The Nation Newspaper

Tag: varsity

  • Banker, varsity don recall lucky escape from collapsed Uyo church building

    Banker, varsity don recall lucky escape from collapsed Uyo church building

    Two lucky men who miraculously escaped the collapsed church building in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in which no fewer than 27 lives were lost, have attributed their lucky escape to divine intervention.

    Mr. Donald Micah, a banker, arrived at the collapsed Reigners’ Bible Church building two minutes before it collapsed while Dr. Chris Ekong, an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Uyo, whose brother, Dr. Cyril Ekong, died in the tragic event, said he was invited but could not make it to the ceremony.

    Micah, who works with one of the first generation banks, said the story could have been different if he had arrived the church two minutes earlier for the ordination of Apostle Akan Weeks, as he would have been seated inside the auditorium when the roof collapsed.

    He recalled that he was dressed and good to go by 10.18 am but felt it would be too early so he decided to wait till 11 am.

    He said: “This was God delaying me to preserve me. I got to the venue and parked at a distance since the premises was on lock down because of government presence, and I walked in. While approaching the entrance of the church, I heard the sound of the roof collapsing, and then the cries and the commotion, and people scampering in different directions.

    “Within seconds, I witnessed a most tragic scene; a calamity that befell a people. Cries of agony of dying people, the wounded and others that could not but cry in sympathy of those they couldn’t help.

    “I pondered on how God had preserved me and I knew that God has a purpose for my life. That is why I know I cannot die here, I cannot die now and I cannot end like this. There are destinies I haven’t affected yet. There are territories I haven’t taken yet.

    “The plans of God for me has not fully manifested yet and I have not yet affected my world for God in the dimension I am called to. I haven’t yet dominated my world. Still so much to do. I refuse to end here.”

    Micah, whose cousin died in the unfortunate incident, said: “While I’m still in shock and grief over the loss of many loved ones and good friends including a cousin, I thank God that He spared one more life. I am extremely grateful to God for this divine exemption from calamity.

    “Friends, life is a gift. Be grateful to God every time you go out and return safely. I appreciated life and the giver of life afresh yesterday. Life is too fleeting that one has to live in the consciousness of eternity.

    “May God have mercy on the souls of the departed, heal the wounded, lighten the pains and sorrows of the families affected, comfort our land, strengthen the members/pastorate of the church in particular and the body of Christ at large.”

     Dr. Ekong, whose brother, Cyril, died in the unfortunate incident, told The Nation that he never imagined that such a thing could happen.

    He said he had an invitation to attend the consecration of Apostle Akan Weeks as a Bishop but he overslept.

    His words: “For me it is really shocking because I never imagined that such a thing could happen and I never imagined that I would be so close to the event. I was invited to that event and the invitation was coming every minute and the last invitation I had to that event was 2 am to the day, but I did not attend.

    “Not that I didn’t want to attend. I wanted to, but I didn’t. It was when it happened that I got to know that my brother was there. He and other souls were lost in the incident. We can’t get them back. It was really shocking.

    “It was a Saturday morning and I over-slept. So when I woke up, I obviously could not go to the function, but that was the only important thing I had to do that day, so I was wondering. Then a call came from a police man who is my friend and was involved in the rescue of the injured persons. He said look, Oga Chris, I have seen somebody who is like your brother, is he a member of this church?

    “I said no, my brother was not in the church. He was trying to rescue him, and he said, ‘Oga Chris, it is like your brother. That was when I started calling his line. His line was going but nobody was picking. I had to talk to some of my brothers and told them that everybody should start running round to see how we could get him and his wife, because the wife was also involved and she is now recovering in the hospital. She was in Premier Hospital before we moved her to Specialist Hospital.”

    Ekong, who described his deceased brother as a funny and easy going man, said the day before the event, they were together at the family house.

    The don said his brother did not inform him that he would be attending the event and he also didn’t tell his late brother about the function.

    He said: “The day before the event, we were together and we were at home in our family house, because we had a meeting at home and he is a very funny guy. My brother was always keeping to himself; it was only me that he would want to talk to.

    “He didn’t talk much. We had a good meeting on that day and everybody was teasing him in the family house that they had buried his mother-in-law but he had not come to give them something or even talk to them.

