The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • UI lifts ban on Students Union activities after two years

    The management of University of Ibadan (UI) has lifted the ban placed on student union activities in the institution.

    Following a protest on May 30, 2017, the university senate under the leadership of Prof. Idowu Olayinka, the Vice-chancellor, suspended the students’ union.

    Prof. Olayinka confirmed the development as ‘true’.

    He said the senate met on Friday and lifted the suspension on students’ union activities.

    Read Also: UI announces date for Post-UTME Screening

    Also, the Director, Directorate of Public Communications, Tunji Oladejo, also confirmed the development saying that the university is ready to conduct leadership training after the election.

    “We are ready to work with the crop of new leaders so as to move the university forward,” he said.

    The Nation however gathered that the erstwhile President for council of Faculties, Victor Olaonipekun, has been charged with the responsibility of conducting a ‘free and fair election’ for the Students’ Union within the next 9 weeks.

    It should be recalled that the Ojo Aderemi-led administration led a protest in 2017 over the non-issuance of identity (ID) cards which subsequently led to the suspension of the union.

    Olayinka’s reversal of the suspension of union’s activities has elicited cheers from the students and many alumnus of the institution.

  • Dons seek addition of AI to curriculum

    Participants at the 14th University of Lagos (UNLAG) Research Fair and Conference have called for the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the curriculum of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

    Their recommendation was contained in a communique read by the Director, Academic planning unit, UNILAG, Prof Obinna Chukwu at the end of the Fair last Friday.

    They also seek greater collaborations between tertiary institutions and industry, as well as more creativity in acquiring skills within the school system.

    Reading the communique at the closing ceremony, Chukwu said: “Researches in academia that cut across all disciplines should partner with industries to build competencies in AI adoption; Higher education should help their students compete in AI age by including it in their curriculum.

    “Educational system should be more creative, and skills driven, emphasis should be more on skills acquisition through the manipulation of analytical technology.

    Stating other recommendations, Chukwu also said that there should be a proposed model of the operation of an e-health system for the treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) in rural communities in rural areas.

    He said the proposition is as a result of the observation that TB has been reported to be the second leading reason for loss of lives aside the human immune-deficiency virus (HIV).

    Speaking on the transportation sector, Chukwu said e-mobile technology should be adopted to improve its quality.

    “Public-private partnership as the best business case for cost effective gradual deployment of innovative ITS, e-mobile technology for a better, safer and smarter transportation system in Nigeria”, he said.

    The Research Fair had over 400 participants from universities within and outside Nigeria with 168 oral paper presentations and 49 poster presentations.

  • Poor electricity: EKSU students take new VC to task

    For many years, electricity has been a rare commodity for students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), particularly those residing in Satellite-Phase Two, School Gate, and Iworoko areas. All previous attempts at improving supply seemed to have defied solutions. But a new vice chancellor supposedly familiar with the terrain is in office.The students are urging him to work with the government to end their frustrations. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA and RACHEAL DAMILOLA, 300-Level student of Linguistics, report:

    For how long will students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) grapple with the challenge of poor electricity supply? This is the question on the lips of the students.

    The state-owned institution domiciled in Iworoko-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was established in 1982 as an off-campus institution. With over 20,000 student population; nearly all students live off campus, with majority spread across Satellite-Phase Two, School Gate and Iworoko areas.The school has two hostels that could hardly accommodate 70 students.

    Majority of students living at the aforementioned locations have indeed had their fair share of poor power supply. Their complaints range from theft of their personal effects, inability to use power to charge phones or conduct individual or group study, particularly at night, fear of being kidnapped at nightfall and general insecurity, among others.

    Interestingly, the management also finds the issue of power a harder nut to crack, saying the poor power situation  in those areas is almost as old as the institution established 37 years ago, and may therefore need a political solution more than mere theorising.

    Thankfully last week, the government of Ekiti State announced a new vice chancellor, Prof Edward Olanipekun.  Not only has Olanipekun spent nearly three decades in the institution before transferring his service to the University of Ibadan, many within and outside the institution believe that with an insider like Olanipekun, and a more- focused government in the saddle, the two parties could team up to break the power jinx that has for long afflicted the host community and environs.

    Incidentally, for about four years now, the power situation at Satellite-Phase II and School Gate has become more complex with students having to do nearly everything in pitch darkness.

    Students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE lamented their predicament; no thanks to the seeming helplessness of the management of EKSU and the affected communities.

