The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • IMT matriculates 5,000

    The Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, has held its 32nd matriculation at the Jeremiah Useni Sports Complex.

    In her lecture titled: “Youth Employment through Education and Good Governance,” Chief of Staff to the Enugu State Government, Mrs Ifeoma Nwaobodom, who represented Governor Sullivan Chime, said education was the key to unlock potentials of youths. She said education was useful in ensuring political stability and fostering understanding among people of diverse cultures and belief.

    She urged the freshers to focus on their studies. According to her, education is the best way to empower themselves for the future.

    The Rector, Prof Mike Iloeje, noted that the institute had improved its academic standard and is prepared to attain global best practices. He urged the students to take their academics serious, saying it was their primary objective as students.

    The Public Relations Officer, Dr  Ifeanyi Ojobor, urged the freshers to study hard and make better grades.

    President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Kingsley Isiani, also encouraged the freshers to study hard and be good ambassadors of the institution.

    Students at the programme advised the freshers to abide by the rules and regulation guiding the institution.

    Other persons at the occasion included the Deputy Rector, Mr Fidelis Okafor; Registrar, Mr SylvanusAsogwa; Chief Librarian, Mr Donald Ozoalor; Bursar, Mr Augustine Ejiofor and Director of Works Services, Engr Luke Mmamel,

     

  • All hail the beauty king, queen

    All hail the beauty king, queen

    Onyinyechi Ebenyi and Moses Imeh have won the University of Calabar (UNICAL) beauty pageant organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG). STANLEY UCHEGBU (Graduating student of Accounting) reports. 

    She walked with measured steps, smiling and waving to the excited crowd. She gathered her light blue flowing attire to ease her movement. As she sat on the ‘throne’, a gold-rimmed crown was placed on her head to announce her ascension.

    Onyinyechi Ebenyi, a 200-Level Medical Laboratory Science student, is the new queen of the University of Calabar (UNICAL). To her left was the king, Moses Imeh, a 200-Level Pure Physics student. The excited crowd applauded the Mr and Miss UNICAL as they were unveiled at a show organised, last weekend, by the Director of Socials of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Williams Usese.

    Usese said the event, with the theme: Sustaining moral sanity in Nigerian youths, was to showcase intelligence and beauty of students.

    It was a night of glamour and entertainment as thousands of students and their colleagues from the Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTECH) trooped into the Main Bowl of the UNICAL Cultural Centre for the variety night show.

    The SUG executive members were led to the show by the president, Bassey Eka, and his deputy, Mercy Mbakwe. Promise Owai, the Speaker of the union parliament, led members to the event.

    Campus comedians, including Robby Ekpo and Josiah Eghrudje, dished out hilarious jokes. Hip-hop artistes and acrobatic dancers dazzled with various stunts as music blared from the speakers of DJ Vicky Jay.

    Fashion designers had a field day, showcasing beautifully-sewn attires at the show.

    The pageant was sponsored by Spark Shopz, Multi Choice and Nigeria Breweries.

    The contest was in three stages; with 30 contestants participating in the male and female categories. In the first stage, contestants appeared in cultural apparels and took to the runway with synchronised steps, displaying their culture. The audience applauded their performance.

    Their skill was tested in dances, television presentation, drama and singing in the second stage. The judges shortlisted 10 contestants in each category.

    At the final stage, female contestants appeared in sleeveless designer gowns; their male counterparts were in corporate wears. They were asked to pick questions from a group of questions to test their intelligence.

    Having answered all questions correctly, Moses and Onyinyechi beat other contestants to clinch the Mr and Miss UNICAL titles. The judges, among whom were former Mr and Miss UNICAL, Iferi Young and Sophia Dijeh, praised the contestants for their intellect and talents.

    Prizes were presented to the winners by the union president, his deputy and representatives of the sponsors.

    Bassey hailed the students for turning out en masse for the show, praising them for showing maturity by being peaceful. He urged the winners to use their crowns to bring development to the campus and boost students’ morale.

    Mary Agnes, a member of the Nigeria Union of Campus Journalists, was delighted by the show’s success, saying: “The show was exceptional; the exhibition and performances by artistes, especially the acrobatic dancers, were mind-blowing. It was quite a wonderful event.”

