OAU Students Suspend Protest, Give Room For Negotiation With The Management

By David Adetula

OAU Students Suspend Protest, Give Room For Negotiation With The Management

Following today's massive demonstration of Obafemi Awolowo University students that led to the total shutdown of activities on the campus, the students have decided to suspend the protest to allow for negotiation with the university management on their demands.

In a congress held in the midst of the protest today at the campus gate, it was unanimously agreed that the Union leaders should honour any subsequent meeting invitation letter even as they permit normalcy to return to campus tomorrow.

The Students' Union leadership failed to honour the initial meeting the Management invited them to on Sunday on the grounds that their attendance at the meeting with the University Administration would be a betrayal of their cause and frustrate their already planned lecture boycott and protest. The Students' Union Executive stated further that their attendance at the meeting would put a big question mark on the integrity of the leadership of the Union and as such the planned lecture boycott and protest are not negotiable based on congressional resolution.

As at Press time, the Public Relations Officer of the Students' Union, Ojedokun Emmanuel a.k.a Immanuel Kant has confirmed to our correspondent that the Union leadership is yet to receive another invitation letter from the University administration.

Professor Adeyinka Adesina's Inaugural Lecture Holds December 8

This came to many students of Obafemi Awolowo University as a big surprise because they never thought it would be this soon, survey revealed.

Professor Olufemi Adeyinka Adesina, the Deputy Director, Centre for Distance Learning (CDL) and Professor of Mathematics will on Tuesday, 8th December, 2015 deliver his inaugural lecture at the Oduduwa Hall of the Institution by 5:00pm. The lecture is titled: 'A journey through the beautiful world of differential equation'..

Adesina before his appointment at CDL OAU was the Vice Dean, Division of Student Affairs (DSA) of the same university. The entire OAU Peeps crew members congratulate the Adesina family.

OAU Students Protest Poor Welfare Conditions & Rustication Of Ogunruku

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University held the campus to a stand still today following a massive protest to demand for an improved welfare condition of the students and reinstatement of Olawale Ogunruku.

The protest began as early as 7:30am at the AngloMoz car park where students started converging and eventually move in their thousands to other Halls of residence along the way to Academics. The students marched down to the Senate Building first where they were addressed by the Union President on the reason for the protest and to restate their demands.

After some hours at the Senate Building, the students having barricaded and grounded all vehicular movements moved to the school gate to lock it down and a congress of students held to determine the next line of action.

Details of the congress in a bit.

Photo Credit: OAU Christians.com

Olawale Ogunruku's Name Does Not Exist In OAU Student Database - Management

Olawale Ogunruku's Name Does Not Exist In OAU Student Database - Management

The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University has once again responded to one of the demands of the Students' Union requesting for the the reinstatement of Olawale Ogunruku who has been rusticated since 2010.

In a Release from the Office of the Registrar, signed by the Registrar and Secretary to the University Council, Dotun Awoyemi, it stated that the name of the rusticated student does not exist in the student database of Obafemi Awolowo University.

"This name does not exist in the student database of Obafemi Awolowo University. However, since every bona fide student of this University has a Matriculation number, the Student Union may so wish to provide the Matriculation number of the so-called Olawale Ogunruku to assist in establishing the veracity of the demand of the Union."

The management however appealed to the generality of students to allow peace to reign and desist from any action that may lead to the elongation of the academic calendar or outright cancellation of one academic session.

Lecture-boycott: Students' Union Leaders Refuse Meeting With The Management

The leaders of the Students' Union of Obafemi Awolowo University has refused to attend a meeting with the University administration scheduled for Sunday, November 29 on the grounds that their attendance of such meeting would be a betrayal of their cause and frustrate the already planned lecture-boycott and protest.

The Congress of Great Ife students on Friday decided to embark on a lecture-boycott cum massive protest to press home for their demand on improved welfare of students and reinstatement of Olawale Ogunruku. Some hours after the Congress has decided, the Management having understood the impending disturbance invited the Union officers to a meeting which was allegedly requested by the Union leadership before now.

The Students' Union President has however said the Union leadership is likely to honour subsequent meeting invitation when many students will be aware. "In a sensitive period as this, meetings with the management must be well known to Great Ife students in the spirit of transparency. We want to inform the generality of Great Ife that subsequent meeting will likely be honoured after the students’ body is much aware of it. It must be said that we are open to negotiation throughout the period of struggle." he said.

As at the time of filing this report, all plans are in top gear as the students remain dogmatic about their position to protest their deplorable welfare conditions and any moment from now, the protest is expected to start.

OAU Student Caught Stealing During Service In NCCF

A final year student of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University who simple identified himself as Fela met his waterloo today as he was caught after he stole a bag belonging to a member of New Covenant Christian Fellowship (NCCF).

In the course of a dynamic Sunday service of the NCCF today at the Fajuyi hall cafe, Fela was at the back of the curtain separating the other end of the cafe from the auditorium planning and strategizing on how to steal from bags of innocent worshipers. It took the conscious effort of one of the members who was at the back of the auditorium to notice him which eventually led to his napping red-handed. Fela confessed to have taken some items from the bag but pleaded guilty.

Fajuyians whose attention were called when Fela was caught insisted that he be taken to the Fajuyi hall excos' secretariat for further investigations. Upon getting to the secretariat, he was admitted in with those concerned on the matter. The hall executives promised to get back to everyone after his case has been investigated which is still expected as at press time.

GEMSTONE Campus Connect Holds Value Based Leadership Training

By Farombi Oluwaseun

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University gathered in Eden, New Buca on Sunday for a training programme tagged ‘Value Based Leadership’ organised by GEMSTONE Campus Connect in OAU. The event started at about 3pm with each participant introducing themselves.

