Ogun State Institute of Technology Closed Down, Rector Goes Into Hiding

Students of Ogun State Institute of Technology have crippled academic activities in the school.

According to the information, the pandemonium that ensued following the protest by the students made the Rector of the institute, Dr. Funke Akinkuolere to go into hiding.

It was learnt that the protest started when the students were stopped from holding their election by the Rector.

According to a source, the election was supposed to have been held last year December, but, was postponed by the rector who resumed office June last year.
Effort made to get the Rector to comment on the issue proved abortive.
Meanwhile the state government has directed that the institute be closed down till further notice.

University Of Ibadan Raided By Robbers

The Institute of African studies at the University of Ibadan, Oyo state has warned her students to be wary of friends and acquaintances they bring to the institute


A Naij.com correspondent learned that the warning was passed down to the students during the orientation ceremony for new postgraduate students which held on Monday.

Our source reports that the students were advised by the Institute to ensure they come alone to school following a recent robbery incident in which valuable materials belonging to the institute were carted away.

One student who requested anonymity said ” During our orientation on Monday, one of the lecturers at the Institute emphasized that we should always come to the institute alone.

He added that the lecturer had gone on to narrate how recently some armed robbers broke into the institute and made away with valuable artifact.

Investigations revealed that the institute has taken steps to forestall any criminal activity.

One of such step we gathered was the posting of  security operatives to man the entry and exit points of the institute.

The students were also advised to have on them their identity cards.

Security reports show that armed robbery incidences have been on the rise at the University.

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Some other students revealed that for a while the staff quarters have continued to be burgled at will  adding that one of their lecturers  was robbed in her house at the staff quarters.

She was said to be sleeping  at night when the robbers broke into her house somewhere at Kuti quarters, and made away with her laptop, handsets,and other valuables.

Most of the residents within the quarters seem to have started beefing up their personal security, as installation of burglary proof doors and windows seem to have become the in thing.

Still Ibadan the police has just reported the arrest of a gang consisting of 11 kid robbers.

The acting Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase has said that the Nigerian Police will continue to do all it can to ensure that crime and criminals become a thing of the past in Nigeria.

Rivers State Polytechnic "Our Governor should not do this to us" - Rivers' sacked workers

The employees of the Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori sacked by the state government are appealing to well meaning people of the state to lobby the state government on to reverse the sack.

The State Government had on Monday announced the cancellation of the polytechnic workers appointment. Those affected are academic and non-academic staff, who were recently employed by the Rotimi Amaechi administration.

Speaking on behalf of the over 300 affected, Jekey Lekue, Grace Ikue and Basil Ujobolo urged the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, not to go back on his promise during his inauguration to give hope to the people.

Some of the retrenched workers lamented that they had been searching for job for the past five years before they were eventually employed at the state polytechnic, according to sources in Port Harcourt.
They also stated that some of them had to resign from their former place of work after they received their appointment letters from the authorities of the State Polytechnic, Bori, Khana Local Government Area.
Explaining that they went through a painstaking process before they were employed, the sacked workers recalled that they had supervised the last examination in the school before the announcement that their employment had been cancelled.
“We are calling on well meaning Rivers people to do justice to this issue. We beg Rivers people to step in. Governor Nyesom Wike gave the state hope on May 29, 2015. We have already been captured in the data base of the state. Our governor should not do this to us,” they further appealed.
In another development, the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has disbanded the Rivers State Road Traffic Management Agency known as TIMARiV.
Reacting to the sacking of over 300 RIVPOLY workers, the Special Adviser on Media to the State Governor, Sir Opunabo Inko-Tariah, stated their appointment was marred by irregularities.
Inko-Tariah said, “The appointment of the staff were marred with irregularities. Such an appointment had to be terminated to look into the whole issue holistically.
“The sacking was premised on irregularities. So many procedural obligations were breached and as a result, the exercise was deprived of due process.”
Speaking on the Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Obiando Elechi Amadi, who was sent on a compulsory leave, Inko-Tariah pointed out that it was as a result of a case of official misconduct on the rector’s part.
On the disbandment of the state traffic management agency, the governor’s aide specifically said that some of the officials of TIMARIV were making illegal seizure of vehicles in order to extort money from innocent citizens.
According to him, “Many of those guys were making illegal and embarrassing seizure of vehicles on the roads and this is becoming an eyesore. Let us leave politics aside; it is a known fact all over the state that TIMARIV had constituted itself into a public nuisance.
“The action of its staff had, in most cases, brought River State into disrepute. What they do in most cases is illegal. They are not supposed to struggle for the steering with the driver of a vehicle, but this is what they often do.
“The state government can no longer cope with the excesses of this TIMARIV staff. It was on that premises that the governor decided that it should be disbanded.
“Governor Nyesom Wike also instructed that all seized vehicles should be released with immediate effect. He further instructed that nobody should pay a kobo to TIMARIV.
“If anybody should be refused or deprived of the retrieval of his/her vehicle, such a person should report to the nearest police station and the TIMARIV staff in question will be dealt with,” Inko-Tariah added.

