The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • One Young World: Retelling Africa’s future

    ABIDEEN OLASUPO, a former CAMPUSLIFE correspondent and Chemistry graduate of the University of Ilorin, writes on his experience after attending a global entrepreneurship and peace summit at The Hague in Netherlands.

    The city of peace and justice – The Hague in the Netherlands – hosted about 1,800 young people from no fewer than 180 countries for One Young World (OYW) Global Summit. In a pool of young entrepreneurs, peace ambassadors, human rights activists, on whom the baton of the future will fall, I was privileged to be an attendee at the event, which coincided with my 25th birthday. My birthday was not the only special thing about my international engagement last week, but it definitely was an icing on the cake.

    Although I was earlier denied a visa by the Netherlands Embassy, the intervention of One Young World, as an organisation, saw the Netherlands Consul General delivering my visa to me, along with an apology letter. This allowed me attend the global summit for which I got sponsorship of about N1.7 million from the organiser. It is necessary that I mention this in order to encourage fellow young people who have honest causes to pursue that cause. It is a legacy that never goes out of fashion, and as long as we are consistent and show commitment towards the cause, the doors will open, eventually.

    At The Hague, I couldn’t contain my emotions when professionals whom I had only seen on social networking sites appeared in person. It is important to state that I have attended a lot of conferences where the past, the present, and the future of the world have been discussed, and at Brain Builders International (BBI), where I serve as the Director, we have, on various occasions, pulled resourceful personnel from around Nigeria to help educate young people on the need to work for the future.

    But none of these fora that I had attended in the past or that we organised at BBI could be equalled to the One Young World Summit. To put it simply, I’ll say it was an assemblage of stars. These stars shone in physical presence and not just on television or social media.

    The event was attended by numerous global icons and professionals from various cwalks of life. They include professionals in the fields of entrepreneurship, humanitarianism, and other causes, ranging from domestic violence, peace, justice to international crimes.

    One of the fascinating attendees was Akon, a Senegalese-born American hip-hop artiste whose iconic feats in music, entrepreneurship, and humanitarianism continue to open doors for numerous young Africans. The icon, who announced his intention at the event to run for president in Senegal, filled our cup of experience by talking about social development, planning for the future today, and global growth which can only be secured through collaborative efforts.

    While we may suffer some setbacks as a nation, I believe that the collaborative efforts of Nigerians can re-tell the story of a great nation yet again. Even more so, this narrative can extend to other African antions, and eventually mix with the rest of the world effectively. I feel sad when I attend global conferences, and the situations in Africa become the crux of discussions. It is a brutal blow that demoralises me as a Nigerian and as an African. But this future can only be retold by the African youth of today.

    As part of efforts to change the African narrative, I engaged young Africans on the issue of Africa Beyond Aids. Though it might seem like a white elephant project today, I know that with collaborative efforts, young men and women of Africa will be able to set the continent free from aids that tend to sink our economies.

    While we appreciate some of these aids, most of them are traps that will entangle the future of Africa. Alternatively, I believe that an intra-country trade and transport system that supports a symbiotic trade relationship will further strengthen African nations, especially with lowered taxes, and government aids to motivate and push forward Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). I know quite well that I am one African from Nigeria, but I also know that I am not alone in this task and desire to see Africa become a giant in global economy.

    During the event, I was able to participate in sessions on “Running successful elections”, “One planet, communicating the global goals”, “Bridging the future skills gap where I live”, “SDG start-up challenge”, and “Enterprise for peace”, amongst others.

    Prior to my participation at the global summit, I was able to, with the help of colleagues, use BBI to work on bridging future gaps in Nigeria, as well as give trainings on electoral practices as a YIAGA ambassador. While my private entrepreneurial endeavours at Soup ForMe, OPAB Global Consults, Fast Ride, and OPAB Oil and Gas have been beneficial towards helping young professionals actualise their potential in entrepreneurship, One Young World was an eye-opening opportunity for me to do better.