The speaker of the event, Daniel Otabor who is the National Coordinator of GEMSTONE Larders' Connect and also a Personal Assistant to Fela Durotoye; the seasoned motivational speaker started the training with differentiating between a nation and a country. In his disposition, a country represents a geographical area with many nations but a nation consists of people with the same heritage, belief and language. He described Nigeria as a country and the United State of America a nation though they do not have the same belief and language but they have the same purpose, mission and vision. He further stated that Africa represents Poverty in the midst of the plenty and to solve our problem in Nigeria, there must be a personal transformation before national transformation.

Obviously elated and encouraged by the event, David, a participant expressed delight as he confessed to have gained a lot in the programme and now knows that for Nigeria to be a better nation, it is a collective responsibility that begins with all of us. Speaking with the President of GEMSTONE Campus Connect, OAU Chapter, he said GEMSTONE is an acronym which stands for Generation that is Empowered, Motivated, Steered To Operate with Natural Excellence. He said the main motive of the programme is to train people on GEMSTONE’s message which is to ‘having Nigeria become the world's most desirable nation to live in by 31st December, 2025’.

Nigeria Of My Dream; The Role Of Youths - Adigun Olayemi

By Adigun Olayemi

I gett baffled with the current state of my country Nigeria. The job opportunities continue to decrease, roads are not the way they should be anymore, agriculture is depreciating day by day due to the non-cognisance of our governments. Not only these, public workers no longer get paid their salaries as at when due. The telecommunication sector is now a means of income to their owners only thereby allowing for all fraudulent acts to invade the sector at the expense of Nigerians. Maximum security is no longer the priority of the government of the day whereby allowing for incessant bombings and incessant kidnapping which scare foreign investors.

Food prices get on the high on daily basis paving way for the poor to get poorer. The education system has sporadically declined knowing that no Nigerian university is among the first 200 in the world. Electricity is another thing hampering our nation’s economic development. The National House of Assembly has turned to the home of several hybrids of wrestlers. What are we to do to all these things? What exactly is our government of the doing?

These questions and many more I keep asking myself. Nigeria has huge potentials to be the greatest nation on earth. Nigeria is blessed with abundant land to cultivate many crops for human consumption. The potentials are there in our teachers to make the students better. Youth have roles to play. We must influence people around us with the dream of a greater Nigeria. Nigeria youths must change their orientation of the country from bad to good.

They must start seeing themselves as the future leaders of this country whereas the future starts now. Passing through the higher institution must reflect in their activities for those that have the opportunity.
Nigeria has so many potentials like Chimanda Adichie who won the Orange prize, Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate winner and so on. They have all contributed immensely to the growth of the nation while they were in their youth days. Youths must stand to their feet to make Nigeria a better place to be.

Nigeria Varsity System Syllabus Is Archaic And Misused - Ope Banwo

The Vice Chancellor of America Internet Business School Dr. Ope Banwo, has challenged the Federal Government over the archaic syllabus usage in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Ope Banwo, fumed at the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education over non inclusion of certain new courses in the tertiary institutions syllabus. He made this known at the just concluded Nigeria Internet Business Conference which was held at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, where he talked about how young Nigerians can generate legal money on the internet.

According to Banwo "Nigeria varsity system syllabus is archaic and misused. "Why are we not having E-commerce, Freelancing, Blogging, Affiliate and Digital Marketing included in the Nigeria University syllabus? As the internet is becoming larger, youth are supposed to be growing with it. But otherwise is what we have in Nigeria, even youth that grew with the internet used it on illegal businesses". He said.

He further stated that he has forwarded a petition to the current Nigeria Education minister Adamu Adamu, on need for a revised syllabus in universities nationwide.

Meanwhile, to put in his quota to online business development, Ope Banwo, is inaugurating an internet business club - 'Netpreneur club' on campuses across the country. He recently launched the Netpreneur Club at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, where Lukmon Fasasi, emerged to be the club interim president.

Congressmen Accuse TY Of Congress Manipulation

The congress of Obafemi Awolowo University students on Friday did not end without descending heavily on the Students' Union President, Omotayo Akande a.k.a TY as he was alleged of manipulating congresses to satisfy his opinion. Apart from this, many congressmen expressed doubt in the ability of the current Union leadership to implement congressional resolutions thereby requesting for the constitution of a 19-man Committee that will include the CEC members, some SRC members and some other congressmen to ensure the implementation of the congressional resolutions that will be made.

A congressman who is also an honourable of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) asked the congress rhetorically in his submission that should the students trust a President that can boldly say to the students that he manipulated the previous congress to ensure that the Afrika remembrance day held? He further stated that the Union President over time has not always effected the implementation of congressional resolutions. Corroborating the initial submission, the popular student activist and a member of the Left, Comrade Engels confess to share the same sentiment with the former saying he does not trust the President though they are friends.

Responding to these claims, TY warned that they should not feed the congressmen with lies as he denied saying he manipulated the congress to favour any programme to hold. Also reacting to the vote of no confidence passed on him by Engels, TY said it is not fair for Engels to come out and say he does not trust the Union leadership that fought for his reinstatement.

Some students who spoke with our correspondents after the congress however had diverging opinion as regards the turn of events. Some said the Left is doing everything possible to frustrate the TY led-administration and also calling for the creation of a committee so that they can sell out the reactivated struggle for better welfare conditions to the Management. Some others are also of the opinion that TY started getting it wrong since he manipulated a congress to favour the then embattled Secretary General of the Students' Union, Hon. Seun even after a judicial injunction had sacked him for not meeting the criteria for contesting the elections that brought him in.

