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Tag: University of Abuja

  • NAFDAC cautions against consumption of unwholesome foods

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday cautioned Nigerians against the consumption of unwholesome foods.

    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye gave the warning when she received a delegation from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Abuja in her office.

    According to her, the rising cases of kidney problems in the country can be linked to the kind of foods people consume.

    “The traditional belief which people have that blood burns out some toxic element contained in foods after consumption is not true.

    “Sometimes, people underestimate the damage some food can cause to them;

    “That is why we are sensitizing Nigerians against the use of carbide to ripen fruits and other campaigns against unwholesome food products.

    “Apart from food and water, safety on drugs is equally very important; this features in the campaign against restricted drugs such as codeine and tramadol,’’ she said.

    Read Also: Drug Abuse: NAFDAC begins awareness

    Adeyeye said that the toxicological effects of drug abuse caused a lot of damage to people who took them.

    The director-general pledged to support the department, especially on research and on its forthcoming international conference.

    Earlier in her remarks, the leader of the delegation, Prof. Florence Nwinyi said that they were at the NAFDAC office to invite the agency to participate in the upcoming international conference on “Toxicological Concerns in Developing Nations’’.

    Nwinyi said that the conference would hold from July 3 to July 6, by the university in collaboration with the West African Society of Toxicology.

    She said that the participation of NAFDAC was relevant because of its mandate in ensuring safety of food and drugs in the country.

    “Challenges and opportunities in the management of lead poisoning in developing countries is one of the issues that will be discussed during the conference.

    “We solicit NAFDAC’s support for the success of the conference,’’ she said.

    NAN

  • 2019: 2Baba urges youths to get their PVCs

    A Nigerian singer, 2Baba, also known as Innocent Idibia,  has called on Nigerian youths to register for their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), ahead of 2019 general elections.

    He made the call at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Campus Outreach program on `Youth Votes Count,’’ at the University of Abuja, on Thursday.

    Read Also: PVC: INEC receives 4m for newly registered voters

    2Baba, who is also an INEC Youths Ambassador, urged the youth to actively get involved in constructive political discussions, especially social media.

    “Your vote is your bragging right, so get your PVCs, so take your destinies into your hands, whatever you want to be in the next 10 years start now.

    “Let us go out and vote for our conscience. We have always been told that we are the future of Nigeria, it is our time now yet the old is still encroaching into our space.

    “This coming election is our opportunity to change things, your destiny is what you make of it so use it wisely.’’

    Another INEC Ambassador, Mrs Helen Paul, encouraged Nigerian youths to believe in themselves and in their ability to make difference in politics.

    She expressed hope in the leadership of the Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC to deliver credible elections to Nigerians in 2019.

    She urged the youth not to relent but get their PVCs to vote, and be voted to be able to participate fully in the elections.

    Also, Mr Cobhams Asuquo, an INEC Ambassador, urged youths to recognize opportunities at their disposal.

    Asuquo said that the saddest thing that could happen to anybody was not to recognize and use the opportunities at his disposal.

    “Your vote is your right. It is your power, I beg you to choose to exercise that power because it determines what kind of future we will have as a nation.

    “So I am begging you to use your vote wisely and intentionally collect your PVCs and make sure that come 2019, under rain or sunshine, you will come out to vote.’’

    He, however, appealed to INEC to tackle the issue of underage voter before the next general elections, to ensure credible elections.

    NAN

  • NASU is set for nationwide protest

    NASU is set for nationwide protest

     

    The Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, NASU is set for a nationwide protest over the ongoing National strike action embarked upon by the Joint Action committee.

    According to a document obtained by The Nation the protest tagged “Peaceful rally” will hold on March 8 in University of Abuja.

    The non-academic staff union members are protesting against alleged disparity in payment of Earned allowance to workers in Nigerian Universities.

    It should be recalled that the workers went on strike on December 4,2017 but after a meeting with the Federal Government on December 19, nothing has been heard on negotiations with leadership of JAC claiming that it is yet to hear from the Federal government.

  • UNIABUJA, Korea partner on technology transfer

    The University of Abuja will partner with the Republic of South Korea in the areas of research and technology.

    The partnership would include an exchange of students and staff, the university has said.

    The Acting Director, University of Abuja Centre for Asian Studies, Dr Amos Dlibugunaya, stated this at a Korean Supporters’ and Alumni Inauguration Day held at the Korean Cultural Centre in Abuja.

