The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LASPOTECH

  • Group lifts indigent students, artisans

    A group, the Patriotic Association of Surulere (PAS), has disbursed scholarship to indigent students within Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    It also distributed General Certificate Examination (GCE) forms to scores of pupils in the scheme held in the council last weekend.

    One of the beneficiaries, Titilope Lawal, a student of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) could not hide her joy when she was handed the sum of N20,000 to pay augment her school fee. Also benefited from the scholarship scheme was Balogun Habeeb who received N10, 000.

    Sixty-three GCE forms were given to youths, who indicated interest in seeking higher education.

    Last February, the group distributed 100 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms to encourage youths in the area to acquire university education. Seven students also received bursary awards depending on the level of their financial needs.

    Speaking to our correspondent, the General-Secretary of the group, Mr Martins Megbon, said the gesture was not political, adding that plans were underway to collaborate with corporate bodies to expand the scheme.

    He said: “This is not something that is politically motivated but inspired out of our desire to engage young people in productive venture to promote peace in our community.”

    The event also featured presentation of small-scale business empowerment grants to traders and artisans. Mrs Kehinde Ahmed, a tailor, received a sewing machine, Mr Tony Lukosi, a computer specialist, got N20,000 to improve his trade while Mr Ibrahim Afolabi, a cobbler, received materials to enhance his business. Others got money ranging between N10,000 and N20,000 to improve their and businesses.

    Old people were also presented with cheques to see to their welfare.

  • Student’s death sparks protest at LASPOTECH

    The death of a student, Oladimeji Olu, ND 1 Computer Engineering, led to a demonstration on the Ikorodu campus of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH). TOLULOPE OGUNLEYE (HND II Computer Science) reports that the aggrieved students disrupted a meeting of principal officers.

    ‘Oladimeji was in serious pain before the doctors started attending to him. When they discovered that it was not a case they could handle anymore, they came back with a referral for the deceased to be transferred to the General Hospital, Ikorodu, where he gave up the ghost on Saturday in the midnight’

    BRANDISHING tree branches and green leaves and with tears flowing down their cheeks, students of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) last Monday protested the death of their colleague, Oladimeji Olu.

    Academic activities were grounded at the school’s Ikorodu campus as the students took to the streets over the “poor medical services” in their clinic.

    They claimed Oladimeji, an ND1 Computer Engineering student, died because of the lackadaisical attitude of the clinic’s personnel.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the late Oladimeji was taken to the medical centre, last Friday, at 9:30am after he took ill, but was transferred to the Ikorodu General Hospital, where he died. The nature of his illness could not be ascertained, but his aggrieved colleagues said the cause of death may have been malaria.

    A student said the deceased was left unattended to hours after his admission at the school’s medical centre. Worried by the development, his colleagues complained to the medical personnel on duty, who gave them a referral for him to the General Hospital.

    Sodiq Bello, Faculty of Engineering students’ president, who spoke to our correspondent, said he got an urgent call from the Computer Engineering Department’s president, Taiwo Ogundero, that the late Oladimeji was “seriously sick” and had been taken to the medical centre.

    “Oladimeji was in serious pain before the doctors started attending to him. When they discovered that it was not a case they could handle anymore, they came back with a referral for the deceased to be transferred to the General Hospital, Ikorodu, where he gave up the ghost on Saturday in the midnight,” Sodiq said.

    When the news of Oladimeji’s death reached the campus, his colleagues sent messages to students through the social media to converge on the convocation ground in the morning.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that scores of students, in a Marcopolo and six 18-seater buses, joined Olanike Olu, the late Oladimeji’s sister, to retrieve his remains from the hospital.

    At the hospital, they were told the Oladimeji’s body would not be released to them. The hospital’s reason, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, was hinged on its policy not to issue death certificate to patients brought in less than 48 hours before death.

    The students were advised to go to the Ikorodu Local Government to get an affidavit. After obtaining the document, signed by Olanike, the students moved to Igbogbo Police Station in Ikorodu to get a police report, which was attached to the affidavit so as to get the death certificate after paying N5,000 to the council. They later presented the document at the hospital.

    Tears flowed freely as the late Oladimeji’s body was brought out of the morgue. His colleagues wailed, with many cursing the institution’s medical personnel. The body was taken to a cemetery at Sabo part of Ikorodu for burial.

    After the internment, the students returned to the campus, storming the clinic in protest. In tears, the students chanted: “Oro nla l’eda, eyin t’epa Oladimeji ti e je k’odagba, oro nla l’eda”, which means: “You have brought sorrow to our hearts, you that caused Oladimeji’s death at his prime; it is great sorrow.”

