The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • Leaders for Niger Delta students

    Leaders for Niger Delta students

    The Niger Delta Students’ Union Government (NIDSUG) has inaugurated its new leaders. The executive arm and legislative council are led by Michael Yalah and Obada Akpomiemie.

    The swearing in was held at Dews Lodge, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Dignitaries at the programme included Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr Felix Toudolo, who chaired the occasion, Legal Adviser to NIDSUG, Kalada Nonju, a member of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Tonye Isenah and the Chairman of Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Chief Ebikitin Diongoli.

    In his valedictory speech, the outgoing president, Jeremiah Genesis, urged the new leaders to keep the spirit of union alive in all institutions. Dr Tuodolo congratulated the new leaders and advised them to promote members’ welfare.

    Speaking on leadership and followership, Nonju said good leaders listened to the followers while the latter also obeyed their leaders. He advised the executive members to seek advice from their experienced colleagues and members of the union.

    In his speech, Michael thanked the students for electing him, saying “I humbly do accept your wonderful gesture to make me your national president.” He said he would not disappoint the students, adding that his administration would pursue massive education of Niger Delta students.

  • LASPOTECH students elect leaders

    Students of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) have elected Students’ Union Government (SUG) officials for another session. The election, took place on the two campuses of the institution. It was peaceful.

    At the School Officer’s building of the School of Technology, where a polling booth was stationed, students lined up to exercise their franchise.

    The election, which started at 9a.m ended at 12noon and the counting of votes started immediately in the presence of the aspirants’ agents. In the evening, the results from all the units across the campuses were announced by the electoral committee chairman, Mrs Temitope Kolawole, who is the Deputy Registrar.

    At the end of the process, Muritala Balogun was returned the president-elect of the union. Other elected officials were Mayowa Oworu, Vice President, Oloche Acheme, General Secretary, Zeenat Oluwo, Assistant General Secretary, Whenu Iroko, Public Relation Officer (PRO), Waheed Adamson, Welfare Director 1, Samson Alfred, Welfare Director II, and Olayinka Akerele, Sport Director.

  • NNPC subsidiary donates bus to dept

    The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has donated a brand new Toyota Hiace bus to the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Benin (UNIBEN).

    The gesture, according to NPDC’s Executive Director (Services) Mr Ishaya Timothy, was in line with the form’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).

    Timothy, said the gesture was geared towards strengthening the mutual relationship existing between the oil company and the department. He praised the efforts of the head of the Petroleum Engineering department, and the Dean of the faculty of Engineering to reposition the faculty to produce employable graduates.

    Receiving the vehicle, Dean of Engineering faculty, Prof Sunday Onohaebi, appreciated the firm for remembering the university and choosing it for “such a kind gesture”. He expressed satisfaction at the level of progress made by the department, commending the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Osayuki Oshodin, for his developmental stride in the institution.

    The head of the department, Dr O. A. Olafuyi, expressed appreciation to the management of NPDC for treating the department’s request for the vehicle. He promised the vehicle would be sensibly maintained.

  • CBN trains Corps members on skill acquisition

    The Enugu branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has trained Corps members serving in the state on skill acquisition. The programme held at the New Lecture Hall, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

    Over 600 Corps members were trained in the seminar, aimed at alleviating poverty. The training was opened by Prof Sam. Onuigbo, Director of Maduka Onyishi Foundation for Youth Development.

    He advised the Corps members to use their service year to acquire skills that would transform their lives.

    He said unemployment was as a result of mismanagement of public funds, urging all arms of government to ensure probity in governance to reduce youth unemployment.

    A resource person, Mr Dennis Edafiogho, said there were no white-collar jobs readily available for graduates, urging a recourse to technology, fashion designing, photography, welding and other technical skills to solve the unemployment. He said the workshop was targeted at youth, who had latent ability and knowledge to change their condition of living.

    Mr Edafiogho said the nation’s drive to develop the agricultural sector could only be achieved if youth were trained in latest technology in the sector.

    He criticised Nigeria’s education system, who he described as “grammar training” and “paper education”. He cited many African countries whose higher institutions offer degree programmes for undergraduate and post-graduate students in technological research relevant to the goals of the countries. The seminar was well-attended by staff and Corps members from the state.

