The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • We need a new amnesty

    Law and grace are essential aspects of society. Law prescribes sanctions to ensure social order. But grace advocates pardon, compassion and unmerited favour. Through grace, we exhibit the divine nature replicated in man. So, amnesty is the law of grace. But what is the essence of a pardon without penitence?

    Now, wisdom demands we put cause and effect in perspective. You don’t take mounds of sedatives to cure an HIV infection. More so, the salvation of a part does not translate into the redemption of a whole. So, amnesty is like throwing flesh to a group of starving lions and expecting the rest to look on while one of them devours the whole food. What about other disgruntled elements who could be potential terrorists? What programme has been put in place to engage the jobless youth languishing in the brooks of Ughelli or the miserable lad wasting away in the turbulent regions of Borno? So, we need amnesty for various classes of Nigerians.

    We need amnesty for victims of terrorist attacks. I am yet to see any touching narrative about the family in Kogi State who lost their breadwinner in a church bombing or the young man in Bauchi who has be turned into a wretched orphan by Boko Haram. What about the innocent girl who lost members of her family in one fell swoop in Mandala bombing? You could see despair from the rivulets of tears dripping from her eyes. There must be re-integration plans to assimilate this sort of persons into the larger society. They should not be left to gnash their teeth alone. Society should assure their survival and security.

    We need amnesty for bright kids whose educational pursuit is hampered by the claws of poverty. We need to revisit our scholarship schemes and put our brilliant kids back to school. Nigeria is endowed with smart kids who can give the likes of Larry Page or Mark Zuckerberg a run for the money. Check out the Young Inventors programme on NTA network and you will appreciate the ingenuity of Nigerian youth in providing real-time solutions to problems. But many of them are victims of a society that has no regard for the poor. Rather, they are left to blush unseen and waste away their sweetness in the desert air, as poet Thomas Gray noted.

    We need amnesty to save our helpless undergraduates. Many of them still live in the 70s since lecturers still pride in an outdated curriculum. They lack employability skills and attitudes to thrive in what Peter Drucker called the Knowledge Society. We need massive reforms in our tertiary education. We need a 21st Century education that is relevant, enduring and problem-solving. That is why John F. Kennedy asserted that ‘’our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.’’ Let’s save them.

    We need amnesty for morally vulnerable Nigerians. We can create social security nets especially for the elderly and the handicapped. Many of these folks served the nation in their prime. Some of them fought wars and defended Nigeria’s territorial integrity. Others were the denizens of the once-efficient Nigerian Civil Service. We have to cultivate a genuine culture of reward for excellence, service and sacrifice. That’s how to restore patriotism in a people.

    We need amnesty to revive the reading culture in the country. A society can only lead as it reads. Today, the average Nigerian lacks the patience to read a scanty page in a newspaper. We are what a writer called a generation in a hurry. We have no appreciation for history. We have no understanding of our civilization. We need organisations that would include literary initiatives in their corporate social responsibility to stir our creative energies. We are tired of spending 90 days watching nudity and sexual provocations in the name of reality shows. These sort shows do not build society. Rather, it destroys civilisation.

    We need amnesty to revive various sectors of our economy. This could come in form of a stimulus package that is clear and well-thought out. Power generation, for instance, is still very poor. If South Africa with a population of about 49 million people can boast of 45, 000 megawatts, then it is appalling that a nation of over 160 million people cannot generate 5,000 megawatts. So, what is the hope for small businesses? How does a next-door barber or welder cope? We need amnesty to save these segments from collapse.

    The palliatives of amnesty should not be limited to militants and rebels alone. It should be extended to these vulnerable Nigerians. We can shine this light of hope and defeat the forces of darkness. A package like amnesty is enough to work the miracle. Nigeria needs an amnesty that provides answers to our collective existence as a people. It is the amnesty of healing tribal, political and religious wounds. It is the amnesty of reconciliation and social rehabilitation. We need a new amnesty.

     

    Gilbert, 400-Level Foreign Languages, UNIBEN

  • Danfodiyo varsity closure: Causes and lessons

    Nigeria is a land of surprises. Most events of the past weeks have done more than enough to prove that. Is it not amazing that a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory has not been able to find a job for his two daughters, who hold Master’s degrees, despite his influence?

