Category: Uncategorized

 

Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

 

The National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) have resolved that the PhD is not a compulsory qualification requirement for the career progression of clinical consultants.

The resolution was reached at a meeting between the NUC, MDCAN, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and other stakeholders following the intervention of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.

A circular by the NUC last December that clinical teachers with PhD would be promoted faster than those without had led MDCAN, the umbrella body of teaching hospital consultants who teach clinical medicine, to call a strike.

However, a statement signed by MDCAN President, Prof. Ken Ozoilo, and Secretary General, Dr. M. P. Chingle following the truce meeting noted that the Ph.D will not hinder the career progression of clinical consultants.

It reads: “At the end of the meeting, the following resolutions were reached: That the Fellowship is the highest qualification for clinical specialists and remains the qualification for employment for clinical lecturers into the University (Lecturer I).

Read Also: NUC, MDCAN to meet on PhD ‘controversy’

 

“That the PhD is the highest academic qualification in the University

That the possession of PhD by clinical lecturers is voluntary and optional

That non- possession of PhD will not hinder the clinical lecturer from being promoted from one rank to the other up to the level of Professor in the Nigerian University system.”

The practice has been that medical students were taught clinicals by academics from medical colleges and consultants from the teaching hospitals.

The consultants pass through Fellowship training from the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), West African College of Physicians (WACP), West African College of Surgeons (WACS) among others.

The NUC, however, desirous of a Ph.D in clinical sciences gave approval for the programme to run in Nigerian universities.

“One of the issues on the front burner is the postgraduate training for medical academics, which has no clear-cut guidelines for Masters and Ph.D. Programmes in the Clinical Sciences.

To this end, after exhaustive deliberation at series of meetings held between the

Commission and the Management of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), stakeholders unanimously agreed to introduce Ph.D. programmes in the Clinical Sciences in the Nigerian University System, for the postgraduate training of interested medical practitioners, especially for those in the academia,” the NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said in a circular after the meeting.

He noted that medical school graduates with relevant Masters of Science degrees; holders of the Fellowship of the NPMCN, WACP, and WACS; and those who have completed first level (part-one) of the Fellowship can enroll for the PhD in Clinical Sciences.

However, for holders of the Fellowship, they would only be required to complete a thesis to get the PhD.

The prompt identification of the Italian who tested positive to coronavirus in Lagos benefitted from the pro-activeness of Lafarge Africa Plc and the cooperation between the federal and state governments, reports Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF

Even before the rampaging coronavirus sneaked into Nigeria’s borders, political and health authorities at both the federal and state government levels had constantly assured the populace that the country was ready to tackle an outbreak of the virus. However, the opportunity to test the assurance did not come until last week when an Italian tested positive to the virus in Lagos State. Many wonder if the success achieved so far in managing the index case would have been possible could it be another Company that is involved, remembering very well how Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh fought gallantly to save Nigerians, unfortunately at the expense of her life.

Narrating how the patient was identified, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said his state’s bio-security team was alerted that the Italian was having some symptoms shortly after arriving in the country, which prompted health officials to place the patient in strict isolation at the state containment facility in Yaba where is receiving supportive therapy. He said the Italian patient was driven from Ogun State to Lagos where there is a standard facility that can diagnose illness such as coronavirus.

The coronavirus is likened to the Ebola outbreak six years, which the governments at the state and federal levels swiftly curtailed before it was allowed to ravage the populace as it did some other African countries. Around the world, anywhere a case of coronavirus is confirmed, contact tracing is often a vital tool for tracking infection source, which ultimately guides response from health authorities. That is why Lagos did not stop at giving supportive therapy to the Italian, he said. Its medical team has begun the necessary contact tracing, right from the patient’s movement from the airport through Lagos to Ogun State. This is to ensure the virus is not allowed to spread through human-to-human transmission. “And we are busy identifying any possible person that may have come in contact with him so that we can start our isolation and containment exercise to ensure we break the circle of transmission. In Lagos, we have been building capacity steadily, fortified support at the airport and sending state health personnel to support federal authorities. A form has been developed and all travellers are to fill the form as they arrived. At our infectious facility, we have ramped up our capacity to isolate cases. We are now sitting on an 80-bed facility because of the urgency fund that has been released by the incident commander.