OAU Recognized & Awarded For ICT Strides

The annual NITDA-NIHILENT awards held on the 18th of November, 2015, during the eNigeria 2015 conference at the International Conference Centre Abuja. This award held in recognition of excellence in e-Governance cuts across ICT based sectors ranging from State Government, Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Education and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

The award reflects the all-inclusive use of ICT for organizational operations in general, but in the case of educational institutions, the adoption of ICT in Teaching, Research, Learning and Administration.

In attendance were the Honorable Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu (himself and IFE alumnus), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The award was received on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of University, Prof. B.I Omole by the Director, INTECU, Prof. G.A. Aderounmu.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) whose mission is: To develop and regulate IT for sustainable national development, was established to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization and regulation of Information Technology practices in Nigeria.

Welfare Condition: Lecture-boycott To Continue On Monday In OAU

By David Adetula

The Congress of Obafemi Awolowo University students that held on Friday at the Afrika Amphi theatre has decided that no lecture will be allowed to hold on campus starting from Monday, November 30, 2015.

In a moderately attended congress which was announced to students during the early hours of Friday in the heat of water scarcity and power failure deploring the inimical welfare conditions of students seems to have a common submission as Great Ife students were of the opinion that it is time for ‘war’. In a bid not to get the plan for the lecture-boycott stipulated for Monday thwarted, the congress resolved that irrespective of whether there is power and water supplies or not, the boycott will continue since the issue at hand surpasses that of water and power.

A congressman who lamented that beyond the power and water supplies, the state of the students' toilets in all the Halls of residence are very bad. He also raised concerns on the non-reinstatement of Olawale Ogunruku who has been rusticated from the university since 2010. Arguments however ensued if ASUU leadership should be notified about the lecture boycott 48 hours before it begins. It was however agreed that ASUU should be notified even as the boycott continues on Monday.

It is not clear at this time if the lecture-boycott will only be for Monday or persist beyond. However, indications from some quarters suggest that the TY-led Students' Union leadership is not interested in taking any practical approach that may lead to the school closure on the deplorable welfare conditions of students even as the Union President, Omotayo Akande a.k.a TY has continually reiterated that he will not sacrifice students' welfare on the slab of stable academic calendar.

Newly Admitted OAU Predegree Students To Resume December 1

By David Adetula

The Centre for Distance Learning, Obafemi Awolowo University has announced the 1st of December, 2015 as the set date for the beginning of resumption for the newly admitted students as the 2015/2016 academic session begins.

Screening of the fresh students and their registration are billed for the same day of resumption. Below is the important information detailing the schedule based on the subject combinations of the students.


 Tuesday, 1st December, 2015 (9 am – 4 pm) - Biology/Chemistry/Physics (BCP)

 Wednesday, 2nd December, 2015 (9 am – 4 pm) - Chemistry/Mathematics/Physics (CMP), Geography/Mathematics/ Physics (GMP) & Economics/Government/Mathematics(EGM)

 Thursday, 3rd December, 2015 (9 am – 4 pm) - Government/Lit./Rel. Studies (GLR), Mathematics/Geog./Economics (MGE) & Economics/Govt/Literature in Eng. (EGL)

There will be Parents’ Forum at 12.00 noon each day where all parents are expected to be present.

As parts of the registration packages, admitted students are to present the following for registration on resumption:

i. Original and photocopy of your admission letter
ii. Downloaded copy of medical history and examination form duly signed and stamped
compulsorily from a government hospital.
iii. Downloaded copy of CDL Clinic Biodata duly completed
iv. A downloaded copy of oath form duly completed and signed by both parent and student. Postal
stamp of N50.00 should be affixed as appropriate on the form. (Make a photocopy for yourself
and keep for orientation day.)
v. Originals and photocopies of your credentials (WAEC, NECO, etc.)
vi. 3 Copies of your Hostel allocation Slip
vii. Proof of payments (original Copies of your e-payment documents)
viii. Six passport photographs

Alongside the above, the fresh students are to report to the Centre for Distance Learning Campus, Moro, Ife-North Local Government with the following:


 A 2x6 mattress, a pillow (For students allocated to hostels outside campus only)
 Cooking utensils.
 2 pairs of beddings.

The Financial Times and the Bodley Head 2015 Essay Competition

The fourth annual Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize aims to discover the world’s best young talent in long-form essay writing. We are looking for a dynamic, authoritative and lively essay of no more than 3,500 words on a non-fiction topic of your choice. It can be journalistic, it can be a case study; it can be wide-ranging or minutely focused. In keeping with the ethos of both sponsors, it can address any topic – from finance to history, from current affairs to a scientific discovery. We are not looking for a particular subject; we are simply looking for quality writing.

If you are 35 years old or under and would like your work to be read by Simon Schama (historian and FT contributing editor), Will Hammond (editorial director at Bodley Head), Dan Franklin (digital publisher at Random House), Stuart Williams (publisher at Bodley Head), Caroline Daniel (FT Weekend editor) and Lucy Tuck (editor, FT Life & Arts) then please send us your entry by midnight GMT on November 29 2015.

Topic
Any non-fiction topic of your choice

Organizer
The Financial Times and the Bodley head

Prizes
The prize for the winner will be £1,000, an e-publication with Bodley Head, and a mentoring session with the FT/Bodley Head.
Two runners-up will each receive £500 and e-publication.

