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Tag: varsities’

  • Three varsities build cars for Shell Eco-marathon

    Three varsities build cars for Shell Eco-marathon

    Students of three universities have built cars they will use at the Shell Eco-marathon, Africa (SEMA) in South Africa between October 2 and 4.

    The students, drawn from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, are being sponsored by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) Joint Venture.

    They are collectively known as Team Nigeria and will join 40 teams from four countries to test the energy efficiency of their cars at the Zwartkops Raceway, near Pretoria.

    The competition, which will be hosted by the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Johannesburg, challenges students from all over the world to build and race energy-efficient cars, and rewards those that travel farthest with the least amount of fuel.

    In 2014, the SPDC JV provided seed funding for the three universities and sponsored them to the European edition of the competition in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. They also participated in the maiden edition of Shell Eco-Marathon Africa which held in South Africa in 2014, where the UNIBEN team winning the Best Designed Car award.  SPDC organised a test drive at the Campus Mini stadium in Lagos in March 2015 to test the readiness of the students.

    Mr Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director SPDC and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, said the intervention is part of efforts to prepare students to solve problems for the society.

    “The sponsorship of the students opens an exciting phase in our long-standing support for education in Nigeria.  In addition to awarding scholarships, building schools and donating science equipment, we’re challenging the leaders of tomorrow to begin to think about, and act on the difficult energy choices facing a rapidly increasing world population,” he said.

    General Manager, External Relations SPDC, Igo Weli, said he was confident of the students’ chances in the competition.

    “The test drive was very successful and watched by cheering parents. The outcome of the event provided the assurance that the Nigerian students will pass the rigorous technical inspection before being allowed to race at Shell Eco-marathon in Europe or Africa. We’re pleased that our support has encouraged other universities to take part in this project designed to drive the efficient use of energy,” he said.

    The initiative is one of many that SPDC Joint Venture has in the education sector.

     

  • TETFund grants are sustaining public varsities, says VC

    Vice Chancellor, Federal University Otuoke, (FUO), Prof Mobolaji Aluko, has said the government’s higher institutions would have collapsed if not for the cash from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    He spoke when TETFund took members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) on a tour of TETFund projects in FUO, University of Benin, Auchi Polytechnic, Ambrose Ali University, College of Education, Agbo, Delta State University, Abraka and Federal University of Petroleum Resources in Effurun, Delta State.

    He said over 90 per cent of projects in institutions were funded by TETFund.

    Aluko, and other managers, however, pleaded for easier process to implement TETFund projects to avoid delay.

    He said: “When TETFund allocates money to you, it is sure that you will get it. Without TETFund, many universities and other institutions would have gone underground. It means they may not function again.

    “Universities have been pleading to TETFund to allow us de-batch periodically so that one project will not delay another. Give us 85 per cent at the beginning.  The fact that they give us 50 per cent does not mean that we give the contractors the entire 50 per cent. We still give them based on valuation, so that we do not have to come back several times.That has been another problem.’’

    He continued: “Another problem is that they wouldn’t give you money if you have not retired the initial money.This causes trouble because once TETFund has allocated money to you, it will always be yours but that means that there will be a lot of money accumulated in TETFund for various institutions without access and you will also understand that vice chancellors change, physical planning directors change at different times and we get all these projects at different times.

    “I will tell you administering TETFund projects are difficult; so, if you do not have a good history of recurrence you can get confused. Many of the projects are confusingly tagged. The only things that differentiate them are the dates of allocation. TETFund must label the allocations better so that they themselves can monitor and it will also help us to monitor our projects.

    “TETFund has three special accounts; they are special projects account, normal intervention account and academic support account.  TETFund should give us more flexibility so that projects will move on. We are major beneficiaries of TETFund projects that are going on. We used TETFund money to upgrade many of the buildings in the university. To start up the university in 2012, we had to use TETFund money for renovations, buy vehicles and do roads. Our lectures have also gone on several trainings.”

    On why Chief Executive Officers (CEO) are excluded from the human capacity training by TETFund according to complaints by them during the inspection of projects, Aluko said: “We are the ones who made the decision for CEO of universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education not to be part of funds meant to train lecturers in various institutions. I support the exclusion. I go to conference if I want; nobody stops me. Why should I again be fighting with other staff over TETFund money for training when I can make a decision to go to other countries for training? I do not see that as an issue.”

    Other CEOs of the institutions the journalists visited during the tour attested to the fact that TETFund intervention fund has affected the institutions positively.

     

  • Why varsities must tackle students’ cohabitation’

    Tertiary institutions must design institutional framework that will discourage students to engage in cohabitation on campus. This was the view of stakeholders at a summit tagged: Cohabitation among students, organised by Division of Students’ Affairs of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akoko-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, in conjunction with Airtel Nigeria.

