The Nation Newspaper

Tag: University of Lagos (UNILAG)

  • Don seeks support for blind students

    Dr Adebowale Ayobade of the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos (UNILAG) has urged educators not to neglect visually-impaired students but find a means of accommodating them.

    She spoke last Friday at an event organised by the National Association of Nigerian Visually Impaired Students (NANVIS), UNILAG Chapter, tagged:The Power of the B4:Black, Blind, Bold and Beautiful.

    While speaking on the topic, Inclusive Education, she said visually-impaired students should be encouraged and assisted, not discriminated against.

    She said: “When we talk of Inclusive Education, it involves giving an enabling environment to all citizens to learn without any form of discrimination. It is all about giving equal opportunities to all. It accommodates everybody in the learning process.”

    Ayobade explained that the country was still evolving in the area of Inclusive Education, but advised that efforts should be made to make it work.

    She said: “We are still evolving, but there is room for improvement. We need to modify how we impart knowledge to the blind – their learning time, exam questions – and teachers too should have special skills to cater for them.”

    Commenting on the theme of the event, former NANVIS EXCO, Mr Kareem Ahmed, said being blind had not hampered the students in any way.

    He praised University of Lagos, noting that “UNILAG is the best place for visually- impaired students”.

    Earlier in his opening speech, Head of Department, History and Strategic Studies, Prof Rufus Akinyele, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, praised the blind students for visiting Ikoyi Prisons and assured them of the university’s continuous support.

    He said: “I really commend your efforts towards serving humanity in your present state.  Your visit to Ikoyi Prisons shows you care about others.  And I want to use this medium to assure you of the regular support of the university.”

    President of the association, Osho Sunday said their disability was a blessing to them.He noted that the association was formed to rid visually-impaired students of challenges facing them on campus.

    Meanwhile, Kunle Esun of EcoBank presented white canes to members of the association to support them.

  • UNILAG organises innovative challenge Sept 3

    Eleven student teams from various universities will pitch their innovative ideas to solve societal problems to a team of academic and industry experts at the Professor Ogindipe Innovative Challenge (POIC) next Tuesday at the Jelili Omotola Multipurpose Halls of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

    At a press briefing to announce the challenge on Wednesday, Dean, Faculty of Science, Prof Adedotun Adekunle, said the 11 ideas were shortlisted from over 500 entries submitted by both undergraduate and postgraduate students from universities across the country.

    He said the challenge was aimed at encouraging students to provide scientific solutions to indigenous problems bedeviling the country.

    “We want students to use the knowledge of theory and little practical they have to solve problems in the society.  We want something that science can solve,” Adekunle said at the briefing held at the Faculty of Science Boardroom of the university.

    Chairman, POIC, Dr Kehinde Kemabonta said the selection process for finalists started last year and was done by a team of reviewers and judges.

    “We started since last year.  Reviewers looked at the proposals and came up with the 25 best.  The judges came up with the 11 finalists.  It was like a blind review because they did not know where the proposals were from.  But we are lucky that some of our students from the UNILAG are among the finalists,” she said.

    Dr Kemabonta said the POIC is expected to birth entrepreneurs who can hold their own internationally.

    “The POIC is a brain child of the Faculty of Science under the able leadership of the Dean of Science, Prof Adedotun Adekunle and it is designed to cater for emerging talents in a bid to build young entrepreneurs, make them locally relevant and globally competitive in their chosen areas of interest,” she said.

  • Lagos students’ accommodation blues

    Accommodation, both on and off campus for students attending tertiary institutions in the heart of the Lagos metropolis, is a challenge. On campus, they are forced to make do with unconducive living spaces; while off campus, they face high cost. BUSOLA SEBIOTIMO, RUKAYAT OMORO and ADEDAMOLA AYODEJI report on the problems they face and the changes they seek.

    After gaining admission, getting accommodation is the next biggest hurdle students of tertiary institutions have to scale.

