The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • The world of student-traders

    Some students work to pay their way through school. It is either their parents are poor or they are schooling at old age. There are such students at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State. KEMI BUSARI (Political Science) reports.

    For Toyosi Kolade, shoe-making is not the exclusive preserve of men. She acquired the skill to make a living and pay her way through school. A visit to her room in Ladoke Akintola Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, showed how passionate she is about the vocation.

    Shoes of various sizes are scattered all over the place.

    Toyosi, 22, has just finished from the Political Science Department, but in her last two years, she paid her fees from the money she made as a cobbler. Toyosi ventured into shoe-making to assist her parents.

    She said: “I started shoe-making when I resumed for my third year on campus. A skill acquisition programme came up in my church for youths to learn any trade that would make them independent. I opted for something unique from what others are doing. I chose to make and repair shoes; this fed me throughout my stay on campus.”

    When she started, she was mocked by people who felt she was in a wrong vocation. Toyosi said: “People made me to feel ashamed of myself by mocking me whenever they heard that a female student is doing such work. But I never let that discourage me. In the end, some of the people who taunted me ended up being my customers.”

    Toyosi never allowed the trade to affect her academic pursuit. The Ekiti State-born cobbler said she devoted ample time to her studies and entrepreneurial skill.

    “The reason I ventured into shoe making and repairing is for me to support my parents’ expenses on me. I have always liked to be independent but there was no means. But when I learned the trade, I was able to pay up to 40 per cent of my fees in school.”

    She is not alone in this kind of business. Her colleague, Adeniyi Taiwo, who graduated from the Department of Geography, sells moin-moin (bean cake) at Awolowo Hall. He prepares the garnished moin-moin in thick leaves for sells and each between N25 and N30.

    Adeniyi, who hawks the moin-moin himself, said: “I was motivated to start this because of the meagre resources I got from home. I needed to have my own source of income to be able to pay some little expenses in school. It is not everything that you ask from your parents.”

    To him, the trade is not for women alone. Adeniyi said: “The only business you can tag as women’s trade is the one only a female can handle. In the case of selling moin-moin, everybody can do it, in so far the aim is to make money.”

    Adeniyi moves from one room to the other, hawking.

    In Imo State, Ellen Sunday made her mark, combining business, academics and spiritual life. Ellen, who started from a few wraps of groundnut and sugar in 2012, now manages a full scale business, selling pepper, tomato and kerosene in large quantities.

    “I really want to be independent,” she said, when asked why she dabbled into the business. She added: “I was tired of asking for money from my parents all the time. I started when I was in 300-Level, but when I resumed for final year, I increased my stock and sold to students in large quantities.”

    Of all the wares, Ellen said it is tomato that is most profitable. “I started the trade with about N2,000 but I can’t really determine how much it has grown into. My trade has multiplied even beyond my expectations,” she added.

    Ellen said she is proud to be a student-trader, saying she paid 95 per cent of expenses on campus from the business. “Although my parents used to send money to me but, most times, I won’t touch it. The business paid up to 95 per cent of my expenses on campus,” she said.

    “If I choose to sleep conveniently on my bed, hunger will wake me up. This was why I found it better to discomfort myself so that hunger would not eventually discomfort me,” Bamidele Adeleke, a graduate of Sociology and Anthropology, who eked out a living selling bread, said.

    Instead of sleeping on his bed, Bamidele stockpiles bread on his mattress and squats with his friends.

    He started the business early this year because of what he called “economic meltdown in the family”, which reduced his pocket money from home.

    He said: “I started the business with N1,600 and six packs of bread. Today, I sell about 10 packs a day, which is more than N4,000. The business paid up to 85 per cent of my expenses on campus.”

    Now that they have graduated, does that the death of their business?

    Bamidele, who is currently taking the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) courses, said nothing would separate him from bread business, even as a graduate.

