The First Time Fear: The France Crisis On Facebook- Pope Jay

First off, I would like to say that this is simply my perspective. If you do not agree with it, it’s alright and I would in fact appreciate a lucid comment detailing why.

 In the little time I have spent on earth as a member of the Homo sapiens species, I have come to learn a number of things about Humanity. Firstly is her diversity in similarity, a concept more scientifically referred to as "Variation”. Variation itself is a facet of science that in itself has earned enough attention to be studied on its own and names like Jean Lamarck and Charles Darwin are some that come to mind when this aspect of science is mentioned. The resultant effect of variation in Human beings is quite amazing: Two people can be born of the same parents and still be so antagonistic in character and physique. While variation can be a good thing, most especially in the advancement of our species, it also sometimes has some side effects which can be almost as nasty as its benefits. The fact that two people tend to see the same thing differently sometimes is the basis of some scientific advancements and at the same time, it has also been the basis of some disagreements that has eventually transcended into very disastrous wars and terrorist activities.

 Another very progressive characteristic of human beings is adaptation. Obviously, human beings are amongst the most successful animals today simply because she has learnt to manipulate both herself and the environment (although, some "side effects" tend to arise from these manipulations). However, I would like to look at adaptation from a very simple and local perspective. A simple illustration; if I rub my hands on fire today, it’s going to hurt most today. If I come back tomorrow and rub my hands against the same flame, it would not be as painful and if I continue to rub my hands every day for the next one year, I am definitely going to feel very less pain in a year's time rubbing my hands on the same flame: Adaptation.

 I believe these features of man reflect in his psychological responses. When he first hears a bomb blast, he is scared but when he hears the same blast repeatedly he is less scared. However, if the blast suddenly sounds louder, he feels the first time fear again and the progression begins all over again.

 Very recently, I have read various comments as regards the Paris Crisis, the Facebook response and the #PrayforParis campaign (On that note, I use this opportunity to send my most sincere condolences to the victims of the France attacks). I have read comments regarding Facebook's response towards the attacks as racist considering the fact that a lot of terrorist attacks have not received such response, most especially attacks in African countries. However, I do not entirely agree with this school of thought. Terrorism is a plague that has continued to devastate the entirety of humanity and as is his character, man has adapted to this ravaging concept.

 However, every once in a while, an incident tends to remind us that terrorism is not at all a normal thing; Sometimes this incident is 9/11, sometimes it’s the abduction of over 200 girls in Africa, sometimes it’s the dead body of a young boy that washes ashore. Today it’s the victims of the France attack and so I believe when that clueless person gives his display picture a touch of the Flag of France or when that man who doesn't even know where the Eiffel tower is uses the hashtag; #PrayforParis, it’s not because somebody is white and somebody is black, it’s because people died as a result of terrorism. Now, claiming that I shouldn’t use the hashtag because a hashtag was not created when terrorist killed in Africa, I think that even defines racism in a sense.

(Comments can be sent to me at jobaoje@gmail.com)

Pope Jay

Thieves Who Have Stolen Over 76 Gadgets In OAU Caught

By Farombi Oluwaseun

It was a bloody day for two thieves as they were caught during the early hours of yesterday at ETF hall of residence. The thieves identified as Tope and Ogbe are non-students who hail from Ondo state and Edo state respectively.

Tope met his waterloo when one of the occupants of ETF raised an alarm that his laptop was missing in the reading room coupled with a concurrent alarm from a cleaner that her phone was also missing. Following the arrest of Tope, his confession aided the Students' Union Security Committee to apprehend his criminal partner, Ogbe.

They both confessed to have been operating on Obafemi Awolowo University campus since Monday and strategically distributed each other with Tope operating in ETF and Ogbe operating in Fajuyi hall of the institution.

In an account related to OAU Peeps News Agency by the SU Security Committee, the two thieves since they started operations confessed to have stolen 14 laptops , 25 Nokia phones, 16 Infinix, 11 Blackberry, 10 Samsung phones and many more items. So far, their confession since their arrest has led to the recovery of a laptop and a phone as they confessed to have sold some to some dealers in Olukayode Shopping Complex in Akure, Ondo state.

Speaking with the Students’ Union Chief Security Officer popularly known as Olumighty in his office at the Students’ Union Building (SUB), he said the Security Committee under the TY-led administration is committed to work and is ready to secure the campus well. The CSO further stated that about 17 thieves were caught last semester and were well dealt with. When he was asked if SMS should be abolished, he said so far it has been the tradition on OAU campus and it should not be abolished.

The CSO however advise the entire great Ife students to increase their security consciousness on campus especially when they go at night to read and also relate better with his committee. “Students should challenge anyone seen with strange movement. It's Students’ Union not Students' Union Government; we are there for the entire great Ife students, the security of the entire great Ife students is our utmost concern” he said. Investigation is expected to continue with the two thieves for now as stated by the Security Committee.

