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Tag: Students

  • Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu on students’ hot seat

    Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu on students’ hot seat

    Students of the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) have hosted the two leading candidates in the September 28 governorship elections in Edo State. During the interaction, Godwin Obaseki (APC) and Osagie Ize-Iyamu explained how they would engage youths if elected. EVERISTUS ONWUZURIKE (Corps member, NYSC Benin City) reports.

    For hours, the two leading candidates in the September 28 Edo State governorship election literally sat on the hot seat, fielding questions from students and explaining how they would govern the state if elected.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, were hosted to an interactive forum with the theme: “Why me”.

    The event was organised by International Leadership Idea Exchange (ILIX), a non-governmental group at the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) in Benin City.

    The candidates shared their manifestoes, defending why they should be voted as the next Edo governor. The governorship hopefuls answered questions on health, security, human resource development, job creation and industrialisation and education, among others. They also unveiled their programmes for the youth.

    For Obaseki, it is time to harness the energy of the youth for irreversible development. He said his administration would engage the youth in productive ventures, promising to create 200,000 jobs through his agricultural programmes.

    Obaseki said his experience as a member of the economic team of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration gave him the privilege to know how best to engage the youth.

    He said: “As a wealth management expert for over 30 years, I promise to create over 200,000 jobs through agriculture and its value chain. Through this, the state would become the driver of the country’s food production if I emerge the governor.

    “Many people would generate wealth by keying into our value chain development of oil palm, cassava, cocoa, grains, rubber, fruits and vegetables.Our plan for the next four years is to create jobs that will be adequate to make the youth dream of better future.”

    If elected, Obaseki, an investment banker, said his administration would ensure smooth running of government, because he already had a blueprint of what the state should look like, saying: “We need to continue to keep Edo State as the hub of quality education.”

    He added that his government would make the state an investment destination by creating an enabling environment for public private partnership (PPP).

    “There is so much we have done and we need someone who understands the terrain to continue,” he said.

    On his own part, Ize-Iyamu said he was in the race because of his deep concerns about happenings in the state. He hailed the university for fostering democratic practice in the state, saying he was more than qualified to govern the state with his wealth of experience.

    He said: “I am not contesting because I am concerned or passionate, but because I also have the experience to change things for better in the state.”

    On job creation, he said investments in industries would create jobs for the youth. He said the administration is not creative in creating jobs for the youth, noting that the state depended on payments of taxes and allocations from Abuja only.

    He assured that how to repair the poor condition of the road that leads to the university would be his priority if elected, promising to complete the road within his first tenure.

    “The more attractive we make Benson Idahosa University, the better it is for the state, and we will make BIU road a priority,” he said

    Ize-Iyamu promised a state that would be different from the present situation, saying he would right the wrongs perpetrated by Oshiomhole’s government.

    The PDP candidate said the state’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) would improve through his strategic investment programme, adding that his administration would discourage multiple and increased taxation.

    He said his administration would invest in a film village and railway station, promising to expand the operation of Benin Airport to make it to be of international standard.

    The BIU President, Bishop Faith Emmanuel Idahosa, who moderated the event, said the forum was to make students politically knowledgeable to think and address issues, rather than casting vote based on sentiment. He said the event would improve democratic practice in the state.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Ernest Izevbigie, hailed the candidates for honoring that university’s invitation and promised to work with them in the future.

    ILIX is a platform established by Bishop Idahosa to bring together thought leaders, industry experts, practitioners, researchers, and young innovators to dialogue and proffer solutions to national and global issues.

  • Students win N6m for biogas project

    Students win N6m for biogas project

    For their efforts, two students of the Lagos State College of Health Technology (LACOHET) in Yaba, Oluwafemi Sarumi and Samuel Dada, have won N6million for the development of their biogas renewable energy project. OLUWATOYIN ADELEYE reports on how they achieved the feat.

    By winning the entrepreneurship challenge of the Ready.Set.Work (RSW) project of the Lagos State Government, Oluwafemi Sarumi and Samuel Dada have put their school on the map.

    The Lagos State College of Health Technology (LACOHET) in Yaba was little known before last Thursday when Sarumi’s and Dada’s biogas renewable energy project won the grand prize of N1million and another N5million announced by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the event held at Landmark Event Centre on Victoria Island.

    The event marked the end of the 13-week employability and entrepreneurship training project, which exposed 500 final year students of the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), and LACOHET to soft skills and business modules intended to enhance their chances in the labour market.

    The audience voted the biogas project as the winner. Before the result was announced, rather than remain silent in anticipation of the winner, the students were heard chanting “Biogas”in hushed tones.  It was deemed better than the other two final projects, Onebox, a social media platform for graduates to discuss topical issues, and Artisans on campus, a website designed as a hub for student artisans to showcase their expertise so that those in need of their services could reach them easily.

    Biogas beat 24 projects to clinch the crown

    Sarumi and Dada, who call themselves the Biogas team, said they would be in the business of converting animal waste, using a bio digester, into biogas, which is useful for cooking and electricity.

