Category: Campus Life

Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

Four students of the University of Abuja risk jail term for allegedly forging their National Examinations Council (NECO) results to gain admission into the institution.

The four suspects – Effiong Theresa Etim; Solomon Victor; Abdulkabir Mohammad and Yakubu Joy Adama were handed over to NECO by the management of the university for prosecution.

The four students have been arrested by the Nigeria Police and are currently in detention in Minna, Niger State capital where the examination body is headquartered.

Their arrest followed an ongoing verification of certificate exercise embarked upon by NECO on all the higher institutions in Nigeria which led to the arrest of the suspects in October 2019.

The examination body said that the move was to overhaul the institution and its certificate issuance in order to ensure that only credible certificates are issued to the public.

They were supposed to appear before a judge of the Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse zone 2 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Monday.

An official of the examination body told reporters that the suspects may likely be arraigned before the end of this week following the failed arraignment of the students on Monday.

The students could spend up to 14 years in prison where the guilt of their alleged offenses are proved going by the provisions of the Penal Code Act (which is applicable in the Northern part).

A one-count charge has been filed before the court, Police Prosecutor, Chijioke Chigozie, told reporters at the court premises on Monday.

READ ALSO: UNIABUJA suspends admission, as father laments son’s admission denial

The case has not been assigned to any judge yet, it was learnt.

Chigozie said about nine students of the university have so far been arrested over similar offense.

The students, he noted, are still undergoing further investigation to gather more information.

“This is to send a strong message to students out there using fake NECO certificates”, an official of NECO said on Monday.

The one-count charge reads: “On the 18, October 2019, the registrar of the University of Abuja laid a complaint to the AIG zone 7 headquarters Abuja for investigation.

“It revealed that you Effiong Theresa Etim with June 2017 NECO SSC no 501569013, Solomon Victor June 2017 NECO SSC no: 10506512111, Abdulkabir Mohammad with June 2012 NECO SSC no: 105016543 and Yakubu Joy Adama with June 2016 NECO SSC no: 597472720.

“That these certificates upon which you gained admission or sought admission into the University of Abuja are forged certificates. You are thereby suspected to have committed the above offense.”

Fifty two graduates of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso were on Friday inducted as medical doctors.

At the 16th induction ceremony of the university at its College of Health Sciences in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Friday, the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Michael Olufisayo Ologunde, announced that the university had offered an automatic employment to the best graduating medical student in the 2018/2019 academic session, Dr. Rachael Aderonke Kolawole.

The VC, who disclosed that Kolawole was employed as lecturer ll, promised that LAUTECH will continue to appreciate and recognize hard work.

Ologunde further promised that LAUTECH will not relent to produce the best manpower for Nigeria, saying what “the nation demands from us as an educational institutions of world class standard is that cultivate the habit of commitment because we pride ourselves in excellence, integrity and service.”

In attendance at the ceremony were the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, one time Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State, Barr. Aare Abdulsalami and the Osun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Uzamot among others.

Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

The Rector of the Gateway (ICT) Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State, Kolawole Oyeyinka, on Thursday warned the students of the institution to shun cultism and conducts capable of tarnishing the image of the school or be ready “to graduate prematurely.”

Oyeyinka said great sacrifice had been made by the management to keep the institution in its height in accordance with the global standard, warning that the institution would not condone any student or things on or off campus that is capable of undermining its good name or academic calendar.

The Rector, who issued the warning while addressing the new intakes of the polytechnic at its 14th matriculation ceremony, declared that the school has zero tolerance for cultism and misconduct.

“The polytechnic will not hesitate to expel any student who embarks on cultism or any other act that can tarnish the beautiful image of our institution,” he said.

He charged the students to abide by the rules and regulations of the school, and face their academic pursuit with all the seriousness it deserves as the environment is conducive for them to attain their best, recalling that the institution has been rated 2nd best polytechnic in Ogun State and one of the best in Nigeria.

“The school had embarked on the construction of another 1,200 capacity auditorium, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Skill Acquisition.

“When the Centre is completed, it will seek to train about a thousand students per academic session, ranging from skill acquisition, auto mechanic, building service, block making, block laying masonry and pipe laying among other skills.

READ ALSO: Ogun Polytechnic gets Rector, Governing Council

“We have established the Internal Quality Assurance unit. This is to ensure quality pedagogical deliveries ranging from lecture monitoring, exam and quality assurance, curriculum coverage, quality result processing and so on. Also, Environment Corps (E-Corps) to see to the disciplined use of our facilities and environment,” Oyeyinka added.

