The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • Books and balls at UNILAG

    Books and balls at UNILAG

    It was not all about academics, last week at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Students of the faculty and their colleagues from other faculties trooped to the Sports Complex to cheer their teams engaged in various sporting contests.

    It was another edition of the yearly Social Sciences Students Association (SOSSA) sports festival. The association is the umbrella body of all the students in the faculty.

    The event started last Wednesday, with the opening football match between the departments of Mass Communication and Political Science. The match, which started at 4pm, was chaired by the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Omololu Soyombo, who stormed the Sport Complex with a handful of staff of the faculty.

    Excitement greeted the match. The Mass Communication team, was in red jersey, and Political Science team, yellow and orange. The spectators roared intermittently as the Mass Communcation guys mesmerised their opponent in the first-half of the game.

    Having mastered the strength of the Mass Communication team, which missed several scoring chances, the Political Science team confused its opponent by changing tactic in the second half.

    The Political Science team also missed scoring chances but forced its opponent to defend throughout the game. The encounter ended goalless.

    Two days later, the Mass Communication team played against the Social Development Administration Department. The match ended in draw.

    With just two points in two matches, many spectators believed that the Mass Communication team was on its way out of the tournament. But the mood in the department’s camp was different.

    Speaking after the game, the coach for Mass Communication department, George Best, said the team was good for gold but lamented that his side lost many scoring chances, which would have placed it in a proper position to grab the gold.

    George, 400-Level student and former Media Officer of Julius Berger Football Club, said he was determined to coach the team to victory.

    “We did not take our chances because some of my boys are not consistent in training. Besides, we observed some of them in different positions on the field. We hope to improve on our performance in the subsequent matches,” he said. George assured Mass Communication supporters that his side would not draw any game again.

    The SOSSA president, Ebenezer Ishola, 400-Level Political Science, said with the growing crowd at the sport complex and the games played so far, he was satisfied that the tournament was accepted by student. He, hailed the teams for their discipline.

    “So far all the teams played well. I have seen a great show of strength and tactics. I believe the quality of the match will improve as we progress to final match,” he said.

    President of Mass Communication students Solomon Samuel said he believed his department would put up a good performance in subsequent matches. He said: “The match is good and I have confidence in the Mass Communication team.”

    The team’s Assistant Captain, Rotimi Akinola, said his teammates had been warned against indiscipline and other vices that could affect his side’s success in the tournament. He said: “We are not here to play to the gallery. We are here to win. However, our expectation for the next game is high and we will take all our chances. We have worked on all our chances and we are good for gold.”

    Other sporting activities held during the week included cycling, table tennis, basketball, karate among others.

  • Season of anomie

    In Nigeria today, every youth is a potential artiste. It is either one can sing, dance or act. But is that all about us? Where is the place of building intellectual capacity of the growing youth population? Not many are privileged like a very few of us, who are opportune to get educational training to reinforce our desire to strive for excellence.

    Will I, for instance, ever forget the many workshops I attended, which were sponsored by the Coca-Cola System in Nigeria and The Nation newspaper? Once upon a time, I had been under the tutelage of Dr Reuben Abati and Grace Egbemode. These personalities educationally shaped my thought and I dream for a better future.

    Nowadays, the youths’ thinking has been changed towards reality show or programmes promoting promiscuity and nudity. Little wonder most youths always troop to auditioning of television reality shows such as Big Brother Africa or film auditioning.

    Why won’t they? If they can be so daring to expose the very private parts of their body for public consumption and sing lewd and salacious song and dancing in a sexually suggestive way, they can be the celebrated ‘celebrities’ and asked to be youths ambassadors. We never stop to celebrate ordinariness.

    I cry from the inside brooding over this form of youth development in Nigeria. When are we going to be celebrating intellectualism in our youths? No country will ever grow promoting a culture of decadence. What new technology have our youths invented in recent time? How are we making sure that the innovation of a young man struggling to change our world did not die with him? How do we harness the beautiful ideas contained in proposals rotting away in shelves of many ministries and companies just because the writers do not know “who is who” to help facilitate the request?

