The Nation Newspaper

Tag: STUDENT

  • Muslim students beg lecturers to return

    The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has urged the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume work in students’ interest.

    The group called on ASUU members to use other means to achieve their demands, because the strike has crippled the academic calendar of universities.

    Its National Amir, Abdulazeez Sirajudeen, said at a symposium organised by the association urged the government to meet ASUU’s demands so as to end students’ agony. The event, which was held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta in Ogun State was theme: Putting a stop to endemic corruption.

    Sirajudeen said: ‘’The billions of dollars that have been set aside as security votes are enough to meet the demands of ASUU. This must be done to safeguard the future of education. We cannot be paying lip service to the education of youths while our treasury is being looted by self-serving politicians. An ignorant nation will always remain unsafe.’’

    He decried the denial of some Muslim children the right to exercise their religious rights in school, adding that Muslim female students must be allowed to wear their hijab.

    ‘’It is sad our Muslim children are denied their rights to practice Islam. To make matter worse, some state governments in the South have deliberately hindered the teaching and learning of Islam and its language in schools. This is unacceptable. We are Muslims and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria permits us to practice our religion. And as such, nobody can stop us from living our lives as prescribed by Al-Islam,’’ he said.

    He called on Muslim students to embark on campaigns to oppose any government or party that is anti-Islam.

    Sirajudeen said President Jonathan must sign into law the controversial same-sex marriage bill. “We are calling on Mr President to sign the bill on same sex marriage into law so as to avoid mass protest by the coalition of Muslim and Christian students’ associations in Nigeria. Same-sex marriage is not only an abomination but a criminal act against God and humanity,” he stated.

    A former National Chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Mr Olasupo Ojo, stressed that the only way to stop corruption in the country was for individuals to exercise self-control in everything they do, adding that the true test of morality lies in the mind.

    ‘’You will not find solution to corruption in laws or judgments, democracy or in any human institution. But the solution can only be found in a transformed mind because every decision and action we take comes from the mind,’’ he said.

    He charged Nigerians to demonstrate the fear of God and remember that they would one day give account of everything they do before God. ‘’If you fear God, you will always take the right decisions,’’ he said.

    In his lecture titled: The role of leadership in stopping the endemic corruption, Dr Taofeek AbdulAzeez said leaders have a role to play in putting an end to corrupt practices.

    He observed that every individual is a leader and shall be questioned about how they led their followers.

    He said: ‘’The Prophet described us as shepherd and we shall be asked by God to account for how we led our flock.’’

    Taofeek advised Muslim faithful to fight corruption and other evils, saying they were called by Allah in the holy Qur’an to reject corrupt deeds.

    The highlight of the occasion was the donations made by participants to projects at the permanent site of MSSN B-zone Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogunmakin in Ogun State.

    The event was attended by Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented by the State Deputy Chief of Staff, Shuaib Salisu; Prince Bola Ajibola and Yusuf Olaniyonu, Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

    Others are Ambali Ishola, Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Education; Kmaldeen Akintunde, Yunus Odekunle, a missionary at Ansarudeen Society.

     

  • 10,000 candidates write varsity entrance test

    No fewer than 10,000 candidates were at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) to participate in the 2013/2014 admission screening. The exercise lasted for three days.

    CAMPUSLIFE learned that most of the candidates were stranded as they could not afford the high cost of hotel accommodation. They were seen at the Jubril Aminu Hall of the university and the Nana Asmau Hostel trying to lobby their way into the rooms. Most of the rooms were under lock and key as most of the occupants were not around, following the ongoing ASUU strike.

    One of the candidates, Hauwa Adedokun, who came from Akure in Ondo State, said: “It is tough getting a place here. I have been hanging around since I arrived and I am yet to get someone to accommodate me. So, I have resorted to sleeping in the mosque.”

    Most of the students who were unable to find shelter in the hostel were seen, sleeping in open classes. On the first day of the exercise, the university security officials were on hand to maintain order and regulate traffic.

    Some of the candidates, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE expressed mixed feelings. Shalangua Saidu, a candidate from Bauchi said: “Everything here is tough. I have been at the mercy of mosquitoes. I have not taken my bath since. I just hope I scale through the screening hurdle so that I will forget all these difficult tales.”

