Category: Uncategorized

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has taken charge of a piece of land close to the new library building at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to construct its branch on campus.

Deputy Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Ayoku Liadi, who received the land from the university vice-chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe last Friday, said the building to be constructed would be shared with the institution.

He said the bank plans to use two floors for its operations and donate the remaining two floors to the university.

“It is going to be a four story building.  We are only going to use the first floor and the ground floor for our operations while donating the second and third floor to the university for their operations for library primarily.  So we see it an opportunity to have a permanent location on campus. Don’t forget that UBA is the first bank on campus.  We have been here since late 60s, so having a permanent site that befits that historical relationship with the university, we consider it as very important,” he said.

Liadi thanked the university community for being loyal over the years.  He said the bank had also being supportive of the university.

“We have a professorial seat that is working with faculty of business administration.  We started it about thirty years ago.; we revived it about four years ago and today, we have a Professor of Finance whom we have sponsored to conduct research on behalf of the University of Lagos and the bank.

Speaking while handing over the land, Prof. Ogundipe said as the oldest bank on campus and one with the largest customer base, UBA had become family to a lot of UNILAG workers, students and alumni.

“UBA was the first bank on the University of Lagos campus.  So there is a strong tie between UBA and University of Lagos but when the issue of construction came in, we had to relocate to a temporary site. If you look at all the banks we have on campus, UBA has the biggest portfolio in terms of the number of customers they have; even people that have graduated from the university and present students are still using UBA. So you can see that UBA has a strong relationship with the University of Lagos, and they are some students’ project that they fund,” he said.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has debunked insinuations that the Supreme Court’s judgement of January 15, 2021 granted secondary school teachers a new trade union known as Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS).

Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on the progress of its court case with ASUSS, the National President, NUT, Dr. Nasir Idris, described the impression as deliberate mischief, misinterpretation and misinformation from ASUSS.

Idris, whose address was read by NUT’s Deputy President, Kelvin Nwankwo, clarified that the apex court only ruled on the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to grant a restraining order sought by the NUT against the move to register the trade union contrary to the provisions of the law.

He said the apex court only returned the matter to the Court of Appeal for fresh hearing on the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.

Idris said: “The group of secondary school teachers led by Mr. Samuel Omani making a hollow, deceptive and false claims to have obtained judgement to unionise secondary school teachers is reckless, complete falsehood and extraneous to the decisions of the Supreme Court as well as other relevant labour laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“With the provision of the Trade Union Act we call on all teachers of secondary schools in Nigeria to disregard the baseless claim by ASUSS as no such matter of membership of secondary school teachers was before the Supreme Court and the status of NUT in unionising teachers of primary and secondary schools remain sacrosanct and backed by the jurisdictional scope of trade unions”.

Idris said in the 90 years of NUT’s existence, the leaders had been mutually rotating its apex leadership position between the secondary and primary school teachers.

He said out of the 15 presidents of NUT, only two had been selected from the primary school arm while others were drawn from secondary schools.

NUT also disclosed that its interest was the welfare of its members, adding that it would storm and declare industrial action in states treating welfare of its members with levity.

Read Also: NUT directs striking teachers to shun Obaseki’s directive

Quoting the third schedule Part A No. 26 of the Trade Unions Act CAP. T.14 LFN 2004, he said: “Nigeria Union of Teachers Shall exercise jurisdiction over teachers employed in educational institutions of all types, but excluding Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and other tertiary institutions.

“As severally established by the Registrar of Trade Unions, that Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is the body that is statutorily registered to organise teachers in primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.

Idris urged teachers across the country to exercise patience with the federal government on the move to implement the increased new retirement age of 65 years for teachers, adding that when the process was completed that teachers would enjoy.

He said: “We all know the process of law that the bill is executive. Though the President has approved, it is still in process. The National Assembly is working and we are following up and we are optimistic that it will be passed as a bill and be gazetted.

“It is NUT that asked for this welfare package. We have held the public hearing because we went to the red Chambers, but the President could not accented to it during the 8 Assembly. We kept pressing and it was returned as an executive bill. We urge our members to be patient, very soon it will be passed and we start enjoying it.”

Idris said the union would soon commence action against states that had refused to implement the new minimum wage and owing teachers, adding that the move had started with Abia State.