    We should rather find it astonishing that some of our leaders, who have, over the years, manipulated elections in which millions of voters participated, find it an arduous task conducting one that involves just 35 voters. This is definitely a country that leaves one wondering what the next comic relief would be like.

    Still talking about surprises, an event that left me dazed is the indefinite closure of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), which according to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof R.A Shehu, was arrived at after a careful study of the security situation in the university following a violent demonstration by students. In the process, the VC’s residence was attacked by the protesters.

    The abrupt closure of Nigerian universities should not be a surprise. It is part of education to have our schools shut either because of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) or their non-academic counterparts over wages and welfare package. What should surprise us is how violence results to the closure of a university that prides itself as the most peaceful in Nigeria.

    The UDUS authorities are proud of that fact that the university is peaceful. Little wonder then that peace is the first message to visitors to the university’ website. Apart from this, the institution is well-known for its students’ good moral value and decency. Funny enough, students are thought to be timid and scared of the authorities, which makes them to be compared to primary or secondary school pupils. If students live in fear, what then led to the anarchy that led to the shutting down of the school?

    The cause of the violence is as a result of days of blackout a few days to the varsity’s second semester examination. Students could not study in the situation which was compounded by harsh weather condition. The atmosphere on the campus was tense and all what the students needed was a vent to express their displeasure.

    They got this from the Dean of Students’ Affairs when he announced that there would be no water in the school for weeks, advising students to come and get water from water tankers contracted by the management to bring water to the campus. The Dean also told the students that the generator that supplied the hostels would not be put on that night.

    With the announcement, students, it appeared, had enough reason to stage a protest. Peacefully, they moved to the VC’s quarters to express their displeasure. On getting to the residence, the protest took violent turn, which led to the destruction of the VC’s apartment.

    Judging from the foregoing, who is to be blamed for the crisis? The Vice-Chancellor exonerated the management, according to his interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), stating that the university ranked high with regards to students’ welfare compared to other institutions in Nigeria. He also buttressed his point by stating that in every 18 to 20 day, 22,000 litres of fuel was always purchased to light the campus.

    According to the Vice-Chancellor, the management had done so much for students, which should not have warranted any complain and so the school should not be blamed. Hence, the violent protest was not justified.

    But should the bulk of the blame be placed on the students? In opinion, I will say no. Nigerian situation should be blamed for the violence. Talking from the causes of the protest, don’t we need to find out why there would be blackout on the campus and Sokoto State for more than one week when no explanation was made available?

    Why, as a nation, with resources at our disposal, we still have not been able to enjoy a stable power supply? Is it not a shame that a nation, more than 50 years of independence, cannot yet provide potable water for its citizens? These and many other questions we hope those in authority will provide answers to.

    One question, however, that may be begging for answer is: should UDUS still be called “the most peaceful university” following the violent by its students? Yes, it is still and probably it will remain peaceful until a more peaceful institution is discovered. As the saying goes, in the land of the blind, only the one-eyed that will be the king.

    I am, however, using this medium to appeal to my fellow students to always express themselves peacefully in agitating for their welfare. Violence does not pay; it will only lead to more violence and measure that will affect us academically as seen in the shutting down of the school before ASUU strike compound our woes. This is a lesson to all of us that we need to apply civility when we are agitating.

     

    Sarat, 200-Level Applied Chemistry, UDUS

     

     

  • ‘We are happy to be back’

    Some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFA POLY) have relived their experience during the 81-day strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP). They spoke to AKINOLA OLUYI (ND II Mass Communication).

     

    Penultimate Tuesday, polytechnics resumed for academic activities, following the suspension of the 81-day industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

    The strike was suspended after the ASUP national leadership led by Dr Chibuzor Asumogba met with the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Education, which intervened on behalf of the Federal Government.

    Before beginning the strike, ASUP initially went on a seven-day warning strike to call on the government to implement the 2009 agreement it reached with the teachers to promote technical education and equate degrees issued by polytechnics with those of universities to create a level playing field for products of either institution.

    Some schools were about to start semester examinations when ASUP declared an indefinite strike to drive home its demands.

