The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • ‘We can help universities resolve crises’

    ‘We can help universities resolve crises’

    By Adekanye Omosalewa, LASPOTECH

    The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Nigeria (ICSAN) has offered to assist National Universities Commission (NUC) to address crises in ivory towers.

    President of  ICSAN Mr. Bode Ayeku said it is about time NUC extended its hand to stakeholders in private sector in the training of its personnel on corporate governance  to minimise disputes and industrial crisis that have become a norm in universities.

    As an institute pushing the frontiers of global best practices, Ayeku said ICSAN could help NUC set up a template peculiar to university administration alone and in line with how things are done globally.

    Speaking at the institute’s head office in Ikeja Lagos, Ayeku said once a template is set up, it would be followed by a monitoring committee whose reports would be published regularly as a means of putting the nation’s universities on their toes in terms of performance.

    “We are opened to any training initiatives to any sector both private and public,” began Ayeku who is ICSAN’s 27th President.

    He continued: “I know last year, there was this initiative to have code of best practices in the universities. It was being initiated by NUC.  We have made known our interest to partner with them in terms of structures that we expect to deliver as regards corporate governance in the university system

    “We are also in a position to train our future leaders in what they are expected to do.  It’s a work in progress and I think what will be required in terms of our education system is to have a more robust check on best practices that should be imbibed by universities.

    “There have been issues bordering on which section in the university has the power to do what? I think it’s just that that particular process should be put in place and the regulatory agencies will be in a better position to do that.

    “For example, why do we have sanity in banks? It’s because the regulatory agency has put in a code to guide every activity in banks.

    “The NUC should continue with that initiative but should be made broader in terms of involvement with relevant stakeholder to actually come up with the code of best practices in our university which will be uniformly applied across private and public universities.

    “We expect NUC to be carrying out monthly evaluation and have a monitoring committee that should not be made up of only NUC members but attract other relevant stakeholders- people from the private sector and other countries. I believe one of the ways by which we can solve our problems (in universities) is to compare what is happening in other climes to that of Nigeria.

    “Most importantly, the findings of this committee should be made public. The advantage of this is that all institutions will be afraid of scandal and therefore learn to do things right.

    “Let’s assume after the evaluation report, NUC publishes  the scandal in certain universities, parents would be well educated as regards which university would they send their children to.  That alone is sufficient reward for the poor standard of such university because lots of parents would gradually shift their attention away from that university.

    “Patronage would improve or decrease because Nigerians would have a better perception of universities that are faring well in terms of global best practice.”

    He said the institute under his watch is currently strategising to reach out to various NYSC camps nationwide so as to increase its membership base. Aside, he said ICSAN would also extend its various linkage programmes to other universities in and outside Nigeria so more students could participate in its qualifying examinations.

    “We also need to expand the scope of the linkage programme beyond students studying law by including those in Business Administration and other courses that the (Governing) Council may approve from time to time.”

  • The sexual harassment bill

    The sexual harassment bill

    By Agbo Agbo

    In October 2019, Nigerian varsities caught global attention. Sadly, this was not because of academic breakthroughs, rather it was because of the unfortunate escapades of some randy lecturers. This was triggered by the release of a documentary by BBC African Eye showing academics propositioning undercover female reporters. Wearing a secret camera, the undercover reporter, Ms. Kiki Mordi had allegedly visited a lecturer of the University of Lagos posing as a 17-year-old admission seeker. The documentary went on to show the lecturer allegedly making sexual overtures to the reporter. The affected lecturer was later suspended.

    It is against this backdrop that I want to address the Sexual Harassment Bill which was first introduced in the 8th Senate by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, then of Labour Party representing Delta Central Senatorial District. He is now the Deputy Senate President. According to him, the bill would help to check the menace of sexual harassment of students in Nigerian higher institutions by those who are supposed to mentor them academically and morally.

    Otherwise known as “A Bill for an Act to Make Provisions for the Prohibition of Sexual Harassment of Students,” it has students are the primary focus. Expectedly, lecturers in the nation’s tertiary institutions came out against the proposed legislation which if passed can lead to conviction of up to fourteen years in jail for those who sexually harass students.

