The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • UNILAG business school begins classes Saturday

    University of Lagos Business School (ULBS) is set to commence classes on Saturday.

    This was revealed at the interactive session and reception for ULBS students recently at the school’s Arthur Mbanefo Digital Resources Centre.

    The Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) Programme Coordinator, Dr. Simeon Ifere said the school would run part-time programmes only.

    He said: “The programme is part-time alone and runs for 24 months consisting of six semesters of 16 weeks each. The 2019/2020 begins September 7, 2019”.

    He also said the EMBA would help local businesses compete internationally, which would help the community and society in general advance.

    He added: “The EMBA programme is designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills required not only to be effective managers but also to become transformational business leaders in our dynamic and competitive business world.”

    The executive director of ULBS, Prof. Abraham Osinubi said the school would collaborate with experts, industries to give the students the experience, leadership skills and networking opportunities they need to succeed in business.

  • Wike & Ganduje: Metaphors for Nigerian governors

    Kano and Port Harcourt share some parallels.  Both were once flourishing seductive cities of attraction. The former, with a 1,095 years old city walls described as “‘the most impressive monument in West Africa” and an important Trans-Sahara trade centre that embraced Islamic faith in the 12th century, six decades before United Arab Emirate that hosts Dubai, the fourth most visited city in the world was born, while the latter was a great industrial centre and a celebrated garden city that was once a must-visit for Nigerians.

    Today, Kano is relics of itself, a hotbed religious intolerance populated by impoverished unemployable youths deliberately groomed by politicians to (as recently affirmed by Nasir El Rufai) strengthen their hold on power just as Port Harcourt is controlled by armed gangs groomed by politicians to serve as balance of terror during elections. And as if by design, the two cities are today under the grip of politicians who draw inspiration from Nicollo Machiavelli, the prince of politics “marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith”.

    It all started with Wike’s alleged demolition of a mosque in Port Harcourt, a charge he denied. Alhaji Nasir Uhor, the Chief Iman of Rivers and Leader/Vice President General, Rivers State Council for Islamic Affairs, also confirmed absence of physical structure of a Mosque at the disputed land. Support also came for Wike from an unusual quarter, the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups (CNYG) that dismissed the allegation as not only “false and misleading but intended to draw religious ire, stir political tension and widen the chasm of national division, which rather requires healing and bonding at this point in time”.

    This however did not stop Rivers Muslim Community and its chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Tabaco who insisted what was demolished on August 20, was a mosque under construction. The leader of the Niger Delta’s People’s Salvation Force (NDPSF), Asari Dokubo, in fact maintained   what Wike demolished was a mosque where he as  “ a member of the congregation of the Trans-Amadi central mosque, his 21 children and 59 other children that live with him worship”. Solidarity with the group  came from far away Kano where Governor  Abdullahi Ganduje threatened  to take legal action against Wike, who has since described Ganduje’s statement as irresponsible while not forgetting to remind him that  Wike is not “dollars that Ganduje can pocket recklessly and sheepishly”.  Ganduje also found an ally in MURIC which dismissed  Wike’s administration as government of thugs, exhibiting   ‘wikedisation’ of religion, acrobatic religiousity, gymnastic impunity, political violence and administrative rascality”.  Since both governors know each other well, I think it is futile to try to interrogate their characterisation of themselves.

    What is not in dispute however is that both are metaphors for Nigerian governors. From the record of their conduct and utterances since the beginning of the fourth republic, it is clear many of our successive governors are men without character. Between 1999 and 2004, about 18 of PDP 24 elected governors were indicted for massive looting of their state resources. With the ongoing travails of some governors who lost their immunity few months back, it is obvious not much has changed under Buhari’s government of change.

    Nigerian governors are responsible for what the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial and Arbitrary Executions, Agnes Callamard after two weeks tour of Nigeria, last Monday summarized as “cultism in the oil-producing south states and other well-organised criminal gangs; local militias engaged in mining and cattle rustling in the Northwest, particularly Zamfara, increased criminality and spreading insecurity;” all over the country.