    The students requested to see the Medical Director, Dr Ibrahim Abdulraheem, but the workers said he was at a management meeting. The Dean, Students’ Affairs, Mr Nurudeen Sonayan, and his deputy, Mr Adebayo Fapohunda, excused themselves from the meeting to attend to the students. Their presence, however, could not calm the inconsolable crowd, which insisted on seeing the medical director.

    When the students got to know that the medical director was in the boardroom, where the meeting was being held, they stormed the place, chanting war songs.

    The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Iroko When, cautioned the demonstrators not to destroy the school property.

    The Rector, Dr Abdulazeez Abioye Lawal, summoned the Speaker of Students’ Representative Council, Sadiq Taiwo and Yomi Usman, a member of the SUG parliament to the boardroom to ascertain what the problem was.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the Speaker narrated what transpired at the medical centre. The rector reportedly responded that the issue was part of the discussion at the disrupted meeting.

    To calm frayed nerves, Dr Lawal left the meeting to address the aggrieved students. He was joined by other principal officers.

    He urged the students to remain calm, saying the state of the medical centre was part of the discussion in the management meeting. He promised that changes would be effected as soon as possible, urging the protesters to return to their hostels.

    In an interview, Dr Abdulraheem said the late Oladimeji was attended to by two doctors immediately he was brought in.

    “We were able to stabilise him before the arrival of his family. When his sister arrived later, there was need to refer him to Ikorodu General Hospital since the centre is not running on 24-hour basis. We ensured that all facilities were in place to transfer the deceased, who was taken in the school’s ambulance accompanied by his sister and a nurse,” he said.

    Abdulraheem said the medical centre did all it could to save the deceased, saying the late Oladimeji may have been seriously affected by the ailment. He advised students to always visit the centre for regular medical check-up, saying: “Don’t wait until you are seriously sick before you remember that there is a place called medical centre on campus.”

    Dr Abdulraheem gave his mobile phone number for students to reach him in case of urgent medical attention and poor service at the centre.

    Efforts to speak to the management of the Ikorodu General Hospital were futile.

    Oladimeji, 21, was a member of the SUG parliament. He is survived by his mother and siblings.

     

  • A race for life

    A race for life

    By 6:30am last Wednesday, the participants had gathered at the Aluta Mansion, the Students’Union Government (SUG) building, to collect their kits. The exercise took sometime and then all was set for the race. The participants moved to the main gate for the business of the day.

    It was a marathon organised by the Students’ Union officials of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH).

    Sponsored by Dangote Group, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Lassa Resources and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the race was held to create awareness about products that are harmful to health.

    At 9:15am, the participants were set for the race. It was reminiscent of an Olympic race.Participants glowed in their blue and yellow sport wears, which were supplied by the sponsors. Sport officials of the institution led by Mr Joseph Ogunbowale joined the athletes at the take-off point.

    Earlier, a combined team of officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), policemen and school security personnel had cleared the marathon routes for easy movement and safety. The routes, which started from the first gate of the Ikorodu campus to the library and the third gate, extended to Itamaga Express Road to Sabo Roundabout and Sagamu Road then back to the first gate.

    Logistics were in place and medical personnel were on hand with a well-equipped ambulance to attend to injured and distressed participants.

    As the race progressed, some athletes fell and could not continue. The medical team moved them out of the way for attention. Some whose condition was serious were taken to the school medical centre.

    The race, which lasted for 108 minutes, was won by Suleiman Amao, ND III Accountancy.The winner maintained his lead from the take-off point until he finished at 9.58am. The last athlete arrived at 11:03am.

    The runners-up were Toheed Adegoke, ND II Quantity Surveying, who arrived at 10am; Opeyemi Oluwadare, ND II Chemical Engineering, 10:02am; Jeremiah Akinmoyeje, ND III Business Administration, 10:04 am and Qudus Osuolale, ND II Business Administration, 10:05am.

    In the female category, Kehinde Odusanya, HND 1 Computer Engineering, came first at 10:20am. The runners-up were Modupe Tade, ND 1 Estate Management, 10:28am; Kelechi Inagu, ND 1 Computer Science, 10:30am; Funmi Ayenowo, HND II Civil Engineering, 10:33am and Adebukola Ajayi, HND 1 Accountancy, 10:34am.

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited the medical centre where the injured were admitted, the Students Union Government (SUG) officials led by the President, Olanrewaju Balogun, Sport Director Samuel Akerele and Speaker of the union’s parliament Kehinde Olofintuyi, were in the building to check on them.