Studying Abroad Most foreign institutions Nigerians attend 'not better than secondary schools' — Prof Adikwu

Many Nigerians who travel overseas in search for foreign degrees end up attending substandard institutions.
The Vice ChancellorUniversity of Abuja(UNIABUJA), Prof. Michael Adikwu, said this in a recent interview, adding that such institutions are no better than secondary schools in Nigeria.
"Nigerians just want to travel abroad for studies, most of the schools they attend are not better that our secondary schools here," he said in aDaily Trustinterview.

He noted that having acquired foreign degrees, these graduates may still not be able to pass Nigerian examinations.
"And when they come back if they are subjected to exams of Nigerian education standard only few of them will pass the exam.
"So what standard are we talking about?"
Prof. Adikwu also observed that Nigeria's drive to improve access to tertiary education must not be at the expense of quality.

Ahmadu Bello University Female 200 level student killed in car crash

A 200-level female undergraduate atAhmadu Bello University(ABU), Zaria, has been killed in a road crash.
Fatima Asabe Jibril, was involved in a ghastly auto crash on Sunday June 14, 2015.
Student Pulse gathered that the Educational Psychology and Counselling major was returning from her home in Nigeria for the second semester when the tragedy occurred.
The Vice President of the ABU chapter of Students Counselling Association of Nigeria (SCASSON),Abubakar Ibraheem, toldDaily Trustthat Jibril's death is sad and painful.
“I was shocked when I heard about the demise of Fatima," Ibraheem said.
"I could not believe it because of the closeness between us. I tried to get the fact about the incident and I eventually realised it is true.”
Ibraheem added that the deceased student was nice and well-behaved.

Rivpoly Workers Plead With Wike To Recall Them To Work

The over three hundred thirty-four staff and lectures of the Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori, whose appointment were terminated by the state government have called on well meaning people of the state to prevail on the government to reverse the decision and recall them to work.
It would be recalled that the State Government had on Monday announced the cancellation of the polytechnic workers appointment. Those affected are academic and non-academic staff, who were recently employed by the Rotimi Amaechi administration.
Speaking on behalf of their colleagues, Jekey Lekue, Grace Ikue and Basil Ujobolo urged the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, not to renege on his promise during his inauguration to give hope to the people.
Speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday, some of the disengaged workers lamented that they had been searching for job for the past five years before they were eventually employed at the state polytechnic.
They also stated that some of them had to resign from their former place of work after they received their appointment letters from the authorities of the State Polytechnic, Bori, Khana Local Government Area.
Explaining that they went through a painstaking process before they were employed, the sacked workers recalled that they had supervised the last examination in the school before the announcement that their employment had been cancelled.
“We are calling on well meaning Rivers people to do justice to this issue. We beg Rivers people to step in. Governor Nyesom Wike gave the state hope on May 29, 2015. We have already been captured in the data base of the state. Our governor should not do this to us,” they further appealed.

My Vision Is To Make UI a World-class University- UI New Pro -Chancellor Filed in UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