    Following the airing of the BBC documentary, Omo-Agege dusted the same bill and presented it to the 9th Senate for deliberation. The Senate is currently holding a public hearing on the bill. It appears to be gaining traction from stakeholders. For instance, the United Nations (UN) has called on Nigerian journalists and civil society groups to mobilise support for the bill. UN Women Country Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Comfort Lamptey said they support the bill because: “The major hindrances to understanding the scale of this problem include weak structures for reporting sexual harassment and violence in universities; extreme power imbalances between students and lecturers and stigma-culture that shames victims and survivors.”

    Without doubt, anything bothering on sex is topical any day. In the advertising world there’s a phrase that says “sex sells” because it catches many eyeballs. There have been stories of how some lectures have betrayed the trust bestowed on them by engaging in acts detrimental to their calling. I deliberately used the word “some” because it would be unfair to broadly categorise most hard working and dedicated lecturers as sexual predators.

    I believe this was what informed the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to express their opposition to the bill at the Senate public hearings. National President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said the bill, if passed into law, could become a tool for harassing and victimising lecturers without justification, adding that the legislation is also inimical to the interest of tertiary institutions.

    “The bill is dangerous; it is inimical to the interest of the institutions and workers in tertiary institutions. And it contains several loose and ambiguous words which could also be used to harass, intimidate and target lecturers.” Ogunyemi said there are other problems in the universities that need immediate attention. While he kicked against new laws to tackle sexual harassment, he asked that the autonomy of universities should be respected and that the institutions have laws to handle such issues.

    “We should reconcile this bill with that Act. What does it take to review that Act to cover our new area of concern? If we have a law that addresses issues related to sexual harassment, why are we wasting time talking about another law? Are we also going to formulate a law to address corruption in the universities? Are we also going to formulate another law to address sexual harassment in the police, in the National Assembly? Did we need to wait for this long for Professor Akindele to be jailed? Did we?” Akindele was the ex- OAU lecturer that was jailed for sexual harassment.

    He has a point here. While one is not disputing the fact that there are cases of sexual harassment on campuses – the much talked about “sex for grade” issue – we should also not lose sight that there are also lazy and unserious female students who might hide under “sexual harassment” to cover up their academic inadequacies and blackmail lecturers, this is a strong possibility that should also be considered as the bill progresses.

    Apparently unfazed by the lecturers position, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said government must rise up to the challenge of sexual harassment and rape in institutions of higher learning. According to him, “complaints of sexual harassment in our places of learning are on the rise and this dangerous trend has quite a significant impact on the quality of learning, life and dignity of our children as a whole. Sexual harassment incidences are beginning to factor dangerously in our higher institutions in such a manner that we can no longer ignore otherwise we will be abdicating our responsibility to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the federation.”

    The bill went down well with other senators – 57 supported it – when it was first presented; some however want its scope widened to include sexual harassment of individuals in places other than the school environment. The argument is that the bill should not be tailor-made to prescribe or stipulate stiff penalties against only randy lecturers when many sexual predators are on the prowl in the larger society.

    We are all aware that sexual harassment has no borders as reports from the news media have proved. Cases abound it happens even in the most unlikely places, including government and private offices, markets, bus-stops, buses and even places of worship. In essence, it is restricted to tertiary institutions, but the entire Nigerian society. This pervasive problem is difficult to pin down – except where there are iron cast evidences – because of its different manifestations. If you’ve been in a court of law where rape cases are heard you’ll understand the point I’m trying to emphasise. Identifying an incidence or an instance of sexual harassment requires some special combination of variables. This is because there are oftentimes discrepancies in people’s perception of what types of interaction really constitute sexual harassment.

    Females, for example, categorise more behaviours as constituting sexual harassment than males. It may also be predicated on individual perception which may depend on the gender or age of the perceiver and also the social situation in which the interaction in question occur. This is not to excuse the fact that it does happen, but rather to state its complexity sometimes.

    For instance, a 1981 study conducted by Sandra Brown listed the following as constituting sexual harassment: verbal harassment or abuse; subtle pressure for sexual activity; sexists remarks about a woman’s clothing, body or activities; unnecessary touching, patting or pinching; leering or ogling of a woman’s body; constant brushing against a woman’s body; demanding sexual favours accompanied by implied or overt threats concerning jobs, letters of recommendation, grades, etc.

