THE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has deplored the activities of heavy-duty truck drivers on the highways, which it said had killed more than 15 students in the last two months.
The apex students’ body said it would be forced to apply extreme measures if the government did not find solution to the killings.
NANS Vice President for National Affairs, Gbenga Ayenuro, made the statement last weekend, following the death of two students, Isaac Omojuwa and Ebenezer Omojola, who were crushed by trailers on the Lagos-Ibadan and the Akure-Ilesha expressways.
•The late Isaac
The late Isaac, a student of Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Treasurer of the National Association of Ondo State Students (NAOSS), was travelling to Lagos when the bus conveying him was crushed by a trailer.
The late Ebenezer, who was president of Society of Chemistry Students of Nigeria (SCSN) at the Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, was involved in an accident caused by a cement truck.
Ayenuro said NANS would protest the incidents to draw attention to the killing of students by the heavy-duty vehicles on the highways. He urged the government agencies charged with making the highways safe for commuters to live up to the tasks by preventing and minimising accidents on expressways.
•The late Ebenezer
He said the students’ body would no longer watch while trucks kill students. He said NANS had sent out letters to all Students’ Union Government (SUG) presidents and Joint Campus Committee (JCC) chairmen to block any federal highway to protest students’ death.
The SUG President of AAUA, Olukayode Ogunade, urged the government to bar trucks and trailers on the highways in the daytime.
He said such measure would prevent accidents on the highways, noting that activities of truck drivers on the road had led to loss of lives.
Olukayode condemned the Ebenezer’s death, saying it was wrong for the government to look away while trailers kill students on the highways.
He said: “It is disheartening, pathetic and appalling that fatal accidents now happen daily on our highways. The situation is unbearable and we can’t cope with it any longer. Our highways have turned to death trap, sucking the blood of innocent youths and productive students, who are potentially capable of changing the fortunes of this country.
“The Federal Government should caution the truck drivers on reckless driving and ensure strict compliance with road safety laws.”
Protests in Ishielu, Ohaukwu, Ebonyi, Afikpo North, Ezza North and Izzi local government areas of Ebonyi State yesterday, marred the workers’ verification.
Workers across the councils protested what they described as ‘government’s insensitivity to the plight of civil servants and plans to cut their salary’.
The protesters alleged that they were compelled to sign the voucher for payment of their old salary.
In Ezza North, council workers participated in the exercise but primary and junior secondary teachers walked out.
Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Ezza North, Mr. Samuel Offiagu, and Chairman of Association of Primary School Head Teachers, Mr Livinus Egede, regretted that the government decided to revert to the old salary structure rather than continue with the new one instituted by the last administration
They said the protest was to press home their dissatisfaction with government’s decision.
“We have resolved not to receive anything short of the 50 per cent salary paid to other civil servants. Teachers cannot be an exception, no amount of intimidation or harassment would make us collect what is not due to us. Others have been paid the 50 per cent and teachers must also receive it,” they said.
Appeals by the Commissioner for Environment, Moses Ogodo Ali Nome, for the workers to reconsider their stand did not yield result.
Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Emma Onwe alleged that the protest was politically-motivated.
Onwe maintained that the exercise was well intended, stressing that the protest was orchestrated by political opponents.
He described the exercise as successful and urged the workers to avail themselves of the opportunity.
Reacting to the protest, the All Progressives Congress (APC) described the allegation as baseless, adding that the people were already disenchanted with the government.
Chairman Pastor Nwachukwu Eze called on Governor Dave Umahi to fulfil his campaign promises rather than look for excuses for his colossal failure.
Prospective University of Lagos (UNILAG) students protested yesterday during their screening for admission for 2015/2016 session.
UNILAG’s Registrar Dr Taiwo Ipaye said only 9,000 of the 32,000 applicants were eligible for screening.
Ipaye said the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) considered a lot of options at its 2015 Combined Policy Meeting held on July 4, as a way out for the candidates.
“JAMB had during that meeting adopted a policy whereby candidates of universities with surplus applicants for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are reassigned to other universities with lower number of candidates, than their capacities.
