See the beautiful pictures posted by the Students' Union Vice President, Oladejo Funmi a.k.a Olori on her FB wall recently
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Students' Union Finally Call For Congress
Just as the Students' Union President, Ibikunle Isaac mentioned earlier this week during his 'welcome back to campus' movement across Halls of Residence, a Congress of Great Ife students has finally been called. The Congress has been scheduled to hold between the hours of 2pm and 4pm on Wednesday, 14th January, 2015.
Though the agenda of the Congress has not been made public as at the time of filing this report but it is quite obvious that there are lot of issues to address ranging from the review of the struggle against the fee hike to the approaches employed at reinstating the suspended students.
Continuous and intensified clamour for Congresses was a popular demand during the last semester by many students who feel that is the only way the so called ongoing wrongs in the Students' Union can be addressed. The Save OAU Campaign group, Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Democratic Socialists Movement (DSM) among many other groups have raised their voices of call for a students' Congress.
The Union officers including the President have said all through last semester that Congresses will only be called at the appropriate time and not just a congress where only few students will come and stampede to favour their motives. While some students believe the Union officers are scared of calling a Congress that may possibly check their balances leading to their possible suspension and impeachment, others believe the Union officers have the right discretion to call a Congress as at when due.
Friday, 9 January 2015
2015 General Election: Some OAU Students May Not Be Able To Vote
With about 35 days to the start of the 2015 General Elections, many registered voters may not be able to vote if they relocate from the constituency where they registered as voters except their voter's registrations are transferred to their new locations. This may affect many Great Ife students who reside outside Ife and had their voters registration done on campus.
Another important reason why you need to transfer your registration to the exact constituency where you will be residing during the election is the usual restriction of movement. Some people registered where they will have to transport themselves a very long distance to be able to vote. Movement restriction on those election days may not favour this.
Do you fall in any of these categories of registered voters, below are the simple steps to transfer your voters registration:
Step 1
- The person who intends to transfer his registration will write an application to INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner of the State where he is currently residing.
Step 2
- The applicant will attach his voters card to the application.
Step 3
- The applicant must apply to the Resident Electoral Commissioner not later than 30 days before the date of an election in the constituency where he is residing.
Step 4
- The Resident Electoral Commissioner will direct the Electoral Officer of the applicants Local Government Area to enter his name in the transferred voters list.
Step 5
- The Electoral Officer will assign the applicant to a polling unit in his constituency.
- The Electoral Officer will issue the applicant with a new voters card
Step 7
- The Electoral officer will retrieve the applicants previous voters card
Step 8
- He will then send a copy of the entry to the Electoral officer of the constituency where the person whose name has been so entered was originally registered.
Step 9
- Upon receipt of this entry, that Electoral Officer shall delete the name from his voters list.
NB: Apart from State Headquarters Offices of INEC, applicants can also submit their applications at the INEC Office in their Local Government Areas. The applications will be forwarded to the Resident Electoral Commissioner for necessary action. Also note that application for transfer of Voter's Registration must be done 30 days prior to any election.
REMINDER: INEC Ad-Hoc Job Application Still Open
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to revalidate and upgrade its Ad-Hoc Staff Recruitment Databank in preparation for the forth-coming 2015 General Elections. The positions identified and the respective job descriptions are State Constituency Returning Officers, Senatorial District Constituency Returning Officers, Federal Constituency Returning Officers, State Assembly Constituency Returning Officers, Collation Officers, Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers.
ELIGIBILITY
Outlined below are the various positions available and their requirements, Please make sure you read the instructions below before you begin your registration.STATE CONSTITUENCY RETURNING OFFICER
Requirement: Must be a Serving Vice Chancellor of any University or Retired Justice/Judge of Federal High Court.
