The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Portsmouth varsity seeks research pact

    By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

     

    The Pro Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement, University of Portsmouth (UK) is seeking collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria to deepen research.

    Prof. Chris Chang noted that such collaboration would expand opportunities in research findings between the university and Nigeria.

    Chang, who spoke in an interview in Abuja, said the university was ready to work with the Federal Government to develop research collaboration that would aid learning as well as grow the two countries.

    He said: “Our ambition is to grow our profile as a truly global institution with a diverse international community and a track record of worldwide collaboration in research, teaching and innovation.

    “We want our students to be global graduates, who take the skills they have learnt to every corner of the planet.

    Over the next three years, we will expand our collaborative links and enter strategic alliances with high-quality partners who share our values and mission.”

    Read Also: FG moves to secure $500M AFDB fund for technology innovation

     

    Chang said about 200 Nigerian students enrol each year into undergraduate and doctoral programmes in the university, making Portsmouth one of the most popular destinations in the UK.

    On the issue of Brexit, he said Nigerian students should not worry, saying that Brexit had given foreign students better opportunities to study in the UK universities.

    “Brexit does not affect Nigeriand coming to study in UK. We welcome all students from all over the world because we want diversity in the UK

    “We are working in a global village and the ability to work cross culture and in multiple teams across different countries is an important skill that graduates need,” he said.

    He, therefore, said that the global expansion would give students access to global communities through exchange programmes, internships, placements, volunteering and digital collaboration.

     

  • UNILAG sociology alumni give back

    By Munirat Saliman

     

    The 1974-77 set of the Sociology Department, University of Lagos (UNILAG) has donated two public address systems for the large lecture rooms of their former department.

    They made the donation following a reunion held at Octagon 90, Akoka – 42 years after graduation.

    After the event, they toured their former lecture rooms, visited the Head of Department and lecturersm and deliberated on what they could provide for the department to enhance learning.

    One of the old students, a professor in the department, Lolu Soyombo, said the idea of the reunion was for them to return to the university and see how the department had fared over four decades.  He also promised they would be back again very soon.

    Also speaking, Mrs Olabisi Banjo expressed joy at coming back to her alma mater to reunite with former classmates.

    Read Also: UNILAG medical college inducts 138 doctors, dentists

     

    “The reunion was actually a beautiful gathering.  Meeting again after 42 years of leaving the university brought back beautiful memories.  UNILAG has changed a lot for the better.  Our old buildings are still very strong.”

    She added: “We decided to do our little bit that we can do to enhance their comfort.  The students are on holidays but they will like us to come back to speak to the students just to enlighten them about sociology.”

    Another alumna, Mrs Omolara Olarenwaju said to excel as sociologists, current students must be focused.

    “They should apply themselves in whatever they are doing,  We want them to excel and do well in their exams; concentrate, focus and they should one day come back and give back to society like we have come back to do,” she said.

  • Sundry Misusages XXXIX: Verbs following verbs . . . plus more

    By Segun Omolayo

     

    This columnist was involved in two conversations recently. One was with a former university deputy registrar. He had just shared a written address he considered spotless.

    He retorted dismissively when shown some misusages, one of which was advocate for, saying: “I don’t see anything wrong in it.” His scowl registered the meta-communication that the columnist was just being a busybody.

    In the other conversation, a former permanent secretary who is a writing enthusiast insisted that as a matter of cultural correctness and respect for constituted authority, every occurrence of the word governor must be capitalised.

    We have dealt with the usage of transitive verbs like advocate, demand, deny and the like in a past edition, and we will at some point also discuss capitalisation.

    So, these will not be the focus in this edition. It suffices for now to note that capitalisation is not about political or social ranking.

    Most importantly, the two encounters have more than anything else underscored the need to drill down, still, the matter of correct and incorrect usage. And here we go with this edition’s special selection.

    Verbs following verbs

    Many hardly pay attention to the proper handling of verbs when one follows another in a sentence. The usual problem is about the tense of the one that occurs in the latter position. See the specimen misusage below for what we mean:

    Those who observed him on Tuesday during the lecture saw him spoke with enormous self-satisfaction.

    In this construction, the second verb should be the bare infinitive. A bare infinitive verb is one that does not come with to, which infinitives normally carry.

