The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Students

  • ‘Nigerians make up 90 per cent of Beninois varsity students’

    The President of the Houdegbe North American University in the Republic of Benin, Prof. Dada Houdegbe, at the weekend  announced that about 90 per cent of its students were Nigerians.

    Houdegbe spoke at the university’s award of degrees and conferment of Honorary Awards to its graduating students, other local and international personalities.

    “Three years ago, we graduated about 3,000 students from different areas of studies.

    “Today, the Houdegbe North American University is graduating about 2,000 students, as well as the conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees on deserving personalities.

    “Let me say that about 90 per cent of students in our university are Nigerians, who are happy being our students,’’ he said.

    According to him, there is currently a growing interest of many young Nigerians in the courses being offered by the university, its affordability and good learning environment.

    The president said the university was meant to build bridges across political, economic, linguistic and cultural divides in Africa.

    Houdegbe hailed former president Olusegun Obasanjo for his belief in the institution’s ideals, as well as the encouragement he kept giving the university.

    Ms Samia Nkrumah, founder of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre, said that the time had come for West African and other African countries to embrace the policy of “Education for All’’.

    The daughter of former Ghanaian President Kwame Nkurumah said the overall development and transformation of the region and the continent would largely depend on education.

    Prof. Peng-Khuan Chong, an Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Plymouth State University, in the United States, enjoined the graduating and undergraduate students to learn to be competent, confident and have compassion.

    The university was established in 1992 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, as a private tertiary institution, which offers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

  • Students urged to embrace science

    President, African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Prof. Kingston Nyamapfene, has urged secondary school pupils to embrace science in order to enable them become world – class scientists and engineers in their future careers.

    He spoke at a competition  to mark the 10th year anniversary of the university in Abuja.

    The AUST President, in a statement  by the university’s Head of Media Services, Obioha Atulomah, explained that science provides a means for the students to build a strong academic foundation for themselves.

    Glisten International Academy, Jabi, Abuja emerged winner of the first round of the quiz competition with 135 points, followed by School of the Gifted Gwagwalada with 130 points.

    “I am pleased to welcome you all to this great event as part of our celebrations for our university’s 10th year anniversary. AUST should have long organized such an event but, l am happy that dream has come to reality today,” he said.

    Nyamapfene enjoined the students not to see the competitions as a do or die affair or winner takes it all but as a way to make learning fun, while also building relationships among the schools and between AUST and schools within the university’s operational area.

    Thanking the pupils for their zeal to participate and the organizers for a job well done, the president promised to introduce more attractive prizes for deserving participating schools in future quiz competitions.

  • Students set agenda for Pro-chancellor

    Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA) students got an opportunity to share their challenges with the authorities at  a meeting with the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof Femi Odekunle. ABDULSALAM MAHMUD reports.

    It was his first visit to the school after his appointment as Pro-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA) in Niger State. Prof Femi Odekunle, a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), would not leave the campus without having a meeting with students.

    At the meeting held on the Gidan Kwano Campus of the school, students set agenda for the renowned professor of criminology. They urged him to bring his wealth of experience and administrative acumen to bear on his function as the chairman of the school’s Governing Council.

    Students urged the Pro-chancellor to offer ‘elderly’ counsel to the management, expressing the belief that his regular intervention would help address the infrastructure deficit facing the university.

    According to the students, sanity can only be achieved in the academic environment when fundamental issues and problems affecting students’ wellbeing are holistically addressed.

    The meeting was held at Caverton Lecture Hall, which was filled to capacity by students. To allow students meet with the Pro-chancellor, the management declared a lecture-free day.

    Making a contribution, Muhammed Saba, a Transport Management student, told the Pro-chancellor that the issues of poor Internet connectivity on the campus must be resolved if the school must be a foremost ICT centre. He said the poor connectivity had hindered lecturers’ and students’ research activities.

    He said: “Massive renovation of dilapidated lecture halls and delivering more lecture auditoriums with fully equipped public address system would bring about good learning atmosphere. It would be a step in the right direction if the management can deliver this.”

    Frequent robbery and burglary incidents in the off-campus hostels were also discussed. Olufemi Adeniji, a 200-Level student, said the problem could be solved if the Governing Council supports the management in designing security measures to check the incidents.

    “The safety of students living off-campus should be a major concern of the Council,” Olufemi said.

    Olufemi bemoaned the deplorable state of school hostels and high cost of transport fare to the school.

    He said: “Efforts should be made towards providing comfortable and hygienic accommodation for students in the school. We urge the school to liaise with vendors and commercial transporters’ union to review the transport fare and prices of essential commodities on the campus. The high cost of these services is the reason why many students don’t go for lecturers and miss examinations.”