    Giving the vote of thanks, Williams said: “This event started as a dream and vision; but today, that dream has become a reality and I am grateful to God for its success.”

  • Unilever MD inspires UNILAG students

    Unilever MD inspires UNILAG students

    The nation’s leading household products manufacturing firm, Unilever Nig PLC, last Wednesday held a leadership session with students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) which featured inspirational talks on leadership.

    The event held at the Julius Berger Hall of the university, saw the Unilever Managing Director Yaw Nsarkoh prodding his listeners to live up to their role as change agents, and not allow their circumstances to be a stumbling block.

    He said: “You must see yourself as global winners. Do not limit your success to Nigeria alone and never use your circumstances as an excuse for your failure. The daughter of a peasant can be a high person in future and if you want to build sustainable growth, put your mind to it though it requires hard work and diligence; and if you persevere you will get there.”

    Speaking on the topic: “Driving change through sustainable growth’ Nsarkoh a Ghanaian national’ said Unilever dreams an egalitarian society for Nigeria, likening the scenario to the company’s various products which he said Nigerians usually can afford regardless of their social or economic status.

    “We make sure every individual out there, no matter the economic situation can afford our products because we at Unilever believe that the world cannot be sustained if the rich keeps being richer and the poor being poorer,” he added.

    On the event, he said the Unilever is happy for the handshake with the University of Lagos, which he said forms a part of the former’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

    “I appreciate the relationship between the school and our organisation. We are also looking forward to the continual support of the institution. Our organisation is ready to help the students and to change their minds from the idealistic points of view,” Nsarkoh stressed.

    He further said: “Going to campuses are like homecomings to me because I spent a lot of years on the campus, and that feelings of home embraces me when I enter one. Business without conscience will not succeed, that is why we place much value on the populace as we don’t see as charity on our path but as our responsibility”.

    In his reaction, Unilag Vice-Chancellor Prof Rahamon Bello thanked the Unilever entourage for making the students benefit from the company’s experience over the years.

    “I value the importance of this relationship between our prestigious school and your company. I want the university to benefit from the wealth of experience of your organisation and by giving the students hands on training experience. The school is developing a skill acquisition centre to empower the students.

    Alabi Makinde, a 400l-Level Creative Arts undergraduate shared her experience.

    “Now I am enlightened and I know that as a creative art practitioner, I can help to build a business of conscience in the business world. I also realised that we have a very big role to play in sustainable development,” he said.

    Durodola Temitope, another final year student of Economics said she now appreciates the fact that certificates can only get one a job, but will not sustain one except one chooses to develop oneself.

    The Dean of Students Affairs Prof Olukayode Amuud, said the programme was very insightful because it was the first of its kind.

    “They (Unilever) just contributed their own quota to the development of the country as the students have been admonished to be the change they want to be.

  • Students defend SIWES reports

    Students defend SIWES reports

    Students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), have defended their industrial training reports. The defence, which was initially postponed to give adequate time for students, who had not completed their log books, was held at the department.

    Coordinator of the exercise, Mr Patrick Olele, re-scheduled another dates for students whose examiners were unavailable.

    Students who successfully completed their defence took turns to take photographs. One of them, Harrison Okeke, 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, said he was pleased with the conduct of the exercise, adding that he was happy to carry everyone along as the class representative.

    Juliet Ezengwa, a 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, condemned the attitude if her colleagues who downplayed the exercise and went about taking pictures.

  • Corps member donates projects

    Corps member donates projects

    2013 Batch “B” member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Lagos, Ackley Ufot, has launched series of Community Development Service (CDS) projects in Araromi and Oworonshoki Primary Schools.

    The project, which was commissioned by the Senior Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Primary Education, MrsAbosedeOttun, included the construction of a security post, a four-unit ultramodern toilet, donation of free Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms, presentation of 1000 copies of exercise books and five white boards to the schools.

    Abosede commended the corps member for the gesture. ‘’I am so happy for this kind of initiative you put up. God will continue to support you in your endeavours and by His grace, your development will not go unnoticed and will pave way for your dream job,’’ she said.

    Ackley thanked his sponsors for making the project possible.