    “But he said he would not have to talk to anybody; that he had done that which he was meant to do and that after all, his elder brother, which is me, was there.

    “He didn’t even tell me that he would go to that function and I didn’t also tell him about the function. It was only some hours after we heard that he was gone.”

    Dr. Ekong appealed to the state government to release the corpse of his late brother so that the family could give him a befitting burial.

    He said: “I wanted to get the corpse but I was told that we have to do certain documentations. I asked them what documentations I had to do because this is a young man and with the way he died, I don’t want to keep his body there.”

    The man Akan Weeks

    As members of the public await the findings of the commission of enquiry set up by Akwa Ibom State Government to probe the cause of the collapsed church building, the desire of many is that justice is done by bringing the culprits to book.

    The seven-member panel has Justice Umoekeyo Essang as Chairman, with Engr. James Utiaruk; Arc. Essien Nkanga; Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abibo; Prophet John Linus; Engr. Asuquo Okon and Engr. James Amiang as members, while Mrs. Emem Victor Daniel of the Ministry of Justice, Uyo, would serve as Secretary.

    Some people have described the unfortunate incident as Akwa Ibom’s day of doom. Others have tagged it a ‘Black Saturday’. No doubt, it is a day many residents of the state will not forget in a hurry. Since the creation of Akwa Ibom State on September 23, 1987, the state had not witnessed a tragedy of such magnitude.

    The General Overseer of the church, Apostle Akan Weeks, no doubt is in the eyes of the storm after the incident. A day that was designed to be his day of glory was turned into ashes in his mouth. His consecration as a Bishop took several lives away while many worshippers are still being hospitalised at 10 different hospitals across the state.

    At the last count, the state government put the figures of dead persons as 26 while 218 worshippers got injured during the building collapse. There were claims by members of the public that the state government played down on the figures of those that died. Some say the figures may be higher considering the gravity of the incident.

    Apostle Weeks, according to local residents, didn’t just start his ministry work. Many say he had been around for close to 18 years preaching the gospel. Before he became a pastor, local residents alleged that Weeks belonged to a ‘cult group’ known as ‘De Norsemen Kclub of Nigeria’, a claim which many of his followers have debunked.

    Weeks, who hails from Iwo Etor village in Etinan Local Government Area, is married to Rev. Comfort Akan Weeks and the marriage is blessed with four children, says a member of the church, who pleaded anonymity.

     Apostle Weeks, whose father was a prominent man, graduated from School of Accounting, Nduetong Oku in Afaha Oku clan, Uyo, where he read Business Administration after which he proceeded to University of Uyo. The School of Accounting is now Uyo City Polytechnic.

    Some of his associates, who spoke with The Nation on condition of anonymity, said while in the school of Accounting, Apostle Weeks was fondly called ‘Naked Wire’. They described him as a strong man who took decisions not minding the consequences of his action; a claim dismissed by many of his followers with a wave of the hand.

    Apostle Weeks’ real name, according to a close associate who did not want his name in print, is Akan Urua. But he changed the ‘Urua’ in his name to Weeks, because Urua in Ibibio dialect means Weeks or Market.

    As weeks metamorphosed into a pastor, he started a church called Reigners Bible Int’l Inc. on Effiong Udo Akpan Street, off wellington Bassey Way, Uyo around 1998. He later established the permanent site of the church at KM1, Uyo Village Road, same environment where he schooled. The permanent site of the church is just by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

    As a youth pastor, his worshippers/followers are mainly youths. They are students of Uyo City Polytechnic and University of Uyo. Before last Saturday’s disaster, scores of Christians worshipped in the church every Sunday between 7.30 am and 9 am. There is also a Wednesday programme in the church, which starts at 5.30 pm.

    “On the last Friday of the month, Apostle Weeks has an all-night programme called Night of Answers. It starts at 9 pm. When our correspondent visited the church’s website www.ReignersWorld.com for more information about its activities, a message popped up saying: “This site can’t be reached.”

    Before last Saturday’s disaster at the church, some members of his church, who spoke to Saturday Nation, said he had embarked on a power packed prayer conference tagged Liberating the Land.

