The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • UDUS: Forestry students lament missing results

    Usmanu Danfodyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) 200-Level undergraduates of Forestry have alleged that their result in PHY (Physics) 103 ‘mysteriously disappeared’ from the portal. They want their department to intervene. ABDULEASHEED HAMMAD, a 300-Level Law Student, reports

     

    Year Two students of Forestry, Usmanu Danfodyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) are not happy over a missing result.

    Like their contemporaries, they had checked the university portal for their second semester result, which UDUS released on December 30 of last year. To their surprise however, one of their courses- PHY (Physics-103) – was either not graded or is missing.

    The students borrowed the course from the Department of Physics. The affected students who shared their experiences with CAMPUSLIFE are nursing the fear that this development might affect them in future, if it is not rectified now.

    Beside the students of Fishery, however, checks by CAMPUSLIFE, further revealed that a few students across some departments who  wrote PHY-103 are having similar experiences.

    Speaking with our correspondent, Abuh Godslove, a 200-Level student of Forestry, said: “I felt disappointed when I checked the portal only to realise that my grade (in PHY-102) was not there.

    At first, I thought I was the only one until I contacted some of my friends from my department, and discovered that their case is similar.

    “I will like my department to look into the issue and rectify it as  soon as possible. Based on what we have heard from other levels ahead of us, such missing grades could result in very poor performance,” he said.

    Oluyemi Yusuf, a second year undergraduate of Biological Science, was equally devastated when he didn’t see his grade for course BCH 103.

    “I felt bad when the result was released and mine wasn’t showing any grade. Even though, I haven’t taken any step on this. I want my department to help me all the way,” he said.

    Two other victims from Forestry Department,  Muhawiyya Aliyu and Ummulkhair Abdulrahman Cheche, told CAMPUSLIFE that they and others were yet to formally communicate their grievances to the Department of Physics. Nonetheless, the pair appealed to their department to take further steps in identifying the root cause of the anomaly.

    “I want my department to help us consult the Department of Physics for a way out,” Aliyu suggested.

    Najeeb Ibrahim of Forestry is particularly irked that while students in other departments have seen their results, theirs are still hanging.

    Meanwhile, Abubakar Abdullahi Tijani of the Department of Pharmacy is unhappy because others have seen their results.

    “I felt depressed when PHY-103 was released. My other colleagues have seen their grade on their portal but I am yet to see mine. Before now I thought I was the only one experiencing this but I later got to know that it also happened to some other  departments.

    ‘’Lastly, I am pleading with the Physics department to find lasting solution to the problem of missing grade on students portal,” he appealed.

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    Meanwhile, the assistant class representative of the Department of Fishery, Yunus Yusrah, told CAMPUISLIFE that initially, she thought the error was from the university’s information system until she discovered that a handful of other  departments were equally affected.

    “I actually thought it was related to the problem from MIS (Management Information System); not until I found out that other departments have seen their own except Forestry.

    “I really felt like ‘What is happening?’ But I have informed some of the lecturers  in our department so they can take steps on how to address the problem. Maybe they should alert the Physics department about this problem.” she said.

    But Mallam Zubairu Yakubu Gada, who is a Coordinator for 200-Level Forestry Student, has lambasted some students for habitually failing to register a course of interest  online until after exam, saying that is often responsible for missing results.

    Gada advised the affected students to put their grievances across to the authorities formally.

    He said: “If the 200-Level students  of Forestry are not seeing their grades in PHY-103 on their respective portals, they should lodge a formal complaint at the Department of Physics, provided they have registered for the course on their portal.

    But if they didn’t rectify the problem, that is when the department will take necessary action before they can release the result.”

    He continued: “If they are carryover students, provided that they have registered the course on their portal, they need to make formal complaint to the (Physics) department.

    I advise that the class representative for the 200-Level should go and do that on her colleagues’ behalf. I’m sure their results will be released.”

    Head of Department of Forestry Prof A.D. Issa, explained that he was yet to receive any complaint from the students.

    “They (students) didn’t complain to me as the Head of Department. They should have lodged a complaint for me to look into,” he began.

    “How would I know that they have missing grade? Let them lodge complaint and I will take it up.”

  • The age of consequence

    By Agbo Agbo

     

    There are certain times as a writer when you’ll simply “go blank.” I felt that way during the holiday. Nevertheless, I still used the period to recap on past knowledge; but this time in a “lazy” way.

    I closed my books, kept my pen and one part of my laptop aside, watched loads of documentaries and reflected deeply on a wide range of issues they threw up. I’ll share some in this first part.

    I started out by watching two documentaries on World War II. The first – ‘The Best WWII Documentary Ever’ – is a straight two hour long documentary.

