Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has urged the Federal Government to show commitment in implementing the new salary package for teachers.

She said this was the best way to make teachers agents of transformation.

On the occasion to commemorate the World Teachers’ Day two years ago, President Muhammadu had announced a special salary scale for basic and secondary school teachers,among others.

But it has not been implemented.

Olatunji-Bello was the keynote speaker at the 2022 World Teachers’ Day programme organised by Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) Otto/Ijanikin,Lagos.

It had as theme: “The transformation of education begins with teachers”.

She said: “Countries that value teachers reap the rewards of teachers. At the primary and secondary school level, teachers’ salary has remained the same for years despite government’s announcement to commence payment with the new salary structure.

“I urge the Federal Government to make payment of this commitment a priority. Nothing is more important than the education of young people.”

She said many teachers found themselves in the profession by accident and not because of their passion,hence,it was imperative to improve them.

“Many are in this teaching profession because they have no other option, so we must continue to find ways to upskill them and make alternative provisions for those who refuse to change with the times.

“Our teachers must therefore be trained with the use of technology not only to teach the learners, but to teach the learners to use technology.

“In LASU, during the COVID-19 lockdown, we continued to teach using technology, even though people were scared of it at the initial stage, but they gradually embraced it, she said.

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The VC said also called for the implementation of policies on free education to reduce the number of out-of-school children.

Acting Vice Chancellor of LASUED Prof. Bidemi Lafiaji-Okuneye, said that this year’s celebration had been designed to address a set of challenges prevalent in the globe.

Lafiaji-Okuneye said for national transformation, the society must be prosperous in knowledge, which was often sought and acquired through teachers.

“The task of teachers in transforming the society is to effect attitudinal change in learners.

“Ironically, Nigerian educational system and teachers who play a cardinal role in the transformation of the society are beset with a plethora of bottle-necks.Teachers are not provided with quality training programmes. They are despised and not accorded desired recognition.

“The challenges facing teachers must be properly looked into because if at all there is any hope for transforming our country, the key lies in the hands of teachers,” she said.

The Chairman of the Governing Council, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State, Prof. Adekunle Akinyemi has said the council was committed to repositioning the institution.

He noted that the council over two years had improved staff and student welfare and put the institution on a path of steady growth.

He spoke last week at a council meeting and seminar on corporate governance and due process on campus in Ibadan.

Akinyemi lauded members of the council for their support and cooperation.

He noted that there was improvement on the financial welfare of staff, no disruption in students’ academic programmes, absence of indiscipline and lawlessness within the polytechnic.

He said: “The council has brought about the adoption and implementation of 2013 National Board for Technical Education (NBTE ) Revised Scheme; the conversion of many staff from one cadre to another; regular payment of approved allowances, arrears of pensions and gratuities and prompt promotion of staff.

“The council has also noted the milestone of achievement towards the welfare of student, which are the successful conduct of 2020/2021 accreditation exercise for 35 programmes; the regular mobilisation of HND 2 students for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC); renovation of halls of residence under public private partnership programme e.g Olori, Unity and Orisun halls; various scholarships for ND II students named Miss Taibat Babatunde and Miss Seun Okon.

Read Also: Controversy trails death of Ibadan Poly students

“There have also been the publications of the maiden edition of TPI International Journal of Science and Technology through the influence of the council; the approval of the Open Distance and flexible e-learning by the National Board for Technical Education; the construction of faculties, procurement of teaching aids and equipment for various departments in the Institution; the construction and furnishing of a twin 300 – capacity lecture hall by Continuing Education Centre, among others.”

The Governing Council chair added that the council had promoted peace, harmony and hard work, making the institution become a choice for students seeking polytechnic education.

“We want to become the best polytechnic in Africa because we are already one of the best in Nigeria,” he said.

Akinyemi praised Governor Seyi Makinde for his support.

“To the credit of this Governing Council, modest achievements have been recorded which could directly be related to the unflinching support received from Governor Seyi Makinde,” he said.

The Rector, Prof. Kazeem Adebiyi hailed the council for its efforts towards taking the school to enviable heights. He said the seminar had enriched their knowledge.

“This is another milestone in the history of The Polytechnic Ibadan. I think this is the first time this kind of gathering is coming up. There is the need to update our knowledge on due process, learning is a continuous exercise, this seminar has added to our existing knowledge.