    Sarumi said their project was borne out of their desire to solve environmental problems in the country.

    “Our business would solve two major problems. First is to solve an environmental problem, that is the problem of proper management of animal waste at our abattoirs. And to provide the potential substitute in form of biogas that can provide necessary energy value that can be used for cooking at affordable rates by Nigerians. It can also be used for production of electricity.”

    The duo, who studied Environmental Health Technology, said paying attention in class helped them come up with the project.

    “Biogas contains methane, a combustible gas, which is present in  normal liquefied petroleum gas. We are environmental officers now, because we are now graduates so we have done our research and we know that our business was going to be the first of its kind in Nigeria. The bio digester, is what the waste passes through before producing a biogas, we have created one in our school for demonstration. There is  bio digester in a few other institutions like the Ogun State College of Health Technology, but it is not being used for commercial purpose, rather for laboratory experiment. But as a result of our work, waste is going to turn to wealth.”

    In addition to the prize money, Sarumi and Dada would get N100,000 upkeep allowance monthly for six months, so that they would not spend their seed capital.

    First runners-up for the competition, the One box team, got N500,000 seed capital; while the Artisans on Campus group got N250,000 for coming third.

    Of the 500 students that registered for the programme, 468 graduated, having met the requirements for conclusion of the programme – namely punctuality, 80 per cent attendance, and completion of all assignments.

    They were exposed to soft skills training and benefited from talks delivered by CEOs of blue chip companies.

    While the students that underwent the entrepreneurship stream of the project would undergo three-month apprenticeship with established entrepreneurs, 95 of those who passed through the employability stream and scaled interviews by employers would undergo six-month paid internships in various organisations.

    The students would work in firms, such as Total, Price Water Coopers (PwC), Access Bank, Gtbank Plc, Systemspecs, FCMB, Etisalat, KPMG, Nestle Plc, and Stutam.

    Governor Ambode’s joy at the success of the scheme was the reason he gave an additional N500,000 to the winners.

    He urged the participants to continue in the fervor of the programme to improve their skills.

    He said: “This initiative will enable many of you seated here today to get internship placements in high ranking corporate organisations, and also provide a platform for those with viable business ideas to benefit from angel investors and the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.

    “Ready, Set, Work has been a journey requiring passion, diligence, discipline and perseverance. I say big congratulations to those of you who made it to this stage. I must emphasise, however, that this is only the beginning. In the face of ongoing economic challenges, this is a time to push ahead with the same strength and focus that brought you to this point, and to pursue with vigour the knowledge, skills, and ideas formed in you over the last three months. The private sector would benefit from your passion and professionalism, while the entrepreneurial world awaits your vision- driven ideas.”

    Special Adviser to Governor Ambode on Education Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh and the brain behind the scheme, said RSW was initiated to bridge skills gap in the labour market.

    “The RSW was a response by the government to the challenge of the private sector that the quality of graduates being produced was not capable of driving the economy.  The key thing here is that we want Lagos to continue to prosper, and the only way to do that is by growing our people. We want our graduates to be one of the first people that the corporate organisations want to employ,” Bank-Olemoh noted.

    Commissioner on Economic Planning and Budget, Akinyemi Ashade, added: “We have a lot of skills to fix. The scheme is meant to fix  specific problems. We focused on making them more employable than they have been trained at school and we tried to hone their vocational skills.”

    It is not only the government that is celebrating the success of the RSW, the private sector has also lauded the initiative.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Matthew Wilshere, who volunteered as a brands training facilitator during the project, said: “We partnered with Lagos State on this scheme because we are a youthful brand. ‘Ready Set Work’ is a fine initiative. The periods of transition between school and work and even during work, between positions, for every person is very important. It is impressive for Lagos State to help people in this transition.”

    Mr Uyi Akpata of PricewaterCoopers (PwC) said his organisation invested resources into the vision of the government on RSW because it was in line with the organisation’s vision, and promised to continue with the partnership as long as the scheme continues.

    PwC employed 10 interns and  Akpata promised them jobs based on their performance during their internship.

    Founder of Career Times, one of the facilitators of RSW, Kumbi Lawoyin, said: “Many young graduates have the potential to develop all their skills but don’t have the platform. Many of them displayed knowledge of their school work but lacked soft skills. RSW provides the platform to gain all this knowledge and understand its application.”

    For the students, the programme has given them a head start in their careers.

    Olatunji Salau said it exposed him to skills he did not know were important.

    “Initially, I thought it was a vocational course but I was exposed to skills I did not even know were important; for example, soft skills. I learnt how to take initiative, how to realise that if an environment is not convenient for me, I can rise to the occasion and make it convenient for me.”

    Loveth Igbokwe said she was graduating from school as a more confident person.

    “RSW helped me develop my self confidence and to focus on my future. I realised that my future starts now and I have to invest in my future from today. It changed my orientation about life. I used to think getting a job would be difficult but now I know I can harness my skills and I can achieve anything I want,” she said.

