TheNewsGuru

Tag: Students

  • Court remands 4 students for allegedly gang raping colleague

    Court remands 4 students for allegedly gang raping colleague

    A Family Court sitting in Iyaganku on Tuesday ordered that four students of Eleyele Secondary School, Eleyele, Ibadan in Oyo State be remanded for allegedly raping a female colleague, who was mentally challenged.

    NAN reports that the defendants are minors.

    The police charged them with conspiracy and unlawful sexual intercourse.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Sumbo Adetuyibi, did not take their plea due to lack of jurisdiction.

    Adetuyibi ordered that they should be remanded in Abolongo Correctional facility if the juvenile correctional facility at Ijokodo, Ibadan, does not accept them.

    She adjourned the matter until May 11, for mention.

    Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Insp Folake Ewe told the court that the students allegedly conspired together to commit the offence.

    Ewe said the minors, between January and March 15, defiled a 16-year-old female colleague, who was mentally challenged.

    She said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 516 of the Criminal Code and section 34 of the Oyo State Child Rights Law 2006.

  • LAUTECH gets approval to admit more students into medical programme

    LAUTECH gets approval to admit more students into medical programme

    The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has increased admission Quota for the medical programme of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, to 120 from 75.

    Mr. Olalekan Fadeyi, the Principal Assistant Registrar, Public and Alumni Relations, LAUTECH, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, in Ogbomoso.

    Fadeyi said that the development came after the Prof. Juwon Arotiba-led special task force on repositioning the medical programme of the University to one of the best in the country completed its assignment.

    He said that the development was announced through a letter with reference number: MDCN/525/vol.iv/274, dated Feb. 27, 2023, signed by the Council’s Registrar, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi and addressed to the University Vice-Chancellor.

    According to him, the Visitor to the institution and Governor of Oyo State, Gov. Seyi Makinde, had, early in February, raised a task force to study the situation in LAUTECH.

    He said that the special task force was also instructed to look into the situation of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, and come up with suggestions on how to raise standard of training medical doctors.

    The Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mojeed Liasu, in his comment, described the news as a welcome development.

    He thanked Gov. Makinde, Chairman of LAUTECH’s Governing Council, Prof. Deji Omole and the MDCN for the motivation to excel.

    Liasu, promised the University management’s commitment to staying truthful to rules and regulations.

  • Igbinedion University tops private universities in Nig with 34 departments/55 programmes

    Igbinedion University tops private universities in Nig with 34 departments/55 programmes

    Nigeria’s premier private university, Igbinedion University, Okada, IUO with the addition of five new departments, has moved from 29 departments to 34, and from 38 programmes to 55 programmes, making it the largest in any private university in the country.

    Also, the university has moved from 19 post graduate programmes to 24 post graduate programmes.
    These disclosures were made by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, while speaking to newsmen after the university’s 10th Entrepreneurial Day, a programme designed to encourage productivity among the students of the university.

    According to the VC, the new programmes are digital and technology-based programmes, in line with the mantra of the university to produce “future-ready graduates.”

    He said the programmes are with a view to affording the students the latitude for IT profiling and they include Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Engineering, Mechatronics; B.Sc in Cybersecurity; BSc in Software Engineering; BSc in Environmental Engineering; and B. Sc in Pharmacology.

    The new post graduate degrees include postgraduate diplomas, doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) in Computer Engineering, in Mechanical Engineering, in Sociology, as well as Urban and Regional Planning. According to the VC, all these newly introduced 11 programmes are already fully accredited by National Universities Commission (NUC) and all professional bodies that the university is affiliated to.

    He pointed out that the programmes being introduced are to achieve an educational delivery status that suits entrepreneurial activities because they meet the demands of the time, in pursuit of the vision of the university to be a centre of academic excellence through teaching, research and knowledge production in response to contextualized national and global needs.

    “Today we describe our graduates as, not just graduates, they are blue sky graduates – top rated graduates. The blue sky is on the top, high flyers and that is one of the visions.