     At the programme, his followers aver that there were endless testimonies of liberation and transformation of lives. At the close to 40 days event, his worshippers said various deities and principalities encountered the anointing of God.

    Apostle Weeks, in his message to the people after the collapsed building, begged them not to crucify him. He said they should see him as their brother. He spoke with Planet FM in Uyo, a programme which was monitored by our correspondent.

    He said he was no longer interested in being ordained a bishop, adding that the battle was not about him and his church but between the kingdom of darkness and the church in the land.

    He said: “Let nobody believe the speculation that I was enthroned as a Bishop. The enthronement was cancelled completely and I am not interested. I’m more interested in the souls of the people I have laboured to bring to God since my tender age.

    “I am so sorry and sympathise with all the families. Please, we should rise and pray together. We will win the battle.

    “It is very unfortunate the incident that happened on Saturday during my Bishopric Enthronement. I call to say that God is still on the throne. Only God knows best and nobody can question Him.

    “And I want to say that for the departed souls and those who are injured, God will give them quick and speedy recovery. I want to tell every family that is in pain that our God is the healer.

    “Let Christians in Akwa Ibom state know that this battle is not all about Akan Weeks and his church; it is the battle between the kingdom of darkness and the church in the land.

     “I want to say a very big thank you to Governor Udom Emmanuel, the medical personnel, others for their love and support during my trying moment.”

  • Re: Varsity applicants battle institute for results

    Permit me a space in your widely read newspaper to respond to the above story which appeared on page 23 of Thursday, October 6, 2016 edition of The Nation written by one Abdulsalam Mahmud, who though, for reasons best known to him, is used to writing frivolous and unsubstantiated stories about the institute. The said story is characterised by subjective and unverified claims by the writer as against objectivity which is an important tenet of journalism. The institute, therefore, felt the need to put the records straight in order to correct the possible erroneous impressions that may have been created in the minds of the public by the story in question.

    First, the story is dominated by subjective claims, statements and opinions because of the writer’s failure to indicate his sources. Some of the subjective claims made include among others: that “the fate of thousands of diploma graduates of the Fati Lami Abubakar Institute of Legal and Administrative Studies (FLAILAS) in Minna…” when in reality the total number of graduating students (i.e. if all are successful) is less than 1,500 and the number that indicated that they have registered for Direct Entry (D.E) admission into Universities is less than 300. Also, the claim that “the applicants have been shuttling between their homes and the institute since their graduation in June” and that “Majority of them travel from Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi and other distant places to the institution weekly to check their results” are both untrue and only intended to create unnecessary alarming impressions.

    Let it be known that no institution would ever ask its fresh graduates to come for results immediately after examinations are written and if the majority of the students of a state-owned institution are from distant places what then is the comparative population of its indigenes, the minority?. These and many more are instances of the frivolous claims by the writer. It is important to note that results usually go through several processes that include marking by lecturers; submission to the Deans of schools for computation; presentation of the results to the Academic Committee for verification; and finally to the Academic Board for moderation and approval. These explain the reasons for the assumed delay. Besides, the results were released in the week of the publication. It is therefore assumed that the writer did not verify his claims before going to the press.

    Again, the story is dominated by the use of vague and unspecified sources such that even where he mentioned names such names are suspected to be fictitious. Instances of the use of vague and unspecified sources include ‘a top academic staff member of the institute’, ‘another lecturer’, ’a top administrative staff member of the school’, ‘parents who spoke to me’ e.t.c. It is also surprising that the writer has mentioned names and claimed that they are names of parents and could not state clearly when and where he met with the parents. Was it in the institute or outside of it? If some of these questions amongst others are not answered in the story lines then, it can be assumed that the writer chose to write along fantasy lines.

    It is unfortunate that the writer of the article did not verify his claims/information when he claimed that the institute’s management asked interested applicants to pay N6,000 for the D. E form when the institute is neither JAMB nor  an agent of JAMB.  Also, the claim that the school invited an on-line registration expert to register the final year students is not true as the school did not send an invitation to any on-line registration expert to do D. E. registration as claimed by the writer of the article. Similarly, the parents that he claimed to have expressed their ‘frustrations over the delay in releasing the diploma results’ and accused ‘the school management of “gross incompetence” saying it was unfair to collect N6,000 from students to put in for D.E…’ did not verify their claims as the management did not at any time tell or compel students to pay any amount of money to it for DE registration. It is again common knowledge that D.E registration by JAMB was never done for free.

