The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Students

  • Nigerians are tenth largest foreign students in US

    Nigerians are tenth largest foreign students in US

    Nigerian students constitute two percent of international students in the United States of America, a report has shown. 

    The United States Open Doors Report also highlighted that the number of Nigerian students increased by 12.3 percent to 14,438 in 2021/2022 academic session.

    China and India alone represented 52 percent of international students in the U.S.

    In the full list in the report Nigeria ranked 10th largest in the international students ranking worldwide.

    Here’s the full list of international students studying in the US:

    Read Also: ‘How to enhance students’ performance in school’

    1. China → 290,086
    2. India → 199,182
    3. South Korea → 40,755
    4. Canada → 27,013
    5. Vietnam → 20,713
    6. Taiwan → 20,487
    7. Saudi Arabia → 18,206
    8. Brazil → 14,897
    9. Mexico → 14,500
    10. Nigeria → 14,438
    11. Japan → 13,449
    12. Nepal → 11,799
    13. Bangladesh → 10,597
    14. United Kingdom → 10,292
    15. Iran → 9,295
    16. Pakistan → 8,772
    17. Germany → 8,550
    18. Turkey → 8,467
    19. Spain → 8,165
    20. Colombia → 8,077
    21. Indonesia → 8,003
    22. France → 7,751
    23. Kuwait → 5,923
    24. Hong Kong → 5,848
    25. Italy → 5,695
    26. Venezuela → 5,317
    27. Thailand → 5,007
    28. Malaysia → 4,933
    29. Ghana → 4,916
    30. Russia → 4,802 

  • Mosan-Okunola chair to students: Justify funds spent on forms

    Mosan-Okunola chair to students: Justify funds spent on forms

    TO curtail the effects of subsidy removal on families, the Executive Chairman of Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area, Princess Olabisi Adebajo, has distributed General Certificate of Education (GCE) forms to indigent students eligible for the examination.

    She said tehinitiative was to boost education in the council. She added that the LCDA was offering the students a pathway to higher education and brighter future.

    Princess Adebajo urged the students to justify the huge amount of public funds spent in procuring the forms, by ensuring they read and prepared hard for the exam.

    Her words: “I am aware of the challenges our community faces, including the recent fuel subsidy removal that has placed additional burdens on families. It is precisely during such challenging times that our collective resilience and commitment to progress must shine.

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    “This initiative is not just about easing the financial burden on parents, but also sending a resounding message that we stand united in our pursuit of education for all”

    “Today, we continue an initiative that holds the promise of transforming not just individual lives, but the entire landscape of our community.

    “We are announcing our commitment to distribute these forms to indigent students of the year 2023. This is not just an act of benevolence, it is a strategic investment in the future of the LCDA.

    “Education is not a mere pursuit, it is a powerful force that can break the chains of poverty, ignorance, and inequality. It is my sincere hope that with this initiative, we can pave the way for countless success stories of individuals who will go on to shape the destiny of our community and our nation”

    The event held at the Council Multipurpose Hall.

    It was attended by Vice Chairman Dayo Osinowo,  Super for Education Hon. Komolafe Abimbola; Super for Information & Strategy Hon. Omotayo Ojediran; Supervisor for ICT Hon. Hamzat Adewale, S.A for Boundary Hon. Lawal Yusuf, and  Supervisor for Wealth Creation Hon. Temitope Falana.

  • First Lady’s RHI gives scholarships to 46 tertiary students

    First Lady’s RHI gives scholarships to 46 tertiary students

    • 370 farmers to benefit from initiative

    Forty-Six Nigerian students in tertiary institutions across the country have emerged as the first set of beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s (RHI), National Scholarship Programme for Tertiary Education, which has just been flagged off.

     This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the spokesperson to the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, Busola Kukoyi. The First Lady is the Chairperson of the RHI.

    According to the statement, the beneficiaries were drawn from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, while others were nominated by various women’s societies, including the National Council for Women Societies, and Defence Staff and Police Officers Wives Association DEPOWA.

     At the ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, First Lady Tinubu congratulated the beneficiaries, noting that the gesture was part of efforts by the initiative to ensure that no willing student is left behind.

