LSS OAU President And Treasurer Suspended Over Scholarship Issues

The President and Treasurer of the Law Students' Society, LSS, Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, Olaniran Quadri and Aiyeetan Christiana have been suspended for their failure to constitutionally 'handle' the association money appropriately.

In an emergency parliamentary sitting held yesterday, Wednesday at the Faculty, the legislative arm of the Society, the Law Student Representative Council (LSRC) comprising of representatives from all levels of the association debated extensively on the allegation of financial mishandling and thereafter came to the resolution to suspend the President and Treasurer for three and two weeks respectively.

Confirming the development to OAU Peeps News Agency separately, an honourable of the Parliament and another prominent member of the Society said both of them (President and Treasurer) were suspended after thorough debates and conclusion of their failure to follow due procedure in the handling of society's money. According to these sources, what led to the suspension actually centres on the controversy surrounding the scholarship scheme to indigent students initiated by the Quadri-led administration.

When asked about the fate of the already scheduled congress which is expected to hold today, the honourable revealed that the officers' suspension will not affect the Congress earlier billed for today as the Vice President is expected to preside over the Congress going by constitutional provisions.

Obama's YALI Storms OAU Campus On Saturday

The House of Babiti cordially invites the general public to its maiden edition and YALI event on climate change. House of Babiti which is an organisation for youth advocacy, a research institute and human resource will be unveiled at the event.

Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), is an initiative of President Barack Obama to empower African youth on key leadership, to take active role in the development of Africa. YALI GOES GREEN is segment of YALI initiative to apprise issues on environmental sustainability.

The event will take place as follows;

➰Venue: Auditorium 2, Humanities Block, OAU.
📆 Saturday 23rd January, 2016
🕐 10:00am

You get to take the online course and earn a YALI certificate, bring along your internet device.
There will be interactive session + sharing innovative ideas and lots more.

Supported by:
Environmental Planning Students Association (EPSA)
OAU Peeps News Agency
National Association of Botany Students (NABOS)

GATE FEE - FREE + REFRESHMENT

Osun Doctor Died Of Lassa Fever

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex said on Wednesday that laboratory test confirms that the resident doctor’s death on Monday at the hospital was caused by Lassa fever.

The chairman of a committee set up by the OAUTHC on Lassa fever, Prof. Adedeji Onayade, said this while speaking to our correspondent in Osogbo on the telephone.

He said the result of the first test carried out on the sample of the deceased tested positive.

Onayade said, “We have a report back and the result came as positive. We were supposed to do two tests but the patient was dying when we took the first sample.

“We can’t do the second test now. So we can say it is 50 per cent but we are going ahead to take necessary steps. We have informed all those who should know.”

He said the hospital was on top of the situation adding that there was no need for anybody to panic as a result of this.

There is fear among the residents of the state that the situation may be worse because doctors in government hospitals are on strike.

However, the Chairman Osun State Association of Medical and Dental Officers, Dr. Isiaka Adekunle, had earlier told our correspondent that the association would suspend its strike in case of an outbreak of the disease.

He said, ” Though we are on strike, we still allow our members in surveilance, HIV, tuberculosis to be working. This is what the state government wants to use to break our ranks but it cannot work. We asked them to be working because we are not fighting against our people but the government.

“But if there is an outbreak, we will suspend our strike action and work to combat it. The state government is the one prolonging the strike, we are ready to work when our demands are met."


Source

Between Jonathan’s Ebola Fever And Buhari’s Lassa Fever

By Jude Ndukwe

At the time of writing this essay, Nigeria has lost 44 of her citizens to the dreaded Lassa Fever which like the equally dreaded Ebola Virus Disease is a haemorrhagic fever that spreads easily from one person to another even at the slightest of contacts. The two diseases need a comprehensive action plan involving the people and relevant agencies, local and international, as led and mobilised by government who deploys all resources necessary, be it human, cash and material, to tackle the menace headlong before it ravages the citizenry. That the disease has claimed 44 lives already within a short period of time shows how deadly it can be.

