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  • Mixed reactions trail tribunal judgments in C’River

    Mixed reactions have trailed the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal in Cross River State.

    The panel has concluded her sitting, delivering 25 judgements.

    Of the 25 judgments, 24 was favourable to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while one was favourable to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    The only petition of APC that was successful was that of Abi State Constituency where the tribunal nullified the election and ordered a re-run for the House of Assembly seat, presently occupied by a member of the PDP.

    The APC, however, lost other petitions before the tribunal including the one which challenged the election of the only National Assembly member in the state, who is a member of the APC.

    The PDP had welcomed the judgments that confirmed the victory of the party and their candidates.

    Speaking shortly after the judgment, which affirmed the election of Governor Ben Ayade, the Chairman of the PDP, Ntufam Edim Inok, said: “We welcome the judgment. The governor, Prof. Ben Ayade has always called on Cross Riverians to come to join hands with him to move the state forward.” This is our message to the opposition.

    The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Martins Orim, said: after the judgment and saying, “we expected victory because the petitioner was not challenging the validity of the victory of the governor in the election. Governor Ayade was duly elected by the people of Cross River State.”

    However, the APC in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bassey Ita, said: “We consider that the judgment regarding the Abi State Constituency elections which the tribunal declared as inconclusive with a consequential order for a rerun in 15 polling units was right and valid”.

    He added: “Incidentally, previous verdicts of the Tribunal which threw out our petitions especially on jurisdictions were fraught with errors and were defectively contradictory in some cases. The petition of Mr. Iwara Iwara, our Assembly Candidate in Abi State Constituency for instance who prayed for a rerun following his exclusion from the March 11, 2019, Assembly polls and was granted was after all premised on the same issue of exclusion in which most of our candidates’ petitions were based”.

    A group, Cross River Youth Vanguard for Justice, in a statement by chairman and secretary John Ekanem and Mr Takon Ebonja, said: “We have watched with keen interest all the proceedings and judgments of the three Election Petition Tribunals that sat in Cross River State and have come to the conclusion that the right things were not done legally”.

  • Benin DisCo trains 134

    Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has turned out another set of 60 graduate trainees and 74 technician trainees in its 2018/19 edition, a programme targeted at improving service delivery to customers and bridging skills gap in the power sector.

    It also announced take-off locations for the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme in Delta State.

    BEDC Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Mrs. Funke Osibodu disclosed these  at the fourth graduation for trainees held at the Crescendo Conference Centre, Asaba.

    The take-off locations, which will be handled by Inlaks Power Solution sequentially, based on location, street by street are Government House and Cabinet area, Express, Anwai, SPC, Ezenei, SIO all around Asaba Township and Headbridge.

    Mrs. Osibodu said BEDC believes that the recruitment of new workforce and training of workers would help improve service delivery to customers and also build capacity in the power sector.

    “Our yearly recruit new employees under the Graduate Management Trainee and Technician Trainee schemes continue to grow as we lead in the drive to bridge the capacity and skills gap in the power sector. Our goal is to attract and train 1,500 young and new employees with the aim of helping to improve the quality of service to customers and also help reduce youth unemployment in our society,” she stated.

    Declaring that BEDC will leave no stone unturned in its desire to meet customer expectations, Mrs. Osibodu disclosed that between  last year and now, BEDC has connected 112 communities without electricity supply in its coverage areas to the national grid out of which 55 of such connections were done in Delta State.

    She solicited the cooperation of customers in respect of the ongoing enumeration exercise which she said was a precondition for them to benefit from the MAP scheme, stressing that this would enable the company plan properly for network expansion, improve quality of power supply, adding that nearly 400,000 households have been enumerated.

    In his welcome address, Chairman Board of Directors Victor Osibodu said the training schemes were conceived after the power sector privatisation in 2013 to enable BEDC respond to immediate talent needs of the sector, disclosing that within four years of its existence over 600 persons have been recruited.

    “BEDC aims to build a technically competent organisation with the required technical and functional competency, As such the two training programmes are blended learning experiences designed to equip new staff with the skills set needed to deliver excellent services to customers,” the chairman stated.

