Category: Education

With no fewer than 226 projects, including construction of a dam, executed and completed in his 12- point agenda under his five-year tenure, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako, says history will be kind to his administration. Bola Olajuwon and Ernest Nwokolo report.

For outgoing Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Agriculture, (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako, it is time to show one’s scorecard after five years of administering the affairs of the 34-year-old institution.

The professor of Soil Physics scored himself high, expressing satisfaction that whatever funds the institution obtained from Federal Government and other sources during his tenure were judiciously utilised. He said the funds were deployed in executing his 12-point agenda with special focus on infrastructural developments and procurement of equipment.

Salako became the institution’s vice chancellor in November 2017 after Prof. Olusola Oyewole and he will be leaving at the completion of his five-year tenure on October 31.

 

His philosophy and projects

He said he had done his bit, stressing that whatever he did not do or achieve, it’s probably what God had not made him to do.

According to him, since the administration is a continuum, the next vice chancellor that would take over from him must continue and complete such projects.

He said his philosophy before embarking on any project is to complete and equip such it.

According to him, his agenda led to the construction of dam and water treatment plant, new projects, rehabilitation of buildings, purchase of furniture and laboratory equipment, capacity development, purchase and installation of generators and electricity supply, vehicles/tractors/utility vehicles, construction/rehabilitation of roads and car parks, entrepreneurship equipment, internet, computer/street light to tertiary education trust fund (Tetfund) supply of books.

No fewer than 226 of such projects subsumed in the agenda were executed by his administration, noting that the university expended millions of Naira  on building the central laboratory alone which is equipped with state-of-the- art facilities.

The Vice Chancellor told reporters during the tour of the projects site that the projects include a dam and treatment plant, the  e-Library Extension named after Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, twin 250-seater capacity lecture theatre; Agricultural Farm Laboratory Complex, a 250- seater capacity lecture theatre and College of Engineering Phase II building, named after former President Olusegun Obasanjo, three 300-capacity auditoriums and 106 rooms hostel facilities.

They were deemed critical to helping the university meet its core mandate of teaching, research, human capacity development and community social responsibility.

The seven billion litres capacity dam, situated 20-kilometre away from the reservoir and pumping station, is meant to supply potable water to the campus and for irrigation to ensure dry season farming by the university and its host communities.

Salako, who noted that he took FUNAAB as his “life and gave the university what is needed to make it work”, expressed the hope that funds to complete it would come. He expressed the university’s readiness to partner the Federal Government or corporate body on the dam project to enhance its early completion.

“The other point is about the dam projects, which started from the beginning of this administration in 2018 and it is about 95 per cent completed. What remains is piping the water to the campus and if we get the fund, we will do that.

“The essence of the dam is to provide water for the university community.Though, we have boreholes in different locations on campus, the cost of these boreholes is huge.

“Also, the boreholes can fail any time, but with the dam, the problem of water on campus will become a thing of the past.

“Government and corporate organisations can partner with us. We don’t mind, but it must be partnership with equity. As long as people cooperate with us, there’s no reason why we cannot support them. One way or the other, we may encourage those communities to participate in dry season farming. It’s going to be a thing of joy for them,” Salako said.

 

Courses and programmes accreditation

Speaking on the accreditation of courses and programmes of the institution, Salako said the National Universities Commission (NUC) has accredited the university’s programmes and courses, except Zoology, which has interim accreditation.

 

Food production

On food production, the university is producing powdered fufu and gari from its cassava farm, honey, cashew nuts, palm wine and palm oil in commercial quantity.

Appeal to incoming VCs

He harped on the need for those coming after him to continue from where he stopped to sustain the projects, advising would-be-successor to plan well and stay focus as five years tenure is not an eternity.

Salako expressed the hope his successor would complete any uncompleted project like he did for his predecessors.

He said: “One cannot do beyond the capacity within the five years, but what is more important to me is that we use resources at our disposal effectively, efficiently and judiciously and am satisfied that have done my bit.

Read Also: FUNAAB gets new deputy vice-chancellor

“The position of the vice chancellor is for one term of five years, any serious person should really plan to work within the five years. I should not be looking for extension; I knew there wouldn’t be second term. I have planned very well.  I should be able to achieve what I wanted to achieve within five years.

