The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • VC meets campus writers

    Campus journalists led by CAMPUSLIFE’s Stanley Uchegbu have presented a new edition of CampusLight, a campus magazine to the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof James Epoke.

    Presenting the magazine to the VC in his office, Stanley said the publication was aimed at inculcating healthy values in students with life-changing articles.

    He said: “This newspaper is set to serve as a platform that will promote academically, morally and professionally exceptional students within the institution through the publication of trends and updates about the education sector in the country. We also set out to address the issue of moral decadence and assist management of the university to bridge the information gap in the institution.”

    Replying, Prof Epoke praised the editorial crew for their good gesture and innovative ideas, promising to support the team to ensure effective discharge of their responsibilities.

    He charged them to be good listeners, innovative, desist from pursuing stories with pre-conceived notion and assess the credibility of sources before publishing stories. He also encouraged them to expand their horizon by going extra mile before churning out stories.

    Chairman of the Editorial Board, Emmanuel Shebbs, pledged that his team would continue to disseminate effective information on campus and abide by the ethics of the profession.

    Isaac Mensah, the Deputy Editor, explained that the team would follow recent trends in online journalism, saying: “if we continue to concentrate on print without giving more emphasis to online activities, we won’t be able to sustain the campus paper because most students like reading stories online than on print.”

     

  • An election that never was

    The election of the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students Association (NUASA), University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter, ended in a fiasco when a student was caught for alleged multiple voting. STANLEY UCHEGBU (Accountancy) reports.

    Probity and accountability are values students of Accounting should promote. But the University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter of the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students Association (NUASA) election fell short of these values.

    The manipulation of the exercise led alleged to its abrupt end, almost immediately after it started. The election was held at the 25,000-capacity Hogan Bassey Pavilion.

    The exercise started peacefully.  The accreditation of voters was smooth.

    Before the day of the election, candidates ran elaborate campaigns to woo their colleagues. There was also a manifesto day, where the aspirants explained their programmes for students.

    On the election day, students besieged the pavilion. The election monitor team included officials of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) led by the president, Bassey Eka. Faculty of Management Students’ Association (FAMSA) president John Eso and members of the association were also there to observe the exercise.

    After accreditation, the election started at 3pm and went on smoothly until a student came to vote.

    The student was seen dropping more than one ballot papers into the ballot box. A poll agent, who saw him, drew the attention of the electoral umpire to the development.

    When he noticed he had been caught, the student, it was gathered, took to his heels; many students ran after him. This resulted in chaos and some students took advantage of the situation to stuff the ballot boxes with unauthorised ballot papers. Some went away with some ballot boxes.

    Students alleged that there was an attempt to rig the election in favour of a candidate. They demanded cancellation of the election.

    Addressing the aggrieved students, the chairman of NUASA Board of Trustees, Blaise Akpan, described the development as disturbing, wondering why students would engage in a “daylight malpractice”.

    The culprits, he said, would be identified and brought to book. Akpan, who is a graduate of the university, added that any candidate indicted by investigation would be recommended for disqualification.

    A candidate, who pleaded anonymity, fingered a staff adviser in the Accounting Department as being behind the manipulation. The staff, it was alleged, demanded certain royalty from all the aspirants before they could be allowed to contest in the election.

    A 300-Level student, who did not give his name, said the process that led to the election was riddled with corruption, noting that all the aspirants were asked to pay endorsement fees by members of the Board of Trustees.

    He said: “Apart from introducing ethnic politics into the process, the BOT extorted money from the aspirants. They were asked to give endorsement fee to BOT members and bottle of wine. I don’t know what these graduates are still doing in school.”

    At the time of this report, no date has been fixed for the election.

  • Behold UNILAG’s ‘Best Cook’

    A 400-Level student of Law at the University of Lagos, Temitope Oyedija, has emerged winner of the Onga National Campus Cooking Competition.

    Temitope emerged winner among 10 contestants.

    The participants, randomly chosen through a raffle draw, spanned across different faculties of the school. They included Alabi Oluwatobiloba, Faculty of Education; Merit Iwute, Faculty of Science; Precious Ehika, Arts; Joy Iroh, Education; Benita Otuyah, Social Sciences; Damilola Ifegbesan, Environmental Science; Bassey Effion, Business Administration; Vivian Ejim, Arts; Peter Uwazie, Engineering; and Temitope.

