Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, says President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed that history should and will be reintroduced as a subject in Nigeria’s basic schools.

History, reports indicate, was removed from Nigeria’s basic school curriculum in 2007, eliciting sharp criticism that spanned years.

In many cases from then on, historical topics were taught with little depth as part of “social studies”.

In 2018, the federal government ordered the nationwide re-introduction of history as an independent subject in the curriculum of primary and junior secondary schools in the country.

Adamu Adamu, the then minister of education, had stated that the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) would need to first carry out a disarticulation of history from the social studies curriculum.

He said a curriculum would be designed with topics to help students appreciate history as a national integration and nation-building tool.

The ex-minister said a total of 3,700 history teachers were shortlisted for the first round of training to enhance the teaching of history.

Education ministries at the state level, including those of Lagos and Taraba, have since been moving to implement the federal policy.

Tunji Alausa spoke on a Tuesday Channels TV show where he expressed concern that Nigeria’s youth are disconnected from its history.

“Let me go to basic education, the curriculum is good. What has been missing in the past is Nigerian history. We now have people of 30 years disconnected from our history. It doesn’t happen in any part of the world,” the minister said.

“President Bola Tinubu has mandated that we put that back in our curriculum and that is back. From 2025 our students in primary and secondary schools will have that as part of their studies.”

The governing council of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) has approved the appointment of Aisha Maikudi as the seventh substantive vice-chancellor (VC) of the institution.

The council, headed by the retired air vice-marshal Saddiq Ismaila Kaita, spoke at its 77th “extraordinary meeting” on December 31.

Maikudi’s appointment, the council said, takes effect from January 1, 2025, and it is for a nonrenewable tenure of five years.

It said Maikudi emerged as the best among the 10 shortlisted candidates and was interviewed by the joint council and senate selection board (JCSSB) of the university.

Before she was appointed the substantive vice-chancellor, Aisha Sani Maikudi served as UniAbuja’s acting VC from July 5, 2024.

Born on 31st January 1983 in Katsina, Maikudi is a professor of International Law at the institution.

Her education began at Sacred Heart School in Kaduna, where she obtained her first school leaving certificate (FSLC) in 1993.

She proceeded to Queens College in Yaba Lagos, earning her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 1999.

The Ahmadu Bello University Teaching University (ABUTH) Zaria, Kaduna state, says it will commence kidney transplant surgery in 2025.

In an interview with NAN, Ahmed Umdagas, chief medical director of the hospital, said the Urology Centre of Excellence would be ready by the first quarter of 2025.

“By the first quarter of 2025, ABUTH would commence kidney transplant. What was just holding us was a few infrastructure,” he said.

“Beside that, most of the machines and equipment for kidney transplant were available and our personnel have been adequately trained to offer the services.”

Umdagas said aside from the urology centre, there would also be an amenity wing that can take any class of patients.

He said the wing will have a single-bed room, a room and parlour for the affluent patients, stressing that ABUTH was determined to offer global-best services.

“The amenity wing would have a dedicated line and a website; the website will have the profile of doctors in the hospital,” he said.

“When a patient wants to see a certain professor or specialist, what he will just do is to make a call on the dedicated line or the website to see him seamlessly.”

While speaking on additional efforts to reverse medical tourism, the chief medical director said ABUTH had a fully functional 128 Slice CT Scan machine.

“If you are doing investigation abroad that requires the use of the 128 slice CT Scan, one must pay an amount not lower than $200 which is over N300,000 while ABUTH charges for such service is just N30,000,” he said.

“We also have 1.5 Tesla MRI and 0.2 Tesla MRI machines which are high imaging machines.

“They are fully functional at the hospital and the cost for such services is far below what is being charged in other places within Nigeria.

“We also do lithotripsy at ABUTH which is breaking stones by laser instead of a surgery.”