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Tag: FUTA

  • FUTA alumni win award

    Two graduates of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) studying in the U.S. will be presented with international award for excellence in forest sciences research during the 2014 World Congress of IUFRO holding in Salt Lake City, U.S in October.

    The duo of Julius Adewopo and Tolulope Daramola, graduates of Forestry and Wood Technology at FUTA, were declared winners of the 2014 International Union of Forest Research Organisation (IUFRO) Student Award for Excellence in Forest Sciences.

    Vienna-based IUFRO, the global body responsible for the coordination of researches in forest sciences, promotes global cooperation in forest-related research and enhances the understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and trees.

    The body said Adewopo got the award for his outstanding achievement in research for his masters’ thesis on The effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of selected wood specie; while Daramola got his for his work on The assessment of nitrogen fertilization on growth, yield and carbon storage in above-ground biomass of a managed Douglas – forest in the Pacific Northwest and the application in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    In a letter jointly signed by the Chair, IUFRO Honours and Awards Committee, Prof Shirong Liu, and IUFRO President, Prof Niels Elers Koch, Adewopo of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gainesville, USA, and Daramola of the University of Washington, were commended for the giant strides in forest sciences research.

    The letter reads in part: “We hope this award will encourage you to conduct further research in your chosen field, make further contributions to forestry and other related fields and inspire other young scientists to undertake forestry research. We also hope that this award will encourage you to play active roles in leading some of IUFRO’s research activities”.

    Reacting to the development, the FUTA Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola, said the award has underscored the outstanding programmes being run by FUTA. He lauded the contributions of Prof Babatunde Ajayi, Head of Department of Forest and Wood Technology and others, saying the solid foundation laid for the duo was responsible for the award.

    The Vice Chancellor reiterated the determination of the management to sustain and improve on its tradition of excellence in all spheres.

  • SSANU slams FUTA for ‘false’ publication

    SSANU slams FUTA for ‘false’ publication

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has condemned an advertorial published in a national newspaper on April 2 by the Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr Modupe Ajayi, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola.

    In the advertorial, the Registrar reacted to a visit to the VC by the leadership of SSANU, on March 28, which ended abruptly due to what he described as the unfriendly attitude of the vice chancellor.

    Ajayi urged SSANU executives to stay away from the university and not incite the staff against the management.

    SSANU’s Southwest National Vice President, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, addressed reporters at the University of Ibadan (UI) on the matter.

    He said Ajayi was not present when the union leaders visited the university and was not competent to publicly comment on what transpired at the meeting.

    According to him, the accusation that the union was belligerent is misplaced.

    Jimoh said the vice-chancellor had always been belligerent and unfriendly towards SSANU.

    The union leader, who was among the unionists at FUTA during the visit, alleged that Daramola did not respect any of the unions, particularly SSANU and its officers, otherwise he would not be treating them badly.

    “If Prof Daramola would not respect a SSANU team, comprising the Vice-President, Deputy National President, National Treasurer, National Public Relations Officer and other zonal officials, if he could shut down the leadership of the union the way he did in his office, we wonder who then was belligerent.

    “The FUTA advertorial on February 10, 2014, discussed the issue of illegal redeployment of career directors in FUTA. The Registrar, with the VC, submitted that the university’s Governing Council had taken a decision on the matter. Raising this point in the advertorial, the VC inadvertently betrayed the root of his anger against us. However, the VC and his management are being economic with the truth over the matter of the directors,” Jimoh said.

     

     

    The SSANU leader urged FUTA’s Governing Council to revisit the matter and follow the White Paper on the 2004-2010 visitation panel report and allow the three affected directors to serve out their offices as stipulated in their instrument of appointment in the interest of industrial peace.

    But the management of FUTA debunked the claims of the Western Zone of SSANU that its members were unfairly treated during the visit.

    In a statement by the Registrar, Dr Modupe Ajayi, the university said the story of the event put into the public domain by the SSANU officials was not a true reflection of what happened.

    She said on Friday, March 28, officials of SSANU’s Western Zone were at FUTA for the union’s scheduled 48th quarterly meeting.

    The Registrar said prior to their arrival, the management of FUTA had ensured that necessary logistics supports were in place to facilitate a hitch-free meeting.

    Dr Ajayi said two days to the meeting, the vice chancellor caused an internal memorandum to be issued to principal officers and directors, requesting them to attend the visit as well as the opening ceremony.

    The Registrar said this demonstrated the support of the management of FUTA for the meeting and its readiness to receive the participants.