    Students of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) face issues staying on and off campus.

    On campus, they complainED of facilities not meeting their needs; while off campus they complain about the high cost of rent and transportation to and from school.

    Living on campus

    Staying on campus has its advantages.  First, is that hostel accommodation on campus is cheaper than off-campus.  While students pay N25,000 for a bed space at UNILAG, students pay N19,000 at YABATECH.   Students save money they would otherwise have spent on transportation to school; they are able to get to class on time because of proximity. They also do not have to pay utility bills as the institution is saddled with  providing water and augmenting power supply from the national grid.  However, it is not all that rosy for the on-campus students of YABATECH and UNILAG.

    UNILAG

    Many students who spoke with The Nation complained about their halls of residence at UNILAG being dilapidated or overcrowded.  They also complained about having health issues as a result of bad toilets, untreated water, bed bugs.

    A student of Marine Biology resident at Kofo Hotel complained about the poor state of the hostel, as well as overcrowding.The female student, who does not want to be named, lamented that some rooms have double the number of approved occupants, claiming that the hostel porters collected bribes to keep squatters in the hostels.

    “The Kofo Hostel is bad. At times, there will not be water; the accommodation is not even conducive, and our skin reacts to all this. We are 16 in a room but we are supposed to be eight because of the squatters, they do not allow people to squat but when they find out, we will pay.

    “Last week Saturday, a worker was cleaning the louvres and it fell on a girl’s head, just because the glass was already weak. Well, the cleaner is not to be blame for what happened.  And when the lady was taken to the clinic, they did not treat her immediately; she was asked to bring her Identification card before they could treat her,” the student said.

    Another student, who stays at Amina Hostel, said students were being forced to make repairs with their funds because there is no official in the hostel to inform the management of repairs.

    The Petroleum and Gas Engineering student said: “I live in Amina Hostel.  It is OK; but because of the location (it is inside of Education), they do not really pay attention.  There are times that there won’t be light in the hostel. They said there was no hostel manager. There are some things that they are supposed to have renovated but they have not.  When the things are too spoilt, we are the ones who repair them with our money because it is affecting us.

    “Last month, a rat came into our hostel through a net that was torn. We complained but we were told we do not have a hostel manager so we had to contribute money to fix the net.

    “There is also a place in the passage where water comes through inside our room. They came to check it, but they have not done anything.’’

    But not all hostels of the university are so bad. A student of Finance, Opeyemi Sadiq, said he was fine with his hostel accommodation.

    “The hostel is convenient. It costs N25,000 for the hostel on campus,” said the 300-Level student.

    Save for the number of students in her room, another student in the Faculty of Science was comfortable in her room.

    “It depends on the people you are squatting with. We are like 16 in the room. We do not have water issues.  The hostel is comfortable for me,” she said.

    Another student whose, hostel is in the heart of the campus, said her problem was its location from class.

    “I stay on Campus. We are eight in the room. And the room is tight. The only problem I am having is coming from my hostel to school.  My hostel is far from my department.There are other hostels that are comfortable, trust me mine is not,” she said.

    YABATECH

    For students of YABATECH, their problem is not so much about the state of their hostels as the high feeding cost of staying on campus.

    Following a fire that gutted the institution’s Bakassi Hostel, a hostel for both males and females on November 23, 2016, a new hostel, called Hollywood, was built last session to accommodate only male students.  However, students were blamed for the fire resulting in the polytechnic management banning cooking by students in the hostels.  The ban is negatively affecting the students who said they spend as much as N1,000-N1,500 feeding daily.

    A National Diploma (ND) 1 student of Mass Communication, who called herself Victoria, said students still try to sneak hotplates to cook in the hostel.

    “I stay on campus. Not allowing us to cook, is really disturbing us in the hostel. Some people do sneak in the hot plate, but the school would still go round and then seize it.