    “With the National Scholarship Programme (NASP), we envision a Nigeria where every child, regardless of their circumstances, can access the best education available. It is not just about textbooks and classrooms, it is about igniting curiosity, speaking innovation and fostering a love of learning that will transcend generations.

    “The inaugural National Scholarship Programme of the Renewed Hope Initiative is a four-year scholarship programme of One Million Naira per year and a laptop for each beneficiary. Today, we are empowering 46 students from across the states,” she said.

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    While urging the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously as their GPA will be taken into consideration in subsequent years, the First Lady also encouraged them to take on vocational skills.

     RHI Director of Education, Prof Hafsat Ganduje, in a welcome address, identified intervention in education as one of the five pillars of the initiative.

    The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu and the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmood.

     Meanwhile, a  total of 370 farmers across the country have been billed to benefit from the RHI in the agricultural sector.

     According to a statement issued by the First Lady’s spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, the intervention includes distribution of seedlings, pesticides and fertilizers to between 15-20 farmers per state, making up a total of 370.

     This is one of the key resolutions at the meeting of zonal coordinators of the initiative with the National President and convener of the initiative, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.

     Other interventions in the sector include a proposal to encourage the establishment of farm markets in strategic locations and home gardens among Nigerians towards facilitating easy access to fresh farm produce.

     In health, another key intervention area for the initiative, a partnership with UNICEF to streamline and sanitize the process of birth registration is being worked out.

     The same partnership is also to be explored to promote immunization towards stamping out polio.

     At the event, the First Lady called on the zonal coordinators to be at the vanguard of the process in their respective domains, urging all of them to be part of the immunization process.

     Zonal coordinators of the RHI are drawn from among state governors’ wives in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

  • Corps member donates 688 Sandals to primary school pupils in Lokoja

    A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kogi, Miss Aderonke Adeoye, on Wednesday donated 688 sandals to less privileged primary school pupils in Lokoja to encourage them to go to school.

    Donating some of the sandals to the pupils of Lokongoma Primary School, Lokoja, Adeoye said the gesture was to make the children happy and encourage them to always go to school, as well as to enable them to realise the importance of education in life.

    Adeoye, who is an indigene of Ekiti State, said a total of six different primary schools in Lokoja would get the shoes.

    “Some of the children wear slippers to school while some wear spoilt sandals which make them to look very rough and dirty.

    “I want to make the children happy and encourage them to always go to school and to let them realise the importance of education in life,” she said.

    She enjoined fellow corps members to make impact on the lives of the less privileged children, saying, “it is part of what we were taught in our orientation camp – to serve our father land wholeheartedly”.

    She thanked the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue for its support as well as other philanthropists in the state for their financial and moral support.

    Read Also: ‘I won NYSC award for catching thieves in camp’

    Speaking at the occasion, the state Commissioner for Education and Science, Rosemary Osikoya, advised the pupils to make good use of the sandals by wearing them to school.

    Osikoya, who was represented by Mr Femi Sunday, the Director, Education Support Service (ESS), advised parents not to sell the sandals but use them for the benefit of their children.

    He further urged the parents to pray for the corps member for putting smile on the faces of the children.

    “Giving to the less privileged is what I love doing and God is the only one that can reward givers,” she said.

    The benefiting schools are: Kabawa Nursery and Primary school 1and 2, Serikinoma Nursery and Primary school; Maadi Nursery and Primary school; Liwaul-HAMDI Nursery and Primary School; St. Mary’s L.G.E.A Nursery/Primary School 1, and Lokongoma L.G.E.A Nursery/Primary School, Lokoja.

    (NAN)

  • Kits for 100 pupils in Delta community 

    Indigent parents and pupils in Onicha Ugbo, a Delta State community on Saturday received school kits and other education materials which were donated by a non-profit group Anioma Youth Network for Development (AYND).

    The group, which was founded by Odita Sunday, a journalist, has, since 2017, embarked on Back-to-School projects where items such as school bags, books, uniforms and other stationery are provided to indigent and orphaned children to boost their drive for education.

