Category: Campus Life

Most of the 33 food silos built across the country expected to help maintain price stability and ensure food security are almost empty or now being used for other purposes.

The silos have a total capacity of 1.3 million metric tonnes of grains.

Disclosing this on Wednesday while delivering the first Candida Adenike Afodu Lecture Series in Agriculture/ Horticulture at the Augustine University, Ilara, Epe, Lagos, Prof. Emilolorun Aiyelari, blamed the development on a number of factors such as banditry, poor funding of the sector, land use policy among others.

He spoke on the topic “Agricultural production in Nigeria: No reason for insufficiency.”

Aiyelari noted that the nation’s Strategic Grain Reserve Storage Programme, SGRSP, was underperforming, as the silos had little to store for any rainy day.

“The programme was designed to provide relief in time of national disasters, drought, and war both locally and internationally. It is to provide a ready and accessible market for locally produced items through Buyers of Last Resort, BLR, to maintain price stability and ensure food security.

“Most of the 33 silos across the country with a total capacity of 1.3 metric tonnes of grains are empty or put into other uses. Such is the case of the Ibadan office of the SGRSP silos now on loan to the Flour Mills of Nigeria Limited,” he said.

Aiyelari, a professor of Agriculture Engineering at the University of Ibadan, added that for many years, the silos were just idling away.

Citing the high costs of agricultural machines and equipment as a barrier to food production in Nigeria, he faulted the negligence on the part of those concerned that led to the collapse of agricultural machinery assembly plants in Nigeria.

“In the 1960s and 70s, there were agricultural machinery assembly plants in Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Enugu among others. There was the R.T. Briscoe, Massey Ferguson, Steyr, Ford etc with the provision of after-sales training and equipment servicing.

“Three years ago, when the dollar exchanged for N360, a medium sized tractor of 75hp was sold for between $25,000 and $30,000 (N9m – N12m). As at November 20 this year, the same is sold for N18.4m. How much loan is the farmer going to take to buy such machines and how will such a farmer break even?, he asked.

On the negative effects of banditry on agriculture, Aiyelari recalled a publication of 43 communities in Sokoto State where bandits were on the standby to collect levies from farmers or even use them to work for bandits.

“The major import of that,” he said, “such areas have been lost to farming.”

He also blamed the government for not implementing the 2003 Maputo Declaration that African nations should devote at least 10 percent of their annual budgets to agriculture, adding that the highest the nation has ever done was 5.4 percent.

Suggesting the way forward, Aiyelari called for serious military operations in the North at a scale never seen after the civil war to tame banditry and insurgency.

He also advocated better funding for the sector,  consistent and well focused policies to make the sector attractive to young ones among others.

In her remarks, a representative of the family of the donor, Mrs Taiwo Oshinowo, thanked the management of the university for helping to keep the memory of their mother alive.

She pledged the support of the family for the institution.

The Vice Chancellor, AUI, Prof. Christopher Odetunde, appreciated the donor for the support and hoped that the relationship between the two sides would last for a long time.

The Institute Superior de Communication et de Gestion (ISCG) University, Benin Republic, has honoured Dr Ifeanyi Harry Jeffery and Dr Mmerigwo Henry Iyke with Doctorate degree in Humanitarian Management (Honoris Causa).

This is in recognition of their humanitarian services, outstanding achievement in business and for their remarkable efforts in ending gender violence.

This took place last Friday at a programme organised by Advocate for Global Peace Forum International in conjunction with ISCG at the University of Lagos, Akoka, to commemorate the United Nations International Day for the elimination of all forms of violence.

Read Also: Sanwo-Olu to bag SWAN highest honour

The Nigeria representative, ISCG University, Dr. Greg Wale Williams said that the awardees have proved  their mettle by rendering humanitarian service to the vulnerable and also championing the cause of women in the society.

Speaking on the theme for this year’s event, “Orange the world; end violence against women,” Women President, Advocate for Global Peace Forum International, and Head Business Department, Bells University, Ota, Ogun State, Dr  Nkiruka Ifekwem noted that men and women should  be  given equal treatment according to their respective needs.

Speaking on the way out of gender violence, Ifekwem urged women to know their rights and speak out when they are violated.

