The Jama’atu Ta’awunil Muslimeen Society of Nigeria(JTMSN) has donated food items to Muslim students and the less privileged.
This took place in Iwo,Osun State, recently.
The National President of JTMSN , Sheikh Daood Imran Molaasan said it was aimed at supporting needy students and ensuring they have a hitch-free Ramadan.
“We don’t need to wait for the government, we are doing all we can to make sure everyone survives during this period of fasting.
“We have prepared food packages of over 400 people to be distributed to indigent students and the less privileged,” he said.
He enjoined Muslims across the country to pray for a peaceful and prosperous nation.
God has given us specific gifts to share. It is one thing to identify your gifts, it is another thing to utilise them.
There are differences between talents and gifts. Talents are natural while gifts are supernatural. They come through inheritance and maybe genes, while gifts are from the Lord. Talents need to be developed while gifts are to be exercised and that can only be exercised by a believer; someone who believes in the dwelling of God.
The purpose of life is to utilise your gifts for the betterment of humanity. What you should aim to do in your life is to transfer your possession willingly without seeking benefits in return from an individual. Using your gifts without restrictions enables you to have impact on humans.
Everybody has specific gifts on earth; it is only left for people to discover such at the right time
God has given everyone unique ability, talents and gifts. A spiritual gift is an endowment from the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are like loans. You have been given spiritual gifts freely, your duty is to use to better the lot of people.
The meaning of life is find your gifts while the purpose of life is to properly utilise them. For you to discover your gifts, you need to seek the face of God. This is by praying, while praying, ask him to show you your purpose on earth. If God shows you, it is not for you to keep. It is left for you as an individual to exercise it and utilise it effectively.
Ogunbiyi is a Mass Communication student of Redeemers University.
Like mainstream media outfits, campus publications and efforts of student-journalists also help in shaping public opinions as they provide relevant information. Aside from keeping students and their universities’ updated on relevant issues, they aid in upholding the freedom of speech and expression.
If priority will be given to campus journalists, just the way Students’ Union Governments, in our various higher institutions, are permitted to freely operate, they would have effectively played their role as the society’s watchdog in campuses.
But unfortunately, that is not the case. Rather, they have become objects of victimisation by ‘overbearing’ school authorities.
Many campus journalists, across the country, have bitter tales to share on how they were ‘victimised’ by school managements over ‘offensive’ stories and articles they had published.
Abdulsalam Mahmud a former CampusLife reporter had his certificate witheld for more than three years by authorities at Fati Lami Abubakar Institute of Legal and Administrative Studies(FLAILAS), Niger State, for writing a story deemed ‘injurious’ and ‘offensive’.
Mahmud’s story entitled : “Varsity applicants battle institute for results” was written to ensure school authorities quickly release students’ results.But it turned out otherwise.
Also, a campus journalist from Usman Danfodio University Sokoto, and an investigative reporter, Olarotimi Ibrahim faced series of intimidation and harassment for reporting the case of some students who had accommodation problem and resorted to sleeping in side the bush.
He was suspended for some semesters by the school,but was later reinstated.
Reports of this nature are aimed at improving the standard of our universities; they should not be seen as malicious.
Also, another story is that of a campus journalist from IBB University Lapai, Niger State. I exposed misappropriation and embezzlement of funds in the Students’ Union Government of 2018/2019 administration.
Both the school management and the SUG condemned the report. They labelled it offensive and said it was capable of ridiculing the image of the institution and the student involved.
I was called to the Dean Students’ Affairs unit and warned not to write such stories anymore as I risked expulsion.
Amid the tales of victimisation suffered by campus journalists, the union of campus journalists in our various institutions must be well-equipped to function as any other professional body.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) should help to curb harassment and victimisation of innocent student-journalists who are offering thankless services of informing and educating university communities.
Also, school authorities should outline rules to guide the practice of campus journalism. They should not be too strict. Campus journalism has done quite much in terms of sanitising our schools. It must not be allowed to die.
Abaga is a 400-Level Mass Communication student of IBB University Lapai, Niger State.
Infrastructural development at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto (UDUS) has underscored the school authorities, commitment towards improving the institution in all aspects, and ensuring it ranks among the best across the country. Nevertheless, staff and students have lauded the leadership of the university, urging it to do more, reports ABDULLATEEF OTUYIGA (UDUS).
The Vice Chancellor of UDUS, Prof. Lawal Suleiman Bilbis, has continued to build on the legacy of his predecessor, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, who built many projects which uplifted the school during his administration. It has witnessed an upgrade in many areas.