Deadline
November 29, 2015

Guideline
This Competition is open to anyone aged between 18 and 35 years as at midnight GMT on Friday 2nd October 2015
Essay entries will be accepted until midnight (GMT) November 29th 2015 (closing date).
The winning entrant and runners-up will be notified by the Promoter by telephone in the week beginning 15th December 2015
Each entry must be: (a) in English; (b) an original work of which the entrant is the author which has not been previously professionally or commercially published in any language and is not in breach of any third party right; (c) complete in itself; (i.e. not a fragment of a larger work)
Accepted file formats are word doc, docx, pdf or txt.
Maximum size 2mb

Click here to submit your entry here.

Inquiries
Any inquiries relating to the prize should be emailed to: bodleyhead@ft.com

Credit: Naija Writers' Coach

Adventist Students’ Fellowship Embarks On Community Service

By Farombi Oluwaseun

It was indeed an awesome day on Sunday as the Adventist Students’ Fellowship embarked on a community service exercise for the entire Obafemi Awolowo University community. An exercise which kick-started at about 8am and ended around 6:30pm at the Health Centre car park had many dwellers and passer-by to stop and take part in the event. 300 students to partake in the event..

The community service which had about 300 students participate involved free medical check-ups ,free barbing, free hair dressing and lots more. The medical check-ups conducted included glucose test, blood pressure test and body mass index which was handled by medical experts from the Seven-day Adventist hospital in Lagere, Ile-Ife.

Relating her experience to our correspondent, Omitokun Grace, a participant of the exercise said the programme is really a nice initiative and a great one indeed to partake in. She further added that she loves the humility displayed by the organisers of the programme. The President of the fellowship, Pastor Adesola Samuel Olawale explained that the event is tagged ‘Maranatha 2015’ with the theme; Receiving the Word’.

Adesola said the community service is an annual programme which is done for people to reach out to them in order to know about the gospel, accept the gospel of Christ and give back to the Great Ife students at large. He however thanked all those who volunteered towards the success of the programme and all the Great Ife students that participated in the event with a promise that the event will still be conducted next year by God’s grace.

What You Need To Know About 2015 ‘Black Friday’ Sales

By David Adetula

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November). Since the early 2000s, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, and most major retailers open very early (and more recently during overnight hours) and offer promotional sales. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but California and some other states observe "The Day After Thanksgiving" as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day.

In Nigeria, this day has also been adopted by several online stores to sell promotional goods. For 2015, some of the leading online stores have announced their Black Friday sales programme; Konga will have theirs on Thursday, 26th November, 2015 and Friday, 27th November, 2015. Another leading store, Jumia will have theirs on Friday, 27th November, 2015.

As at Wednesday, one of the leading online store, Jumia has disclosed the expected discounts for various categories of their goods. In the release, goods ordered from the Health & Beauty category will attract 70% discout. Also obviously having a huge discount is the Cameras & Electronics category with 65% discount. Others include the Women’s Clothing and Men’s Clothing with an expected 60% discount each, Women’s and Men’s Accessories will also attract 50% discount even as Men’s Shoes and Women’s Shoes get 55% discount. Phones and Computing categories will also attract 20% discount each. Konga, another top online store is yet to reveal its own discount although the store has insisted on a ‘Yakata’ fall sale.

Sale during Black Fridays are usually on first arrived, first served basis because of the huge traffic of online buyers who are always willing to participate in the greatly discounted sales. If the statistics released by Konga on its Black Friday 2014 (Yakata Sales) is something to go by, the store had 5x the amount of its usual daily traffic recording a maximum 1,659 orders placed within an hour. The same record revealed that over $3.5M (N600m) was made in the sales last year.

Even with the statistics from several online stores recounting the success of the Black Friday sales last year, the experience recount of many social media users who participated in the sales in 2014 was not palatable as some even find it hard to believe the sales happened. Some went hard on the online stores tagging it scam as they were not able to place their orders successfully within the stipulated period.

For students of Obafemi Awolowo University who are willing to participate in this year’s Black Friday sales, here are some tips you should take note of ;

1.) Get money that will get you some items.
2.) Register with the online store(s) you wish to buy from during the Black Friday sales before the day.
3.) Have a list of items you wish to buy during the sales so as to forestall distractions while trying to order by other goods.
4.) Fully charge your devices from where you will be accessing the internet.
5.) Locate a place where the signal of the network you will be accessing the internet with is strong. For those that will be using the INTECU service, areas like EDM, Health Centre have good reports.
6.) Sale is expected to begin 12:00am of the sale’s day. As such, it is advisable to start checking the portals of the online stores starting from that moment to be among the first buyers.
7.) Though I am aware Konga has announced a service for the Black Friday sales called ‘Konga Pays’ which offers a further 5% discounts for those that pay instantly with their credit cards but I strongly advise you opt for the ‘Pay on delivery’ method if available for the goods you wish to order. This is to ensure you verify if the good you order is in good condition before paying. I have a non-palatable experience with this.

NOTE: Black Friday sales will be coming up in virtually all major online stores (including Amazon, Ebay and others) across the globe as it is usually an international observation.

Finally, remember to order something for me (smiles). Goodluck!

OAU SUB Regains Serenity As Banners Disappear

By David Adetula

The Students’ Union Building (SUB) of Obafemi Awolowo University once again wears a decent and serene look as all the banners and publicity boards placed in front of it have been removed. Before now, the University Management in one of her meetings with the Students’ Union leadership had raised concerns about the look of the SUB as it looks disorganized.

As at the time of filing this report, it is not clear if the Security Unit of the University carried out this activity. Efforts to reach the Secretary-General of the Students’ Union, Oketooto Oluwaseun a.k.a Hon. Seun to talk on the development proved abortive as he was not answering the calls pulled across to him. The current TY-led SU leadership during the first semester announced it will be embarking on structural adjustment programme of the SUB which saw the controversial eviction of a Press outfit from the SUB but did not cater for the increasing number of banners placed in front of SUB almost covering the obviousness of it.

