The Federal Ministry of Education has suspended the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, over alleged criminal charges against him by the Economic for Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Prof. Oyewole was arraigned last November 24 at a State high court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, by the EFCC over an alleged fraudulent handling of some of the university’s fund.
But in a Letter dated May 5, 2017 titled: Suspension of the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and signed by Dr. Hussaini Adamu, Acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry on behalf of the Hon. Minister, the ministry stated that Oyewole should proceed on immediate suspension pending the “determination of the Court case” against him.
The letter reads: “sequel to your arraignment before an Ogun State High Court on Criminal charges by Economic for Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Monday, 24th November 2016, I am directed to convey the Honourable Minister’s approval to place you on suspension from office with immediate effect pending the determination of the Court case against you in accordance with extant rules.
“You are therefore directed to hand over the affairs of your office to the most senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor in the university.”
Responding, the University through the Head, Directorate of Public Relations, Emi’ Alawode (Mrs) said the institution is undergoing consultation to ascertain the true position of things.
It added that upon conclusion of consultation, a “formal statement will be issued in due course.”
“The Directorate of Public Relations, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, has been inundated with inquiries on whether the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, has been suspended from office or not.
“Consultations are in progress with the University Administration on the true position of things, while a formal statement will be issued in due course. Meanwhile, all normal academic and administrative activities are ongoing unabated, in the University,” Mrs. Alawode said.
Nigerian students on the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scheme in Russia and other European countries are helpless as infants. HANNAH OJO, who traced the plight of some of the students, reports that students of Rivers State origin under the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency scholarship scheme are also not spared in the hardship of unpaid allowances.
Many times I had to go to the lab on empty stomach and my supervisor will tease me about eating the wheat samples marked for experiments. We trek to campuses in the winter because we can’t afford public buses. We owe hostel fees. We borrow from other students to survive while the ladies face unspeakable options.
These were the words of Nigeria’s wonder boy, Ifesinachi Nelson Ezeh, who made history when he completed his master’s degree in Agronomy at Saint Petersburg State Agrarian University in Russia, graduating with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.0, the highest the country has ever recorded.
Nelson, who arrived in Russia for an undergraduate degree in 2008 with 40 other Nigerians who passed the federal scholarship exams, were beneficiaries of a Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) between Nigeria and Russia. Under the said scheme, Russia pays the tuition, while Nigeria takes care of the living costs of the students of the students with a monthly stipend of $500 dollars.
The scholarship is awarded to Nigerians under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) between Nigeria and a number of countries, including Russia, Cuba, Turkey, Egypt and others. At present, there are over 350 Nigerian BEA scholars in Russia from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory undergoing their undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies. Under the agreement, the Russian Federation takes care of the students’ tuition fees. The Russian government fulfils their side of the bargain as long as the student maintains a very good academic record.
Findings made by The Nation revealed that the stipends, which the Nigerian government is supposed to pay the students quarterly, have, however, not been consistent in the past seven years. The last two years have been particularly gruesome as payments were not made for 12 straight months between 2015 and 2016.
The cost of unpaid allowances is devastating to the scholars. The psychological impact is also immeasurable as the students live in fear of what could happen next.
“The financial insecurity adds to the academic cross. The school authorities are either on your neck or fellow students are asking for their money back. You can’t hide because the Russian law provides that you stay where you were registered,” added Ezeh, who likened trekking in cold spring morning to walking in a freezer.
We are asked to work as janitors to offset hostel costs
Their faces looked thinned with hunger and they appear grumpy in their winter jackets and backpacks. Many of them travelled long distances spending between 10 to 20 hours to get to Moscow, the Russia capital where a peaceful protest was staged to demand the payment of their 12 months long allowance.
“Is it fair? Pays us; Pay hostel allowance for medical students,” were some of the inscriptions on the placards the student displayed during their protest in October 2016.
Speaking on their grievances, the scholars alleged that the non-payment of their allowance was not occasioned by economic recession but incompetence and malpractices on the part of the scholarship board. The students recalled that as far back as 2014 when Nigeria had the largest GDP growth in Africa, they were owned allowances. In the protest video released online, one of the students said they are sometimes asked to work as janitors to offset their hotel bills.
“Many of us are high achievers. We represent our schools in various competitions. We are doing our own part and all the government does is to treat us anyhow. We have tried all diplomatic means but there was no response. It has gotten to the extent that a church had to set up a fundraiser for Nigerian students,” the leader of the protest said in a video obtained by The Nation.
