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  • Making technical, vocational education attractive

    Making technical, vocational education attractive

    The Federal Government has intensified efforts for structural reforms to revive technical and vocational education with a bold move to incentivise learning. Part of the plan is to pay students who enrol in vocational schools to motivate them, jerk up enrolment figures, buck the trend of mass emigration by artisans and skilled workers and ultimately make technical education attractive. While the idea is to transition from a “resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy,” sustainability, effective and proper implementation have been identified to be key, DAMOLA KOLA-DARE reports.

    The imperative of technical and vocational training

    The importance of technical and vocational education cannot be understated in advancing national development. Experts believe that it significantly contributes to societal and economic progress through the production of a skilled and competent workforce, boosting productivity and innovation, and responding to demands of the labour market.

    They said in many developing countries, there is a mismatch between the skills required by industries and those possessed by job seekers, thus creating a huge gap.

    Technical and vocational education addresses this issue by focusing on in-demand market skills, therefore, contributing to reduce unemployment. The alignment of specialised education with industry needs creates a workforce of skilled personnel who can immediately contribute to the economy.

    The growing  demand for skilled labour in sectors such as manufacturing, IT, healthcare and renewable energy, among others, makes it imperative to prioritise technical and vocational training.

    They affirmed that such specialised learning not only results in developing individual skills, but fosters rapid economic growth with skilled personnel, who can add value to industries.

    As the world continues to change at breakneck pace, nations poised for greater economic development will need to invest in and strengthen technical education and vocational learning to secure a brighter future and rank among the comity of economically vibrant countries.

    N120 billion incentive to inspire enrolees

    Therefore, when Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed last week at a ministerial briefing on plans by the Federal Government to pay students, who enrol in technical and vocational schools, stakeholders and observers saw it as an avenue to drive an industrial revolution.

    The minister affirmed that incentivising vocational and technical education for students was part of efforts to revive such. Thus, the ministry is poised to bridge Nigeria’s human capacity gaps through vocational skills aimed at boosting economic growth.

    According to him, plans were underway to significantly increase enrolment in vocational schools through financial incentives for students and implement structural reforms to engender effective learning outcomes.

    The minister, while emphasising the importance of vocational and technical education, noted that President Bola Tinubu had approved N120 billion as a startup for students’ entrepreneurial mode.

    He stated that the country is currently focusing on a value chain approach to technical education, ensuring that practical training is provided to artisans.

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    According to him, students will undergo a dual-mode training system, where they will spend three days in school, one day for didactic training and one day in the workshop.

    The minister said: “We would pay students to go to those schools. We’ve modelled how much we’re going to pay them when we roll the programme out. We’ll be announcing that soon.”

    Alausa highlighted the government’s efforts to reverse the ongoing emigration trend (japa) of Nigeria’s skilled workers to foreign countries in search of the proverbial greener pastures.

    He stressed the need to revive vocational education in addressing mass emigration, adding that plumbers earn more than doctors in the United Kingdom or the United States today.

    He, nevertheless, underscored the significance of hands-on training, stressing that 80 per cent of vocational education will focus on practical skills, while 20 per cent will be dedicated to the theoretical aspect of learning. The minister also disclosed that the government plans to engage master crafts persons from large, medium and small industries to mentor trainees. He said a nationwide monitoring system will ensure quality training.

    “We’ll ask you how many students you can train, 10 students? We’ll give you 10 students and we’ll pay for each. We’ll pay you for each of those students every month.

    “To further ensure quality training, the ministry will recruit 774 performance monitor officers, one for each local government to oversee students’ progress.

    “The education ministry has developed a framework for vocational education that categorises institutions into skill training centres, vocational enterprise institutes, and state/federal technical colleges.

    “For the skill training centre, it will be six-month training and that will be open to people who dropped out of school, didn’t finish primary school, or didn’t complete their JSS,” Alausa stated.

    He noted that the curriculum will be tailored to meet labour market needs based on a comprehensive skills gap analysis.

    Alausa said President Bola Tinubu has mandated him to work closely with the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry to provide single-digit loans for trainees.

    “Our educational system is transitioning from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy,” the minister added.

    With the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) regulating the schools, vocational schools in Nigeria focus on training students in practical skills leading to immediate employment, entrepreneurship or advanced technical education.

    These institutions admit junior or senior secondary school leavers; they offer certifications in various fields namely, welding, carpentry, electric work, plumbing, photography, building technology, fashion, Information and Communication Technology, among others.

    Unending mass exodus/japa

    The trend of mass exodus of workers both skilled and unskilled from the country seems unabating.

    Observers argued that this is evident across all sectors of the workforce. Many are believed to be desperate for a better life and the proverbial greener pastures. Other reasons attributed for the mass movement are mass unemployment, unfavorable working conditions, wide gap between the rich and poor, bad economy, insecurity among others.

    Statistics revealed that the youth and young professionals in the country are the highest number of persons migrating abroad. The emigrant believes that other countries provide better security of lives, better property, better working environment, better pay and welfare.

