Category: Education

The possibility of shifting the date for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, is very high, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said.

The Registrar, JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during a virtual meeting with 2021 UTME Committee Members on Friday.

Mr Oloyede disclosed that over 600,000 candidates who indicated interest in sitting for the exams, are yet to register.

The exam is scheduled to hold between June 5 and June 19.

He said the candidates were finding it difficult to register due to the challenges of National Identification Number, NIN.

He said so far, 1.1 million candidates had registered for the 2021 UTME, stating that the board anticipated approximately 1.9 million registrations at the end of the exercise.

The JAMB boss noted that though 50 per cent of candidates had already registered without problem, there was need to carry everyone along.

According to him, that after meeting with stakeholders, we will decide on whether to shift the exam or not.

“The possibility of shifting the exam forward is still high; but that will be determined after our meeting with stakeholders.

“This is because about 600,000 candidates who have indicated interest in the exam are yet to register. There is need to give everyone the opportunity,” he said.

Mr Oloyede apologised for the new initiatives introduced in the 2021 UTME, saying that it was not to punish candidates but to exposed candidates in the habit of indulging in various forms of malpractices.

He added that candidates were expected to provide two pictures on the candidate slip, picture of the person who registered at JAMB office, picture of the owner of the name who registered with NIN.

He called on candidates to take note of the process, adding that the essence was to detect any disparity in the process.

“We apologise for putting you through some hardship in the registration. The government directed that anyone participating in JAMB must have their NIN. This is beyond our control. Those who are yet to register should do so.

“The mock exam is billed to come up on May 20. It is an optional exam meant to test the system. As you all know, the main exam is coming up between June 5 and June 19.

“Shifting the exam date is not the solution, at the meeting we will discuss on how some of the problems encountered by candidates will be resolved. It is important that we carry everyone along,’’ he added.

He further disclosed that JAMB had secured about 802 exam centres across the country and 104 centres in towns adding that Lagos state alone has four centres.

The management of Polytechnic Ibadan has debunked the news of recruitment going viral on social media.

This statement as contained in a statement signed by the Registrar of the institution, Mrs Modupe Theresa Fawale, the Authorities disclosed that the Institution has not made any public or external advertisement for positions of either lecturers or non-teaching staff.

The statement added that advertisements are paid for and in this case adding that the Institution has not made any payment for any advertisement to any medium including akedeoyo.com, nor has it presented any for public or external consumption.

It reads further: “It is instructive to point out that journalism is not a kamikaze profession where risks are taken without safety measures.

“What akedeoyo.com has done is a disservice to journalism and to the public, The Authorities of the Polytechnic, Ibadan expects immediate retraction from the outfit.

“We are also using this medium to appeal to Media Practitioners most especially online journalists to make clarifications from concerned establishments before publishing The Maxim of journalism is when in doubt, leave out.”

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, said on Thursday that his administration plans to engage officers of the Man O’ War Nigeria to assist in providing security and surveillance for primary and secondary schools in the state.

The governor, who made this known when he received the national executives of the Man O’ War Nigeria on a courtesy visit to his office, explained that the recent trend of kidnapping of students, among other security challenges, has become worrisome.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as urging the organisation to double its efforts at the grassroots in order to be able to contribute its quota to stemming the tide of insecurity in the country.

The governor said: “Man O’ War, as an organisation, I know is trying its best. I can testify to the role Man O’ War played during the elections that I participated in as governorship candidate in 2015 and 2019. So, I will renew my commitment in Man O’ War.

“Yes, the nation is faced with insecurity challenges right now all over the place. We have insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West. We have herders/farmers clash in the North-Central zone of the country. And we thought those were far, remote, but now, they are at our door step. “Here also in Oyo State, we have been dealing with kidnapping, farmers/herders clashes and people have suddenly become temperamental.

“Before now, if you were walking on the street, you would see some issues arise and people would settle them amicably. But now, they will almost kill one another. So, this is a period that Man O’ War will need to double its efforts and look at programmes at the grassroots level where we can project more on the issue of citizenship and leadership for our country.

“In schools, we have discussed with the Honourable Commissioner for Education before now on the issue of security. Some of the schools are not properly fenced; hoodlums hibernate in schools.

“I know they have put together a proposal on fencing and having demarcations for all of the schools but this idea of deployment of Man O’ War for security and surveillance is a welcome idea. We will look at the proposal and we should be engaging either the national or state Command Team to ensure that this can see the light of day and I think it is something that we will do.”