“This will be beneficial to needy universities; as this will ensure that they will have more candidates to admit.
“This policy has been implemented with immediate effect and consequently, the eligibility for post- UTME screening in the University of Lagos like other universities in country, has been determined by JAMB.
“In effect, only candidates, whose names were forwarded to the University of Lagos by JAMB, are eligible for the 2015/2016 post-UTME,’’ she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of parents, who brought their children for the exercise, expressed disappointments over the applicants’ exclusion from the JAMB’s list of shortlisted candidates.
A parent, Dr Ben Emone, told NAN that his son made UNILAG his first choice, and scored 260 marks in the UTME.
According to him, it has been the tradition of the university to peg its cut-off mark, at least, at 200 for the post-UTME.
Emone criticised the university and JAMB for the sudden change in procedure, saying:
“I will not take this whole thing they are trying to explain because my son passed the UTME convincingly. If there was to be any change, we should have been sensitised well ahead of time and not just waking-up one morning to change the rule of the game.All I am saying is that my son must write this post-UTME or nobody will.
Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO) National President Mr Oludotun Sodunke blamed the crisis on the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde.
He said Ojerinde was insensitive to parents’ plights, adding that the JAMB registrar was wrong to have introduced such last minute decision after pegging the cut-off mark at 180.
“I think Prof. Ojerinde has some questions to answer on this whole issue. There must be something he is not telling the public. Ojerinde must stop running JAMB as if it is his personal business empire.
“How can Ojerinde impose such high and unacceptable cutoff marks for five notable public universities in Nigeria under the guise of catchment, to qualify for post-UTME, and you expect us not to protest.
“The worst case scenario at least ought to have been the normal 200 marks and above, which universities like UNILAG and others were known for.
“If there must be anything new, it should be introduced next year after due consultations with all critical stakeholders, and the public adequately sensitised.
“For now, all we want is for all the candidates to be allowed to sit for the post-UTME or we go to court,’’ he said.
Former Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), UNILAG Chapter, Mr Joseph Adefolalu said JAMB’s action was meant to destabilise the present administration.
JAMB’s spokesman Fabian Benjamin, described the parents’ agitation was uncalled for.
According to him, universities are at liberty to go higher than 180, as cut off marks, based on their peculiarities.
He said, whatever cut-off points they were adopting must be uniformly applied to all candidates.
“I do not see anything wrong with what UNILAG has done.
“This is because a time will come when some universities may have to peg their cut-off points at 300 marks, based on performance.
“Before we send candidates to the universities, we normally ensure that we know their carrying capacities; because we do not want a situation, whereby, they will present more than they can admit.
“There are private universities and other tertiary institutions that also need candidates, so, we try to distribute evenly,’’ he said.
Benjamin said JAMB, in its magnanimity, posted students that scored 200 and above to private universities, to prevent them from staying at home for another year.
Aggrieved youths in Bayelsa State yesterday protested in Otuoke, the hometown of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in Ogbia Local Government Area.
They sought the appointment of indigenes into managerial positions in the Federal University, Otuoke (FUO).
The protesters accused the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, of ethnicity.
They said none of the principal officers in the institution hails from the state.
It was learnt that the over 200 placard-carrying youths consisted of members of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide and students from tertiary institutions in Niger Delta states.
The protesters were said to have converged on FUO main campus and locked the workers and students out.
They were said to have marched from the main campus to the administrative buildings. But they were denied entry by security operatives, who got a wind of the protest.
The protest caused panic among the residents.
Business owners hurriedly closed their shops for fear that hoodlums could hijack the protest.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards include: “Bayelsa youths say no to change of principal officers from Bayelsa”; “Registrar is not a Bayelsan. He is short-changing Bayelsans”; “Leave our woman bursar alone. We need equal representation in the management of FUO, Otuoke”; “IYC declares war, if bursar and librarian are changed” and “VC and registrar must go now. Enough is enough.”
The President of the National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS), Richard Lawyer led the protest.
He said the protesters were sending a message to Prof Aluko and the school management.
The union leader alleged that the VC edged out the Acting Bursar, an indigene, and “manipulated” the retention of his preferred candidates for choice positions.
