The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Students

  • FG approves N400m for students on foreign scholarships

    FG approves N400m for students on foreign scholarships

    The Federal Government has approved N400 million for the payment of upkeep allowances of Nigerian students on foreign scholarships.

    The Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia HIndatu Abdullahi, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Abdullahi attributed the delay to non-release of capital allowance and the change in government which delayed the release of capital allocation for 2015.

    She explained that the upkeep allowance of the scholars did not come as over head allocation but capital allocation.

    According to her, the allowance payable to the scholars outside the country is from January to December and it is calculated and captured in the budget every year.

    She said that the plight of the students was being taken seriously, adding that “we just have an approval of about N400 million, we are now working with the Federal Ministry of Finance to obtain it.

    “After that, we will head to the Budget Office and the Central Bank of Nigeria to ensure that the money is remitted as soon as possible to the missions.

    “In terms of the paper work, we have concluded; we want to pay something so that their hardship will be minimised.

    Abdullahi said the entitlements were being worked out from January to December, adding that in 2014, the students got all allowances for the year between July and August.

    “Whenever we receive capital allocation in the ministry, we work out the scholarship money and pay into CBN.

    “CBN will now remit same in line with the information we have given them; it will remit to embassies which will remit to the scholars.

    The acting permanent secretary said that if there was any delay in the release of capital allocation, it would affect scholars’ upkeep allowances.

  • Why students need digital media skills

    Why students need digital media skills

    Veterans and young media professionals, last Thursday, converged on the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for this year’s edition of Communicators for Christ Fellowship (CFC) academic summit. The event, which was held in the main auditorium, had the theme: The digital age media: A marriage of skills opportunities and technology.

    It featured panel of discussion on pressing media issues, drama, award presentation and exhibition.

    CFC President, Ayomide Ekerin, said the event was aimed at keeping students abreast of development in the media. He said the summit would enable participants to learn the workings of the digital media.

    The keynote speaker, Mr Kola Oyeyemi, who spoke on the theme, said there had been gradual shift from traditional media to digital media, saying media convergence was growing with the development of social media.

    He said: “Eighty-five per cent of communication done globally is done via mobile phones. By 2020, the major means of communication will be mobile devices. The platforms are changing every day. Students must begin to think out of the box and break new grounds. You must possess the requisite skills to tap into the available opportunities in the digital media age.”

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rahmon Bello, represented by the Dean, Students’ Affairs, Prof Tunde Babawale, commended the students for organising the summit, noting that it would help students to acquire modern skills of communication.

    The Head of Mass Communication Department, Dr Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, said the department understood the dynamism of the media world, which was why it initiated programmes to help students acquire skills they would not learn in classroom.

    The panel of discussion, which was moderated by Fola Afolayan of 99.3 Nigeria Info, had Mrs Olabisi Deji-Folutile, Saturday Punch Editor, Chude Jideonwo, Chief Executive Officer of Red Media Africa and Mr Yomi Badejo of CMC Connect.

    Others are Managing Director of Noah’s Ark Communications, Lanre Adisa and Deputy Director Programmes at Television Continental, Mrs. Morayo Afolabi-Brown.

    The fellowship presented distinguished personality award to some of the facilitators. Participants were also presented certificates of attendance.

    A participant, Kafilah Jimoh, 100-Level Mass Communication, said she the summit afforded her to learn new techniques in digital photography session.

  • Students must speak against injustice, says senator

    Students must speak against injustice, says senator

    The senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Gbenga Ashafa, has urged students to speak against injustice wherever it is perpetrated.

    The lawmakers spoke at the parliamentary summit organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Akoka, Lagos.

    Represented by Chief Dimeji Lanwu, Ashafa, who spoke on the theme: Parliament: A panacea to judicial injustice and delay trials, said injustice thrived in the society because many people show indifference.

    The lawmaker said the slow justice administration system had helped the scourge to increase, noting that there was need for reforms that would accelerate court hearing in matter bordering on human right abuse and injustice.

    He said the eighth National Assembly would ensure the removal of impediments slowing down the justice system to enable the masses believe in the egalitarian nature of the country.

    He said: “We will be proactive and innovative in our efforts at the National Assembly to introduce legislation that ease our justice system.

    “We will ensure accelerated hearing of criminal proceedings in court, improve the rapidity of justice dispensation and eliminate the hurdles, which created bottlenecks in justice delivery. I will advise students to always speak out wherever they experience injustice.”