2015 Convocation Play: Dramatic Arts Students To Perform ‘Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again’

By Wisdom Edache

The Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University will be entertaining as many Nigerians that will be attending the 41st Convocation of the institution with a stage performance of Ola Rotimi's play titled ‘Our husband has gone mad again’. The performance is billed for Thursday, 10th December, 2015 by 8:00pm at Oduduwa Hall.

As earlier announced, the convocation programmes will commence December 9. Other programme of events is as follows:

Wednesday, 9th December 2015 – Award of Diploma Certificates at the Department of Local Government Studies by 10:00am.

Thursday, 10th December 2015 -Conferment of First Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters’ Degrees Faculties of Administration, Arts, Education, Law and Social Sciences at the Oduduwa Hall Amphitheatre by 10:00am.

Convocation Play at Oduduwa Hall at 8:00pm
Play Title: Our Husband has Gone Mad Again by Ola Rotimi

Friday, 11th December 2015 - Conferment of First Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters’ Degrees in the Faculties of Agriculture, College of Health Sciences, Environmental Design and Management, Pharmacy, Science and Technology at the Oduduwa Hall Amphitheatre by 10:00am.

Convocation Lecture at Oduduwa Hall at 4:00pm.
Topic: The Pursuit of Happiness: Some Thoughts on Human Rights, Freedom and Justice in Nigeria.
Guest Speaker: The Most Reverend Mathhew Hassan Kukah. The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese

Saturday, 12th December 2015 – Inauguration of Chancellor, Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Award of Doctorate Degrees at the Oduduwa Hall by 10:00am.

Apply To Attend The 2015 Nigeria Internet Business Conference

The online registration to attend the first ever Nigeria Internet Business Conference (NIBC) has began.

Requirements for Participants:

Day 1
* Registration opens to young Nigerians, who owned or must be willing to own an online business.
* Prospective participants must be able to type in character on a computer.
* Your free eventbrite ticket is your entry pass at day 1.


Day 2
* Prospective participants will pay conference workshop fee of N1,500 into bank account, details below:
Bank name: Access Bank
Account name: Lukmon Fasasi
Bank no: 0008847447

Registration deadline: Online registration for the NIBC ends by 11:59pm on Thursday, November 26, 2015.

Click here to register.

Note
* After registration, your ticket would be sent to your email. Print and bring to conference room for Day 1.
* Your free online ticket and your bank teller are your pass to conference workshop.
* Paid participants will receive their tags, immediately they show their bank teller.
* Offline registration begins 9:00am at conference room entrance.
* Conference hall would be closed 10:30am for Day 1 and 2.

For more details, visit www.thenibc.com

NANCE Decries State Of Nigerian Education, Proffers Solutions

The National Association of Nigerian Campus Journalists (NANCE) has expressed disappointment over the current state of the Nigerian tertiary education and in turn proffers some possible solutions that can ameliorate the condition.

In a Press Statement co-signed by the National Chairman, General Secretary and Head Support Team of NANCE, Olanrewaju Oyedeji, Abdul Shehu and Akintola Lukmon respectively, the effect of constant strike actions, delayed future, lackadaisical behaviour of lecturers, lack of learning facilities, mismanaging managers, egocentric leaders and other things have been highlighted as parts of the reason for the decadence of a sector.

Below is the full Statement.

State of Education In Nigeria; A Gunless Boko-Haram
Over the years, Nigerian Students have been grappling under the effect of constant strike actions, delayed future, lackadaisical behaviours of lecturers, lack of learning facilities, Mismanaging managers, egocentric leaders etc. All these abnormalities can be said to be a reason for the decadence of a sector that is meant to be a sustaining factor of any country in the 21st century .

It is disheartening that over the years Nigeria has been accused of producing half-baked and below standard graduates, little wonder that no university can boast of been among the best 200 in the world, yet we call ourselves giant of Africa.

Nigeria is blessed no doubt with intellectuals but what has becloud our sense of duty is more of corruption than lack of resources. It is important to note that in the early seventies, learning was worth it all after all facilities were present and there was the right attitude to learn, then the statement 'half baked graduates’ never existed.

Our so called top and leading institutions are nothing but advanced secondary schools, some that still boast of quality only live in the glory of time past, the adage "in the land of the blind, one eyed man is always the king" applies fully to Nigeria. The current state of our lectures environment starting from hostels to lecture theaters are nothing but advanced prisons, the only difference between prisons and Nigerian hostels can be traced to freedom of movement, what do you say about 3000 students receiving lecture in a 500-seaters lecture theater?

What do we say about hostels that are not with good facilities yet lecturers live in luxury.

Our educational system has now come to the state where our lecturers don't bother to teach again, they leave students to their fates and to some people even lecturers of 21st century in Nigeria know nothing, hard but they maybe right.

Decadence in the education sector can be traced to mismanagement of little funds available for the sector especially in our higher institutions of learning. Insincerity of government over the years is also responsible for the failure of this sector, it is disheartening that government has refused to properly fund education; 'Nigeria's future'. Any country that cannot invest in education has nowhere to go, it has no future in the real sense.

It is very obvious that key stakeholders over the years have failed to go back to the drawing table to map out sincere strategies that will aid education sector. Commonsensically, one would have expected our renowned corrupt university, polytechnic, colleges of education and various institutes' management to understand that sinking the future of Nigerian education is like sinking the future of Nigeria.

In Nigeria, we have become comfortable travelling overseas to study and even pride ourselves in it, nobody is thinking of making Nigerian varsities worth coming sometime soon, political leaders easily boast of having their kids in England, when all they want is for their families to have qualitative education while Nigerian youths should not.