He said: “NUT is doing a lot. Recently the national body declared indefinite strike in Abia State to press the demand for teachers that have not been paid to be paid. We have started with Abia. The strike is entering the fifth week. We are going to other states to fight the course of our members.”

By Samson Oti

The Chief Executive Officer & Lead Consultant of Hybrid Group, Dapo Omolade, has urged the Federal Government to enforce laws law that will help Nigerians keep safe at all levels in their daily activities.

This, he said, will lead to reduced loss of lives and property.

He said loss of lives and property will continue in the country until relevant laws are enacted and enforced to help Nigerians keep safe.

The health and safety expert also urged the National Assembly to come up with right legal instrument to make safety a way of life.

“As a matter of fact, safety is leadership responsibility. Federal government should implement and enforce safety laws in the country to reduce loss of lives and properties.

“Our government should take responsibility for the safety of the citizens. COVID-19 has done damage to lots of families across the world, and this is to let Nigerians understand the importance of Safety in their lives. COVID-19 has exposed every individual.

“The House Assembly must rise up, especially at this COVID-19 period. They need to help us make laws that will make Nigerians appreciate the place of safety in their daily activities. It’s not punishing people but to make it a way of life. “

Having partnered Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB) for improved safety and health guidelines that will promote standard operational procedures, Omolade said other states should follow the good step of Lagos in ensuring their residents benefit from safety.

“I think the Federal government needs to step up their games in being responsible for the safety of the citizens, at any work level, reducing the cost of property lost and accidents in the country.

He continued: “I am excited with what Lagos State government is doing in some agencies. They allowed safety to work and we have been able to prove that they are on the right path in the State.

“This is a general philosophy that everybody should embrace; of course, we have been part of Lagos State Safety Commission right from time.

“And that’s why we are seeing some agencies from Lagos State writing to us to partner with them and help them to develop their safety system.”

By Mark Suzman

This week, we learned that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca appears to provide no measurable effect on mild or moderate disease caused by the variant of the virus first identified in South Africa, known as B.1.351.

This is deeply disappointing news. People the world over are understandably frustrated and anxious as the pandemic continues to disrupt their lives. In South Africa, where many of my family members live, and in other countries where variants are spreading, people have been waiting for the promising science to translate into lives saved in their communities.

The whole world is grappling with a complicated and fluid situation. We still don’t know, for example, if this vaccine could protect against severe or fatal disease caused by the variant, thereby preventing people from being hospitalized or needing supplemental oxygen, which is in short supply in some countries. Additional information will be needed to answer these and other questions.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and national health authorities will determine the potential public health value of this vaccine in South Africa and other countries and make decisions about where and how it can be used.

While we may all be feeling destabilised now amid this swirl of questions, we must keep the big picture in mind. In science, every outcome is knowledge. Without the researchers in South Africa who were able to quickly identify the variant and incorporate it into this clinical trial, the world would not yet know the effectiveness of the vaccine on this variant.

These world-class scientists have generated valuable new knowledge that will enable more targeted interventions, helping governments make important decisions about vaccine rollouts and better protect their people. For example, a version of this vaccine is being rolled out in India, where B.1.351 hasn’t yet been detected. So while questions are being answered, this vaccine will continue to be a valuable tool in other parts of the world.

We’ve all been spoiled lately by how good the news on vaccine science has been. The world went from seeing the emergence of a deadly new infectious disease to developing several safe and effective vaccines against it within the space of only 10 months—the fastest humans have ever gone from identifying a novel virus to inoculating against it.

Only four months ago, we weren’t sure any vaccine would work. With several additional vaccines coming through the final phases of clinical trials, including those from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, we are still on a trajectory to get everyone protected against COVID-19. It will take time for doses of those vaccines to become available, following regulatory approvals and manufacturing scale-up, but they will get out.

As philanthropy, we will continue to do our part to keep up the momentum. Building on our longstanding partnerships, we are working with governments, multilateral organizations, and private companies to determine how to respond to the latest data. We will use our funding commitments of more than $1.75 billion to help accelerate the development and distribution of vaccines that are optimized for lower- and middle-income countries and are effective against the variants.

We’ll also make new investments in treatments and diagnostics because we’ve learned that research and development on these important tools must accelerate as additional variants emerge.