With banditry, insurgency, kidnapping and abduction unabating in the country, a student of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), and two corps members recount their ordeals in the hands of kidnappers, reports PROMISE EZE(UDUS)

Then Immaculate Kondo, a 200-Level undergraduate of Usman Danfodiyo University , Sokoto (UDUS), left home for school on Tuesday,  October 19, 2021, she didn’t have premonition of the cruel fate that befell her.

She left Benue with eight other passengers that morning in an 18–seater bus. By 6 pm somewhere around Tsafe, Zamfara State, some armed men, flagged down their vehicle and ordered every passenger to get down. They were all herded into the bush, except the driver and one other passenger who escaped.

“I remember there were seven of them and they were dressed like soldiers. They were heavily armed. They stopped our car and ordered all of us to get down. Initially, I assumed they were just robbers, so I intentionally did not come down with my phone. But to my shock, they herded us into the bush on bikes.

“One of the passengers ran away. He was the last person to get down from the bus. As soon as he got down, he took to his heels. But the driver stood by the car. And he wasn’t taken along with us. I suspect that he worked as an informant to the kidnappers,” Kondo told CAMPUS LIFE.

Armed gangs, popularly referred to by government officials and local media as “bandits”, have been terrorising northwest Nigeria for some years. Statistics show   that in the first nine months of this year,  some 2,200 people were kidnapped for ransom, more than double the roughly 1,000 abducted in 2020.

 

N1.5m per victim

That night marked the beginning of  one week  of horrific experience for Kondo. The kidnappers drove the victims into bush for about two hours until they stopped at the bank of a shallow river which everyone must cross by foot.

“When we got to the river,  I thought they would kill us, but they commanded us to cross it. We crossed to the other side by foot and were taken to another location. It took us three hours to get there,” she said.

On the first night of captivity, one young man managed to escape. When Kondo  and others tried to follow suit, the men who watched over them woke up. The next day, the legs of the kidnapped victims were chained so that they would not escape.

Kondo and others were forced to eat stale bread and drink muddy water. The terrorists would let off long bursts of gunfire that rattled the sky so as to invoke fear in the minds of victims.

The following day,  negotiations for their release began. Despite the shut down of telecommunications in Zamfara, the bandits were still able to call the families of the victims.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had directed telecommunications operators to shut down services in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states as part of fresh measures to contain banditry in the states. While the shutdown was total in Zamfara, phone services were shut down in at least 13 local government areas of Katsina and 14 local councils in Sokoto. However, the shutdown has  proved  to be ineffective because  banditry still rages on.

“In the morning, they took us to a place where the network was good so that they could negotiate with our families. It took about two hours to get there on bike. It was a very long journey.

“The bandits told us that the six of us must bring N20m or else we would all be killed. However, we pleaded with them. We told them that we couldn’t  afford that kind of money. Eventually, the ransom was pegged at N12m. Each of us was to pay N2m,”  she said.

They threatened  that if the ransom was not paid on time they would be killed.

The bandits, to avoid being tracked, used the phone of a kidnap victim to put calls through to the families of all the victims. The next day, which was Thursday, the victims were forced to call their families for the money again. The victims were told to tell their families that the money must be ready by Sunday. However, the families of the victims insisted that N12m was too much. The ransom was eventually pegged at N9m—N1.5m per victim. The ransom was paid cash on Tuesday the following week by a driver who was sent to the bush by the families of the victim and by 6pm everyone was released. Exactly one week they were kidnapped. But before they were released something dramatic happened: the bandits unashamedly took pictures with them.

 

Corps members involved

Jennifer Iorliam and Joseph Aondona were among those whisked into the bush alongside Kondo  by the bandits. Both of them, members of the National Youth Service Corps, were on their way to the NYSC Orientation Camp in Kebbi State. They were supposed to board another bus from Sokoto to their destination in Kebbi State but their journey came to a stop when their vehicle was intercepted around the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Just like Kondo, Iorliam assumed that the armed men were robbers.

“I was scared because I thought they were going to rob us and free us but I became scared when they started taking us inside a bush. However, I believed that I was going to make it out alive because I knew God won’t abandon me,” she said.

 

‘They touched our sensitive parts’

Banditry and sexual assault are intertwined. Bandits do not only kidnap, maim or kill their victims. They also try to rape them.

Kondo and Jennifer Iorliam confirmed that though none of the victims were raped, they were manhandled.