    Dr Ibrahim Abdulraheem, the Medical Director, said the students were stable. He advised the union officials to conduct pre-marathon exercise and medical examination before allowing participants to embark on the race next time.

    He said some of the admitted students had high blood pressure; others were diagnosed of other ailments.

    A few minutes later, the participants converged on the convocation ground for the announcement of the winner. It was a moment filled with anticipation. Principal officers and some guests mounted the podium .

    The Rector, Dr Abdulazeez Lawal, was absent but other senior officers, including the Registrar, Mrs Aderonke Ige; Assistant Dean of Students’ Affairs, Mr Adebayo Fapounda and Public Relations Officer Mr Olanrewaju Kuye joined the sponsors to present prizes to the winners.

    The prizes were MTN DSTV mobile phone with three months free subscription for the first positions, Airtel Internet mobile phone with three months free subscription for the winner; Also, LG DVD player was given to the second runner-up, Airtel Internet modem with a hand pack for the fourth position and MTN rechargeable lamps for the fifth position. The union also gave all winners its note books.

    The Trade Marketing Consultant of MTN, Mrs Elizabeth Otomewo, said the telecoms firms supported the initiative to hone the sporting skills of the students. Mrs Damilola Ajayi, representative of GSK, which provided Lucozade Boost drink for the participants, said the event was in line with the company’s objective.

    Sulaiman, the winner, said: “Relentless training and exercise made me to win the marathon. I run across the same axis every day and with the support of God, I won the race.”

    Saying the vote of thanks, Samuel, the union’s Sport Director, thanked the sponsors and management for supporting the initiative. He urged students to always take part in sporting activities to keep fit all the time.

    At the end of the event, participants were thrilled by DJ Da Dre, with hip hop music from local and foreign artistes.

     

  • Voyage of discovery

    Voyage of discovery

    By 7am last Wednesday, the buses were on stand-by. In no time, some students had gathered at the main gate of the Ikorodu Campus of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) with their luggage. Where were they going? They were heading for tourist sites in Oyo State on excursion.

    They are origins of the state studying in LASPOTECH and AOCOED.

    The Pace Setter state, which has a rich culture, is endowed with many tourist sites such as natural geographical phenomenon; historical and archaeological centres; battle grounds and old settlements.

    It is a routine in the federation of Oyo State Student Union (FOSSU) to embark on such a trip every year. Last year, the students went on a similar trip to the state. From Ikorodu, they went to the Isolo Campus to pick their waiting colleagues. They were led by Niyilola Akanji and Alalade Idris presidents of the union in LASPOTECH and AOCOED respectively.

    The journey was enlivened by members of the Kegites Club, who were part of the trip. From Lagos to Ibadan, the students sang gyration songs.

    When they got to Ibadan, their first port of call was the 200-year-old palace of Baale of Irefin.

    The palace, which was built with mud and has 185 rooms, is one of the enduring legacies in the ancient town. The first Baale of Irefin, the late Ogundeyi Ogunlade Irefin, was a warrior, who detested robbery. According to legend, the late Ogunlade rid Ibadan of bandits. He was said to have migrated from Owu, a village close to Iwo in Osun State.

    Mr Abdulfatai Ogundeji Irefin, one of the late Ogunlade’s grandchildren, conducted the students round the palace. They were shown kobi (entrance) and igbejo (court yard) .

    They visited Bower Tower, also in Ibadan, the same day. The tower, which is 997 feet and 303 metres high, was erected in honour of the late Captain R.L. Bower, the colonial officer who administered Ibadan metropolis.

    The monument was erected in December 1936 at Oke-Are to appreciate the late Bower’s effort in curbing kidnapping, human sacrifice and inter-communal strife. The late Bower’s administration was also said to be instrumental to the provision of fundamental freedom and education.

    On the second day, the students arrived in Oyo Town and visited the Old Oyo National Park on Isokun-Iseyin Road.

    On entering the park, the students came face to face with two huge ostriches. Mr Lukman Durosimi, a worker in the park, conducted the students round the museum, showing them various historical items.

    He recounted the stories behind the objects. The tourists saw a tortoise called papa, which has spent 99 years in the park.

    In Ogbomoso, the students went to pay homage to Oba Jimoh Oyewunmi Ajagungbade III, the Soun of Ogbomoso. They were welcomed into the palace by Alagba – a tortoise said to have spent 350 years in the palace. The tortoise is the oldest member in the palace.