Disclaimer: Azeez Mubaraq Dismissed From OAU Peeps News Agency

This is to inform the general public that Azeez Mubaraq who was a member of OAU Peeps News Agency has been dismissed from the organization. This is part of the re-organization announced during the agency’s last meeting.

The agency hereby urge members of the public especially Obafemi Awolowo University to note this change. Any inconvenience that may arise after now will not be a responsibility of OAU Peeps News Agency.

Signed
Farombi Oluwaseun
Ag. Public Relations Officer,
OAU Peeps News Agency

Convocation: Adeboye, Adesina, Duduyemi & Olupona Set For OAU Honorary Degree Award

The 41st convocation ceremonies of the Obafemi Awolowo University is scheduled to hold between 9th and 12th, December 2015.

The programme of events is as follows:

Wednesday, 9th December 2015 – Award of Diploma Degrees

Thursday, 10th December 2015 -Award of First Degrees and Masters Degrees: Administration, Arts, EDM

Friday, 11th December 2015 – Award of First Degrees and Masters Degrees: Medicine, Social Sciences, Technology

Saturday, 12th December 2015 – Ph.D and Honorary Degrees.

Honorary Degree Recipients
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye
Professor Jacob Kehinde Olupona
Doctor Akinwumi Adesina,
Chief Oyekunle Alex Duduyemi

Attend Campus Academic Summit With Tolulope Ahmed & Ebenezer Fanijo

Two academic generals who are first class graduates of Obafemi Awolowo University have put together a campus academic summit which is aimed at;

*Academic excellence (How to achieve 5.0 CGPA every semester)
*How to set academic goals and realize it - Having the end in mind (Knowing the graduating CGPA from now)
NB: Everyone is enjoined to bring their departmental handbook while coming for the summit (so as to actively participate in calculating their graduating CGPA)


*Real life testimonies of Academic Excellence from students of OAU and our neighboring Universities/higher institutions who have adopted the principles in "10Laws of Academic Excellence to their advantage" and other self actualized principles.
*How the universe works through incorporating the God's factors in Academics.
*How to achieve any of your goals in life and become a better person afterwards (asides academics)
*Financial intelligence, amidst others.

Free copies of 10 laws of academic excellence will be given to the first fifty people.
A registration fee of N500 will be paid which covers the cost of training materials and free drinks.

To register, contact Bolanle - 08137470937, Alexander - 07063013062, Kayode – 08037987933

Date: November 28, 2015
Time: First session (9:00am-11:30am) & Second session (11:45am-1:00pm)
Venue: 1000LT

World’s First Head Transplant A Success after Nineteen Hour Operation

A 36-year-old man has undergone the world’s first successful head transplant. The ground-breaking operation took a team of surgeons 19 hours to complete and has allowed the patient to be cancer-free.

Paul Horner, who was diagnosed with bone cancer five years ago, was on the verge of death when he was approved for the controversial and possibly deadly operation.

Doctor Tom Downey, who was part of the South African team who carried out the operation, told CNN he is thrilled about the results. “It’s a massive breakthrough. We’ve proved that it can be done – we can give someone a brand new body that is just as good, or better, than their previous one.

The success of this operation leads to infinite possibilities.”

Surgeons at Charlotte Maxexe Johannesburg Academic Hospital in SA did the operation in February but had to wait until they could confirm it was successful before they made any public statement.

Downey spoke to reporters on the complexity behind the first ever head transplant. “This procedure is another excellent example of how medical research, technical know-how and patient-centered care can be combined in the quest to relieve human suffering.”

The operation was led by Professor Myron Danus and took place on February 10, 2015.

“Our goal is for Horner to be fully functional in two years and so far we are very pleased by his rapid recovery,” said prof. Danus. “Before the operation, Horner’s body was riddled with cancer and he had less than a month to live. We were fortunate enough to find a donor body; a 21-year-old man who has been brain dead from a serious car accident that happened in 2012. The boys body worked just fine, but his brain was not functioning whatsoever, and there was absolutely no chance of recovery.

He added: “We received approval from the young man’s parents to use their sons body to do the operation. They were extremely happy their son could save a life even in the vegetated state that he was in.”

The man, Horner, has made 85% recovery; walking, talking, doing things a healthy individual does.




Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/11/mans-head-cut-off-in-worlds-first-successful-head-transplant/


Video: https://youtu.be/5_sCUM0PfOk[/quote]

OAU SU President Challenges The Vice Chancellor Over Poor Welfare Condition Of Students

The Students' Union President of Obafemi Awolowo University, Omotayo Akande a.k.a TY in an open letter written to the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Bamitale Omole has raised some challenging questions as regards the poor welfare state of the students which therefore questions the possibility of running an hitch-free calendar.

Below is a copy of the open letter:

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STUDENTS’ UNION PRESIDENT

AN ‘OPEN’ QUESTION TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR

'CAN WE HAVE A STABLE SECOND SEMESTER CALENDAR?'