    Funded by savings from the Odita’s monthly income and goodwill from some of his trusted friends, he, at this year’s event held at Amed Hotel Event Centre, Onicha Ugbo said the project was dear to his heart because it was a dream he nursed since he was a child.

    According to him, one does not have to be a millionaire to lend a hand of care to the needy, adding that giving to the less privileged people must be done with a determined heart.

    “A total of 112 pupils of primary and secondary schools that are within the bracket of the less privileged people bracket benefited from the AYND back-to-school initiative in 2017. They received school bags, mathematical sets, note books, literature in English books and other learning materials.

    “Last year, 111 beneficiaries similarly received school materials as the new academic session was about to begin. Two widows also received N25,000.

    “This time around, no fewer than 100 students and pupils from Onicha Ugbo, Issele-Uku, Ubulu-Uku, Obior, Asaba, Igbodo communities shared in the school materials made available.

    “The programme was strategically planned to take place at a time when primary and secondary schools in the country would be resuming for a new academic session. It is a period parents are usually under pressure to pay school fees and buy all the necessary materials for their children and wards.

    “It is our little way of demonstrating our passion and commitment to humanity. I am not driven by any political intentions or monetary gains but rather by the passion to be my brother’s and sister’s keeper through this onerous task of trying to lend a helping hand to our less privileged ones,” he said.

    Speaking at the event, the monarch of Onicha Ugbo His Royal Majesty (HRM) Agbogidi Victor Chukwumalieze recalled how difficult it was for less privileged children of his generation to access western education due to poverty and lack of help.

    He explained that less privileged children in contemporary times were luckier than his generation as kind-hearted people such as the AYND founder were ready to render some helping hands which was not the case in his days.

    He advised the children to leverage on the opportunity offered them and shun vices that were ravaging the country.

  • Phony group dupes FUOYE students

    About 140 students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), who applied for scholarship scheme have been left in the cold. More than a year after parting with N2000 each, to acquire e-passports scheme, they could neither access the scholarship nor be refunded their money, AJALA SAMUEL AKINDELE, a 300-Level History and International Studies of FUOYE reports.

    • Firm, NGO promise ‘spurious’ scholarship
    • We are not aware, says school management

    Hopes of scholarship for over 140 students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), may have been dashed more than a year after they staked N2,000 each to access a scholarship fund.

    The purpoted scholarship is courtesy of JK Consulting Nigeria Limited, a consulting firm that served as an intermediary to a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Fortress of Hope Foundation, which initiated the  Educational Youth Development Fund scholarship valued at N15,000 and above.

    Findings by CAMPUSLIFE revealed that in July, last year, one Mr Benjamin, representing JK Consulting firm in Lagos, encouraged students to apply for the scholarship via e-passport with the hope of getting at least N15,000 as scholarship package. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme, about 140 students, were asked to pay N2,000 for do e-passport, a prerequisite for participating in the scheme.

    Online checks revealed that Fortress of Hope Foundation  does not have a website, but a Facebook page. After a thorough check on its facebook profile, it was discovered that the foundation is not registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

    Further investigation showed that one Reverend K C Williams of Pastor of Christ House Church, in Oye-Ekiti, introduced the scholarship scheme to his church members and FUOYE students. Interested participants were asked to payN2,000 for e-passport as a pre-condition for becoming beneficiaries.

    Victims share experience

    However, more than a year later, students, who met the conditions and participated in the scheme, are yet to get a feedback from the organisation, or a refund of their money.

    Some of them have expressed their disappointment.

    A 300-Level History and International Studies student, Pastor Ooss Omobolaji Israel, recounted how Rev Williams introduced him to the scholarship scheme and collected N2,000 for electronic passport from 30 other students. Israel, who also doubles as the president of the university’s campus fellowship, said he later introduced the scheme to others.

    “Sometime last year, a certain man of God told me about an opportunity that was available through a certain non-governmental organisation called Fortress of Hope Foundation,” Israel began.

    He continued: “He told me they have a certain programme of giving scholarship to students in all campuses in Nigeria.

