Today In History: April 30

313: Licinius unifies the whole of the eastern Roman Empire under his own rule.

1250: King Louis IX of France is ransomed.

1527: Henry VIII of England and King Francis of France sign treaty of Westminster.

1563: All Jews are expelled from France by order of Charles VI.

1725: Spain withdraws from the Quadruple Alliance.

1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first U.S. president.

1803: The United States doubles in size through the Louisiana Purchase, which was sold by France for $15 million.

1812: Louisiana is admitted into the Union as a state.

1849: Giuseppe Garabaldi, the Italian patriot and guerrilla leader, repulses a French attack on Rome.

1864: Work begins on the Dams along the Red River, which will allow Union General Nathaniel Banks’ troops to sail over the rapids above Alexandria, Louisiana.

1930: The Soviet Union proposes a military alliance with France and Great Britain.

1931: The George Washington Bridge, linking New York City and New Jersey, opens.

1943: The British submarine HMS Seraph drops ‘the man who never was,’ a dead man the British planted with false invasion plans, into the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain.

1945: Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker. Karl Donitz becomes his successor.

1968: U.S. Marines attack a division of North Vietnamese troops in the village of Dai Do.

1970: U.S. troops invade Cambodia to disrupt North Vietnamese Army base areas.

1972: The North Vietnamese launch an invasion of the South.

1973: Nixon announces the resignation of H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and other top aides.

1975: North Vietnamese troops enter the Independence Palace of South Vietnam in Saigon ending the Vietnam War.

1980: Terrorists seize the Iranian Embassy in London.

NgREN Acquires e-Content Woth $4 million

By Dayo Adesulu 

Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) has secured resources valued at about $4 million EBSCOHost e-content which will be available for free to all Nigerian universities until December 31st, 2016. 

The information which was disclosed by the Chairman, NgREN Board and Executive Secretary, Professor Julius Okojie, noted that the e-content resources will include e-books, journals, academic magazines etc. According to him, $4 million would grow the number of available resources in the nation’s university libraries and as a result, heighten research activities in the Nigerian University System (NUS). 

Okojie who urged universities to key into the opportunity explained that by accessing the EBSCOHost e-content, Nigerian varsities stand a better chance of enhancing their position in international university rankings just as in the accreditation of programmes, where library holdings form a major component of the assessment. 

He said: “Universities in Nigeria are hereby encouraged to utilise these resources which are available on the NgREN at no cost until the end of 2016. Plans are underway to ensure that universities on NgREN continue to access EBSCO and other e-content beyond the expiration of the current service.” He pointed out that NgREN was established in 2014 to provide an elaborate infrastructural backbone to interconnect all Research and Education Institutions in Nigeria and link them with other Research and Education Networks (RENs) worldwide Since its formal launch, the NgREN has made significant progress in reducing the cost of bandwidth for subscriber institutions from an initial USD 1,260 per mbps when the project took off, to USD160 per mbps and to a present cost estimate of USD50 per mbps, saving the universities a huge chunk of their resources, which could be channelled to other areas of need. 

“REN has helped in reduction of travel costs as a result of the video-conferencing facilities and capacity building cost savings through online and remote training modules,” he stated.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/ngren-secures-e-content-worth-4m-nigerian-varsities/

ADMISSIONS INTO UNILORIN POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES IN THE 2016/2017 ACADEMIC SESSION

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for admission into various Postgraduate degree programmes of the University.

"IMPORTANT NOTICE: Only Courses available for the session are advertised and as such candidates are advised to select courses available in the advertisement. Any action contrary to this instruction is at the candidate's risk, please."

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES OFFERED

1. Ph.D. Degree Programmes

These are available to holders of M.A; M.Ed.; M.Eng.; M.Sc.; LLM; M.Comm.H.; and M.P.H degrees, with a minimum of 60% or equivalent Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) score in their Masterdegree programmes. A Ph.D. degree programme runs for a minimum period of 36 calendar months and a maximum period of 48 calendar months for full-time candidates OR a minimum period of 48 calendar months and a maximum period of 60 calendar months for part-time candidates. Relevant Courses will be taken for the Ph.D. studies where prescribed and a Thesis is required at the end of the Ph.D. programme.

2. M.Phil /Ph.D. Degree Programmes

Candidates who score between 55.00 and 59.99 percent can apply for admission into the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil/Ph.D.) degree programme. The M.Phil/Ph.D. degree programme is available only to full-time candidates. It runs for a minimum period of 12 calendar months and a maximum period of 24 calendar months and a Dissertation is produced after the research work. Candidates in this category are eligible for conversion to Ph.D. candidature, following a progress assessment report to be made by a Panel of Examiners at the end of the first session of registration. To be eligible for conversion for the Ph.D. program, candidates are expected to score not less than 60% (aggregate) at the end of the first session.

3. Master Degree Programmes

M.A.; M.Ed.; M.Eng.; M.sc.; M.Com.H., LL.M and M.P.H. degrees run for a minimum period of 24 calendar months and a maximum period of 36 calendar months for full-time candidates OR a minimum period of 36 calendar months and a maximum period of 48 calendar months for part-time candidates. All Master Degree Programmes are by course work. This is in addition to a research report at the end of which aDissertation is produced

4. Postgraduate Diploma Degree Programmes

Postgraduate Diploma degrees are available to candidates with a Third class (honours) degree.