    As the strike progressed, students nationwide bemoaned their fate, saying their future was hanging in the balance. Some of them accused the government of insincerity to develop polytechnic education; others chided their lecturers for going on strike because of personal reasons.

    When the strike was called off, there was spontaneous jubilation among students, who besieged the social media to relive their experience. Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFA POLY), Kwara State, who were about to start their first semester examination, could not hide their feelings as the campus was re-opened for academic activities.

     

  • The shape of things to come

    Jamaican reggae superstar, James Chambers, otherwise known as Jimmy Cliff, is the only living musician to hold the order of merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government in the arts and sciences. He sang a song years ago titled synthetic world. The lyrics of that song are quite instructive and are related to the issue at stake today. He sang that “…your world is plastic and we can see through to the other side, your cities are made of wood; houses of paper but folks don’t hear a word of what you’re saying … friendships have become acids and it burns burns…”

    Keen observers of the emerging social structure of our country would have noticed a trend which shows where we may be heading to as a society. It has been said that the downturn in the economic fortunes of nations often brings out the worst in its citizens, which is why the current economic recession in Europe, for instance, has led to the resurgence of right wing parties who have zero tolerance for immigrants or other minorities. Even in South Africa, there has been a rise in xenophobic crimes against other Africans who are accused of taking the jobs meant for South Africans. It’s not different in Nigeria as the emphasis has shifted to a hedonistic lifestyle which has radically altered our social structure with repercussions, I believe, for the future. As often as the case is, it starts from the economic front.

    The Nigerian economy is a paradox; so much money is concentrated in the hands of the elite that constitute less than 1 per cent of the population while the rest are left to just get by. I had a discussion with a real estate developer recently trying to find out why estates and luxury apartments are springing up almost on a daily basis in Lagos. He gave me a wry grin and told me that the “free money” from the subsidy regime and the “pipeline contracts” is what is fuelling what I’ve rightly noticed. But beyond that, he also informed me that I will be seeing more hotels springing up in Lagos and Abuja in the next couple of months. I prodded him and wanted to know why he has not advised any of his clients to invest in research and development in the universities and polytechnics given the dire strait of the education sector today. His reply was simple: “Why would any of them want to invest in education when their children do not attend universities in the country?” That’s it!

    Never in our society has there been this wide gulf between the rich and poor which has led to a flagrant display of ostentation that would’ve be frowned upon ten years ago. It is now the norm to hold birthday parties, weddings and even party “caucus meetings” in Dubai, our newly found wonderland. What bothers me most in all these is the cultural dislocation that is emanating from a new cadre of young Nigerians in the society who go abroad to study and are torn between two worlds; in essence some of them are in limbo. I am particular about this cadre because in them we are seeing our future leaders if the structure of our economy and society is anything to go by.

    It is not hard to trace how we got here. Rewind back to 10 years or beyond, children of the rich and poor often attend the same university, and probably, primary and secondary schools. This healthy cohabitation, in most cases, does not breed jealousy or envy but rather leads to a situation of positive rivalry where children of the poor strive to be privileged in the future like their rich counterparts. But things started to change when some elitist schools started springing up. These schools, mainly in large cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Abuja, cost a fortune per year. Parents spend millions of Naira per ward just to ensure that their wards enjoy the comfort that these schools provide.

    True to Nigeria’s ostentatious standard, these new schools have different classrooms and furniture. You’ll be forgiven if you describe them as “five star” in quality, facilities and ambience. Gone were the days when former Lagos State Governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande could send his children to public schools. Suddenly we saw the emergence of students who now speak, or pretend to speak a different type of English. To cap it up, the school curriculum were gradually changed to conform to the new lifestyle that was emerging. What about feeding and other aspect of life? They are better fed at school, most are chauffeured to and from school, have laundry departments that cater for their laundry and in the process they lost touch with those from the “other side” of society; they even look at this “other side” with utter disdain.

    Get me right; I’m not among those glorifying poverty, no, I’m against excessive and unbridled flamboyance that are most of the times fuelled by looted funds or “easy money” from our porous system which should have been used for the common good of all, especially from the controversial subsidy regime.