    It has been established that substantial part of N4b to N12b governors’ annual security votes, which they are not obliged to account for, go into funding of armed gangs to keep themselves in office. The PDP garrison commander of Ibadan politics, late Pa Adedibu, was the first to confirm the use of security funds for funding political terror groups when his dispute over sharing formula led to illegal impeachment of Governor Ladoja. President Jonathan’s National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi confirmed that Northeast politicians initially armed Boko Haram to secure advantage over political opponents. The Niger Delta’s different militant groups were sponsored by Niger Delta governors as balance of terror. It was former governor, Goodluck Jonathan who as vice president went into the creeks to address his men in the language they understood when the Amnesty Programme was first instituted by President Yar dua.

    Ayoade Akinibosun, the gang leader of armed group that robbed a bank in Offa on April 4, 2018 killing about 27 people including six policemen claimed during police integration ‘we are the senate president boys…we have been working form him since he was the governor of Kwara State, we mobilise for him and we are the ones that do political arrangements for him, we scatter elections if we don’t win”.

    Hamisu Bala alias Wadume, the Taraba State kidnap kingpin and a gun runner during interrogation by the police last week painted a similar picture: “I made so much money from politicians, as a youth leader, money meant for the youths are given to me. I am to mobilise them, hire thugs where necessary and made arrangement for weapons”.

    In Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose who went through a political tutelage under Adedibu was said to have his own gang. The group is allegedly linked to some of the ongoing cases of political assassination of his political rivals during his first term. In Lagos, Joe Igbokwe as Lagos APC spokesman reportedly admitted that rampaging NURTW leaders in the state are members of APC. In Ogun, Gbenga Daniel had his own squad claimed to be headed by the late Olatoye Temitope alias ‘sugar’, a supervisory councilor for Odeda LGA and later his special adviser.

    Unfortunately the governors while hobnobbing with drug pushers, gun-runners, armed robbers and other criminal elements, forget democracy which elsewhere in the democratic world operates on the platform of law and order, cannot survive on a culture of corruption, violence and lawlessness.

    As Wike, lionized by prosperity prophets strives to exploit religious differences in the state he holds hostage, boasting “I heard that some people are angry that I declared Rivers as a Christian State; nobody can intimidate me into changing my position”.  Dokubo insisting  “Rivers state will never be a Christian State, we are Rivers Muslims; there is nothing you can do about it” and the man Wike calls ‘dollar Ganduje’  pours gasoline from the side line, they are encouraged to acquaint themselves with development elsewhere in the world.

    Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Egypt, the most important centre of Islamic learning in the world, recently embraced and signed a powerful joint declaration for world peace and human fraternity transcending all religious, national, cultural and racial differences. The Pope during another visit aimed at boosting Christian-Muslim ties, to Morocco, praised the country, a Sunni Muslim kingdom of 36 million as a model of religious moderation. The Pope was also in Azerbaijan, the second-largest Shi’ite Muslim country after Iran where he praised Azerbaijan as a model of religious tolerance given the interfaith harmony that characterizes relations among its Muslims, Christians and Jews.

    The UAE that once supported radical Islam including the Taliban recently hosted  a conference for religious and intellectuals of all faiths in the world  where Brahmavihari Swami, a Hindu monk asked “Do we unite and flourish together? Or do we disunite and perish together?”

    Ganguje can now see clearly why Dubai is the fourth most visited city in the world while local investors are moving away from Kano.

  •  Their pound of flesh

    IT was a tough call for President Muhammadu Buhari, the anti-graft czar of our time. The Supreme Court on Monday raised an ethical issue during hearing in a case in which he was a party. Though the case was struck out, the panel of justices wondered whether his lawyer, who works in the Federal Ministry of Justice, was representing him in his official or personal capacity.

    The lawyer said he was representing the President in his personal capacity. The justices frowned at his response, wondering why the President should use tax payers money to fund a private case. His action, they said, offended the Code of Conduct for public officers.

    In a way, they are accusing the President of wrong doing. Coming from a bench where some members are facing corruption charges, the insinuation is not lost on the public.