    The second – ‘The Apocalypse: World War II’ – is a more detailed six part series. Both chronicled events leading to the war tracing it as far back as the end of WWI in 1918.

    I followed up with “The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia,” another detailed and comprehensive six part documentary produced by the BBC. “Firestone and the Warlords,” a documentary about the civil war in Liberia and how the American tyre giant, Firestone was caught up in the crosshairs followed next.

    Expectedly, since it was difficult to fully grasp a documentary about the civil war in Liberia without connecting it with that of Sierra Leone, I had to watch a gruesome and graphic documentary of one of Africa’s most barbaric civil wars.

    “Meltdown: The Men who Crashed the World,” a four part documentary detailing how a handful of businessmen and corporations crashed the world economy in 2008 also caught my attention. It showed how powerful businessmen and corporations control governments in the west.

    I equally watched a series of 9/11 documentaries and how the hijackers used US resources to train as pilots and later hijacked the planes they crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon.

    The drama continues with a chain of events which practically changed the face of warfare in the 21st century. Rather than engage in a dramatic show of strength by amassing troops in friendly nation to invade Afghanistan and crush the Taliban regime; the US used a handful of CIA operatives to carryout pinpoint intelligence before a few hundred Marines moved in to topple the Taliban regime. It was quick, swift, effective and caught the Taliban regime totally off guard.

    The intelligence warfare continued when ten years later two dozen crack Navy Seal commandoes dramatically stormed the Osama bin Ladin’s Abbattobad hideout in Pakistan and killed him.

    This was a huge national embarrassment for Pakistan which was further compounded with the leak of the entire report of the commission of enquiry set up to investigate how the US violated its airspace without early detection warnings.

    So, what were my takeaways’? In the WWII and Yugoslavia documentaries, one thread connects all the stories: the overbearing and conspicuous influence of just one man! During the WWII it was Adolf Hitler and with Yugoslavia it was Slobodan Milosevic.

    The actions of Hitler led to the death of 80 million people while Milosevic’s action led to the death of over a hundred thousand people. How did both men have their way?

    Rather than act decisively and when necessary, European leaders of the time chose to appease Hitler after he conquered parts of Czechoslovakia and marched into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone after the end of WWI.

    Even when Hitler later conquered the rest of Czechoslovakia and marched into Austria, the weak European leaders still felt something can be done on the diplomatic front to prevent war. It wasn’t until Hitler invaded Poland preparatory to invading the Soviet Union that the scales fell off their eyes.

    They declared war on Hitler effectively kick starting WWII. The lesson learnt is to act decisively against tyranny, dictatorship and oppression. Tyranny and dictatorships often creeps in gradually, and sometimes legitimately.

    The lesson was not learnt five decades later when the former Yugoslavia began unravelling. Again, one man held sway. As president of then Serbia and Montenegro, Slobodan Milosevic was the most powerful man after Yugoslavia – established by the late Josef Broz Tito – disintegrated into its constituent parts.

    The flashpoint was Bosnia-Hezegovina. While other republics declared their independence and moved on, that of Bosnia-Hezegovina was not that simple because of its ethnic and religious composition. Bosnia is home to a mixture of Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks – the majority being Muslims.

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    Milosevic’s determination to back the Bosnian Serbs in his drive toward creating a ‘Greater Serbia’ led to a brutal civil war.

    Its ethnic cleansing policy against the Muslims only ended after the west entered the war by bombing Serbian and Bosnian Serb targets. Milosevic – who later lost power and was arrested – was tried for genocide and war crimes alongside Radovan Karadzic – the Bosnian Serb leader – and Ratko Mladic – the Bosnian Serb military commander. However, he died shortly before sentencing after being found guilty.

    The problem of Bosnia- Herzegovina still persists to date as there remain three presidents for each of the ethnic groups.

    ‘The men who crashed the world in 2008’ was quite a depressing watch. It shows that the rich and powerful can commit offences and get away with them. It began with an unfettered banking sector granting loans to people ill equipped to make repayments and then trading these toxic debts thereby almost dismantling American financial foundation.

    It eventually cost the US a whopping $8.5 trillion in bailout funds yet no one was prosecuted or jailed! Millions of Americans lost their homes in the foreclosures that followed. Some lived in their cars while others ended up on the streets. Its effect ricocheted globally. Nigeria was miraculously insulated. One thread runs through this as well: Man’s insatiable greed for power and wealth.

    I recollect vividly how the top executives from Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG, Bank of America and others approached former president Barack Obama to seek out bailout funds. While covering the talks with Obama, the major news networks sent crews to the airport to capture how all the top executives flew into Washington in their private jets.

    They had each collected huge benefits and bonuses despite the crash. They got the message. The next time they flew to Washington for talks, they either chartered planes or flew first class on commercial planes.

