Post-UTME: OAU Has Not Decided

By Farombi Oluwaseun

Since the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education lifted ban on Post-UTME usually organised by universities in Nigeria for admission seekers, some universities have started to release information on the schedule of a Post-UTME, as it were traditionally before last year.This has however raised anxiety amongst aspirants seeking admission into Obafemi Awolowo Universities; they are not sure whether the institution will also conduct Post-UTME or stick to the mode of admission it employed last year.

While responding to enquiry from OAU Peeps News Agency, the Registrar of the institution, Dotun Awoyemi simply responded "OAU will decide soon".

Also reacting to the rumour being peddled around that the Post UTME has been scheduled to hold September, the University Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarenwaju reiterated the fact that OAU is yet to decide on Post-UTME and thereby urged aspirants to wait till the University Senate meeting is conveyed wherein the issue of Post UTME will be deliberated and decided.

As Against the 120 cut off mark set by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for university admission process this year, the University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tope Ogunmodede made it known that the institution would not admit any candidate with 120 UTME score.“Traditionally, OAU has never admitted students who scored below 200 in the UTME. For us, we are sticking to 200," Ogunmodede affirmed. Only a few schools have also towed that hard line by maintaining 200 as their JAMB cut-off mark.

It is expected that the Post UTME will be deliberated upon in the next senate meeting which is scheduled to hold on September 27, as stated in the University Academic Calendar. However, an emergency Senate could be called to deliberate and take decision on the admission process any time from now.

ASUU Refuses Meeting With Federal Government

By Vanguard

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has shunned a meeting scheduled with the Federal Government on Tuesday to address the concerns raised in an earlier agreement between them for which ASUU has been on strike.

ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi told newsmen that the education body had submitted a proposal to the federal government and is yet to receive a reply from FG, hence, would not attend any meeting with it until the union gets a reply.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige had called the meeting and those expected were the Ministers of Education and Finance, Mallam Adamu Adamu and Mrs. Kemi Adeosun respectively, Chairman, National Income Salaries and Wages Commission, Executive Secretary National Universities Commission and the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba.

A statement signed by Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director, Press in the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja had read thus: “In furtherance of efforts at resolving the lingering industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, will tomorrow (today) by noon meet with the President and Executive of ASUU.

“Government delegation at the meeting will include Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Chairman National Income Salaries and Wages Commission, Executive Secretary National Universities Commission and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

“The minister recalled that ASUU had earlier promised during the last meeting held on Thursday, August 17, 2017, to take the offer of the Federal Government back to its members and get back to the Federal Government within a week. “Senator Chris Ngige calls on ASUU to show good faith as the Federal Government had already demonstrated commitment to addressing the grievances of the Union.”

When Vanguard contacted the National President of ASUU, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, on his phone, yesterday, on the position of the strike, he simply said that the union was still consulting and that whatever was the outcome of the consultation would be made available to the public.

ASUU had declared an indefinite strike two weeks ago, citing FG’s failure to implement agreements reached with the union in 2009.

Ogunyemi, while calling for the strike said during the strike, there shall be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meetings of any kind in any of the union’s branches across the country.

However, after its meeting on Saturday, Ogunyemi said the body would attend a subsequent meeting only after it has received a reply from the federal government.

He said ASUU had met, discussed the new offer from the FG and submitted a proposal to the government but is yet to receive any response

OAU Postpones Semester Examinations

The authorities of Obafemi Awolowo Universities have set new dates for the harmattan semester examinations that fall on the Eid-el-Kabir celebration days.

Recall, Friday, September 1, 2017 has been announced as the Eid-el-Kabir celebration days and thus declared a public holiday.

According to a Statement issued and signed by the Principal Assistant Registrar, Examinations and Records Division, A. J. Y. Onioko, examinations scheduled for both Friday and Saturday (September 2) have been rescheduled to Tuesday, 5th and Wednesday, 6th September 2017.

All concerned candidates are enjoined to take note of the new dates. The times and venues earlier fixed however remain unchanged.

Something Light; The Musical Romance of Boda Taju

By ‘Joba Ojelabi

For me, like many others, I think it all started with a hello. But it wasn’t to us, it was to a mystical lady whom somehow Mr. Folarin Falana had managed to stupefy. “Ello bae”, apart from introducing Falz to us, was a track that went on become a quite popular social media trend, a feat that not too many upcoming artistes achieve these days. Looking back now, it would seem as though the track was an introduction to something more than his sardonic version of English: Ello bae, like what the phrase (Hello bae) indicates was an indeed an introduction to seeming contention with the female folk, a contention which would last through some subsequent tracks and is continued in “Something light”.