    The event was held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Hall on Tuesday.

    Leading the speakers was the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, who decried vices among students. He said students’ immoral acts had eroded the cultural values for which all ethnic groups are known.

    The university administrator described cohabitation as a sin against morality, calling on all education stakeholders to introduce policies that would discourage the vice.

    He said: “Findings by researchers have proved that cohabitation among unmarried students has been on the rise in recent times and if deliberate steps are not taken by education stakeholders, including managements of tertiary institutions, parents and religious leaders, this anomaly would continue to be on the rise and the society will ultimately suffer for it.”

    Earlier, the Dean, Students’ Affairs (DSA), Dr Bolanle Ogungbamila, identified inadequate hostels as one of the factors responsible for the high rate of cohabitation, stressing that it portends grave implication for students’ future.

    In his lecture titled: Campus co-habitation: A negative attitudinal disposition that debases the dignity of womanhood, AAUA’s Director of Women Studies and Development Centre (WSDC),  Dr Nireti Duyilemi, cautioned students against indulging in the act.

    Some of the participants, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, praised the organisers for showing them the dangers of cohabitation and they could avoid it.

     

  • NUC is sanitising all varsities, says Okojie

    Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie, has disclosed that the commission is sanitising all universities in the country to compete with global best practices.

    He said this in Abuja when members of the Senior Executive Course 37 2015 study group five of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, visited the commission.

    Okojie said though there are poor universities across the world but Nigeria through the NUC is taking a drastic step as a regulatory body not to fail in its activities.

    To also monitor standard, the NUC boss urged universities to report to the commission when Vice Chancellors are appointed.

    Okojie said the Act of NUC of 2004 Cap 3 and 8, is being reviewed to empower the commission to close institutions.

    Aside what government is doing, he encouraged private university owners to invest more in their institution to enhance performance.

    His words: “We need the rebranding of the Nigeria university system. NUC is short of staff to monitor all the universities in the country. Universities must be up and doing.  In my days a lecturer changed marks and we dismissed him, but now such is hardly done.  There are poor universities everywhere in the world, even in the United States of America (USA), but we are doing our best to sanitize all universities in Nigeria.

    “Nigeria must get to the level where we can compete globally. During the era of former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili we draw a list of Vice Chancellors (VC) that can be appointed to various universities, but now that is no more in place. The universities do not report to us when VCs are appointed.

    “The Act of NUC of 2004 Cap 3 and 8, is right now been reviewed on how we can close institutions among other steps. We must have that law to operate effectively.”

    The Director of Studies and leader of NIPPS delegation, Prof Celestine Bassey, had urged the commission to arrest the rot in the university system.

    Bassey said the group went round some universities and observed that the level of infrastructural and intellectual development was poor.

    He said the good old days where Nigeria universities turned out best brains were no more and urged the NUC to restore the fortunes of the system.

     

  • Okebukola to varsities: Tackle terrorism with research

    Okebukola to varsities: Tackle terrorism with research

    Former executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof Peter Okebukola, has urged African universities to conduct research towards tackling terrorism.

    Delivering the keynote address at the third Six Universities (U6) international conference at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) last week, Okebukola said universities were well placed to tackle local, national and global challenges ravaging the world.

    The U6 is a group of institutions comprising Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa; Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (formerly Bondo University College), Kenya; Kwara State University, Nigeria; the University of The Gambia, The Gambia; the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; and UNILORIN, which acted as host.

    Noting that the world is facing challenges of leadership and bad governance, decline in the quality of education and others, he warned that “global insecurity and spread of terrorism were capable of bringing down this world within a jiffy.”

    He urged un iversity administrators on the continent to ensure safety on “our campuses; promote religious and ethnic harmony.”

    Welcoming the participants, the UNILORIN Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdulganuyu Ambali, advocated collaborative researches among member institutions, which he noted would yield better results.

    He said: “I want to use this medium to urge our scholars and researchers to, in the spirit of this type of conference, continue to explore joint research projects and collaborative academic activities.

    “Interdisciplinary research groups and inter-university research projects are very essential. It is said that two (good) heads are better than one and joint efforts appear to be more rewarding in terms of outcomes.

    “Therefore, our participants should make friends across universities and disciplines. They should then follow up with initiatives that will continue to promote scholarship after this important conference.

    “The world is now connected and what is done somewhere has implications for what will happen elsewhere hence the need to reach out to others. For example, the crises in some parts of the Middle East have created refugee problems for Europe. Working together is part of the right steps in the right direction of making our world better. The world won’t change until we all do things right or take the right steps along that line.”

     

  • ExxonMobil experts ‘lecture’ in 17 varsities

    ExxonMobil experts ‘lecture’ in 17 varsities

    The launch of ExxonMobil Lecture Series was greeted with enthusiasm by lecturers and students at the University of Ibadan last Friday.