  • Tasks before Mines and Steel Development Minister

    The tasks before the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, are enormous. These include working with relevant stakeholders to ease miners’ access to various sector intervention funds, tackling illegal mining and attracting investors. He is also expected to give more impetus to the Federal Government’s resolve to diversify the economy through the exploitation of solid minerals. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA highlights the challenges.

    Nigeria literarily sits on minerals goldmine. With about 44 various minerals in commercial quantity under her belt, she is, no doubt, the envy of her less-endowed peers. The snag, however, is that most, if not all the minerals, including gold, iron ore, tin, gemstones, columbite, topaz, limestone, uranium, laterite, gypsum and kaoline, among others, have remained unexploited by successive administrations.

    Yet, the development of the  endowed natural resources is widely acknowledged as holding the ace in contributing to her Gross Domestic Product (GDP), creating millions of jobs and lifting Nigerians out of poverty, among other benefits. Sadly, however, the activities of illegal miners, lack of genuine miners’ access to various sector-specific intervention funds and investors’ apathy, among other challenges, have continued to hold the sector down.

    Incidentally, these seemingly formidable obstacles are coming at a time the recognition of the obvious benefits of exploiting these bountiful natural resources had forced a strategic refocus on the sector by the Federal Government. This was in the hope of leveraging the sector to drive economic diversification, following the crisis in the oil market, where oil prices had crashed, requiring urgent buffers.

    It was against this backdrop that the coming of the new Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr.  Olamilekan Adegbite, and the Minister of State for the sector, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, once again, raised hopes that a new dawn may be in the offing for the sector. Although Adegbite, upon assumption of office, promised to lift Nigerians out of poverty by developing the natural resources, doing so will certainly not be a walk in the park.

    For a start, the minister, working with relevant stakeholders, will have to assist miners ease access to various intervention funds rolled out for the sector’s development. For instance, almost three years after the Federal Government approved the release of N30 billion intervention fund for solid minerals development, stiff disbursement modalities have made it impossible for miners to access the fund.

    President Muhammadu Buhari approved the fund in October 2016, to be used for geo-sciences data generation, improve mine-field security and monitoring, among others. The immediate past Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had said the intervention was in line with the enforcement of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007.

    Although the fund was to enable miners overcome the near impossible interest rate placed on loans by banks, miners under the aegis of Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) have been screaming blue murder over the conditionalities for disbursement of the fund, saying that they are very tough, making it extremely difficult for small scale miners to access the fund. MAN President Alhaji Sani Shehu told The Nation that because of the stiff conditionalities, only few members of the Association have been able to access the fund.

    According to him, “Part of the conditionality is that they add the collateral to the amount requested”. “That means if you are asking for N10 million, you are asked to bring N15 million. Two; the earlier impression we had was that the intervention was mainly equipment-based, meaning you can use your equipment as collateral.

    “We thought that the equipment can collateralise itself and then the applicant can now use the fund as working capital. And the collateral should be equal to the amount requested.” Although, he said when the Association complained to the former Minister, he directed that MAN should come up with a proposal that will make it easy for its members to access the fund.

    What this means is that Adegbite and his junior minister may have to continue with the ongoing robust engagement between miners and the ministry with a view to addressing the concerns raised by miners, if they are serious about taking the sector to the next level.

    Apart from the N30 billion Intervention Fund, the World Bank also announced another $150 million in support of notable projects in the mining sector. In doing so, the bank said it was impressed with the steps already taken by the government to turn the country into a mining destination.

    With regards to the World Bank’s $150 million lifeline, Shehu said: “One thing that is not very pleasant is that the World Bank funding system is generally slow.” He, however, told The Nation that “The situation was not applicable to Nigeria only; it’s like a general pattern. Other World Bank intervention programme all over the world is the same thing. So, we hope the intervention will move miners to the next level.”

    Shehu, while stating that insinuating that the fund has not been released will not be fair to the World Bank, noted that bureaucracy amongst the disbursement authorities may have been the problem. They (the authorities) say they are doing their best; we hope their best will translate to something,” he said.

    Perhaps, more important is the need for the new minister to halt the activities of illegal miners, which is said to have become an industry of its own in several states across the country. Some of the states include Niger, Plateau, Zamfara, Ebonyi Enugu and Imo.

