The Nation Newspaper

Tag: graduate

  • 100 inmates graduate

    One hundred inmates of Agodi Prisons Ibadan have been trained in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and other skills.

    The inmates were trained in collaboration with Yommyfad Limited in partnership with Annabelle Iremide Foundation.

    The initiative, according to the Chief Executive of Yommyfad Limited, Yomi Fadare, was launched in 2013 to allow the prisoners learn good skills.

    Fadare said: “Operation empower the Inmates” would soon be extended to other prisons, where inmates would be trained in computer appreciation, computer engineering, tailoring, bead making and shoe making.”

    Ayotunde Fatokun, founder of Annabelle Iremide Foundation, said with the support of individuals, they are keeping the vision alive.

    “Prison inmates are abandoned and the least considered set of people in the society.

    “However, life doesn’t end when you go to prison. You can still make the best out of life after incarceration.”

  • 52 Blind MTNF beneficiaries graduate

    52 Blind MTNF beneficiaries graduate

    Fifty-two blind students who benefited from the MTN Foundation Scholarship have graduated from the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo State.

    The graduands were awarded the scholarship after undergoing the selection  conducted across the country.

    The scholarship covered tuition and book allowances for one year, and was renewable after maintaining a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.5.

    The MTN Foundation Scholarship Scheme for Blind Students is aimed at providing academic scholarship annually to eligible blind students in accredited public tertiary institution across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

    In its fourth phase, MTNF has awarded scholarships to 451 new and returning awardees. Under the scheme, each beneficiary receives scholarship worth N200, 000 yearly.

    The Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Nonny Ugboma, represented by Akinolu Oludiran, MTN’s Regional Trade Marketing Manager, Southwest, praised the students for their resilience.

    Specifically, he charged them to take advantage of the employability skills  they received from MTNF as they pursue other goals in life.

    “We enhanced Phase Three of the scheme by including an employability training, which will prepare the beneficiaries for the labour market on graduation. The workshop content included, contemporary ICT skills, JAWS Software training, motivational talks and employment opportunities for blind students,” he said.

    A beneficiary, Oluwatoyosi Lawal, thanked the Foundation for enabling him and his fellow awardees to complete his studies. According to Lawal, the scholarship availed him the opportunity to compete favourably with his sighted mates.

     

  • 1,435 benefit from graduate scheme

    Over 1, 435 graduates have benefited from one year internship programme in the federal government initiated Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and Ultimax Consult Limited and established with an intention of building the capacity of youths and exposing them to necessary experience needed for successful business and career.

    GIS Project Director, Mr. Peter Papka, who made this known at the graduation ceremony in Abuja, where 127 graduates completed their one year internship programme, reaffirmed that the GIS was meant to improve the work ethics, orientation and provide employability skills needed to improve their personal and career development skills.

    Papka, who was represented by an official of the scheme, Mr. Alhasan Samaila, noted that over 21,000 graduates out the 50,000 targeted have exited the scheme in its two years of introduction, with most of them retained by their host firms, while some have been self employed with the skills acquired skills.

    He further disclosed that FCT has over 1,435 beneficiaries and 544 firms that have been verified and approved to take in graduates for internship, providing them with necessary mentorship.

    He reminded them that GIS was part of government’s effort in contributing to their capacity for effective service, especially through staff assessment, official etiquette, staff management and development through structured mentorship and other critical areas which are necessary for the growth of any firm.

    In the presence of their employer representatives, the interns expressed gratitude to the federal government for initiating such a wonderful programme that had transformed their lives.

    However, Blessing Samuel and Anthony Balogun who were among the beneficiaries in their submissions said that the programme has improved their inter-personal relationship skills and confidence level, calling on the federal government to increase awareness of the scheme to enable graduates especially at the rural areas benefit from the scheme.

    Speaking on the gains of GIS, an employer representative, Blessing Titilayo, accepted that the arrival of the interns to her organisation has turn around the company’s revenue generation and sued for it sustenance by the government.

    Meanwhile, 167 fresh graduates have been inducted into the scheme for a fresh one year internship programme under the supervision of Ministry of Finance and Tenex Zil consulting Limited.

     

  • Ogun interns bare minds over graduate scheme

    Ogun interns bare minds over graduate scheme

    When Olapagbo Benjamin graduated from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Ogun State where he studied Accounting in 2008, he got a contract job immediately as a site accountant where he was paid N50, 000 every month for a year.