    The series, being implemented under the University Assistance Programme (UAP), an initiative of ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL), would hold in 17 schools that have benefited from the programme.

    Since 2008, the UAP has been intervening in the Geosciences department of the 17 universities – providing them with workstations and other equipment for laboratories and ICT units, organising training for lecturers, and funding field trips.

    General Manger, Exploration, EEPNL, Mr Andrew Ejayeriese, said at the launch held in the conference room of the Faculty of Science, UI, that the Lecture Series is expected to further bridge the gap between university training and industry practices.

    “Under the Lecture Series, senior geosciences professionals from ExxonMobil Upstream companies will be presenting lectures at selected Nigerian universities on a pro bono basis, sharing their wealth of experience and depth of technical knowledge with both students and academic staff of these universities,” he said.

    Ejayeriese, who was represented by Mr Gilbert Odior, the Geosciences Coordinator, said that 24 lectures would be delivered at each university during a three-day workshop.

    Some of the 24 sub-topics under the theme, “Understanding the Upstream Oil and Gas Business”, included: “ExxonMobil Company Overview”; “Understanding the Oil and Gas Business”; “Sedimentation Concepts and Structural Styles;” and “Petroleum Economics and Economic Evaluations.”

    He said the University of Ibadan was chosen to flag-off the series because of its age and achievements in producing professionals who have made their marks in the labour market.

    Responding to the initiative, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Isaac Adewole, represented by the Dean, Faculty of Science, Prof Abiodun Onilude, said the lecture series would build the capacity of both academics and students and urged them to imbibe whatever they were taught.

    He also praised ExxonMobil for its investment in the UAP, valued at about N2 billion across all the universities and thanked the company for investing 60 per cent of the intervention in UI.

    He noted that the university has reciprocated the gesture by rising in the ranking of the best universities in Africa.

    Adewole however appealed to the company to invest in other departments in the faculty like Chemistry and Microbiology, which both have areas that deal with geosciences.

    “Through your STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programme, you have improved science and technology.  But there are other departments in the faculty that need help for instance, Chemistry and Microbiology,” he said.

    On his part, the President, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Prof Gbenga Okunlola, praised ExxonMobil for its intervention in Geosciences education, which has led to the production of 12 geographical maps across the country by the various universities.

    Of the lot, Okunlola said UI produced three – with the fourth at 75 per cent completion.

    He urged the company not to relent on the funding but continue so that the geosciences training would continue to improve.

    “We want to appeal to you; you still need to do more in the Nigerian education system.  N2 billion is chicken feed compared to what you make.  Improve the chicken to cow meat.  I want to appreciate and tell you that NMGS is always proud of you,” he said.

    A student participant, Chinelo Oduche, who is studying for an MSc in Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology, said the series has helped to make classroom learning clearer.

    “It is a wonderful opportunity.  It will help us to understand the upstream/downstream  sectors well.  It will help us to sediment the knowledge.  Having professionals from the field coming to talk to us is making clearer what we learnt in the classroom,” she said.

    Other universities to benefit from the lecture series include: Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun; University of Lagos, Akoka; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; University of Port Harcourt; University of Calabar; and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

    Others are: “University of Benin; Delta State University, Abraka; Akwa Ibom State University; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Enugu State University of Science and Technology; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; and the Anambra State University, Uli.

     

  • FUNAAB to mentor Mountain Top, Chrisland varsities

    The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) is to mentor two newly-approved private universities.

    The institutions are: Mountain Top University (MTU) and Chrisland University, both in Ogun State.

    Its Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, spoke while receiving officers of the institutions, who visited him to seek partnership on staff development, knowledge exchange, facilities sharing and other areas that would promote teaching, learning and research in line with the National Universities Commission’s (NUC’s) standards.

    Receiving the team from the MTU, owned by the Mountain of Fire and Ministries (MFM), Oyewole said he was delighted when FUNAAB received a memo from the NUC, urging the institution to mentor MTU for five years.

    With a staff of 562 (academic) and 1,421 (non-teaching), a student population of 15,000 (undergraduate) and 1,500 (postgraduate) across 10 colleges and a postgraduate school, as well as 27 years’experience as a university, Oyewole said FUNAAB has the experience to mentor the institutions.

    The vice chancellor noted that the university has unique programmes that would be of interest to MTU, such as the Community-Based Farming Scheme (COBFAS), Graduate Farming Employment Scheme (GRADFES) and the commercial Tree-Crop Plantation Programme.

    He, however, charged the MTU team to prepare a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would include their expectations, as well as define the extent of the collaboration between both institutions.

    Responding, MTU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Elijah Ayolabi, said the partnership was divinely designed.

    “When the NUC told us that FUNAAB would be our mentor, I think God must have been working behind the scene.