    Above all, the assumed students that the writer claims are accusing or battling the institute for delay in releasing results meant to be used by them for Direct Entry admission into the universities have failed to realise that the academic calendar of tertiary institutions in Nigeria do not usually rhyme. Therefore, it would be quite unfair for students who have not been issued with their results to presume that such results must be made ready for them to meet up with the calendar of other institutions the issuing institution has no control over.

    The management and staff of the institute have always been sensitive to the objective for which the institute was established. In the like manner, it has always been doing all that is humanly possible to ensure that its students get what is rightly due to them in terms of the obligations it has to the students. While doing all of these, it also holds dearly its responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the institute. Consequently, we call on the general public to disregard the claims made by the writer of that article as they are frivolous, malicious and unfounded. We equally wish to advise the publisher of this widely circulated newspaper to always encourage their reporters who may not want to stick to the tenets of journalism profession to always do so and be objective in their reportage.

    Signed: Babadoko is Dean, Student Affairs, FLAILAS.

  • Varsity gets accreditation for online Psychology masters

    The University of Roehampton, London Online’s MSc in Psychology programme has been accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK that is responsible for the development, promotion and application of psychology for the public good.

    Vice President of Academic Affairs for the online programmes, Prof Clare Pickles, said the institution was proud of the recognition.

    “Achieving this recognition makes us very proud as we are one of the few online psychology programmes to receive this accolade; it underpins the rigour and value students and employers expect from the University of Roehampton, London Online.  Gaining BPS accreditation helps graduates access a range of training, development and professional employment opportunities in psychology,” she said.

    BPS accreditation is an independent mark of quality defined and delivered in partnership with psychologists, demonstrating that the quality standards in education and training are continually met. Graduates of the online MSc in Psychology programme will be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the BPS.

    The Roehampton Online MSc in Psychology allows students to grow on a professional and personal level while developing psychological literacy that helps provide a new understanding of how to relate to their environments. Students benefit from a thematic learning framework and programme structure that enables different psychological disciplines to be applied to real-world contexts. They can also discover how to apply a range of research methodologies, and develop a strong understanding of how to put psychological research into practice.

  • Re: Varsity applicants battle institute for results

    Permit me a space in your widely read newspaper to respond to the above story which appeared on page 23 of Thursday, October 6, 2016 edition of The Nation written by one Abdulsalam Mahmud who though, for reasons best known to him, is used to writing frivolous and unsubstantiated stories about the institute. The said story is characterised by subjective and unverified claims by the writer as against objectivity which is an important tenet of journalism. The institute therefore felt the need to put the records straight in order to correct the possible erroneous impressions that may have been created in the minds of the public by the story in question.

    First, the story is dominated by subjective claims, statements and opinions because of the writer’s failure to indicate his sources. Some of the subjective claims made include among others: that “the fate of thousands of diploma graduates of the Fati Lami Abubakar Institute of Legal and Administrative Studies (FLAILAS) in Minna…” when in reality the total number of graduating students (i.e. if all are successful) is less than 1,500 and the number that indicated that they have registered for Direct Entry (D.E) admission into Universities is less than 300. Also, the claim that “the applicants have been shuttling between their homes and the institute since their graduation in June” and that “Majority of them travel from Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi and other distant places to the institution weekly to check their results” are both untrue and only intended to create unnecessary alarming impressions.

    Let it be known that no institution would ever ask its fresh graduates to come for results immediately after examinations are written and if the majority of the students of a state-owned institution are from distant places what then is the comparative population of its indigenes, the minority?. These and many more are instances of the frivolous claims by the writer. It is important to note that results usually go through several processes that include marking by lecturers; submission to the Deans of schools for computation; presentation of the results to the Academic Committee for verification; and finally to the Academic Board for moderation and approval. These explain the reasons for the assumed delay. Besides, the results were released in the week of the publication. It is therefore assumed that the writer did not verify his claims before going to the press.