Probe of the Nigerian Universities management is undebatable at this point in time, they should be held responsible for not even handling the little funds at their disposal well, many institutions have increased fees but quality of education has failed to improve hereby going against law of economics and financial ethics.

WAY FORWARD
A review of our educational policies should be done, most of them do not fit into the present day realities.

... An audit of accounts of all higher institutions of learning in Nigeria
.... A probe of higher institution(s) administrations in Nigeria
... A productive funding of the education sector in Nigeria
.... Engaging of student bodies on possible ways of revamping education sector in Nigeria
..... Review of learning curriculums in Nigerian varsities
.... A national tour of higher institutions of learning to ascertain the level of their decadence.

We believe in spite of all present challenges, Nigeria has a future.

God bless Nigeria.

Cc:
Nigerian Guild of Editors
Nigerian Union of Journalists
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Information
All state commissioners of Education
University Management(s)
Polytechnics Management(s)
Colleges of Education Management (s)
Academic staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
Non-Academic staff Union of Universities
National Association of Nigerian Campus Journalists
Economic and Financial Crimes commission


Signed
Olanrewaju Oyedeji
National Chairman, NANCE

Abdul Shehu
Secretary General

Akintola Lukmon
Head,support Team

Nigerian Law Students Converge To Create National Body

The movement to have a National Law Students' Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN) took a giant leap with delegates from some Universities in Nigeria coming together on the 14th and 15th of November, 2015 to discuss and map out modalities for the formation of the association. The historic meeting was held at the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University under the hosting leadership of Mr Olaniran Quadri, the President of the Law Students' Society, Obafemi Awolowo University.

The meeting centred upon crucial matters such as: the need for a national body, aims and objectives of such body, sponsorship for the association as well as issues relating to the constitution and convention of the association.

The major highlight of the meeting was the bidding to host the maiden edition of the LAWSAN Convention scheduled for June, 2016. After a rigorous screening process, it was agreed by Universities present that University of Ibadan should host the first Convention of the association. Decisive steps were also taken with regards to the drafting of a constitution which will operate as the ground norm and modus operandi for the association.

Delegates present at the meeting include Mr. Olaniran Quadri Oladimeji and Mr. Adepoju Oluwasola Idris (Obafemi Awolowo University), Mr Mohammed Daud (Lagos State University), Mr Mobolaji Ojo (President, LAWSAN Abuja), Miss Esther Sanda (President, LAWSAN, Bowen University), Mr. Ebunoluwa Dapo-Thomas (President, L.S.S Osun State University) as well as Mr. Victor Kuforiji (A.G.F., L.S.S. University of Ibadan) who stood in for Opeyemi Adeleke, (President L.S.S., University of Ibadan), University of Calabar and delegates from University of Benin.

The delegate from the University of Abuja stood as the representative for the northern Nigeria. The meeting was conveyed by Mr. Samuel Osijo (LASU), Head of Lincoln's Inn who was the moderator and who is expected to remain the convener of the Association until the convention.

LAWSAN is expected to champion the positive cause of member students as well as serve as a platform for members to render their opinions on national issues.

NNPC/MPN Undergraduate Scholarship Awards 2015 - Apply Now

As part of support to educational development and human capacity building, Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), operator of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/MPN Joint Venture awards annual scholarships to qualified undergraduate students in Nigerian Universities. Applications for the 2015 NNPC/MPN Undergraduate National Scholarship is now open.

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE
Awards will be made to qualified and suitable students who are currently admitted in Nigerian Universities irrespective of state of origin including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

HISTORY
Since 1974, ExxonMobil upstream affiliates in Nigeria – Esso Exploration and production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL) and Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) have supported the education of thousands of Nigerian students through the Companies’ various scholarship schemes.

Undergraduate Scholarship Awards
This program is funded by Mobil Producing Nigeria, operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/MPN Joint Venture. Since 1998, a total of 500 undergraduate scholarships are awarded annually. This is a significant increase on the 13 awards offered at inception of the scheme in 1974.

The awards are made to suitably qualified students from every state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). However, about 62 per cent of the total NNPC/MPN Undergraduate scholarship awards are allocated to students who are indigenes of the operational communities/ States - Akwa Ibom (50%) and Rivers States (12%). There is also a merit award (10%) to the best 50 candidates in the selection tests.

The remaining places go to students from other states including the Federal Capital territory (FCT), based on merit and fair geographical spread. The current scholarship awards are for disciplines in Engineering (Petroleum, Chemical Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics and Civil,) Geology/Geophysics, Medicine, Agricultural Science (and related fields) as well as Computer Science.

Other schemes sponsored by this partnership include the NNPC/ESSO National and International Postgraduate Scholarship Awards. These scholarship programs are amongst several initiatives by the ExxonMobil upstream subsidiary companies EEPNL and MPN), along with the respective partners and co-venturer, to help build capacities of young and brilliant Nigerians and further boost pool of qualified manpower for career opportunities in Nigeria and abroad.

Requirements/Eligibility
E-applications are invited from full-time undergraduates in their FIRST YEAR (100 LEVEL) or SECOND YEAR (200 LEVEL) of study in any of the under-listed courses in Nigerian Universities:

1. Petroleum Engineering
2. Chemical Engineering
3. Mechanical Engineering
4. Electrical/Electronics Engineering
5. Civil Engineering
6. Geology/Geophysics
7. Medicine (MBBS Only)
8. Agricultural Science (And related fields)
9. Computer Science


a. Candidates must be holders of the SSCE or its Equivalent with at least six subjects passed at a sitting
b. Applicants must be registered full-time undergraduates in their 1st or 2nd year of study in any Nigerian University
c. Students who are currently on similar scholarship awards from other oil and gas companies should not apply
d. Dependants of employees of Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited are not eligible for this scholarship.