    Students share ordeals

    “This situation is so disheartening and not encouraging at all,” says  Aluko Ifeoluwa, a 200-Level student of Economics residing in Los Angeles hostel, Phase II.

    “Can you imagine,” Ifeoluwa continued, “to charge a cell phone costs N50 everyday! If we multiply that by seven days, it equals N350 per week. If we do the calculation in a month, it is N1,50 0 in a month and N9,000 for one academic session.  Is that not outrageous and unfair to us and our parents? Eksuites (students of EKSU) are suffering and the school management does not seem to care about our plights. Things are not like that in other schools. We have friends there. We are pleading with the new management to find practical solutions to this power failure’’.

    Students from rich or middle class background can afford to buy power generator while hustlers like us have to endure the outrageous noise and smoke some of the generators emit, laments Ademodi Okikijesu, a 300-Level Linguistics undergraduate who lives in God is Good hostel, Phase Two.

    “During exams period, we can’t even read in the hostels we paid for; reason being that the generators make so much noise that we can hardly assimilate.” Another 300-Level student of Physics who prefers to remain anonymous corroborated Ademodi.

    The source continued: “During my 200-Level second semester exam, I was supposed to write a paper by 11:30am, but that paper was rescheduled to 8:30 due to a clash. Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware the exam had been brought forward because my phone had a flat battery; only for me to get to school around 11am and saw my classmates emerging from the examination hall. I ended up having a carryover (CO) and that course was a three-unit course. Everything was a consequence of power failure. It was a saddening experience, one that I’ll  live to remember.”

    “From my point of view,” says Kenneth Omotayo, another 300-Level Chemistry undergraduate residing in Phase Two, “I  think the blackout has really reduced the level of motivation to study; and when motivation and comfort are not there, then our study process becomes difficult. I beseech the new management and the Ekiti State government to do something about it because despite the odds, students still strive to make this university proud by making good grades.”

    “How can we learn smoothly in an environment that’s not conducive to learning?” Oyindamola (surname withheld), a third year Linguistics student residing in Suncity Phase two asks rhetorically.

    “How can we read without power supply? Charging of lamps and phones is usually impossible.  How do we even make a better use of a university without power?”

    Agbeye Onaopemipo, a 500-Level Law student residing in Alva Hood hostel at Osekita, also lent his voice.

    “This issue has really affected me a lot, from the heat to risking my gadgets while charging them.”

    Onaopemipo continued: “Back home I don’t sleep without light, but getting to EKSU, I had to adapt to sleeping in the dark. As a Law student, I’m expected to dress corporately every day in my white and black uniform. I definitely need iron for straightening out the clothes; but that has only been impossible for obvious reasons. So some of the time Law students appear in school in rumpled clothes.

    “Charging our lamps is another headache too. Sadly enough, we have been compelled to adapt to the use of lanterns or candles for study purposes, and this is 21st Century, not minding the risks those things pose. Virtually all students on campus use a smart phone too. Ninety nine per cent of school activities ranging from lecture, examination, and even checking of result is posted on the school’s dysfunctional portal.”

    Similarly, a final year Computer Science undergraduate, Olotu Moses, recalled how he lost four of his handsets to thieves in the process of charging them.

    “The lack of electricity is affecting me in a lot of ways,” Moses moans.

    “For example, my phone has been stolen four different times while charging around. In fact, it has affected a whole lot of students. Some have even joined bad gangs all because they want to run generator always like their mates. They don’t want to be going from one room to another or staying outside in the cold all in the name of charging. As students, we can’t even use electric cooker. We can’t come back from school in the sun,shower and turn on the fan.

    “Most times when I’m supposed to be reading, which I really love doing, I will have to go from one hostel to another in order to charge my gadget, even after a strenuous day at school,” adds another student who simply introduced herself as Mojisola.

    “The funny thing is that I really hate reading with lamp or candle. My assimilation rate seems to lessen the moment the lamp dims; but I tend to read well and do better when I use electricity.”

    Likewise, Ayodeji Gbolagade, another final year Accounting undergraduate and a resident of Phase Two shares his experience: “Something happened during my 100-Level days. I went with my lamp on a night reading in school. As I was ready to return to the hostel at dawn, I discovered my bag containing my phone, laptop and power bank had been stolen. All I had left in school that morning were my books and lamp. I strongly believe if the whole place were illuminated that day, the thief wouldn’t have had his way. “

    The problem is intricate, says management

    Reacting to the development, EKSU PRO, Mr Deji Aleshinloye, said the power problem has become intricate and may therefore require political solutions.

