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Tag: college of education

  • College of Education accountant to serve 304 years jail term over forgery 

    College of Education accountant to serve 304 years jail term over forgery 

    One Emmanuel Sombo has been sentenced to 304 years imprisonment for forgery and stealing of N34. 9 million from the account of Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, in Enugu state.

    Sombo was an accountant with the institution.

    He was convicted and sentenced by An Enugu State High Court presided over by Justice Kenneth Okpe.

    Sombo, who was convicted last Thursday after a long trial which started in 2010, had pleaded not guilty to the 61 count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in suit No E/56C/2010.

    He was alleged to have on several occasions forged the signatures of principal officers of the institution on promissory notes with which he cashed monies running into N34 million from the college’ First Bank account for his personal use.

    The principal officers including the Provost, the Registrar and the Bursar denied signing the cheques with which the accused withdrew the monies.

    The EFCC forensic experts who took samples of the principal officers’ signatures confirmed that the ones on the cheques used in the transactions were forged.

    Delivering judgement on the matter, Justice Kenneth Okpe said they based on the weight of evidence before the court, the court had no difficulty in concluding that the accused person personally forged the signatures on the disputed cheques or was assisted to forge the documents.

    “The court is satisfied that the circumstantial evidence placed before it is cogent, compelling and points irresistibly to the fact that the accused person committed the offence of forging the disputed cheques. He acted alone and is still alone as he could not call even one witness from the college to support his defence.

    “These elements of the offence are present in the instant case and I, therefore, hold that the prosecution has proved all the ingredients of the offence of forgery beyond reasonable doubt and accordingly I find the accused guilty of forgery as charged in counts 32 to 61.

    “All the elements of stealing are present in this case. The accused person in his statement to the EFCC said he knew that the disputed cheques were fraudulently issued but he was asked by his Boss to play along.

    “He cashed the cheques and disbursed the proceeds in a manner that permanently deprived the Federal College of Education Eha-Amufu of the ownership of the money. I therefore also find the accused person guilty of the offence of stealing as charged in counts 1 to 31.

    “I will therefore sentence the accused person, Emmanuel Sombo to 7 years imprisonment for each of the offences of stealing in counts 1 to 31 in the Amended information, 217 years.

    “I also sentence him to 3 years imprisonment for each of the offences of forgery in counts 32 to 61 of the Amended Information, 87 years. However, the entire sentences are to run concurrently with effect from today. This is my judgement in this case.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Kwara govt. re-opens College of Education, Ilorin

    Kwara govt. re-opens College of Education, Ilorin

    Kwara Government has ordered the immediate resumption of academic activities at the state College of Education in Ilorin.

    This directive is contained in a statement issued by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Monsurat Amuda-Kannike, in Ilorin on Sunday.

    Amuda-Kannike quoted the Commissioner in the ministry, Dr Alabi Abolore as saying that Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq gave the directive, following interventions by some relevant stakeholders on the need to find lasting solutions to the crisis in the institution.

    Newsmen recalls that the state government had, on Oct. 19, shut the college, following the violent protest embarked upon by the students.

    The commissioner said that government had to close the institution to forestall possible degeneration of the crisis within the college community.

    Abolore said it took the ministry series of engagements with the college management and the leadership of the Joint Academic Staff Union in Tertiary Institutions (JASUTI), both of which pleaded for return to normalcy.

    ”Committee of Unions in Tertiary Institutions (CUTI) in the institution and other important stakeholders also intervened.

    ”Another takeaway from those meetings was the promise from the attendants never to allow anything that could threaten public peace and impede academic session in that citadel of learning happen again,” he said.

    The statement added that the latest decision by government was to enable the college to continue with the examination that was put on hold, following the shutdown.

    It, however, called on the school management to justify the confidence reposed in it by ensuring that the institution met the yearning of students vis-a-vis the service delivery.

  • BLASPHEMY: Deborah’s parent speak, lament cost of her death

    BLASPHEMY: Deborah’s parent speak, lament cost of her death

    Garba Emmanuel, the father of Deborah, the 200-level student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, who was burnt to death for alleged blasphemy, has narrated what her death would cost the family.

    Deborah’s father said he put everything into her schooling and could not afford to finance the education of her six siblings.

    He told reporters: “Everything we have, we put it into the education of Deborah and today, she is dead.

    “Because of Deborah’s schooling, we couldn’t send her siblings to school because we can’t afford it. If you have nothing, you can’t sponsor all your children to such schools.”