    After dishes were delegated through a lucky dip, the contestants, financially supported by the organisers, Promasidor Nigeria Limited; makers of Onga Food seasoning cube, proceeded to a nearby market with a photographer to get items needed for the preparation of their dishes.

    The cooking competition kicked off at 3.45pm and lasted for an hour with each contestant cutting, mixing and boiling ingredients to the admiration of members of the audience and a panel of judges.

    It all ended one hour later, with the judges rising to assess the dishes.

    The judges were Mr Adeola Asunmo, Chief Executive Officer of Mavis Restaurant, Mrs Nkechi Ajuogu of TPoint Cafeteria, Dr Rebecca Soremekun, Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs and Mrs Aderonke Asiwaju, an officer with the Students’ Affairs Unit.

    After the judges made their decision, Temitope, who prepared okro and amala (yam flour), was declared winner; Peter Uwazie emerged the first runner up with his egusi and semovita.

    Temitope got a deep freezer. She will also represent UNILAG at the grand finale; Peter received a gas oven. Other participants got consolation prizes.

    Temitope, expressing her surprise, said her selection for the competition was unexpected.

    She said: “I feel blessed and for now, I choose not to be anxious of the still-to-come grand finale.”

    Peter praised the Onga-sponsored initiative saying: “Onga should keep this coming; it’s very good because it rings out the kitchen skills in young people.”

    Cynthia Ejimkonye of Proximity Communication said that the programme was aimed at attracting young girls and future mothers to the Onga brand in order to preserve the Onga legacy.

    The train of the Onga National Cooking Competition is moving to Minna, the Niger State capital, in Promasidor’s quest to cover, in 14 weeks, 14 federal universities before the grand finale in UNILAG.

    The winner of the grand finale  will get a 2014 Kia Rio car.

     

  • IBB varsity joins e-voting train

    Students of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) in Lapai, Niger State have elected their union leaders. It is the first time they have done so through electronic voting, reports YINKA OLATUNBOSUN (400-Level Chemistry).

    Students of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) in Lapai, Niger State have embraced the electronic method of voting.

    Last Tuesday, they elected their leaders through e-voting. The exercise was conducted by graduates of the institution. The Computer Science graduates used the facilities of the SERVICOM unit to collect data of students and develop a software, which synchronised all the data into a single domain.

    Afterwards, usernames and passwords were generated for the registered students. The log in details could only be used once. Students who did not show up for data capturing were not allowed to vote.

    The exercise was adjudged the best in the history of the university. There were independent observers, who monitored the exercise to ensure transparency.

    The electioneering started with a night of manifesto at the University Lecture Theatre, where the candidates sold their programmes to the students. The event was not without jeering by some students, who booed some of the candidates who they described as “management stooges”.

    At  7:30am on the election day, students flocked to the campus to cast vote. At exactly 9:48am, voting began.  Candidates’ agents, officials of the Students’ Affairs Division, journalists from various media organisations and school security personnel monitored the exercise.

    Dr Ebenezer Ogungbe, SERVICOM’s focal officer and returning officer of the election, said the innovation made the exercise  peaceful and rancor-free, promising that there would be improvement in subsequent elections.

    An electoral committee member, Dr Aliyu Maali, said the e-voting method would end the insinuation that management always imposed its preferred candidates on students. He said: “The voting method is transparent and it is clear to the world. Before the election, we received reports from various quarters that the management was trying to influence the exercise and impose candidates on students. We decided to use e-voting method to avoid any manipulation and put a stop to all speculations.”

    However, Suleiman Abdullahi, 200-Level Computer Science and a poll agent, said his candidate was skeptical about the electronic method, saying: “He felt there could be manipulation and this was why he chose me, a Computer Science student, to observe for him.”

    The voting ended at 7:06pm. The announcement of results by Dr Ogungbe followed a few minutes later. It was gathered that, of the 3,216 that registered for the e-voting, only 1,540 voted. More than 3,665 students did not participate in the exercise.

    Having garnered the highest number of votes, Bashir Shuiabu, an Economics student, was returned as the president-elect. Others elected include Fatima Kutigi, Vice-President; Salihu Saidu, General Secretary;  Abdulmajid Abubakar, Assistant General Secretary and Mahmud Muhammad, Financial Secretary.