“On our way to the river, I was placed on a motor cycle between two armed men. One was riding, while the other was behind me. The one behind me fondled my breasts and touched my buttocks as we moved.

“Even when we were chained inside the bush, some of kidnappers tried to rape us but their boss ordered them not to do so,” she said.

“Yes, some were touching our breasts,” answered  Iorliam when this correspondent requested to know if they were at any point abused.

 

Villagers provide cover for bandits

Kondo alleged that the bandits who kidnapped her are  known to the members of villages they operate in. She said that sometimes some villagers would pass by and see them chained but would be indifferent. CAMPUS LIFE quizzed her to recall the name of the village she was held captive but she couldn’t remember it.

“I cannot remember the name of the village, but I can swear that the villagers are aware of what is going on and they seem not to care. Probably, they’re benefiting from the crime. Sometimes some villagers would pass and see us chained, they would see the guns in the hands of the kidnappers, but they would pretend they saw nothing unusual.

“The bandits told us that even if we  manage to escape, we may not make it out of the village because there are so many criminal groups around. We may be so unlucky to fall into the hands of another kidnap king pin,” she said.

 

Traumatised victim

Kondo is still traumatised. The scars of the horror and shock are still etched in her memory. She has resolved never to go back home until she graduates from school.

“Before the bandits let us go, they mocked us. They asked if we would dare to pass through Zamfara again in our lives. They even had the audacity to take photos with us without hiding their faces. I cannot pass through Zamfara again for now. I’ll wait till I graduate from school before I think of going back home,” she said.

 

‘Corps members, students should be security-conscious’

Abubakar Kabiru, a lecturer and security expert with the Faculty of Education at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, in an interview with CAMPUS LIFE, advised students and corps members to be security conscious when on transit.

“The problem of banditry has gotten out of hand. Areas like Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto are very dangerous now. It is very unwise for anyone to travel in the evening in such areas. Students and corps members must be very be careful,” he said.

He believes that though the government has been trying to end banditry, it needs to do better.

“Government is claiming to be doing enough, but it needs to do more,” he added.

 

Fed Govt committed to tackling insecurity

Last month President Buhari in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said: “The bandits are currently under desperate pressures because of the intense and sustained air and ground operations against them in their hideouts by our security forces.

“The cowardly attacks on innocent people by the bandits show a rearguard action of criminals under pressure. But they will have no place to hide and our gallant security forces will not relent in the current offensive to defeat these callous enemies of Nigeria.”

 

 

The year 2021 came with a lot of surprises for the average Nigerian student. First was the uncertainty that accompanied the global pandemic (COVID-19)  which kept the whole world in a lockdown and halted academic activities worldwide. The most hit by this pandemic were the 3rd world countries of which Nigeria is one. These countries suffered the most, academically because they do not have the required resources and facilities to run a virtual learning system like their 1st world counterparts.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on a 2- week warning strike in March 2020   before the pandemic started.

Months after their counterparts in private universities resumed, students at public universities were still at home as a result of the government’s inability to reach an agreement with  striking lecturers.

The whole of 2020 was void of academic activities for students of public varsities in Nigeria.  January, 2021 however, brought hope for the students and they all resumed school. But unknown to these students of some certain institutions, the management of their schools had another surprise package in store for them.

In April, 2021 the internet was awash  stories  of tuition hike at  Kaduna State University (KASU).  The state  government had increased the tuition fee of the  institution by a whopping 500%. Students of the Faculty of Medicine from the university were expected to pay N300,000 as against N24,000. While non indigenes were to pay N500,000.

Considering the geographical location of Kaduna State, you would agree with me that this hike was insensitive and uncalled for, as northern Nigeria is believed to be low in literacy level. The affordability of the fees charged by the institution was one of the reasons some group of people decided to further their education.  With Kaduna State having about 43.5% of her population living below the poverty line, many students  risked dropping out of school.

Few months after the KASU hike saga,  students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, were equally served a shocker when the school management released a circular announcing an abrupt increase in the tuition fee of the institution.

This hike was equally disturbing as it was announced shortly after the institution had released admission for the 2020/2021 academic session, throwing aspirants and newly admitted students  into a state of panic. Again, just like Kaduna State, Niger state is also among the northern states battling illiteracy.