    The contract ended after a year and he was thrown into the labour market. For want of something to do, he decided to venture into the POP ceiling design business. “I enrolled to study it for one year, even as I continued my search for a job.”

    The 32 year-old father of two held onto this job until 2014 when he heard about the Federal Government SURE-P programme. He registered and was deployed to Tunes and Partners in Ogun State as an intern.

    Speaking to The Nation during the employability training for interns in Ogun State organised by the African Leadership Forum, Ota, Benjamin praised the programme, saying it has impacted on his life a lot. He however called on the federal government to increase the stipend being paid to the interns saying 30, 000 is rather too small.

    “I have been able to learn a whole lot of things. I now know how to grow fishes. I intend to have my own private firm in the future and I have started saving to start. But this is difficult because the money we are paid cannot go anywhere in taking care of my children and a wife, let alone having something to save.”

    He also advised that SURE-P should open centres in all the states, so that interns could have places to go and lay their complain should they have problems at their places of work.

    31 year-old Awobaju Yewande is no different; she studied Industrial and Labour Relations from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State and graduated in 2007. After NYSC, she got employment in several companies but never enjoyed the jobs, so she resigned.

    Somehow, she also heard about the SURE-P programme and joined in September 2014. She was subsequently posted to Integrated Platinum, a company that is into websites designing.

    That notwithstanding, her desire is to establish a company that will deal in furniture business and she says SURE-P will make her dreams come true as she has started to gain business experience.

    Oresanya Motunrayo, also a graduate of MAPOLY told The Nation that she registered so she can be earning regular monthly income, as her fish pond business only generates money twice a year.

    Although she makes between N400, 000 to N1million every year, she says it is not enough for her upkeep. The 2010 graduate was posted to in Ijebu-Igbo Omo Ilu Foundation, Ogun State,

    She also said that another reason she registered was to gain more knowledge and improve her CV.

  • Graduate marks birthday with orphans

    Rather than throwing lavish party to mark his birthday, Akintan Akindele, a graduate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State has marked the day with orphans at Ilu Ireti Motherless Home in Akure. Akindele donated food and toiletries to pupils in the orphanage.

    He also bought three Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) form for some indigent students.

    Akindele, who was president of the National Association of Business and Administration Students (NABAMS), was received by Mr Richard Ogunleye, at the orphanage.ý

    Ogunleye hailed the gesture, noting that the celebrant took a deep thought for settling to celebrate with the orphans. “Many people will rather throw a big party to show their wealth when they celebrate their birthdays, rather than remembering the less privileged. This will remain indelible in the minds of the children,” he said.

    Akindele donated items, such as bags of rice, noodles, groundnut oil, palm oil, detergent, packs of bar soaps, packets of toothpaste and brush and writing materials.

    The beneficiaries of the UTME forms were: Kemisola Olaosebikan and Modupe Babalola and the best student in Ikoya Grammar School in Okitipupa Local Government.

     

  • Industrialist laments graduate unemployment

    An industrialist and Jagunmolu of Igbominaland, Chief Abdulraheem Oladimeji has lamented the growing graduate unemployment in the country.

    Oladimeji, who is also the proprietor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin urged the Federal Government to sanitize and boost the business sector to facilitate employment for graduates in the country.

    He said this at a press conference in Ilorin as part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the university.

    He lamented the absence of enabling environment that could aid the establishment of industries in the country, noting that with favourable policies by the government at all levels, the business sector would grow and expand and create job opportunities for graduates.

    He said that the business sector is dying because the sector is fraught with dishonesty as emphasis is no more on quality but profit.

    The proprietor however noted that the government can save the situation by coming up with a policy that will sanitize the sector.

    He said that it also largely requires government’s intervention to resuscitate public and private industries that have gone moribund.

    Appreciating that education is the best legacy one can give future generations, Oladimeji said he was inspired to establish Al-Hikma University for posterity despite the high cost.

    “Though the establishment of the university cost me some of my property I am satisfied because I believes it is the lasting legacy I can leave behind,” he said.

    The proprietor thanked friends and others who has helped sustain the institution, which he said does not enjoy any foreign grant.

