By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

President Muhammadu Buhari has praised the Senate of University of Lagos (UNILAG) for sending a delegation to him when crisis between the University management and Dr. Wale Babalakin-led Governing Council led to the removal of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, last year. (Ogundipe was reinstated last November).

The storm that engulfed the institution was why the 2019 Convocation scheduled for March 9-12, 2020, was unceremoniously cancelled.

The Visitor to the University spoke yesterday, the final day of the rescheduled convocation which featured the conferment of honorary degrees to four prominent Nigerians, and awards of PhDs and prizes at the Ade Ajayi Main auditorium.

Buhari, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, said the UNILAG Senate’s role was why he set up a special visitation panel to investigate the crisis.

He said: “As vistor to this university, I cannot but recollect the recent council-management crisis of 2020. I commend the Senate of the University of Lagos for its maturity and decision to send a delegation to me on the matter. As it became obvious, I heard your voice loud and clear. Government immediately set up a special visitation panel to investigate the crisis. The recommendations of the panel were promptly implemented to restore peace to the university. Part of this restoration process necessitated the appointment of a new governing council for the university under the chairmanship of distinguished Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso.”

Buhari urged the university community to maintain peace in the university.

He also said the visitation panels set up to investigate federal-owned institutions in February were wrapping up their work and promised that the Federal Government would speedily implement their recommendations.

The President lauded the conferrment of posthumous Emeritus Professorship on the late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, the eighth vice Chancellor of the university, who died in January. Ibidapo-Obe had also served as the pioneer vice Chancellor of the Federal university, Ndufu Alike in Ebonyi State.
Borno Governor Babagana Zulum, who was at the event to support honorary degree recipient, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, and the Chancellor, Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, urged UNILAG to promote research on peace, unity and economic development.

He sad: “The ranking of the university is encouraging. I therefore urge the management and staff of the university to sustain this momentum and even to do more.

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“The University should also give more emphasis to research that will promote peace unity and encourage economic development,” he said.

Zulum also spoke of partnering with the university to get more Borno Indigenes to undergo postgraduate studies at UNILAG.

“I promised the VC when he came to Maiduguri that the government of Borno State under my leadership would partner with this great university with a view to sending students to this university to study PhD courses here.

“We shall soon enter into an MOU to send a minimum of 200 Indigenes of Borno State to do postgraduate studies here,” he said.

Thanking one of the honorary degree recipients and the founder of Insight Communications, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo for recognising his administration’s effort in Borno at such a difficult time, Zulum promised to raise the bar of good governance.

He said: “I also want to commend one of the awardees, Biodun Shobanjo for noticing our modest contributions. And I promise to raise the bar of good governance with concrete, measurable, and quantum value to the electorate.”
Highpoint of the event was the award of emeritus Professorship on the late Ibidapo-Obe, which was received by his wife; and the onferment of honorary degrees to Indimi, marketing Communication expert, Shobanjo, Sir Kessington Adebutu, and the late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh.

Dr. Adebutu announced the donation of N200 million to the university to improve internet facilities. He said it was in honour of the university’s Pro-Chancellor and chairman of Council, Dr. Lamer Tejuoso, whose father, Oba Tejuoso, was a close friend.

Chairman of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia also pledged 3,500 tablets to the institution in response to the Vice Chancellor’s call for 1,000 tablets support indigent students for virtual education.

A total of 148 students received PhD degrees, among who was 71 year old Marinze Felicia.
Rasheed Moruf of Marine sciences won the best thesis overall and in Sciences, while Meseghan Peter’s won for Humanities.

The event was graced by many dignitaries from business, government, political class, academia and royalty.

They included, former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima; business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Jim Ovia; chairman Platforms Capital, Dr. Akindele Akintoye, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu; and Pastor Itua Ighodalo, among others

The National Association of University Students (NAUS) has described as exploitative the N5 million tuition fee for King David School of Medicine in Uburu, Ebonyi State.

A statement signed by the group’s National Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lekan Abdul-Azeez Soneye, and Chairman NAUS CMC, Ebonyi State, Ogwa Emmanuel Chidindu, faulted Governor David Umahi for setting the fees higher than what the average student can afford.

The statement reads: “We have read from the press with displeasure a barbaric decision by the government of Ebonyi State under David Umahi to make the tuition fee of the newly founded University in the state a range between two million and five million naira.

“Umahi declared that ‘medical students will be paying N5 million, while non-medical students, would be paying between N2 million and N3 million for tuition and other fees in the university’ that is to commence session in September this year.

“We want to consider this statement to be a slip of tongue by the Governor who might have mistaken another paper for what he ought to read at the event yesterday for we think no reasonable government would place such an exploitative amount as school fees in a public varsity in this kind of economy.”

As a public institution, the group said the new university must be affordable and therefore called on the governor to reverse the fees.

“We demand that the governor reverse his backward statement now and release a statement that contains public friendly content about the University,” the statement added.

By Damola Kola-Dare

Anchor University, a Lagos-based private institution owned by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, will hold its first ever convocation tomorrow.