    Oluwatobi Damilare appreciated the government, advising his peers to do more with what they have learnt.

    “The SA has always told us, it is not enough that we have been given this platform but for us to take initiative. It is not the knowledge that matters but what we do with the knowledge. We must be good representatives and ambassadors of the RSW initiative,” he said.

  • UI students hold debate on economy

    The third yearly Jaw Wars kicked off at the University of Ibadan (UI) on Wednesday last week with students of various halls of residence challenging  proving their supremacy on the  economy.

    The Literary and Debating Society provided the platform, and the Theme for the debate, which will last until November was: “Nigeria: Africa’s heartbeat in coma.”

    The halls were represented by two students each.

    Chief Judge, Dr Demola Lewis, gave the rules of the game and the acceptable way of comportment during a debate or speaking competition.  He urged the students to snap their fingers rather than howl and clap in favour of their speakers – because noisemaking tends to hinder the flow of thought and words of the speakers; and because judges may assess speakers poorly if they do not hear them.

    Chants of stand up, speak up or shut up rent the air as the event was formally opened.

    There were a total of five rounds in the first stage of the event. The first round topic was “Should special courts be set up for corruption cases?”  And the debate was between the male hall of residence, Tedder Hall which spoke in favour of the topic and the female hall of residence, Obafemi Awolowo Hall, which spoke against the topic.

    The second round was between the Independence Hall and Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, both male halls of residence. “The abolition of religion; a just cause?” was the topic and Indy Hall spoke in favour, while Zik Hall spoke against it.

    Sultan Bello Hall was up against Alexander Brown Hall for both male and female students of College of Medicine battled in the next round. Sultan Bello Hall spoke against the topic: “Nigerian prison system; a reformation of criminal”.

    Queen Elizabeth II Hall spoke in favour of the topic: “Euthanasia: Justifiable or not” as it competed against Kenneth Mellamby Hall.

    The final round was between female hall of residence, Queen Idia, and the male hall of residence, Kuti, which debated on “Strike: A panacea to the problems of the nation’s educational sector?” Kuti hall spoke in favour of the topic.

    After five rounds of listening to mind blowing, educating and informative speeches the judges, Dr Lewis, Odebowale, and Mr Tunde Ogundare were saddled with the responsibility to choose the best speakers. After much deliberation, Queen Elizabeth II hall won the first stage of the competition with 84 per cent, Mellamby hall came second with 81.2 per cent; and Sultan Bello, third with 81 per cent.

    But the event was not all about debates alone.

    An entrepreneur, Miss Bukunmi Adeaga, related the topic to entrepreneurship.

    She urged the students to invest in themselves and be disciplined.

    “As an entrepreneur it is not about who is going to let you but about who is going to stop you. Your certificate is not a means of grading yourself. (You are rated) by what you known and can do and by yours skills. All this is possible by investing in yourself daily and continuously,” she said.

    Opaleye Akintunde recited a poem entitled: “The dark Nigeria”, which focused on the need to have faith and hope in Nigeria. It also speaks on the need to imbibe African values and shun corruption.

    The Jaw wars theme song was presented by Michael Olaoye.  It focused on the need to use words to speak and do positive things.

    In his speech, the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof Abdulrasak Alada, expressed the joy of being among the students in an educative and fun filled event.

    The President of the Literary and Debating Society, Catherine Tomosori, also spoke on the past and future of Jaw Wars in the university and the nation.

    The event was rounded up with  Olaoye singing the Jaw Wars theme song.

    The finale of the competition takes place on the November 3, 2016 at the large lecture theatre of the faculty of Social Sciences, with a debate among the different faculties in the university to determine the winners.

    Tedder Hall and the Faculty of Social Sciences won the 2015 edition of the competition.

    Important figures in the university and students union, including the President, Ojo Oluwanifemi, attend the event.

  • Students go fishing as flood overruns school

    Students go fishing as flood overruns school

    The premises of Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Warri, literally became a fish pond, following an early morning downpour that flooded the school. Students plunged into the pool on walkways to catch fish brought by the flood. UGOCHUKWU SOSTHENES (Petroleum Engineering and Geo-science) reports.

    Students of Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, Warri, Delta State, woke up last Tuesday in a pool. The campus was flooded, following hours of an early morning downpour, which did not stop the ongoing second semester examination. Students were seen wading through the water-logged pathways to their examination halls.

    The heavy rain started at 4am and lasted two hours. Many students were trapped in classrooms where they went to study at night ahead of Mathematics examination to be written the following morning. The two-hour downpour unfortunately resulted in the flooding of their classrooms.

    The school library, which has a well-constructed drainage, was equally flooded. The flood carried  in its rage, a heap of debris to the school gate messing up the entire area. Some areas on the campus could not be accessed owing to the flood.

