Former Governor Peter Obi has called on governments at all levels to see investment in education as a veritable tool to fight poverty, insecurity and other societal ills in the Nigerian society.

Obi made this remark in his message to mark the International Day of Education. He said the government should to treat financial commitment to education as investment and not an expense. He said that the more government invests in education, the better the economic growth and development the society enjoys.

With investment in education, Obi said insecurity and poverty would reduce, describing education as the most important tool for the socio-economic, political, scientific and technological advancement of any society.

Obi also advised Nigerian students to take their education seriously as it is capital that will lead them to greater heights in life.

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and many of his classmates in the 1977/78 set of the Anwar-ul-Islam College (former Ahmadiyya College), Agege, have credited their success in life to the quality education they received as pupils of the school.

Obanikoro spoke during the inauguration of a library remodelled by his set and named after Alhaji Jimoh Gbadamosi, the principal they credited for keeping them on the straight and narrow.

“Anytime I am here it brings out some nolstagic feelings, moreso on a special day as today that we have a rare convergence. When I look at this building (a one-storey block of classroom) where I started from and the entire school I am moved to tears.  Some people paid for us to get the education here. I sold apoti (low wooden stool) in this Agege.  Ahmaddiya College made me what I am today,” he said.

Considering all he gained from the school, Obanikoro said it inspired him to raise the funds needed to rehabilitate the library when the Set’s N25 million fundraising attempt did not yield much fruit.

Obanikoro took over the fundraising after getting about N1.6 million donated by some old boys and co-opted his children to donate towards the worthy cause.

“I told my biological children there was a task before them.  I told them I was not putting any amount on you and they contributed to what we are witnessing today.  It is my own way of training them to give back to the community,” he said.

He said the provision of library furniture and e-library facilities which were not initially factored into the costing, were also provided for.

He expressed hope that the school would take its pride of place among top secondary schools in Lagos.

To be named among the top missionary schools, President-General of the Anwar-ul-Islam College Agege Old Students Association (ACAOSA), Mr. Lawal Pedro said the proprietors of the school, the Anwar-ul-Islam Movement must reposition the school and charge fees to attract better clientele.

Pedro said: “My appeal to Anwar-ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria the proprietor of the college through its indefatigable President, Alhaji Mubashiru Ojelade, is to realise that in the absence of government subvention to mission schools they are now being run as business ventures because they pay salaries and other expenditures to maintain them.  It is not possible to maintain and develop this college to become an ivy league college with the current low fees, fisebillai or sadaqat or offerings in the mosques or at events of the movement.’’

“The movement should therefore consider handing the college over to a set of professionals to run it as purely private school without interfering in its operations.”

In his remarks, President of the Anwar-ul-Islam Movement, who is also an old boy, said the movement would consider the old boys’ recommendations.  He said the schools did not generate enough to run optimally.

“What Pedro has put before the movement is very important.  If we have to depend on what we get from the schools we won’t be able to do much.  What we get from here is barely enough to pay salaries and overhead.  All across fees in our schools are easily the lowest in any private school,” he said.

Ojelade, a lawyer, praised former Principal Gbadamosi, who at 94, was unable to attend the inauguration for all he did for the school.

“Baba Gbadamosi will take credit for what we are today.   There was a lot of discipline in his time.  As Gbadamosi helped groom us, all his children will be well taken care of.

The new library was inaugurated by Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, whose brother, Seun Dosunmu, also attended the college.

The Trustees of Olashore International School Association – Proprietor of Olashore International School (OIS), a private co-educational boarding secondary school in Iloko-Ijesha, Osun State, has inaugurated a five-member panel of inquiry into a claim of sexual assault by an ex-student Obiamaka Azubuike.

Azubuike alleged in December 2021 via a social media post that she was sexually assaulted by 13 of her fellow students when 18 years ago.

Azubuike, who was a student of the school between September 1998 and July 2004, also claimed the school tried to cover up the incident when it was reported to the management and she was dropped as a perfect.

