Category: Education

THE Professional Statisticians Society of Nigeria (PSSN) has decried the poor usage of statistical data by the country’s tiers of government.

Its President, Prof. Olanrewaju Ismail Shittu, at the association’s international conference at Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, noted that the country is where it is because of the leaders’disdain for planning with accurate data and listening to wise counsel of professional statisticians.

He said: “We need data to plan. We need an accurate and proper analysis of data to make projections. Most of the time, we rely on statistics. The issue is that we don’t have very reliable statistics in society. The problem is that the governments of Nigeria, over the years, have not been listening to us when we tell them what to do, and what data is saying.

“We cannot speak on behalf of data. We must allow data to speak.  By the time we enter raw data and use the appropriate methodology and scientific methodology to analyse, data will speak. But our government will want to change and thwart the data. Look at what is usually represented as statistics every month, particularly as regards the inflation issue.”

On whether there was any relationship between the body and the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, the PSSN chief said: “The relationship we have with the Bureau of Statistics is not very strong. We are a professional statistical society. We tell the government the truth about what the data says. Our colleagues in other departments or other areas of study bring data to us and when we tell them what the data is saying, they do not often quite agree with us, suggesting that we tweak the data to what they want.

“The government has over time played on people’s ignorance of statistics. Our relationship with NBS is not that strong because they avoid patronising the professionals in statistics.”

On why the society was established, Shittu said the idea was mooted by a wide spectrum of researchers in statistics across the country, who noticed that there had not been a formidable platform for researchers in the country’s universities, research institutes, and polytechnics to share the findings of their completed and on-going research to colleagues, the industry and the general public.

“It was established at the University of Ibadan on August 12, 2016, with the sole aim of promoting research, to advance statistical research and its application in Nigeria and outside world, for publishing of statistical journals and other similar publications, to cooperate/affiliate with similar bodies like the society both locally and internationally, to advance statistical knowledge through collaboration, and by supporting research activities and to disseminate statistical research findings as widely as possible for the benefit of decision-makers, policy advisers, industrialists, funders and the users of statistics, among others,” he asserted.

The PSSN National Secretary, Prof. Waheed Babatunde Yahya of the University of Ilorin, said where data are poorly collected and analysed, one “can imagine what will be the end result – poor results, poor projections.”

“That is the problem we are having turned back years of progress.

During the period of the pandemic, he noted that it was timely use of data and statistics that proved to be critical in understanding, managing, and mitigating the human, social and economic impacts of the outbreak.

Director-General of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Prof. Babatunde Lawal Salako, said changing contours of the global landscape will increase sharply the demand for higher quality and more comprehensive statistics from both the private and public sectors.

He said this must be accompanied by sound analysis in order to draw the implications.

CONTEMPORARY issues in governance, economy and trade will take centre stage in Lagos tomorrow, as banking and finance experts and academics, including President of AfriximBank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, launch a festschrift, entitled: “The New Normal As Option for Sustainable Development in Nigeria.”

The 20-chapter book written in honour of former Vice President of African Development Bank, and pioneer Pro-chancellor of Glorious Vision University, Chief Bisi Ogunjobi, assesses such issues like budget financing, trade restriction, human capital development, governance and COVID-19 policy response plan.

Other issues to be interrogated are sustainable public economic recovery in Nigeria, security, globalisation and social justice, fallow state of Africa, foreign direct investment and AfriximBank as catalyst for intra-Africa trade and investment.

The event, which will hold at the Imperial Hall, Ikeja, will be chaired by the Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Michael Faborode.

The chief presenter is the chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Bunmi T. Ojo, and Prof. Peter Okebukola as one of those who will unveil the book.

The founder, GetBundi, Mr. Osita Oparaugo, has said it was imperative to reposition the nation’s education system to accommodate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

GetBundi is an Educational Technology(Edtech)  platform designed to deliver high quality and accessible STEM and English language courses  across Africa.

Speaking at the launch of  GetBundi, Oparaugo  noted that the platform is aimed at equipping youths and pupils with affordable STEM education and digital skills. He said youths are being targeted because by 2050, Africa will have one billion people under 30 years.

” Our STEM Education is West African curriculum-based. It is purposed for post-primary school pupils from JSS1/Year 7 to SSS3/Year 12, and covers subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, ICT, Data Processing, English Language, etc. There is also revision for competitive examinations, in particular, West African Examinations Council  exams  for up to three years with monthly live question and answer sessions,” he said.

Oparaugo stressed the need to acquire digital skills in the 21st century,adding that STEM-focused remote jobs are in high demand.