    If not properly handled, the bill – if passed – may be counterproductive in an academic and research environment. I’d additionally recommend that massive awareness be created by each institution on the behavioural manifestations of sexual harassment. Both lecturers and students should be enlightened on what constitute it and the repercussions for crossing the line. Enough room should be provided through effective reporting procedures where confidentiality is respected and proper objective investigation carried out and proper punishment meted out.

    No one – I believe – will frown at stiff penalties for offenders. Beyond dismissal and possibly a jail term, mechanism should be in place to ensure that any lecturer found wanting should be banned from lecturing for life. This will reduce to the minimum the unbridled moral turpitude and outright sexual criminality that has for long enveloped some of our institutions of higher learning.

    But the onus still lies in a strong family system. Schools, religious groups, the government and society all have a duty to nurture an ethical and moral culture that will foster responsible and decent behaviour among people, including the way they comport themselves before others.

     

  • Resilient in the face of life’s ordeal

    Resilient in the face of life’s ordeal

    Many thought he would simply fade away with life following a brutal attack from faceless thugs that left his two limbs severed. However, nearly a year afterwards, the victim, Habibu Abubakar, an undergraduate of Modern European Languages and Linguistics, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) is upbeat and ready to return to class to complete his studies. EMELIFE UCHENNA, a 300-LEVEL student of LITERATURE IN ENGLISH reports:

    He is an epitome of resilience with a never-say-die disposition. Hardly will anybody in his shoes want to challenge life to another battle; but Habibu Abubakar is ready to try again.

    As a 200-Level student of Modern European Languages and Linguistics at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Abubakar was hopeful of an assured future. But he was oblivious of the danger fate had laid on his path.

    Abubakar, who was then the class representative for his set, was attacked by unknown persons in April last year at Mana area of the metropolis. He was relaxing with a friend after a stressful day. His friend had left an hour before the attack to answer his father’s call.

    Abubakar struggled to wrest himself free of his assailants, but they overwhelmed him and made away with his motorcycle and other valuables after severing his two hands. It was at around 2am. With no one in sight, all his cries for help were futile.

    After the attack, UDUS campus erupted in anger. Some feared that the victim might suffer depression or even attempt suicide. But 10 months after, Abubakar, though still recovering, says he is ready to rejoin his course mates.

    The victim hosted CAMPUSLIFE correspondent who, along with friends and course mates, visited him in his home in Nakasari Local Government Area, Sokoto State.

    His visitors who didn’t know what to expect were dazzled by Abubakar’s characteristic liveliness.

    Abubakar told CAMPUSLIFE that he now had prosthetics which would allow him cope with lectures and exams, thanks to the Sokoto State Government that paid for his medical treatment. Nonetheless, he confessed he has not yet adapted to the device.

    “God willing, I have prosthetic hands; but, truthfully, I don’t like going out with it, Abubakar told CAMPUSLIFE.

    He said he was yet to inform the school management of his decision, but would do so this semester.

    “I trust the management however to find a comfortable way of learning for me,” he pleaded.

    “It is in their (management) hands. I have made up my mind already to go back to school. The past is past, and I must move on. But my resumption, my learning and every other thing will all be determined by the management. Whatever conclusion we reach, so long as I resume my studies, it is fine by me,” he added.

    He thanked the Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for paying for his treatment.

    “I do not know exactly how much has been spent so far. However, one thing I know is that the prosthetic hands cost about N14 million which was sponsored by government. The governor himself checks on me regularly and his family has been supportive,” he said.

    For a  man ‘cut to half’ in his mind, Abubakar would definitely be bitter against those who thought they had altered his fate. He is philosophical about his predicament. Should he have the opportunity to meet his assailants eye to eye, he said he would plead for forgiveness on their behalf, adding that he has left everything to God.

    He said: “I have accepted it in good fate already. I believe that God is the one who has destined it so. Mind you, what happened has done nothing to my drive for education.  I will go back to school this year. The Governor (Wammako) has also pledged to take care of my education. I recently sent him a message of my readiness to go back to school.

    “If I see my attackers today, all I would do is ask them why they did this to me.  And once they tell me, I will allow them be. I’ve already forgiven them.”

    He expressed appreciation to friends and lecturers who either called or visited during his dark hours of need.