    More than ever, my resolution in the development of the Nigeria of our dreams has been rekindled with the contact I made at The Hague. While the hectic activities at the event might not have allowed me to fully communicate with all other young ambassadors, we have an opportunity to mail post cards for free, opening a room for more collaboration. I am excited at this prospect as I am an ardent believer of “collaboration being the new competition”. In this regard, I’ll love to appreciate the efforts of Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Erik Parriger of the One Young World for the skills we have been equipped with. There’s a central lesson to learn from all of these and that is: the future rests with the youth.

    I am immensely happy, and overwhelmed by the overall experience and the euphoria of possible collaboration to further move Nigeria, and the world forward. I have travelled to The Hague as OYW delegate and left as ambassador alongside other ambassadors from other counties, and we can only say that the story of the future is about to be retold.

    The excitement of OYW attendance is not only in being known as an ambassador, but being able to activate social development in our respective countries. This is something I had hitherto been engaged in, and with this new opportunity, we can expand and grab the future now. All of the trainings and lectures at The Hague would not go down as a waste. My passion and excitement, along with my colleagues who are ever resolute towards social development will help towards ensuring that we make Africa and the world safe and productive.

  • Church trains young professionals at boot camp

    The Covenant Christian Centre (CCC) has organised a Young Professionals Boot (YPB) camp where 200 young people were trained on how to solve practical problems through entrepreneurship and creativity. EDDY UWOGHIREN (500-Level, Medicine and Surgery, University of Benin) reports.

    No fewer than 200 young people participated in the third edition of the Young Professionals Boot (YPB) camp organised by Covenant Christian Centre (CCC). The event hosted youths from diverse backgrounds.

    The participants were selected from over 1,000 applicants across the country. They received practical training in entrepreneurship to drive innovation and success in the market place. The aim of the training was to equip young people with skills that would motivate them to lead the transformation of the national economy.

    The five-day training, held at the Digital Bridge Institute in Oshodi, Lagos, saw the participants mentored in entrepreneurship, corporate career and creativity.

    In his address at the opening session, Pastor Poju Oyemade of CCC congratulated the participants for their “successful selection”, while encouraging them to use the opportunity to acquire skills that would change their stories.

    Speaking on Overcoming self-defeating patterns, Oyemade advised them to always get mentoring that would help them improve their managerial skills, saying only skills would make them to survive in the modern world.

    He said: “When you get to a stage in life and you feel stagnated, never be bitter by your condition. Just know that the environment has placed a demand on you to change the way you are doing things in order to experience change.”

    The clergyman added that though intellectual knowledge is necessary to build business,   there is the need for participants to develop boldness in order to confront any situation life may bring their way.

    He charged them to see themselves as problem solvers and ensure they impart the knowledge gained from the programme to others around them.

    Speaking on Building a successful career, Obinna Ukachukwu from Hygeia HMO told the participants that there would be a stage in their life they would need dependability, reliability and good attitude as only skills they require to build successful career.

    “You must understand that there is no perfect career. Rather, the ability to use your background and skills to monetise available opportunities is key to building a successful career,” he said.

    Obinna said told the young professionals that there is no defined career path, adding that the ability to explore available opportunities would give clarity on the right career path.

    He said: “Your degree is not your career. Reinvent yourself constantly before you become obsolete. You are only as good as the results delivered. Build new network and learn new skills. Execute, connect and immerse.”

    Other facilitators at the boot camp spoke on Building a successful business in Nigeria, Work ethics for young professionals, Core skills required for high flyers in the corporate career, Business communication and presentation skills, and Power of mentoring, amongst others.

    The participants also got training professional way in writing curriculum vitae, and job interview skills.

    The programme featured a business pitch competition in which the participants developed various business ideas and plans to execute the ideas.

    Two of the participants, Cynthia Ajuonuma, a 400-Level Insurance student of University of Benin (UNIBEN), and Adepoju Opetunde, a 500-Level Medical Physiology student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) hailed the church for giving them the opportunity to participate in the training.

    Cynthia said: “This is the finest moment I have had in the year. The training was rich in content and gave me the opportunity to network with other participants. For me, it is a wonderful experience. Given the rich practicable content, it is not out of place to say that the facilitators are better than lecturers in tertiary institutions who train undergraduates with the outdated materials.

    “The reason why we have high rate of unemployment in the country is that, we operate a system in which unqualified people are employed to train students. Government should do something about this trend to arrest the trend of unemployable graduates. Having participated in the boot camp, I am grateful for the opportunity.”