The governor assured the Man O’ War that he will resume his sponsorship of the organisation in his personal capacity.
He said : “I will resume the sponsorship and I am doing this in my personal capacity such that when I am no longer the governor, I will continue to do it.”

The governor also used the occasion to donate two utility vehicles to the Oyo State Command and one to the National Command of the organisation, saying: “Today, Oyo State will donate two utility vehicles to the Man O’ War, Oyo State Command and one to the National Command. “Also, on the request for allocation of the former abandoned FRSC office, I don’t know the state of the facility but we have to talk to the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development. Let me also assure you that Oyo State will look for a suitable place that we can allocate to Oyo State Man O’ War.

“And in terms of the sponsorship of Man O’ War National Camp in August, we will support you both from the government side and privately. I will always be proud of the uniform of the Man O’ War. So, I want to use this opportunity to appreciate you for your support and professionalism. During the 2019 election, you played a stabilising role. You were out there to complement the efforts of other security agencies.”

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has concluded plan to conduct investigation into the death of Asefon Nifemi Bernard, a final-year student of the institution.

Prof. Mojeed Liasu, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution, gave the assurance on Monday while addressing the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students, South-West Zone.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NANS South-West leadership was led by its Deputy Coordinator, Uthman Oladimeji.

Liasu described the death of Asefon as unfortunate and a rude shock, adding that the incident was avoidable.

He said that members of LAUTECH management are parents and therefore felt terribly pained by the occurrence.

Liasu said that the management was committed to getting to the root of the matter to guide against future occurrence.

He called on the students’ leaders to educate their members on responsible unionism and discourage destruction of public property at the slightest opportunity.

Liasu said that the management was already taking steps to resuscitate student unionism on campus, promising expedited actions to conclude the process.

The Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor Temitope Ogunbodede has announced lifting of ban on the suspended students’ union activities in the campus.

The Vice Chancellor made the remark yesterday while speaking at a programme organized to honour late Afenifere spokesman who was also an alumnus of the institution, Yinka Odumakin.

The VC showered encomium on the deceased for the life well spent, he likened the late Afenifere Spokesman to a dogged fighter that could not be replaced.

“Great Ife, I am here today to honour our late brother, an alumnus of our great institution, traditionally I shouldn’t have been here because I am older than him but culturally I am here to honour him as we do in Great Ife, we don’t mourn but to honour our late hero.

“I must say at this point, that Odumakin contributed immensely to the growth of Obafemi Awolowo University and it will not be out of point if we celebrate him for the indelible mark laid before his departure.

“Odumakin who was a union leader and served in the capacity of Public Relations Officer PRO of Great Ife Students’ Union, fought gallantly for the rights of his colleagues while on campus, he was rusticated for what he believed in and it took the intervention of Femi Falana SAN, an alumnus and several human rights’ activists before he was reinstated.

This life of activism prepared and propelled him to be the vocal voice of Afenifere, a Yoruba Social Cultural group. I was a member of students’ union while on campus and the decision I took to partially ban students’ union was painful but we had no option than to take it to prevent breaking down of laws and orders”.

He further stated that Great Ife graduates are known for excellence and they always take the lead in anywhere they find themselves. You will recall that the students’ union has been a solid training ground for so many leaders in all facets of life in Nigeria. Many renowned journalists in Nigeria like the Odumakin, Sam Omatseye and others excelled in journalism despite the fact that OAU does not have a course in journalism but this has been so because students’ union served as a training ground for them.

It is on this note, on the occasion of today that we are celebrating a rare gem whose death is a collosal loss to Great Ife community and Nigeria at large that I announce the lifting of ban on students’ union activities”, said Ogunbodede.

The students at the event that took place at Oduduwa Hall had their joy to know no bounds as they were seen chanting different solidarity songs.

The Governing Council of Ekiti State University, EKSU, Ado Ekiti has announced the immediate proscription of all the four workers unions in the university,

The proscribed unions are Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU).

Also, the university has been closed and all academic activities are hereby suspended.

A statement on Friday, by Bode Olofinmuagun, Head, Directorate of Information and Corporate Affairs of EKSU said proscription of the unions and closure of the university was “as a result of the continuous disruption of lawful activities on campus which have endangered lives and property in the last one week.”

It should be recalled that during the first tenure of Dr Kayode Fayemi as governor of Ekiti State, Students Union Government was also proscribed in EKSU.

The statement read; “The Governing Council of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti announces the immediate closure of the University.
All academic activities are hereby suspended.

“This is as a result of the continuous disruption of lawful activities on campus which have endangered lives and property in the last one week.