“However, administration is a continuous process.There should be continuity, and nobody should play God to the point of thinking that no other person can do it better.

“There are still some project that are still ongoing, some of them may be completed in October. If you don’t start those projects, it’s very likely that the money available will not be enough in the nearest future. I want to believe that any person, who is taking over, will complete what we have started.

“In our case, we have endeavour to complete all the projects that we met because we believe that administration is a continuous process. Anyone who is coming in, should see the university as his university that belongs to us.

“Those that came before now didn’t complete it and we started afresh and that’s one of the reasons why we have abandoned projects all over the years. In any institution, you don’t isolate yourself as a different entity from the previous administration.”

Palliative to community

The university, through its corporate social responsibility, also provided palliatives to its immediate communities during the COVID-19 period. It also provided pipe-borne water and to the communities.

An alumnus of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), Dr. Babatunde Omotosho, has won the Adam Smith Business School Prize for PhD Excellence in Economics.

Omotosho, an Assistant Director in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recently completed his PhD studies at the University of Glasgow under CBN sponsorship.

His winning thesis is entitled: ‘Oil Price Shocks and Macroeconomic Policy in Resource-rich Emerging Economies’.

The prize is in memory of Adam Smith, fondly acknowledged as the father of modern economics. Smith lectured at the University of Glasgow and was appointed a Professor in 1751.

Omotosho won the prize based on the excellence of his PhD thesis and the significance of its contribution to the field of Economics.

Some of his findings have been published in high-ranking journals, including the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control published by Elsevier.

Others were in Macroeconomics and Finance in Emerging Market Economies published by Taylor and Francis, West African Journal of Monetary and Economic Integration, and the CBN Journal of Applied Statistics.

The University of Glasgow is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world by Times Higher Education (THE).

In 2021, it ranked 92nd in the world and 11th in the United Kingdom.

Omotosho graduated from the Department of Economics, Unilorin, in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and was the best graduating student in his class.

Prizes he won at the university included Departmental Prizes 1998/99 Session; Madam Oluwafunmike Kolawole Memorial Prize in Economics 1998/1999 Session; and Victor Odozi Prize in Economics – 1998/1999 Session.

He later obtained a Master’s in Economics in 2008 from the University of Benin and completed a second Master’s in Applied Statistics and Datamining from the University of St Andrews, United Kingdom in 2011.

Omotosho commended Unilorin for “giving him a solid foundation in Economics and being part of his success story”.

He expressed optimism that the award would encourage undergraduate students of the Department of Economics to imbibe the Unilorin’s values of excellence and hard work.

The Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) have expressed optimism that the various meetings and negotiations with the Federal Government will end the ongoing strike by the union.

Its General Secretary, Dr. Ezekiel Popoola, spoke on the sidelines of the Research Institutes Sectoral Council Meeting and Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Ilorin.

The SSAUTHRIAI embarked on the strike to press home their demands for salary structure and other emoluments.

Their agitations also include the establishment of a regulatory body; National Research Institutes Commission (NARICOM) and inadequate funding of research institutes, among others.

Popoola explained that the association had series of negotiations and meetings with various ministries, adding that the research institutes are under the administration of 14 ministries and the Presidency.

He noted that though negotiations were tough, however, members have called for a common platform for Chief Executive Officers to rub minds and reach resolutions on agitations of the union.

“It’s not easy, so far we have met with three ministries who have pledged to ensure resolutions are met as to bring about the end of the strike.

“The issue of gratuity for retirees is important issue to be considered. There is need for the Head of Service of the Federation to put this in consideration,” he said.

Also, the Director General of Michael Institute of Labour Studies (MINILS), Mr. Issa Aremu, assured the associations of his maximum support, especially on gratuity for retirees, increment of salary and welfare for members.

Aremu also observed that gratuity should not be a substitute for the Contributory Pension Scheme but complementary for  service delivery.

“SSAUTHRIAI should take advantage of the Salary and Wages Commission to push for increase in salary and wages for members,” he said.

The director-general pointed out that the key to security in Nigeria is to pay workers, adding that workers must be well motivated.