    Nigeria is fast becoming a metaphor for moral debauchery, misplaced priorities and politricking. These have ingrained in the minds of fellow youths. For a young citizen, whose parents don’t know “who is who”, it is a double jeopardy. A system that impoverished their parents has equally captured the children.

    Corporate bodies have been insensitive to the challenges of the youths, turning a deaf ear and blind eye to a long term goal of the impact their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) would have on the beneficiary of such sponsored programmes. Most of them praise-sing their effort in sponsoring programmes that are not adding values to the economic development of the country.

    What else could one call an advert asking the youth to come bare it all at a reality TV show? This is an invitation to breach all rules of decency. What a nation of misplaced priorities! Creative performance has been relegated to the back door while frivolities take the pride of place.

    This piece is not written to dole out catchy sentences, but it should be seen as a wakeup call to bring about a new thinking in re-generational revolution. I dare say this is the way out to get Nigeria on the right path. Hiring prayer warriors to invoke the holy spirit is never a way out as our (s)elected but clueless leaders may have believed.

    Pastors that go to government houses don’t go there to pray, but to share in the national cake. Religion is now a shadow of itself, with prayer grounds turning to strategic campaign grounds, the way jobless youths find succour in the recording studio to wax lewd song.

    Jobless youths are everywhere. Instead of creating jobs through medium-scale scheme, pastors are buying every available building on the streets and converting them to churches with such funny names. Worse, a 12x12cm shop that could be useful for a young graduate to start a low-scale enterprise is converted to a church where gullible members pray for economic prosperity.

    Don’t get me wrong. I am not a religion antagonist. I am just speaking the mind of many worried citizens, whose means of production have been converted to the benefit of a few religious leaders, who never worked to earn a living. They take our tithes and purchase posh vehicles. Yet, many of the faithful cannot pay their children’s school fees.

    The same thing is obtainable in governance. There is so much duplicity of work and position. It is only in this part of the world that we see a president or governor having Senior Special Adviser on Youth Matters, Special Assistant on Youth Matters, Personal Assistant Youth Matters and Commissioner for Youth.

    These people are working towards a common goal and draw salaries from the government’s purse. They may also have their own personal advisers and assistants working with them. Whereas, one or two of them could do the whole job for the governor or president. Is one not right to say this duplicity of role is a profligate wasting of public funds?

    The craze for public funds by the citizens has further threatened the peace of the country as we have a president that pardons corrupts public officers and throws money at every crisis that is ravaging the nation.

    Alamiesiegha’s pardon may have shown that it is good to steal public funds. Many youths that are still battling with poverty will not have the courage and determination to work hard and make clean money.

    What we are experiencing is a season of anomie, which is an indicator of a dysfunctional society and a failing state. Acute poverty, religious fundamentalism and economic mismanagement amongst others are the tragedies that have befallen this crawling adult nation at 53.

    Given the plethora anomalies we face today, we all might tell a story of “once upon a Nigeria” to our yet unborn children. It is not just by praying, criticizing or inviting religion leaders to the villa or wishing Nigeria good luck. We need to act fast and restore the lost values that promote hard work and intellectualism.

     

    Jumoke, ex-Campus Life student, writes from Lagos

  • Fashion at its best in UNIZIK

    Fashion at its best in UNIZIK

    Their long legs, gait and synchronised catwalk sent the audience into a frenzy. As the models marched on the walkway with their dazzling steps, the crowd, hooted. The audience rose to give contestants a standing applause.

    It was the introduction of models, who were uniformly dressed in black polo and jeans. The fashion exhibition, tagged “Cleavs and glams” recorded a large turnout of designers and students.

    The event, which was organised by Don Davis, Crox TV and Dazzle Entertainment, started at 4pm at the Emmaus House, Awka, Anambra State.