SENATORIAL/NATIONAL AND STATE CONSTITUENCY RETURNING OFFICER
Requirement: Must be a Serving Professor in any Federal Tertiary Institution or Retired Justice/Judge of Federal High Court.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA) COLLATION OFFICER
Requirement: Must be A Lecturer of Federal Tertiary Institution Or Member of the following Professional Associations (NMA, ANAN, PSN, NSE, NIA, NIQS)
SUPERVISORY PRESIDING OFFICER
Requirement: Must be an INEC Staff or Federal Public Servant (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) Grade Level 10-14 at State Level.
Requirement: Must be a serving NYSC Member.
ASSISTANT PRESIDING OFFICER
Requirement: Must be a serving NYSC Member , Student of penultimate year in Federal Tertiary Institutions, Former NYSC Member that participated in 2011-date Electoral activities or Federal Government Employee Grade Level 07-09 possessing minimum of National Diploma/equivalent at State Level.
Returning enrollees should enroll based on the appropriate category that currently applies to them.
If you wish to begin your registration now click here
For detailed job description of the positions identified, please goto information for Electoral Officials on the Home Page of the website.
Meaning Of Some Smartphone Features You May Not Know
Today, many of you see these features LTE, OTG, OTA, SNS and NFC on smartphones, without actually knowing what they stand for or do to your phones. Have you being wondering what these hi-tech features of smartphones and other mobile device mean and their functions in your phone? Now lets break them down for your understanding.
1. LTE - This stands for Long Term Evolution and a phone that has LTE simply means that that phone is 4G network enabled.
2. OTG - This stands for On The Go meaning that devices with OTG supports USB On The Go. In other words, with such devices, you can use USB devices like flashdrives and printers directly with the phone.
3. OTA -it means Over The Air and therefore devices that support OTA can receive device updates and can easily be updated without needing a PC..
5. NFC -this stands for Near Field Communication. It works like bluetooth but at a very short range for sharing files. It is more secured to use and you don't need to pair or set up anything before making use of it. You can even use it to pay bills and as a travel ticket if your phone has NFC.
Source
Thursday, 8 January 2015
2015 Eisaku Sato United Nations University Essay Contest
Submissions are now being accepted for the 31st Eisaku Sato Essay Contest. This international contest is open to anyone who has an interest in both the United Nations University and the designated contest topic. There are no restrictions as to age, nationality or profession.
The Eisaku Sato Essay Contest was inaugurated in 1980, and has been held annually since 1990. It is organized by the Eisaku Sato Memorial Foundation for Cooperation with the United Nations University, which was established by the late Eisaku Sato, former Prime Minister of Japan, with the monetary award that he received with his 1974 Nobel Peace Prize.
Theme
“Describe the current relationship between the USA and China with reference to their respective responsibilities and roles in international society. Discuss how the United Nations could work with these two superpowers in order to tackle global issues more effectively.”
Organizer
Eisaku Sato Memorial Foundation for Cooperation with the United Nations University
30th Eisaku Sato Essay Contest
Prizes
Deadline
31 March 2015
Guidelines
Essays may be written in either English (3,000–6,000 words) or Japanese (8,000–16,000 characters).
All essays should be typed on A4-size paper and include an abstract of up to 450 words (English) or 1,200 characters (Japanese).
Submissions must be original and unpublished papers, and must include reference notes and a bibliography if other authors’ works are cited.
To enter the 2015 Eisaku Sato Essay Contest, please submit four copies of your essay along with a cover sheet listing your name, affiliation, age, gender, nationality, mailing address, and (if available) telephone/fax number and e-mail address, to:
The Eisaku Sato Essay Contest Secretariat
c/o United Nations University Library
5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-8925, Japan
Please note that submitted essays will not be returned. Any essay that does not follow the criteria specified above will be disqualified.
The winners will be notified by September 2015.