“We are continuing to build more capacity, in case we have an increase in the number of cases in Lagos. We have an aggressive public awareness campaign going on and we have engaged in extensive training across the hierarchy of health professionals in Lagos State. In addition, we are building our capacity to diagnose the case in Lagos and right now, we can run the test in two centres in Lagos.

“One is in our biosecurity facility and the other at the Lagos teaching hospital. We are in constant contact with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the minister of health and we are exchanging information continuously. The important thing is that the patient is confined and we have aggressively started to identify all his contacts all the way to the airline. We like to ensure everybody that we are on this case that we can identify everybody that come in contact with. The symptoms are subsiding; he does not have any symptoms of respiratory disease. It is probably a good thing, but he does have fever and body pain. If he had respiratory symptoms, it is probably it may be more contagious than it is likely at the moment,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Last weekend, during his visit to the bio-security and containment facility at Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, where the Italian national diagnosed with COVID-19 is being managed, Sanwo-Olu said both Nigerian healthcare officials have been working round the clock with infectious disease control professionals from international agencies to ensure the counter measures being deployed to contain the virus achieve the desired results. “Let me express a confession that I am very delighted with the level of preparedness and our response to stop coronavirus from spreading in our country. The kind of structures we have put in place and the strategies being deployed have raised my confidence that the nation, at the end of the day, will win this battle and will put it behind.”

Also speaking on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ forum on the management and control of coronavirus, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, restated that the state is on top of the situation. The state has a sophisticated response mechanism, including an 80-bed disease control centre with plans to scale it up to contain the spread of the virus. He urged Lagosians to exercise a high level of suspicion at all times, especially for those just arriving the country and report any suspected case through the helplines.

Acknowledging that contact tracing is key to curbing human-to-human transmission anywhere there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, he said the state government is working with the World Health Organisation to identify those who were on the plane with the Italian. So far, 100 persons who were in same plane with the index case have been identified and are being monitored on a daily basis, he said. The Health Commissioner added that since 2014 when the state experienced the Ebola virus outbreak, capacity building to handle any disease outbreak has been taken seriously by the state government. He urged Lagosians to cooperate with the state government in its efforts to curtail the spread of the virus by living healthy, maintain good hygiene, wash their hands frequently and should remain in-door and seek medical help immediately anytime they fall sick.

“There is still only one case of coronavirus in Lagos. He is the Italian traveller that entered the country. We were able to identify him quickly and bring him to our sophisticated facility at Yaba where he remains. He is doing well. And it is important that those people he has been in touch with are not given the opportunity to spread the virus, we are tracing all his contacts from all the people that were in the airline to the hotel that he stayed in Ikeja and his trip to Ogun State.

“So far, we have been able to identify 100 persons and we are following them up on a daily basis. If any of them develops the symptoms, we will be able to bring them to our facility at Yaba and run the tests. If they are positive, we treat them. We are going to stop the opportunity for the virus to enter our community. That is what the government is doing. We have not been able to identify everybody on that flight because some people have gone to other countries while some have gone to other states. But we are working with the WHO to try and identify everybody on that flight so that we alert people who have gone to other countries that they have come in contact with a person we have confirmed to have the coronavirus. We need to put them on the high alert,” Abayomi said.

 

The Lafarge experience

 

Lafarge Africa Plc, a cement manufacturer company based in Ogun State, which first reported the Italian’s case to the state government, has shed some light into why the yet-to-be-named expatriate was in Nigeria. The company’s Industrial Director, Segun Soyoye, explained that the Italian came to Lafarge facilities at Ewekoro to inspect the installation of some equipment the cement giant procured recently from a Swedish firm.

Soyoye spoke at the company’s premises when a combined team of the host state government, the NCDC, and the WHO visited the facility for an on-the-spot-assessment. He also disclosed that the guest house where the Italian was lodged is 5km to the manufacturing plant in Ewekoro. “The Italian came for a business visit. He was in Lagos on Monday and slept at Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Our driver took him there, and when we observed abnormal temperatures and symptoms, we quickly instituted an emergency response team, which is led by the company CEO; we have to find a way of analysing and identifying not only the Italian but also the other contacts,” Soyoye said.