    “He (Williams) said we only needed a paltry N2,000 for e-passport, which, according to him, is big enough.  He said the NGO intends giving scholarship valued at between N15,000 upward, but we don’t need to pay for any registration or whatsoever. All we need do is pick the form and register.

    “We were told part of the things we needed to present for the registration is an e-passport. In FUOYE, we don’t use e-passport, but the cleric told us that is the condition in other campuses. So, he advised that each of us could contribute N2,000 with which he would process the e-passport and submit the forms on our behalf in Lagos, thereby saving all of us the stress of having to travel to Lagos to submit individually.”

    Israel also lamented how he used his influence as the campus fellowship president to persuade 30 other members of the fellowship to opt for the scholarship scheme.

    “What I want is that since the scholarship programme is not working, he (Williams) should simply give us the electronic passport or return our money,’’ he added.

    Another student, Emmanuel Animasahun, a 200-Level Educational Management undergraduate, narrated how he parted with N2,000 together with four other friends to get the electronic passport.

    “According to what we heard, the scheme is a Federal Government initiative that was being undertaken by an organisation. They came to FUOYE through Pastor KC Williams, so we all registered when we heard about it. The programme is for undergraduates. We were supposed to get N15,000.00 or N30,000.00 as education support from the programme. To be a beneficiary, we were asked to pay N2,000 for an e-passport, which we did; but for over a year now we have not heard anything,” he said.

    Gift Moore, a 300-Level undergraduate from the Department English and Literary Studies, narrated how she borrowed money from a friend to register for the scholarship.

    She said: “An organisation came to FUOYE sometime ago and promised us scholarship if we could provide an e-passport. That inspired my interest and I just did everything to ensure I participated. We were asked to pay N2,000 to get the passport and other things.

    “Though I was interested, I had no money. I had to approach friends, who lent me N2000. It was something I didn’t actually plan for. I just had to raise the money as the form would be closing the next day.

    “Later on I kept following the (Fortress of Hope) Foundation. I went to Pastor (KC) Williams to register as he was the one that introduced most churches into it because churches around here knew little or nothing about it.

    “We went there (Pastor KC’s church) for the registration. We were told the vehicle of the organisation got spoilt so they were unable to come to the venue. None of us met any official of the organisation. So, we could only do the registration in the church. We were then asked to come back the following day to meet the officials of the foundation. We went back there the next day but we didn’t see anybody.”

    “Now I’m just wondering what is going on. Is it that the organisation was a fraud? I think a responsible organisation shouldn’t do such. You don’t just come out and proclaim what you can’t do.”

    Another victim, Anebi Veronica from the Department of History and International Studies, narrated how she collected money from her mum to register.‘

    “I participated in the scholarship. I actually heard from a close friend, who happened to be the pastor of our campus fellowship,” Anebi said.

    “I trusted him and my trust became stronger after he told me the instruction was from Pastor Williams. Since it had something to do with the church, I was very hopeful that something good would come out of it.

    “So when he told me the cost of registration was N2,000, I just called my mummy and explained everything to her. Mum promised to get back to me and within two days she sent me the cash. Other participants and I quickly rushed to the church because it was on a Sunday. From there we went to Pastor KC’s church at Civic Centre, Oye-Ekiti, where we all did the registration. Since that time, there has not been any feedback, nothing like a message or mail up till now,” he said.

    Corroborating Anebi, Mary from the same department, expressed how difficult it was for her to raise the N2000 cash. “After we were told to pay N2,000 for e-passport, I went online to find out more about the e-passport. So, I discovered that it will be useful for me later even if the scholarship stuff didn’t work out, I can still have my e-passport.”

    “That was how I paid the money which wasn’t convenient for me at the time. So, I just felt I had to do it because that stuff (e-passport) will be useful for me later in future.”

    Williams owns up

    When contacted, Rev Williams confirmed that he instructed students to register for the scholarship scheme.

    He said part of the requirements was the electronic passport, which was a pre-condition for registration.

    He revealed that one Mr Benjamin from Fortress of Hope Educational and Youth Development Foundation introduced him to the scholarship scheme meant to benefit Christian students.