    “Instead of spending at least N500 (for a meal), I could use that to get food stuff from the market and eat well.  But the reverse is the case.  We spend  almost N1,000 daily on food.  It is really affecting us, as we are not allowed to cook. We are three in my room. The room is comfortable. It is just the issue of cooking that is the major problem all students face,” said Victoria, who stays in Akata Hostel.

    Ruth Oyindamola of the Department of Accountancy, ND1, said sometimes students do not have money to buy food.

    “Staying in the hostel is actually very convenient. We are not many in the room; we are just three. Everything is conducive. We are managing with the  issue of not cooking.  We have to go out and buy food and it is not every time we have money,” she said.

    A second year student of Business Administration, who did not give his name, complained about the hostel facilities and the food.  He complained that the affordable food vendor shut down, forcing students to spend more.  He said the students may protest.

    He said: “We don’t have water; our toilet is bad; we don’t cook in the hostel ; we even want to protest.   I spend N1,500 every day to feed myself because the food they sell is very small they have even closed down the cafeteria where we buy cheap food.  The name of cafeteria is Food Village.  The name of the cafeteria is where the food is costly is Bukola.  If you do not have money you cannot go there.”

    Living off campus

    For some students of both institutions, the challenges of living on campus drove them to source accommodation off campus. For others, they were forced off campus because they could not get campus accommodation.

    A Mathematics student of UNILAG, David Audu (not real names), said he chose to stay off campus because students fall ill in the hostel.

    “I have friends in the hostel. We resumed at the same time. But just one week after, they contracted skin diseases. When we came to the school, they looked fresh.

    “It is not about convincing my parents that I want to stay outside the school but they, on seeing the condition of the hostels, said this could not be a place where their child would stay,” he said.

    Audu urged the university to improve on the hostel facilities.

    Ade Folarin Fosulu said he paid N100,000 for his off-campus hostel accommodation, adding that it is more comfortable.

    “I don’t stay in the school hostel because it is not comfortable. I live in a rented apartment  at Pako; we are three and we paid N100,000 each.”

    Caleb Oni, a 100 level student of Mass Communication, concerned about hygiene, opted for a N150,000 apartment off campus, which he and three of his colleagues are sharing.

    “I don’t fancy hostel. I do not want a situation where I will be pressed and I will not be able to go. Also, another reason is because of the over population in the hostels, and bed bugs.  ‘’Four of us paid N150,000 each for two years,’’ he said.

    Some YABATECH students living off-campus complained about the long time it took before the management allocated bed spaces to them.They said one semester had gone before they got  spaces in the hostels. While they waited, some lived rough – sleeping in classrooms or other spaces; those who could not opted for off campus.

    Uche Janet, a Higher National Diploma (HND) II student, said some students refused to take hostel spaces because they had only one semester left.

    “It took a long time for the school management to allocate the hostels.  And when this was done, the students didn’t really accept the offers because a semester was gone and they thought it was a waste of money to pay.

    ‘’Some had already got accommodation. I come from Ojota every day and I spend at least N500. It is not comfortable for me. I had to make do with this arrangement. This is so because the facilities in the hostel are dilapidated; the toilets are bad. This is beside the food problem,” she said.

    A student (names withheld) said the delay in allocating hostel spaces made students sleep in classrooms.

    “People that paid for hostel paid for this semester only because they did not open the hostel when school resumed. They opened it in second semester and people were sleeping in classrooms or anywhere they liked because they had not got accommodation.  I live in Fadeyi.  We are four in the room and we paid N35,000 each,” he said.

    Grace, a Computer Science student, said she suffered inconvenience commuting from her home in Mile 2 to Yaba everyday but preferred it to the inconvenience of living on campus.

    “I won’t be able to cook in the hostel; I cannot stay in the hostel and be buying food and yet they lock down the reasonable food vendor. I do not know their reason. Those staying in the hostel are still going outside (campus) to look for places to buy food because those places are cheaper than the other food vendor in the hostel.  I spend N600 or close to N1,000 as  transport fare from Mile 2. At times I come to lectures late but I cannot stay in the hostel because of the circumstances around it,” she said.

