The Technical Education Trade Fair Support Services has conferred on Governor Abdullahi Adamu The Education Technology Award for Excellence in recognition of "outstanding contribution to the development of education in Nigeria."
Veteran educationist and spokesman of a four-member delegation of Northern Education Research Project (NERP) on a visit to Nasarawa State, Alhaji Ladan Zuru, said he felt obliged to personally present the award to the Governor, having received it on his behalf earlier at the 2001 Technical Education Fair held in Kaduna.
Alhaji Ladan Zuru explained that NERP was in Nasarawa State to assess progress made in the education sector in the State since 2000 when the Northern Education Summits began to hold. They wanted to see for themselves how Nasarawa State has implemented the Plan of Action evolved in the course of the various summits. He said the delegation would, among other things, "embark on inspections of schools as well as interact with stakeholders."
Alhaji Zuru was full of praise for the Government of Nasarawa State for meeting the requirements of the summit by allocating more than 28% of the State's budget to education, 2% above the Summit's recommended percentage of 26%. He commended the State Government's recruitment policy in the education sector, pointing out that the State Government has not discriminated against any group in its search for best-qualified personnel to manage and help develop its education sector.
In his response, Governor Abdullahi Adamu expressed gratitude for the award. "Education has impacted tremendously in the lives of all of us, he said. "We, therefore, do our best in the light of available resources and prevailing circumstances to ensure that our people are afforded every opportunity to be properly educated. We are not saying we have everything we want to do, but we definitely are satisfied that we have done our best and will continue to our best."
Governor Adamu then dedicated the award "to the State Executive Council, the technocrats in and outside government, and the entire community that have worked with us to make possible our achievements."
The Northern Education Research Project delegation included Professor Samuel Crowther Aleyedeno, Professor Albert Ozigi, formerly of the Ahmadu Bello University Institute of Education, and Mr. Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi, former Kaduna State Commissioner for Education.
