Our Reporter 

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has emerged winner of the grand finale of the Youth  Leadership Development Programme (YLDP) debate competition, organised by Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability, and Professionalism (LEAP) Africa in Abuja.

OAU’s Team Invictus, represented by Olabisi Lalekan and Omopo Ifeoluwa, clinched the first position, defeating Lagos State University (LASU) Team Orators, which finished second.

The grand finale of the debate held as part of the fifth anniversary celebration of Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF).

The motion argued at the finale was: “Community Policing Offers a More Sustainable Solution to Insecurity than Increased Military Deployment”.

The OAU team, which opposed the motion, argued that increased military deployment remained a more effective approach to tackling insecurity, particularly in addressing sophisticated security threats.

The debaters questioned the capacity of community policing structures to confront heavily armed criminal groups, citing limitations in technical expertise, surveillance capabilities and access to sophisticated weapons.

They also warned that arming local security structures could expose them to manipulation by corrupt politicians and community leaders.

The team maintained that proximity to communities did not necessarily guarantee effective security, arguing that familiarity could create opportunities for infiltration and compromise.

It further challenged the proposition team to provide Nigeria-specific evidence demonstrating how community policing could effectively address the country’s complex security challenges.

LASU’s Team Orators, represented by Sherifat Umar and Atere Olateju, finished second after proposing that community policing offered a more sustainable solution to insecurity.

The team argued that visible police presence and community-based security arrangements could strengthen deterrence, improve public confidence and discourage criminal activities.

It maintained that the involvement of security personnel within communities would promote closer engagement with residents and enhance efforts to prevent crime.

The University of Ibadan’s Team Vanguard Voices, represented by Adebayo Esther and Michael Oluwagunwa, emerged third in the competition.

The winners received a cash prize of N2.5 million and two laptops, while the second-placed team received N1.5 million and two tablets.

The University of Ibadan team received N1 million and two mobile phones for securing the third position.

The competition provided a platform for young Nigerians to demonstrate their research, critical thinking, public speaking and leadership abilities while engaging with pressing national issues.

It also underscored the importance and governance challenges

Abu Umar 

 The Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, has urged procurement professionals to embrace technology, transparency and ethical standards to strengthen public institutions and promote sustainable development.

Bamalli made the call at the opening of the three-day Kaduna State International Procurement Summit (KADProSummit 2026) in Kaduna on Tuesday.

The summit has the theme: “Consolidating the Gains of Procurement for Sustainable Development and Public Trust.”

The Emir said procurement had evolved beyond the routine acquisition of goods and services to become a strategic driver of economic growth, public value, institutional performance and sustainable development.

He said every contract awarded, supplier engaged and procurement process designed had the potential to shape outcomes that directly affected citizens and communities.

According to him, achieving value for money goes beyond securing the lowest price, but requires consideration of quality, reliability, timely delivery, risk management and long-term impact.

He stressed that public confidence in institutions depended largely on the fairness and transparency of procurement processes.

Bamalli warned that opaque procurement systems increased the risks of waste, fraud, favouritism and corruption, while transparent and rules-based processes promoted competition and effective utilisation of public resources.

He also highlighted the growing importance of digital procurement platforms, data analytics, electronic sourcing tools and artificial intelligence in improving efficiency, reducing errors and strengthening compliance.

The traditional ruler, however, stressed the need to match technological advancement with adequate capacity development and sound ethical judgement among procurement practitioners.

He further called for the integration of sustainability considerations into procurement decisions to support local industries, promote ethical labour practices, reduce environmental impact and encourage inclusive economic growth.

Bamalli urged stakeholders to invest in professional development, certification, leadership and institutional collaboration, saying procurement officers should be regarded as strategic advisers rather than mere compliance officers.

Earlier, Gov. Uba Sani said his administration remained committed to strengthening procurement institutions and ensuring that public resources translated into measurable development outcomes.

Sani, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Abdulkadir Mayere, said procurement was a strategic instrument for economic transformation, institutional strengthening and sustainable development.

He said Kaduna had continued to consolidate its position as one of Nigeria’s leading states in procurement reforms.

The governor recalled that Kaduna became the first state in Nigeria to domesticate the Public Procurement Law in 2007, establishing a foundation for transparent, competitive and accountable procurement processes.