    The show began with the red carpet and interviews of models. Immediately after the opening prayer, the models were asked to file out. The audience clapped endlessly. The unveiling of the models was followed by performances by budding artistes in the university including Tommy J, MC Jerry and Uzi among others.

    After the music performance, some female models, who were also dancers, entertained the audience with various dance steps.

    The show was compered by the duo of MC Obi Mouth and Ogechi. Judges included Mr UNIZIK, Davidson Okoroanyawu, Christine Chukwukaeme, Miss Anambra and Linda Michael, Chief Executive Officer of Diva House of Makeup Artistes.

    The task of the judges was to examine the models and fashion designs. They were expected to select the best model and designer for both male and female category.

    The crescendo of the event was the fashion exhibition, which was held in two parts. The first part had the display of haute couture of established designers such as Sandie, KC Charles Design and E-White. After the exhibition by the first set of designers, there was musical and dance interlude by FBI, a dance crew from the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.

    Afterwards, other designers included Gold Minds and Hall of Best Bridal among others showcased their designs.

    Davidson, who expressed delight at the success of the event, said: “Tonight has been exceptional. Many models under my agency participated fully in the show. I must say that the exhibition and performance by artistes were mind-blowing. It’s quite an exquisite event.”

    The event was attended by several distinguished personalities including the Attorney General of Anambra State, Barr. Peter Afuba and his wife, Nneka; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Henrietta Agbata, who was represented by her personal assistant and wife of former Commissioner for Agriculture, Chief Florence Ezenagu, among others.

    At the end of the event the judges announced the winners. Amanda Afuba emerged Best Female Model, while the Best Male Model went to Divine Ezike. Also, Kaycee Charles, the Chief Executive Officer of KC Design, emerged the Best Male Designer, while Precious Ebere of Hall of Best Bridal became the Best Female Designer.

    Kaycee, who was visibly elated, said: “Today has been exceptional and fantastic. There has been a portrayal of a blend of African and western designs. I am glad that I emerged Best Male Designer today. God is my greatest inspiration, and He has made me proud today. This is the fifth time of exhibiting my designs on the runway.”

    Mrs Nneka, who was the chief sponsor of the event, noted: “I am a friend of the youths. Whenever I watched fashion shows held in places like Abuja and Lagos, I always wished that Anambra State could do same. I expected that our youths should equally desire to organise same. When the organiser of this event approached me for support, I found no reason not to oblige him. In the future, I hope to sponsor and organise events which would curtail unemployment and promote skill acquisition by the youths.”

    Saying the vote of thanks, Don Davis said: “This event started as a dream and vision, but today, that dream has become a reality, and I am eternally grateful to God for the success of this fashion show.” The event ended with a party.

  • Corps member floats FRSC club in school

    Corps member and a member of the Road Safety Club of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Abimbola Shittu, has inaugurated a club at Onilekere Junior High School in Ikeja, Lagos as part of her Community Development Service (CDS).

    She provided kits for the pupils, who joined the club.

    She said the gesture was to ensure the safety of pupils and inculcate safety rule among secondary school pupils. She added that she picked the school because of it closeness to the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

    “The school is close to the expressway and there is no provision for a pedestrian bridge. So the pupils are exposed to danger. This was confirmed in my discussion with the principal of the school who told me they have witnessed a good percentage of road crashes involving members of the school,” she stated.

    She said members of the club would be taught safety measures on the road and will be able to sensitise other pupils on how to make use of the road. She added that they would be agents of public enlightenment.

    The Unit Commander of RS218 Ikeja Unit of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Wale Odekunle, who inaugurated the club, commended the effort of Shittu and enumerated the advantages of the gesture.

    He said: “Daily, people are dying on our roads, and a good number of these deaths are children. These deaths are of serious concern to the Corps and research has shown that most of the crashes are as a result of human errors and judgment.”

    He added that in order to reduce the crashes and imbibe the right road culture on the populace, the FRSC would be establishing road safety club in all schools.