    After her National Youth Service, Toyosi said she would start a shoe-making business on a large scale, urging her colleagues to acquire vocational skills in addition to their academic degrees.

    Adeniyi would like to be his own boss by going into entrepreneurship. Ellen said she would continue the business after school but on a large scale. “I have a dream to have a supermarket of my own,” she said.

  • The dearth of historical consciousness in Nigeria (III)

    After the publication of the first part of this article, I received calls from two sets of readers. The first set – the optimists – are of the opinion that we need to be historically conscious if indeed we are serious about Nigeria “moving forward.” They wondered why any serious nation will neglect the teaching of history which often brings with it a sense of national identity and consciousness. The second set – the pessimists – believe that Nigeria, as a “contraption” is already unravelling and we only have to wait for this to eventually happens. To them, the Boko Haram (BH) insurgency is the beginning of the end.

    While I don’t share in their pessimism, I’m also not blind to the fact that we are at a crossroad as a nation with many Nigerians lacking the understanding of what being a Nigerian is or what Nigeria as a nation actually stands for. A colleague told me last week that after reading a simplified, but comprehensive history of America written for children and teenagers, he wasn’t surprised that Americans are the way they are; patriotic about their country.

    So we may ask ourselves why study history, and what does history have to do with all that is happening now? The answer – in my opinion – is because we virtually must, to gain access to the “laboratory” of human experience. When we study it reasonably well, and so acquire some usable habits of mind, as well as some basic data about the forces that affect our own lives, we emerge with relevant skills and an enhanced capacity for informed citizenship, critical thinking, and simple awareness. We need to study it in order to make progress, even though this progress may take years in materialising.

    I’m aware that any subject of study needs justification; its advocates must explain why it is worth attention. In a society that quite correctly expects education to serve “useful” purposes, the functions of history can seem more difficult to define than those of say architecture, engineering or medicine. History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, but the products of historical study are less tangible, sometimes less immediate, than those that stem from some other disciplines.

    History should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society as it helps us to understand people and societies. In the first place, it offers a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave. How, for instance, can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace. We can however do this with historical materials.

    Take the BH crisis as a case study. Terrorism – in the scale we have it today – is totally strange to us that is why our military were not effectively trained in counter-insurgency warfare; rather the effort has been on conventional warfare where you are trained to know your enemy who is expected to play by certain international rules and norms governing combats and the treatment of prisoners of war etc. Today’s enemy only puts on uniform as a decoy; otherwise he remains elusive or acts as a suicide bomber with scant regard to the sanctity of human life or decent societal norms.

    So what is a historian expected to do in this instance? He will sift through historical documents; study how similar scenarios played out elsewhere, what was done there and how it was countered. He will also strive to understand the role that belief systems play in shaping individual and family lives. By studying several societies where similar situations subsist, a conclusion can be drawn with solutions provided on how to address the situation.

    Some social scientists attempt to formulate laws or theories about human behaviour, but even these depend on historical information, except for in limited, often artificial cases in which experiments can be devised to determine how people act. Consequently, history must serve, however imperfectly, as our “laboratory”, and data from the past must serve as our most vital evidence in the unavoidable quest to figure out why our complex society behaves the way it does. This, fundamentally, is why we cannot stay away from history: it offers the only extensive evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how societies function, and people need to have some sense of how societies function simply to run their own lives.

    History also helps us to understand change and how the society we live in came to be. The past causes the present, and so the future. Any time we try to know why something happened—like the BH crisis or religious/ethnic conflicts—we have to look for factors that took shape earlier.

    Sometimes fairly recent history will suffice to explain a major development, but often we need to look further back to identify the causes of change. Only through studying history can we grasp how things change; only through history can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite change.

    So how do we start to put the right foot forward? Realising the importance of history, Lagos State Government started the process of teaching the subject from the basic level two years ago, if handled well it may be the pedestal for grooming generations of Nigerians who would understand what being citizens of this potentially great nation really means despite our current challenges. I urge the state government to explore other avenues beyond the four walls of schools to enable its citizens have a positive and progressive sense of history.

