The University Will Release Statement On Admission In Two Weeks Time – Professor Olayinka

The Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Idowu Olayinka has said the delay in advertising the procedure for the 2016/2017 admission process is due to the uncertainty from the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Fielding questions from the correspondents of the Union of Campus Journalists, UI, Professor Olayinka spoke extensively on the awaited admission process.

“In the next two weeks maximum. The problem is we don’t want to make a policy and then tomorrow, the government comes up with something else,” Prof. Olayinka said as he mentioned that the University authorities were monitoring the moves of the new Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) whether he would reverse the decision of his predecessor.

The UI VC decried the policy of JAMB which stopped universities from conducting Post – Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post UTME) which he said had over the years improved the quality of students being admitted into the University.

“May be up to 2003 or 2004, quite a large army of students were being asked to withdraw at the end of (their) first year on account of poor academic performance. We have statistics to back it up and it was a national problem,” Prof. Olayinka said.

But with the conduct of Post UTME, the University had continued to admit the best students Nigerian secondary schools had got to produce as he said “we recorded our best (result) last year when 1.9 percent (of matriculants) were asked to withdraw”.

On the next of students to be admitted, the Vice Chancellor said, “left to me, they should not be more than 3, 500” as he consider primarily hostel accommodation in the University should could not cater for more than 8, 300 students including post graduates and medical students at Alexander Brown Hall, UCH.

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Bedspace Palava: Where Will I Lay My Head? - R.A Oyetunji

Every human being needs a place to rest his head, especially after a long day of unending lectures and long walks, just like birds go to their nests; sheep to their pens; and the crabs back into their holes.  We all need somewhere to retire to after the toiling of each day.  The students of Obafemi Awolowo University, like every other living creatures, are not left out in this natural arrangement. 

Over time, Great Ife students have come to live with the distributional arrangement of the available accommodation (bedspaces) by the university’s management.  In what can be called a sharing formula, the residential halls on campus are usually distributed between large numbers of freshmen and final year students, with very small ratio going to the stalites.

And just as every land is governed by rules, the Land of Obafemi Awolowo University is not an exception.  The University’s management has always spelt out in clearest terms some conditions attached to the temporary ownership and occupation of the accommodation once allocated.   One of the chief rules is that no student should on any account, transfer his or her allocated bedspace to another student for any reason whatsoever. 

One would expect rules to always be followed.  However, due to the peculiarity of the Nigeria as a country and the Nigerian man, it is hard for some rules to thrive. This is evident in widespread speculations that students have always gone about selling, gifting or swapping their allocated bedspaces.  This according to rumours and street-talks have been in existence over time.

In recent times however, there appears to be a new twist to the whole issue, especially in this current academic session.  The University management apparently admitted more freshmen than the usual, thus having a very serious problem in fixing these extra numbers into the already not-enough accommodation spaces.  This has resulted in more insufficiency with large numbers of freshmen and finalists left stranded and “homeless” even after multiple batches of accommodation allocation.

As humans that we are, we tend to always look for possible way-outs in every difficult situations.  This has forced the affected students into looking out for limited alternatives; either seeking accommodation off campus, squatting (which is also illegal winks) or trading with the few ones lucky enough to secure one.  Well known as the simple law of Economics is, an increase in demand without a corresponding increase in supply tends to lead to inflation. 

However, it has not been “business as usual” for those who opted for “trading”.  There have been  whispers of overpricing and undue inflation on the “price tags” of the said “commodities” in question.

For example, the bedspace that is said to usually go for 30 Naira in previous years are now being slapped with a price tag of about 70 Naira, those of 20 Naira now going for as high as 50 Naira and so on.  While the sellers have cited the current unfavourable economic conditions of the country as main reasons for the price hikes, the buyers apparently disagree, arguing the increase is baseless as the University’s management never increased the official accommodation fee of about 3,000 Naira with a kobo, hence the fee shouldn’t have gone up.

This practically sky-rocketed prices has incapacitated majority of students who had hoped to secure accommodation by the option of trading, though as illegal as it is, as they are unable to meet these high prices.

Perhaps the "Elujobic" wave can help blow some more relaxing haven for these helpless learners. If the Central Bank of Nigeria can grant a request of sponsorship to sail a  'yatchy' Senate building which is not our headache for now, many more private organizations and even public institutions will be willing to touch the lives of students by helping them to build hostels.  Until then, students need to understand that stealing is not different from corruption and that accommodation is not Naira/Dollar exchange...

R.A Oyetunji is a Final year student in the Faculty of Science, OAU Ife and a Member of the OAU Peeps Team.

Re-positioning OAU: Elujoba Shakes Cabinet, Replaces 29 Heads

The acting Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Anthony Elujoba has today effected some replacement in the University Management.