Vice Chancellor Prof Joseph Afolayan stated this in a briefing on Thursday.

Giving a breakdown of the graduating students, the VC noted of the 63 graduands, 23 made First Class, 27 had Second Class Upper while 13 students graduated with Second Class Lower.

He reiterated the institution’s commitment to transforming youths and making them godly and disciplined.

“The university has not only proved to be committed to the vision of being a citadel of learning for holistic human transformation and development, we are now set to release the first set of Anchor Ambassadors to the world after four years of training and mentorship,” he said.

Afolayan said graduates of the institution were unique and capable of defending their results.

He assured they were ready to shine their lights through industries and nations.

He also stated that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the institution effectively deployed online learning for lectures and examinations through Google Classroom.

He, however, said practicals were later done physically when the lockdown eased.

Agency Reporter

Mary Enakireru, a 19-year-old student of Anchor University Lagos, has emerged the best graduating student for the 2019/2020 class at the institution’s maiden convocation.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Joseph Afolayan, announced this at a news conference on the activities lined up for the institution’s maiden convocation, on Thursday in Lagos.

According to Afolayan, the convocation ceremony holds on Friday, July 9, and ends with a special convocation service on Sunday at the Deeper Life Bible Church Headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos.

The VC said that Enakireru from the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Science Education, would be awarded a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Microbiology, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.95/4.00.

He said that the university operated a four-point grading system, adding that 23 of the 63 students would be graduating in the first-class upper division from the institution.

“After four years of meticulous training, mentorship, and commitment to the vision of being a citadel of learning for holistic human transformation and development, we are now set to release the first set of Anchor ambassadors to the world.

READ ALSO: Anchor collaborates with University of Colorado

“For our maiden convocation ceremony, there are 63 graduands: nine from the Faculty of Humanities; 27 from Social and Management Sciences and 27 from Science and Science Education.

“On their grades, 23 of them graduated with a first-class degree, 27 had second class upper while the remaining 13 had second class lower degrees,” he said.

He noted that the institution had partnered with various institutions across the globe to improve the quality of learning as well as gain local and global relevance and recognition.

He expressed confidence that the graduates were capable of defending the results which had been approved by the university’s Senate.

“Anchor University graduates are now ripe for the corporate world to shine their lights through industries and nations,” he said.

Speaking further on activities lined up for the four-day event, Afolayan said that Prof. Peter Okebukola, Chairman of Council, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), would deliver the convocation lecture titled “Re-engineering the Youths for Leadership Imperatives and National Development.”

Anchor University Lagos is a faith-based private institution located at Ayobo Ipaja, Lagos and is owned by Deeper Christian Life Ministry.

It began operations in February 2017 and currently runs 12 programmes in the faculties of humanities, social and management sciences, science and science education. (NAN)

By Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

 

The  Academic Staff  Union Of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) Benue State Chapter has  appealed to the Benue State Government to implement the new retirement age and years of service for teachers approved last October by the Federal Government.

Its National President Comrade Samiel Omaji, who made the appeal, also called for the recruitment of teachers in  the Secondary, Science and Technical schools whose number he said had depleted due to retirement, death and transfer of services.

The president, who made the appeal during the inauguration of ASUSS Secretariat Complex in Màkurdi, the state capital, also called for the release of letters of promotion for those on Grade Level 16 as being done in other states.

The implementation of this in Benue, will also help in addressing not only the challenges of shortage of teachers, but will as well give the teachers a sense of belonging and this will also translate into quality and functional education system for the Benue child.

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While commending the Benue State Governnent for its giant strides in the education sector through infrastructural development in both primary and secondary schools in the state, Comrade Omaji informed that the building of the complex was started  in 2013 and its completion was enhanced by the stabilisation in payment of salaries since January 2018.

Earlier, Ortom, who was represented by his Chief of Staff Terwase Orbunde, praised the National President for being focused, dedicated and prudent in the management of resources which has given birth to a befitting office accommodation for its staff members.

The governor reiterated his commitment to the education sector in the state through the provision of  infrastructure, learning tools among other things  to enhance quality output, adding that already the state was recruiting teachers to address the shortfall.

As part of its corporate responsibility and to stem the incidence of fraud, Shirah Tutors, an arm of Shirah, an Alberta, Canada-based online platform is offering tutorials for Nigerians seeking to study abroad.

According to its management, despite receiving admission to study in a Canadian College or University, very few Nigerians seeking to further their studies actually make it to Canada. To this end, it has made available tutorials and steps on how to achieve smooth sailing on its platform.

A statement from Shirah outlines the factors that enable speedy admission to include: a strong letter of intent, intent to return, meeting the required financial requirements, absence of a criminal record as well as a complete medical examination.

Other factors include a letter of acceptance from the academic institution one wishes to study, as well as a confirmation that all the relevant documents, which vary from country to country, are in place.

CEO of Shirah, Bukky Abaniwonda, a licensed immigration specialist, who holds a Master’s in Finance from Canada, explained that Shirah Tutors underscores the company’s commitment to helping prospective clients meet up with the language requirements of the Canadian government.