According to the circular,  new and returning students who are indigenes were to pay N129,675 and N67,925 respectively as opposed to the previous N27,000 and N52,500. New and returning students(non indigenes) were to pay the sum of N201, 210 and N171,325 as opposed to the previous fee of N93,000 and N55,000. To make matters worse, these institutions placed a short deadline for payments, and failure to pay before that day, would result to an additional late registration fee.

When asked for the reason behind the hike, the management of IBBUL had only one justification:  every student in the school had a smartphone  worth over N30,000  and as such they needed to increase the tuition fee because they felt  students and parents were paying too little for education.

Recently, University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State,also increased it tuition.The leadership of the institution had to shut down indefinitely amid feelers of student protests.

Putting into consideration the economic meltdown and the effects of the COVD-19 pandemic on the Nigerian economy, one would agree that the decision taken by these institutions is irrational and highly insensitive. Especially now, that northern Nigeria is making giant strides towards eradicating illiteracy among its populace. Education is supposed to be made readily available to all, irrespective of where they come from.

The hike in tuition fee might force many students to drop out of school and when this happens, social vice would be on the increase. We are already battling  banditry and insurgency as a nation. When a large number of students are forcefully sent out of school, the anger and resentment in them might force them to look for possible ways to either get back at the government or  survive the harsh economy. This would further aggravate insecurity and insurgency.

Asides dropping out, another implication of the tuition fee hike is that a significant majority of prospective students would be denied entry because of their inability to pay the bills. This may in turn have a devastating impact on the government’s quest to develop viable human capital in the said states.

With all the aforementioned dangers and effects of school fee hike, it is important to inform the government, and every agency in charge of education in Nigeria, that education is supposed to be a right and not a privilege. It is the duty of the government to provide highly qualitative and affordable education for her citizenry. Failure to do so, simply projects the government of the day as  inept and irresponsible. Thus,all efforts must be put in place to ensure  the average Nigerian gets access to qualitative and affordable education.

 

• Dada is a 300-Level student at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai.

The Vice-Chancellor of the newly established King David University of Medicine Sciences (KDUMS) Uburu, Ebonyi State, Prof. Jesse Uneke has revealed reasons behind the school fees of the institution which has been tagged exorbitant by critics.

The VC said the school fees which is between N1m to N3m is a giveaway when compared to the quality of  facilities, amenities and education the students would get in the institution.

Uneke noted that the management had assembled the best lecturers in the country to tutor the students in the 17 courses approved by the institution.

He revealed that one of such high calibre academic staff the institution recruited was former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Prof.  Maurice Iwu.

He noted that Iwu, a renowned Professor of Pharmacognosy, would help the institution establish the Department of Traditional, Integrative and Complementary Medicine, which would be the first in the country.

The VC said  with the quality of manpower and   facilities, the National Universities Commission approved 17 programmes for the institution to take off with.

He said: “A lot of people have raised the issue about the fees, saying that the fees are too high, well, let me explain something to you. When you are putting in place an excellent facility and then you want to bring in the best of qualified people, because you are interested in making sure that the standard is of the highest order, it is expensive.

“For instance, for you to be able to get a professor of Neurosurgery, they may just be only two or three in Nigeria. None of them is unemployed. So for you to think of bringing that person here, you will have to give that person something they are not giving him there.

“Infact, when I was assembling the best that we brought together here, I know the extent it took me to get them. Some of them came because I had a relationship with them. They know that wherever I am, that I am going to set up the best conducive environment that will enable them to work.

“You can’t say you are doing dentistry if you are not capable of bringing in a professor of Dentistry who is renowned. So, what I did was that for some of them, I had to speak to their society presidents and ask them to please recommend to me the best in their society. Like, Physiotherapy Society of Nigeria, I spoke to the president and they recommended such individuals and I had to speak to them.

“Like I said that nobody has started Traditional, Integrative and Complementary Medicine in Nigeria, somebody recommended Prof. Maurice Iwu, he is a professor of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine.

“So the few that are staying back in the country, many of them are doing out of patriotism. So we are doing our best to get the best and many of them are coming in and infact that was why we got the high number of approvals for our courses NUC.

“Infact, they told us that normally, the highest they can give the university to start is between 12 and 15 programmes but we got 17 which is quite exceptional.

“One of the things they checked before they gave us approval is if we have some of these experts in our school and they were all here. So the NUC accreditation team came and saw them and they commended the efforts we made to get all these people. That was why they didn’t waste time approving everything. So that is part of the reason. To get these people, you must pay them and they are not cheap”.