Dr. Umar Musa Mustapha, the new Pro -Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Ibadan said his mission is to place the institution among the top 100 Universities in the world. He stressed that it would be a University of first choice for Nigerians interested in earning quality degrees, especially at post graduate level, adding that serious attention would be focused on producing more renowned and accomplished people in the ilk of Emeritus Prof. Wole Soyinka, Emeritus Prof. Chinua Achebe, Prof. Iya Abubakar and others, who would bring international recognition to the institution and the country as a whole.
On the academic activities of the University, he stated that efforts would be deliberately made to transform, within the next five years, the University’s newly established School of Business to be one of the best in Africa as in the case of its Medicine, Forest Resources Management, Fisheries, Ecotourism, Mathematics, History, English programmes, etc.
The new Pro-Chancellor made this disclosure at a recent meeting of Council in the University in a statement by the University’s Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo.
Expressing his belief in education as a life-long project, Dr. Mustapha said he would seek more harmonious working relationships between the academic and non-academic staff of the institution and improving the teaching and learning environment for the students.
Said he: “I wish for more harmonious working relationships between the academic and the non-academic staff of the University and for the students of the institution to have a conducive learning environment, enjoyable accommodation etc.”
The new Pro-Chancellor urged the University Management to vigorously pursue implementation of polices that would improve the welfare of the students, especially in terms of decent accommodation, feeding arrangements, transportation, medicare, spacing of lectures, among other welfare issues.
As a Mathematician himself, he promised to assist the VC in anyway possible towards the actualization of the Mathematics Centre Project. He emphasized the need for both lecturers and students to stay-off plagiarism which carries serious penalty which could bring the reputation of University to public disrepute.
Dr. Mustapha also called for more collaboration between UI and other world-class Universities including Nigerian universities, especially in the areas of Economics, Business Studies, Medicine, Forest Resources Management, History, Fisheries Management and Aquaculture as well as Wildlife and Ecotourism.
The new Chairman finally explained his commitment to strong interactions between various groups and associations and stated that he would soon hold meetings with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), students’ union, the management of the College of Medicine and others.
Dr Umar Musa Mustapha was born in Kano, Kano State in August, 1961. He is a visionary, dynamic, thoroughbred and entrepreneurial leader with a diverse background. He has held various visible leadership roles. Board Chairman, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and General Manager/Chief Operating Officer while working for world-class multinationals and Nigerian public and private organizations that are operating in competitive sectors of the Nigerian/global economy. He possesses 30 years work experience with 17 years at the board level. He is multi-disciplinary graduate with an impeccable educational background as well as professional pedigree.
Dr. Mustapha graduated from the Bayero University, Kano in 1984 with B.Sc. in Mathematics and served the country under the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) scheme in Lagos state, where he was deployed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
His interest in learning prompted him to devote time to study in other fields of interests both in Nigeria and abroad. He holds a Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Banking and Finance and Masters in Business Administration (MBA), both from Bayero University, Kano. Thereafter, he shifted attention to new fields to obtain three more Masters of Science degrees: MSc Industrialization, Trade and Economic Policy from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK; MSc Engineering with specialization in Design and Manufacture of Communications products from Portsmouth University, UK; and MSC Energy with focus on Oil, Gas and Power from Heriot-Watt University, UK. The versatile academic followed up with a Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) from the International School of Management, Paris and New York, Engineering Doctorate (EngD) from University of Southern Queensland, Australia and PhD in Finance, Economics and Entrepreneurship from Portsmouth University, UK in January 2010. Furthermore, he is a Fellow of many Chartered Nigerian and International Institutions and Associations with multiple publications and worldwide training.
Dr. Mustapha has a rich and veritable work experiences spanning academic, administrative and professional areas. He is proficient in Finance, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Information Communications Technology, Healthcare, Oil and Gas, Power, Manufacturing and Education sectors. He started his working career immediately after completing a secondary education at the Wages, Salaries and Marketing Departments of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) where he worked between 1979 and 1982.
He lectured at the Department of Mathematics, Kano State Polytechnic between 1985 and 1987; from where he joined the World Bank funded Development Project called KASCO in Nigeria from 1987 to 1992
Between 1992 and 1997, he worked with GlaxoSmithKline where he rose to the position of Regional Manager, North. He, then, joined Mentholatum Company as General Manager (1997-2001) in charge of Banking, Finance, Investment, Imports and Exports, Strategy, ICT and Manufacturing Operations.
In 2001, he joined Raleigh Plc as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and was there till 2004 when he returned to Mentholatum Plc as the Managing Director, a position he occupies till date. He has also worked as a Consultant to World Bank, IMF and many Multinationals and other Private and Public Companies. He has carried out researches on ICT, Manufacturing, Fiscal Policy Reforms, Taxation and Revenue, Generation and Allocation in Nigeria.
The new Chairman has held many other positions as Board member in companies and also as member of Council in many Institutions in the country. He is, at present, Secretary, Board of Trustees, Katsina University (now Al’Qalam University) Katsina, Katsina State. Furthermore, he is a member of Council and representative of the Chancellor in the University.
Dr. Mustapha is also a farmer with interest in irrigation, poultry and fattening. Other postions he has held include President of Bicycle Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria, President of D/Kudu Development Forum which is a non-governmental organization with interest in children, physically challenged people, healthcare, agriculture and rural development.
He is married to Princess Amina Balarabe Sulaiman and Maryam Aliyu Sani and has many children.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government appointed Dr Umar Musa Mustapha as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman for the Governing Council of the University on 04 April, 2015, and inaugurated into office on 05 May, 2015. He takes over from General Adeyinka Adebayo (Rtd).

