HumAngle: Week In Review

Every day, HumAngle’s journalists and researchers gather, sort through, and file stories on issues important to society. We bring you stories about development, conflict, and humanitarian trends across Africa in hopes that we can improve understanding of the most pressing problems and improve people’s quality of life.

In this roundup, staff writer Umar Aminu Yandaki shares some of the most important pieces of reporting we published last week — in case you missed them.

THE TOP STORY

The Cost Of ‘Free’: Pathetic Condition Of Kano Technical College

That there is now a virtual collapse of education in Nigeria is incontestable. Over the years, committees of various descriptions have been involved in revisiting the fundamental problems the sector is grappling with. Yet, so far, the fearful trend seems to maintain its tempo. Most public primary and secondary schools are in a state of physical dilapidation and there is a relative absence of proper infrastructure. These fundamental shortcomings are capped by the poor working conditions of teachers. 

In this story, HumAngle places its spotlight on the Kano Technical College. Once a beacon of learning and innovation that produced prominent engineers and public figures, the school has fallen into disrepair and neglect.

OTHER STORIES

‘They Just Pick Up And Move’, When Men Leave Displaced Families To Find  Work

For decades, men in certain communities in rural northern Nigeria have engaged in an internal migration tradition that does not include their families. These women, displaced and impoverished by the brutal insurgency, have not seen their migrant husbands in years.

‘I Lost My Right Arm And Three Children’

Rohila Godwin has a long scar that runs from her left cheek to her nose. Another scar runs across her neck. Several others line her arms. One of her arms is missing from the elbow downwards. The scars tell a story.

This Programme Provides Free Medication For The Underprivileged, But For How Long?

Malaria is one of Nigeria’s leading causes of death, but many people in rural communities, such as in its north-central Niger State, do not seek medical care for the ailment, either due to lack of sensitisation or access to medicines. Now a dedicated group of health workers are making an attempt to change the trend.

Kaduna Massacre: Men Bear Brunt Of Attack After Evacuation Of Women, Children

In the Malagum 1 and Sokwong communities of Kaura, Southern Kaduna, terrorists chanted religious slogans as they killed dozens, looted, and burned down homes on Sunday, Dec. 18. The residents had safely evacuated the women while the men faced the attackers. “Many houses were burnt and 28 people killed,” one eyewitness told us.

Hope, Uncertainty As Nigerians Board The Infamous Abuja-Kaduna Train

Until Dec. 5, the train, which was attacked by terrorists in March as it headed towards Kaduna in the country’s Northwest, had been inactive. Now it’s back on the tracks, but how secure is it for citizens?

After Escaping Terror, A Chronic Illness Still Haunts This Family

When Grace Audu woke up with a fever one day at age three, her parents dismissed it as a simple illness that would go away after medication. But her fever shifted into something different and unidentifiable. Today, Grace is still sick but her family’s displacement makes it nearly impossible for them to find a lasting solution.

Spot The Story

HumAngle’s weekly cartoons are inspired by the stories that we cover every week. As the year comes to an end, we are presenting to you all the cartoons we made this year and the stories they were inspired by.