The school which hitherto had no fencing has been fenced to enhance security. The fencing clearly marked out UDUS territory from neighbouring communities’ and is electrified. Not only that, the road — from the second gate to Kwankwasiya Stadium — has been adorned by street lights powered by a solar system. Some roads have been tarred with speed breakers to reduce the accidents on campus.
Chief among the upgrades is the expanded Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre. An examination hall was converted to an ICT centre to ease access for students for their various computer-based tests. The students were particularly joyous about the ICT centre as they bid goodbye to erratic network.
Drainages were also constructed to ease the flow of flood waters in the school. The walk-ways were not left. The projects completely transformed the environment such that students and members of staff could not contain their excitement.
An inspection of the school by our correspondent showed the new ambience of the school as students took turns to express their joy with the new look of their school.
They all agreed that the projects would enhance security make learning more interesting.
Students, staff on the importance of fencing
The school’s Director of Works, S. A. Lawal, said the fencing and the street lights would further secure the environment.
“It is a welcome development, it really makes the academic environment more secure. It also shows the geographical territory of UDUS from those of neighbouring communities,” he said.
The Dean Students’ Affairs, Prof. Aminu Mode, said the fence would bring an end to insecurity in the institution while the ICT centre would ensure seamless Computer-Based Tests.
Also, Soliu Mariam, a 200-Level student of Linguistics, expressed delight on the infrastructural upgrade in the school.
She said: “I am very happy with the new development in the school. Erection of the fence is a very good project because it will make the campus more secure for the students. Safety of students will be guaranteed.”
Another student, Amidu Dabban, a 400-Level student of Chemistry Education said: ”The university territory would be clearly marked and trespassers can be rightly sanctioned. Students like myself would feel a little more sense of safety regardless of the pronounced insecurity in the entire northern states. So I believe it’s a good step in the right direction.”
•Bumps being fixed on the road in front of the school’s gate
Similarly, Fatimah Abdulrahman, a student of History said: “The erection of fence is a big relief to me and other female students. Being that we female students are closer to the gate, with the fence, it will enable us know that we are a little bit safe from outsiders who invade the hostel areas. And it will enhance the security system whereby they will be able to know who is going and coming out.”
Road bumps would curb accidents
Plastic bumps, with flashing light indicators at night, have been fixed. This is from the entrance of the school’s first gate to other adjoining roads around the school.
According to Bello Usman, a young Hausa bike-man, over the years, the absence of the bumps had caused lots of accidents which claimed lives and rendered many disabled.
“At least when you’re coming from a far place, if you see the bumps, you’ll slow down. The school has tried,” he said.
Restoration of solar street light
The restoration of solar street light from the entrance of second gate to the main campus, among others, makes the academic environment well illuminated. Students feel safe walking on the streets, as they
know danger that lurks around could easily be seen in a nearby corner.
Soliu Omowunmi Mariam, a 200-Level student said: “This is a good thing, if those Yaro boys don’t remove it again. And to be sincere, when there is no street light, we were scared to walk freely at night, but since this has been restored, one can walk freely and if anything would happen to you, people around could see that, even if you cannot shout, at least it is okay.”
For Abba Musa, a 300-Level Biochemistry student, the solar lighting project is the most important because it reduces the risk of robbery and kidnapping.
“This is the most important part of all the projects because the lighting of the environment reduces the risk of robbery and stealing within the campus,” he said.
Another student, Mohammed Lawal, said: “The lighting will greatly assist security men who use battery–powered torch. It would also save them the stress of aggressively pointing the device to identify drivers and pedestrians at night.”
He continued: “The installation of the solar street lights is a very laudable project undertaken by the university management after the stealing of the lithium batteries of the previous street lights. This has reduced the rate of walkway robberies, rapes and assault against both genders. It has also given a sense of security to students like myself that frequent night classes. More of this should be installed in remote areas on campus.”
Exam hall turns ICT centre
The new ICT centre, a project of TETFUND, adds to the existing ICT centres on campus for more access to computer systems, Computer Based Test,among others.
A student who refused to be named said:” The idea of turning the former exam hall to ICT centre is a good one, if it will be accompanied with the building of more spacious lecture halls for students. Students should also be allowed to use the new ICT hall when needed. We believe it would encourage the Computer Based Test the university is working hard to normalise.”
For Zainab Sule, a 200-Level student, the new ICT centre would accommodate more students and reduce the stress of long queues when there was inadequate ICT centres for online examinations.
