“When You Are Eating, You Don’t Talk” – Lai Mohammed

The Honourable Minister for Information and Culture – Alhaji Lai Mohammed was at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife on Friday 29th of January, 2016 in honour of the University’s Faculty of Arts invitation, who invited him to their annual Faculty’s Distinguished Guest Lecture as the guest lecturer.

In his delivered lecture titled “Nexus between corruption and Underdevelopment of the Nigerian state”, the minister examined burning national issues, most especially those relating to corruption and administration. At the closing stages of his delivery, he presented an analogy during which he stated that it is not right for a person to be talking while he or she is eating.

“Once a time, a very vocal and (God) fearing professor was nominated as a Minister. Because he was so vocal, so (God) fearing and he was actually seen as a defender of the masses, his constituency – the academics – were very happy that at least, they have somebody who is going to represent them and represent the masses in the government. But after about 2-3 years in government, nobody heard him champion the course of the masses, nobody heard him denounce corruption. After three years, there was a cabinet reshuffling and he went back to the university. When he got there, his colleagues were very infuriated and narrated to him their disappointment. They told him they felt with him in government, war against corruption would be championed by him. The professor looked at them and replied by saying “You don’t understand. It is about etiquette and table manners, when you are eating, you don’t talk”.

The message behind this analogy is very tricky to decipher. While some school of thought believes that Alhaji Lai Mohammed is trying to suggest he might keep mute even in the face of scandals and irregularities that may arise in the course of the current administration, some others believe he just put up the analogy as a form of reference to past administrators and administrations who have in one way or the other committed such offences.

The highlights of the event include; Presentation of distinguished alumnus award to the Minister himself, who is an alumnus of the Department of French, Faculty of Arts, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) and performances by the ever-entertaining Dramatic Arts Department troupe. Other awardees at the event include; Hon Kehinde Bamigbetan and Hon Oluseye Oladejo who were both alumni and former Student Union leaders. Prominent guests who graced the event include the Dean, Faculty of Arts – Professor Gbemisola Adeoti, former Dean of the Faculty – Professor Y. K. Yusuf and Kowa Party’s presidential candidate in the last elections – Mrs Remi Shonaiya. There were also in attendance representatives of the Ooni of Ife and other distinguished guests.

Now to you our distinguished readers, what do you really think Alhaji Lai Mohammed is trying to bring out of his analogy?

OAU Students Ask Buhari To Probe Vice Chancellor

Hundreds of students of Obafemi Awolowo University on Friday asked President Muhammadu Buhari administration to probe the activities of the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bamitale Omole.

The students passed the message to the President through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was at the university.

They also bombarded the minister with requests that the Federal Government should ensure decent hostels for students on the campus.

The minister was at OAU to deliver the distinguished guest lecture, titled ‘Nexus between corruption and underdevelopment of Nigeria’ at the University’s Faculty of Arts.

The students had staged series of protest against poor condition of their hostels which led to the closure of the school by the management late last year.

“Our halls of residence are in bad shape and my colleagues are saying probe Omole (VC) and so on,” said one of the students allowed to ask the minister a question.

“It is not only at the national level that the government should concentrate its fight against corruption, it should come to universities and we welcome President Buhari’s war against corruption on OAU campus.”

The entire students present applauded the students, while the minister promised to meet with the VC to discuss the issue of students’ union leaders under suspension.

The minister urged Nigerians to support the government in the fight, saying corruption had already started fighting back.



