Nigeria Universities Updates

The Distance Learning Centre (DLC) of the University of Ibadan has announced plans to start delivering lectures to its students through mobile phones.

Director of the centre, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, disclosed this in Ibadan last Saturday, while briefing reporters on the forthcoming conference on Open Distance Learning (OPL) tagged: “Agbelekawe 2010″ which started on Sunday and will end today.

Egbokhare said Agbelekawe is aimed at educating the public on the concept of distance learning as a method of bringing higher education to the reach of all citizens irrespective of their location, social and economic status.

The don, who lamented that Nigeria is lagging behind in the application of technology in various aspects of life, also disclosed that the centre had partnered with a reputable ICT firm to train its students to use the computer at minimal cost.

Arguing that distance learning is the solution to the limited number of admission places in universities, Egbokhare said the perennial struggle for university admissions by many secondary school certificate holders in Nigeria is a manifestation of education hunger in the country.

Egbokhare observed that while many citizens in other countries were being begged by their leaders to go to school, the reverse is the case in Nigeria as too many candidates are struggling for the available limited spaces.

He insisted that one way to open up admission opportunities for young and old candidates seeking to acquire tertiary education is to multiply the distance learning centres.

Reeling out data to back his argument, Egbokhare said: “While Japan of 127 million population has 1,223 universities, Nigeria of 140 million has only 104 universities, thereby creating crisis of access to higher education in Nigeria. As the number of applicants continues to increase geometrically yearly the ratio of admitted candidates remain abysmally low.”

He also added that while 57, 542 students sought admission to Nigerian universities in 1999 and 4, 110 were admitted, only 12, 3181 were offered admission out of 096, 312 that applied in 2007.

Egbokhare maintained that educational malpractices would be prevented if more candidates are given access to tertiary education through distance learning programmes. “If many of the qualified youths who make up about 60 per cent of the nation’s population are provided access to get educated through the Distance Learning process, mass failure, malpractices, social vices and other ills will be drastically reduced,” he said.

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As part of its effort to contribute to the celebration of Nigeria’s forthcoming Golden Jubilee anniversary, Intercontinental Bank PLC, is be organizing an essay competition entitled ‘Nigeria: A Nation at 50, the Past, the Future’, for undergraduates in public and private universities.

Speaking at a briefing in Lagos, the bank’s Managing Director, Mr Mahmoud Lai Alabi, said the competition tagged ‘50 Stars at 50’ would produce 50 winners that would be unveiled on October 1,Independence Day.

Forms for the competition are on the bank’s website for participants to download, and it can also be picked up from the bank’s branches nationwide.

Alabi said the essays would be marked and assessed by 20 prominent professors in different fields after which the writers would be invited one after the other to defend their article.

According to him, the first placed winner would smile home with N500,000, a scholarship and an HP mini laptop. The second would get N300,000 in addition to scholarship and a HP mini laptop, while the third winner also gets a scholarship and a cash prize of N200,000 and one a mini HP laptop.

The 43 outstanding winners, would also be given one mini HP laptop each.

Speaking on the purpose of the competition, the bank chief said it is to engage youths, who, as future leaders, would be in position to make significant and positive input in charting a new course for the country.

Alabi further described the bank’s gesture as its contribution towards the nations’ 50th anniversary. He added that the initiative also creates a platform for getting the input of youths into national planning, leadership, as well as nation-building.

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The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is set to conduct its direct entry screening for the 2010/2011 academic session at the Nsukka Campus of the institution next Wednesday.

This was contained in a statement by the Acting Registrar, Mr Anthony Okonta, and signed by the Public Relation Officer, Mr Mike Asogwa.

Online registration for the candidates which commenced on August 16 lasted two weeks. The registration cost for eligible candidates is N 1,000 and it is for scratch cards purchased from designated banks.

Candidates who make up to 160 and above in the screening will be invited for a second interview at the Nsukka Campus on September 21, and Enugu Campus of the institution until September 23.

Blind candidates are to register online but are not invited for the screening.

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Prospective students of the Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, who missed the Post-UTME test in July for one reason or the other, will get another chance to write the entrance examination and also go through the screening exercise.

The post-UTME screening for all applicants in the Faculties of Humanities, Natural Science and Social and Management Sciences is slated for September 14 at the school premises.

To write the test, applicants must have registered and filled the application form on the school’s website (www.acu.edu.ng). They must also upload their passport photograph and fill in relevant details.

The results for the first batch of applicants who wrote in July are already out and successful candidates have been screened.

Screening interview for Foundation Programme candidates also took place on Tuesday at the old site of All Saints College, Onireke GRA, Ibadan.

The university resumes for freshers on October 11.

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The management of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has expelled Shittu Bilikis and Ajibade Taiwo, both of the Department of Crop, Soil and Pest Management, as well as Ayeni Kolawole of the Department of Microbiology and Ajayi Ayodele Joel of Estate Management for impersonation during the 2008/2009 second semester examination.

Fifteen others found guilty for involvement in examination malpractice have been suspended.

They are: Jokomba Rilwan, Akinmodiro Augustine, Akinwa Timothy, Adetoye Adegboyega and Samosn Olufemi, all of the Department of Quantitity Surveying.

Others are Rowaiye Olasubomi Olamide, Akomolafe Babajide and Emeka Philips (Mathematical Sciences), Asogbon Oladapo and Amogun Rotimi Akinjagunla (Mining Engineering), Jimoh Eniola (Applied Geology), Eniola Adediwura (Animal Production and Health), Ayah Samuel (Meteorology), Aminu Bukola (Biology) and Ayigbe Ibukun (Physics).

They were scored zero in the courses in which they were found to have been involved in examination malpractice.

Similarly, Kazeem Bello (Applied Geophysics) has been suspended for one semester for falsification of date of birth.

All the expelled and suspended students were advised to hand over all university property in their possession to the appropriate quarters and stay away from the campus.

Further, Evans Ogheinghen of Biochemistry, Oluwaseun Fredrick Enikanosaye of Fisheries & Wildlife, Olarenwaju Olaniyi of Animal Production and Health and Ovia-Usifo Ozeigbe of Civil Engineering have been issued letters of warning for taking laws into their hands following their forceful entry into the premises of the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation (OSRC) and disruption of the station’s programme.

The aforementioned have been told that future occurrence of the illegal act would attract stiffer penalties from the university management.

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