Category: Campus Life

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Prof. Kolawole Salako, has called for an upgrade of soil data base in Nigeria to improve agricultural production.

Salako, a Fellow of Soil Science Society of Nigeria (FSSSN), said the focus should be on how to manage  soil. He  said  technology  was now available to ensure that the problems associated with soil were overcome.

He said: “The issue of soil salinisation is a major problem in substantial part of the world , it is a condition where you have salt affecting the  soil and where you cannot really have  a productive  soil.”

The VC, therefore, stressed the need for soil conservation and preservation.

He said  the country  needed more land for agriculture as a result  of competition, especially from the construction industry.

“So, the issue of productivity comes in now because the land available for cultivation is shrinking. Agriculture will usually lose out when it comes to land development. Everybody wants to build sky scrapers, they think that the money that will come out is far more advantageous than having food,so the option that we have is to also ensure that the little land we have, we make it productive  to avoid soil degradation, that’s the essence of focusing on soil,” he said.

Salami urged  everyone to see soil as a life support and do everything within their means to conserve the soil and prevent soil degradation.

Following an  appeal by  the Students Union of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, the authorities of the institution have reduced the reparation fee from N20,000 to N10,000.

The management had ordered students to pay N20,000 as reparation fee after the violent protests that led to the destruction of school facilities.

AAUA SU President Kolade Ogunsanmi met with  the management to appeal for  reduction  and review the university’s position on  compulsory payment of tuition fee as students are preparing to return to campus.

However, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, approved the reduction of the fee after considering the appeal of  students’ union officials.

He also exempted physically-challenged from paying the fee.

A statement from the students’ union government read in part: “The reparation fee earlier pegged at N20,000 per student has been reduced to N10,000.

However, physically impaired students will be exempted from paying the reparation fee.

“Against the earlier decision of the management that all students must pay their tuition fee up to current session before they can be eligible to sit for examination, after a very long appeal by the Students’ Union, the university management agreed that only students who have paid for  last session would be allowed to sit for the examinations. For instance, a 400-Level student must have cleared their tuition from 300- Level.

“However, the university management strongly warned that such violent protest and deliberate destruction of the university facilities should never repeat itself again.’’

As such, the Vice Chancellor directed the Students’ Union Executives to appeal to the students to work together positively for the benefit of the university.”

We all know it, fraud– “Yahoo Yahoo”. As a society, we have become less sensitive to illegal methods of making money. We even refer to it affectionately, glorifying it in music and television programmes.

Youths have legalised fraud as a viable means of survival. Sadly, students who spent four to six years in universities and graduated with first-class honours cannot secure a legal means of survival. Unemployment rate has shot high.

A scene in a widely-followed television show accurately explains this problem.

A  simple dialogue occurred between a young adult and an older counterpart. When issues regarding internet came up, the youngster’s immediate reaction was, of course, to promptly ask if the latter was referring to “Yahoo Yahoo”. The older adult, quite disturbed, passively dismissed the suggestion.

It is not out of place to say fraud has taken over all levels of  society, from the “Yahoo Yahoo” of the street to the large-scale embezzlement of national resources. Fraud has become as widespread and frequent as power outages in the country.

Studies estimated that five million scammers operate in the city of Lagos. Nigerians lost about N12.7 billion to internet scams in 2013 alone. Internet fraud has become more widespread, predominantly among Nigerian youths. A stupefying 90 per cent of university students who live lavish lifestyles are involved in internet scams.

Last year, a Nigerian celebrity insinuated that the term “Yahoo boy”- which colloquially means “fraudster” – is not an insult. When Falz, a Nigerian rapper, spoke out against music that glorifies fraud, he faced heavy social media backlash. Have you forgotten so soon the causes of the #EndSARS protests in 2020? One of them was the excessive restriction of police on young men supposedly engaging in Yahoo Yahoo.

Why, my people, have we become so desensitised to fraud? How do we defend and promote it even when we do not engage in it? Why are we also easily attracted to material things, with little or no concern for their origins?

Therein lies the problem. It frustrates us that the politicians are guilty of fraud, but we are have turned a blind eye   to its occurrence in our daily endeavours.

As a people, we must do better. We must feel offended by the “Nigerian internet scams” stereotype and stigma because our refusal promises more consequences than the coronavirus. It is spreading already. Many people have fallen to scams from the comfort of their homes through phone calls, Facebook, WhatsApp, and SMS.

We must do more to fight it, stop those involved in these atrocities, and lead by example. We should strive to show that we are a population of honest, hard-working people and that individuals and governments abhor fraudulent activities.

 

• Olaoti is a 200-Level Political Science student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS).