Applicants are to note that programmes automatically lapse at the expiration of the prescribed maximum duration for each programme. However, a candidate may apply for an extension of not more than 12 months, in the first instance, subject to a maximum of two such extensions.

General information

The Postgraduate session for Postgraduate programmes is 12 calendar months, commencing on 2nd October and ending on 30thSeptember of the following year. The 12 calendar months start to count automatically from the date of first registration. 

APPLICATION FEES

Application fee for all programmes is N25,000.00 only for applicants within Nigeria OR $200.00 only for international applicants.

DATES AND VENUES OF QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

A three-hour qualifying examination for all applicants seeking admissions into Master and Postgraduate Diploma Degree programmes will hold on Saturday, 2nd July, 2016, at 10.00a.m prompt. Please note that the above information services as the invitation for the qualifying examinations. Candidates applying for the MPhil/Ph.D. and the Ph.D. programmes will be contacted by the various departments through the contact phone numbers submitted by the candidates.

Venues of the examinations are stated below:

(i) FACULTY OF ARTS NEW LECTURE THEATRE: - For candidates seeking admission into Faculty of Arts.

(ii) FACULTY OF ARTS LECTURE HALL AND FACULTIES OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES LECTURE THEATHRE: - for candidates seeking admissions into Faculties of Management Sciences and Social Sciences.

(iii) FACULTY OF EDUCATION OLD LECTURE THEATRE - For candidates seeking admissions into Faculties of Education and Agriculture.

(iv) LECTURE THEATRE I & II NEW SCIENCE LECTURE THEATRE & ENGINEERING LECTURE THEATRE

For candidates seeking admissions into the Faculties of, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Physical and Life Sciences.

(v) FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCES LECTURE ROOM: for candidate seeking admission into the Faculty.

NOTE: There will be no formal letters of invitation to candidates for the Qualifying

Examination as this advertisement will serve as the invitation.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Application Forms are to be completed online and will close on Friday, 3rd June 2016. Note that the latest date for receipt of supporting documents is Monday, 11th July 2016. 

Successful applicants would be notified through their e-mail addresses.

Mr. E. D. Obafemi

Registrar

To apply click:... CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE

Source: http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/index.php/en/2013-09-02-10-18-35/notification-feed/5125-admissions-into-postgraduate-programmes-in-the-2016-2017-academic-session

Plot to install factional ASUU exco has failed

The Chairman of the University of Ilorin Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Usman Adebimpe Raheem, has said that the plot by a group of people to install a factional executive council for the Union last Wednesday (April 20, 2016) has failed woefully.

Speaking with newsmen at the Union secretariat after the abortive plot, Dr Raheem said that the plotters were not members of the University of Ilorin academic community, “but people from other campuses around the South-west, who wanted to impose on us, in a commando style, an executive of an 11-man congress, over and above the congregation of 1,538 lecturers of this University.”

Presenting the awards to Prof. Ambali in his office last Wednesday (April 20, 2016), the Country Representative of CYC, Ambassador Bakare Luqman, explained that the organisation pays keen attention to public office holders who have made the society better through their various endeavours.

Ambassador Luqman said, “Through the years, the organisation has been observing the way public office holders have been discharging their duties in the bid to delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of their respective communities so that they could be identified, recognised and encouraged to do more”.

The CYC Country Representative described Prof. Ambali as “a golden fish with impeccable records, visionary leadership and a lover of the African youth”.

He said, “The award recipient has won the heart of the African youths by his conduct and credentials as a distinguished leader, dogged administrator, bastion of hope and a statesman per excellence”.

Ambassador Luqman disclosed that the award to Prof. Ambali was unanimously agreed upon at the organisation's national executive council meeting held at the University of Ghana, Legon.

In his response, Prof. Ambali expressed his appreciation to the organisation, noting that their effort is highly commendable.

The Vice-Chancellor said, “I thank you for nominating me. I thank the University for the opportunity to serve. I thank the staff for their dedication that has made these awards possible and for keeping the consistent academic calendar”.

Prof. Ambali also thanked the students of the University of Ilorin for imbibing the training they are receiving in the University and for being law-abiding, adding that academic excellence, character moulding, and clear vision are the traits of the students.

The Vice-Chancellor then commended the efforts of the CYC members who have travelled from different parts of the world to present the award to him.

Members of the CYC team that came to present the award included Ibiwoye Olawale, Yusuf Gbemisola, Jerome John, Ahmed Coulibaly and Helen Avideme.

Source: http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/index.php/en/2013-09-02-10-18-35/news-feed/5136-plot-to-install-factional-asuu-exco-has-failed

Today In History: April 29

1289: Qala’un, the Sultan of Egypt, captures Tripoli.

1429: Joan of Arc leads French forces to victory over English at Orleans.

1624: Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu chief minister of the Royal Council of France.

1661: The Chinese Ming dynasty occupies Taiwan.

1672: King Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.

1813: Rubber is patented.

1852: The first edition of Peter Roget’s Thesaurus is published.

1856: Yokut Indians repel a second attack by the ‘Petticoat Rangers,’ a band of civilian Indian fighters at Four Creeks, California.

1858: Austrian troops invade Piedmont.