    “He asked me to get people that could do electronic passport. I made calls to Lagos and I was told it would cost N5,000. I was like students cannot afford that money. Later, he (Benjamin) then introduced one Mr Abubakar Shuaibu that would undertake the e-passport for N2,000.

    Out of the N2000, Williams said he paid N1,700 to Shuaibu for the e-passport; another N100 for physical passport of each applicant, while his aides who helped him to coordinate the process collected the outstanding.

    “I paid the first part of the money about 120,000 to the man’s (Shuaibu’s) account. The second part was the balance of N87,000, which I also paid into his account. About 140 students registered for the stuff. We have made calls and we have not gotten feedback,” Williams said apologetically.

    He continued: “He, himself (Mr Benjamin) introduced me to this and gave me an address in Ikorodu opposite LASPOTECH (Lagos State Polytechnic). I went there and realised the office was non-existent. I couldn’t even locate the building.

    “I asked for JK Consulting from people around the area, but I was told nothing like that existed there. I called him (Benjamin) and he was not picking my call. He has not been responding to my whatsapp chats since then. He told me he has been sacked.

    “That guy sounded very convincing and intelligent to me that I didn’t even entertain any iota of suspicion. He still posts on whatsapp and I usually view his status,” he added.

    When CAMPUSLIFE contacted Benjamin, he made it clear he no longer works with the firm. Nonetheless, Benjamin insisted the firm is JK Consulting Nig Ltd, adding that it is located in Lagos.

    “I don’t work in that firm again and I made this clear to the participants,” said Benjamin.

    “I didn’t know the person (referring to Williams), who introduced students and other members to apply for programme. I never knew him from Adam . I got his status on social media, and I just liked him. He told me about the pressure he has been facing from students and I promised to look for a way to pay him back for the loss or financial inconveniences.”

    However, when Benjamin was asked who his boss was, he kept mute.

    Meanwhile, Mr Shuaibu, who was paid to produce the electronic passport, also refused to open up when CAMPUSLIFE contacted him. Several attempts to reach him again on phone or via text messages proved abortive.

    Firm reacts

    CAMPUSLIFE investigation has shown that JK. Consulting is a registered private company in Nigeria under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990, with registration number 627261.

    The company is engaged in the provision of high quality professional consulting services backed up with a wide spectrum of experienced professionals.

    However, when the firm’s head office located in Abuja was contacted, its Manager Mr. Yomi Adetila, refuted all allegations and distanced the company from the purported scholarship scheme.

    “No, it’s not us. I don’t know about any Fortress of Hope Foundation. Please, it’s not us. Send me the details so we can get to the root,” Adetila said.

    We are not aware, says FUOYE mgt.

    The university’s chief security officer (CSO) and the public relations officer (PRO) Messrs Paul Ogidi, and Godfery Bakji, both denied ever being aware of the scholarship scheme.

    Similarly, in a whtassup message sent to CAMPUSLIFE, Dean of Students’ Affairs Dr Dosu Malomo, corroborated the duo. Nonetheless, Malomo said the authority would be willing to lend the affected students a helping hand provided they could lodge official complaints.

    “As at now, we have no information (regarding the scheme), but we can investigate if the students can come individually to make complaints,” Malomo stated in the text.

    And until the school authority wades into the matter, the hope of over 140 students retrieving their N2000, or accessing the scholarships, still hangs in the balance.

  • Students Union suspends member

    THE Students’Union of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBUL), Lapai, Niger State has suspended its Financial Secretary indefinitely.

    Comrade Yahaya Umar Faruk (Aluta mayo) was suspended for alleged misappropriation of funds and misconduct.

    The Students’ Representative Assembly (SRA) Speaker, Abdurahman Sadiq, made this known through the Clerk, Usman Isah Ndanusa.

    The allegations against the financial secretary were  presentation of incomplete receipts, contrary to what was approved by the legislative house, missing of seven booklets of receipts, and unconstitutional behaviours during the proceedings.

    SU President Comrade Ayuba Muye confirmed Faruk’s suspension, and directed CAMPUSLIFE to Sadiq for further information.