In a recent chat, Faith Olapade, President, Association of Nigerian Scholarship Students in Russia told The Nation that after the protest in Moscow, the government reacted by paying a token which barely added up to two of the 13 months owed.
“What the government paid is not even enough to pay back what the students had borrowed to survive the 13 months of non-payment. We were also told that the token is part of our 2016 stipend. We really don’t understand why it is so since we are still being owed some months in 2015.
“The situation surrounding the Bilateral Education Agreement, the Federal Scholarship Board funding and students’ stipend is very complicated. We will appreciate if someone from the Federal Scholarship Board explains to us and the rest of Nigeria why the scheme pays in bits and we are subjected to suffering,” asked Olapade, a Computer Science student at Tver State Technical University, Russia.
Among other countries participating in the BEA with Russia, Nigeria is known for lateness and delays. For the instance, the new BEA scholarship students from Nigeria arrived in Moscow on November 9, two months after the 2016/2017 academic year started. This is aside from the fact that Nigerian students are also known for paying their hostel and insurance bills late.
“The non-payment of allowances has literally turned Nigerian scholars to beggars. Most of us can’t afford to eat even once a day and others can’t make it to classes due to the lack of transport fare. Some have even been evicted from their hostels because they could not pay the fee, while others are hanging on with a weekly threat of eviction.
“It’s really difficult for us right now as Russia is also going through an economic crisis and prices of commodities are inflated. Also, surviving the cold weather is difficult without warm clothing. To make matters worse, we all have student visas and this makes it legally impossible for us to earn on our own. The current economic crisis in Nigeria, unrealistic bank rates, strict laws of outbound transfer and recent limits put on ATM cards make it really difficult for our parents to assist us in these trying times.
“We are pleading with the government to remember us by coming through with the remainder of our 2015 stipends and full 2016 payment. We didn’t sign up to be scholars to suffer this way,” Olapade further stated.
A source who pleaded anonymity in the office of Bilateral Scholarship Board, Abuja confirmed to The Nation that the allowance for scholars in the BEA scheme is usually included in the annual budget of the ministry of Education.
Also, the BEA department is not known for honouring requests for information on some of its activities, even in some cases where an FOI request would have been made.
For the federal government scholars in Russia, calls made to the Nigerian Scholarship Board to inquire about their allowances are usually met with the response that the budget has not been implemented or they are waiting for the Central Bank.
A postgraduate student in Russia, who pleaded anonymity for fear of victimisation, told our correspondent that the hardship they face by non-payment of the allowance is made worse by the fact finding a job in Russia as an African is like finding a needle in a haystack.
“The image of Nigeria is at stake. Russia has bilateral education agreement with a host of countries but the Russians, from the workers at the Russian Ministry of Education to the staff of respective universities, will let you know that Nigeria will always bring their students late.
“Nigerian students will always be the last to pay for their hostel accommodation and they always ask for a grace period before they purchase the compulsory medical insurance. The list goes on.
“A number of churches where some of our scholars worship now organise fund-raising services to help out those of us who can’t pay for hostel accommodation so we don’t end up sleeping on the streets in the cold weather,” the student said.
Israel Ojonugwa Ibrahim, another Nigerian student in Russia, also decried the situation they are faced asking the government to help redeem their dignity as human beings.
“There are times when you weren’t sure of what to eat the next day. We try to look for jobs but to no avail because we are studying with students’ visa and it is not legal to work,” Ibrahim lamented.
Like FG, like Rivers
Another body that has reneged on its commitment to students on scholarship is the Rivers State Government. In December 2015, Governor Nyesom Wike concluded plans to withdraw Rivers students on scholarship in foreign countries back to Nigeria on the basis that the government can no longer continue to fund the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency’s oversea scholarship scheme.
The state Commissioner for Agric, Ominim Jack, was reportedly quoted to have said in a meeting with parents that the state government could no longer sustain the scholarship scheme as a result of the current economic situation in the country. Thereafter, the state government then initiated the transfer of the students back to Nigeria in order to continue at either the University of Port Harcourt or the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.
The development was greeted with disapproval from parents of the students, who also pleaded with Governor Wike to consider other means of sustaining the scholarship programme since some of the students were midway into their programme.
“The curriculum can never be the same,” one of the parents was quoted to have said.