  • Sundry Misusages XXV: Neither … nor/Either … or

    Every writing requires painstaking proofreading, lest errors slip in, and when you read it later, you won’t like yourself for it. This was the feeling of this columnist on reading the publication of the last edition. The highlighted quote in the edition went thus: “When your usage is correct, that means your choice of words, phrases and expressions is such that makes your message easy to read, understandable and use . . .” The unpardonable error in that is the word understandable. It wrecked the structural balance of the sentence, making the message almost unreadable and incomprehensible. The error is called faulty parallelism. See the cadence of the message in this correction: “When your usage is correct, that means your choice of words, phrases and expressions is such that makes your message easy to read, understand and use . . .” Understand is it, NOT understandable! Understandable is an unrequired adjective in that structure. The verb understand is consistent with the related verbs read and use in the construction as mandated by the laws of correct parallelism. We will address correct and faulty parallelism in greater detail in due course. For now, we move on with misusages, because we consider correct usage as the spirit and soul of any language.

    Neither … nor/either … or

    You may not realize how bizarre misusages can get until you encounter statements like these:

    But neither the federal government or the governors of the failed states has been able to provide convincing reassurance for the agitated youths; and

    The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or anti-democrat.

    The proper use of the correlative conjunction neither … nor has been breached in the two specimens above. The known and acceptable expression is neither . . . nor, NOT neither … or. Surely, neither . . . or is alien to the English language. Correct usage in both sentences is therefore as follows:

    But neither the federal government nor the governors of the failed states have been able to provide convincing reassurance for the agitated youths; and

    The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican nor anti-democrat.

    Even then, you would do well to note “the interesting grammatical knot involved in the treatment of the first statement, namely: What verb, singular or plural, goes with the peculiar subject of the sentence? Is it has been as in the original sentence or have been as in the corrected version? The rule is: the number and person of the part of the subject nearer to the verb dictate which of singular or plural verb to use. In this case, the nearer subject is governors, a plural subject. So, the correct verb to go with it is have been, not has been” (“Pop” Errors).

    The book educates us further: “The expression neither . . . nor, like other correlative conjunctions, is normally and most commonly used in reference to two entities. There are situations, however, where it can be correctly used in reference to more than two entities, but this depends on the writer’s dexterity in the mechanics and syntax of the language. One such dexterous handling is this: Neither the vice-chancellor and the university council nor the students’ union president and his executive have complied with the agreement. The key is proper grouping of the entities and using the appropriate verb.’

    Not done with correlative conjunctions yet, the book provides another bizarre specimen error for consideration, namely:

    Most counties do not have storage capacity nor logistical support to administer the examinations.

    We suspect the awkward invention may be too incredibly atrocious for you to notice. You would do well to note the strange neologism do not … nor. Because this illogical invention does not exist, we find a way to express the same message correctly, viz:

    Most counties do not have storage capacity or logistical support to administer the examinations

    OR

    Most counties do not have either storage capacity or logistical support to administer the examinations (Kindly note the use of the correlative conjunction either … or here.)

    OR

    Most counties have neither storage capacity nor logistical support to administer the examinations.

    Let us take one more misuse of the correlative conjunction neither . . . nor. It runs thus:

    In this new era, armed hostilities neither break out simply on account of internal developments nor on account of the poverty of the people.

    The problem with this construction is the wrong positioning of the correlative conjunction, which raises the question of what elements are being correlated: Is it “the break-out and another act, or one reason and the other? From the position of the word neither, the impression may be created that it is break-out that is being correlated with another act, which unfortunately is not stated. Yet, it seems that this is not intended. Logic suggests that it is the factor of internal developments that is being correlated with the factor of the people’s poverty. But the reader should not be subjected to too much mental exertion in reading the text and making complete sense of its meaning. See how rapidly the reader would snap up the essence in the little tweak to the construction below:

    “In this new era, armed hostilities break out neither simply on account of internal developments nor on account of the poverty of the people” (“Pop” Errors).

    The correct re-positioning of the word “neither” has made the significant difference in meaning.

     

  • Sanwo-Olu: 100 days of action

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is 100 days old in office today. EMMANUEL OLADESU examines how he has been tackling the challenges of governance in the Centre of Excellence.