    For those who may not know, history also serves as a platform for moral contemplation. Studying the stories of individuals and situations in the past allows a student of history to test his or her own moral sense, to hone it against some of the real complexities individuals have faced in difficult settings. People who have weathered adversity, not just in some work of fiction, but in real historical circumstances can provide inspiration that can galvanize an entire nation. The late Nelson Mandela and South Africa is a classic example that most people can easily recollect. Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain’s singular role in rallying his people to confront Nazi Germany during the Second World War also readily comes to mind.

    In galvanizing a nation, – we all agree that Nigeria, as it stands today, need leaders that can galvanize her – no singular attitude is necessary than having a sense of identity; history provides this, which is unquestionably why all modern nations encourage its teaching in varied forms. Historical data include evidence about how families, groups, institutions and whole countries were formed and about how they have evolved while retaining cohesion.

    In my study of American history, I discovered that for most Americans, studying the history of their family amount to the most obvious use of history, for it provides facts about genealogy and a basis for understanding how the family has interacted with larger historical change. Histories that tell the national story, emphasising distinctive features of the national experience, are meant to drive home an understanding of national values and a commitment to national loyalty.

    Perhaps a key area we need to have a positive sense of the subject is in the area of good citizenship.  Most Nigerians will agree that we have a citizenship crisis in the country today. This is the most common justification for the place of history in school curricula. Sometimes advocates of citizenship history hope merely to promote national identity and loyalty through a history spiced by vivid stories and lessons in individual success and morality. But the importance of history for citizenship goes beyond this narrow prism.

    History that lays the foundation for genuine citizenship returns, in one sense, to the essential uses of the study of the past. It provides data about the emergence of national institutions, problems, and values which offers evidence about how nations have interacted with other societies, providing international and comparative perspectives essential for responsible citizenship.

    One salient feature of an advanced country is the ability to see the importance of nearly every discipline in the development process. While we see the study of history in Nigeria as “irrelevant”, an advanced country will tap into the mind of the historian and use his analytic mindset for progress, for instance in the business world. In the United States, Britain and France, there are historians that undertake historical research for businesses or public agencies, or participate in the growing number of historical consultancies. These categories are important to keep the basic enterprise of history going.

  • ‘My First Class is to appreciate my parents’

    Joy Onyemaechi was the best graduating student of the Delta State University (DELSU) in Abraka during the 2012 and 2013 academic session. She is the first student to bag a First Class in the Department of Economics with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.67. She told PHILIP OKORODUDU (Graduating student of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering) how she achieved the feat.

    How do you feel becoming the valedictorian?

    The feeling is overwhelming and unexplainable because it really beats my imaginations. I was aware I had the best Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in my faculty but I was surprised when I was called out as the overall best graduating student for two sets. I give all the glory to God.

    Did you have the dream to graduate with a First Class when you were admitted?

    Yes. I made a promise after I left secondary school that I would graduate from the university with a result that would impress my parents. Also because no students had graduated with a First Class in my department, I told myself I would be the first and God helped me to achieve this despite challenges and discouragement from different quarters.

    Tell us about how you spent your day as a student

    I wake up early whether I have classes or not and I always started my day with prayers. After bath, I would go to class if there was lecture or library if I had none. By 3pm, I would be back to have my lunch and then went to church. After having my dinner, I went to bed so that I would be able to wake up in midnight to read.

    What drove you to work hard in achieving your desire?

    It was the thought of my parents’ efforts to send us to school. They worked hard so that I could go to the university and I vowed to do something that would make them proud that they did not work in vain. Each time I took my result home, the joy they expressed made me to be more determined and focus.

    What is the secret of your success?

    It is God and of course hard work. Without the glory of God, my hard work would not have been able to achieve anything.

    What is aspiration?