    ” Our students are excelling everywhere and in all disciplines. It is the vision that our founder, Sir Gabriel Igbinedion,, that he should set up a centre, the full time job of which should be to produce excellence through teaching and research but in the context of national and international demands. Our students are all over the place now, working in every part of the world and have met international demands”.

    The VC expressed joy with the cosmopolitan status of the university, saying “we did matriculation recently and I was so happy to let the parents know that the university is cosmopolitan in nature; we have students from every state in the country, including the federal capital. There was a time we had people from every local government in the 774 local governments in the country.”

    In terms of affirmative action, he said the university has already exceeded the 25 per cent threshold in the employment of women.
    He said that based on four platforms, the university remains a top choice for students and intending members of faculty. These are qualitative educational deliveries; research development; digitalization; and internationalization and partnership.

    This university thrives on high class internationalization and has succeeded in maintaining international partners. You see, every university that does not have a global outlook will not attract quality students
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  • UNIBEN: Soldiers assault students in retaliatory attack

    UNIBEN: Soldiers assault students in retaliatory attack

    In what seems to be a retaliatory attack on students of the University of Benin, soldiers have reportedly stormed UNIBEN assaulting students, and leaving them in a very critical condition.

    Thenewsguru.com reports that on Thursday, February 2, some students assaulted soldiers for allegedly harassing and assaulting their female colleagues at an ATM booth in the school’s premises. A protest ensued with the students calling out the soldiers for the inhumane treatment meted on their colleague.

    However, according to multiple sources, some men in military uniform, returned in the early hours of Friday morning, to assault students and destroy cars found in the school’s premises.

  • Soldiers, UNIBEN Students clash on campus, management reacts

    Soldiers, UNIBEN Students clash on campus, management reacts

    The University of Benin  was on Thursday thrown into pandemonium when some soldiers attached to the Army Supply and Transport (S&T) Barracks, Ugbowo, Benin City, Edo, caused a drama cum disruption and assault on some students of UNIBEN.

    Findings show that the soldiers escaped being lynched by the students after an argument ensued when the soldiers tried to jump the queue at the Automated Teller Machines  (ATMs) inside the institution’s premises.

    The students who felt cheated by the act decided to stop the soldiers and a fracas ensued on the institution’s  premises.

    The soldiers, according to eyewitnesses who spoke on the drama were said to have had an altercation with the students over whose turn to withdraw from ATM, owned by one of the banks at the university premises.

    Trouble, it was learned started, when the students who had queued for the withdrawal resisted the army personnel from jumping the guns to withdraw at the expense of the students who had stayed for hours to get paid

    One of the students who spoke on condition of anonymity said the soldiers are in the habit of doing it

    “On Wednesday, they (the soldiers) came here (the ATM inside the University) and harassed the students. They even asked the students who challenged them to queue up to lie on the ground.

    “But yesterday (Thursday) when they came again and wanted to do the same thing, the student resisted them,” an eyewitness who did not want his name mentioned said.

    While the heated arguments lasted between the students and the military officers, the Chief Security Officer, CSO, of the institution was said to have moved to the scene, apparently with a view to intervening when he got assaulted by the soldiers who they claimed slapped the CSO.

    The development, according to the source heightened the already tense atmosphere as the students in their numbers pounced on the soldiers with one of them reportedly sustaining injury.

    The aggrieved students afterwards barricaded Ugbowo-Lagos Expressway and halt vehicular movements for several hours, as all routes leading to and fro the UNIBEN main gate were stalled in protest against the soldiers’ action.

    It took the intervention of some spirited Nigerians and the Deputy Police Officer, DPO, Ugbowo division to appease the irate students to allow movement around the axis.

    When contacted, the Police spokesperson in the State, SP Chidi Nwabuzor said he was in Abuja and could not give details but  ASP Jennifer Iwegbu,  confirmed the incident.

    ASP Iwegbu said peace was restored after several appeals to the student but claimed that the students want a phone belonging to one of the unnamed students that were smashed on the ground fixed to end the gruel.

    UNIBEN Management Reacts

    In a swift reaction, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Lilian Salami in a statement on Friday, lamented the “unfortunate incident” and sued for calm, assuring that efforts are being made to avert a reoccurrence in future.