    The flood, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, might have been caused by the nearby Effurun River, which overflowed its bank. Different live fish were seen swimming in the flood on the campus. The roads leading to the campus stadium and the main Laboratory Complex were unpassable as many feared dangerous reptiles might be in the flood.

    To the students, the fish were manna from heaven. Some, who were not writing examinations that day, waded through the flood to catch fish. None of the students who went “fishing” returned empty handed; they all went back to their hostels with their catch.

    Describing the flooding as unprecedented, a lecturer, who did not want his name in print, said: “Ever since I started teaching in this school, I have not witnessed this magnitude of flood on the campus.”

    Sunday Egon, an ND 1 Science Laboratory Technology student, who went for night reading before the rain, said: “When water started flowing into the classrooms, everybody started packing their books. Then, it became unbearably cold. We were all trapped and could not return to hostels, because the flood covered every pathway. It was difficult to distinguish the drainage from the pathway. We ended up going late for our papers,” he said.

    It took more than 12 hours before the flood receded. A management source blamed the flooding on poor drainage in the town. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that drains in Effurun had been blocked for years, because of poor construction and blockage by waste materials. The source said PTI may continue to experience flooding until a cleanup exercise is carried out to through the drains and canals in the town.

  • RUN graduates pioneer PhD students

    Redeemers University Nigeria (RUN), Ede, in  Osun State, is set to graduate its first set of doctoral students during its eighth convocation on Thursday.

    Its Vice Chancellor, Prof Debo Adeyewa, said at a press briefing that two students, who majored in Clinical Psychology, would graduate in this category.

    He noted that out of 619 undergraduates slated for graduation, 25 made first class, while in the postgraduate category, seven would graduate with postgraduate diplomas, and 23 with masters.

    The convocation would also feature the installation of General Theophilus Danjuma as the second Chancellor of the university.  He would be conferred with honorary doctoral degree in Business Administration along with Dr George Valencia Sampson, President of World Medical Relief, U.S.A for his healthcare delivery to humanity at the global level.

    Adeyewa noted that despite economic hardships in the country, RUN would not increase its fees and has not failed to pay staff salaries by the 22nd of each month.

    He counseled government to seek solutions and look into all possible areas to make life better for citizens. “The economic hardship in the country has affected us a lot. We also buy things from the same market everyone else buys and the prices have shot up by more than half. Parents are complaining and are finding it difficult to pay fees. So, we have created a payment plan of three installments for fees – 40, 40 and 20 per cent. Some parents were even quick to send their children to school because they were consuming too much food at home.

    “The change people are expecting is a positive one. Our leaders should please engage seasoned advisers. Solutions could come from anywhere; tertiary institutions, industries, among others. The solution is with us, not with external bodies,” he said.

  • Students win at quiz competition

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Biodun Owonikoko, has organised another round of quiz competition for some secondary schools in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.

    The quiz competition, which was organised in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was held at the Iseyin Local Government Area secretariat, Iseyin.

    Hundreds of students from schools in the four local governments competed for prizes ranging from laptops to mobile phone and cash. The competing local governments were Kajola, Iwajowa, Itesiwaju and Iseyin.

    After a preliminary competition, the best three students in each participating local government were brought to Iseyin for the final competition. They were tested in English language, Mathematics and Current Affairs.

    At the end of the competition, Kajola Local Government Area came first while Iseyin and Itesiwaju came second and third respectively. Kajola and Iseyin teams went home with a laptop each while Itesiwaju team was rewarded with a mobile phone. The remaining nine participants got N5,000 cash each.

    Owonikoko, who is the Baamofin of Oke-Ogun land, explained that “the decision to begin the project in 2010 was borne out of the need to boost the interest of the younger generation in education so that they can strive for excellence. It is my own little way of supporting education development among the indigenes of Oke-Ogun where I come from.

    Represented by Alhaji Waheed Shittu, Owonikoko, a lawyer said reforming education is taxing, pointing out that it requires the support of all stakeholders.

    Emphasising the need to properly plan education, Owonikoko said: “The process of education reforms must match modern scientific and technological innovations for it to remain relevant to the learner and the nation. It also takes years for any meaningful educational reform to yield fruits. Nigeria must learn to plan its education and implement it with commitment and sense of direction for the greater good of all its citizens.”

    Also highlighting the importance of secondary education to the Nigerian society, he said: “Secondary education must be accorded the deserved priority that aims at helping our youths to develop sellable skills and knowledge to continue with their studies. Policy haste in education never gives the desired result.

    “It would be better if policies are made in such a way that changes can be accommodated without disturbing the overall system in operation. Nigerian education system should aspire for manpower training.”

    Also speaking at the event, State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Akin-Moses, who was represented by the Zonal Inspector of Education for Ibarapa, Mrs. Ajose Yewise, praised the initiative of the legal icon. She congratulated the participating schools on being part of a veritable platform towards remodelling their future for the better.