    But for a candidate of Law, Maryam Udoke from Nasarawa State, “it has been an adventure for me. I am enjoying every bit of it. Though, the mosquitoes here are wicked. Still, I enjoyed everything and I can’t wait to be an undergraduate in this university.’’

     

  • Robbers kill AAUA student

    Robbers kill AAUA student

    “If ASUU had not been on strike, she may not have been killed,” a sympathiser cried as he condoled with the bereaved family. The sympathiser was at the home of the Agunbiades whose daughter, Folajomi Racheal, was killed by robbers in her grandmother’s Ibadan, Oyo State home on August 22.

    The late Folajomi went to stay with her grandma, following the closure of her school, Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State over the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

    To her bereaved family, August 22 is a day not to remember. It was a sad day for the family. The day their promising daughter was killed in a robbery at her grandmother’s home at Alasia-Meta in Amosun Community, on Alakia-Isebo Road, Ibadan, Oyo State.

    She was a 200-Level Geography and Planning Science student. She joined her elder sister to stay with their grandma.

    The three-bedroom apartment, CAMPUSLIFE learnt, was rented by the late Folajomi’s mother, who lives in the United Kingdom.

    Five days before the robbery, Folajomi’s sister, Nike, was told in her church to fast and pray against sudden death in her family. Folajomi and Nike fasted for three days. At 9:45pm on the fourth day, the two sisters were at home with their grandmother and a caregiver when a two-man robbery gang broke into their apartment.

    The robbers were said to have ransacked the flat, carting away valuables and money.

    As the robbery was going on, our correspondent gathered, one of the robbers threatened to shoot Nike if she did not show them where money was kept. When she heard the assailants threatening to kill her sister, the late Folajomi started speaking in tongues. This, it was gathered, enraged the robbers, who were said to be drunk. One of them pointed a gun at Folajomi and shot her in the head. She died instantly.

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited the compound, Nike, who sobbed endlessly, said she was in the bedroom with their grandma when the robbers broke in. “A few minutes before the armed robbers came in, Folajomi just stepped out of the bathroom where she had gone to take her bath. As she was preparing to sleep, they barged in, asking where we kept money. They collected our phones and took N20,000 before they shot my sister,” she said.

    After killing the undergraduate, the robbers fled.

    In a chat with our correspondent, the chairman, Alasia-Meta Amosun Community, Comrade Olaide Adeyemi, said he was listening to the Nigerian Television Authority Network News when he received a distress call from a resident that there was a gun shot on Edun Road.

    Adeyemi said he immediately informed the Monatan Divisional Police Headquarters in Alabebe, Ibadan, and “they responded promptly”.

    But the robbers were said to have locked the gate to the house and escaped before policemen arrived on the scene. When the policemen eventually entered the building, they met Folajomi in a pool of her blood.

    The policemen, led by Bayo Ajao, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were said to have taken an account of the incident before Folajomi’s remains were taken to the Adeoyo Hospital morgue.

    The late Folajomi was described as “gentle and quiet” by her classmates and friends.

    Her class governor, Kayode Omotayo, described her as “a very gentle and quiet lady”. He said: “She was friendly and always welcomed everybody to play with her. She has only one close friend in the department, Stella Akinduyite, with whom she attended lectures. In fact, she was loved by everyone in the class.”

    When CAMPUSLIFE met Stella, she recounted how she met the late Folajomi and became intimate friends.

    “I met her during our pre-degree programmes but we started our friendship when we were both admitted into the same department. She was my best friend and we did everything together. We moved and read together. Since I live close to campus, she would come to my place to read whenever examination was approaching,” she relived.

    She added: “The sad news was broken to me a day after the incident. A classmate called me and wanted to know if I heard what happened to Folajomi. I was shocked when I was told she was killed by armed robbers. I could not sleep for days because she was more of a sister than a friend.”

    The late Folajomi’s half brother, Abiodun Olukunle, described her as the “most gentle” among his siblings. “She was nice and easygoing. She never quarrelled with anybody,” he said.

    The late Folajomi’s fiancé, who gave his name simply as Francis, a graduate of Political Science from the Babcock University in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, told our correspondent that they were planning to marry next year.

    “I was with her and Nike until 5pm on that day. We had a lengthy discussion and I promised to come around very early the following day to spend the weekend with them. I did not have a premonition of what would happen that night. I could not believe it when I was told she was killed until I set my eyes on the body at the mortuary,” he said.

    Francis added: “Ever since we started our relationship, I have never had cause to regret anything. She was simply the best.”