  • Strengthening our varsity system (1)

    I want to start today with a confession: I went to the university at a time when tuition was free, throughout my five years stay (one year added due to the first ASUU strike) I paid less than N10, 000 fees to complete my tertiary education! I only took care of my personal needs and books. I owe the Nigerian tax payers a huge debt of gratitude for making that possible for me and hundreds of thousands of those in my generation that benefited from this policy. Consequent upon this, some of us are doing our best to impart the knowledge we acquired to the next generation that did not pass through the rigorous research regime we did. I therefore try my best, within my professional capability, to take green horns and train them in the art of reporting, writing and morals. I’m glad today that it has not been in vain.

    When I look back and try to do a comparative analysis of the present system and what it used to be about ten years ago, I discovered that our universities are now a shadow of what they use to be that is why one is not surprised by the quality of graduates they produce. Just when I thought all hope was lost, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last Wednesday approved the tertiary education report which is aimed at strengthening Nigerian Universities and eliminate the weaknesses that have brought down the standard of education in the country, I felt it is a right step in the right direction, at least the government has come to term with the fact that all is not well with our universities. But that is just one side of the coin.

    The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku said that apart from the issue of poor funding there are other systemic issues relating to the vision of the various universities, improper utilisation of resources as well as regulations that need to be tackled. He was quoted as saying that: “The report which was ordered by the president following the last ASUU strike brought together stakeholders in the tertiary educational system to examine the state of development of our universities and to look at all the issues that have continued to lead to friction and also lower standards in the university system.

    “So in order that we would be able to come up with a very, very comprehensive intervention policy, Mr. President felt there was a need to draw in other stakeholders, particularly state governments. And after the presentation to the National Economic Council, Mr. President will then proceed to agree on an intervention formula following a thorough analysis of the report that has been presented to us today,” Maku said.

    The Minister also added that the FEC also recommended that it has become necessary for the National Universities Commission to begin to enforce basic minimum standards in terms of infrastructure, staff/student ratio and facilities, to ensure that the universities meet the best standards compared to any other in the world. Well said, but the big question remains; will this, like many others, not die on the implementation slab?

    We are living in a rapidly changing world where issues are becoming more complex by the day and yesterday’s tools grossly inadequate to address today’s challenges, that is why Universities worldwide are facing increasing pressures to produce “knowledge workers”, to respond to perceived competition dynamics, and to maintain and improve quality standards. In Nigeria, there is a growing concern by the public on the quality of university education and the relevance of the universities curriculum to national development. Part of the problems attributed to these setbacks, in addition to what the FEC identified include: poor funding; lack of infrastructures; lack of frequent curriculum review; inadequate staff training and welfare; students overpopulation; frequent strikes by both the academic and supporting staff etc.

    It is quite unfortunate that necessary facilities such as sufficient power supply, enough and decent lecture halls, basic chemicals and equipment in laboratories and properly equipped libraries are lacking. No doubt, public universities in Nigeria need to improve a lot in order to parallel the global standard in imparting knowledge, conducting applicable researches, and be responsive to the needs of our socio-economic development. Elsewhere in the world, many universities have been remarkably adaptable, demonstrating the capacity to continuously re-invent themselves whilst apparently continuing to pursue their fundamental mission and sustaining their core values.

    University education, I will continue to emphasise, is supposed to provide students with the general ability to think critically and independently. Critical thinking is fundamental because of its ability to enable a student challenge the norm, and to not swallow hook, line and sinker what his lecturer says. It is in challenging the norm in most instances that great inventions are made. Another aim of university education is to promote changes in the values and attributes of students. However, it is sad to mention that nowadays many of our university graduates are academically incompetent and lack the discipline required for positive contribution to national development and discourse.

    Even though the academic staff, students and parents do share in the blame; justifiably the bulk of it is on our leaders. By many counts, Nigeria ranks among the most resource-endowed nations in the world. Unfortunately, in the last two to three decades, most of those saddled with the responsibility of leading the nation have been unable to prudently utilise our resources and give the educational sector its due attention. In fact, our country stands a risk of having a gloomy future as a nation, because a society without good education and discipline cannot prosper. This is the reason why many countries commit a substantial part of their resources to education, which is supposed to generate knowledge that will sustain a nation in future.

    Has it ever crossed the minds of our policy formulators that our universities are not at the forefront of technological advancements? Researches and innovations are now rare and as a result, those who could afford it go to other African countries for their education. Dr. Wale Babalakin, Chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities said recently that Nigerians commit a staggering N160 billion annually to education of their children and wards in Ghanaian universities alone. By the time we add those in Togo and Republic of Benin, we would be looking at nothing less than N200 billion. We really need to put our house in order, even the United States with all its resources is feeling threatened by Asian countries and is doing everything possible to encourage its citizens to take science and technology serious through the provision of grants and student loans.