    It is evident that the mass exodus of Nigerians continues to affect the labour force negatively. Checks showed that in Africa and in particular Nigeria, migration had risen steadily in the past two decades.

    Nevertheless, the Federal Government’s resolve to make technical and vocational training attractive is seen as a first step towards stemming the japa syndrome.

    Financial incentive innovative as game-changer

    Stakeholders argued that monetary incentive to would-be enrolees in vocational schools would be a game-changer if efforts are made towards its sustainability.

    For Vice Chancellor of African School of Economics, Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, once the Federal Government starts giving incentives to would-be students, it will be sustainable. He said that funding will not be a barrier “if the political will remains rock-solid”. The don added that there are development partners that the government can collaborate with to make the initiative sustainable.

    He said: “I think it is a strategic move to revive interest in technical and vocational education, a core need of the moment. The reality is that Nigeria needs job creators, not job seekers. TVE specialises in equipping learners with such functional education that makes them self-reliant, self-dependent with hands-on skills and vocations.

    “The move is commendable and I wish the initiative is successful. When the youth are functionally educated, functional education being the type of education that imbues learners with practical skills and knowledge that can be used in real life, individuals and the society at large benefit from it.

    “If political will is there, funding it won’t be a problem at all. People first thought education was underfunded and when NELFUND was introduced, several thousands of Nigerian students have benefitted and are still benefiting from it.

    “I believe funding it won’t be a problem, especially if the political will remain rock-solid. Besides, there are development partners that the government can collaborate with. Everyone is concerned with nipping the unemployment problem in the bud and this is one of the innovative ways of addressing it: encourage interest in and passion for Technical and Vocational Education.”

    CONUA: clear roadmap needed for long-term funding

    While applauding the government for an “initiative that has the potential to attract more students to vocational training”, the National President of Congress of University Academics (CONUA), Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, noted that to avoid policy inconsistency and potential abandonment, the Federal Government must provide a clear roadmap on how it will be financed over time without negatively impacting other sectors of education, particularly the university sector.

    According to him, a major concern is the long-term financial viability of this initiative, especially given Nigeria’s past funding patterns in the education sector.

    He opined that the Federal Government has been found to have struggled to meet various financial obligations in the education sector, including university funding, earned academic allowances, and outstanding salaries.

    Sunmonu said the introduction of stipends for vocational students raises fundamental questions: “Will this policy be backed by a sustainable budgetary framework? Will it not further reduce and/or strain the already overstretched educational budget?”

    In a statement on behalf of the union, he said: “As a union, we recognise the importance of technical education in fostering skills development, reducing unemployment and enhancing economic productivity. However, while this initiative has the potential to attract more students to vocational training, CONUA believes that certain critical considerations must be addressed to ensure its effectiveness, sustainability and alignment with national educational priorities.

     “While financial incentives may increase enrollment, CONUA is of the opinion that funding alone does not guarantee quality learning. The effectiveness of technical and vocational education depends on properly equipping the training institutions with modern facilities and technology. In addition, adequate and well-trained instructors must be provided in order to impart relevant skills. Finally, there must be strong handshake with the industry so as to provide hands-on experience, apprenticeships, and employment pathways for graduates.

    “CONUA firmly believes that technical and university educations are complementary. While CONUA acknowledges that the FG is trying to promote vocational education through this commendable policy, it must however not come at the expense of university education, which remains critical for national development, research, and innovation.

    “It is for the aforementioned reasons that CONUA urges the federal government to adopt a balanced approach that strengthens all levels of education rather than creating funding disparities.”

    Proper monitoring, alignment with industries key

    A former Imota Students’ Union Director of Finance, Jimoh Wahab, noted that for it to work long-term, there must be a clear financial framework, proper monitoring and alignment with industries that can absorb skilled workers.

    He said to make the initiative sustainable, the government should partner with private sector players who have a direct interest in skilled labour and workforce development.  Wahab also urged the government to provide incentives like tax breaks or policy support to encourage private-sector participation.

    “The idea of paying Nigerians who enrol in technical and vocational schools is a strategic move to revive technical education. It could motivate students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, to pursue practical skills rather than just academic degrees. Given Nigeria’s high unemployment rate, a stronger focus on vocational training could help bridge the skills gap and make graduates more employable.

    However, sustainability is a major concern. Education in Nigeria is already underfunded, with poor infrastructure, low teacher salaries, and inconsistent funding for existing programmes.  If the government does not have a clear funding strategy—such as partnerships with the private sector or dedicated levies—this initiative could become another short-lived policy,” he said.

    NAPTAN: it is the way to go

    Deputy National President National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, hailed the Federal Government for the initiative. He urged the government to create a yearly budget for it, adding that it is imperative to encourage students to attend vocational schools because enrollment is discouragingly low.

    Ogunbanjo stressed the need to support the government on the initiative, noting that it is key to also fully equip the schools with functional facilities to aid learning.