    The late Deborah, who was killed for alleged blasphemy, was the second of seven children.

    Emmanuel said they would leave everything in God’s hands.

    “As believers, we have taken this as an act of God. We will not seek for vengeance or any action. A believer resigns his fate to God,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Emmanuel, who is based in Niger State, was able to retrieve his daughter’s remains for a funeral.

    He said: “I went to the police in Sokoto and I pleaded with them that since the corpse had been burnt, they should help me with it so that it does not completely decompose, so I could bury it.

    “I also pleaded with the Department of State Services (DSS) and they reasoned with me and agreed. I signed some documents and they gave her remains to me.

    “I paid for the transportation from Sokoto to Rijau. I paid N120,000. It was hard getting anyone who will help us take the corpse down here.

    “Most of the Hausa men were reluctant to help us but you know that no matter the circumstances, someone always needs money. That was how we got someone to bring her body down to Niger.”

    He said the government was yet to contact the family.

    Still living in shock over the killing of her daughter for alleged blasphemy, Deborah’s mother, Alheri, said “Deborah was a respectful and diligent young lady who hated injustices.”

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) gathered that Alheri was hospitalized following the incident,

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: Pressure mounts for Gov. Okowa to dirty hands with College of Education

    EXCLUSIVE: Pressure mounts for Gov. Okowa to dirty hands with College of Education

    Mosogar Community in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State has threatened a showdown with the Delta State Government over the position of Provost of the Delta State College of Education (COE), Mosogar.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) learnt that some leaders in the Mosogar community had vowed to cause mayhem if the State Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa refused to play in the dirty game.

    According to a group known as Concerned Residents in Mosogar Kingdom, who described the leaders as faceless, said Dr Moses Ogheneovo Omayuli, who they supposed to be fighting for, did not meet the requirements to be named as provost of the institution.

    The patriotic group in a statement frowned at the purported lies put together by the “faceless individuals”, stressing that in the item number iv of the requirements for the post of provost as published in the corrigendum to the COEM advert dated Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in the Pointer newspaper, specified that the applicant must not be more than 60 years of age as at the time of assumption of duty.

    “It is not in our style to respond to fictitious allegations, but there is the need to put the records straight for the sake of the unsuspecting masses”.

    “This fact, those who want to cause mayhem in the State also admitted in their publication in the Oasis Magazine of Monday 11th May, 2020. This clearly shows that the said Dr Moses Omayuli who is already 62 years of age was not even qualified to participate in the said interview. If others were appointed in breach of laid principles in the past, such errors should be corrected henceforth,” the statement by Concerned Residents in Mosogar Kingdom read.

    According to the group, Governor Okowa as a man of principle and due process should not be conned into playing the dirty game of nepotism.

    “It would also interest you to note that the petitioners and their co-travellers maliciously claimed that one of the interviewees, Dr. Imide Israel Onokero has not spent up to 5 years as a Chief Lecturer. Our findings show that this falsehood is a calculated attempt to hoodwink the Governor and the Governing Council.

    “The records before us revealed that Dr Imide has been a Chief Lecturer since January 1, 2011, a period of 9 years. So it is sad that those who want to perpetrate trouble in the State failed to check the appropriate records before making their bogus allegations. But that notwithstanding, as shown in previous appointments, our detribalised Governor, Dr Okowa will never shortchange any qualified individual based on sentiments.

    “There is also the need to correct the wrong impression that the provost of an institution must be an indigene of where it is sited as alleged by the petitioners. In sane climes, heads of higher institutions are selected based on merits and not on sentiments. The Delta State government has followed this precedence from the onset. There are no known indigenous heads of the State owned institutions like the Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State Polytechnics in Oghara, Ozoro and Ogwashi-Uku and the Colleges of Education in Warri and Agbor.

    “It is our passionately appeal to the Governor to ignore the false allegations of the petitioners and appoint the most qualified candidate for the position,” the group averred.

  • LASG to upgrade Adeniran Ogunsanya College to university

    The Lagos State Government says there are plans to upgrade Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) to a University of Education.

    The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this on Monday, when the newly elected Zonal Coordinators of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Zone D, led by Comrade Kappo Olawale paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

    Sanwo-Olu said his administration was committed to the reform of the education sector, as it has the ”lion share” in the year 2020 budget.

