Election Break Indecision Worries OAU Students

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University have continued to express worries over the reported election break indecision by the university authority on whether to allow students go on break so as to be able to exercise their franchise come February 14 and February 28 or remain on campus as academic activities continue.

Speculations have suggested lately that the school management is been careful in reaching a concrete decision on the matter so as not to disrupt academic calendar at the expense of students exercising their franchise.

Some students have however said that either election break is given or not, nothing can stop them from traveling down to their respective states of origin to vote for the person they want come those election days since they are Nigerians. A student who prefers to remain anonymous who does not believe in the preservation approach said "What is the school management trying to do? Protect which calendar? OAU has a problem overtime with adhering to stipulated calendar, election break or no election break, our school is just slow"

There is an unconfirmed report that the school management is planning to make every Thursday and Friday prior to those election weekends lecture-free for those who wish to travel to vote to do so. If this is the case, students will have to risk traveling during about 48 hours to the election and return some hours after the election to be able to meet up with academic activities for the new week, at least for those that stay outside Osun state. While these proposed lecture-free days may not be useful to Great Ife students who are from cities and towns in the Northern and Eastern parts of the nation, those who stay somewhere in Osun state may find it helpful.
Also considering the bulk of OAU students who will be officiating on those election periods as electoral officers, the non-giving of election break will be a big blow to their willingness to serve their fatherland. Some students who are neither Electorates nor Electoral Officers wish to go back home because of the fear of what may happen during and after the elections.

The general election is expected to commence on February 14 with the presidential and national assembly elections followed by the the governorship and state house of assembly elections come February 28. February 21 is a provision for Run-off presidential election in a possible case where there is no clear winner as the law provides.

Presidential Debate Timetable Confirmed: Feb 1 & 8

The Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) provided revised timetables for the anticipated presidential debates to SaharaReporters in an interview. A NEDG official, with the group for many years, confirmed that there will be a total of six televised vice presidential and presidential debates on Feb. 1 and Feb. 8.

Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC), has not yet confirmed his attendance for any NEDG organized debate, according to a senior NEDG official. A letter was sent to SaharaReporters last week from The Nigeria Group, stating that APC should be weary of participating in any event organized by NEDG because of their alleged pro-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stance. “NEDG cannot organize a credible debate…given its current composition,” and claimed that PDP received the debate questions in advance.
The debates are expected to feature the four leading political parties, including PDP and APC, but NEDG is currently waiting for the list of established political parties from the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), a NEDG official told Sahara Reporters.

It is expected that vice presidential debates will be held on Feb. 1 and the presidential debates will be held on Feb. 8. The structure will have 3 two-hour sessions per day, and are expected to be televised on AIT, NTA, TV Continental, and Silverbird TV. NEDG is in early discussions with famed Nigerian broadcast journalist John Momoh to be the moderator, and will include two additional panelists.

According to NEDG, the debate times will be 12:00-14:00, 15:00-17:00, and 19:00-21:00 West Africa Time Zone.


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Facebook's Whatsapp Comes To Desktop Computers

WhatsApp isn't just for smartphones anymore.

The chat application, which Facebook bought for more than $19 billion in October, will now extend its service so that it can be used on desktop and laptop computers. The app now lets people send and receive messages using a website, in addition to existing mobile apps.

The move expands WhatsApp's reach to even more devices, and underscores Facebook's desire to fuel the world's communications. The service, which has more than 600 million users, is one of the world's largest social chat platforms, and the expansion allows Facebook to make it even more accessible.
WhatsApp is not the only company making this effort. Apple's chat service, iMessage, started as a mobile-only application on the iPhone before the company brought it to desktop computers. Google's Hangouts service also works across devices, as does Microsoft's Skype. And while each company's approach is slightly different, chat is becoming one of the latest battlegrounds among companies hoping to tie customer's devices together under one service.

WhatsApp said its Web service, which launched Wednesday for Google's Android operating system, BlackBerry and Windows Phone, will "mirror" conversations on the smartphone app and users log in through their mobile device. That means customers will still need an Internet connection on their phones for WhatsApp to interact with desktops. But of course, Facebook is already working on this problem too, tying WhatsApp access into its Internet.org project.

WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum said in a Facebook post that "platform limitations" kept it from working with Apple's iPhone. The company didn't say when a Web-version that works with iPhones would be released.


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Female Thief Caught In Akintola Hall

At about 3:00pm today, 26 January, 2015, residents of Akintola Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife apprehended a lady, Ajao Kehinde Adetola, in the act of taking cloth materials belonging to undisclosed people. She was said to have been accosted by a vigilant student who later called the attention of fellow students and the hall's porters.

In the age long tradition of OAU, the students demanded that the suspect be beaten and paraded as they also accused her of several similar thefts. The hall's management declined the students' request and called the University security unit to take over the situation. Students resident in the hall and the hall's executives in turn called the Students' Union Central Executive Council Security unit to assert their demands.