Richard said the people would not accept a situation where principal offices, including heads of departments, were occupied by non-indigenes.
The students’ leader said they were unhappy with the way Prof Aluko was running the university, adding that the alleged neglect of Bayelsa indigenes must stop.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has condemned the planned rally calling for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s impeachment.
The Civil Societies’ Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) said over 20 civil and faith based societies are mobilising their members for the mass rally.
The party called on security agencies to hold the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyiola Omisore and his party responsible for any breach of peace.
The party, in a statement by the Director of Media and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, said it was aware of plans by a group of profiteers, who are being sponsored by Omisore and his party ,to unleash violence on the state using workers’ salaries as a camouflage.
The statement said: “We must alert the world to a threat by Omisore on June 14 at the PDP secretariat in Osogbo, where he promised party members that he was prepared to make the state ungovernable for Governor Aregesola.
“We are using this medium to inform the public and the media to be wary of the activities of these opportunists.
“The APC government under Aregbesola has had very fruitful negotiations with Organised Labour and we can therefore say without any contradiction that Labour has no hand in this proposed protest.
“It is high time the world read through the selfish agenda of Omisore and others, who are cashing in on the national wage crisis.”
Workers of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday protested the non-payment of their 64 months hazard allowance.
The aggrieved workers, whose protest paralysed academic activities, alleged that they had not received the allowance since 2013, when the Federal Government approved it.
The protesters under the aegis of Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) shut down facilities on campus, including the Senate Building and the Library.
They also blocked the two major entrances, preventing vehicular movement in and out of the institution.
Addressing the protesters, NASU Chairman Wole Odewunmi said: “After this, if the management refuses to respond to our demand, we will begin our strike. This is just a notification..
“We met with the pro-chancellor but his response is not soothing. After I took the report of the meeting to our members, they decided that we should make our agitation known to the management and the public.”
The university’s Public Relations Office, Biodun Olarewaju, said the workers would get the allowance as soon as the Federal Government pays.
In a statement, Olarenwaju said: “No federal university has paid earned allowances to any member of staff.
“The university administration wishes to reiterate that as soon as the Federal Government releases the second tranche of the earned allowances, payment will be made immediately.”
It was a poignant sight as children of some primary schools in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State trooped through the streets to protest deprivation of their rights, especially the issue of early marriage for girls.
•The children and adults protesting against child marriage in Cross River.
The pupils who were drawn from St Pearse’s Primary School, Government Primary Ofelekan, Presbyterian Primary School, and St Joseph Primary School bore placards to drive home their grouse as they insisted their voices must be heard in matters that concern them.
The occasion was the Day of the African Child with a theme that focused on the problem of early marriages, but the pupils said it was a matter that affects them directly and the programme to mark it was organized by the European Union (EU) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the state government.
Stakeholders also joined the voices in the call to intensify the fight against early marriage.
UNICEF consultant, Mr James Beesah, condemned the discrimination between the girl and boy child, female genital mutilation, child labour as well as other forms of child abuse.
He said all children irrespective of gender have a right to proper education, good water and sanitation, and a good environment to grow among others.
Programme Manager of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSSA), Mr Patrick Emori also called for a synergy among relevant stakeholders to fight against child marriage.
He said child marriage is a complex issue that has devastating and long term effects on the life of girls, who are always victims.
The issue, he said, was a human rights, gender, health, cultural and developmental one and hence should be tackled on all fronts.
He said children should take an active part in the fight by speaking against it wherever they find the problem. He encouraged them to talk to their parents, Government and leaders in the society about the issue.
The wife of the chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area, Mrs Ekaette Akpama, said the days when girls were left behind in terms of Education and other developmental issues, are gone.
She urged male and female children to take their education seriously to ensure a better future for themselves.
The Coordinator for the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in Yakurr, Comrade Onun Omini Usani, said the issue of child marriage in the area was still quite high and urged that efforts be concerted to reduce it as in other communities in the country.