  • Students protest in Edo

    •Seek shift in poll for exam

    Secondary school students have called for a shift in date of the governorship election in Edo State to another date as it will clash with their Mathematics examination also scheduled by the West African Examination Council for the same day.

    The students who stormed the Government House, Benin City with placards with various inscriptions, said holding the examination and the poll on the same day would disenfranchise them.

    The students also said they would kick against any plan to be moved to other states for the examination as planned by WAEC, adding that this would  disorganise them and also put them at a disadvantage.

    The spokesman for the students, Iko Emmanuel Moses, said: “Our position about the General Certificate Examination (GCE) in Edo State, the scheduled governorship election on the 10th of September, with a deep sense of regret and pains, we wish to express and oppose the disturbing circumstances surrounding the above examination of this year and its effect on our expected performance in the examination.

    “The plan to relocate us out of Edo State, our state to other regions to sit for the examination because of the September 10 election in Edo State as scheduled by INEC is an ill wind which will affect our chance to perform well in the examination. We have found this situation very disturbing, discouraging and we cannot take the risk.”

    He added: “Remember this that the conduciveness of an environment has a great impact on the performance and outcome of examinations for students. We enrolled for this examination in Edo State and we have prepared for the examination in Edo State environment. We are used to the environment for safety, comfort, accessibility of examination centres and psychology.

    “You will agree with me that a threat to the above is a threat to us, and even the outcome of the examination. We want to humbly say that as the election is important to the nation, so is our exam important to us, and even more important to us because, without a good education, we cannot grow up to participate in the Nigerian democracy.”

    Moses said: “This examination is about our future, and therefore, we will not take or accept the risk. We call on INEC to do something about this situation. We call on all the political parties concerned to do something to save our future. The examination has already started in Edo State and it will be dangerous to now move us out of the terrain we are already used to and compel us to write the most important ones outside the state.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari should come to our aid. The Comrade Governor should also come to our aid. Our future must not be sacrificed for election.”

    Another candidate, Aliu Samson said: “Saturday will be the day I will be writing mathematics, I am more than 18 years old and I’m a Nigerian. It is my basic duty to exercise on Saturday by voting. Due to the security situation in the country, it will not be ideal for me to travel outside my terrain to write my examination.

    “I am therefore calling on the relevant authorities to come to our aid so we can write our examination in this state. So it is either the election is postponed or they do something about our examination.”

    One of the parents, who joined the students in the protest, said: “What I want you to know, your Excellency, is that there’s going to be a strong financial commitment to the parents, taking the children to other states will involve accommodation, feeding and it will bite deep into our already lean purse. So I want to appeal to you that this should be reconsidered. We are quite aware that WAEC is a regional examination and so it cannot be shifted, we are also thinking of how the election itself is shifted so that we will have time for our children and also for them to vote.”

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole said he would pass their protest letter to the President, saying the election was fixed by the INEC, which is an independent body.

    Oshiomhole said the responsibility for fixing the governorship election in the State rests on the Independent National Electoral Commission, explaining that he was not consulted when the election for September 10 was scheduled.

    He said: ‘There are two examinations that are due, one for the people of Edo to write exams on whom they want to be their governor, and you yourselves to write exams which will constitute the foundation of your future. But, let me first tell you the whole truth because when I listened to you and you were appealing to me, I am touched. But I get the impression that you probably think that I am responsible for this decision. I am not.”

     

     

    Let me tell you the truth about it. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a few months back, I think it is about two months now or three months, they announced that they will conduct the governorship election in Edo State on the 10th of September. That decision was taken by INEC. By law, INEC has the power to make those decisions. The law doesn’t oblige them to consult with me or to seek my approval. So, I have no input in the decision of INEC to fix September 10 for the election. And in fairness to the other political parties, I don’t believe that they too had any input. I also know that the PDP for example or the Labour Party or the APGA, none of them had any input in the decision of INEC to fix 10th. That power is solely the power of INEC.”

    He continued, “When they fixed that date, all we were expected to do as political parties is to work and prepare our candidate to be ready for the election. We have been talking of September 10 because that is the date INEC decided we should have it, and it is within their power to do so.

    “Two weeks ago, I received a letter from WAEC informing me as the Governor of Edo State that they will be conducting WAEC examinations on the 10th of September, and they wanted us to grant exemption to those who are going to write the exams to be able to go to the various centres to write because the standard law, rule, and regulation is the that on election day, you are only allowed to go to your polling booth, and unfortunately, some of the polling centres where you are expected to write exams, they are also the same centres that are meant for voting. Some of the schools are premises for voting. Even if it was within my power, I don’t see how you can be in a room writing exams, and outside you have thousands of people making noise trying to vote.”

    According to Oshiomhole, “The request by WAEC to me, first, it was beyond my power because the decision to restrict movement is taken by INEC, and they did it in good faith. So, I replied to WAEC that I don’t have the power to waive the restriction order because that one is imposed by INEC in consultation with the national security chiefs because it is the security chiefs, that is, the army, the police and the SSS.