    “I graduated from EKSU about 10 years ago and this issue you are talking about was there during our time,” Aleshinloye began.

    “”Iworoko alone accommodates about 5000 of our students. That community has a longstanding problem with electricity supply. The issue is quite complicated and multi-faceted. It ranged from arrears owed PHCN, to poor or non-functional transformer, bad poles, among others.

    “As a university, we are quite responsive and we sympathise with our students over their predicament, Nonetheless, there is little the management can do about it.

    “All those communities you mentioned are outside our jurisdiction. Much as we appreciate what our students go through, the university cannot take on the responsibility of those communities by simply dipping its hands into its coffers to pay a part of the bills.  “I can tell you that over time, successive management had made efforts to alleviate the suffering of our students. There was a time the immediate past government attempted to build more hostels within the university premises through build, operate and transfer (BOT) platform. Unfortunately, it was during this problem with forex then and that project, located at the back of the Students’ Union building, was stalled at the foundation level till date.

    “Our happiness is that the government has just appointed a new vice chancellor who had been with us for almost 30 years before he transferred his service to the University of Ibadan. Now, we are getting it right because our new vice chancellor knows the terrain quite well. Our vice chancellor and the Governor are on the same page.  If the plight of students can get to the Governor through the new management, I strongly believe some positive results will begin to evolve.”

  • Review Land Use Act for diverse benefits, don urges Fed Govt

    A professor of Estate Management and Valuation at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Niger State, Prof Muhammad Bashar Nuhu, has called on the Federal Government to speedily and comprehensively review the ‘Land Use Act’ for it to properly serve the purposes for which it was promulgated.

    Bashar gave the advise while delivering FUTMINNA’s 72nd inaugural lecture. The lecture with the title: “Land safety: How secured?” held at the Caverton lecture theatre, Gidan Kwano campus of the university.

    Nuhu appealed to authorities for downward review of the cost of certificate of occupancy (C of O), in addition to having a welfare-oriented policies on land.

    Said Nuhu: “In addition to providing genuine commitment for full implementation, there is the need for a review of the high cost of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and other administrative bottlenecks.  Hence, the need for a critical land reform in order to facilitate effective utilisation of land resources.

    “On the other hand, the key ingredients for securing access to land include having transparent, crystal clear and inclusive processes for land policy development, people-centred land policies, gender equity in access to land, policies reflecting diverse tenure systems, redistributive reforms as an integral policy tool, innovative and accessible systems for the recognition of land rights, and developing systems for the monitoring of land rights.”

    Nuhu, who explained Land Use Act of 1978 as the framework for land policy and administration in the country, added that the Act also vests proprietary rights of land on the state, grants rights in land to individuals, and also adopt the use of an administrative system in the allocation of rights in land.

    He added that the land acquisition and system of compensation adopted by private developers is by agreement, while that of the government is through expropriation/compulsory take-over of land for road construction, parks and other service facilities, after cash-based or replacement compensation to the actual owners.

    Aside the cost of buying land, Nuhu said land registration is no longer a difficulty with recent advancement in the use of satellite imagery, especially the geographical information system (GIS), as well as the geographical positioning system (GPS).

    While calling on the government to invest in land for developmental purposes, Nuhu, a former Commissioner of Tertiary Education in Niger State, also said some amendments should be made to the Land Use Act in order to free it from ambiguities.

    FUTMINNA Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Bala, who is also the chairman of the occasion, congratulated Prof Nuhu for delivering his inaugural barely few months after the Governing Council approved his promotion to the rank of professor.

  • Union president accuses AAUA mgt. of low funding

    Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) students’ union president, Comrade Samuel Adesomoju, has alleged that the school management is starving his administration of funds and other benefits for kicking against the upward review of tuition fees.

    Adesomoju said out of N4.5 million due to the union, only 1,047,000 has so far been disbursed. Adesomoju spoke during an interview with CAMPUSLIFE.

    He said: “My administration has not enjoyed anything because of the way we tackled the management (over increase in tuition). We were denied a lot of things.

    “Our administration has been on board for over eight months without leadership training because it was cancelled by the school management.

    “Since the inception of this administration, only N1,047,000 of N4.5milion due to us has been disbursed; all because of our involvement in the protest against the hike in tuition.”

    Ademosoju flayed the students’ impatience over the protest, which according to him, could have cost him and others involved their studentship.

    He explained that had the students been resolute like their counterparts in Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), whose fees were equally jerked up, government’s decision would not have stood.