He said: “What we see for the young ones is either they are impregnated or because of poverty their parents force them to early marriage or to raise money to support the male child. At the end of the day you discover that the female child would not have a future. They just bring them as young as they are into bearing children and taking them to hard labour in the farm. If this is checked, we will now be able to have more of the female children in schools.
“Apart from this day of the African Child, where I know we had a good rally and creating public awareness, I think the level of awareness in terms of this activity is very low. Even at school, curriculum does not even capture some of these social vices. Organisations, agencies and government need to work together to tackle this. We don’t need to depend on yearly events so everybody should be aware that it is an evil to the girl child and it should not be. The fight should be more consistent.
“My advice is that children should be given the opportunity to express themselves, especially the opportunity of the right of education and the enabling environment to develop themselves.
“Parents should known that is their responsibility to train the children, especially the girl child. So parents should stop encouraging child marriage and create other avenues to get resources to help their children. I also want to advise government that parents who indulge in that kind of practice should be persecuted as a deterrent to those who don’t want to change from this activity. Parents should stop it and it should be discouraged.
“Parents should bear children they can take care of, because part of the problem we are talking is this issue of child spacing. You have so many children within a very limited time without adequate resources to take care of them. So they should have children they can take care of because when the burden is too much, they do these things and the effect is on the children who are always at the receiving end.”
A teacher at St Pearse’s Primary School, Mrs Nkoyo Mbang, who also doubles as the Coordinator of Environmental Health Club described child marriage as a bad culture which brings a lot of hazard to the woman.
“The problem before now was elaborate. Only that now parents are trying to train their girl children so it is a bit reduced. Before now a girl child was not sent to school. The parents would say “I don’t want to send you to school because if I do it is your husband and husband’s people that would enjoy you.” The awareness is growing now that if the girl child is educated, it is the whole nation that is being educated. My advise to parents is that the girl child is not a slave, but should be seen as the boy child. She ought to be taken as important as the boy child.
“We should continue to talk about it so that people who indulge in this vice would desist. When we had the day of the African Child, it is just once a year. Efforts should be made all year round by relevant stakeholders to ensure that the problem is tackled. So those in charge and policy lawmakers should put more effort in tackling this issue of child marriage.”
A parent from the area, Mr Ikpi Eyong, said: “Early marriage poses severe health threats to the victims, some even leading to death. It can lead to vesicovaginal fistula which is a major health problem for the girl. Also it causes dropout from school which in turn would lead to a low literacy among the women folk. I would advise other parents as myself to please don’t allow their young girls to get married off as children.”
And in Bayelsa
Unicef and the Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Bayelsa State were recently preoccupied with the protection of child’s rights in the state. Even the Glory FM 97.1 joined in the partnership to seek an end to various practices that violate the rights of a child.
The institutions were no doubt bothered by early marriages, sexual abuses especially rape, physical abuses, lack of access to education and other abuses militating against the development and maturity of children in the state.
As part of the activities to celebrate the day of the African Child, UNICEF and its partners relocated to Kaiama, the headquarters of Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state. They invited pupils of different schools in the area and involved them in the celebration.
This year’s celebration of the African child by UNICEF is attached to the Soweto killing,the 1979 South African experience where some students carrying out a peaceful protest were murdered by the police. June 16 was set aside by UNICEF to honour the departed students.
First, the pupils were given a task that exposed them to their rights as contained in the African Children’s Charter. They were asked to engage in a competitive creative drawing with a theme, “25 years after the adoption of the African Charter, accelerating our collective efforts to end child marriage in Africa”.
Pupils from Okoro Primary School; Imgbela Primary School,Odi; Igbeta Primary School,Odi; King Bolou Primary School; Amasian Primary School,Odi; Group School 1,Okpokuma; Reverend Proctor Memorial School 1 and 2, Kaiama, participated in the competition.
The pupils busied themselves creating images in their heads and also putting lines together to make the images real. The event attracted many dignitaries who watched as the pupils engaged in the competition.
The Project Manager, RUWASSA, Mrs. Wini Asingbe; Head of Nutrition, Mrs. Felicia Afenfia and the Kolokuma-Opokuma Education Secretary, Mr. John Appah were all in attendance.