    Refuting claims by UNILAG students that they were exposed to infection in the hostels, the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the University does not joke with the health issues.

    “The University does not joke with the health issues. Once a student is sick, even by 12am, the emergency services is always on ground,” he said.

    On the issue of overcrowding, Ogundipe said it was the students who accommodated squatters in the hostels.

    “It is the students that always bring in people and once we try to send them out, they are not happy about it,” he said.

    Speaking on having to spend money on repairs in the hostel, Ogundipe said students were supposed to report to the management to carry out repairs and not spend their own money.

    “It is them that want to spend money. They are to report to their hall mistress and if the hall mistress does not answer; they should tell the Dean, Students’ Affairs.

    “A student messaged me on Whatsapp about an issue and I forwarded it to the DSA and it was solved. My number is everywhere; students can reach me on WhatsApp and I will answer,” he said.

    Reacting to the claims by YABATECH students that hostels were not allocated on time, Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Joseph Ejiofor, said the allocation was not done because of renovations on the hostels.

    “It was because of the renovation that delayed the allocation of rooms. It does not happen normally. The rector being a father saw that the former hostels were not good enough so decided to renovate it,” he said.

    Ejiofor added that the rule about no cooking stands.  He said students’ carelessness caused the fire.

    “The burnt hostel was as a result of their carelessness. Every school has its rules and that’s our school’s own.  That is why they have provided a café and restaurant for them to purchase food from. They have to take precautions and that is their precaution,” he said.

    However, Ejiofor noted that the institution had provided more hostel space which would be allocated from next session.

    “Then there are two newly renovated hostels with new bunk beds and mattresses. So there is accommodation readily available for everyone.  The hostels were not allocated because it was already late.  They would be allocated from next session,” he said.

    However, the students complained that at N40,000, the new hostels were too expensive.

  • Church shows students foreign education pathway

    A professor of Architecture at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Joseph Igwe has said the Pathway Connect Programme (PCP) of Brigham Young University (BYU) takes away the frustration linked with securing admission into a Nigerian university.

    “People take JAMB every year and only a tenth enter the university. There is not enough space although they are qualified. PCP takes away the frustration. PCP/BYU is less stressful, no JAMB needed to be admitted and you are taught superior knowledge,” he said.

    The Professor said this at the PCP of Brigham Young University’s third graduation held at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, Ikeja. The PCP produced 40 graduands.

    PCP/BYU, as explained by Lead missionary and Lagos Site Supervisor, Clement Okoye, is a foundation course that allows students to directly register to study in BYU-Idaho.

    “It is a one-year programme that will enable you to commence your degree programme in Brigham Young University-Idaho. You can decide to study either on campus or take it online, both getting the same degree.”

    He added: “Initially, we started with church members but now, it is open to everyone in Nigeria to benefit from. It has a relatively cheap tuition fee that enables Nigerians to acquire their dream education. We started the programme in 2017 and we have graduated three sets.”

    Addressing the graduating students, Igwe, who was the keynote speaker, said they were lucky to be part of the programme, which also exposes them to entrepreneurship training.

    “Don’t take your certificate like a normal university’s own. You have skills like family skills, life skills, social skills which many of them do not have. Cherish it,” he said.

    A student, Onifade Abosede said the programme had helped in varios areas of life.

    “The programme has really boosted my confidence. What attracted me to the programme was when my colleagues who took the course were always so confident and well-composed. I was interested in what made them that way. The course has helped in my financial activities. I have learnt to be self-reliant and responsible. Although not a member of the church, I felt loved and accepted,” she said.

  • UNILAG VC meets with PS in Abuja

    University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice Chancellor of the Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe was at the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) Abuja  yesterday. It was over the crisis between the institutions management and the Government Council over alleged financial misappropriation.