    Read Also: Sundry Misusages XXXVIII: Compound adjectives . . . plus more

    With specific reference to the sentence at issue, the bare infinitive speak is the second verb required, not spoke. For clarity, we stretch out the correct usage, thus:

    Those who observed him on Tuesday during the lecture saw him speak with enormous self-satisfaction.

    “Pop” Errors adds: ‘As it is with saw and speak in this construction, so it is with “several verbs of perception, including see, watch, hear, feel and sense” which “take a direct object and a bare infinitive where the bare infinitive indicates an action taken by the main verb’s object.”

    The main verb in the statement is saw and its object is him which performs the action of speaking. The present participle speaking can replace the bare infinitive speak, but “the difference is that the former implies that the entirety of the event was perceived, while the latter implies that part of the progress of the event was perceived” (English.stackexchange.com). And, with the bare infinitive, the verbs do not have to agree in number and tense (www.nus.edu.sg/prose/grammar.htm).

    In other words, it does not matter if the statement were to be: “He saw him talk,” where talk neither agrees with the tense of saw nor the number of its object him.’

    Wake

    The wake in consideration here is the one recklessly misused in obituary announcements and funeral arrangements. Commonly, you see wrong usages such as wake keep or wake keeping, as in the sentence below:

    Some people noted that the carnival was a joyful equivalent of a wake keeping, as that is what happens when old men die.

    In connection with funerals, wake keeping is incorrect and therefore unacceptable. It does not matter that you see such a wrong usage in newspapers every day, even in obituary announcements placed by governments and blue-chip organizations. The correct usage is wake. In the sense of this sentence in consideration, ‘wake is “an occasion before or after a funeral when people gather to remember the dead person, traditionally held the night before the funeral to watch over the body before it is buried.”

    The origin of the “pop” error wake keeping is still unknown; our conjecture is that it might have started as a transferred usage of the practice of keeping vigil by Christians.

    We think it is high time we stopped inventing and perpetrating errors’ (“Pop” Errors). “Pop” Errors enjoins: “Let charity begin here” by adopting the correction below:

    Some people noted that the carnival was a joyful equivalent of a wake, as that is what happens when old men die.

    Wane

    Isn’t it incredible that anyone would misuse the simple verb wane? You had better snap your surprise, as even simpler and more commonplace terms and expressions are often misused.

    Only an understanding of the nature and meaning of the verb wane will enable you avoid the kind of lexical outrage exhibited in the following statement:

    Continuous conflict about personal expenses was waning the interest of some members.

    ‘This is a bizarre use of the intransitive verb wane as a transitive verb. Remember, an intransitive verb is a verb that does not have an object in a sentence, while a transitive verb takes an object.

    And hear the meaning of wane: “to become gradually weaker or less important.” From the meaning, it is clear that nothing can wane interest, but interest can wane, that is, become gradually weaker’ (“Pop” Errors). The book suggests a number of reconstructions, vjz:

    “Continuous conflict about personal expenses was weakening the interest of some members.”

    OR

    “Continuous conflict about personal expenses was causing the interest of some members to wane” (In this reconstruction, the verb wane has been used as the intransitive verb that it is.)

    OR

    “Because of continuous conflict about personal expenses, the interest of some members was waning” (The usage here is also in the intransitive sense.)

     

     

  • The A,B,C of EkoEXCEL

    As the Lagos State Government begins training 4,000 teachers to implement the EkoEXCEL project, government functionaries, teachers, parents express high expectations of improved quality education service delivery in public schools.  KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE reports.

     

    Monday marked a new beginning in the public education landscape of Lagos State with the flag-off of training of 2,000 public primary school teachers who would implement the Eko Excellence in Child Education and Learning (EkoEXCEL).

    EkoEXCEL is a technology-based initiative that would empower teachers and school managers to deliver better quality education with the aim of improving learning outcomes in public schools.

    An information sheet published by the government described it as “an education reform programme that is successfully developing more highly-skilled teachers by training, supporting and motivating existing government teachers to succeed in their classrooms.”

    It is modeled after a similar project being implemented by the Edo State Government, EdoBest – with the Bridge International Academies, a U.S. based organisation operating low-cost private schools, acting as technical partners.

    A second batch of 2,000 teachers would be trained in January to make a total of 4,000 teachers who would begin implementation of the EKoEXCEL in 300 of the state’s 1,016 primary schools.

     

    Features of EkoEXCEL

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet members, who have spoken about the project at different forums, have done so with excitement about the promise it holds for the transformation of the public education sector.