Fossil fuels in our ocean waterways remain a major environmental issue in our world today, and the Niger Delta region cannot be left out of the talk on the global practice for sustainable development.

The Niger Delta in Nigeria is the largest wetland in Africa and the third largest mangrove forest in the world. The region is widely known for its richness in biodiversity and abundance of crude oil and natural gas resources.

This large wetland ecosystem supports a wide variety of life, including the mangroves and diverse species of flora and fauna. The inhabitants of the Niger Delta community depend on the aquatic resources for their livelihood and food. Today, this ecosystem is seriously deteriorating from the impacts of crude oil and natural gas pollution, rising human populations, uncontrolled deforestation, unsustainable development, and weak governance.

The government is completely aware of the present menace of oil spill pollution and gas flaring in the area and has done little to address the issue.* The need for environmental action both at the local and governmental levels is paramount because the Niger Delta is home to 30 million people who depend on it. Rather than appropriately managing the area, the government has exploited it for foreign exchange, national budget revenue, and power.

To remedy the negative consequences of exploitation, potential solutions must be sourced out and implemented, such as the practice of sustainable development, ocean conservation, ecological restoration, renewable energy consumption, and the establishment of environmental agencies.

In the search for potential solutions, everyone has a role to play, including the federal government, the elected representatives from this region, their rural leaders, ordinary citizens, and, especially, the Youth. The government has a big role to play in protecting the lives of future generations and this involves responsible planning and environmental conservation through the establishment and enforcement of agencies; agencies that will monitor pollution level in the wetland communities.

In addition, the elected representatives and stakeholders from this region need to ensure that laws are enforced to help preserve the marine environment. These laws include areas, like sustainable oil and gas explorations and poverty alleviation.

Furthermore, the rural leaders should help inculcate sustainable lifestyles into the community to build local awareness, action, and support. Activities, like the collection of water-bound plastics, is a great way to involve the community in a valuable environmental effort that will have an immediate and direct impact on the region.

Other possible community efforts include: demanding plastic-free alternatives, reducing carbon footprint, avoiding ocean-harming products, eating sustainable seafood, voting on ocean issues, and contacting lawmakers on sustainable policies.

In a bid for Climate and Environmental Justice, Sustainable Development must be practiced by everyone on the globe to keep the present and future generations safe, and also to keep our ecosystem balanced. The United Nations has tagged 2021-2030 the decade of “Ocean Science and Sustainable Development,” and the #COP26 also focused on greenhouse gas emissions cuts. Therefore, there is a need to join hands to actualize these goals.
This is a call for a global movement.

Ikem-Nwosu Promise is a 200-level student of Marine Environment and Pollution Control at Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State

TO empower talented females in tertiary institution across the country, the Queen of Queens beauty pageant have announced plans to launch the maiden edition of its pageantry in Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma in Edo State.

The pageantry, which is the first of its kind, aims at showcasing the diverse creativity and talents of female students in AAU.

According to the project supervisor, Harrison Ojiakor, the top winners of the pageantry will be further groomed in their various talents in actings, singing, dancing or modeling, as the case may be.

“Top winners of these are the people that the brand is going to take up as signee’s for the talent promotion, for example, whoever wins or top 10 if you have a dream to go into probably acting we’ll get you hooked up with movie producers that can promote you push you to the limelight. As a brand, we are going to try and ensure we protect you and push you to achieve that limit if you’re into music we get you brushed up by a music producer and then if possible probably push you  create a record label that’ll push you up getting linked up with the record label that will push you to the greatest height you can ever achieve, so whatever it is that your talent is, we are going to try and push you to the highest stage” Ojiakor said.

On the criteria to partake in the pageant, he said contestants should be 5’2 to 6’7 feet tall, elegant, well cultured, be between 16 and  27 years, adding that they must be very fluent in English Language.

He noted that registration would kick off in March on their website Arami.ng.

The event promises a Lexus Jeep for the winner of the pageantry as well as other prizes as consolation for the runner-ups.

Speaking further, Ojiakor hinted that participants in the contest would also benefit from a skill acquisition workshop while in camp, adding that their diction and communication skills, sense of social responsibility would be improved.

Queen of Queen’s Beauty Pageant,  an upshot of Arami brand, is aimed at promoting and managing young talents as well as mentoring them for a global audience.

There are growing concerns by students in University of Benin (UNIBEN), who live off-campus, over the arbitrary increase in hostel fee by landlords in these austere times. They want authorities in the institution to call them (landlords) to order. IFUNANYA OSAKWE (UNIBEN) reports.

Shelter  is one of the basic needs of man. Hence, any move to render man homeless should be resisted by well-meaning members of the public.

However, students in the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, Edo State, are at daggers drawn with landlords, caretakers and agents, who have connived with one another to increase hostel fee without due consultation in areas like Ekosodin, Osasogie etc.

