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Don praises Tinubu’s students’ loan scheme for public universities

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Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Charles Igwe has said the students’ loans scheme initiated by President Bola Tinubu will make public universities concentrate on their core mandate of learning and research.

Igwe, who spoke against the financial pressures, particularly on public tertiary institutions, to fund themselves through the generation of Internally Generated Revenue(IGR), insisted that universities were never established to raise money to run themselves and still engage in academics.

Fielding questions from reporters after being conducted around projects executed by his administration on the three campuses of the university, Igwe said the students’ loan scheme would enable the tertiary institutions perform their mandates without encumbrances on the students and the instructions.

The VC maintained that tertiary institutions were rather created for learning and research, adding that their finances were essentially conceived to emanate from endowments, grants, and other sources, but not to be financially self-sustaining.

“It was for the reason of the universities concentrating on their core philosophy that President Bola Tinubu opted for students’ loans.

“The university is a universal business. The university is not supposed to open a shop at Nsukka market and begin to raise funds just because it needs money.

“The business of the university is to teach, research, impact knowledge and do extension services. These are the basic mandates of every university worldwide. When we talk about IGR, sometimes they will say you are not farming, you are not producing pure water and bread.

“These things are distractions. I have attended universities in Europe, Asia and I’ve looked at how they manage issues.”

The VC added that one of the ways his administration had contributed to funding various projects was through international research grants.

“We make our staff work very hard in attracting international grants such as in my department, Soil Science, where we are able to get some equipment while working on my research. That is one of the ways academic staff get funds.

“But it’s not going to sell pure water and bread. This is not the kind of money that the university needs to conduct proper research and impact society. We are not talking about floating buses that will be running from Nsukka market and will be collecting N30 or N40.

“I’m happy that President Tinubu is talking about granting loans to university students. I just hope that they will also provide jobs for them so that when they finish, they will pay back these loans so that it can benefit others.

“One of the ways of attracting money to the university is by charging appropriate fees, but the last time I added N5,000 to the school fees, the students demonstrated. They said they didn’t know the VC was a Yahoo VC.

“What we get from the Federal Government every month is less than N15 million as overhead and the last time they brought it was in August and this is December and you pay electricity bill of more than N80 million and buy diesel as well. It’s from this so-called N90-something that students pay and N15,000 hostel fees that you take care of these things. Where does that lead you?”

The VC added that his administration inherited a total of 104 uncompleted projects but had completed 73 while the remaining were ongoing

Education

Kwara Govt warns against illegal charges for Common Entrance exam

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The Kwara State Government has warned principals of Junior Secondary Schools and head teachers of primary schools across the state against illegal charges for the state placement examination (Common Entrance).

Any violator will face the full wrath of the law, the state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, warned on Tuesday in her office in Ilorin.

She emphasized that the common entrance is free and government will not tolerate anyone or group of people extorting money, under any guise, from the pupils because the examination is fully sponsored by the state government.

Hajia Modibbo Kawu urged the principals and head teachers to desist from all acts that could dent the image of the state government.

She also cautioned them against aiding and abetting examination malpractices, stating that the present administration has zero tolerance for examination malpractices.

The commissioner implored the parents and guardians of the pupils to report any principal or head teacher with suspicious acts to her office directly, reiterating that her office is open to everyone.

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Education

UNILORIN appoints 40 new Professors

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By Saka Laaro, Ilorin

The University of Ilorin has announced the promotion of 40 of its senior academics to the rank of Professor.

The elevation, which was approved by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, was sequel to the recommendations of the University Appointment and Promotion Committee.

A statement from the Office of the Registrar said that the 40 distinguished scholars were found to have excelled in the realms of teaching, research and community service and subsequently promoted to the highest rank obtainable in the academia.

The breakdown of the beneficiaries of the promotion exercise shows that 11 of the new Professors are produced by the Faculty of Agriculture and they are Prof. Sidiqat A. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab, Prof. L. L. Adefalu,Prof. F. O. Takim and Prof. A. A. Badmos.

Others are Prof. Foluke E. Sola-Ojo, Prof. W. A. Jimoh, Prof. M. I. Abubakar, Prof. T. H. Aliyu, Prof. R. O. Uddin II, Prof. T. O. Amusa and Prof. Mutiat A. Balogun.
From the Faculty of Arts are Prof. K. M. U. Gbodofu, Prof. Y. A. Abdullahi, Prof. Abosede R. O. Babatunde, Prof. Bolanle E. Arokoyo, and Prof. P. U. Nwosu while the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences produced Prof. A. S. Alabi, who teaches at the Department of Anatomy.
Two Lecturers from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences were also elevated to the rank of Professor and they are Prof. T. O. Olanrewaju and Prof. O. A. M. Adesiyun.

The Faculty of Communication & Information Science also produced two new Professors through Prof. Tinuke O. Oladele and Prof. Saudat S. Abdulbaqi while those promoted from the Faculty of Education are Prof. O. O. Okoji, Prof. Folakemi O. Adeniyi-Egbeola and Prof. Florence O. Daramola

From the Faculty of Engineering and Technology are Prof. A. T. Ajiboye, Prof. A. Y. Abdulrahman, Prof. M. O. Sumonu, Prof. Rasheedat M. Mahamood and Prof. T. K. Ajiboye.

The Faculty of Law produced one new Professor in the person of Prof. A. C. Onuora-Oguno.
The Faculty of Life Sciences produced four new professors. They are Prof. M. O. Nafiu, Prof. Faoziyat A. Sulaiman, Prof. Risikat Nike Ahmed, and Prof. I. O. Sule.

Those promoted from the Faculty of Management Sciences are Prof. M. A. Ajayi and Prof. Rihanat I. Abdulkadir as the Faculty of Physical Sciences also produced two new professors through Prof. Haleemat I. Adegoke and Prof. O. A. Abidoye.

The promotion of Prof. Monisola A. Tunde of the Department of Geography and Environmental Management was also confirmed while the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine also produced one of the new Professors in the person of Prof. Z. Jaji from the Department of Veterinary Anatomy.

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Education

Student Union election turns deadly: One student flees for life, parents killed in tragic attack 

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In the quiet town of Ekiadolor, the College of Education became a battleground as student politics turned deadly. Odunuga Gbenga, a promising student, found himself thrust into the chaos of campus conflict.

It all began innocently enough when Gbenga was nominated as a contestant for the Student Union presidency. Little did he know that this simple act would plunge him into a nightmare.

During the election, tensions ran high as rival factions clashed violently. What was supposed to be a democratic process spiraled into chaos, with reports of killings, rapes, and riots echoing across the school grounds.

In fear for his life, Gbenga fled the campus, seeking refuge in the familiar embrace of his parents’ home in Edo State. But safety eluded him as darkness fell on that fateful night.

Under the cover of midnight, a group of assailants descended upon Gbenga’s home, shattering the peace of the night. In a desperate bid for survival, Gbenga fought bravely, but the odds were against him.

Tragically, Gbenga’s valiant efforts were in vain. Though he managed to escape, his beloved parents were not as fortunate. The attackers, driven by unknown motives, mercilessly took the lives of Mr. Samuel Odunuga and Mrs. Taiwo Odunuga, leaving a family shattered and a community reeling in shock.

Since that harrowing night in 2023, the search for Gbenga has consumed the hearts and minds of his grieving family. Their plea echoes through the pages of this newspaper, a desperate cry for justice and closure in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

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