    In his keynote address, the Dean of Students’ Affairs of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Tunde Babawale, said principle of separation of powers as enshrined in the Constitution must be obeyed if injustice must be tackled.

    He noted that the propensity of each arm of government to see itself as law giver and justice dispenser made injustice to thrive, because of selective approach to justice administration. He said parliament remained the most prominent arm of government, adding that the legislature must understand its limitations by not attempting to usurp powers of other arms.

    Babawale advised students to acquire skills that would make unionism to be vibrant as it used to be in the 1980s. “You should believe that students’ unionism transcends representing students and campus socialisation. It should be seen as a platform to train and recruit students for leadership positions,” he said.

    Former chairman, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Ayodele Adewale, said the confidence of the poor could only be restored if judicial system underwent reforms that would make the court as the last hope of a common man. He said students must push and intensify the campaign for make the judiciary independent.

    The Dean of Students’ Affairs of the college, Mr Abayomi Adegbenjo, said the management would support the union to get  functional judicial arm.

    The SUG speaker, Ibrahim Oladimeji, said the event was to enlighten students on their role to end injustice and victimisation.

    Highpoint of the event was presentation of award to Ashafa and Babawale, after which the union leaders led the guests to unveil a mace sculpture designed by the union’s parliament.

  • Students arrested for threatening to kill lecturer

    Three students of the Department of Economics of the Kogi State University (KSU) in Anyigba have been detained at Anyigba Police Division for threatening to kill a lecturer.

    The suspects are Daniel Attah, Solomon Idamahare and Adinoyi Bello, with matriculation numbers 11EC1071, 13EC1082 and 12EC1046.

    A letter addressed to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), which was signed by the school Chief Security Coordinator, Major M. J. Adama (rtd), said the students threatened to kill Dr A.O. Adofu should the lecturer give them F grade in ECO 307 examination. The course was taken by the lecturer.

    Adama wrote that students of the department had the highest cases of cult-related crimes among students residing off-campus, stressing that threat from any student of the department must not be handled with kid glove.

    The school security unit, the letter said, has started an investigation of staff and students of the department, adding that intelligence report showed that there were collaborators in the department.

    Adama urged the police to furnish the university with information on the outcome its investigation to guide the school in their efforts to prevent further attacks.

    The security officer noted that a lecturer of the department, Mr Alehile Kehinde Samuel, was shot on the leg at his residence in June. This incident, he added, increased the cases of death threats in the department.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Hassan Isah, confirmed the arrest, saying the institution was investigating the matter.

    He said: “The matter is with the security department. The school Public Relations Officers cannot have much information on it, because the matter is with police. I can confirm three students were arrested on allegation of threatening their lecturer.”

     

     

  • UNIPORT students on rampage over colleague’s death 

    UNIPORT students on rampage over colleague’s death 

    There was pandemonium Monday at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) over the mysterious death of Miss Kelechi Precious, a 200 level student of Theatre Art and Film Study who was said to have collapsed at her hostel bathroom and died after the University Teaching Hospital rejected her for lack of space.

    Angered by the inability of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) to save the victim’s life instead of rejecting her on the excuse of lack of space, the students led by the Student Union Government (SUG) of the University went into protest, locking all the entrance gates to the school.

    They also blocked the popular East-West road, including Ada-George Road and UNIPORT Aluu road leading to a serious traffic jam. Some of the school properties were also vandalized by the angry protesters who were chanting war song accusing UPTH of being responsible for the death of the victim.

    As at the time of filing this report, the management of UPTH has started discharging patients at the hospital following the protest at the hospital leading to breakdown of law and order.

    Some of the students who spoke to The Nation including SUG President accused the management of UPTH of killing their colleague for not giving her preference as student of the university in spite the lack of space complained about.

    UNIPORT SUG President, Comrade Chuku Endwell said, the management of UPTH has failed the students, adding that for testing the anger of the students and for showing insensitivity over their life of one of them, the school at the moment will remain under lock.

    Chuku said, “this is not college of Education, it is not a polytechnic or a secondary school, it is the famous university in the black Africa. The students were the reason for the establishment of UPTH, I don’t know why a student will be taking to the hospital and he or she would be rejected.

    “This shows that our lives are no longer safe, by the Grace of God, SUG has summoned a meeting of all those concern and before the end of today we will reach a compromise especially the safety of our lives as students. If there is any one that should be giving a priority in the UPTH it is the students of UNIPORT.”

