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Tag: Students

  • Otuoke varsity matriculates 2,430 students

    Otuoke varsity matriculates 2,430 students

    The Federal University, Otuoke, (FUO) Bayelsa State, on Saturday, formally gave admissions to 2,430 students for 2016/2017 academic session.

    Speaking at the 6th matriculation ceremony of the university, the Vice-Chancellor. Prof. Seth Jaja, said the admissions were based on merits measured in line with standards set by the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the institution’s Senate.

    Jaja said when he assumed office in February 17, 2016, the university only ran 12 academic programmes, which he said limited the number of prospective students offered admission into the institution.

    But he said: “On my assumption of duty as Vice-Chancellor, the first major challenge l faced was how to bridge this need-gap, the need-gap so highlighted is more in the faculties and disciplines of Engineering, Management Science and Education, which were hitherto not available.

    “This challenge was overcome when the National Universities Commission, after due resource verification exercise, graciously approved 16 new additional programmes which increased the university’s carrying-capacity from 1,500 to 2000.

    “This singular achievement enabled the present administration to frog-leap from a student population of 2000 to this swarm.

    “This has helped to minimise among others, our challenge of meeting the university’s social responsibility of granting admission to deserving youths in Nigeria and our host communities in particular”.

    He warned the students to stay away from illegal associations and relationships in and around the university’s environment.

    “Be informed that our active security intelligence eye is at work and will spot students without any difficulty when they do otherwise”, he said.

    He also advised the students not to allow themselves to be intimidated by any lecturer, urging them to raise the alarm when they noticed abnormality.

    The vice-chancellor warned that all academic and social engagements should be restricted within the internal environment of the university.

    “No night parties or students’ group activities of any dimension by whatever name should be undertaken without the expression permiss

  • Students’ damage properties over colleagues death

    Rampaging students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Niger state on Tuesday evening destroyed properties and burnt some buildings at the Bosso Campus of university, following the death of a 300 level student of Chemistry Education, Mr. Olamilekan Emmanuel, due to alleged medical negligence by the school’s clinic staff.

    According to a student who witnessed the incident, Dare Johnson, the deceased, Olamilekan Emmanuel slumped while playing football at the university’s main football field and  was rushed to the school clinic nearby.

    However, Emmanuel who is popularly called ‘’Yeye’’ by his friends, gave up the ghost after the nurses and doctor on duty refused to attend to him for over two hours for not presenting his school ID card, despite appeals from students who conveyed him to the clinic.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that school clinic, dining hall, some photocopy stands, the university’s Micro finance bank and some cars were burnt by the angry students, even as the windows louvers of the Geography laboratory and female hostels were thoroughly shattered.

    Some stranded female students were temporarily relocated to the campus central mosque and chapels.

    At press time, the school management is yet to issue any official statement concerning the incident.

    However, a source told this CAMPUSLIFE reporter that it took the intervention of men of the Nigerian Army and police officers deployed to the campus, before normalcy could be restored.

    The school management invited a fire service van to put off the raging inferno late Tuesday night.

  • Students: this is one strike too many

    Students: this is one strike too many

    Tertiary education has virtually been shut down in Kogi State following an indefinite strike by workers under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee (JAC). Students are feeling the brunt of the action. They are appealing to the government and the workers to sheathe their swords to prevent the sector’s collapse. MOHAMMED YABAGI (Mass Communication, Kogi State University) reports.

    Tertiary education in Kogi State has literally been halted. Students have been sent home, following an indefinite strike by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of seven state-owned institutions.

    The schools are Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba, Kogi State Polytechnic (KOGI POLY), Lokoja, Kogi State College of Education (KSCOED), Ankpa, Kogi State College of Education (Technical), Kabba, College of Nursing and Midwifery, Obangede, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Idah and KSU Teaching Hospital, Anyigba.

    The workers are complaining about the non-remitance of their earned allowances since 2009 and salary arrears. They are also contesting the retirement age with the government.

    The KSU chapters of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT)  directed their members to comply with JAC’s directive on the indefinite strike, which began on January 31.

    In a joint statement signed by the secretaries of NAAT, NASU and SSANU, Comrade Moses Shaibu, Comrade Emmanuel Yusuf and Comrade Eunice Igono, the KSU workers’ unions alleged that the government violated the retirement age laws. They said they would seek redress at the National Industrial Court.

    To fish out ghost workers and those who falsified their ages, the government set up a screening committee to vet the workers’ employment histories and their credentials. The screening is to identify those who may have worked for more than the statutory 35 years.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the unions insisted on having their representatives on the panel to prevent what they called victimisation.