He said the administration had strengthened regulatory oversight, contract management and professional development while promoting greater compliance across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Sani disclosed that Kaduna remained the only state in Nigeria operating a unified legal and institutional framework regulating both public procurement and public asset disposal.

He also said the state was the first and only sub-national government in the country to adopt a Gender Responsive Procurement Policy and establish a dedicated institutional framework for its implementation.

According to him, the policy has expanded opportunities for women-owned and women-led businesses through registration incentives, reduced tender fees, targeted procurement reservations and capacity-building initiatives.

He acknowledged the contributions of development partners, particularly UN Women, towards the implementation of the policy.

The governor also cited Kaduna’s membership of the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative and participation in the Open Government Partnership as evidence of its commitment to openness, accountability and citizen participation.

He said the state’s development investments were being distributed across the three senatorial zones to ensure that no local government or community was left behind.

Sani urged participants to ensure that discussions at the summit translated into practical reforms that would strengthen institutions, improve service delivery and enhance public confidence.

Also speaking, Evelyn Hernandez, Technical Director of the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST), commended Kaduna for introducing procurement reforms, including its gender-responsive procurement policy and infrastructure disclosure portal.

Hernandez, who joined the summit virtually, however, urged the state to address gaps in project information disclosure and citizen participation.

She said findings from Kaduna’s first Infrastructure Transparency Index showed progress in regulatory and institutional capacity but identified weaknesses in the publication and quality of procurement information.

According to her, a recent assessment of the state’s infrastructure portal showed that more than 80 per cent of projects had data quality concerns.

She called for complete, reliable and regularly updated project records across government agencies to enable citizens and public officials to monitor project implementation.

Hernandez also urged the state to strengthen engagement with communities, contractors, women-owned businesses and small-scale enterprises to identify barriers to participation in public procurement.

She cited experiences from Uganda, Malawi and Ghana, where community engagement, climate-related infrastructure monitoring and independent project reviews had helped improve accountability.

The Director-General of the Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority (KADPPA), Engr. Sanusi Yero, said the summit was designed to deepen reforms and strengthen procurement as an instrument of good governance.

Yero said Kaduna’s decision to domesticate the Public Procurement Law in 2007 had positioned it as a pioneer in procurement regulation in the country.

He said the state would continue to promote transparency, accountability, professionalism and value for money in public spending.

The NAN reports that the summit attracted procurement professionals, policymakers, development partners, civil society organisations, academics and private sector representatives.

 Abubakar Umar 

 Kaduna State Government says it has mainstreamed about 15,000 out-of-school children into formal education through its Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) Project.

Mr Ezra Angai, Project Coordinator of ROOSC, disclosed this during the mainstreaming of Catch Up Club (CuC) learners into formal schools at LGEA Primary School, Babban Saura in Kaduna.

Angai said the exercise was taking place across 14 local government areas as part of efforts to achieve the state’s target of returning 100,000 children to learning.

He said the latest figure brought the total number of children reached by the project to more than 36,000 across different learning pathways.

According to him, the Kaduna State Government, under Gov. Uba Sani, introduced the initiative to address the growing number of out-of-school children.

He said the project had mapped 360,000 households, identifying 187,719 out of school children across the 23 local government areas.

Angai explained that the exercise involved identifying the children, enrolling them and providing appropriate learning opportunities based on their educational backgrounds.

He said the Catch Up Clubs provided three months of remedial learning to prepare previously unenrolled children for integration into formal schools.

The coordinator said the programme also helped assess learners’ abilities and determine appropriate class placements based on their individual learning levels.

He added that the project adopted alternative learning approaches, including radio learning and partnerships with Alaramas and Tsangaya schools, to reach underserved communities.

Angai appreciated the state government, development partners, parents, teachers and community leaders for supporting the implementation of the project.

He listed the Islamic Development Bank, Kuwait Fund, Save the Children International, Education Above All and Global Partnership for Education among the project’s partners.

Also speaking, Dr Mubarak Muhammad, Executive Chairman, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said the government declared a state of emergency on education in 2023, adding that the initiative was designed to address the challenge of out-of-school children and improve access to quality basic education.

He said nearly 15,000 learners who had completed the Catch Up Club programme were being integrated into formal classrooms across the state.

The chairman said the government had provided learning materials to motivate the children and support their successful reintegration into schools.

He added that the government would continue to strengthen teachers’ capacity, provide additional classrooms and improve learning environments across the state.