    Going down memory lane, the victim recounted how one of his bosom friends who later turned suspect, left him shortly before the attack. He said investigation carried out by the police identified this friend as a prime suspect who set him up.

    “After sometime in detention, I pleaded with the police to release this friend. The lesson I’ve learnt from this is to not trust easily. Before, I used to trust everyone around me; but with what happened, I don’t trust easily again. I also learnt that it is that one closest to you that hurts you most.”

    On how he felt after the incident, Abubakar said: “I can’t say exactly how I felt, but I believed one thing – the God who gave me this thing (hands) has taken them away. I was not sad at all. If you see me chatting among my friends, you wouldn’t have believed this was the same man who has been living without limbs for nearly a year. Even my doctors can attest to the fact that there was no point at which my blood pressure was high. Each time, they checked, it was normal.”

    “I was bitter when I heard of what happened to Habibu. The same friend I had seen just hours to the incident. I’m happy he is all better now. Habibu is one strange character, he speedily accepted everything that happened, and has chosen to move on,”said Habibu’s friend  Belo Aliyu Mana.

    The Senior Special Adviser to the SU President on Media and Publicity, Comrade Muhammad Ba who was  also part of the entourage, wished Abubakar a speedy recovery on behalf of the entire students. Muhammed said the union was happy that Abubakar, despite his travails, has moved on and was now his cheerful best.

    He said: “I don’t know Abubakar. He doesn’t know me too. But I have heard a lot about him and I’m happy he is back to being himself now.”

    Similarly, the class representative of Abubakar’s class, Ismail Abdulkahreem, expressed his gladness over Abubakar’s recovery. He prayed for his course mate.

  • Kogi varsity set date to receive repentant cultists

    Kogi varsity set date to receive repentant cultists

    James Azania, Lokoja

    The authorities of the Kogi State University Ayingba have set aside this Friday for repentant cult members, including staff and students, to publicly renounce their membership.

    This was contained in a circular issued, on Monday, and signed by the institution’s Registrar, Dr Yakub Abubakar, on behalf of the management.

    The Registrar, in the circular, notified the members of the university community, that the event is part of the institution’s plan to stamp out cultism and ensure peace and security on its campuses.

    He stated that staff and students of the institution who are involved in any cult or cult related activities should take advantage of the opportunity to turn a new leaf, warning that subsequent involvement would attract the full wrath of the law.

    READ ALSO: ‘How Kogi varsity student was gunned down’

    He added that the event scheduled for 10am at the university main auditorium, and called on members of the university community to be in attendance

    The day has also been declared lecture free.

    Recall that Governor Yahaya Bello gave a marching order to all heads of tertiary institutions in the state to put an end to the menace of cultism in their respective institutions or risk being removed.

    This move by the management of state owned university is seen as one of the initiatives of the school to rein in deadly cult clashes recorded in recent times within and outside of the school and other higher institutions across the state.

  • Impact of cordial relationship among students and lecturers

    By Kasim Isa Muhammad

     

    Students who just secured admission into various higher institutions of learning, often find it a little difficult to blend into the new environment.

    Having left the comfort of their homes, families and friends, they are confronted with new relationships in form of lecturers and colleagues.

    In most cases, one discovers that such students and their lecturers don’t usually maintain a supposed cordial relationship wherein the latter is expected to play numerous fatherly roles such as giving the former moral and intellectual support, advice and counsell.

    In contrast, most lecturers do not consider the abovementioned instances as anything but rather go business-like each time they meet or have contact with their students.

    In view of the foregoing, it’s very imperative for lecturers to guide their students to achieve their primary purpose in school.

    Though, student population in higher institutions are annually skyrocketing; nonetheless, that is no excuse for lecturers to allow the students indulge.

    Guidance/counselling will help students’ moral uprightness; and this, directly or indirectly, will reduce the innumerable social malaises under which the nation is at present embroiled.

    Read Also: Auno attack: UNIMAID mourns murdered students

     

    Life in tertiary institutions also affords students a certain measure of self-governance, compared to when they were in secondary school.

    This often gives them the air of freedom that prods into vulnerability and nefarious activities such as cultism, gangsterism, prostitution and the like.

    Lecturers are, therefore, implored to back up their lectures with ‘morally-themed’ admonitions. This will ultimately rekindle the relationship between them and their students.

