The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • Killed at Yuletide

    The killing of a 200-Level student at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Abiodun Babalola, by robbers has again brought to the fore issues of bed space shortage on campus, insecurity of off-campus hostels and irresponsive nature of healthcare personnel, FAROMBI OLUWASEUN reports.

    The Yuletide usually brings hopes, joy and festivities.  But not so at the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, where a student died three days to Christmas after a robbery attack.

    Abiodun Babalola died of machete wounds sustained during the attack in the wee hours of December 22 at Adam and Eve, an off-campus hostel on Ibadan Road, on the outskirts of the university town.

    Termur, as the 200-Level student of the Department of Management and Accounting was fondly called, was not a resident of Adam and Eve. He slept there in order to participate in a group discussion in preparation for a Sociology Test scheduled for that fateful day.

    The incident has raised concerns about insecurity at off-campus hostels and acute shortage of on-campus hostel accommodation, which is safer.  Students are expressing concern about the poor attitude of health workers  during emergencies.

    According to a source, who pleaded anonymity, Babalola was attacked by the robbers following an altercation with them.

    He was hit on the head with a cutlass.

    Some eyewitnesses claimed that he could have survived if he had been attended to early.

    They alleged that when contacted the police said there was no vehicle or patrol van to take him to the hospital.

    “Both the Nigeria Police and the OAU security officials complained of faulty patrol van,” a source said.

    The victim, he said, was first taken on a bike before the University’s chief security officer released his car for use.

    Abiodun was first taken to the university health centre where he was rejected before he was transferred to the  Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) around 3am.

    The students claimed that the OAUTH did not treat the case as an emergency. The hospital, they claimed, asked for money for blood and other items, the victim was unattended to for more than five hours.

    It was gathered that the victim was attended to after 8am and he died around 9am.

    Some students said that it was not the first case of students not being attended to on emergencies at the teaching hospital.

    Refuting the claim, spokesperson of the hospital, Kemi Fasoto, said the deceased received prompt medical attention from the hospital personnel.

    Fasoto, who said it was wrong for the hospital to divulge information about the health condition of any patient, said the management of the OAU brought the deceased to the hospital for treatment.

    Ile-Ife Area Police Commander, Mr Funso Adegboye, said the victim was “injured, rushed to the hospital, but eventually gave up the ghost”.

    In statement, the executive council of Nigeria Universities Accounting Students Association, OAU,  described the accident as a “bad occurrence.”

    Some OAU students have blamed the university authority for not mounting pressure on the Nigeria Police to provide adequate security to students staying off campus.   They also said many more students are off-campus this year because there are not enough hostels.

    This year alone, some students said the number of robbery attacks on off-campus hostels, targeting students had increased.

    “This year, the rate at which robbers have attacked students in hostels off campus, has increased.  The only place the university can guarantee security is for students who stay on campus,” a student said.

    Forty-eight hours after the incident, it was  gathered that there was a foiled robbery at an other off-campus hostel in Oduduwa Estate.

    “There was a robbery.  But it was not successful because the security agents exchanged fire with the robbers so they ran away,” he said.

    Majority of OAU students are staying in  off-campus hostels this year because of the school’s new accommodation policy aimed at ensuring that  the on-campus halls of residents are not overpopulated.

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that the university is insisting that only students legally allocated bed spaces could stay in the hostels.  Consequently, there was no room for squating –a  practice that used to swell hostel population by more than twice the number.

    With a total bed-space of 7,500, there is a shortfall of over 27,500 for 35,000 students’ population, another student said.

    “This session, majority of OAU students are off campus.  Normally, a room should take three students.  But with squatters, the number doubles.  This year, management was strict about not allowing students without bed spaces to stay in the hostel.  As a result, close to 70 per cent of OAU studnets are off-campus.

    “The school management told us that there are only 7,500 bed spaces; but we have over 35,000 students.  If the new policy had not been stringent, there would have been up to 20,000 or 25,000 students on campus.  But because of the new policy, many students had to stay off-campus.  And some of the students are better off than the residents of Ife; they would have more valuables that would have attracted robbers,” the student said.