    Others are Abubakar Yahaya Bida, Treasurer;  Sani Abubakar, Director of Socials; Bashir Abayomi, Director of Sport and Abubakar Ahmed Yerima, Welfare Director.

    Two representatives were elected from each faculty and hostels into the Students’ Representative Council – the legislative arm of the union.

    Meanwhile, the exercise was not without hitches. There were complaints about the number of laptops used for the exercise. While majority of students hailed the process, some urged the management to provide more computers to make the subsequent election faster.

    Attairu Ibrahim Edda, a student, said the software did not allow any student to vote twice. He praised the software developer for ensuring students choose their representative in a fair contest.

    The chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Niger State chapter, Comrade Munirudeen Oladipupo, who observed the election, hailed the management for conducting what he called “a credible exercise”.

    He said the students’ innovative idea in building software to conduct election showed there was hope for the country as the nation approaches the 2015 general election.

    After the results were announced, some students were seen dancing round the campus with the president-elect. One of them said: “At first, we did not trust the credibility of the e-voting method because there were rumour that the process could be manipulated in favour of an anointed candidate. But we glorify Almighty Allah for the outcome because our will prevailed in the end.”

  • Stopping violence against women

    When the famous musical legend, Bob Marley, sang his famous line “no woman, no cry” in 1974, most of people had no idea of what the world had in stock for women in 21st century. Seeing the plight of women in today world, Bob Marley would have been seen as prophet; the type that is quite different from the ones that parade our country nowadays, who only make false predictions.

    Two important inferences can be made from Bob Marley’s refrain. The first is that, he was a brilliant singer and, in fact, the greatest reggae artiste ever known. The second is that, challenges women around the world face have increased compare to the past. Such are the violence and discrimination against womenfolk. It has never been this bad.

    Despite many conferences held by women to address the issues, there has not been assurance that the challenges would be solved. A full week has been specifically set aside to honour women around the world; countless laws have been passed to uphold their rights, yet they still bear the brunt of war, violence and discrimination.

    In the midst of these, some nations have made progressed to improve the lot of women. Some of these countries have won the battle against feminine illiteracy, violence and discrimination against women. They have directed their energies to fighting other form of violence against womenfolk. These countries have implemented some law to promote the rights women.

    Sadly, Nigeria does not look like one of those women-friendly nations. The manner with which women are treated in this country makes me convinced that our nation is against anything feminine, which is why many see women subordinates and second-class citizens. This discrimination persists despite the fact that we have had women in topmost positions in the country and quite a substantial number of female senators.

    We need to understand the fact that a nation cannot be judged by how well it treats the rich and mighty, but by how much security and good governance the poor and helpless enjoy.

    Last year, in Ejigbo, a suburb of Lagos, two women, a mother and her daughter, were dehumanised by a mob over allegation of theft, an incident pricked the conscience of people when the video went viral on the internet. Even if the women were guilty of the allegation, the inhumane treatment meted out to them did not in any way make the mob righteous. The victims were stripped naked and subjected to most dehumanising treatment, as onlookers watched helplessly.

    If they are still alive, the harsh treatment might haunt them forever. After that event, I thought I had seen the worst in terms of violence against women but I was in for a shocker.

    A drunken policeman beat a young lady, Funmilayo Adebayo, to a pulp for no just cause. More painful was the fact that another policeman was present when this dastardly act was being perpetrated. Some bystanders were even brave to film the incident and post it on Youtube. But none of them had the courage to come to her rescue. Funmi’s brother, who was said to have attempted to confront the policeman, was prevented by onlookers. That, of course, is the extent to which Nigeria “respects” its women.

    I was moved to tears while watching the interview of Funmi’s mother. The old woman said she had reported the matter at several police stations but the police made efforts to sweep it under the carpet. Funmi’s mother forgot to add one more thing: she is a woman whose right was being trampled upon. The police later dismissed the case, because powerless and helpless women were the victims.

    Last April, more 217 schoolgirls were kidnapped in a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram fighters. Up till today, they are still missing. Whether we like it or not, the truth is that we all have let these girls down. It is heartbreaking that for almost five months, there has really been no serious search to look for them, except probably efforts made by their parents. It is heart-rending that we are only left to imagine what they are going through at this moment that we have betrayed them. Women and children are a nation’s most valuable asset, and as such are meant to be its most protected citizens, yet we are about to let these young women slip right through our fingers.