Please note that we will accept applications through this web site address only. Hard copies of any document submitted will not be processed. All interested students are advised to click on “How to Apply” tab to proceed.

Application closes midnight 1st December, 2015.

In line with our e-scholarship administration system, selected students will be invited for computer-administered qualifying tests in selected examination centers nationwide. Short-listed candidates for the qualifying test will be invited by email and SMS text messages. All applicants are therefore advised to ensure that GSM telephone numbers and personal email addresses are properly entered into the e-forms on the web site.

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED

How To Apply
Application is open to full-time FIRST YEAR (100 LEVEL) or SECOND YEAR (200 LEVEL) students admitted during the 2014/2015 or 2013/2014 academic session only.

1. Before you start this application, ensure you have clear scanned copies of the following documents;

a.Passport photograph with white background not more than 3 months old (450px by 450px not more than 200kb)
b.Current University ID card
c.Admission letter (If you do not have this document, click here to get yours)
d.Birth certificate
e.O' Level result
f.JAMB Result (If you do not have this document, click here to get yours)
g.SSCE result or its equivalent
h.vidence of State of origin obtained from the appropriate i.Local Government Area and duly signed by the Chairman or Secretary

2. Ensure the documents are named according to what they represent to avoid mixing up documents during upload

3. Ensure you attach the appropriate documents when asked to upload

Deadline is 1st December, 2015

To apply, follow the steps below:
1.Visit http://scholastica.ng/candidate/login?ReturnUrl=%2fschemes%2fapply%2f5054

2. Click on "Register" to create an account.
3. Proceed to your email box to activate your account
4. Click on www.scholastica.ng to return to Scholarship site
5. Enter your registered email and password to upload your information.
6. Enter your personal information, National Identification Number (if available), educational information, other information and upload required scanned documents.
7. Ensure the name used in application matches the names on all documentation in same order. Upload a sworn affidavit or certificate if otherwise.
8. Ensure you view all documents after uploading, to eliminate errors during uploading.
9. When asked to upload photo, upload a pass-port photograph with a white background.
10. Recheck application information to avoid errors
11. Click "Apply Now" to submit information at or return to the home page www.scholastica.ng and select the 2015 NNPC/MPN Undergraduate Scholarship Awards to be redirected to the application page 12. You will receive an email that confirms your application was successful.
13. Return to www.scholastica.ng, enter your Email and Password to download your profile and proceed to have your referee to sign the document.
14. Upload a scanned copy of the signed profile, this would be used for verification.
15. If National Identification Number (NIN) number was not available in step 6, to obtain your National Identification Number (NIN)
o Visit http://ninenrol.gov.ng to register and learn more about the National Identity Number
o Click "Create Account" and fill in the required fields
o Login with Email and Password to complete the form
o After completion, schedule a date for photo and finger print capture
o Visit any of the capture centers https://www.nimc.gov.ng/?q=nin-registration-centres to complete the registration process and obtain your National Identity Number
o You can also do your total registration at the NIMC office
16. Return to www.scholastica.ng and update application with National Identification Number (NIN) to ensure completion

Note: Multiple applications attract a disqualification penalty from the Scholarship board

Credit: MySchool

Professor Aderemi Kuku National Young Scientist Award In Mathematical Sciences

The Nigerian Young Academy (NYA) was established in August 2010 by the pioneering effort of the Nigeria Academy of Science (NAS), supported by Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAEng). The NYA was established to provide recognition for excellence and raise the profile of young researchers in Nigeria. Additionally, members would play a crucial role as inspirational figures for a new generation of researchers and impact on the society through their research. The NYA is the unified platform for the exchange of ideas across disciplines and regions, nurturing outstanding and aspiring youthful researchers and professionals towards improving the state of the nation.

In line with her objectives, the NYA through the kind donation of Prof. Aderemi O. Kuku has instituted the “Professor Aderemi Kuku National Young Scientist Award in Mathematical Sciences” with a view to promoting original research in Mathematics especially among young scientists in Nigeria. This initiative commenced in 2013. The recipient will be given the award at the General Assembly/National Conference of the NYA in 2016 at a date and place to be announced later.

The Prize:
The prize will be given annually and consists of an award certificate signed by the Presidents of NAS and NYA, and ₦100,000 (one hundred thousand naira only) prize money. The Nigerian Young Academy is responsible for administering this award in Nigeria, and the decision of the Jury shall be final.

Selection Details:
 The award is designed to recognize the scientific achievements of young researchers working in the different fields of Mathematics and living in Nigeria; and to encourage them to continue to strive for excellence in their research in the Mathematical sciences. The award is open to both male and female young researchers in all areas of research in:
 Mathematics – Pure and Applied
 Statistics and Probability
 Computer Science
 Mathematical Physics
 Mathematical Modelling (e.g. Mathematical Biology etc) and
 Mathematical Economics (Econometrics)

 Candidates should not be more than 45 years of age by December 31st of the year of application.
 Candidate should have evidence of involvement in scholarly research in the Mathematical Sciences and must be affiliated to a not-for-profit research institution in Nigeria (e.g. Universities or Research Institutes).
 Only Nigerian citizens who have lived and worked in Nigeria for at least the last 3 years will be considered.
 Candidates must hold at least a Master’s degree (M.Sc. in any area of Mathematics, Statistics and Probability, Computer Science, Mathematical/Theoretical Physics, Econometrics and Mathematical Modelling) and have a good record of research publications in reputable peer-reviewed Journals.
 Candidate may be nominated by his/her institution or may nominate self.
 Once a winner is selected by the NYA panel of judges, the profile and scientific achievements of the award winner will be placed on the NYA and NAS websites. The result of the selection will be announced on or before May 31st of the year of the award.
 The awardee will be expected to make a presentation of his/her research work to a general audience during the General Assembly/National Conference of the NYA.
 Members of NYA are excluded from competing for this prize. Persons who have applied for this prize are not eligible to apply for NYA membership in the year they have applied for the prize.
 Applicants can apply for only ONE NYA prize for the year. Multiple applications from same applicant for different NYA prizes will all be automatically disqualified.
 Each application should include names of three referees who should be asked by the candidates to write with their institution’s letterhead directly by email (confidentially) to the NYA.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
*Ensure that you read carefully this application form, FILL AND SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY. SCANNED APPLICATIONS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE REJECTED.