    Read also: Army confirms 14 killed in Boko Haram ambush

    Reacting, the OAU Public Relations Officer, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, said the university was forced to introduce the accommodation policy because students had complained about overcrowding in hostels online.

    He said: “We have a particular number of students that normally occupy each of the rooms.  We know that they have squatters that stay with them but we turned a blind eye to allow them stay together.

    “But you will recall that it was this same set of students who took the snapshot of the hostels and put it on the Internet, saying that they were 20 in a room.

    “The university said we did not put 20 in a room and decided to strictly implement the carrying capacity of eight in a room.  The VC said eight were even too many in a room but he finally agreed to allow it.

    “Normally, we are supposed to cater for 100-Level students because they are new and don’t have anywhere to go; and the final year students because of their projects.  Others are supposed to find their way.

    “It is not a crime that we have hostel accommodation for our students.  There are some universities that do not accommodate their students within the campus.  And students live off-campus around the university.  And they do not lay the blame of whatever happens on the management.”

    Olarewaju said the university was making efforts to increase the number of hostels on campus, adding that there were four currently under construction in partnership with the private sector.

    “We are not leaving any stone unturned in relation to hostels.  Since the funding from the Federal Government is inadequate, we have been calling for assistance from individuals and organisations to help us build hostels.  People have been responding to the VC’s call and we are positive that very soon, the issue would be addressed. There are four hostels under construction in partnership with the private sector,” he said.

    Olarewaju said Abiodun’s death was sad, especially as it happened in the festive season.

    He said: “The university Vice Chancellor, his management team and the university council are all sad to lose a student of the institution, especially towards this festive period of the year.”

    The PRO said it was not a time to apportion blame, adding: “Man proposes, God disposes.”

    The Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, said people should place the fear of God far and above worldly materials, wondering what sort of earthly possession would have made a man to attack, maim and kill his fellow man.

    The VC prayed God to would grant Abiodun eternal rest and his family the fortitude to bear the loss.

  • Underwear palaver

    In 2002, I witnessed an event that would have resulted in an innocent man losing his life had the police not intervened. I was a full-time reporter with the now rested The Comet newspaper and was at a bus shelter in Obanikoro area of Lagos waiting to board a bus to Lagos Island for an event when one of those standing with me suddenly grabbed another by the neck and started yelling that his manhood had ‘disappeared.’ There were tales back then about ‘disappearing manhood.’ Men were very conscious of close contact with strangers. It was also not unusual during that period to see some men holding their manhood in public!

    As expected, we all gathered around both individuals to try and resolve the issue, but to no avail. The individual that made the allegation refuse all entreaties for him to release his grip in order not to choke the ‘accused.’ Things were gradually getting out of hand when some people started appearing with used car tyres and clubs. Suddenly, a bus conductor at the scene was bold enough to touch the manhood of the guy making the allegation; after the touch he shouted in Yoruba: “but your manhood is intact!” Despite this, the guy remained adamant insisting his manhood had ‘disappeared.’

    In order to break the impasse, we all agreed to go behind the bus shelter to ascertain whether the guy’s manhood was intact or had ‘disappeared.’ The guy was asked to unzip his trouser which he did. To our surprise his manhood was intact. But he insisted that his manhood had shrunk in size so a ‘disappearing act’ had taken place which is not “visible to the naked eye.” Luckily, a police patrol car was attracted to the scene by the large crowd. Both individuals were later taken to the station to resolve the issue. I must stress that some innocent people have been lynched in the past over such unfounded allegations.

    I relate this story as a prelude to today’s piece. Over a month ago, I got a call from a female undergraduate in a tertiary institution in Delta State urging me to “investigate and write” about the trend of missing female underwear in the state. I politely asked her how that is an issue at a time the country is contending with myriad of problems including university lecturers who are on strike. She said it was a “serious matter” because there were allegations that missing female underwear is being used by ritualists for “blood money.” After listening to her tales I politely thanked her for calling.