    He said:” We had low turnout of AAUA students during the school fees protest compared to the turn out of the students of Ondo State University of Science and Technology

    “Besides, if AAUA students had been more supportive and cooperative, there was a higher probability that the (Ondo State) Governor (Rotimi Akeredolu), would have back pedaled on the raise in tuition.

    “We were clamouring for reduction in school fees when most of the students had already abandoned the struggle and were now desperate to resume. It took the grace of God for us not to have forfeited our studentship.”

    Ademosoju also bemoaned the manner the students made fun of his appearance and utterances in a short video after the meeting between the students leaders and Governor Akeredolu ended in deadlock.

    “Instead of them to condemn the government, they were busy making jest of me. We were teargassed and I fell in the heat of the commotion where everyone was trying to avoid inhaling the gas.

    “After I got up I had to remove my shirt to cover my nose. President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Comrade Danielson Akpan, recorded the video outside the Government House.”

    He said the whole encounter had taught him lessons, adding that what he went through was never envisaged. “Students unionism is not what myself and my executives imagined it to be. With the school fees saga we realised the kind of nature students of AAUA possess.

    “You fight for them but should you die alone, no one cares. As a leader one needs to employ diplomacy in dealing with the students and also agitating for them. In all, we learnt our lessons,” he said.

    Reacting, Dean of student affairs, Olusegun Owelewa, denied ever underfunding the union for any reason. He said funds so far disbursed were according to available school fees paid by students.

    He said: “That’s what they (SU)should get by the available school fees paid. They were the one who underfunded themselves. The amount they charge as union due is low. It is the lowest in the whole of Nigeria.

    “EKSU (Ekiti State University), pays N1,500 per student, In (University of) Benin it’s N2,500 per student, but AAUA pays N300 naira. So, when they pay the lowest they can’t expect much.

    “That’s what was due to the union as at the time it was released. They’ll multiply N300 by the number of students that have paid their school fees. So, it has not been underfunded in any way, it is undersubscribed and SU are not being punished. “

    Concerning cancelled training for union leaders, Owelewa added: “I would not expect him to say this because he knows what happened. After we had made necessary preparations, they said they were not ready for the leadership training.

    “It was the time they were doing aluta on school fees. We also prepared a kind of guided tour to Abeokuta and I showed it to him and his executive but they said they were not ready. When they now knew they had lost an opportunity they are now turning back to ask for it.

    “The university has a way of doing things; they cannot be deciding for the university. The university is not prepared for it. A new executive will soon come on board so they’ve wasted their time.”

  • Sanwo-Olu promises to support education

    Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has restated the desire of his administration to support education from basic to tertiary levels.

    This, the governor noted, was exemplified by the creation of Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), an institution established nearly 25 years ago, with a mandate to train teachers at the basic level.

    He spoke during the fourth convocation of the institution on Thursday, last week.

    Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the event by the Special Adviser on Education, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, praised the founding fathers  of the institution, particularly the late Michael Agbolade Otedola, under whose tenure as governor the college was established.

    He said: “As you are aware, this college was established in December 1994 to train teachers for the primary schools in Lagos State and beyond. I am glad to note that this institution has, to a large extent, achieved this purpose as teachers produced in this college have been found worthy of the certificates issued to them through their performance at the basic level of education across states of the federation. It is therefore pertinent at this point to acknowledge the vision of the founding fathers of the college.

    “Let me use this opportunity to assure you of the continued support of the government to strengthen the capacity of the college to improve significantly on its achievements. We are also committed to enhancing the status and prestige of the teaching profession through adequate reward for their efforts and recognition of exceptional performance.”

    Sanwo-Olu, who congratulated the graduands, admonished them to see their NCE certificates as a ‘symbol of communal trust’ to inspire the next generation of leaders.

    “As you return to the society, I want you to think of how you can re-invest the skill you have acquired here into making the society a better place,” the governor added.

    The Provost of MOCPED, Dr Nosiru Onibon, noted that 2,805 part-time and full-time students, cutting across 2013/2014; 2017/2018; and 2012/16 sessions, took a bow from the institution.

    Onibon urged the government to fast-track the proposed upgrade of  MOCPED to an open and distant learning (ODL) branch institution.

    “I am proud to announce to you that with all moral and financial support that the state government has been giving this college, we can successfully transmute into a full-fledged open and distant learning (ODL) university. We already got the approval of the immediate past executive council of the state on this. I am proud to say that our accrediting agency- National Council for Colleges of Education  – has at various times visited us and had attested to the fact that  the college has the capacity to metamorphose into a university of education.