  • Potable water: Corps member rescues village

    A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Johnson Eseoghene, has sunk a borehole in Zhidu Village in Lugbe area of Abuja, ending the villagers’potable water challenge.

    A crowd of residents gathered at the ceremony where the project was inaugurated, praising the Corps member for the gesture.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the community, for many years, had been battling lack of basic amenities, including healthcare, water and road, which increased the risk of diseases outbreak in the village due to poor sanitation.

    Johnson, who served in the community, rose to the challenge, initiating the water project to improve hygiene .

    Speaking on the reason he embarked on the project, Johnson, who is the president of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Community Development Service (CDS) group, said he was disturbed by the absence of basic amenities in the community, which he said increased the villagers’ vulnerability to preventable disease.

    He noted there was nothing indicating government’s presence in Zhidu community when he was deployed to serve in the community, saying the residents were exposed to unclean water for domestic use.

    The Corps member said the project was carried out as his personal CDS. The public borehole was funded by Hope Spring Water.

    He said: “The motivation that pushed me to carry out is this borehole project in Zhidu community is the lack of safe water in the village. Women and children, especially young girls, trek long distances to get water for their families. Children have died in the community from water-related diseases. I believe that providing the borehole will go a long way to save many lives and bring more development to Zhidu community.”

    NYSC officials and members of the community praised Johnson for the initiative.

  • As ASUU begins indefinite strike

    If you have followed the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes since 1999, ASUU and government relation has been  like a relay race, one regime passing  the baton to the other without resolving the underlying reasons for the strikes. At times, emotions are brought to bear by appealing to striking lectures to “take the interests of the students into consideration” and call off their strike.

    We are back there again as ASUU announced on Monday the commencement of an indefinite nationwide industrial action. This, according to the union, followed the inability of the Federal Government to respond to their demands. ASUU made the announcement after its National Executive Council meeting held at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State on Sunday night.

    The union accused the government of not implementing the Memorandum of Action signed with it, declaring that the strike would be total as all federal and state varsities would also join it. Briefing journalists after the NEC meeting, the National President of the ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said all entreaties made to the Federal Government to honour the agreement with the union fell on deaf ears and they had no other alternative but to begin the strike action.

    “Having waited patiently for action and meaningful negotiation with reasonable men using the principle of collective bargaining that ASUU at its NEC meeting of  November 3 and 4, 2018 at the FUTA, resolved to resume the nationwide strike action it suspended in September 2017 with immediate effect.

    “This strike will be total, comprehensive and indefinite. Our members shall withdraw their services until government fully implement all outstanding issues as contained in the MOA of 2017, and concludes the renegotiation of the 2009 agreements.

    The ASUU President alleged that the government was not interested in public universities as the children of the top politicians and rich men in the society patronise private universities at the detriment of public institutions.

    The crises in the university system are quite glaring as I have pointed out numerous times on this page. Going by past strikes, we should brace up because the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) would be waiting “patiently” in the wings for the government to be done with ASUU before they put their own broth on the table.

    Beyond these strikes, is there really a future for Nigerian public universities or are we going to witness a full system meltdown? My major grouse is that it appears no one really cares about sustainable solutions that ensure there is no repeat of the same situation over and over again. It does not take a soothsayer to see that each government – for mainly political exigencies – deals with ASUU in a way that ensures ASUU returns to the classrooms, knowing fully well that the underlying problem of why ASUU goes on strike remains perpetually unresolved.

    What this means in simple terms is that we are not going to fix our universities and the recurrent ASUU challenge will subsists as in the past. The challenges of our universities, and indeed other tertiary institutions, are not that these challenges exist; it is that these challenges more or less remain the same over decades.

    I have spoken to university administrators who believe the government has its fair share of the blame but are also very critical of ASUU even though they may not publicly express their views. Since they’re in the system they feel ASUU members should take mirrors and look at themselves intently and put their house in order, especially in the area of attitude to work. One told me point blank that for some of them, the university is simply a launch pad for their various consultancies, relegating research – which should be their primary concern – to the background.

    When the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, appeared before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND last year, he admitted that there were some lapses on the part of government and promised that the 2017 strike would be called off as the sum of N53 billion would be released to the union.