Although the path forward is challenging, it is not bleak. We have learned a great deal about what works to control this virus during 2020, and these lessons are increasingly being applied for an even more nimble and effective response in 2021.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Travellers entering UK face tougher rules

A pandemic knows no borders. Leaving half the world without access to vaccines only means that more people will suffer and die, both at home and abroad. As Bill and Melinda recently wrote in their annual letter, we are fighting against immunity inequality, an injustice that is bad on moral grounds, bad on economic grounds, and bad on public health grounds. The world needs to reach vulnerable communities and health care workers with vaccines as quickly as possible, no matter where they live, if we’re going to get ahead of this virus.

To combat a global problem, global action is needed. Many nations and organisations have worked to create, fund, and promote collaborative international mechanisms to boost equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX remains far and away the biggest and most important multilateral initiative to tackle this challenge but only if it urgently receives funding to support enough vaccines to outrace the virus. Unfortunately, global manufacturing and procurement have remained underfunded while a bidding war for doses puts vaccines out of reach for the poorest countries.

Nations that understandably want to shore up their own health networks and vaccine delivery systems should also ramp up funding for COVAX and reject the impulse to make bilateral deals that shut out other countries and delay the possibility of a global recovery.

If COVID-19 has taught the world anything over the past year, it is that we’re all in this together. Variants may continue to emerge that could put everyone at risk. We cannot defeat this pandemic unless everyone, everywhere, has a chance to get vaccinated.

Suzman is CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

By Osagie Otabor, Akure

The Aquinas College Akure Old Boys Association (ACAOSA) has honoured the Vice Chancellor of the Ekiti State University of Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Victor Adeoluwa.

National President of ACAOSA, Justice Adesuyi Olateru-Olagbegi, who spoke at a luncheon to honour Adeoluwa, hailed Governor Kayode Fayemi for appointing credible and capable intellectuals into critical positions in the education system.

Justice Olateru-Olagbegi urged government to revamp elementary education as well as provide necessary infrastructure in schools collected by government from the missions

He reiterated his call on Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to ensure he fulfilled his promise to return mission schools in the state to their original owners.

Olateru-Olagbegi stated the return of mission schools would witness drastic transformation of infrastructure and improvement in the quality of education in the schools.

He described Akeredolu’s decision to return mission schools as the best birthday gift for the institution’s 70th anniversary celebration.

Olateru-Olagbegi said the old students honoured Prof. Adeoluwa because they felt proud of their own and happy with his track record in the nation’s education system which had made him most qualify for the job.

Chairman Organising Committee Surveyor Oyedokun Abiodun, said the relationship built over the years as old students of the school has bind them together till date.

Adeoluwa who appreciated Governor Fayemi for choosing him as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the institution promised not to let them down.

He promised to set standard that would make the university ranked among the best in Africa and called for more investment in the education sector for optimum productivity.

To boost its education delivery, Rotary Club (RC) of Onigbongbo has donated an e-learning centre to Wasimi Community Senior High School, Onigbongbo, Lagos State.

Making the donation, the club’s President Prince Aderotoye Adebowale said he inherited the project from his predecessor and that it would have been completed since last September but for COVID-19 lockdown and #EndSARS protests.

He listed Rotary International Districts 9110, 9455 (Australia), 3610 (South Korea), 17 clubs and Rotary Foundation as some of those that partnered with it, thanking them for their gestures.

Olajide Ajayi, who represented the immediate past District Governor Kola Sodipo, said the project included three classrooms equipped with interactive board, projector, laptop and e-content as well as a 3.2KVA to power them in case of power failure. He said 12 public schools were chosen in the district, including Wasimi Community Senior High School.

“The project in each school cost over N2.5million,” he added.

District 9110 Governor Bola Oyebade, who inaugurated the project, praised the club and its partners for a job well done. He recalled that Rotary had executed some projects in the school. He advised the school management to take good care of the project.

The Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Oladotun Olakanle, represented by the council’s Special Adviser (Information) Yusuff Khadijah, appreciated Rotary for its good work in the school. He pledged his support to Rotary.

Principal of the school Abosede Omolola Oyeleye lauded the project. She thanked Rotary for choosing the school to host the centre. She however asked for more assistance, adding that the government alone could not do it.

