The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Students

  • Varsity refutes story on death of six students

    The Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, has refuted a story being circulated about an accident that allegedly claimed the lives of six of its students.

    A statement signed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru ?noted that the accident did not claim any life.

    “Actually, there was such an accident involving our students two days ago.  However, there was no death recorded as a result of the road traffic crash. As at today (Wednesday), only one female student is responding to treatment at our clinic and she is nursing a deep cut.

    “The accident as depicted in the picture of the affected bus that had gone viral in the social media has therefore not claimed any life,” the statement read in part.

    The statement further appealed to the students and other members of the university community to desist from spreading “dangerous rumours” but seek clarification on issues.

  • One killed as poly students riot

    One student  has been reportedly killed by the police, while several  school buildings  were set ablaze following bloody riots by students of Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko,Benue State on Wednesday .

    The  Bursary department of the school  was completed razed, including the ranch where many cattle were killed .

    The crisis according to a source was as a result of the decision of the school authorities to continue with examinations while some students were on the queue to summit bank teller in exchange of school receipt .

    It was learnt that the students pleaded with the school authorities  that since they have paid their school fess in the bank and had their tellers , they should be allowed to sit for the examination and later summit the tellers , but the school authorities turned down the request .

    However, when the queue was not moving fast enough and  examination was going on , the atmosphere became charged and riots broke out.

    At press time, the policemen men drafted to the school were still battling to control the situation while students have been asked to vacate the premises .

    The students  however regrouped and set one tipper lorry ablaze and blocked the  Gboko- Aliade federal highway .

    The Police Spokesman DSP Moses Yamun said he was yet to get the report .

  • Stakeholder rewards students at 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.

    In his remark at the event, 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.

  • Day lecturers, students turned road cleaners

    Day lecturers, students turned road cleaners

    Residents of Rayfield in Jos, Plateau State, woke up last Saturday to people cleaning the streets and drainage, as well cutting the bushes. The question on everyone’s lips was: “Who are these people?”

    They were not workers of the Plateau State Environmental and Health Care Service, but lecturers and students of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Television College (TV COLLEGE) in Rayfield, Jos, the state capital.

    The environmental sanitation was organised by the departments of Production, Journalism and Engineering to support the government’s effort to rid the state of illnesses associated with dirty environment. It lasted for four hours.

    The lecturers and students took off from the Government House Junction to Mai-Adiko area on the Rayfield axis. They were joined by the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) officers to sweep the city.

    Rayfield residents hailed the gesture, praising the students and their lecturers for a “job well done”. They urged the government to provide waste bins at strategic locations in the city to enable commuters and residents dispose refuse properly.

    Rayfield is reputed to be the cleanest city in Jos South Local Government Area. But, heaps of refuse were recently seen in the city, prompting members of the college community to clear the major roads of the filth. They sensitised residents on indiscriminate dumping of refuse, telling them such act could lead to polluting and outbreak of diseases in the area.

  • LASIEC chief prods students leaders on accountability

    Lagos State Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Mr Lateef Raji, has said unionism among students will be a lot better if leaders are accountable.

    He said student leaders who present their scorecards show humility and openness and would carry their followers along.

    Raji spoke as outgoing Students’ Union executive of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Oto Ijanikin, presented a report of their activities to students.

    In his address titled: “The role of students and youths in election process: Local government election as case study”, Raji told students that their education equips them to be change agents who should show interest in how their society is governed.

    “It is true you may not have the (political) experience; but your education and age imbue in you fresh ideas that can help in giving Nigeria a new direction,” said Raji, who encouraged the youths to participate in the forthcoming local government elections in Lagos.

    Raji encouraged the students to endure the current economic hardship and terrorism in the Northeast, describing it as a phase in the nation’s life.

    “All these terrorism and economic challenges Nigeria is experiencing at present are not in any way unusual. Many of the developed societies we see today had gone through same phase at one point or the other in their quest for greatness.  So Nigeria is not an exception.

    “As youths, you represent the most adventurous segment of the society.  Youths all over the world have played significant roles in driving change or kicking against draconian government policy, so you should not be an exception,” he said.

    Presenting his scorecard, outgoing SU president, Muhammed Amoo, said since his election on September 14, last year, his administration has succeeded in reducing tuition fees to N10,000 across board; reducing Acceptance Fee from N5,000 to N1,000; posting raw scores on students’ devices; installing streetlights; providing students’ ID card as well as waste bins around campus; getting management to donate computer to the union, among others.

    Under his administration tagged ‘Renaissance Era’ Amoo said the SU also successfully reviewed the constitution; organised seminars on empowerment and health, disbursed students insurance equitably; organised its maiden quiz contest, to mention a few.

    Amoo admonished the new leaders to embrace dialogue, saying that his set did not stage a single protest while in the saddle.

    “Let me say: this executive did not stage a single protest or shut down the gates of the college, yet our modest achievement has been due to continuous dialogue. There were times that we differed on issues but once management saw sense in our demand, they would acquiesce. Therefore I am recommending this to my successor. It worked in my time; it can work again,” Amoo said.