    After my Master’s degree and PhD, I want to be a top-rated development economist whose idea would contribute to the economic wellbeing of Nigeria. I also like to be a teacher in church, teaching word of God to the youth.

    What were the challenges you faced as a student?

    I had a challenge to maintain not just a good CGPA but to also remain in First Class. It is very easy to get to the top but it is challenging staying at the top. And in a school like DELSU, where every course from 100-Level to final year counts, one cannot afford to be slack because a poor score can destroy result forever. I prayed and worked hard to surpass the challenge.

    How would you describe your social life?

    I am not a social person, even as an undergraduate. I barely had time for mundane things except my studies.

    What is your advice to students?

    They must hold on to God because He never fails. They must allow God to take the lead in whatever they do, He would guide them aright and make them achieve their aims. Also there should be balance between academic, social and spiritual life. One should not outweigh the other. They must make friends with those who would inspire them towards achieving their goals and not those who would drag them backward. Students must believe in their ability and give in their best in anything. Even if it does not work out the way we want, there would never be regrets knowing that we have done our best.

  • All work and no play…

    Pharmacy students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) suspended academics to participate in the Dean’s Cup, a sporting event organised by the Director of Sport of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS). EZEKIEL EFEOBHOKHAN (300-Level Pharmacy) reports.

    In a few weeks, they will be writing exam but students of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) are not bothered. They suspended academic activities to participate in the faculty’s annual sport fiesta.

    The event featured variety of sports, ranging from football to sprint relay and long distance races that stretched to 1,500 metres both in male and female categories. The five-day event was held in the university’s Sport Complex.

    In his short message to kick off the event, the Deputy Dean, Students’ Affairs, Dr Tony Waka, urged the participants to promote the spirit of sportsmanship in all the sporting activities, saying: “Sports are for fun and for exercise; as pharmacy students, you all know the benefits of exercising the body. This and many more reasons made the faculty board to be in support of this event.”

    The first four days saw various classes to battle one another to qualify from the group stage. Students of 300-Level and 600-Level qualified, having beaten their 400-Level and 500-Level counterparts in the male category. In female category, 300-Level and 200-Level qualified for the final round.

    Emmanuel Osakpolor and Kelvin Enoghase, both of the 400-Level class, won the 100 and 400 metres relay while Jude Usman, a 300-Level student, won 1500 meter race in the male category.

    Rita Ihaza clinched prizes for the 100 and 400 meters race in the female category.

    There were tension and apprehension on the pitch at the grand finale of the soccer contest, where 300-Level and 200-Level female students battled for the trophy. The match was fun as the students displayed their soccer skills to entertain the boys.

    However, a shot by Faith Okhemsimi assisted by the captain Faith Ogbena gave the 300-Level class a lead over their junior colleagues in 39 minute of the game. The match ended 1-0 in the favour of the 300-Level class.

    Faith Okhemesimi was adjudged Best Female Player of the contest.

    The grand finale of the male contest between 600-Level and 300-Level classes started at 4:15pm. Fourteen minutes into the match, a controversy broke out when the referee ruled out a goal scored by the 600-Level class. The 300-Level players, led by Benjamin Idiakhoa, defended its side until 64th minute when Festus Esiegbe of the contending team broke the defence and scored a goal.

    One of the players, Marvellous Eromosele, was taken out of the field, having sustained an injury on the mouth, which had its tooth removed. The injured player was given a first-aid treatment by a paramedical team led by Ogah Ibadin, a student. Afterwards, Marvellous was referred to the UNIBEN Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for treatment.

    Another controversy broke out when Prince Okooboh, a 300-Level class player, was knocked down in the goal area. The referee, who initially decided a penalty kick, ruled offside after he consulted one of the officials. This caused a stir as fans went wild, disrupting the game for a moment. They situation was later brought under control but match ended 1-0 in favour of the 600-Level class.