    At Igbeti, the headquarters of Olorunsogo Local Government Area of Oyo State, the students saw the beauty of nature. Igbeti is an ancient settlement located by the hill of the woodland forest. It is about 84 kilometres northwest of Ogbomoso and surrounded by hills, the tallest of which is Iyamopo Hill.

    During their trip to Igbeti, the students visited Agbele rock formation, which depicts a picture of a woman carrying a load of dried sliced yams and a baby on her back. The rock’s historical significance is rooted in the tradition of Igbeti people.

    The students also visited Ogunjokoro, a mysterious iron, before they returned to their base in Igbeti town.

    During their visit to Iyamopo Hill, Chief D.O. Ogunbiyi, told them that Sango Olufiran Ajala Iji was the first person to settle on the hill before the Alaafin of the old Oyo Empire in the 13th century took over the hill. The major occupation of the natives is hunting.

    Chief Ogunbiyi told the students how the people came by the name, Igbeti.

    He said: “One of Iji’s children, who had no male child to inherit the throne after the death of their progenitor, was instructed by Ifa (oracle) not to hunt again because he had killed many lovers of Iyamopo (mother who knows problems of people),who assisted them to settle in the area. So, if people asked him why he did not have dried meat, he would tell them: Mo ti pagbeti (I have stopped hunting)’. So people started calling him Baba Pagbeti.”

    The students climbed the Iyamopo Hill to see some historical places like Iyamopo well, the palace of Iyamopo, which is a cave under the hill. It is spacious and can contain 50 people. The students also saw a mysterious tree, which has an entry and exit.

    Afeez Gazali, one of the tourists, told CAMPUSLIFE: “Everything I have learnt in the course of this trip is not what a student can learn in the classroom. One should always visit historical sites to appreciate the culture and our roots better.”

    Oluwadamilola Ayoade, another student, described the excursion as “very educative”, saying she learned new things about her roots as an Oyo State indigene.

    FOSSU presidents praised their colleagues for their peaceful conduct during the trip, advising them to be serious with their studies.

     

  • ASUP strike paralyses academic activities in polytechnics

    ASUP strike paralyses academic activities in polytechnics

    The seven-day warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), which entered its third day on Wednesday, has continued to paralyse academic activities in the institutions.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), students at the Ikorodu and Isolo campuses have resorted to roaming.

    Mr Kehinde Olofintuyi, Speaker, LASPOTECH’s Students’ Union Government, told NAN in Ikorodu that although the strike was effective, it was not in their best interest.

    He appealed to the Federal government to look into the demand of the striking lecturers, while another student, Miss Jesica Chimezie, urged the need for the government and ASUP to reach an agreement.

    However, Mr Chibuzor Asomugba, the National President of ASUP, told NAN that the strike would continue until the Federal Government considered their demands.

    “We have not heard anything from the Federal Government; the strike still continues,” he said.

    Mr Dimeji Macaulay, Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) in Niger, has appealed to the federal and state governments to immediately meet all the demands of ASUP.

    Macaulay made the appeal in a statement, a copy of which was made available to NAN in Lagos.

    According to him, the series of strikes rocking the nation’s education sector are signs of “the resistance building up against government’s neglect of public education and its poor education policies’’.

    Macaulay claimed that at the university level, both academic and non-academic staff workers had numerous grievances that could lead to a series of strikes very soon.

    “This is aside brewing anger of mass of students at fee hikes and poor condition of hostels and teaching facilities which unfortunately, cannot find organised expression only because of the lack of a fighting students’ leadership.

    “Following closely on the heels of an ongoing strike action declared by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and ASUP means a total shutdown of all academic and administrative activities in the nation’s Polytechnics and Monotechnics.

    “To avoid a total strike, we call on the federal government to see to the demand of the lecturers,” he said.

  • ‘LASPOTECH has closed external campuses’

    ‘LASPOTECH has closed external campuses’

    In line with the directive of the Lagos State government that all tertiary institutions it funds close down external campuses, Rector of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, Dr. A.A Lawal, said the institution has complied.

    Addressing journalists ahead of the institution’s 21st convocation which holds today, Lawal said the annexes are no longer admitting fresh students but only in operation to allow current students to complete their programmes.

    “We have complied with the directive for closure of all external campuses. We have to manage the process carefully to allow students already in the programme to graduate. We have written to all our accredited representatives that all annexes are cancelled. The only thing the students are doing there is to receive lectures,” he said.

    The Rector was also happy to note that the institution has been able to enhance its facilities through grants from the Tertiary Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Lagos State government, leading to full accreditation of the 52 programmes it runs.