    Now, one thing is certain. We need to find our girls. Another is that we need to find our voice. More women need to stand up and speak up on the outright violation of our rights and the lack of regard for women in our society. We need to put more pressure on the nation to find our future mothers and, not just find them, but rescue them safe and sound. And we can do it. One only needs to go down memory lane to know the kind of power women wield when pushed to the wall. Nigerian women have gone through a lot and this kidnap might be the straw that would end up breaking the camel’s back. Threat to one woman is a threat to the world.

     

    Sarat, 300-Level Applied Chemistry, UDUS

  • How students can succeed

    For anyone aiming success in life, hard work and prayers must be his compass. Like Yoruba would say, destiny can only be delayed but will surely come to pass. This also applies to success. Illustrating success to the Kingdom of God, it is said that before one can get to heaven, he must pass through hell. This means he must deprive himself of worldly enjoyment.

    So, it is not easy for anyone to achieve success. Before one can become successful, he may have to go through a lot of pain and tribulation. As students, before success can be achieved, we need some inspirational tips that will help us to the beautiful land of success. The following are some of the tips I propose.

    Trust in oneself: we must dig deep and ask ourselves who we want to be? I am not talking about what our parents or teachers want for us. We have to figure out ourselves what makes us happy. The best of all persons to tell us is ourselves. Each of us knows ourselves more than anybody else, so why trust what others say about us instead of trusting our dreams? A lot of people fail in life as a result of people’s views about their lives, which they will always want to do, whether right or wrong. What I am trying to say is that, before we could succeed in life like, we need to build a lot of trust in ourselve by not allowing anyone to divert our attention, no matter the pressure and difficulties we may face.

    Break the rules: Breaking the rules of success does not mean breaking the rules of law. What I am trying to emphasise is that, if we do everything according to the rules like everyone does, we will definitely get the result everyone gets. Breaking the rules of success is the means of disengaging ourselves from others by bringing our fresh ideas and different plans in order to be an achiever in life.

    Don’t be afraid to fail: In every attempt we make in life, we should not expect to always win. While we may be afraid of failure, we must not be afraid to make decision. We should not be paralysed by fear of failure, because no success will be achieved. In essence, don’t be afraid to fail as fear to fail is one of the common impedance to success. Sometimes, you don’t let it happen by concentrating on your goals and making it forward with positive change. Also, failure is part of success; we have to fail in order to learn or appreciate success.

    Don’t listen to naysayer: We must always listen to ourselves and say yes to our dream. Sometimes, people’s opinions do not align with our goals and dreams. Negative opinions will always come our way but if we are determined to succeed, we must ignore them. Always ignore naysayers but listen more to people who advise us. Advisers are those in our circle of influence that can help us get better by analysing our steps and giving you the right inspirational tips to success.

    Give back: We must always find time to give something back to people around us, whether in immediate our community or the country at large. People such as Mike Adenuga and Aliko Dangote are helping people to achieve success and satisfaction because they look towards the people at lowest rung of the ladder. Giving back is crucial, because success is not all about one person. If we do not give back to people, we will be miserable in the long run.

    Also, if one must succeed in life, he has to have everything it takes to attain it. Values such as hard work, patience, perseverance and fear of God must direct our way to the top. Without God, it will be impossible for anyone to succeed. Without being hardworking and patient the likes of Dangote, Bill Gate and Adenuga would not have been who they are today.

    Despite all odd, we should not be discouraged by the situation of our society, where graduates cannot get good jobs and rate of corruption soars. We should be focused and inspired. We should always aspire to acquire the desire we admire and if in the process we fire and it back fires, we should not retire but respire even when people conspire, we have messiah who will always make our enemies expire until we acquire our desire we admires.

    Get God’s backup: Whatever you are or have acquired in life without God’s backup is invalid. Because, it is in Him all our efforts are secured. Just like someone saving files on the computer or internet. At times, people acquire wealth out of God’s backup. Yes, it is true but that does not last as compared to the one who has divine touch. The interesting part of it is that, anything outside God is useless. In a nutshell, no matter our brilliance, wealth, knowledge and intelligence, we should always allow God to lead our step, because in Him are blessings and grace.