    The issue of accountability was raised at that hearing. “ASUU  asked for N23 billion to be paid, but we said the condition for getting the N23 billion  was for them to account for the N30 billion they had taken and they were not able to account for it. The Minister of Finance undertook to do the audit from the ministry and we agreed that the result would be known in six months. During the six months, government undertook to be paying ASUU N1.5 billion each month.”

    Is the government simply throwing money at the problem? I fail to see how meeting ASUU’s immediate demands can be a realistic solution in the long run. What is needed now is a sustainable solution to a problem that has been on for decades.

    In all these, one fact remains; our leaders, including even some of the privileged lecturers have their children in schools everywhere but public schools where they are exposed to some of the menace that are too well known to detain us here. Like with most of the challenges Nigeria has had to deal with over the course of almost its entire Independent existence, part of the problem is centralisation and control by the Federal Government. The current structure does not work and we already know that. What we probably aren’t so sure of is how to move forward.

    I was at the unveiling of the board of trustees of a private university recently and what I witnessed was quite instructive. The founder of the university picked a prominent ex banker as the pro chancellor. The banker was able to pull his colleagues – and others from corporate Nigeria – who donated, or pledged resources to the university. They came up with several initiatives, including giving their time and experience to ensure the university succeeds. Some even promised to lecture from time to time and impart the knowledge they have gathered over the years.

    Can this happen in our public universities? I’m afraid not. One of the major problems for us in the country is that we are often scared of new things. Why can’t we explore the option of running our universities as Trusts? Government should simply give grants. Trustees should include accomplished private sector achievers that can help raise money and endowments for the university. They will also check fraud by the VCs, which – rather unfortunately – is becoming very rampant. If I get my facts correct, some former or current Vice Chancellors are under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    I’m afraid it will be difficult to pull the issue of Trusts through. The reason is clear: those that benefit from a decadent and porous system of waste and lack of accountability will do everything possible to ensure it never sees the light of day. A university don wrote an op-ed in several newspapers where he outlined how funds are siphoned through endless and unnecessary meetings and endeavours that add little or nothing to the development of the university system.

    It is disheartening and painful to note that university administration has since caught the general Nigerian malaise; corruption. If my facts are accurate, the quantum of ASUU’s claim is put at about N1.2 Trillion. In 2009 when this was agreed, this was about 25percent of the budget. To move forward, there may be a need to overhaul the system altogether. This reset of the system could even cost an entire academic year but if it fixes this particular problem permanently, it would be a very useful sacrifice to make for the sake of the future.

    Government needs to cut a deal with ASUU but must think sustainability when going to the table.

  • Open letter to students

    The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufa’i, at a forum, spoke about his political activism as an undergraduate student of Quantity Surveying at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in the mid 1970s. As the largest university in sub-Saharan Africa, el-Rufa’i said the size of students’ population was one of the greatest sources of pride for those involved in political activism.

    Rating ABU higher in scholarship, el-Rufa’i said ABU, then, was the only university in the whole world that offered honours in Quantity Surveying. The closest competitors, according to him, were two polytechnics in the United Kingdom. The University of Reading joined the league much later. The quality of scholarship was highly rated; researchers and students from all over the world jostled for places. Only those who could not secure places in Nigeria went abroad for studies.

    Today, a ranking of the top 8,000 universities in the world, which was done last year, showed only five Nigerian universities in the first 100 in Africa.  Our top universities are: University of Ilorin (55th in Africa, 5,846th in global ranking), Obafemi Awolowo University (61st in Africa, 6,265th in global ranking), University of Ibadan (63rd in Africa, 6,396th in global ranking), University of Jos (74th in Africa, 7,000th in global ranking) and University of Lagos (79th in Africa, 7,246th in global ranking).

    There are over 60 quality universities in the State of Massachusetts only. The United States (with roughly twice Nigeria’s population) has a total of 5,758 tertiary education institutions, an average of 115 per state. One private university, Harvard University, has an annual budget that exceeds the 2011 investment in education by Nigerian government, and Harvard’s endowment funds were worth $37 billion in 2008.