    “We need to be intentional about technical and vocational education. It is a good move by the government. No matter how small, the stipend will be an encouragement because enrolment is so low. The states should also replicate this, and not leave it only for the Federal Government. Sustainability is important and the government should create a budget for it every year, while ensuring the institutions have modern and standard facilities and equipment to boost learning. It is important to encourage the government to start and we hope it is sustained,” he said.

  • Ayebusiwa partners Ondo varsity on graduate technical training for constituents

    Ayebusiwa partners Ondo varsity on graduate technical training for constituents

    The honourable member representing Okitipupa Constituency I at Ondo State House of Assembly, Chris Ayebusiwa, has announced two-week Graduate Technical Training for his Constituency.

    Ayebusiwa, who is Chairman, House Committee on State Tertiary Institutions, on Saturday, made the programme public in a statement on his verified Facebook page.

    The lawmaker explained that the programme was deemed necessary for  graduate constituents in his constituency in order to support career development, help retain jobs by providing participants with opportunities to learn new skills, advance their roles, or achieve specific professional goals.

    The statement reads: “In the face of growing concern over the rate of unemployment, we have deemed it fit to explore the opportunities that are derivable from technical skills by partnering with Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, (OAUSTECH) in other to provide technical skills for our graduate constituents.

    “It is our sincere hope that the programme would enhance the skills of our graduate constituents by either helping to secure steady income or get higher-paying jobs. We do hope also that it would support career development and help retain jobs by providing participants with opportunities to learn new skills, advance their roles, or achieve specific professional goals.”

    Ayebusiwa seeks the cooperation of his constituents for the success of the programme, saying: “We sincerely crave your cooperation in favour of the programme as we daily recommit ourselves to making more opportunities available to our esteemed constituents.

    The training, according to him, shall cover specialities such as: Solar Inverter & Installation, Global Positioning System, Close Circuit Television installation, IP/Cloud operation, among others.

  • Firm decries declining technical schools, artisanship training

    Firm decries declining technical schools, artisanship training

    Senior Partner at VGC Luxury Homes, Dare James, has decried declining standards of technical schools and artisanship training.

    He spoke during unveiling of affordable Home Ownership Project by VGC Luxury Homes, subsidiary of ArchPoint, adding: “I believe it is a basic human right for every Nigerian to own at least a house they can call their own. Our vision is to go beyond mere structures into designing, construction and delivery of a mini estate, comprising two-bedroom apartments, which can be more affordable for young and low income earners.”

    He attributed some challenges of the industry as lack of professionalism from artisans, forcing companies to bring in skilled workers from neighbouring countries, while calling on the government to revive and invest in technical and vocational schools. 

    “Most project owners failed to carry along professionals like architects, professionally qualified engineers, and Lagos State building control agency during construction to know if the building aligns with approval given by the government. A research by Standard Organisation of Nigeria indicates poor quality materials are major causes of building collapse. I advise that builders use the specified cement for construction,” Dare said.

    He stressed that at the VGC Luxury Homes, a subsidiary of Archpoint Ltd, a team of highly skilled professionals, Architects, Engineers, Project Managers, Constructionists and Real Estate Developers working with the company are involved at different stages of every building construction by the company, to ensure touch of professionalism and durability.

    VGC Luxury Homes at the unveiling introduced; Spring garden estate,1st homes, Koch garden, Lucky garden, Hampton park, VGC Luxury apartment Lekki, VGC Luxury apartment Ajah , MacDonald apartment Ikoyi, Koch homes Lekki to attendees as part of the completed housing projects and programmes available to the general public at affordable prices.

  • Technical University as a game changer – (II)

    I now come to one of the seemingly knotty areas about Tech-U. Since the publication of our fee structure on our website, a few members of the public have expressed deep reservation. For these people, our tuition and charges are outrageous. In fact, some want to simply send their wards here without any financial responsibility on their part. Sincerely, we appreciate the varied sentiments expressed in response to our fees.

    However, some essential facts must be made known here.

    First, let it be clear that the disclosure of our fees upfront must be seen as a sign of our commitment to running an open system. We think it is sensible to carry the general public along in our operations. It helps us more to stay true to our course. We do not intend to provoke any ill-feeling in the general public with the publication of our fees.

    Second, Tech-U tuition at N400, 000 per session is not outrageous or prohibitive. Yes, the university is established by the Oyo State government. The truth is that it is not managed by the state government. The undergirding principle behind our operation is that we are a public university with a private sector orientation. We are set up to be self-sustaining in the long run. Government support and funding for us have an exit plan.

    To be sure, the great universities of our world that many desire are not run singularly by or with big government funds. They charge fees and depend on funding from their alumni bodies, wealthy individuals, and corporations. If we want Tech-U to survive, operate efficiently, deliver on the kind of training we promise, avoid strikes (one of the banes of higher institutions in our clime), and maintain a high degree of academic standard, it is inevitable that we charge differently from what obtains in public universities. I guarantee the Nigerian public that Tech-U is a university where parents and investors will get value for the money spent there.

