Iwerekun Community High School, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State has distinguished itself as a school to reckon with in science by lifting the Tolaram Science Challenge trophy.

The challenge is a science-based contest among schools in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State facilitated by the Tolaram Group to promote science education amongst pupils of the area.

Iwerekun Community High School defeated Magbon Alade Senior Grammar School in a keenly contested grand finale sponsored by the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) company with product support from other companies in the Tolaram Group including Dufil Prima Foods Limited, makers of Indomie, TG Arla, (Dano Milk) and Kellogg Tolaram (Coco Pops).

A total of 14 secondary schools participated in the competition, now in its fifth edition, from group stages to the grand finale with each school represented by six pupils. The students were drilled in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and General Knowledge.

Apart from the scholarship to the best students from each school, the top four winners were rewarded with cash prizes and trophies while others got gifts including science textbooks.

man, Lekki Worldwide, Mr Biodun Dabiri praised the initiative, which he said would go a long way to create a better future for Nigerian youths.

“In any country that is emerging like Nigeria, the future is in the hand of the youth. We must mould them while they are young. There is no way we can have a better future without moulding them and that is what Tolaram is spearheading”, Dabiri said.

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Lagos State,  Oluseyi Whenu thanked the for improving science education in line with government’s agenda for technology advancement.

By Gbemisola Adesola and Dorcas Aluko

The Lagos State Education District IV recently honoured outstanding staff members, schools and students in the district for the 2020 academic year during its 15th Annual Merit Awards held at Sanya Senior Grammar school, Surulere.

The event, which had as theme: “Resilient achievers in the face of daunting challenges”  featured awards in various categories, including: Best Senior and junior Secondary School, Best Senior and junior school principal, Best Senior and junior School student, Best Senior and Junior school teacher, Best Senior and junior head of department, best district non-teaching staff among others.

Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary (TG/PS) of the district, Mr. Charles Adeboye Olajide said the essence of the award programme was not just to celebrate the awardees but to also encourage others that they can be winners too.

He said the selection produced the winners was stringent.

“It was a very rigorous event. We looked at the punctuality of the teachers, the impact they have made in the school and their productivity. These are the things we are rewarding and we want others to emulate. The essence of this award is not just to celebrate people that are winning but to point to others that they also can be winners.

“Apart from the general measures being taken to identify those that are working, there is a secondary measure or mechanism to seek them out. Most of the people, I don’t know them but I sent out some people that know them to identify them so that they will not feel cheated if they are not given anything. I am sure the competition is going to be stiffer next year. That way others will be encouraged to do more” he added.

Chairman of the event, Cheif Abebunkola Adebutu Kessington, who was represented by Mrs. Fadeke Ade, said the future of tomorrow is education and further underscores the need for principals and teachers to create time, monitor and show empathy to learners so as to achieve good grades.

“Your reward is here on earth not in heaven,  It is these children that you will run to because when you train somebody in the education and they become commissioner, president, governor of a state then they will remember you that they had one teacher or one principal that tutored them,’ she said.

One of the awardees, Cecilia Adetola Okeowo who won the Best Senior School Principal category affirmed that hard work helped her to be outstanding and advised her colleagues not to relent in whatever they are doing until they achieve that success.

 

By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

The University of Abuja has partnered with the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) to enhance knowledge sharing, promote innovation and capacity building.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both organisations, the collaboration would be implemented through the University Business School, Internship and Linkages Services (ILS), Centre for SIWES and Student Employment Scheme (CSSE), Centre for Undergraduate Research (CUR) and Centre for Sponsored Projects (CSP) and the ACCI’s Business Entrepreneurship, Skills and Technology Centre, Dispute Resolution Centre, Abuja Trade Centre and Policy Advocacy Centre.

The areas of collaboration include: research and development, technology transfer, commercialisation of research outputs, training programmes, internship and industrial attachment placements, creating linkages with relevant industries, mentorship programmes, research funding and policy advocacy.

Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, said collaborations between universities and industries were known to have driven the economy of the most advanced nations of the world.

He said it was time educational institutions and businesses in Nigeria began to work closely together to drive national development.