Findings by CAMPUSLIFE revealed that hike in private hostels fee in Ekosodin  has rendered a large number of UNIBEN students homeless.

Over  60 per cent of UNIBEN students reside in Ekosodin due to lack of adequate hostel space on campus.

Students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE said one of the advantages they enjoy living in Ekosodin  is the closeness of the community to the school as they share a common wall.

However, the recent construction of the Ekosodin Road by Edo State government has caused a drastic change in the prices of almost everything in the community.

This has affected students who are mostly from poor homes  because the standard of living in the area has shot high.

Students find life unbearable following the 100 per cent hike by landlords and caretakers last December.

 

Reaction from students

Therefore, students are calling on school authorities  and student bodies in the institution to come to their aid.

Some of them lamented what they called ‘extortion’  by landlords and caretakers in Ekosodin.

“We have been experiencing untold hardship in Ekosodin community ever since the link road was constructed.

“The good condition of the road  should have made things easier, but the reverse is the case.

“The transport fare increased. Prices of food stuffs and other accessories increased. Then all of a sudden house rents also went up,” said Ololade Philip, a student at the Biochemistry Department.

Okonsin Mefia, another student, said she was asked to move out of her hostel even when she has a month left: “The caretaker called me and told me I should be ready to move out of the hostel once I  resume this month.

“The landlord increased the rent from N60,000 to N150,000.

“It was so shocking. I had no idea how to go about looking for a new place since we are resuming soon.

“The caretaker said they do not want us to continue living in the hostels as they are expecting new tenants to take over the apartment on a new price.

“I was angry at this point. Where is it done that way? No quit notice or any pre- information and he is saying that the rent has been increased and not only that, I was not given an option to pay the new rent.

“This is why with the help of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Benin Zone, our plight was communicated to the Vice Chancellor of UNIBEN. I only hope something is done urgently,” she said.

Another student of the institution, Chisom Nwoko, lamented the increase of house rents in Ekosodin.

Chisom, however, alleged that the agents also played major role in the hike.

“The agents are not to be left out in this situation. They are as wicked as the landlords and caretakers who increased rents without a just cause.

“My hostel owner increased the fee from N90,000 to N200,000. This is an increase of  over 100 per cent.

“The world should look at this issue and tell us if it  is done like this in other places. In Lagos where I live, landlords increase their rents only when a renovation is done.

“But this is not the case here. If you see  some dilapidated buildings that were pegged at N100,000 and above you will shed tears.

“The student bodies have taken charge of the situation. But, the Student Union Government, UNIBEN, should do more.

“It will be nice if the fight is successful and hostels rents are reversed because if it is not done, we will all be in trouble,” he said.

 

A student who craved anonymity said: “I learnt dialogue between the school management and community leaders in Ekosodin is going well. But one thing that I don’t like  is the complaint by the SUG executives that other student bodies are trying to interfere in their work.

“I  wonder why they are complaining that other student bodies are usurping their powers at this critical stage when unity is needed to succeed.

“It shows we do not have a strong leadership. How can they be fighting over who to be glorified in a fight that has not be conquered?

“We do not care who is at the forefront. What we want is the success of our fight. Reversal of the rent is our aim.”

Beauty Osamor, a Language and Linguistics student at UNIBEN, alleged that the drastic hike in hostelrents is a conspiracy among the landlords, caretakers and agents.

She said: “We do not know why students are being harassed by caretakers.

“Most times the students are given just a week to pack out of a house when he or she paid for one year.

“Now we know that the tenancy law stipulates that for a one-year rent, six months quit notice should be given. But here in Ekosodin that is not put into consideration.

“The hike in house rent is not an issue for me. The major issue is the controversy between some of the student bodies.

“I learnt that because other student bodies are fighting tirelessly to resolve the issue, the Student Union Government had come out to say that some people are usurping their right.

“What right are they talking about? Nobody is going to stop SUG from working except themselves. So, I am using this medium to call on the SUG to desist from turning a blind eye to the plight of students whom they swore to uphold and fight for without fear or favour.”

Another student, who pleaded anonymity, told CAMPUSLIFE that she was asked to renew her rent which would expire in March, this year or move out of the room.

“I was still at home when I received a call from my landlord. He told me that if I do not renew my house rent, I would forfeit the room.

“He went further to say that the rent has been increased from N70,000 to N100,000. I was dumbfounded.

“I tried to explain to him that it was too much and that my rent would expire  in March, but he cut off the call.

“What they are doing is not fair. We all are going through hardship and I do not believe in extorting others. The school management should please come to our aid,” she said.

Another student,Nonso Michelle said: “It is inhuman of those house owners. In most states, one can only increase house rent if a renovation  was done.