    One of the sponsors, MrOkafor Paul, a staff of Pedoquasphere International Limited, said: ’’I urge other corps member to follow Ackley’s example and bring up a good plan to develop communities. Initially when he came up with this plan, we doubted his ability but today we are very happy for a job well done. Those who have similar ideas should not hesitate to forward them to us. We promise to always give our support.’’

    Other sponsors of the project included SJ Technologies, Mind the Gab, Etisalat, among others.

    Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area, Mr S.O. Ogede, said it was the first time the community was witnessing such gesture from a corps member.

    The Baale of Kosofe, Chief Onalaja, Head teachers of both schools and NYSC officials at the event commended Ackley for the gesture.

  • Provost laments poor reading culture

    Tertiary institutions in Nigeria have been urged to create proper library environment that will serve as pathway for e-learning for students to have access to high quality information in a variety of electronic media and information sources.

    Delivering a lecture at the annual conference and general meeting of the Committee of College Librarians held at the Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo, Ondo State, Dr. Olarewaju Issa from the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, said the change in information resources has also mandated libraries to redesign their information products and services rendered to their user community.

    The lecture had the topic: “Nigerian society and academic libraries: Confluence of knowledge”.

  • Dead army walking

    Dead army walking

    They are everywhere. Bottled. Lost. Bugged down. You find them in bars, trying hard to drink the night away and forget their travails. They litter misbegotten slums, romancing misery and relishing ewa agonyi (Togolese beans) in unkempt environment, hoping against hope. They try with all the strength they could muster to reach to the stars, but society seems to care less about their struggle. They endure hardship every day.

    Feeling hopeless, they become handy tools for strife, war and bloodletting. They become partners in gun and drug business. They are everywhere; they are dead but walking.

    They look up to better days but their existence is a narrative of raped destinies, fagged dreams and dead aspirations. You find them on the streets, hugging the trees and waiting endlessly for the rain to flood their fields. They comb the corners of sturdy creeks, with fury of blood, wild passions; ready to take hostage of anything they can prey on. I tell you again, they are everywhere. They are young and dead, yet walking.

    Their life trajectories move one to pity, to endless tears. But who will save them from this episode of doom? Check out our churches and mosques. They are often the subject of endless supplications. They have no problem sleeping the whole day in the church or mosque because the temple atmosphere seems to stoke their hope; inspire their faith in a future that could be better.

    If they were the type that glory in the vanity of soccer, they could hang around in viewing centres and news-stands, arguing a Wayne Rooney’s take-home pay under the blaze of the sun. To them, calling millions sounds in the ears like some token fee, because way back in Nigeria, they are used to politicians stashing away billions of naira from the collective patrimony.

    So, such high-sounding figures mean little to them even though they cannot afford a loaf of Agege bread. Their mind is warped, their psychology is corroded. They graze around dead but still walking.

    They wouldn’t mind to wash a brother’s feet especially, when the gesture could provoke the receiver to some mutually beneficial actions. You may call it returns on investments, but they call it blessings. I call it begging. You can’t blame them. Even their leaders are known to be beggars, armed with their begging bowls as they travel from Asia to America, begging the slave masters to spare them a lifeline. They beg for aids and grants. They beg America to help them stop Boko Haram, to stop polio, to stop even their catarrh. Do you know them? Can you see them?

    I bet, they are everywhere. They are on our campuses, caught between the demands of education and the despair that hounds them around. They know quite well that education is good. But they know too that our society cherishes those who throw the cash around. It adores fellows who know how to play the dark cards; folks who know how to pull the strings at both ends.

    Anyone trying to earn a living in a just way is doomed. If he were a students’ union leader, those politicians outside the campus would become his godfather. He would worship them with a mystic admiration, the kind reserved for kings and deities. He could snatch ballot boxes, share in a free bottle of beer at restaurants, engaging in thuggery, sing his godfathers’ praises on social media or simply go about abusing anyone who dares to think otherwise of his antecedents. But will they know that they are walking dead?

    They are everywhere. They were the victims of the recent bloody recruitment exercise. They dreamed of a better life; a life that rewards hard work. They desired a life of opportunities, of pride, of dignity. They knew that the dynamics of contemporary life have changed and those who refuse to roll up their sleeves and work could end up as sorry beggars. They didn’t want to beg. They wanted a job, a life of their own. So, they thronged the venue in their thousands; unmindful of the inanities of the recruitment process. The rest is now history. But they are still everywhere.