    Sha added: “The day of the meeting coincided with the 31st matriculation ceremony of our institution and the vice chancellor requested that the courtesy call on him by SSANU officials take place immediately after the matriculation. This was conveyed to the SSANU leadership.

    “Contrary to the position of SSANU, the courtesy call, which had in attendance principal officers and other support workers, did not have any hitch until matters that had already been dispensed with and on which decisions had been taken by the university’s council – months earlier – was introduced by the leader of the SSANU team.

    “The issue related to the payment of salaries for the period when some affected members of staff were suspended from the services of the university. Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to unilaterally take decisions on the issue, he told the SSANU officials not to reopen the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

    The Registrar said it was at that point the leader of the SSANU team insisted that he would not continue with the meeting and walked out on the vice chancellor and principal officers of the university with his colleagues while entreaties by other principal officers to the SSANU team not to stage a walkout were unheeded. That action effectively stalled the meeting with the university management. “It is noteworthy that this case had been decided by two successive governing councils of the university and it is 18 months old. The forfeiture of the salaries was one of the conditions of the amnesty before the affected workers were reinstated.

    “Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to reopen a case already decided upon by two previous governing councils, he advised the SSANU officials not to re-open the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

     

     

    Dr Ajayi explained that at no point did the

    vice chancellor stall the courtesy call and foreclose dialogue, as SSANU reportedly claimed.

    “It is, therefore, imperative to advise SSANU that if it cannot help improve SSANU-FUTA management relationship, it should stay away and not worsen the situation by inciting the workers against the university management.

    “We restate that the management of FUTA, under the leadership of Prof Adebiyi Daramola, has always been and will continue to be responsive to issues relating to welfare of its workers at all levels. Its cardinal principle is consensus-building through dialogue, and it will not detract from this position,” the Registrar added.

     

     

     

  • SSANU chides FUTA over ‘false’ publication

    SSANU chides FUTA over ‘false’ publication

    •FUTA: Allegation false

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has condemned an advertorial published in a national daily on April 2 by the Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr Modupe Ajayi, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola.

    In the advertorial, the Registrar reacted to a visit on the VC of the institution by the leadership of SSANU, on March 28, which ended abruptly due to the unfriendly attitude of the vice chancellor.

    Ajayi urged SSANU executives to stay away from the university and should not incite the staff of the institution against the management.

    SSANU’s Southwest National Vice President, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, addressed reporters at the weekend at the University of Ibadan (UI) on the matter.

    He said Dr Ajayi was not present when the union leaders visited the university and was not competent to publicly comment on what transpired at the meeting.

    According to him, the accusation that the union was belligerent is misplaced.

    Jimoh said the vice-chancellor had always been belligerent and unfriendly towards SSANU.

    The union leader, who was among the union leaders at FUTA during the visit, alleged that Prof Daramola did not respect any of the unions particularly SSANU and its officers, otherwise he would not be treating them badly.

    “If Prof Daramola would not respect a SSANU team, comprising the Vice-President, Deputy National President, National Treasurer, National Public Relations Officer and other zonal officials, if he could shut down the leadership of the union the way he did in his office, we wonder who then was belligerent.

    “The FUTA advertorial on February 10, 2014, discussed the issue of illegal redeployment of career directors in FUTA. The Registrar, with the VC, submitted that the university’s Governing Council had taken a decision on the matter. Raising this point in the advertorial, the VC inadvertently betrayed the root of his anger against us. However, the VC and his management are being economic with the truth over the matter of the directors,” Jimoh said.

    The SSANU leader urged FUTA’s Governing Council to revisit the matter and follow the White Paper on the 2004-2010 visitation panel report and allow the three affected directors to serve out their offices as stipulated in their instrument of appointment in the interest of industrial peace.

    But the management of FUTA debunked the claims of the Western Zone of SSANU that its members were unfairly treated during the visit.

    In a statement by the Registrar, Dr Modupe Ajayi, the university said the story of the event put into the public domain by the SSANU officials was not a true reflection of what happened.

    She said on Friday, March 28, officials of SSANU’s Western Zone were at FUTA for the union’s scheduled 48th quarterly meeting.

    The Registrar said prior to their arrival, the management of FUTA had ensured that necessary logistics supports were in place to facilitate a hitch-free meeting.

    Dr Ajayi said two days to the meeting, the vice chancellor caused an internal memorandum to be issued to principal officers and directors, requesting them to attend the visit as well as the opening ceremony.

    The Registrar said this demonstrated the support of the management of FUTA for the meeting and its readiness to receive the participants.

    Sha added: “The day of the meeting coincided with the 31st matriculation ceremony of our institution and the vice chancellor requested that the courtesy call on him by SSANU officials take place immediately after the matriculation. This was conveyed to the SSANU leadership.

