The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Faculty

  • Faculty gets dean

    The Faculty of Arts of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has elected Prof Patrick Okpoko as its dean. The election was held at the Senior Staff Club of the university.

    In his acceptance speech, Prof Okpoko said a major instrument to transform the faculty was quality academic research that would foster national development. He added that improvement in staff welfare was crucial to alleviating the faculty’s past challenges.

    His rival, Prof Iwuchukwu, promised to work with the new dean to inspire change in the faculty.

    “We are from the same local government area. And so, I will submit my manifestos to him as part of my contribution to ensure that he excel in office,” he stated.

    The outgoing dean, Prof Uchenna Anyanwu, described his four-year tenure as challenging, saying the lack of allocation to execute projects made it difficult to carry out sufficient programmes for staff and students.

  • Faculty welcomes freshers

    Members of the Broadcast Students Association (BSA), Public Relations and Advertising Students Association (PRADSA) and Journalism Students Association (JSA) at the Lagos State University, (LASU) have organised an orientation tagged Studying to be outstanding for new members.

    The event which took place at the faculty building in Ojuelegba, urged the students to be of good conduct as ambassadors of the institution.

    One of the guest lecturers, Olunifesi Suraj, urged the students to embrace leadership roles, saying it would take them to greater heights. He added that student-lecturer relationship was crucial to their academic success.

    President, Communication Students Association, Olamilekan Hassan, urged the students to put more energy to their studies, saying they should utilise the knowledge they would acquire to meet the challenges of life.

    A fresher, Okumoh Mary, expressed her Joy of finally studying the course of her dreams, adding that she was eager to make great success out of the programme.

  • Faculty’s night of fun

    It was a night of fun last week for members of the Faculty of Arts Students Association (FASA), Nnamdi  Azikiwe University, Awka. They celebrated their faculty night at  the Marble Arc Hotel, Awka.

    The event started around 8.00pm with a red carpet session.

    It featured exciting musical performances by upcoming artistes, including Mr Jaga Pac, Mr Vin and Young Chizzy, among others. There was also a dance performance by Pinko Ladies.

    The high point of the occasion was the Miss FASA and Mr FASA beauty contest. At the end of the competition,  Jennesy Odimuko,100-Level History and International Studies, was crowned Miss FASA while Kareen Onyebueke from Theatre Arts was the Face of FASA, female category. For the male category, Austin Fred Ezennaya, 100-Level History and International Studies, emerged Mr FASA and Martin Nrialike was crowned the Face of FASA, male category.

    The event also featured presentation of awards to staff and students who distinguished themselves in the faculty. They included Dean of the Faculty Prof Alex Asigbo; Dr Chike Okoye, a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Nicholas Akas, Theatre Arts Department; Udoka Ojukwu, Anthony Nwokolo, Dominic Nwobi, Ibe Abuchi and Gerald Eze.

    Others were Prosper Dimkpa, Nkechinyere Ezendiowere, Henry Oguguo and Peter Onyekwelu.

  • Faculty holds 15th Herbert Macaulay Lecture

    The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has held her 15th Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture. The event was held at Princess Alexandria Auditorium with the theme:  ”Revitalising an effective power system for sustainable development in Nigeria.”

    The event was graced by the Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo; Vice-Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Ozumba, Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Engr John Chukwu; Chairman of the occasion, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Prof T. C. Madueme and students of the university.

    In his address, John Okafor, an alumnus of the university, said: “The topic for the lecture is informed by both technological and natural needs and the need for engineering education in Nigeria to rise to the challenge of imparting significantly on the students and engineers.”

    He urged the students not to be overtaken by the scramble for certificates, but to equip themselves with relevant skills.

    Prof Nebo said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to improve energy generation, transmission and distribution to meet the economic and educational development projections of the nation.

    He urged stakeholders to work together to deliver clean, affordable energy to Nigerians, adding that with adequate support, there would be increase in generation of short, medium and long terms projections.

    Iwuanyanwu lauded the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for its efforts in the power sector, calling on the Minister of Power to focus his attention on the development of coal in Nigeria.