    A member of the SU, who pleaded anonymity, said the cat was let out of the bag when four of the five members who comprised SRA’s financial and budget committee discovered the ‘fraud’. The committee, thereafter, announced the suspension, the source added.

    In his defence however, Faruk described his suspension as ‘unconstitutional’, adding that few members of the union executed the sanction without going through due process.

    “I am not guilty unless there is factual and concrete evidence against me,” Faruk said.

    Another source, also a member of the union who is close to both parties bud did not want his name in print, claimed the Faruk was axed owing to personal interest from some members of the union.

  • NUT condemns killings, abduction of school officials, students in Zamfara

    The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has condemned the incessant killings and abduction of school officials by armed bandits in Zamfara State and other parts of the country.

    According to a NAN report, Dr. Mike Ike-Ene, the Secretary-General of the NUT, made the condemnation in an interview with newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, describing it as ‘alarming and worrisome’.

    According to Ike-Ene, the union is deeply concerned over the rising insecurity in some parts of the North, urging the federal government to fashion out an agenda to help check the trend for peaceful coexistence.

    He said that community policing, using vigilance group, was not enough to check insecurity in the country, but rather collective effort and adequate security apparatus.

    Ike-Ene disclosed that over 600 teachers have lost their lives in the North East through insurgency and social unrest in the area, adding that it has discouraged teachers from working or being transferred to the affected states.

    The Secretary-General therefore appealed to the federal government to do all it could to secure the release of the abductees and ensure total security of both students and teachers across the country.

    “The insecurity in the country has become so rampant that people could no longer sleep with their two eyes closed,” he said.

    It would be recalled that two caterers and three children were abducted on Wednesday by unknown bandits who attacked Government Girls Secondary School, Moriki, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

  • Students’ show thrills South Africa-based designer, others

    Last week, students of the Fashion Design Department, School of Arts, Design and Printing, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) in Lagos held their fashion exhibition.

    It was a show of clothes they sewed as part of the outcome of what they are being taught in the school. They used life models to exhibit the works, which was mostly men’s native wears made with African fabrics. Some women’s clothes were also exhibited.

    South Africa-based designer Fred Eboka, an alumnus of the college, who was among the many other successful fashion designers that attended the exhibition, described them as good and a move in the right direction.

    He told the students that the school is a structural platform where they have been taught the basics, urging them to learn more from professionals to know the business of design.

    “What you have learnt here is the foundation of your future and you have to take it seriously. But you have to learn more from those who are already in the business of fashion to enable you practice, know how to meet and deal with clients, learn the business of fashion and know how to feel expensive fabrics among other things.

    “If you will be a good designer, you must pay attention to everything because everything matters; you must know something about history and architecture, you must have critical eyes and you must subject yourself to critical thinking.”

    He urged the students to see fashion as a profession that need and offer solutions.

    “We have to invent the need for our work; it is our responsibility to suggest to the society what to wear, find designs that articulate their thoughts, ensure it is acceptable in the society, provide it and then it becomes trends. Fashion deals with trends.”

    He added that to be successful in fashion; “You must be able to observe and think, you must be smart, be unique, think differently, push the boundary, package yourself, be disciplined, be informed and let your work have quality. You must respect time and technology; you have to be cognizance of the society you live in; in Nigeria do what the Nigerians wants,” he said.

    He told them to get the required skills to move the industry in the country to the next level, noting that it will require a lot of hard work and exposure.

    He stressed the need for there to be policies around clothing and textile, saying that if not, the country will become a junkyard of different cloths and those being trained as fashion designers will not be relevant in the society as they will have no value to add.

    The Dean of the School, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, said the exhibition was deliberate and aimed at bringing together successful fashion designers who are old students of the school and others, to synergies with them based on the experience they have gathered over the years.

    “We have brought them here to say it as it is in the industry so that the students will gain from them. This will enable the students start not from where we started but they will be able to leverage the shared experiences of others to do well at the end of the day.

    “The life models used in the exhibition is to open up the minds of the students to get the right models from successful ones to showcase their works.”

