The Nation Newspaper

Tag: University of Calabar

  • Final year UNICAL student killed by armed robbers

    A 21 year old final year student of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), identified as Mr Joseph Archibong, was killed by armed robbers in his home in Calabar, The Nation gathered on Tuesday.

    The sad incident it was learnt happened 22 Duncan Street in Calabar about two weeks ago when a three-man gang broke into the compound of their victim with the aim of robbing them.

    A source said the three man gang entered the compound at about 2am that fateful day and after their operation shot the student when he tried to stop them.

    “He died four days after because he was shot with a locally made gun. We didn’t know that the hospital would not be able to help. If we knew we would have gone traditional to remove those bullets.

    “Like I said earlier he died four days after he sustained the gun shot injury at the public hospital and he would be buried on the 4th of May at Etak Ukana, Akwa Ikot Effanga  in Akpabuyo local government area. Since the incident happened it has been difficult for the parents to stay here because of the trauma. I just pray that they recover from this because he is in his final year at the University of Calabar,” the source said .

    Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Irene Ugbo confirmed the incident.

    She said three people have been arrested in connection to the robbery and murder of the young man.

    “Three persons were arrested by the Efut Police division and they are currently in custody and investigation is still ongoing to get to the root of the matter after which they will be charged to court for the law to take its course,” she said.

     

  • UNICAL lecturer, others in court over certificate forgery allegations

    A lecturer in the University of Calabar, Eyo Mensah, and six others are to face criminal charges at the High Court sitting in Calabar over certificate forgery allegations.

    Prosecution counsel, Eno Eyamba, on Thursday sought the granting of a motion exparte by Justice Emilia Ibok, to continue with charges against the accused.

    In an earlier letter sent to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Zana Akpagu by the Cross River State Director of Public Prosecution, Barr. George Okem, Associate Professor Eyo, one Ferdinand Akanya Esip and five students, George Uwaek, Michael Paul Ufana, Mbuk Atai Umoh, Nsude Mary Imaobong, Olowosoke Olutoun Sileola were to be arraigned in court over issues bordering on certificate forgery.

    It was learnt that they had been under investigation over a petition written by the former Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Epoke.

    According to the letter, investigations had been concluded and they have been “sufficiently implicated” as such should be released by the university to stand trial in court.

    According to the letter titled “Application for the release of the following staff and students of the University of Calabar to stand trial in an alleged certificate forgery case”, charge was on the directives of the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Cross River State.

    “I have the directives of the Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice to release the above named persons of your institution to stand trial in an alleged certificate forgery case of the University.

    “Upon completion of analysis of the facts of a case file received from the Police, the petition by the former Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Epoke ,weighed against the law, our legal advice that the above person be charged for conspiracy to commit felony and forgery in accordance with extant laws of the state having been sufficiently implicated,” it read.

  • Cult killings: 11 suspected cultists arrested, two on the run as UNICAL tightens security

     

    The Management of the University of Calabar has tightened security around and within the institution following the killing of two students by gunmen in a suspected renewed wave of secret cults groups’ clash on campus last week.

    Besides the directives of the Vice Chancellor as Head of Management that police patrol teams be stationed at the main gate of the Institution and the Internal Security Team at other strategic parts of Campus, random stop and search of persons and vehicles at vulnerable point it was observed has been intensified.

    A release issued by the Registrar of the Institution, Mr. Moses Abang indicated that the patrolling/combing exercise had paid off with the arrest of 11 suspected cultists who have been handed over to the Anti-Cultism/ Kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police, Cross River State Command for further interrogation.

    According to the release, on March 16, 2018, gunmen launched unsuspecting attacks on one Oko Sylvester Ayide aka Davido, a final year student of the Department of Theatre, Film and Carnival Studies, University of Calabar and Wilson Augustine Ebina, a second year student of the Department of Education Science (Chemistry Education) in a violent manner that resulted in their death.

    “Investigation revealed that Prior to his death, Oko Sylvester who was shot on the stomach has been on suspension for his involvement in various acts of cultism and robbery while Wilson Ebina was shot dead at a building under construction opposite the Faculty of Education Twin Theatre Hall. Both are said to belong to the Vikings Confraternity.

    “In a related development, a final year student of the Faculty of Law and resident of Hall 4, Nkanu, Augustine Ebri (Abacha) and Obimbua Obey Joseph (AKA: Obe), also a final year student of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences are on the run following the discovery of dangerous items in Nkanu’s room by operatives of the Security Unit of the University.

    “Items recovered from the room include one locally made pistol, one small axe, one face mask, live and expended cartridges, military camouflage, military sweater, one long dagger, one machete, assorted bottles of concoctions, Charms/finger rings, assorted phones, cult regalia, drugs/wraps of Indian Hemp and a host of others.

