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Tag: undergraduate

  • Shock as 21-year-old undergraduate commits suicide over failed relationship

    Shock as 21-year-old undergraduate commits suicide over failed relationship

    LINUS OOTA reports the sad tale of a university student who allegedly took her own life in Nasarawa State because she was jilted by her lover.

    It all came like a bolt from the blue. Not even the closest confidant of Miss Sarah Maikefi thought she could end her own life in such a sudden and gruesome manner at her young age. But that was exactly what the 100 level student of Microbiology at Nasarawa State University did in reaction to a failed relationship.

    For years, her parents reveled in her academic progress, holding her up as their source of pride as they plotted her path to a sustainable future. But Sara kept her unwholesome plans to her chest until she took the plunge after her second semester examination on December 8.

    She left no space for her rescue as she bid the world farewell in the tragic event that occurred at an off campus lodge near Family and Friends Hotel, opposite the university campus.

    Sarah, the last born in a family of four children, who until her death looked hale and hearty, waited to round off her second semester exams before retiring quietly into her apartment and bolting the door after the merry-making that followed the students’ completion of their first year. She then took a keg containing a poisonous substance suspected to be an agrochemical and gulped its contents.

    Students and neighbours were said to have made efforts to lessen the impact of the poisonous substance by forcing some palm oil down her throat but it was too late.

    Sara’s cousin, Miss Patience Maikefi, who is also a student of the school, said the deceased had called her on the phone after completing her semester examinations on Friday afternoon, saying that she was tired of everything and could not bear it any longer.

    She recalled that the deceased ended the call abruptly following which she made several attempts to call her back but she did not respond, only for a roommate of the deceased student to call her later to meet them at the school clinic.

    Patience, who spoke amid tears, said on reaching the university clinic, she was informed that her cousin had died from the consumption of a poisonous substance suspected to be either sniper or agrochemical.

    One of the students, who gave his name as Danjuma, told our correspondent that “we met here early this year when she came for her four-year degree programme and we shared a good relationship as students. She was gentle, calm and cool.

    “We used to see her with a young man who was coming here regularly. They were usually in loved-up scenarios and appeared to have bonded.

    “In fact, they showed every sign of two people who were truly in love. But a few weeks before the second semester examination, we were no longer seeing the guy around her and she was showing signs of someone who was worried.

    “We tried to find out what was wrong with her but she kept everything to herself and managed to do the second semester examination.

    “She was actually not looking happy or excited throughout the period of the examination.

    “We became suspicious when she entered her room after her last paper and did not come out for a long time. We knocked on her door but there was no response.

    Read Also: How 18-year-old undergraduate was murdered, by police

    “Initially, we felt she might have slept off as a result of fatigue from the hectic nights of the exam period. But when she still did not come out after a while, we forced her door open only to discover that she had consumed a chemical and her condition was so bad.”

    “We quickly found the means to rush her to the hospital, but she was pronounced dead on arrival.”

    Danjuma said the late Sarah actually showed some signs of depression, but she did not leave any suicide note to explaining the reason for her action.

    He said: “She did not drop any written note. Neither did she talk to anybody on the reason for her action before she passed on.

    “While we were taking her to the hospital, we asked her to tell us the reason for her action but she did not respond. It was obvious that the non-appearance of the guy around the girl took her happiness away.”

    A close friend of the late Sarah, who pleaded anonymity, said she had earlier called to inform her that she had completed her last semester examinations and needed to take a little rest before going to Akwanga.

    She noted that a few hours after their telephone conversation, she did not respond to her calls or return them until he was later informed that Sarah had committed suicide.

    She added that Sarah had been suffering from depression following alleged betrayer by her boyfriend and she had contemplated suicide on several occasions.

    “She told me that the guy she held close to heart cheated on her and abandoned her while she loved him with all her heart. She said she did not want to live anymore, and that killing herself would be the ultimate solution.

    “I kept telling her never to harm herself because of someone else, and that I had also felt that way before but had to control my emotions.

    “I told her that there is no situation that is more important than your life. Consider yourself wounded and allow a healing process to occur.

    “I know it is very painful. What the guy did to her was wrong, but the only way to it is through it. You can’t escape pain, but you can make something beautiful from it.

    “Surround yourself with people who genuinely care for you and lean on them. It is okay to be hurt sometimes, and pains only make us grow.

    “Just remember that every heart break will lead you to the right person. That was my advice to the late Sarah.”

    The late Sarah was buried a few days ago in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

    The Nasarawa State Police Command said it had commenced investigation into the alleged suicide by the 100-level Microbiology student.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, said the personnel of the Angwan Lambu Police Division in Keffi had been deployed to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the said suicide.

    When our correspondent visited Sarah’s family house in Akwanga, none of the family members present was willing to talk about the sad end of their daughter.