    Since he came on board last year, Onibon noted that MOCPED has improved on information and communication technology (ICT) delivery, made classrooms more conducive for teaching and learning; commencedcomputer-based test for some general courses, ensured uninterrupted academic calendar, and turned out the first set of teachers certified by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

    Others, he said, include clearing backlog of students’ results, creating a digital library to complement the traditional one, remitted all salary deductions, engaged in human capacity development initiatives and paid three-month promotion arrears, among others.

    Onibon said the institution  still faces some challenges ranging from increase in monthly subvention, offsetting over N800 million debt, prompt release of capital expenditure, improving road network, slow release in capital expenditure, fulfilling the college master plan, having a more befitting main gate, perimeter fencing, drainage system, as well as landscaping, among others.

    Onibon thanked the government for giving MOCPED a Governing Council comprising technocrats who have been directing the institution aright.

    He thanked the graduands and the academic board on whose shoulder rests the responsibility of academic programmes.

    The event also witnessed presentation of awards to some distinguished personalities. They include:  Oba Babtunnde Olaogun Ogunlaja, Aladesoyin of Odo-Noforija; Chairman of Lagos SUBEB, Dr GaniuSopeyin, among others.

  • Campus journalists launch UNIZIK chapter

    National Union of Campus Journalist, Nigeria (NUCJ), has extended its arm to Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

    The inauguration and three-day workshop with the theme: “Campus journalism in the era of fake news” held at the Faculty of Art’s Theatre Hall and UNIZIK FM Hall respectively. The event had over 100 students in attendance.

    The training featured resource persons in the media industry. They include: Director, UNIZIK 94.1 FM, Prof Stella Okunna; Managing Director, Anambra State Broadcasting Service, Stella Igboka; and Chairperson, National Association of Women Journalist, Awka, Uche Nworah among other media personalities.

    Participants were trained in basic elements and ethics of journalism, data journalism, conducting successful interview, how to write good stories, as well as the basics of fact-checking, among others.

    Chidi Onumah, author of ‘We are all Biafrans’ and Nigerian/Canadian journalist, who trained the students on ‘Introduction to campus journalism’, narrated his experience as a campus journalist at the University of Calabar. He urged participants to be professional in their writing.

    “People who practice campus journalism pay attention to details like climax, syntax and so on. They do their home work very well.  As campus journalists, our responsibility is to ask.

    “At the ivory tower, where integrity is being ditched, journalism becomes the cornerstone to demand accountability, especially when it’s about the welfare of students”

    Read Also: Nigerian student unveils Beginners’ Handbook for campus Journalists

    Anambra State Broadcasting Service Managing Director, Mr Uche Nworah, while training campus journalist on Introduction to Journalism, emphasised on the importance of ICT skills to boost campus journalism work and urged them to be smart and savvy with ICT.

    He also urged them to be active in writing well detailed story that will promote the welfare of students on campus.

    The National Union of Campus Journalist, Nigeria( NUCJ), Publicity Secretary, Samuel Ajala  narrated his foray into journalism and urged them to be good ambassadors of the union.

    NUCJ South-East Zonal Secretary, who doubles as the UCJ UNIZIK Editor-in-Chief, Chiamaka Okafor, emphasised on the need for active union on campus and narrated what the significance of the union will be in the institution.

    At the end of the workshop, some students shared their thoughts on the event with Premium Times.

    One of the trainees, identified as Moses Mary from Mass Communication Department said: “I learnt a lot about how best i can be a journalist, to do the work with passion and skills.”

    Another trainee, Okafor Chidera Christian of Mass Communication Department said: “The programme is motivating. So far, we have been here to learn a lot and connect with each other. I can write news now and I can interview any student on campus based on what I have learnt.”

    The event was organised in partnership with Premium Times, Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) and other organisations.

    NUCJ, is an umbrella that unites all campus journalist in Nigeria.

    The organisation is committed to promoting welfarism of campus journalist in Nigeria.

  • Business school’s scholarships for Nigerian undergraduates

    To encourage students and create easier access to advanced studies, Rome Business School Nigeria, an Italian Business Schools operating in the country, has announced scholarship opportunities for intending Master’s degree students for its October intakes.

    The scholarships are for students applying to study Masters in Business Administration (MBA); Marketing and Communications; International Human Resources Management; as well as Agribusiness. Intending students are advised to send in their applications to the school’s campus at Ikeja GRA, Lagos or contact admissions office for further assistance.