    Popular blogger, Ayodele Obajeun, recently spoke about the revolution via the ballot. But I don’t see that revolution coming. Why? The gun is ready but the fighters are yet to be set for the war. The army seems to be divided between their excesses and the crusade of change. They know so well that the time is ripe for Nigerians to advance to Canaan and possess their possession. But they are too docile, or at best, too complacent to speak up, to stand up, to demand for better deals from the power dealers. Even when they seem to be ready, they often get blown away by petty gratification from their oppressors, the pecks, frills and lucres of courtesy visits to the National Assembly or the lure of some wads of naira. In case you don’t know what that means, ask those students’ union leaders, parading themselves as tomorrow leaders in our ivory towers. Remember, they are not only in our schools. They are everywhere, dead and yet walking.

     

    Gilbert recently finished Foreign Languages, UNIBEN

  • Charting a course for good governance

    Charting a course for good governance

    For two days, student-writers across the country gathered at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State for the second International Campus Journalists Conference (ICJC) hosted by the OAU chapter of the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ). OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (400-Level Language Arts) and TOSIN ALAWODE (300-Level English Education) report.

    Do campus writers have a role to play in promoting good governance and national growth? This was the kernel of the discourse at the just-concluded two-day national conference organised by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) chapter of the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ).

    To Dapo Olorunyomi, editor of Premium Times, an online news medium, citizens would only enjoy good governance if journalists, whether on campus or in the larger society, hold public office holders accountable for their deeds.

    He said journalists were the torch bearers of truth, who must always be on the side of the masses.

    He said: “There are only two forces that can carry light to every corner of the globe: the sun and the media. This is why it is the central responsibility of a journalist to uphold accountability and openness when reporting issues of governance and national growth.”

    To promote good governance and hold public officers accountable, Olorunyomi said journalists must beam their searchlight on corruption in public and private offices, violation of human rights by security agencies and incompetency of policy regulators.

    The Editor-in-Chief of the Nigerian Tribune, Edward Dickson, said the obligation of the media was to promote a free society. “Politics and media have a common interest,” Dickson said, noting that to achieve a society where citizens would enjoy good governance, the media must play a watchdog role and make politicians to work for the people who voted them into office.

    Dickson, represented by Mr Sulaiman Olanrewaju, Nigerian Tribune’s Feature Editor, described a newspaper house as a public organisation, saying it is regrettable that commercialisation of the media has affected its role and responsibility to the people. He said whatever the interest of a newspaper’s owner may be, the content and its mission should not be skewed against the people.

    Taking the audience through the Foundations of a free society, Adedayo Thomas, the Director of Outreach of Afrincanliberty.org, said freedom was the foundation on which the press operates, stressing that the press may lose its freedom if media practitioners failed to promote a free society. He said a regulated freedom would inhibit the national growth.

    His words:“The basis of good governance has to do with policy and that is why there should be limited power exercised by the government on economic issues.”

    CAMPUSLIFE coordinator Wale Ajetunmobi urged the students to bring the ethics of journalism to bear on their duty. He said: “Journalism empowers people to get accurate information from people in authority to make society a better place.”

    Ajetunmobi told the campus writers to limit their activities to the confines of their schools and free their campuses from vices that may cause loss of lives and disrupt the academic calendar.

    Olubunmi Afuye, a producer at Orange FM in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said it was the responsibility of the media to bridge the gap between the government and the people.

    He said: “The media is not expected to be supportive in its relationship with government officials. As members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm, journalists must be independent and unbiased. The pen is the most powerful weapon politicians fear; this is why, as a journalist, you must be responsible and accurate in your reports.”

    Earlier, the OAU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bamitale Omole, represented by the Director of Institute of Cultural Studies, Prof Gbemisola Adeoti, said he was delighted that the youths came together to champion good governance. He said he had no doubt that the conference would afford the youngsters the opportunity to find answers to issues affecting their common interest.

    He said: “Journalism is an institution developed by man over the ages to ensure human wellbeing, social stability, political emancipation and preservation of people’s mores and ethos. However, if our nation will continue to be relevant in the global arena, journalists, the bearers of light in the dark tunnels, must be up and doing. They should not succumb to all pressures pointing in the direction of silence.”

