The Nation Newspaper

Tag: College provost

  • College provost advises FG on recession

    The Provost of Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu; a former World Bank Consultant and former Abia State Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Philip Ntoh, has asked the federal government to conduct a more in-depth study of the Nigerian environment and look inwardsin order to apply the best economic strategy needed to bail the economy from recession.
    He also advised the government to engage more experts in order to tackle the nation’s present economic woes.
    Ntoh used the occasion of the inauguration of the newly elected executive of the school’s Students Union Government (SUG) on Wednesday, led by Comrade Mba Kelechi Mathew, to warn that the institution will not hesitate to expel any student who engages in any anti-social behavior such as cultism, examination malpractice and rape.
    He explained that the school adopted the policy of zero –tolerance for cultism and examination malpractice so as to turn out graduates who will be the true leaders of the state and Nigeria in the future.
    He also noted that a conducive learning environment has been created for the students to excel, especially with the engagement of quality lecturers, newly renovated hostels and other facilities.
    Ntoh noted that when he assumed office a year ago, the school was without public power supply while the hostels and the entire environment were rundown, but expressed happiness that the situation had changed for the better.
    According to him, through the deliberate and sustained innovation policy of developmental framework, evolved by the new management, ASCETA was now attracting more students’ enrolment.
    He told them that with the affiliation of the college to Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, students can now do a straight four year degree courses, including the acquisition of relevant skills.
    Dr. Nto disclosed that for the first time since the inception of the college, the present management has started the issuance of certificates to graduates of ASCETA.
    He urged the students to take advantage of those positive changes and work towards excelling in their academics with the assurance that their certificates will be issued to them upon graduation.
    He thanked the state governor, OkezieIkpeazu, for his commitment to the massive development of the school, pledging that the institution would continue to maintain enviable learning standard.
    Earlier, while swearing the students in, the Deputy Provost, Dr. Sam Iheonunekwu, enjoined them to respect the rules of the school and protect the interest of students.

    In his remark, the SUG President, Mba Kelechi Mathew, pledged the loyalty of the students to the management and promised that they will work hard to justify the confidence reposed on them by the students.

  • College provost, council chair inducted fellows

    The Provost of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Prof Mojisola Oyarekua and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof Babatope Alo have been inducted as fellows of the Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration of Nigeria.

    The  duo were among 35 prominent Nigerians selected from the military, traditional institutions, academics, private institutions, local government administration, civil service and the political class.

     The institute’s  President, Prof Michael Awotokun said the nomination of the Provost and Chairman of council was considered due to their contributions to the development of humanity.

    He urged them to be good ambassadors of the institute by striving to improve the quality of lives of the people with whom they live and serve.

     Prof Awotokun   noted that it was evident that for them to have come this far in their chosen career means they are professional by choice and not by chance, urging them to sustain the good job.

    Prof Oyarekua thanked the Institute for the honour and promised to uphold the good virtues that earned her the honour.

    Prof Alo said the honour will spur him to do more.

  • New college provost fights corruption

    The Provost, College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Dr. Mojisola Oyarekua, has said her administration would not tolerate corruption.

    She spoke at the inauguration of the college’s Anti-Corruption Unit, which she said would ensure probity, accountability and transparency among workers and students.

    Dr. Oyarekua said last Thursday that the unit was one of the policy thrusts of her administration, which started about a month ago.

    To this end, she said the Procurement Unit had been fortified to ensure due process in the purchase of materials and that the college gets value for money on purchases.

    She urged workers and students who have complaints about fraudulent practices, underhand dealings, alteration of results, sexual harassment and related matters to forward same to the unit, which would investigate them.

    “You can send your complaints; we will look at the case on its own merit and any one worth investigating will be investigated and any one that lacks merit will be discarded.

    “There is no way I won’t step on toes. One cannot be embezzling money or engaging in alteration of results or harassing students sexually without being challenged,” she said.

    Reacting to plans by the Federal Government to employ 500,000 teachers, the Provost advised President Muhammadu Buhari to place premium on quality rather than just tackling unemployment.

    “Developing the education sector is beyond mere providing employment; but there should be academic quality because no education can grow beyond the quality of teachers.

    “There should be incentives for teachers, facilities must be provided, schools must be refurbished, and environment must be made conducive for both teachers and students,” she said.

    Mrs Oyarekua revealed that the college is strengthening its entrepreneurial and vocational education programmes in such a way that each student would be exposed to one skill per session, including farming.

    “We are looking at how to increase the quality of NCE graduates in this college.  That is why we are exposing our students to one vocation per session, so that they will have options after graduation.

    “We are not comfortable with how they are discriminating against the NCE graduates in the labour market,” she said.

     

  • College provost, bursar jailed for fraud

    Justice Mashood Abass of an Oyo State High Court yesterday sentenced the Provost of the Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan, Mrs. Ruth Aweto and and the Bursar, Mr. Adekanye Komolafe, to four years imprisonment each without option of fine.

    The two were found guilty of four of the eight-count charges preferred against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

    They were found guilty of deceiving the Federal Government by presenting 41 casual staff as permanent staff of the college with annual emolument of N7,041,861.15 in the 2006 budget, whereas they were entitled to only N3,690,000.

    They were sentenced to one-year imprisonment on each of the four counts for which they were found guilty. The sentence will run concurrently.