    Conversely, those who bid us to charge like public universities do not pay attention to the ironic contradiction that subsists in those institutions. A high number of the materials used by students in those institutions of learning are provided by parents. Those institutions are not as free as people think. Charges for all kinds of things that should be available free exist. The irony is that it is where you think your charges have been subsidised or you are absolved of them that you even pay more. That is the ironic reality of public institutions in our country today!

    At Tech-U, we did our research across public and private universities before we arrived at the tuition and other charges we have prepared. There are many private universities whose tuitions and charges are much higher than ours. Besides, STEM programmes are cost-intensive. It is either you commit the right funds into them and get good results or you commit below what is required and manage the less than commendable outcomes.

    We wish to assure all parents and organisations which have elected to send their wards and children here that they will be glad at the end that they made this choice. And for those who are still thinking of sending their children abroad, we wish to ask them to reconsider that plan. At Tech-U, we guarantee the very quality they seek abroad.

    Third, we should like to clearly emphasise the point that Tech-U is not an institution for a select segment of the Nigerian society. In other words, an apartheid system has no place here. Everybody and anybody who has the requirements to be admitted is free to come. More importantly, among those already offered admission to study at Tech-U are children of those who have long been bothered about whether they would even have the money to send their children to the supposedly free public universities.

    Special note must be made of how we have, ab initio, put a lie to the claim of Tech-U being a learning space for the few stupendously wealthy citizens of our country. We have in place a scholarship arrangement known as Tech-U Scholarship Scheme. Three students from each of the 33 Local Government Areas in Oyo State were admitted to this university through this scheme.

    We just did not ask the LGAs to provide these students. We asked each of them to nominate 10 qualified students who meet our requirements. We specifically requested as a condition that all of the 10 students must have graduated from public secondary schools; are indigenes of the LGAs; wrote the last UTME and scored at least 160; and have at least credit in English Language, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and either Biology or Agricultural Science. This is how we can really reach the underprivileged segment in the state. We subjected all of them to a competitive process (Computer-Based Test) which aligns with the culture of excellence and quality that Tech-U uncompromisingly favours. From this competitive process, we picked the best three candidates from each LGA and recommended them to the state government for scholarship. Those successful ones constitute a consequential number of the students we are taking off with in January 2018. As such, we have a university that provides a level-playing field for the privileged and the less privileged in and outside Nigeria, as well as a state government which privileges education for development.  Tech-U does not subsidize the rich and continues to make effort to empower the underprivileged.

    The fourth concluding point under this segment is that some of the items on our fee outlay will only be paid for once. Items like student handbook, tie and scarf, cufflinks, school pin, etc., will be provided for our students till they graduate. When you consider that some of the charges are one-off, it will be clear that bills for subsequent academic sessions will be lighter.

    In conclusion, it is pertinent to aver that Tech-U is set to be a game changer in the education sector of Nigeria. We are set to train youths whose trainings will aid significantly to contribute richly to the socio-economic advancement of Nigeria and other climes. The graduates we will produce will have the confidence of their trainings; will be innovators, creators of jobs, employers, and ultimately builders of society.

    As a society, the economic advancement we are in dire need of cannot be guaranteed by weak, theory-suffused higher education. To industrialise and to compete with the rest of the world, a sound, skill-oriented higher education is inescapably critical.

    To this end, as we welcome our first set of students in January, 2018, we call on companies, industries, wealthy individuals, and committed stakeholders in the higher education emporium for support in every possible way. We have no iota of doubt that the existence of Tech-U is for the wellbeing of humankind. Come on board and let us make this a reality every single passing day!

     

    • Professor Salami is the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of The Technical University, Ibadan.

  • Technical university as a game changer – 1

    The responses of the general public to the affairs of The Technical University (Tech-U), Ibadan, as published and broadcast by different media establishments, have been tremendously encouraging and revealing. Key stakeholders in the education sectors in and out of Nigeria are keenly paying attention to the unique blueprint of transformation we aim to bring about in the education industry of this country. This makes us confident that with willing and supportive partners, all the difficulties on our path will constitute the strength we need to achieve enduring success.

    This piece, an excerpt of the address I gave at the University’s Press Conference held recently, is put together against the backdrop of the arrival of Tech-U’s pioneer students on Sunday January 7, 2018, and the take-off of academic activities. Both developments – students’ arrival and beginning of academic undertakings – signpost for us, a historic watershed in our organised efforts towards making Tech-U fully operational.

    As a matter of fact, between December 2012 when the university was formally recognised by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and August 2017 when the same body accredited its (University’s) courses, a considerable number of issues have been raised by the (non)critical segments of the public.

    Questions and issues of funding and partnerships, tuition, infrastructure, staffing, ownership, and more importantly, the sustainability of the vision of the university have been (and are still being) raised. Some of these questions have been addressed in our courtesy visits to select media houses in Oyo and Lagos states.