He stressed that 39 people suspected to have had contact with the Italian have been promptly quarantined. “Today (Saturday) is Day 3; they will be there for 14 days. We will continue to observe them; we have their database, showing their bio-data and other information. The doctor is here and what he is doing is to check them on a regular basis. So far everybody is stable, they are not symptomatic; we are providing everything for them over there. The other thing that I have not said is that the clinic that was used for the infected person is closed, disinfected and we moved everybody out. All the guys on duty that day, they were also quarantined, so they will be there for 14 days as well,” Soyoye said.

The Federal Minister of Health Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire, at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday acknowledged the “efforts of the team for ensuring that the index case was handled with 48 hours”.

Commending Lafarge Africa, Ogun State government through the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said the quick and proactive measures taken so far by Lafarge Africa have helped in nipping the only COVID-19 case in the bud. Dr. Coker also said the state has activated an emergency operation committee to manage any development that may arise from the reported index case. Ibrahim Mamadu, the team leader, WHO Nigeria, also commended the internal processes undertaken by Lafarge Africa to contain the deadly disease and advised the company and others in operating in the state to acquire digital thermometers that can do accurate body temperature readings, instead of infrared thermometers.

While thanking the Federal Ministry of Health, Ogun and Lagos state governments for providing swift response and testing facilities, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development at Lafarge Africa, said cooperation in handling the COVID-19 case made things work. “We are working in full co-operation with all local authorities. Lafarge Africa is also working in close partnership with International SOS, our medical service provider, a leading global health company. The individual concerned works for a vendor that provides services to Lafarge Africa Plc in Ogun State. As a business, we have immediately identified the persons who had direct contact with the concerned individual. We have equally initiated isolation, quarantine and disinfection protocol. Health and safety remains a core value at Lafarge Africa and we intend to leverage this strength at this critical time,” Folashade said.

Consequently, a fact that cannot be overlooked regarding the case of Coronavirus in Nigeria is that a stitch at a time indeed saves nine. The Doyen of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Samuel Ndanta did acknowledge this when the Lafarge Africa team led by its Chairman, Mr. Mobolaji Balogun and the new Chief Executive Officer at Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Khaled Abdel Aziz El Dokani performed the Closing Gong Ceremony recently. Ndanta noted that but for the swift action of the Company, the story might have been different and Nigerians would for a long time be grateful for such a life-saving gesture.

The recent tour of a Canadian delegation led by the Mayor of Brampton City to Lagos State may have opened up a vista of opportunities for young Nigerian entrepreneurs, especially those adept in food production, cyber security, real estate, among others. The delegation noted that the African continent is the next frontier in entrepreneurial success, tipping Nigerian youths to champion the cause, reports MUYIWA LUCAS.

 

The feat being recorded by Nigerians in the global space may after all not be going unnoticed. And recently, dividends for such feats appear to be rubbing off on others back home. It was an offer from unusual quarters as a Canadian delegation on a three day working city to the country extended a hand of fellowship to young Nigerian entrepreneurs to come and invest in Brampton City, Canada.

The delegation, led by the Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, at an interactive session with 300 young Nigerian entrepreneurs in Lagos, called on the country’s young entrepreneurs to come explore the business opportunities in one of the fastest growing business communities in Canada- Brampton City.

The tour was facilitated by a Nigerian firm, Pertinence Group, an indigenous firm with interests in youth empowerment, business development, real estate, and several investment portfolio, in partnership with Upsurgence Canada and with support from the Nigerian Canadian Investment and Trade Group.

“Brampton wants to be part of the Nigeria’s success story. We hope to do business with Nigerians, as there are opportunities for Nigeria to be greater than imagined. This is my second coming to the country; first time was during the commonwealth meeting and I was part of the Canadian delegation. I remember saying that this is a beautiful country. You can’t come to Nigeria once and not want to come back,” Brown said.

According to the Mayor, the large population of the enterprising youths in Nigeria is similar to those in Brampton. The youths, he said, makes Brampton the fastest growing city in Canada which he noted is similar to what is happening currently in Nigeria.

“We see ourselves as the same. We respect each other, our neighbours. It doesn’t matter where you’re born, the colour of your skin, once you have the determination to succeed, Canada will give you the opportunity. Brampton provides everyone an equal opportunity to succeed; no discrimination of any form,” he said.

He further charged young Nigerians in business to see Brampton as a City ever willing to accommodate them. “If you’re in Lagos looking for how to get opportunities to scale up your business, Brampton is a place to go. I believe in those who say the next frontier for entrepreneurial success is Africa,” the Mayor noted, acknowledging the determination of many young Nigerian entrepreneurs to remain in business despite the harsh economic situation in the country.