Those coming on board will have to serve for a year and with a slash in their responsibility allowance - they will only have 15% of the allowance. Offices affected include those at the institution's Centre of Distance Learning.

The newly appointed heads are Prof. B.J. Olasode reployed Chairman, Security Committee; Mr. Ganiyu Oyebode, Deputy Chairman Security Committee; Prof. H. B. Olaniyi, Director, Centre for Distance Learning; Dr. O. O Akinwunmi, Deputy Director, Centre for Distance Learning; Prof. Muibi Opeloye, Chairman, Board of OAU Investment Company Limited; Dr. Bisi Olowekere, Deputy Chairman, Board of OAU Investment Company Limited.

Also, Dr. R. O. Osoniyi,was appointed as Deputy Director, Central Science Laboratory; Mr. Abu Lasisi, Secretary, Sports Council; Engineer J. A. Ayodeji, Coordinator, Division of Works and Maintenance Services; Engineer O. Alao, Acting Director, Physical Planning and Development Unit; Prof. L. E. Umoru, Director, Central Technological Workshop and Laboratory; Prof. S. A. Ibitoye, Director, Equipment Maintenance Services Dr. M. K Alofe, Deputy Director, Equipment Maintenance Services; Engr O. A. Adewara, Acting Director, Computer Centre; Mrs. M. J. Nasir, Deputy Director, Computer Centre.

Others are Prof. A. A. Okunade as Director, Information Technology and Communication Unit; Dr. Toyin Mejuini, Acting Director, Information Technology and Communication Unit; Dr. Grace Akinola, Acting Dean, Divisional of Students Affairs; Dr. B. S. Afolabi, Vice-Dean, Divisional of Students Affairs; Engineer A. T. Oyeniran, Head, Water Engineering Unit, DWMS; Engineer O. O. Akinnagbe, Assistant Head, Water Engineering Unit, DWMS; Prof. S. A. Adediran, Director, Sports Council; Prof. O. O. Soriyan, Director, Central Science Laboratory; Prof. O. K. Owolarafa, Coordinator, Centre for Distance Learning; Prof. F. A. Adesina, Director, Linkages; Dr. O. Ogunlusi, Deputy Director, Linkages; Prof. T. O. Osotimehin, Director IFEDS; Prof. T. O. Oyebisi, Director TPDU; Dr. Akanni Akinyemi, Acting Director, Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Office.

OAU Predegree 2015/2016 Final Results Out

The final results of the students of the Predegree Programme of the Centre of Distance Learning, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ileife for the 2015/2016 Academic session has been released.

According to our sources, the results were released earlier today, Wednesday, 10th August, 2016. We wish the concerned students good success as they check their results.

NYSC Mobilization: OAU Senate Gives August 12 Deadline For Departments To Send Results

The Senate of Obafemi Awolowo University has given until Friday, August 12, 2016 for Heads of Departments (HODs) to send in the results of their 2014/2015 graduating students for approval.

In an internal memo by the Deputy Registrar, Mrs M. I. Omosule to HODs; a grace of few days to complete the processing of the graduating students was stipulated.

“The University has a grace period of about two weeks to complete the processing of our graduating results to enable us meet the deadline for submission of same to the Division of Student Affairs for NYSC mobilization.

“In view of the above, all Heads of Departments are hereby requested to please forward all graduating results to Senate Division for presentation to the Committee of Deans on or before Friday, 12th of August, 2016 for further processing.” the August 8 memo reads.

Dr Durosinmi Bows Out As OAU Appoints New Dean DSA

In what may be an expectation met to some, the OAU acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Anthony Elujoba has appointed Dr (Mrs) Grace Oluyemisi Akinola as the new acting Dean of the Division of Student Affairs (DSA), replacing Dr (Mrs) Latefah M. Durosinmi.

After a long tenure, Dr Durosinmi has vacated the office of the Acting Dean of the Division of Student Affairs. Durosinmi, whose tenure was filled with it's ups and downs, is said to be leaving office following a lapse in her tenure without renewal. The former Acting Dean's exit is following an earlier change in the Office of the Vice Dean of the Division and more recently an unusual change in the seat of the Vice-Chancellor.

Dr (Mrs) Durosinmi's performance as the acting Dean of the Division has been trailed by many controversies; as while some factions believe "Mama DSA" did not perform her motherly role as such, some others believe some of the faults in her administration might have been beyond her powers.

However, new hopes have begun to rise as Dr (Mrs) Grace Oluyemisi Akinola of the Department of Accounting has been appointed has the new Acting Dean of Students Affairs. We at OAU Peeps hereby use this medium to send our hearty congratulations to the new "Mama DSA", and we wish her a successful tenure.