     

  • New Dean for faculty

    Anew Sub-dean has been appointed for the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Calabar (UNICAL). He is Dr James C. Duru.

    Dr Duru of the Department of Public Administration took over from Dr Edame of the Department of Sociology. He was the Head of the Department of Political Science before the creation of the Department of Public Administration.

    Dr Duru has written no fewer than 80 academic papers in local and international journals, authored seven books and attended over 25 local and international conferences.

    In a chat with CAMPUSLIFE, Venatius Okor of Public Administration said: “Dr Duru emerged on the basis of merit. He is one of the outstanding lecturers in the faculty and someone who has added much value to many lives, especially his students. We congratulate him and pray that God will continue to promote him.”

    One of his students, James Omadide, said: “Dr Duru is a professional administrator. I believe he will introduce modern administrative mechanisms for the enhancement and transformation of the Faculty of Social Sciences. I wish him divine wisdom.”

    Dr Duru is the Coordinator of graduate programmes in the Department of Public Administration.

     

  • Niger Delta students picket Orubebe’s office

    Niger Delta students picket Orubebe’s office

    On May 29, some students from the Niger Delta held a rally in Abuja to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s two years in office. The rally ended up in the picketing of Niger Delta Minister Elder Godsday Orubebe’s office because of his alleged refusal to see them. EMMANUEL AHANONU reports.

    IT was May 29, a day observed by the Federal Government as Democracy Day. Some students from the Niger Delta gathered in Abuja for a “1000-man March” to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s two years in office. They were led by the National President of the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG), Tonbara Yalah. The peaceful rally degenerated to a protest against Minister of Niger Delta Elder Godsday Orubebe over his alleged refusal to see the students.

    The students arrived in Abuja in batches on May 28. Some were lodged at Niger Delta Hotels, Nyanya, Abuja. In their hundreds, they swarmed major roads and offices in Abuja on May 29, dressed in T-shirts,with inscriptions, such as: “May 29, our democracy is 14 years”, “Jonathan is 2 years” and “Goodluck Nigeria”.

    The rally started at the Bayelsa State Government Lodge and Liaison Office on Plot 1038, Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama District.

    Tonbara, who described President Jonathan as “father of the nation”, said the union deemed it necessary to celebrate the country’s unity and existence after 14 years of democracy.

    He urged the students to conduct themselves as the procession moved from one place to the other, adding that they should peacefully express their educational challenges to the authorities without being violent.

    Tonbara had barely finished his address when a student of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), Friday Anayi, burst out in anger, shouting that his institution had been abandoned by the Federal Government. This resulted into an argument among the students. For several minutes, the crowd was uncontrollable until it was discovered that the complainant was drunk.

    From Bayelsa State Lodge, the students went to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to make their position known on democracy. Initially, they stopped at the International Conference Centre (ICC) where the day was being formally marked.

    To prevent the rally from being hijacked by hoodlums, operatives from the State Security Service (SSS) and the police guided the procession.

    At the NTA, the students were received by Mr Walid Odiola, a journalist.

    Tonbara said: “Education is one of the priorities if the Jonathan administration. Considering that the president is an academic himself, he has established more federal universities, increased the funding of the existing ones which has put a stop to industrial actions in our higher institutions. He has established schools for Almajiris in the North. Though we believe there are still more to be done by the president but he has shown that he is ready to effect the changes we desire in the education sector.”

    Other students’ leaders who spoke with the NTA reporter were the Speaker of the legislative arm of NIDSUG, Obada Akpomiemie, and Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Bassey Eka.

    From the NTA, the students moved to the Africa Independent Television (AIT) office, where they were welcomed by the Chairmans of DAAR Communications Limited, Chief Raymond Dokpesi. At AIT, students decried the country’s inability to meet the standard of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for education funding.

    The students returned to the Bayelsa State Government Lodge, where Tonbara praised his colleagues for the peaceful outing. He then led the students to the residence of Orubebe who could not attend to them despite a two-hour wait.