    The Nation gathered that the VC met with the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Sonny Echono, and representative(s) of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    A source said  all the issues were resolved at the meeting.

    An aide to the Education Minister who confirmed that the meeting held, declined to give details of what transpired.

    The meeting follows the resolution of the crisis at UNILAG after a two-day Governing Council meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

    At the end of the meeting, the Council, chaired by Dr Wale Babalakin, absolved top officials served queries for alleged financial misappropriation last week of wrong doing.

    The Council deliberated on the reports of two committees on financial expenditure in the university.

    A source noted that the Prof Ogundipe and two Deputy Vice Chancellors Prof Wole Familoni (Academics & Research) and Prof Folasade Ogunsola (Development Services), as well as the Bursar, Mr Nurudeen Olalekan Lawal and some others, got the opportunity to respond to the queries.

    They were not allowed  such privilege by the committees that  investigated them.

    The Nation gathered that the Education Ministry would invite the Pro Chancellor to a separate meeting.

  • UNILAG students charged with attempted rape

    Two University of Lagos (UNILAG) students on Thursday appeared at a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly attempting to rape their course mate.

    Ikedi Okpanlanedu, 21, and Samuel Idongesit, 20, are also accused  of conspiracy,  assault, impersonation and threatening violence.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Modupe Olaluwoye alleged that the undergraduates invited their course mate, a make-up artiste, to a hotel room and attempted to rape her.

    She said the defendants committed the offence on April 1, at Peace Land Hotel, Fola Agoro, Shomolu, Lagos.

    Olaluwoye said the defendants promised to introduce the make-up artiste to someone, who needed her service.

    She alleged that the defendants attempted to rape her on arrival at the hotel room.

    “My lord, they strangled her because she called for help. A hotel worker, Mr. Ohaeri Godlove, who heard her screaming, called the guard.

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    “Okpanlanedu claimed to be an Army personnel and threatened to stab her with the knife he was holding, if she did not cooperate with them.

    “The knife was recovered from the crime scene. We intend to tender it in evidence,” Olaluwoye added.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty. They were granted N200,000 bail with two sureties each in the like sum by Chief Magistrate Peter Ojo.

    The sureties must be employed and possess evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case continues on June 26.

  • Don’t abandon Nigeria, Babalakin urges medical graduates

    The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has advised the institution’s medical graduates to resist the temptation to travel abroad, urging them to stay back in Nigeria to reposition the medical sector.

    He gave the advice at the day two of the university’s weeklong 50th convocation.

    Babalakin, who congratulated the 3,643 graduates from eight faculties, urged them to carefully study the profiles of outstanding graduates of the university, who, despite their unrivalled professional excellence, returned to Nigeria and the university to render selfless services to their fatherland.

    His words: “Studying medicine at the University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, is particularly difficult and many of you have gone through the rigours of the various routes and are now graduates. It is tempting to see your qualifications as a stepping stone to escape out of Nigeria.

    “Please let escape from Nigeria be a second choice. Join in the crusade to reposition the Nigerian medical practice and profession. Let your qualification be an opportunity to reposition the College of Medicine. Your choice should be to make Nigeria attractive again.”

    The Pro-Chancellor hailed graduates from the institution’s Distance Learning Institute (DLI) for their doggedness in combining studying with work.

    Babalakin urged the 1,324 graduates from the part-time institute not to consider their certificates as a meal ticket but an opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the development of the society.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, in his welcome address gave a breakdown of the graduates as 137 in Basic Medical Sciences, 294 in Clinical Sciences, 56 in Dental Sciences, 510 in Engineering and 272 in Law.

    Others according to the VC, are Management Sciences 954, Pharmacy 96 and Distance Learning Institute (DLI) 1324.

  • Govt to partner investors on IPP, concession airports – Osinbajo

    Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has spoken of plans to encourage private sector firms to supply power to end users.

    Osinbajo said this while delivering the 50th Convocation Lecture of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) titled: “Nigeria Rising: The Path to Prosperity” on Monday at the J.F Ade Ajayi Auditorium.