    The ACJ president, Alex Ojekunle, a 400-Level Public Administration student, noted that the vision of the conference was to create a platform for student-writers across campuses to interact and chart a course for the realisation of national objectives. He said the conference was to unify members and serve as a platform for learning and honing their skills.

    The conference, held in the expansive Oduduwa Hall and OAU Conference Centre, was attended by student-writers from Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto (UDUS), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), University of Ibadan (UI), Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), among others.

  • Ajasin varsity goes to the poll

    Ajasin varsity goes to the poll

    Electioneering returned to Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) last week, following the lifting of ban on political activities.

    Students’ Union Government (SUG) election was held last week.

    Three aspirants obtained forms for the post of Students’ Union president. They are Ayodele Oladimeji, 300-Level History and International Relations, Kazeem Ganiyu, 300-Level Economics and Segun Ikuegbede, 300-Level Public Administration.

    However, Ayodele and some other aspirants were disqualified for their failure to meet the Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA) benchmark set for aspirants.

    On the election day, there was tension on the campus as thousands of students trooped to the polling centres to vote for choice candidates.

    Segun got 2,189 votes to defeat his rival Kazeem, who polled 1,895 votes. There was excitement on the campus when Segun was driven into campus shortly after he was declared winner in a sports utility vehicle.

    Others elected included Temidayo Alarape,Vice President, Saheed Olasunkanmi, General Secretary, Soji Mobolaji, Assistant General Secretary, Oluyemi Akinbobola, Financial Secretary, Adetitun Bankole, Public Relations Officer, Tosin Famubode, Social Director, Adeola Onifade, Sports Director, Felix Oladosu, Welfare Director and Akinola Daniel, Treasurer.

  • Polytechnics and the dearth of skilled technicians

    This is the fourth article I have written in three months on the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) strike. Today’s article is informed by the discomfort motorists plying Funsho Williams Avenue and the popular Ikorodu Road in Lagos on April 8 when polytechnic students blocked part of the road to drive home their point that the government seems to have forgotten about the strike.

    It is quite sad and unfortunate that polytechnic education is currently passing through this tough and difficult phase. In the last nine months, academic activities at federal and state owned polytechnics have been suspended as a result of the indefinite strike which is in pursuance of a 13-point demand. Unfortunately, everyone seems to be indifferent about the current ASUP strike. Expectedly, the on-going strike has caused severe damages to the already battered polytechnic education system in the country. It is no longer news that the fortune of polytechnic education in the country has been seriously battered.

    Why am I so particular about our polytechnic and vocational education in Nigeria? Let’s look at it this way: A recent World Bank report highlights the danger of the dearth of skilled technicians in Africa. After reading about the report, I had a frank discussion with a senior construction worker a few weeks back and he told me that they are facing a big challenge in the sector. He revealed that those in the construction business would readily attest to the fact that artisans and craftsmen are mostly imported from Togo, Benin Republic and other neighbouring countries.

    Operators of heavy duty equipment, carpentry, plumbing and such other artisanal crafts that provide huge employment opportunities have been largely ignored and our youths shy away from them. It is nothing new that even those who attend polytechnics use it as a ladder to enter universities rather than a place to learn practical education, and that’s a fact.

    Our distorted education policy has over the years allowed our trade schools (remember them?) and technical schools to become almost irrelevant and now polytechnics are on the chopping block. It is obvious that the authorities no longer see the need for vocational education in our country and that perhaps explains why we are churning out certificated illiterates who have no basic skills. Not only have the students lost a complete academic session due to the strike, there are no signs on the horizon that the crisis will be resolved anytime soon. What makes the whole issue disheartening is the fact that even the curriculums in the polytechnics have been skewed so much so that most of them offer courses in social sciences rather than in fields of practical application of knowledge for which they were established. Yet history teaches that no society has ever grown and developed with such a cynical disposition to vocational education.