    Lagos State Education Commissioner, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo transferred that excitement to the teachers at the opening of the training held at the Faith Plaza, Bariga.

    “If you look at this file it says that we want to deliver Governor Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to education.  We want it to be that every child in Lagos State regardless of where they live; regardless of their religion; regardless of their gender/parents’ economic needs,  will have access to quality education.  That is the Governor’s wish and desire because education is the only thing that will take people out of poverty,” she said.

    The Commissioner noted that the 10-day training would transform them from analogue to digital teachers.

    “Coming here today, you are all analogue teachers.  In 10 days’ time, you will be 21st century digital teachers,” she said.

    Mrs Adefisayo, who served as the Principal of Corona School, Agbara in the course of her career, said all the teachers would get tablets loaded with the Nigerian curriculum and lesson notes for each topic that would serve as their working tools going forward.

    “The curriculum was designed by our curriculum department.  So it is our curriculum – the Nigeria curriculum – but we are going to put a plus to it so that anybody will know that Lagos State delivered the Nigeria curriculum as an excellent level,” she said.

    However, more than just using the tablet to work, Mrs Adefisayo said the teachers would learn classroom management and how to meet the needs of diverse learners.

    “The training will cover a lot – not just on the use of the tablet – the tablet is just tool, but will also cover things like classroom management, classroom assessment, and so on.  I am sure that as a teacher it will help motivate you.”

    Mrs Adefisayo said head teachers would also get their own digital tool – a smart phone, which would track what the teacher is doing in the classroom as well as his/her location during school hours.

    She said head teachers would also be trained to deliver effective school management, while both teachers and school heads would receive regular support to ensure they are getting it right.  She said the supervision would not be to hound them, but to give them the necessary support to implement the project.

    A major feature of the tablet is that it would be geo-referenced.  Speaking about this feature at a stakeholders’ meeting prior to the training held penultimate week, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said it would check truancy and absentism because it would state the bearer’s location once the tablet is on.

    He said: “The tablet is to assist us to monitor – because that tablet will be geo-referenced.  It will determine the coordinates of where you are.  So the moment you turn it on, as the head teacher or as somebody that is monitoring, you see the teacher is within so-so coordinates and what the teacher is teaching.”

    Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Wahab Alawiye-King, said officials would be able to monitor the programme digitally from the SUBEB headquarters in Maryland.

    He said in an interview: “We have quality assurance officers that will serve more as technical partners assisting the teachers on what to do rather than finding fault in them.

    They go there and support them to monitor what they do.  So, from the headquarters, we should be able to monitor what the school teachers are doing.

    The head-teacher can monitor what the school teachers are doing in their classroom with all that I think we should be able to monitor and evaluate and do the assessment of the programme from time to time.”

    Speaking to a group of stakeholders being trained to monitor SUBEB project last Thursday, Permanent Board Member, Dayo Israel, said the state expects a change in orientation of teachers in managing pupils at the end of the training.  He said the teachers would be trained not to use derogatory words on pupils.

    Read Also: Education gap: Turning information to action

    “In the class room, the way our teachers are going to teach will be different.  They are going to teach in a way that energises the children.  There is a way that the teacher will get the attention of a child that is not listening.  In the olden days and currently the teacher can say stupid boy or stupid girl.

    Under this EkoEXCEL, the teachers are going to motivate the children. For example, if the child is not paying attention the teacher will call the child’s name and say some certain words that says you need to focus.

    A child gets a question right, they get their name on the character board.  It is a lot of behavioural change,” he said.

    Israel also said the whole of Lagos State would use a unified lesson plan and conduct centralised examinations under the EkoEXCEL.

     

    Stakeholders laud EkoEXCEL, worry about implementation

    Parents and teachers have praised the EkoEXCEL initiative. However, they expressed concerns about its smooth implementation.

    Mrs Olufumilola Sojinu, a resident of Ibeju lekki, who volunteers with the Human Development Initiative (HDI), a non-governmental organisation which trains people to monitor the implementation of Universal Basic Education (UBE) projects in public schools, worried about poor infrastructure and sincerity of teachers.

    Mrs Sojinu wondered how teachers would be effective using the tablet in schools that have high population and poor infrastructure.

    “This is good but I do not see how they will do this in schools where their roofs are falling.  They need to take care of the infrastructure as well,” she said.