“We also want to thank the council members because the council does not disappoint us,” he added.

The Director General, Due Process, Oyo State, Ms.Tara Adefowope, urged staff imbibe transparency, accountability, fairness and integrity, which are the pillars of corporate governance.

She said it was imperative for them to have deep knowledge of due process and how things can be better in the institution.

“One of the things we are trying to do is to build capacity and make them understand why we do it, there is always room for improvement,” she said.

A 55-year-old native doctor Mr Ofomah has been arrested for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl in Awgbu town in Anambra State.

The suspect was apprehended by a team of social workers from the State Ministry for Women and Social Welfare.

The suspect was said to have abused the victim when she was sent by her guardian to bring back the remaining harvested palm kernel from the farm.

The Nation gathered that the suspect, while pretending to offer assistance to her victim, forcefully overpowered and had carnal knowledge of her.

Confirming the incident, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ify Obinabo through her media aide, Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, said the culprit is in police custody.

“As soon as I got the report, I quickly dispatched my team of workers who immediately alerted the police and apprehended the suspect.

“He is currently in police custody and would be charged to court after investigations,” she said.

By ​Mutmainat Asamu

The management of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has denied selling screening forms for the 2022/2023 academic session.

Its Director of Corporate Affairs, Kunle Akogun, said no action whatsoever has been taken on the Institution’s Post UTME registration form.

It further urged the admission seekers/ Jambites to discard any information indicating otherwise as the source is not reliable.

The statement reads: “This is to inform all admission applicants to the University of Ilorin that the institution is yet to take any decision on the 2022/2023 Post-UTME screening.

“They should, therefore, disregard a message currently flying around online platforms to the effect that the university has started the process for the sale of the post-UTME screening registration form.

“This is the handiwork of scammers and admission seekers should disregard it”.

As the phenomenal Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, mounts the dais to receive another consequential national award, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), it is pertinent to heave a sigh and reflect on this rare human species at 68. For a man who has served the ummah, the nation and humanity with unusual zeal and self-punishing selflessness, CON is a befitting birthday gift that the Federal Government presents to this icon of courage and forthrightness, a man who has remained true to his values despite our state of anomie.

‘Anomie’ was first used by French sociologist Emile Durkheim in 1893 to describe what he referred to as “derangement” and the “malady of the infinite”. This, according to him, is a social condition defined by the breakdown of moral values, standards and norms, the situation that sadly reflects in Nigeria. For a mastermind like Oloyede that has remained symmetrical in a largely asymmetrical social order bedevilled by corruption and acquisitive appetency, zeroing in on him as he attains another milestone is actually not an honour to him but a reminder that there is hope for Nigeria and a role model for the leaders, both current and future.

As many colours make a rainbow, there are many values and virtues that make Oloyede tick. Do we talk of his infectious simplicity, his transparent honesty, his charismatic leadership, his legendary self-discipline, his moral probity, his remarkable dynamism, his admirable generosity, his academic excellence, his native intelligence, his administrative dexterity, his intellectual profundity, his famed industry or unfaltering patriotism?

One of those colours that strikes my psyche as he clocks 68 today and receives the CON award tomorrow is his abundant courage. What defines the essential Oloyede is the rare courage to do the right thing and do things right. As I wrote in my New Telegraph column in early August 2016 after he was appointed Registrar of JAMB by President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Oloyede is a man who would “dare the devil and damn the consequences.” For those who knew his pedigree, it was not surprising that he soon became renowned as a game changer and a “snake charmer”.

For Prof. Oloyede, courage flows naturally as a tributary of his conviction and character. He is unstoppable in his commitment to changing narratives and shifting paradigms  even in the face of danger. With his abiding faith in God and enviable sense of personal discipline, this cynosure of all eyesc projects to the world the Aristotelian postulation that courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

I still remember a scene at the Performing Arts Department of the University of Ilorin Mini Campus some time in 2004. It was at the public presentation of a book written by Dr Usman Oladipo Akanbi, son of the well respected anti-corruption Tsar, the late Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi, in which the proud father was present among other dignitaries, including Oloyede.