    They got the bailout they all requested for after subtly threatening that the government would have a revolution in its hands if they are allowed to fail because of the millions that would lose their jobs.

    They literally told the government that their failure will bring the entire American, and invariably, the global economic house down. The documentary followed the money to Panama where shell companies were established with the sole purpose of hiding looted funds from prying tax eyes. Others were traced to Dubai where ‘cranes never sleeps’ because of the round-the-clock property boom.

    It wasn’t all gloom and doom as I also watched great documentaries on some marvelous engineering feats carried out by man. They include the construction of a deep-sea highway -15 meters beneath the sea – at Busan, South Korea and the Kansai International airport at Osaka, Japan.

    This airport was built on water. The same human mind that has great capacity for evil and greed also has capacity for good through problem solving. This was evident in the building of the deep-sea highway in Busan, home to 4.2 million people and the Kansai International airport.

    Osaka was the former ancient capital of Japan. It is also home to 2.6 million people. In other to prepare the city to be the commercial and industrial hub of western Japan, it had to find a way to bring in more people, the magnet for big businesses and investors.

    The answer is a much bigger airport. But where do you find a flat land in a mountainous region. The answer came with the construction of a man-made island to house an airport five kilometers off shore. Construction of the $15 billion began in 1987 and seven years later it became a reality. It is considered one of the most incredible engineering feats of the 20th century.

    While wishing all readers a prosperous 2020, I pray we all use our minds for good deeds.

  • AAUA: Decadence of a varsity’s Health Centre

    The condition of the Health Centre in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) can best be described as ‘pitiable’. The situation has become so serious that students of the institution prefer clinics outside AAUA premises. ROLAND BAYODE, DEBORAH OMOARE AND RACHEL DARAMOLA, all 300-Level Mass Communication undergraduates report:

     

    The Health Centre of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), is a shadow of itself.

    The loss of faith in the institution’s Health Centre can be attributed to various factors: lack of adequate facilities and drugs, and personnel, among others, students say. To make matters worse, students often complain about the unfriendly attitude by its workers.

    Our CAMPUSLIFE correspondent learnt that students, upon resumption, are made to pay an initial N3,500 as medical fee, while N1000 is paid in subsequent sessions.

    Students and workers have expressed their views on the condition of the health facility, urging the institution’s leadership to  do something about it.

    But AAUA leadership has countered the students’ position, saying many of them often fail to comply with the rules; yet they are ready to shout at the rooftops at the slightest infractions.

    Students are also divided over the state of the centre with some believing things could be improved if enough facilities are put in place.

    “I have been to the Health Centre twice or more,” said a 400-Level Adult Education undergraduate Segun Afolayan.

    “I usually observe that there are many patients, but insufficient drugs. Most times, the medical personnel won’t attend to us on time. When it comes to drug dispensary, they often tell us to get our drugs from outside or we should be given part of the drugs, but which most times leave us worse than when we visited.

    “One Saturday, I was very sick and went to the Health Centre. The doctor was not in the office. After waiting for several hours, I had to leave due to the intense pains I had.”

    Afolayan described most nurses on duty as ‘impolite’.

    “There are nurses whose approach to us is impolite. They easily get annoyed. Their attitude has discouraged many students from visiting the centre,” he added.

    A 200-Level student from the Department of Mass Communication, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that the centre dispenses ‘only paracetamol’ for most patients.

    “The services rendered at the Health Centre are nothing to write about. The only drug they often have is paracetamol. That aside, some of the staff members are not encouraging us. I always go to clinics outside the campus for treatment. My hope is that the centre should be adequately funded and supervised to meet the necessary requirements,” said the source.

    A final year student, Adedara Oluwasina from the Department of Geology, believes the school’s Health Centre could live up to expectation, if adequately equipped.

    “The workers attend to studentsvery well, especially when you are with your (registration) card, but if you are not, their reception to you might be poor,” said Oluwasina.

    Oluwasina continued: “Sometimes it looks somehow. They might have accident  or other emergency victims. What if the victim has no (Health Centre) card? Does that imply that the victim would be ignored to death? They should improve on this.”

    Alawode Hannah Oyinloluwa, a second year Animal Science student, also re-echoed Oluwasina’s sentiment.

    “AAUA Health Centre is okay,” argued Oyinoluwa. “From what I have seen from my friends, their service is okay, even though I haven’t been there for treatment. The only problem is that the centre is too far from the hostel.’’

    “Sometimes people collapse in the middle of the night when the ambulance is not usually available, and this could result to death. Going by my experience to the facility, I can boldly say some nurses are harsh and talk to students anyhow. While some treat them with carelessness, others are nice, accommodating and caring.”