    Penultimate week, I received another call – also from Delta state – on the same issue from a reader. What he narrated wasn’t different from that of the undergraduate. I asked if he truly believes that such a thing can happen in the 21st century and his reply was in the affirmative. After the call, I didn’t give the issue further thought as I believe it was in the realm which I consider irrational.

    However, the issue was brought to the mainstream last Saturday –December 22 – by The Punch newspaper in a report titled: “Fear of ‘Yahoo boys’ has made us stop wearing pants – Women in Delta students’ communities.” According to the long report, some ritualists, also known as ‘Yahoo boys’, have been stealing female underwear, sometimes at gunpoint, particularly around campuses of tertiary institutions in Delta State. Although the veracity of the claims that such stolen undies are used for ritual purposes has not been established, such reports have instilled fear into the hearts of ladies living in such areas, resulting in fear and panic.

    The newspaper correspondent wrote that “many ladies in the affected areas in Delta have been devising ways to safeguard themselves against danger. It was learnt that the underwear of girls and women, particularly of ages between 14 and 35, are allegedly considered as ‘hot cakes’ for use by the ritualists.”

    The report stated further that “used pants, according to some students at Asaba campus of the Delta State University, sells for as much as N350,000, with some adding that the price can be higher if it is confirmed to have body fluids. At the campus, it was learnt that one of the measures being used by female students to protect themselves is to go out without wearing pants.”

    Quoting a lady who only identified herself as Esther, the report went on: “We hear that the pants those ritualists or ‘Yahoo boys’ steal are being used for money ritual. After they finish performing some rituals on the pants, the owners will start bleeding or vomiting blood. Since the news got to us, three of my friends have stopped wearing pants. I have stopped going out at night, even for something as important as going to the campus to study at night. Although, I heard that these evil people also operate during the day, I believe it is more dangerous at night.”

    After reading The Punch report, I worked the phone asking my contacts to help investigate further and gauge the mood in Asaba, Warri and other towns in Delta State. The simple question I want answer to is this: there are many used and imported pants at various second hand clothing shops across the state, why are those not targeted?

    I single out two responses from some of the answers sent to me. The first is this: “The second hand pants have crossed the ocean so there are no powers in such pants anymore. Also the pants may have been worn by foreigners whose spirit may not conform to our local environment.” The second is this: “The pant that has body fluid is the one that can be used with ease to make the recipient instantly rich. This is why there are allegations that ladies are robbed at gunpoint for their underwear.”

    That people believe such things exist speak volumes. However, the issue of superstition on individuals and societies is often difficult to break. It is a common issue in many cultures, especially in ours. No matter how advanced and rational we might like to think we are, superstition is a practice that remains widespread and has an impact – often detrimental – on almost all facets including even our economic lives.

    I am aware that even in countries ranked as highly educated, superstitious practices persist when logic suggests that more rational behaviour brought about by education means they should be swept aside. In Singapore for example, ranked among the most highly educated societies in the world, the numbers 8 and 4 still carry particular significance for many in the majority Chinese community. In Chinese culture eight is traditionally believed to be lucky as it sounds similar to “prosperity”, while four – sounding like the word for “death” – is believed to be unlucky.

    Psychologists and anthropologists suggest that individuals who follow superstitious practices do so to cope with misfortune and uncertainty and to make sense of a complex world. Other research has suggested that superstitious beliefs can endure if the probability of them being exposed as untrue is low. If there is always some chance of a bad outcome when following superstition and some chance of a good outcome when not, an individual might never realise that it is untrue and continue to follow it.

    Although there is no single definition of superstition, it generally means a belief in supernatural forces – such as fate – the desire to influence unpredictable factors and a need to resolve uncertainty. In this way then, individual beliefs and experiences drive superstitions, which explains why they are generally irrational and often defy current scientific wisdom.

    For many people, engaging with superstitious behaviours provides a sense of control and reduces anxiety – which is why levels of superstition increase at times of stress and angst like we are experiencing in Nigeria today. Carrying charms, wearing certain clothes, visiting places associated with good fortune, preferring specific colours and using particular numbers are all elements of superstition. And although these behaviours and actions can appear trivial, for some people, they can often affect choices made in the real world.