Governor Dapo Abiodun who was represented by his Special Adviser on Students Affairs, Adeyemi Azeez, advised the new intakes to face their studies with all seriousness to prove themselves worthy in learning and character at the end of their studentship.

Abiodun also advised parents and guardians not to totally leave the task of moulding quality character into their wards to the school handle alone, saying they should also cultivate the habit of paying them unscheduled visitations to ascertain how they are faring in interpersonal relationship and academic life.

The Governor noted that his administration would continue to accord tertiary education and students’ necessary support but warned that it would condone acts capable of disrupting the smooth running of the school.

In his remarks, the State Commissioner Education for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Sidi Osho, who was represented at the ceremony by the Director of Tertiary Education in the ministry, Olanrewaju Erinle, charged the new students to be diligent in their studies and be good ambassadors of the polytechnic.

By Elegushi Modupe and Ibrahim and Oladipupo Ibraheem, LASU

Head of Department, Communication and Language Art, University of Ibadan Prof Ayobami Ojebode is canvassing a paradigm shift in advertising that underscores attitudinal change, while also promoting the brand.

He has proposed a new concept:  ‘Goodvertising’ which Ojebode considered a good weapon that could be deployed towards effecting social change.

Ojebode delivered the 60th birthday lecture of a professor of Advertising and Public Relations, and Dean School of Communication, Lagos State University (LASU) Rotimi Williams Olatunji. The lecture held at LASU premises was titled: ‘Goodvertising and search for a place called country’.

“‘Goodvertising’ is the inclination of brands to communicate about topics of goodness for the whole of society. Even on social change, it is a brand’s statement on serious issues which affect society, often with the intention of changing the world and human thinking,” he began.

He said it is now obvious that goodvertising tackles the fundamental behaviour, practices, values and beliefs that lie behind man’s daily problems.

Ojebode identified greed, violence, indiscretion, corruption, wastefulness, obscene display of wealth, nepotism as the underlying fuels behind most of our national woes; hence the massive search for a place called a country.

He said good advertising would therefore bridge the nation’s ethnic, religious and cultural differences and help Nigeria rediscover herself as a nation of great potentials.

“Goodvertising would serve as fodder for national and individual introspection when problems arise. Working with other factors, it would help us redefine ourselves as a nation, and quicken our realisation of that place called country,” Ojebode added.

Nonetheless, while portraying the county’s image in a positive manner, Ojebode insisted that advertisers must also bear in mind the aspect of profit-making, saying it is the fundamental purpose of the entrepreneur.

He recalled the xenophobic attacks in South Africa on Nigerians a few months ago and how Nigerian citizens responded with the same measure by attacking some of South African business interest in the country,. He wondering where advertisers stand if they are less concerned about promoting global peace.

He drew a line between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and goodvertising, saying while the former addresses certain fundamental problems in the society, the latter harps on attitudinal change.

“CSR is not goodvertising. A CSR targets problem such as poverty, lack of potable water in the host community, while goodvertising is targeted at attitude or practice, those fundamental forces behind the problem that we see,” he explained.

“While CSR might build school, goodvertising would talk about corruption and mismanagement which may lead to  embezzlement of the constituency project funds for school construction in the first instance. The product of goodvertising is intangible while the output of CSR is concrete,” Ojebode added.

Further, he made reference to a campaign of a popular beer beverage where the lead character Nico, just recorded a resounding success. Nico’s friend thereafter thronged him in celebration, offering him a bottle of the beer brand. To their surprise, Nico politely turned down their offer, saying ‘I am still driving “. Yet this is an advert by the beer company.

“On the final note, goodvertising is not social marketing. Social marketing employs the principles of commercial marketing to promote social good and the overall welfare of people,” he said.

Abdullahi Alhassan, known as IMXB, is an upcoming Hausa hip-hop artiste. In this interview with ABDULSALAM MAHMUD, the student of Continuing/Adult Education at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), advises fellow student-musicians not to abandon their education for music.

 

When did you start music?

My romance with music started right from my secondary school days. I am a fan of hip-hop, and I’ve always followed Nigeria’s contemporary hip-hop artistes, and singing sensations. I am fond of downloading their latest songs immediately they are released. After that, I memorised the lyrics and mimic the voice of both the hit tracks and musicians.

What genre of songs do you produce?

I am a hip-hop artiste, and produce modern Hausa hip-hop songs, which are now the rave of the moment. It is what sweeps many Hausa music lovers off their feet.

Have you released any music album?

I have produced several hit songs, but the fact is, I am yet to release any album. But the good news is that my maiden album is only a matter of months from being launched. Already, I have put finishing touches to it. So, I am only waiting for the launch. I am assuring my fans that the inaugural album is coming out with a bang. It is an album that will rock the airwaves.