    The reported absence of globally recognised mining companies in the country is said to be responsible for the upsurge in illegal mining activities, which is partly responsible for scaring genuine investors away. The activities of illegal miners are also believed to be hurting the sector’s contribution to the GDP.

    Statistics from the Ministry show that over two million people are engaged in illegal mining. Most of them are said to be poor, unemployed and living in rural areas. They use crude methods and household implements to exploit the minerals. This is why illegal mining poses some health challenges which include lead poisoning, mercury pollution, deforestation, poor sanitation and heavy metals pollution.

    Under his charge, Adegbite is, therefore, expected to roll out workable policies and strategies to properly regulate mining. This stemmed from the belief that if fully harnessed, the solid minerals sector  would help boost foreign exchange and create jobs.

    In doing so, Adegbite, who was former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure under the immediate past Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, is also expected to work with the private sector, including state governments to change the sector’s narrative.

  • UNIOSUN approves start-up scheme for alumni

    The Senate of the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has approved a scheme that would support start-up projects by the university’s alumni.

    Speaking on the scheme at the university’s pre-convocation briefing, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Labode Popoola, said the aim was to groom entrepreneurs among its graduates.

    He said:”Senate has also just approved Startup Scheme for UNIOSUN Alumni and Alumnae who have bankable proposals. The idea is to create a pool of entrepreneurs and job creators.”

    Prof. Popoola also said the university would not relent in her input to research and societal development.

    “I am glad to tell you now that the institute is now becoming a centre of excellence in postgraduate teaching, research, and societal development in all areas of sustainable development. Also the recent birth and approval of two faculties and new departments in the College of Agriculture is worthy of mention as the university now has Faculty of Agricultural Production and Management (FAPM) which comprises of the Department of Agronomy (AGY), Department of Animal Sciences (ANS), Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness Management (AEM) and Department of Agricultural Extension & Rural Development (ARD) and the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources Management (RNRM),” he said.

    A total of  1,814 graduating students would be conferred with first degrees across the colleges during the eighth convocation of the university from September 19 to 21.

    Of the lot, 49 will graduate with first-class grades; 670,  second class (upper division); 892, second class lower; and 194, third class. Nine others will be awarded pass degree.

    This will bring to 9,955 the number of first degrees awarded by the university since its first graduation in 2011.

    The convocation would feature three lectures – the Candido Da Rocha Annual Memorial lecture to be delivered by Prof Radius Salawu of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) on September 19; the Foundation Lecture by Prof Abel Olorinishola on September 20; and the Convocation Lecture by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on September 21.

    Prof Salawu would speak on: Fraud Detection and Prevention: The role of the reporting company and the external auditor;

    Prof Olorinishola will speak on: Breaking the cycle of indolence and

    dependency- A challenge to the Nigerian Youth; while Pro Osinbajo will speak on: Six decades of checquered nationhood – Nigeria still holds the key to Africa’s Development.

    Other activities for the convocation include inauguration of projects on  Tuesday at the Osogbo campus; exhibition of research and entrepreneurship products (Tuesday and Wednesday); and convocation play titled: Women of Owu, by Femi Osofisan on Wednesday.

  • PwC: why mining sector is not growing

    Impact of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) is yet to be felt in the industry, despite its rejiging as many issues continue to constitute setbacks to the sector.

    Head, Advisory and Mining Sector Lead, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, Cyril Azobu, who stated this, also said commercial banks had remained doubtful and continued to see the industry as high risk. In addition, the existence of multiple regulations is reducing investor confidence as the cost and requirements have contributed to a seeming lack of interest in the industry.

    Established by the 2007 Mining Act and inaugurated in 2013, the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) had struggled to take off, despite its good intentions.

    The government’s goal is for the solid minerals sector to contribute three per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, currently, it contributes less than half a per cent.

    Objectives of the SMDF are to develop human and physical capital; geo-scientific data gathering, storage, and retrieval; the purchase of equipment by state-owned mining institutions; the provision of infrastructure; and the provision of extension services to small-scale and artisanal mining operations.