    Our recycled politicians who enjoyed better education in the 60s went on to destroy the education bequeathed to them by the generation that came before theirs. How many political office holders enroll their children in tertiary institutions in Nigeria? So why would anyone want to campaign for recycled politicians and recycled political parties?

    Over the years, we have had politicians come to gain power; then after wielding the power, they forget the masses and leave our education to go worse than they met it. We are trained in schools with outdated curricula, while our peers in the world over are already miles away into the future. Everything we’ve got is still a knowledge in antiquity.

    Finland has the best education in the world and that does not mean that they are better humans than us. But, when visionary leaders are at the helms of affairs, all other things work. Moreover, for any country to grow, its education must be structured to reflect the modern realities.

    Sometimes, I feel the 1960s and 1970s were the future, especially when multinational companies always come begging to employ students in Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH). Getting scholarship was at their fingers tips. What then has gone wrong with our education is a question that cannot be answered unless the present crop of students collectively begin to take our future in our hands and take it out of the hands politicians who appear not to have meaningful plans for the country.

    They only remember us when it is time for election. I guess we have been the fooled! They come months to election, share rice, money and others items in exchange for our future, and then we continue to chant Aluta.

    Aluta has never helped anybody; union leaders are only fighting for their pockets and selfish reasons. We should also know that the crumbs these politicians give us are just short terms benefit; why not we look at the long-term benefit. They give voters N2,000 and embezzle N2 billion meant for the development of education. If we continue to collect money for vote, we have no right to question politicians because we have taken our share of the national cake.

    What should be done is to ask them what they have done in the last four years. If you want to save our nation, take them to your colleges and show them the sorry state of the facilities there. Students should know that our future is not guarantee in this country. But, politicians choose us as the best option to mobilise young people for their (re)election. We must wake up from this.

    As student, Joshua Wong led a revolution when he was 17 years in Hong Kong, created a political party at 21. He was 18 when Fortune Magazine listed him as one of the greatest leaders in the world.

    Nigerian students, we should never be fooled by the little crumbs from politicians, don’t let them short change us. Don’t allow any union leader to come cajole us to join thugs for election; they are only after their interest. If anyone loses his life, he lost everything and his family loses too. They get power steal our money and use the stolen wealth to send their children to private schools that cannot be afford by the poor. If you help the wrong person to gain power, it would be another four years of pain.

    Students, let there be a paradigms shift in 2019. We can make difference in governance; we have the power. Now is the time for all of us to collectively join hands together and build a new Nigeria.

    God bless Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     

    • Emmanuel is a student of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos

  • Buhari’s certificate controversy and integrity question

    It last, President Muhammadu Buhari finally gets his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate after weeks of brouhaha generated by the president’s decision to ask the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to find his school leaving certificate.

    Many said the President would have saved the nation the drama had he made efforts to get the certificate the day he knew he would be running for election again. But, he waited till the period the certificate would be required to authenticate his candidature in the coming general elections. This is not fair enough.

    For how long should the Buhari’s certificate brouhaha continue to dominate public discourse? Is Mr. President comfortable about this sordid development?

    The President came under heavy public criticism and this is justifiable, because Buhari failed to read the public barometer to know people are looking forward to debates on how present problems facing the country could be tackled. At that time when candidates are rolling out their programmes, Buhari allowed his academic certificate to become the issue.

    The President, for the umpteenth time, submitted an affidavit to INEC in place of his WAEC results. In the document, he claimed that his credentials were still with the secretary of the Nigerian army.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vilified the president for failing to tender his academic credentials. The major opposition party noted that the president’s failure to present his school certificates invalidated his claim of being a man of true integrity.

    A prominent lawyer, Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), also said the President was about to make the same mistake he made in 2015, when he said his certificate was with the military.

    Agbakoba was quoted to have said: “It is a fairly serious matter that the court would have to interpret. Any Nigerian concerned with upholding the constitution could take the matter to court and they won’t be considered a meddlesome interloper in the matter. Let the court decide.”

    Yinka Odumakin, spokesperson of Afenifere, did not mince word when he said Buhari should compel the military, as the sitting president, to produce his original certificate as demanded by the law of the land.