    He said Korea had sponsored some of the university lecturers to study in its universities in the past.

    “We want to collaborate with the Korean centre in the areas of research, organising conferences and exchange of staff. We want to collaborate in the areas of research. We already have staff of the university on sabbatical to some universities in Korea. This is very important to us. We have always been collaborating with the centre.

    “In 2015, the Korean envoy was at the university to deliver a lecture on Nigeria-Korea economic relationship. We have been building a robust relationship. The Korean embassy sponsored some of our staff to study in Korea. Some of them are now professors, he said.

     

  • U.S., others train librarians

    The United States Consulate- General in Lagos has partnered the Goethe Insitut, University of Abuja, and Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre, (W.TEC) to train librarians to use digital technology to benefit local communities.

    Held in Lagos, the capacity- building initiative covered broad areas of digital literacy, knowledge management, innovative service delivery, and expanded role of libraries and librarians in the 21st century.

    In her keynote remarks, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate-General in Lagos, Ms. Darcy Zotter, urged the participants to take advantage of the training to get a good grasp of the key competencies of the profession and make a big difference in their chosen field of endeavour.

    “We are collaborating with our partners to equip young Nigerian librarians with renewed approach to service delivery in the management of library and information centers. Nigeria needs more young vibrant, energetic and information technology savvy library and information resource professionals,” Zotter said.

  • COREN accredits two UNIABUJA courses

    The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has accorded full accreditation to the Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering courses of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA).

    Registrar of the Council, Kamila Maliki, said in a letter to the university that this followed the reaccreditation visitation by COREN to the university’s undergraduate engineering programme in April.

    Maliki, an engineer, said in a statement by the university’s Deputy Registrar (Information and Publications) Waziri Garba that the interim accreditation status of the two courses took effect from April 20 and is valid for five years.

    The COREN Registrar, however, warned in the letter dated August 2,  that there would be random visits to the university within the period of validity to check on the state of facilities.

    He added that the accreditation would be withdrawn if there was any evidence of failing standard.

    “I therefore strongly advise for strict compliance with the recommendations highlighted”, Maliki said, stressing that this is “to ensure that the standards are not only maintained but improved upon”.

    The other courses of the Faculty of Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering, attained full accreditation status last year.

  • ASUU: UniAbuja joins strike

    ASUU: UniAbuja joins strike

    The University of Abuja, on Wednesday, officially joined its counterparts in a nationwide indefinite strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    The UniAbuja ASUU Chairman, Dr Ben Ugheoke,  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the academic staff took the decision to join the strike after a meeting with its members on Wednesday.

    “We have domesticated the total indefinite strike. The strike is on now,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the situation in and around the campus shows that academic staff had abandoned classes while students were seen roaming about.

    Some students, who spoke with NAN, said that the strike would affect the academic calendar, as their examination was just around the corner.

    A 300 level Political Science student, Ifeoma Anyanwu, said that the examination, which had been earlier scheduled to start next week, would no longer hold due to the strike.

    NAN recalls that ASUU on Aug. 14, embarked on an indefinite strike to demand the implementation of an agreement signed between it and the Federal on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy and academic freedom.

  • ASUU frowns at mandatory sale of handouts by lecturers

    ASUU frowns at mandatory sale of handouts by lecturers

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria (ASUU) has expressed displeasure at the mandatory sale of handouts by some lecturers in tertiary institutions.

    Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of the union, expressed this view in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    “It is not wise for lecturers in our tertiary institutions to compel students to be buying handouts, though it is not a widespread practice; we have few people that are misbehaving.

    “But the system has a way of handling them, so anywhere they see them they always put them on check.

    “It is not permitted in the system and there is a structure for tracking and dealing with that so ASUU as a union don’t condone it and we discourage it anywhere and everywhere we go,’’ he said.

    However, a cross section of Nigerian students had decried the rate at which some lecturers extort money from them in the name of selling of handouts.

    Speaking in separate interviews with NAN, students lamented that they were being forced to buy handout and that failure to do so could result in failing the courses.

    Mr Osita Chukwu, a student in the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Abuja, alleged that the lecturers usually assigned some students to sell the reading materials to them.

    Chukwu alleged that the handouts were sold between N1, 500 and N2, 000, saying that the students were also made to submit their registration numbers for identification of defaulters.