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The five-man panel of inquiry is composed of: Justice Olusola Williams Rtd – Retired Judge of the Lagos High Court and serves on the Board of Mirabel Centre – Chairperson; Dr Alero Roberts – Lecturer, Public Health Consultant and serves on the Board of Corona Trust Council; Mrs Adeyinka Adefope – Educationist and Safeguarding Consultant; Dr Sade Olajubu – Forensic Psychiatrist and Ebuka Ekeanyanwu – legal practitioner.

The ex-student, in her claims among other reliefs, is demanding the school makes a public apology to her in print and on social media; reinstate the records to show she was a prefect in and grant a zoom ceremony where she will be awarded the honors she allegedly earned.

A statement by the chairperson of Olashore International School Association, Mrs Olapeju Sofowora, explained the panel, which was inaugurated by the Board of Trustees is charged to examine what truly transpired 18 years ago and make recommendations as considered fit.

The panel is expected to commence sitting immediately and conclude inquiry within 8 weeks.

The Vice-Chairman of Surulere Local Government Area, Dosumu Adewale, has commended Caleb International School, Surulere Campus, for identifying with national ethos and programmes, applauding the school for being patriotic and giving good examples for others to follow.

According to a statement, Dosumu gave the commendation recently at an event organised by the school to commemorate this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

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Dosumu said it was an act of patriotism for “the school to join the country to honour our fallen heroes on Armed Forces Remembrance Day for the sacrifices they made to ensure peace and harmony in our country.”

During the ceremony, which took place at Shitta Roundabout, Surulere, the council boss laid a wreath at the roundabout as a mark of respect to the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s peace and integrity.

Caleb International College’s band also played to honour the fallen Heroes.

The Annunciation Catholic College Irrua Old Boys Association (ACCIOBA) has instituted a N100 million endowment fund and completed eye-popping infrastructure to support the re-development of their alma mater in Irrua, Edo State.

The unveiling of the various completed and ongoing projects coincided with the school’s maiden Nine Lessons and Christmas Carols festival, which also featured the award of cash and scholarships to deserving students of the school founded in 1955.

At the event, ACCIOBA announced the institution of of a N100 million scholarship Endowment Fund and reported that N70 million.

It unveiled a fully completed six-bedroom Corpers’ Lodge, a 500-capacity College Auditorium and a 20-bed ultra-modern medical center which is now in its completion stages.

Other projects showcased at the event included a perimeter fence constructed around the school for adequate security, a statue of the founder of the school, Rev. Fr. Anselm Ojefua, a school gate house, installed solar power, and a tarred thoroughfare from the gate to the principal’s office.

The old boys of ACC Irrua who are top professionals worldwide, also supported the school by employing 10 highly qualified teachers, furnishing staff rooms and classrooms, supplying several boxes of text and exercise books, and providing six (6) lawn mowers to maintain the school’s vast compound.

ACCIOBA distributed bags of rice and beans worth N2.2 million to teachers and staff as incentives to encourage good teaching and learning.

Global President of ACCIOBA, Sir Pascal Isele, represented by Mr. David Akhuemokhan, read the first lesson during the Carol festival while the second lesson, was read by Prof. Mathew Ighalo, represented by Mr. Mike Akhimien.

In their messages at the event delivered via Zoom, the Global President, Sir. Paschal Isele, Keynote Speaker, Dr. Peter Okojie of the North American branch, Engr. Joseph Akhigbe, and Dr. Joseph Ohens (President, ACCIOBA North America), were excited that the school was regaining its lost glory and called on the students to be committed to their studies and avoid acts capable of mortgaging their future.

The Chief Inspector of Education, Esan Central, Mrs. Irene Uyigue and the Principal of the school, Dr. Peter Aikore assisted the Global Secretary, Dr. Ayemhenre Esekheigbe, to hand over awards to Aiwodogbo Wisdom and Odili Joseph for emerging overall best in Junior and Senior secondary classes, respectively.

Malam Isa Gusau, Special Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy to Borno Governor Babagana Zulum has obtained Masters’ Degree (MA) in Media and Public Relations with the highest classification of Distinction at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

Unlike Nigerian universities, which only classify graduate degrees, UK Universities classify Masters degrees starting with Pass classification for ‘C’ students, Merit for ‘B’ students, and Distinction for ‘A’ students.