Prof Uneke explained that school fees is inclusive of amenities such as water, power, security, free internet with thousands of e-books and accommodation.

He also noted that issues of strike, cultism, and sale of handouts and waton extortion of students would not be allowed in the school.

“Now, the minimum of our fees is N1m and the maximum is N3m. But let me give you an analysis, in a typical public university in Nigeria, if you look at what the person pays in housing, most students pay between N150,000 and N200,000 for accommodation.

“Then security, in some places where they said they have guards you must pay for it. And then you talk of water, and then you talk about some other things like internet plus books and handouts that they are going to buy and then school fees. The average school fees is not less than N200,000.

“So, when you add all this together, you discover that the one million that somebody is complaining about, he is even spending more than that in a year in other schools.

“But because people don’t sit down and do this analysis they say it is too much. You pay one million here, you are not transporting yourself, you have water, security, accommodation, 24 hours power supply, some of the best lecturers in the country and beyond.

“You also have free internet to access all kinds of information including thousands of e-books, in this university nobody, will sell books or handouts here. In fact, I told them that I am not saying they shouldn’t write books but If you write books, sell us the e-copy we will pay you.

“So when you look at all these, you will see that it is a giveaway. And one other thing is that in some other universities, they extort students using other means but that will not ever happen here, I promise you that”, he said.

 

A non-governmental organisation, JESUNIC Foundation has offered scholarships to ten indigent students in Southeast to enable them achieve world-class education.

The beneficiaries studying at the Community Secondary School, Ndiagu Amechi in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State were drawn across the five states of Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Imo and Ebonyi.

Managing Director of the Foundation,  John Paul Egbo told reporters in Awka, Anambra State that the group targeted achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of education, women empowerment and community development across the country.

He said: “This is evident in our various projects such as scholarships for indigent students, vocational school for women and girls, empowerment of widows, provision of clean water and sanitation, medical aid and other outreaches to schools and villages.

“This is a unique approach to reaching our world that other non-governmental organisations can emulate to achieve the greater good for people.

Egbo charged beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the school as they grow to be men and women of sound character.

He further praised Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for providing enabling environment for seamless attainment of all round education in the state, assuring continuity of the programme.

Responding separately, the recipients showered praises and prayers on the benefactor, calling on other philanthropists to emulate the organisation to improve  education in the state.

 

The Federal University of Technology, Minna has set up a Benevolence Fund that would give loan to students who are unable to pay their tuition fees.

This, according to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Bala, would stop the high rate of drop out of students due to the inability to pay their tuition fees.

Bala said that about 112 students had dropped out of the institution in the past one year due to financial constraints.

Speaking during the formal launching of the FUT Minna Benevolence Fund on campus, he said the fund would provide loans and advise  students on how to be financially independent.

“The Fund will provide loans, advice and assistance to indigent students within guidelines that will be developed by the University Students Financial Aid Committee (USFAC) that will regulate, and manage the Fund.

“I believe in the future, the Fund will grow and become strong enough to receive  scholarships and similar financial benefits awarded to students by the university.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Emmanuel Udenzi said the Fund would provide loans without interest  to encourage students to take advantage of it.

 

There is the need for the government and industry players to take a holistic approach towards the development of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) in its education plans and policies at national, state and local school levels.

The Director, Centre for Information and Technology Management, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Oyeranmi Adigun, said this at the 18th Convocation of Bufato Institute of Management and Information Technology in Lagos.

Adigun stated that ICT stakeholders, including industry experts, should be integrated into ICT curriculum development and policy plans. The policy should also facilitate the use of ICT in administrative set ups to develop workers’ capabilities.

He said the success achieved by many institutions in the developed countries that deployed ICT in the school administration proved its effectiveness in management and needed to be embraced fully.

He said:  “To move on with fast developing world, we need to embrace technology and in doing this, sufficient attention should be given to the implementation of ICT planning and strategies to enhance  Information Technology education in our institutions.

“Institution should drive and facilitate partnerships that include attracting private sector investments on a sustained basis, and tap the expertise and resources of both private and tertiary institution with an emphasis on equal access to quality, ICT enabled education.”

Earlier, the Director of Studies of the institution, Adekunle Banjo charged the 102 graduating students to key into ICT, be diligent, and use it to solve problems in society.