    Narrating how the victim died, her closet roommate Miss Kainti Dauebimoere said; “She is in the same department with me and a roommate; we slept on the same bed on Sunday morning. We both woke up almost the same time, she went in to have her bath but later I heard a voice screaming.

    “Then, I ran into the bathroom to know what was wrong with her but I saw her on the floor behaving like an asthmatic patient. Then, I ran back to the room to call other roommates. That was how we got a car around 5:45 am to take her to UPTH at accident and emergency ward. But the doctors who were there said there was no bed space. We pleaded that we are going to use the car as her bed, but they refused.

    “When we discovered that the UPTH was not able to assist we took her to fountain hospital at Ozuoba, the doctor there told us that we should look for her relative. He then directed us to take her back to the UPTH but we told him that we are just coming from there. We were again directed to Ebonyi Hospital where the doctor confirmed that there was no live in her.

    “Then we took her to Military hospital, when we got there they said she died three hours ago, but they advice us to make an entry to any police station. After making an entry at Choba Police station, we took her corpse to UPTH mortuary.  The management of UPTH who said there was no space now accepted her corpse at their mortuary.”

    Responding, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital Prof. Aaron Ajule said there was no space when the victim was brought to the hospital, noting that the hospital cannot reject an outsider not to talk of a student of the university.

    “It was not an issue of reject; we cannot reject any body outside the campus not to talk of student of the university. When the hospital is filled it is filled, we cannot ask somebody to go down to accept another. We sympathised with the victim’s family   and the University over what happened.

    “The information I am giving you now is still going to be investigated and confirmed, we have setup a panel to investigate the issue. They came here and we told them there was no space at the time they came and when the lady died they said it was UPTH that killed her. We have always told the people that UPTH is over subscribed.”

  • Schools to train students in computer maintenance

    The management of King Solomon International Secondary School (KSIS) Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, is set to train students on computer hardware maintenance and repairs.

    The proprietress of the school, Lady Grace Asuquo, who announced this in her address during the 2015 valedictory and award service for the 2014/2015 graduates of the school in Ewet Housing Estate Uyo, stressed that the students will also be trained on computer software installation.

    She said the school has already hired the services of Information and Communication experts (ICT) experts to train students in both theory and practical,

    Asuquo noted that in the quest to improve students’ performances in both internal and external examinations, the school has engaged the service of external examiners and consultants to complement supervision of academic activities.

    She said: “Since the advent of King Solomon Secondary School in 2004, it has served and met the academic, spiritual and emotional needs of our children and neighbouring communities.”

    The chairman of the occasion, Francis Umoh,a surveyor charged graduands to be good ambassadors of their alma mater. He advised them to choose their career based on their passion and interest in the profession and not by sentiment or any form of pressure.

    The school Principal Obong Ubong Akpan, described the graduands as ‘worthy in learning and character.’

    “We shall continue to maintain zero tolerance for indiscipline, corruption, and cult-related activities among our dear students and staff as well as lead by example.”

    Being a faith-based school, Akpan stressed that it is determined to train and shape students for future leadership so as to match same with global leaders in character and learning.

    Speaking on the topic: ‘Dream big’ the guest speaker Mr Charles Inyang, charged the graduands to have big dreams and also work hard towards making them a reality.

    In his farewell address, the school senior prefect, Daniel Eyo who congratulated their predecessors also wished them success in their future academic pursuit.

    Replying, the outgoing senior prefect of the school, Kamtoro-Abasi Okon who spoke on behalf of others praised the management for providing a good environment for learning so as to actualise their dreams in life.

     

  • Students unveil online youth magazine

    To boost the coverage of young people’s achievements, a group of students of Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) in Ogba, Lagos have launched an online magazine, www.passion-Africa.com, centred on youth activities.

    Speaking at an event where the medium was unveiled, the website co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, David Atilola, said the website was created to give young people a platform to showcase their innovation and their exploits, which are not reported by traditional media.

    He said: “The website is created to bring under-reported activities of young people to the world. We want to create a network of young people in Nigeria and Africa that will be a platform through which youths can propagate their innovative ideas.”

    David said there were many young people whose achievements remained unknown to the world, because the traditional media failed to give them an opportunity to showcase their feats.

    “We will open campus chapters in various schools, which would create an avenue for student-journalists to write about events in their school. We also want to use this medium to promote citizen journalism. We will be welcoming contributions from youths and students, who want to express themselves,” he added.

    The president and co-founder, Alice Ajakaiye, corroborated David, saying the online magazine would make young people to move with the trend and get them involved in -making process.