The Vice Chancellor assured ACCI that the University was ready to play its role in accordance with world best practices to ensure that the partnership has significant impact on the Nigerian economy.

“I assure you that I will give this collaboration my total support.  I want to make sure that our students benefit tremendously from the initiative and even more than that, that our nation benefits tremendously from its implementation,” Na’Allah said in a statement issued by the Head, Information and University Relations, Dr Habib Yakoob.

President, ACCI, Dr. Al-Mujitaba  Abubakar noted that the agreement was on a very important aspect of the economy.

Represented by the vice president of the chamber, Barr Jude Igwe, Abubakar said it is imperative for businesses and educational institutions to partner to provide skilled workforce for the economy.

“To prepare a skilled workforce, business and educational institutions must partner to preserve our nation’s competitiveness and economic strength in response to a rapidly changing and increasing competitive world,” he said.

According to him, the MoU, when implemented, would not only improve the quality of education at the disposal of the students but also add to the value the students will be giving to the society and the country when they leave school.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

A professor of soil fertility and plant nutrition, Moses Awodun, has warned against the use of synthetic fertiliser as they adversely affect health on consumption in food and fruits.

While delivering the 129th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) titled: “The nexus of population, food Security, climate change and plant nutrition: Organic wastes as alternative Fertiliser in Nigeria”, Awodun said the risk of dying from cancer (brain cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, intestinal cancer and lymphoma (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL) is said to be six times more when synthetic fertiliser are used on crops that are consumed by people.

He said synthetic fertiliser have also been associated with a condition which leads to difficulty in delivering sufficient oxygen to all body tissues, and is also linked to birth and development disorders such as the Blue Baby Syndrome.

Awodun said crops grown with high impact of fertilisers were less resistant, less nutritiously balanced and rot more rapidly than those which are naturally grown.

“The application of excess fertiliser is destroying the presence and balance of the Microbiome responsible for the production of nutrients in the soil thus making the farmer more and more dependent on this inorganic fertiliser,” he said.

Awodun referred to a report which stated that an individual today would need to consume twice as much meat, three times as much fruit, four to five times as many vegetables to obtain the same amount of minerals and trace elements available in the same food in 1940 because of the use of synthetic fertiliser.

With the rich endowment of abundant natural, mineral and human resources which characterise developing world and especially Nigeria, Awodun said the country is expected that they should  be able to produce enough food to feed their people, generate foreign exchange earnings from the export and sales of surplus.

He said Nigeria soil should be the next black oil in a world of climate change, adding that if as a country, it can curtail the vagaries in farm activities; it will go a long way in restoring life to the soil.

In his remarks, the FUTA Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development, Prof. Philip Oguntunde described the lecture as a contemporary one to present happenings within the society. He also commended the lecturer for his immense contributions to the body of knowledge in his field of study.

 

By Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

Education Minister, Mr. Adamu Adamu, has approved the preparations for take-off of the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, Delta State, with plans to begin academic activities in September, 2022.

Adamu gave the nod after inspecting the Polytechnic site in Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, said the ministry was satisfied with preparations for the institution’s take-off.

The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, said the visit was to inspect the site on the instruction given to the team to coordinate and facilitate all arrangements for a successful take-off next year.

The Minister expressed satisfaction with what he saw on ground, especially the land acquisition, location, proximity to public power and water supply.  He praised the communities for giving 100 hectares of their land to the polytechnic.

He said: “We are pleased to note that the key issues we are looking out for is that the land is centralised, accessible to power and water supply for the employees and the students, and whether there are potentials for the development of the communities, as well as supporting communities that will constitute the larger catchment of the institution.”

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who hosted the inspection team, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the polytechnic.

He said the institution would be a “global institution in innovation and excellence”.

“We have some universities and polytechnics which are glorified secondary schools, but we are determined that it will not be the case with this Polytechnic,” he said, promising to use his good offices to attract funding from other sources for the institution’s development.

Though it is a practice that new institutions start with a few colleges or faculties, Omo-Agege appealed to the ministry to allow the polytechnic start with six colleges, namely College of Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Studies, Pure and Applied Sciences, Agriculture and Food Science, and College of Management, Humanities and Arts.