    “Between them, they meet and agree that on election day movement is restricted. I think you know that is the standard. It is not only for this election.  In every election, it has been like that. They will not allow people to travel into or out of Edo that day from a certain hour of the day untill the end of the election.”

    He said, “I fully understand your complaints. I understand your concerns, and one of you made the point.   Even for you to participate as good citizens in our democracy in the future, you must be educated. If we say the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, for you to claim leadership role, your upward mobility must not be compromised. I fully understand.

    “So, I fully understand, but unfortunately, I am not in a position to say, yes I have agreed, yes I don’t agree because the matters are beyond me. They are beyond Edo State Government, but I understand fully.”

    The Governor assured them, “What is not beyond me is to convey this letter that you have addressed to our president, President Muhammadu Buhari. I promise you, as fast as I can, I will forward it even if it is by email to ensure that it gets to the President to the Villa today. That I can do. And I know that the President is concerned about the future of our children.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Editor advises students on journalism opportunities

    Mass Communication students have been advised to hone their writing and entrepreneurial skills in order to benefit from opportunities in journalism. While in school, The Nation Online Editor Lekan Otufodunrin said, students can engage in blogging, photography and freelancing, among others, to improve their employability after graduation.

    Otufodunrin gave the admonition at the School of Communication of the Lagos State University (LASU) last Wednesday during the presentation of his book entitled: Journalism of my life.

    In the 88-page book, Otufodunrin, whose journalism experience has spanned three decades, recalled his foray into media profession, during which he worked in various media houses as reporter and editor. In the book, the author explained how he was selected for various local and international fellowship programmes and trainings.

    Otufodunrin also wrote about his days at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he actively participated in activities of several campus associations. His experience after getting his first job also featured in the book.

    He wrote: “When aspiring young journalists complain about how long and hard it is for them to get a job after National Youth Service, I usually tell them that jobs have always been hard to get. After my youth service in June 1986, I had to wait for more than four months to find anything close to employment. I, immediately started applying for jobs anywhere I heard mass communication graduates were needed.”

    The book, he said, was meant to inspire young journalists and help them navigate the “increasingly tough media landscape”.

    One hundred copies of the book were purchased by The Nation Editorial Board Chairman Mr Sam Omatseye for free distribution to students.

    Responding to the donation by Omatseye, president of the LASU Journalism Students’ Association, Oluwatosin Mohammed, said: “This kind of donation to students is not common. We appreciate our patron, Mr Omatseye, for this gesture to support our career, and also Mr Otufodunrin for giving us opportunity to learn from his experience.”

    A lecturer in the department, Dr Jide Jimoh, advised students to read and take steps to enhance their career.

     

  • Students threaten to occupy Amosun’s office

    Students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, are threatening to “occupy” the office of Governor Ibikunle Amosun, if he fails to meet their lecturers’ demands. This was their resolution when they gathered to discuss their lecturers’ ongoing strike. FESTUS OGUN reports.

    When will the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, enjoy strike-free session? This is the question students posed last weekend when they gathered to discuss their lecturers’ ongoing strike.

    For over three weeks, activities on the campus have been paralysed, following the indefinite strike embarked upon by the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the government’s alleged failure to fund the school.

    ASUU said the government had not funded the school for 23 months, resulting in the non-payment of salaries for the past three months.

    The students are wondering why their lecturers must go on strike before being paid their salaries. The students said the strike   would slow down the school’s academic calendar. They also expressed dissatisfaction over what they called government’s “lackadaisical attitude” towards the institution.

    The school’s ASUU Chairman, Dr Deji Agboola, said lecturers had worked for three months without being paid. He accused Governor Ibikunle Amosun of “reneging” on the promises made to the union during a warning strike a few months ago. He added that the government had neglected the institution.

    Agboola said: “The issue on ground is non-payment of salary by the government. And there is no assurance that we are going to have our salaries paid in the next four or five months.”

    He said ASUU has adopted “no pay, no work” indefinite action to press home its demands.

    The university, he disclosed, was being run with fees paid by the students. He said: “This government has not brought a dime to fund the university. The university management has used internally-generated revenue (IGR) to pay salaries of some workers in the past 23 months.”

    Agboola said the institution’s IGR should have been invested in research and infrastructure projects on the campus, adding that all projects inaugurated on the campus recently by Governor Amosun, were those donated by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    He said: “The university IGR was exhausted in June. By the end of July, it became obvious  that we were not going to get salaries any longer. Again, these students, some of whom were done with their examinations, are not going to come back until October. This means workers will not earn anything till then, because the state government has not been responsible enough to even do anything in the university for the past 23 months.”

    The development is drawing a strong response from students, who are disenchanted with the continued closure of the school.