    To encourage less privileged students, Oladimeji said he launched a scholarship for indigent students of the university.  He also said that apart from the law programme, that has just been accredited, the school plans to run Engineering and Agricultural courses.

     

     

  • Human Rights police officers graduate

    The twentieth graduation ceremony of Human Rights Police Officers will hold on Thursday.

    The Police men who were trained by the Crime Victims Foundation Nigeria (CRIVIFON) under an arrangement with the Police will graduate at an event to be held at the Police College, Ikeja by 10.00a.m.

    CRIVIFON Executive DirectorMrs. Gloria Egbuji said Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and the Inspector-General of Police, Sulaiman Abbah will be special guests of honour.

    The Treasurer,  national Union of Road Transport workers, (NURTW), Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya will chair the event, while Chief Wale Bite would be the Father of the Day.

     

  • Family of slain graduate petitions Jonathan

    The family of the late Chukwuma Ihezie, who allegedly died in police custody, has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan seeking his order for an autopsy to be conducted on the deceased to enable them to take his corpse for burial.

    “Chukwuma died in mysterious circumstances in detention six days after he was arrested by the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Enugu State Police Command.

    “The police had branded the graduate of Engineering a robbery suspect, an allegation his family had refuted.

    “It was, however, gathered that few months after the police authorities completed their investigations, it was discovered that the deceased was indeed not a robber.

    “The spokesman of the family, Mr. Chinedu Ihezie disclosed that the police, after thorough investigation, discovered that their son was not a criminal.”

    “He added that consequently, the car, laptop and other personal effects of the deceased have been released to the family.”

    “Ihezie, however, said although the police have asked them to go ahead and bury the corpse of their son, it would be difficult to do so as the Enugu State Police Command had allegedly turned down a request for autopsy.”

    A letter addressed to President Jonathan, which was copied to the Senate President David Mark, Hon. Matthew Omegara, Representing Okigwe North Federal Constituency, House of Representatives, The Chairman, Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police Enugu State Command, the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Abuja, reads in part: “With sorrowful and painful heart, we the entire family of the late Mr. Sabastine Ihezie, hereby cry unto you for your urgent intervention as our last hope on the callous and extra-judicial killing of our son/brother, Chukwuma Ihezie, by some self-acclaimed, untouchable gods of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force, Enugu State Command.”

    The letter signed by Chinedu Ihezie on behalf of the family of the deceased, is praying President Jonathan to prevail on the police authorities to, among other things, “arrest, dismiss and prosecute the officers involved in the matter.,

    “Conduct a genuine post-mortem examination on Chukwuma’s corpse and release his corpse to us for burial.”

    In the letter, the family of the deceased also said: “Chukwuma Ihezie is a native of Umuozu Ezumoha in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. Born in 1983 (just 30 years old), he was the last born of the family. A 2013 graduate of Mechanical Engineering of the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu, he, out of determination, engaged in cab driving to earn his living and pay his school fees.

    “He also continued the menial job even after graduation because of lack of job opportunities. The poor mother toiled without measure to feed and care for the family which was occasioned by the early death of the father. From birth till death, our son had no case of fighting, let alone criminal case anywhere in the world. This attestation stands to be investigated even where he lived, No.8, Concrete Avenue, Railway Quarters, Enugu, Enugu State.”

    “Chukwuma Ihezie was callously murdered in police custody six (6) days after being arrested. He was alleged to have “aided” an armed robber (still unknown and cannot be provided) to commit crime which is unfounded. Our heart is bleeding; our hope is in God Almighty through you. The future hope and light of the family has been so extinguished. We humbly cry unto you, sir.”

    “Note sir, on 12/1/2014, Chukwuma went for his normal cab work and was arrested by Independence Layout, Enugu police men for picking a passenger whom the police falsely labelled a robber. He was kept under detention in their station under a DPO by name Zakari Yau. He was later transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Office, by Zakari Yau, alongside with his handwritten statement. The police officer in charge of SARS Enugu State Command was CSP Uche. His 2IC was Felix Bolu.

    “On 18/1/2014, Chukwuma was shot on the spinal cord and killed by SARS without a fair hearing in any court of law. His corpse was dumped in UNTH Ituku Ozala, Enugu mortuary on Saturday, 18/1/2014. Chukwuma was arrested on 12/1/2014 and hurriedly killed on 18/1/2014 to cover up a secret, which could have been unveiled if he was allowed to talk.”