The Director, Human Resources Management of MINILS, Mr. Danjuma Lawal, added that the institute could serve as a mediator between the Federal Government and the association to to end to the strike.

He noted that the director-general would do ensure that the issues were resolved soon.

 

The British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mr Ben Llewellyn-Jones, has  said supporting girls’ education is a game-changer and smart investment that can boost Nigeria’s economy.

Llewellyn-Jones stated this at the public lecture to mark the first anniversary of Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello’s assumption of office as the Ninth  Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, in Lagos.

The theme of the lecture was: “The Significance of Education to the Growth of a Nation”.

He said girl education was one of the smartest investments that could be made to lift people out of poverty.

The diplomat said it could grow economies, save lives and build back better from COVID-19 pandemic.

“Research shows that a child whose mother can read is 50 per cent more likely to live beyond the age of five and 50 per cent more likely to be immunised against major potential infections.

“The UK government recognises these benefits and champions the right of every girl in the world to receive 12 years of quality education.

“We are especially proud that UK aid is supporting many great girls’ education projects, including in Nigeria.

“We support Nigeria’s efforts to implement the safe schools declaration, so as part of our work we are supporting a more holistic peace and security strategy that addresses current challenges on conflict and insecurity,” he said.

Llewellyn-Jones said they would continue to support Nigeria in its efforts to deliver quality education, as well as build a peaceful and safe society for the next generation.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, special guest of honour at the lecture, urged LASU management to keep moving the institution io greater heights.

She appealed to the management to strive to be the best university in West Africa.

Mrs Tinubu, represented by Mrs. Bola Badmus, former Deputy Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly,  congratulated the Vice-Chancellor and LASU community on maintaining education growth.

Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of Lagos State Governor, appealed to the LASU community to put into use and maintain all the facilities inaugurated to mark the a anniversary.

Represented by Mrs Nkem Shofela, she congratulated the management of LASU for great achievements within a year and prayed for more to come.

Several projects were inaugurated to celebrate the first anniversary of the VC. They included a CCTV control room, 20 blocks of toilets, Staff Club, LASU Bakery and two blocks of skills acquisition centres.

 

Lagos State Education District 1 last week rewarded outstanding teachers, schools, staff and pupils during its 15th Annual Merit Awards ceremony,  which held at Agege, Lagos.

The event, which had as theme: “Rewarding excellence for greater innovation, creativity and productivity,” featured awards in various categories, including Best Senior and junior Secondary School, Best Senior and junior school principal, Best Senior and junior School student, Best Senior and Junior school teacher, Best Senior and junior head of department, best district non-teaching staff, pupil with best WASC result, and pupil with best BECE result.

The Tutor-General/ Permanent Secretary of the district, Mrs. Margaret Titilayo Solarin, said there is great improvement in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results of pupils in the district.

“The district moved from having a very low percentage pass to an outstanding 91 per cent pass with five credits and above, including Mathematics and English,” she said.

She stressed the importance of teachers in the society, adding five teachers of the district were rewarded with cars this year by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Solarin said teachers of the district had won many national and international awards since her appointment as TGPS.

She hailed Sanwo-Olu for his commitment to education and for giving teachers enabling environment to flourish.

Keynote speaker, Director of Studies at Champion International School, Magboro, Ogun State, Mr. Fola Adekeye, said it was imperative to revive reading culture.

He said teachers needed regular motivation.

“Teachers are everyday heroes in our schools, making permanent differences in the lives of our children,” he said.

Earlier, Director Co- curricular Science and Technology Department, Mrs. Oyegbile Oluwakemi, said the teachers were honoured to inspire them to do more and for effective service delivery.

 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) yesterday launched the Nigeria Learning Passport in Lagos State.

The application, which enables continuous access to quality education, whether online or offline, was launched in conjunction with the Lagos State Ministry of Education. It is designed as a solution to close the learning poverty gap, and a model for levels of education, including adolescent skills, technical and vocational education.

According to UNICEF Nigeria, while every user has a record of their learning history, which is unique to them, teachers and parents also receive tools and empowerment to support student learning.

Head of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Ms Celine Lafoucriere, noted that the face-to-face interaction between teachers and peers is irreplaceable, and so the Learning Passport will provide learning opportunities when school attendance is not feasible.