    Barring last minute change of mind, students, after their meeting convened at the instance of their leaders, Students’ Union Government (SUG) last weekend have vowed to march on the governor’s office at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

    The planned protest, a source told CAMPUSLIFE, would be joined by members of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the local chapter of Joint Campus Committee (JCC). At the meeting, it was unanimously agreed that if the government does not reach agreement with the striking lecturers this week, the governor will receive “strange visitors” in his office. For security reasons, a member of the SUG said the date of the protest would not be announced.

    A 200-Level Biochemistry student, Femi Wilson, said the lecturers’ action was lawful. He blamed the government for abandoning the institution. “The government is not ready to fund the school. If it is not so, I don’t expect the strike to have gotten to this level, where workers have had to declare indefinite action,” he said.

    While many students blamed the government, some have faulted the timing of the lecturers’ action. They said the strike came at a “delicate period” in the school.

    Olumuyiwa Odubela, a 300-Level Law student, said ASUU should have allowed the ongoing semester examination to end before embarking on the strike. According to him, the lecturers were insensitive to students’ plight before announcing the action.

    He said: “I don’t know why the lecturers did not wait for the right time to embark on their industrial action. Examination time is the least period to think of strike. This will affect the academic calendar negatively, because all examinations will have to be rescheduled. Results of papers already written are being delayed, while graduating students are held to ransom by the lecturers.”

    Another student, Titiloye Dawodu, told CAMPUSLIFE that she was not happy about the development, urging the government to accede to the lecturers’ demands. She noted that if the strike continued, she would use the period to learn a vocation.

    For three weeks, students have been left idle. Most of them have expressed deep regrets over the development. Taiwo Dada, a 300-Level Political Science student, said the strike would prolong her stay on the campus. She said: “The strike has affected me and other students in a lot of ways. How do they expect us to cope with the attendant frustration? Many have stopped reading, yet whenever they call off the strike, they would ask us to come and write examinations the next day. This is deeply frustrating.”

    Speaking with CAMPUSLIFE, the SUG president, Tayo Mabunmi, also expressed his grievances over the matter. He said several appeal letters were written to the government on the non-payment of the lecturers’ salary. According to him, negotiations are on-going. He added that if the negotiation failed, students would have no option than to march on the governor’s office.

    He said: “Obviously, our lecturers are fighting a just cause. They deserve to be paid on time. Subventions for the school should not also be withheld. Students are clamoring for confrontation, but we have to put our consolidation very tight and put a lot of considerations in place before we embark on the protest. And if we are to protest, we are going to do it in a way that no life or property will be lost.”

    When The Nation spoke to Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota, to get the government’s reaction, she said she was in a meeting and asked our reporter to call back an hour later.

    When our reporter called back after an hour, Mrs Mujota said the reporter should send a text message. She did not respond to the message before press time last night.

  • In pursuit of better health for students

    In pursuit of better health for students

    Students’ health issues have caused crises in many tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The crises usually follow avoidable deaths of students in ill-equipped medical centres or poor response time at health care institutions.  The Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) was initiated to help post-secondary students to access medical services with ease.  PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA reports on how the scheme is faring in tertiary institutions in Rivers State. 

    The Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) has been in existence since 2009.  It is part of programmes by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to insure the health of all Nigerians by the year 2020.

    If it works the way it was designed, the TISHIP would transform institutions’ clinics from mere consulting centres to patient centres with requisite manpower and infrastructure for qualitative health services. Expectedly, this would reduce the number of students who die as a result of lack of access to care when needed, and ease the burden on their families to foot medical bills.

    According to the Operational Guidelines for Implementation of the TISHIP, the administration of funds for the programme should be done as follows: “The strategy is to operate the TISHIP as a sickness fund with a Committee responsible for its administration.  It will operate with maximum pooling, strategic purchasing by the Committee and  Health Maintenance Organisations  (HMOs)  at  the  core  of  its  operation,  with  high  level  monitoring  to  ensure  transparency, accountability and value addition in the whole process. The programme will include a sustainable system of funds mobilization, collection, management and disbursement for financing a defined standard TISHIP benefit package.  It will also provide the platform for the implementation of supplementary packages as demanded by students, but at an additional cost to them. Scope of cover is for the contributing student, and baby delivered by a married female student is entitled to care for 12 weeks post-natal for a maximun of two (2) livebirths.”

    To make the TISHIP successful, the document also spells out specific roles the NHIS, tertiary institutions, HMOs, Students’ Union, and regulatory bodies, among others, are to play.

    Four years shy of that deadline, the scheme is yet to have a firm foothold in many tertiary institutions. Awareness is still poor, remission of contributions (N2,000 per student per session) is irregular, and difficulties in accessing the funds contributed, among other challenges.

    Of the six tertiary institutions in Rivers State, which are: the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST); Federal College of Education Technology (FCET), Omoku; Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE); Rivers State College of Health Technology, and the Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori; only FCET and the polytechnic are yet to key into the TISHIP.

    For those that have, it has not been a smooth sail. Last August, Kelechi Precious, a 200-Level student of Theatre Arts and Film Study, UNIPORT, died after collapsing in the bathroom, despite the school subscribing to TISHIP.  She could not access healthcare at the University of Port Harcourt (UPTH) because of lack of bed space.  Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Prof Aaron Ajule, said at a recent forum that the situation could not be helped.