    Odumakin, while contending that it amounted to perjury for anyone to claim what he did not have in an affidavit, said: “We expect INEC not to process his presidential nomination form until he (Buhari) releases it (certificate). He can sign an Executive Order for the military to release it.”

    The claim that Buhari’s original or photocopies of his academic certificates not being in his care, but rather with the military, predates his emergence as Nigeria’s leader in 2015.

    The military further compounded the President’s certificate controversy when it openly refuted the claim that Buhari’s O’Level certificate was in its records.

    Former Director of Army Public Relations, Olajide Laleye, in January 2015, told journalists in Abuja that the Nigerian Army did not have copies of Buhari’s O’Level certificate or statement of results.

    He however, said that records of his entry indicated that the President obtained a West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961.

    Records available indicate that Buhari applied to join the military as a form six student of the Provincial Secondary School Katsina, on October 18, 1961. His application was duly endorsed by the principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to be suitable for the military.

    Buhari’s public comment about his academic certificate, certainly, was aimed at silencing his detractors and political enemies who had embarked on a mission to cast slur on his much-touted integrity.

    The President, during a press briefing in January 2014, disclosed that he took the WASC examination with registration number 820002. The then candidate Buhari said the duplicate copies of his academic certificates were with the military, but the original copies of his documents were missing.

    Days to the botched February 14, 2015 presidential election, a public interest group, the Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI) wrote letters to both the Nigerian Army and INEC, requesting for details of the credentials submitted by Buhari.

    Invoking the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, the group, in two separate letters, signed by its Executive Director, Deolu Oyinlola, then requested that the two institutions clear the air over the issue of Buhari’s certificates and credentials, by answering the key questions they asked in their correspondences.

    However, the event of last week where the registrar of WAEC personally presented the attestation of result to the President has put to rest the lingering controversy surrounding Buhari’s academic records. Those urging INEC to disqualify Buhari can now stop their agitations and face the real issues that concern Nigerians. Nigerians are hoping that INEC organise credible, transparent and peaceful elections, and ensure that the will the people prevail.

    It is incontrovertible that Buhari’s blundering failure to act in good conscience and produce his WAEC certificate to INEC questioned his credibility as a leader, and also impugned on his moral character. The earlier the President repudiates some of his political gaffes, the better for him and for his campaign. If there is any time his campaign of “Change Begins With Me” should have a meaning, it is definitely this period when he is going to the poll to show Nigerians that he still possesses the integrity that brought him to power in 2015.

     

    • Mahmud, a student, writes from Niger State

  • Strike: We have fully complied – Unilag ASUU

    The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), University of Lagos Chapter, has ensured total compliance with the strike directive given by the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

    The Chairman of the chapter, Dr Dele Ashiru, made the disclosure in an interview with our reporter on Wednesday in Lagos.

    He said that the chapter held a congress on Tuesday during which members resolved to join in the industrial action.

    The ASUU NEC on Sunday declared a nationwide indefinite strike at a meeting at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

    The union is protesting poor funding of public universities, non-implementation of the 2009 agreement it entered into with the Federal Government.

    It is also protesting alleged government plans to introduce tuition fees and an education bank.

    According to Ashiru, the strike directive has been carried out fully in the institution.

    “We have achieved 100 per cent compliance with the directive handed to us by the union’s executives,” he said.

    On the appeal to ASUU by the Federal Government to shelve the strike and return for negotiation, Ashiru said that the plea was late.

    “Government’s appeal is coming late because we gave them more than six months’ notice prior to our action.

    “We even addressed the press on this, begging the government to see reasons with us, but it refused.

    “Now, we have reached a point of `no return’ until government meets our demands substantially,” the unionist said.

    Students of the institution are on vacation and were slated to resume studies on Nov. 18 for the first semester of the 2018/2019 session.

    NAN

  • ASUU: OAU students confused as lecturers split on strike

    Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife have been thrown into confusion following conflicting directives on the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) .

    The Branch Chairman of the union, Adeola Egbedokun, in an interview reiterated the stance of the national body that the strike is total.

    “The strike is total. No teaching, no exam, no statutory functions. We are not doing anything except observation of the National Body.

