Kenya bans clipboards to curb exam cheating at schools

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Schoolchildren in Kenya will be barred from entering examination rooms with clipboards and geometry set boxes in a bid to curb cheating, the education ministry has said.

The directive also bans the use of mobile phones near examination centres.
Cheating cases in secondary schools rose by up to 70% last year, leading to arrests and the cancellation of results for 5,000 students.
More than 1.5 million children will start writing examinations next week.

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The BBC's Dickens Olewe says many children use clipboards as a flat base for writing on as desks are often uneven.
But the ministry believes that some pupils cheat by writing notes on them to help them answer questions.
It also says geometry instruments will now have to be carried in a "clear see-through bag".

In July, Education Minister Fred Matiang'i blamed "cheats" for being behind a wave of arson attacks - more than 100 secondary schools were burnt down by pupils.

He said that students who were angry with the government's plans to end cheating were behind the attacks.
Mr Matiang'i has blamed a "cartel", including teachers, for being behind exam cheating.
Earlier this year, the national examinations board was disbanded, some senior managers fired and nearly 200 people, including teachers and police officers, were arrested and charged over exam malpractices.
A education ministry statement says the new rules will "seal loopholes that have previously enabled students to cheat".
Other measure that have been introduced to clamp down on cheating include putting head teachers in charge of exam administration at their schools, "to make them accountable".
Examination papers are being stored at several central locations under 24-hour armed police surveillance where access will be limited to prevent "leakage".
According to Kenya's private Daily Nation newspaper, a total of 577,338 children at primary schools and 952,473 students at secondary schools will be writing examinations from 1 November for about a month.
Only teachers and students involved in examinations are to be allowed on school premises during that time, the education ministry said.

Nigeria Boko Haram: Army 'releases child suspects'

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe children were allegedly held after army operations to recapture territory from Boko Haram

The UN says it has negotiated the release of 876 children in Nigeria, who were being held by the army over possible links to Islamist militants.

The children, who had previously lived in areas controlled by Boko Haram, were held in a military barracks in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, a UN spokesman told the BBC.

Details of the children's ages and the length of their detention have not been given.

The army has not made any comment.

Human rights groups argue that there is no proper legal process for civilians, including children, who are detained by the army as part of their counter-insurgency operations.

"We fear that there are still kids who are being at least temporarily detained because they are being released from Boko Haram areas by the army but then kept for a while," Manuel Fontaine, regional director for the UN Children's fund (Unicef) in Central and West Africa, told Reuters news agency.

Earlier this month, 21 of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram two years ago were released and reunited with their families.

Nigeria has been fighting a seven-year insurgency against Boko Haram, with the army retaking much of the territory under the Islamist militants' control in the past 20 months.

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Boko Haram at a glance:

Image copyrightSCREENGRAB

Image captionBoko Haram fighters still appear well armed in recent propaganda videos

• Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009
• Has killed thousands, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, and abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls
• Joined so-called Islamic State, now calls itself IS's "West African province"
• Seized large area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
• Regional force has retaken most territory since last year

'Boko Haram took my children'

Town divided by Boko Haram legacy

On patrol against Boko Haram

Who are Boko Haram?

Buhari Blows Out, 'Suspends' Chief Of Staff, Set To Sack Amaechi, Others Over Massive Corruption

Palpable fear has gripped some prominent members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, following the secret suspension of the President’s Chief Of Staff, Abba Kyari, Post-Nigeria gathered from a reliable source, on Saturday night.

In another move, the President might soon off-load some Ministers, over weighty allegations leveled against some of them, by two Supreme Court Justices.

The apprehension came just as prominent Nigerians, including Constitutional Lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa; Factional Leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike; and a former Secretary to the Benue State Government, Professor Saint Gbilekaa; called on Buhari to remove the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu, to enable them defend the weighty allegations leveled against them.

“The fear was reinforced when it was observed last week, that the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, who was allegedly named in a N500 million bribe, over the fine imposed on the mobile telecommunication company, MTN, had been out of office for over two weeks”, a credible source told Post-Nigeria.