    In a chat with CAMPUSLIFE, the Country Director, Dr. Humphrey Akanazu, said: “We are seeing the urgency to rebuild the Nigerian education landscape and investing in the potentials of Nigerian graduates. In view of this, we have opened our doors to promote the professional development of students, professionals and entrepreneurs by creating scholarship opportunities for intending master degree students to foster education advancement and contribute to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development goal on Education”.

    “The scholarship is designed to give graduates, professionals, and entrepreneurs the chance to develop their competencies in managerial disciplines based on the best international standards, thus helping them become competitive in the job, professional and entrepreneurial markets.”

    Akanasu said Rome Business School Nigeria is a European managerial training and research institute of excellence with an elaborate international standard academic curriculum.

    He added: “Our courses feature the highest levels of teaching quality and scrupulous care for the students’ needs with a personalised assistance of expert faculties, the wealth of learning materials and the meticulous checking of the learning progress ensures the maximum effectiveness of the training courses.”

  • Education: Adamu’s second coming

    During his valedictory press conference in May 2019, reappointed minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu said his inability to reduce Nigeria’ out-of-school children despite his pledge to do so was a shame on him. He apologised to Nigerians over his inability to fulfill his promise by half before the end of his tenure.

    The minister said the status of Nigeria with the highest number of out-of-school children globally “was a big mark of shame to him as a person and to the entire nation.” According to the minister, the concerns of this administration have been two-fold: “to find an empirical means of getting the actual figures and best ways to reducing the number to the barest minimum.” He said Nigeria has one of the highest number of out-of-school children in Sub-Saharan Africa” and perhaps in the world and ranked only second to Pakistan.”

    For the record, a 2015 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Nigerian government showed that out of school children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million.

    I admire the minister for being frank and having the courtesy to apologise for not fulfilling his promise during his first tenure. Now another opportunity beckons and I hope he will make the best use of it considering the strategic role of his ministry in the quest for human development capital in a rapidly changing world. Beyond the out-of-school children issue, I will also expect a robust and honest intervention in our tertiary education sector.

    Education is rightly recognised as the key to individual and societal development. Education does not only increase people’s knowledge, mindset and skills; it can also improve their world outlook and horizon, as well as their life chances. Most skills, attitude and performance abilities are acquired in some form from educational institutions. Little wonder that the contemporary society is often described as a “knowledge society” – one in which knowledge and skills are crucial for individual success.

    As a former President of the United States, Barack Obama, once said, “In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a prerequisite”. It is in recognition of the importance of education that serious countries lay optimum emphasis on education and seek to enhance the quality of education that is provided to their citizens.

    That the education system in Nigeria is facing severe challenges is to overstate a known fact and Adamu already has his work cut out for him. The challenge is being felt in many quarters with employers of labour complaining about the quality of the graduates – many of them being unable to operate the modern equipment and machines that they have in industries; or think through critical processes in 21st organizational settings.

    Recently, a popular consulting firm in Nigeria placed an advert for job placements that went viral on social media for an obvious reason; it targeted Nigerians with foreign degrees only. Such were encouraged to send in their CVs for job openings. It was very specific on what it wanted and this drew the ire of some who questioned the place of graduates with Nigerian degrees.

    Can we honestly blame them? We complain of the relatively poor ranking of Nigerian universities in the global rankings of universities. The truth is that desired ranking positions for our universities cannot be achieved without appropriate funding. Increasingly, the academic programmes in many public universities are being denied accreditation by the regulatory agency, the National Universities Commission (a government agency), often for lack of necessary equipment and facilities, which are not available because of poor funding by the same government that established the universities and the NUC!

    Many scholars have bemoaned the “good old days” of the education systems in Nigeria, the immediate post-independence period, up to the 1970s, when the country’s universities compared favourably with those in Europe and America. A time when the nation’s universities were truly international and global and could attract foreign scholars to teach and do research in Nigerian universities. Foreign students were attracted to study in Nigeria, and teaching hospitals were of such good standards that foreigners sought medical treatment in the teaching hospitals.

    The declining fortune of tertiary education institutions in Nigeria is becoming more apparent daily. Under-funding is severely having a negative impact on the quality of graduates. This is understandable when the students do not have access to functional, modern equipment and facilities for teaching and research. A clear indication of this is the increasing preference of employers of labour, especially in the financial, I.T., and oil and gas sectors, etc. to employ graduates of foreign universities, as opposed to those trained in Nigeria. The reason for this is not necessarily because of differences in intellectual capacity or competence, but as a result of different exposures and training process, an outcome of the incapacitation of Nigerian public universities, caused by severe under-funding.