    No matter the level of poverty or obstacle, whether we have lost hope or not, we must not give up. We should always think positively and try to build up confidence and trust our ability. The sky will always be the starting point.

     

    Joshua, 200-Level Mass Comm., BSU

     

  • NANS wildcard (1)

    In 2001, Croatian tennis star, Goran Ivaniševiæ was invited to participate in Wimbledon – one of tennis’s oldest and most prestigious grand slams – as a “wildcard.” He was ranked World No. 125, prior to that he was the World No.2 at the height of his career.

    A “wild card” is often awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal process or qualifying series which allow them to enter competitors whose abilities are below the required standards. In some instances, wild cards are given to the host nation in order to boost their chances.

    As an avid tennis fan, I watched the final with the enthusiasm a Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea fan would watch their teams play. His No. 125 position was not sufficient to earn him an automatic place in the main draw at Wimbledon but, given his past record as a three-time runner-up – 1992, 1994 and 1998 – he was awarded the “wildcard” for entry into the singles draw. What happened next was one of the sweetest stories to come out of tennis.

    He defeated former and future World No.1 players Carlos Moyá, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin to reach the semi-final, beating home favourite Tim Henman in five set at the semi-final, setting-up a match with the previous year’s runner-up and former US Open champion Patrick Rafter.

    In a match lasting over three hours, Ivaniševiæ defeated Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7. With the win, Ivaniševiæ became the lowest-ranked player and the first wildcard entry to win Wimbledon. He made history and the wildcard paid off just when he thought he was done with tennis.

    Don’t get carried away with a bit of tennis history as I’m not writing about tennis today but about the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) which last week extended its own version of a wildcard to President Goodluck Jonathan by conferring on him the title of “Grand Commander of Nigerian Students.” As expected of an event of this nature, it generated ruckus within the ranks of Nigerian students.’ It is coming on the heels of the conferment of “Mandela Icon Award” on Chief Olabode George by Zone C – North Central – of NANS which is equally causing disquiet in the ranks.

    I wrote a three part series on NANS last year which brought me face to face with the rot within the association and the pathetic state of student unionism in the country. As a result of calls I got from concerned stakeholders – past and present NANS Presidents, varsity authorities etc – I started questioning where we got things so wrong. NANS, as presently constituted – I was told by a concerned stakeholder – is a “platform for anything goes.”

    I was made to understand that since the NANS convention is slated for Asaba from September 11 (today) through Sunday, the present leadership has all this planned to grab a “piece of the action” before their tenure elapses. That is where we are!

    My curiosity for writing the series last year stemmed from receiving correspondences from three individuals claiming to be “president” of NANS. What followed was like opening up a can of worms of accusations and counter accusations which goes to show that the house of present day NANS is actually built with tinderbox waiting to be ignited at the slightest provocation.

    In the run up to its 26th convention, student delegates from institutions of higher learning across Nigeria converged in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, and “elected” Yinka Gbadebo of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife as the president. The congress was controversial because Prince Miaphen and Adelu Monehim James of OAU kicked against Gbadebo’s election.

    After the controversial and heated convention, NANS witnessed a split along ethno-religious lines when a former undergraduate from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (UDUSOK), announced a “Northern NANS.” This almost tore the union apart, but the students eventually came together after finding a common ground of agreement.

    However, that split fostered deeper ideological conflicts and schisms between different interest groups and weakened the broad platform of NANS; this unfortunately has continued to date. One delegate was compelled to allege that: “Student unionism has been infiltrated by dirty money politics as well as brigandage by members of some confraternities and cult groups.”

    But some past activists strike a more sympathetic note. They see the new developments as not simply evidence of student leaders’ “degeneration,” but as a symptom of broader problems in the larger society like in 2005 when the then NANS president Orkuma Hembe used the platform to campaign for Obasanjo’s third term gambit and even went further to award him “Defender of Democracy”. Perhaps he was too young, or does not have a sense of history to remember that it was this same defender of democracy that proscribed NUNS, the precursor of NANS and under whose administration some NUNS activists were rusticated from their various universities.

    The conferment of the “Grand Commander of Nigerian Students” on President Jonathan is generating comments because of previous antecedents. Rewind to the 1990s. That era birthed the rent-a-crowd presidential endorsement movements. First to emerge was the Arthur Nzeribe, Abimbola Davies and Jerry Okoro movement which sought an extension for Babangida’s military government through the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN).