1859: As the French army races to support them and the Austrian army mobilizes to oppose them, 150,000 Piedmontese troops invade Piedmontese territory.

1861: The Maryland House of Delegates votes against seceding from Union.

1862: Forts Philip and Jackson surrender to Admiral Farragut outside New Orleans.

1913: Gideon Sundback of Hoboken patents all-purpose zipper.

1916: Irish nationalists surrender to the British in Dublin.

1918: America’s WWI Ace of Aces, Eddie Rickenbacker, scores his first victory with the help of Captain James Norman Hall.

1924: Open revolt breaks out in Santa Clara, Cuba.

1927: Construction of the Spirit of St. Louis is completed.

1930: The film All Quiet on the Western Front, based on Erich Maria Remarque’s novel Im Western Nichts Neues, premiers.

1945: The German Army in Italy surrenders unconditionally to the Allies.

1945: The Nazi concentration camp of Dachau is liberated by Allied troops.

1946: Former Japanese leaders are indicted in Tokyo as war criminals.

1975: The U.S. embassy in Vietnam is evacuated as North Vietnamese forces fight their way into Saigon.

1983: Harold Washington is sworn in as Chicago’s first black mayor.

1992: Four Los Angeles police offices are acquitted of charges stemming from the beating of Rodney King. Rioting ensues.

Today In History: April 28

357: Constantius II visits Rome for the first time.

1282: Villagers in Palermo lead a revolt against French rule in Sicily.

1635: Virginia Governor John Harvey is accused of treason and removed from office.

1760: French forces besieging Quebec defeat the British in the second battle on the Plains of Abraham.

1788: Maryland becomes the seventh state to ratify the constitution.

1789: The crew of the HMS Bounty mutinies against Captain William Bligh.

1818: President James Monroe proclaims naval disarmament on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

1856: Yokut Indians repel an attack on their land by 100 would-be Indian fighters in California.

1902: Revolution breaks out in the Dominican Republic.

1910: The first night air flight is performed by Claude Grahame-White in England.

1916: British declare martial law throughout Ireland.

1919: Les Irvin makes the first jump with an Army Air Corps parachute.

1920: Azerbaijan joins the Soviet Union.

1930: The first organized night baseball game is played in Independence, Kansas.

1932: A yellow fever vaccine for humans is announced.

1945: Benito Mussolini is killed by Italian partisans.

1946: The Allies indict Tojo on 55 counts of war crimes

1947: Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl and five others set out in a balsa wood craft known as Kon Tiki to prove that Peruvian Indians could have settled in Polynesia.

1953: French troops evacuate northern Laos.

1965: The U.S. Army and Marines invade the Dominican Republic.

1967: Muhammad Ali refuses induction into the U.S. Army and is stripped of boxing title.

1969: Charles de Gaulle resigns as president of France.

Today In History: April 27

1296: Edward I defeats the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar.

1509: Pope Julius II excommunicates the Italian state of Venice.

1565: The first Spanish settlement in Philippines is established in Cebu City.

1773: British Parliament passes the Tea Act.

1746: King George II wins the battle of Culloden.

1813: American forces capture York (present-day Toronto), the seat of government in Ontario.

1861: President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus.

1861: West Virginia secedes from Virginia after Virginia secedes from the Union.

1863: The Army of the Potomac begins marching on Chancellorsville.

1865: The Sultana, a steam-powered riverboat, catches fire and burns after one of its boilers explodes. At least 1,238 of the 2,031 passengers–mostly former Union POWs–are killed.

1909: The Sultan of Turkey, Abdul Hamid II, is overthrown.

1937: German bombers of the Condor Legion devastate Guernica, Spain.

1941: The Greek army capitulates to the invading Germans.

1950: South Africa passes the Group Areas Act, formally segregating races.

1961: The United Kingdom grants Sierra Leone independence.

1975: Saigon is encircled by North Vietnamese troops.

1978: The Afghanistan revolution begins.

1989: Protesting students take over Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.

Today In History: April 26

757: Stephen II ends his reign as Catholic Pope.

1478: Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo and kill Giuliano de’Medici.

1514: Copernicus makes his first observations of Saturn.

1564: William Shakespeare is baptized.

1607: The British establish a colony at Cape Henry, Virginia.

1865: Joseph E. Johnston surrenders the Army of Tennessee to Sherman.

1915: Second Lieutenant Rhodes-Moorhouse becomes the first airman to win the Victoria Cross after conducting a successful bombing raid.

1929: The first non-stop flight from England to India is completed.

1931: New York Yankee Lou Gehrig hits a home run but is called out for passing a runner, the mistake ultimately costs him the home run record.

1937: The ancient Basque town of Guernica in northern Spain is bombed by German planes.

1941: The first organ is played at a baseball stadium in Chicago.

1968: Students seize the administration building at Ohio State University.

1983: The Dow Jones Industrial Average breaks 1,200 for first time.

1986: The world’s worst nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl power plant in the Soviet Union.

1994: Nelson Mandela wins the presidency in South Africa’s first multiracial elections.

Today In History: April 25

1590: The Sultan of Morocco launches a successful attack to capture Timbuktu.

1644: The Ming Chongzhen emperor commits suicide by hanging himself.

1707: At the Battle of Almansa, Franco-Spanish forces defeat the Anglo-Portugese forces.