    However, Dr Olubumi Oyagbodo, who monitors the TISHIP programme at UPTH, said Precious would have been attended to if there was greater awareness about TISHIP, and the students who brought her knew what to do.

    Oyagbodo said:  “The death of Miss Precious was a very big mistake on the side of the personnel of the UPTH; most of them are not aware of the TISHIP. So they attended to her as an individual and I believe such mistake would not repeat again. When we started the programme in 2014, the rate of payment for TISHIP was very poor but later, there was an improvement in UNIPORT and the students are not only paying, but have accepted TISHIP.”

    Despite the progress the programme has recorded, Oyagbodo said the NHIS need to do more to increase the faith of hospital managers in the scheme.

    “The interaction with NHIS is very important because there are areas where we need their help to speak with our management to guide. Despite the progress we are making, there are still areas we want the management to bend a little so that the scheme would be speedy,” he said.

    Dr. Nwala Romanus, who oversees the medical centre of the Rivers State College of Health Technology, said the school faces challenges in the area of remittance of TISHIP fund from the bursary account.  She said it was easier to get students to pay as part of tuition fees.  However, getting the TISHIP contribution from the fees is another matter.

    “It was very difficult for us because students found it difficult to pay TISHIP when it was separated from the school fees; and the best way to make them pay is to build it inside the school fees. But, the bursary department finds it difficult to pull out the fund at the end of the day. Of course, if you want to know how powerful a man is, give him power and money. So, as soon as the fund enters their hand it becomes a big problem. Another issue is that in a situation where students pay for TISHIP this semester and they failed to pay in the next semester, how would the bursar reconcile the account?” Romanus queried.

    Mr. Chioma Onwugbuta of IAUE said the institution was in the process of signing up for the programme because of its benefits.

    “We want to accept it because the programme is a welcome development.  If the management will cut off the medical fee and convert it to TISHIP account, it would work. Since the SU has been carried along, it would be easy to talk to students over the new payment,” he said.

    Dean of Students Affairs, (FCET) Omoku, Mr Matthew Gimba, said his institution was just learning about the programme and would embrace it to ensure that every student had access to health care service.

    “We just received letter from NHIS over TISHIP. Before now, we have been suffering so much trying to save the lives of students when they are sick. Recently one student fell ill at midnight. Without considering the insecurity in Omuku, I took the risk to take her to one of the hospitals in the area. The worst thing is that we don’t have good health centre at the institution so if we are keying into the TISHIP, is government going to upgrade the existing health centre or they are going to recommend a centre outside the institution?” he said.

    HMOs are to pay some percentage of the contribution they receive to institutions to improve their health centres.

    Dr.  Chinwe Anyanwu of Regenix Healthcare Service Limited, one of the HMOs, said this has helped to improve many health centres.

    “Most of the health centres being used for TISHIP before now were death  centres but today, I can beat my chest to say health centres have improved a lot. At least, the most important thing  is that we are ensuring that they enjoy what Federal government is offering them,” she said.

    Though compliance to regulations has improved, Dr Anyanwu said HMO managers needed to get best practice training from other countries to improve their performance.

    “Before now the payment was very difficult because HMOs were very greedy to pay fees for services but now, a lot of HMOs are beginning to see that our regulatory body is serious. And that if they don’t pay their charges, they would be delisted. We need to go to training and see how its work in other countries. I can tell you that the issue of none remittance has actually reduced,” she said.

    The NHIS Coordinator for Rivers State, Mr Ebiokobo Williams, said efforts were on to ensure all institutions signed up for TISHIP.

    “The NUC is coming to Port Harcourt because two years before now, we sent out letters to all the universities in Nigeria to key into the pragramme. So, the NUC has been waiting for us to give feedback, which we have been doing; telling them that there has been some resistance. One thing we must know is that TISHIP fund is different from the fund that goes into the bursary. Ordinarily, once a fund gets to bursary, it became a problem to separate and give to the hospital in the school. That is why the NUC is coming to see how it is being done. The report they have in the headquarters shows that we have three schools already running the programme.  UNIPORT, RSUST and Rivers State College of Health and Technology and they have chosen UNIPORT and RSUST to visit for now,” he said.

    Williams also refuted claims that TISHIP contributions are diverted for other purposes.

    “I would say people do not have the right information about how funds are being disbursed. The truth is that we pay capitation fee for service and others, but for now, we operate under the system of fee for service and capitation. And when the money comes in, the HMO will ensure that payment is made to the hospital; that money covers the service when the students come; and part of that money is meant for the purchase of drugs, equip the hospital and to empower the personnel. So nobody is diverting any fund. We have heard the cases of UNIPORT and RSUST and in the case of UNIPORT, it is an excellent report. Although there are still pockets of challenges but it is working well,” he said.