In the ensuing impasse, a consensus was eventually reached for the S.U security unit to take her to the S.U building for a brief interrogation and an official statement, after which she would be handed over to the university security for further pursuit of her case. These steps were adequately taken.
However, at the university senate building where the security unit has its office, more revelations were revealed about the lady. She claimed to have finished a diploma course in Local Government two years ago.
Some ladies (names withheld) came into the security office to testify that one of them was robbed by her in 2012 while they were in 200 level in Moremi Hall (they are currently in 400 level).
While Kehinde was writing a statement, it was discovered that one of the phones in her possession, which she had earlier claimed ownership, was stolen. The owner was traced immediately and she came over to the security office to testify that the phone was stolen from her last Sunday in Akintola Hall.

Matters again got to a head between the university security unit and S.U security unit as to what the next step about Kehinde would be. After so much argument, it was agreed that Kehinde would stay over at the university security office overnight, and tomorrow morning, Tuesday 27th January, Students' representatives would meet with the security at the old security unit office at Utility to further the case.

Abiodun Omonijo
Head, Press Team
ACJ

Vacancies: Supplementary Applications For JUPEB Tutors

SUPPLEMENTARY APPLICATIONS FOR JUPEB TUTORS

Applications are invited from suitably qualified, competent and resourceful personnel for position of Tutors in the Foundation Programmes offered by Centre for Distance Learning of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in conjunction with Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB).

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Qualification: Minimum of Bachelors Degree in Education, Science or Islamic Studies from a reputable University
PGDE, Masters or Doctorate Degree in related fields will be an added advantage
Minimum of 3 years cognate experience in teaching and grading at A' Level/IJMB classes for Cambridge A' Level Examinations and Joint University Preliminary Examinations
Good interpersonal and communication skills - verbal and written

TEACHING SUBJECTS
Applicants must be specialists in any of the following subjects:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Islamic Studies

JOB LOCATION: Centre for Distance Learning Campus, Moro, Ife North Local Government Area.

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Full-Time

REMUNERATION: Attractive

METHOD OF APPLICATION:
Interested individuals should forward their applications with detailed Curriculum Vitae and Referees' Report (at least two Referees) as a SINGLE MS WORD DOCUMENT FILE within three weeks from the date of advertisement to: jobs@oaucdl.edu.ng
All applications should be addressed to:

The Director,
Centre for Distance Learning,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

NB: The position you are applying for should be indicated in the subject line of your email.
Candidates who have applied before need not re-apply.

CLOSING DATE:
Submission of online application closes by 11.59 pm on Monday, 6th February, 2015.

SIGNED:
D.I. Ocan (Mrs.)
Administrative Secretary

Important Update: INEC Shortlists Adhoc Applicants As Screening Begins

With about 20 days to the start of the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has shortlisted applicants for the Adhoc job during the forthcoming exercise. The list can be seen in every Local Government Area secretariat nationwide. For peeps that registered with Osun state, the screening exercise starts tomorrow(27th January, 2015). You are required to go to your Local Government with which you registered alongside your valid Identity Card and Acknowledgement slip print out.

Efforts by the leadership of the Students' Union through the office of the Welfare Officer, Ajewole Martins a.k.a Ojogbon to ensure the list was pasted on campus however proved abortive today as INEC officials refused to give out the shortlisted candidates' list stating that the list cannot be pasted on campus because of the sensitivity surrounding it politically. Also referring to the last guber elections held in the state, "...this current list comprises of many people from different quarters and federal schools; the list for gubernatorial election was allowed on OAU campus because only OAU students were used for the election."

Mr Tobi Gbemisola, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University also confirmed to OAU Peeps News Agency that the screening begins tomorrow at every Local Government area. "Screening is 12 noon tomorrow. Go with your ID card.", "the local government you applied to work. The names were pasted there."

On this note, we will like to advise Great Ife students that applied for this job to go to their respective local government of residence chosen and check their names whether you get text message from INEC or not.

Kindly Share this post on your Facebook, Twitter, BBM and Whatsapp Channels so as to reach as many students as possible who applied before the screening exercise ends.

Redeemers University To Suspend 22 Students For Not Attending Church Service

According to sources, Redeemers University is about to suspend 22 students today for missing church activities. The source who informed us said one of the students who missed not going to church had asthma attack and missed it, but their porters felt it’s none of their business. The students have been asked to go and inform their parents of the suspension and parents are planning to storm the school this morning. This is what they are fighting for. The school’s students handbook already made it clear that ‘Absence from corporate worship hours’ will attract a deduction of 10points from the offenders total 100 points.

So parents now wonder why the school is planning to suspend them, which will make them not seat for their forthcoming exams and will also make them cough out another N400,000 as school fees. Above is what one of them sent, underlining the penalty for their offense, which clearly says it’s a reduction of 10points.

The source also made it clear that she is very much aware that Pastor Adeboye does not know how some of these porters victimize some of the students. She said when the bold ones among them confronted their porters that their offence does not warrant a suspension, they told them, we know, we just want to make you scape goats.


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