    Expressing concern about whether the tablets would be able to check truancy, Sojinu said: “A little bit of some dishonesty can cause ripple effect.  As he was talking he did not know anything about that Level Eight officer that is within the complex that could liaise with some headmaster; you know Nigeria factor.

    “It is one thing to train teachers for digital; it is another to say somebody is at a location. It is people that did this computer.  Some people are busy looking for ways to make sure that location thing will not work.”

    To achieve success, Mrs Sojinu said the government should sensitize members of the Parents’ Forum, the School-Based Management Committee, and the host community to the desired impact of the project to get their buy-in.

    In an interview, one of the teachers at the training Gbadamosi Michael, lauded the initiative.  He hoped all promises made by the government on the EkoEXCEL would be delivered.

    “I know it is a technology-driven project they want us to embrace and it will make our jobs easier.  Since they have promsed to give all and they ave promised proper monitoring, not to scare but supervise teachers, they have done well,” said Gbadamosi who teaches at Olusanya Primary School, Agege.

    Another teacher, Oluwafemi Seun, said: “The initiative is one that will change the face of education in Lagos State if we shy away from usually brilliant policies but poor implementation.

    If this is really implemented to the letter, we will see a difference in teaching in primary schools in Lagos State,” he said.

    However, Mrs Adefisayo assured that as the EkoEXCEL project is implemented, the state would provide requisite infrastructure.

    “We will deliberately improve infrastructure.  We cannot put in those schools and allow you to work in an environment that is not conducive so we will keep on working improving infrastructure and our Governor is spending a lot,” she said.

     

  • A case for science with humanity

    By Ebeledike Neenma

     

    This piece stems from Mahatma Gandhi’s description of the seven social sins of the world. They include wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice, and politics without principles.

    Mahatma Gandhi believed that humankind was advancing in science much faster than our ability to understand the deadly consequences of unbridled technology, especially in the area of weaponry.

    Weapon technology keeps advancing faster than knowledge of  using it.

    Mahatma Gandhi sought to explain how human beings were being ruthless and wicked in the use of various devices.

    He argued that science was quite beneficial to man but without humanity it was dangerous and did not promote human advancement. He further explained that Science did not change our attitude, character or beliefs.

    Read Also: President hails Bill Gates, Dangote for service to humanity

     

    A researcher once noted   that science never did and would never have a heart. It has no humanity.

    The scientific method does not use any system of ethics or morality to determine its direction and goals. Humanity is the moral compass we need to guide us in the usage of technology.

    Thus, it is essential for us (as Christians) to deal with our fellow humans with humanity, irrespective of what the law says or what is expected of us.

     

    •By Ebeledike Neenma Redeemer’s University, Mass Communication

     

  • Kidnapping now a Profession?

    By Ajayi Morolake

     

    Kidnapping means the abduction of   an individual, typically to obtain a ransom. Sometimes, kidnappers hold their captives longer   to demand more money from the victim’s relatives.

    No day passes without the  news of kidnapping in shocking circumstances. The streets are no longer safe, even staying in your home doesn’t guarantee being safe and secure.

    The news filtering in daily shows that most kidnappings occur on the road while some happen at the victims’ home. Usually, the prime targets  are those considered to be wealthy enough to pay a ransom in exchange for freedom.

    Just recently, Raphael, a senior immigration inspector from the Rivers Marine Command, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in Onne, Rivers State, was abducted alongside three others by presumed militants.

    They were later rescued by troops of the Nigerian Navy that raided the camp they were being held.

    The history of kidnappings in Nigeria is traceable to the days of the Niger Delta militancy by members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and other groups in the region.

    Read Also: Police arrest 319 robbery, kidnapping suspects in Adamawa

    The militants later shifted their focus  on kidnapping oil expatriates

    Nigeria has one of the world’s highest rates of kidnap-for-ransom cases. Other countries up the list include Venezuela, Mexico, Yemen, Syria, The Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

    Nigerians of different occupations have become victims of kidnappers. These include journalists, musicians, artistes, comedians, foreigners, artisans, traditional rulers, clergy, sportsmen and women, politicians as well as security agents.

    Finally, the obvious solution is to introduce  stricter punitive measures, such as life imprisonment or the death penalty.

    Any country that wants to fight kidnapping successfully must hire and train capable agents to combat the issue. When law enforcement agencies are actively involved, the crime will be curbed.