    It is expected to catalyse the minerals sector mainly by providing access to financial resources and training and by formalising the status of artisanal miners, this activity is envisaged as a way to reach the three-percent target. The first solid minerals roadmap, developed in 2015, had the objective of raising the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to five percent by 2015, and 10 percent by 2020. Unfortunately, this target proved to be unattainable, and it was lowered to three percent by 2025.

    Azobu told The Nation in Lagos that data, which was at the heart of the industry was not robust enough to support investment inflows and key infrastructure such as access roads, dedicated rail lines, power, among others remain a challenge.

    He, however, expressed optimism that if the government maintained the drive and make the right choices, the solid minerals sector could contribute up to three per cent of GDP by 2025 as predicted in the roadmap, up from a current contribution of just about 0.5 per cent.

    Azobu agreed that there had been some notable achievements in the sector in the last few years. For instance, there have been efforts to improve the sector’s regulatory framework with enactment of new laws and establishment of the National Council of Mining and Mineral Resources Development.

    Notably, the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geo-sciences, Jos (Establishment) Act was assented to by the President in November 2018 for training of manpower for the sector and research.  In addition, the Federal Government in the same year presented a roadmap for the “Development of Nigeria’s Industrial Minerals”, developed by the World Bank-assisted Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification (MinDiver) Project. Also, the National Gold development efforts saw the issuance of the first gold refining licence in the year.

    Furthermore, efforts to curb illegal mining had been ramped up by the provision of surveillance vehicles for mine inspectors across the country, and increased inter-agency co-operation.

    “The ministry has also continued on its journey to transform its processes by digitising some of its key activities,” Azobu said, adding that efforts were ongoing to automate the ministry’s activities with the provision of geographic information system (Egis) web portal and electronic submission of licences, permits and certificates to improve efficiency and speed-up the processing of transactions.

    GIS is a framework for gathering, managing, and analysing data. Imbedded in the science of geography, GIS integrates many types of data. It analyses spatial location and organises layers of information into visualisations using maps and 3D scenes.

    Azobu said: “This has become even more critical in the light of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) Agreement coming into force.”

    According to him, the fixation on extraction and exporting of raw minerals and ores at the expense of value addition is a big disservice especially as Nigeria continues to depend on importation of finished products.

    This, he stated, had further worsened by other African countries potentially taking advantage of the AfCFTA to invade our economy. “We must assess how competitive Nigeria will be against other more developed mining territories on the continent,” he added.

  • Parents groan over N50,000 hostel fee as FSTC resumes

    As students of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba resumed Sunday, many parents lamented that they had to pay N50,000 imposed by the school’s Parent Teachers Association (PTA) for a hostel project.

    They also lamented that they had to construct buildings in a school owned by the Federal Government.

    The N50,000 fee is in addition to the N5,000 PTA levy approved by the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja for Unity Schools across the country because of past complaints about the money parents were forced to pay in the name of PTA.

    A few days to the resumption, some parents cried out that their wards would not be allowed to resume if the special hostel levy, which was called a donation in the last term’s PTA newsletter, was not paid.

    However, on Sunday, The Nation observed that the pupils were allowed into the school once they showed evidence of part payment of the levy.

    Some parents who refused to give their full names, expressed their grouse on the issue.

    A father, who simply called himself Mr Victor, said this would be the second hostel parents would be building for the school.

    “There is nothing we will not see in this country. It is only in Nigeria that a civil servant would be constructing a building for a Federal Government school. Are you aware we built the previous hostel just right there? I paid N10,000. Let us see how it goes but I know I will not pay the total amount”, he said.

    Another parent, Mr Maxwell said he had paid half of the bill for his two children who are pupils of the school.

    “I had to pay N50,000 for two of my children. What do you want me to do? I don’t want them to stay at home, but on getting here I heard Federal Government has reacted and it has been suspended, I hope they refund the money to the set of parents like me that has already paid”, he said.

    Another parent a mother who refused to give her name, said “It is a normal thing, they also did the same thing in King’s College. I have two of my kids there. We were asked to contribute money to build a hostel which we did so it is okay.”

    However, not all parents paid money for heir wards that day. A fahter said his son was allowed in without paying anything.