    Again, the story is dominated by the use of vague and unspecified sources such that even where he mentioned names such names are suspected to be fictitious. Instances of the use of vague and unspecified sources include ‘a top academic staff member of the institute’, ‘another lecturer’, ’a top administrative staff member of the school’, ‘parents who spoke to me’ e.t.c. It is also surprising that the writer has mentioned names and claimed that they are names of parents and could not state clearly when and where he met with the parents. Was it in the institute or outside of it? If some of these questions amongst others are not answered in the story lines then, it can be assumed that the writer chose to write along fantasy lines.

    It is unfortunate that the writer of the article did not verify his claims/information when he claimed that the institute’s management asked interested applicants to pay N6,000 for the D. E form when the institute is neither JAMB nor  an agent of JAMB.  Also, the claim that the school invited an on-line registration expert to register the final year students is not true as the school did not send an invitation to any on-line registration expert to do D. E. registration as claimed by the writer of the article. Similarly, the parents that he claimed to have expressed their ‘frustrations over the delay in releasing the diploma results’ and accused ‘the school management of “gross incompetence” saying it was unfair to collect N6,000 from students to put in for D.E…’ did not verify their claims as the management did not at any time tell or compel students to pay any amount of money to it for DE registration. It is again common knowledge that D.E registration by JAMB was never done for free.

    Above all, the assumed students that the writer claims are accusing or battling the institute for delay in releasing results meant to be used by them for Direct Entry admission into the universities have failed to realise that the academic calendar of tertiary institutions in Nigeria do not usually rhyme. Therefore, it would be quite unfair for students who have not been issued with their results to presume that such results must be made ready for them to meet up with the calendar of other institutions the issuing institution has no control over.

    The management and staff of the institute have always been sensitive to the objective for which the institute was established. In the like manner, it has always been doing all that is humanly possible to ensure that its students get what is rightly due to them in terms of the obligations it has to the students. While doing all of these, it also holds dearly its responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the institute. Consequently, we call on the general public to disregard the claims made by the writer of that article as they are frivolous, malicious and unfounded. We equally wish to advise the publisher of this widely circulated newspaper to always encourage their reporters who may not want to stick to the tenets of journalism profession to always do so and be objective in their reportage.

    Signed: Babadoko is Dean, Student Affairs, FLAILAS.

  • Varsity gets accreditation for online Psychology masters

    The University of Roehampton, London Online’s MSc in Psychology programme has been accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK that is responsible for the development, promotion and application of psychology for the public good.

    Vice President of Academic Affairs for the online programmes, Prof Clare Pickles, said the institution was proud of the recognition.

    “Achieving this recognition makes us very proud as we are one of the few online psychology programmes to receive this accolade; it underpins the rigour and value students and employers expect from the University of Roehampton, London Online.  Gaining BPS accreditation helps graduates access a range of training, development and professional employment opportunities in psychology,” she said.

    BPS accreditation is an independent mark of quality defined and delivered in partnership with psychologists, demonstrating that the quality standards in education and training are continually met. Graduates of the online MSc in Psychology programme will be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the BPS.

    The Roehampton Online MSc in Psychology allows students to grow on a professional and personal level while developing psychological literacy that helps provide a new understanding of how to relate to their environments. Students benefit from a thematic learning framework and programme structure that enables different psychological disciplines to be applied to real-world contexts. They can also discover how to apply a range of research methodologies, and develop a strong understanding of how to put psychological research into practice.

  • Afe Babalola Varsity wins 6th Africa Education Leadership Award

    Afe Babalola Varsity wins 6th Africa Education Leadership Award

    The Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has won another honour in far-away Mauritius – the 6th Africa Education Leadership Award.

    It followed the harvest of awards, commendations and encomiums that have been the lot of the university since it was established.

    A statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by the university’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Tunde Olofintila, stated that the latest award will be given at an up-beat ceremony at the Le Meridien, Mauritius on December 7.