Do you perform at events?

Yes, I have been invited, and still get invitation for musical performance at entertainment shows. I have performed in Lapai, Minna, and several other places. I have lost touch of the number of times I performed at shows. At the risk of being immodest, I am now one of the regular performers on many entertainment shows organised on campus.

How is combining schooling and music?

The thing is both music and education are indispensable. One cannot be sacrificed for the other. And it is in appreciation of that that I always try to balance the time I have for my education and music career.

Whenever I am in school, I avoid missing lectures, otherwise, my studies would suffer. Similarly, when I have the opportunity to attend shows and fun-seeking events, I try to give it my all, and my best. But so far, so good, it has been great for me in school, and for my music career.

Do you see yourself becoming a professional artiste after school?

Without mincing words, I am already a professional musician. Though I am still in school, I know, and I am certainly sure that music is my true calling, after I graduate. So, I see myself becoming a full-term artiste, who will be engaged in producing hit songs to the delight of my fans.

 

What message(s) do you pass across in your songs?

My songs are devoid of obscenities, and vulgarities. I propagate virtues such as honesty, kindness, trust, patience, and generosity, to mention a few. I also preach the gospel of true brotherhood, hard work, good parenting, faithfulness, and acquiring education.

I have produced several songs that exhorted youths to shun drug abuse, hooliganism, robbery, and other vices. I have sung songs that called on our leaders to be just, incorruptible, selfless and offer good governance to the masses. So, the messages I pass across in my songs have always been noble, and righteous.

What is your dream as an upcoming musician?

I want to go to places in my career. I hope to win plenty awards, locally and internationally. I want to become the most sought-after Hausa hip-hop artiste in the North. Above all, I want my songs to revolutionise Hausa hip-hop.

Any piece of advice for talented student-musicians?

I urge them to remain ambitious, passionate, dedicated and persistently strive towards actualising their career goals. The journey to attaining fame, and stardom will be rough but they should not relent, amid odds. They must remain focused, prayerful and believe in their dreams. But in the meantime, I want to urge them not to sacrifice their education pursuits for music.

 

 

 

By Abdulrasheed Hammad, UDUS

A suspected burglar was beaten black and blue by angry students of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS).

The thief was apprehended in one of the hostels Block H while stealing students’ personal effects like bags, mobile phones, laptops, jewellery and wristwatches.

The suspect has since been handed over to the school’s security which has banned him from entering campus henceforth.

CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the suspect, who identified himself simply as Babagana, was an ex-student of UDUS. According to the university management, Babagana last registered for a course in 2015 and that was the last they heard of him.

Speaking with our correspondent Shafihi Bolakale Sodiq who resides in the room where Babagana invaded, narrated how the incident happened and how the suspected thief was later handed over to the security officer.

He said: “I was listening to some inspirational hymns on my phone after subhi prayer. My phone was beside me but I slept off.

“Suddenly, I noticed I couldn’t hear the sound of that phone again. So I woke up and I just saw the guy passing by this bunk and moving towards the door. I stood up immediately and our eyes crossed each other. I simply stretched my hand and he immediately returned my phone. I went back to bed because I was seriously feeling dizzy.

“I didn’t know that before he came here, he had stolen some items from my roommate’s bag. When the owner of the bunk returned he said he couldn’t find his wristwatch. Another roommate said he couldn’t find his phone. That’s when I narrated the whole story to them.

“So we divided ourselves into two groups. Some went upstairs and other downstairs looking for him. I saw him first and immediately called in other witness to confirm his identity. Once his (suspect) was established, that was when we descended on him. He was brutally beaten until we later handed him over to security who rushed him to the school clinic.

One of the members of the room where the suspected thief was caught who begged to remain anonymous, said Babagana was not their roommate but only visited his friend who squats with another roommate at the hostel. The suspect thereafter decided to pass the night at the hostel because it was already late. The source added that Babagana’s friend whose name is unknown has also been sent packing for habouring a thief.

The institution’s Chief Security Officer Col. Abdullah Gwandu (rtd), told CAMPUSLIFE that the suspect was no more a student of UDUS, adding that the last time he registered any course in the school was in 2015.

Gwandu said the suspect has since been handed over to his parents and subsequently warned never to set foot in the university again.

Said Gwandu: “Babagana is the name of the suspected thief from Gombe State.

“We investigated the matter and found out that he is no more our student. He used to be because the last time he registered for any course on this campus was in 2015. How can one claim to be a student without registration?

“I gave the report to the university management and I was directed to look for his guidance. I have since handed him over to them. He is no longer our student and has been declared as personal non-grata.