    “The situation has been brought under control and the Management of the University is in discussions with the hierarchy of the S & T for amicable resolution,” she said.

    The unfortunate incident of the clash between some students of our university and soldiers on Thursday 2nd February,  resulting from alleged resistance of students to the soldiers’ attempt to jump ATM cues on campus has been brought under control and the Management of the University is in discussions with the hierarchy of the S & T for amicable resolution.

    The Management  acknowledges that these are challenging times  for everyone and enjoins all to remain calm  while efforts are being made to avert a re- occurrence.

    Management also calls on the students to constantly engage dialogue in resolving issues that concern them rather than taking to protests, at any provocation, thereby causing more injury and damage to themselves and other citizens.

  • Auchi poly expels 40 students for result falsification

    Auchi poly expels 40 students for result falsification

    The Management of Auchi polytechnic, Edo, says it had expelled 40 students over result falsification and deficiency at the point of entry into some programmes at the institution.

    A news bulletin of the Information and Public Relations Unit of the institution on Wednesday, signed by Adebola Ogunboyowa, said the students were expelled following the outcome of the regular verification exercise for the 2020/2021 academic session.

    According to Ogunboyowa, the affected students were involved in forgery and falsification of their results to gain admission into the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes.

    Ogunboyowa said the expelled students cut across different departments in the polytechnic.

    Ogunboyowa disclosed that the Rector of the institution, Dr Salisu Umar, had proposed 12 new programmes to commence in the 2022/2023 academic session.

    The new programmes include Printing Technology, Welding and Fabrication Technology, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Library and Information Science Taxation, Leisure, Tourism Management Technology and Social Development.

    Others are Microfinance and Enterprise Development, Computer Engineering Technology, Economics and Development Studies, Agricultural Extension and Management and Crop Production Technology.

    According to her, the idea is in line with the Rector’s commitment to reposition the polytechnic and make it enviable in the nation and beyond.

    “In pursuit of the Rector’s vision, 12 new programmes at both National Diploma and Higher National Diploma are proposed for resource inspection by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

    “Ten of the proposed programmes are for the ND level while two are at HND level,” Ogunboyowa said.

    She added that the institution is set for re-accreditation of all programmes in the polytechnic.

    She noted that the management had improved on the existing infrastructure and procured necessary equipment to ensure that no programme is denied accreditation.

    Ogunboyowa said the Rector urged all Deans of School and Heads of Departments scheduled for various stages of accreditation to put in their best to compliment the management efforts.

  • Robbers attack UI, kill NECO official

    Robbers attack UI, kill NECO official

    Armed robbers have invaded the staff quarters of the University of Ibadan, killing Mr Vincent Odinko, an occupant of one of the buildings, who worked in the SSCE Internal Unit, Ibadan branch of the National Examinations Council, NECO.

    According to reliable sources, the sad incident happened last Friday night.

    The night marauders broke into the boys’ quarters (BQ) of a staff building where Odinko lived with his family.

    It was gathered that the robbers took away the laptop and mobile phones of the occupants. The wife is said to be a member of the university staff.

    Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Oyo State, Adewale Osifeso, said the command had launched an investigation to track down Odinko’s killers.

    A university community member described the development as “extremely disturbing.”

    The resident wondered why an institution with perimeter fencing, good security architecture and personnel can be experiencing security breaches that even led to the killing.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that sometime in 2022 suspected armed robbers invaded the University of Ibadan hostels, located around the Barika area of the Agbowo community in Ibadan North Local Council of Oyo State and carted away some valuables belonging to occupants and students.

    The Southwest Bureau Chief of The Guardian, Mr, Seye Olumide was one of the victims, while many students of the University of Ibadan and others were injured in the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.

    Witnesses said the robbers stormed the area around 2:00 a.m. and started shooting indiscriminately.

    An eyewitness said the security guard on night duty was allegedly shot but narrowly escaped death.

    A resident of the area, Olukemi Romoke said a student, identified simply as Victor, was shot by the robbers and was rushed down to the school clinic.