    The students resolved to continue the rally the next day at the offices of Orubebe and other public officers from the Niger Delta region to “pay homage”.

    By 10am on May 30, over 100 students had converged on the 11th floor of the building of the Ministry of Niger Delta. After security clearance, Tombara and four other students’ leaders were allowed to see Orubebe to explain why they were visiting him.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Tonbara pleaded with the Minister to address the students, who were waiting outside. Our correspondent learnt that the Minister was not convinced by the the students’-leaders explanation. Orubebe was said to have questioned why the students made such a move in the first place.

    One of those that met with the Minister told CAMPUSLIFE: “Orubebe ordered us out of his office in anger and told us that we did not conduct ourselves. He even said that he did not have money to give and that even if he had money to give to us, he would not be happy to do so because we did not officially inform him of our visit. At that point, he ordered us out of his office. Imagine that from a Minister from our region?”

    The students waited for another three hours in Orubebe’s office, threatening that they would not leave except Orubebe came to address them.

    On leaving the Minister’s office, Tonbara told his colleagues: “We had a very brief session with the Minister but the bottom line is that he told us he was displeased by the fact that we did not organise ourselves properly before coming to do the rally in Abuja. He said that he would not attend to us.

    “Even though I have all the resources to do the rally alone, is it out of place for us to come and see our Minister? Have you benefited anything since this ministry was created? Has the ministry impacted on you? Has there been any essence of the ministry? In unison, the students responded: “No”.

    In a twinkling of an eye, the ministry’s activities were disrupted. Students blocked the entrance gate, preventing vehicles from coming in and going of the premises. From nowhere, several placards appeared, with inscriptions such as “Orubebe must go!”, “Orubebe is not competent”, “Orubebe, why are you denying Niger Delta students their right?”, “Orubebe, who made you a Minister?”, “Orubebe, you are selfish and incompetent” among others.

    For several minutes, the protesters chanted anti-Orubebe songs at the front of the Ministry’s gate. Movement was restricted as the students locked the civil servants in the office.

    Udofia Amanam, one of the students from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, said: “The main problem we have in Nigeria is our inability to talk to our leaders. The essence of creating the Niger Delta Ministry is being defeated with the behaviour of people like Orubebe, who ordered us out like a common dog. This shows his incompetence. Let him resign or we will ground activities in the Ministry.”

    At 3:41pm, when the civil servants were preparing to close, Tonbara prevailed on the students re-open the gate. He told the students: “Orubebe will never come down because it may be a great shame to him. Let us end the demonstration.”

    In an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, Tonbara said: “Orubebe has not been living up to expectation; we came here because of his lacklustre performance as a Minister representing Niger Delta. This is why we came here to register our displeasure.”

  • Faculty welcomes freshmen

    It was all excitement at the Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, University of Calabar (UNICAL), last week as the faculty welcomed freshers.

    There are four departments – Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, Radiography and Nursing Science – that make up the faculty.

    The orientation, which was held in the Medical Laboratory Science Room II, was attended by members of staff of the faculty, who were led by the sub-Dean, Dr Olaide Edet, who represented the Dean, Prof Anne Asuquo. Others were Faculty Officer, head of department of Nursing Science, Dr Essien Umoh, and his Public Health counterpart, who was represented by Dr Bendin Ekpeyong.

    In her address, Prof Asuquo congratulated the new students for scaling through admission hurdles, which she described as strict. She urged the freshers to be studious, saying their stories of success depended on their seriousness. She told them to desist from acts that were capable of jeopardising their academic pursuits.

    Asuquo harped on excellence in learning and in character, stressing that the institution only awarded certificates in the two virtues, saying anyone found wanting in character would not be issued the university’s certificate.

    Telling the freshmen about the activities of the Nursing department, Dr Umoh advised them to participate in all academic exercises of the department, adding that punctuality to lecturers and practical classes were part of requirements that qualified students to write examination. She emphasised 75 per cent attendance of lectures.

    Dr Ekpenyong of the department of Public Health advised the freshers to work closely with lecturers, saying anyone who failed to do so had started planning to fail. She advised them to read other relevant literature on their courses, stating that no single textbook could claim knowledge in all fields.