The Ebola virus which caused a worldwide stir in 2014 and claimed about 11, 000 lives in West Africa alone when the epidemic occurred that year, can be considered to be more fearsome because of the number of casualties it claims per occurrence and its rapid spread to even Europe and the US which also lost some seven citizens together in the outbreak.

However, with all its threats and spread; with all its fame for defying medicine, the then government of Presdient Goodluck Ebele Jonathan rose up to the occasion and confronted that monster with total commitment and vigour, mobilising government agencies, personnel and other resources; sensitising schools, offices, churches/mosques etc while equipping hospitals and other public places with anti-Ebola kits and releasing the sum of N200million each to Lagos and Rivers States which had reported cases of the disease then despite the states being led by APC, the then opposition party, the disease could not do much damage to Nigeria contrary to genuine fears and worry expressed by the international community then.

Although outbreak of the disease was reported in West Africa, precisely Guinea, in March 2014, it did not give the world much concern until it was brought into Nigeria by a Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer. The moment the Ebola disease found its way into Nigeria, the alarm bell was rung all over the world because of Nigeria’s population and her lack of expertise to handle such an outbreak. However, with President Jonathan’s commitment, drive and patriotic approach to the fight against the disease, Nigeria managed to still eventually lose seven of her dear citizens while Europe lost three and the US lost 4. However, Liberia has lost 4,809, Guinea lost 2,536 and Sierra Leone lost 3,955.

Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) commended “…the Nigerian Government’s strong leadership and effective coordination of the response that included the rapid establishment of an Emergency Operations Centre… strong public awareness campaigns, teamed with early engagement of traditional, religious and community leaders, also played a key role in successful containment of this outbreak”, hence, Nigeria was declared Ebola-free on October 20, 2014, exactly just three months after the first reported case. Thereafter, Nigeria had the luxury of even sending health workers to other sister African nations affected by the disease to assist them combat it.

Furthermore, the WHO Country Director in Abuja, Dr. Rui Gama Vaz, described Nigeria’s exemplary handling of the outbreak as a “spectacular success story.” It was, indeed, a commendable achievement.

In spite of all these achievements and accolades poured on Nigeria then for this rare feat, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the then major opposition party, tried several times to politicise the issue and distract the Jonathan administration from focusing on tackling the disease headlong so they could use it as one of their campaign issues against the then president, an issue which resulted in the PDP and Jonathan chiding the APC on different occasions for politicising what would have been a national disaster on all citizens irrespective of party affiliation, ethnic background or religious leaning but for government efforts.

Fast forward to 2016, and with the outbreak of the Lassa Fever which was officially declared by the federal government in January 2016, despite the Minister of Health saying it has been with us for 6 weeks (as at 8th of January, 2016), yet, the Lassa fever has killed 44 Nigerians as at January 18, and distracted by the so-called corruption cases deliberately churned up by the authorities as a decoy to parry the attention of Nigerians from other urgent national matters, Nigerians do not seem to be asking questions as to why the high fatalities within such a short period of time. With the death toll of Lassa fever reaching 44 and the possibility of it climbing higher, one can only thank God that Buhari and his party, APC, were not in power when Nigeria and indeed West Africa suffered the Ebola outbreak. It would have been a monumental disaster.

It is sickening, smacks of gross incompetence and a display of high level of crass irresponsibility on the part of our government of the day to be talking about setting up a National Action Committee to tackle the outbreak nearly three weeks after its emergence was officially declared. The Action Committee would be inaugurated at an Emergency National Council on Health meeting. The question is, what is “emergency” about calling a council meeting over a disease that has been allowed to ravage citizens for so long? Why did it have to take the intervention of the Senate via its committee on health for the Buhari administration to be talking of a council meeting to tackle the fever? Why did we have to wait for 44 of our citizens to die before action is being taken? Under Jonathan, Ebola could only spread to three states of Lagos, Enugu and Rivers before it was effectively contained. Why did we have to now wait for this Lassa fever to spread to 10 states before waking up from our slumber?