    Since our new class of students attend five star schools, it becomes demeaning for some of them to now attend public or even private universities in the country; the next port of call is the United Kingdom or the United States or other European countries. They spend dollars in the process, dollars generated from Nigeria. When they are done with universities there is often a job waiting for them in the banks, telecoms or oil sectors. We now operate an unwritten unique employment policy where preference is first given to holders of foreign degrees; graduates with “local” degrees are now left to scramble for the crumb that is if there are any left. Where the “locals” are lucky to be employed there is a different salary scale tilting favourably toward foreign degree holders.

    Some, from the onset are groomed for political offices. Are you wondering why the crisis in Adamawa State between Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP Chairman and Governor Murtala Nyako is often very fierce? The answer is not far-fetched; both are campaigning for their sons to be the next governor of the state. Are you getting my drift?

    Assuming one of them succeeds and become the governor how will he treat those who have sweated and know the meaning of living in Nigeria? Go inquire from the lad who has spent eight years for a four year course and from him you’d understand what it means to suffer and to “enjoy” in Nigeria. They know what it means to be without electricity, to hunger, to hope against hope for school fee to be paid by a struggling father, mother, aunt or uncle. If they are female it becomes twice as tough as their bodies are there for the asking as they have to sometimes compromise their dignity to make headway in life.

    But are the scions of the Tukurs, Nyakos and other top shots the best the system can throw up? Our system says they are. But how will they decide what’s best for the average Nigerian, how will they understand when ASUU, NASU SSANU, ASUP and other Nigerians are shouting themselves hoarse that the standard of education is falling? They won’t understand because they didn’t school here and there are no indication that their children would. Will they realize that 70 per cent of Nigerians live on less than a dollar per day? Would it not sound ludicrous to them? Would they understand what those in rural Nigeria face, those who have to travel miles before they can assess the nearest primary health center. I can go on and on.

    Back to the question how did we get here and what created this class dilemma? It is our educational system. Most parents do not want their children to suffer the inadequacies of the Nigerian education. But it is the same elite class that impoverished and devastated that education system in the first place. Now they have left the education system to rot and decay as they seek for alternatives abroad.

    I have had cause to interact with some of the products from “abroad” and I find them so synthetic just like Jimmy Cliff sang. Their love for Nigeria is also synthetic because Nigeria only makes sense if it is connected to Europe, Dubai or the United States. Have you noticed that some events that are strictly Nigerian in nature are now held in New York, London or Amsterdam? They don’t see Nigeria as a nation to rescue but a place to plunder and exploit. They see it as a place to tap and enjoy because that was how they were raised. But those who rise genuinely and have witnessed a loved one die for just N2,000 or the relative of an accident victim that died because the doctors forgot to give him an anti-tetanus injection that cost just N150 can understand the life of privilege from the context of the life of the deprived. They are the ones we should strive to ensure rule Nigeria for they know what it means to be Nigerian.

  • Elizade varsity offers N8m scholarship to best students

    Elizade varsity offers N8m scholarship to best students

    Authorities of Elizade University (EU), Ilara Mokin in Ondo State have presented scholarship awards worth N8 million to five students who distinguished themselves in their various courses.

    The beneficiaries are Ezeji Daniel Onyekachi, Olatunde Mary Omojolola, Falodun Oyinkansola, Oladapo Ogunmoriyele and Adhuze Oluwadamiloola.

    They received N1.6 million cash each covering their tuition fees for the next three years. Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Valentine Aletor said the institution was aimed at becoming a citadel of learning with the best traditions in the production of self-reliant, ethic-conscious, and globally competitive graduates imbued with requisite skills.

    Prof Aletor who spoke on behalf of the university’s founder, Chief Michael Ade Ojo said the scholarship is dedicated to academic and moral excellence. He added that the university has introduced 10 new programmes that have been approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC) including Biotechnology, Environmental Management and Toxicology, Applied Geophysics, Physics with Electronics, Mass Communication, Automotive Engineering, Industrial and Production Engineering, Performing and Film Arts as well as Computer Engineering among others.

    The Vice-Chancellor said the institution is also partnering with Toyota South Africa and Shenkar Arts and Design in Israel to boost its Automotive Engineering programme.

    His words: ”We are so committed to moral and academic excellence. We want to continuously exhibit moral standards in the society and this we will vigorously pursue.

    “We are preparing to turn this institution to ‘Harvard University’ in Africa.”