    It was gathered that the government set up the committee without consulting the unions. The workers accused the government of having a “pre-determined agenda”.

    The workers became enraged when their colleagues from KSCOED going to Lokoja, the state capital, for the third round of screening were attacked. Documents containing the information of college workers were said to have been snatched by armed bandits.

    The SSANU, NASU and NAAT statement urged workers not cleared by the screening committee to go for re-screening as scheduled by the appeal committee. JAC lauded workers for their efforts to resolve issues arising from the screening.

    Reacting, Governor Yahaya Bello’s Director-General of Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo said the government was not unaware of the situation, noting that it is working to ensure “logical conclusion” of the screening.

    Fanwo said the governor was committed to providing an enabling environment for “genuine” workersto get their salaries as   when due.

    He appealed for patience, saying: “Government is prepared to pay the backlog of salaries owed workers whose statuses have not been clearly determined by the screening committee. This is the reason government set up the appeal committee to clear the last batch of workers.”

    Students are not happy with the closure of their schools. Some of them, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, appealed to stakeholders to expedite action on calling off the strike in their interest.

    KSU students, whose campus was reopened after an internal strike, described the latest action as “one too many”. They warned that the action could cripple education, if issues surrounding it were not addressed.

    Eleojo James, a 300-Level Accountancy student of KSU, said the incessant strikes were becoming unbearable because her plans after school were being shattered.

    According to her, the strike has brought hardship to students and their parents. She wondered why the government could not stop the strike.

    For Joshua Arome and Rejoice Olowonisaye of KSCOED, the strike would have been averted if the government had kept its promises to workers. They said the workers’ demands were lawful, but called on the striking workers to consider the plights of students. They appealed to the government not to intimidate the workers in resolving the matter.

    Joshua said: “From what we understood, government’s screenings are for sinister reasons rather than for public interest.”

    A final year student of KOGI POLY, Abubakar Mohammed, said there were ways the government and workers could resolve their differences without resorting to strike.

    Samuel Ugbedeojo, who just graduated from KSU, is concerned that the development may delay his going for the National Youth Service.

    He said: “It is sad that the students who just concluded their examinations may now have to wait endlessly to be mobilised for National Youth Service. Even, students who just returned from their industrial training cannot resume for defence. We have been held to ransom by our lecturers and the government.

    “Higher institutions in the state have suffered needless strikes in the last couple of months. There have been interruptions in academic activities, non-assessment of student results and delay in mobilisation of graduates for national service. Even, students who are supposed to go to Nigerian Law School are delayed.”

    In a related development, the KSU chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has also joined the action.  ASUU said it was embarking on an “indefinite, total and comprehensive strike”, beginning from February 3.

    On assuming office last year, Bello ordered a screening to verify the number of workers. The screening, the government said, would continue until ghost workers are flushed out.

    The workforce was put at 88,000 at the beginning of the exercise in February last year. At the end of the first phase of the screening, the figure came down to 63,000.

    The panel put the workforce at 18,211 in its report. But, there  are complaints the report is not foolproof.

  • Petroleum engineers host students on career talk

    There is a need for Petroleum Engineering students to learn new techniques and method of oil exploration before leaving the school. This was the submission of speakers at a career talk organised by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

    The event, held last Friday, was organised in collaboration with Lagos State branch of SPE. It featured the Ambassadorial Lecture Programme, which afforded students to learn oil exploration tips from the industry professionals.

    The aim, the organisers said, was to motivate young petroleum engineers and prepare them for the oil and gas industry.

    Mr Nelson Wilbert, a guest speaker, told the students to think beyond the current trends in the oil and gas industry, noting that he joined the industry at a period it was experiencing a downturn.

    He said: “Don’t prepare to be just an employee; think of how to proffer solutions to the problems facing the oil and gas sector. Think about what you can do to change the current trend for the better and also leave a lasting positive impact.”

    Wilbert emphasised the importance of taking daily actions, which, he said, help individuals and organisations to achieve goals. He stressed the need for networking, noting that no one could survive by learning everything on his own.

    “No one has monopoly of knowledge and everyone has a piece of solution to a puzzle,” he said.

    Head of SPE Students’ Affairs office Mrs Fayanma Okoli urged the participants to take advantage of their membership to improve their skills and knowledge. She also stressed the importance of networking and knowledge sharing among young engineers, urging the students to carefully choose people they take as mentors.