    It has been 100 days of action, focus, resilience and resolve to make an impact on Lagosians. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been on the weighing scale.  So far, the judgment of the people is positive. In their view, the governor has hit the ground running and demonstrated the resolve to build on the legacies of his predecessors, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    As part of activities marking his first 100 days, the governor commissioned the Olusosun Dumpsite Building yesterday. The facility is meant for the training and re-training of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) staff. He is determined to rid Lagos of the heap of refuse that has dented the image of the state, apart from also creating jobs in the sub-sector.

    Today, Sanwo-Olu will launch the State Blue Box Recycling at Simpson Transfer Loading Station, Lagos Island today. It is part of the new initiatives and strategies to ensure a clean environment.

    The speed of performance has increased, following the swearing-in of commissioners and special advisers two weeks ago. Sanwo-Olu has set up a cabinet of talents comprising seasoned professionals, tested technocrats and experienced politicians who will drive the developmental agenda of the administration. During the recent retreat, the members of the State Executive Council were able to tap from the experience of Asiwaju Tinubu and Fashola, who were his former bosses.

    Earlier, the governor had appointed a retired Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Folasade Jaji, as Secretary to Government, Mr. Tayo Ayinde as Chief of Staff and Mr. Gboyega Sanyanwo as Deputy Chief of Staff.

    The experience of the last 100 days has shown that Lagosians made a wise choice during the last governorship poll. Sanwo-Olu, a dynamic and forward-looking administrator, has demonstrated wit, competence and capacity for the work.  On his shoulders rest the care of almost 20 million Lagosians, a demography that has made the Centre of Excellence a mini-country. There is high expectation. So far, Sanwo-Olu has not disappointed the voters. Many Lagosians expect him to sustain the tempo to the end.

    Following his inauguration, the governor swung into action. During the campaigns, he had expressed concern over the environmental condition of the city-state. The traffic snarl starred him in the face. Lagosians complained about the infrastructural deficit. In particular, they cried out that the roads were bad. In response to people’s yearnings, the governor signed an executive order on indiscriminate refuse dumping, traffic management and public works.

    The order on indiscriminate refuse duping is now being vigorously enforced. Information and Strategy Commissioner Gbenga Omotoso said the move has restored sanity. Also, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has been directed by the governor to operate a minimum of two shifts until 11.pm daily. The Office of Drainage Services in the Ministry of Environment has been directed to embark on aggressive cleaning of secondary and tertiary drainage system to ensure the free flow of rainwater during the raining season. The governor also directed to commence the rehabilitation of bad roads.

    Sanwo-Olu has given a marching order to LASTMA not to spare the road offenders. He said nobody is above the law. “If my brothers or cabinet members breaks traffic laws, arrest them,” he said. The officials are also to shun indiscipline, particularly bribery and corruption. Since motivation is critical to efficiency, the governor has increased their allowances by hundred per cent. Also, he emphasised that the Lagosians should continue to be enlightened and encouraged to be law abiding on the roads.

    The filling of potholes on the roads has contributed to ease of movement and reduced traffic snarl. Citizens can contact the relevant agencies on the condition of the roads in their localities and responses are prompt.

    When he assumed the reins, Sanwo-Olu was inundated by complaints that the Apapa gridlock was wrecking havoc. He made appeal to the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state. The federal and state governments put heads together on how to end the logjam. He was in company of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who was on inspection of the axis. The governor said: “Fixing the road in Apapa, completing the trailer park and deploying technology solutions that ensure we never have to experience the trailers nightmare again are critical for Lagos and the Federal Government.”

    As the sixth elected governor of Lagos, Sanwo-Olu has heroes and role models to learn from. Before him, the state had the fortune of being governed by successful governors who left indelible marks. He served under them as special adviser and commissioner. Although no fewer than seven All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains were on the queue for the job, the lot fell on the surveyor and banker-turned politician. Little did he guess that he would leave the job of the Managing Director of the Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSDPC) for the higher responsibility.