    “The dangerous items have been handed over to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Nigeria Police, Cross River State Command for further investigation,” it read.

     

  • Stop opening new varsities, Iwuanyanwu advises FG

    Stop opening new varsities, Iwuanyanwu advises FG

    Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing  Council, University of Calabar, has advised the Federal Government to stop establishing more universities and enhance the standard of existing ones.

    Iwuanyanwu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Atta Ikeduru, Imo, on Tuesday.

    He said that instead of frequent approval of new universities, government should concentrate on improving standards in the existing ones to produce quality graduates.

    Iwuanyanwu said that the standard of education in Nigerian universities had dropped when compared with what obtained more than 40 years ago.

    ““During our days in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before the outbreak of the civil war, Nigerian universities were rated among the top universities in the world but the situation today is something else.

    “”Government must do something to change the university system, ‘’ he said.

    Iwuanyanwu said that the quality of education was central to the advancement of the nation, adding that emphasis must be placed on specialisation by universities for expected gains in the education sector.

    The elder statesman expressed support for the restructuring of the country with a view to tackling corruption, repositioning the local government administration and power sector.

    ““I must commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his courage in embarking on anti-corruption fight.

    “”Buhari embarked on War Against Indiscipline as Head of State and now fighting corruption as a civilian president.

    ““All I want Buhari to do is to extend the anti-corruption fight to all sectors not at the level of leaders alone because a policeman collecting N50 from drivers on the road is involved in corruption.

    “ “The one giving gift to somebody in office is also involved,” he said.

    The pro-chancellor said that there must be ethical revolution in order to eliminate corruption for Nigeria to get things right.

    On the lingering petrol scarcity, Iwuanyanwu advised the Federal Government to construct refineries in all the 36 states as a way of ending the recurrent challenges associated with short supply of petroleum products.

  • 1,000 donate blood at Students’ Week

    The University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter of the Nigerian Medical Laboratory Science Students’ Association (NIMELSSA) has organised a blood donation exercise to mark its Week. No fewer than 1,000 people donated blood for humanitarian assistance.

    The event with the theme: Candidiasis: The unknown friendly infection, was graced by Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr Inyang Asibong, represented by Mr Eni Ogban. Others guests at the occasion included the chairman of Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists at the UNICAL Teaching Hospital, Prof A.A. Alaribe, Mrs Jane Ubi, Dr Ofonime Ogba, Dr Ify Okafor, Prof Lydia Abia-Bassey, Dr Patience Akpan, and Mr Enosakhare Asemota, among others.

    The event also featured sensitisation rally on benefit of blood donation, health talks, quiz contest, drama and free medical tests.

    During the rally, which was led by the NIMELSSA president, Monday Obio, students were urged to regularly donate blood to save patients in need. Monday said regular blood donation would help reduce mortality rate and keep body healthy.

    Dr Asibong advised students on the need to go for regular check up to ascertain the state of their health. She urged them to go for test for candidiasis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), hepatitis, malaria, urine analysis, blood sugar level, body count and breast examination.

    “It is important to go regular medical check-up and also for blood donation, which will help in the production of new blood cells in the body,” she added.

    Prof Abia-Bassey explained the origin of candidiasis, saying the fungal infection is caused by yeasts belonging to the genus candida. She said over 20 species of candida usually cause infection in humans, adding that the most common of the genus is C.

    She said: “Candida yeasts are found as normal flora in the intestinal tract, mucous membranes and in the skin. Overgrowth of this candida can cause symptoms to develop rapidly. Symptoms vary depending on area affected.”

    She listed most common infections resulting from candida genus to include oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis, genital and vulvovaginal candidiasis, and invasive candidiasis.

    She said: “Good oral hygiene practices may help prevent these infections, especially in people with weak immune systems.”

    Mr Asemota, who is a lecturer at the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, spoke on Life after school, said the students would pass through five stages after their graduation:

    He said after their induction and formal acceptance into the profession, they would get a provisional practicing license and undertake a year internship at accredited teaching hospitals. On completion of the internship, the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria would issue them comprehensive license for full practice.

    He said: “Your relevance to the society as a medical laboratory scientist begins with your seriousness in school. Begin to develop yourself for tomorrow.”

    Prof Alaribe hailed the students for the humanitarian exercise to help patients in need of blood.

  • ASUU strike: Unical students call for dialogue

    ASUU strike: Unical students call for dialogue

    The indefinite strike announced by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has taken most students of the University of Calabar unaware, with most of them seeing on campus loitering helplessly.

    Some of the students described the strike action by their lecturers as “sad” and “disappointing.”

    The students said in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that they hope the union and the Federal Government would settle their differences soon.

    Miss Henrietta Udom, a 200 level student told NAN that she was sad about the situation.

