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Tag: University of Benin

  • ‘UBAA should continue to impact humanity’

    ‘UBAA should continue to impact humanity’

    An erstwhile President of the University of Benin Alumni Association(UBAA), Dr Richard Oma Ahonaruogho, SAN has stressed the need for the association to  constantly strive to impact the world and not its  immediate environments or personal relationships.

    He delivered the keynote address entitled:”Unity in diversity: celebrating the strengths of a united alumni,” at the  19th Reunion of the University of Benin Alumni Association North America (UBAANA), held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel, New Jersey, USA.

    He said it was essential for members to find ways to connect and remain so connected, despite the differences in  individual beliefs, opinions, and self-interests.

    He said: “We should be alert to and constantly strive to seek ways and means of impacting meaningfully in the world around us, not just our immediate environments or personal relationships. Our alumni should, therefore, serve as a pedestal or platform for achieving this, so that when we do succeed, non-members will be challenged to follow suit, motivated by the knowledge that UBAANA was the first to do it.

    “Accordingly, we should be catalysts for the good we seek in others and the world around us. Let others look at us and say: UBAANA is the place to be! If we succeed in doing this, our alumni would have more than justified our existence, and that would be the most befitting and profound legacy of all, which we and future alumni can justifiably be proud of.

    Read Also: Akinadewo, Ogidan, others extol Fakeye’s legacy

    “This is our collective challenge. We can rise to it. Let us jointly claim it as our bounden duty.   On no account should our diversity deter us. Rather, as previously asserted, it should broaden our world-view and perspective, with the knowledge that, given our shared humanity and alumni, we should be our brothers’ keepers. We can disagree to agree

    “We should promote inclusive leadership by ensuring representation and participation from diverse groups within our association.

    ‘‘Let  us draw on our strengths to strengthen our unity.These strengths include: our varied backgrounds and experiences, which enrich our discussions, decision-making, and problem-solving; our corporate presence in North America, which connects us to a global community, fostering collaboration, mentorship, and opportunities.”

  • How censorship undermines democracy

    How censorship undermines democracy

    • By Rita Ezenwa-Okoro

    In the heart of the University of Benin, Ekehuan (UNIBEN) Campus, a statue made of bicycle and motor bike chains, including metal sheet and flat bars, just like Otemuata, dared to speak the truth on a matter that many would rather silence.

    Akanbi Solomon’s Money for Justice sculpture, depicting a wide-eyed woman clutching a bag of money up in the air, with the scales of justice lowered in her other hand, was more than just art—it was a mirror reflecting society’s unsettling realities. But instead of engaging with its message, university authorities removed the statue. This confirms a deeper crisis – the fear of confronting uncomfortable truths within the very spaces meant to nurture them. The UNIBEN, being a Federal Government-owned institution, unfortunately, played to the gallery to save their pay masters “embarrassment” but this also reveals an even deeper truth of the sad reality of our institutions.

    This statue was a recreation of lady justice expressing our current realities in the justice system. Traditionally, Lady Justice wears a blindfold, symbolising impartiality. Solomon’s rendition strips away that blindfold, forcing us to face an inconvenient reality—justice is not always blind, and financial influence often tips the scales. The university’s reaction wasn’t just an act of censorship; it was a symptom of an educational culture resistant to disruption, one that prioritises conformity over critical thinking.

    Academic institutions should be sanctuaries of free expression, where art and ideas challenge the status quo and inspire intellectual growth. Yet, the removal of Money for Justice reveals a troubling contradiction: while we claim to value education, we often suppress the very provocations that make learning transformative.

    Solomon’s work underscores that art’s purpose extends beyond aesthetics. Art is protest. It’s advocacy. It’s a reflection of societal contradictions.

    Read Also: Senate moves to amend procurement law to support local contractors

    Money for Justice wasn’t merely an installation; it was a demand for introspection on the commodification of justice and the erosion of fairness within systems swayed by wealth.

    This isn’t just about one piece of art. It’s about how our educational institutions respond to disruptive ideas. When we silence bold expressions, we cultivate mediocrity instead of critical thinkers. Our schools risk becoming echo chambers of outdated paradigms rather than incubators of creativity and change.

    What happened to Solomon is more than an infringement on his right to free expression—it’s a stark indictment of an education system stuck in archaic models. Our institutions must evolve. They must become spaces where curiosity is celebrated, creativity is nurtured, and young minds are encouraged to question, explore, and imagine.