* Please attach the statement of result or certificate for the most recent qualification and other supporting documents, such as research awards/scholarships/fellowships/grants, NYSC certificate, etc.

*Kindly attach your current Curriculum Vitae.

*PLEASE DO NOT EXCEED THE NUMBER OF WORDS WHERE STIPULATED.

*DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM IS FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 2015.

* Kindly forward completed application form with relevant documents to aokukuaward@nigerianyoungacademy.org and cc: admin@nas.org.ng, nyacademy1@gmail.com

Students' Union Officers Clash With Lecturer, English Students Demand Apology Letter

By David Adetula

The Public Relations Officer of the Obafemi Awolowo University Students' Union, Ojedokun Emmanuel a.k.a Immanuel Kant during the early hours of yesterday caused a scene at ODLT 2 where an English course was going on. The Union officer had come to interrupt the class in a bid to make an announcement. Not pleased with Kant's request, the lecturer sent him out denying him the opportunity to address the students.

After some sort of heated arguement, Kant succumb to the lecturer's wish until the Secretary General of the Students' Union, Oketooto Oluwaseun a.k.a Honourable Seun came to the scene where he insisted the lecturer was not going to continue with his lecture unless the announcement was made. The new challenge was sufficient to bring the class to an abrupt end as the lecturer walked out of the class.

Expressing disappointment at the occurrence, the SU PRO opined that it is a bad omen for the Union as they were embarrassed by the lecturer for making a request to announce to the students. Matter took another turn as the Union officers reportedly stormed the office of the same lecturer to demand apology for the incidence but the English students who were obviously furious about the development formed a resistance to this. A meeting eventually held which had the SU executives, the Dean of Faculty of Arts, ASUU-OAU Chairman, OAU Alumni Chairman, Head of OAU Security Team and the Head, Department of English in attendance to resolve the issue.

In the evening at about 5:00pm, the President of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), Sodiq Oyeleke called a student congress to address the issue and the following resolutions were reached;

- That Prof. Y.K Yusuf should not write any letter of apology to the Students’ Union
- That an open letter be written requesting the Students’ Union to apologize for ‘constituting nuisance’ at the Department of English
- That a petition be forwarded to the University’s Security Unit over the threat made on the security of Prof. Y.K Yusuf
- That an ultimatum of 48-hour be given to the SU to tender the apology letter for breaching the motto of OAU – ‘Learning and Culture’

Kumuyi Storms Ile-Ife For Open Air Crusade

The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi will be visiting Ile-Ife for an open air crusade which is billed to start on Thursday, 18th November, 2015. The two-day crusade is expected to hold at Oduduwa College, Sabo, Ile-Ife by 5pm daily.

Campus Editors Unveil National Body

Student Editors in Nigerian tertiary institutions will officially unveil a national guild of campus editors’ association, which is tagged National Association of Nigerian Campus Editors (NANCE) on Monday, 16 November.

The association which is aimed at having a unitary voice among all campus editors will be unveiled by 11:00 am across the country and will mark a milestone in the history of Nigerian campus journalism.

Speaking to our correspondent, Oyedeji Olanrewaju, the Chairman of NANCE and student Editor at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, expressed gratitude to the founders of NANCE for making it a reality.

“I’m so happy that NANCE has become a reality, we have always thought of it but today we are officially unveiling the national body of this great association of Nigerian campus pen-pushers.

“Basically, NANCE is borne out of the necessity to empower student journalists especially editors who have been major players in the media sector over the years. It is also a major aim of NANCE that campus editors all over the country contribute their own quota to Nigeria’s development,” he stated.

Olanrewaju also noted that “Today is a historical day for all campus editors and campus journalists. At different regional offices and even the head office here on OAU campus, a small ceremony will be conducted to mark the official unveiling of NANCE”.
Also commenting on this memorable day for NANCE members is Chukwu Daniel, the Vice Chairman of NANCE and a campus editor at the University of Lagos, who commended NANCE as a great innovation and also made it known that NANCE will ensure unification among campus journalists.

“First and foremost, I will like to say that I am very proud to be part of this great innovation and I am equally proud to be given the privilege to serve in this capacity. The official unveiling that will be done today is mainly to give NANCE the widest possible publicity.

“A lot of things contributed to the formation of NANCE. Chief is the fact that Campus Journalism has thrived beyond what we use to have. Hence, the need for coordination of all tertiary institutions in the country becomes necessary. This will not only add impetus and quality to reportage of events across campuses, but will also give us that one voice we have always craved” he explained.

It has been gathered that NANCE presently has membership in 20 varsities which cut across the six geo-political zones of the federation.

NANCE head office is in OAU Ile-Ife, while South-west regional office is situated in University of Ibadan.
The North regional office will be situated in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and South-eastern regional office will be situated in University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the South-South regional office will be situated in University of Port Harcourt.