While the offer seems a blank cheque, preference will be given to start-ups in manufacturing, technology, especially in cybersecurity as well as food and beverages. This is because the Brampton City focus is on jobs for tomorrow, an avenue that is creating windows for technology. He revealed that the City only recently welcomed 15 tech start-ups from India as part of her recognition for the technological growth from the start-ups from the country.

“The Canadian prime minister just announced that Brampton will be the centre of cybersecurity. Our city is investing heavily in cybersecurity. This is a sector worth $600 billion. We focus on tech start-ups. These are businesses of tomorrow,” Brown said.

Read Also: Coronavirus outbreak may delay Lagos-Ibadan rail project – Amaechi

In similar vein, Brampton City Councillor, Charmaine William, urged women to strive to excel in whatever disciplines they had chosen. William, alongside Brown, admonished the over 300 young Nigerian entrepreneurs that gathered inside the Terra Kulture Hall in Victoria Island Lagos, never to allow anybody to discourage them from actualising their dreams, adding that once they had a vision or dream, they should follow it with passion.

A co-Founder of Pertinence Group, the promoters of the tour, Sunday Olorunsheyi, described Nigeria as a land of opportunities but noted that to maximise the opportunities, young entrepreneurs needed some help. This reality, he explained, prompted his firm to invite the Mayor of Brampton and his team, whom he described as a youth advocate, to come and encourage Nigerian youths in business.

“Mayor Brown understands you; he appreciates the challenges which the youths face. He understands what you go through, your frustrations, your aspirations, your yearnings and your dreams and this is why he is here today to enlighten you about opportunities you can access in the City of Brampton, Canada. We have explored the various opportunities which the City of Brampton can facilitate for Nigerian youths and entrepreneurs, and I can tell you, they are many,” Olorunsheyi said.

Another Co-Founder and Executive Director of Pertinence Group, Wisdom Ezekiel, explained that the firm is an embodiment of entrepreneurship through and through, and will continue to advocate that entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs and those they inspire define the future of Nigeria’s transformation. He therefore called on the government to prioritise the youth and entrepreneurs.

“May I also use this opportunity to challenge Nigerian businesses to continue to invest in an enabling ecosystem that encourages youth and entrepreneurship development at whatever level. From scholarships to reality shows and contests. SMEs have always been the lifeblood of capitalist economies; Nigeria is not different,” Ezekiel said.

Also as part of the visit, the Mayor and his delegation visited the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and discussed ways to collaborate using technology. The Governor informed the team that leveraging technology would facilitate the ease of doing business in the state.

Sanwo-Olu, while commending the efforts made by the Mayor to accelerate more development in Brampton, said Brampton City shared similar history with Lagos as both cities had grown over the decades to become the hubs of commerce and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He revealed that Lagos would be seeking bilateral cooperation with the political leadership of the Canadian city in the areas of cyber security, food security, and technology, among others.

According to him, the state has embarked on intensive infrastructural programme to make Lagos more attractive to people in the Diaspora to invest in. “All these efforts will sustain the position of Lagos as the first destination for business and keep our economy growing at a steady pace. Lagos is the tech. hub in the sub-Saharan Africa and there are many collaborations we can seal with Brampton in the area of cyber security,” he said.

Responding, Brown described Nigerians living in Brampton as “resilient people”, saying their influence on the City’s economy and culture contributed to its economic prosperity and social development. He said that because of the resilience of Nigerians in Canada, the country decided to focus on Nigeria and see possible areas of collaboration.

Mayor Brown also met with the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II at his Palace in Ile-Ife. The visit was aimed at celebrating and refreshing Nigeria’s brand as the African business and cultural leader as premised by the age long relationship that exists between the City of Brampton and Diaspora Nigerians.

It will be recalled that Mayor Brown and Council had On August 12, 2019 hosted Ooni Ogunwusi to a reception at the Brampton City Hall in Ontario, Canada where the monarch proclaimed Brampton as the African city of Canada with Nigerian national flag hoisted in front of Brampton City beside the Canadian and Brampton flags in honour of the king.