1719: Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe is published in London.

1792: The guillotine is first used to execute highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier.

1859: Work begins on the Suez Canal in Egypt.

1862: Admiral Farragut occupies New Orleans, Louisiana.

1864: After facing defeat in the Red River Campaign, Union General Nathaniel Bank returns to Alexandria, Louisiana.

1867: Tokyo is opened for foreign trade.

1882: French commander Henri Riviere seizes the citadel of Hanoi in Indochina.

1898: The United States declares war on Spain.

1915: Australian and New Zealand troops land at Gallipoli in Turkey.

1925: General Paul von Hindenburg takes office as president of Germany.

1926: In Iran, Reza Kahn is crowned Shah and chooses the name "Pehlevi."

1926:Puccini’s opera Turandot premiers at La Scala in Milan with Arturo Toscanini conducting.

1938: A seeing eye dog is used for the first time.

1945: U.S. and Soviet forces meet at Torgau, Germany on Elbe River.

1951: After a three day fight against Chinese Communist Forces, the Gloucestershire Regiment is annihilated on "Gloucester Hill," in Korea.

1953: The magazine Nature publishes an article by biologists Francis Crick and James Watson, describing the "double helix" of DNA.

1956: Elvis Presley’s "Heartbreak Hotel" goes to number one on the charts.

1959: The St. Lawrence Seaway–linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes–opens to shipping.

1960: The first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth is completed by a Triton submarine.

1962: A U.S. Ranger spacecraft crash lands on the Moon.

1971: The country of Bangladesh is established.

1980: President Jimmy Carter tells the American people about the hostage rescue disaster in Iran.

1982: In accordance with the Camp David agreements, Israel completes a withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula.

1990: Violeta Barrios de Chamorro begins a six year term as Nicaragua’s president.

Minister Calls For Review Of Teacher Education Policy

Agency Report

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka, has called for a review of the National Teacher Education Policy to address the encumbrances that had hindered its implementation.

Anwuka made the recommendation while delivering the Rhema University maiden convocation lecture at the university’s campus in Aba, Abia on Friday.

In the lecture delivered on behalf of the minister by his Special Adviser on Technical Education, Prof. Godswill Obioma, he said there was a need for Nigeria to reform its education sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education by 2030.

“Although the education roadmap and past education strategy plans sustainably made provisions for the policy since 2009, its implementation has been challenging to date.

“It is recommended that the policy be further reviewed to address all the encumbrances that have hindered its smooth implementation. Such a review should also incorporate the issues of tertiary teacher education,” Anwuka said.

He said that the non-implementation of the policy had contributed largely to the low quality of teachers in the country’s educational institutions.

Anwuka said that consequently, the review and implementation would boost the quality of teachers.

He called for curriculum realignment for education and training of pre-service teachers for the basic education levels and the professionalisation of teaching as a means of achieving the SDGs.

Anwuka called for “a well graded system of remuneration and allowances for teachers” to encourage the work of teaching and improve the nation’s education system.

The topic of the convocation lecture was “Improving the Quality of Teachers in Nigeria: Closing the Gaps in Education and Training and Professionalisation”. (NAN)

Prof. Maimako Emerges UNIJOS New VC

Achor Abimaje

The Governing Council of the University of Jos yesterday appointed a new Vice-Chancellor for the University.

He is Prof. Sebastian Maimako who is the Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences of the University.

In a statement issued in Jos and signed by Abdullahi Abdullahi, the institution’s Principal Assistant Registrar, Information and Publications, said the new VC’s choice followed recommendation by the Selection Board at its Special Meeting held on Friday 22nd April, 2016.

His appointment which is for a single term of five years takes effect from 23rd June, 2016. A Professor of Accounting and Finance, Sebastian Maimako has held several administrative positions in the University including Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Head, Acting Head, Department of Management Sciences, all in the University of Jos.

1987 graduate of Management Studies from the University of Jos, Professor Maimako, 54, took up appointment with University of Jos in 1989 as a Graduate Assistant.

He was promoted to the rank of Professor in 2010 and appointed Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences on 1st April, 2015. Professor Maimako obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration in 1992 and bagged a PhD Degree in Management in 2006. He was chosen among 18 other contestants within and outside the institution who vied for the position.

Source: http://www.leadership.ng/news/520869/unijos-appoints-prof-maimako-new-vc

22-year-old Miss Sanni Emerges LAUTECH Overall Best Student

Adebayo Waheed

22-year-old Miss Saidat Sanni, from the department of Statistics has emerged the overall best student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

The institution’s vice chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin who announced this at the 13th convocation ceremony of the institution on Friday, said Sanni hails from Abeokuta in Ogun State.

According to him, she emerged the over all best student after securing a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.88 to overrun Olufemi Ige of the mathematics department, who secured a CGPA of 4.85 in the 2013/2014 session

Sanni was the best student of the 2014/2015 session before emerging the best among the 10,317 graduands, which was a combination of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 sets.

In her valedictory speech, Sanni urged other graduands not to relent in the spirit of excellence, integrity and service, which had been their watchword in school.

“We are here, we made it and we did it. Nothing that comes easy is worth it. More challenges will come our, however with endurance, perseverance, commitment, patience, hard work and steadfastness in prayers, we shall make it,’’ she said.