    “The FRSC has taken it upon itself to introduce Road Safety Club in our primary and secondary schools all over the country,” he said, enjoining the club members to be ambassadors that would help change the attitude of Nigerians towards traffic culture and bring the desirable change on our roads.

    The Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Area, Hon Wale Odunlami, commended the Corps member for facilitating the inauguration of the club, stressing that there was the need for orderliness on the road which the club could help achieve. He encouraged the members of the club to see the opportunity as a call to service. The council boss was represented by the Supervisor for Agriculture, Mrs Abiodun Adegoke.

    The Principal of the school, Alhaji Safiyu Sikiru, praised the FRSC and the Corps member for the inauguration of the club. He said the club would help the pupils to be road friendly and avoid crashes witnessed by the school in recent times.

  • Edo to probe UNIBEN student’s killing

    Edo to probe UNIBEN student’s killing

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole has promised to set-up a judicial commission of inquiry to probe the killing of a 500-level student of the University of Benin, Ibrahim Momodu, by policemen.

    Ibrahim, who was in the department of Laboratory Science at the university, was allegedly shot by a team of policemen led by the DPO of Ogida Division, Mrs. Carol Afegbua.

    Oshiomhole said the state government would do everything possible to unravel the circumstances leading to the killing of Ibrahim.

    He spoke when members of civil society groups, students, family members and the family legal team took a protest letter to his office on Tuesday.

    The governor said the corpse of Ibrahim would be exhumed for examination to determine the possible cause of death.

    He condoled with the family of the deceased, assuring that the state government would not allow any unlawful killings in the state.

    Lawyer to the family, Jefferson Uwoghiren, in the letter said Ibrahim was hurriedly buried by the police “to obscure evidence of the illegal killing.”

    The letter reads in parts, “Arising thereof, we demand an urgent exhumation of the body for a proper inquest to determine manner and cause of death.”

    “We demand the immediate suspension and arrest of Mrs. Carol Afegbua, the DPO of Ogida Police Station who carried out the killing.”

     

  • DPO kills, buries UNIBEN student

    DPO kills, buries UNIBEN student

    Vehicular movement was yesterday paralyzed in parts of Benin City, the Edo State Capital, as Students mainly from the University of Benin, staged a protest over the alleged shooting to death of a 500 level, 22 year Old student, Momodu Ibrahim, of the Faculty Laboratory Science.

    The students dressed in black attire marched through the streets of Benin calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Divisional Police Officer, Carol Afegbua in charged of Ogida Police station over her alleged complicity in the murder of Momodu.

    Late Momodu who was the only male child of his parents was said to have been shot a stone throw from his family house located at No 1, Igbobawaye Street off Siluko road by Textile mill junction.

    Addressing newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists,( NUJ), secretariat, the immediate sister of the deceased, Ebohon Rebecca Egbe while calling for Justice gave an account of how the life of his brother was cut shot by the bullet of the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Ogida.

    “ I was in my office in Port- Harcourt when I received a call from Benin from a cousin of mine who is a Police officer that I should take heart that we lost Ibrahim my younger brother. I called my mother and she said they have been looking for him in last two days, normally it is after 48 hours that you report such thing to the Police.

    So, She went to the Police on Wednesday, 29th May 2013, only to be told that he has been killed by Carol Afegbua, the DPO of Ogida Police station and was buried the next day without the family knowing. His cell-phone which was with the Police rang all through as we are trying to locate his whereabouts until the Police finally picked the call and asked my mother to come to the police station. When the DPO was confronted and asked why his men shot my brother she explained they didn’t know his identity because his men asked him to stop and he refused. she also alleged that he was carrying a gun and wanted to shoot at his men on patrol before his men shoot at him in self defense”

    The family according to the sister of the slain student was informed that the body of late Momodu had been buried at a public Cemetery in Egor local Government Area of the State.

    Several calls by our correspondent to the Commissioner of Police, Folusho Adebanjo, and the Police Public Relation officer, ASP Charles Eguavoen, were unanswered at the time of filing this report

  • Service to humanity

    Members of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS), University of Jos (UNIJOS) chapter, have held their maiden pharmaceutical outreach in a rural community in Plateau State. ESTHER MARK (Mass Communication) reports that the undertaking was tagged “community service”.