    She said: “SPE is a platform where you can meet professionals and share knowledge. And as students, having mentors who are industry professionals would really help in improving skills and gaining knowledge.”

    The chairman of the SPE Lagos branch, Mr Biyi Awotiku, presented trending journals on oil and gas to the students’ chapter. The journals are to be made available in the library for students’ use. Awotiku encouraged student members to make judicious use of the materials.

    President of SPE in UNILAG Kelvin Mafua praised the SPE’s gesture and also encouraged members to maximise opportunities made available to them by the society.

    Head of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department Prof Aribike, who met with members of SPE Lagos branch after the event, praised the organisers for “opening the eyes of students to trending techniques”.

  • U.S. Consulate hosts Google Hangout for students

    Nigerian students seeking information about studying in the 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States can join a Google hangout next Tuesday to learn how to apply to these schools.

    A statement by the Information Office, Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Consulate General, noted that the hour-long session, which will start 1pm, will focus on living and studying in the United States.

    The session will be moderated by Channels Television’s Foreign Affairs Editor, Amarachi Ubani – with an advisor from the EducationUSA, an American alumna, and two Nigerian students attending HBCUs on hand to answer questions about academic programmes and campus life in the institutions.

    Public Affairs Officer Darcy Zotter hopes that the session would answer questions potential students may have.

    “We look forward to helping students who are considering continuing their education in the United States. The Google Hangout session promises to provide valuable information on educational, social, cultural and economic aspects of studying in a typical American university, especially at Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” she said in the statement.

    The session, which is being organised to commemorate the 2017 Black History Month will be the third in the series hosted by the U.S. Consulate.

    Participants can join in the live broadcast via the event page link http://bit.ly/askeduusa2017 or by logging on to the United States Embassy’s YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/USEmbassyNigeria) or by tweeting @USEmbassyAbuja using the hashtag #AskEdUSALagos.

  • 3 students die of `mysterious’ disease in Zamfara

    The Zamfara Government has confirmed the death of three students at the Government Arabic Boarding Secondary School Maradun, following the outbreak of a mysterious disease.

    The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Mukhtar Lugga told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Wednesday that two other students admitted at the General Hospital, Maradun.

    According to him, the disease manifested last Monday and the state government had mobilized a team of medical experts to control the situation.

    “We established two emergency management centres, one in the school while the other one is at the Maradun General Hospital.

    “We also established new hostels in the school to decongest the students to avoid further spread of the desease.

    “We are waiting for the medical team to finish its work so as to know the cause of the outbreak, we cannot conclude now.

    “But we are suspecting the outbreak to be gastroenteritis,” he said. (NAN)

  • Parents, students learn benefits of Canadian Foundation Programme

    Canada may be the next top destination for Nigerian students seeking to study abroad thanks to the Canadian Foundation Programme (CFP), which provides opportunities for Nigerians to spend a year in Nigeria then three years in colleges and universities in Canada.

    The CFP was launched at the Eko Hotel and Suites by representatives of the Canadian government/schools, and Westerfield College, Yaba, penultimate week.

    Mr Mike Dosunmu, Managing Director, Westerfield College, a post-secondary education college which is running the programme in Nigeria for the Canadian government, said parents and students have a lot to benefit from the initiative – the biggest of which was saving cost for quality education.

    For instance, Dosunmu said parents could save as much as 50,000 Canadian Dollars it would have cost for their wards to spend the first year in Canada where the education structure requires students to pass through two years of college before crossing over to the university for another two years to earn a degree.

    Going through CFP, he said the students spend one year in Nigeria, continue the second year in Canada, and then spend another two years in a university for their degree.

    “This programme will save parents about 50,000 CAD.  I thank the government of Canada/British Columbia and the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria for pulling all the stops to ensure that this is successful,” he said.

    Dosunmu also said by spending one year post-secondary education in the country, the children get more time to mature before living their homes.

    “We have many students, some 14/15 year olds that are being pushed away thousands of miles from home.  This programme has a way of helping the children mature after their secondary education,” he said.

    Speaking about Canadian lifestyle, Mr Marc Andre-Savage, First Secretary, Canadian Deputy High Commission, Lagos, said his country offers one of the best indices terms of quality of life as well as education.

    He said the country had a low crime rate and had friendly people.

    In terms of education quality, Andre-Savage said education in his country was so developed that quality was the norm irrespective of school.

    “In the United States you may have some universities at the top and some lower down.  But in Canada, we have good schools across board.  It doesn’t matter which school you attend.  You are assured of top quality education,” he said.