    She said:  “The robbers arrived in our area around 2:00 a.m. A student, Victor was shot in his left leg. He has been taken to U’s clinic. They collected N250,000  cash and a Point of Sales (PoS) machine from our neighbour.

    “Many students were injured, and the robbers collected their money and phones. It was like a film last night. Police were invited but they couldn’t meet them.”

  • Just In: Sanwo-Olu increases Lagos students’ bursary by 100%

    Just In: Sanwo-Olu increases Lagos students’ bursary by 100%

    Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has approved an increment of 100 per cent on bursary payable to students of  Lagos State origin in tertiary institutions across the country.

    The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, Mr. Abdur Rahaman Lekki said in a statement on Sunday that the increment would take effect from 2022/ 2023 academic session.

    Lekki said that he had already informed representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Lagos State Chapter,  and the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) at a meeting at Alausa, Ikeja.

    He said that the meeting was held at the instance of the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo- Olu on Education, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.

    Lekki said that the meeting had in attendance, the presidents and some executive members of both the two students union bodies,  NANS and NULAS, and representatives of the state government.

    He said that the 100 per cent bursary increment and other benefits were aimed at supporting the educational needs of students of Lagos state origin, to let them cope with the present economic reality.

    Lekki also disclosed that the government at the just concluded State Economic Summit known as ”Ehingbeti Summit” had approved the resolutions on the establishment of Lagos Diaspora Scholarship Fund.

    According to him, the scholarship fund is aimed at providing scholarship and bursary benefits generally to all Lagos state resident students in tertiary institutions, in any part of the country, to support their education.

    He appealed to the students over a little delay in the payment of the remaining 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 bursary/ scholarship benefits.

    The board secretary said that the delay was necessitated by the ongoing data-cleansing/verification exercise across all institutions by the state government,

    ”The ongoing data-cleansing/verification exercise is to ensure that only qualified students of  Lagos state origin benefited from the scheme,” he said.

    Lekki that the Lagos state scholarship board through the ongoing verification and data cleansing exercise discovered a fraudulent act, which was at the expense of the original students of the state that the scheme was meant for.

    He said that it was discovered that some people who either were no more students or not even students of any higher institution were benefiting from the scheme.

    The board secretary assured that prompt payment of both bursary and scholarship benefits for the outstanding years would begin immediately after the ongoing exercise was completed.

    According to him, for the avoidance of doubt, effective from Monday, Oct. 17, students of the Lagos State College of Heath Technology (LASCOHET) will get their outstanding payments for the  2020/2021 academic year.

    He said that the management of LASCOHET had completed the students’ verification exercise and forwarded the list of its authentic students to the board.

    Lekki also said that the Board had scheduled assessment tests for fresh beneficiaries for the year 2022/2023 scholarship benefit for Oct. 29, as necessary details had been sent to qualified applicants.

    While allaying the students’ fear that the state government was planning to stop the scheme, he said that there was no basis to stop it since there was provision for it in the state budget.

    According to him, the  2023 budget of the state government has captured the new increment and other benefits to make life more bearable for students in their studies.

    ”I want you to remember that the state government just appointed a new board secretary to the Lagos state scholarship board for the administration of both bursary and scholarship benefits.

    ”That is even enough for you to know there was no plan at any time to stop the scheme. Both bursary and scholarship schemes will continue unstopped for the benefits of our students.

    ”Rather than stopping it, the governor will continue to improve on it as part of the measures to realise his vision for sustainable educational growth for the state, in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda,” he said.

    In their response, the leadership of the two students bodies, NANS and NULASS dispelled rumours that their members planned blocking the Third Mainland Bridge on Oct. 17 in protest of the delay in the disbursement of outstanding benefits for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions.

    They were represented by their presidents, Olusesi Tolulope (NANS) and Shasanya Akinola (NULASS) along with other exco members.

    They described the rumour of protest by students of Lagos state origin as blatant lies, noting that their members had absolute confidence in  Sanwo-Olu as a responsible governor and father who they could trust for his promises.

    The students’union leaders presented a letter of assurances from their members to the state government.