A Presidency source, also said a number of the Ministers are jittery over the allegations, and that one cannot rule out the possibility of a cabinet shake-up soon, to remove some Ministers, who are said to have heavy baggage.

Although, there are speculations that Kyari was on annual leave.

Since the arrest of over seven Judges by the Department of State Security, DSS, over allegations of corruption in the past three weeks, some of the Judges have complained of victimization, witch-hunt, and that evidence were planted in their apartments.

While Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court alleged that Amaechi begged him to pervert justice, by cancelling the Governorship election in Ekiti State, and order fresh election to favour his friend, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Justice Inyang Okoro alleged that Amaechi also attempted to bribe him, to influence the elections in Rivers, Abia, and Akwa Ibom States.

Similarly, Justice Ngwuta alleged that the Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Onu, invited him to his house, and demanded that he influenced the outcome of the Governorship election appeal for Ebonyi State, in favour of the Labour Party candidate in the State, who had reportedly agreed to decamp to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Whereas both Amaechi and Onu have denied the allegations, with the former describing it as “pure fiction, a dubious diversionary tale, concocted to muddle the very serious issues of his (Ngwuta’s) arrest and investigations by the DSS”.

Tinubu In Total Shock As EFCC Betrays Buhari, Leaks APC's Highly Classified Information To PDP....

Emerging reports, indicate that sources within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that are sympathetic to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have leaked an alleged plot to re-arrest and incarcerate a former Aviation Minister and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.

Fani-Kayode, revealed that the information was leaked to him, by his sources within the anti-graft agency.

Fani-Kayode, who stated this in a statement in Abuja, on Thursday, October 20, disclosed that despite the fact that he had been granted bail by the court, the Commission was planning to re-arrest him, and detain him for a very long time.

He said, “I have been reliably informed by my sources within the EFCC, that they are planning to re-arrest and detain me, for as long as possible once again, even though I have been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

“Fresh charges were filed against me by the EFCC, at the Federal High Court, in Abuja, on July 7. The allegations border on a baseless allegation, and false claim that I received N26 million Naira from the NSA’s office, in 2014.

“These are politically-motivated charges, and there is no truth in, or substance to them whatsoever.”

Fani-Kayode, added that, the case had been assigned to a Judge, and the date for arraignment had been set for November 10, before Justice John Tsoho, of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

He however, said his lawyers were in court on October 14, the date initially chosen for his arraignment, and that it was the EFCC that did not show up on that day.

He said, “The matter was therefore adjourned till November 10, and my Lawyers have given an undertaking to the Judge, to ensure that I am in court on that day.

“They have also written to the EFCC to that effect, and our letter was acknowledged by them”.

He accused the EFCC of being a willing and able tool, in the hands of those he described as hawks and hardliners in the Buhari administration, who he said might be acting on superior orders as well.

He said the Commission was desperate to keep him out of circulation, and off the streets, adding that, he had been reliably informed of what the anti-graft agency was asked to do by the Presidency.

Apart from him, he said that the EFCC was also planning to arrest his wife, and his eight-months old son, just to hurt and spite him, even though they had done nothing wrong.

Shocking! Jonathan won 2015 presidential election, our resistance group fought to throw him out, return power to the North - Ango Abdullahi

PARIS, OCTOBER 19, 2016: (DGW) Professor Ango Abdullahi has made a stunning revelation almost one and half years how former President Goodluck Jonathan was rigged out power in the 2015 presidential election.

According to the Daily Sun newspapers published on October 16, 2016,  Prof. Ango, the Secretary and spokesman of NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi, while speaking in a pre-summit address conveyed in Kaduna, north central Nigeria to address the problem facing the north and Nigeria under the APC-led administration, he said as a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there was no way he could have worked for the success of another political party.

He said, “with due respect to those of you who are in APC, the APC did not win election here, take it or leave it, it is the resistance groups that mobilised people to really take the election.”
 