    The VP said though the country was generating up to 8,100 megawatts, the distribution companies (DISCOs) failed to distribute up to 2,000 megawatts.  He blamed the DISCOs’ inability to distribute on failure to invest in metering.

    He said: “We have moved generation from 4,000 to 8,100 MW. But the effect of this increase in generation has not translated significantly to better service to the consumer. This is mainly due to   distribution challenges. Over 2,000 MW of power is not taken up by the discos for distribution to consumers largely because of problems they experience in collection of Tariff.

    “But one of the reasons for this is the fact that the discos have not invested significantly in metering. We have now embarked on a major metering initiative – The Metering Assets Programme which involves private metering Assets providers. In addition the Federal government has in the past 18 months taken on the deficiencies in transmission head on.  Through the TCN and the NDPHC we are completing transmission projects all around the country.”

    Osinbajo said the government was already experimenting decentralizing power production with Independent Power Projects (IPP) it has helped to build which are operating successfully in selected markets across the county.

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    “The more important strategy is to decentralize power production. So we have adopted an off grid programme, which means that we are encouraging private investors to collaborate with government to build IPPs and supply power to willing buyers. This was made possible by what is called an eligible customer declaration by the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. By this collaboration we have been providing power, especially Solar Power to economic clusters such as markets across the country – including, Ariaria market in Aba, 31,993 shops; Sabongari market in Kano, 13,598 shops;  Sura market in Lagos, 1047; Isikan  493, NEPA 256,  Gbagi 8,778, UMBC 2178, a  total of 81,691shops servicing 320,000 SMEs. In Lagos we recently commissioned the Sura market solar project.  The businesses there now have 24-hour power. From printers, commercial tailors to small chop businesses, everyone is employing more and making more profit,” he said.

    In the area of business, Osinbajo said Nigeria had moved up 24 places in the ranking of countries with ease of doing business. He added that there were plans to concession the airport and increasingly get government off running business.

    “Nigeria has also made appreciable progress in improving the business environment.  We improved our position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings by 24 places over a three year period.  And we were were adjudged one of the 10best reforming economies in the world. Also worthy of note is the fact that there has been an increased presence of foreign companies in Nigeria.  I am told that the number of Japanese companies operating in Nigeria has increased by over one-quarter over the past three years, while those from Norway have more than doubled in the same period.  Allianz, the largest insurance company in the world has started operations in Nigeria after buying into a local firm while Coca-Cola has bought up the remaining shares in Chi Industries that it did not own.What kind of reforms are expected over the next 4 years and in which sectors.

    “We plan to complete the concession of our airports for increased efficiency and alignment with global standards;  and establish the National Trading Platform to encompass a more sophisticated single window platform, scanners, and a ports community portal for goods being imported into and exported out of the country,” he said.

    On education, Osinbajo said the government was working on a new curriculum that would drive learning of skills needed for the technology-enabled workspace.

    He said: “Our technology agenda is premised on our new educational curriculum which emphasizes STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. We are currently developing that curriculum with the support of global players like MIT, Cisco, IBM and Oracle – a nationwide curriculum that incorporates 21st century STEAM thinking: coding, design skills, digital arts, robotics, and machine learning, and so on.

    “The curriculum will cover primary to secondary education. The Arts component of that vision is extremely important to us. Visual arts, dance, music, film and theatre, comedy,  literature – these and many more are fields in which Nigeria is has proved to the world that it is full of talent and originality and ambition. At the highest levels of the government in Abuja, we are creating opportunities to engage with artists to better understand how we can, as a government, support you to succeed.

    “We believe that like technology entertainment and the arts require active support, especially in the development of policies as we engage uncharted territory in the coming years. Consequently the President directed that we establish a technology and creativity advisory group, to work on and formulate policies in these very dynamic spaces. We have had about three meetings so far.”