    Another student, Amina Ibrahim Nasidi, who applauded the developmental stride of the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Musbau Akanji, decried the poor academic performance of many students.

    She attributed the problem to what she called “chaotic timetables” and lack of cordial relationship between students and their Level Advisers.

    Responding, the Prof Odekunle assured the students of the Governing Council’s commitment to making the institution a “prestigious citadel” of academic excellence. He promised all-inclusive management, adding that all contributions made by students would be considered.

    He said: “We would ensure FUT MINNA is ranked among the world’s best universities. Thus, we pledge to offer our moral and financial support towards actualising this mission. I urge members of the university management live above board and shun unethical practices. While we strive to create enabling academic environment, students must embrace the virtue of work hard in their studies. I urge you all to eschew negative vices. You are ambassadors of this great institution. So, you all must always exhibit good attitudes, both in private and in public.”

    Prof Akanji congratulated the members of the Governing Council, soliciting for their support towards the growth of the school.

    The VC hinted that the meeting was held to give students opportunity to meet and share their challenges with the Governing Council.

    He said: “I strongly believe that the Council members, led by the astute Prof Odekunle, will partner with the management team in addressing the challenges enumerated by students.”

    The Students’ Union Government (SUG) president, Hamza Abdullateef, while giving the vote of thanks, described Prof Odekunle as a celebrated and erudite academic, saying the Pro-chancellor had “brilliantly distinguished” himself in public service.

    The union president said: “We strongly believe that our university would soon witness uncommon transformation under the new the chairman of the Governing Council, who have sterling profile in academic and public life.”

    Prof Odekunle graduated from the University of Ibadan (UI) in 1968 and subsequently bagged doctoral degree in Sociology and Social Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, United States, in 1974.

    The scholar taught at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna State, from 1970 to early 1990s, where he became a professor of criminology in 1985. He is the author of Fighting corruption and organised crime in Nigeria.

    The new Pro-chancellor took over from Prof Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, who was in the saddle for eight year.

  • Be creative and productive, author advises students

    Students of Kings University (KU) in Odeomu, Osun State, last weeek had exciting moments with Miss Ayobami Adebayo, a young author and scholar, who visited the institution for a talk on book-reading programme.

    Miss Adebayo, who spoke to them on Undergraduates and the necessity of creativity in an increasingly competitive world, urged the students to design their future plans while in school, noting that their future had started to unfurl the moment they got admitted into a higher institution.

    She gave examples of notable youths, who initiated great ideas while they were students. The young author charged the KU students on innovation and productivity, urging them to develop skills that would make them self-reliant after their undergraduate studies.

    She said: “Do not allow anyone to look down on you because you are young. Work on and improve your productivity. The time to start preparation for the person you want to become in future is now. The claim that life will begin after university is not true. Social media is useful for achieving your dreams, but do not let it become an addiction to you. You must also understand that where you are does not matter in who you become.”

    The author of Stay with me, a fictional series, urged the students to not give up on innovation and creativity. According to her, it requires exceptional creativity to survive in Nigeria.

    She said: “There is an advantage to be derived from a dysfunctional system. We must begin to work towards doing something great and exceptional. We must create value and we must be consistent in doing so. If we manage our time well and continually improve on ourselves, there is no place in the world we would not compete with anybody.”

    After the interaction with the students, Miss Adebayo read from Stay with me, her new work which was published in the United Kingdom and short-listed for this year’s Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Diran Famurewa, appreciated the author for honouring the university’s invitation to speak and read from her work.

    The VC said: “This programme constitutes another effort we are making as a university to fulfil our vision of raising quality leaders, innovative minds and visionary job creators that will transform Nigeria in all critical areas. These kinds of programmes are critical to the actualisation of our vision. It is for this reason that we have decided to make this kind of event regular in our calendars from semester to semester.”

    The occasion was graced by other principal officers of the university and the deans of faculties. There were also performances by students.

    The highpoint was presentation of gifts to the author by the Registrar, Mrs Dorothy Salami, who enjoined students to learn from the rise of the author.

    The Librarian, Folu Akindojutimi, thanked Miss Adebayo for donating copies of her books to the institution.

  • Lagos empowers 12,000 students

    The Season 2 of the Ready Set Work (RSW) initiative kicked off last Saturday at the Lagos State University (LASU).

    The 13-week programme, which will run from July to September 23,  will empower 2,000 final year students from six institutions in the state.

    In addition, 10,000 other students in their penultimate year will undergo online training in preparation for the Season 3 of the RSW next year.