    He noted that the industry the students are going into is dissected. “What they will do to be a success out there is beyond the certificate; we prepare them for the basics but they have to learn under masters and make themselves professionals.”

    He said: “This programme is to let them not have swollen head that they are graduates but they will know where to start from. The journey just began after school; they have to brace up for the community, get different and ensure that they solve problem,” he said.

    A renowned Fashion Designer, Tony Jones, urged the students to learn from those ahead of them, noting that is the way they can know what is ahead of them.

  • Improve research for lecturers, students of Biotechnology, says don

    A professor of Biotechnology at the Ota, Ogun State based Covenant University (CU), Olawole Obembe, has urged the three tiers of government to further develop secondary and tertiary education.

    Obembe of the Department of Biological Sciences, is also seeking improved research in biotechnology, adding that the discipline should be based on long-term training rather than through seminars and workshops. This, he said, is in addition to aggressive funding of specialised biotechnology centres and agencies such as the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA); National Centre for Genetic Research and Biotechnology (NACGRAB); and Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), among others.

    Delivering CU’s 19th inaugural lecture at the university premises, Obembe, appealed to authorities across Africa to increase capacity for food production. This, according to Obembe, becomes necessary, particularly amid the grim prediction by the United Nations that an additional two billion individuals are most likely to be malnourished by 2050.

    Obembe, who spoke on the topic: “Subdue and dominate the earth: Plant Biotechnology for sustainable development’, admonished authorities to leverage plant biotechnology, which he described as the panacea for food, feed and fibre production.

    He said, “It is noteworthy that while the world’s population is increasing phenomenally in fulfilment of the mandate of creation, the size of the planet earth remains fixed and its resources also remain finite. This challenge has had its effect on socio economic development and the overall quality of life.

    “Plants are pivotal to the existence of life on the earth and in situations whereby population growth is exceeding food production, agriculture is as never before crucial to the economies and environments of the world.

    “Modern agriculture must meet the demands of the ever increasing population and expectation of improved living standards, in the presence of frightening harmful consequences of diminishing arable land and environmental pollution, plant biotechnology offers the world significant opportunities to subdue and dominate over the challenge of ever growing demand for food, feed and fibre production, as well as the need for good health and well-being, ensuring that more efficient use of the world’s limited resources and consequently contributing to sustainable development.”

    Obembe said Africa has the opportunity of profiting immensely from agricultural biotechnology because of its large population, rich yet uncultivated arable land which could be fully maximised.

    He continued: “African countries have the greatest potentials to benefit from modern agricultural biotechnology. This is due to the fact that about 70 per cent of the populations derive their livelihood from farming. The agriculture is the single largest employer of labour worldwide, providing income for 40 per cent of the current global population.

    “Agriculture contributes the largest source of income and jobs for poor rural households. Globally, 500 million small farms, most of which are still rain-fed, produce about 80 per cent of food consumed in major part of the developing world. It is noteworthy that 65 per cent of Africa’s workforce is employed by the agricultural sector, which also contributes 32 per cent of the continents’ gross domestic product.

    “Agriculture accounts for one third of Nigeria’s GDP and it is the leading employment sector, as it employs over two third of the country’s total workforce. Thus unlocking this sector holds the key to socio-economic transformation in African countries in general and Nigeria in particular. Africa is home to over half of the world’s uncultivated arable land and as such has limitless opportunities to leverage on new technologies.”

    Obembe noted that plant biotechnology may not directly play a role in attaining sustainable development goals (SDG4) which seeks to ensure quality and all-encompassing education for all, yet it can make indirect contribution by reducing hunger, poverty and improve health.

    “By increasing the wealth generating opportunities of the resource poor farmers in rural communities with provision of better crops, they (mall scale farmers) could afford to enroll their children in school, thereby increasing the percentage of school children.

    “It is generally believed that education is the foundation for improving quality of life as well as the key that will enable the achievements of several other sustainable Development Goals. With quality education, people can break from the cucle of poverty and can live healthier and sustainable lives, and in tolerance among other people thereby contributing to more peaceful societies.”