She said: “The stress experienced during Computer-Based Test is too much for us.
‘’We were always grouped to avoid excessive crowd, but still there was overpopulation. Eventually some students wouldn’t see their results. With the new addition, that would be a thing of the past.”
Also, the Dean, Students Affairs, UDUS, Prof Mode explained that the new ICT centre was furnished and well-equipped with many computers, adding that the devices would help students to write CBT effectively and learn other digital skills. However, he disclosed that there would be additional computers mainly for computer
science students, education computer students and others.
Lawal further said: “The project is left for students to judge. All these are developmental projects like the fence, the solar street light, the drainage, the tarred road, and the walk-way which will make the academic environment more likeable and secure.”
Undoubtedly, the term ‘Friends with benefits’, also known as FWB, has become a common trend in our institutions of learning.
According to Merriam Webster, ‘Friends with benefits’ is a friend with whom one has casual sexual relations without commitments. It involves sexual partners that usually enjoy the freedom of having constant sex when needed without any relationship commitment.
The male partner involved tends to enjoy regular sex benefits while the lady involved also enjoys material things in return on a mutual ground. The aim is to satisfy each other’s needs.
During my year one in school, I witnessed something like that. A close friend of mine got involved in relationship with various guys due to lack of contentment. She felt she was not getting enough from home and she also wanted to top the list of the “Bigger girls” on campus. It later ended on sad note because she lost concentration and had to leave school in her third year because of numerous carryovers and sexually transmitted diseases.
Ignorance, financial dependency, lack of parental guidance, academic dependency, comfort, peer pressure, loneliness, social influence,among others, are some of the factors responsible for such.
Financial dependency is also a major factor that leads one into this bad relationship. Lack of basic school needs can make a student toe that wrong path. These sets of students do not want to be committed, but they only see the relationship as the best option to get what they want. The saying: “You use what you have to get what you need” sums it up.
Also, lack of parental guidance is a factor. Some students misbehave when they have access to freedom outside home. Some parents neglect their children once they gain admission into higher institutions, they feel there is no need for frequent monitoring of their children while in school.
Academic dependency has also been identified as a factor. Most female students tend to rely on male students for good academic performance. Hence, female students pay back with what they can offer like sex, performing some domestic chores, washing of their partners clothes etc. The two partners involved most times are not ready to take responsibility, so they opt for abortion.
And frequent abortions can result to damage of the uterus and sometimes death for the female partners. It can also lead to damages that can’t be repaired or fixed for life.
The act has also led to domestic violence and abuse between the partners involved.The female partner is always at the receiving end.
Indeed, ‘Friends with benefits’ relationship on our campuses is a threat to good moral conduct among youths, especially students.
However, to curb this act, parents have a lot to do. They should endeavour to instill good attitudes into their children because a child that is well trained will be cautious and will not be wrongly influenced.
Also, proper upbringing of a child by the parents is necessary. Parents should follow-up on their children even while in school. They should monitor their activities and also check on them frequently without informing them. Parents should also provide basic needs for their children in school.
The school authorities should also set regulations, and disciplinary measures that will guide the conduct of students, especially those who stay off campus.
The school authority should also try to provide enough hostels that will accommodate all students to aid their effective monitoring.
Adesola studies at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA).
Operation London Bridge is the code name given to the days and weeks after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history as she has been sitting on the royal throne since 1952, surpassing her great, great-grandmother’s reign (Queen Victoria) of 63years and 7months.
London Bridge (Queen Elizabeth II) has seen over a dozen UK Prime Ministers, almost 20 summer Olympics and more than half a dozen popes. She’s the Head of the Commonwealth, the patron to almost 600 organisations and charities and plays a crucial role of UK’s alliance with many countries.
Interestingly, Queen Elizabeth II is Nigeria’s oldest living former Head of State and her passing will bring a lot of changes in the UK and the world.
The Queen’s private secretary, Rt. Hon. Edward Young CVO will pass a message to the acting Prime Minister at that time. The message will read “London Bridge is down”.
The Prime Minister will then set ‘Operation London Bridge’ into action. Momentarily, the 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is the Head of State will be informed over a secure line and that will be followed by the 36 Commonwealth nations and leaders around the world.
A black-edged notice of the news will be adorned at the gates of Buckingham Palace and a news flash will alert the media around the world. All BBC’s shows will stop and proceed to run a feed dedicated to the news and the traditional red BBC branding will turn black.