    Anyone familiar with Nigerian history will know that their activities contributed to what would later culminate into the June 12 crisis and its attendant repercussions. It ushered in the Abacha regime and a similar organisation, the Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA), founded by the trio of Daniel Kanu, Johnbull Adebanjo and Emmanuel Okereke.

    In the last couple of months, the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) that seeks to sell the Goodluck Jonathan candidature to Nigerians is simply reenacting the Abacha and Babangida inglorious years. Recollect also that in the run up to the election in 2011, there was a neighbour-to-neighbour movement that carried out a vigorous campaign for Jonathan.

    It is within this prism that we can situate the present conferment especially by its timing and nature. Some are questioning the rationale of the award against the backdrop of the myriad of problems confronting the “students” on campuses they still found the time to be conferring awards on politicians instead of concentrating on their studies.

    Given the steady decline of NANS over the years, its endorsements are not out of sync with its previous sophistry. This same group lost three members to a road accident some years back while on a similar trip to bestow a “Governor of the Year” award on Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State.

    A couple of years ago, it was going to confer on Olabode George the Kwame Nkrumah award in the name of the All Africa Students Union. The latter organisation disowned it calling the promoters a band of frauds but they still did not back off from that pursuit. Penultimate week, they succeeded in granting him the Nelson Mandela icon award. The sad part of all these is that these are supposed to be the “leaders of tomorrow.”

    Before castigating real students for allowing their association to be hijacked by hawks, let’s not forget that this is an association that has been infiltrated by cults and fraternities on campuses. I was informed that students’ with genuine leadership intentions keep away for fear of their lives.

    At the conferment of the award on Jonathan, Yinka Gbadebo, was quoted as saying he would mandate all students to cast their votes for Jonathan. How he proposes to “mandate” his colleagues into voting a candidate of his choice is not as worrisome as the blatant manner he makes these declarations without any scruples about being embarrassed if contradicted by his constituency. “What do our children learn in universities these days?” A concerned parent reacted.

    It befuddles the mind really. But what is clear is that what we call NANS today is simply a band of opportunists looking for every opportunity to take their share of the proverbial national cake. Their desperation to be included in the routine sharing of the national cake perhaps explains why you never see these professional students ever associated with anything academic. They are junketing about while the serious ones are busy in the classrooms.

     

  • VC rallies youths for growth

    The National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Committee, Oyo branch, has sworn in its elected leaders. The ceremony took place at the Conference Centre of the Polytechnic, Ibadan.

    A student-leader, Monsuru Adeyemo, described NANS as the only recognised association of students in Nigeria, adding that the association was an ideological structure with liberal fellows interested in charting new paths for the nation.

    In his address, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Isaac Adewole, who was  represented by Dean of Students, Prof Akinola Alada, said students constituted a vibrant population of the nation.

    He said youths’ lack of interest to contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria will spell doom for the nation.

    The guest lecturer, Prof Osisioma Nwolise of the Department of Political Science, spoke on: “The role of students, politicians and INEC: 2015 elections and challenges ahead.”

    On problems of insecurity, he said  parties’ lack of internal democracy and corruption constituted major challenges of the coming 2015 general elections.

    Prof Nwolise said students must play their role in public education, enlightenment and mobilisation of people to vote right.

    He advised politicians to engage in peaceful campaign devoid of thuggery, violence and assassinations, and  participate in public debate and produce party manifestoes. Nwolise stressed that INEC should do everything possible to ensure level playing field for all parties and contestants and maintain effective and efficient voters’ registration.

    The new leaders included Olanrenwaju Babatunde, Chairman; Niniola Toheeb, Vice-Chairman; Amzat Jamiu, General Secretary; Olatokun Joseph, Assistant General Secretary; Adedokun Sunday, Public Relations Officer; Oladepo Olatunde, Financial Secretary and Momodu Lucky, Treasurer.

    Present at the inauguration were Dean of Students, the Polytechnic Ibadan, Mr Bayo Oyeleke and students’ union presidents of tertiary institutions in Oyo State.

    The Special Adviser to Oyo State Government on Students Matter, Mr Bolaji Repete, congratulated the new executive.

    He praised student leaders in the state for not allowing themselves to be used by politicians for selfish interest.