    The University’s Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council,Omololu Adegbenro said Elizade University’s learning environment comprises state-of-the-art Architecture and infrastructural facilities as well as teaching equipment ranked at par with those educational institutions in more developed countries.

     

  • Lesson in Mandela’s birthday for our leaders

    Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first black man to be elected South African president after the collapse of the apartheid regime, which prevented the natives from taking charge of the political destiny of their country.

    Becuase of his activities against apartheid, Mandela was arrested in 1962 and convicted for conspiracy to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. After serving 27 years on Robben Island, Madiba, as Mandela is fondly called by his countrymen, was released in 1990 following international pressure on the apartheid leadership.

    For not yielding to several offers by oppressors to trade his struggle for freedom, Mandela etched his name indelibly in the hearts of his countrymen and Africans. His will to continue the struggle forced the world to acknowledge the right of the people of South Africa whose dignity and right to determine the destiny of their country were restored when Mandela was released from the prison.

    Mandela, in a transparent process, was elected his country’s president and served a single term from 1994 to 1999. For forgiving his jailers, Mandela received international praise, which culminated in his being jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside the last president of the Apartheid regime in 1993.

    During and after his term as the South African president, he equally received several recognition awards from the United States Presidential Medal Freedom Award to the Soviet Order of Lenin among others.

    Having left the political scene for more than 10 years, Mandela’s influence and popularity continue to soar, despite that he no longer wields power as the godfather of South African politics or founding father of modern South Africa. He still commands the respect of world leaders. His medical travail in the past eight weeks is a pointer to this fact.

    The torrential outpouring of prayers and well wishes for his recovery even at 95 by his countrymen and people outside the continent of Africa shows that Mandela, a leader that served one term in office without leaving a record of corruption, is the most respected African on earth.

    But can this be said of Nigerian leaders – past and present? No. Politicians don’t retire here; they play the game till they breathe their last. Some of Nigerians leaders, who had spent several years in power, still want to come back to govern because they feel that nobody has the idea to lead the country apart from them.

    Even as he lies feebly on his hospital bed battling lung infections, which may have resulted from his years of incarceration and struggle to free the South Africa, Mandela is never taken out of the country for treatment abroad despite his status. It speaks of legacy of good governance he left behind for his country to move forward after retrogressive Apartheid rule.

    Going for medical checkup and treatment abroad even for a slight injury is a common occurrence among Nigeria’s political class. Our hospitals have been turned to public cemetery only meant for the poor masses at the expense of whose the leaders spend resources to get medical attention in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Germany, US, United Kingdom and India.

    Nigerian leaders do not possess good leadership qualities found in Mandela. We have been blesses with corrupt leadership that pay lip service to anything that can make our country to move forward. The ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), inability of the poor to access quality healthcare and nose-diving economy show the level decadence in Nigeria as a country.

    Education system in Nigeria is handled with levity by the government with no blueprint to development the sector. Can we conclude that strike is the only action the government understands? With the level of insecurity, it is only in Nigeria that government allows universities to be shut, thereby making students to roam the street and join criminal gangs to aggravate the security situation.

    Our leaders must learn lesson from Mandela, who is still said to be in comma as I write this. Madiba has been praised for good leadership in South Africa. If it is possible, we would wish that people like Mandela live forever to serve as example to corrupt leaders on the continent of Africa.

     

    Ibrahim, 300-Level Arts and Social Sciences Education, UNILORIN

  • Journalist applauds varsity

    A veteran journalist, Mallam Mohammad Haruna has commended the management and students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai for their giant strides towards transforming the institution into a renowned centre of learning.

    Speaking at the second Press Week organised by the university’s Mass Communication department, the former Managing Director of New Nigeria newspapers said the impressive performance of the students convinced him that the Niger State government was justified in establishing the university.

    Haruna who writes columns published in the Daily Trust, The Nation and Gamji spoke on the topic: ‘The Press, National Security and the Nigeria Project’ at the event.

    He charged both practicing and aspiring journalists to always uphold journalism ethics even under difficult circumstances.

    He also advised them to be patriotic and committed to promoting Nigeria’s Unity by been responsible in their reporting, objective and fair to all parties.