    Mr Justin Kohlman, a representative of Northwest Community College, one of three colleges collaborating with Westerfield on the CFP, said Nigerian students should look forward a lot of hands on learning.

    “In Canada we tend to do a lot of learning outside.  If you are a business student, you go and work in companies and bring the knowledge back.  If you are doing Geology, you learn by going on field trips,” he said.

    Kohlman also added that students get a lot of support from the college during their stay.

    Other schools that would accept CFP from Westerfield are: Northern Lights College, and

    Principal of Westerfield College, Mr Dare FAlodun, praised the initiative for the opportunity to provide Nigerian students with top quality education.

    “I have no doubt that this partnership will enable us provide top notch education for our students,” he said.

    Dosunmu added that Westerfield was equal to the task of managing the one-year CFP.

  • Students cook with charcoal as kerosene price goes up

    Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida (BIDA POLY) in Niger State are not happy with the hike in kerosene price. A litre of the product now sells for N500 in the black market and N400 in filling stations.

    The students described the price hike as “distasteful”, saying it was making life hard for them in the midst of recession.

    Many of them now use charcoal to cook.

    Godfrey Daniel, an Electrical Engineering student, said he could no longer cope, noting that he would not risk spending his stipend on kerosene at N500 per litre to cook.

    He said: “Things are just too bad now. It would be foolish to spend the little money we are given by our parents on only kerosene. The prices of food are also going up, just as the prices of commodities we need to cook the food. The current situation calls for attention, because students are suffering. We would not achieve anything in our studies if we decide to spend our money on feeding alone. This is a big problem and the government needs to intervene.”

    Nnenna Nwokocha, a Mass Communication student, said she now relied on electric stove since she could not afford kerosene at N500 per litre. “I don’t cook beans anymore. I now have to wait for electricity before I can cook beans. I tried as much as I could to cope with the price of kerosene, but I could no longer cope. It is not economical to cook with kerosene.”

    Mariam Mustapha, a Business Administration and Management student, said: “I bought four litres of kerosene for N1,800 and I felt bad while paying the money. We are still suffering in the present economic recession, which hikes food prices. Now, we are facing another problem with kerosene to use in cooking the food we bought at high prices. Do they want us to starve to death? The government needs to intervene.”

    The  students’ hardship is  compounded by unreliable power supply to their hostels.  The use of charcoal, some said, is dangerous to their health.

    A Higher National Diploma (HND) 1 Banking and Finance student, Comfort Adeleke, said students with asthma were finding it difficult to use charcoal for cooking, because of its effect on their health.

    A National Diploma (ND) II Business Administration and Management student, Chidimma Kalu, said she was forced to use charcoal for cooking because she had no alternative to kerosene.

    Samira Muhammed, an ND II Estate Management student, said: “l made the coal pot  myself and bought N200 charcoal, which served me for five days. When kerosene was sold at N350, it could only serve for three days.”

  • Ambode urges students to shun negative values, vices

    Ambode urges students to shun negative values, vices

    …Lays Foundation of two additional Model Colleges

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday advised students in the State to fully embrace the opportunities being provided by his administration in the education sector and shun all negative values and vices that could hinder them from realising their dreams

    The Governor said his vision remained the building of great future full of opportunities, possibilities and prosperity for the youths through the provision of qualitative education that is consistent with the demands of the 21st century, and as such it was important for students to reciprocate by showing commitment to excellence.

    The Governor, who spoke at the foundation laying ceremony of two additional Model Colleges in Yaba and Shomolu, recalled that since his assumption of office on May 29, 2015, conscious efforts have been made through policies and programmes that placed high premium on education as a vehicle for continued and future prosperity of the State.

    Governor Ambode, who had earlier on Thursday performed the foundation laying ceremony of the New Model School in Awori College, Ojo, said he remained committed to the reformation and strengthening of public schools in the State with the view to ensure that they are given the best in terms of quality teaching and learning environment.

    Speaking at Angus Memorial High School in Shomolu where he was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, the Governor said the sustained efforts on education was already yielding results as the performance of students in the last West African Examination Council (WAEC) conducted examination was most assuring and an indication that the State was moving in the right direction.

    Already, the Governor said contracts have been awarded for the construction of eight new blocks of classrooms as well as the renovation of 174 existing blocks of classrooms and the construction of perimeter fence in various schools to enhance security, while government has also commenced the supply of over 40,000 students’ furnitures on a quarterly basis to clear the identified shortfall of 160,000.