    Nigeria has the potential to lead in redefining education—not through rote memorisation and rigid conformity, but by embracing creativity, play, social-emotional learning, and fearless expression. The UNIBEN missed an opportunity to foster intellectual courage. However, the ARTvocacy movement of Street Project Foundation did not let this moment pass unnoticed. Solomon’s message, though physically removed and destroyed, resonates louder than ever. His story inspired the theatre production titled, Mother of Justice, performed by 37 youths including Akanbi. This play marked the activation of the ARTvocacy movement in Benin City, the seventh city in an ongoing roll out across Nigeria by Street Project Foundation.

     Akanbi stated in his social media post, “You can silence an artist’s work but you cannot silence the artist’s artist.”  My take on this is that  an environment where freedom of creative expression is suppressed is not an environment where democracy can truly thrive. I call on civil society organisations, the media, public spirited patriots and well-meaning citizens to rise up and join us in solidarity with Akanbi. It is in times like this that I desire to summon the Otemuatas (Truth tellers) like my grandfather across the nation to speak up and not shut up about social injustice.

    It’s time to transform our institutions from spaces of oppression to arenas where young people can exercise their imagination. Let’s create environments where people young or old can explore their creativity, dialogue, and express their truths freely. Because when we fear art, we fear growth. And when we fear growth, we fail our future.

    •Ezenwa-Okoro  contributed this piece from UNIBEN,  Benin City

  • New VC: Union decries attempt to derail process

    New VC: Union decries attempt to derail process

    Benin Development Union (BDU) has condemned attempts to derail the process of appointing a vice-chancellor for the University of Benin by raising ethnic concerns.

    According to BDU, due process and not ethnicity should prevail in appointing a vice chancellor for the university.

    BDU, a socio-cultural organisation in Edo State, was reacting to allegations by Benin United Front (BUF) that the outgoing VC, Prof. Lillian Salami, is plotting to manipulate the process to ensure candidates of Bini extraction do not emerge.

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    In a statement signed by BDU Director of Publicity, Dr. Franklin Ikuobase, it said the allegation by BUF is a “desperate outburst” meant to stir ethnic tension in an important academic decision.

    BDU said the focus should be on due process and merit rather than ethnicity in selecting a successor for the outgoing VC.

    They criticised those who introduced ethnic bias into the conversation, accusing them of launching attacks against Prof. Salami to disrupt a fair and transparent process.

  • INEC declares Emmanuel winner of A’Ibom governorship election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party, winner of the governorship election in Akwa Ibom state.
    Emmanuel polled a total of 519,712 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Obong Nsima Ekere of the All Progressives Congress who polled a total of 171,978 votes.
    Collation officer for Akwa Ibom state in the governorship election and vice chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Osateri Orumasese announced the result of the governorship election.

    Read also: INEC declares Sokoto guber election inconclusive

    Agents of political parties had earlier signed the result except the agent of the APC, Archbishop Sam Akpan who rejected the result and walked out of the collation centre.
    The delay in the release of the final results of the governorship election was caused by the late arrival of results from Essien Udim.

  • PDP rejects INEC ad-hoc staff list in Edo

    The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has rejected the list of ad-hoc staff the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) planned to use to conduct the February 16, 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Edo state.

    It said the directive to Vice Chancellors of Nigeria universities was clear and explicit that they should provide a list of its members of staff who would be used as ad-hoc staff.

    A press statement signed by State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, said the list handed over to INEC contained APC card carrying members and operatives who poised as University of Benin staff.

    Nehikhare alleged that the list was written in Edo Government house Benin and handed over to the UNIBEN VC, Prof. Faraday Orhunmwense for transmission to INEC.

    According to him, “This purported INEC ad-hoc staff list must be completely discarded as it is a recipe for chaos and poses a great danger to our nascent democracy. We reject it and condemn the politicalisation of the “employment” of APC members as ad-hoc staff to manage the election process.

    “We call on the vice chancellor of the University of Benin not to allow himself to be used. He must do the right thing by withdrawing the scandalous list he was prevailed upon to submit, and hand over one made up of genuine staff of University of Benin.

    Read Also: INEC to collate elections results manually

    “The forth coming election must not only be free, fair and transparent, it must be seen to be so.”

    But the authorities of UNIBEN have asked the Edo PDP to visit the institution and be free to verify names on the list.

    It debunked allegations that the names were written in Edo Government House and handed over to the VC.

    Spokesman for UNIBEN, Mr. Micheal Osasuyi, said it was laughable to claim that the institution would recommend persons who are not staff to work as INEC ad-hoc Staff.

    Micheal urged the PDP not to play politics with the list as according to him, ‘INEC has a way of doing its checks and balances.’