    During the campaigns, Sanwo-Olu demonstrated an understanding of the city state and its myriad of challenges. To Lagosians, he is a round peg in a round hole, and yet with a huge capacity for learning and improvement. The party that put him forward believed that he is reliable, tested and trusted. As Special Adviser on Corporate Governance, Acting Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, and LSDPC boss, he heft his indelible marks. However, his greatest asset is his loyalty to the party, the government and people of Lagos State.

    His victory at the poll was a fulfilment of destiny. At the direct primary, Sanwo-Olu was a candidate to beat. The party had proposed a change of candidate and he became the symbol of the intra-party struggle. The aged, youths, women and other stakeholders embraced his candidature. In demonstration of a clear understanding of their aspiration, he promised a government of inclusion.

    In the spirit of the time, Sanwo-Olu visited all party leaders, party officers, elders, office holders, religious leaders, other Lagos opinion leaders, and women groups. He was at home with the masses; artisans and peasants. On his lip was the message of unity, harmony and cohesion. The candidate urged Lagosians to invest their trust, confidence and faith in him as he sought for their votes. He did not promise what he could not deliver. Thus, Lagosians took him serious.

    Sanwo-Olu survived the odds during the electioneering before breasting the tape. Apart from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) threat, he triumphed over internal rebellion within his party. The Sanwo-Olu campaign team, led by Ayinde, ran an effective intra-party campaign. A confident Sanwo-Olu was on the popularity scale radiating warmth. He won.

    However, having secured the ticket, the governor was not carried away by the victory. He embarked on reconciliation, urging those who also sought party tickets during the primaries and lost not to lose hope.

    The next hurdle was the campaign. Lagos APC opted for door-to-door campaigns, following the fracas at the maiden rally at Ikeja. The coast was clear on poll day. His opponent, Jimi Agbaje, having seen the handwriting on the wall, conceded defeat.

    Sanwo-Olu is not a vendetta-seeking governor. There is much to accomplish instead of succumbing to self-distraction. The governor has refrained from relating with civil servants and chieftains based on their intra-party affiliations. He believes in a motivated workforce. Thus, apart from regular payment of salaries, he has fulfilled his promise of better welfare packages for civil servant. To convey them to and from work, 35 buses were provided.

    Governance is not a tea party in Lagos.  The Centre of Excellence is not a place where the governor can relax. All Nigerians have stake in Lagos. It is the economic hub. The population is huge and there is pressure on the social infrastructure. It is a highly sophisticated and politically conscious state.  In Lagos security is key.

    Conscious of this, Sanwo-Olu promised to overhaul the security architecture of the state. He has mobilised security agencies to sustain the prevailing atmosphere of security, curtail or prevent cultism, armed robbery, kidnapping and pipeline vandalism. The governor has held many meetings with security chiefs, with the permanent aim of securing Lagos. He has also mobilised traditional rulers, community leaders and community development associations to contribute their quota to intelligence gathering that is critical to security.

    Yesterday, governor unfolded plans to recruit more teachers for public primary and secondary schools.

    Much is expected on Sanwo-Olu in the next four years. His programme of action gives a ray of hope.  During his inauguration, he promised to work for a “greater Lagos” through the implementation of “six pillars of development agenda.”

    The pillars, which he described as the framework that encapsulates his vision, include traffic management and transportation, health and environment, education and technology, making Lagos as a 21st century economy, entertainment and tourism, and security and governance.

    Sanwo-Olu said: “These six pillars of development represent our response to the yearnings of the people. They constitute the foundations that must be restored for future generations. Should we fulfil our promise and deliver on these pillars, we are most confident that we would have succeeded in setting Lagos on a new trajectory of economic growth and development that would be unprecedented in our entire history.”

  • IBBUL SU gets award at leadership tournament

    Students’ Union (SU) of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL) in Niger State has emerged the second best students’ union in higher institutions.

    This was made known at the Students’ Leaders Development Training and Tournament (SLEDT).

    IBBUL Students’ Union trailed the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (FUAM), which won SLEDT’s overall Best Students Union award while Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (UDUS) emerged second runner-up.

    The yearly event with the theme: “Raising green leaders for green campus”, was hosted by IBBUL and featured some universities across the country.

    Announcing the winners during the grand finale, the founder and Director of Lead Transformation Initiative (LTI), Mr Titilayo Femi Kings, explained that the tournament was keenly contested.