     

    For more than three hours, residents of Zawan community queued up at the Orphanage and Our Lady of Apostle (OLA) Hospital to benefit from the free pharmaceutical care by students of the University of Jos (UNIJOS).

    As the students arrived, they were welcomed by the locals, who trooped out in their hundreds to be treated freely.The hospital staff gave numbers to the beneficiaries to ensure orderliness.

    The exercise, organised as a community service, was the maiden outreach of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS).

    The journey to Zawan began from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science where the students met with the Dean, Prof John Aguiyi, to showcase items such as syringes, drugs and other health gadgets they were taking on the trip. Afterwards, they hopped into two coaster buses and left for the community with some lecturers.

    As the exercise began, the students, who represented all levels of study, divided the tasks among themselves. Freshers and their colleagues in 200-Level co-ordinated the movement of patients to the Registrars’ Section. The Registrars were 300-Level students, who took the details of the patients, their 400-and 500-Level counterparts were in charge of administering drugs and taking of blood pressures and other preliminary tests.

    Some final year students with the lecturers and the hospital doctors formed the counselling team, which advised patients on health issues.

    As the exercise went on, officials of Dufil Prima Foods Ltd, manufacturer of Indomie, came with plates of cooked noodles for the patients.

    At the end of the two-day free health mission, about 540 patients were treated. Complex cases were referred to teaching hospitals for further treatment.

    Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Dr Ignatius Okafor, a lecturer, said peptic ulcer, malaria and hypertension were some of the ailments recorded, adding that anti-ulcer drugs, anti-malaria and antibiotic drugs were given free to the diagnosed patients.

    Okafor said some of the patients suffered preventable ailments because of malnutrition and stress. Some of the ailments, he said, could have degenerated into serious health problems because of inadequate healthcare facilities in the rural area. The don urged the government to step up its rural care campaign by providing comprehensive health facilities and rehabilitation for the vulnerable.

    Some of the participants told CAMPUSLIFE their experience. Dalang Simdi, 300-Level student, said: “It has been a wonderful experience for me. Despite the language barrier, we were able to rescue some of the rural dwellers from untimely death because many of them did not notice the kind of disease they were carrying could have led to death. I will participate again if the exercise comes next session.”

    A patient, Roseline Thomas, 40, who was diagnosed of high blood pressure and sight problems, said after she was given free drugs: “I thank you people so much. God bless you for treating my baby and I. God will reward your good work. I am so grateful.”

    The PANS president, Paul Ikechukwu, described the organisation of the programme as challenging and rigorous, thanking all the sponsors and pharmaceutical bodies that donated drugs and hospital gadgets for the mission.

    To end the outreach, the association visited the orphanage home within the hospital, where it donated items including cartoons of Indomie noodles, groundnut oil, toiletries and food Items.

     

  • UI loses student

    Barely two weeks after Deborah Odunayo, an Education student of the University of Ibadan (UI) was crushed to death by a bank vehicle, the university community has again been thrown into mourning with the death of a Civil Engineering student last week.

    Mohammed Bankole, 400-Level student, died after he was struck by unknown ailment. He gave up the ghost at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

    Before he breathed his last, Mohammed was said to have sat for an examination, which he managed to write in the institution’s health centre.

    The late Mohammed was described as a“reserved person” by his friend, Habeeb Kolade, 400-Level Mechanical Engineering.

    Oluwasegun Oyeleye, the deceased’s classmate, described the late Mohammed as “cool-headed and quiet”. He said: “Mohammed was a quiet student and he never had issues with anybody. He will be greatly missed.” Another classmate, Dennis Popoola, described the deceased as intelligent and calm.

    The remains of the late Mohammed have since been interred in his Ota home, Ogun State. When CAMPUSLIFE visited Civil Engineering Department, the members of staff and students gathered to discuss the incident, with many of them praying that premature death be put to end in the school.