    It is pertinent to always remind ourselves what the grouse of the polytechnics teachers are. They are concerned about the failure to kick-start the re-negotiation of the FGN/ASUP Agreement which was due for review in July 2012; failure to reconstitute the governing councils of federal polytechnics which were dissolved 16 months ago; refusal to implement the CONTISS 15 Migration for the lower cadres in the polytechnic sector; failure to release the White Paper on the visitations to federal polytechnics more than one year after the exercise; failure to commence a Needs Assessment of polytechnics; and the dismal condition of state-owned polytechnics in the country. Others are the failure of most state governments to implement the approved salary packages (CONPCASS) for the academic staff; their refusal to implement the statutory 65-year retirement age for academic staff; the inclusion of the polytechnics in the IPPIS scheme while the other subsectors in tertiary education are left out of the scheme; and the refusal of the federal government to establish a National Polytechnics Commission.

    In fairness to the federal government, it has met some of these demands, but the fact still remains that neither the authorities nor the society that vocational education is meant to assist places any premium on polytechnic education in our country. That then explains why they would be closed for more than nine months and all hell will not break loose.

    Beyond the strike and despite the envisioned role which Polytechnics are meant to play in the technological progression of the country; it is on record that polytechnic graduates have continued to suffer from the dichotomy created by employers of labour in the country, with government establishments being the most culpable. This dichotomy is reflected in disparity in salary Grade Level, especially in the civil service where Higher National Diploma (HND), holders are employed on Grade Level 07 while degree holders’ entry point is GL 08. Similarly, the HND holder cannot progress further than GL 14 in his/her civil service career.

    This variance in employment opportunity is also evident in other sectors. The various security institutions, for instance, are also guided by this entrenched discrepancy in terms of employment as a university graduate is commissioned into service while HND holders are not. Presently, HND holders who are seeking employment are frustrated because of the tough odds they face in the labour market. According to them, most recruiting firms and organisations prefer university graduates to HND holders.

    Anyone familiar with changing trends in Nigeria will notice that the dilemma polytechnic face today is that it is fast losing – If it has not already lost – its allure. It is extremely difficult to see students who genuinely opt for polytechnic education. Most of those who find themselves in polytechnics are there due to their inability to gain admission into their dream universities.

    Is it any wonder that Parents, who have been victims of the inequality in employment related matters involving HND holders, are not often disposed to allow their other children attend polytechnics. With this perception, it is difficult to see how polytechnic education could really fulfill its goal of turning out competent and resourceful technical personnel that would aid the country’s technological and industrial aspirations. Over the years, the federal government has tried – albeit unsuccessfully – to resolve the BSc/HND dichotomy. Like every other burning issue in the country, the dilemma of polytechnic education, is traceable to weak execution of policies. Recall that the federal government once released a circular that was meant to resolve the issue in government establishments. However, it remains to be seen to what extent authorities involved have translated the content of the circular into action because, till date, government is yet to implement the 2004 Federal Executive Council decision to remove the ceiling placed on the career progression of HND holders in the government employment, I however stand to be corrected if this has been effected.

    So how did we get to this sorry state and why did our polytechnic fall to this abysmal level? In trying to proffer solutions, education analysts have tied the dilemma to our economic downturn over the years. Accordingly, the decline in the activities of the manufacturing sector is partly responsible for the current plight of HND holders in the country. The manufacturing sector, as expected, prefers to employ HND holders because of the belief that they are practical oriented people who could add value in terms of production related matters. Regrettably, the downturn in the economy has led to the shutting down of many industries thereby leaving holders of HND to compete for the few available public sector jobs with university graduates. How do we then begin to retrace our steps given the importance of polytechnics to our anticipated technological take off? First, we must have a credible industrial policy to revamp our dormant industries; in essence, there must be a concerted effort at improving the economy.

    Consequently, all tiers of governments need to provide the needed incentives to resuscitate the moribund industries in the country in order to provide more job opportunities for HND holders and, indeed, all job seekers. Undoubtedly, a functional economy would bring about buoyant and vibrant industries, which would naturally translate into more jobs across board for all.

    Secondly, no matter the number of universities that we have in the country, it is certain that it is not everybody that will have the opportunity of passing through the universities in pursuit of their career aspirations since there are numerous equally coveted courses at the polytechnics. It is also equally important to stress that employment opportunities should be based on the competence and resourcefulness of the individuals concerned rather than the institutions attended. After all, it is not a foregone conclusion that university graduates are better than those from polytechnics.