    Presenting the trophies, IBBUL’s Vice Chancellor Prof Nasir Maiturare, represented by his Deputy (Administration), Prof Abu-Kasim Adamu, congratulated the victorious students’ bodies, urging them to continue exhibiting exemplary leadership qualities.

    Maiturare laudedLTI  for organising the competition, stressing that the SLEDT programme would help  enhance and promote the culture of academic excellence in the university system. He charged the organisers of the tournament to consolidate on their good work.

    Universities that qualified for the final stage of the tournament include IBBUL, UDUS, FUAM, Ekiti State University (EKSU), and Federal University Lafia (FUL). The Deans of Students’Affairs (DSAs) of the participating schools were also in attendance.

    Earlier, Kings led a delegation of the other contesting institutions on a courtesy visit to the management of IBBUL. He expressed appreciation for the hospitality accorded them during th event.

    According to Kings, the rationale behind SLEDT is to disabuse the minds of those who think unionism on campuses is about hooliganism. He said the scenario is further compounded by the infiltration of bad eggs into student bodies.

    Receiving the participants at the university’s Senate Chamber Maiturare charged them to use the rare opportunity given to them by their colleagues to serve their schools’ students’ associations.

  • FUOYE security chief to students: approach us

    Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Chief Security Officer (CSO) Mr Paul Ogidi has urged students of the university to seek the help of the Security Unit when they are faced with security challenges.

    Speaking with CAMPUSLIFE, Ogidi said the unit noticed that many students do not report security incidents to the unit, which ensures security of lives and property of students.

    According to Ogidi, students should be free to walk down to the security unit and discuss any matter affecting them.

    He urged students to see the security unit as the only place they could report cases of robbery, threats to life, oppression, victimisation, and fight, among others.

    “They should see the security officers as their friends and always walk up to them anytime. The students should not be afraid of coming to report issues to us,”Ogidi said.

    He continued: “We are here not because of anyone else but the entire students and we urge them all to always get in touch with us.”

    Ogidi provided some hotlines across the Oye and Ikole axis of the university with which students could reach out to the Security Unit.

  • Visually-impaired student wins music contest

    A final year visually-impaired student of the University of Lagos, Mustapha Yusuf, has emerged the winner of a singing competition titled: Musicality.

    Yusuf, who is studying Philosophy, beat 18 students from various faculties to clinch the star prize of N200,000 and a phone.

    The contest, courtesy of Lamu Entertainment, saw the judges, participants, and students acknowledging Mustapha with a standing ovation.

    Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Yusuf said he was happy not to have let down his numerous fans who, despite his disability, still believe in him.

    Yusuf advised aspiring artistes, especially those in his shoes, to believe in themselves and be persistent.

    “As I always say, keep your game tight and believe in yourself; that’s the most important thing. I promised my fans I would not let them down. I plan to continue my music and hope for better opportunities,” he said.

    Wife of the Lagos State Governor Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu reiterated the administration’s continuous investment in the entertainment and tourism industry.

    She urged individuals and corporate organisations to encourage youths to discover their talents.

    She said:”Let me also urge individuals and corporate organisations to take a cue from what Lagos State government is doing and what other organisations like Lamu Entertainment is also doing to discover and encourage our youths with potential and assist them to utilise their talents in a beneficial way to the society.”

    The organiser Oladimeji Michael, said the show was to give back to his alma mater.

    “For over five years, I have wanted to give back to my alma mater – University of Lagos, which made me who I am today. God also ministered to me that this event must happen  and it happened, so I’m so excited.”

    He said the music industry still has room for more talents and urged all to encourage new artistes.

    “For me, I think the sky is wide enough for everybody to fly. We must continue to breed new talents and that’s exactly what this show is about. I intend to do this every year,” he said.

    The second and third prize winners Omole Victor, a 300-Level student of Integrated Science Education and Igboanugo Valentino, a 200-L student of Building, expressed their appreciation to the organiser for the opportunity.

  • RUGIPO inaugurates SU executive

    The Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO) has inaugurated its Students’ Union (SU) executive for the 2018/2019 session.

