Two teachers from Lagos State, Adeola Adefemi, and Olusegun Adeniyi, have been named in the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2021 in partnership with UNESCO.

The winner would get the $1 million (N411,690, 000) prize.

Adefemi teaches English Language at Oke-Odo Senior High School while Adeniyi teaches art at Caleb British International School, Lagos.

The $1m award was won last year by an Indian village teacher, Ranjitsinh Disale.

Also, Oluwadamilola Akintewe, a 22-year-old student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State; Blessing Akpan, 23-year-old student of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; and Esther Ajari, 22-year-old student of the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, have been included in the top 50 shortlist for its new sister award, the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2021.

They are in the race for the $100,000 (N41,169, 000) chegg.org global student prize.

The top 10 finalists of both categories would be announced in October 2021.

The winners of both prizes would be chosen from the respective top 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy and the Global Student Prize Academy made up of prominent individuals.

The  winners are due to be announced at an awards ceremony in Paris in November.

According to a statement by the founder of the Varkey Foundation, Sunny Varkey, the stories of the shortlisted Nigerians highlight the importance of education in tackling the great challenges ahead – from climate change to growing inequality and global pandemics.

A statement from the organisers said Adefemi and Adeniyi were selected from over 8,000 nominations and applications from 121 countries while the students were shortlisted from over 3,500 nominations and applications from 94 countries.

Head of Chegg.org, Lila Thomas, in a statement said the Global Teacher Prize was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in the society.

The statement said, “Adeniyi is renowned for bringing out the creative side of his students with two decades of nurturing new talent and creating stimulating art projects in his blended classroom that improves their self-confidence and encourages them to be lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and global citizens.”

The organisers said in her first teaching assignment, Adefemi, was sent to a school that had been labelled “low-performing”.

“Soon, she revolutionised the curriculum and her students’ performance by launching the ‘Every Child Counts’ campaign, creating subject-associated clubs, and encouraging students to enter competitions.

“Within two years, her school won the African Top School Award for its academic performance. Her students have since won 103 different international, national and state competitions.”

The students who applied for the Global Student Prize are being assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens.

Daily Trust

The United Nations (UN) has warned that “the collective future of Nigeria is under threat” given rising insecurity and spate of attacks by bandits on schools.

The warning is coming against the backdrop of recent coordinated killings and kidnappings of schoolchildren across Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states, leading to the forced closure of schools in those  states.

The organisation lamented  in the last academic year, an  estimated 1.3 million children were impacted by attacks or abductions in schools in Nigeria. It urged    President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to tackle the security challenges  ravaging the country to preserve its posterity.  

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon, stated this in a statement on the 2021 International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

“UN condemns attack on schools, calls for more efforts to protect students and ensure uninterrupted teaching and learning. Children are traumatised; parents are scared; teachers and school administrators are afraid; attacks on schools are gradually spreading to areas not known to insurgencies. With education under attack, the collective future of Nigeria is under threat. This must stop now,” Kallon said. 

He said whenever teaching and learning are disrupted, the impact on human capital development is enormous as the recovery period is always tortuous and longer than the length of the initial disruption.

“Across the Northeast region alone, over 600,000 children remain out of school and some 1.1 million need educational support to stay in school. This has all been compounded by the setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the United States and United Kingdom governments  say they have trained nearly 200,000 out of-school-children and youths in Borno and Yobe states.

They said the training would improved literacy, numeracy, and social emotional skills of the nearly 200,000 out of school children in formal and non-formal settings, with more than half of the numbers, girls.  

Present at the closing ceremony of the Addressing Education in North East Nigeria (AENN) event held in Abuja yesterday were USAID Mission Director, Anne Patterson, Nigerian education officials and officials of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The three-year US and UK government-funded activity would significantly increase safe and relevant educational opportunities for children and youth in crisis environments in Nigeria.

The programme launched in 2018, assisted the Federal Government to create more certified and safe educational environments for girls and boys in Borno and Yobe in collaboration with major local, federal and international education establishments. 

Sun

Attorneys–general of the 36 states have sued Abubakar Malami, minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation (AGF) over alleged failure to remit funds generated from stamp duties into state coffers.

The states are arguing that they are the sole authority to collect stamp duties and not the federal government.

In the suit filed before the Supreme Court on August 24 and marked SC/CV/690/2021, the state attorneys are asking the court to determine whether or not “having regard to the mandatory provisions of Section 4(2) of the Stamp Duties Act Cap. S8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) the plaintiffs (all the state attorneys) are not the sole authority to administer and collect stamp duties on all transactions involving individuals/persons within their respective states?”