Speaking on her success, she said her success was hinged on the vow she made to her parents not to disappoint them.

“My father once called me to look at a newspaper story, where a lady was celebrated for being the overall best student and I vowed never to disappoint them.”

Sanni, the daughter of Mr Bashir and Silifat Sanni, said that her watchword “I can do well’’ was a driving force, adding that she always think of the positive sides.

“We cultivated the habit of reading from home. I initially wanted to study medicine but was admitted to study Mathematics,’’ she said.

In his speech, Gbadegesin said it was a thing of joy that the institution was still able to soar by dint of shrewd management to produce the great hope of tomorrow comparable to any standard in the world.

“Despite the paucity of funding and the challenges of conducting credible research and other social encumbrances bedeviling the university system in general, we are resolved to turn things around for better.

Source: http://www.leadership.ng/news/520872/22-year-old-sanni-emerges-lautech-overall-best-student

Nyako Offers Scholarship To Best Student Of FUT Yola

David Aduge-Ani

Senator representing Adamawa Central Senatorial District, Sen. Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako, has offered scholarship to the best graduating student of the Federal University of Technology Yola, Adamawa State.

Announcing the offer in a ceremony in Abuja yesterday, Senator Nyako promised to offer financial assistance to the student, Mr. Salihu Usman, to enable him study a post graduate degree (MSC) programme in pipeline engineering at Newcastle University, United Kingdom.

Salihu, a graduate from the department of chemical engineering made a accumulative grade point average of 4.43, which made him the best graduating student from the university in 2014 academic year.

Nyako, an APC member explained that the offer was to encourage hard work and diligence among other students from the university and to encourage students from his constituency to study pipeline engineering as a professional course.

Responding Salihu said he was moved by the offer and promised to do his best at the university to justify the sponsorship.

Source: http://www.leadership.ng/news/520910/sen-nyako-offers-scholarship-best-student-fut-yola

DELSU 10th Convocation: Produces 24 First Class Graduates

Agency Reports

Prof. Victor Peretomode, the Vice Chancellor, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, on Saturday, said 24 students of the university bagged first class degree at it’s 10th Convocation.

The vice chancellor said this in his address at the convocation arena in Abraka.

He said a total of 5,811 students graduated under its Bachelor degree programmes in the 2014/2015 session of the university.

He added that 24 graduates got first class, 1,123 bagged second class upper, while 3,222 obtained second class lower division,

among others in the first degree programme.

He noted that the university in the session produced, 47 Ph.Ds, 431 Masters, 243 Post Graduate Diploma and 485 with Diploma certificates.

Peretomode said that the students were found worthy in both character and learning and enjoined them to explore the economic environment as good ambassadors of the university.

He commended Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta “for his continued support, especially for releasing the sum of N200 million for accreditation purposes.”

He said that the university had obtained 93 per cent accreditation for its programmes but called for improved funding to enable it to meet it’s infrastructure needs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the best graduating first degree student, Mr Marcus Ifeanyi of Department of Mathematics bagged First Class Honours with 4.86 Cumulative Grade Point Aggregate (CGPA). (NAN)

Buhari Urges Universities To Spend Resources Prudently

Agency Report

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged university administrators to ensure prudent management of scarce resource at their disposal.

The president made the call in Kano on Saturday at the 32nd Convocation Ceremony of Bayero University Kano (BUK).

Buhari, who was represented by Hajiya Halima Umar, Director of Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, also admonished university managements to be transparent.

“Universities need to have managers that are prudent and transparent in the deployment of resources for infrastructural and educational development of citizens.

“We will continue to have zero tolerance for corruption,’’ Buhari said.

He said the Federal Government would continue to give universities the necessary support to enable them discharge their duties effectively.

The president called on universities to explore other avenues of raising funds to complement the efforts of Federal Government.

The president also urged the private sector and non-governmental organisations to increase their collaboration with the Federal

Government for the realisation of set targets for the development of education sector.

Earlier in his speech, the Vice Chancellor, BUK, Prof Yahuza Bello, had lamented that persistent erratic power supply and scarcity of were the major challenges of the institution.“ (NAN)

In One Year UNIBEN Produces 8 Heads Of Tertiary Institutions

Agency Report

The Management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), on Sunday described the recent appointments of eight of its academic staff as heads of various institutions across the nation as unprecedented.

This is contained in a statement signed by UNIBEN’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Farady Orumwense and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Sunday in Benin.

Orumwense, while congratulating the appointees on behalf of management urged them to be guided by wise counsels.

He described the feat, “as a demonstration of the pedigree of UNIBEN, which has re-enforced its positive presence in the public domain globally.

“If nothing else, these appointments have gone a long way to demonstrate the testimonial of the university and re-enforced the deployment of quality service delivery epitomised by the appointments.

“This is a clear testimony of robust and undisputed quality service to the Nigerian nation in particular and the world at large,” the statement said

Those appointed include: Prof. Akii Ibhadode, V-C, Federal University of Petroleum Resources and Engineering (FUPRE); Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, V-C of newly established Edo State University, Iyamho; Prof. Sunny Onoheabhi, Rector, Institute of Building Technology, Uromi.