    The event which was chaired by Chief Arthur Mbanefo, who was Pro-Chancellor of the university 35 years ago, had in attendance the Vice Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Wale Babalakin; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Prof Elias Bogoro; President, University of Lagos Alumni Association, John Momoh; Former UNILAG Alumni President, Olorogun Sunny Kuku, among others.

  • Best brains needed for national development, says Babalakin

    •”Elebute, an outstanding scholar”

    THE Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has said policies must be made to attract the best brains to teach in Nigerian universities.

    This, he said, would speed up the nation’s development.

    Babalakin spoke yesterday at UNILAG’s College of Medicine during a valedictory service in honor of the founder of Hygeia HMO Limited and former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Emmanuel Adeyemo Elebute (CON).

    Noting that he was inspired by the late Elebute’s CV and achievements, the lawyer said the deceased contributed extensively to the development of medicine.

    Babalakin’s words: “Prof. Elebute attended CMS Grammar School and studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin. He won the Cunningham Medal for Anatomy and Fitzpatrick Scholarship for the best performance in all professional examinations. With all the options available to him, he chose to come back to Nigeria and contribute to the College of Medicine, UNILAG. His CV is one that we should propagate.

    “We have been having serious difficulty in attracting the best of scholars to the university system. In the era of the Elebutes and those immediately after them, there was no better thing to do than to be in the academia. Various policies have made this unattractive and until we reverse these policies and begin again to attract the best brains to teach in universities, our national development will remain stifled.”

    Stating that the late Elebute was not only an academic but a “phenomenal administrator”, the pro-chancellor said: “He was the Chief Medical Director of LUTH from 1978 -1980. Before then he had participated actively in the union of doctors, seeking to improve the welfare of doctors as President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) between 1968 and 1970.

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    “He was also a member of the editorial board of the British Journal of Surgery. What this tells us is that we can rebuild from where we find ourselves; we can create a Nigerian academy that will be the envy of all.”

    Babalakin explained that having distinguished himself as an academic, the late Elebute went further into providing medical services by establishing the Lagoon Hospital, which is “arguably one of the best medical centers in Nigeria today” and transformed it into Hygeia HMO.

    “The best way to celebrate this great man is to tell ourselves that we have the same inspiration; we have the same greatness and we will further it. We must decide to turn whatever stumbling blocks we find on our way into stepping stones for the attainment of greater heights”, he added.

    The Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the late Elebute was a “mentor and not a tormentor” as well as a great grammarian.

    Provost, UNILAG College of Medicine, Prof. Afolabi Lesi, described the late Elebute as “an iconic man of many parts, a brilliant academician, a disciplined master of surgical craft, a true friend and a wonderful family man”.

    According to LUTH CMD, Prof. Chris Bode, the late Elebute was an “impeccable dresser and was humble beyond belief.”

    One of the deceased’s daughters, Mrs Dupe Odunsi, who gave the vote of thanks, said the late Elebute was “a wonderful father, who put a lot of enthusiasm into building our home”.

    Also at the event were Elebute’s widow, Prof. Oyinade, and his children; Dr. Olorogun Sunny Kuku of Eko Hospital; Provost, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Prof. B. Osinusi; and Prof. Oladapo Ashiru of Mart-Life Clinic; among other eminent medical practitioners.

     

  • How UNILAG students gang-raped me serially, by 17-year-old undergraduate

    An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court on Tuesday heard how a 17-year-old student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, Lagos (names withheld) was allegedly gang-raped by eight fellow students who also blackmailed her with a video recording of the assault.

    Five of the students, Moboluwaji Omowole, 19, Chuka Chukwu, 19, Peace Nwankama, 19, James Aguedu, 20 and Osemeka Josephine, 20 were arraigned on a three-count charge of defilement of a child, permitting the defilement of a child in a premises and procuration before Justice Abiola Soladoye.

    The students, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, have been remanded in Kirikiri prisons by the trial judge while others were said to be still at large.