     

  • Graduate trains orphans in skills

    Graduate trains orphans in skills

    Oladimeji Temitope, an Accounting graduate of the  Obafemi Awolowo University,  Ile-Ife, Osun State, held a skills acquistion workshop for orphans at Solid Rock and Covenant Orphanages at Moro, in Osun State., tagged: “Project skill-up” , it was held under the auspices of Precious Stones, a non- governmental organisation founded by the graduate.

    In her remark, she said:  “Our aim at Precious Stones is to infuse love into child early. This, we believe, is the bedrock upon which other life issues are built, and this is why our focus is on children, but in a major way,the less privileged.”

    She was received by a 10-man team, including Odidimu Funmilopeda, the skills instructor.

    The children were taught how to make wrist beads with their names, ear-rings, neck chains, wrapping books with various clothing materials, among others.

    Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Mrs Oroyemi Ayoola, the matron of the orphanage, praised the initiative and thanked the organisers for the gesture.

    ‘The event is a blessing to the children and the centre. I believe that as they practise more, the skill acquisition would not only help them to make money for themselves, but also help them in their future.”

    Temitope reiterated their commitment to the project saying:  “our vision is to be global agents of change and hope while our mission is to reach the unreached and also  bring children of different race and tribe to the awareness and consciousness of God’s love.”

  • How graduate internship programme boosts employability

    How graduate internship programme boosts employability

    Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf and Nduka Chiejina in this report capture the experience of some beneficiaries of the federal government Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) aimed at building the skills set of graduates, among others

    AMONG the different measures being adopted by the federal government to address the growing challenge of youths’ unemployment across the country in recent times, the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), which is a Social Safety Net (SSN) intervention and a component of Community Services, Women and Youth Empowerment Project (CSWYE) of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), in the view of analysts, has made a lot of difference.

    Reason: Unlike other past attempts at improving youth employment, it does appear that the GIS has recorded some modest success thus far.

    The scheme, which was launched in October, 2012 to create opportunity for graduates to be attached to firms/organisations, where they can work for a year and enjoy a monthly stipend of N30,000 with a Group Life and Accident Insurance. Such interns can use the opportunity to gain working experience and enhance their employability skills.

    Interestingly, the project has commenced registration of such firms and interns and over 181,800 beneficiaries have been registered. This is beyond the threshold of 50,000 allotted for the scheme in any given year while deployment of such beneficiaries/interns has commenced.

    The eligibility criteria for graduates are that they must be citizens of Nigeria (with a valid ID); must not be more than 40 years of age at the time of joining the scheme (birth certificate or statutory declaration of age is a compulsory requirement); they must be holders of degree and/or HND; must register and submit a Curriculum Vitae resume online at www.wyesurep.gov.ng; must make available all original documents for sighting when reporting to their respective employers and they must have completed the mandatory NYSC or have been exempted by the corps.

    To be eligible for the programme, firms/employers must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission or relevant government agencies and other relevant professional bodies as the case may apply; interested firms/ employers must provide evidence of Value Added Tax (VAT) registration and tax clearance certificate; such firm/employer must register online at www.wyesurep.gov.ng and fill the appropriate form; they must be prepared to provide a mentoring plan for each intern, detailing specific activities to which the intern would be engaged; must be able to engage interns for a period of one year and must prove that they are economically viable and engaged in legitimate businesses with audited accounts over the last two years.

    One sector that has significantly keyed into the GIS programme of the federal government is the Information and Communication Technology sector just as state governments and private corporate organisations are scrambling to take on these interns.

    In a chat with The Nation, Datech, an indigenous ICT firm which provides infrastructure for telecom companies, designs and deploys fibre networks for various clients and individuals, says it has trained several interns who are now “able to handle sites independently and also helped in our expansion by developing more teams which in-turn help us reduce handover times of sites to our clients.”

    Bala Ayegba Shuaibu, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Datech Lagos, stated that “as a firm which began operations three years ago, we have been able to partner in taking graduates who we train to suit our needs. The staff at the GIS office have been of immense help to us while we were taking graduates, they have been able to come around for verification just to ensure the firm exists and the graduates show up at work.”

    So far, Datech, he said, has engaged four interns from the GIS programme and one of them has been offered permanent employment while the other three should be employed once they end their internship programme.