    Accordingly, it becomes imperative that a momentous occasion that our commencement of academic affairs represents, with the assumption of the university by students, should be heralded by a piece which provides another good opportunity for the reinforcement of the narrative of uniqueness in training of students and the overall values the university seeks to birth in the higher education sector of Nigeria.

    As it has been noted time and again, Tech-U is an initiative of the current administration in Oyo State under the purposeful leadership of Governor Abiola Ajimobi. The university is neither meant to merely balloon the number of universities as the 38th state university, nor is it one that satisfies the yearning for our very own university that indigenes of Oyo State can don as a badge of pride. Tech-U is established to expand access to university education. Its strategic emergence on the higher education port of our country is meant to, through the painstaking cultivation of a cadre of technical professionals with fitting entrepreneurial skills, frontally combat the mounting plague of youth unemployment in Nigeria. We see a problem whose resolution will improve the human condition in Nigeria and beyond. This aptly summarises our relevance.

    At Tech-U, we privilege an admixture of theory and practical. We are different from a university of technology because of our rich emphasis on employment-preparation skills. Our focus on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines is informed by the need to provide our young people with the knowledge and skills that are applicable to actual world problems.

    Available statistics lend credence to the fact that ‘the job growth rate for STEM careers is more than 38 per cent and it is growing rapidly’. STEM careers are also known to yield juicy pays. If Nigeria is to have a fighting chance in the world of socioeconomic development, it cannot afford to disregard the kind of human capacity that the STEM disciplines make possible. I dare say that Tech-U is on a mission to use STEM education to secure a better future for our youths and to midwife Nigeria’s economic development.

    Similarly, the lamentation subsists that many of Nigerian graduates are unemployable owing to inadequacies of their trainings. At the point of graduation, a majority of these graduates are considered as not being market-ready. This gap is attributable in part to the apparent lack of entrepreneurial orientation of several academic programmes in the Nigerian University System. Tech-U has a vision to address the employability gaps through entrepreneurial orientation of the average Nigerian youth.

    We are set to provide such quality training that will enable our graduates to be job creators, innovators, and employers of labour. It is for this reason that all students admitted to study here will compulsorily undergo trainings in two vocations selected by them at our Centre for Entrepreneurial and Vocational Studies. In conflating theory with practical, we expect to produce graduates that are demonstrably rounded in knowledge and sound in skills.

    This explains why our motto – developing brains, training hands – is not a seductive catchphrase.  Our vision is that no graduate of Tech-U will go about roaming the street in search of jobs. It is either they are so good that the industries hire them straightaway, or they simply establish their own start-ups.

    Tech-U is taking off with 15 fully NUC-accredited academic programmes. The accreditation of these programmes means that the regulatory body (NUC) is satisfied that we have both the human capacities and the facilities necessary for the admission and training of students.

    Certainly, we are expected to improve more significantly on these amenities and capacitize the institution as it grows. We assure the general public that we are not going to renege on this. And I call on the public and all stakeholder to check on us periodically to monitor our pace.

    I wish to underscore the point that among the 15 courses are some that are relatively new in Nigerian universities. Take cybersecurity for example. We want to be foremost in providing solution to the aches of cybercrimes in all its variegated colourations. You may already be familiar with the extant report that reveals Nigeria as the third country in the world, after the US and the UK, where cybercrime is prevalent. And sometime this year, President Muhammadu Buhari was reported as plaintively noting that Nigeria loses hefty billions of Naira to this notable crime annually.

    Similarly, our Biomedical Engineering seeks to fill the yawning gap evident in the lack of technical-know-how for the repair of high-tech hospital equipment. In our hospitals, it so often happens that when a machine breaks down, it becomes abandoned and a new one is bought. We intend to train the requisite manpower to help stem the tide of abandoned broken hospital apparatuses.

    There are other programmes like Software Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering. With these and other courses, we want to make the idea of university as the bedrock of societal continual development much more realistic.

    • To be Continued

     

    • Professor Salami is the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of The Technical University, Ibadan.
  • Investors strike 14 deals as Oando remains on technical suspension

    Investors strike 14 deals as Oando remains on technical suspension

    •SEC, NSE still studying court order 

    Investors struck 14 deals for 142,250 shares of Oando yesterday at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) but the indigenous energy group’s share price remained unchanged at N5.99 per share, despite a court order that restrains the NSE from putting the company under technical suspension.

    A full suspension is the halt of trading activities in a listed security for a period. A technical suspension is the interruption of price movement in a listed security for a period so that any dealings in the securities which occur during the period of the suspension will not result in any change in price, which change may have occurred had the suspension not been implemented.

    The NSE had on Monday October 23, 2017 placed the shares of Oando on technical suspension, “thus, the shares will be available for trading but there will be no price movement while the technical suspension subsists”.

    Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had last week ordered the placement of full suspension on the shares of Oando as the apex capital market regulator launched a forensic investigation into allegations leveled against the management of Oando by two aggrieved shareholders. The Commission also indicated that the full suspension should be relaxed to technical suspension after 48 hours.