  • UNICAL undergraduate targets Guinness record for longest hours in writing

    An undergraduate with the University of Calabar, Daniel Ehis Aiguokhian, has announced plans to create a new Guinness record for the longest hours in writing.

    Daniel Ehis, a 300 level student in the Department of Philosophy, University of Calabar, said his intention is to set a Guinness World Record for the longest hours of writing fiction and nonfiction stories tagged WRITE-A-THON.

    He visited the NUJ press centre in Calabar where he solicited support and used the opportunity to give details of his plan.

    The philosophy undergraduate said “WRITE-A-THON is a writing marathon I hope to attempt for 188 hours, which is an equivalent of eight days. During this period, I will have intervals for rest and continue writing until I accomplish the stipulated time.

    “In addition to this, I am expected to write 16 books with a minimum of 25 pages each, producing two books each 24 hours during the period.

    “My reasons for going on this journey is to show the world the intellectual abilities Nigerians have, and to make the works of writers to be much more appreciated and recognised in Nigeria and Africa at large.

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    “Another reason I want to embark on this journey is to make our leaders invest more in education and promote writers and their works.

    “Lastly, I am embarking on this journey to encourage and motivate not just young and established writers and authors but other people who are still doubting their ability to show them forth.

    “I want to use this activity to help push them out of their comfort zone into achieving their goals in life” he said.

    He stressed that he is confident that he can do this to put Nigeria on a global map as a people who love and support intellectual activities.

    The event is slated to kick off on October 1 as a way to celebrate our independence as a nation with great history, and it will run through 8th of October, 2023.

  • How I became a certified engineer at 18, reveals 21-years-old undergraduate

    How I became a certified engineer at 18, reveals 21-years-old undergraduate

    A 21-year-old Computer Science student at the Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji in Ondo State, Madu Christiana, has narrated how she became a certified Engineer after undergoing training in the BEMOR summer camp.

    Madu said she recently secured a N4m contract to install solar home systems.

    She spoke to journalists in Akure at the closing ceremony of the 2023 Bemore summer boot camp where 300 young girls were trained in solar energy, ICT, entrepreneurship, and other relevant skills.

    Madu said she learnt solar system installation at the Bemore camp in 2018 when she was 16 years old.

    She stated that she went for further training and became a certified solar system engineer at 18.

    According to her, “I am a student with three years’ experience in the industry. Bemore has changed my life. I wanted to be a doctor but I am now a certified Engineer. After three weeks in Bemore camp, my life has been transformed from being a 16-year-old girl to a 21-year-old business owner. I have been able to install several systems for businesses.

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    “I felt happy making my own money. It gave me financial freedom to help myself and my family. I am studying Computer Engineering. I just finished my National Diploma and going for my Higher National Diploma.

    I can see the amount of support Bemore has. Each girl gets a solar home system and it has helped to promote the use of solar energy.”

    Ondo First Lady, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, who described BEMOR as a University of Life, said over 3000 girls have been trained since the programme started in 2017.

    She stated that Bemore was birthed to close the widened gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Entrepreneurship (STEM+E) by empowering young Nigerian girls in critical areas of science and technology while creating opportunities to help them improve their lives and make a meaningful contribution to the socio-economic development of their respective communities.

  • Undergraduate wins Skye Bank’s N5m promo prize

    A 26-year-old undergraduate, Damilola

    Rachel Ajayi has emerged the overall winner of N5 million star prize in the just-concluded Skye Bank Ref ‘n’ Win Promo.

    The ‘Ref n Win’ promo was a youth-focused initiative designed to reward Skye Bank’s account holders who were mainly undergraduates across the country. During the course of the campaign, students who referred their friends to open accounts earned commission on accounts opened and qualified for prizes ranging from N25,000, N50,000. They also stood a chance to partake in the grand draw to win star price value of N5million.

    Miss Ajayi, a resident of Kwara state, who runs her account with the Skye Bank Unilorin branch learnt about the promo through the campus Ref n Win promo flyer, and went all out to canvass for account opening with friends, assuring them that they stood a chance to win big in the promo.

    At the prize and cheque presentation ceremony in Ilorin on Wednesday, the Office Technology and Management (OTM) student of Federal Polytechnic Offa winner, could not hide her joy over the news of her winning; noting that “although it was not easy, but with determination and the help of God I was able to convince most students especially my friends in Unilorin to open an account with Skye bank”.

    Fielding questions from the media on how she received the news of her winning, Damilola said: “A call came through from Skye Bank head office in Lagos informing me that I had won a brand new car in the “Ref ‘n’ Win” promo. On hearing this, I was more than overjoyed to say the least. But you know as a student, I don’t have money to maintain the car so Skye Bank accepted to convert the car to its cash equivalent and I’m really happy.”

