerians to pray for the President, the acting President and Nigeria as a country at this critical period”, Abdullahi stated.
…Group urges Nigerians to shun acting against Buhari
President of Concerned Nigerian Network in Diaspora, Mr Erebuoye James, has called on Nigerians, including the Diaspora, to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari and wish him quick recovery.
James made the call in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, and said that the Buhari-led administration meant well for Nigerians.
He was reacting to recent protests by some groups calling on Buhari to either return to the county or resign, having been abroad for medication since May 7.
One of the groups, a coalition of Concerned Nigerians led by Mr Deji Adeyanju, had announced sit-out protests that would hold simultaneously in Nigeria and London.
The London protest planned to take place at the Abuja House, where Buhari had resided since his medical vacation was said to have failed but the one in Nigeria took place.
James said that this was not the time to protest against a president that was poised to ensure that the country was developed, but a time to support him and pray for his speedy recovery.
He, therefore, pleaded with Nigerians in diaspora not to allow themselves to be used by corrupt politicians to stage any protest against the administration because the president was out of the country for medical attention.
He said that there was need for Nigerians to join efforts with the Federal Government to fight corruption, which was inimical to the country´s development.
James maintained that Nigeria could be greater and become the envy of other nations when it was free from corruption.
Similarly, a spokesman for the president, Malam Garuba Shehu, had said that Buhari had not committed any offence against the Constitution by going for medication abroad.
He said that the president followed due process and formally handed over power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before travelling.
…Saraki seeks alignment of education curriculum with industry requirements
President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday stated that Nigeria’s university curriculum and teaching methods must be upscaled to reflect the demands of employers from both the public and the private sectors.
Speaking on the need for the country to urgently reposition its educational system to reflect current domestic and global realities like rising unemployment and the need to strengthen the economy to make the nation more competitive internationally, Saraki emphasized that many university graduates from Nigeria, are currently not being equipped with the appropriate skills that they need to perform in employed capacities.
“This situation requires the urgent intervention of all stakeholders in the education sector,” the President of the Senate said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja. “What we have on our hands is an influx into the workforce of many graduates who are unable to meet the demands of both the public and the private sectors.
“In order to reduce the incidence of unemployment and make our country more competitive going into the future, we must immediately work to ensure the careful and constant realignment of what our young people are learning in the classrooms, with what the employers expect from them at the workplace.”
The President of the Senate also cited a need for a deliberate approach to boost reading, writing and comprehension, starting at the primary school level, as both skills are necessary in all sectors.
“Both reading and writing must take front and centre-stage in all that we do moving forward. It is clear that these two skills constitute the foundation of all other subject areas.
“This is why even before they get to university, we must ensure that our children know how to write — because this inability to convey their thoughts clearly on paper has become the bane of many young and otherwise bright Nigerians that are seeking employment, both within and outside the country,” Saraki said.
The President of the Senate stated that at the resumption in September, the Senate will mobilize its relevant committees to work with education stakeholders to develop clear-cut strategies on how to move Nigeria’s educational system forward.
“At this point, we can no longer sit by and watch our educational system slide below acceptable standard. Education is the bedrock of all development, and right now, our bedrock is faulty, so we must fix it,” Saraki said.