They also asked the court to determine “whether having regard to the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Stamp Duties Act Cap. S8 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria read in conjunction with the provisions of Section 163, items 58 and 59 of the Second Schedule part I and items 7 (a) and (b) of the second Schedule part II and other provisions of the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the defendant (Malami) could claim, retain, distribute or in any other manner deal with the monies or sums collected as stamp duties on individual persons transactions within the respective states of the plaintiffs without reference to, concurrence of, input or agreement of the plaintiffs?”

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to ascertain whether or not they are “entitled to 85% of all stamp duties collected on electronic money transfer levy, on electronic receipts or electronic transfer for money deposited in deposit money banks and financial institutions, on any type of account to be accounted for and expressed to be received by the person to whom the transfer or deposit is made in the plaintiffs’ respective states.

“Among other reliefs sought and should the issues above be resolved in their favour, all 36 states through their attorneys-general are praying the court for a declaration that they “are the sole authorities entitled to administer and collect stamp duties on all transactions involving individuals within their respective states.

“A declaration that the defendant is not entitled to collect, administer, or keep the proceeds of any stamp duties on transactions involving individuals within the respective states of the plaintiffs or any manner interfere with the Plaintiff’s right and authority in the administering the provision of Section 4(2) of the Stamp Duties Act Cap. S8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,” they prayed.

“A declaration that the plaintiffs are entitled to all the sums of money collected by the defendant as stamp duties through whatever source or means in their respective states from 2015-2020 and thereafter till the time of the judgment of this honourable court with respect to individual persons’ transactions.

“A declaration that the plaintiffs are entitled to 85% of all stamp duties collected on electronic money transfer levy, on electronic receipts or electronic transfer for money deposited in deposit money banks and financial institutions, on any type of account to be accounted for and expressed to be received by the person to whom the transfer or deposit is made in the plaintiffs’ respective states.”

The plaintiffs also want the court to issue an order directing Malami to account for and pay back all monies and collected by way of stamp duties on individual persons’ transactions within the respective states of the Plaintiffs from the period 2015-2020 and thereafter till the time of the judgment.

“An order of this honourable court directing the defendant to pay over to the Plaintiffs all the sum of monies amounting to One Hundred and Seventy Six Billion, Sixty Seven Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N 176,067,400,000,00) representing ascertained and admitted collected stamp duties on individual persons’ transactions within their respective states for the period of 2015-2020 and thereafter till the time of the judgment of this honourable court or any other sum as the plaintiffs may be found entitled by the honourable court.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant by himself, privies, agents or any persons by whatever name or how so ever called from appointing anyone for the purpose of collecting Stamp Duties on individual persons’ transactions within the respective states of the plaintiffs henceforth.”

Sun

Gunmen have kidnapped three workers of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo at a village in Abeokuta on Wednesday.

A source told our correspondent on Wednesday that the gunmen waylaid the three workers at the Obasanjo Holdings in Kobape in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area.

The source said the workers abducted are the financial controller, group auditor and group store manager of the firm.

The source said, “They were abducted around 4pm at Seseri village after their Hilux pick-up was shot at by the gunmen, who took them away.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.

He said, “It happened today (Wednesday) around 6pm. There is Obasanjo Farm around the area in Kobape.

Punch

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has published its audited financial statements (AFS) for 2020, declaring N287 billion profit — even as liabilities exceeded assets by N4.6 trillion.

According to Investopedia, if a company’s liabilities exceed its assets, it is a sign of an asset deficiency – meaning that the company is headed for bankruptcy. The financial health of such companies is at risk.

Also in 2019, auditors raised concerns over material uncertainties in the book that cast considerable doubt on the ability of the group and corporation to continue to operate as a going concern.

In its 44-year history, this is the third consecutive year that the NNPC is opening its financial books.

Garba Deen Muhammad, NNPC’s spokesperson, in a statement on Wednesday, said the release followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for the corporation to meet its statutory requirements.

According to the statement, the group’s working capital in 2020 was N4.56 trillion, up from N4.44 trillion in 2019.

“In compliance with the President’s directive, the NNPC has fulfilled this very important statutory requirement by publishing its Audited Financial Statements today,” the statement reads.