Award winning essays will be disclosed on the Foundation Website
Inquiries
For further information, please contact the Foundation at: sato.eisaku.mf@unu.edu, tel./fax 03-3409-0707
Source
The Hydra-headed Nature Of Political Parties And Their Effects On Democracy
When Nigeria successfully put in place a democratically elected government in 1999, after a democratic set up an anfractuous and flexuous transition programme, the citizenry was exhilarated by her success and the attention of international community was mesmerize by this feat. Democracy as a word originated from the word Greek city-state of Athens where democracy emerges a check on despotic aristocracy, dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy and feudal system (Anyaele, etal :2006).
Democracy as a concept may be defined as a system of government under which the people exercise the governing power either directly or through representative periodically elected by them. It is required that the minds of the citizens should be relied and held together by certain predominant ideals and this cannot be the case unless each of them sometimes draws his opinion from the common source and cogent to accept matters of belief. Merriam-Webster (2003).
Paradoxically, the Nigerian as a state and its young bird democracy has been beset with phenomenal violence and atrocities ranging from those that come in the form of religious crises, like Sharia, Niger-Delta militancy, ethno religious conflicts, the Boko Haram insurgency, electoral violence, politically motorated assassinations – all with alleged political undertones. (Omodia, 2009, Omotola, 2010).
Democracy is no doubt, a continuous process. It therefore follows that as the process increases; there must be satellite growth in the institutions responsible for livable democracy. Apparently, one set of institutions for democratic growth are the political parties without which the majoritarian miniature of democracy would be practically impossible. In Nigeria and Africa generally, before the coming of Europeans, the whole idea of political party was an alien phenomenon.
However, nationalist pressures during colonial era quickened the pace of constitutional development, which in turn stimulated the development of political parties (Sklar quoted in Adele 2001:42). More on political parties but while the democratization wave was blowing over the country, it was caught up in what has been described as the victory and crises of democracy in Nigeria (Muhammad, 2006) – a drift that is attributable to fragility of some democratic institutions. Since democracy is a continuous growth, there must be a ancillary growth in the institution that is responsible for livable democracy.Thus, political parties in Nigeria have become, as elsewhere, an established institution of democratic politics .
Why the hydra headed?
This resounding question I asked myself when a political party has failed to deliver smooth governance without an avalanche of crisis and contours in Nigeria democracy. It is saddened that the essence of political parties has been long buried when it hit the skids to provide the citizens a sustainable democracy.In critical analysis, no one is an island of knowledge and it is obvious that a tree does not metamorphose into a forest. Therefore, personal interest by the domineering caucus of political parties rather than establishing rules and laws to engineer the progress and a free atmosphere to the citizens. This is bane of our democracy. It is evidently seen in politic in Nigeria.
Effects on democracy
The growth of democracy can also be determined or hindered by the weak structure of the political parties. This is attributed to lack of internal cohesion amongst the politicians.The political parties are jam-packed by veracious politicians in the society, this goes in view of the former vice president of Nigeria Aatiku Abubakar as was cited by Ajayi (2007) that ‘the godfathers’, that is, political cabals are gradually taking over the Nigeria political institution parties and the role of the electorate are diminishing and the concept of godfathers as ‘owners’ of political parties or section thereof is a threat to the development of democracy’.Godfathers today are vehicle of delivery of mission and interest of the politicians in the democracy. They predestine the victory of election because politicians pay homage to the godfathers in political parties. They put the rules and laws behind the bar and bend the rules and laws to their path. The trend is rather unfortunate to the smooth governance and delivery of ‘almighty dividends of democracy’ in Nigeria.
Indeed, it has greatly pollard and cause some parties to divides into branches and factions. This has been one of pandemic endangering our polity. I therefore, go by the word of a philosopher Albert Einstein saying "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!" The problem associated with the cancerous phenomenon is that the cabals are no less a people of the society. Therefore, jeopardizing and impignorating the future of the citizens. It is indeed a bizarre scenario in democracy.