    “We are already preparing for our second semester examination before this sudden stop in academic activities, and now nobody knows when the strike will be called off, it’s unfortunate,” she said.

    Another student, Michael Bassey, a final year student, feared that the strike might prolong his graduation.

    “ASUU should always take students’ plights into consideration and consult widely before embarking on strike.

    “Government on the one hand, should know that frequent strike does not augur well for the country’s education sector.

    “May be because many of them have their children overseas, they do not consider some of us here in Nigeria,” he lamented.

    Mr Johnson Ibe, a 300 level student also appealed to both ASUU and the federal government to reach a final resolution on the issues in contention to save the university system from collapse.

    He noted that students and parents were the greatest losers in such strike.

    “Tomorrow people will say that Nigerian graduates are half baked and they forget that, we cannot get the best quality by allowing lecturers to go on strike every now and then,” Ibe said.

  • Police arrest four suspects with 4,555 National Identity cards

    Police arrest four suspects with 4,555 National Identity cards

    The police in Cross River on Monday arrested four suspected thieves for unlawful possession of 4,555 National Identity cards and 21 others who committed various offences, the Commissioner of Police,  Mr Hafiz Inuwa, said.

    Inuwa, who made the development known when he addressed  newsmen in Calabar on Tuesday, said the suspects were arrested by personnel of the Police Command in Cross on May 19.

    He said the suspected identity card thieves were arrested at a location on Eyo-Edem Street in Calabar following a tip-off.

    The commissioner explained that after a thorough search on the suspects, 4,555 National Identity cards bearing different names were found on them.

    “Upon interrogation, the four suspects confessed that one Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff gave the cards to them.

    “All the four suspects confessed to the crime and investigation is on-going in order to arrest the alleged INEC staff,” he said.

    The commissioner said that the command also arrested three suspected armed robbers on May 2, shortly after they allegedly robbed Solomon Alfred of his N380,000 and three mobile phones.

    “On May 2, our men arrested three suspected armed robbers who had robbed Solomon Alfred of his N380,000 and his three mobile phones.

    “Also on May 13, our men arrested a student of the University of Calabar for being in possession of fake currencies.

    “During interrogation, the suspect claimed that a friend of his that resides at Uyo gave him the fake currencies.

    “Investigation is on-going to unravel the truth of the matter and arrest his accomplices to ascertain the source/distributor of these fake currencies,” he said.

    The police also arrested three suspected manufacturers of firearms on May 19, the commissioner said.

    He also said  the police recovered five locally made pistols; six locally made single barrel guns, one locally made single barrel long gun, among others.

    “During the period under review, the state police command has arrested 25 suspects for various offences.

    “We recovered five AK 47 riffles, seven magazines and 200 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, one battle axe, eight live cartridges, among others,” he said.

  • FG urged to install sea monitoring device in coastal regions

    A retired university lecturer, Dr Bassey Okwong, has urged the Federal Government to install a water quality network device in coastal areas to detect rise in sea water level.

    Okwong gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

    “Nigeria needs a harmonised, comprehensive water quality monitoring networking device across all the major rivers to provide the necessary information for water managers to take proactive decisions toward effective flood control.

    “The monitoring network will provide the capability to observe, analyse and forecast natural and human-induced changes that affect waters from inland out to the estuaries and coasts.

    “More than any other measures, monitoring network programme provides information necessary for management actions by the relevant agencies like Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) to monitor flooding at the coastal areas,’’ he said.

    He said that the device would be handy in detecting changes in sea water levels overtime with a view to protecting the lives and property of the residents of coastal regions.

    Okwong, who taught at the Department of Geology, University of Calabar, said that such initiative would serve as a proactive means of avoiding water encroachment that could lead to flooding.

    He said that the network mechanism would provide information about oceans and coastal ecosystems as well as inland influences on coastal waters for improved water resource management.

    He noted that increase in the water levels of major rivers had contributed tremendously to flooding, a challenge which had been facing the country since 2012.

    According to him, early information on flood forecasting, prediction and early warning signals will go a long way to mitigate such environmental hazards.

    Okwong urged the government to initiate effective water-monitoring programmes, together with sound data and information management, in the coastal and riverside areas.

    He said that the recurring problem of flooding in the country had necessitated appropriate actions, including early preparation and adoption of modern methods, to tackle the menace.

    Okwong urged NIHSA to collaborate with other federal agencies to provide early information to trigger adequate monitoring of coastal areas the upland regions.

    He, however, urged the government to provide equipment to monitor major rivers across the country to supply information that would be beneficial to fishermen, scientists, water providers and other users of water resources.

    He said that the device should be positioned in strategic locations to facilitate the initiation and execution of measures that would curtail or minimise the effects of floods and coastal degradation in the country.