    “The most annoying thing is that you may have three lecturers handling a course and each of them will print a handout for students to buy.

    “And they will make it compulsory, so that you have no option than to subscribe to it, because if you decide to photocopy it, you may stand the risk of failing the course.’’

    Miss Joy David, a student in the Faculty of Business Administration, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, decried the manner some lecturers compel students to buy handouts that sometimes lack depth.

    Contributing, Miss Janet Obiora, a student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, said the sale of handouts by some lecturers had promoted mediocrity among students as many of them no longer go to the school library to do research.

    She opined that the mandatory sales of handouts also encouraged laziness among students who often want to concentrate on the handouts from their lecturers.

    Similarly, Mr Yinusa Bello of the University of Abuja said that compulsory sale of handouts by lecturers would increase examination malpractice among students, who may be tempted to take such handouts into examination halls.

    Bello, therefore, appealed to ASUU to take the necessary measures that would discourage the habit of  the lecturers in indulging in the sale of handouts compulsorily for students.

    According to him, not many students have the purchasing power to the bidding of the lecturers, who insist that the purchase of their handouts is the surest way to passing certain courses.

    “Some of these handouts are less than 30 pages which if students were allowed to photocopy will cost them lesser than the original price,’’ he said.

  • Kidnappers release UniAbuja Deputy Registrar

    Kidnappers release UniAbuja Deputy Registrar

    Deputy Registrar (Institute of Education), University of Abuja, Dr. Nura Lawal, who was kidnapped on Thursday along Kaduna -Abuja highway, has regained his freedom.

    Dr. Lawal was released on Friday morning to his family by the kidnappers unharmed.

    Deputy Registrar (Information) and Spokesman of the university, Garba Waziri confirmed his release in a text message to our reporter in Abuja on Friday.

    Waziri did not confirm if any ransom was paid for the release of Dr. Lawal.

    The kidnappers had demanded for N10 million on Thursday.

    The text reads: “Uniabuja is pleased to announce that her staff Dr Nuruddeen lawal who was abducted along Abuja-Kaduna on wednesday afternoon has been released.

    “He was released early Friday and in good health.

    “The Vice-chancellor Prof. Michael Adikwu has expressed the university’s appreciation to all those who stood by the university and the family during the ordeal.

    “The VC thanked God for making it possible for Dr. Lawal to leave the kidnappers den unharmed.”

  • Gunmen kidnap UNIABUJA’s Deputy Registrar

    Gunmen kidnap UNIABUJA’s Deputy Registrar

    …Demand N10m ransom

     

    Unknown gunmen on Thursday kidnapped the Deputy Registrar (Institute of Education), University of Abuja, Dr. Nura Lawal.

    Dr. Lawal was kidnapped along Kaduna- Abuja highway while returning from Katsina, his home state.

    He was kidnapped alongside his wife who later escaped from the custody of the kidnappers.

    Mrs. Lawal, who narrated her ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers to members of staff of the university, said their vehicle, a Prado jeep, was cornered off the road alongside several other vehicles that were headed to Abuja, after having being flagged down by the kidnappers near Katari, a village close to Kaduna.

    She said the kidnappers led them to a nearby bush where both their cars and belongings were taken from them at gunpoint.

    Mrs, Lawal, who said she managed to escape from the kidnappers, added that she has reported thee case to the local police station at Katari.

    She said the police told her that they were helpless about the matter.

    Mrs Lawal also confirmed that the kidnappers later made contact with her and demanded a ransom of N50m before they can release her husband.

    Meanwhile the University authorities while confirming the incident pleaded with security agencies and the Inspector General of Police to assist the institution in securing the release of Dr. Lawal.

    Deputy Registrar (information) and Spokesman of the university, Garba Waziri confirmed the kidnap of Dr. Lawal to our reporter on telephone.

    Waziri said the kidnappers has reduced the ransom to N10 million.

    He appealed to the police to facilitate the release of Dr. Lawal.

    “The kidnappers have reduced the ransom to N10 million from N50 million. The family ‎is still talking with them.

    “We appeal to the police to facilitate his release,” Mr. Waziri said.

    He added that Dr Lawal, whose promotion is due for confirmation by the university’s Governing Council  have made several contributions to the growth and development of the university especially in his position  as the Head of Administration of the  Institute of Education.