 

 

 

Our Reporter

 

As  the Anchor University, Lagos (AUL) prepares to welcome its fourth set of students Friday, the authorities also have its eyes on the graduation of its first set of students later in the year.

The university owned by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry opened its doors on February 6, 2017 to 103 students.  On Friday, 123 will take the matriculation oath of the university.

Pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Afolayan, said in its three years of existence, AUL has been serious about driving Pastor Williams Kumuyi’s vision for well-trained graduates.

“Anchor University is not here to add to the number of universities in Nigeria, it is birthed with a divine mandate. We are here to nurture graduates who are competent, disciplined and who will exhibit good character anywhere they work.

Read Also: Coronavirus: UNILAG ready for convocation

 

“In the first 10 years of our existence as a university, I look forward to having Anchor University as one of the five leading universities in Nigeria,” he said.

Afolayan said AUL students have distinguished themselves in various national and local examinations. He also said the university boasts of quality workforce and facilities.

“We are extending the frontiers of knowledge beyond the limits of the regular conventional universities around. It is on record that since inception, despite teething and unexpected challenges, there has never been  hitches in our programmes. We have continued to drive the vision of nurturing worthy leaders for the emerging industries and economies with utmost commitment and genuineness,” he said.

Our Reporter

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has concluded arrangements to establish Regional Centres of Excellence in Meteorological Research in the six geo-political zones of the country with the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) hosting that of the Northcentral.

The Director-General of NiMET, Prof. Abubakar Sanni Mashi, disclosed this while inaugurating the Surface Meteorological Station (equipment for weather data collection) donated by the agency to the Department of Geography and EnvironmentalManagement, UNILORIN.

The event also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NIMET and the university.

Mashi said that the gesture was part of the agency’s contribution to the development of education in the country, adding that though universities are primarily charged with the promotion of humanity, they cannot do so meaningfully without adequate attention to the weather.

Read Also: NiMET to establish research centres in six zones in Nigeria

 

According to the Director-General, Nigeria has only 54 weather observatory stations out of the expected 9,300, pointing out that this has prompted the agency to partner with universities through the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Mashi said partnering with educational institutions would help the institution acquire the relevant infrastructure and a weather station they can equally call their own because it will be useful for data gathering.

Mashi donated N100,000 to the UNILORIN Weather Club, an association of students in the Department of Geography and Environment  Management.

In his address, the UNILORIN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, said the equipment donated by the agency was a blessing that would enhance teaching and research endeavours of not only the Department of Geography and Environmental Management but also many others in the university.

 

By Olabisi Salau

 

A blend of culture and education will boost the all-round development of a child, Mrs Olayinka Afonja, Principal of Oduduwa Junior Secondary, has said.

Speaking during the school’s culture day celebration last week, she said it was essential to celebrate culture while urging the pupils to emulate the good sides of Nigerian cultural heritage,which would make them better individuals.

“Celebrating it  reminds us of our real essence and it takes us away from western lifestyle we have embraced, appreciate what our fore-fathers have preserved for us and to protect our heritage so that the generations to come will benefit from it; it is best to combine culture with education because it blends perfectly and brings out the best in a child,” she explained.

Chairman of the occasion, Prof.O.A Afonja, described the event as remarkable, saying  it would greatly impact on the lives of the students.

Read Also: Cardi B crowned Songwriter of the Year

 

While urging parents and teachers to encourage pupils regularly, he said: “We must remember that culture does not end with dressing and dancing, it goes beyond by influencing attitudes and basic norms, belief and tradition, it involves  how teachers  interact with themselves  and how they  teach the students on set beliefs, values and assumptions.”

The President of the Old Students’ Association, Mr. Peter Esalem, praised the school for its effort in bringing varioius ethnic groups together and uniting the pupils that they are one nation. He noted that the cultural day exposed them to their cultural heritage and enlightened  them on various aspects  of traditional values and norms.

It was  a day of pomp and ceremony as  everybody dressed in gorgeous indigenous cultural attires. Various songs were rendered in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and Niger Delta languages. Dance and drama were also on display.Delicacies from the different ethnic groups  such as Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Niger Delta were served.