He described the EdTech platform as a supplement that can be used as teachers’ aid to boost continuous learning pupils in school and those out of school.

“It is not a replacement for the traditional method of teaching or physical school. It is a supplement for teachers. It can be used to prepare pupils for exams and those who are willing to change their course at the university or transition to another career,” he said.

Oparaugo said the platform wil support and upskill 10 million Africans who are affected by poverty, war, disease and terrorism in  the next 10 years.

“We are communicating and will continue to do so with  The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and The African Union(AU) regarding the platform because there is no better time than now for Africa rethink education towards STEM and digital skills acquisition,” he added.

He said Africa can develop if it prioritises STEM Education, citing the example of China and Singapore as countries who developed through technology.

Daughter of a retired police officer, Miss Okpalaku-Nath Vivian, has achieved academic excellence in Cyprus, a country in the Middle East.

Vivian, a native of Achina in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State bagged first class honours in her Master’s, emerging top of her class from the Department of Civil Engineering, Cyprus International University, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus.

The academic prowess of the young engineer dates back to her undergraduate days. As a 2018 Civil Engineering graduate of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Anambra State, Vivian came top of her class, emerging the best graduating student in the department.

Speaking with The Nation, Vivian attributed her feats to her philosophy of self-discipline, goal setting, consistency and passion for education.

“I set short-term goals, which include being prompt to lectures, submitting my assignments on time and setting targets for all my courses; all these helped me to achieve my long term goal of excellent grades,” she said.

The academic star further linked her academic successes to her strong basic secondary and first degree foundations.

“My secondary education and first degree gave me strong basic foundations that made it easier for me to excel excellently here in Cyprus for my masters degree in Civil Engineering which was a continuation of my first degree.”

Speaking in an interview, Vivian’s father, CSP Nathaniel Okpalaku retd, was full of gratitude to God for the grace to witness her daughter’s graduation even though he was unable to physically attend the convocation ceremony.

THE Baptist College of Theology, Lagos has urged the government to urgently address the worrisome standard of education in the country.

Its Rector, Prof. Emmanuel Oyemomi, said the government needs to get its acts right and improve the quality of education in the country.

‘’The ASUU strike is one major area that has consistently hindered access to education by students,’’he said.

Oyemomi said there should also be a holistic focus to address the curriculum of education.

According to him, “most subjects that will impact the lives of students have been removed from the curriculum and this poses serious threat to effective learning.

Oyemomi, who said theological education must be given a space to shape leaders, said the college will celebrate its 25 years of experience by building a City Campus to further promote theological education in the country. An anniversary lecture to be delivered by a distinguished scholar is also part of the anniversary programme.

He added that the college has impacted lives by training competent leaders who have excelled in their chosen fields of human endeavours.

According to him, the college also provides sound spirituality to mould people’s lives for 25 years.

He said: “It has continued to raise giants for the Lord. We have provided a lot of people around the world not only in Nigeria. We have our graduates in all states in Nigeria.

“Some of our products have become prominent persons within the denominations and also in government. Several of our students have been trained and they are using their God-given training to help the government and be supportive. We have our products across the globe. Most of them are in key places across the world and this shows that the training we provide is first class.”

PLATEAU State University Branch of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has kicked against the alleged injustice and discrimination by the university’s management on payment of arrears of allowances of its members.

The union accused the management and Governing Council of paying sister’s union eight years of its arrears with one year left while their staff members were paid four years and leaving them with a burden of seven years unpaid arrears.

SSANU, in a communique in Jos at the end of its emergency EXCO meeting by its Chairman, Timnan Rimdap and Secretary, Fom Dakwak, appealed to Governor Simon Lalong to release N323 million to address the discrimination.

It lamented that the university also refused to mainstream the hazard allowance into its members’ monthly salaries at the agreed rate of N30,000 despite the release of funds for the same purpose since February, last year.

“SSANU condemns the fact that though its strike has entered the seventh month, neither management nor governing council has taken any serious step to address the issues in dispute.

“SSANU condemns the fact that funds recently released to the university by government for the payment of arrears of earned allowances was used in settling the arrears owed only members of the sister union in question, leaving our members unpaid.

“This development has created a situation where the sister union has been paid eight years of its arrears leaving a balance of one year while our members, who work in the same university, have only been paid four  years leaving a balance of seven years.

“SSANU notes with disappointment that this naked show of discrimination which is unprecedented in the history of tertiary education on the Plateau, represents a wide departure from the principles of good management of human resources and good leadership, for which Prof. Izam is an advocate.”