Daily Sun further reported that he charged the APC on how to manage the success that the resistance group gave them, adding “now that you’ve won the election it is up to you to manage success, it is one thing to get success and another thing to manage it.

“And this is the stage we are in now, how to manage success, and this is why this summit was convened for people across the North to come and air their views on what really is the problem. Whether you accept it or not there are problems.”

Ango explained that the decision to return power was reached after what happened following the death of former president Umaru Yar’Adua, and some Nigerians including northerners conspired to abort the power-sharing agreement reached by the PDP.

“When we saw in 2010, having been denied the chance under the rotation agreement for the North to really provide the president after Umaru’s death, automatically we knew there was grand political conspiracy against Northern Nigeria, no question about that,” Professor Ango said.

Nigerians Soaked In Shame As President Buhari 'Ignorantly' Bows To German Guards (Video)

President Muhammadu Buhari in what seemed to be an ignorant move back in Germany bowed to the German guards during a walk with the country's Chancellor, Angela Markel and this was trailed by negative reactions by many Nigerians both home and in the diaspora. See video below...

Aisha Buhari Replies Her Husband Again…”I Have My Right To Say How I Feel”

This whole saga is about ‘political power’, inside sources have told us. Aisha Buhari is not happy that Mr President did not allow her have office of First Lady for her to wield power. But in all their marriage is suffering and things could get even worse if not resolved immediately.

Rather than allow for peace, Aisha Buhari has granted another hot interview.

Recalled that she had granted an interview a week ago in which she suggested her husband’s administration had been hijacked. She claimed President Muhammad Buhari did not know more than half the people he had appointed and some of the appointees did not share his vision.

Perhaps the most explosive part of the interview was her assertion that without any major changes, she would not support him for a second term bid come 2019.

President Buhari reacted to his wife’s statement while on an official trip to Germany. His attempt to make a joke of the situation backfired as he claimed she belonged to his ‘kitchen and other rooms’.

Well, some political leaders in APC have been talking to Aisha on phone but she’s not backing down and in a new interview with the same BBC, she reiterating her concerns.

“I have my own right to say how I feel about something,” Aisha declared in English and criticized her husband again in the new interview.

"Hell Let Loose in Ebonyi as Policemen Beat Up, Seize Soldiers Rifles (See What Happened Next)

A fierce clash broke out between police officers and soldiers from the Nigerian Army Cantonment, Nkwagu, near Abakaliki, on Saturday evening. 

An eye witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the incident occurred at No. 1, Water Works road, Abakaliki.

“Trouble started when a police patrol team on road check requested for the identity cards and vehicle particulars of army officers from the Nkwagu military cantonment.

“The soldiers rode a tinted Toyota Camry car with registration number BWR 886 AE and a black Toyota Jeep with the inscription of ‘Bride’ used to convey a newly wedded couple.

“The soldiers, who were in their uniforms except one personnel, told the police team they were returning from a wedding and felt embarrassed by their request for the documents.

“At this point, one of the police officers stopped the soldiers from passing and the latter angrily fired sporadically into the air,” he said.

According to the witness, who is a security agent, the police officers called the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) on phone and immediately they stormed the scene, one of them slapped a soldier.



“The clash subsequently ensued and the police who had the upper hand, took some of the soldiers to the command’s headquarters while confiscating their rifles.

“The soldiers who escaped from the scene, rushed to the cantonment and on their way, allegedly attacked some policemen near the cantonment and held them hostage,” the security agent told NAN.

The eye witness also noted that one of the police officers held by the soldiers was released and he quickly rushed to the command to report that some officers were being held at the cantonment.

“This development almost affected the peace moves made by both security agencies but the situation eventually normalised following intervention by top echelon of both agencies,” the source added.

DSP George Okafor, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed the clash on Sunday in Abakaliki.

However, Okafor said that the matter had been resolved amicably.

The army authorities were yet to react to NAN enquiries or make public their reaction over the development. 

BREAKING!!! Aisha Buhari Explodes Again: Her New Revelation About Aso Rock & Her Marriage Will Shock You

Must Read….