    The President of the AAUA Students’ Union Government (SUG), Julius Adeniyi, 400-Level English Education, condemned the killing, praying God should give the bereaved family and her friends the fortitude to bear the loss.

    Folajomi’s remains were interred last Thursday at All Saints Cathedral Church Cemetery in Ogbonkowo in Ondo State.

    When contacted, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor, a DSP, said the case had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department. She said the criminals would be arrested and prosecuted.

     

  • Students urge Oyo govt to fulfil promise

    Students urge Oyo govt to fulfil promise

    The University of Ibadan (UI) Students’ Union has called on Oyo State Governor Senator Abiola Ajumobi to fulfill his promise of donating a bus to students.

    The governor was said to have made the pledge when the students visited him in August, last year.

    The union president, Babatunde Badmus, said several attempts had been made by students to get the governor to fulfill his pledge.

    He said: ‘’We have written several letters to the Oyo State government to ensure the release of the vehicle to our students. But all efforts have been abortive. We call on the state government to revisit its pledges and improve the quality of education in the state. We also want to urge Governor Ajimobi to show more commitment to the welfare of students of Oyo extraction. For us, we want a government that is accessible to students.’’

    A 400-Level student of English, Adejare Oluwadare, said it was unbecoming of the government to shy away from fulfilling its pledges to students. Another student, Adeola Adelabu, said the delay in releasing the bus might be due to failure of members of the union to follow up on the governor. ‘’We are eagerly anticipating the release of our bus. We just cannot wait to see the governor honour his word,’’ said Ismael Olawuyi, a 200-Level student of Adult Education.

  • Should ASUU end strike? Students: yes; no

    THE ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike enters its 74th day today. While the lecturers insist on the strike, tertiary education suffers.

    ASUU is on strike because of the government’s purported failure to implement the 2009 agreement on autonomy of public universities and adequate funding to attain world-class standard.

    Students are worried over the closure of their schools, saying the strike has left their future hanging in the balance. They see ASUU’s incessant strikes as a drawback to their academic pursuit, urging the government and their teachers to reach a compromise fast.

    Sayo Adeleke, 300-Level Estate Management, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, said the strike was a temporal expulsion for the students. She urged the lecturers to use other means in agitating for their demands, saying: “You cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”

    For graduating students of Law across the country, the strike is ill-timed because their hope of proceeding to Law School this semester may be dashed. The strike has prevented the computation of their results, which is a prerequisite for mobilising for the programme. Law School opens on October 21.

    Omosalewa Akingbola, a final year Law student of OAU, said: “ASUU should explore alternative ways to make their demands rather than making us to suffer for their own interest. Government also should live up to its responsibility by giving attention to the welfare of the academic staff and the institutions. Sadly, the strike may prevent us from being mobilised for Law School this year.”

    Abdulrasheed Yahaya, president of the Law Students’ Society (LSS), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), does not care if he misses the chance of going to the Law School. He expressed support for the strike because the lecturers’ demands are worthy.

    “We should all be concerned that Nigeria’s annual budget on education is less than 10 per cent. Even the little allocated is not adequately spent. This is why I strongly feel the ASUU strike is worth it, though personally the action has affected my academic career because it has hindered me from going to Law school this year. But we must support what is right,” he said.

    Chisom Ojukwu, a Corps member in Osun State, waxed philosophical, saying: “When ant-infested firewood is brought home, everybody shares in the stings.”

    A 300-Level Law student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Promise Madubuobu, said it was unfortunate that the leaders treated education issues with levity. “The inability of a party to enforce an agreement in this part of the world has done more harm than good and one of the effects stares at us in the face, which is the ongoing strike. There should be compromise between both parties.”

    Adeyemi Onikoro, president of National Union of Lagos State Students (NULAS), Lagos State University (LASU) chapter, said he did not agree with the ASUU that the strike was in the interest of students. “Most of them have their children in private schools and so, they are not affected by the industrialaction. How many times have you seen ASUU embarking on strike when the government attempts to hike school fees? I am not saying the government should not implement the argument but I am of the opinion that ASUU should look for other strategy to deal with the government rather than going on strike. Enough is enough; they should stop playing with our future,” he said.

    Joan Suanu-Deekae, 200-Level Law, River State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), whose institution did not participate in the strike action, said the ASUU’s action was not selfish. “Eveything the lecturers are demanding is the implementation of 2009 agreement. Why did the government sign it when it knew it could not keep to the rule?” she quizzed.