According to Lafoucriere, UNICEF sees the deployment of the Learning Passport as an ‘opportunity to narrow digital inequalities, reach the most marginalised; empower girls and young women; and prepare the workforce of the future’.

She said: “The Learning Passport can be quickly deployed, customised and scaled-up nationally and locally, including in low connectivity and hard to reach areas. It is also an effective tool to accelerate state education reforms to make quality learning opportunities available to more children, anytime, anywhere.

“Digital literacy is not just the right thing to do, it can also be a key driver for economic growth; competitive business, and a national advantage for Nigeria.Young people must be equipped with skills and opportunities that will transform Nigeria into a country with sustainable economic growth. The cost of inaction is high.”

Lafoucriere enjoined stakeholders to key into such initiative, while UNICEF continues to engage young people to leverage innovation, widen models of cooperation, and ensure private sector collaboration.

Commissioner for Education Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, who appreciated UNICEF for the learning platform, explained that Lagos has been employing technology to boost learning and school management, both in schools and outside schools,, especially in hard to reach areas.

Mrs Adefisayo explained that the use of technology is sacrosanct to promote creativity and collaboration ‘because employing technology would raise the bar of greatness’.

She said: “The state already has EkoExcel because we want to ensure that all our primary school pupils are learning at the same pace, and this has improved their literacy and numeracy skills.

“We have to invest in education if we want our children to be able to hold themselves globally and work anywhere in the world.

“Education is not a cost, it is an investment because it drives economic growth and opportunities, in Lagos, we want to continue to integrate technology to teaching and learning, because you can teach and learn, communicate with people across the world, entertainment yourself, among others, with technology.”

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Abayomi Abolaji also noted that the app is complementing the learning models implemented by Lagos during the COVID-19 lockdown, and enjoined stakeholders to take advantage of the platform.

“The platform is beneficial to those in and out of school and, in Lagos, no one is left behind. I implore teachers, pupils and parents to take advantage of the additional tool so that learning could be enriched, teaching would also be fulfilled and we all will be winners,” he said.

Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos has emerged the third best university in Northern Nigeria at the just-concluded National Debate organised by Monday Diamond Foundation, which took place at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

The debate, which featured three sub topics namely, ”2023 Northern or Southern Presidency: Panacea to National Peace, Unity and Progress of Nigeria; Nigeria 62nd Independence Anniversary; Dissecting the Leadership Performance of Nigeria’s Democratic Dispensation and lingering strike in Nigeria’s Educational system: Who is to blame?’’, drew participants from public and private universities across the country.

PLASU, which was represented by SUG President, Kaze Peter Arin, Student Judicial Council Chairman, Ishaku Fwangshak Duguryil and NAPSS President, Mahan Sati Peter, came third behind Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and Kwara State University, which came first and second.

Receiving the contingent at the University Guest House in Jos, Vice Chancellor, PLASU, Prof. Yohana Daniel Izam, who was in company of the Registrar of the university, Yakubu Ayuba, commended the foundation for providing the platform for the undergraduates to exhibit their talents, thus stimulating the culture of debate among university students.

Izam, in a statement by the spokesman of the  institution, John Agam, said such a debate fosters the spirit of unity, progress and national development, adding that the performance of the contingent from the university further attests to the quality of its students.

He said the culture of debates would be entrenched in the university to stimulate intellectual discourse, among students.

 

 

Do The Dream Youth Development Initiative, in collaboration with the  Chicago, Illinois, United States-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Life Development Centre, has donated a Leadership Library to Ayedere Ajibola Senior Grammar School, Ketu, Lagos, in commemoration of World Literacy Day.

The event had hundreds of students, teachers, and the Tutor- General/Permanent Secretary District II, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Anike Adekanye, in attendance.

They took their turn to read some pages of a book entitled: You can be the Dream written by Adebusuyi Olutayo Olumadewa.

Speaking at the event, Adekanye lauded the effort of the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, and Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, in ensuring qualitative education in Lagos.

Mrs Adekanye described the event as a special day in the lives of students worldwide and appreciated the initiative and the partner for keying into the reality that the government cannot do it alone.

She expressed the need for NGOs and individuals to contribute to the development of education.