Chieftaincy titles were awarded to  the  former principal of Oduduwa Junior Secondary School, Miss Ogunmefun Mojisola, titled the Iya Ewe of Oduduwa Junior School, Vice President of the Old Students’ Association, Mr  Omolaja Oyerinde titled Maje Obaje of Oduduwa School.Others included, Mrs, Kuye Olutoyin, Deputy Director of Idiaraba Senior High School as Akeweje, Mrs Okewole-Lawal Fumilayo as the Yeye Mayegun of Oduduwa Junior Secondary School and Mrs Ajayi Jokotade the Principal of Okota Junior High School as Yeye Oge.

 

By Victoria Adepoju

 

It was celebration galore at the 14th speech and prize-giving day of Fountain Heights Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos.

At the event, pupils who recorded exceptional performances in various subjects for the 2018/2019 academic session, won prizes.

In JSS1, no fewer than nine pupils received various prizes, with the duo of Oluwatobiloba Adeoye (12 prizes) and Oghenerume Agbaire (15 prizes) emerging as top awardees.

Thirteen pupils were also celebrated in JSS2 where Chidinma Isinguzo and Adaeze David went home with 12 and 13 prizes; while eight pupils were celebrated in JSS3. With 12 prizes, Simisola Adepoju topped in SS1 where 12 pupils were honoured; while 13 pupils received prizes in SS2.

Read Also: Female pupils’ enrolment goes up in Bauchi schools

 

The event was not only about academic excellence as six pupils were recognised for their diligence. While six students received prizes for their good conduct, 13 others were celebrated for their leadership qualities.

In her speech, Principal of the school, Mrs. Adebimpe Delano, congratulated the prize winners, saying it was not easy to meet the stringent cut-off criteria in the subjects. She also challenged those who did not win awards not to give up but redouble their efforts.

She said: “Students of Fountain Heights are being brought up to be responsible, independent, hardworking, dedicated and balanced.

These minds are trained to expand and become young selfless leaders who will stand for what is right.

Standing for what is good and right is more important than academic achievement but both go hand in hand because in the words of Dr. Samuel Johnson, ‘integrity without knowledge is useless and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”

 

By Ogechukwu Nwankwo

 

The Vice Principal, Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC), Jumoke Obadofin-Thomas has urged the government to include waste management in the school curriculum from nursery level to help children imbibe the culture of proper waste disposal.

She spoke during the third Science and Art Fair organised by the school to showcase pupils’ inventions and sensitise the public about waste management.

The event held at the school’s Opebi-Lagos premises, was tagged: Waste(Working at saving the earth).

Obadofin-Thomas said the fair was also organised to create awareness about environmental hazards such as flooding and global warming.

Earlier, the Principal, Emre Dogan said  the programme encouraged the pupils to participate in real life events beyond the classroom.

Read Also: Osinbajo calls for urgent review of tertiary education curriculum

 

He noted that the teachers worked with the pupils to invent the products exhibited at the fair.

He also said that the fair was aimed at uniting cultures  to illustrate what they stand for, citing the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Turkish as examples  demonstrated at the fair.

Most of the projects exhibited at the fair included stools made from used tyres, pet bottles used to demonstrate three-dimensional shapes, wallpaper made of cardboard and used matchsticks, Robo waste management to depict how  waste can be recycled, water fountain among others.

The pupils explained how they came up with the projects and answered questions from visitors, parents, and invited schools that graced the event.

The event was spiced up with variety of Turkish food, poetry, drama, traditional dance, and French recitations by the pupils.

 

By Segun  Omolayo

 

We once hinted that we might use the rubric “In Case You Are Just Joining” from to time, whenever we feel the need to take a break and tweak the drift for something fresher or take stock of what we have been doing.

That is exactly what we are doing here, as we take a break, again, this time to re-boot a series we rested after 10 editions. The series was “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.” From the next edition, we will bring back the series, as there is still so much to explore under that theme.

Meanwhile, permit us to, in this edition, introduce the switch-over by adapting the bulk of the edition that, then, heralded the series “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.”.

“Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say” was actually a creative exploration of the important error called MALAPROPISM. We considered the topic so vital that we dwelt on it in 10 editions of that series.

Yet, we are bringing it back. But before we set forth to further explore MALAPROPISM, let us recap the salience of what we have shared in the past on the topic.

We have shared what we mean by malapropism and why it is important to master its nature and character, its implications for good writing and effective communication, as well as how to avoid falling into the avoidable but commonly committed pitfall.