    Adamu did mention in his valedictory speech that the government approved N25 billion for public universities and that the “figures have nothing to do with personnel and overhead costs in the education sector, which are also well over a trillion naira.” But those in the picture said this amounts to throwing money at the problem without concrete and systematic monitoring. Under-funding stifles or stunts the intellectual capacity of youths. In many cases, the average Nigerian students, when they travel abroad for further studies usually excel leaving us with the conclusion that the Nigerian environment is toxic as it stifles the potential and prospects of the youth.

    Against this backdrop however, it will be pertinent to point out that all the great universities in the world are not cheap. But that they are not cheap does not foreclose the fact that indigent but brilliant students cannot have access to them. There is a reason why they are accessible to the brilliant and ambitious: The government invests and the society plays its unique part in form of scholarships, infrastructure upgrade, provision of books and teaching aids alongside other sundry funds.

    While this is the norm in sane societies, ours is farther from the truth because those that often secure these scholarships are those ‘connected’ to the powers that be, no matter how dull they are. It will shock many Nigerians the number of foreign scholarships that are awarded in the country to people who least deserve them. Herein lays another dilemma.

    In Nigeria, the rich are not investing in our education because they claim they have no stakes, or where they have stakes, they invest for selfish reason of boosting their ego. They are least concerned because their children attend the Oxfords, Cambridge, Harvard or Yale of this world.

    In July 2014, the Economist magazine ran a cover story titled “Creative Destruction.” It centers on how universities can reinvent themselves and remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. This goes to show that the problem is global and not restricted to Nigeria. But the difference here is that other are already thinking ahead of time.

    In the report, the magazine argued that a cost crisis, changing labour markets and new technology will turn an old institution on its head. Higher education – it rightly pointed out – is one of the great successes of the welfare state which most western societies adopted to cushion the harsh effects of unbridled capitalism. What was once the privilege of a few became a middle-class entitlement, thanks mainly to government support.

    It said: “in the emerging world, universities are booming: China has added nearly 30m places in 20 years. Yet the business has changed little since Aristotle taught at the Athenian Lyceum: young students still gather at an appointed time and place to listen to the wisdom of scholars. Now a revolution has begun thanks to three forces: rising costs, changing demand and disruptive technology. The result will be the reinvention of the university.”

    Is Nigeria ready for such reinvention? All eyes will be on Adamu since it will not take him “one and half year to understand the ministry” this time around.

    Welcome home Malam Adamu; and please continue to remind Mr. President about your ministerial strategic plan awaiting his consent.

  • ATBU VC: we have rosy ties with our students

    A seven-member committee set up by the Governing Council of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi State, to investigate the collapse of the metal bridge which linked the students hostel with lecture halls, has submitted its report. The collapsed bridge killed three students of the university and injured several others. However, ATBU Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Abdullazeez has set the record straight over rumours in the wake of that calamity. He tells ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA what proactive measures the university is taking to forestall a reoccurrence.

    Following the collapsed bridge which led to death of three students, the management of ATBU has begun construction of a befitting bridge. How long will the construction last?

    I cannot say specifically when we will wrap up the project, but we hope that will be done very soon.

    I recall immediately after the incident, we started constructing the temporary pedestrian bridge which we wanted to make permanent; but the Nigerian Army intervened. They now wanted to make the bridge bigger and motorable to also make way for vehicular movement.

    The last time I spoke with them, they promised to deploy their machines soon. From the estimation, it would not last long. Students are currently writing their first semester exam and we hope the work would have gone far by the time they resume for second semester.

    Two, we have cordoned off the place to prevent students passing through the place. So, what we are doing in the interim is to get buses for them from the school area to reading area because from one end to another is about 1.5  kilometres. But, when you have the shortcut, it is about 400 metres. The buses will serve as a palliative measure till things improve.

    Your students have made  some allegations bordering on poor water, insecurity, and poor hostels, among others. How valid are their claims and if so, how will ATBU management begin to address one after the other?

    Sincerely, some of the complaints are genuine!

    What happened was we relocated to Gubi campus not quite long.

    At present, we have facilities for about 1000 students in Gubi campus. Incidentally, the campus is quite far away from town-about twenty something kilometres. So, the Dean of Students Affairs and the Students’ Union sat down and held discussions. With the approval of SU, it was agreed that the number of students per room should be increased.