“Among the highlights of the 2020 AFS is the Corporation’s group profit which rose from a loss position of N1.7 billion in 2019 to a profit of N287bn in 2020, for the first time in 44 years.

“The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari had at various times since the President’s declaration of profit, attributed the turnaround to aggressive cost-cutting, automation of the system and renegotiation of contracts downwards by about 30 per cent, among other tough measures.”

The statement added that while the corporation’s group financial position increased in total current assets by 18.7 percent compared to 2019, its total current liabilities increased by 11.4% within the same period.

“The group’s working capital remained below the line at N4.56 trillion in 2020 as against N4.44 trillion in 2019, the AFS further revealed,” the statement added.

“Similarly, the Corporation’s group revenue for the 2020 financial year stood at N3.718 trillion as against N4.634trillion in 2019, a decrease that could be attributed to the decline in the production and price of crude oil due to the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

However, checks by TheCable showed that while the group declared profit of N287 billion, it has liabilities exceeding assets by N4.6 trillion, up by N200 billion from the figure in 2019 when it declared a loss of N1.7 billion.

Additionally, the group suffered recurring losses throughout the year, resulting in accumulated losses of N1.5 trillion.

The Cable

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is worried about boosting dollar supply on the currency market and not valuation of the naira, its director of monetary policy Hassan Mahmud said on Tuesday.

“We are not really bothered much about valuation. What we are worried about is the supply side and the confidence in the system,” Mahmud told a virtual investor conference.

Reuters

We tend to think innovators should fit a certain profile, one that looks suspiciously close to the innovators we most admire, write about, and study. We’ve seen Jeff Bezos with his clean-shaven head and shades or Steve Job’s signature black turtleneck and jeans. Richard Branson upset corporate suit culture with his relaxed, casual attire. It may seem that a world class innovator is supposed to challenge the status quo, care little about what others think of them, and act like a larger-than-life character.

But the truth is actually far different. If you are not the kind of person who likes to break things, wear hoodies or black turtlenecks, or who likes to jump out of planes, worry not. The habits and profiles of true innovators are likely to look a lot more like you.

I studied every academic paper I could find that showed a statistically significant correlation between an individual’s character traits and their success at innovating. These studies focused particularly on intrapreneurship because, research shows, intrapreneurs are the source of 70% of society’s most impactful innovations.

Six traits emerge. They paint a picture of an innovator who is surprisingly different than the person you might expect. In fact, they may look a lot like what you see in the mirror.

How employee innovators differ from entrepreneurs

Intrapreneurs aren’t just entrepreneurs who get their paychecks from a larger organization. The specific challenges you face while trying to launch innovative new ideas at work differ in a few significant ways:

You likely have two (or more) jobs, not one. You’ll need to continue your ongoing responsibilities while setting aside time and focus to pursue new opportunities.

You have one investor (your company), not forty. Entrepreneurs can shop their idea around to different investors to seek funding. You have only one funder to impress, and you’ll need to understand the types of ideas your company will support, choose the best option, and pitch it to them perfectly.

You may not be involved in the start to finish process of your business idea. Entrepreneurs lead the effort from conception to realization. You’ll probably run one leg of a relay race and pass the baton.

You can scale more quickly. Entrepreneurs might move nimbly to launch ideas, but they often struggle to scale. It may take the intrapreneur longer to get their idea approved, but then they have the resources to grow it much faster.

What it takes to successfully launch ideas

What is it about the best employee innovators that make them successful? Research supports that, first and foremost, they are people who seize opportunities. They do so by doing four things well:

Discover new opportunities

Evaluate and choose which opportunities to pursue

Act autonomously to move on those opportunities

Find the capital and talents needed and rally those resources

What kind of person does it take to do those things well? What makes a successful innovator, and can their qualities be learned and emulated? A few of today’s leaders in innovation offer some crucial advice:

Research shows that traditional entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs share three critical attributes:

1. Innovativeness: They explore new approaches and solutions rather than following the accepted way of doing things. According to David Schonthal, clinical professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Northwestern University and coauthor of the upcoming book, The Human Element, this is the most important quality. “One’s ability to spot opportunities and new paths, especially in the face of constraint, will always be a durable competitive advantage,” he says.

2. Market and competitive awareness: They keep the pulse on their competitors, customers, and industry and have a drive to help their company win. World-renowned business advisor, author, and speaker, Ram Charan, explains “There are three questions [business leaders] are asked continuously: What is the future opportunity? What is it [customers] need? And what is it they do not have? After re-evaluating and discussing, they decide where to devote their energy and where to take risks.”