    Oando obtained an interim court order on Monday October 23, 2017, restraining the NSE and any other party working on their behalf from giving effect to the directive of the SEC to implement a technical suspension of the shares of the company pending the hearing and determination of the motion for injunction and also an order restraining the SEC and any other parties claiming through or working on behalf of the Commission from conducting any forensic audit into the affairs of the company pending the hearing and determination of the motion for injunction.

    However, both the NSE and SEC were served with the enrolled court order on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 after the technical suspension was carried out by the NSE on Monday, October 23, 2017.

    A regulatory source said there was no immediate compliance with the ex-parte order because the regulators were seeking legal interpretation and implication of the court order.

    According to the source, the court order rather than seeking to vacate and lift the suspension on the company’s shares sought to restrain a directive that was already in process since last week and completed on Monday with the relax of the full suspension to technical suspension.

    In a statement signed by Chief Compliance Officer and Company Secretary, Oando Plc, Ayotola Jagun, Oando stated that it was of the view that the SEC’s directives were illegal, invalid and calculated to prejudice the business of the company.

    Two petitioners -Alhaji Dahiru Mangal and Ansbury Inc had filed petitions against Oando with SEC, alleging gross abuse of corporate governance and financial mismanagement. SEC had ordered placement of Oando’s shares under trading suspension at the NSE while directing a forensic audit of Oando.

    Oando stated that it found it necessary to take legal action because of contradictions in the directives by SEC and the need to protect the interest of its shareholders.

    Oando noted that it had fully co-operated with the SEC since the commencement of this investigation in May 2017 and provided all information requested but it was evident that submissions made to the SEC were not duly considered due to the conclusions reached and actions taken, as all of the matters raised have been responded to in great detail with all supporting documents requested by the SEC.

  • NITAD to fill skills gap with technical, soft skills

    he Nigerian Institute of Training & Development (NITAD) has trained and inducted over 6,000 members.

    Its President, Mrs. Janet Jolaoso, said the training has taken a lot of youths out of  the unemployment market and also aided graduates of universities and other higher institutions to acquire soft skills to be entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

    She spoke at the Special Induction Ceremony, which is the 22nd edition in the series of the institute’s induction programmes and the second Postgraduate Diploma in Training and Development Graduation Ceremony in Lagos, over the weekend.

    She said the institute, which has not been  chartered awaits approval from the National Assembly and has begun the Mandatory Continuous Professional Education (MCPE) programme for individuals, corporate members.

    Efforts are also on to embark on re-certification exercise of its members including the introduction of professional licences.

    Earlier, Chairman, Annual Conference Trainers Conference, Mr. Oluwaseyi Kuton, said the institute was collaborating with both the Lagos and Ogun states’  Ministry of Education to enroll secondary school students and encourage them to identify their interests and horn their skills through technical education.

    According to him, students are encouraged to identify their passion and pursue it.

    Kuton regretted the identifiable educational and skill gaps in the education system, noting that the economy cannot grow with the teeming number of unemployed graduates that are not equipped for the market place.

    He suggested that since there are limited jobs, school leavers should be trained in soft skills to make them successful entrepreneurs and employers of labour including training in character and attitude to work.

    Kuton encouraged those who already have skills to enroll with NITAD to enhance their skills as the market place is limited and highly competitive.

    For the Acting Registrar, Mr. Victor Kayode, there is a need for school leavers to identify their special skills while acquiring additional ones.

    He reiterated the need for people to have extra skills in order to stand out and be employers of labour.

    Kayode disclosed that NITAD was collaborating with some state governments to train young school leavers in skills that will enable them stand out in the market place.

    A graduand, Ms Regina Orumbie, said the training has given her an edge and made her a better document controller and trainer in the education sector where she works.

    For Adeyemi Joseph, though the training was rigorous, it taught him various learning strategies and development methodologies.

    According to him, the various skills acquired will enable him train others and also improve his profitability.

  • Community seeks varsity status for college

    Community seeks varsity status for college

    Members of the Governing Council of the Federal College of Education, Technical (FCET) in Umunze, Anambra State, have held their inaugural meeting. They toured the insitution after the meeting. EMEKA ONWUDINJO reports.

    LAST week’s Governing Council meeting of Federal College of Education, Technical, (FCET) in Umunze, Anambra State, was spectacular. It was the inaugural.

    Apart from focusing on the state of facilities in the institution, they also, thereafter, toured the campus.

    But what they did not discuss –  the institution’s upgrade into a university- came up during a visit to the monarch of Umunze, Igwe Promise Ezeh, who urged them to support the call for the elevation of the college to become the first University of Education in the Southeast.

    Igwe Ezeh said: “I can tell you that every member of the town is interested in the progress of the school, and the management has maintained cordial relationship with members of the host community. We have seen the college becoming one of best in the country in terms of academic performance and teachers’training. This is why we want the college to be upgraded to a university.”