    Aladejana Aduragbemi Samuel, a 300-Level student of Linguistics and Languages, agreed with Oyinoluwa. Nonetheless, she has a grouse with them.

    “The treatment at the Health Centre is okay,” she began.

    “When I went there for treatment, I was treated well and the drugs administered were effective, but the workers are very mean. They don’t have soothing words for patients. They just treat them as if they were not entitled to the facility.

    “My advice to the leadership (of the Health Centre) is to improve on their human relations to patients. They should also learn how to accord patients a fair treatment.”

    Aduragbemi’s course mate, Adetola Adeyemi, recounted her experience.

    Hear her: “I recall how as a 100-Level student, I visited the Health Centre to treat malaria. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the doctor. I regretted ever going there.

    “How could one go to a school’s Health Centre and the doctor was not on duty?

    “I went back when I was in 200-Level, but behold, the story is still the same.

    “I think doctors should be on duty round the clock. Besides, I paid the fee for the Health Centre, got the card, but I couldn’t make use of it. It becomes useless. I have already made up my mind not to visit the place again until I graduate.”

    But Mr Victor Malaya, who heads the varsity’s Counselling Unit, described some utterance by the students as ‘unfair’. Malaya said oftentimes, students were unwilling to own up wherever they went wrong.

    “There is no unit in the university that is a death trap, but students won’t tell you their own side of the story,” Malaya said.

    “At the Health Centre, you are expected to register. Find out the percentage of students who have registered vis-a-vis the number of students that visit the centre. With the little experience that I have, a Health Centre is a place that students should visit regularly.

    I want students to understand that every staff member of the university is here for them. We are here to  serve  the students; students are like our customers. Without them, we won’t be here.

    “The students are our priority, and they are like our own children. We may not be 100 per cent good. If there is anything that students observe is below standard, they should forward their complaint to the Director of the Health Centre or the Dean of Student Affairs.”

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    Similarly, Director of the centre Dr Mathew Igboku, insists there is cordial relationship between the health personnel and the students.

    Igboku attributed the reason for the behaviour of some nurses to work pressure and students’ attitude.

    “The nurses have very cordial relationship with the students,” Igbokwu told CAMPUSLIFE.

    Igboku continued: “There are situations where the nurses even buy food for students before they give them injection. But there can sometimes be pressure at work, which has also happened to me.

    “If you visit the wards, you would see  many students and there are cases of emergencies too. Nurses are obligated to document some findings about the students. For instance, a nurse could ask a patient: ‘What is your name?’ and student responds: “Is it my name that is important to you right now or getting urgent treatment?’

    “Nowadays, students are very impatient, and the nurses due to work pressure, might ask such student to be patient. However, students will misinterpret the conduct of the nurses as being harsh. They (nurses) are mothers too and they have children in universities.”

    Countering the students’ earlier reactions, Igboku told CAMPUSLIFE that the Health Centre often show benevolence to patients who are yet to register.

    “Although a good percentage of students have registered, even if you are not registered and you come to the Health Centre, we’ll go ahead and treat you considering the severity of your illness.

    This is because there is space for emergency cards. We can never turn any student away because he/she does not have a Health Centre card.

    Nevertheless, assuming you have catarrh and you come to lodge a complaint and you have not registered, we would not like that because you are supposed to have registered. What does it take to register? It only takes the receipt of your school fee.

  • Why youths should challenge their future

    The Association for Young Adults of Canada Inc. (NAYA) is an ethno-cultural/non-profit organisation registered and incorporated with the Government of Canada. It is the largest Nigerian association in Canada and the first to have national affiliations and membership across all regions and provinces of Canada. In this interview with Oluwaseun Aladekomo of the Lagos State University (LASU), its President Shola Agboola, who is serving his second term, shares the organisation’s heroism and challenges, especially its drive to galvanise youth and young graduates towards taking up leadership roles.

     

    Would you tell us more about NAYA?

    Nigerian Association of Young Adults in Canada (NAYA) is an ethno-cultural community in the diaspora. We are basically for the protection of our cultural values.

    I am the President of NAYA. I’m from Ila Orangun in Osun State. I am also the first Nigerian to be elected into the board of directors of the Conservative Party of Canada. I serve as a director, African Canadian Cultural Heritage Council, representing the entire African community in Canada.

    So, how did NAYA begin?

    This organisation (NAYA) was created 18 years ago, long before I even came to Canada. I became the president in 2013, and I’m on my second term of another four years. One of the things I changed was the trend of activities in NAYA; and this anchors on giving back to our country and inspiring the youths towards a better future. These activities bring me down to Nigeria often.

    Why it is that young Nigerians who are taking up leadership responsibilities in the diaspora are flying; yet there are leadership gaps at the home front?