Prince Charles will immediately become King on the same day of her death and will give his first official speech as King on the following day after the Queen’s passing as stock exchange, shops across the UK have already been closed out of respect on the day of the Queen’s passing. This will be followed with a 41-gun salute at Hyde Park, London.
King Charles will then set off on a UK tour of the four capitals of each country: Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and returning to London. Many media outlets will play many documentaries prepared in honour of the Queen as the BBC will refrain from playing comedy shows as a sign of respect until after the funeral.
The Queen’s coffin will be led on a military procession four days after her death from the Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state for four days. During the time, King Charles, family and dignitaries will pay their respects and after, hundreds of thousands of people will follow suit.
The funeral is projected to take place 10 to 12 days after the Queen’s death and the day of the funeral will be an official Bank Holiday for the UK. Stock exchange, businesses will close for a second time in two weeks. At 11am, the country will fall silent and the coffin brought into Westminster Abbey where about 2000 specially invited guests will bow their heads in prayer. After the service, the coffin will be moved to Windsor Castle and finally to St. George’s Chapel, where she will be laid to rest next to her father, King George VI.
A year after the funeral, an official coronation of King Charles will happen on another Bank Holiday. As a result, the Queen’s passing is estimated to cost the UK economy billions of pounds. New British currency will be printed with the King’s portrait and the Queen’s currency will be slowly removed from circulation. Same changes will be made for stamps, passports, portraits, police and military uniforms. The National Anthem will be changed to ‘God Save the King’.
The Queen’s death could heighten the growing support in Australia for the country to become a republic and this could lead other countries to follow suit. This is one of the many big changes expected to happen after the Queen’s passing that could alter the British Royal Family forever.
“This scenario will one day be upon us. ‘Operation London Bridge’ will be triggered, and arguably the biggest funeral of our lifetime will be witnessed around the world. This will be an end of an era” – Charlie Floyd
Vice Chancellor of the Maranatha University, Mgbidi, Oru West Council Area, Imo State, Prof. Ogwu Ogwu, has advocated for an academic curriculum that would mould students intellectually and spiritually in tertiary institutions across the country.
This, he said, is the basis of character formation which, if adopted, would stem the rising tide of all forms of immorality ravaging institutions.
He promised to visit all the traditional rulers of the area to sensitise them on the issue.
Ogwu, a former VC of the Abia State University, stated this at a thanksgiving service of the varsity which featured a short message with the theme: “The light has come” and corporate prayers by the Presiding Bishop of Praise Centre Church International, Bishop Stafford Nwaogu.
He noted that as a faith-based institution, his administration would do its best to move it to greater heights in the face of older academic establishments.
Proprietor and member, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the institution, Pastor Grace Ngubo, explained that the university was poised to provide basic academic programmes that would improve skills and abilities of students.
She regretted that many youths acquire education without morality and the fear of God, and warned that the future would be bleak if this is left unchecked.
“Ours is to produce graduates imbued with the fear of God and who will be internationally acceptable to compete favourably with their counterparts all over the world,” she said.
The chancellor and chairman, BOT of the institution, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ngubo, announced an immediate full four-year scholarships for the first three indigenes of the area to be admitted into the institution.
A lecturer at the Department of Education, Benson Idahosa University (BIU), Prof. Nora Omoregie, has said social vices have become the bane of education in the country, stressing that the system should be overhauled.
Omoregie spoke during the Ninth Inaugural Lecture of the institution. She delivered a lecture entitled: “Educational administration and the quality of the products of the school system.”
She noted that a sound educational system was needed for the production of quantitative and qualitative human resources required for the economic growth of the nation.
She maintained that education in every nation was the key to national development. She noted that its major role was the preparation of the workforce needed in every segment for the development of the nation.
The professor of Educational Administration said the importance of education could not be overemphasised regarding nation building and development.
She said the secondary school system in Nigeria had been rendered ineffective because of irregularities in the curriculum. According to her, the learners, the teaching process and the teachers need to be repackaged.
“The secondary education which is the pivot of the entire education system is fast losing relevance because of examination malpractice, cultism, immorality, drug addiction and other vices. Repackaging the curriculum, thorough scrutinisation of the teaching process which include class size, conducive environment, facilities, audio visual materials, among others is quite essential,” she said.
She said she noticed irregular trends in secondary school students’ enrolment for terminal examination in Edo State.
“In the past, I noticed irregular trends in secondary school students’ enrolment for terminal examination in Edo State. A situation where students were abandoning their schools to enrol in “Miracle Centres” for West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), National Examination Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO) and even Junior School Certificate Examination (JSS III). Schools in rural areas as well as few private schools in the city were used as those centres,” she said.