    He said: “Well I did not pay and they have checked my son in. I don’t think they would want to create a scene,” he said.

    A parent, Mr Chuks, who paid just N5,000, said he was not at the July 27 meeting where parents were said to have agreed to pay for the project.

    “I paid N5,000 and they allowed my daughter in. So, probably, next session again I will pay another N5,000. The country is hard and besides all fingers are not equal. I was not even at the meeting when the decision was made. But then what can I say? I will like to call on the Federal Government to look into this situation because everyday on the news we hear of millions and billions being pumped into the education sector but look at the crisis we have here at FSTC,” he said.

    The decision to pay N50,000 per pupil at the July 27 PTA meeting was documented in a newsletter sent home with the pupils as they vacated last session.

    The newsletter signed by Mr Olisaeloka Anene noted that the PTA had sought approval from the FME to embark on the project. It also noted that parents could spread the payment of the N50,000 donation over three terms.

    It reads: “At the PTA general meeting held Saturday, July 27, 2019, parents unanimously agreed to embark on a hostel project. The committee of professionals which was set up during the last meeting gave their reports. They have generated complete building plan and have paid a visit to the Permanent Secretary, FME to discuss with him about the project.  The Permanent Secretary told the parents that if they agree to support a hostel project that he will not stop us. according to the committee chairman, the Permanent Secretary requested we send him a complete drawing of the building with the bill of quantity for their records.

  • UNILAG VC prods students on N250m grant

    Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has advised students to take advantage of the N250 million grant given to the institution by the Bank of Industry to support creative and entrepreneurship ideas.

    Ogundipe spoke during this year’s Accounting and Entrepreneurship Summit for Students, organised by the Nigeria University Accounting Students Association.

    The event, with the theme: Technological advancement: The Nigerian economy and the future of the accounting profession, held at the main auditorium of the institution. It featured hundreds of students from tertiary institutions nationwide.

    Ogundipe, who noted that N50 million has been earmarked for training and renovations, added that the outstanding would be given as loans to start-ups among the students, depending on their proposal and cost required.

    He said: “We will be giving out loans between N1 to N2million to students that are able to come up with great innovative business ideas. We are also planning to register a limited liability company for our students while we will recommend experts to mentor them.”

    Ogundipe added that the summit was appropriate and in tandem with his vision as he concludes his maiden Professor Ogundipe Innovative Challenge (POIC) 2019.

    He boasted that UNILAG is well equipped to mentor and provide all the needed support for students with creative business ideas.

    He challenged participants to take advantage of the summit and the lineup of facilitators on ground to speak to them, adding that as youths, the future of accounting profession is in their hands.

    Head of Tax and Corporate Advisory Services of PwC Nigeria, Taiwo Oyedele challenged participants to open their minds, networks, share opportunities and be ready to diversify.

    He reminded the students that the accounting profession is a critical sector in every nation’s life, noting that understanding the economy, its complexity, trends and its opportunities, is imperative.

    Oyedele bemoaned the lopsidedness in the nation’s tax system which he said, favours the rich that pay less at the expense of the poor that pay more.

    A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) Joseph Aborowa challenged the students to develop the art of integrity as they prepare themselves for the marketplace, saying organisations fall and rise due to the premium they place on integrity.

    Some of the sessions during the event were anchored on: tax sustainability of the Nigerian economy; leveraging technology for business growth; integrity, learning and excellence which are keys to remaining relevant in the profession: and excelling in entrepreneurship, among others.

    In his words, the President of NUASA, Opeyemi Oderinde, said the programme was aimed at helping accounting students to keep abreast of the latest trends and issues in the profession so they could be more equipped to stay ahead.

  • One year after, MAPOLY won’t release HND results

    When many of the immediate past Higher National Diploma graduates of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic gained admission about three years ago, they never thought they would spend three years on programmes that should have wrapped up in less than two years. Having resumed classes in November 2016, many had high hopes that by last November, they would have been mobilised for the mandatory National Youth Service Corp.

    Interestingly, some of them who previously gained employment and had started earning a living after the end of their National Diploma in 2015, returned to MAPOLY for their HND in 2016.