    The election, adjudged free and fair, also saw the ceremonial oath of office administered on the new executive by the institution’s legal unit.

    Some members of the management, students and well-wishers attended the ceremony.

    The Acting Rector, Mr Gani Ogundahunsi, charged the student leaders to make the interest of the students their priority. He enjoined them to use unionism as a tool for development and not as a weapon of destabilisation.

    Congratulating the winners, Ogundahunsi challenged them to be magnanimous in victory, and encourage their defeated colleagues during the election to work with them in the interest of the entire student populace.

    Ogundahunsi warned that the status of a student leader does not give anyone the licence to act contrary to rules and regulations, adding that the management would not condone such.

    He assured them that management would continue to provide a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning, while also sustaining the pace of infrastructural development in the institution.

    Dean, Student Affairs Mr. Olu Brahimo, advised the new leadership to partner the management in stamping out social vices and promoting good governance, transparency, discipline, accountability, due process and peaceful co-existence among the students and the host communities.

    The SU President, Ebiniyi Godwin, thanked the management and students for the successful conduct of the election.

    He promised to maintain the enviable records of the institution and do his best for the SU.

    The students’ leader said the union would support the vision of the institution’s Governing Council to retool, reconstruct and reposition the polytechnic as an ideal 21st century institution.

    Other members of the SU are: Adunbi Modupe, (Vice President); Ijituyi Eniola, General Secretary; Alao Victoria, P.R.O.; Olorunda Femi, Assistant General Secretary; Adepoju Oluwasegun, Financial  Secretary; Ojo Bisola,Treasurer; Aladesawe Ahmed, Welfare Director; Peters Joshua, Social Director and Daudu Dare, Sports Director.

  • When truth hides

    After years of painstakingly seeking knowledge in several fields, I have come to the conclusion that nothing expands the mind like reading and research. I have “been to places” I never knew existed through reading and research. I know the history, geography, culture, politics, religion etc. of almost all the countries on earth. I was able to achieve this through four decades of consistent reading and diligently seeking out knowledge. Unfortunately, this quest that has “taken me places” doesn’t seem to amount to much these days.

    But because of our ethos, to some degree a product of the greater culture in which we have been nurtured, one shouldn’t be surprised that Nigerians in general struggle with reading. To a great extent, this is the very defect that impedes our aspiration and aptitude toward renewing and reviewing a national life of the mind. Among those that do read and desire to be hoisted into the realm of intellectual excellence, many face a colossal battle when attempting to apprehend and assimilate information in proficient and satisfying manner.

    Something has changed drastically in the way we think and grasp ideas. Our very ability to capture thoughts through prints has deteriorated at an alarming rate. This needs to change. The modern day Nigerian mind seems sluggish, settling for superficial explanations rather than opting for rigorous combat in the area of ideas, arguments, logic and superior thinking. True reading – to me -is thinking at its best, testing each proposition we encounter.

    The reason for our deterioration – which is why truth continues to hide – are numerous, the most notable include; the revolutionary shift to visually-oriented communication, the fast paced flood of images in our society, the glut of superficial information, the common use of the “sound bite,” an insatiable appetite for sensationalism, the fostering of short attention spans, mindless trite advertising, the general redefinition of leisure, dwindling public debate, power of spectatorship entertainment, expectation of immediate result, the loss of classical education amongst other reasons.

    The invasion of these cultural-philosophical forces has aided in altering our former mastery of digesting the printed page. We struggle with understanding concepts and interpreting complex data. To this end, analytic reasoning skills and creative expression suffers in the process.

    I was fortunate to grow up in an era when the likes of the late Gani Fawehinmi; the Ransome-Kuti brothers, (Olikoye, Fela and Beko); Yusuf Bala Usman, J. F. Ade-Ajayi; Eskor Toyo; Abdullahi Mahdi, Abdullahi Smith, Patrick Wilmot; Monday Mangvwat; Biodun Jeyifo; JP Clark, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka,  Claude Ake; Olatunji Dare; Kole Omotosho; Tam-David-West; Tai Solarin; Grace Alele Williams; Niyi Osundare and a host of others towered strong. These were the “radicals” and intellectuals who made sure that truth never hides.