    ”We want to elevate Adesanya Ogunsanya College of Education to a University of Education. This is one of our plans as a government.

    ”We are training all primary school teachers and also recruiting new ones.

    “We will ensure that the quality in our classrooms are the same. And this is based on development of teachers first.

    ”Once we are able to push that, we will also improve the quality of teaching. We will see better outcome and that will give us better pupils.

    ”We will also duplicate this in secondary schools across Lagos. We want to continue to reduce truancy, cultism and all those unhealthy acts amongst pupils.

    We will increase infrastructure in schools,” he said.

    The governor said that his administration would build new facilities for state institutions and complete the ones that were yet to be completed.

    He urged the student leaders to ensure that they uphold peace in their various institutions and be good representatives of their citadels of learning.

    ”We want to have positive impacts at all levels of education but we need you to understand and appreciate the efforts of the government.

    ”We need you to be able to speak to your fellow students to ensure that we continue to work in an environment where there is peace, harmony, understanding and collaboration,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    The students were received by the governor and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat; Special Adviser on Education, Mr Tokunbo Wahab; Special Adviser on Tourism, Mr Solomon Bonu; and Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Mrs Folashade Adebowale-Owoeye.

  • Edo Govt to run multi-campus college of education

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has disclosed plans to restructure the state’s tertiary education scene for the training of teachers with competencies in different knowledge and skill areas, especially basic and technical education.

    Obaseki disclosed this when he visited the Abudu College of Education, in Orhionmwon Local Government Council, for an on-the-spot inspection of infrastructure at the institution.

    According to Obaseki, “in the plan, the state is to operate the Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor, as well as multi-campus College of Education with sites in Igueben, Abudu and Auchi.

    “While the Abudu campus is to serve as Special Training Centre for teachers at the Basic Education level, the campus at Igueben will focus on training teachers for technical and secondary education.”

    He said the state government has concluded arrangement to remodel the college in Abudu, noting, “After revamping this institution, it will serve as a centre for training and certification of new sets of teachers for the basic level of education. This will prepare the teachers to adopt modern teaching methods at that level of education.”

    He added, “We are here to review the plans and designs, which will give way for the remodelling of the campus. This visit will prepare way for the contractors to be mobilised to site immediately. The rehabilitation work at the college will not affect academic work as the campus is currently not in session.”

    He noted that government has a funding plan for the college, which will serve as training centre for basic school teachers, who are instrumental in the state’s government drive to revive public primary education.

    Noting that training has already commenced for some teachers in pilot schools at Benin, the state capital, Obaseki said, “The training will prepare teachers to apply new methods of teaching, which the state government has introduced at the basic level of education. About 2000 teachers from 300 schools are participating in the pilot phase of this training programme.”

    The governor explained that in the long-term plan, the state plans to continue with the training of teachers, noting, “The training of teachers will be on a permanent basis as we intend to have a system that focuses on special training for teachers at the basic education level.”

     

  • Edo embarks on urgent repairs of facilities at College of Education Ekiadolor

    Edo embarks on urgent repairs of facilities at College of Education Ekiadolor

    Edo state government is to carry out urgent repairs of the facilities at the state owned College of Education as part of its efforts to equip teachers to adapt to a new technology based curriculum the state intends to introduce in the next academic session.

    Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, disclosed this on Thursday when he inspected facilities at the Abudu campus of the College of Education, Ekiadolor, in Orhiomwon Local Government Area of the state.

    Obaseki said that his administration was seeking to change the school’s curriculum to a technology-based one which would allow the use of tablets and computers as teaching and learning tools.

    The governor , however, expressed dissatisfaction with the dilapidated state of the school facilities which would serve as a training centre for the teachers.

    He said the government would carry out quick repairs on some of the structures to accommodate teachers coming for their training soon.

    Obaseki described the school as one of the greatest assets of the state, saying it had been instrumental to the success recorded in the education sector in the past.

    The governor said it was sad that despite the huge investment in the school over the past decades, it had degenerated to a sorry state.

    He said that the school would be given proper attention, especially as the state was preparing to embrace vocational education.

    Interim Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education, Malam Ali Sulaiman, in his welcome address urged communities to take ownership of government assets in their domains to prevent deterioration.

    Also speaking, Prof. Edu Akenzua, the Enogie of Evbuonosa, where the school is located, said the community was happy with government’s drive to revamp the education sector.

    He said that the community would play its part in the protection and management of the school’s facilities.