    Speaking at the opening, the Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, explained that the programme is the state’s entrepreneurship and employability programme for final year students to help bridge the gap between the town and the gown.

    He said: “The 12,000 students will be trained on critical thinking, life skills, soft skills, employability skills and entrepreneurship. At the end of the programme, the best students will get internship placement across the country.

    “Last year, we placed 200 students. This year we will be placing 750 students.  2,000 are participating directly while 10,000 students in their penultimate class are participating online. The 2,000 students are being trained at three centres – LASU, the University of Lagos and the Lagos State Polytechnic.”

    He continued: “We started this last year in response to complaints about the quality of our graduates.  As a result, the governor gave us a clear directive to come up with an initiative to solve our problem. For us in Lagos it is critical we do this. Lagos is the fifth largest economy in Africa. We have to ensure that we are producing graduates that can help us continue to drive this economy. We are building their employability skills and entrepreneurial skills”.

    One of the facilitators, Mrs Bunmi Agozu who trained the students on ‘self-understanding, said the classroom and certificates were insufficient to have a successful life.

    One of the beneficiaries, Desmond Eze, lamented the high level of unemployment in the country and thanked the state government intervention to reduce it.

    Another student, Fatima Idowu, who aspires to be a career woman, noted that one major area she has benefitted from the programme is self-discipline.  She also thanked the government for its commitment to youth empowerment.

  • Two FUTA students drown while taking selfie

    Two FUTA students drown while taking selfie

    Two students of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) drowned on Saturday  evening while  reportedly taking selfie pictures on a canoe inside a river in the town.

    The two students whose names were were both 300 level students of the university.

    One was said to be a student of the department of Agriculture  and Environmental Engineering, while the other was a student of the department of Project Management Technology.

    The President, Students Union Government of the university, Adeyinka Olasehinde who confirmed the incident, said the death of the two students had thrown the university into mourning.

    Olasehinde explained that four students went to a river close to the university and took pictures on a canoe stationed at the river.

    He added that the canoe capsized while the students were taking the pictures.

    Olasehinde hinted that two of the students narrowly escaped death because they knew how to swim, while two others were unfortunate.

    He said the students who lost their lives were at the venue of their
    entrepreneuship training at the laboratory of the department of
    fishery and aquaculture behinde great hall in Obakekere area of Akure.

    He said the ugly incident occurred after the students had finished their training for the day

  • 2,000 students get Lagos employability skills

    2,000 students get Lagos employability skills

    On Saturday, 2,000 final year students of six tertiary institutions in Lagos State will begin the first of 24 sessions for the second edition of the Ready Set Work (RSW), a skill and employability initiative of the Lagos State government aimed at preparing young graduates for the labour market.

    The students were selected from the three institutions that participated in the maiden edition last year and another three schools. The schools include Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), and Lagos State College of Health Technology. Participants were also drawn from Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, (MOCPED), Norforija, Epe, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

    Unlike the other schools, UNILAG is not owned by the Lagos State government, but the opportunity was extended to its students on the request of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who is an alumnus of the school.

    During the 13-week programme, the students will be exposed to sessions by industry leaders, soft skills, employability and entrepreneurship training that would culminate in a business grant competition and paid internship placement in reputable companies for the best of the lot.

    Skills they would gain include: critical thinking, team work, analytical, problem solving, creativity, communication, how to run businesses, among others.

    With the inclusion of two colleges of education this year, there would also be a teaching tract to expose trainee teachers to skills needed to deliver quality tuition in a 21st century classroom.

    Last year, 192 successful students out of 500 were placed on six-month paid internships with firms like PWC, SystemSpecs, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Guaranty Trust (GT) Bank, Access Bank, Total and others.

    This year, the Special Adviser on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, whose office is driving the project, said efforts are being made to increase the internship slots to 700.

    Ahead of the programme, led a team to all the institutions to sensitize students to register and prepare to do things differently.  He said the programme was the Lagos State government’s response to the problem of unemployable graduates from schools, and warned them that punctuality and regular attendance were necessary for graduation.

    He said: “RSW is an opportunity for you to improve your skills.  For those that will get into the programme, I ask you to give your best.  It is serious business; it is for people who want to get ahead in life.  We start 9am -5pm.  If you are late we will shut the doors.  You have to attend 21 out of 24 sessions to get a certificate,” he said.

    Bank-Olemoh also said that participants that will take part next year would have to register this year and complete an online course to make them eligible for the programme next year.

    “For this year, we will have face-to-face classes for 2,000 people, while we will open the RSW Academy online for 10,000 students in their penultimate year.  They will take online courses for three to six months.  If you don’t take part in your penultimate year, you cannot take part in your final year,” he said.