Gusau in 2020 requested one-year study leave which was granted by Zulum after which he moved to the UK in September 2020 from where he was overseeing the Governor’s media activities on a daily basis by remotely working with his colleagues.

He was also mentoring dozens of social media associates and bloggers as well as relating with more than 100 journalists while also studying at the University of Leicester.

The University of Leicester has 100 years of history and it is one of the UK’s highly respected academic institutions where only extreme commitments result in students graduating with the highest grades after every module’s assessment undergoes simultaneous double markings by different lecturers whose different gradings must reasonably tally on each grade before marks are approved by academic boards.

Yesterday’s graduation ceremony was held from afternoon through evening at a famous De Montfort Hall around the University of Leicester’s campus in Leicester city.

The graduation was held in-person for the first time since the pandemic.

Malam Isa Gusau had previously obtained a Bachelors’ Degree with the highest classification of First-Class in Media, Public Relations and Advertising from Middlesex University in London.

He holds another Masters’ Degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Labour and Public Relations from the University of Maiduguri.

He obtained OND and HND in Mass Communication from the Kaduna Polytechnic where he had hit 4.35 out 5.0 in his final semester examinations.

Gusau also holds certificates from campus-based courses on Leadership and persuasive communication at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States; on Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education in Cambridge, UK; on Reputation Branding, Media Relations and Political Campaigns and Communication at Thompson Reuters in New York, United States.

He had also at different times undertook intensive online certificated courses organised by Harvard University on Communication Strategies, and Crisis Communication.

Gusau also attended dozens of other media relations, communication and journalism courses within and outside Nigeria.

Gusau is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, UK; the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations; the Public Relations and Communications Association, PRCA, UK; the International Public Relations Association, UK and the African Public Relations Association.

Malam Gusau had attended several conferences, summits and bilateral meetings across 18 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa for purposes of government media relations, professional networking, trainings and journalistic reporting. He had, at different times, visited 16 states across the United States for similar purposes.

During his one-year programme at the University of Leicester, Malam Isa Gusau’s secondary literature resources showed that in the course of writing academic essays and dissertation, he cited a combined number of 461 peer reviewed books and journals on wide range of subjects especially in relation to strategic communication (including risk and crisis communication), terrorists’ propaganda, ethical persuasion & propaganda, emotional intelligence, critical writing, print, broadcast and online journalism, political communication, development communication, media relations, branding and advertising, media audiences research, social science research methods, the new media, the social-media, PR in reconciliation and peace-building, lobbying and public affairs amongst other areas.

In his Master’s dissertation, Gusau investigated the identities of parliamentary lobbyists in Nigeria’s National Assembly and analysed the implications for PR and democratic governance.

In the course of the research which scored an ‘A’ after different levels of assessment, Gusau discreetly interviewed senators and members of the House of Representatives from Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, who served in the 8th National Assembly from 2015 to 2019 being the case study.

Gusau also interviewed public relations practitioners in both government and private sectors, from the six geo-political zones before applying research methods to arrive at significant findings.

Tutors at the University of Leicester described the research as ground-breaking for PR academic research and for practitioners in Nigeria and by extension-Africa, given Nigeria’s leading role in the continent.

With the completion of Masters in Media and Public Relations, Gusau may have become the first government spokesperson in Nigeria to combine graduate and postgraduate degrees with specialisation in Public Relations, which professionally deals with media relations.

While majority of past and serving spokespersons in and outside government are graduates of Mass Communication and other areas, some hold postgraduate degrees specializing in PR.

Gusau, however, holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in Media and PR in addition to being a graduate of Mass Communication like majority of spokespersons.

Except in the UK, United States and other developed countries, Nigerian universities do not offer Bachelors’ Degree programmes specializing in Public Relations unless for postgraduate programmes in less than five universities.

The NUC’s plan to unbundle Mass Communication as done in developed countries is expected to create room for universities to offer Bachelors degree programmes in PR to enable students begin specialisation at that level.