Others are: Prof. Frank Otunta, V-C, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; Prof. Austin Asagba, V-C, Western Delta University, Ogharra; Prof. Friday Okonofua, V-C Medical University, Ondo State; Prof. Samuel Aduwa-Ogiegbaen,V-C, Tayo Akpata University of Education, among others.

(NAN)

Ife Lecturers Embark On Mass Annual Vacation

Agency Report

Dr Caleb Aborisade, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Obafemi Awolowo University branch, said the institution’s lecturers have embarked on mass annual vacation.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Ile-Ife that the vacation became compulsory for all members to have rest to allow maximum productivity.

He said “our annual leave is for the wellbeing of our students and also to allow the lecturers to rest.

“The rate at which the lecturers are dying in office is worrisome, due to their inability to have enough rest.

“Our going on annual leave will enable us to relax to prepare for the next session.”

He added that 56 work days annual leave was statutory, according to the university rule and was supposed to be taken at the end of each academic year.

The chairman said the annual leave, which commenced on April 6, will end on June 24.

He said the leave would facilitate new discovery for the advancement of teaching methodology, lamenting that “for 20 years or so, our members have not been

able to embark on leave.”

He pointed out that the vacation was of two parts: the first 30 days was the normal annual leave, while another 26 work days was meant for research for new innovation.

In his response, the university’s Spokesperson, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, confirmed that it was essential for lecturers to have a vacation “because it is legitimate for all civil servants.”

Olarewaju, who said that students of the institution were on holiday, noted that the university authorities had no objection to it but they were expected to resume to classroom on June 24. (NAN)

Today In History: April 24

858: St. Nicholas I begins his reign as Catholic Pope.

1519: Envoys of Montezuma II attend the first Easter mass in Central America.

1547: Charles V’s troops defeat the Protestant League of Schmalkalden at the battle of Muhlburg.

1558: Mary, Queen of Scotland, marries the French dauphin, Francis.

1792: Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle composes "La Marseilles". It will become France’s national anthem.

1800; The Library of Congress is established in Washington, D.C. with a $5,000 allocation.

1805: U.S. Marines attack and capture the town of Derna in Tripoli from the Barbary pirates.

1833: A patent is granted for first soda fountain.

1877: Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire.

1884: Otto von Bismarck cables Cape Town, South Africa that it is now a German colony.

1898: Spain declares war on United States, rejecting an ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.

1915: Turks of the Ottoman Empire begin massacring the Armenian minority in their country.

1916: Irish nationalists launch the Easter Uprising against British occupation.

1944: The first B-29 arrives in China, over the Hump of the Himalayas.

1948: The Berlin airlift begins to relieve surrounded city.

1953: Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

1961: President John Kennedy accepts "sole responsibility" for the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

1968: Leftist students take over Columbia University in protest over the Vietnam War.

1980: A rescue attempt of the U.S. hostages held in Iran fails when a plane collides with a helicopter in the Iranian desert.

1981: The IBM Personal Computer is introduced.

1989: Thousands of Chinese students strike in Beijing for more democratic reforms.

Today In History: April 23

1348: The first English order of knighthood is founded.

1500: Pedro Cabal claims Brazil for Portugal.

1521: The Comuneros are crushed by royalist troops in Spain.

1661: Charles II is formally crowned king, returning the monarchy to Britain, albeit with greatly reduced powers.

1759: British forces seize Basse-Terre and Guadeloupe from France.

1789: President George Washington moves into Franklin House, New York.

1826: Missolonghi falls to Egyptian forces.

1856: Free Stater J.N. Mace in Westport, Kansas shoots pro-slavery sheriff Samuel Jones in the back.

1865: Union cavalry units continue to skirmish with Confederate forces in Henderson, North Carolina and Munsford Station, Alalbama.

1895: Russia, France, and Germany force Japan to return the Liaodong peninsula to China.

1896: Motion pictures premiere in New York City.

1914: The Federals defeat Kansas City 9-1 in the first major league game to be played in Chicago’s Weeghman Park, later renamed Wrigley Field.

1915: The ACA becomes the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA.

1920: The Turkish Grand National Assembly has first meeting in Ankara.

1924: The U.S. Senate passes the Soldiers’ Bonus Bill.

1945: The Soviet Army fights its way into Berlin.

1950: Chiang Kai-shek evacuates Hainan, leaving mainland China to Mao Zedong and the communists.

1954: The Army-McCarthy hearings begin.

1966: President Lyndon Johnson publicly appeals for more nations to come to the aid of South Vietnam.

1969: Sirhan Sirhan is sentenced to death for killing Senator Robert Kennedy.

1971: The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 10, becoming the first in Salyut 1 space station

13th Convocation: LAUTECH Graduates 105 First Class Students

Adebayo Waheed

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) would on Friday at its 13th Convocation ceremony in Ogbomoso graduate 105 first class degree students and 112 from its doctorate degree programme.

The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin, while speaking at a news conference in Ogbomoso yesterday to herald the convocation ceremony, said the 13th convocation ceremony would hold from April 15 to 23.

According to him, it will include graduates from 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 sessions.

He said that 50 of the 105 first class graduates are for the 2013/2014 session, while the remaining 55 are from the 2014/2015 session.