    “University of Lagos is the closest to us; we were not given to them but we were sent here and only to discover that, it is like sending us home, because we found out that we have our own, someone who understands our language, the mission and vision of the proprietor of the university, who would be able to support us, both physically and spiritually”, he said.

    Chairman, Board of Trustees of MTU, Prof Akintunde Obilade, also agreed that the choice of FUNAAB as mentor was not by accident.

    The delegation was later taken on a tour of some places, such as the Directorate of University Farms (DUFARMS), Industrial Park Unit and the Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR).

    Similarly, while welcoming the Chrisland delegation during their visit, Prof Oyewole said FUNAAB was ready to mentor the institution and others that required such intervention.

    A member of the council of the Chrisland University, Prof Adebayo Odebiyi, said the visit became imperative to help the university start on the right foundation.

     

  • Don seeks solar energy in varsities

    President, Solar Energy Society of Nigeria (SESN) Prof. Isaac Itodo has urged governments to key into solar power revolution for enhanced development in all sectors of the economy.

    Itodo, who is the director, Linkages at the University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM) in Benue State, said the call became imperative because of the effectiveness of the solar system; urging government to venture into it as it has been proved effective and economically viable, given the challenges facing the power sector.

    He said part of his desire as president of SESN was to push for the establishment of a centre for energy in agriculture at UAM during his tenure. Once achieved, Itodo added that it will make farming more interesting, profitable and ensure good security.

    The university don, who announced that the paper work on  the aforementioned has been commenced,  appealed to the National Assembly to pass the bill when the SESN eventually pesents it  to that effect.

     

  • Crisis looms over planned varsities’ downgrade

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to reverse the downgrading of four new universities of education to colleges of education.

    Workers of the four universities (Federal University of Education, Kano; Federal University of Education, Zaria, Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo and Alvan Ikoku University of Education) which were upgraded in May have also called on the Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education Mrs Hindatu Abdullahi, to withdraw the letter she signed (dated August 19, 2015) ordering the reversal.

    The workers, under the auspices of the Joint Trade Unions representing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), faulted claims that the institutions were hurriedly elevated in the twilight of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for political reasons, noting that they had been running undergraduate programmes in affiliations with various universities for decades.

    Chairman of the Joint Trade Union, Dr Abubakar Haruna, told journalists at a briefing in Abuja  that the four institutions had requisite infrastructure and had made enormous progress during the transition process, such as inauguration of senate, appraisal and placement of staff, curriculum and academic brief.

    Urging President Buhari to let them be, Haruna said allowing the institutions to operate as universities would boost teacher education in the country, and is in line with international best practices.

    He said: “We are aware that some unscrupulous elements within the academics of the colleges have, for their own personal interest, teamed up to overthrow the upgrade of the institutions.

    “They are trying to do so by misinforming Mr. President on the circumstances which led to the emergence of the colleges as universities.

    “We urge Mr. President to step in and address this issue because some individuals are trying to take advantage of their closeness to the presidency to truncate the good intention.”

    Haruna vowed that the unions would work against the planned reversal of the institutions by going on a one week warning strike, the third in the series, to draw the government’s attention to the union’s position.

    “If there are flaws in the upgrade, they could be corrected while the transition goes on; already, there is draft bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly. We have started 2015/2016 admission process in line with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and JAMB directives.

    “We do not have problem with NUC because as it were, we have been having free flow communication with the commission; they still consider us as universities; we are still on their list and template.

    “Our only concern is the recent letter, which emanated from the office of the acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, which is quite contrary to the practice of issuing circulars.

    “That letter has a lot of flaws-for every circular to be out, there must be a reference point to the memo that gave that directive,” he said.

     

  • ‘Varsities ‘ll be beautiful brides soon’

    The founder of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Osun State, Chief Ramon Adedoyin, has declared that Nigerian universities will soon become the pride of other countries.

    In a statement, Adedoyin said with public and private universities, there is bound to be a healthy competition which would in turn engender quality university education.

    He said contrary to views being expressed in certain quarters, the “aim of setting up private university is beyond profit making,”.

    “For example, Adedoyin continued, “Oduduwa University has one of the best facilities and faculty members. If I am driven by profit, the university will not be where it is today. We spend a lot of money everyday and some students are on scholarship on my account, so where is the profit? I enjoyed good education in my days, but the reality now is that many students have been denied of quality education in public universities.”

    Adedoyin noted that proprietors of private university without genuine intention would soon be frustrated out of business because they lack the vision to contribute to the development of tertiary education in Nigeria.

    “The Federal Government says that private universities are being established to give students more access to university education, yet it does not sponsor students to study in some of the private universities in the country in spite of the fact that many students cannot afford fees charged by private universities.

    The older public universities in Nigeria receive about 2000 applicants, while private universities are scouting for 20 students because of the huge fees they charge.