The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO)

  • Unemployment: Nigeria needs skillful youths – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said that Nigeria at this point requires the youths to be highly skillful in order to solve the problem of unemployment, security and youth restiveness.

    The President, who was a Visitor at the 31st Convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), stated that the era of handing certificates to graduates without self-sustaining skills is no longer sustainable.

    Buhari who was represented by the State Minister of Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka, observed that the growth and establishment of new industries to absorb the graduates is rather too slow.

    Read Also: Buhari for Jordan, Dubai events

    According to him, “there is a need to re-double efforts in turning out graduates with self-sustaining, globally competitive skills and talents for the realization of national goals of building a free, democratic, just and egalitarian society, a united, strong and self-reliant nation”.

    He continued that, “our universities are also challenged to key into modern trends in Computing and Information Technology, Cyber security, artificial intelligence, solar and alternative energies and modern biomedical technology, which is where the future is headed”.

    The President assured that, “on our part as government, we remain committed to changing the negative narratives of our universities by making effective and efficient policies that will place our higher education at the right pedestal”.

    He disclosed further that the Federal Government has completed the energy audit of 37 Federal Universities and is set to award the contracts for the commencement of Independent Power Plants in those Universities, “when completed, it will put an end to the perennial problem of power challenge in all Federal Universities in Nigeria”.

    Earlier in his speech, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Francis Eze, said that the University within the available resources has continued to provide facilities and equipment for effective teaching, learning and research.

    He however noted that the University urgently needs a befitting Senate building, staff quarters, a sustainable power supply and refurbishment of existing old buildings and other facilities.

    Meanwhile, 2,506 were awarded with degrees with 42 bagging First Class Honours.

     

  • Amnesty office to collaborate with varsities in agro-based training

    Amnesty office to collaborate with varsities in agro-based training

    The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) says it will collaborate with credible institutions such as the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) to train beneficiaries of the programme.

    The Coordinator of PAP, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd), said that this would complement government’s effort at creating specialised training for beneficiaries of the amnesty programmes in the Niger Delta.

    A statement issued by Mr Owei Lakemfa, Head, Media and Communication, Amnesty Office on Sunday in Abuja disclosed that Boroh disclosed this at the graduation ceremony of the FUTO on Thursday in Owerri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 24 beneficiaries of PAP were among the graduating students.

    Boroh, who was represented by the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Bestman Probel, commended the University for its well-defined curriculum on agro-based trainings, particularly in poultry and aqua culture.

    In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Festus Eze, said the university was ready to collaborate with the Amnesty office to train more beneficiaries in the area of agricultural production techniques.

    Eze thanked President Muhammudu Buhari for sustaining the Amnesty programme and urged beneficiaries to make maximum use of the knowledge and skills acquired during the training.

    He appealed to the Presidential Amnesty Office to send more beneficiaries to the university for similar training in future.

    In his contribution, Mr Chuks Nwanodu, the consultant and facilitator of the training programme, said the one-month intensive course on poultry and fishery was tailored towards making the beneficiaries to become agricultural entrepreneurs.

    He commended the PAP for the various programmes initiated for youths within two years to ensure peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.

  • NUC to upgrade FRSC academy to degree awarding institution

    NUC to upgrade FRSC academy to degree awarding institution

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Academy in Udi, Enugu State, is to be upgraded to a degree awarding institution, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, has said.
    Oyeyemi said this in Owerri on Friday after a meeting with Prof. Francis Eze, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
    He said that the National University Commission (NUC) had allowed the FRSC academy to be affiliated to the university as a prerequisite for the upgrading.
    The corps marshal said the meeting was to seek FUTO’s consent on the programme.
    He said that the FRSC might start with post graduate diploma programme and latter advance to masters degree.
    “We are here on the directive of the NUC Executive Secretary in order to meet with its requirements to upgrade our institution.
    “We have chosen to affiliate with your institution because we know that FUTO is among the best institutions in the nation offering transport-related causes,” he said.
    Oyeyemi said that the NUC also wanted FRSC to run programmes in Sociology, Psychology and ICT aside from Transport Management Technology.
    He said structures and facilities were on ground to kick start the programme and urged the university to give them the necessary support to enable them get the NUC accreditation.
    Eze said FUTO was ready, saying that: “we will give you all support to succeed in your plans because I know that it will enhance human capacity development”.
    According to him, FUTO is the first institution to offer Transport Management Technology and also run programmes in Psychology and Sociology.
    Eze assured Oyeyemi that management of the institution would do everything possible to see that the affiliation commenced next academic section.
    A technical committee was set up by the vice chancellor comprising senior FRSC staff and top management staff of FUTO to be chaired by Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, Prof. Okoro Ogbobeme, to work out memorandum of understanding on the affiliation.

  • FUTO students protest increase in tuition fee

    FUTO students protest increase in tuition fee

    …properties vandalized, school shutdown

     

    What started like a peaceful protest, Friday, by students of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) turned awry as properties worth millions of naira were vandalized.

    The students who were protesting an alleged increment in their tuition fee by the school management embarked on a peaceful procession in the University but went berserk after Policemen drafted to university to forestall breakdown of law and order, fired teargas at the students.

    Thereafter, the students went on rampage after regrouping and broke into the school’s ICT Centre and carted away the computers and other electronic equipment running into millions of naira.

    Majority of the buildings at various faculties were vandalized but the Policemen prevented the students from gaining access to the administrative block, which houses the office of the Vice Chancellor and other top management staff of the University.

    Some of the students, who spoke with The Nation, said that “the management have been extorting the students for a long time, especially in the sale of textbooks and handouts, which are made mandatory for all students”.

    They however disclosed that, “but what caused the protest was the recent increment of the schools by additional N13, 000.00 which they termed as fee for IT Wireless Access”.

    According to the students, “it was supposed to be a peaceful protest and it started peacefully until the Policemen came and started firing teargas at us, while some where firing into the air. It was at that point that the students were provoked and vandalized some of the buildings”.

    A security man, Mr. Obinna Augustine, who was on duty during the incident, said that, “I came to work around 9am and saw a large number of students chanting and shouting and when I asked was told by my HOD that they were protesting the increment of school fees and we were observing them to make sure that they did not destroy school properties until the Police arrived and started shooting teargas.

    “It was at that point that the students went wild and started damaging anything at sight. The worst was the ICT Centre where which the completely looted and vandalized”.

    Meanwhile all efforts to speak with the school management were not successful as they were said to have left the school.

    But a member of the management staff who didn’t want his name mentioned denied that the tuition fee was increased.

    According to him, “the students were misinformed by some miscreants who sent out misleading report about plan by the University Management to hike the fee but the truth is that there is nothing like that”.

    In the meantime the school has been closed indefinitely.