However, it was learnt that before the governor reached the decision to stop the scheme in 2015, the students’ allowances were not paid for almost a year.
At the time the news of the planned deportation of Rivers state students abroad broke, a Canadian, Benedicte LeMaitre, from Winnipeg, took to GoFundMe a crowdfunding platform to raise $250,000 for some RSSDA students studying at the University of Manitoba in Canada. The fundraising did not turn out successful as only $944 was raised since 13 months ago when the campaign was launched.
Canada was home to nearly 250 Nigerian students who were studying at 14 Canadian universities on the RSSDA scholarship. On the average, international students pay $7,000 to $11, 000 tuitions per term for a full load of classes.
Kennedy Roland, a medical student studying at the University of Pecs Medical School, Hungary, confirmed to The Nation that only about seven of them were left since the government stopped paying stipends to students.
He said: “It’s been so bad that other students had to accommodate some of us. For 27 months and still counting, we have not been paid our upkeep. I’m being helped by a student who is accommodating and helping me with feeding. Sometimes, my family tries to send me money for feeding but it has not been easy since ATM has been stopped abroad.”
Roland, who hopes to graduate in the middle of 2019, has an outstanding $15,300 as fees for his third year. He is presently not able to pay for the current semester.
However, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Chinenye Ihuoma, said government owed the students $500 per person stipend for only one year and two months, not for two years as earlier claimed.
She added that the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, had given approval for the payment of the money.
“The FBS (Federal Scholarship Board) is awaiting the release of money to that effect,” Mrs. Ihuoma said, adding: “The debt is for all the scholars in our BEA (Bilateral Education Agreement) countries and not only Russia.
Prof. Mamman Shuaibu, former Director of Planning, Federal Ministry of Education has called on all education stakeholders to contribute their quota to fund Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) projects.
On how to improve learning of Mathematics, Shuaibu told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that training of teachers and students should not be left for Federal Government alone.
He urged the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) to ensure that all the Mathematics teachers in primary schools benefited from the ongoing training organised by the centre under SDGs programme.
Shuaibu said that the training would help to open the mental ability of the children to cope with the learning of Mathematics.
“Ultimately, we have to help the children to learn Mathematics because it is so fundamental to everything
“ It is important that the training should not be limited to teachers and students in the city schools, but be extended to other teachers/students in the rural areas.
“ Let all other teachers of Mathematics in every school in the country benefit from the training.
He suggested that states and local governments as stakeholders should key into this by ensuring that staff members, who had been trained could train other teachers, who did not have such opportunity.
According to him, the rural teachers are the ones that need the training most, but with limited fund, there is no way the mathematical centre can cover all the schools in the villages/ communities.
“ Hence the need for the three tiers of governments to contribute to the funding of the project.
“ SDGs funding should not be the sole responsibility of the Federal Government as both states and local governments have a stake in the educational funding,’’ he said.
Besides, Mr Olatunji Jekayinfa, SDGs Desk Officer NMC, said that the centre embarked on a project which was the implementation and popularisation of mental arithmetic training across Nigeria basic school.
Jekayinfa said the essence of the training was to train students on the easy ways of learning Mathematics so as to bring back the mental training which had been eroded.
“From our research, we discover why advanced worlds perform well in the mathematical science; the reason is because they deal on mental arithmetic training.
“ They expose their students’ right from childhood to mental arithmetic training which is done through the Chinese mental abacus.
The abacus system of mental calculation is a system where users mentally visualise an abacus to do calculations.
No physical abacus is used; only the answers are written down. Calculations can be made at great speed in this way.
He said that after exposing the students to this kind of learning, it would help them cope with the learning of Mathematics easily.
Jekayinfa, nevertheless, noted that one of the major challenges the centre had while carrying out the programme was the paucity of funding as well as insecurity in some parts of the country.
A call has gone out to National Assembly to make a legislation to safeguard and enforce intellectual property rights in Nigeria.
This call was made by Prof. Emma Okoye of the Department of Accountancy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka,in an interview with journalists in Awka on Monday.
He said that the legislation would allow innovators to reap the benefit of their creative ideas and reward their risk-thinking ventures.
“Without effective intellectual property enforcement, it will be difficult for Nigeria to benefit from global innovation networks.
“Most overseas innovation firms will hesitate to invest or form partnerships with Nigeria if their intellectual property right will be readily stolen,’’ he said.