The union expressed disappointment over the attitude of the institution’s Governing Council members, who allegedly sit comfortably and watch the university management’s discrimination among its staff.

“SSANU wishes to state that the discrimination meted out to its members has generated high tension in the system and the union should not be held responsible should the current situation degenerate into further crisis,” the union said.

TWO  firms – Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Floating Mega Station and Intaly Services Limited – have sponsored the maiden edition of competitions in secondary schools in Nembe, Bayelsa State.

The sponsors said the competition was part of the measures to reignite reading and writing culture among students and to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their host communities.

The three-day inter-school contest held for secondary school pupils in Nembe, which was concluded at the King Koko Square, Nembe City, with winners  carting away prizes like cash, laptops, books and trophies.

The contest saw students in junior and senior secondary schools compete in quiz, debate, career talks and essay writing.

One of the sponsors of the programme and Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Floating Mega Station, Mr. Ayeabaemi Naworio, explained that the initiative was part of his company’s CSR to give back to their host by providing beneficial educational materials, as well as encourage academic excellence among pupils in the area.

Naworio said the project was aimed at improving the dwindling reading and writing culture among pupils.

Naworio recalled: “When I was in secondary school, those people who represented us in debates and quiz competitions fared much better than others academically. That is the idea behind this programme.

“The competition is to let the students know that the more they read, the more they know. Readers are good leaders.

“I left the university over 20 years ago, but most of my decisions come from the books I have read. It is to encourage the students to know more. At times, we go outside their syllabus to make them study more and do more research and by so doing, we are motivating them to improve their knowledge.

“We want to urge other corporate organisations to lift the people in their host communities to enable the people to feel their impacts.”

The Chairman of the occasion, King Edmund Daukoru, Mingi XII, Amayanabo of Nembe-Se, extolled the performance of the students.

Daukoru, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, represented by Chief Alfred Ikiba-Amabebe,  praised the sponsors of the event and for lifting the schools in Nembe.

He urged other corporate organisations an individuals to emulate the gesture.

Also, the Vice Chancellor, Maritime Academy, Okerenkoko, Delta State, Prof. Emmanuel Adigio, lauded the initiative, noting that  the programme’s goal was to improve the standards of the students.

Adigio, a former student of the famous Nembe National Grammar School, urged the students to take their education serious to actualise their dreams and be on top of their chosen professions, adding that they should shun violence and peer pressure.

Speaking on behalf of the students, Miss Dienagha Tarinabote of Community Government Secondary School, Nembe City,  who emerged  as the best speaker of the programme, attributed her success to perseverance, hard work and dedication to her studies.

Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has advised the 2021/2022 set of the Atlantic Hall School pupils, Epe, Lagos, not to get distracted by smartphones or social media.

He said they should rather be serious with their studies.

Udom spoke to the 87 graduating pupils during the school’s 30th valedictory service and graduation.

He noted that during his days, the level of distractions compared to today’s generation was at a level of  80 per cent, noting that several innovations have taken over.

He said: “Don’t mind a lot of things that will distract you these days. Unfortunately, they are so many distractions. Number one is a smartphone. It is a major distraction for the young ones. We were so fortunate in our time we didn’t know anything about the phone. We only went to Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) to make phone calls. You can imagine our distractions were reduced by more than 80 per cent. But now, social media and smartphones are everywhere. I just want to advise you that smartphone in your palm is not running away, that website you are trying to open can wait for you. But what would never wait for you is time, you must understand that few things you can never recover in life; one of which is lost opportunity. Your parents have given you an opportunity. If you miss it, you will never recover it.

“So, I want you to hold on to that opportunity and make sure you make the best of it. Your parents can only send you to school; they cannot read book for you. They can look for money but can never look for knowledge for you. You have to acquire knowledge, you have to study. In life, nothing comes easy,” said Udom.

However, Udom donated N20 million to the school to appreciate the training of his two sons. One of who was his last born, who was part of the graduating set, Emmanuel Abasiakara Udom.

Atlantic Hall Educational Trust Council Chairman, Chief Eniola Fadayomi spoke in the same vein to the students, advising them to face the next stage of their educational career with equipped social and academic real-life experience tools impacted on them from the school.

“We have nurtured and equipped you over the years, both socially and academically and we are confidently releasing you to continue to apply the certification that you will need to continue the next phase of your life. The challenges will come and go in this next stage. You must not take everything for granted, in as much as the school has equipped you tremendously on how to go throughout your life,” she added.