    “Coastal erosion and degradation has been affecting the entire coastline, with greater occurrence around major coastal cities across the country, for several years now.’’

    “We cannot, as a country with experienced water managers, fold our hands to look at such situations that could be controlled if adequate measures are taken,’’ he added.

  • 22 students bag first class as 13, 347 graduate from UNICAL

    22 students bag first class as 13, 347 graduate from UNICAL

    Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Zana Akpagu, on Thursday said 22 undergraduates would be awarded first class degrees during the 30th Convocation Ceremony of the institution on Saturday, March 11.

    Addressing reporters during a pre-convocation press conference in his office, Akpagu said 13, 347 would be graduating from the institution.

    He said 1, 437 would get post graduate certificates while 11, 910 would be getting their first degrees.

    He said the number was high because they put in place a mechanism to clear a backlog of students who seemed to remain in the school perpetually.

    Giving a further breakdown of the post graduate certificates, he said 300 would be getting their PhDs, 517 MSCs, 70 MAs, 130 MEds and 400 post graduate diplomas.

    For the first degree he said 7,400 were from the Humanities while 4,510 are from the Sciences.

    A further breakdown indicated that 22 got first class degrees, 2,408 got second class upper degrees, 5,890 got second class lower degrees, 2900 got third class degrees, and 1,000 got pass degrees.

    Akpagu said the institution would phase out pass degrees.

    He said the Convocation Ceremony would provide the opportunity to flag of their legacy project which would be an ultra modern medical centre for the school, which would be funded by internally generated revenue.

    He said honorary doctorate degrees (honoris causa) would be awarded to three prominent Nigerians for their contribution to the socio-economic growth of the country.

    Those to get the honorary degrees are Alhaji Umaru Kwabo, Sir Daniel Chukwudozie and Brig Gen Anthony Ukpo rtd.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Dr Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal among dignitaries are expected to grace the Convocation Ceremony

     

  • Civil society groups call for prosecution of UNICAL bursar

    Civil society groups call for prosecution of UNICAL bursar

    • Corruption is fighting back – Bursar

    Civil society groups led by the Transparency Initiative Nigeria (TIN) on Tuesday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately begin the probe of the former bursar of University of Calabar, Mr Peter Agi.

    The TIN said following a due diligence investigation into the crisis rocking the second generation institution, it has unearthed series of malpractices which are traceable to the former bursar which is at the root of the current crisis.

    The group also accused Mr Agi, who was appointed in 2010 of corrupt enrichment and random abuse of the University rules, appropriation/procument processes and lack of transparency.

     Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the groups Public Relations Officer, Comrade Adodo Solomon said Mr Agi’s lack of financial transparency has stalled major construction projects in the university.

    “To our utter dismay, we further gathered from contractors, that Mr Peter Agi was in the habit of sitting on funds approved for payment to contractors and this stalled major construction projects which should have further etched the University up the ladder of academic glory and acclaim.

    “The Joint Council/Senate Committee Investigation report further revealed that Mr Peter Agi compromised the University of Calabar fees payment portal and in the process over Two Hundred Million naira remains untraced till date.

    “Furthermore, in an attempt to conserve and divert funds Mr Agi deprived several Departments of the University of Funds needed for procurement of critical equipment and projects thus these deprived Departments failed to meet the NUC standards for accreditation. All these acts of impunity, Council/Senate Committee and his appointment was duly terminated in consonance with due process paving way for accelerated progress in the University.

    “We call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediate begin to look into these allegations in tandem with the commitment of the Buhari administration to fight corruption and restore sanity in our public service,” Solomon said.

    However, the Bursar, Mr Agi has denied all allegations levelled against him, by the protesting staff of the University. Speaking through a group Concern Students and Senior Staff Association, he claimed that those who were against him sees him as a threat to their corrupt act following his insistence on due process and financial guidelines designed in line with the University financial system.

    But the TIN said the various media campaign against the administration of the Vice Chancellor of the University; Prof. Zana Akpagu, who is the first alumnus to be appointed as the Vice Chancellor, could be traced to the former bursar who he said has failed to explore avenues for internal dispute resolution.

    Solomon: “Prof. Zana Akpagu deserves commendation as an internal whistleblower for refusing to cooperate with or condone the sleaze and unfettered corrupt antics of the erstwhile Bursar. Clearly, Prof. Zana Akpagu by his actions has chronicled more than a million words can convey the true essence of the “Change begins with me” campaign of this administration. He remains a shining light for all administrators across the board to borrow a leaf from in the school of patriotism and leadership.”

    He praised the Prof. Akpagu led administration for introducing innovations and projects that have been abandoned by previous administrations including the Faculty of Dentistry building, faculty of Medicine and the accreditation of Faculty of Engineering the Department of Music, Tourism and Oceanography.