    Inevitably, other societal challenges such as terrorism, cybercrime, kidnapping, robbery, banditry and cultim will be addressed substantially.

    Likewise, it is also key for lecturers to improve on their mutual understanding with their students, especially in matters relating to their academics.

    They should behave and act as true loco parentis when dealing with their students. They should teach with passion as this will invariably enhance and encourage those serious among the students.

    This will further bridge the gaps between the two parties while also enhancing a more symbiotic interaction.

    The students too should always hold their lecturers in high regard and revere them. Tertiary institutions all over the world have a culture of awarding degrees to their students strictly on ‘learning and character’.

    When a student graduate with first class or distinction but unfortunately possesses despising attitudes, his or her class of degree will be considered unworthy.

    • Kasim Isa Muhammad is a 200-Level Mass Communication student of University of Maiduguri

  • Living off fake glory

    By  Abdulhameed Abd-Rahman

     

    We are surrounded by people who see calcium-carbide as worthless while busy tagging bad influencers as as ‘real assets.’

    Just like calcium-carbide (a precious stone), only few people knows its worth. Among the few, fewer know how to use it to their advantage.

    Our army of youths today have chosen the lifestyle of our modern celebrity pop stars. They do everything in their power just to imitate their (popstars) lifestyle.

    They neglect other good people: tycoons and investors turning the page across other sectors, and through whom their lives can also improve by simply imitating them.

    I have seen lots of folks who live a millionaire’s lifestyle on a thousand income; borrowed all sorts of items just to look real. Obviously, they do, cute and rich; but deep inside, starvation is their next of kin. What a shame!

    “Many folks are doing perfectly okay, until they start imitating ‘popstars many of which I strongly feel, live their lives on mortgage.”

    Many dive into ocean of poverty and depression all in the name of imitation that eventually ruins their expectations.

    They make their banks accounts weep after they realise they can no longer meet up their sprawling expenses.

    Only few folks can confidently differentiate good debt from bad debt; only the wise men live below their means while striving to strike gold.

    Read Also: Buhari, family under ‘fake news’ attack – Presidency

     

    We live in a world where music stars’ are more recognised than those in the business circuit. We live in a world where knowledge is seen as worthless.

    We focus on scraps and end up losing the real deals. We exaggerate on matters that shouldn’t be discussed in daylight. If all these continue, it would be the end of the beginning.

    Many are millionaires on social media page; yet find it hard to afford a plate of food in real life. .

    Unfortunately, the real socialist find it hard to get huge fans on social media; while the so called rap stars got more.

    For instance, Jeff Bezos, an entrepreneur and one of the world richest, has less than two million followers on instagram. Check out our pop stars and do the calculation.

     

    Point to study

    I’m not saying pop stars are all bad; Honestly, not all. But, choosing someone who find it hard to inspire you greatly is a total waste.

    “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverb 13:20);

    “When God bestows hikma (wisdom) on someone, that person is indeed granted an immense source of goodness” (Quran 2.269).

    Let me end this with this quote: “No man on earth is perfect; but, the ability to transform yourself from bad to good is a little closer to perfection.”

    • Abdulhameed Abd-Rahman Elephchild is aNational Diploma graduate of Kwara State Polytechnic,

     

  • Aapoly inaugurates SU

    From Caleb ijioma

     

    THE Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic (Aapoly), Ogun State, has inaugurated its Students’ Union executive.

    The institution elected a new executive of the SU on January 31,  in an open ballot system.

    In her speech, the Rector, Prof Bilesanmi Jumoke, praised the outgoing President Gbadamozi Azeez for being responsible, responsive and matured.

    She said: “It is indeed my pleasure to welcome you most warmly to this swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected officers of the Students’ Union (SU). I feel highly delighted to usher in another set of Students’ Union leadership of Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic

    “Really, the out-going officers under the leadership of Gbadamozi Azeez have left a good legacy which is worthy of emulation.

    It should be noted that the Students’ Union under his watch embraced dialogue and shunned any form of violence.

    Also, his efforts towards sustaining peaceful cohabitation of students and members of the host communities cannot be over emphasised.”