4 Students Of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) To Represent Africa In America

Four students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) have put the five-year old university on the world map again by qualifying for the finals of this year’s edition of Imagine Cup organized Microsoft Incorporation

The race commenced with the competition among higher institutions in Nigeria which ABUAD won to qualify for the African Zone (Semi-finals) where it defeated higher institutions in other African countries including Burkina Faso, South Africa, Uganda, Egypt, Angola, Algeria and Morocco as well as Tunisia to qualify for the Worldfinals.
This feat is predicated on the quartet’s invention of Asthmavisor, a device for a more effective and efficient way of managing Asthma, particularly among children.
For this rare invention, the students made up of three Computer Science students and one Mechanical Engineering student will be representing Nigeria and Africa at the 33-nation finals of this year’s edition of Imagine Cup slated for July 31, 2015 at the Microsoft Headquarters in Seattle, United States of America.
The foursome of Adeyemo Oluwaseun Kayode, Raymond Obinaju, Sobola Timilehin David, and Ahwin Kevin with a joint passion for saving lives, has continually been seeking to leverage on technology to make health care more efficient, accessible and reliable particularly as it affects the rural dwellers.
Imagine Cup is the most prestigious global student technology program and competition that provides opportunities for students across all disciplines to team up and use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to create applications, games and integrates solutions that can change the way we live, work and play.
This is coming nine months after Mr. Emmanuel Adegbite, a 300 Level Student in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences of the university wrote a thoroughly well- researched scientific paper on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that recently ravaged and traumatized the country last year.
Titled “Therapeutic Measures against the Current Virulent Endemicity of Ebola Virus”, Adegbite’s paper was published by the Nigerian-based International Science Journal Publication in the October edition of the Science Journal of Medicine and Clinical Trials.
Christened Team Lifewatch, the ABUAD students qualified for the finals after successfully identifying a major (health) problem and proffering a novel solution using available technology, scaling the preliminaries by defeating other contestants, including Team Paradigm, the 2014 Image Cup Winner and by defeating nine other countries (in the African Zone) at the semi-finals to coast home to the finals.
The Team Lifewatch presentation (AsthmaVisor Solution) consists of a Mobile Application operating alongside a wearable device, which monitors and supervises asthmatic patients’ health status, ensuring that they stay safe and well informed of their environments. It is a solution geared towards a more cost-effective and efficient way of supervising asthmatic patients, especially children. AsthmaVisor would be used around the globe in all communities (rural and urban) where there are adults and children alike who suffer from this disease.
The solution will help patients to be more conscious of their environment and will provide a reminder of what their physician has advised them to avoid. The software also provides an automatic alert, which is triggered by change in environmental condition as detected by the sensors in the wearable. AsthmaVisor further helps the patient alert a selected list of emergency contacts in case he or she is not able to handle an attack.
Some of the benefits AsthmaVisor to Asthma patient include Environmental awareness to situations that could trigger an asthma attack, provision of helpful health tips that could prolong the life of the patients and crucial supervisory role-playing and monitoring as well as creating avenue for patients to track their attacks and log crucial information.

VARSITY WORKERS THREATEN STRIKE OVER STAFF SCHOOLS

University workers under the aegis of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) yesterday staged a peaceful protest over what they called threat to staff primary schools.

Western zone of SSANU comprising universities in that axis, staged the protest in reaction to a March 5, 2015, circular allegedly issued by the Federal Ministry of Education to universities to remove staff schools’ from their payrolls.

The association said the move was to privatize the primary schools and lay off staff who they said are part of the university organ. They vowed to shut down universities if the decision is not reviewed.

The workers also demanded the sack of Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, saying he has overstayed.

They carried placards with inscriptions such as: “SSANU says job security is our right, we shall defend it; Enough of retrogressive policies in universities; No to privatization of university staff schools; Federal Government should not throw universities into needless crisis; Professor Julius Okojie must go” among others.

Addressing SSANU members of the University of Ilorin chapter, after a peaceful protest held at the main campus, SSANU Western Zone Vice President, Mr Alfred Jimoh, said “anyone who dares us would have himself to blame.”

He said the 2009 agreement reached with the Federal Government should not be tampered with, adding that attempts to manipulate or misinterpret the agreement would be vehemently resisted.