    Speaking on today’s convocation, Lawal said certificates for all the graduands for the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma programmes are ready for collection, while assuring that the backlog of certificates would be cleared soon.

    He said: “The practice of graduating students without really getting their certificates released to them several years after graduation has been a major source of worry; and it is in realisation of this problem that we had set out to ensrue that the backlog of certificates in all the schools of the polytechnic is cleared very soon.

    We are working tirelessly to ensure that outstanding certificates for LASPOTECH graduates are released soonest and that the polytechnic does not accumulate backlog of unprepared certificates. I am glad to state that all students graduating presently have their certificates ready.”

    Among the 8,686 students graduating today 19 made Distinction at ND level and 14 at HND level for the full-time programme; while there are 23 Distinctions, ND, and 40 at HND level for the part-time programme.

     

  • LASPOTECH prays

    Staff and students of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) have sought God’s face for the school. TOLULOPE OGUNLEYE (HND II Computer Science) writes on the prayer session to usher in 2013.

    It was not all about books, books and books at the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH). Penultimate week, members of the Joint Campus Fellowship (JCF) literally brought the institution on its knees. All Christian students’ fellowships on the campus gathered to pray and give praises to God at a session with the theme: The King of glory.

    The programme, tagged LASPOTECH on her knees, was described spiritual warfare by students who gathered at the convocation ground on the Ikorodu Campus. It started with a hymn, Praise my soul the king of heaven, at 3pm by the choristers of the fellowship led by the Director of Music in the Department of Mass Communication, Mrs Felicia Adedoyin. The prayer enlivened the congregation.

    After the prayer, worshippers were entertained with two drama ministrations, which depicted “the mighty and healing power of Jesus Christ”.

    The first story portrayed a woman, dressed in a tattered wrapper with blood stain, struggling to gain access to Jesus; the people around mocked and blocked her way. She eventually got to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and her 12 years suffering suddenly ended.

    The second story was of Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. The student, who played Lazarus, was wrapped in white cloth from head to toe and tied with rope. He was brought to the stage by two men, crying and seeking the help of Jesus. ‘Jesus’ walked towards them; squatted to touch the ‘dead’ man, and shouted “Lazarus!” The body started rising and came back to life.

    The stories, which were picked from the Bible, were part of the miracle works carried out by Jesus while on earth.

    Pastor Felix Ishola from God’s Power Global Mission, Abeokuta, Ogun State, who was the guest minister, charged the atmosphere when he prayed: “I command everything that is dead in me to rise in Jesus name.” The congregation roared “amen” in unison.

    In his sermon entitled: “Experiencing the fullness of His glory”, Ishola said it was God’s glory that defined the glory of man, adding that anything that was not found in the exemplary life of Jesus Christ should not exist in the life of a true believer.

    He based his exhortation on John 17:22, which reads: “And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” The cleric said the glory of God was in His limitless power, quoting 1 Chronicle 16:27 to support his claim.

    Ishola highlighted how the glory of God can manifest in a believer’s life. He said a true believer carried fire and the glory of God in him wherever he went, noting that such a person could destroy the work of devil.

    Towards the end of his sermon, the pastor made an altar call. Many students responded and he prayed for them. Afterwards, the worshippers prayed for the school, staff, students and the host community. Lagos State and the country were not left out.

    The president of the JCF, Pastor Pearse Folorunsho, said he was happy with the outcome of the programme. “The yearly LASPOTECH on her knees has become an avenue to pray and seek God’s favour in our lives,” he said, adding that the purpose of the programme was to enforce righteousness and holiness on the campus.

    Zainab Ademuyiwa, ND 1 Food Technology, who accompanied her friend to the programme, said: “I met God today and I felt the touch of the Holy Spirit within me. From today on, I have chosen to be a Christian.”

  • LASPOTECH official seeks regulation of computer centres

    The Assistant Director, Human Capacity Development, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Mr. Yakubu Bankole, has called for the regulation of computer training centres in the country and sanctioning of illegal ones.

    Bankole told the News Agency of Nigeria in a chat in Lagos on Saturday that illegal computer training centres posed a serious challenge to accredited institutions.

    He said that many of the unregistered centres did not have qualified engineers, equipment and manpower to give people proper training.

    Bankole said that lack of awareness and regulation had, however, made such centres to thrive and enjoy patronage.

    “Our major challenge is the roadside computer centres; they are everywhere and people don’t know the difference between the qualified and unqualified centres.

    “Lack of regulation is a setback for the computer engineers, there must be standard, sanctions and penalty in this profession. `

    `The roadside computer centres continue to operate without any license,” he said.