     

  • 20 get First Class at Southwestern varsity

    Our Reporter

     

    No fewer than 20 students of the faculties of Pure and Applied Science and the Social and Management Science bagged First Class degrees at the Southwestern University, Okun-Owa, Ogun State, during its maiden convocation of the university penultimate week.

    They are among the 345 students who began their academic journey at the institution in 2016.

    The institution also conferred n honorary degree on the Owa of  Okun-Owa, Oba Gabriel Abiodun; member, board of trustees, Chief Patrick Sholola, and Evangelist Olubukola Okunnowo.

    Founder and Chancellor of the university, Babatunde Odufuwa, extolled the students for the successful completion of their academic session.

    He said, “I congratulate you, the graduands today for your great height.  I wish you the very best. Your journey has just started. Southwestern university has built the necessary foundation needed for you to succeed. You have been empowered with qualitative education to achieve the best. We congratulate you as you go into the wonderful world of times.”

    The Chancellor urged the government to fund the educational sector better and support private sector providers of education.

    “The government must at once give incentives to the operators of private tertiary institutions and their students. Government should realise that these institutions are helping government to train its citizens. The government pays the bill for students in public institution in the country as such must encourage students in private institutions to augment cost of their training.”

    In his remark, the acting Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Nojimu Amusa advised graduands to pursue excellence and be worthy ambassadors in the nation.

    Read Also: 124 bags first class as OAU graduates 7,209

     

    “As you are graduating, you are taking another journey to actualising your dream of achieving your life’s goals to think critically and responsibly. Be leaders in your field. Your degree is not just to earn a living but to be tool to contribute in changing the society for the better.

    “With your current standard, let me urge you to pursue excellence in whatever you do. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity no matter how comfortable it is, try to pursue excellence because excellence will set you apart from the crowd. Never give up always,” Amusa said.

    Giving the breakdown of the graduating students, Amusa said of the 345 students 189 attained second class upper; 108 students bagged second class lower; and 27 had third class.

    Prof Amusa appreciated the parents and guardians and urged them to continue to invest in educating their wards.

    In her convocation lecture, the Dean of Faculty of Applied Science, Adeleke University, Osun State, Prof. Bukola Oyawoye, prasied private universities for their role in the country’s educational development.

    Oyawoye however urged the government to abolish restrictions and regulation that hampers the growth of private university education in the country.

     

  • McPHERSON graduates Elite set

    By Sampson Unamka

     

    McPherson University has graduated its fourth set of students. The set consisted of  92 students, 15 First Class Honours (16.3%), 38 Second Class Upper Division, while 31 graduated with Second Class Lower Division . Others fall into the Third Class category.

    Vice Chancellor, McPherson university Prof. Adeniyi Agunbiade, while delivering his charge to the students referred to the graduating set as ‘Elite Class of 2019 Champions.’

    “Our highly celebrated graduands of today have chosen for themselves to be called the Elite Class of 2019 Champions.

    This special set of our graduating students received this name because throughout their stay on campus, they distinguished themselves in an elitist manner.

    They demonstrated strong moral courage and boldness in making choices. They saw themselves as giants where others cringed in fear of not being able to make it.

    Today, the world around you is celebrating you because you have conquered! As Elites, you must know where you are going. Elite teams maintain high standards of Integrity; you must own your actions and eliminate excuses from your vocabulary, always choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, challenge the status quo thinking and processes and try new things even if it makes people uncomfortable.

    Remember this, as you go into the world of works, you cannot be considered a person of Integrity and collect a full pay cheque while doing only part of your job well”, he said.

    Annoucing the best graduating student and Valedictorian, he said “I am happy to report that OSASONA Sunmisola Ibukun, matriculation number 150301014 of the Department of Accounting and Finance (Accounting Programme), emerged the overall best graduating student with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.91 (the highest in the last four sessions); while ADEBAGBO Wonderful Barnabas, matriculation number 150201001 of the Department of Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) emerged the second best with a CGPA of 4.88.

    NEWO Oluwamurewa Ayomidotun, matriculation number 150101008, of the Department of History and International Studies emerged the third best with a CGPA of 4.84. Analysis of the results presented above indicates that the best four students in this elites class of 2019 consist of all girls.