    The traditional ruler pleaded with the council to consider appointing a qualified indigene of the host community to succeed the college provost, Prof Josephat Ogbuagu, noting that nobody from the area been a provost of the college since its inception in 1989.

    Responding, the Council Chairman Mr Ibrahim Radda, assured the traditional ruler that the selection of the next provost would follow due process, pointing out that Ogbuagu’s successor should be ready to work with the council to address olege’s challenges.

    Earlier, he said the tour was prompted by members’ desire to ascertain the state of the college’s infrastructure, promising that the council would consolidate on the gains recorded by the college management led by Prof Josephat Ogbuagu.

    After the tour, Raddah said council members were thrilled by the management’s achievements, claiming that the facilities were better than those of other Federal Government colleges. He praised the provost for his “giant stride”.

    A member of the council, Hon. Uche Anakor, said there had been improvement in the institution in the last three years. He said most of the council members did not oppose the proposal for the college’s elevation to a university when it was raised during their meeting. He praised the college’s degree programme with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka.

    He said: “With the state of the college facilities, the council will make case for its upgrade to a university because it has the personnel and good location.  And since the college has started to run degree programmes in affiliation with UNIZIK, there will be no hindrance to its quest to be upgraded to a university.

    “We will approach the federal government and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for funding and build more structures. If the college must be upgraded to a university, there is need for more classrooms, auditoriums and other necessary facilities to be in place.

    “We are going to throw our weight behind that proposal and see what we can do to assist the school by looking out for necessary funding of these projects. To upgrade from a college to a university requires a lot of processes.”

    Anakor lauded the cordial relationship between the college and the host community. He praised  Ogbaugu for providing leadership, which he said, transformed the college to a centre of excellence.

    He said: “I think the provost has done so well. If it is possible to give him a third term, I am sure most of the council members would strongly support it. Under him, the students’ population grew and he embarked on projects that improved the rating of the institution.”

    Other members of the council on the tour included Mrs Helen Abdu of Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Paul Onochie, Mr Edmond Nkalu, Dr Jane Madichie, Dr Christopher Ugwuogo, and Secretary to the Council, Mr Augustine Udensi.

  • Firm partners higher institutions to develop technical capacity 

    CypherCrescent Limited and the Committee of Heads of Petroleum Engineering Departments in Nigeria (CHPED) have launched an oil and gas technology research initiative to ensure higher institutions become a citadel for innovation and technical capacity-building.

    The initiative was launched during an industry/academic collaboration at the CypherCrescent Exhibition Stand at the Society of Petroleum Engineers Nigerian Annual International Conference and Exhibition (SPE-NAICE) in Eko Hotels, Lagos.

    Managing Director, Cypher Crescent Mr. ThankGod Egbe said they would engage the academia more pragmatically.

    He said CypherCrescent is a Nigerian petroleum engineering research, software development and asset management support company with innovative solutions changing the management approach of wells and reservoirs to ensure value optimisation, relying on its strength in advanced computing, applied mathematics, in-depth research in petroleum engineering and geosciences to deliver cutting-edge business-intelligence solutions to the global oil and gas industry.

    Egbe said in a drive to stimulate science and engineering advancement through research and support to the academia, CypherCrescent facilitated industry-focused training/workshops and donated software worth over $3 million to higher institutions in the last three years.

    “The company has now taken its social responsibility programme further by setting up a structured research support initiative in collaboration with CHPED,” he said.

    According to him, the innovative solutions from CypherCrescent are products of long-term rigorous research with 100 per cent input from industry experts of Nigerian extraction.

    He urged the universities to take advantage of the CypherCrescent oil & gas technology support initiative and create enduring values to the international oil and gas community.

    The Business Development Manager of CypherCrescent, Mr. Aniekan Udo, stated that with the right paradigm shift from emphasis on grades and degrees to value creation and innovation, universities can contribute more to national economic development.

    The forum was attended by heads of departments from 18 universities.

  • Let Ibadan technical varsity be

    The establishment of a technical university is supposed to be a welcome development in any society, especially in any state in technologically under-developed countries like Nigeria. Resulting from its massive population of about 200 million and decades of poor economic performance, Nigeria has the largest informal sector in Africa with an average national unemployment rate of 24.7 per cent in 2013 and poverty incidence of about 70 percent in 2010. It is a settled issue in development literature that a robust and dynamic informal sector can contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP), create employment and reduce poverty, only when practitioners are equipped with requisite technological skills. Technical university/education therefore remains a critical tool of empowerment for nations. This is because such venture has the tendency of raising the capability and expertise of the students and, as a consequence, increases the output and eventual developmental drive of such societies. It is on this prism that the raging debates about the propriety of a technical university in Oyo state are situated.

    For some reasons, some right, many other clearly incomprehensible and apparently politically-laden, there have been debates about whether or not Oyo State government should venture into establishing any type of university at all. Part of the arguments is the prevalence of economic recession affecting virtually all the states of the federation, except, perhaps Lagos, with the state owing its workers some month salaries, and with the LAUTECH debacle unresolved. Given the foregoing, some critics would not even want to hear of establishment of any capital project, which they consider a misplaced priority at this point in time. I have looked at some of the issues raised by critics of the establishment of the Technical University Ibadan (TUI) critically and come up with my views on why the establishment of the university is a laudable project for which kudos should be given to the governor for his foresight and his uncommon courage.