    On how she was able to convince other students to open account with Skye Bank, the lucky winner who intends to invest the money ‘so that it will keep increasing’ disclosed she told her prospects: “If you open account today, you stand a chance to win.” According to her, “when I speak to 10 people, I make sure that 5 of them refer at least 3 other people and I give them my account number to use as referral code.”

    The ecstatic Damilola showered so much praises on the Bank. “The stress I passed through to emerge winner was not easy but the reward far outweighs it. Truly Skye Bank is a unique bank. They are changing lives. See, my life has been changed. I am now a millionaire,” said she.

    On his part, Prof. Lanre Tajudeen Ajibade, Dean of Student Affairs, who represented the Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulaiman Abdulkareem, appreciated Skye Bank for keeping faith with their promise and empowering the winner of the promo. “Although before now, I did not have a business relationship with Skye Bank, but with this gesture from the bank, I will open an account today,” he affirmed.

    According to the bank’s Regional Head, South West I, Ibadan, Mr. Abimbola Akorede, “the bank was at various locations in the nation’s tertiary institutions. The objective was to empower Nigerian youths while also deepening financial inclusion in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) mandate.”

     

  • Undergraduate needs N5m for cancer treatment

    A 28-year-old 400-level Philosophy student in Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Lynda Aigbodega, is down with leukaemia (cancer of the blood). She needs N5m for treatment.

    Aigbodega’s elder brother, Emmanuel who spoke with The Nation, said she has been down with the illness and on treatment for over two years.

    He explained that she has swollen gums, adding that she has respiratory track issues which have made her blood strength weak.

    He said Aigbodega’s illness started with repeated head ache, nothing that the family did not know she was then suffering from leukaemia.

    Emmanuel said: “When she began to experience repeated bouts of headache, over two years ago, we did not know she had leukaemia, until the day she collapsed on campus; then she was later diagnosed as a blood cancer patient.

    “She is a lively lady before the illness began. Since the past two years, she has not been going to school as she ought to. She only goes to school when exams draw nearer; her friends help her to get the summary of the lectures and she seats for the exam.

    “She has received treatment at some hospitals, including the General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos and Divine Touch Herbal Clinic, Benin City.

    Emmanuel said the family had exhausted all they had on her treatment and can no longer afford the payment for the N5m surgery.

    He said the family is seeking the support of Nigerians to come to Aigbodega’s aid and give her the chance to live a normal life again.

    For donations, her account: Aigbodega Oyogbo Lynda Access Bank – 0031025100.

  • Undergraduate who died in hotel pool, was brought in dead, rejected —Hospital

    IN a report, Tragedy as 27-yr-old undergraduate dies in hotel pool on Easter Monday, published last Saturday, the spokesman of Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi was quoted as saying that the victim, Ayooluwa Oladipupo died while he was being taken to one Oluwalogbon Hospital, Petedo, in Agbara area of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area.

    The management of the hospital, in a statement, has since debunked the police statement stating that the deceased was “brought in dead and rejected”, at the hospital.

  • Undergraduate ‘stabs’ man with broken bottle

    A 28-year-old student, Yinka Olawale, has been charged with allegedly stabbing a man, who prevented him from stabbing his own mother, at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

    The accused was arraigned before the Magistrate, Mrs. A.O. Akokhia, on a three-count charge of breach of peace, conspiracy and assault.

    Olawale, a resident of Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb, who pleaded not guilty, was granted bail at N100,000 with two sureties.

    Akokhia said the sureties should be employed with an evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State government.

    Prosecutor Clement Okuoimose had told the court that the accused committed the offences on April 7 at his home.

    He alleged that the accused and three others at large conspired and stabbed Mr. Kolawole Olatunji in the head and body with a broken bottle.

    Okuoimose said the accused allegedly conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by arming himself with axes and broken bottles, causing panic in the community.

    The case was adjourned till May 5 for mention.

     

  • Tragedy as 27-yr-old undergraduate dies in hotel pool on Easter Monday

    It was tragedy on Easter Monday for the family of a 27-year-old undergraduate, Ayooluwa Oladipupo, after he allegedly drowned in a swimming pool at a hotel in the Agbara area of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    The deceased was said to be a final year student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.

    According to sources, Oladipupo and his friends had gone to Soltrage Hotel to unwind, when he decided to swim with others in the hotel’s pool.

    He was however said to have shouted for help under the water, a few minutes after he started swimming.

    ‘’Although he was rescued by other revellers around, but the amount of water he gulped while drowning in the pool was too enormous that efforts made to resuscitate or save his life after he was rescued failed completely leading to his death,’’ said a source who asked not to be named.

    ‘’ I think he was a 400 level management student and very humble. His body has been deposited at a public mortuary,’’ the source added.

    Confirming the story, the spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the incident was reported to the Agbara Police Division by one Ayo Adeseun.