The professor of accountancy also called for urgent action from all stakeholders to help steer the Nigerian economy back on the path of recovery.
Okoye said that universities as the citadel of learning and innovation have critical roles to play.
“In this regard, the government as proprietors of public universities needs to provide the enabling environment needed to harness the potentials of the universities.
“For example, the Federal Ministry of Education through interventionist agencies like TETFUND should set aside substantial amount to fund both basic and applied research.
“Empower each institution to establish technology transfer offices to provide incentives to individuals and companies for the production of new goods and services,’’ he said.
Okoye said that sustained investment in innovation and research was also essential for national development.
“To achieve this, government needs to invest not less than 3 per cent of her GDP to make any meaningful impact on research and development,’’ he said
The Federal Ministry of Education has directed principals of the 104 unity colleges to intensify efforts toward standing out as flagships in the nation’s education sector.
Mr Ben Goong, the Deputy Director (Media), disclosed the ministry’s directive in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
Goong said that the ministry had set targets for the principals to shore up academic performance in their respective colleges.
He said that the directive became necessary in view of the huge investments government was making on the colleges and the education sector in general in recent times.
“Henceforth, targets are being set for the unity colleges across the country.
“The targets will be in terms of each college’s performances in major external examinations, such as WASSCE (WAEC), SSCE (NECO), UTME (JAMB), NABTEB and other related examinations,’’ Goong said.
According to him, beginning from the 2016/2017 academic session, principals of unity schools whose students post outstanding performances in external examinations, will be rewarded.
“Those colleges whose students fail to live up to the desired expectation will equally be sanctioned,’’ Goong said.
He added that so far, the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, had distinguished itself in various academic competitions within and outside the country.
The deputy director added that the FSTC had remained the flagship of unity colleges across the country.
According to Goong, the school has won several laurels in various competitions in recent times and posted spectacular performances in external examinations.
The Federal Government has banned the collection of development levies by Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) in the 104 unity colleges across the country, the Federal Ministry of Education says.
The ministry in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday said the ban, aimed at alleviating the sufferings of parents, would take effect immediately.
The statement was signed by Mr Bem Goong, Deputy Director, Press, in the ministry.
“No PTA of any unity college is allowed to initiate any development project in any of the unity colleges without the express or written authorisation of the Federal Ministry of Education.
“The new measures are aimed at arresting the shocking trend where development levies imposed on parents by PTAs are becoming higher than the school fees charged by government which established the unity schools,’’ the ministry said.
The ministry said that the Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, had noted excessive PTA levies in Kings College, Lagos, and Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos.
It said that in the two schools, fees charged for JSS1 in the first term was N69, 400 while the PTA collection was N70, 000 at Kings and N74, 000 at Yaba.
“This brings the total paid by parents in these two schools to N139, 400 and N143, 400 respectively.
“With the reduction on development levies and ban on charges for new projects as well as pegging of the development levy to a maximum of N5, 000, parents of JSS1 in these two schools will now pay N88, 000.
“I acknowledge the complementary roles played by parents and the support provided by the PTA to the colleges but I will not allow the PTAs to constitute themselves into a government within a government at the level of unity schools and at the expense of parents,’’ the ministry quoted Adamu as saying.
It said that Adamu expressed concern that PTAs in unity colleges had formed themselves into national associations and said that running additional organisations, such as National Parents and Teachers Association of Federal Government Colleges (NAPTAFEGC), increased the burden on parents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that NAPTAFEGC recently rejected an alleged 300 per cent increase in school fees of unity schools.
Dr Gabriel Nnaji, National President of NAPTAFEGC, had told newsmen that the alleged increase from N20, 000 to N75, 000, was unacceptable to parents.
He said that an average parent with more than a child in unity schools would not be able to afford the cost.
However, Adamu on Tuesday denied knowledge of the increment in fees.
The Federal Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in the tertiary education sub-sector have agreed on N2,500 as the fee for post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening.
This is contained in a statement issued by Prof. Michael Faborode, the Secretary-General, Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Faborode said the agreement was reached after a deliberation of officials of the ministry, federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The secretary-general said while it was agreed that the post-UTME screening should be sustained following the scrapping of the Computer Based Test (CBT).
“From the statement made by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan at the meeting, there is no objection to screening by universities as long as it is not another CBT.