    “We hereby tell our students that we love them and we don’t want to lose any of them at the cause of anything that may happen during the industrial action”

    However, lecturers of same university under the Congress of Nigerian Universities Academic (CONUA) have vowed to continue the running of day to day activities in the school.

    “We can’t generally be part of what we are not privy to. We were not taken into consideration; we were approached on the issue. So, we can’t be part of the strike. Our members still respect statutory duties”, said Niyi Sunmonu, the chairman of CONUA.

    The national strike was declared on Sunday by ASUU national president, Biodun Ogunyemi after the National Executive Council meeting at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State.

    All academic staff of universities were directed to withdraw their services immediately.

    He disclosed that the strike became necessary due to failure

  • OAU medical students reject ‘exploitative’ training fee

    The resolution of the Association of Provosts of Colleges of Medicine (APCOM) to impose  professional fees on students undergoing medical training in public universities is causing unrest at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    OAU medical students have protested against APCOM’s recommendation, vowing to resist the school management’s move to impose the fees on them.

    This is coming barely two months after the management of the University of Ibadan (UI) implemented the resolution, which stirred controversy and mass protests by its medical students.

    The resolution, medical students said, transferred the government’s responsibility of providing facilities for quality medical training in public-owned institutions to them. They wondered why the association want students to bear the cost of their professional training, which is supposed to be provided free of charge.

    At the annual APCOM meeting last September, provosts of public-owned medical colleges unanimously agreed that there was the need to save government-owned medical colleges from collapse by initiating the payment of professional training fees to prevent the colleges from losing their accreditation.

    The association approved N75,000 for students in 200 to 300-Levels, and N85,000 for students in 400 to 600-Levels. The professional fees, the association said, must be paid with school fees in every academic session by medical students in all government-owned institutions.

    Last week, when the OAU management reminded medical and dental students of the payment, the announcement was greeted with a protest.

    At a meeting between OAU College of Health Sciences principal officers and the medical students representatives, the Provost, Prof T.K. Ijadunola, explained the reason for the implementation of the policy.

    The provost said: “The professional fees introduced are not exclusive to OAU. They are to be paid by all medical students in all Federal Government-owned schools. Fatigue is beginning to set in for government-owned schools because of inadequate funding. It is high time students and parents began to have a say in the medical training by putting their money where their mouth is.”

    Prof Ijadunola disclosed that the OAU medical college owed external examiners employed to grade the knowledge of the students, adding that workers of the school at various times contributed personal money to buy equipment and materials for practice in the laboratory.

    The provost implored the students’ representatives to prevail on their colleagues to pay the proposed levies in order to give them the best training.

    A teacher of Oral and Surgery, S.B. Aregbesola, told CAMPUSLIFE that the professional fees were inevitable, following the challenges of funding faced by medical colleges. He said students must face the reality that the professional training would not be provided free by the school, adding that every student would have to pay personally or be catered for through scholarship.

    He said: “During the last administration in the school, Department of Dentistry did not have money to provide facilities that would accelerate its accreditation. Some lecturers contributed up to N2 million of their personal money towards procuring the required facilities. Dentistry has the most expensive training in the college today, yet Dental students pay paltry N33,000.”

    Aregbesola said the college had the plan to set up a committee to isolate indigent students and subsets source funds to pay for them.

    The medical students rejected the management’s explanation, vowing that they would resist further move by the school to transfer the responsibility of the government to them.

    Medical, Nursing and Dental students held series of meetings after their meeting with the provost, where it was agreed that no student should pay the controversial professional fee. The students asked their representatives to  meet again with the college management for further negotiations.

    The students asked the management not to make them bear the consequences of poor funding by the Federal Government, urging the  medical college to devise other means of generating funds for the professional training rather than ask them to pay the levies.

    A student, who simply identified herself as Olaitan, said many students may be forced to drop out of the medical college, given that their parents are being owed salaries for months by their employers. Rather than meeting with students, Olaitan said the medical college administrators should have met with their parents, since the fees are to be paid by the parents. This way, she said, the school would be able to understand the students’ position better.

    Speaking with CAMPUSLIFE, Ife Medical Students Association (IMSA) President, Tosin Agbaje, said all the medical students remained united against the fees.

    He confirmed that the management was planning a review of the fees, which, he said, could be reduced, given the present economic situation in the country. He,  however, vowed that IMSA would not allow students’ exploitation.