  • Management, students discuss exam challenges

    To promote academic excellence, management of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State has held a counselling session for students. It was aimed at inspiring and motivating students facing challenges in their studies.

    The Dean, Students’ Affairs (DSA), Dr Kayode Alese, said the initiative was borne out of the management decision to make students focus on their studies.

    The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics, Prof Tunde Arayela, said the management did not want any student to perform below standard, noting that the school counselling unit had been equipped to help students overcome their challenges.

    Mr Damilola Adamolekun, a staff of the counselling unit, advised students to approach the office to list obstacles they encountered last session, which hindered their academic success. He said: “Failure is not the end of life. The product of failure is the raw material of success, because those who have never failed before may not know how to succeed.”

    Students hailed the management for the programme, pledging to intimate the school counsellors of their challenges ahead of their examination.

  • Council distributes GCE forms to students

    Council distributes GCE forms to students

    Determined to encourage those indigenous to Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA) to further their education, it has distributed the General Certificate of Examination (GCE) forms to over 100 deserving students of the council.

    Speaking during the distribution exercise, the Executive Secretary of the council, Hon. Bola Badmus-Olujobi assured that both the council and Lagos State Government are committed to providing quality education for all children of school age, even as she advised the students to be studious, obedient and respectful at all times.

    Noting that the council, in its wisdom purchased the forms to be given to the recipients free, she said the students were randomly drawn from different wards of the council for fairness and even representation.

    Expressing her worries that results of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the General Certificate Examination (GCE) in recent time reveal great decline in the standard of the education sector, the council chief maintained that “it has manifested in the quality of our graduates that are churned out yearly from our universities and other institutions of higher learning. There is no need to argue that urgent steps need to be taken to reverse the trend.”

    Hon. Badmus-Olujobi stated that the presentation of the GCE forms to the beneficiaries was a manifestation of the council’s commitment to improve standard of education, provide opportunities for brilliant but indigent students to access quality education and generally to improve the educational content of the local government.

    Promising that the council will organise first-rate preparatory classes for GCE candidates and recipients of the council’s gesture, the council chief advised the beneficiaries to take their studies serious and comply with all rules and regulations governing all examinations. She further urged the students to “read your books and be committed to your academic careers so that you would excel in all your examinations.”

    Continuing, she said: “It’s natural that in an environment such as ours, students should be encouraged to realise their potential. Parents of some of the beneficiaries could not afford the cost of the GCE forms; and these are brilliant students. So, I think it’s necessary for the local government to help them. That informed our distribution of the forms to deserving students.”

    In a chat with Southwest Report after the event, Hon. Badmus-Olujobi said she is worried by the continued decline in education standard which results from students’ lack of interest in reading books, saying that the council is willing to set up coaching centres where students would be taught the art of reading and writing.

    On how to tackle the falling standard of education, the council chief advocated an encouragement of reading culture and enforcement of literary appreciation for all students, irrespective of their chosen areas of study as a way of inculcating in them the reading culture.

    “If children are encouraged to have interest in books and reading right from their formative years all through their primary, secondary and tertiary education years, our schools, especially the universities would produce quality graduates who will, in turn, help the country in her quest for socio-economic and technological development,” she said.

    While decrying the prevalence of examination malpractices in Nigerian schools, which, she said, resulted from students’ lack of interest in books and reading, Hon. Badmus-Olujobi, who was the Deputy Speaker of the Seventh Lagos State House of Assembly said lack of solid foundation in the area of reading and having interest in books has adversely affected the standard of education in our country, even as she said the remedy lay on government making literary appreciation an integral part of the school curriculum to give a fresh direction to the issue of reviving or rekindling the reading culture in our students and among Nigerians.

    She said: “This hue and cry about the falling standard of education which results from lack of interest in books and reading would be in the thrash can of history if government and the relevant agency and stakeholders saddled with the responsibility of moulding our future leaders should see it as an urgent challenge to redirect the mindset of our students by blocking all loopholes that make examination fraud to thrive, through serious emphasis on reading as part of our culture and the provision of books for students’ use.”

    Hon. Badmus-Olujobi hinted that should the passion for reading is sustained, students would excel in any field of study, be it the arts, economics, technical or scientific. She therefore urged government to urgently embark on fundamental reforms of our education system which touches on curriculum, teaching and learning.

    She advised parents to monitor their children’s’ activities and the kind of friends they keep.