    The high percentage of students with excellent and exceptional performance recorded again by this graduating Elites Class is yet not unconnected with a culture of rewarding academic excellence instituted by McPherson University as described in my reports the last three years.

    Read Also: YABATECH graduates 8,411

    We pledge, once again, believing that God will help us to continue to celebrate academic excellence in order to continue to bring out the best in these young ones thrust into our hands.

     

    In continuation of our practice of challenging the status quo and bringing about a spirit of healthy rivalry, the Valedictorian of the Elites Class has emerged, again, as a result of stiff competition among the best six students academically.

    Their speeches were evaluated anonymously by a carefully selected panel of judges consisting of experts in linguistics chosen from within McPherson University and I am glad to report that Miss KOYE-OLOWE Mofejesu Deborah of the Department of Physical and Computer Sciences (Computer Science) emerged as the Valedictorian of her class.

    This is the third time in four years that a female graduand is emerging as the Valedictorian of her class”, said Adeniyi.

    General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church and Visitor, Mc Pherson university, Reverend Felix Meduoye while giving his remark to the graduants congratulated them, he said “Finally, to you our Champions, I say big congratulations on this your well-deserved achievement.

    You have done well, having laboured and toiled in the past few years as students of this great Institution, you have now been found worthy to be awarded a degree of this University.

    Let me remind you that your passage through McPherson University was not only for academic pursuit, it was also a spiritual experience which we want you to hold dear to your heart.

    The world you are going into is a very challenging one and I charge you in the name of the Lord to go in and possess the land for you are well able to overcome it. You have all it takes to succeed in life, for the Lord God is with you”, he said.

  • UNILAG medical college inducts 138 doctors, dentists

    By Munirat Saliman

     

    About 138 new doctors and dentists were inducted by the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) at a colourful ceremony on Monday.

    The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) Register, Dr. T.A.B Saunsi, led the graduates in the oath taking during the induction for the 2018 session held at the New Great Hall of the college.

    Some students were recognised for their outstanding performances – the most outstanding of whom was  Aladenika Temitope, who won the $1,000 Schubbs Prize and six others out of eight awards.

    He was also the overall best in the Faculty of Dental Sciences, best graduating student in Dentistry, best student in Restorative Dentistry, best graduating student in BDS, best final year student in Preventive Dentistry, best final year student in Child Dental Health and the best student in Faculty of Dental Sciences.

    Others were Amira Omolola Ibukunoluwa (who won three awards as the best student in Obstetrics and Gynaecology); Adeniran Oluwademilade Gbemisola (best student in Surgery; best graduating student in Psychiatry and best MBBS student in Orthopaedic Surgery); Okuniyi Monsuru (winner, best all-round performance in the Faculty of Clinical Sciences; and best student in Faculty of Clinical Sciences), among others.

    Read Also: Practise in your fatherland, VC tells doctors

     

    Speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Prof. Chris Bode urged the graduates to remember the college in all decisions they take and come back to make Nigeria great if they leave the shores of the country.

    He also announced that more than 50 per cent of the graduands will do their house job in LUTH.

    “More than 50 per cent than of you will serve the house job in LUTH.  We have already selected you and you are starting next week,” he said.

    The Vice Chancellor Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, congratulated the graduands, saying: “We can beat our chest at the University of Lagos  because our products are excellent.”

    He added: “A lot of people come to this country with bad intention, we have problems but you are going to be part of the people that will solve that problem and that is our charge to you, because so much has been invested in you”, she said.

  • Electronic voting makes debut in UI as SU returns

    By Oluwatobi Odeyinka

     

    Students of the University of Ibadan (UI) last Saturday elected new executives into the Students’ Union (SU) using electronic voting method.

    This is the first election after the university’s Senate suspended SU activities indefinitely on May 30, 2017 following a protest by students over delay in the issuance of digitised identity cards.

    The Senate lifted the ban on August 30, 2019 and called for election.

    A committee of all faculty presidents was empowered to conduct the election.  The committee declared that the election would be in form of electronic voting, as against the ballot voting that used to be.

    Read Also: It’s time for electronic voting, says Osoba

     

    The election which was supposed to hold between 8am and 4pm was extended till 9pm due to breakdown in the voting site for about two hours.

    The post of the President was contested by Akeju Oluwasegun from the Faculty of Law and Olofinlade Ebenezer from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

    Akeju was declared winner after pulling 2,753 votes while Olofinlade got 2,138.