    In strengthening our varsity system, the issue of the quality of the academic staff and their numerical strength is of utmost importance. Apart from employing qualified academic staff, there is a need for them to have good training while on the job. In the early years of running the universities in Nigeria, many academic staff had the opportunity of studying in universities in Europe and North America that are among the best in the world for their training. Nowadays, very few have such chances due to inadequate government scholarships and intense competition for fellowships. The number of academic staff is also insufficient. The staff-students ratio in most departments in our universities is very high to the extent that there is no good interaction for proper guidance and monitoring. However, the academic staff can still make efforts to secure fellowships and research grants from the few sources available. In addition, the academic staff should also be very responsible in discharging their duties. A lot of our lecturers hide under the excuse of poor working environment to neglect assigned responsibilities. There are many cases of absenteeism, complete neglect of research and inappropriate relationship with the students.

  • YABATECH gets union officers

    Students of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATEC) have elected their Students’ Union Government (SUG) leaders. They defied the early morning shower to exercise their franchise.

    The election, which was held in five different locations on campus, was adjudged to be free and fair by the aspirants and their agents. One of the contenders, Damilare Olabimtan, who represented the School of Art, said the election was peaceful and orderly, adding that voters adhered strictly to the rules and regulations.

    Another aspirant, Adekunle Idimu, praised the electoral committee members for “a job well done”.

    Mr Jimoh Oketokun, who was the returning officer at the School of Engineering, said the exercise was credible, adding that there was no conflict of interest whatsoever.

    The result of the election was announced by Mr P.D. Kayode, on behalf of the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, who doubles as the Sub-Dean, Students’ Affairs, Mr Imafidon Osamu. Afeez Babalola was returned as the president elect, while Kemi Ogunniyi and Samuel Igiebor, were elected as Vice President 1 and II respectively.

    Other officers elected are Olabisi Lawal, General Secertary, Emmanuel Adebayo, Assistant Secretary, Martins Afolami, Social Director, Nurudeen Oyeleke, Sport Director, Hyacinth Peter, Public Relation Officer and Kehinde Owoo, Welfare Director. Osamu congratulated the winners and urged them to focus on the students’ welfare.

    Afeez, in his inaugural speech, said he would ensure transparency and accountability in his leadership of the union.

  • A generation in disguise

    A generation in disguise

    This writer walked into a supermarket on NTA TV College campus to get biscuits one afternoon. Hunger came calling, so I moved into the store hurriedly without noticing other customers inside. As I went to pick the biscuits, something else attracted my attention. In fact, it stole the hunger away. It was a statement from a beautiful girl in the supermarket. In a sharp but lovely voice, she quipped: “Nigerian men are so wicked.”

    I wanted to ignore the statement. But I changed my mind. “Why did you say so?” I asked with smile on my face. As she was looking at me whether to answer the stranger standing before her or not, a friend of hers was faster: “Nigerian men are unfaithful,” she said, continued: “They do everything possible to win your heart; they will promise you heaven and earth but after messing up with you, they dump you for another lady.”

    She explained the “cruel manner boys treat girls in Nigeria”. Any one in my shoe will feel for her.

    I could not give her a coherent judgment, considering the testimonies of some boys who also have the notion that a typical Nigerian girl would not date a guy with no wherewithal to maintain her. This, they claim, is the reason why guys tell lies to girls just to have their way.

    Thus, in curiosity, I wanted to know the motivation behind these attitudes as the case may be. I found out that faithfulness and trust are virtues that are lacking in the society. Unfaithfulness is fast becoming a virtue among Nigerian youths who are presumed to be the leaders of tomorrow. Of course, this also exists among our leaders.

    Chinua Achebe in his seminal work, The Trouble with Nigeria, noted that “the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a problem of leadership” and the failure or reluctance of leaders to take up “the challenge of personal example.”

    Furthermore, the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, described his generation as wasted to expose the level of rot in the society.

    It is painful that our generation, in dire need of positive change, has a high record of youth engaging in vices such as cultism, drug peddling, armed robbery, prostitution and a host of other vices that have turned our country to a jungle .