    With regards to the stipends, government, he said: “pays the interns once we submit their time-sheets and as a policy in our firm we match what government pays.”

    Bala Ayegba Shuaibu noted that there are bad eggs in the system. According to him, “We had an instance where an Intern suggested that he wouldn’t come to work but we would sign his time-sheets and we share what government was paying him. We rebuffed that and reported the case to the GIS office which in-turn decided on how to handle the matter. Youths should be willing to learn,” he said.

    The firm, he said, would recommend the programme, “especially to start-ups as this will reduce the amount of wages you pay, hence giving you some free funds to use for other things. Using interns had reduced our wages by over 41.7 per cent and this had made us invest in other important areas in our firm.”

    Professor Manny Aniebonam, President/CEO, Afrihub Nigeria Ltd, one of the firms in Abuja that has engaged interns under the GIS programme, stated that “one thing the finance minister has done which is very good is the launching of the GIS. For me and anybody coming from outside, when you look at it critically, it is a give-and-take kind of programme, because as an employer of labour you are going to be mentoring these kids, these unemployed youths. You know what, when you think that government will be paying N25, 000 every month and then you can now do what we do here at AfriHub, by paying additional N25, 000 making it N50, 000, which at least is enough for the graduate who are unemployed to start life.”

    He, however, noted that the main thing about the programme is that it gives hope. The programme, he said, “is not about money but that it gives hope to that unemployed graduate to get him or her off the street. Instead of the young woman of 20-30 years to roam the street of Abuja every night looking for, you know what, or for men to sleep with, now she is engaged. By the time she is finishing on Friday, she is tired.”

    He narrated a story of how an intern broke down in tears on receiving his first ever salary.

    According to Prof. Aniebonam, “Two years ago, I was in my office and there was a day we paid salaries, and somebody was in front of my door crying, hitting his head on the wall, and I asked why he was crying. I was told this guy studied computer science and for seven years, he had never worked and he just earned his first salary in AfriHub, and he was overwhelmed that he was paid his first salary. So, you know, he broke down, crying and thanking God, saying, so this is my first salary.”

    The mission of AfriHub, he said: “is to give back to the society, to give back using our professional skills acquired outside the country, meaning turning the brain drain of those years into brain gain and to do that we organised ourselves into twelve different groups of professional disciplines, health, education, ICT, agriculture, investment, tourism and so on. All of these we call developmental forum and there are chairpersons in each one of the forums.”

    Comfort Idoko, a 2013 intern with AfriHub Computers, Ltd. Abuja, lectured students in software and in the process developed teaching skills and fine-tuned her skills on software development.

    Like Idoko, Chinedu Onuegbu, also a 2013 intern of AfriHub Computers Ltd, Abuja who was involved in the software class, said he now “reads more, so he learns more every day.”

    Ese Egerega, Deputy Managing Director, AfriHub Computers Ltd, Abuja, said they have “three energetic interns who are ever ready to learn. They work like any other staff of AfriHub and make their contribution to the success of the company. I believe that at the end of their training, I may retain them.”

    Echoing similar sentiments, Ayodeji Rex Abitogun, Lead Consultant at Management Edge Ltd., Abuja, said: “The two interns we have are adding value to the functions of the office and we have a chance to dispense our corporate social responsibility. With the rate of commitment of the interns and the training they are receiving, I believe they will do well anywhere they find themselves. We may even consider retaining them.”

    One of the states that have requested for about 500 ICT/Computer Science graduates from the GIS office is Sokoto State, to prepare her students for the examinations next year.

    According to Dr. Mohammed Ali Inname, Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on ICT: “In today’s world, there is hardly much that is done without the computer; it is the common factor in government, communication, banking and other ventures.”

    He said: “This scheme will not only equip the teachers and students with ICT knowledge, but it will also boost the educational system and bring about jobs and wealth creation in the state as well as open the state to international communities. Agribusiness and tourism in the state will be improved as products and services will be marketed via ICT.”

    Spokesman for the GIS programme, Suleiman Haruna, confirmed that his office is currently inundated with requests by states for ICT and Computer Science graduates with the desire to retain the interns, but he said the office and supervising ministry of finance was working to meet the demands as employment generation was a key component of the transformation agenda of the federal government.