Surely, there is a lax attitude from this government towards the wellbeing of its citizens. It is obvious this government lacks any action plan for its citizens whether in health, employment, economy, education, social welfare, infrastructure etc.

When compared to the progress made under the Jonathan administration and the commendations the country received from all over the world with regard to the dogged fight put up against Ebola disease, one would have thought that Nigeria should only improve on that in tackling any disease of similar trait. But with the Lassa fever saga, it has become obvious, and another incontrovertible proof that the “Change” promised Nigerians during the campaigns is nothing but a change for the worse.

Lastly, in the interest of the nation and fellow citizens, I will advise the Buhari administration and the APC to eat the humble pie and approach the PDP for advice on how best to tackle this latest disease before it ravages all of us, and as a responsible and patriotic party, I will also strongly advise the PDP not to withhold any information and or resources from APC when they are approached for advice and expertise. This country belongs to all of us and we must see to it that our citizens are defended stoutly against any disease, no matter how deadly!

jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: @stjudendukwe

NYSC 2016 Batch 'A' Mobilization Time-table

The National Youth Service Corps has commenced the mobilization for the 2016 Batch “A” service year.

The time-table for the mobilisation are as stated:

S/N PROGRAMME DATE
1 2016 Batch “A” Pre-Mobilization Workshop 5th – 9th Jan. 2016
2 Briefing of Prospective Corps Members/Final year Students 12th – 16th Jan. 2016
3 Collation of Prospective Corps Members’ Data by CPIs 11th – 18th Jan. 2016
4 Submission/Uploading of Senate/Academic Board Approved Result for Full/Part-time Graduates and Revalidation list by Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) 18th – 30th Jan. 2016
5 Uploading of corrected lists by Corps Producing Institutions(CPIs) 18th – 30th Jan. 2016
6 On-Line Registration by Foreign and Local Trained Nigerian Graduates 1st – 25th Feb. 2016
7 Entertainment of Complaints from Prospective Corps Members by the State Deployment & Relocation Officers and NYSC Help lines/Desks 1st – 27th Feb. 2016
8 On-Line Delivery of Print Outs to Corps Producing Institutions (CPI) 25th – 27th Feb. 2016
9 Deployment and Printing of Call-Up Letters by ICT Department 25th Feb. – 1st March 2016
10 Notification/On-line Printing of Call-Up Letters 27th Feb. – 2nd March 2016
11 2016 Batch “A” Orientation Course 2nd – 23rd March 2016 (Stream 1), 30th March - 20th April, 2016 (Stream 11)

NYSC Requirements For Registration Mobilization Of 2016 Batch ‘A’ Prospective Corps Members

This is to inform all prospective corps members, i.e. Nigerians who have graduated from Universities and Mono/Polytechnics both at home and abroad that the NYSC On-line registration portal will be opened from 8th February to 12th March, 2016 to enable them register for the 2016 Batch ‘A’ mobilization.

In order to ensure a seamless registration, prospective corps members are to note the following for strict compliance:

1. The Website address is any of the following:

-www.nysc.gov.ng
-www.nysc.org.ng
-www.portal.nysc.gov.ng

2. Prospective Corps members should ensure that they have valid and functional e-mail addresses that they can access and Nigerian (GSM) telephone numbers with which to register.

3. Locally trained prospective Corps members are expected to use correct JAMB and Matriculation numbers to register

4. For locally-trained graduates, only those whose names appear in the Senate/Academic Board Approved Result lists submitted by their Institutions will have access to the register on the NYSC portal.

5. Foreign-trained prospective corps members should ensure that their Institutions are accredited. Where in doubt, it is their responsibility to approach Federal Ministry of Education for verification. The letter of verification must be uploaded during registration.

6. Foreign-trained graduates from Ghana and Benin Republic must obtain letters of verification and upload same for mobilisation to be effective.