    Coach of the 300-Level class, Ifeanyi Ajudeonu, was not happy about the outcome of the game. He praised his players for putting up a good performance. He said: “The referee’s decision was against my team as we had opportunity to score goal but we were denied. Too two of our key players were taken out because of injury.”

    The 600-Level captain, Meshach Chu, said the game was tough for his side but thanked God for the win. “This is the third time we are winning the Dean’s cup but this particular one is dedicated to Hulera Momoh, our colleague that died last year.”

    The Director of Sport, Chinedu Dimnoyeka, said he was happy about the success of the fiesta.

    Some of the players, who put up brilliant performance, were honoured. The Highest Goal Scorer went to Uyi Igbinadolor, a 600-Level student, while Best Midfielder went to Christian Ezeokoye, a 400-Level student.

    Others are Osmond Ezeagu (Best Defender), Lawrence Ameh (Best Keeper) and Best Player of the tournament, Festus Esiegbe, a 600-Leevel student. The 500-Level class won the Best Behaved Team.

    Dr Waka congratulated the students and told them to go read for their examination.

  • A historic election

    The National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), Imo State University (IMSU) chapter, has held its election, which was described by students as the most competitive in its history. CHIDIEBERE ENYIA (400-Level English and Literary Studies) and MERCY OPARANOZIE (200-Level English and Literary Studies) report.

    All activities were suspended at the Department of English and Literary Studies of the Imo State University (IMSU) in Owerri for election of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS) last week. The exercise, it was observed, was the most competitive in the history of their association.

    Some three weeks before the poll, the department came alive with campaign in which students saw the good, the bad and the worst. Excitement filled the air. The electioneering was characterised by political intrigues, tension and propaganda.

    Chukwuebuka Ogoeke, a 400-Level student, headed the seven-man electoral committee set up by the outgoing president Johnpaul Nwadike, while Nneoma Okoro, also in 400-Level, was the secretary. The committee was composed of students from each level.

    No sooner had the electoral committee lifted the ban on political campaign and released the timetable than the sale of nomination forms began. Nineteen students were screened for the executive positions by the association’s Staff Adviser and security personnel.

    The election began with the manifesto, where the candidates presented their programmes to the students.

    The presentation was greeted with applause and glee. When it was the turn of the presidential contenders, there was a pin-drop silence. Students were attentive and recorded every word said by the two candidates.

    Ikenna Dikeocha, outgoing Treasurer, who contested for the top job, said he had a dream to transform the association to a vibrant one. He unveiled a two-point agenda to “revive the literary life of the students” and to enhance “students’ relationship with lecturers”.

    His opponent and outgoing General Secretary, Sixtus Agbaegbu, said: “I have the experience to pilot the affairs of the association to a greater height. If I am elected, the department would publish journals and other literary materials to enhance knowledge and welfare of the members.”

    At noon, the election started and ended at 3:45pm. Mr Solomon Ihedigbo, a lecturer, and Dr Psalm Chinaka, who represented the Staff Advisers, monitored the process.

    “The election was successfully conducted without hitches,” Chinaka said.

    Johnpaul, after vesting his vote, said he was happy the process was acceptable to students. He urged winners and losers to accept the result in good faith. He said: “We have succeeded in organising a free and fair election; I would implore both the winners and losers to accept the results and work together for the overall development of the association.”

    Chukwuebuka, who was elated about the hitch-free exercise, said there were rumours that the election would be rigged in favour of a candidate, praising the Staff Adviser for his quick intervention by appointing four-man independent monitoring committee to oversee the process. “The election was free and fair and most of the candidates’ agents were satisfied with the outcome,” he said.

    When the election results were announced, there were mixed feelings among the candidates. Sixtus won the presidential contest after he garnered 127 votes to defeat Ikenna, who polled 118 votes.

    Nwachineke Onyedikachi beat Chidera Nwosu with 25 votes to become the Financial Secretary.