    She said: “It is the duty of every parent to ensure that their children imbibe reading as culture. They should sit down with their children to read with and for them. It is unfortunate that these days most parents don’t spend quality time with their children to monitor their academic progress. The craze for materialism tend on the part of parents tends to trivialize the important parental function of bringing up children the right way.

    “Some parents do not care the kind of fiends their children keep. Some do not care about how their children spend their leisure time and the periods they watch television. These days, children are much more interested in watching television even late into the night and surfing on the net. There seems to be lack of parental guide on the kind of film to watch and what periods to do certain things. In such situation, it is logical that less and less time is being devoted to the book and reading.”

    “Government, parents, teachers and all stakeholders in education should take decisive steps to ensure that the future of the country is not populated by semi-illiterate individuals who will definitely impinge on the country’s quest for development,”

    She also advised government not to leave the provision of books to the parents alone but should provide schools and students with books on a regular basis, even as she said government should establish libraries in every primary and secondary schools and stock them with the relevant books.

  • NHRC may prosecute Madonna Varsity’s VC, others for ‘torturing’ students

    NHRC may prosecute Madonna Varsity’s VC, others for ‘torturing’ students

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it will prosecute the Vice Chancellor of Madonna University and two other senior officials in relation to a case where some students were tortured on suspicion of being members of cult groups.

    NHRC’s Executive Secretary Professor Bem Angwe said yesterday his commission might prosecute the officials if they failed to honour a fresh invitation to appear before the commission.

    The commission, on August 10, invited officials and authorities of the Army for two separate incidents of torture.

    While the Army authorities were invited for the inhuman treatment meted out to a civilian in Nyanya, Abuja, by a soldier, and requested the culprit be identified, the university officials were invited for the torture of two students, Stanley Okoye, a 23-year-old final-year Civil Engineering student and Ga-Lim Aondofa Lord.

    Prof Angwe, who spoke in Abuja after receiving a team from the Army, said the vice chancellor had refused to appear on the excuse that the matter was in court, and that the commission should allow the court to handle it.

    He said although the commission had issued the VC and his officials fresh invitations to appear on August 25, the commission believed the university authorities failed to  appreciate the powers of the commission.

    “The victims and their parents were here yesterday, but the vice chancellor and the two officials did not come. We received a letter from the vice chancellor, who said the matter is in court and that believes the Human Commission should allow the court to determine the case.

    “We are not satisfied with that. It is not for the vice chancellor to write us that the matter is in court. They (the VC and two other senior officials) need to appear.

    “We have given them a new date to appear on August 25. And if by that date the vice chancellor and the officials  are not here, we are going to prosecute them.

    “The vice chancellor acted in ignorance by not understanding that he is supposed to appear, and that if he has a defence, or the matter is in court, he should show us certified true copies of the processes in relation to the matter in court. It is for us to determine whether the subject matter is the same with what we want to deal with.

    “If he does not appear on August 25, we will prosecute him for failing to obey a lawful directive issued by the commission. There are two options left for us if a person refuses to honour our invitation.

    “First, the failure to appear before the commission, when invited, is an offence in itself. It carries a penalty of six months’ imprisonment. After serving the punishment, we can still issue a bench warrant to compel the person’s presence here.

    “We are not wasting time on issuing a bench warrant. We will punish such a person first, for the offence of not obeying the lawful directive of the commission that he appears in respect of the complaint of right abuse against his organisation,” Angwe said.

    He hailed the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) for the steps taken in the Nyanya case.

    “We are satisfied with the way the authorities of the Army has handled the case.

    “As soon as we communicated with the Chief of Army Staff and gave the Army 72 hours within which to identify the soldiers involved, the COAS, within two hours communicated to us to say they have indeed, found the culprit.

    “That quick response was pleasing to us. Secondly, today, the COAS has sent a team of senior officers, led by a general. They also brought the culprit, who is attached to the Guards Brigade,” Angwe said.

    The NHRC chief, who did not disclose the identity of the soldier, said the soldier was attached to the Guards Brigade.

    He said the Army’s account on the Nyanya incident was that the civilian was  caught by a mob while robbing, and that the soldier intervened to save the victim (the alleged robber).

    “They said if the soldier did not intervene, the mob would have killed him. But, we have invited the victim, who will appear tomorrow. This will enable use verify the story of the Army,” Angwe said.

    Director of Legal Services, Nigerian Army Brigadier General Yusuf Shalangwa, who led the Army team, confirmed that the soldier had been identified and was being subjected to internal disciplinary measures.

    Shalangwa said the NHRC would be informed about the outcome of its investigation and other steps the Army decides to take in the case.