“He (Babagana) cannot have any access to security on campus. We have informed his parents that he is no longer a student of this school and therefore his safety cannot be guaranteed because he is an habitual thief. We didn’t even allow him return to the hostel because we were afraid of students attacking him out of anger.

He however urged the students to apprehend him should they find him again around campus premises, and  hand him over to the police.

“If you see him around the campus, we expect you students to apprehend him or call the security to arrest him because we have no reason to accommodate him here any longer. He is even a threat to our peace and security.”

By Mcdouggie Ekperikpe, Aniefre Akpan and Glory Thomas, AKSU AND OGITECH 

Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) has conducted matriculation for 2,190 students for the 2019/2020 academic session.

The ceremony which  took place at the institution’s sports ground, main campus had in attendance top management staff of the university.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Eno Ibanga, said the exercise was the 10th in the series.

He enjoined students to be of good behaviour, law abiding and be good ambassadors ofthe institution. He advised them to be familiarised with the school’s rules and regulations as well as avenue for seeking redress when their rights are breached.

Ibanga warned the new students that the university would not  tolerate indecent dressing, cultism,   and exam malpractice.

Similarly, Ogun State Institute of Technology, (OGITECH) Igbesa, held her 14th matriculation for over 3,000 students new students.

Rector of OGITECH, Dr Olunfunke Olanike Akinkurolere congratulated the new students and the parents many of who attended the occasion.

Akinkurolere insisted the student must participate in practical and industrial skills in the school.

She warned the new students to steer clear of anti-social behaviours in order not to be sanctioned.

“Recently before the matriculation, a boy was sent home because he tried ripping out a fellow student’s eyeballs as a result of involvement in a fight. Do not constitute threat to people around you,” she stressed.

Akinkurolere equally used the occasion to introduce ‘OGITECH Bulletin’, the first in the institution’s history.

However, the Permanent Secretary,  Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Mrs Abosede Ogunleye, applauded the management for its developmental strides.

Ogunleye admonished the new students to study hard towards achieving greatness in life.

“It is one thing to graduate with distinction and another to defend the certificate,”Ogunleye  warned.

By Solagberu Owoeye, UNILAG

Africa, nay Nigeria, has been advised to be proactive by preparing for the work space which will be dominated by artificial intelligence/robotics in not too distant future.

This is because the 21 century industrial revolution would inevitably provide the atmosphere that will extinct certain jobs, and place that same responsibility in the hands of technology-inspired robotics.

Mr Chimezie Ikeme, Coordinator of BredHub, a firm that provides knowledge for children desirous of learning about Robotics and other new technology, said,  undegraduates, fresh graduates, tutors and teachers in basic and secondary school  need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge about AR/Robotics.

He spoke ahead of a five-day train-the trainer programme which BredHub would be facilitating for the aforementioned who are also desirous in acquiring additional knowledge in AI/Robotics.

According to him, the essence of the forthcoming exercise was to create more awareness about the fact that AI/Robotic has come to stay; and therefore its knowledge should be propagated among young graduates and teachers for onward trasmission to school children.

Said Ikeme:”In the next five years, the work space will be different from what we have today. So what we have today and will last till the next century is AI/Robotics.

“The world has moved from industrial revolution 3 which was about developing microchips and going into the moon. We are now in the era of indusial revolution 4 which is applying the microchips that we have to create an artificial intelligence system that will now find solutions to human lives.

“Now we have expectation of the world for Africa, 35 per cent of the resources that will help create equilibrium in the management of artificial intelligence has to come from Africa.

“America and China have moved on. Europe has also joined them. We must begin to create the awareness now.

“We are moving into an era where the first medical operating Robot is out. It will operate you accurately without a doctor. We are moving into an era where you find robot defending your case in court. Most of us are already aware about self-driving cars.

However, In Africa, Bredhub stands stronger as vehicle to create this awareness; and we need to start with the children.”

The firm’s General Manager Christian Chime, said the training which holds at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos,is for young graduates and teachers that would be deployed into primary, secondary and tertiary cadres to teach robotics.

“For instance, all of us are familiar with smartphones which are supposed to be used in every home; but if you don’t have the technical people to do the installation, there may be a little problem. So in this train-the-trainer, we are going to have speakers from across Lagos and any other parts of the state, as well as young graduates specilaising in science and tech but also want to be useful in the area of teaching artificial intelligence in schools.

Bredhub General Manager Christian Chime, described Robotic as a technological revolution, adding that the outfit would encourage children to use it at a young age, so it won’t be strange to them once they get older.