 

By Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has assured of a synergy with UNICEF and other partners in driving girl-child education.

The Sultan, who spoke in Sokoto when he received a delegation from UNICEF Abuja, Kano and Sokoto, said the agency’s girl-child education programme was relevant to societal development.

He noted that the desired target of getting girls educated had not been realised even as he pointed out that “we are not disappointed at the speed towards ensuring mass literacy is achieved in Sokoto state”.

Sa’ad Abubakar further said a summit tagged “Keeping the girls in school” would soon be held to deepen the education of the girl.

Accordingly, in his farewell remark to retiring Mohammedeen Fall, UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Sokoto, the monarch said the official, a friend and resilient individual in his work, would missed.

“Though he is leaving, yet he is with us in spirit because of the good relationship we share and we wish him the best,” he said.

He described the development partners as key stakeholders in shaping and making the society a beneficial place for all, saying: “Our doors are open and always ready to receive you people for your roles.”

The Deputy Representative of UNICEF Nigeria, Ms Rushnan Murtaza, and Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, the Director, Health Section, UNICEF Headquarters, New York, United States acknowledged  appreciated the contributions of the Sultan to the initiatives piloted by development partners.

“We surely and sincerely appreciate because it has greatly assisted in our years of programmes in Nigeria and Sokoto especially,” they said

The duo, however, sought more synergy in education and health, noting that the monarch’s great influence and vision would greatly help in achieving more results in the country.

Others on the UNICEF delegation included Mr. Maulid Warfa, Ag. Chief, Field Coordination Services and Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano; Ms. Raganai Matema, Health Manager, Sokoto Field Office; Paula, Health Section, Abuja and Mr. Samuel Kalu, the new UNICEF Information Officer.

 

By Kolade Adeyemi, Jos

The newly-appointed Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof. Gray Goziem Ejikeme, has assumed duty at the permanent site in Jos, Plateau state.

Ejikeme was led to his office by the outgone Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, after a brief handover, which took place at the Senate chamber.

At the ceremony, Maimako told the gathering that Ejikeme would function as the Acting Vice Chancellor while also retaining his former position as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), pending the appointment of a substantive vice chancellor.

He said he was leaving behind a lot resources for the Acting  VC to work with, including files and office equipment, an established structure, records of personnel brought into the system in the past five years as well as records of completed and ongoing infrastructure.

Maimako, who described the Prof. Ejikeme as one “with vast experience”, said he had no doubts that he would live up to expectation, urging him to build on the legacies he left behind to enable the university move forward.

He pleaded with members of the staff and students to support the new Acting VC to enable him succeed in his new assignment, pending the appointment of a substantive VC.

Prof. Ejikeme, in his acceptance speech, promised to carry everybody along in the performance of his duties and to also do his best to take the university to greater heights. He said: “With God, all things are possible to them that believe.”

The Nation had reported that agitations rocked the appointment of a substitutive vice chancellor, following claims of alleged imposition of a candidate not from the state, which brought the process to a halt. The expiration of Maimako’s tenure as VC prompted the Senate to appoint an acting VC to avoid any vacuum.

By Adebisi Onanuga

Primero Transport Services Limited, operators of Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) on Tuesday denied reports that it was broke.

A diesel supplier, Seapro Energy Limited had suggested that the company be wound up on ground of insolvency.

Read Also: Birthing the Third Lagos BRT corridor

But Primero, in a statement by the Head, Corporate Communications, Mutiu Yekeen said, “The company is not insolvent. We are working with the aggrieved diesel supplier to address their grievance.”

Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State chapter, Comrade Chibuzor Osifalujo, has cried out over what he called the “sorry state of the workers of the institution” owing to the failure of the Ogun State government to pay their outstanding salaries for March and April.

This allegation was made by the Unions of the institution as, according to the Union leader, the Governor Dapo Abiodun failed to give approval for workers’ outstanding salaries to be paid from the internally generated revenue “in spite of weeks of requests and appeals.”

Osifalujo accused the Governor of alleged insensitivity to the plight of the workers of the polytechnic who are being owed four months’ salary arrears.