    Reacting to the development, the Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-liberal Attacks (ANSA), through its spokesman, Gbenga Oloniran, hailed the protest by the medical students against the proposed fees.

    In a statement, ANSA said: “We see the introduction of professional fees by the association of medical colleges’ provosts as another means to extort the students and poor parents for a problem they have not created. The OAU Health Sciences College, students and the university administration should direct the problem to the government that is solely responsible for the establishment and funding. ANSA will not hesitate to join the students in resisting the fees at any level, as it remains unjustifiable and usual.”

    OAU Public Relations Officer, Mr Abiodun Olarenwaju, declined to speak on the development, saying the management had not briefed him about the development. He said the school had been facing challenges in funding.

    It will be recalled that OAU recently lost NUC accreditation for some professional courses, including Dentistry, Law, Fine Arts, Botany, Food Nutrition and Consumer Science. Also, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) withdrew the license of OAU Nursing Department because of poor facilities, among others

    When the UI management announced the implementation of the resolution, students abandoned lectures in protest. The UI Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Idowu Olayinka, said the professional training fees were necessary because of financial challenges facing medical colleges.

    He said: “The medical students have to do some professional courses and they have to do fieldwork too. Medical colleges are finding it unbearable to support these academic activities because of financial challenges. If students did not pay the professional training fees, we might end up producing half-baked graduates. We may end up losing accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) or any relevant professional bodies.”

  • Tackling climate change through innovation

    Sir Isaac Newton, arguably the greatest physicist of all times, stated in his Third Law of Motion that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. While this proven law is related to the motion of an object, it carries similar meaning in other aspects of life as well, especially in climate change.

    Climate change did not just happen overnight, human activities triggered it. The time has come when we all, as responsible global citizens, must put in collective efforts to reverse the tide. But the question is: how many are ready to sacrifice for future generations to save them from an irreparable catastrophe?

    It is no news that the threat of climate change is assuming critical proportions. The anticipated climate change effect significant to humans includes but not limited to, threat to food security arising from decreasing crop yields. It is high time to recognise that there will be no security of food unless we have climate security and vice versa. Though, it might sound to be an overused cliché, the earth needs responsible citizens now more than ever. Climate change is real.

    The late John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States (U.S), put it succinctly when he said: “Our problems are man-made, therefore, they may be solved by man”. So, what more could be more meaningful than being part of a proven solution to such a critical challenge?

    As human population grows all over the world, we find ourselves having to increase our roles as shapers to meet food demands, often with several environmental burdens. The rate at which we are losing our rain forests through deforestration is alarming. Research showed that rainforests could disappear in 100 years. Up to 60 per cent of our crop yields being a direct result of chemical application, which account for almost all of our land carbon-dioxide emissions. Therefore, if our current agricultural system is not sustainable now, we cannot hope that our situation will improve by using the same system to provide for billions more people.

    While food security and climate change can ultimately be addressed via a number of different solutions, aquaponics is an ideal technology to bring nutrient-rich food to our tables and it works using a few resources.

    Aquaponics is a soilless, recirculating method of farming that produces fish, fruits and vegetables without the use of synthetic chemicals, all from one very efficient infrastructure, using less water and space than traditional farming. The fertilizer for the plants is naturally generated as beneficial microbes convert fish-waste into elements the plants need.

    This sustainable innovation aimed at boosting food production will help in rejuvenating our agriculture and demonstrate that food can be produced using fewer resources. The impetus to cut down forests to make room for agriculture will reduce. This is a good innovation that promises to solve malnutrition issue in developing countries that rely mainly on staple crops, such as wheat and rice. Fish, vegetables and fruits produced through this innovation could provide a valuable source of vitamins, protein and essential amino acids. Who knows if the ongoing Farmers-Herdsmen crisis plaguing Nigeria could be solved using this sustainable approach? The Farmer-Herdsmen dispute stemmed from problems relating to land and water use, obstruction of traditional migration routes, theft and crop damages. But, aquaponics may prove to be a solution to this issue. Is anyone thinking what I am thinking?

     

     

    • Ridwan is an Engineering graduate of University of Ilorin, Kwara State