    Bolaji Oyekanmi, 400-Level student at OAU, said: “This is the third time I will be experiencing strike since I was admitted. It has affected my graduation. I just hope the government and ASUU come up with other means of settling their interests.”

    Just as the lecturers deserve better remuneration, students also deserve stable academic calendars, Tobi Adebowale, a final year student of Law, said. “But there is need to provide the enabling environment for learning. Truth be told, the effect of the strike goes beyond academic delay, it cripples the economy and its ripple effects will be felt in economic planning, tax returns, loan repayments and more,” he explained.

    Olayinka Ojo, 100-Level English Education, University of Lagos (UNILAG) said: “I am sitting at home doing nothing with the expectation and hope that the Federal Government and ASUU will agree. It is quite sad that we have to go through this process every time. I will advise students to be prayerful because we don’t know how long the strike would last.”

  • WAEC warns candidates against rogue websites

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has warned candidates writing the November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (private) against patronising websites claiming to have answers to subjects being written in the ongoing examination ahead of time.

    In a statement Mr Yusuf Ari, Deputy Director (Public Affairs) of the examining body, noted that the phenomenon is not new. It added that investigation into the administration of the sites, which charges money for supposedly authentic questions and answers, is on.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has been drawn to the scam on some rogue websites seeking to lure gullible persons, particularly candidates sitting for the on-going November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (Private), to believe that they could obtain authentic questions/answers for the examination in advance.

    “Such scams are not new to the Council as, over the years, old or fake examination question papers are usually circulated and sold by fraudsters, as authentic current ones, at ridiculous or give-away prices. However, the Council first got wind of the internet form of scam back in 2011. The security agencies were subsequently, duly informed about the rogue websites.

    “Since then, the Council has endeavoured to routinely carry out investigations into these claims and wishes to state categorically that the claims on these rogue websites that authentic question papers or answers for its examinations can be procured in advance are completely false.

    “The Council, therefore, wishes to advise the general public, particularly candidates in the on-going November/December WASSCE (Private) and their parents and guardians to be wary of these scams either via the internet or otherwise.”

     

  • Getting set for future

    Getting set for future

    SIX million youths are thrown into the job market yearly, with the only 10 per cent getting employed. With such a frightening figure of unemployment, the onus, many beleive, is on students to stem the tide. Rather than waiting on the government for job, it is believed that they should employ skill acquisition to tackle the problem.

    This was the aim of the examination conducted for students offering Rehabilitation Education after a workshop organised by the School of Special Education, Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo State.

    The Head of the department, Dr A. I. Ajobiewe, said the course would run through the session, during which students would be made to acquire skills of their choice. She said students could specialise in over 33 vocations, depending on their interest. She listed block making, bag weaving, bead making, horticulture, leather works, tiling, barbing, hair dressing, catering and batik making, among others, as skills students could acquire.

    The examination, which started at 8am, was held in the department’s workshop. The students were divided into groups and required to carry out what they learned during the workshop.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the experts who conducted the training were not lecturers; they were hired by the school to instruct the trainees on various skills.

    Dr Ajobiewe said the institution wanted to open the eyes of its students to entrepreneurship, which was why the course was added to the school’s curricula. She urged the students to acquire lucrative skills during the training, advising them to think beyond academic and seek practical knowledge on how to be productively engaged after graduation.

    After the training which lasted for a session, the students prepared for the test. They besieged the department to unleash the expertise received from the workshop. Some of them who trained in catering appeared in white apron, other groups also came in various shades of aprons.

    Mr Ajayi Olufemi, a lecturer in the department, harped on the importance of skill acquisition. He said entrepreneurship was the way the nation could tackle unemployment. He urged the students to utilise the skills they acquired during the training, saying it would be an added advantage for them when they leave the school.

    At 4pm, the exercise ended. Participants submitted their works for assessment. Some of them completed the task before the time while others could not.

    Mr Emmanuel Ajayi, a lecturer in the department, chided some students who could not complete the task, saying they did not attend the workshop regularly.

    Some of the group leaders spoke to CAMPUSLIFE after the exercise. Joy Umaru, who led the interior decoration group, said the exam tested their practical knowledge of the vocation. She advised her colleagues to explore ways to practise what they were taught at the workshop.