Source

Egedegbe Gracious & Adeyemo Emmanuel Win Big At WRIDS Competition

Arts by self-coined definition to me would mean, in paraphrase, being creative. And when we say creativity, it is much like a relative term which one could similarise with diverse kinds of factors having to do with our community and society by extension. In furtherance, with this creativity in our hands, I guess the pasts that are making the masses, within and or off the four walls of this ivory-tower to feel cowered up can be allayed or solved for the benefit of humanity in general. So, it is in this light, I would want to believe, the faculty of Arts/Humanities, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, specifically, the department of English and Literary Studies come up with the idea or the notion to discuss, in the form of writing, debate and spelling bee amid us students, some disturbing issues affecting our lives as youth/students and or that may affect us, when we are done as one in the morrow. NASELS - National Association of English and Literary Students deciding bodies, under the overall control of its President - Sodiq Oyeleke - brought about the Writing, Debate and Spelling Bee Competition (WRIDS competition) with awards tagged alongside, promisingly, for those that would make it out fine.

So, the contests had taken place and had gone. All of the contestants went home with gift(s) for partaking in the competition. But it would be of lackadaisical act on the side of this news agency, if we fail to have you informed some of the core details you'd love to read about or know about took place at the level of Aud 2. Only students under the banner of Nasels put in for the contests so, not only students in part one contested but also two and three students, namely:

Okediji Samuel
Akingbade Victor
Egedegbe Gracious
Akinola Ebunoluwa
Adeyemi Emmanuel
And others who participated in the spelling bee.

The chairman of the occasion was Dr. Ogungbule - Lecturer in the department of English and Literary Studies. And chiefly present was the elegantly, verbally, grammatically and accurately conscious HOD of the department - Prof. Ogunkoya. In his brief talk with the students present, "we are not there yet in the area of infrastructural facilities at OAU" but "there has been remarkable developments within Nasels", he said. He continued by telling the students of Nasels present "the contract for the departmental library has been approved and it shall be tiled and WIFI shall be installed there", he explained, for easier access to the world wide web (www) for information collection and for increasing the height and weight and breath and length of our horizon as learning students. He encouraged students to be watchful of lecturers not doing well enough to have them reported for changes and also reminded the students to use their given quota well.

In furtherance, some of the topics debated on, live at the level of the meeting were: "Considering output, do you think OAU is currently positioned to produce seasoned graduates" whilst the topic for the written essay was "The Scientific Maximum Shishi (SMS) as a means of curbing social vices among OAU students has lost its effectiveness in recent times (Essay)" and on spelling bee, a lot of hard words strange words were asked to be spelt like oakum and the like.

Moreover, about the winners, Egedegbe Gracious won the Essay (written) and bagged home N10,000 - half of his next sessions's fees and Adeyemo Emmanuel won the debate and bagged the same worth Gracious's. All of the contestants went back with gifts, none left without one thing or the other to show.

Finally, I would say, contesting or competing in life in general view, ought not to be with the aim of winning or taking back home awards or the gifts if that is allowed but ought to be partaking with the positive mindset - to do all within one's might, for the better of self and for the best of the society we all are going to go and mix up with when we are done here.

Prof. Awopetu's Birthday: ASUU Appeals To Nigerians To Support FG

Some university dons under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are appealing to Nigerians to support the anti-corruption stance of the federal government rather than see it as a witch-hunt against any opposition.

This appeal was made at a special lecture and congress held in honour of a former chairman of ASUU, Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, Professor Idowu Awopetu in Ile-Ife Osun state.

Members of ASUU from across the country; vice chancellors of various institutions including that of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof Bamitale Omole all gathered for the event.

One after the other, they all lamented that some corrupt opportunists have almost milked the Nigerian economic cow to death and there is the need for the Buhari administration to recoup the money.

The academics want the President to spread the anti-corruption dragnet across board to achieve the desired goal.

They said that the war against corruption should be a people’s war supported by all Nigerians if the country must rise again.

The university dons, however, warned the President to always respect the rule of law and fundamental human rights of the accused corrupt persons so as not to be seen as an authoritarian.


Source: Channels TV

Geostruct Donates Computers To Department Of Building

The Department of Building, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has been furnished with 17 new desktop computers donated by a Lagos based company known as Geostruct Konsult Limited.

These computers are expected to be installed in the departmental laboratory and will facilitate the development and improvement of the drawing skills of the building students in many areas including AutoCAD and Revit designs.