    “How can we recommend who is not our staff to INEC. Our staff are verifiable. They should not play politics with the list.“

  • World Bank boost reproductive health study in UNIBEN

    The World Bank has established the Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI) at the University of Benin to help provide reproductive health education and related social service.

    Part of the mission of CERHI is to implement high quality training and applied research for reproductive health professionals needed to build a new cohort of human resource for reducing the regions high burden of fertility, unsafe abortion and maternal mortality.

    Leader of UNIBEN CERHI centre, Prof. Friday Okonofua, who spoke at the unveiling of CERHI centre said part of its vision is to be a leading institution providing innovative and transformational changes on matters relating to population and development.

    Read Also: Jubilation as UNIBEN pardons students’ leaders

    Prof. Okonofua said the centre would provide short courses in productive health policy in West and Central Africa as well as post graduates in reproductive health, public health, health economics and nursing.

    Okonofua stated that the centre has recruited a total of 252 Masters students, 36 PhD students and 569 students in short courses on reproductive health.

    He disclosed that the centre has also received grant from the Ford Foundation and the African Research Excellence Fund for staff training and program expansion.

  • 25 trained in First Aid skills

    No fewer than 25 youths have been trained, in basic First Aid skills in Benin City, the Edo State capital, by Life Savers Initiative for First AID Education Nigeria (LifeSaversNG), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

    The  training tagged: #Pulse4Beats 1.0, was held at the Medical Complex of the University of Benin (UNIBEN).

    Welcoming participants, founder of the NGO Eddy Uwoghiren, a 500-Level Medicine and Surgery student, stated that 174 applications were received and the successful ones were selected based on strong passion expressed.

    According to him, the organisation has the vision to create a society where the populace will have basic First AID skills, adding that the NGO’s mission is to impact communities by equipping people with First AID education.

    He said: “Prompt pre-hospital care is necessary to improve outcome of road traffic accident victims. However, this service is suboptimal in Nigeria and some developing countries because of lack of Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

    “Training of lay responders in First AID skills is a means of closing this gap in EMS. Statistics has it that nine out of 10 Nigerians lack basic First AID skills as against America’s three out 10. This dearth of First AID knowledge has led to an increase in death rate in during times of emergencies and a poor ranking of Nigeria’s Heath sector.”

    Uwoghiren praised the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics, Pius Iribhogbe, a professor of Trauma Surgery, for his support.

    Ofure Efeovbokhan, a facilitator, engaged the participants on importance of First AID and challenge of emergency response in the country.

    Micah Iduitua, a paramedic staff at the Accident and Emergency Department of UNIBEN Teaching Hospital (UBTH), took the participants through Basic Life Support Skills (BLS), including airway opening manoeuvres, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, (CPR), mouth to mask ventilation, bad valve mask ventilation, choking relief and haemorrhage control.

    Other components of his lectures included techniques to respond to snake bites, drug overdose, syncope, opioid overdose and maintaining C spine and recovery position.

    After the training, participants tested their skills by simulating emergency response techniques they learnt, using dummies.

    Also, leaders of the Red Cross Society in UNIBEN educated participants on the workings of the organisation.

    At the end of the training, the participants were presented with certificates of participation.

    Charity Anieobe-Asekharen hailed the organisers, describing the training as timely. She called on government at all levels to support polices geared towards making First AID education compulsory for young people as it is being done in Israel.

  • Candidates protest UTME exam date; seeks postponement

    Candidates protest UTME exam date; seeks postponement

    Hundreds of candidates who registered for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME disturbed traffic along Bariga-Akoka Road, Lagos while protesting plans by the Joint Examinations and Matriculations Board (JAMB) to conduct the examination next month.

    Their grievances were also written on placards they borne, including; “Admissions are yet to close, why conducting another UTME now?”; “JAMB isn’t for revenue generation, stop milking our parents,” “2017 UTME held in May, why March in 2018?” “2018 admissions not transparent,” among others.

    They said many of them who had hoped to be admitted by various institutions during the 2017/2018 academic calendar year just found out this week that they were not admitted and that less than one month was insufficient to prepare for another examination.

    But JAMB insists the 2018 UTME will hold from March 9-17 in accordance with the timetable jointly set by all the examination bodies to avoid clashes and ensure that all admissions are concluded by August yearly.

    National President, Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO), Mr. Dotun Sodunke, who led the protest, said if the examination holds next month, many candidates would fail as they would be ill-prepared.

    He said JAMB should not only be concerned about generating revenue for the government but consider the time needed to prepare for the examination.