    “Contrary to the position of SSANU, the courtesy call, which had in attendance principal officers and other support workers, did not have any hitch until matters that had already been dispensed with and on which decisions had been taken by the university’s council – months earlier – was introduced by the leader of the SSANU team.

    “The issue related to the payment of salaries for the period when some affected members of staff were suspended from the services of the university. Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to unilaterally take decisions on the issue, he told the SSANU officials not to reopen the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

    The Registrar said it was at that point the leader of the SSANU team insisted that he would not continue with the meeting and walked out on the vice chancellor and principal officers of the university with his colleagues while entreaties by other principal officers to the SSANU team not to stage a walkout were unheeded. That action effectively stalled the meeting with the university management. “It is noteworthy that this case had been decided by two successive governing councils of the university and it is 18 months old. The forfeiture of the salaries was one of the conditions of the amnesty before the affected workers were reinstated.

    “Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to reopen a case already decided upon by two previous governing councils, he advised the SSANU officials not to re-open the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

     

    Dr Ajayi explained that at no point did the

    vice chancellor stall the courtesy call and foreclose dialogue, as SSANU reportedly claimed.

    “It is, therefore, imperative to advise SSANU that if it cannot help improve SSANU-FUTA management relationship, it should stay away and not worsen the situation by inciting the workers against the university management.

    “We restate that the management of FUTA, under the leadership of Prof Adebiyi Daramola, has always been and will continue to be responsive to issues relating to welfare of its workers at all levels. Its cardinal principle is consensus-building through dialogue, and it will not detract from this position,” the Registrar added.

     

     

     

  • ‘Why FUTA won’t reinstate workers’

    ‘Why FUTA won’t reinstate workers’

    The management of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) has said it would not upturn the decision of two successive governing councils to reinstate the workers facing disciplinary action.

    The Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Dr. M.O. Ajayi, said in a statement that the erring workers should forfeit their salary for the period under sanction, as decided by the councils as conditions of the amnesty before their reinstatement.

    She said this was the cause of the conflict between the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Western zone and the FUTA management when they came for the 48th quarterly meeting, which coincided with the matriculation.

    Dr. Ajayi advised SSANU to stay off the affairs of the workers and management of the university if it cannot use its office to improve their relationship.

    She debunked a report published in The Nation on March 30 headlined: “SSANU threatens showdown with FUTA VC”, saying it was the Zonal Chairman of SSANU, Mr. Jimoh, who ended the meeting abruptly, as he and other top officials of the association walked out on the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola and other principal officers.

    She said the entreaties of the principal officers of FUTA to allow the meeting continue were rebuffed.

    Dr. Ajayi said FUTA was disappointed in the manner the group approached the issue.

    The school, she said, is responsive to the issues relating to the welfare of its workers at all levels, stressing that its cardinal principle is consensus building through dialogue because “it will not detract from it.”

    Dr. Ajayi said: “Prior to their arrival, the management received a notice of their intention to pay a courtesy call on the VC and the management made the necessary arrangement for the meeting.

    “The university provided the necessary logistic support to facilitate a hitch-free meeting, including change of venue of this year’s matriculation to another location to accommodate SSANU’s request.

    “As part of preparation, two days to SSANU’s meeting, the VC caused an internal memorandum to be issued to the principal officers and relevant directors to attend the courtesy meeting to accord due recognition to the visiting SSANU officials.”

    She said the effort of the university management in providing a conducive environment for the meeting showed high expectations of the union’s executive at such level of representation.

  • Ondo Govt may shut down FUTA, ACE over tax evasion

    Ondo Govt may shut down FUTA, ACE over tax evasion

    The Ondo State Government may soon shut down the two federal tertiary institutions located in the state, the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) and Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo over alleged evasion of taxes.

    Already, the state government has directed the Internal Revenue Board to place notice of non-compliance on the gate of the institutions.

    According to the Internal Revenue Board, FUTA was alleged to be owing about N2.7billion, while Adeyemi College also owes the government N346million.

    When The Nation visited ACE, lecturers and some passers-by besieged the school gate having glimpse of the notice.

    The notice placed on the institution’s gates reads, “take notice that the owner/operators the company/business premises have failed to comply with their tax obligation under the relevant federal and state laws. Any officer or agent involved in this contravention is punishable by fine and/ or imprisonment under section of the personal income tax act 1993 as amended by order of the Ondo State Board of Internal Revenue (OSBIR)”.

    A lecturers of ACE, who spoke under anonymity lamented over the recent increase of tax by the state government.