This whole saga is about ‘political power’, Aisha Buhari is not happy that Mr President did not allow her have office of First Lady for her to wield power.

But in all their marriage is suffering and things could get even worse if not resolved immediately.
Rather than allow for peace, Aisha Buhari has granted another hot interview.

Recalled that she had granted an interview a week ago in which she suggested her husband’s administration had been hijacked. She claimed President Muhammad Buhari did not know more than half the people he had appointed and some of the appointees did not share his vision.

Perhaps the most explosive part of the interview was her assertion that without any major changes, she would not support him for a second term bid come 2019.

President Buhari reacted to his wife’s statement while on an official trip to Germany. His attempt to make a joke of the situation backfired as he claimed she belonged to his ‘kitchen and other rooms’.

Well, some political leaders in APC have been talking to Aisha on phone but she’s not backing down and in a new interview with the same BBC, she reiterating her concerns.

“I have my own right to say how I feel about something,” Aisha declared in English and criticized her husband again in the new interview.

Rice'll Soon Sell At N5000, Dollar At N150, Fuel N30, Buhari's My Angel Sent To Rescue Nigeria; 'God' Says - Prophet Okeowo

Prophet Ade Okeowo of Word of Liberty Evangelical Ministry, Ikorodu, Lagos State, has revealed that Nigeria will soon experience a turnaround as prices on commodities will crash in no time, stating that God did not, however, specify that the revelation would come to pass under President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.

He specifically mentioned that God told him the cost of bag of rice and fuel, will be drastically reduced.

He made this revelation in a chat with Encomium, urging Nigerians to stop casting blames on President Buhari, as he needed time to fix the country.

He said, “That’s what God has revealed to me. Listen to me attentively; I am not speaking my words but God’s.

“Now, people buy rice N25, 000 per bag but God told me that we’re going to buy a bag of rice as cheap as N5, 000. A US dollar will exchange for as low as N150 and fuel will sell for as low as N30 or N40 per litre. That’s what God said will happen in this country.”

Asked if his prophecies will come to pass during Buhari’s administration, the cleric said, “God didn’t tell me that one but He revealed to me all of these and more beautiful things will happen after all the pain, but Buhari’s efforts will lead to that.

“Nigeria will be forced to a stage of break up but God will intervene.”

The Prophet further noted that Buhari is not to blame for the economic woes.

He said, “We should not blame anybody. People should not even hold Buhari responsible at all. From what God has revealed to me, He sent Buhari to Nigerians as an angel.

“God has also revealed to me that Buhari shouldn’t be worried, that everything will soon be alright. God showed me that Nigeria is like a second hand car (Tokunbo). We all know that if you buy a second hand car, it’s surely not in a perfect state. You will be fixing this today, that tomorrow until it’s fully fit. And it’s not something that will be done overnight.

“We all need to understand that if we want the country to move forward. Buhari is the one buying all the spare parts to repair the damaged car called Nigeria. By the time he completes the repair, the vehicle will move and everybody will enjoy it. That’s just the parable of Nigeria’s situation now.

“Everything will soon be alright. There are many Josephs that God is going to use to uplift this country, and Buhari is one of them.”

Recalling the other prophecies of his that have also come to pass in recent times, the Prophet said, “I predicted the Olympic soccer final. I said Germany would defeat Nigeria, it came to pass. I even said it’s going to be 2-0. I said the gold medal was for Brazil, they all came to pass.

“I predicted President Jonathan would lose the 2015 presidential election, a lot of people didn’t believe it. Even some prophets almost bet their lives on it that Buhari would lose, but it was revealed to me that Buhari would win and he won.

“Even, God revealed to me that no matter what other governorship candidates in Oyo do, Abiola Ajimobi will emerge victorious and it came to pass. I still have a message for him.”

The father of two concluded by saying “God told me to warn Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State to beware of the way he chose his commissioners so that they will not destroy his government.

“Also, Governor Amosun of Ogun State should be careful of some people in the state, because some of them are hell bent in destroying his government as well.”