“Mr Olufemi Ige, with a CGPA of 4.85 from the Mathematics Department emerged the best student of the 2013/2014 session. Miss Saidat Sanni of the Statistics Department emerged the best in the 2014/2015 session with a CGPA of 4.88 and the overall best student of the two sets,” he said.

http://www.leadership.ng/news/520195/lautech-graduates-105-first-class-students

Today In History: April 22

296: St. Gaius ends his reign as Catholic Pope.

536: St. Agapitus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope.

1500: Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovers Brazil.

1509: Henry VIII ascends to the throne of England upon the death of his father, Henry VII.

1529: Spain and Portugal divide the eastern hemisphere in the Treaty of Saragosa.

1745: The Peace of Fussen is signed.

1792: President George Washington proclaims American neutrality in the war in Europe.

1861: Robert E. Lee is named commander of Virginia forces.

1889: The Oklahoma land rush officially starts at noon as thousands of Americans race for new, unclaimed land.

1898: In the first action of the Spanish-American War, the USS Nashville, takes on a Spanish ship.

1915: At the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans use poison gas for the first time.

1918: British naval forces attempt to sink block-ships in the German U-boat bases at the Battle of Zeeburgge.

1931: Egypt signs treaty of friendship with Iraq.

1944: Allies launch major attack against the Japanese in Hollandia, New Guinea.

1954: The Senate Army-McCarthy hearings begin. They are broadcast on television.

1955: Congress orders all U.S. coins to bear the motto "In God We Trust."

1976: Barbara Walters becomes the first female nightly news anchor on network television.

1995: In Africa, Rwandan troops kill thousands of Hutu refugees in Kibeho.

Today In History: April 21

753 BC: Traditional date of the foundation of Rome.

43 BC: Marcus Antonius is defeated by Octavian near Modena, Italy.

1526: Mongol Emperor Babur annihilates the Indian Army of Ibrahim Lodi.

1649: The Maryland Toleration Act is passed, allowing all people freedom of worship.

1689: William III and Mary II are crowned joint king and queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.

1836: General Sam Houston defeats Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Texas wins independence from Mexico.

1862: Congress establishes the U.S. Mint.

1865: Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train leaves Washington.

1898: The Spanish-American War begins.

1910: Mark Twain dies at the age of 75.

1916: Bill Carlisle, the infamous ‘last train robber,’ robs a train in Hanna, Wyoming.

1914: U.S. Marines occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico. They will stay six months.

1918: German fighter ace Baron von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed.

1943: President Roosevelt announces that several Doolittle pilots have been executed by Japanese.

1960: Brasilia becomes the capital of Brazil.

1961: The French army revolts in Algeria.

1966: Pfc. Milton Lee Olive is awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for bravery during the Vietnam War.

1975: The last South Vietnam president, Nguyen Van Thieu, resigns.

1995: Federal authorities arrest Timothy McVeigh in connection with the Oklahoma City bombing

Lagos Govt Engages 1,300 Teachers, Charges Them On Professionalism

Agency Report

The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board has urged the 1,300 newly employed primary school teachers in the state to see their employment as a call to duty and service to humanity.

This is contained in a statement by the Public Affairs Officer of the board, Mr Seyi Akitoye, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

The board, on April 15, issued appointment letters to the newly employed primary school teachers.

This was in response to the directive of the state Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode to employ 1300 primary school teachers to boost the manpower in the public primary schools.

The statement quoted the Chairman of the board, Dr Ganiyu Sopeyin as urging the teachers to help the state to achieve its set goals in the area of primary education.

Sopeyin, according to the statement, said the new teachers were appointed following an open competitive process by the state government, which was adjudged to be of international standard.

He also reaffirmed that the present administration had invested in education in order to make public primary schools more attractive and competitive.

“The teaching profession is a noble profession which demands high professionalism.

“The new teachers should remember they were given opportunities which many are still seeking.

“This is a golden opportunity for you to contribute your own quota to the development of the state.

“You are going to be teaching our wards who are future leaders; we are entrusting you with our future, therefore, we want the best from you,” the statement quoted Sopeyin as saying.

He warned that public service was guided by rules and regulations, noting that diligence and hard work would be rewarded, while any erring teacher would be sanctioned. (NAN)

BUK To Award Degrees To 7,446 Graduands At Its 32nd Convocation - VC

Agency Report

The Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Prof Yahuza Bello, says no fewer than 7,446 graduands will be awarded degrees during the forthcoming 32nd convocation ceremony of the institution on Wednesday.

Bello disclosed this in Kano on Sunday while briefing newsmen on the activities lined up for the ceremony.

He said that 4,771 of the graduands would be awarded first degree, 1, 603 would receive master’s degree while 65 would be awarded PhD and 838 others would receive Postgraduate Diploma certificates.

According to him, the University has introduced part-time degree programmes, which are being run by the school of continuing education.

He said that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had already approved 23 programmes for the University.

The vice chancellor said the decision to introduce part-time programmes followed the scrapping of all sub-degree (Diploma) programmes by the University.

“The part-time degree programme provides an opportunity for people whose job schedules do not allow them the liberty of a full-time programme, yet they need the training,” he said.

Bello said that the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Julius Okoje, was expected to inaugurate five projects in the University during the ceremony.

“A renowned legal luminary, Barrister A. B. Mahmoud is expected to deliver the convocation lecture on Friday April 22”, he said.(NAN).