It was a time the University had not been able wean itself off cultists, whose recurring violence made everyone dub them “Shooting Stars”. While the programme was ongoing, a staccato of presumed gunshots rent the air at a close range. Almost everyone spoke to their legs and ran for cover in opposite directions. Only those who could not run remained but a cloud of fear enveloped the atmosphere. Prof. Oloyede stepped down briskly from the stage and marched in his agbada to where the gunshots came from, the Student Union Building. He returned a few minutes later to announce that some students were playing with bangers, those simple fireworks of rolled paper tubes filled with gunpowder. Everyone shivering on their seats readjusted their composure.

A complete gentleman and extraordinary personality who does not suffer fools gladly, Prof. Oloyede is innately aware that as a sanitary inspector, he is detested by maggots that thrive in filth. The man for all seasons and mentor of millions wouldn’t go out to look for a fight but when you fight him, he is ferocious with his facts and figures.

While Oloyede has a cordial relationship with many people across boundaries, religious, ethnic and otherwise, he has sustained a lifetime adversarial relationship with corruption. He has never received a bribe. As I once noted, “Oloyede loathes corruption so much that corruption too loathes him also in kind.” Any time he confronts corruption in a mortal combat as he always does, corruption fiercely fights back until the monster is asphyxiated by the sheer force of Oloyede’s true character and blistering courage.

I recently read with one eye the report of a purported group that alleged Oloyede of corruption in a cheap and unreliable media platform. That’s blasphemous! However, the lie peddled to smear Oloyede’s reputation didn’t even enjoy the grace of travelling for a month, though the Yoruba said a lie can run for 20 years, before the truth overtook and smashed it. The Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative (TADI) that wrote petitions against Oloyede had the courage to publicly eat its vomit and acknowledge its ignorance.

According to TADI earlier this month,  “Having been furnished with details of the activities of the Registrar and the way he manages public funds under his watch over the years we make bold to state that the information we got from our sister organization was misleading and do not depict the true happenings in JAMB.

“And when we investigated further, we found out that some people who are not happy with the reform the man has embarked upon which is aimed at sanitizing JAMB to deliver on its core mandate have been the ones misleading the public and are the sponsors of the spurious allegations of corruption against the Registrar because he has succeeded in stopping their business as usual for the interest of the nation.”

For the internationally acclaimed Oloyede, including by UNESCO that recently proclaimed him the “Best Advocate of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education in Africa”, the saying that a Prophet is not honoured at home does not hold water again. As an unsung hero at 61, as David A. Onmeje observed in his “Unsung heroes of change”, which appeared in the September 29, 2015 edition of “Daily Trust”  (page 48), it is gratifying that this iCON at 68 is a celebrated household name decorated with several garlands.

Among others honours of recent, he is the recipient of The Sun newspaper’s Public Service Award (2018), the Leadership newspaper’s Person of the Year Award  (2019), the Vanguard newspaper’s Personality of the Year Award (2021) as well as the Public Servant Personality of the Year 2021 Award by the National Executive Council of Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists (NACJ).

Congratulations to the combined Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), a national iCON of courage, at 68!

•Prof. Adedimeji is the Vice Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Patigi, Kwara state

As part of its corporate social responsibility and strategy for strengthening community relations, Lagos Free Zone, a subsidiary of Tolaram company has awarded scholarships to six brilliant indigent students within its host communities in Ibeju-Lekki.

Each of the beneficiaries went home with a cheque of N100,000 at an event held at the company’s corporate headquarters in Lagos.

The beneficiaries drawn from the six host communities of Idotun, Magbon Segun, Okunraye, Ilekuru, Oke Segun, and Itoki included Oladunjoye Zainab Abimbola (HND Chemical Engineering), Lawal Halimat Titilope (BA French Language), Akanni Lateefat Damilola (BA, History & International Studies), Adebayo Ridwan Abiola (HND Agriculture), Alogba Wasiu Ibironke (B.Sc. Mathematics), and Ogundipe Rukayat Omobolanle (B.Sc. Computer Science Education).

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Free Zone, Mr. Dinesh Rathi, the scholarship was part of the company’s commitment to contribute its quota towards the educational and economic development of communities through human capital development.

Rathi explained that the company chose to support the academic aspirations of these young students in line with its desire to entrench a lasting legacy of impact on the communities.

“As a company, we believe education remains a strong legacy we can impart on the people. We know that many students within the host communities have had to drop out of school due to financial challenges. We believe this should not be the case, given its dire implication for development. Hence, we will continue to sponsor these types of programmes so that society, including our host communities, can grow and future leaders emerge,” he said.