    Let me start by saying Nigerians are immensely blessed. For instance, a youth and a member of NAYA, Hon. Uzoma Asagwara, became the youngest, the first Nigerian and the first black female to be elected a member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.

    This means a Nigerian just broke the country 150 year’s history. It is also on record that the youngest medical doctor to be graduated from the University of Manitoba is a Nigerian by the name Dr Tito Daodu.

    We are all aware that today, Nigerians are the most educated in the United States. So, Nigerians are excelling everywhere. This means we are not in short supply of talents; it’s the environment that is different. Unfortunately, there is very little individuals can do without the support of the government.

    Compared to Nigeria, how does the government of Canada encourage its youths into taking leadership roles?

    In Canada, we discovered that the concept of governance is not left to the rulers alone. A Canadian believes so much in his or her country and we learn a lot from that.  So, each time we have an opportunity to address a forum in Nigeria, I try to inspire the audience especially the youth that we have no other place to go than Nigeria and for the future of our children.

    Unlike in Nigeria, what NAYA tries to do is to attract every Nigerians who have come to study or live in Canada into this organisation to give back and not only to enjoy the life of luxury Canada offers.

    So, the question is: ‘How possible is it that a person who lands in Canada today immediately falls in love with that country?’ It is because of their kind of governance. So, we use this as a point of contact to let Nigerians know that Nigeria is blessed with intellectual deposits. Unfortunately, lots of talents are being wasted at the home front.

    (cuts) And that account for the seemingly unstoppable brain drain?

    Of course yes!

    Nigerians, especially young graduates, who come to Canada or any other country, shine like a millions stars. Imagine me in my 40s and serving as a director for a major political party; and we only have Liberal and Conservative parties in Canada.

    Just imagine someone like me who has neither a godfather nor political clouts, and hasn’t spent up to two decades in Canada; but all of a sudden was catapulted into that position.

    The fact is, it is the system. Once the system (in Canada) recognises your passion, it allows you to strive. So, in short, our leaders in Nigeria should create that kind of leadership that inspires the youth to unleash their God-given potentials.

    What, then, do you think prevents the youth from unleashing in Nigeria?

    What we need is the enabling environment. We are not asking for money, but an opportunity. Can you imagine that what NAYA is doing, a whole Nigerian commission in any country in the entire world has not been able to do it.

    Majority of our members are young adults. If you don’t have the passion for this kind of thing, people easily get burned out. But we won’t give up because we are up there in Canada and our conscience does not allow us to rest because we are doing well and our children are attending the best schools money cannot buy, but created by people who never knew us. We met that system like that.

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    “If you land in Canada today with your children, you are automatically qualified from free education and health care facilities. If your kids are under-18, you get monthly money to take care of them despite being a working class.  So, we can’t just be exposed to than kind of life without giving back.

    Some of us with conscience felt we are not different from a governor of a state in Nigeria who sits down there looting his state’s treasury.

    Could you tell us some of those contributions NAYA has made in Nigeria?

    Since 2013, we have made a social investment in Nigeria to the tune of about $46million. It surprises people how we are able to coordinate this, but I tell them it is through innovation and leveraging on opportunities that are available in Canada.

    From 2013, we’ve been donating hospital equipment worth millions of dollars across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones. We started from Kebbi State in 2013. From there, we went to Imo and then Bayelsa State. We’ve been to Osun and Ogun states and in November last year, we launched a medical facilities valued at N784 million in Bida, Niger State.

    This will be the second of its kind last year. We did one in Abia State in January (last year) to the tune of N540 million. We recently received another consignment of huge container of medical equipment which we are hopefully giving to another yet-to-be-announced state in this month.

    Don’t you make any contributions in the area of education?

    Of course! We have given thousands of laptop computers to different tertiary institutions in Nigeria. We have the record here and on our website.

    We also partner  different universities in Canada on donations of books on Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and to universities in Nigeria. The last thing we also do is empowerment to rural communities in Nigeria.

    We bring hundreds of thousands of free clothing and reusable hygiene kits for young girls to rural communities in Nigeria. Sometimes we go with bales of clothing to distribute to communities where our records show abject poverty prevails.

    How were you able to generate funds for your various projects?

    The truth is, every equipment we have donated in this country has been given free by the government of Canada; and it is because of the passion and desperation we show to the government (of Canada) on the need to have those things given free to Nigeria. Second, in NAYA, we also tax ourselves from $5, $10 and $20 as much as every individuals can give.

     

  • UNIBEN: VC begins renovation

    By Ifunanya Osakwe

     

    In keeping with her promises to bring back the lost glory of the University of Benin, the Vice Chancellor of the institution Prof Lilian Salami has started the renovation of classrooms and hostels in Ugbowo campus of the institution.