    Alumni of the Season 1 of the RSW shared testimonies of how the programme changed their lives.

    Jamiewill Onotoju, a graduate of LASPOTECH who interned at Total, said RSW taught him punctuality and accountability, which stood him out during his internship. He urged those coming behind to be committed.

    “Every day, I got to work by 6.15am though I live at Ikorodu. My bosses wondered how I made it when even workers don’t get there that early.  RSW taught us to be accountable.  When my boss asked about 12noon what I had done each day, I was able to tell him a number of things.  He asked if I anticipated the question,” said Onotoju.

    Another alumna, Temitope Kasali, whose internship was extended by FCMB, said it was a good learning experience.  She called for more companies from various sectors of the economy to key into the programme, “so there can be more slots for internship placement.”

  • UI VC to students: don’t disrupt academic activities

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Idowu Olayinka, yesterday urged students planning to disrupt examinations to shelve the idea.

    In a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, welcoming students back to campus, the vice chancellor described as unfortunate the postponement of examinations due to the students’ protest of May 29.

    He urged the students to work with the university’s management to ensure there is no further disruption of academic calendar.

    Prof Olayinka noted that any further closure of the school would have far-reaching effects on students’ service year and Law school enrolment.

    The vice chancellor said the university had made arrangements to make reading for examinations more stress-free through mobile generators to strategic lecture theatres for overnight readings.

    He said: “As I noted in my statement before the May 29 protest, this session has been unduly extended and any further extension will not in any way be in the interest of the students and the university community. The revised academic calendar, occasioned by the five-week break, implies that the current session is expected to end on January 29, 2018. This already has far-reaching implications for our final year students who should normally proceed to the Law School or the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme during the last quarter of 2017.

  • Students nab four burglars

    Students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) in Niger State, on Sunday, foiled a burglary by a five-man gang in Gidan Matasa, an off-campus residential area close to Bosso campus.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the armed burglars broke into a hostel in the midnight, dispossessing students of their values, including laptops, phones, electrical gadgets and house wares.

    According to an eyewitness, Husseini Yahaya, luck ran out for the hoodlums when residents raised alarm as the burglars made attempt to escape in a tricycle with their loot.

    Husseini said: “The five young men came in a Keke NAPEP (tricycle) which they wanted to use to convey the items they looted. I was able to identify two of the gang members. They are security guards attached to an uncompleted building close to the hostel they broke into. One of them drove the Keke NAPEP. The identities of the other two robbers were unknown. We apprehended four of them, but one escaped.”

    A final year engineering student, who gave his name as Samuel, said he was awake till 2am before the burglars arrived an hour after. He said the shout of “Barawo” (Hausa for thief) woke him up.

    He said: “It was a bloody scene when the burglars were caught. They were beaten with all minds of hard materials. We must commend students and others residents who quickly responded to the distress call and chased the bandits.”

    A female student, who gave his name as Folashade, told CAMPUSLIFE that students had been living in at the mercy of housebreakers and criminals, who besiege the area to rob students returning from the school.

    Students appealed to the police to deploy armed personnel to the area in order to curb the incessant cases of theft and homicide.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the quick intervention of police prevented the angry mob from lynching the suspects.

  • UNILAG students walk against suicide

    Worried by the rate of suicide and attempted suicide in the country,  University of Lagos (UNILAG) students, last week, held a rally to sensitise the public on why suicide should not be an option. The rally, which was organised by students resident in Fagunwa Hall, also  a seminar facilitated by a psychologist.

    The student moved from one hostel to the other, speaking to their peers on why they should not think about suicide when faced with challenges. Faculty associations’ presidents, Halls of Residence leaders and representatives of the school’s Counselling Unit participated in the rally.

    During the seminar, an Associate Professor of Psychology, Dr Foluke Akinsola, advised students to always seek for counsellor’s guidance whenever they are faced with depression and personal problems. She said people’s inability to share their challenges led to the increasing rate of suicide.

    Aminat Yusuf, chairperson of Fagunwa Hall, said the reason  for the event was to fight depression among students. She said: “We realised that the suicide rate on campus and in Lagos State is on the increase; so we are creating awareness on depression and suicide through this campaign.”

    She urged students to regularly see counsellors and speak up when they suffer depression. She described the campaign as a “landmark project” in curbing suicide in the university.

    Zainab Nasiru, a resident of Fagunwa Hall, hailed the hall executives for the “excellent initiative”, saying: “There are a lot going on and people find it difficult to cope. The economic situation of the country has contributed to suicide rate and what people are just looking for is a way to escape hardship. So, coming out to tell them that suicide should not be an option is one of the best thing to do at this time.”