    The statement reads: “The latest award will take place 256 days after the University received the  ‘2016 Recipient of Africa Innovative and Academic Excellence Award’ in Johannesburg and its Founder and Chancellor, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN,  conferred with the Congressional Commendation of the United States (U.S.) Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and inducted into the African Hall of Fame by the Advisory Board of the African Leadership Development Foundation, Inc. USA, and African Leadership (UK) Limited for his pioneering excellence and innovation in tertiary education in Africa on March 25, 2016 in Johannesburg in South Africa.”

    In a letter conveying the cheering news dated October 28, 2016, Mr. Jacob Mills, the Global Chairman, Africa Leadership Awards, said: “The 6th Africa Education Leadership Awards are presented by World CSR Day with CMO Asia as its strategic Partner and Stars of the Industry Group as a Research Partner. The awards of the highest stature are presented to individuals and institutions that have surpassed several levels of its excellence and set an example of being a role model and Exemplary Leadership.”

    The award is given to “those who can make a difference to the lives of others, those who have achieved quality in their work, those who have global reach and outlook and possess ability to contribute value of social change”.

    “I am pleased to share with you that the Jury has decided to honour Afe Babalola University with the Education Leadership Award,” Mills said.

    The award, according to Mills, is given to “those who can make a difference to the lives of others, the quality of their work, global reach and outlook and ability to contribute value of social change”.

    The Africa Education Leadership Award, a non-for-profit activity, is organised by Professionals for Professionals. It is an intensely researched process undertaken by the Research Cell, which consists of Post Graduates in History & Management with over five years post-qualification experience.

    It is the iconic job of the Research Cell to produce a shortlist of individuals, who are doing extraordinary work and track the record of their achievements. The shortlist is thereafter reviewed by a Jury comprising senior professionals from across the globe.

    Members of the Jury are, Prof. Indira Parikh, Ex-Dean, IIM Ahmedabad & President-Antardisha, Dr. Harish Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director, Onward Technologies Limited and Emeritus Chairman, World HRD Congress & Founding Member, NASSCOM and Dr. Arun Arora, ex-President and CEO, The Economic Times, Chairman, Edvance Pre-Schools Pvt. Ltd and Emeritus Chairman, HRD Congress as well as Nina E. Woodard, President and Chief “N” Sights Officer, Nina Woodrad & Associates, a Division of NDPendence Inc.,

    Others are Dr. C.M. Dwivedi, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sopariwala Exports Pvt. Ltd, Dr. Saugata Mitra, Chief People Officer & Group Head, HR, Mother Dairy Fruits and Vegetables Pvt. Ltd and Dr. R. L. Bhatia, founder, World CSR Day and World CSR Congress as well as Jacob Mills, Global Chairman, Africa Leadership Awards.

  • Re: Varsity applicants battle institute for results

    Permit me a space in your widely read newspaper to respond to the above story which appeared on page 23 of Thursday, October 6, 2016 edition of The Nation written by one Abdulsalam Mahmud who though, for reasons best known to him, is used to writing frivolous and unsubstantiated stories about the institute. The said story is characterised by subjective and unverified claims by the writer as against objectivity which is an important tenet of journalism. The institute therefore felt the need to put the records straight in order to correct the possible erroneous impressions that may have been created in the minds of the public by the story in question.

    First, the story is dominated by subjective claims, statements and opinions because of the writer’s failure to indicate his sources. Some of the subjective claims made include among others: that “the fate of thousands of diploma graduates of the Fati Lami Abubakar Institute of Legal and Administrative Studies (FLAILAS) in Minna…” when in reality the total number of graduating students (i.e. if all are successful) is less than 1,500 and the number that indicated that they have registered for Direct Entry (D.E) admission into Universities is less than 300. Also, the claim that “the applicants have been shuttling between their homes and the institute since their graduation in June” and that “Majority of them travel from Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi and other distant places to the institution weekly to check their results” are both untrue and only intended to create unnecessary alarming impressions.

    Let it be known that no institution would ever ask its fresh graduates to come for results immediately after examinations are written and if the majority of the students of a state-owned institution are from distant places what then is the comparative population of its indigenes, the minority?. These and many more are instances of the frivolous claims by the writer. It is important to note that results usually go through several processes that include marking by lecturers; submission to the Deans of schools for computation; presentation of the results to the Academic Committee for verification; and finally to the Academic Board for moderation and approval. These explain the reasons for the assumed delay. Besides, the results were released in the week of the publication. It is therefore assumed that the writer did not verify his claims before going to the press.