    Remarkably, the renovation commenced after her 20th day in office. Finding by CAMPUSLIFE revealed the renovation had started at Halls 1, 2, 3, 4. In addition, some classrooms, bus stops within the campus as well as car parks, are currently receiving a facelift.

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    During her inauguration last month, Prof Salami had rolled out her vision, which is captured under seven pillars embedded in her strategic planning.

    They are: Increased funding and sustainable initiatives; developed environmental value and ethical orientation; quality academic programme; improved welfare for staff and students/security; expansion of physical and structural development; increased human capital development and management; and community impact initiative.

     

  • ‘Our next step is to become a university soonest’

    By Tolani Ajifowowe

     

    As the 25th Anniversary celebrations of Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) wrapped up, its leadership not resting on its oars.

    The institution, located in the serene Noforija, in Epe area of Lagos,  has kick-started fresh moves in preparing itself for possible transmuting into a university of education.

    Provost of the college Dr Nosiru Olajide Onibon, said take away poor funding and political will, the institution is long overdue for the anticipated status.

    Onibon challenged any doubting Thomas to look into the institution’s sprawling infrastructures, burgeoning enrolment and rich faculty staff to justify his stance.

    The college, argued Onibon, has over the years, enjoyed goodwill  of its proprietor- the Lagos State government; hence his confidence.

    “We have enough facilities to transmute to a university,”  Onibon said.

    “This college is affiliated to the University of Ibadan. We run a bachelor degree on behalf of the UI. I am proud to say that we turned out the first set this year.  At the convocation of UI last month, two of our students were awarded first class degree.

    They were taught here by our resource persons and with a few entrants from outside. That gives me the pride to say come another 25 years, the name (of MOCPED) must change to a university.

    “Look at our structures and resource persons. The guest lecturer for the 25th Anniversary Prof Leke Fakoya was here; and when we started introducing many of our members to him as ‘Dr this’ and ‘Dr that’, he had no option than to ask: ‘Are you people distributing PhD here?’ That is to tell you the number of PhD holders in the college.”

    Onibon draws a comparison between Lagos and Ghana, lamenting that the latter though with less population boasts of more universities than the former.

    He continued: “As the fifth largest economy in Africa, our population alone is more than Ghana, which houses scores of universities.

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    “For instance, Ogun State is housing more universities than Lagos. Then look at the statistics in the last admission. In LASU (Lagos State University) for instance, for the first choice, we had over 30,000 candidates, but LASU has a carrying capacity of only 5000 candidates.

    So where do the remaining 25,000 go? This is for LASU alone. For the second choice in LASU, that runs into hundreds of thousands. I’m not talking of UNILAG (University of Lagos). That simply explains that Lagos requires more than the number of universities we have today. So, if we add MOCPED to it, then we might be talking of three or four.”

    On lessons learnt from the anniversary, Onibon said it affords members of staff to shed off some pressures of work and launch into bout of celebrations.

    The strings of events that characterise the almost a 14-day long activities appears albeit energy-sapping, yet quite an enjoyable experience.

    Onibon, an associate professor, describes the Silver Jubilee anniversary as a ‘landmark’ in the college history, adding that its climax, which features award presentation to some retirees and other long- serving members of the college community, will forever inspires others to strive for excellence.

    “The interesting thing is that when you reward excellence, that will encourage those in the system to workers harder,’’ he added.

  • EKSU alumni honour members

    By Opeyemi Samuel

     

    The Lagos State Chapter of the Ekiti State University Alumni Association is facilitating job opportunities and financial support for five EKSU graduates of Law who recently bagged first class honours at the Nigerian Law School.

    Its Chairman Mr Tolu Egbeyemi presented the graduands to two legal luminaries from Ekiti- Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Mr Dele Adesina, (both SANs), for employment.

    The law graduates were presented during the maiden symposium, exhibition and award dinner of the association held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos State.

    The graduands were promised N100,000 cash each by Tope Adebayo, a lawyer and alumnus.

    The special guest of honour was the First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistance to the Governor on Women Empowerment, Mrs Bolaji Olagbaju.

    Other dignitaries include: keynote speaker former Vice Chancellor of EKSU Prof Oladipo Aina; Vice-Chancellor Prof Eddy Olanipekun; and the National President of the alumni association Dr Oludotun Adetunberu.

    Also in attendance were popular nollywood actor Funsho Adeolu, a famous juju crooner N Jesse King, popularly known as Buga,among others.

    According to Egbeyemi, the symposium, themed: ‘Alumni associations; a harbinger of change for education development in Nigeria’ seeks to explore the possibility of using the alumni association as a  tool for building an efficient education sector in EKSU.

    Read Also: District honours alumni association, others

     

    Besides, it was also to serve as a benchmark for other alumni associations to have a blueprint for endowments and other development plans of their various alma mater.