    Earlier, the Provost, Dr Omolola Ladele, advised the students to be proud of their NCE certificates.

    She said: “Many people often see those with NCE as second class, but I say it is not so. There are many of us who have taken teaching as a profession. The qualification I had in my time could get me to any tertiary institution but I chose college because I knew NCE would expose me to the right environment which deals more in practical.”

    She advised the students to be good ambassadors of their alma mater.

    The high point of the event was presentation of awards to Mr Raji, Dr Ladele and National president AOCOED Alumni Association, Comrade Adeyemi Adesanya.

     

  • Stakeholder rewards students at 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.

    In his remark at the event, 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.

  • AUN president charges students on service delivery

    President, American University of Nigeria, Prof. Margee Ensign, has urged students of the institution to focus on service delivery in other to bring development to their communities. She also urged the students not to forget where they are coming from. According to her, your lives and those who are fortunate will be enriched by ensuring that those without the privileges you enjoy also have the opportunity for a better life. “Do Not Forget Your Roots,’ she told the graduating Class of 2016 of the AUN Academy, Yola, Adamawa state.

    According to a statement issued by the university’s communication office, the school graduated 33 academy students. “You are now among the privileged few who have a truly excellent secondary school education in Nigeria,” she said, in a speech published in the school’s graduation brochure. “As you go on from here to higher education, please do not forget our focus on service and development. Your lives and those who are fortunate will be enriched by ensuring that those without the privileges you enjoy also have the opportunity for a better life.

    “One of our great statesmen from America, President John F. Kennedy, said at his inauguration, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ On this very special day, this is what we ask you to consider.”

    The President also advised the graduates to take a moment and thank their parents and families who have provided them with support and care throughout their academic years. “They are the ones who made this opportunity for you possible,” she said. The statement said 17 year old Ashraf  Salihu Bakari, emerged best graduating student, beating other students in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. “My Dad told me that the key to every success, no matter how big it is, is always hard work, perseverance, and patience.

    “I feel both excited and sad.  I feel excited because after six years, which is of course a very long journey, today I am graduating and I have made my parents very proud of me. And I will keep on making them proud. “But I am very sad because I am leaving my classmates and my juniors with whom I have shared a lot of experiences,” Bakari, said. His mother, Asma’u Salihu Bakari, also overwhelmed with joy, said: “I feel honoured, I feel great. And I really thank God for making him the best here in AUN Academy. He has always been a serious student. He loves learning. But AUN has made him great.”

    Executive Director, AUN Schools, Mrs. Nkem Uzowulu, urged the students to be of good conduct always. She said: “The joy in my heart cannot be quantified. These students have spent six years in AUN Academy and we are celebrating them into another phase of their lives. I will miss seeing their faces. I love these children. They are wonderful.”

    “When you are dealing with children, you must live an exemplary life. They learn more from seeing what you do than what you are saying. When you say don’t do this and they do not see you living out that, you are wasting your time. So that is number one. “When you are raising children, you want them to be disciplined, but you also have to show love. When I punish my children, they understand that I do so out of love. I am not punishing them to destroy them. It’s a corrective measure, and they understand.

    “Always remain focused, confident and proud of your Alma-mater. Avoid distractions and take one quality step at a time, using challenges as opportunities to press on and not quit pursuing your set goals. “Adopt and utilize all the positive influences and attributes that you have acquired while in transition in this Great Citadel of learning as they will enable you to succeed in life and contribute positively towards National and international development.

    “To actualize this you have to be careful about the choices you make, the friends you keep, the books you read, the websites you visit and everything you indulge in – shun all forms of social vices they as they will lead to destructive life styles. Instead, embrace decent habits and almighty God will honour the labour of your parents over your lives. “My wonderful Kings and Queens, it is hard for me to say good bye but I send you forth to be positive examples for others to follow. I commit you into the hands of the Almighty God, to guide and keep you safe from all evils and give you peace all round.

    “Finally, my wonderful children, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely and whatsoever thing are of good report, if there be any virtue, please think on them.

    Those things you have learned, heard and seen in me, please do; and the God of peace who rewards excellence will be with you always. “Who you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God and Humanity” “Learn to plan, for planning is taking time to know what to do with the vision in your heart. It is a major investment of time in the process of thinking. Vision translates into ideas and planning into steps and action points. Always remember that “people do not plan to fail but fail to plan,”

  • Students rally against cultism

    Students rally against cultism

    Students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM) in Benue State, have held a rally to denounce cultism in the school. This followed a bloody clash that left five students dead, reports DAMSA AHANGBA (400-Level Physics Education).

    IT happened barely three weeks after students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM), returned for the second semester. Five students were killed in a cult clash. The school was shut for 21 days.

    As they returned to school last week, one issue topped their minds: how to eradicate cultism.

    On Thursday, over 2,000 students converged on the Aluta Square on the main campus for a campaign against cultism.