    Read Also: UTME 2018: JAMB to conduct mock test next week

    With institutions like the University of Benin, Yaba College of Technology, still processing their admission as at Wednesday, Shodunke said that candidates who had applied to such institutions but not yet admitted would not concentrate on preparation for another examination.

    He said; “The new head of JAMB needs to be called to order. He should not be carried away by the euphoria of revenue generation. The future of this country depends on these children. JAMB is sure that if you conduct the exam early, many candidates would fail, and they would come back to register again next year. This is so because their children don’t school here.

    “Admissions are yet to be concluded, yet you are fixing date for another one. Who does that? The introduction of the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) is also a fraud. You would be admitted on JAMB portal and on CAPS page it would deny you admission. Everything is done in secrecy as we don’t even know which schools are organizing post-UTME and which ones are not. Every institution is doing what it wants. Things must not go on like this.”

    ‎However, JAMB’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, explained that there was no basis for the postponement being sought by the candidates, saying the date had been announced since lasr December.

    Benjamin said; “We need to place the interest of this country above selfish interest. The candidates are not the ones staging protest but the tutorial centres operators, and parents must intervene to rein them in. They are doing this because they want to keep the candidates at their centres till May so that they can get more money from them. Things are not done that way.

    “JAMB is not alone in this business. All stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector have realised that our calendar must be organised and firm as we experience abroad, and it must start somewhere. Even if heaven will fall, the new government wants to ensure that academic calendar starts every August, and that is why all admissions will be concluded by August this year. So if these candidates are affected, we apologise to them, it is for their good and the good of the nation.‎”

    Benjamin urged the 245,000 candidates scheduled to take the Mock UTME on Monday to visit the website to reprint their slip ahead of the examination.

     

  • Why we recalled five rusticated students, UNIBEN VC

    Why we recalled five rusticated students, UNIBEN VC

    -denies ban on campus fellowship

    Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Faraday Orumwense, yesterday explained why the institution recalled five students who were rusticated for protesting against increment of various fees.

    Prof. Orumwense said the students were not rusticated for protesting but for attempting to disrupt the University’s 47th Founder’s Day and 43rd Convocation ceremonies.

    Orumwense who denied banning campus fellowship said the five students were recalled after intervention from various groups and well-meaning individuals.

    The five students who were members of the institution’s Student Union Government are President of UNIBEN SUG, Osamudiamen Ogbidi, Justus Aidenagnon, Innocent Momodu, Goodnews Ehiabhi and Benjamin Majekodumi.

    Three of them were rusticated for one academic session while two of them were rusticated for two academic sessions.

    They were also barred from holding any office in the campus or participating in student union activities.

    Prof. Orumwense noted that the protest by the students on November 23 was uncalled for and designed to serve the illegitimate purpose of portraying the institution in bad light as well as disrupting the academic calendar.

    He insisted that the Chancellor of the institution, HRH Muhammad Sanusi II, the Sarkin Kano, was not involved in the determining of new charges but the responsibility of the institution’s Governing Council.

    The UNIBEN VC said the new charges were meant for new students and not old students, adding that the protesters pelted the convoy of Sanusi with sachet water.

    Read ALSO: NANS protests rustication of five students from UNIBEN

    According to him, “On November 23rd, the students demonstrated during the last convocation and that led to the closure of the university for some weeks. After Senate waded into the matter, committees were set up to find out the remote and immediate causes of their protest. Some were exonerated and others were rusticated for one or two years.

    “The students charges that were increased were meant for the new students and when the students complained to the Dean of Students. The Dean allowed the council to look into their complaints before they went on protest.

    “Several groups waded in that we should pardon them. So many groups pleaded for their return. We saw them as our children and having looked at pleas from various groups, we took a keen look at the punishment meted on them and they have been called back to return to their studies.

    “We have met some of their requests, we have reduced the hostel charges and others. They are our children. We have told them to go and sin no more.

    “There is no ban on Christian fellowship in UNIBEN. It is not true.”

  • 100 make First Class in UNIBEN

    A total of 100 out of the 9,993 students graduating from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) for the 2015/2016 academic session have bagged First Class degree.

    This was announced by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Faraday Orumwense at the pre-convocation press briefing of the 45th convocation/47th Founders Day lecture of the institution.

    Orumnwense also said 1,843 students would be awarded Second Class Upper degrees, 4607 students, Second Class Lower, and 1351 Third Class.

    The VC who said he hoped to leave behind a world class university disclosed that the Founder’s Day lecture would be delivered by Dr. Solomon Arase, the immediate past Inspector General of Police.

    He said honorary degrees would be conferred on first female Vice Chancellor in the country, Prof Grace Alele-Williams and Dr George Osemwengie Agbonlahor.