    He wondered why such huge amount of money will be placed on the institution.

    His words: “Thank God, the COEASU is on strike and presently our students are not around because by now they may be planning to stage a protest against the government action and you always know the result of students’ unrest.”

    The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ACE, Mr. Moses Akinfolarin, when contacted on phone said he could not speak on the matter but referred our correspondent to the Registrar and Provost of the school for comments on the matter.

    However, a senior staff in the Bursary  Department who craved anonymity said the amount claimed by the government to have owed by the school was too outrageous, insisting that the institution had not been evading tax as alleged by the state government.

    He said : the said money is too outrageous and the college has been paying but the argument is that the college has not been paying right amount of money , but if the government alleged the college of not paying, on what basis, how do they calculate it to arrive at that money they brought,”

    “As far as I know ACE has never defaulted, if you check through all higher institution in the south west you will discover that we are the one paying the highest amount of  tax, so if the government could come with N347million, they should be able to tell us how they arrived at that amount.”

    In the case of FUTA, the Spokesman of the institution, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo when contacted on telephone claimed to be oblivious of the development but promised to meet the school’s Bursar as at the press time.

    “I am not aware of the matter but I will contact the school’s Bursar about it, I will get back to you, “he said.

     

  • Waging war against cancer using beauty

    Waging war against cancer using beauty

    How many people know that beauty can be a tool to wage war against diseases? Hannah Ojo writes on how Ms. Tolulope Bewaji, a banker-turned-beauty entrepreneur who runs The Ojulewa Beauty Institute, offers free make-over for women as a way of encouraging them to come attend breast and cervical screening exercises.

    AS the world continues to wage war against the dreadful killer disease – cancer, one lady who is bringing innovation to play in the battle against the scourge is Tolulope Bewaji. Trained as an accountant at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and with an MBA from the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), she abandoned a plum job in the banking industry where she put in 10 years of active service to pursue her passion: beauty and wellness. Today, she is not only finding fulfilment in holding her head high in an industry driven by competition, she is also using her craft as a social enterprise by creating awareness on prevention as the best way to curb cancer. This she does by offering free make-over services to women as a way of encouraging them to prevent cancer by attending screening and encouraging others to come along as well.

    Speaking of the inspiration behind the move, she said: “I did a cervical screening some years back and I wish more women would turn up for screening so as to prevent their chances of developing cancer. I discovered most ladies are thrilled by make-ups since they want to look good, so we just thought of what we can use to attract women to come out and do their screening. We decided to organise free make-over sessions at the Optimal Care Cancer Foundation, Surulere as a way of encouraging women to work towards preventing cancer by attending regular screenings.”

    The CEO of The Ojulewa Institute organised the first free make-over sessions for women at the Optimal Care Cancer Foundation when she turned 40 on July 19, last year. Since then, she has not looked back as she sometimes lead her team to offer free make-up services on some Fridays when lectures and screenings are held for women within the foundation’s premises. For her, the best way to fight cancer is prevention. This she believes hinges on creating awareness by preaching the good news of breast and cervical screening since cancer is better managed when detected early.

    Speaking on how she finds fulfilment in what she is doing, she said: “For a make-over session, I charge N15, 000, so you can imagine the number of ladies we are doing for free. If I am going to quantify what I am doing here in monetary terms, it will run into thousands of naira. But for me, I can’t quantify the fulfilment I get because we are using the institute to save lives.”

    At a time beauty appears to have become a social necessity, the svelte beauty, who recalled people told her she was crazy when she wanted to leave her banking job to start as a make-up artiste, believes every woman can look good while also cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Even though she is 40, she could pass for someone in her late 20s. The secret to her ageless body, she attributes to a healthy living which is summarised in three habits: ‘eat well, drink a lot of water and exercise’. “I am slim yet I still go to the gym because I want my blood to circulate. These days you see a lot of women who look older than their age. I have a lot of clients who I am treating who have aged more than their looks.”

    She thinks women age faster as a result of being lazy about their health. “They eat junk foods. They don’t eat veggies. These are things that aid even in preventing cancer; eating right and cultivating a healthy life style.”

    With the manner she handles her clients and the way she hands out instructions to her assistants during the course of the free make-over sessions which this reporter experienced, one cannot but conclude that the professionalism she garnered in her years in the bank has rubbed on her as an entrepreneur who is doing well for herself in a very competitive industry. Reacting to the observation that the make-up industry is an all-comers affair, she thinks there is still room for more competition since Nigeria’s huge population is an advantage. “If you lay your onions very well in the industry, definitely you will be able to get your market share. Some Saturdays I am so occupied that I have to give some jobs to some of my students. The thing is to discover a unique selling point. Even I am naturally talented with the arts, I still went out of my way to get trained professionally before I started on my own. Professionalism is key!”