3. Proactivity: They take action on their own before anyone asks or tells them to. These individuals view challenging events as opportunities rather than obstacles. Successful intrapreneur, Jean Feiwel of MacMillan Publishing, told me, “It’s not that I don’t see the problems that could happen, it’s that I see more of the opportunity.”

So in these three ways, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs are similar. But the same body of research shows successful intrapreneurs exhibit three other characteristics that differentiate them from entrepreneurs and make them uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of innovating within an organization.

4. Strategic approach to risk: It’s no surprise that entrepreneurs are risk seekers. Just like Elon Musk sold PayPal and invested nearly all of his wealth to launch SpaceX, they’re willing to risk their capital and reputation on the innovations they believe in. But internal innovators think differently—they are actually very deliberate about the risks they take. They excel at analyzing their surroundings and then taking calculated risks.

In his new book, David Schonthal offers advice on persuading organizations to accept risk. “One way to overcome the ‘anxiety of the new’ (risk) is to shrink the size of the problem you are addressing,” he says. He shares the story of Public Digital, a UK-based consulting firm that helps large, legacy organizations transition to the digital era. “How does a firm like Public Digital get legacy organizations to modernize? Their secret is to start small. Rather than asking organizations about their goals for ‘digital transformation,’ which implies sweeping change, Public Digital consultants ask them only about the next important thing they would like to accomplish. Then they use that small project as an opportunity to demonstrate the value of taking a new, digital-first approach.”

5. Political acumen: A study of 100 “serial innovators” found that the key trait that separated successful internal innovators from frustrated ones was that they view the political challenge as an exciting part of the problem-solving process. I interviewed author and corporate innovation expert, Tendayi Viki, who warns against taking a disruptor or rebel approach. “A lot of corporate innovators adopt those behaviors from the entrepreneurship culture and bring them into the corporate space, but it doesn’t really work. It creates unnecessary hurdles.” He suggests keeping it simple: “Create something customers like and sell the idea. You don’t need to add extra hurdles of people that are actively rooting for you to fail because you carry yourself around like Elon Musk… It’s more important to be collaborative; build bridges and that increases the likelihood of success.”

6. Motivation: Even the greatest internal innovators will face significant barriers along the path of innovation. Sometimes these barriers are so discouraging that people simply give up. Others keep going, finding a way around each obstacle. Successful innovators draw upon their passion, purpose, and drive to pursue their ideas. Performance expert, Lindsay McGregor, breaks down an employee’s ‘total motivation’ into three direct motives: “The play that you feel in your work, the purpose you find in it, and the potential you see for outcomes like career advancement.” Improve your motivation score by focusing on these three areas.

These six qualities may not be obvious at first glance, but they make all the difference in whether an employee has the potential to generate and execute their best creative ideas. To bolster your chances of success, carefully consider the extent to which you embrace each of these characteristics and determine which areas you might improve.

Fast Company

The Taliban have announced an interim government in Afghanistan, declaring the country an "Islamic Emirate".

The new cabinet, entirely male, is made up of senior Taliban figures some of whom are notorious for attacks on US forces over the last two decades.

It will be led by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, one of the movement's founders, who is on a UN blacklist.

The interior minister is the feared FBI-wanted leader of the Haqqani militant group, Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The Taliban seized control of most of Afghanistan more than three weeks ago, ousting the previous elected leadership.

Announcement of the acting cabinet is a key step in the formation of a permanent Taliban government. The new leadership will face significant challenges, not least stabilising the country's economy and gaining international recognition.

The Taliban have previously said they wanted to form an inclusive government. However, all of the cabinet ministers announced on Tuesday are already established Taliban leaders, and no women were included.

Ministers told to implement Islamic law

A statement attributed to Taliban Supreme Leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada told the government to uphold Sharia.

The Taliban want "strong and healthy relations with our neighbours and all other countries based on mutual respect and interaction", said the statement, released in English - with the caveat that they would respect international laws and treaties "that are not in conflict with Islamic law and the country's national values".

Hibatullah Akhundzada has never made a public appearance. This is the first message appearing to come from him since the Taliban took control last month.

Hassan Akhund, the new interim prime minister, served as deputy foreign minister from 1996 to 2001, when the group was last in power. He is influential on the religious side of the movement, rather than the military side.