    Unfortunately, this ill is approaching a worse dimension. These vices are predominant in our universities, which should have been citadels of excellence but are now being seen “amusement parks” as CAMPUSLIFE’s Gilbert Alasa noted.

    This way, I find it hard what to respect our traditional and religious institutions in the face of immorality they have sunk.

    Obviously, African values have been neglected. Our generation worships wealth. A man of virtue has become a laughing stock. Didn’t a writer once say that people do not admire a virtue they do not possess? This is the true state of our society, which contradicts description of it as one with morality.

    Sycophancy, today, exits in its highest order. Most youth are involved in the act and the sad story is that they get peanuts from the elite they flatter. They use the little money they get from sycophancy to oppress their peers. It is seen as a lucrative venture since most vibrant and intelligent school leavers admire useless portfolio such Personal Assistants to to politicians. There could be an arguments that such move is not driven by greed, but it is surely informed by poverty. But how depressed are we to forget that he who pays the piper dictates the tune.

    The character of Nigerians abusing freedom is confirmed following the bad light in which most youth represent themselves on social networks. The fact that the changing trends in technology permits one to be proficient in the new media does not expunge the assertions that an average Nigerian youth is a slave to Twitter, Facebook or Blackberry. A report by Chisom Ojukwu on CAMPSLIFE pages few months ago shows that “cell phones prove to be major distractions for students and teachers alike in the classrooms.” According to the report, many students are addicted to their phones that they have become the “used” rather than the users.”

    Instead of channeling their energy towards positive avenues, our youth will not have second thought to be enlisted in the company of election riggers. The voilent gangs of robbers and cultists are made up of young people. The people that carry out suicide bombings are no doubt young persons. Girls between the ages of 15 to 35 engage in prostitution. For them, cheap solution lies in abortion if they are impreganted in the process. Does this not suggest a generation killing itself by itself?

    I wonder how could we have met a sane society if generations before us had had young people with low virtue, wanting to cut corners, lost dignity in labour, irresponsible in the name of freedom or people who lacked value for human life?

    Corrupt and ineffective political leadership led to the fall of the Roman and Byzantine empires. In the same way, none of these ‘might’ be able to sink the hope of a better Nigeria.

    But the readiness of this generation to continue sailing in the ship of ignorance, immorality, illiteracy, corruption, dissolution, and seek for shortcuts, even when it knows what is just and right is the greatest disaster.

     

    Johnpaul, 400-Level TV Journalism, NTA TV College, Jos

     

  • Crude oil and progress of Nigeria

    Crude oil and progress of Nigeria

    The importance of natural resources to the growth of a country’s economy cannot be underestimated. A country endowed with natural resources can be considered to be blessed. When these resources are effectively utilised, they can uplift the quality of life of the people of that nation.

    Over the years, crude oil exploration in Nigeria has caused many problems for the people with many saying oil is becoming a curse to Nigeria people. Since 1958 when the nation discovered the black gold in Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, it would be incorrect for anyone to deny its adverse impact on environment, politics and security in Nigeria.

    The revenue we garner from oil approximately accounts for 92 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But 70 per cent of Nigerians still live below the poverty line despite the nearly $1 trillion the nation has made from oil exports alone since 1970s.

    Nigeria’s crude oil has divided opinion leaders, who expressed that the black gold is blessing and curse, depending on which side of the divide one belongs.

    The people who believed oil is a blessing to the country are obviously the people benefiting from its exploration. They cart away the proceeds from oil to acquire material assets for themselves at the expense of our collective development. This is a pain inflicted by the minority group of people referred to as “political class” on the masses.

    The second category of people who believed oil revenue only enriches the elite and not the crumb of it goes to ordinary people.

    Perhaps, this was the reason why the people trooped to the streets in their thousands to protest the government decision to remove oil subsidy last January. It was trailed by several activities that made Nigerians to become wild and resentful against the government they believed has not done enough to better their lots.

    Nigeria may not recover from various environmental problems that have been caused by oil production. About 1.5 million metric tonnes of oil have been spilled for over 50 years of exploration, making the Niger Delta to be one of the most polluted places on earth.

    Though land degradation, pollution and gas flaring is usually a major phenomenon in many oil producing areas around the world, but the one experienced in the Niger Delta region is pathetic because government has not been forthcoming on when the factors that contributed to environmental calamities will stop.

    Many people have lost their lives in agitation to librate the region from environmental problems. Instead of the multinational companies to parley the communities where they get the oil, they are always at loggerhead with them. Many Nigerians will still remeber the circumstances that led to the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa with eight other Ogoni activists by the government of General Sanni Abacha.