  • Of next level and getting Nigeria working again

    When the death of our fallen heroes could not dwindle the viciousness, what then will hinder the virulent mind of the perpetrators in politics? The highest rate of lachrymose we could afford for our fallen heroes is a week of bereavement and nothing more. Isn’t it?  The expectations are not what were expensed. Before the horrible killings of the soldiers, innumerable civilians were killed massively; they were innumerable because nobody was there to count and died terrible death because nobody was there to help. After the bloody attack on the Nigeria army, many subsequent attacks have followed; our people are dying in silence same as our soldiers are dying innumerably.

    This is coming now because our leaders know the tactics to suppress the violence only during elections. We can have peaceful elections but not a peaceful country. That is sorrowful! Funds for elections are preserved even when there is no money to feed the nation. Yes, election is the only way to sustain the well-fed politicians in power and the unpleasing state of the country is another means to fill their money reservoirs.

    How are we going to ‘get Nigeria working again’? Is it by going to ‘the next level’? Nigeria was not working well and that was why ‘we changed.’ We thought the military dictatorship government was the architect of our grotesque suffering.  We coalesced forcefully and brought the seemingly powerful politicians into power. But look at the remuneration for our kindness! Their 16 years in power gave us nothing but these: high oil prices, insurgencies, poor education system, privatisation of public companies and plundered our wealth under put under their guidance and ‘guardance’. The money meant for the army found their way into the pocket of the generals. The ammunitions meant for war got lost and the same were used by the terrorists. Is this how to get Nigeria working again? If the country was working we wouldn’t have changed. Thus the ‘Next Level’ mantra will only take us forward to the high level of poverty.

    Because the country was not working, we changed. We wanted the change but we can’t see the change. It is as if we changed the government but not the people in the bad government; we changed the politics without the tactics.  The insurgencies are impinging in on our country and our soldiers still underpaid. Oil prices are rising yet poverty is spreading; development is cramped by corruption. And we want to go to next level.

    It is a devious idea to move to another level when the current is not leveled; It is a daydream to think something can work again when it has never worked. It is a deceit; let us wake up from our slumber.

    • Abdullah Tijani is a campus journalist from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto

  • Revamping oil refineries

    rude Oil, ever since it was discovered in 1956 at Oloibiri, a remote hamlet in Bayelsa State, has remained the livewire of Nigeria’s economy. This is for over six decades now.

    God forbid, what will happen, if at present, we wake up and find out that our oil wells have all evaporated?

    Now, other members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have continued to amass enormous foreign revenue as a result of them locally refining their crude oil. But the opposite is the case with Nigeria. We drill our raw crude, then afterwards, voyage it oversea to be processed into other finished energy bye-products. That we have to pay for the unrefined crude to be shipped out of our shores, and then buy back—with huge foreign exchange, obviously beggars belief. It is ludicrous, to say the least.

    Reports have it that Nigeria is the only OPEC member-state that still imports petrol. The country presently imports about one million tonnes of Premium Motor Spirits (PMS) every month, making it the largest importer of PMS in the world.

    In June this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed that $36.371billion was expended on the importation of petroleum products from 2013 to 2017 alone. The Director in charge of Research in the apex bank, Mr Ganiyu Amao, made the disclosure while testifying before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Refineries Turn Around Maintenance (TAM). The apex bank lamented that the huge amount spent on petrol imports had affected the nation’s external reserve and induced the depreciation of the naira.

    But there are the Port-Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri refineries. What, actually, ‘may be’ wrong with them?

    Former Minster of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in 2014, at an Oil and Gas Summit, was reported to have said that Nigeria’s four refineries had not undergone necessary repairs four years after their original builders completed the technical assessments on them in 2010.

    She said the inability to carry out TAM was due to the scary level of decay at the plants.