He urged beneficiaries to continue to work hard and strive to achieve excellence, adding that their future was guaranteed if they continued on that path.

General Manager, Sustainability of the company, Vishal Shah, said the company had, over the years, supported their host communities through numerous initiatives, including Tolaram Science Challenge, in which exemplary students from schools within the Ibeju-Lekki axis compete to win the ultimate prize every year.
Shah stated that successes in qualifying examinations from participating schools are an excellent testament to the impact of the initiative.

On behalf of other community leaders, the Baale of Ilekuru, Chief Salami Waliu, praised the company for the kind gesture and overall contribution to the development of education through this scholarship and other programmes.

A student at Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Clarion Olusegun, has called for a stop to violence against women, stating that females should be treated with care.

Olusegun, through the Female Speaks Initiative(FSI) founded by her, is determined to build and strengthen the female gender globally and find a solution to violence against girls/women.

She spoke at a seminar in Lagos organised by FSI and a non governmental organisation, Female and More (FAM).

She said: “I feel great, knowing that it is an opportunity for me to impact and give back to society. Violence against women and girls should be urgently tackled.

This project is aimed at ending female-based violence which has eaten deep into the society.

Acts of violence against women should be reported to the appropriate authority.

” Nigerians to be watchful and shun violence against women in the society. Security agencies should swing into action once any act of violence is reported. Government should also enlighten people on how to be self-defensive once they are being assaulted or attacked.”

Mrs. Helen Oladele, a teen counsellor and parenting advocate, urged government to help fight violence against female-children, adding that the society can also contribute in that regard.

She also advised females to be careful with males they relate with.

Prof. Mubashiru Mohammed of the Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, has recommended an improved pay for lecturers.

He said new lecturers should not be paid less than N350,000 monthly,while a professor should earn N1.2 million. This,he said, would attract the best brains the nation’s universities.

Mohammed delivered LASU’s 85th inaugural lecture last week on campus in Ojo, Lagos. The lecture was entitled:”Phylum mollusca approach to university education in Nigeria: save the bridge from collapsing.”

He said: “To attract the best brains to our universities, personal emoluments of staff may have to be revisited. Based on some parameters as recommended that a new entrance salary should not be less than 350,000 naira. While a newly- appointed professor should go home with N1.2 million.”

Mohammed decried challenges facing university education, while A advising the lecturers to play their part because without students there would not be a need for lecturers.

He also urged government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to address the ongoing strike for the sake of students.

“It is observed that excellence in service delivery has gradually been eroded in most Nigerian universities due mainly to decay and inadequate infrastructure, unstable academic calendars as a result of incessant strikes by lecturers and non-academic staff, insufficient funding and weak university linkages,” he said.

The don, however, urged government to grant autonomy to public universities. He also called for private sector involvement in education.

“ It becomes expedient that private agents should participate actively through management, funding and supervision. Private sector involvement in education reflects a broader shift of public service responsibilities to the private sector,” he said.

Coordinator, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South West Zone D, Stephen Fiyinfoluwa Tegbe, has, for the umpteenth time, urged the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resolve their differences for students to return their campuses.

This was contained in a statement to commemorate the country’s 62nd Independence anniversary.

Tegbe noted that education was a right of every child and a not privilege. He, therefore, called for immediate intervention from both parties to end the lingering strike.

He said: “Federal Government and ASUU should end the ongoing ASUU strike by reaching a compromise because every country that shows less concern for education dares destruction.

“They should call off the ongoing strike before students lose patience and become uncontrollable by shutting down the whole system.”

Tegbe urged government to tackle challenges militating against the progress of the nation.

“Nigeria is blessed with both human and natural resources, we hereby urge the government to make use of both resources to tackle all problems that is affecting the progress of this country. As we all know, Nigeria is facing problems in every sector of life. Nigeria is faced by security challenges, retrogression of education sector, corruption, unemployment, poor economic growth and lots more. All these problems can only be controlled and sorted if the available resources are used effectively,” he added.

The NANS Zonal leader said the association would continue to protect students’ rights.

“We will not stop protecting students’ interests and rights. We will ensure their education becomes easy under peaceful and conducive conditions. We also assure them that our door will never get shut to their clamour and agitation because our purpose will forever remain for the service of Nigerian students,” he said.