    Adenike Adekunle, bag weaving group’s head, said: “The course has made me to better understand vocational training. I will source for capital to start the business because I just cannot wait anymore.”

    Another group leader, Agnes Ibeh, soap making, said: “I want to start something with the skill I have acquired and make profit from it.”

     

  • Students decry non-payment of bursary

    Students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), have asked the government to start paying them bursary.

    Some students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said the bursary had been unpaid for years, adding that the money would assist poor in their educational pursuit.

    A 200-Level student of Geography, Ibrahim Muhammad, said: “Our government has been working to make education accessible to everyone. But I want them to revisit our scholarship scheme and relieve our struggling parents. Those of us from poor backgrounds need this kind of support to make meaning out of our lives.” Esther Namo, a 300-Level student of Statistics at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) said the grant would motivate her to do well in her academics. “Scholarship should be given to bright students with challenging background. This has a way of encouraging hard work and healthy competition,” she stated.

    However, Commissioner for Higher Education in Nasarawa State, Mr Philips Shekwo said the government has planned to restore all scholarship schemes in the state. Speaking to a delegation of Nasarawa State Students Association (NASSA), he said: “The government of Umar Tanko has a plan to assist all students of the state through a robust scholarship payment. Their education is paramount to us. We are working on achieving this objective as soon as possible.”

    In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Special Assistant to the governor on Students Affairs, Mr kasim Muhammed, said the governor was concerned with the plight of the students. He said: “The issue of scholarship payment was the first task I undertook on assumption of office. At the moment, we are at the completion stage of the project. I can assure you that the scheme would start soon.”

     

  • Students slam govt over strike

    Students of Nasarawa State University (NSU) in Keffi have expressed concern over the government’s unwillingness to honour the 2009 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    A 300-Level student of Political Science, Moses Ndung, blamed the Federal Government for the ongoing ASUU strike.

    He said: “I think it is morally wrong for the government to have reneged on its promise. No amount of investment in education is too much. The government should play their part of the bargain so that Nigerian students can return to their classrooms. “

    For Faruk Tanko, 100-Level English, the Federal Government seems to be inconsiderate of the plight of students. She said: “I am a fresher in this institution and it’s been a catalogue of crisis for us here since January. Earlier in the year, there was a protest, which led to the temporary closure of the university. Later, ASUU downed their tools and we were sent home. Now, it is another tale of industrial action. This is unbecoming of a so-called transformational administration. it is a bad precedent for us as new students. Education is a right that the government owes all of us as citizens and I wonder why they are paying lip services to it. We are tired of continue staying at home, they should meet ASUU demands to guarantee our resumption.”

    A final year student of Economics Education, Haliru Yusha’u, said: “ASUU has been patient enough. The 26 per cent budgetary allocation to education as directed by UNESCO is a sin qua non if we must make progress in education. I am appealing to the Federal Government to have a rethink and meet the demands of the striking lecturers.”

     

  • Ibadan students elect leaders

    The Federation of Ibadan Students’ Union (FIBSU), has elected new leaders. The election took place at the Abadina Primary School on the University of Ibadan (UI) campus.

    Two delegates represented each institution that participated in the election. Two aspirants contested for the post of National President. Other positions were unopposed except that of the Social Director.

    Past presidents of the association, Mr Alabi Ademola and Mr. Aderibigbe Surajudeen were present to ensure the proper conduct of the polls. Security officials were also at the venue to forestall any violence.

    The election was conducted by the FIBSU Electoral Commission with Hammed Makinde as Chairman and Sulaimon Oladejo as Secretary. Voting started at 2:30pm after accreditation. A total of 37 votes were cast. Adewunmi Rufai of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, emerged president having polled a total of 35 votes to defeat Kolapo Titilayo of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. Kabirat Ogundijo of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, scored 35 votes to emerge Vice-President.

    Others are Ayokanmi Solomon,Deputy Registrar; Shittu Akeem, Financial Secretary; Olasupo Rukoyah, Treasurer; Olawoyin Ajibola, Public Relations Officer 1; Oyetoro Taiwo, Public Relations Officer 2; Abiodun Taiwo, Social Director 1; Adejumo Funmilayo, Social Director 2; Abiona Peter, Welfare Director and Azeez Hammed as Auditor.

    The new president promised to use his experience to promote the peace and development of the association in partnership with Oyo State government.