“Consequently, to guarantee peace and orderliness on campus, all the four unions ( ASUU, SSANU, NAAT and NASU) are hereby proscribed with immediate effect.

“All students are advised to vacate the campus forthwith.”

It should be recalled that since Monday, EKSU workers, especially senior staff and lecturers had occupied the campus to press home their pending demands from the state government and the university management.

The protesters occupied the university causing a standstill of traffic and activities on campus for over two hours.

They were singing solidarity songs and vowed to increase the intensity of the protest day by day.

The unions are aggrieved that the state government has not met their demands for payment of three months’ salary arrears dated 2018, six years of earned academic allowances and unremitted cooperative deductions among other demands.

The Chairman of ASUU, EKSU Chapter, Mr. Kayode Arogundade accused the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi of shunning several appeals from the union and other intermediaries.

“As of today, Ekiti State Government is only subventing EKSU by 50 percent of its monthly wage bills, without paying any considerable attention to capital grants and infrastructural developments,” he said.

“This has led EKSU Administration to ingloriously indulge in financial infractions, such as Subversion of Tax Deductions to paying salaries; Diversion of Pension deductions to paying salaries and Fund diversion from units of the University.

“This is just the beginning; we are going to do this until we occupy the government house. After all, we are asking for our rights. If we go on strike the children of ordinary Nigerians will be home, the VC and Chairman of Council will be at home spending our money, the governor will be at home spending our resources.

“Before we go on strike, we will make this state ungovernable for them, we’ll make this school ungovernable for them.”

The unions vowed to go beyond the usual strike action this time as they have threatened to make the university and state ungovernable until their requests are granted.

But the state government has blamed the situation on over-bloated recruitment done by the immediate past administration and the inability of EKSU to meet its own portion of subvention.

Special Adviser to Governor Kayode Fayemi on Tertiary Education, Sikiru Eniola, pleaded with the protesters to embrace dialogue and also find alternative funding channels in the face of dwindling revenue.

Some workers of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti converged at the school to protest the non-payment of their salaries on April 19, 2021.

In what could be termed as mysterious death, a final year student of Ladoke Akintola University LAUTECH has been reportedly died after falling into a soak-away.

ODUDUWA WAS gathered that life of the slain student, identified as Nifemi Asefon would have been saved if not for the failure of the staff of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital to give him quick medical attention he needed before he finally gave up the ghost.

It was learnt that the incident occurred at his hostel along 1500lth in school area when he wanted to switch electricity and got paralyzed.

An eyewitness who spoke with media immediately after the incident explained that Nifemi was rushed to LAUTECH teaching hospital and wasn’t attended to.

He said: Staffs at the hospital said they have to get a call from the Dean of Students Affairs before attending to him and they had to take him to Bowen, unfortunately before getting there he is already dead.

Nifemi’s death has made some aggrieved students to threaten total shutdown at the Teaching hospital. They are protesting that their colleague could have been saved if the health institution had taken the case as an emergency and gave him the necessary treatment before asking of details like the DSA.

The health institution on the other hand are claiming that their request of the DSA was to relate the news of the passing away to an elderly person, that the student was brought in dead.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the Dean of Students affairs proved abortive as calls and texts sent to him were unreturned at the time of filling this reports.

Benjamin Babalola, 22, had a perfect score of 5.00 CGPA at the Mountain Top University, Ogun State, to emerge as the overall best student of the institution in the 2018/2019 academic session. Babatope while being interviewed, told ODUDUWA NEWS crew what motivated him as an undergraduate.

What fond memories of your growing up do you still have?

Among many other things, I remember seeing my dad dressed in a smart way and leaving for work. I loved the way he looked and I envisioned myself also in a shirt and tie around my neck, adorned with a nice suit and a nice hair-cut someday.

At that time, what profession did you envision?

My dream profession was to become a Medical Doctor.

When you applied for Medicine at the University of Lagos, do you know why you were denied admission?

I was admitted into the University of Lagos Foundation Programme for Medicine and Surgery in 2015. After the final examination, I wasn’t admitted into the Medicine and Surgery programme.

Even though I had the requisite point (16/16; 5.0/5.0 CGPA) for admission into the 200-level Direct Entry programme, I was offered Physiology, which I wasn’t ready to settle for.

That year, quite a number of candidates scored a perfect point for direct entry into Medicine but UNILAG could not admit all of us alongside those coming in through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Due to the competitive nature of the programme, some were shortlisted and others were offered different courses while some were advised to re-apply the following year.