Against this background Gambo was right when he opined that “the Fourth Republic political godfathers are essentially predatory in their motivation to influence electoral politics” (1) Indeed from the look of things, godfathers are a major plague of party politics in the country. To understand the more reasons why the Fourth Republic godfathers exhibit atomic political behaviour in promoting their exclusively defined interest. Undoubtedly, godfathers of a party employ whatever means, legitimate and illegitimate to ensure victory for their godsons in return for unlimited and intangible benefits. The above view was that of Chimaroke Nnamani.
Equally, the political parties are not internally cohesive generating an immense havoc to the democracy resulting in the hydra-head nature of political parties. According to Wright (1951), there are in individuals and groups inconsistencies in the sentiment, purpose, claims, politics or option of social entities, for example, radical difference in political ideology, religion or institution. When the parties initiate actions based on their respective orientations, the inconsistencies as may lead to social tension and such social tension in terms of magnitude may determine the probability of conflict. If the conflict as a problem of resolving the inconsistencies do not succeed and if tension is high enough and regulatory arrangements are ineffective, conflict is likely to escalate to a level of open violence among the contending parties (Dauda, 2010). The Nigerian state is confronted by a plethora of inconsistencies and tension of various proportions arising from incompatibility of individuals and group interests in political succession and sharing of the perquisites of office. The tension in political succession and sharing of the perquisites of office. The tension sometimes snowballs to political violence among political parties which can as well lead to serious threat to democratic survival and consolidation.
From the foregoing, Nigeria would have been one of the leading economies of the world but its movement has been anti-clockwise due largely to the fact that monumental resources are channelled into security votes, conflict resolution and reconstruction as a result of perennial political violence. Since political power is the major source of wealth in Nigeria, the contest for political office is always a ‘do or die’ affair (Ake, (1981) Tenuche, 2011). No country will grow under such an intense antipathy and asperity. There is need to fundamentally redress the hydra-headed cankerworm of pervasive political duress which negate and retard development in Nigeria and safeguard the survival, growth and sustenance of the country’s incipient and embattled democratic set up.
Presently, political fate lies in the hand of politicians. But the political future of political parties in democracy, her development and growth which requires a collective effort depends on the political parties in a state. Also,political parties should not be in exisyence during the election periods. Rather, they should from time to time rasie political platform to enlighten,orientate and educate the masses.To achieve this loft measure, we need strong political institution and not hydra-headed of political parties in democracy.
In sum, it is obvious that hydra-headed nature of political parties is not a new idea in democracy and without it no meaningful impact will be made in politics. However, the effects of political parties are egregious and take a gander at people on the face. It has metamorphoses into hydra-headed monster in which if nothing is done capable of truncating our hard earned democracy.
Nigeria’s current democratic experience is caught up in the dilemma of democratic renewal and regression. This flows from the series of occurrences which revolves around viability of the current political parties. While it is true that political parties are like piston in the engine of democratic practice, the extent to which they acquire value and stability, party cohesiveness and development of a coherent political doctrine are vital ingredients that make them viable element in democratic growth and sustenance.
References
(Anyaele, etal :2006).
Merriam-Webster (2003).
Omodia, S. M. (2009) Elections and Democratic Survival in the Fourth Republic of Nigeria.
The Journal of Pan African Studies, 3(3):
Omotola, J. S. (2010) Political Parties and the Quest for Political Stability in Nigeria: Taiwan
Journal of Democratic 6(2): 125 – 145
Muhammad, A.A. (2006), ‘Reflections on the Victory and Crisis of Democracy’ in, Saliu H. A. et.al (eds.), Democracy and Development in Nigeria, Vol. 1, Conceptual Issues and Democratic Practice. Lagos, Nigeria: Concept Publications limited. Pp 194 – 215
Ajayi, F. “Nigerian Political Godfatherism in the World of Baale Molete” www.nigeriaworld.com down loaded on the 3oth March 2007
Ake, C. (1981) A Political Economy of Africa, Nigeria: Longman.