    The Governor, who also performed the foundation laying ceremony of New Model School Building at Lagos City College, Sabo, Yaba where he was represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said the new edifice being added to secondary schools, apart from aiding teaching and learning, would compare favourably with high school structures in leading countries of the world.

    “Apart from the aesthetics value, the new structure is capable of enhancing security of students, staff and schools materials in the face of the recent security breaches in our schools. It would comprise 36 classrooms, library, staff rooms, multipurpose hall, laboratories, Principal/Vice Principal’s offices and modern toilet facilities for both junior and senior schools.”

    “Let me assure all parents that we will continue to do our very best to ensure that our schools are safe from intruders. We have put in place measures to secure our pupils, students, teaching and non-teaching staff. Our standards are high and we will continue to make them better,” the Governor said.

    In her welcome address, Deputy Governor and the State’s Commissioner for Education, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule thanked the Governor for his passion for education, just as she assured that the Ministry would take ownership of the project and use it judiciously.

    The Deputy Governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Adeshina Odeyemi, also said that government would not rest on its oars, but rather redouble efforts to ensure continuous improvement in the sector.

    In his remarks, Chairman of Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Appropriation, Rotimi Olowo commended the Governor over provision of world class infrastructures in public schools, saying that the Governor has now become the reference point of good governance not just in Nigeria, but in Africa.

    On their parts, Sole Administrators of Yaba and Bariga Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), Bayo Adefuye and Sanya Osijo respectively, said it was evident that Governor Ambode has shown relentless determination toward ensuring that qualitative education gets to the grassroots.

    “We are indeed grateful that our Governor is living up to expectation by taking education as of utmost importance and we like to urge residents to take good care of this edifice that is being bequeathed to us by government,” Adefuye said.

    Also, Lagos State Chairman of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Moses Adewale, hailed the Governor over the massive infrastructure development in the State.

    Adewale, who spoke on behalf of students in the State, said it was gratifying to note that Lagos under Governor Ambode has been recruiting and paying staff as at when due when other States were retrenching and even unable to pay staff, saying that the development exemplified the Governor’s managerial acumen and commitment to welfare of Lagosians.

  • Clifford varsity opens doors to pioneer students

    One of the newest private universities recently granted license to operate, Clifford University, located at Ihie in Isiala Ngwa North council area of Abia State has opened its doors to students.

    It started last Thursday to admit new students into its 15 undergraduate programmes.

    Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, Prof Allwell Chimezie Omeonu, told journalists that the institution, which is owned by the Seventh Day Adventist church, would charge affordable fees.

    He said that the church places high premium on education.

    “This is the reason behind the fees of the university being brought down to the lowest level which is just above N200,000 per semester.

    “Our fees are not only affordable but we have made is possible for indigent students to have an arrangement whereby they can pay their fees in two or three installments, as we do not want to place heavy load on our students,” he said.

    The VC said the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved three faculties (Humanities, Science and Social Sciences), 10 departments and 15 degree programmes for takeoff.

    Some of the programmes include English Language, Literature in English, History and International Studies, Christian Religious studies, Business Administration, Economics, Political Science, Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Computer Science and Mathematics and Physics.

    The VC said the university would not discriminate in its admission policy as it admits only those who are fully qualified to be admitted according to the laid down standards of Nigerian universities.

    He said, “Our admission policy is very clear as we admit those who are academically qualified irrespective of their religious inclination, tribe gender. But those who will be admitted must be ready to abide by the laid down rules of the university”.

    “The university is purely residential as we do not entertain off campus since we have good living environment with adequate security network and address code for all our students, we intend to train people who will be responsible and appear in public as those who have passed through a university of our type”.

    Omeonu said students will not only gain degrees but gain entrepreneurial skills and come up with businesses that can be supported by the time they graduate.

    He said: “We ensure that all our students must have entrepreneurial studies as part of the course they will study irrespective of the main course of study which they must commence from day one till they pass out. At the end of their course they will be evaluated and their proposal looked into if they have a god one we will approach banks for loans for takeoff of their businesses.

    “The university is ready to ensure that all our graduates will be self dependent at the end of their education, in line with the federal government directive that graduates will no longer be those who will be roaming about the streets at the end of their education looking for jobs when they should be employers of labour”.

    Omeonu also said the university would open its doors to training artisans from Aba.

    “We intend also to tap into the special skills that abound in Aba which is very close to us, by organising workshops for the artisans who do not have education but are ready learn more to enhance their productivity,” he said.