    The president of the faculty association, Umoh Usenobong, stressed the need for the improvement of relationship between lecturers and students. In his speech, he urged the freshers to always show respect towards lecturers and advised them never to allow extracurricular activities derail their purpose of being in the university.

    Bassey Effiong, one of the freshers, said the orientation was an eye opener to the realities of campus life. He added that his knowledge about the university and its activities had been increased.

    Another student in Nursing department, Esther Umoh, said she would put everything she learned in the orientation to practice to graduate on top of her class.

  • UNILAG’s law faculty is first in NIALS’ ranking

    The University of Lagos,(UNILAG) has come first in the maiden edition of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Nigeria Law Faculties Annual Ranking conducted in 2012.

    A statement by the Director-General of NIALS, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), reads: “ After assiduous research and collation of scientific data on Nigerian Law Faculties using underlisted indices, the following law faculties emerged the top 10 in the following order: University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Jos, University of Benin,Lagos State University, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Nigeria, Babcock University, University of Maiduguri and Igbinedion University

    “Our duty demands that we undertake a project of this nature to promote standardisation and for the mutual benefits of the students and the institutions. Thus, the essence of this ranking is to challenge Nigerian law faculties to improve standards in aspects of their academic endeavour.

    “This ranking is not interminable as law faculties that were not captured in the top ten rank are encouraged to improve their standards significantly so as to stand a chance in subsequent years, while those ranked are encouraged also not to rest in their oars, but to work tirelessly to maintain already set standards.”

    The research was conducted based on the strident allegation of standards of legal education being on the decline bearing in mind the statutory responsibility of the Institute to provide information, supervision, guidance and advice to researchers of any university in the field of law. NIALS in October last year wrote circulated letters to the vice-chancellors and deans of Law Faculties.

    Consequently, NIALS started the annual ranking of faculties. The project involved field and desk research using the following indices: Number of applications; admissions; Staff; Staff-student ratio; library; post graduate studies; capacity building – external and internal; Publications; International accomplishment – moot trials etc; community service; web placements; External linkages; cross culture/internationalisation of staff; conferences/seminars and roundtables; alumni support and visibility; Infrastructural development; organisation and strategic vision; research undertakings; attraction of grants; high profile personality lectures; performance of graduates at the law school; average performance of graduating class; moot trial percipation; quality of dissertation; General ambience of the university; Interruption of lectures; recognition of degree overseas; placement of graduates in top law firms; hiring of graduates to teach at top 400 universities in the world and admission of graduates into LL.M and PhD programmes in top 400 universities in the world.

     

  • Faculty floats agric, quiz clubs

    During the Christmas break, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof A. A. Adeloye, chaired the occasion that saw the inauguration of two clubs – Agbelere and UNILORIN Quiz clubs – in the faculty. The former is agriculturally-oriented society that seeks to promote Agriculture Science and make it a preferred course for students.

    In the remarks, Prof Adeloye praised the efforts of the students for coming together to envision the idea, pledging its continuous support for the club. Other lecturers that graced the occasion included Prof G.O. Olaoye, Dr F. O. Adekola and Dr A.K. Musa.

    The Greener Club, however, took its members on an excursion to two of the largest farms in Kwara State. They also visited T.J Fish Farm, Ilorin and the Al-Abrar Livestock and Arable Agriculture Farms, Oloje, Ilorin.

    The president of the club, Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, 500-Level Animal Production, said the visit was to broaden the practical knowledge of the members in the discipline. The students expressed optimism that the future of agriculture in Nigeria was bright.

    To sustain the feat of its students during the last inter-faculty quiz contest, the faculty inaugurated the Quiz Club, which is coordinated by Dr Adekola and Dr A.O. Adeyina. Speaking at the inauguration, Prof M.A. Belewu encouraged the students to be voracious learners, so that they could pick values from the society in addition to their degrees. He also charged them to repeat the feat they achieved in the previous edition of the Inter-Faculty quiz competition.