Reacting to the donation, the President of the students' association, Alabi Jamiu, thanked the donor and congratulated all the members of the department for the big achievement during his administration. He however prayed that God will continue to move the Department of Building forward and that he hopes bigger things of such will continue to happen in the department.

Jamiu also urged the students to make good and reasonable use of the computers. The computers are expected to be in operation as soon as all the necessary installations are completed.

JAMB Fixes February & March For 2016 UTME

The dates for the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was unveiled by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, yesterday.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday, January 26, said it would conduct the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) between February and March.

According to a statement by its Head of Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin in Lagos, the Computer-Based Test (CBT) exam would hold in over 400 centres within and outside Nigeria.

He added: “JAMB has approved more centres to give Nigerians the best computer-based test.

“The board insisted that these centres must meet best global requirements.

“Some of the requirements are steady power supply, 200 computers, including Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), accessible road, security and a waiting room.

“This year, there are innovations to ensure candidates write under the conditions.’’

The board said sale of forms closes on Friday.

I Was Not Allowed To Defend Myself - Suspended NUASA Financial Secretary

The Suspended Financial Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students' Association, Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, Oladeji Opeyemi a.k.a Sanctified has voiced out that his suspension from office came without affording him to say his own side of the story.

The Press Statement made available to us stated categorically how Honourable Tbams made a false allegation against him which the Speaker also fell for. Below is the full Statement:

A SENTIMENTAL JUDGEMENT OR DECISION MADE BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES ACCOUNTING STUDENTS’ASSOSIATION OAU CHAPTER

Good day to all the ever-courteous Nuasites, I really appreciate the support (financially, materially, physically, spiritually and strategically) during the election to the post of financial secretary of our prestigious association, thanks to all.

Let me start by saying this, an elder that makes use of one side hearing to judge a situation, does not have what it takes to be a good elder.

This issue on ground can be traced to last administration, in which there was a big fight between the executives and the house of representatives which almost led to proscription of the association but all thanks to the personalities that pleaded, from the beginning of our administration, the executives’ resolution is to behave very calmly towards any aggressive or annoying way the house of representative may react to us, in order for what happened in last administration not to re-occur in our administration, We all complied to this, but this actually has given a wide open space to the house of representatives, in which the Executives have not been given the full Nose to breathe, but our main goal is to finish well in spite of any threat or downfall.

As regards the suspension of the Financial Secretary, since the beginning of the association, I have been asked to present the financial report of the association in which I did reply to every single time they requested for it and that summed up to six (6) times of preparing financial statement, which has not been easy on my part(other financial matters to be attended to) in which dis-allowed me to publish my financial statement for the whole Nuasites to see how their money is being spent because I needed an approval from house before publishing it.

On this very day of suspension, I presented two financial statements, the first financial statement runs from the beginning of the administration till 15th of November 2015 and the second one runs from 16th of November 2015 till 22nd January 2016, (a day before the sitting) and all the bank statements I was requested to bring were with me, but when honorable Tbams made some false allegations against me concerning negligence of duties and motion of suspension, the speaker of the house in person of Afilaka Olumiyuwa A. aka Papiloo did not give me any CHANCE before the suspension motion was moved and validated, to defend myself of the false allegations.
In other words, the financial secretary was suspended based on sentimental judgement or decision made by some of the honorables.

Greatest Nuasites, Articulate Nuasites, please I want you to debunk any news concerning the reason of the suspension that the financial secretary was negligent, inconsistent and incompetent of his duties which is not so, because the speaker of the house in person of Afilaka Olumiyuwa A. aka Papilo has threatened me face to face that I will have issues which actually came to past, which can only mean a sentimental decision for suspending me as the Financial Secretary.

I have been serving Nuasites with my whole heart and effort which I promised on the manifesto night, but my striving effort to continue doing this was truncated by the house of representatives due to the sentimental judgement that was made.

Thanks.

Signed by:
Oladeji Opeyemi aka Sanctified