    More so, oil exploration in Nigeria has largely contributed to civil conflicts, crime and political instability. This can be traced to misappropriation of the proceeds from oil sale. If there is a sole reason for calling for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), resource control would be it. It is posing a serious threat to the nation’s unity and if not properly managed, it might open another Pandora’s Box for the nation that is still struggling to fight Boko Haram insurgency. It is a paradox that oil wealth that should have been a blessing to us is the source of disunity in the country.

    Economy wise, it is saddening that the overbearing nature of the oil and gas sector has brought redundancy to other sectors of the economy where we used to earn our revenue during the colonial era. Agricultural sector which gave the country fortunes in colonial Nigeria is presently at it lowest ebb. A country that was once a large exporter of food crops and various agricultural produces now imports a large quantity of foods.

    I still remembered how I read it in books and what my father told me about the pyramids of groundnut in the North, cocoa in the West, palm oil in the East and timber and other resources in Sapele. All of these have disappeared in post-colonial Nigeria in the wake of oil exploration. Also, mineral resource like tin, columbite and coal among others that used to generate income for the nation have been forgotten because of the oil boom.

    The future looks dicey for Nigeria, especially for the youth if our leaders fail to positively utilise the proceeds from oil sale. Perhaps, two foremost Nigerian literary icons could have foreseen a strife coming when Prof Chinua Achebe in Things fall apart, foretold Nigeria’s post-independence problems. Similarly, Prof Wole Soyinka authored Climate of fear in 2004, a book that chronicled sundry circumstances that resulted into a quest for dignity in a dehumanised world. It is evident that a climate of fear has enveloped Nigeria as earlier foretold by Soyinka.

    Hopefully, the development of a new generation of leaders will proffer solutions to our problems and change the future of Nigeria. This will happen only if the present generation of youths can uproot the seeds of greed, corruption, tribalism and religious fanatism that are being instilled in them by the actions and inactions of certain leaders in the present.

     

    Akindotun, HND II Welding and Fabrication Engineering Technology, PTI Effurun

     

  • Who is the next victim of social media?

    Who is the next victim of social media?

    Sometime in July, I received a broadcast message on my Blackberry Messenger (BBM) from a friend that reads: “The lady I use as my display picture is Cynthia. She left her home for Lagos to get market for her business but at the moment, nobody knows her whereabouts. Anybody with useful information about Cynthia should contact the police. Please re-broadcast and use her picture as your display picture for five minutes.”

    I did use Cynthia’s picture but for less than five minutes and hoped she would be found alive.

    However, when the news of her death was broken, tears dropped down my cheeks. When I read her profile, I had no doubt in my mind that she was such a promising young lady who, at 24, could control a business of her own without depending on his well-to-do family.

    The gruesome murder or accidental murder (as the perpetrators put it) of Miss Cynthia was unearthed by the Nigerian Police that, for the first time, got my respect for the feat. This is not time to tackle our government that has made the security system ineffective.

    The deceased, Miss Cynthia Osokogu, met Okwoma Nwabufor, 33, last November on a Blackberry group chat. For close to six months, she must have been in touch constantly with her killers on the messenger. They must have exchanged pictures and calls to their satisfaction and Cynthia would have thought Okwoma is an innocent young man who would not hurt an insect.

    She visited Lagos to get market for her boutique and decided to see her “friend” with whom she had been exchanging conversation in the last six months of her life but that decision took her life.

    Two of the culprits Okwoma Nwabufor and Odera Ezekiel looked too innocent to hurt a fly when I saw their pictures.

    Cynthia’s case in one in many of the sad events that have been perpetrated through social networks such as Facebook, Blackberry Messenger, Mocospace, Eskimi and so on. There have been series of sex videos being spread through these media.

    These videos always show how young ladies engage guys in sex. There are videos that show how a group of youths gang rape girls in their rooms. There was one I saw and it appeared the crime was perpetrated in the eastern part of the country because of the accent of the characters involved the tragic video. It was a sad game of four hefty guys between the age of 26 to 32 having their turn on a young lady who could not be more than 23.

    In the video, the girl continued to plead with this guys who found delight in their act and took turns without being disturbed by their conscience. The title of the video was “2go package”.