At the event were Lawuse of Onigbongbo Kingdom, Oba Oluwasegun Olasunkanmi Ajasa, Ilufemiloye Olaside 1, among others.

By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

A total of 140 indigent students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State have benefited from the scholarship awards of the Emeka Agbanari Foundation.

The beneficiaries, selected from various faculties in the institution by a special committee of the Students Union Government (SUG) received the sum of N7million.

Presenting the scholarship to the students, Chairman of SEAMAN Group of Companies, Emeka Agbanari said the gesture was to ameliorate the plight of the students occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “I have been committed to supporting the indigents because of the covenant I have with God to be of immense blessing to humanity.

“I was prompted by the SUG President, Comrade Samuel Jude to assist the students because of the importance he attached to education.”

Agbanari, while acknowledging the challenge of unemployment in the country, urged the beneficiaries to identify relevant skills to augment their knowledge to guarantee their employment upon graduation.

He praised the university authority on the rapid developments in the institution, assuring of his continued support.

Responding, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone praised the benefactor for ‘towing the path of honour’, just as he praised the students’ leadership efforts in attracting the award.

He urged the beneficiaries to count themselves privileged and study hard to justify the financial aid.

Also speaking, Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Nonso Achebe expressed gratitude to the foundation for the timely succour to the students.

On his part, SUG President, Jude, appreciated the benefactor for accepting the Union’s request to support the students even at the shortest notice, praying for God’s continuous blessings on him.

By Sunny Nwankwo, Umuahia

Abia State Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu says as a strong advocate of technical education, his administration would support any move towards setting up a technical university in the Southeast region.

He said this when he received the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alaike Ebonyi State, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba at Government House in Umuahia.

Ikpeazu said the nation’s economy would blossom if technical education is given priority attention.

He stressed the need for Nigerians to take pride in patronising made in Nigeria goods as a way of promoting the nation’s economy.

The Governor expressed delight with the latest feat achieved by the University in the area of production of Akwete Cloth, an indigenous fabric popularly produced in Ukwa East LGA of Abia State.

He expressed happiness with Nwajiuba’s achievements in the area of technical education and other fields of study.

Nwajiuba said the visit was to thank Ikpeazu for adding value to his administration as Vice Chancellor and for remaining a true scholar in governance.

Highlight of the visit was the presentation of the Akwete cloth produced by the institution to the Governor.

By  Kolade Adeyemi, Jos

Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for approving of the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic Shendam, describing it as cheering news for indigenes of the state and a catalyst for the development.

Lalong spoke when he received a letter from the Federal Ministry of Education conveying the approval of President Buhari for the establishment of the polytechnic.

He said the gesture shows the love that the President has for Plateau State and its technological development and that of the nation at large.

“The establishment of Federal Polytechnic Shendam comes at a time when we are redefining education in Plateau State and focusing on technical education to give our youths skills that can help them use their talents to create jobs and solve day-to-day problems of the society.

“We are excited that this new institution will connect seamlessly with the new technical schools we are building in Pankshin, Shendam and the upgrade of the Technical School in Bukuru, all meant to move our students away from education that leaves them stranded after graduation,” he said.

Lalong also lauded the approval of N2 Billion naira through the TETFund for the provision of core facilities towards the take-off of the school within the shortest possible time.

He promised that his government would give all necessary support to the institution, assuring the host community would also be mobilised for support and collaboration.

By Osagie Otabor, Akure

The best graduating student of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) for the 2019/2020 academic session, Miss Esther Fashola, says she plans to have a stint in journalism before going for post-graduate study.

Esther graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.89 in Mass Communication.

She attributed her academic success to the knowledge she acquired during her secondary school days.

She also credited her family and friends for their support.

“My mother was my mentor throughout my education. I owe everything to her.

“The journey has not been easy. Our lecturers gave us the best. Thank God I was able to meet up. I didn’t choose JABU as my first choice. It was my uncle that brought me here.

“In my first year, I was surprised at my result. I had to work hard to keep it up. I was poor in my SS1 but I had to work hard and I won six prizes in my SS2. I know what I wanted to study so I went for Mass Communication. I am confident and I like writing,” she said.