7. Those who graduated from Institutions outside Nigeria, (Foreign-trained graduates), are to visit the NYSC portal, register and upload the following documents:

-West African School Certificate(WASC) (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent,

-General Certificate of Education (GCE O’ Level) (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent,

-NECO (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent

-High School Diploma or its equivalent.

-First Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) Certificate (Second Degree or Ph.D not necessary). Letter of attestation will not be accepted, Please.

-Transcript of the first Degree or HND.

-International travelling Passport showing data page and date of departure for the course of study. (Please note that you must present the originals of the above during verification at the Orientation camp).

-Letters of verification for graduates of Institutions in Ghana, Benin Republic and any other Institution whose accreditation is in doubt.

8. It is the responsibility of the prospective corps members who studied in non-English speaking countries to get their Certificates and Transcripts translated into English language before uploading.

9. All graduates of Medicine, Pharmacy and Medical Laboratory Science are expected to have their Certificates of Registration with Nigerian Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (NMDCN), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria respectively and upload during registration. Payment receipts are not acceptable.

10. Unlike in the past, Foreign-trained graduates should not visit NYSC Headquarters, Abuja for verification of their documents. This exercise will now be done at the Orientation Camps. They should simply print their call-up letters on-line and report at the Orientation camps in their States of deployment, but should come to the camp with the original documents uploaded during registration for verification.

11. Anybody who presents any fake document will be demobilized and decamped. Also, anybody not available in camp for the verification will equally be demobilized.

12. Prospective corps members should ensure that Passport photographs used meet the following specifications:

Ensure your face (eyes, nose, ears, mouth and jaw) is fully shown without bending
Ensure the picture is centralized and fills the frame
Ensure the Photo background is white or off-white with no shadow.
13. On no account should prospective corps members register by PROXY. They should also remember the finger used for their biometric capturing as this will be used for data verification at the orientation camp. Those who cannot be verified with their biometric at the orientation camp will not be registered.

14. Only prospective corps members who want their call-up numbers sent to them through SMS and wish to PRINT their call-up letters on-line are expected to pay the sum of Three Thousand Naira (N3,000.00).

15. Prospective Corps members who do not want to pay the N3,000.00 have the option of going to their schools to collect their call-up numbers and call-up letters.

16. All prospective corps members who paid for the online registration during the 2014 Batch ‘C’, 2015 Batch 'A' and 'B' Mobilisation but were not mobilized need not pay again.

17. Married female prospective corps members (whether locally or foreign-trained) should upload copies of their marriage Certificates, evidence of Change of name, evidence to show their husbands’ place of domicile and copy of husbands’ driving licence or data page of International passport during registration.

18. Female prospective corps members are advised not to apply Tulips (Lalea de colorat) on their fingers as this will void their Biometric capturing during the verification in camp.

19. The orientation camp is highly regimented and not ideal for pregnant and nursing mothers. Those in these categories would be registered and released immediately they arrive at the camp. However, with effect from Batch ‘C’ 2016, pregnant and nursing mothers will not be registered at the Orientation Camp. They would wait until they are fit and ready to go through all the programmes of the NYSC without distractions.

20. Prospective corps members who have problems related to mobilization should go to the nearest NYSC Secretariats, see the Deployment and Relocation officer and lodge their complaints.
They can also call NYSC Help Desk Lines – 08089244741, 08064324023 or 09092989929.

21. All Part-time graduates are also expected to register online, even without JAMB numbers. Such graduates have the option of paying online and printing their Exclusion Letters or as usual, travelling to their Institutions for the Letters.

22. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONCE THE PORTAL IS CLOSED ON SATURDAY, 12TH MARCH 2016, THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER REGISTRATION.

JAMB Extends 2016 UTME Registration Deadline

This is to inform the general public that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the year 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations(UTME) registration closing date.

2016 UTME closing date that was initially slated for January 15, 2016 has been extended by another 16 days. So the new closing date for the 2016 UTME registration will be January 31, 2016.

Yet to register? Kindly visit www.jamb.org.ng .