    ‘’The incident happened on Easter Monday around 10 pm at Soltrage Hotel, Petedo, Agbara and was reported to our division at Agbara by a man called Ayo Adeseun. The deceased was 27-years old; he was rescued from the pool and taken to Oluwalogbon Hospital, Petedo, for treatment, and later gave up the ghost there.’’

  • Police nab undergraduate for fraud

    Police nab undergraduate for fraud

    Enugu State Police Command has arrested a suspect involved in impersonation of bank customers and beneficiaries of transfers from abroad, spokesman Ebere Amaraizu said in a statement.

    He added that the 23-year-old suspect was an undergraduate from Amaigbo in Nwangele Local Government of Imo State.

    Amaraizu said the suspect went to a new generation bank on Okpara Avenue in Enugu metropolis to cash 800 U.S. dollars purported to have been sent to him by someone abroad.

    “When he was asked by bank workers to provide proof of identification, he presented an identity card bearing the name of Eleng Okpara Peter, likely to be the authorised beneficiary.

    “He smartly superimposed his passport photograph on that of the likely beneficiary and presented himself to be Eleng Okpara Peter.

    “When he could no longer establish his innocence, it was obvious he was trying to withdraw money sent to another person by impersonating the beneficiary,” he said.

    According to him, the suspect earlier claimed the money was sent to him as a gift by a female Facebook friend.

    The spokesman said investigation showed the account number he presented as his belonged to someone else.

    The command advised the public to be security conscious and not disclose their bank details and vital personal information to anybody.

  • Ayade furious over killing of undergraduate

    Ayade furious over killing of undergraduate

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade yesterday decried the manner the police was handling the murder of an undergraduate, Joy Odama.

    The governor, in a briefing yesterday at Abuja, alleged that the accused is walking free in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Ayade vowed to ensure justice in the murder of the Cross River State University undergraduate.

    He said he would petition President Muhammadu Buhari, and directed the attorney general to reach the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), in view of taking the matter to court.

    He said N10 million was set aside to give Joy Odama a befitting burial and ensure that her siblings were catered for.

    The governor indicted an unnamed assistant inspector general of Police (AIG) as well as officers at Karimo police station, and called on the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to intervene.

    Ayade, who was represented by Director General of Due Process Alphonsus Ogar, said the state would want the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and chief medical director of National Hospital, Abuja, to conduct an independent examination.

    According to him, the police claimed she died of carbon monoxide inhalation but the police autopsy report contradicted the earlier one by the National Hospital.

    He said: “We want to place on record that this is one death that will bring to global attention the wicked, callous and unquestionable attitude of the Nigeria Police. The governor has said he will do a personal letter to President Buhari to alert him, because an assistant inspector general has been indicted, officers of Karimo police station have been mentioned; the Alhaji Usman has been walking as a free man.

    “We call on the Police to arrest him and we also call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the NBA to take up this matter.

    “Any injustice to the life of any human being is injustice to all. And as we seek to request for justice. The governor of Cross River State has directed that we allow Joy Odama to rest in peace. In the light of that, her body will be conveyed to Yala local Government on Tuesday and will be interred on Wednesday.  That we are burying Joy Odama does not mean we are burying the matter.”

    Ayade said “the autopsy report from the National Hospital, which we believe to be cogent, convincing and incontrovertible to the fact that she died of acute cocaine poison and juxtaposing the cooked and framed-up autopsy report by the police,, which now has subjected the report of theirs to generator fume is what we want to alert the world about.

    “This can only be resolved by toxicology. Within 48 hours from today, we want an independent expert team of the NMA and the National Hospital chief medical director, reputable government organisations and invite the press to come for a joint toxicology report to be presented to the world,” he said.

    “Governor Ben Ayade has given instruction to the attorney aeneral of Cross River State to commence action with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, the Law Firm of Kanu Agabi (SAN) is also on stand by, to get a fiat of the attorney general should every attempt to get the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute this matter fails.

    “We followed with interest the recondite direction and the conundrum, which have been brought into this by activities of the Police, we  will allow the rule of law to drive this process through the police, but that is not to mean that we are not conscious of the the law on issues of prosecution.

    “…we are alerting the world, from the hills of Obanliku to the creeks of Bakassi that every indigene of Cross River State means a zillion dollar to us, and the life of any, if taken at any circumstances, the governor of Cross River shall stand tall to ensure that justice is done.

    “We want to reassure you that in addition to the amount paid for the brief to be handled by the legal office of Kanu Agabi, the state attorney general also released N10 million to give a befitting burial to Joy Odama and ensure that the siblings of Joy Odama are properly catered for. Arrangements are on to ensure that the parents of the deceased are taken care of by Social Welfare Ministry in Cross River State,” the governor added.