Bees disrupt exam at Adamawa Poly

Adamawa - A swarm of bees on Wednesday disrupted the on-going second semester examination at Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that students of the polytechnic, who were seated for the morning papers at 8.30 a.m., scrambled out when the bees flew into the examination hall. ``We were sent packing by bees this morning and we have to abandon the examination hall," one of the affected students, who identified himself as Jacob, told NAN. When NAN correspondent visited the campus, the students were seen in groups holding leaves which they wave around their body to keep away the invading insects. Reacting to the development, the Rector of the institution, Prof. Bobboi Umar, said that the incident had been brought under control. ``So far, things are okay and there is no case of serious injury to the students from the attack of the bees," Umar said. He said that the morning papers had been suspended till afternoon. NAN http://www.nigeria.news24.com

Coca-Cola Celebrates Campus Journalists

It was a memorable night for students and patrons of Coca Cola as the global brand rolled out the drum to celebrate the 2012 edition of the Campuslife Dinner and Awards night; an annual celebration of student writers from various Nigerian universities, recently in Lagos. Campuslife Student Writers' Workshop and Awards is an adopted platform by Coca-Cola Nigeria and Nigeria Bottling Company to advance the course of youth empowerment and development by empowering student writers to tell their own stories and constructively engage society using mainstream media. Over the years, student journalists have always been encouraged to send in clippings of their published articles to be able to qualify for the awards. In this year's edition a total of eight prizes were up for grabs. An Executive Director at the Institute of Communication and Corporate Studies (ICCS), Lagos, Dr Austin Tam George, who made a presentation at the event, emphasised the need for investigative journalism to be made compulsory for students of Journalism and Mass Communication. He said; "Not every information gotten from the media represents the totality of the truth; which gives rise to the fact that media literacy skills requires that we question whatever information we receive to get the hidden motives behind the news," In a seeming validation of George's point, the award for the Best Reporter of the Year went to Gerald Nwokocha, an Information Technology graduate of Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), who recently completed his National Youth Service Corps in Abuja and whose article 'Outrage Over Corp Members' Death, Mistaken for Boko Haram Member', generated a lot of debate and controversy. Nwokocha, who earlier won the Best Report in the Politics Category, was overwhelmed with joy that the article written to uncover the truth behind a Corp member's death had made a lasting impression on the judges. The winning report was picked for the prize because of its depth and accuracy. Public Affairs and Communications Manager at Coca-Cola Nigeria, Peter Muriuki, said the workshop was put together in a quest by the company to continually develop, and invest in youths who are the country's most important resource. "Our aim is to provide them with a platform to air their views and engage in meaningful dialogue with society on various issues in a logical and analytical manner. Coca-Cola Nigeria has been sponsoring this initiative since 2007 and we plan to continue this partnership because of our firm belief that the sustainability of our business lies in our empowering the youth who are critical to the success of our business," he stated. Source www.allafrica.com

Strike - ANPP Urges Negotiation With University Staff

Abuja — The All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP] has asked the Federal Government to quickly invite the various segment of staff of the Federal Universities to a negotiating table in order to avert any disruptive strike in the nation's education sector. The party said it received with serious concern, the news that the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities [SSANU], Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions [NASU] and the National Association of Academic Technologists [NAAT] will commence a 7-day warning strike by Tuesday in protest over Governments' refusal to implement the 2009 agreement reached with them. In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Emma Eneukwu, the party urged the Federal Government to not only fulfill the promises it made to the workers in 2009, but employ more creative engagement strategies with these University personnel in order to forestall future strikes. "As a party we believe that a government can only earn the confidence of the people it governs when it is seen to have its priorities right and is sincere in prudent administration of the people's scarce resources. The striking University workers are complaining of the non-inclusion of funds for the payment of the Earned Allowances in the 2013 budget, as well as the findings of the report of a committee of NEEDS Assessment in the universities", the statement added Source www.allafrica.com