She agreed that universities should advertise and the maximum fee that should be charged for the screening should be N2,500 – bank charges inclusive.’’
According to the statement, the association will formally convey its stance to the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.
NAN reports that Adamu’s recent announcement of the ban on post-UTME had raised a lot anxiety among stakeholders.
There is palpable tension on the two campuses of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Offa local government of Kwara state over delay in the appointment of rector.
While the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) and other unions of the institutions are rooting for one of the three recommended candidates from the interview conducted on March 21st this year for the post of rector, a group that christened itself Concerned Group said the exercise lacked credibility.
This unsavory situation has made ASUP members and entire polytechnic community to urge the federal government to announce the substantive rector of the institution without delay.
Addressing reporters on the mini campus of the polytechnic, the institution chair person of ASUP, Dr Sola Adeniyi wondered why the federal government is foot-dragging in announcing the rector.
Said he: “The question is what is the basis for the lethargy on the part of the federal government in announcing the rector. ASUP has spoken, NASU has spoken, SUG has spoken. All other voices are noises that federal government should in the interest of peace and industrial harmony at the polytechnic should stop listening to.
“We wish to reiterate that the process produced the three recommended candidates from screening, shortlisting and interview are credible; due processes were followed and the results are acceptable to us in the polytechnic.
“The interview was conducted by chartered professional and experts; and chaired by the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. The Executive Secretary of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), two representatives of the Federal Character Commission, two democratically elected representatives of the academic board of the polytechnic and representatives of all other relevant agencies concerned were on the panel of the interview.
“The interview panel has done a good job. As such the exercise has been variously described as credible, free and fair. One of the three recommended candidates has been acting in the capacity of rector since February since 2016, apart from her impressive credentials, she has been acting creditably well.
“Federal Polytechnic Offa has been enjoying peace and witnessing since the past eight years and even presently.”
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Rahamon Bello, has debunked rumours that the institution has begun screening for admission.
He told reporters at the office that the university was awaiting guidelines from the Federal Ministry of Education before starting the admission process.
“We are yet to really conclude on admission process cos govt asked us to wait for a guideline. Definitely there will be screening but we’re waiting for the guideline,” he said.
The university’s admission office has also put out a disclaimer in the institution’s internal bulletin, Information Flash, warning prospective students and their parents to ignore information about cut-off marks from sources other than the university website.
The statement reads: “The University of Lagos is yet to commence the 2016/2017 admission exercise and consequently has not released any cut-off marks or post-UTME advertisement.
“All prospective 2016/2017 UTME and Direct Entry candidates that chose University of Lagos as their first choice should regularly visit the website (www.unilag.edu.ng) and click on admissions.unilag.edu.ng for information.”
There had been rumours on the social media that UNILAG had fixed UTME cut-off points and started the screening process.
Dr Karo Ogbinaka, the Deputy Dean I, Students’ Affairs, University of Lagos, on Monday assured students of the institution that their accommodation problems would soon be over.
Ogbinaka, in an interview with the newsmen in Lagos, spoke against the backdrop of the acute shortage of accommodation facing students of the university.
He said that the university management was taking necessary steps to ensure the comfort and improvement in the welfare of the students.
Ogbinaka, also a senior lecturer, Department of Philosophy, said that the renovation and reconstruction works of the halls awarded in 2015 had reached an advanced stage and would be completed soon.
He said that the El-Kanemi Hall was undergoing a total reconstruction as it was being converted from wooden bungalow structures to concrete ensuite type.
According to him, the ongoing renovation and reconstruction of projects involving two major halls for male undergraduate students, Shodeinde and El Kanemi Halls, were being carried out by the Federal Government.
“I want to state that work on the projects has indeed been ongoing, but I cannot state specifically when it will be completed.
“Most specifically, work at the Shodeinde Hall has reached an advanced stage and we are expecting a speedy completion in order to cushion the effects of accommodation challenge on campus.
“These two projects are part of the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ struggle of the NEEDS assessment.
“My appeal is that the Federal Government should put pressure on the contractors handling the projects to speed up efforts to ensure that they are delivered and put to good use on time.
“The Shodeinde Hall for example is being reconstructed with the state-of-the-art facilities that will comprise separate toilets and bathrooms en-suite,’’ he said.
NEEDS is a comprehensive recommendation by the NEEDS Assessment Committee inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Education.
The committee was mandated to assess the state of public universities in the country as part of the agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU.