She noted that lecturing must be consciously done with the hope of producing quality products. She said at the point of entry, school administrators should present orientation for the students on study techniques.
Omoregie urged the Federal Government to make the teaching profession attractive to boost the morale of all those currently teaching in all levels.
She also called on government to provide adequate funds for education. She added that assessment of students should be based on sound parameters.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sam Guobadia, represented by his Deputy, Prof. Johnson Oyedeji, thanked and congratulated the lecturer, noting that inaugural lectures were avenues for scholars to educate the public in research and learning.
He also lauded Omoregie for her contribution and dedication to academic work in the institution.
The surge in population in the country has raised concerns and the need for control. One of the ways to achieve this is effective family planning. However, many families are afraid of family planning. Yet, family planning goes a long way in helping both the family and society at large.
Studies have shown that women who have more than four children are at an increased risk of maternal mortality.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has defined family planning as “allows individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility. A woman’s ability to space and limit her pregnancies has a direct impact on her health and well-being as well as on the outcome of each pregnancy”.
Family planning can be seen as a process whereby a woman plans and decides when to bear a child with the consent of her husband.
Family planning permits pregnancies to be spaced. It can also prevent health risks and problems of death from early childbearing. It prevents unintended pregnancies, including those of older women who are done with child bearing.
In addition, family planning decreases the danger of unplanned pregnancies among women living with HIV. This will lead to fewer infected babies and orphans.
Young women who become pregnant by mistake drop out of school, lose job prospects, and can be compelled into teenage marriages. Thousands more die each year as they attempt to hide their disgrace by seeking unsafe abortions. Left and right, futures are stolen by the burden of teenage pregnancy.
Recently, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said the country must take urgent steps to avoid a ‘time bomb scenario’ of unchecked population growth, highlighting the low rates of contraceptive use. But we need to be doing more to address the unique needs of youth. Unplanned pregnancies among young people undermine opportunities for education and employment, exacerbate poverty and perpetuate gender inequities. For the sake of Nigeria’s future, this needs to change.
Over 900,000 teenagers give birth in Nigeria each year, the highest rate in sub-Saharan Africa. Imagine what our communities and our economy would look like if they had the chance to finish school and join the workforce instead?
We need to give our young women the chance to choose to have smaller families, later in life that they are better able to support. We need to give them a chance to contribute to the social and economic development of our country.
Abaga is a 400-Level Mass Communication student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL).
Special Adviser to the Abia State Governor on Teens Matters, Mrs. Chinemenma Umeseaka, has urged students and young people to be conscious of the information they spread on the social media.
She spoke during a training, which held at the Uche Ogah Auditorium of the Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu.
The training was organised by former students – Odoemena Chinonso and Unachukwu Daniel. Both are graduates of Political Science and Computer Science.
The training was aimed at equipping students with digital skills to make them self-reliant.
Chinonso said plans were underway to reach out to over 50 universities across the country before the end of the year.
“We observed that most undergraduates are built with the dependency mentality of graduating and seeking employment, while they could acquire digital skills and create employment for themselves. I also noticed that there was a gap in technology information among the graduates and undergraduates and with this training, we are going to equip them with knowledge that will make them self reliant and employers of labour when they finally leave school,” he said.
Thus, a team of experts in the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) field trained no fewer than 500 undergraduates of ABSU
Mr. Douglas Peters, a computer programmer, taught the students how to create a web page with codes using their smart phones.
Blessing Okebe, an expert in digital marketing spoke on how to promote businesses using social media tools, and how to expand brand visibility with digital tools.
Marycynthia Mahakwe, a specialist in affiliate marketing, urged the students to be industrious, adding that they could make money from their homes.
She said: “One doesn’t need to undergo stress before making money. You can be at the comfort of your home and make passive income through digital resources.”
One of the participants, Virtuous Ezebunwa, a 300-Level student of English and Literature said: “In this era, if you are not technology inclined, you are not seen as progressive. I am excited that the training has opened my eyes and mind to opportunities on how to harness my potential to shape my career for good. The world is digitalised already, and it behoves on us all to follow the trend.”
Joan Green, a 100-Level student of Public Health, said the training had helped her to gather experience that would aid her career.
“The world is changing so fast with technology. If you are not inclined, you can’t function properly. I have seen the two sides of the social media and how their usage can make or mar you. I am very grateful for this life-changing initiative,” she said.