  • Students decry varsities’, others’ admission policy

    Students are unhappy with the admission process of universities and other higher institutions which they claimed has robbed them of studying their choice courses.

    The students said the problem could lead to a career crisis for many youths.

    Many students have been studying courses they did not pick because of the schools’ space constraints.

    Arutu Yinka, a 200-level student of the Department of English Languge at the  Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, said: “I opted for Law, but was given English. At first, I wanted to reject the admission but after spending three years at home, I had to take what was available and the available now seems to be my calling.”

    He said it was advisable for institutions to give students options rather than denying them admission. “It is now left to the student to determine whether he or she will develop interest in it or wait for another year to write JAMB,” he added.

    Another student, Bello Mustapha of the Department of Local Government and Developmental Studies at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, said: “ I did well in my UTME and the test conducted by the school. I scored 29, and the cut-off mark for Marketing was 25, which ordinarily qualified me for the merit list. But I was given Local Government and Departmental Studies, all the same.”

    Bello said he was disappointed when the admission list came out as he could not find his name on his choice department’s lists. “I didn’t know what to do at first because I love and wanted to study Marketing as a profession,” he said.

    Olowookere Damilare, a 300-level student of the Department of Zoology, OAU, said: “My score couldn’t meet up with the admission requirements of Pharmacy, my first choice. I had to grab Zoology with both hands because thousands of people are outside seeking admission to universities.”

    Olowookere urged students to desist from forcing themselves to study certain courses that could jeopardise their future career plans.

  • I’d rather remain chaste

    Many civil societies, religious bodies and public speakers have found interest in preaching against moral decadence and societal ills, which are prevalent among teens and youths. Such areas as armed robbery, prostitution, smoking, cultism etc., form the basis of the societal ills, which may collectively be said to be caused by moral failure.

    However, there is a salient issue that I think has been swept under the carpet over the years. It is the issue surrounding premarital relationship, which many of us refer to as dating. This is probably the most important aspect of youthful life, although it also forms a part of the societal ills. It is hardly talked about as one. We now live in a world where chastity is seen as a value of antiquity and abstinence relegated to the world of obsolescence.

    It is so unusual these days for a boy in his teenage years to be unattached. It is also being seen as a ‘crime’ for a teenage girl not to have a boyfriend. I am pretty sure I will be committing the worst crime if I tell you all that I have never dated a girl. Readers may form this thought: “at your age? It is a lie.”

    And many more of such replies will be voiced. Is not it amazing the kind of world we now live in?  It might as well not surprise many. After all, it is a normal thing these days. That is what the world has turned; a place where chastity and abstinence now forms a part of societal anomalies.

    In recent times, the level of castigation that accompanies abstinence from premarital relationships is high. Individuals who are not caught in the bandwagon of premarital engagements are often scorned, mocked at and verbally assaulted. They are referred to as being impotent, homosexuals, pedophile and many more.

    Some parents even quarry their children for not getting into any premarital relationship. This ugly trend has caused individuals who are single to have a rethink in the opposite direction.

    Whether there are benefits accruing to premarital relationships is a question that should be pondered upon by all. Honestly, I think the reasons that back up premarital engagements are not genuine ones. Many of those who are involved claim to gain experience from such ventures. This is totally unacceptable and fallacious in my opinion. Do you, first of all, drive around town with a brand new car before acquiring it? Certainly not. A lady or guy is like a brand new car. You can only have a proper feel of it after you must have rightfully acquired it.

    Also, marital experience can only be gained in marriage and not outside. It is an on-the-job experience. What then is responsible for the growing migration to the world of dating? Well, the answer is not far-fetched; it is nothing else but the need for carnal gratification. I have asked a number of young unmarried persons, both male and female, if they can remain in a relationship without intercourse and they were almost unanimous in their reply: “No”.

    Quite a number of young people today believe that there is no fun in a relationship without intercourse. Some others are of the opinion that it makes a relationship serious, while others simply say that a relationship without intercourse is incomplete.

    Youths in today’s society, all tend to agree to the assertion that intercourse is the life wire of any relationship. But, must I succumb to carnal feelings just because I want to be in a relationship? I must not go that way. Like Joshua in the Bible asked the Israelites, the question comes calling today. Who is on the right side? Well, as for me, I have decided that I would rather remain chaste until it is time to say I do.

     

    Joseph, 300-Level Business Admin., UNIBEN