‘There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest it…’ Elie Wiesel

Mr Vice Chancellor Sir,

OAU by default has joined the league of Nigeria universities dissuading Nigeria students from learning due to its discouraging academic ambient. The poor welfare condition, horrendous toilets and bathroom, anachronistic teaching practice, overcrowded lecture theatres, managerial shortfalls, culminate to the inept productivity of Nigeria educational sector which OAU is inclusive. Sir, as your vice-chancellorship tenure comes toward an end, when would you take a practical approach to address and ameliorate students’ poor welfare condition as our hostels are already collapsing on our heads?

An ivory tower is conventionally saddled with the greatest responsibility of enhancing human intellectual output; instil critical thinking, question and shape perspectives with the sole aim of developing new ideologies and innovation for a better society.

In actualizing these, the status quos must be questioned either as a result of failed solutions and prevailing problems or an inspiration from a creative mind. Unfortunately, the Nigeria education sector has offered no such result and obviously, the Nigeria society is bereft of viable, innovative, young economy drivers, not because the human capital and potentials are lacking but our university design at its best capacity will by default limit and distort the embedded potentials of incoming students. This accentuate why even most middle-class and proletarians have stopped enrolling their children in public universities at the detriment of their standard of living. The next question to be put is that, is OAU an exception to this travesty of academic impact in the face poor funding and managerial ineptitude?

On the 24th and 25th of March, 2015 students massively gave the TY-led administration their mandate. This sacred mandate is a symbol of trust and a bestowment of responsibilities which for me is a rare privilege to serve the most conscious students’ body in human race. Generation, therefore, will not absolve me if I don’t fulfil my electoral promises. Many expectations have been met, however, much more are still being expected as a result of the lackadaisical disposition of the management to meet the demands of the students. I have, since my emergence, related with the university management with full diplomacy and tact, I have however concluded that my diplomatic gesture and that of my fellow executives have been misconstrued for docility. For me as a leader of the 30,000 and one great Ife students, mediocrity is not an option. In the face of this abysmal welfare condition, perpetual nonchalance and insensitivity of the management to attend to the basic needs and demands of students, and my resolution to further advance the cause of my constituency in a more radical manner, Sir, do you think we can continue to have a stable academic calendar?

The management intransigence to reinstate Olawale Ogunruku having exhausted all diplomatic channels is becoming overbearing and unbearable. A university should not extinguish the hope of a young vibrant Nigeria youth all because he joined to castigate anti-student policy which till date remains inimical, or his perceived radicalism. Radical youth like Olawale Ogunruku are needed to revolutionize the decaying Nigeria society. A tenet of our Union is that an injury to one is an injury to all. I can assure you, sir, that my left brothers will not cease to agitate for Ogunruku’s reinstatement while my liberal friends will likewise continue to demand for the same. For me, reinstatement is a moral course which every students’ Union leader is historically, constitutionally and traditionally obligated to achieve. I will not rescind the interest of my constituency rather, I will reinvigorate and organise them to advance a just cause.

The assessment of your tenure as the Vice chancellor is best objective from a student perspective, since they are the major stake holders and receptionist of your administrative undemocratic policies. Sir, your Vice Chancellorship has not been on the good side of the students’ history book. Although, all students suspended in your dispensation have been reinstated and the ban on our Union was lifted in your tenure, Kudos! But students have not been given a participative role in decision making process. We have severally demanded for a democratic decision making process and students’ representation in the principal organs of the university hierarchy, rather than the unilateral decision method which lacks feedbacks and students’ consultation. The Students’ Union should not be reduced to the office of Division of Students Affairs, it is an insult on our collective intellectualism and a disrepute of our stakeholder-ship.

The on-going construction of the ship-like senate building is preposterous and a gross mis-priority and further accentuate a faulty decision-making university setup, most especially in the face of ill-fitted laboratories, moribund academic facilities and library-turned museum structure. The unsupportive role by the management for law students who are o represent the university in debate contest in Isreal, and OAU athlete who are to go to Canada where other universities sent in delegate calls for major concern.

The incumbency of my office, my electoral promises and my conviction for a vibrant pro-student Union will not make me jettison students’ demand. The following tw'o other reasons are corroborative:

1. Faith: Although I am not a moralist, but I am not morally bankrupt, our promises must kept. This is in alignment with my Christian values which I, although not so easy, try to abide by. Psalm 89:34 ' I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my mouth(ESV)'

2. Posterity: Our promises to great Ife students MUST be fulfilled to letter because providence is coming to place us at a point in Nigeria where our antecedents as Union leaders will definitely be sought.

I therefore, re-accost you sir, do you think we can continue to have a stable academic calendar? The answer(s) lies in your practical compliance to students demands.

REINSTATE OGUNRUKU!!!
ALUTA CONTINUA, VICTORIA ASCERTA !!!

Omotayo Akande (TY)
President Students’ Union