    At the event organised by the Students’Union Government (SUG),  its President, Sughnen Ichin, led a procession of the students round the campus, chanting various anti-cultism songs. Some held placards with inscriptions, such as: “Shun cultism and focus on academic excellence”, “Cultism kills dreams and future”, “Cultism is a crime against humanity”, and “Good students don’t kill, they read for excellence”, among others.

    The following day, the SUG held a lecture at James Ayatse Convocation Arena. The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Emmanuel Kucha, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Administration, Prof Richard Kimbir, led the school workers to the event.

    He said the management remained committed to fighting cultism, describing the cult clashes as unfortunate. He urged students not to join any unlawful groups, reminding them that any one caught would be expelled and prosecuted.

    Ichin regretted that cultism was becoming synonymous with the institution, noting that the union would mobilise ‘peace-loving students’ agianst cult groups.

    He said: “It is unfortunate we have lost many of our mates to the deadly activities of these cult groups. As students, we have come to acquire knowledge and not to kill ourselves. The students’union will ensure cultists find the school hostile to their activities.”

    Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Student Affairs, Comrade Jabi Abraham Zahemen, described cult killings as “barbaric” and “immoral”, pledging the government’s readiness to curb the menace in schools. Jabi administered denunciation oaths on the students.

    In his lecture titled:Cultism and its effect on the youths, Dr A. D. Obinne of the Department of Education Foundation and General Studies said the quest for materialism influenced cultism on campuses, noting that many students joined cult groups as a result of peer pressure and fear.

    According to Obinne, fraternities were founded to fight the students. She said dullards and criminals introduced violence to the idea of confraternities. She called for reawakening, urging stakeholders to introduce new approach in stemming the tide of cultism on campuses.

    Martins Mkom, a 200-Level Fisheries and Aquaculture student, decried cult activities in the school, saying: “It is saddening to lose colleagues in needless gang war. We suffer collectively whenever such incident happens, because academic calendar is distorted.”

    A drama and dance were performed by Youth With A Purpose (Y-WAP) group, depicting the negative impact of cultism on students.

    Chia Denen, a 400-Level Mathematics and Computer Science student, said: “Given the turnout for this campaign, I have no doubt that the war on cultism will be won.”

    Dean of Students’Affairs, Prof Olusegun Adeyemo, urged students to read their handbook, adding that any student caught in cultism would be dealt with.

  • College empowers workers, students

    the Management Information System (MIS) Unit of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo has collaborated with the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) to provide job creation training for both workers and students.

    The two-day seminar was attended by students from all five schools of the college (Languages, Arts and Social Sciences, Education, Science and Vocational and Technical Education) as well as teaching and non-members of teaching staff.

    Vice-Director of the MIS, Dr Kehinde Adelegan, said the aim of the programme was to help students/workers identify opportunities to generate multiple streams of income to augment their earnings.

    He said the training was timely given the present economic situation of the country.

    Kehinde, who also lectures in the Department of Mathematics, said officials of FBN were chosen as facilitators because of their vast experience and the bank’s profile as one of the leading financial institutions in Nigeria.

    The lecturer commended the Management led by Prof. Olukoya Ogen, for approving the seminar, and urged the participants to be attentive.

    Speaking on the topic: “Employment, business start up, business growth in the Information Communication Technology(ICT) age for Young and Knowledgeable People”, Adelakun Olubusuyi, Business Manager, FBN, Yaba, Ondo State, who led a 15-member delegation to the seminar, said the bank decided to collaborate with the college to help students gain knowledge.

    Adelakun lamented the inability of some employers to pay workers as well as closure of some business organisations in recent time.

    He said the development has brought untold hardship and affected the economy negatively.

    On ways to address the problem, Adelakun advised participants to take advantage of what he described as ‘’tailor-made financial products’’ available in his bank.

    This he said could help achieve their dreams and meet their immediate goals.

    The FBN senior official also took participants through the rudiments of Marketing and urged them to take advantage of various opportunities being rolled out by his bank, through which they could earn income without stress in any part of the country including the rural areas.

  • SERAP, students disagree on Dogara

    SERAP, students disagree on Dogara

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has faulted the claim by the Speaker of House of Representatives Mr Yakubu Dogara that “budget padding is not a crime under Nigerian law”.

    In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, SERAP told the Speaker of the House of Representatives that budget padding act is corruption like other corruption offences such as abuse of office, attempt to embezzle, divert, and misappropriate public funds, conspiracy to act corruptly, and illicit enrichment.

    SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni contended that, “budget padding in fact is corruption, as it is implicit in corruption offences such as abuse of office, attempt to embezzle, divert, and misappropriate public funds, conspiracy to act corruptly, and illicit enrichment”.

    The organisation said all these offences are recognised under the United Nations(UN) Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party, and included in national legislation such as the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Act.”

    But, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) backed Speaker ver alleged padding of 2016 budget.

    NANS, in a statement by its Chairman, Coordinator’s Forum, Habib Salau and signed by its blocks- Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C, Coordinators, defended the speaker, saying that he has placed high premium on masses-oriented legislations and inclusive governance.