    We must all acknowledge that once such a thing of this sort happens, existing facilities are automatically overstretched.  The place where we have our reservoir is far away, so what we did was to bring surface tanks to reduce the pressure. Incidentally, the number of students that we have in the halls have now increased.  So we have to look at the comfort of our students first by reducing the cost of transportation for them.

    Once we increased the number per room, we found out that facilities such as water and power were not enough.  So we tried to install some generators in the hostels in order to increase energy. Two, we now have to use our tankers to complement the existing boreholes. We now have two water channels, one form the tanker and the other from boreholes. So during exams period like we have now, students from off campus will like to come over to the main campus to study, and this also put additional pressure on the facilities.

    Amid these facilities gaps, does the management reach out to the alumni to seek assistance?

    One of our alumnus is Dr Issah Alli Pantami, who wrote to us. He is a Computer Science graduate of the 2002 Set. He has shown interest in addressing some of the challenges I mentioned earlier. At the individual level, we have many of our graduates that are working and doing well in blue chip companies and are ready to also assist.

    We also have the Alumni   Relations Office wherein all activities of the alumni are being coordinated. That department is headed by a deputy registrar.

    I did my Masters programme at the University of Ibadan and there I saw how far the alumni can go to assist their universities. At ATBU, we are just coming up with the concept of how the alumni can give back to their alma mater.

    At the height of the last crisis, students accused the Students’ Union  of being management’s stooge. How genuine or otherwise is this allegation?

    The students are entitled to their  opinions. We cannot speak for them though. However, the first thing you must realise is that the management comprises of parents like me who have children. Besides, we are loco parentis to these students. God has put me in charge of their lives and I’m going to give account to God what I did while these children were under my watch.

    It might interest you to know that on a personal level, I engage these students. I usually play football with them on campus almost every Sunday; and in the process of doing that, you shake hands and talk with them freely thereby getting to know some of their grievances.

    However, sometimes a piece of information is distorted when it goes from one source to another. Each hostel has electricians, porters, security guards and other workers. When they have any issue, the first port of call are the porters, and if the porter cannot address it, then they take to higher authorities like the Students Affairs Office or the Dean of Students Affairs as the case may be. These people have been given certain allocation because here we usually do not appreciate the idea of approaching management for things which could have been handled by them.

    What we are trying to do now is like advocacy; letting the students know this is who to approach should you encounter this kind of challenge. Overall, let me say we have a very rosy relationship with our students. We want to compliment it with orientation. We need to engage them more on what their problems are so we will be able to trace and fix such problems as quickly as possible.

    What have been management’s efforts in trying to find the causes of the calamity so such will not occur in future?

    We set up a special committee on the collapsed bridge and the committee has just submitted its report. However beyond that, we now have a committee in place which looks at our problems holistically. That committee is charged with identifying the root cause of our challenges in addition to pointing out gaps that management needs to address urgently. The committee has also engaged the students who have made certain complaints. One of the complaints is that the Gubi campus environment is too bushy; and as a responsive management, we are determined to ensure that both teaching and learning are conducted in a conducive atmosphere.

    Flooding has been one of the yearly challenges in Bauchi State and by extension ATBU. What proactive measures do you take to ward off or minimise to barest minimum the effect of flooding in the institution?

    We  contacted the Office of the Ecological Fund. It was under the Office of the Secreaty to Federal Government. and is saddled with taking care of the flood.

    Honestly, we have a challenge of funding; what we do is construct more channels where water will pass. But once the flood begins, the volume of water is usually more than what we can handle. So, usually, we dam the stream. It’s a small stream and during dry season, you hardly find water there. But owing to climate change, the volume of water that we witness in recent years cannot be compared to what had happened in time past. So what we do is to simply monitor when these students cross over from the academic area to their hostels and vice versa.

    What we have done  is to first block the entire road and put ‘do not pass’ notice at certain strategic points since more buses have now been provided to convey students. We have now marked one or two strategic points where we have sent proposals to some donor agencies to build bridges there. Those points marked for bridges are where we felt might be more dangerous for our students within two or three year period.

    Actually what we need is just one bridge since the hostels are not many for now, but you know students love to indulge and may not want to take the only bridge available. So we have counted about four points where we hope to construct pedestrian bridges. I was in Abuja this Sunday and I spoke with the permanent secretary of the Office of the Ecological Fund who promised to assist us toward the proposed bridges. They have even written us a proposal to control the ocean and the flooding from the main gate to the hostel so that water will not affect our roads.