    The second video I saw had three guys taking turn on young lady who was calling the rapists names: “ Brother Seun”. This act was perhaps committed in the Southwest. The victim could not be more than 20 years. Cynthia’s case have only gone public because of the personality of her father. Many of such cases have gone without being reported.

    Most of these social media were created with good intention but they are fast becoming slaughter slab for youth in Nigeria.

    We saw the good side of social media during the subsidy protest last January. It is also being used to conduct lawful business by numerous online firms.

    Bloggers like Ayodele Obajeun, Dayo Ibitoye are dishing out good stuffs with through their blogs. It is high time to put inplace measures to checkmate this menace. Youth and those who use the social networks should be extra careful because nobody can tell who is the next victim in the online slaughterhouse.

     

    Olatunji, 200-Level Political Science, EKSU

     

  • Students fight for Maltina’s star prize

    Students fight for Maltina’s star prize

    The Maltina Dance All (MDA), organised by Nigerian Breweries, has been on for sometimes but the grand finale comes up on Saturday. Two of the five Nigerian universities which started the show will be slugging it out for the star prize of N6 million and a brand new car. The institutions are University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), University of Benin (UNIBEN), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Ebonyi State University (EBSU) and Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce.

    There is no doubt that students are playing a key role in the excitement brought by the ongoing family reality television show. Five undergraduates are among the finalists who will showcase their talent at the grand finale.

    After five failed attempts to make it to the MDA academy, Jacob Zibe, a Fine Arts student of Niger Delta University finally qualified from the Port-Harcourt region of the auditions. Jacob, whose area of dance is Hip-hop and was quoted to have said “Hip-Hop is my comfort zone”, was initially put up for eviction with his family after they could not perform wonder to convince the judges with their hip-hop dance.

    Zibe family, however, won the judges confidence after a spectacular performance that saw them being readmitted into the academy. Jacob said he would focus on art and craft in the nearest future even if he didn’t take to dance in future.

    Ifeoma Efiokwu, a final year student of Political Science at UNIBEN qualified from Benin region after three failed attempts to make it to the academy. After her qualification, she has not failed to impress the judges and the audience with her excellent dance steps. On her secret, Ifeoma said: “I will survive because I will always watch and learn fast.” She described the academy as a school.

    “In here, you are cut off from the outside world to concentrate on key family values that matter. We are taught the importance of co-operation and solving problems within the family unit. Apart from dancing, what we have learnt will take us far as we face the challenges of life beyond the academy,” she told our correspondent.

    Matilda Ozurumba, also a final year Management student of UNN, qualified for the academy from the Enugu region. Matilda, whose area of strength is contemporary dance style, said: “I thought dancing is just what you do when you shake your body or make certain wriggle, but I have come to understand that it is deeper than that. Here at the MDA, we are taught the art of choreography, pantomime and other complex types of body movement. This has taught me the intellectual side of dancing.” Unfortunately, Ozurumba family was evicted from the show.

    Another undergraduate who is giving his all to make a good presence at the academy is Braine Nwogwugwu, 400-Level Law, UNIZIK. He qualified from Benin region too. Brainie, who said his expectations in the academy was to win with his family, added that the entire exercise had given him the opportunity to learn new dance styles. But they could not make it pass the Wazobia and Salsa dance style stages as his family was evicted from the academy for not giving an impressive performance.

    Michael Amilo, 400-Level Medical Laboratory Science, EBSU, qualified for the academy from Enugu region. A passionate dancer, he came into the academy with his family. Though, he fought hard to keep his family’s slot in the academy but all his efforts were fruitless. While leaving the academy he thanked Maltina for the wonderful opportunity the firm gave his family to learn the intellectual side of dancing and the opportunity of making new friends.

    The students that participated in the family show described Maltina Academy as a school that taught intelligence and good values. The show was identified as a training ground for undergraduates, who want to have a successful career in dancing.

    In 2008, Ukalina Opuwari won the contest with her family and with the support of Maltina, she was enlisted into the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN) and became the first female Nigerian to be certified in Latin Ballroom by the a Lebanese body in Beirut.

    Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina said her company undertook the project because “we are very passionate about the family institution and we will do the little we can as a responsible corporate entity to ensure that the institution continue to remain relevant.”

    “Our motive is to equip them effectively to confront and proffer solutions to some of the everyday challenges we are facing in life and for them to use what they learn at the academy to help other families in the society,” she added.

    As the grand finale approaches, many have been waiting with interest to see the family that will cart away the star prizes of N6 million and a brand new car.