    First and foremost, the importance of education cannot be over-emphasised as it is the pinnacle of universal knowledge and a platform for global development. Indeed, one of the factors that indicate development in any society is the provision of access or avenue for universal knowledge. Thus, Oyo State, and in particular Ibadan, being the largest city in West Africa, undoubtedly deserves the establishment of its own university with prospects of not just access to indigenes and non-indigenes of the state to universal knowledge, but also the tendency for job opportunities for teaching and non-teaching staff alike.

    The issue of access to higher education has been particularly problematic in Nigeria year in year out. On the average, while about two million candidates seek admission to higher institutions annually, the total carrying capacity of all the universities combined is less than a quarter of admission seekers. This scenario becomes a big challenge especially in states without own university, forcing parents to seek alternative avenues for their children and wards, including private and foreign universities for those who can afford them.

    In addition, the newly established Technical University Ibadan is not just any university; it is a special type specialising in engineering, technology, applied science and natural sciences to solve societal problems. These special courses not readily available in the regular universities and which would be provided by the institution will give tulip to technological advancement at this period in the life of Nigeria. According to Governor Ajimobi, the university is founded on the “principle of unique innovation, research collaboration, exceptional service, integrity, excellence, and uplifting of the human condition, knowledge, skill, classroom, industry and theory and practical”. The university, he added, would provide succour for parents who often send their wards to neighbouring countries for higher education. As argued by the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, the 12 programmes to be offered in the university are in line with tackling unemployment in the country, with teaching emphasis being on “building skills, aside from imparting knowledge”.

    Being one of the largest cities in Nigeria, Ibadan deserves more than the present number of tertiary institutions. The establishment of the technical university will, therefore, go a long way in addressing the problem of access to higher education by admission seekers in Oyo state.

    Findings suggest that the technical university Ibadan is established at almost a zero cost to the state government since it is largely on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The state government has already expressed its readiness to release 90 percent of the university’s shares to private investors while it would retain only 10 percent. Already, private investors have been indicating interest in partnering with state government of the noble venture. For instance, Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has said that the university would be readily available for students of the Okorocha Foundation-owned secondary school in Ibadan.

    Perhaps the loudest criticism of the establishment of the university is from Oyo State chapter of Accord Party (AP), which has criticised the location, not the merit of establishing the university. The AP wants the state government to be sensitive to the geographical composition of the state by siting the newly created Technical University Ibadan (TUI) in Oke-Ogun zone, which has 40 per cent of the state’s landmass; 10 Local Government Areas and population next to Ibadan, the state capital. In truth, Oyo state is made up of five geo-political zones, namely Ibadan (11 LGAs), Oke-Ogun (10 LGAs), Ogbomoso (5 LGAs), Oyo (4 LGAs) and Ibarapa (3 LGAs). The party had argued that Ibadan and other towns jointly owned the state, hence there is need for fair and equitable distribution of projects in the state.

    It is noteworthy that Oyo is not the only state that has established its university at the state capital. Osun State University is located in Osogbo, the state capital, while the newly approved University Of Science and Technology in Ogun State is located at Abeokuta. Besides, does it conform to the principle of fairness that the only technical university, the state’s first ever, be established at a zone which does not have the largest population? Again, is it in the principle of fair play that Ibadan should be neglected for Oke-Ogun in this sense? Be that as it may, one may suggest that satellite campuses of the Technical University Ibadan be sited at other zones of the states, including Oke-Ogun in a bid to extend access to higher education to Oyo state students in these areas.

    It is my sincere wish that all stakeholders and lovers of Oyo state will have the necessary political will to rise above partisan politics and support the noble effort of Governor Ajimobi in the task of repositioning and restoring the lost glory of the pacesetter state. I am deeply convinced that what Nigeria needs at this time are institutions which could offer career development to the middle level needs in the field of technical knowledge. Such middle level technical know-how is necessary for the country to achieve inclusive development, tackle unemployment and conquer poverty. Nigeria can no longer totally depend on the traditional system of university education. It has served a good purpose, and it is still serving a purpose. But, in my view the immediate need is to diversify the tertiary education system with an emphasis on technical and vocational education, which is the focus of Technical University Ibadan. At a minimum, this effort should be supported by all and sundry.

    Technical education, like university education, should become an integral aspect of the development process in the country. Only an institute of this nature, with varied products of highly skilled labour, can respond to labour market demands in a country like ours. The reason is that such Institution can operate multi-disciplinary programmes in various technical fields and the TUI promises exactly that. I end this piece by quoting Albert Einstein to wit: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything learnt in school.”

     

    • Oladeji, PhD, a Senior Research Fellow, writes from NISER, Ibadan.