    “The primary objective of the association using reunion activities is to harmonise the three generations of the university beyond the name changes, to create a veritable platform where value is added to our relationships and be a vehicle that will spur a paradigm shift from the failing education setup in Nigeria to an enviable system,” said  Egbeyemi.

    He continued: “In this light, members will use this platform to showcase their businesses to others and the society at large.”

    Egbeyemi said the award recipients were chosen to reflect that  the awardees are influential, and could leverage their influence on their alma mater and the alumni.

    In his speechAdesina who was the chairman of the occasion, said the award was to recognise those who have impacted their alma mater directly or indirectly.

    “It is also to show that we value rewarding excellence and philanthropy, and that this honour would continue to spur our awardees and other members of the association to do more for the university and give back to the society.’’

    Some of the awardees are: Erelu  Fayemi, Chief Olanipekun, Mr  Adesina, Prof Aina, Babatunde Kolawole, Ambassador Niyi Ojuolape, Tope Adebayo; Mr Ademola Adeyemi, and Prof Kehinde Oluwadiya, among others.

     

  • Gender: A social construct

    By Sonia Chukwu

     

    In Nigeria as well as most nations, we are guided by values which define our individual roles in society. A defiant individual would usually face social sanctions. How can we really define gender identity when it is in itself a spectrum?

    From birth, we are assigned gender identities, whereas we are not born to be either man or woman. Agencies of socialisation, such as the media, families, and school contribute to the portrayal of these strict identities.

    In Nigeria, most of our beliefs are based on religion and this is the justifiable means by which we assign gender roles. However, religion is a complex phenomenon. If we cannot explain most of the experiences and ideas defined by religion, why then use it to quantify gender?

    Most people would explain that it is, in fact, our physical characteristics that determine our gender and there can only be two defined genders because there are only two defined sexes. However, our biological sex should not determine our gender because these are two different concepts.

    Similarly, sex is not defined. Reason? According to the Intersex Society of North America, the birth of a hermaphrodite occurs once in 2000 births around the world.

    The statistics for Nigeria is unknown but there have been reported cases of hermaphrodites usually associated with social stigma and violence. Most of this occurrence is as a result of the citizens’ignorance, which could be attributed to lack of education.

    Once these identities have been defined from birth, we are groomed to live by them; girls play with softer toys, watch softer cartoons and are sanctioned for behaving violently while boys who express these qualities are only said to be acting as ‘just boys’.

    In most scenarios, especially in Nigeria, the female is expected to grow up, get married and care for others, i.e siblings, children, among others.

    On the other hand, the male is attributed to growing up, going to school to get education, becoming part of the workforce and acting as the head of the family (leading and directing the family in his own way).

    However, as times evolved, and women now take up roles that were once the exclusive of the male folk, those age-long characteristics that a woman is supposed to exhibit still remain sacrosanct in societies like Nigeria.

    Read Also: How society makes gender degradation a norm

     

    Many people now accord special recognition to women who excel in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses than women in art-related or social science courses. This is because they believe, it is unusual and of higher esteem.

    In the Northern part of Nigeria for example, some communities still indulge in child marriage because they view women as sexual objects existing for male gratification. This is a fallout of over-sexualisation of the female gender, being ascribed to nothing more than being a wife and a ‘bed warmer’.

    Another problem this has caused is the limitations of positions or roles in society that a female can reach such as in politics or in the corporate world. There are many more problems that gender as a social construct has brought about.

    It is important, especially in this 21st century, to understand various forms that exist, which should not be assigned particular roles, some of which are cisgender, transgender, agender (genderless), bigender, polygender (multigender), intergender, and demi gender etc.

    Stereotypes of the male and female gender should be abandoned and the focus should be on individual differences. In the family, children should be nurtured in a way that allows them to define who they are. Schools and learning institutes should be able to educate them on the different forms that exist and why gender identification is non-binary.

    The media, which is one of the most powerful influences and an agent of socialisation, needs to portray issues on gender in as many forms as possible; in movies, cartoons, shows, segments etc.

    Once we are exposed to them, they become a norm and this eliminates the social construct of what gender is.

     

    • Sonia Chukwu is a 200-Level Mass Communication student of Babcock University, Ogun State.

  • Nigeria: Averting impending economic doom

    By Quadri Fatima Omoyeni

     

    A fool at 40 is a fool forever’ goes a popular saying. Sadly, this seems to be the part Nigeria is threading. Despite turning 40 19 years ago, the country’s growth has been at a snail speed. This situation will not last forever, as Nigerians are hopeful that their country can still bounce back and avert the impending economic doom.

    On June 26, 2018, the Cable News Network (CNN) reported that Nigeria with an estimated 87 million, has overtaken India as the country with the highest number of people living in extreme poverty with as  less than $1.90 daily.