    None among them ever thought that the academic journey which took off smoothly would turn turbulent halfway. At a point, it required prayers and intervention of some powerful people before the students could write their second semester exam. That was almost a year after they had written the first semester.

    Unfortunately, the students’ challenges were further compounded by the conversion and rechristening of the institution as Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology, and the relocation of MAPOLY to Ipokia area of the state by the immediate past administration.

    The development created uncertainty, especially among lecturers, who felt they were not properly carried along and that a committee set up to oversee the transition marginalised them.

    However, amid government’s uncompromising posture, the lecturers, under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) of MAPOLY, embarked on a three- month strike. Unfortunately, the strike started on the day students were to begin their second semester examination.

    Even after what seemed like negotiations and resolutions between the government and ASUP,  things have not remained the same. The union appeared to be working on their own schedule and not in conformity with the academic calendar.  Since then, releasing of results, mobilisation of students for NYSC have become an herculean task.

    Some of the outgone students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, lamented how the delay affected their NYSC mobilisation since they graduated in March this year.

    A student identified as Bolaji said: “I am tired of the situation of things, MAPOLY has failed to release our result. Management has failed to mobilise us for NYSC.

    “Nobody is ready to employ you without result. We don’t know the way forward, they should just let us go”.

    Another student who introduced himself as as Bolu said, “I am running away from people at home because they are already thinking I have extra year and that was why I have not gone for service.

    Bolu continued: “My parents are not ready to spend on me again and MAPOLY had failed to mobilise us.

    “Governor (Dapo) Abiodun (of Ogun State) should come to our aid so that we can do better things with our lives.”

  • Adebutu supports Rotary with N10m, classrooms

    A past District Governor, Rotary International, District 9110 Nigeria, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, a former Minister of Health, has called on privileged Nigerians to partner the Sir Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation (KAAF) to bring succour to the masses.

    He made this  call at the inauguration of a block of two classrooms at  the Ikeja Junior High School, Ikeja, GRA, sponsored by Sir Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu on behalf of the Rotary Club of Ikeja.

    Adebutu, represented by Rotarian Kola Oyefeso, donated N10 million.

    The project was first suggested during the 2018/2019 Rotary Year tenure but was eventually completed by  the current  administration of Rotarian Olumuyiwa Fagbola  with  support of the members of the board.

    In their remarks at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Education, Mrs Abosede Adelaja and  Prince Adelusi-Adeluyi, praised Sir Adebutu for his philanthropic gestures.

    Mrs Adelaja thanked the philanthropist and called for the judicious use of the classrooms. She also called for more of such gestures.

    On his part, District Governor, 9110 Rotary International, Rotarian Dr Jide Akeredolu, reiterated the continued need to  assist Rotary International in its drive to make life very meaningful for humanity in general.

  • Ministry to establish centres of sport excellence in varsities

    Youths and Sports Development Ministry, will soon establish Centres of Sport Excellence in universities across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Akin Dare, when he visited the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, in his office ahead of the commencement of the fifth National Youth Games hosted by the university.

    The minister said UNILORIN may be selected as one of the proposed centres because of its contribution to sports development in the country.

    “It is our plan to identify one university in each geo-political zone and confer on them the centre of sports excellence and I think this university is the prime candidate, and if we are able to do that, it comes with a lot of benefits in terms of equipment,” he said.

    Dare thanked the institution for playing host to the National Youth Games. He observed that with the facilities at the UNILORIN Sports Stadium, the ministry would recommend and support the University to host continental championships.

    “I must thank you and your university for hosting the 5th National Youth Games. This is the fourth time running; the partnership of the ministry with the school, I believe will be long lasting. We will ensure that it is beneficial to the development of sports, to the university and the country at large,” Dare said.

    He praised the Vice-Chancellor for appointing a woman, Prof. Olufunmilola Dominic, as the University’s Director of Sport.

    Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor had told the minister that the university was proud to host the National Youth Games for a record fourth time.

    Abdulkareem expressed delight that the institution had become the home of sports development for the country as new talents were being discovered on a yearly basis during the competition.

    The Vice-Chancellor, however, appealed to the Ministry to help the University in the area of staff training and upgrade of sport facilities at the stadium.