    Again, the story is dominated by the use of vague and unspecified sources such that even where he mentioned names such names are suspected to be fictitious. Instances of the use of vague and unspecified sources include ‘a top academic staff member of the institute’, ‘another lecturer’, ’a top administrative staff member of the school’, ‘parents who spoke to me’ e.t.c. It is also surprising that the writer has mentioned names and claimed that they are names of parents and could not state clearly when and where he met with the parents. Was it in the institute or outside of it? If some of these questions amongst others are not answered in the story lines then, it can be assumed that the writer chose to write along fantasy lines.

    It is unfortunate that the writer of the article did not verify his claims/information when he claimed that the institute’s management asked interested applicants to pay N6,000 for the D. E form when the institute is neither JAMB nor  an agent of JAMB.  Also, the claim that the school invited an on-line registration expert to register the final year students is not true as the school did not send an invitation to any on-line registration expert to do D. E. registration as claimed by the writer of the article. Similarly, the parents that he claimed to have expressed their ‘frustrations over the delay in releasing the diploma results’ and accused ‘the school management of “gross incompetence” saying it was unfair to collect N6,000 from students to put in for D.E…’ did not verify their claims as the management did not at any time tell or compel students to pay any amount of money to it for DE registration. It is again common knowledge that D.E registration by JAMB was never done for free.

    Above all, the assumed students that the writer claims are accusing or battling the institute for delay in releasing results meant to be used by them for Direct Entry admission into the universities have failed to realise that the academic calendar of tertiary institutions in Nigeria do not usually rhyme. Therefore, it would be quite unfair for students who have not been issued with their results to presume that such results must be made ready for them to meet up with the calendar of other institutions the issuing institution has no control over.

    The management and staff of the institute have always been sensitive to the objective for which the institute was established. In the like manner, it has always been doing all that is humanly possible to ensure that its students get what is rightly due to them in terms of the obligations it has to the students. While doing all of these, it also holds dearly its responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the institute. Consequently, we call on the general public to disregard the claims made by the writer of that article as they are frivolous, malicious and unfounded. We equally wish to advise the publisher of this widely circulated newspaper to always encourage their reporters who may not want to stick to the tenets of journalism profession to always do so and be objective in their reportage.

    Signed: Babadoko is Dean, Student Affairs, FLAILAS.

  • Group, varsity sign pact

    The Igbomina in the Diaspora  under the aegis of Igbomina Project, North America (IPNA), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Landmark University (LMU) Omu Aran, Kwara State.

    The pact marriage signed last month was aimed at establishing a joint medical ambulance service  programme for communities  in  Igbomina land.

    The signing was  done  via  a  teleconference among the university management, the President of   IPNA, Alhaji Taiwo Salawu and his Vice, Chief Bode Ojeleye from the United States of America.

    During the signing, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Aize Obayan, described the institution as a formidable entity that is set for great achievements.

    She said: “As an institution, we are passionate about the restoration of human dignity and we are signing the dotted lines to change the lives of the Igbomina people as a whole.”

    She noted that the initiative by members of IPNA in the Diaspora to contribute to the welfare   of their kinsmen at the home front was a welcome development, adding that this should be emulated by others.

    “If everyone in the Diaspora gives back to the various communities they belong to, Nigeria   would be a  better place.  I believe this save-a-life  project will serve generations to come,” Obayan said.

    Responding, Salawu said Landmark University would be the first private institution the group would be collaborating with.

    Salawu recalled that IPNA has giving back to Igbomina, their birthplace as its philosophy.

    He lamented that previous efforts made over time to collaborate  with  some  institutions on   developmental  projects had not yielded  meaningful  result.

  • Ondo varsity reopens as ASUU suspends strike

    The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its three-month strike, following an agreement with the school management.

    The lecturers declared an indefinite strike last July over the failure of the government to pay their outstanding salaries.

    In a statement by the ASUU Chairman, Dr Sola Fayose, after an emergency meeting, the union said it resolved to suspend the strike after the government paid part of the arrears and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the outstanding.