    Others elected are Adanna Iheka, Vice President, Ignatius Okorie, General Secretary, Precious Mgbudemobi, Assistant General Secretary, Bright Emeagi , Treasurer, Onyedikachi Nwachineke, Financial Secretary, Frank Iheagwaram, Director of Socials, Arthur Anunonso, Director of Information, Precious Njoku, Liberian, Gideon Nneoma, Editor-in-Chief, James Chinonso Edson, Director of Sports, Caleb Ezinwoke, Provost and Jennifer Umeodinka, Director of Literary Development.

  • Union leaders inspect projects

    Members of the Students’ Union Government at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti (ADO POLY), have conducted an inspection on various students-centred projects in the institution.

    The team, led by the union president, Olaide Ajibola, comprised the Vice President, Micheal Akinfolarin, Senate President, Akintunde Olawoye, General Secretary, Ifeoluwa Filani, Welfare Director, Samuel Ajitaramu and Public Relations Officer, Temitope Yakubu.

    They inspected the on-going renovation of the Students’ Union Central Common Room, construction work at Lagos Female Hall, renovation of toilets, Students’ Union Arcade and fumigationof hostels.

    The contractor told union leaders were told that the Central Common Room would soon be completed. At the Madam Tinubu Block, Olaide praised the management for assenting to the demands of the union, urging students to imbibe maintenance culture.

    Ajitaramu said students’ welfare remained the union’s priority.

    He said: “We now have two good buses that can travel to any part of the country. The management just donated a new bus to us and had equally refurbished the old one.”

     

  • Faculty holds 15th Herbert Macaulay Lecture

    The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has held her 15th Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture. The event was held at Princess Alexandria Auditorium with the theme:  ”Revitalising an effective power system for sustainable development in Nigeria.”

    The event was graced by the Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo; Vice-Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Ozumba, Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Engr John Chukwu; Chairman of the occasion, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Prof T. C. Madueme and students of the university.

    In his address, John Okafor, an alumnus of the university, said: “The topic for the lecture is informed by both technological and natural needs and the need for engineering education in Nigeria to rise to the challenge of imparting significantly on the students and engineers.”

    He urged the students not to be overtaken by the scramble for certificates, but to equip themselves with relevant skills.

    Prof Nebo said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to improve energy generation, transmission and distribution to meet the economic and educational development projections of the nation.

    He urged stakeholders to work together to deliver clean, affordable energy to Nigerians, adding that with adequate support, there would be increase in generation of short, medium and long terms projections.

    Iwuanyanwu lauded the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for its efforts in the power sector, calling on the Minister of Power to focus his attention on the development of coal in Nigeria.

     

  • Enactus holds workshop

    As part of efforts to make entrepreneurship attractive to undergraduates, Enactus Nigeria, a non-for-profit organisation in conjunction with Verve Nigeria, had held a workshop at the University of Ilorin.

    The workshop, which took place at the institution’s auditorium,  was attended by students of the university and those of Kwara State University (KWASU).

    Mike Ajayi, Programme Manager, spoke to the students on the objective of the group in breeding tomorrow’s leaders through entrepreneurship.

    He noted that the only way to alleviate the rate of unemployment in the country was through the introduction of entrepreneurship courses into the university curriculum.

    Verve Nigeria presented their new product, my cashless campus.

    The firm said the initiative was motivated by the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    Present at the workshop were the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof O.A. Omotesho; Sub Dean, Dr A. Yusuf; Director of Centre for Research Development and in-House Training (Credit) Prof A.T. Oladiji and other principal officers of the university.

  • ‘Nigeria needs industrial revolution’

    A lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Daniel Nnamdi Obikwelu, has described as counter-productive Nigeria’s methods for acquiring technology.

    Speaking while delivering the 79th inaugural lecture at the institution, Obikwelu, said government should learn from the industrial revolution of the Great Britain.