    Speaking on the essence of unionism on campus she added:

    “Remarkably, I wish to reiterate that students’ unionism is not for fomenting trouble. Rather, it is an opportunity to represent the interest of the students populace to better their welfare both within and outside the polytechnic campuses through dialogue and consultation with appropriate authorities. In this wise, I implore all students to cooperate with them”

    In his outgoing speech, Azeez pointed out his achievements and encouraged the new executives to make impacts in the institution and beyond.

    Read Also: Ex-VC bids AAUA farewell

     

    “Operation keep AAPOLY Clean was launched (under my administration). Peace was sustained in and outside the institution.

    AAPOLY was also well represented at the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); National Association of Polytechnic Students(NAPS); and other occasions in Ogun State.

    We equally assisted less privileged students to pay part of their tuition fee. We built a standard relaxation centre and also organised a mega carnival to enhance students’ social life”

    Azeez’s successor Ajumobi Oluwatola thanked the Rector for allowing students to exercise their franchise and allowing their votes to count.

    “On behalf of the entire student of this great citadel of learning, I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the management of the polytechnic who allowed the students to exercise their franchise and allowing their votes count” he said

    He also appreciated past leaders and students for their support before and after the election.

    “I want to also thank all students of this institution for their support. I assure you that the leaders you chose are those who see leadership to register an indelible mark in the minds of Nigerian students and the polytechnic community at large.

    “We will make sure that your good expectations from our government won’t be cut off. Your general welfare won’t be jettisoned and some obnoxious politics affecting you will be bridged,” he added.

    “My administration will maintain a peaceful, serene and clean environment that will foster academic excellence and make AAPOLYa treasured domain for our academic learning.

    With the support of the management, I will bring together both governmental and non-governmental organisations, investors and philanthropists, to help  ameliorate the socio-economic suffering of fellow students”

    “My administration is visioned to set a system that listens to students views, a system that knows that efficient and cost-effective transportation, proper and early dissemination of information, availability of academic facilities, prompt release of results, abolishing of all forms of exploitation and deprivation of students right, a system that will create a formidable relationship between departmental associations, schools and student Unions”

    The high point of the event was the official commissioning of newly constructed toilets in the institution by Prof Awoderu.

  • FUOYE: External members praise mgt. on performance

    By  Ebube Ojukwu

     

    External members of the Governing Council of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), have passed a vote of confidence on the management of the university led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Kayode Soremekun.

    The members led by Sabo Inua, an engineer, described the infrastructure growth and expansion as ‘unprecedented’ when compared with eight other universities established alongside FUOYE in 2011.

    The media tour was part of the winding down of the outgoing members of the Governing Council which tenure ends this month.

    The team which also included Alhaji Jibrin Ibrahim and Alhaji Alkali Kolo, addressed the media following an exhaustive tour of projects embarked upon under Soremekun since February 2016.

    Addressing CAMPUSLIFE at the institution’s Mass Communication Studio’s (comprising FUOYE Radio and Television Studios), Inua said: “What you have here is like what we have in Bayero University Kano and Express FM stations even though the latter is a commercial radio station.  I am highly impressed.”

    CAMPUSLIFE learned that FUOYE Radio/Television stations at present is being test run on the university community and its environs, and awaiting licensing by the regulatory body-National Communications Commission (NCC).

    Alhaji Jubrin said: “We are here to confirm the level of development and achievement in FUOYE. We are very satisfied. We can confirm that FUOYE is working”.

    Jubrin equally praised FUOYE management’s accountability which he attributed to latter’s strings of achievements within a short time and amid lean resources.

    Read Also: IPPIS registers 1,177 staff of FUOYE

     

    Jubrin implored the management team not to rest on its oars in its effort to bridge the infrastructure gap in the institution.

    He called on the university community to join hands with the management to consolidate on its achievements.

    In his response, Soremekun attributed the over 46 projects visited to the ‘culture of excellence’ which he said is ‘synonymous with my person’.

    He said: “Most of the facilities visited were started and completed by his administration. Majority of them are located in Phase 3 which was a forest when we got here in 2016.”

    He advised workers to learn to be patient and cooperate more with authority.

    “Rome was not built in a day. They (students and workers) should learn to make judicious use of the facilities,” Soremekun added.

    He said by the time the present admission process is concluded, FUOYE would have been hitting the 20,000 student mark. This, Soremekun noted, meant more infrastructure is needed to accommodate the teeming student population.