    “After I assumed office in 2007, I embarked on an extensive tour of the refineries to assess the conditions of various units. At the end of the trip, I was shocked at the extent of dilapidation and the state of decay of equipment. Most of the units were obsolete, so much so that they could hardly produce again. To get a replacement for the equipment was not possible, because they were outdated. For over 20 years, the equipment were not changed or maintained,” she said back then.

    On the refineries, experts in the Oil industry believe that contracts awarded for their repairs were either abandoned half way or not even executed at all.

    However, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, had in March, assured that the four refineries would soon be revamped and be ready—at most—in 18 months. Given that the 2019 target for Nigeria to end fuel importation is fast approaching, there is need for the Minister of State for Petroleum to once again tour the ‘currently rehabilitated’ refineries to know how far work has gone and how soon it would be completed.

     

    • 100-Level Information and Media Studies, Bayero University Kano (BUK) sayidularafatabdulrazaq@gmail.com

     

  • RCCG gets college of tech

    THE Redeemed Christian Church of God  (RCCG) General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has announced the coming of the Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management (RECTEM), a new polytechnic established by the church.

    Adeboye said admission into the college, which will run four schools, has begun. They are: School of Science and Technology (to run Computer Science; Science Laboratory Technology – SLT); School of Management Studies (Business Administration & Management and Accountancy); School of Engineering Technology (Computer Engineering; Electrical/Electronic Engineering); and School of Environmental Science (Architecture, Estate Management, and Quantity Surveying).

    According to him, the college was established with the aim of raising champions in the field of technology and management, adding that it will run from the church’s Redemption Camp.

    “The Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management is now open here at the Redemption Camp, so if you are interested in technology or management, this is your opportunity, tell your friends or relatives.  By the grace of God, this particular College of Technology is extremely well-equipped,” he said.

    The Rector of the College, Prof Adedeji Daramola, said students will benefit from both rigorous academic and practical training at the college. “RECTEM is fundamentally unique from similar institutions by virtue of its vigorous involvement in research and development in technology, through its set pattern of exploratory innovation outside the traditional classroom environment,” he said.

    The students, he said, will learn through simulations in an interdisciplinary setting such that they will develop the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively and effectively for the betterment of humanity and ensuring global relevance.

    He added that the college has a strategic study plan that focuses on learning by doing and combining liberal, professional and industrial education.

    He said the college will enjoy 24-hour power supply, courtesy of a twin turbine power generation plant, in addition to other facilities like batching plants, banks, advanced computer centre, medical centre, hostels and others.

    He said: All programmes of the College have been approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the regulatory body in charge of polytechnics in Nigeria.

  • Varsity hosts first Research Fellow

    Kola Daisi University (KDU), Ibadan has hosted its first Research Fellow, Mr Colin Bos, from the United States of America.

    Bos, a doctoral student of the Department of History at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, US, is working on West African intellectual history, indigenous medicine and healing culture.

    During his four-week stint at KDU, Bos probed the ‘role of textuality and orality in healing cultures’, as well as the interaction between biomedicine and social perspectives to health issues at the indigenous level, towards unravelling West Africans’ attitudinal dispositions to science, medicine and diseases.

    While giving further insight into his study, Bos said he delved into African history as a motivation for the shame he felt for his ignorance about African history against the reality of some indigenous African practices like Ifa divination which he rated to be enjoying wider acceptance, to the extent of becoming transatlantic phenomena.

    “One thing that has motivated my research was the shame I felt in knowing so little about African history and Africa’s many and diverse cultures. It was disturbing to me when I first studied African history how this had never been presented to me before even though I had learnt so much about the history of everywhere else,” he said.

    Bos, who could not hide his admiration of the richness of the African culture, summed his observation that many of the cultures were shrouded in much mystery, especially those of the Yoruba extraction but however advocated that “those traditions deserve respect and admiration from around the world”.

    The researcher therefore called for more study on the African culture beyond the realm of tradition, to appreciate “its deep influence in politics, religion, health and medical histories that had hitherto been taken for granted”.

    Hosting the researcher to a luncheon after his stay, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kolade Ayorinde, thanked Bos for his choice of KDU for his research as part of the academic requirements for his Doctoral programme.