Any true lover of rap would agree that there has not been a lot of quality rap from these parts. Interestingly, there have been many attempts; and whilst some have given us some hope, the others have managed to take it back. “Something light”, like most of its predecessors, is a narrative, one that details an encounter of the artiste with a lady; an ‘entrepreneurial’ lady. In “Marry me”, Falz narrates the experience of a young man and woman who are on the verge of nuptial vows and although, Falz comes majorly from the feminine perspective, the track expresses the non-committal attitude of the male figure and more importantly, his non-readiness towards settling down. This non-readiness is perhaps why his travails escalate with “Karishika”, the spiritually active female who seems to be quite demanding from the spiritual realm (Personally, I think most ladies have an element of Karishika within).

“Soldier”, which featured the sensational Simi might have been an indication of something positive but it would seem that the Barrister rapper got tired of the hard-to-get Jamb question crooner or perhaps “Joromi” happened. In “Something light” however, the current lady in the spotlight is painted as demanding, a character she shares with Miss Karishika but unlike the daughter of Jezebel, her demands are more physical. Another difference highlighted by the track, which might actually be the major theme of the rap song, is Miss Something Light’s pretextual schemes.


Like most quality rap songs, Something Light’s verses are separated by a simple chorus, one that does not require any tasking vocal burdens. Also in the song, Falz shares the microphone with fast rising rapper Ycee, who also comes on with his own narrative and together, they manage to create a harmonious two-in-one narrative that might after all be an indication of synergy in rap and its positive results.
“Something Light” also carries the usual comical flow that comes with Falz, or as he addresses his alter ego; Boda Taju and his kind of rap, and somehow, Ycee manages to keep up. And in attending to the question of who slaughtered who? It brings to mind the Jet Li-Jackie Chan duo in Forbidden Kingdom? It’s better to just focus on the bad guy or in this case, girl! And for Falz, we can only hope he settles down soon or for the sake of good music, maybe not so soon.

JAMB Direct Entry Registration Deadline 2017 Announced

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has announced the Direct Entry registration deadline for 2017/2018 academic session.

The deadline for 2017 Direct Entry registration is Friday, 15th September 2017.

Candidates who are yet to apply are advised to do so before the given deadline.

OAU Rejects 120 Cut-off Mark For University Admission

Some Vice-Chancellors and the Academic Staff Union of Universities have rejected the decision of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to peg admission cut-off mark at 120 for universities and 100 for polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education.

ASUU said the action, which it described as a “sad policy decision,” was in tandem “with the dream of the present government to destroy public universities in the country.”

Most of the vice-chancellors  interviewed on the issue maintained that they would not lower admission standards in their respective varsities.

The vice-chancellors stated that the decision would add no value to the nation’s university system.

For instance, the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Tope Ogunmodede, said the institution would not admit any candidate with 120 UTME score.

He said, “Traditionally, OAU has never admitted students who scored below 200 in the UTME. For us, we are sticking to 200. The minimum benchmark is 120 but you can go higher than that. I expect that an institution should be able to determine the quality of its graduates because there are internal exams. What has been done is to provide a leeway for universities to decide their cut-off marks.”

For University of Ibadan, in a statement issued by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, on the issue and released by his Media Assistant, Mr. Sunday Saanu, on Thursday, the premier university stated that it would never admit any candidate that scored 120 in the UTME.

Also, the Dean of Students Affairs, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Kayode Alese, who spoke on behalf of FUTA management, said that the institution would soon unveil its cut-off mark.

“However, I can assure you that FUTA has never gone as low as 120. It has never happened and it will never happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has described the reduction of the cut-off marks for admission into tertiary institutions as “a gross misplacement of priority and an exercise in futility.”

The organisation said that the reduction by JAMB, from 180 for universities and 165 polytechnics, to 120 and 100 respectively for the 2017 UTME, would translate to a disastrous outcome in the future.

The President of NANS, Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Thursday, threatened that the decision would be resisted if JAMB refused to adhere to the status quo.

Indomie Nigeria Unveils OAU Campus Ambassadors

De United Foods(Dufil Prima Foods),makers of the popular indomie noodles has just unveiled their Campus Ambassadors for Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife,Osun state..
 The ambassadors as unveiled include a member of OAU Peeps News Agency,Farombi Oluwaseun Popularly known as Babafaros who is also the Public Relations Officer,Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students,Omofoye Adebola(Vice President,Faculty of Arts Students Association), Abegunde Sunday known as Speaking Pen( an author,publisher and Social media strategist) and Dauda Olamide Hammed known as ChiefBelly(Secretary, Rotaract Club)..

OAU Peeps News Agency Congratulates them all..