    They said that the administration of Sanwo-Olu had not only demonstrated commitment to the growth of education, through various reforms, but had also ensured prompt and seamless payment of both scholarship and bursary benefits in the past.

    The students also commended the governor for payments of all the backlogs inherited by his administration,

    They said the planned protest, if there was any, was the handiwork of faceless and disgruntled individuals, whose stock in trade was falsehood and disturbance of public peace.

  • ASUU Strike: NEC fix Thursday to hold emergency meeting to decide fate of Nigerian students

    ASUU Strike: NEC fix Thursday to hold emergency meeting to decide fate of Nigerian students

     

    The striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, will convene emergency National Executive Council, NEC meeting on Thursday, to review recent developments, especially the positive response from the federal government to its demands.

    Preparatory to the meeting expected to take place at its headquarters in Abuja,the union has directed its zonal branches to collate the views of members through vote during the meetings expected to hold tomorrow in its various zones across the country.

    The outcome of the meeting would result in suspension of the strike on late Thursday or Friday morning.

    This came as report had emerge in the social media space earlier on Tuesday, claiming that the union had called off the almost 8-month old strike and subsequently directed members to resume academic activities on October 17.

    ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, while responding to enquiry to that effect, dismissed the report, saying the strike was yet to be suspended.

    He, however,said the union was working towards the suspension of the action, saying the action would be dependent on the views of members from the zonal meetings.

    The latest action of the lecturers’union came following the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

    The Speaker had on Monday,after a meeting with ASUU president and other members,assured that the strike would be suspended very soon, saying his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari over the union’s action was fruitful.

    Earlier,human rights lawyer and counsel to ASUU,Femi Falana,SAN, had also said the union would soon call off its nearly eight-month old strike.

  • ASUU Strike: Students block Ibadan-Ile-Ife Highway

    ASUU Strike: Students block Ibadan-Ile-Ife Highway

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday blocked the major Ibadan – Ile-Ife-Ilesa Expressway, leaving motorists and commuters stranded for for several hours.

    Newsmen reports that this was in continuation of the association’s nationwide protest on major highways against the lingering face-off between the Federal Government and their lecturers.

    Newsmen recalls that the students started the protest on Tuesday at the Sagamu interchange, blocking all roads leading to Lagos, Abeokuta and the Southern part of the country.

    The agency recalls that ASUU had on Feb. 14, embarked on indefinite strike on the premise of inadequate funding of public universities, among other demands.

    Newsmen, also reports that the blockage, which started at about 12.30 p.m, left many motorists plying the road stranded with their passengers.

    All entreaties to the aggrieved students by motorists and commuters, especially those going for one ceremony or the other did not yield any result as they refused bluntly to open the road.

    Even, the presence of the security personnel, especially the police, Federal Road Safety Corps, could not help matter as the students insisted that they would not leave the road until their demands were met by the Federal Government.

    The protesting students, armed with placards of various inscriptions, were chanting solidarity songs, saying that they were tired of staying at home and demanded an end to the strike.

    Some of the protesting students chanting solidarity songs on highway.

    Commenting, Emmanuel Olatunji Adegboyega, the South-West Coordinator of NANS, said the government should brace up as the students were tired of sitting idle at home.

    Adegboyega said that the students would not relent until they go back to school.

    He said: “We insist that government must fund education and not look down on children of the masses, because their own children are schooling abroad.

    “We will continue to occupy the major roads live and better still, we will go to Abuja and ensure that we make our voices heard. But, we will not stop until ASUU strike is called off.”

    Also, Mr Abidemi Adeleke, the NANS Chairman in Oyo State, said that only the Minister of Works, Babatunde Fasola had responded to the students’ protest through the media.

    According to Adeleke, Fasola described our protest as illegal, but he didn’t see non payment of lecturers’ salaries as illegal.

    “We are not moved by whatever name our protest is tagged, all we want is to return back to the classrooms.

    “We are live now at Gbongan Expressway. Let them answer us and not tag our being on the highways as illegal, because we will not stop until we can go back to schools.

    However, the NANS leadership later agreed to open the highway at exactly 3.00 p.m, after pleadings from the stranded motorists and commuters.