The unionist said the Governor’s attitude towards the welfare of the workers was making life unbearable for the workers as their case is becoming hopeless despite their unwavering sacrifice to the institution and the state.

He expressed dissatisfaction about approvals always taking ages to be given. He further claimed that the non-approval of workers’ salaries in due time had caused serious health issues to them adding that the institution just two weeks ago, lost a staff due to curable malaria.

“I have personally been sick waiting patiently that once salary is approved for payment, i will go for treatment only to be reliably informed that the governor was not on seat yet, our salaries not approved before he left. Does he want us to keep dying?”

 

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

Monday’s result-sharing session to mark the Third Anniversary of the Edo Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) at the Festival Hall of the Government House, Benin, was all about the children.

The pupils gave the welcome address, interviewed Governor Godwin Obaseki, acted a drama and recited poem. From pre-schoolers that were barely five year olds, to primary five and six pupils, they took up the tasks assigned to them with confidence.

Whenever the pupils from various public primary schools across the state took to the stage, the audience expressed delight.  “These children are very good,” “they are so confident”, were comments that members of the audience made to those closest to them.

When they took on the governor during the interview, they asked about their future beyond primary school given that EdoBEST, a technology-enabled system that provides teachers with standardised lesson notes and child-centered classroom managerial skills, had rapidly improved learning outcomes at the primary level.  They wanted to know if the government had plans to revamp secondary schools and tertiary institutions as well.

Obaseki described EdoBEST as one of his administration’s biggest achievements.

He said the impressive performance of the project had inspired the state to launch the EdoBEST 2.0 to replicate the results in other levels of education.

“This is as far as I am concerned one of our greatest achievements as a government. Today we are going to be unveiling the next phase – EdoBEST 2.0,” he said.

Though learning outcomes had improved and brought pupils in the state’s public schools to the level of 70 percent of what children at the same level knew in Asia, Obaseki said the state would not rest on its oars.

Obaseki was confident that the EdoBEST 2.0 would outlast his administration once people are able to take ownership of the project like they did for first phase.

He said: “We have made progress but we are not where we want to be. We need to accelerate. We don’t have time. Our kids are now learning better – they are about 70 percent of their colleagues in Europe and Asia. They are far from where their colleagues in Nigeria are but that is not the standard. We want to be at 100 percent. We want to extend this outcome throughout the education system – through our basic, secondary, technical schools and tertiary institutions. As long as we get our people to take ownership, it will last,” he said.

Obaseki said with the extension of the initiative, junior secondary schools would fall under the administration of the Edo SUBEB chaired by Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, saying leadership was critical to the achievement of the state’s objectives.

He also noted that the state would invest heavily in improving technical education and physical infrastructure in schools and campuses.

“We want to make sure that our colleges and universities are of the same standard as the schools we send our children to abroad,” he said.

With EdoBest 2.0., Dr. Oviawe, said this time it is not about basic education but about the state striving to be the best in Nigeria and the world.

She said the state recorded 17 per cent increment in enrolment, improved learning outcomes, dedication from teachers and support from parents – all which would be replicated at higher levels of education.

Teachers are excited about the future of the initiative given the impact they already see in their learners and also in their own levels of proficiency as educators.

A Primary Two teacher at Obaseki Primary School, Benin City, Mrs. Rosemary Ezehiwele, said: “It is amazing; it is wonderful.  EdoBEST has really helped in creating a better future in the state.  It has enabled them to improve their vocabulary, their thinking ability and logic in mathematics.  They can compete globally. I see them being the best in all areas of educational system.  There is nothing like truancy as far as EdoBEST is concerned.  Learning is made easy and teachers don’t struggle to teach the pupils.

“EdoBEST has made me more competent as a teacher; more committed, more punctual, hard working.  There is nothing like truancy, laziness because we are very busy.  It has really improved my abilities; it has made me to read more, know more.  The difference is visible.”

Another teacher at Idumowu Primary School, Ebele, Igueben, Mr. Michael Osaigbovo, said: “It has impacted on the child, especially in their speaking. Their reading proficiency has improved. In EdoBEST, we do teaching at the right level.  We give them literacy specifically for their level.  We use sounds and pictures to help them at a younger age.  That helped them a lot.”