    Fayose said the union expected the management and the Governing Council to abide by the MoU to avoid further action.

    The university management advised students to resume for completion of the second semester.

    A statement by the Registrar, Mr Sunday Ayeerun, urged students to resume as lectures would start immediately.

    The campus became lively again, as students returned in droves. The  suspension of the strike was greeted with excitement. Traders, artisans, commercial motorcyclists and mini-bus drivers, who are mostly patronised by students, expressed relief, saying the community was  comatose when the school was shut.

    Students’ Union Government (SUG) President Adegbola Odunyemi said: “We are happy about the news. Although the effects of the strike on students are unquantifiable, we thank God that we are back to complete the 2015/2016 academic session.

    “We want both ASUU and management to look for other means of settling their differences, rather than embarking on strike. The state government should also improve on its subvention to the university. Recession notwithstanding, the government should commit itself to funding the school so that it will be able to meet up with its statutory obligations.”

  • Turmoil on S/African varsity campuses

    •High fees spark riots quelled by police in a manner reminiscent of apartheid era

    They were like scenes straight out of the benighted era of apartheid in South Africa.

    Unarmed demonstrators chanting songs of protest and defiance of that era were clubbed and beaten and kicked and tear-gassed by riot police who seem to be holdovers from the apartheid years, executing orders from above.

    But the protesters were not challenging the apartheid state and the brutalism that was part and parcel of its ideology; that era ended more than two decades ago

    The protesters, most of them black, were demanding free tuition in the country’s tertiary institutions, and those seeking to disperse them with main force were the law-enforcement agents of the post-apartheid state.

    This was the grim reality that the international news media captured splendidly and relayed across the world in recent weeks.  The wheel has turned full circle in South Africa, pivoting on the pernicious legacy of apartheid, which is likely to endure well into the present century.

    In its rawest form, apartheid education policy was designed to equip the majority black South Africans               with just enough knowledge and skills to fit them to be dutiful servants for the minority whites.  More by force of circumstance than by design, the policy changed gradually to widen educational opportunities for blacks, but not significantly.

    The state spent at least six times for the education of a white child than it did on the education of a black.  At almost every level, blacks received an inferior education.  The state had enough wealth to give all South Africans quality education.  But that would have gravely undermined the supremacist underpinning of apartheid.

    Just as the apartheid authorities did not believe in sharing power, they also did not believe in sharing opportunities.

    It took the solicitude of Oprah Winfrey, the African American television show host and media entrepreneur to build and operate the first world-class secondary school for black and so-called coloured girls in South Africa.

    The end of apartheid opened up opportunities hitherto closed to blacks.  It witnessed, across the educational landscape, an explosion in numbers and demand that the new South African government has been struggling to cope with. Today the student population in South African tertiary institutions has grown three-fold since the end of apartheid.  But official grants to the universities have not grown correspondingly.

    To meet the shortfall the South African government permitted the 26 public universities to raise tuition fees by a little under 10 per cent and promised to cover the increase for students from low-income families, comprising some 75 per cent of the student population.

    But the students will settle for nothing less than free tuition, and took to protests that at times turned violent and drew violent police response.  They are also demanding the appointment of more African professors to the faculty, and reforms to make the curriculum more focused on Africa, and on the problems of what they call the subaltern, the less privileged in society.

    To cater fully for those staggering numbers as the students are demanding cannot be an easy task for the South African government, especially at a time of economic contraction.  Demand in other areas that also suffered cruel neglect during apartheid — especially health, housing and electricity —is just as compelling, as the government has pointed out.   Besides, the government said, the repayment rate on student loans, an important component of the funding structure, has been abysmal.

    The crisis has resulted in a stalemate, with many campuses shut down and the possibility that an entire academic year may be lost.

    As Bishop Ziphoziihle Siwa, the respected president of the South African Council of Churches has suggested, a return to the negotiating table, with an impartial mediator, is the first step toward resolving the crisis. Different models for funding tertiary education will have to be explored.

    This crisis is further testament that apartheid as official state ideology may have died, but its pernicious legacy endures and will constrain and haunt the post-apartheid South African nation for long.