    Ayorinde expressed the hope that the research findings will strengthen the understanding, profile and prestige of the African culture and also be pivotal to human development across shores, irrespective of cultural background.

    The Vice-Chancellor also appreciated the Dean of the University’s Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences, Dr Rasheed Olaniyi, for facilitating the academic exchange programme with a challenge for further collaborations with notable academic institutions, globally.

  • LAUTECH alumni hail VC

    The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Alumni Association, Abuja Chapter, has congratulated Prof Michael Olufisayo Ologunde, who is to succeed Prof Adeniyi Suleiman Gbadegesin as the Vice-Chancellor of the university.

    Dr Kayode Ogunleye has also being appointed the new Registrar, and Mr Abayomi Okediji the Bursar.

    All the new officers are expected to assume office on February 14, 2019.

    Speaking on behalf of the group, its Chairperson, Dr Toyin Ajenifujah-Solebo, and the Secretary, Mr Kunle Adigun said Ologunde’s tenure would be a new dawn for the institution.

    “Being a foundation member of staff of the institution, we believe that the new Vice Chancellor Designate have a full understanding of the institution and he will reposition the institution to an enviable status which it belonged to in the comity of tertiary institutions in the country.

    “We are proud alumni of LAUTECH and we have gladly represented the institution across the globe. We would want the younger generation to also be confident in representing the institution. We want to urge the state governments and the VC-Designate to evolve strategies that will put an end to the perennial strikes that the institution has been lately renowned for,” they said.

    They praised Oyo State Governor Isiaka Ajimobi and Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the Governing Council for the transparent way in which Ologunde and other principal officers were selected.

    Ologunde, born in 1954, hails from Ajagunlase-Iwo in Ola-Oluwa Local Government, Osun State. He had his first degree from the University of Nsukka; his Masters  at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and PhD at LAUTECH.

    He is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology and a member of the World Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

  • Provost seeks varsity upgrade for college of education

    Provost of the Nwafor Orizu College of Education Nsugbe (NOCEN), Anambra State, Dr Ifeyinwa Osegbo has appealed to Governor Willie Obiano to upgrade the College into a University of Education.

    Osegbo made the appeal at the 19th convocation of the institution where over 800 graduates of the institution were conferred with the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and Professional Diploma in Education (PDE).

    She said the conversion would not only enhance the strength of the staff and students of the institution, but also boast its Internally Generated Revenue.

    “The upgrade will boost the strength of the institution, staff and students and also increase the Internally Generated Revenue of the college,” she said.

    Commending the governor for his commitment to the staff and students’ welfare, including the construction of internal roads within the institution, Osegbo urged him to construct hostels to reduce accommodation hardship faced by students.

    Addressing the graduates, the Provost urged them to see their convocation as call to duty and a mark to the end of dependence on their families.

    She further challenged them to use the knowledge acquired as weapon of survival and excellence in their field of endeavours.

    In his address, Obiano restated his administration’s commitment to providing equal educational opportunity for the citizens of the state.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Tertiary and Science Education, Prof Theresa Obiekezie, the gGvernor disclosed that more roads have been awarded for construction within the institution, while perimeter fencing would soon commence to enhance security.

    “Education remains a pillar and an enabler in my administration to ensure that all citizens receive equal opportunity in education,” he said.

    He lauded the staff and students of the college for their dedication to lecture and studies, pledging to provide scholarships to indigent students in the college.

    The event featured the award of college prizes to six deserving graduates, including Miss Marycynthia Mmaduchebe, a graduate of Biology/Chemistry who emerged the overall best student for 2018 academic session.

  • Massive turnout at job seekers’ summit

    The 2018 edition of the National Employment Transformation Summit (NETsummit) recorded a massive turnout of jobseekers who heard from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), professionals, Human Resource companies and other Corporate Institutions assemble to train over 10,000 jobseekers.