His appointment is seen as a compromise, after recent reports of in-fighting between some relatively moderate Taliban figures and their hardline colleagues.

An interior minister on a US terrorism list

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the new acting interior minister, is head of the militant group known as the Haqqani network who are affiliated with the Taliban and have been behind some of the deadliest attacks in the country's two-decade-long war - including a truck bomb explosion in Kabul in 2017 that killed more than 150 people.

Unlike the wider Taliban, the Haqqani network has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US. It also maintains close ties to al-Qaeda.

According to the FBI's profile on Haqqani, he is "wanted for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul... that killed six people, including an American citizen".

It adds: "He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on [former] Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008."

The Haqqani network has also been blamed for an attack on the US embassy and nearby Nato bases in Kabul on 12 September 2011. Eight people - four police officers and four civilians - were killed in that attack.

A movement which has long moved in the shadows, whose names would surface only on the world's terrorism watch lists, is now announcing titles used in governments the world over.

Acting prime minister Mullah Akhund appears as a compromise candidate after reported rivalries among leading military and political figures who will serve under him.

Its caretaker nature also provides breathing space as the Taliban move from guns to government.

It also underlines the Taliban view that a Taliban victory can only mean Taliban rule. Sources say they pushed back against calls for an "inclusive" government. They balked at including former political figures and officials, who've had their turn at the top, and especially those tainted by corruption.

"Why should we let others pick our cabinet when other countries pick their own?" was one retort.

As for women, there was never a chance they would be given a ministerial role; the Ministry of Women's Affairs seems to have been, for now, abolished altogether.

Other appointments to the new government include:

■   Mullah Yaqoob as acting defence minister. He is the son of Taliban founder and late supreme leader Mullah Omar. He first came to prominence in 2015 when, in an audio message released after his father's death, he called for unity within the militant group.

■   Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be one of the PM's deputies. Baradar was previously head of the Taliban's political office, and oversaw the signing of the US withdrawal agreement last year.

■   Amir Khan Muttaqi is acting foreign minister, a senior leader who took part in negotiations with the US about their withdrawal.

Asked why no women were given posts, one senior Taliban figure told the BBC that the cabinet had not been finalised yet.

The government announcement came on the day Taliban fighters fired shots at a protest of hundreds of people, mainly women, in Kabul.

Footage from the scene showed people running to safety, while heavy gunfire - warning shots fired by militants - was heard in the background.

The Taliban now claim full control of Afghanistan, saying they have defeated resistance fighters who were holding out against them in the Panjshir valley, north of Kabul.

The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) said in a statement that it "considers the announcement of the Taliban's caretaker cabinet illegal and a clear sign of the group's enmity with the Afghan people".

BBC

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted not less than 18 residents in an attack on Keke community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

NIGERIAN NEWSTRACK learnt that the incident occurred at the early hours of Tuesday when the assailants invaded the area.

According to reports, the gunmen numbering about 20, stormed the area at about 12am with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically before whisking the victims away.

As at the time of filing this report the  state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige said he was not aware but would inquire and revert.

In recent times, Kaduna has been one of the worst-hit states in the north in terms of the kidnapping of students and other residents.

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman of National Judicial Council (NJC), Tanko Muhammad, has warned judges against conflicting orders.

He gave the warning at a marathon meeting he held with six chief judges in Abuja on Monday.

It would be recalled that Muhammad invited the judges over conflicting ex parte orders.

In a statement, spokesperson of NJC, Soji Oye, said the meeting which commenced at 11am lasted till 5:30pm.

He said Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory was also in attendance.

The spokesperson reported further that the CJN first had a one-on-one interaction with the Chief Judges of the FCT, Abuja, and then the CJs of Rivers, Kebbi, Cross River, Jigawa, Anambra, and Imo.

“Each of the CJs present was separately quizzed personally by the CJN for over an hour before he later read the riot act in a joint session with all of them,” the statement said.

“A damage to one jurisdiction is a damage to all. We must, therefore, put an end to indiscriminate granting of ex parte orders, conflicting judgements or rulings occasioned by forum-shopping.

“Your job as Heads of Court is a sacred one, and it, therefore, includes you vicariously taking the sins of others. There must be an end to this nonsense.

“You shall henceforth take absolute charge in assigning cases or matters, especially political personally. We shall make an example with three judges and never shall we condone such act.”

Three judges who granted conflicting ex parte orders have been invited to appear before the NJC.

Their identities were not revealed but Oye said they have been asked to show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against them.