    With a booming beauty institute which boasts of clienteles in the corporate world and fashion industry, including runway jobs for City People magazine, she, however, regrets not leaving banking earlier to pursue her passion. For her, life at 40 is not only about appreciating loved ones and growing her business, she also has a heart for other women. For her, fighting cancer through the Ojulewa Beauty Institute is a commitment she wants to continue with in order to make a difference.

  • FUTA VC seeks role for varsities’ alumni

    Alumni of universities should be encouraged to play key roles and contribute to the development of their alma mater, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Vice Chancellor Prof Adebiyi Daramola has said.

    Daramola, who spoke when the newly-elected leadership of the FUTA Alumni Association visited him, said no serious establishment could make it alone without carrying along all stakeholders.

    He said old students are stakeholders who should play significant roles in the development of their former schools.

    Daramola, however, called on staff to maintain good relationship with their students because it brings mutual respect and benefits.

    He said, “We have changed the old orientation towards students. We emphasise and ensure that students are treated like younger colleagues because students of today are potential professors and leaders of tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that within years, they will surpass what we have attained as professors. Therefore, we do not maltreat them. We build good sustainable interpersonal relationship.”

    He advised the alumni leaders to spurn initiatives that would attract more old students and work to the benefit of the association.

    “Be objective in your operations. Avoid sentiments and politicking. Expand your operation to attract more members. FUTA products are spread all over the world; engage them and we promise you our utmost support and encouragement. We are happy and proud about the feedback we get from employers of labour about our products. Please do not taint FUTA’s reputation, rather build on it locally and globally and keep the flag flying,” he said.

    In his response, the new President of the association, Mr. Akin Aina, thanked the Vice-Chancellor and his management team for supporting the association over the years, promising to join in making FUTA the best brand.

    Aina said: “We share in your vision in making FUTA the best and taking it to the market place. We are ready to partner with FUTA to take the institution to the market locally and globally. Our members are spread all over the world and we are going to aggressively mobilise our members to make FUTA the best. This regime will try to transform the association. All we need is your continuous support.”

    Aina also told the VC that the Alumni Centre would be completed soon. He added that his team is also planning to support the institution financially.

    The Director, Advancement Centre, Dr. Peter Aborisade, presented the new officers to the Vice-Chancellor.

     

  • FUTA’s paper gets top rating at confab

    A paper written by a team from the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) has been adjudged the best at the Eighth International Conference for Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST-2013) in London, United Kingdom.

    The paper titled: DGM Approach to Network Attacker and Defender Strategies, was presented at the conference by Dr Kayode Alese.

    He wrote the paper with Iwasokun Gabriel Babatunde and Haruna Danjuma Israel, all of the varsity’s Department of Computer Science.

    The FUTA team’s paper beat 1,241 papers received from 96 countries to emerge the overall best, according to the panel of assessors.

    Four of the six submissions by FUTA were accepted for presentation at the event.

    Alese’s paper dwelt on strategies to checkmate infiltrations of secured transactions on the information super highway.

    The don, who is Dean, Students Affairs, said the consensus at the conference was that FUTA showed great strength in global competitiveness through excellence in technological advancement, learning and research.

    The FUTA Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola, said: “We are not surprised about this feat; Research and scholarship are our main selling points in FUTA.

    “In the last quarter of last year, our students coached by Dr Alese came out tops in two major software competitions organised by the Institute of Software Professionals of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Education in conjunction with the British Council.

    “This feat is an icing on the cake for us and we will not rest on our oars; we will continue to strengthen our institution’s culture of scholarship and excellence. This honour is not for FUTA alone but our country and Africa.”

  • Ondo tertiary institutions resume

    The four tertiary institutions in Ondo State yesterday resumed academic activities, following the calling off of the almost six months strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    When The Nation visited the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), students were seen moving about the campus.

    A 400-level Mechanical Engineering student, Mayowa Egunjobi, said he was happy to be back in school.

     

  • ‘Equip tertiary institutions’

    The Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers (NSME) has urged the Federal Government to revitalise the iron and steel sector for the overall industrial development of the country.

    The association particularly called on the government to equip all tertiary institutions offering Mining and Minerals Engineering to make the sector vibrant.

    In the communiqué signed by its President, Engr. B.O Nwude after the 13th Annual General Meeting held at Federal University of Technology Akure, (FUTA), the body noted that equipping institutions would help in training skilled personnel for the industry.