Ebonyi varsity expels 33 students

Ebonyi - The Senate of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, on Thursday announced the expulsion of 33 students and suspension of 88 others for various acts of malpractice. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students were allegedly involved in various acts of examination malpractice and admission racketeering. A statement from the Registrar and Secretary of Council, Mr Egwu Sam, said the decisions were taken after an emergency meeting of the Senate on Aug. 23. ``The Senate considered and approved for publication, the penalties against the students who were involved in various categories of examination and admission racketeering. ``The conduct of the expelled and suspended students was contrary to the stipulated guidelines and provisions of the institution’s examination and admission ethics. ``The students expelled from the university for involvement in these grievous misconducts are not to be seen in the institution,” the statement said. It stated that the suspension, which ranged from one year to three years, cut across students of different faculties and departments. The statement added that the suspended students were to fail their examinations within the stipulated period. ``They should also stay away from the university for the period of the suspension and apply to the registrar for re-admission when their suspension ends. ``The suspended students who are to fail the examinations are required to register and re-take the affected courses. ``The students are hereby warned to desist from such display of irresponsibility as any other repeated act of gross misconduct shall earn them stiffer punishment,” it said. The statement said the institution had withdrawn the degree issued to a student of the department of agricultural economics, for failing to appear before its misconduct committee. It said the school would ensure that the information was publicised to enable the public to take necessary action when dealing with the students involved. Source http://www.nigeria.news24.com

Zakzaky - Ahmadu Bello University's Last Alumnus Standing

Mahmud Jega's Monday Column in the Daily Trust newspaper of November 26, 2012 titled, "Kongo, Golan Heights and Km 101", prompted me to write and point out what all speakers, well-wishers and goodwill messages left out at the recent 50th anniversary of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, the "largest university South of Sahara", as it is being described It is very correct to say that ABU has been a breeding ground for all shades of ideologies and opinions. it is not an overstatement to say that the university, through the students it has bred and nurtured, has made contribution to Nigeria's development more than any other institution. Among all those who spoke or wrote catalogue of achievements and praises on this centre of excellence in the last fifty years, only Mahmud Jega hinted the one great event in the history of the university that has today culminated into a phenomenon in Nigeria's history. Mahmud Jega however, missed the point. History of ABU can never be complete without the mention of Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqub Zakzaky. Like him, hate him, you cannot ignore this man while discussing great historic events of the university and current situation. Considering what transpired during his student days and what he represents today, i expected the university to present him with an honorary degree, if not for anything, for his long standing ideal, despite trials and tribulations, which made him the last man standing among all its alumni. Mahmud Jega wrote: "In those days, ABU was the vanguard of internationalism as well as of ideological battles, African unity, anti-colonialism, opposition to tyranny and military rule, fighting corruption and human rights abuses as well as campus authoritarianism". The atmosphere at the campus then, as he rightly pointed out, was a clear manifestation of communist ideology in which the left wing rhetoric received a huge boost. It was under this circumstance that the young, vibrant Ibraheem Yaqub Zakzaky emerged on the campus of ABU and changed the equation. He came to the university in the 70s, when religious manifestation and practice were not in vogue. Practical Islam in particular, moderate or extreme as some categorized it, was near impossible and unthinkable. It was a period when the world was dominated by two ideological powers represented by the East (Russia) and West (US), and the world was forced to belong to either of the side. For the love of "social justice", both lecturers and students were inclined to the left wing communist ideology. You are termed as "anti-social" if you did not tilt to the communist fold of comrades. For historical purpose and chronological understanding of the events, we can say that the Iranian revolution had inspired Muslim activists at ABU headed by Zakzaky, as Jega noted. Islamic activism started by Zakzaky had preceded the Islamic revolution in Iran; it only added to his hope and served as a model for him and members. When the Movement started, members were dismissed as "students", and because of their collective brotherhood worthy of emulation, were later termed "Muslim Brothers". It was only in the early 90s that because of the evident inspiration from the Islamic revolution in Iran, members of the Movement are referred to as "Shi'ites". Young Ibraheem Zakzaky coincidentally found himself at the epicentre of ideological battles, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), to read Economics. The then two dominant world ideologies were nothing short of economy and ownership. When left wing revolutionary lecturers in ABU were enticing gullible students with fiery speeches and debates, calling for the establishment of Socialist/Communist Nigeria, the students marching all over the country chanting, Struggle continues! Victory is certain!", the Right Wing fiercely on the defensive, young Ibraheem Zakzaky presented Islam as a new world view and order to the disgruntled and disenchanted university youths that were fed up with the impractical ideological jargons of the West and East. Through sermons and study sessions, he translated the Islamic world view and attitude into a practical programme. At every opportunity, he had to switch from the more common religious topics that other Islamic scholars of his time were discussing, to more serious ones that bordered on justice, rights and freedom. His mates in the university got endeared to him and rallied around him. Zakzaky was able to replace left-wing bibles of those days such as Das Kapital by Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Fredrich Engels, State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin Quotation from Chairman Mao (The Little Red Book), On Practice by Mao Zedong, Collected Works of Enver Hoxha, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney, Wretched of the Earth by Franz Fanon, For the Liberation of Nigeria by Yusuf Bala Usman, etc., which were must read in every discipline in FASS, with struggles and writings of Islamic revolutionaries and theoreticians that represented manifestoes of Islamic ideology. Such books include, Jundullah by Sa'eed Hawa, Ma'alim fi al-Tariq (Milestone) by Sayyed al-Kutub, and in later years books of contemporary Islamic scholars such Ayatollah Baqir Sadr, "Iqtisaduna" (Our Economy). This book was a deadly blow to the concept of dialectical materialism and it strives to show that Islam has answers to problems of the modern world by presenting an Islamic alternative to both capitalism and socialism. It presents Islamic economics as the natural conclusion of Islamic ideology and therefore justified, entirely independent of other systems of economics. When the adherents of socialist ideology in ABU and other universities were propagating the establishment of socialist system in Nigeria, young Ibraheem Zakzaky and his student colleagues staged an unprecedented demonstration in Zaria tagged, "Islam Only" in 1980, calling for the establishment of Islamic system in Nigeria. The demonstrators comprised only students from different Nigerian universities. That did not go well with not only the university authorities, but the Nigerian government. More dangerous was that some lectures on the campus were tilting to the "new world order" of Islam presented by Zakzaky. Usman wrote from Kaduna Source allafrica.com