    While this is saddening, may I say it does not spell the end for the country. Even though the future might look gloom, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Nigeria shall find its feet amid this darkness.

    Nigeria’s GDP of $447.01 billion delivers only $2,244 per capita, while China has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $14.21 trillion, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Delivering a per capita income of $10,150, China becomes the world’s second largest economy and No.1 exporter. India’s GDP of $2.97 trillion makes it the worlds fifth biggest, ahead of the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada at sixth, seventh, eighth and 10th. Brazil, once our peer, pips in at ninth largest with GDP of $1.96 trillion and per capita income of $8,967.

    Singapore’s per capita GDP of $62,984 is ninth highest (IMF), South Africa’s is $6,377 despite the country’s economic slowdown.

    Read Also: Lawan promises peace, economic growth in 2020

     

    Although Nigeria’s poverty rate is quite high and had been made public putting our great nation in a shameful position, our leaders seem not to have come to terms with the reality that the country is becoming more economically ruined and putting more pressures on the masses.

    Against this background, the rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer. Worse still, the masses’ hopes dim amid the fact that those whom they elected into power have since abandoned their campaign promises.

    As at last June 10, findings on the website of the Debt Management Office (DMO) revealed that the Federal Government owed N13.1 trillion domestically, while the states and FCT combined owedN 3.97 trillion. Similarly, the external debt of the Federal government, states and FCT stood atN 7.8 trillion.

    A statement by the  DMO in Abuja stated that the debt stock comprises  domestic and external debts of the Federal Government, the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The statement further stated that the debt, which rose by N560 billion, was accounted for largely by domestic debt which grew by N458.36 billion, while external debt also increased by N101.64 billion during the same period.

    Despite Nigeria’s huge debt burden, the level of corruption in the country is still quite alarming and affecting economic growth.

    Consequently, projects have become costlier, job execution shadier, basic infrastructure worsening, with lack of job opportunities coupled with government’s inability to pay civil servants, university workers and their teachers in our various tertiary institutions nationwide.

     

    • Quadri Fatima Omoyeni is a 200-Level Mass Communication student of Babcock University, Ogun State.

  • ‘It’s time you woke up, lazy youths’

    By Ajayi Oluwatayo Mary

     

    This is a wakeup call for every Nigerian youth around the world to get working!

    The land of our fathers is calling us to take possession; yet we sit back and do nothing while the elderly who once took power from us continue to abuse it.

    Its unfortunate that Nigeria of today has an army of youths majority of who are lazy. Interestingly, most of the elderly Nigerians holding various political appointments today were known to be very hardworking during their youthful days.

    All the youth are interested in are gambling, internet fraud, and other easy ways to cut corners.

    To further give spine to my argument, imagine some of our nationalists that fought for the country’s independence; the likes of Herbert Macaulay, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Anthony Enahoro. Macaulay, we will all recall, was the grandson of Bishop Ajayi Crowther and he trained as an engineer. Chief Awolowo was born on March 6, 1909- and died on May 9, 1987.

    A native of Ikenne in Ogun State of Southwestern Nigeria, Awolowo was a nationalist and statesman who played a key role in Nigeria’s independence movement, the First and Second Republics and the Civil War. As a young man he was an active journalist, editing various publications.

    He is considered the founder of Nigerian nationalism as the movement was under him in the 1920s. He pioneered the philosophy that people across different backgrounds living in the then British Colony needed to come together as one. To sum it all up, these aforementioned heroes achieved greatness while they were youths.

    Also at the time, agriculture used to be the mainstay of our economy. But we jettisoned that at the discovery of oil popularly known as the Black Gold. Today, hunger again bestrides the land, reinforcing the urgency by the youth to return to the farm.

    Read Also: On Buhari’s ‘lazy youths’ comment

     

    Personally, I believe issues emanating from our politics can be solved by the youth. As youths, we have the ability to think fast in tackling problems. Considering our overwhelming population, we can all team up to challenge the status quo. We have the power to eradicate injustice and corruption. All we need is harmony.

    Our forefathers fought for the liberation of Nigeria. Some of them paid the supreme price with their lives. They denied themselves food, shelter and other luxuries of life. Youths of today are not interested in industry and act of making sacrifice.

    A section of our National Anthem states thus:

    “To serve our fathers land

    With love and strength and faith…”

    Therefore, to serve with everything in us will make our country Nigeria great again. If Nigerian youths could channel same energy they deploy into various atrocities into creating innovations, leveraging on technologies and finding solutions to our socio-political gaps, Nigeria would no doubt be one of the best countries in the world.

    Ajayi Oluwatayo Mary is a 200-Level Mass communication undergraduate of Babcock University.