    NETsummit a by-product of National Career Fair recording its 7th successful edition this year, the annual capacity building programme assembled top human resource executives, various captains of industries, top organizations, and entrepreneurs, to coach prospective employees in arrears of career information, business development, leadership and Governance, employment and economic opportunities including scholarships, loans and grants for students in a conscious effort to breach the gap between employers, employees, and jobseekers; while also providing invaluable growth opportunities, mentorship for students, youths, and jobs (white and blue collar) on the spot.

    The facilitators included: Chairman/Group CEO, Sodium Brand Solution, Mr Abisoye Fagade; Head, HR FBN Quest Merchant Bank, Yemi Faseun; Country Director, Andela Nigeria, Omowale David-Ashiru; CEO, Team Building International, Yinka Olugbodi; CEO, BI Solutions, Mrs Tokunbo Fasoro; CEO, Metamor46 – ICEMAN, Rufai Oseni (Ace OAP);  CEO Hybrid Group , Dapo Omolade; Ajayi Oluwatobi; CEO, ServicePRO, Yinka Olaniyan; Popular OAP, VJ Adams; Shola Animashaun and many more.

    Human Resources agencies and companies on ground to conduct on-the-spot recruitment exercise included: Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS), Andela, WedBusinessSchool, Univelcity, Drivertise, Gr8jobs, Eventecture, Workforce, GuardianJobs, WaveAcademy, UKEAS, VerifyMe, FBNQUEST, Flobyt, PanAtlanticUniversity, Delicacies Plus, Feminik Logistics and many more.

    The convener of NETsummit, Oluwaseun Shogbamu, an engineer, congratulated the participants on taking a bold step in changing the narrative for a better Nigeria. He called for more support from partners and corporate institutions in areas of training, job creation, personal development and internship opportunities in the quest to add more value to the lives of average  youths.

  • Female student makes highest CGPA in Physics

    Zainab Bashir has recorded a first in the Physics Department of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS).  She scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.87 – the highest ever in the history of the department.

    The 21-year-old, an indigene of Katsina, said in an interview with CampusLife that her ambition was to study medicine.   However, she was offered Physics, which she was very good in while in secondary school. She fell in love with it and with God’s help, made the best of it.

    “My first choice was to study Medicine and Surgery but then, Almighty Allah guided me to the potential in me which I did not realise before.

    “Physics in secondary school was such a nice subject to me that I had no fear of approaching its calculations and it was always my best science subject. So I regard what happened with my jamb score as a blessing in disguise. Alhamdulillah! Since the time I lost my first choice I groomed my ambition to have this class of degree,” she said.

    Zainab hopes to work in her field, saying: “And this is not the end of my dream as I hope to pursue the brightful colours of my career In Shaa Allah!”

    She explained that the advice of her father and the mindset of never giving up spurred her to chase such a tremendous feat –though she was discouraged by many others.

    When asked whether she had ever been discouraged by failure, she said she never experienced such except in her final year project, where she got a C despite her hard work and dedication.  She recorded only As or Bs in all her other subjects.

    Throughout her studentship, Zainab said she never engaged in popular style of reading among students called TDB (Till Day Break). She said she read during the day in class and library, and before she slept at her home in Sokoto where she lived with her parents.

    “Reading is not about how long but how well. It is just about making plans and using time judiciously. So I made plans and used the day to study at home or at the school library. I have never done what we students call TDB,” she said.

    Zainab also explained that attending school from home rather than being resident on campus never hampered her academic pursuit because her parents understood.

    “I have never thought of going to hostel because my mother understood my situation. So whenever it is exam period she just gives me a small portion of work although the issue of short notice lectures and practicals were also a challenge,” she said.

    As a beautiful young lady, Zainab said she was able to avoid distractions from the opposite sex because she was already engaged.  She said she was diplomatic in dealing with boys and prioritised her studies above all else.

    Apart from watching drama and chatting with friends, Zainab said she did not engage in any other extra-curricular activity.

    After graduation, Zainab said she hopes to get married and become a teacher/lecturer who will impact knowledge on young minds.

    She advised students to focus on their studies and to set their priorities right.

    “Set your goals and keep focused.  Always be dedicated and let prayers be your weapon. Anything can be achieved. Nothing is impossible with the will of Allah,” she said.