    These and other individuals I cannot all mention because of space would never remain silent in the midst of injustice. The late Beko and Gani, for instance, spent times in detention because they refused to remain quiet. Their times in detention further aggravated their health challenges.

    One thing is certain; there is a price to be paid when truth hides. What we see today is the majority looking the other way as things deteriorate. Nigeria is now paying the price for abandoning intellectual pursuits. We already see the decay in the system. We see this in our national priority. We see it in how and what our country is becoming. And we see it in the pervasiveness of hopelessness and in the moral and political decay and corruption that have come to characterise our country. Is this our Nigeria?

    Why do I love intellectuals? I do because they are men who have committed their lives and times to the pursuit and or dissemination of rigorous ideas and serious knowledge. They can be found in all areas of life – including the academia, music, arts and culture, medicine, mathematics, economics, politics, law, philosophy, and literary criticism.

    Beside the university or institution-based intellectuals, there are the public intellectuals who, for the most part, are engaged in public discourses within the public sphere. However, it should be pointed out that there are times when it is difficult to differentiate between public intellectualism and political activism – or between political activists and social critics. The lines are sometimes blurred; however, all exist to make society better.

    I still recollect the days of military rule when many of these men were labelled “radicals” or “leftists.” Colonel Lawan Gwadabe (ret) was once quoted as saying the government abhors “undue radicalism.” But those who knew better knew that these were the salt of our nation. They were the nation’s conscience. Many – during the military era – were prosecuted, persecuted, harassed, jailed, or went into exile. In the end, some of our best and brightest who could not stand mediocrity left. Today’s level of mediocrity is child’s play compared to the bygone era.

    That was how our decent into infamy began. Gradually, the distasteful and impermissible became permissible and sacred. It became the norm to not only steal, but to loot. It became acceptable to be a professional “intellectual” sycophant. They revere men with inferior IQ and dubious character, all because of crumbs from the master’s table.

    Those who study how societies develop and progress know too well that we need a bourgeoning class of intellectuals to highlight alternative paths to development and social progress. Without them, our society will stagnate, regress or even disintegrate. Even as brutal and repressive and unpredictable as some military regimes were, the Nigerian intellectual class, along with a budding class of social critics, helped to keep the government in check. But today, things have changed. Nigeria is different.

    Intellectuals have always played major roles in society, from the philosophers of old such Plato and Aristotle who articulated thoughts about government, science, and biology to modern intellectuals who go about speaking truth to power and working toward informing and empowering average people.

    Currently, intellectuals are split into three camps: public, private, and dual intellectuals. The public intellectual is usually a university professor who researches, writes, and shares his ideas in the public sphere via books, conferences etc. While this may seem to be a positive occurrence, much of this information remains in the realm of academia or academia-related areas with little of it becoming truly disseminated to the mainstream public. The danger in this is that the books may be published and the conferences occur, but the only people who know about them are mainly people who are either in that field professionally or already have an interest in that area of study.

    The private intellectual, on the other hand, is one who uses his intellect for the benefit of private groups, corporations, or individuals. This intellectual is mainly concerned with passing his knowledge to a select few, mainly big time corporations and businesses who are often established for profit purposes. He earns hefty fees in return.

    Dual intellectuals are members of the intelligentsia that have one foot in both worlds, occupying the space of a public intellectual and also being, or having been, a private intellectual. Intellectuals within this fold are arguably the most powerful as not only do they have the connections and power that comes from being in the private sector, but they also have major sway over the collective consciousness of a society. Dual intellectuals can make their ideas public, put them out into the mainstream society, and because they also have a background as a public intellectual, the public is much more willing to trust them as they see such people as experts.

    We have lost fair grounds already, but we can still make amends for future generations by encouraging them to read and research by repositioning our universities to take their rightful place in the knowledge economy which undoubtedly is the next oil. The absence of rigorous grooming and intellectual discourses has manifested in the breakdown of our value system. Are we then surprised by the alarming rate of high profile crimes, the proliferation of organised crime,  the quest for “success” at all cost and other vices?