    He said: “Drafting from the stone to modern age where man’s activities were technologically-driven, industrial revolution is a phase in human history when the predominant agrarian rural societies in Great Britain, Europe and America became industrial and civilised.”

    Obikwelu, who spoke on the theme: Metallic materials: challenges in the 21st century Nigeria and didactic lessons from the 18th century industrial revolution, said metallic material especially steel, stood out as man’s major resource that fostered industrialisation in the 18th century industrial revolution.

    He added that metallic material played vital role in the life of man and every technologically-driven nation, explaining that metallic materials have become invaluable resources for improving the standard of living and developing indigenous technologies.

    He noted that growth in the nation’s industrial sector was hampered by foreign assistance without proper development of available resource.

    He noted: “Nigeria doesn’t have the wherewithal to develop her resources, the resources can only be carried overseas and developed and sold back to us.”

    He added that some regions of the country were backward in industrial revolution because of high level of negligence of their natural resources.

    He called for partnership approach among the government, private sector and research institutes to develop indigenous technologies for sustainable development. “Nigeria governments are urged to learn the lessons of the industrial revolution of the 18th century in Great Britain by providing conducive political and industrial atmosphere to promote the avalanche of industrial inventions that would eventually lead to the much needed revolution in Nigeria’s industrial sector,” he stated.

    A participant, Chris Egwuatu, said the Federal Government should implement the recommendations of the lecture and revitalise the state of industries in the country. Obetta Emmanuel, 300-Level Metallurgical Engineering, said steel was the king of all material and government should understand the importance of the nation’s resource base and utilise them to achieve development.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Ozumba, who was represented by the VC (Academics), Prof Polycarp Chigbu, thanked participants for turning out en masse for the lecture.

    Highlight of the event was the presentation of award of excellence to Prof Obikwelu by the National Association of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Students (NAMMES), UNN chapter.

  • Corps members rally against sickle cell

    To educate people and rid Akure South Local Government Area of sickle cell anaemia, Corps members serving in the local government have held a sensitisation campaign on the disorder as part of their Community Development Service (CDS).

    Ifeoluwa Osundare led the corps member to Oja Oba Market, Akure.

    The rally featured donation of free drugs to residents and medical tests, including free HIV screening, diabetes, blood sugar level test and dental check-up.

    Dr Osho Patrick, a consultant and haematologist at the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, dismissed the notion that sickle cell patients die prematurely.

    “Sickle cell can only be transferred through heredity. The haemoglobin in the blood of a sickle cell victim is weak; that is why we always advise them to go for medical check-up frequently. Drugs which contain folic acid should be taken more by patients,” he stated.

    Dr Patrick said Nigeria had one of the highest rates of sickle cell occurrence in the world.

    Mrs Soetan Abimbola, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer, Federal Medical Centre in Owo, said all a sickle cell patient needed to live healthy was support from the people around them.

    “You need to be watchful as parents if you have a child suffering from sickle cell. Dehydration is a factor that aggravates it, so you need to give them water from time to time. They should not be left to excessive exercise, mosquitoes should be prevented around them, they should be kept warm always and more importantly, the environment where they dwell should be kept clean. The more the attention, the less the crises and the more the chances of living a longer life.” She said.

    A beneficiary of the free check up, Azizat Gbadebo, a 400-Level History and International Studies student of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), said: “All the tests we did here today were great. As carriers of the SS genotype, we need to get tested often so as to keep ourselves in good shape at all times. We should know our HIV status, blood sugar level and many others.”

    The convener, Ifeoluwa, expressed happiness at the high turnout of residents.

    “Today is one of my community development programmes in line with the NYSC directive which says that we must help our community. And of course, I chose this initiative because of my passion for sickle cell patients. We just want them to know that they are normal people like us, just that they have a peculiarity they need to address.”

    A 94-year old woman, Mrs Longe Eunice, said she was surprised that all the tests were free, urging government at all levels to support such effort at all times.