  • ‘How Corps members saved my life’

    If not for some Corps members, Yohanna Daniel, a senior Secondary School (SSS3) pupil, would have been dead by now. He was about to commit suicide following a road crash that led to the amputation of his right leg when Corps members in Gadabuke Development Area of Nasarawa State came to his rescue. DAYO OJERINDE (Corps member, NYSC Keffi) tells Yohanna’s story.

     

     

    Hohanna Daniel, a Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3 pupil of Unity High School in Gadabuke Development Area of Nasarawa State, contemplated suicide after several months of battling with gangrene on his right leg. He had an accident on a motorcycle while travelling to Gadabuke Town from his village. The motorcycle collided with an oncoming car.

    He was unconscious for several hours after the accident. When he opened his eyes, he found himself at Godiya Private Hospital, Gadabuke, where sympathisers rushed him to after the crash.

    His right leg was damaged and the medical personnel told him he would require an operation.

    His parents made funds available for the operation. But after a series of operations, which Yohanna said the hospital handled carelessly, the pains persisted. Rather than heal, the leg began to decay.

    Having exhausted themselves, Yohanna’s parents could not provide funds for another operation.

    Apparently frustrated, Yohanna said he began to think of suicide. He said if he died, the pain would disappear. He said he had a dream of becoming a successful professional, but life became unbearable for him because of the pains.

    Corps members serving in Gadabuke Town changed his suicide plan. Through their Community Development Service (CDS), the Corps members. They contributed their monthly allowance to enable Yohanna undergo another round of surgery at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, where Yohanna’s leg was amputated to stop the decay.

    Speaking on what motivated the Corps members, the CDS Co-ordinator, Jeffery Igbuzor, said: “This boy lives close to my house. I felt the pain he was going through because the doctor that operated the leg after the accident did a bad job. I informed my colleagues about the agony of the pupil at a CDS meeting we had. They all supported the idea and we moved it.”

    Asked about the challenges they encountered, Jeffery said: “We could not get all the funds requested at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi. Many of us had to contribute from our meagre stipends. We also went round the schools in Gadabuke Development Area to seek for money. Some principals supported us while some promised to get back to us.”

    The Corpers’ Liaison Officer (CLO) in the area, who was present in the hospital during the surgery, said: “We appreciate the effort of our Local Inspector (LI), Mr Moses Adamolekun, who was supportive during the period. He could have rejected the whole idea in the first place but he encouraged us and even visited the hospital to check on the boy after the surgery. All Corps members in Gadabuke took the issue of this boy as their personal project.”

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited him, Yohanna, who could hardly speak, broke down in tears, saying: “If the Corps members did not come to my rescue, I would have committed suicide because of the pains I was passing through after the accident and after the first careless operation I had. I will return to school as soon as the wound is healed.”

    Adamolekun said: “When the Corps members informed about the condition of Yohanna, my heart literally melted. I told them that this is a task we must do to save the life of the boy. In a way, we have tried our best, and we will not stop there; an artificial leg is important too. We want this boy to be on his feet again, though with an artificial leg. I believe with God, everything is possible.”

    The lad is in need of an artificial leg, the Corps members said would cost N150,000. Having contributed from their personal finance, the Corps members urged philanthropists across the nation to join in giving Yohanna’s life a meaning.

  • Kwara students suspend president

    At its eighth sitting, the legislative arm of the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) has suspended the president of the association, Aziz Olalekan Bamigboye, a student of University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) and Treasurer, Alamo Jamiu, a student of Kwara State College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi. The suspension is indefinite and took immediate effect.

    Members of the parliament met in Hall Five of Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, last week, to take the decision.

    The Vice President (Administrative) has been ordered to assume the leadership of the association in the interim. The offence of the suspended officers according to a source, who preferred to be anonymous, included gross misconduct, abuse of office, mismanagement of association funds, and disregard for senate resolution.

    Efforts to reach the suspended officials for comment were futile.