Mrs Adekanye said: “Today has been declared as the World Literacy Day to emphasise the importance of education in the world.

“Education enables us to have a lot of knowledge of things around us and opens us to creativity as well as knowing our rights, including preparing us for the future.

The founder/Executive Director, Do The Dream Youth Development Initiative, Adebusuyi Olutayo Olumadewa, said the Leadership Library was developed to help students in secondary school enhance their leadership abilities by instilling a passion for reading to help them make informed choices that will benefit their interactions and decisions in the future.

He added that it would also bridge the reading and learning inequalities that exist in Nigeria between public and private schools.

“The library will teach the Sustainable Development Goals by teaching young people how to localise the SDGs from where they are with what they have.  With the SDGs Corner, we intend to raise young leaders that will cause the wheels to spin.”

 

For outgoing pupils of  Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Lagos,  penultimate Thursday turned out to be their last in the school as they had completed their six-year programme.

To bid them goodbye, the school owners as well as the authorities hosted them to a double celebration aptly captioned: Valedictory/Awards and Prize-Giving ceremony.

The celebrations started for 104 pupils who passed out in the 2021/2022 session at the Shepherdhill Auditorium where, expectedly, a thanksgiving service was held in their honour. The celebrators, who were called ‘Heroes’, were decked in Navy blue graduation gowns and caps to match.

From the church they, their parents, clergy and old boys as well as the new JSSIII and SSSIII pupils, moved to the awards ceremony.  Among them were those who not only put the school’s name that was established in 1855 by the American Baptist Missionaries on the sand of life in their external exams, but also created an unprecedented record. They were: Amuni Oladapo who made Nine A1s; Adole David Enechenje, eight A1s1B in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASC) and scored 351 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME); Benedict Oladimeji Nine A1s Two Bs in the National Examination Council (NECO)’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and Davies Lateef Ayo, Nine A1s and Two Bs in the WASCE.

Specifically, Oladapo created a record as he surpassed the one created by Dr Celestine Chukwuneye, the founder/Chief Medical Director, Optimal Specialist Hospitals. Interestingly, it was Chukwuneye’s lot to present Oladapo’s award to him. Oladapo became the cynosure of all eyes when the Master of Ceremonies (MC) announced that he garnered nine awards.

The excited school’s Principal, Deacon Emmanuel Adodunrin, said he was overwhelmed by the performance of the outgoing pupils, urging the new JSSIII and SSIII pupils ”to break the record of the current achievement by “making A1s in all subjects next year. It is important to note that in today’s world, only the best is relevant”. “You need to take up the challenge from the award’s presentation and be focused and determined to excel,” he added.

Assessing the outgoing pupils, he said they were peaceful, respectful, focused and forward-looking. “Little wonder that they are leaving behind a legacy of excellence in the life of the school,” he added. He also said the pupils were able to make it ”because we are not involved in exam malpractice”’ and that if the country could stamp out the vice, it would do well with its educational system. He also said their graduates could defend their certificates wherever they went. because they toye hard for them.

The Senior Prefect, David Adole Enencheje, said: “Our stay at Baptist Academy was spiritually livened up by the devotions, Sunday services and weekend meetings. We have been blessed mentally, physically and spiritually by this great school.”

Earlier, the guest preacher, who is the Senior Pastor, New Heritage Baptist Church, Somolu, Revd Julius Omomola, advised the outgoing pupils  “to maintain their relationship with God”. and watch their character as ”it could make or mar them”.

 

Baptists Academy Old Students Association (BAOSA) National President, Mr. Akin Fatunka, who expressed satisfaction with the ‘boys’ performance, noted: “The outgoing students have made us proud. They have done us  very well – academically and morally and the parents are very happy. Finally, BAOSA is very happy.” He said as a future generation, the government should pay attention to matters that concern the youth.

At the event were the Chairman, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Deacon Johnson Fatokun; Chaplain, Baptist Academy, Lagos, Deacon,  Revd. Matthew Awujoola, the President, Lagos East Baptist Conference, Revd Israel Olu Kristilare; Senior Pastor, Shepherdhill Baptist Church, Revd Ezekiel Akinwande, among others.