“Communities like Ekosodin and Osasogie are the major areas where the house rent hike is done.

“The school management should not take it lightly because it is affecting the students of the institution negatively.”

For Jude Osagie, the massive influx of internet fraudsters, popularly known as yahoo boys, was the reason behind the hike.

“The movement of yahoo boys into this area is one of the reasons the house rents were increased in various hostels.

“We are not yahoo boys. That is what this landlords feel. They believe everyone is into yahoo,” he said.

 

Student Union bodies wade in

The Director of Action and Mobilisation, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone B, Iyayi Erhahon, said the plight of students living in Ekosodin community have been heard and action would commence immediately in the fight against the hike in hostel fee.

“We had a successful meeting with the Ekosodin community head, led by Prof. Owie, Dean of  Student Affairs UNIBEN,  SUG executives, NANS Zone B,  SUG speaker and some SUG senators, though some important points were raised by the community heads.

“According to the community heads, the hostel fee increment was done by caretakers and   landlords of the hostels.

“They added that they were not in any way in connivance with landlords and caretakers to chase students out of the off-campus hostels and that all issues would be resolved amicably,” he said.

An SUG senator, UNIBEN, Obinna Ezechukwu said: “Despite the inflation in the country from 12 to 15 per cent landlords, caretakers and agents are increasing rents by 100 per cent.

“We need the local government and the state government to intervene in this matter through diplomatic or regulatory measures. We want the state and federal lawmakers to intervene in whatever way they can too.

“The struggle is against landlords and caretakers who evict students without due process. Many of them do this for increment. Then there is the continuous payment of  caution fee, legal fee, maintenance fee, caretaker fee and the likes. It should not be like that.

“The struggle is against agents who create all sorts of conditions or lies to hike the fees of hostel. Some even tell you there is no vacancy, so they can increase the fee.

“I will also advise the Student Union leadership to create a structured measure where students can have access to cheaper and affordable hostels.

“Let it also be known that what we are fighting against extortionists in Ekosodin, BDPA, Osasogie and the various hostels. Enough is enough. We have not asked  for too much,; all we are asking is an end to hostel fee hike,” he said.

 

Management vows to resolve issue

UNIBEN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lilian Salami has assured the students living in Ekosodin and other communities of her commitment to resolve the matter amicably.

According to her,  hike in hostel fee was being looked into.

She said: “I have set up a committee involving members of the Student Union Government to look into the issue of hostel hike and find a solution to the problem.

“A meeting was also scheduled and the Dean of Students Affairs  who went with the students bodies to meet with the community leaders. We will find a lasting solution to the issue.”

 

Parties agree to further dialogue

A member of UNIBEN SUG who wanted to be anonymous said: “After the first meeting, the parties agreed that the best time to call for a community meeting was after resumption.

“Hence they are proposing next  Saturday,  January 22, 2022  for the  meeting among landlords, caretakers, house agents, the university management and students to discuss how to make hostels affordable for students.

“Let us stay hopeful as we collectively forge ahead in this struggle.”

He, however, urged aggrieved students to  exercise patience and maintain the status quo pending the outcome of the general meeting.

Love can be seen differently by different people and cultures. But most times, people tend to describe it based on experience, timing, and the parties involved in it.

Some see love on the ground of their personal experience with a spouse.Those who had awful experience while dating, see love as a waste of energy and time, while, those who are lucky in experiencing true love, fantasise it.

Notwithstanding, there are some misconceptions about what love really is. To some, love must stand  the test of time, before satisfying its existence. This is why we hear some people say things like: ‘Is that really love?’ ‘How possible is it that they are in love within this short period?’ Let me cite  the controversies that  followed the proposing of a Corps member to a female soldier, Private Hannah Sofiat Akinlabi at National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Yikpata, Kwara State.

Some people criticised  the Corps member for coming up with a marriage proposal within only two weeks in camp. How well does he know the lady? How true is the feeling between the duo within just two weeks? How well does he know her, to the extent of proposing within three weeks in camp? they asked.

Love is beyond feelings, and some stomach butterflies. However, one can actually know if he or she can fit into his future within few weeks of meeting and interacting with each other, depending on the willingness of the party to make things work out. But then, love is not what one rushes into.

The spiritual, financial, social, physical, emotional, psychological aspects and family background of one’s partner should be taken into consideration before going  into this important aspect of human existence. Ironically, these aspects can not be entirely known in just two weeks.

On the othe hand, there is the tendency of developing feelings with an opposite sex, who one sees daily. Falling in love is something one cannot determine when and who to fall in love with. But, when it occurs, time will tell if it’s truly love or lust.

 

• Amadi is Corps member based in Lagos.