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According to her, to further make sure that one’s study visa application gets approved, it is advisable to make use of a licensed immigration consultant.

“No knowledge is wasted especially when it comes to Canadian Immigration. One of the ways to stand out from other candidates is to have an additional educational certificate such as a second degree or a Master’s to stand out from other applicants. Shirah has constantly proven to be the best immigration consultant to work with. With our experienced consultants you can rest assured of an approved study permit,” she said.

Bukky, among other things, stressed on the importance of taking a language test, stating that the purpose is to determine migrants’ proficiency in English or French and is essential in granting residency.

 

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

 

The Lagos State Education Commissioner, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo has counselled parents not to rush their wards to secondary school without completing six years of primary education stipulated by the National Policy on Education (NPE).

Speaking during an interactive session with educators and visitors at the 2021 Total School Support Exhibition (TOSSE) held at the Ten Degrees event centre, Oregun, last Friday, the commissioner also cautioned secondary schools against accepting children that do not complete primary six.

Responding to question about the culture of rushing children off to secondary school from primary four or five, Mrs. Adefisayo said: “As principal of a secondary school, I never admitted a child without primary six report card.  But I want to appeal to secondary schools too especially private secondary schools stop taking underage children because it even undermines your school because it takes them long to settle down they don’t really. They may be brilliant but I have hardly seen anyone who kept it up till SS3 because they are so young.”

Continuing, she said schools should counsel parents on the danger of admitting an eight or nine year old in secondary school.

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“Schools have to let parents know if a child comes in at eight he is going to be like 13 or 14 in SS3. Do you really want a fourteen year-old in the university? A child who cannot make decisions in a free environment free for all where you know the people there are much older than them you don’t want your 13, 14 years old in an environment of 20-year old who in turn will force them to do things they do not want to do.  So I think it is a campaign that we all have to work on together. We are working on that to bring back Primary six.”

When asked if the government may consider sanctions against schools that admit underage children in an interview, Mrs. Adefisayo said: “We are going to look at that …  to sanction them because the national policy on education is clear on it that children from so-so age to so-so age should be in primary school.”

Speaking on the various reforms initiated by the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu-administration the Commissioner said there had been improvement of schools infrastructure, teacher training, curriculum review and the integration of technology in teaching and learning.

She spoke of the government’s plan to build technological eco-friendly schools, saying that the pilot had started at Vetland Junior School, Agege.

On the schools’ appeal that the government reduce the cost of material testing from N100,000, and consolidate taxes to check multiple taxation, Mrs. Adefisayo said the Office of Education Quality Assurance would discuss the review with relevant government agencies.

In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja urged all stakeholders to join hands to support government in  it is a collective responsibility of the citizenry and stakeholders to sensitise parents on how to discourage street hawking and child abuse.

The commissioner was supported by directors and heads of agencies, units and commissions under the ministry of education in addressing the various issues raised school administration, multiple taxation, quality assurance, school approval requirements, among others.

 

Other members of the panellists include the Chairman, Teaching Service Commission, Mrs. Olabisi Ariyo, Tutor General/Permanent Secretary District IV, Mr. Olajide Charles, Tutor General/Permanent Secretary District VI, Mrs. Okelola Oludara, Tutor General/Permanent Secretary District II, Mrs. Anike Adekanye, Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Abiola Seriki Ayeni, Executive Secretary, LASTVEB, Mrs. Moronke Azeez, Permanent Board Member LSUBEB, Mrs. Sijuade Idowu-Tiamiyu, Senior Special Assistant, STEAM, Mrs. Adetola Salau. They proffered solutions to challenges facing the sector and intimated stakeholders on the roles of their respective agencies.

By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

 

A new State Coordinator, Mrs Yetunde Baderinwa, has resumed at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Anambra state.

Baderinwa, a native of Ondo State, who served as Deputy Director, Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, NYSC Abuja, replaced Mr. Kehinde Aremu, who returns to the Human Resource Management Department in Abuja.

Addressing management staff of the scheme at the state Secretariat, the new Coordinator said she was not unsettled on receiving her posting letter, particularly in view of the personality she was taking over from.

“When this posting came out and I saw it is Anambra, I had rest of mind because I know I have a backbone. Since my arrival, I have been feeling very comfortable because I know I’m at home. This is my first time in Anambra, though I’ve passed through the state to other states.”

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While assuring of a transparent and open door policy, Baderinwa solicited support from members of staff of the organisation.

“All I need is your maximum cooperation so Anambra can be the pacesetter in the entire NYSC. I appreciate all of you and believe with your support we’ll go places because there’s no success without a team.”

Earlier, Aremu who described his three-year tenure in the state as amazing attributed his success to the support from his entire staff, urging them to extend same Mrs. Baderinwa.

“I am truly happy to have worked with all of you here. I thank you for the show of love and affection. I pray God to replenish you. I assure you that you have a brother in Abuja. Anywhere Anambra matter rises, be sure of my interventions.

“Please extend the same maximum coorperation, such that whatever we achieved here will be a child’s play. We don’t say good-bye in Anambra,” he said.