The Katsina State government has ordered the closure of all private schools in the state for the duration of Ramadan.

In a circular issued by the Katsina State Hisbah Board, the government warned that failure to comply would have consequences.

The circular, dated February 27, 2025, was signed by the Commandant General, Aminu Usman.

“In accordance with the Katsina State Government’s directive, all private schools are required to close during the Ramadan period to allow pupils to fully observe the holy month,” the statement read.

“The directive also includes extra lessons. The Hisbah Board urges all school proprietors to strictly comply, as non-compliance will not be tolerated.”

“May Allah accept our fast and grant us His blessings,” the statement concluded.

SaharaReporters previously reported that Bauchi State had issued a similar directive, ordering all schools, including private ones to shut down for five weeks.

According to the directive, schools in Bauchi will remain closed from February 26, 2025, until the end of Ramadan and the Salah celebration, with classes resuming on April 5.

The official academic calendar obtained by SaharaReporters indicates that the second term of the 2024/2025 session began on January 5, 2025.

However, the Bauchi State government divided the term into two phases: the first from January 5 to February 28, followed by a five-week break from March 1 to April 5.

Classes are set to resume from April 6 to April 29. The directive has sparked outrage online following SaharaReporters’ report, though the government remains firm on its decision.

Credit: SaharaReporters

Meta on Thursday said it had laid off 20 workers for leaking information to the media, as the social media giant faces pressure over the recent political shift of its boss Mark Zuckerberg towards US President Donald Trump.

“We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent,” a Meta spokesperson said, confirming a story first reported in The Verge.

“We recently conducted an investigation that resulted in roughly 20 employees being terminated for sharing confidential information outside the company, and we expect there will be more,” the company added.

“We take this seriously, and will continue to take action when we identify leaks.”

The round of firings came following a recent series of reports based on Zuckerberg’s meetings with employees.

In one meeting, first reported by The Verge, Zuckerberg told employees he would no longer be forthcoming with information because “we try to be really open and then everything I say leaks. It sucks.”

He also warned them to “buckle up” for the coming year and said that Meta would be a productive partner with the White House.

Tech leaders have broadly fallen in line around Trump since he won the election in November, with Zuckerberg making a particular turn towards the Republican since his return to office.

Zuckerberg has multiplied his advances towards Trump, who last summer threatened the tech tycoon with life imprisonment after Meta excluded the president from Facebook in January 2021 for encouraging the assault on the Capitol.

The CEO and founder has dined with the Republican on several occasions, donated to the president’s inauguration fund, eased up on content moderation, and ended Facebook’s US fact-checking program in an effort to draw closer to the new Republican leadership in Washington.

His longtime political affairs boss was also replaced by a prominent Republican, and he named Trump ally Dana White to his board after the US election.

The measures align with the conservative views of the president and his allies, as well as masculinist entertainers and personalities like Elon Musk.

On the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg complained that “a lot of the corporate world is pretty culturally neutered” and that embracing masculine energy “is good.”

AFP

A South-West group under the aegis of Mekunnu Koya has expressed strong support for the Lagos State House of Assembly members’ right to impeach the ex-speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, while condemning the oppression and suppression of the Lagos people.

The organisation in a statement issued on Friday, which was jointly signed its Convener and Public Relations Officer, Wale Balogun John Ayodele respectively, believes that the assembly members have the inalienable right to impeach the ex-speaker, citing allegations of misappropriation of funds and gun running.

“We unequivocally reiterate that the Lagos State House of Assembly members have the inalienable right to impeach the ex-speaker, and we support their decision,” said the group.

The group also criticised the President’s directive to reinstate Obasa, calling it “dictatorial” and “against all democratic ethos.”

The organisation emphasised that the Lagos State House of Assembly is an independent arm of government that has the right to elect and impeach its principal officers without interference.

“It is time for Lagosians to take their destiny into their own hands and resist the continuous dehumanisation and exploitation by the ruling elite,” the statement noted.

Mekunnu Koya further condemned the oppression of Lagos people, alleging that they are being subjected to hardships and poverty due to anti-poor policies.

“We believe that it is time for Lagosians to breathe and be free from the Tinubu-led GAC’s overbearing influence in decision-making,” the group stated.

The statement titled: “political brigandage on the rise: GAC illegality must stop in lagos politics now” partly read: “Political gladiators are heating up the polity in Rivers, Kano, kaduna. Lagos and Osun states are also undergoing turmoil that endanger the lives and property of the common man for self-centered political interests.

“It is unfortunate that innocent lives were lost in the ruling elites imbroglio, while the government of APC have failed in it’s fundamental responsibilities to secure the lives and properties of the people. The government has subjected people into hardships and poverty, making lives miserable due to the anti poor policies in which the common man bear the brunt.

“MEKUNNU KOYA frowned at the victimisation, oppression, exploitations intimidation of Lagosians by the principalities and alpha and omega of Lagos politics. This organisation believes it is time for Lagosians to take their destiny into their palms to resist continuous dehumanisation and reclaim their dignity.

“The legislature as an independent arm of government has every right without unnecessary interference to elect and impeach their principal officers if and whenever the need arises. It was members of the Lagos state house of assembly that elected Obasa and other principal officers of the house in their wisdom and they also reserve the right to remove him whenever he could no longer serve the purpose he was elected for.

“However, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa is galivanting and rubbishing his impeachment as mere “comedy” because he has the backing of the first lady Remi Tinubu whose husband has since given members of the house directives to reinstate the impeached speaker. The president directive is dictatorial and against all democratic ethos. It should be noted that the impeached speaker overbearing influence is deemed dangerous for the Lagos State House of Assembly statutory legislative functions.

“Obasa’s arrogance as a demi-god in LSHA is because of the cult-like relationship and support he has from the powers that call the shots in Lagos politics. This is why his misconduct and misappropriation of funds as alleged by his colleagues who impeached him meant nothing to the lion of Bordillon who gave directive for his reinstatement.

“Constitutionally the LSHA as an independent arm of government represents and articulate the yearning, aspirations and interests of their constituency who elected them, but a pathetic reverse is the case in Lagos because members of the LSHA are being dictated to by those who imposed them on party faithfuls as their candidates.”

The group regretted that lack of internal democracy has emboldened the vested interests that imposed them to interfere more often than not in the discharge of the house constitutional responsibilities.

“Why on earth should Obasa misapplication and stealing of more than #6billion be swept under the carpet aside the gun running allegations given the arms cache found in his office by operatives of the DSS and the Nigeria police,” the questioned.

“MEKUNNU KOYA is in support of the Assembly members inalienable right to impeach the ex-speaker. We condemn the Godfathers illegal usurpation of the LSHA powers in running the affairs of the state through an illegal Governor Advisory Council. GAC is a political aberration, an illegality that Lagosians should resist from dictating to their duly elected representatives.

“GAC should stop unnecessary and illegal interference in the LSHA legislative duties. If GAC members thinks they have fundamental ideas for the progress of Lagos state, they should contest for elections to enjoy the mandate of the people.

“Mekunnu Koya unequivocally reiterate that Lagosians must breath and be free from Tinubu led GAC’s overbearing influence in decision making.”