As explained in the beginning, malapropism “is the writing habit of misusing certain words for other words” (“Pop” Errors in English: Writers Beware). The book cites Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary as defining it “as “an amusing mistake somebody makes when they use a word which sounds similar to the word they wanted to use, but means something different.”

It adds that another dictionary simply describes malapropism as “a ludicrous misuse of words” (Webster’s Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus).

Malapropisms come in various forms – as careless confusions of one word with another; wrong selection of words instead of the appropriate words; words simply taken to mean what they do not mean; and sheer bombasts. Some writers rampantly commit malapropisms because the sources are many.

These include carelessness; little attention to meaning and the communicative use of words; confusion of sound-alikes (words that sound the same way); confusion of look-alikes (words that seemingly look like each other); stark ignorance; weak vocabulary; lexical pomposity; poor spelling habits; and incorrect pronunciation (Some simply operate their own rules of pronunciation with deleterious consequences for their writing.)

Because the essence of writing at all is to communicate precisely and effectively, that is, share meaning, we have advised, in line with the book referenced earlier that “any writer who is desirous and meaning will do his best to avoid malapropisms.”

The emphasis here is that it is important we choose the correct or most appropriate words, terms, phrases or ideas when expressing our thoughts in writing, so as to share meaning and deliver purpose. Do not forget, communication is purposive.

When you write, you are doing more than just passing information. You are seeking understanding; you are trying to put someone on the same page with you on something; you are perhaps also trying to strike a responsive chord in someone; and you may even desire to get something important from your audience.

For example, you desire a favourable response to an application for whatever, and that may depend to a large extent on whether the recipient understands your message, which your choice of words will enable or frustrate.

In this connection, be a stickler for precise communication, and “note how, strangely, the synonyms of the same word will not always convey the same meaning.

This suggests that the writer must spare no effort to perfect his diction.” By diction, we mean expressions, wordings, phrasings or choice of words or even style. “Pop” Errors in English: Writers Beware demonstrates these highly-nuanced semantic sensitivities with the various possible meanings of the words WALK, GOOD and SUPPORT.

The book asks us to “Consider the following meanings of the word WALK alone: crimp, limp, pace, pad, plod, shuffle, stagger, stump, stroll, tiptoe, trudge, waddle and so on.” This shows that it is a more appropriate and evocative wording if you describe a pregnant woman as waddling into the labour room in the maternity.

According tp the book, the adjective GOOD can stand for any of: “delicious, tasty, exciting, entertaining, absorbing, fascinating, informative, pleasant, enjoyable, fine, talented, skillful, brilliant, impressive, high-quality, useful, he

So, if you commend your wife for an exciting meal, you may confuse her more than ever, just for carelessly and inappropriately choosing the adjective exciting instead of the more proper adjective delicious, even as both words are correct synonyms of the word good.

And we are also told that the word SUPPORT “can denote any of these: help, approval, aid, assistance, backing, blessing, encouragement, comfort, friendship, loyalty, patronage, protection, relief, succor, sustenance and so on (and that is stretching its noun form only).” It will thus resonate more strongly to say that you got the blessing of your pastor for your political ambition than to say you got his aid or help.

In the 10 editions we have devoted to harping on saying what you mean and meaning what you say, we have also demonstrated the need to avoid malapropisms, using copious examples of malapropian gaffes drawn from a wide spectrum of writings. We will return to discuss new examples of malapropism in the re-booted series “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say”as from the next edition.

 

Our Reporter

Super Eagles Coach Gernot Rohr, has finalized his list for this month’s doubleheader AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone as the team bids to become the first country asides host Cameroon to reach the competition next year, AOIFootball.com can authoritatively confirm.

The Franco-German, who said his list would be out three weeks before the main clash, has now compiled and dispatched letters to clubs notifying them of their player’s involvement in the clash.

AOIFootball.com investigations, however, reveal that the Eagles tactician may have handed a debut call-up to Dutch Eredivisie top scorer Cyriel Dessers but there will be no return for new Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo.

Barring any last-minute changes or withdrawal from any of the already listed players, the official 24-man list will be released in the coming days with Rohr not expected to make wholesome changes to the last squad that featured in the opening round of the qualifiers.

Nigeria currently tops Group L with six points and will almost certainly seal qualification to Cameroon next year if they win both legs again Sierra Leone in Asaba and Freetown at the end of the month.