Chime said participants will be trained, duly engaged and certified and they can use this certificate to teach robotics in schools. He added that BredHub would offer immediate employment to those who will pass the test, and deploy them to schools nationwide.

BredHub Marketing Manager Emem Ntat, spoke on the rationale behind the training.

“The essence of this training is that soon, we are going to have the curriculum in schools but we don’t have teachers equipped enough to teach it.  It will be a matter of not being able to give what you have,” she said.

She continued: “We want to expand it (robotics) and make it available to more children in Nigeria. We want the children to be programming robot and we give them a model of a real life problem to solve.

“We want to make it available to all Nigerian children to solve. We have this hub in Lagos where we train children on different applications of the things they have learned in their classroom.

For instance, how do they apply mathematics into changing real life problems? When they graduate how are they actually going to be of benefit to the society?

Bredhub Business/Admin. Manager Oluwatobiloba Adeboyejo, said the firm is making effort to partner with those interested to integrate AI/Robotics into the school curriculum.”

By Habeebullahi Abdulwasiu, AAUA

As part of its mission to drive effective knowledge and practice of journalism among students, the National Association of Mass Communication Students (NAMACOS), has paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Osun State chapter.

The visit which was led by the president of the association Adesola Ikulajolu, aimed to enhance the town and gown relationship.

Chairman of the Osun State chapter of the NUJ Mr Kehinde Ayantunji, lamented the challenges being faces by aspiring writers while plying their trade on campus. Ayantunji identified lack of access to information from authorities as well as victimisation of practitioners, as two major hiccups.

Ayantunji advised young writers to report not with an intention to blackmail, but rather in line with truthfulness and public interest. He also stated that NUJ as a union, has been advocating regulation which will identify only graduates of Mass Communication as gatekeepers to avoid quackery in the field. Ayantunji gave the visitors 150 pieces of document comprising Freedom of Information Act, free.

Ayantunji described journalism as a work which ethic must be followed to the letter. He implored practitioners to be tech-savvy saying the profession cannot be successfully carried out without considering revolution in Information and communication technology (ICT).

He said: “Technology has given you the chance to carry out any investigative work with ease. The technology does not come by accident, but has been predicted since 1962 that it would determine the future of communication which we are experiencing today. So, in pursuing your journalism career, you must be technologically compliant”

“Online medium is there for you to learn absolutely everything, but the most important thing about the platform is to ensure quality when publishing their articles.

In his appreciation, Ikulajolu also a CAMPUSLIFE reporter, thanked the union for coming up with such brilliant idea which, according to him, would help students venture more into the profession.

By Maiduguri Kaseem Isa Muhammad

Insufficient accommodation at the University of Maiduguri is perhaps the worst pain going through the inner feelings of students of the institution who either lives near or far.

We have witnessed the way other universities with a large student population have structuredtheir hostel and this is quite interesting.

I believe the Tertiary Education Trust Funds, which is a Federal Government’s intervention fund, should not only be spent on renovation of the school’s senate building, administrative blocks, and departmental offices in the midst of urgent demand of hostels by the students who traveled from various destinations to Maiduguri.

The management of the school needs to priortise building enough hostels for the students first before any other thing.

We are all aware of the insecurity around Borno. However, if we must be sincere,we will all acknowledge the fact that building accommodation for students will encourage them to study in peace, rather than leaving them with the choice of living  around the city of Maiduguri, thereby exposing them to danger.

The University of Maiduguri lacks good accommodation. Most of the hostels in the university are dilapidated and cannot accommodate its burgeoning students. The university management should take proactive measures as the issue of accommodation is one of the most pressing now.

There are many students in the university that are buying bed spaces in order to re-sell at an exorbitant rate. This is despite that the practice is against the school’s rule which pegged the official rate of hostel at between N15000 and N22,000.00.

There are some hostels that only people who are rich can afford. Their rate falls within N50,000 to N80,000.

Some frustrated and particularly students from poor homes who cannot afford such cutthroat rate squat with their friends.

To make matters worse, some put up in lecture theatres, associations and fellowship secretariats, and common rooms, among others, and retire to their hostels very early the following day to get dressed for lectures.

Meanwhile, it’s an offence to squat in the university. In many of our hostels, one finds a room having eight or more people against the normal four students per room.

Recently, news of the management increasing accommodation and registration fees hit the social media.  The school management increased it by 10 per cent, while the hostel racketeers doubled theirs thereby creating more problems for the system.

I could only appeal to management to provide some palliatives which will ensure students’ plights as regards hostel accommodation are ameliorated.

 

• Kasim Isa Muhammad is a 200-Level Mass communication undergraduate of University of Maiduguri