Afenfia said it was necessary to instill creativity in the minds of the young ones. “Creativity should be instilled in our children at a very young age. Some are born artists while others are trained.
“Engaging them in this kind of competition sharpens their skill. Teaching them healthy competition is very important for a healthy future”, she said.
After the competition, the children sat to listen to instructors who spoke on various issues bordering on their rights. One of the resources persons, Dr. Bodies re Teibowei, appealed the female children not to allow anybody take advantage of them sexually
She asked them to stop keeping secrets and to expose anybody attempting to abuse them sexually by touching their breast and waist. Addressing them she said: “Say no to bad people.”
She further encouraged the children to be serious with their studies and to use their talents to attain greatness.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Glory FM, Mr. Lawson Harford who was represented by ?the Deputy Controller Programmes, Mrs. Biboera Adobeni said the theme for this year’s celebration was apt. He called on the children to be responsible useful to their families and the society at large.
Ashingbe demonstrated to the children the benefit of washing their hands before and after meals and after using the toilet. She urged them not to drink river water and also encouraged them to ensure they drink clean water always.
Apah appreciated UNICEF for choosing Kolokuma/Opokuma out of the eight local government areas in the state saying that the exercise was a success. He enjoined the children not to disappoint their parents and the society at large.
The pupils held a community awareness rally and presented of short drama. Prizes were also given to the winners of the art competition.
Activities were paralyzed Tuesday in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra state as traders, young and old trooped out to protest the dumping of alleged Boko Haram suspects in the prisons in the area.
As early as 7.30am, placard carrying protesters, including some clergy and high chiefs and women marched through the Ekwulobia Street to register their grievances.
All the shops in the Area were under lock and key as security operatives were deployed by the state commissioner of police, Hosea Karma to maintain law and order.
The chairman of Aguata Local government area, Mr.Tony Umeoji, while speaking with reporters said the transfer of the Boko Haram prisoners to the place was politically motivated.
He alleged that any attempt to interrupt the development of the South East from Anambra State, would be suicidal.
According to the council boss; “I must tell you that this development will chase away intending investors to Anambra State, thereby setting back the wheel of progress of the state.
‘It is a situation that calls for concern because of the apprehension and restiveness among the people of Ekwulobia.
“The people are scared and there is a general sense of insecurity in the place right now.
“The Ekwulobia prison does not have minimum capacity and facility for such high profile inmates.
“The prison is 80 bedded and there are already 133 in mates and you are adding another 43 in mates of the Boko Haram prisoners. That is too much and not healthy for human being,” he said.
Also in his own reaction, the member representing Aguata II Constituency in state House of assembly, Ikem Uzoezie appealed to the authorities concerned and President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency relocate the Boko Haram inmates to a prison with maximum capacity and facility.
He said; “this development calls for concern because the relative peace we have been enjoying has been interrupted.”
Meanwhile, Uzoezie revealed that when the Assembly reconvenes, it would deliberate on the matter with a view to prevailing on the presidency to redress the issue.
Members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have led students in protest to the Ondo State School of Health Technology in Akure, following a hike in fee. Although the protest was peaceful, students described the hiked fee as outrageous.
The protesters, who visited the state Ministry of Health, lamented the state of facilities in the school, saying it was callous on the part of the management to “deliberate attempt to make learning unbearable” for students by hiking the fee.
A protester said: “Our poor parents are in a difficult situation to cough out money to pay the fee. Where do they want them to get the money to pay additional fee? Students can no longer suffer in silence. The evil and callous increment must be stopped. Students have been intimidated and oppressed by the management when attempted to reject the increment.”
Another student, who preferred to be anonymous, said: “We can’t tolerate with how the management has treating us. Most of us now depend on menial jobs to support ourselves financially, while some ladies do not have any choice than to turn to prostitution.”
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, was joined by the permanent secretary and directors to address the protesters. It was learnt that the provost fled when he learnt of the protest.
NANS Vice President (National Affairs), Gbenga Ayenuro, urged the government to call the school management to order, stressing that students would not relent in their demonstration except the fee is reverted.