    “Surely in the next five years, FUOYE will be looking more like OAU (Obafemi Awolowo University), and UNILAG (University of Lagos) in terms of infrastructure.

    The media tour had in attendance Soremekun’s deputies: Prof A. S  Fasina (Administration) and Prof Olusola Ojo (Academic); the Librarian, Dr Gboyega Adio, and some other internal members of council such as Prof Adejuyigbe Samuel and Prof Sola  Omotola.

    Others who participated in the tour were Dean Faculty of Science Prof Olaide Lawal; Director of Physical Planning Mr. Adebowale Ayodele; Deputy Director, Corporate Services Mr. Ademuyiwa Adeyinka; among others.

    Thereafter the team inspected and rode through the ongoing FUOYE new main access road under construction.

    At its Ikole Campus, the team inspected new ultramodern Faculties of Agriculture building; and the Faculty of Engineering and central laboratory building.

  • Freedom of expression in varsities: A choice between liberty, literacy

    By Kekere-Ekun Muhammad Olayinka

     

    It is disheartening our universities don’t give students the privilege to express their feelings and thoughts on issues: academic or non-academic.

    Universities are now like military zones where the commandant gives orders and the cadets obey without exploring its contents.

    It should be known to the university managements that universities play crucial role in the building of students’ consciousness, integrity of ideas and promotion of equal opportunities.

    Universities are created on the principles of independent thinking and academic freedom. However, these principles have almost been banished in our universities of today.

    These are values we need to defend, but the mind of students have been coated in the fear of rustication, should they be bold enough to express their feelings.

    Such expressions are often tagged: ‘hate speech’ or better still, a way of tarnishing the image of the varsity. If I may ask, what image does a university have when it ceases to allow her students  express their feelings and interest.

    Students are a major asset of a university. Once there are no students a university ceases to exist. In an ideal organisation, the university management sees students as a client/customer.

    Although, there are rules and regulations guiding every organisations; nonetheless, that doesn’t mean they should deprive their student the right to express their feelings, opinions and thoughts.

    Read Also: Can Nigerian varsities drive development?

     

    Mahatma Gandi says: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.

    He is not an interruption on our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”

    Over the centuries, many in the academia have failed to uphold the right expression, radical and anti-establishment ideas and that’s the legacy that all universities have the responsibility to uphold.

    Our universities need to be role models displaying transparency, encouraging freedom of votes, upholding the individual’s right to express opposing and uncomfortable views.

    The importance of independent vote expression has never been more potentially under threat than it is currently.

    We need to have robust protection for the expressions on campuses be it academic and non-academic, and regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion and race.

    If we get it right and enable universities to translate their works into social and economic progress, treasuring freedom of vote, freedom of expression and social tolerance, then universities would be centred for human progress and quality of life.

    • Kekere-Ekun Muhammad Olayinka, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Mathematics

    400 Level

  • UNICAL matriculates 12,240

    From Sam Ibok, Prince Emenike and Lawrence Paul

     

    Over 12,000 new students have taken the oath of matriculation for a full-time programme at the University of Calabar.

    Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Zana Akpagu, congratulated the students for scaling admission hurdles.

    Akpagu said more than 40,000 applicants made UNICAL their first choice in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), adding that only 12,240 candidates scaled admission hurdles.

    Akpagu reminded the freshers of task ahead of them, advising them to abide by the school rules and regulation.

    He said: “It is a great challenge to all of you, who have been given admission, to live up to expectation and defend your admission by working hard and passing your examinations very well.

    Read Also: UNICAL inducts medical doctors

     

    You are expected to keep to the rules and regulations of the school, bearing in mind that ignorance is no excuse for defaulters.”

    He warned that students must have 75 per cent lecture attendance to be allowed to write examination.

    He urged matriculating students to make their parents/guardians proud by being responsible and working to become the best in their respective classes.

    “You must keep before you always the very reason while you are here. Know always that your admission offers you a life time opportunity which you mustn’t waste” he added.

    Mr. Gabriel Egbe, the Registrar, enjoined the new students to utilise and make good use of the school e-library for research. He said management had provided conducive environment for the students to excel in their studies.

    Jane Etah, who was offered admission into the Department of Microbiology, could not conceal her joy, pledging to abide by the oath of matriculation.