    The lead state prosecutor, Mrs. K.A Momoh-Ayokambi, said the defendants alongside others committed the offences in January 2017 at the premises of UNILAG, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.

    Led in evidence by Momoh-Ayokambi, the survivor told the court that she became friends with Nwankama (the third defendant) who was her roommate when she moved into the school hostel at the inception of the 2016/2017 academic session.

    She alleged that it was Nwankama, who lured her to be gang raped by the defendants, who was one of the three friends she made while sharing same room with her in the hostel.

    She said they were close to the extent that Nwankama introduced her to her parents on their matriculation day held January 13 to 17, 2017.

    Narrating her ordeal, the survivor told the court, one day, Nwankama called me on the phone and asked if she wanted to hang out with another boy called Yinka, one of those now at large,  at High Rise, a staff quarters UNILAG.

    She said when replied that she would think about it, the third defendant cut the phone and called back.

    She said instead of her, it was Yinka, who was talking to her and explained that it was a hangout for friends and that her room-mate, Nwankama would be there.

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    She said that at that time, she let go of her guard, and agreed to the invitation.

    She said since she doesn’t know where High Rise was located, Yinka and Peace told her to meet them at Jaja Hall.

    She said when they got to High Rise, she was led to a small building where she met Seriki (now at large) and a group of boys but was assured by Yinka that her friend, Nwakama Peace will join them.

    According to her, James led her up a flight of stairs into a room where she met other boys who had come upstairs.

    She said when she entered the room, she met two boys and a girl  including Emmanuel, now at large, and Josephine, the fifth defendant, inside the room.

    “When James and Seriki entered the room, Josephine and the two boys left and at this point it was clear to me that Peace was not in High Rise.

    “Yinka then asked me to have sex with him, I said no but he continued forcefully persisting and removing my clothes at this point, two other people who were looking into the room entered the room and held me down while Yinka had forceful sex with me,” she narrated.

    The survivor who told the court that eight men raped her in turns, listed her aggressors who allegedly took turns to rape to include Daniel, James, Yinka, Bolu (first defendant), Seriki, Emmanuel and two others whose names she couldn’t remember.

    She said she was further subjected to series of sexual assault by some of the defendants and their accomplices.

    “After they did that they all came into the room including Josephine and they started playing music, four people held me down and were touching me all around while Josephine was either kissing or dancing with one of them”.

    She said all her thoughts were on how to escape from the scene but failed because her aggressors outnumbered her and because she does not know if those downstairs were part of them.

    She said while all these were going on, there was a guy who was video recording all that was happening on a phone.

    “I had the urge to get the phone from him but I thought I was outnumbered,” she said.

    She said when they were through, they led her outside the building and told her they had a video of what happened and that if she doesn’t want “to be popular” in school, she must answer them anytime they wanted to have sex.

    She told the court that between one and two weeks after the alleged incident, she was subjected to more gang raping and sexual assault by the members of the group and have by then included Simi, Randy, Idowu and Eddy (who are all at large).

    She said some of the assaults and defilement occurred at Chukwu’s (second defendants) parents’ house Pako area of Yaba and later rumours about the video tape began to make rounds in the school premises.

    The survivor said a friend hers who found out about her ordeal brought the incident to the attention of the school authorities.

    She said with the assistance of the university counsellor, the first defendant, Omowole,  was lured to a place within the school premises where he was arrested, taken to the office of the Dean Student Affairs and later provided the names of his alleged accomplices.

    The student said she was admitted at the UNILAG Medical Centre for three days where the parents of the arrested students tried soliciting her not to do anything about the case.

    “From the Medical Center, I went home and stayed for three weeks, during that time their parents were trying to bribe my family with between N3million to N5million but my family declined as my mother and brothers were very supportive,” she said.

    She stated further those who allegedly raped her went to the same secondary school called ISL but couldn’t give the full name of the secondary school.

    Justice Soladoye has adjourned the case until March 18.