    In his remarks at the occasion, Niger State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Prof Mohammed Kuta Yahaya pledged to cooperate with the department and the university to drive the cause of excellence.

    Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Ibrahim Adamu Kolo, reiterated the Management’s resolve to ensure high academic standards. He added that the institution got full accreditation status for 17 out of 19 academic programmes presented to the National Universities Commission (NUC) last November.

  • ‘We gyrate to promote Christ’s gospel’

    Worshipping God has taken another dimension, with the activities of a group called “Gyration For Christ”. Members of the group sing worship and praise songs in a tone reminiscent of Kegites’ Club members. The group’s leader, Gbenga Muritala, HND II Estate Management, Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, speaks with TOLULOPE OGUNLEYE (HND II Computer Science).

    How did you come about the idea of ‘Gyrating for Christ’?

    The idea came to mind during my National Diploma programme. I used to drum during football matches. I would also sing various songs to cheer on my departmental team. I did not know that some members of Kegites’ Club were watching me. I later got an invitation from them but I could not join because of my spiritual life. I was in a group known as Healing Voices in my church. Later, I gathered like-minded youths in the church to form Gyration for Christ. So we started from there.

    What informed the bringing of the group to campus?

    I observed that whenever I passed by Kegites’ members while they were doing their gyration, I would see some Christian students dancing even though the songs were not gospel music. I noticed that they wanted to gyrate along with Kegites members but they could not because of their belief and fellowships. So I felt we could help their condition by bringing our own brand of gyration songs to the campus to allow Christians gyrate. We preach the Christ gospel through our music and always advise students not to take to violence and vices.

    How many youths constitute the group?

    Presently, we are 10 in number. Three of us are students of LASPOTECH, two members are from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), two are graduates, while the rest are still seeking admission.

    What are the group’s challenges?

    The major challenge we are facing remains getting support and recognition. We need people to support us financially so we can take this innovation to places. We have been the one financing ourselves since we started. We want people to know about this and it requires money.

    What kind of events can people call you for?

    We are entertainers that can perform at revival, vigil, fellowship programme and church services. We also go to wedding ceremonies or other Christian outdoor functions.

    Do you see the group developing despite challenges?

    Of course, we are moving forward. I believe a good sponsorship would come our way tomorrow. The group will be known nationwide and even beyond the shores of this country by God’s grace.

     

     

  • VC seeks more risk mgt. centres

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Prof Musbau Adewumi Akanji, has called on the Federal Government to establish more Centres for Disaster Risk Management & Development Studies (CDRM & DS) across the country to help train citizens and create awareness on disaster preventive, mitigation and responsive strategies in Nigeria.

    The VC stated this while declaring open a two-day Regional Faculty Development Workshop with the theme: Curriculum Development for Disaster Resilience Programme in West Africa. It was organised by CDRM & DS, FUT, Minna in collaboration with the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana; Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy of Tulane University, USA; and School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. It was held at Dogon Koli Hotels, Minna, Niger State.

    Prof Akanji said the six existing centres in the country cannot cope with the huge number of applicants seeking admission for masters and diploma programmes in disaster and risk management.

    The don noted that more of such Centres would help train people on means of curbing disaster and other environmental related hazards in the country.

    In his goodwill message, the Director-General of NEMA, Alh Muhammed Sani Sidi who was represented by Mr Hakeem Akinbola, called for the inclusion of Disaster Risk Reduction in General Studies for undergraduate students which he noted would provide them with the needed skills and knowledge to recognise hazards, vulnerabilities and how to reduce physical risk in their environment.

  • Dept. receives plaque

    The Town Planner Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) has presented a plaque to the Urban and Regional Planning Department of the institution for emerging the Best URP Department in Nigeria during the nationwide accreditation exercise conducted by the body in September, 2012.

    The event took place at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

    Speaking at the event, the National President of TOPREC, Chief Anthony Obi, said the department satisfied all the requirements set by TOPREC and praised the facilities and quality of lecturers which necessitated the award of full accreditation status to the department.

    The plaque was presented by the former governor of Yobe State, Bukar Abba Ibrahim to the DVC (Academic), Prof Bala Abdullahi .

    Prof Abdullahi then led the Dean, School of Environmental Technology and Head of Department URP to present the plaque to the VC at his conference room.