University of Abuja SSANU Embarks On One-Week Strike

The first set of students will be admitted into Nigeria’s new Technical University next September, increasing Nigeria’s universities to over 160. The new university will be located in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. The Executive secretary of Nigeria’ National Universities Commission(NUC),Professor Julius Okojie has formally presented a letter of recognition to the university to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, charging the governor to “give all it takes to the new institution to survive’’. Okojie expressed dissatisfaction with the manner with which some state universities were being politicised, which always led to their eventual collapse. “The most difficult institutions to run are state owned institutions,’’ he noted. He attributed the problem to change in leadership and politics of ethnicity, adding that, “we cannot play politics with university education’’. Okojie, who also said universities of technology in Nigeria had lost focus, noted that the system was failing because there were no industries to “translate theory into practice. He said universities had big roles to play in ensuring the advancement of technology in the country, especially through constant researches and commitment to quality education. Ajimobi said the university was established to fill the gap in courses that were missing in other universities in the country. “What makes this university unique is that we are focusing on courses that are not readily available in other technical universities in Nigeria, such as mechatronics, aircraft technology, robotics, cyber space security and others. “What we are doing is marrying classroom with industries through the curriculum, which will be engineering and technology based,’’ he explained. He said three local and international companies had already indicated interest to cite their industries on the university campus, which would help in achieving the goal. The governor said the university was being modelled after other technical universities in Asia and Europe, adding that he hopes to encourage entrepreneurship and engineering studies. Ajimobi said the establishment of university would not affect the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states.The institution, situated at the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, he said, would take-off in Sept. 2013. Source pmnewsnigeria.com