ASUU Expresses Displeasure Over Cut In Allocation To Federal Universities

Agency Report

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja Zone, has expressed displeasure over cut in allocation for personnel expenditure to Federal Universities by the Federal Government.

ASUU, Abuja Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Suleiman Muhammed, who briefed newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, said that the cut had adversely affected the union.

He said that ASUU, Abuja Zone comprised University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai .

He said that relevant authorities like the Federal Ministry of Finance and Budget Office seemed not to understand how the university system worked.

“With deeply worrisome concerns, ASUU-Abuja Zone wishes to bring to the notice of the general public the unilateral drastic cut by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the personnel expenditure allocations to Federal Universities across the country.

“This ugly phenomenon began in Dec. 2015; one of the federal universities which received allocation of a little over N336 million in Dec. 2015, has consistently received about N308 million for the months of January through March, 2016,’’ he said.

The coordinator said it was wrong for the FGN to implement unilateral pay-cut in university workers’ salaries being a signatory to most International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.

He expressed concern that state governments, the proprietors of state universities, were waiting to copy the FGN, adding that this could lead to breakdown in industrial harmony across all public universities.

Muhammed said that for industrial harmony within the university system, ASUU members should have their salaries and allowances paid in full and not in percentages. (NAN)

Common Entrance Exam: Kano Govt. Sponsors 5,200 Pupils

Bello Salihu

Kano State Government has sponsored 5,200 pupils for the 2016 National Common Entrance Examinations. A press statement signed by the state’s information commissioner, Comrade Muhammad Garba disclosed that a total of N13million was spent for the registration of the candidates at the sum of N2,500 per pupil, besides N22 million for transport fare and feeding. He stated that the participants were drawn from the 44 local government areas, adding that 200 candidates were selected from each of the eight metropolitan local government areas of the state. 

According to him, 100 pupils were selected from each of the remaining 36 local governments for the national examination which took place over the weekend. However, the information commissioner revealed that the state government resolved to re-introduce the sponsorship of the national common entrance examination for pupils from the public school in order to fill its quota at the Federal Government Colleges across the country. 

According to him, such measure became necessary considering the non-participation of pupils from Kano in the examination, which has allowed other states to take advantage of the slots meant for Kano students. “The decision was also informed by the need to enable successful candidates enjoy the opportunity of having national exposure through interaction with students from other parts of the country thereby promoting national unity,” he postulated.

Source: http://www.leadership.ng/news/519146/kano-govt-sponsors-5200-pupils-common-entrance-exam

NITT Zaria, Inaugurates Distance Learning Programmes In Abuja, Lagos

Agency Report

The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) in Zaria has started Distance Learning Programmes (DLP) in Abuja and Lagos.

This is contained in a statement by the Assistant Director, Press and Public Relations, Mr Paul Mshelizah, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria, Kaduna State on Monday.

It said the inauguration ceremonies for the programmes, which took place at Lagos and Abuja learning centres, were part of plans to reposition the institute to meet the dynamism of transportation industry.

Performing the inauguration, the NITT Director-General, Dr Aminu Musa-Yusuf, said it became imperative to commence the programmes in order to diversify the institute`s courses.

He said that the programmes would help to cater for students who might be unable to come to Zaria because of the distance.

“Prior to this development, the institute has been running such programme on Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with other training providers in the industry in Abuja and Lagos.

“That arrangement was, however, discontinued since I assumed the mantle of leadership of the institute and management had since then been planning for the development of the outreach learning centres.

“The flag-off of the Distance Learning Programmes signifies the commitment of the institute at bringing the programmes to the door steps of its clients, “ he said.

While assuring participants of quality programmes equal to what were being delivered in Zaria, Musa-Yusuf congratulated them for being the pioneer participants of the institute’s Distance Learning Programme.

He enjoined other employees in the transport and logistics industry to take advantage of the opportunity to improve their skills by enrolling in the programmes, which he said, were convenient and flexible.

NAN reports that courses under the Distance Learning Programmes included Certificate in Transport and Logistics (CTL), Diploma in Transport and Logistics (DTL) and advanced Professional Diploma in Transport and Logistics (PDTL).

The duration of the programmes is one and half years or three semesters. (NAN)

Plateau Govt. Prioritize Renovation Of Rural Primary Schools

Agency Report

The Plateau State government yesterday said that the renovation of dilapidated primary school buildings in rural areas was one of its major priorities.

The executive chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Prof Mathew Sule, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that there was already a list of projects to be embarked upon.

He said only 47 per cent of the 19, 155 public schools in the state were in fairly good shape, and the government would renovate the structures based on a scale of preference.

“ We are working towards addressing this challenge but are incapacitated at the moment financially.

“We have paid the N1 billion counterpart funds required of us to access resources for such projects and are waiting for the release of these funds to commence work.

“We are aware that basic education structure, especially in rural areas, are clamouring for urgent attention and plead for more patience to have access to the resources required for such projects,’’ he said.

NAN

UNIJOS Vice Chancellorship Seat: 19 Candidates Jostle

Agency Report

A total of 19 candidates are jostling for the Vice-Chancellorship seat of the University of Jos, an official has confirmed.

Mr Abdullahi Abdullahi, the institution’s Assistant Registrar (Information and Public Relations), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Tuesday that the eventual appointee would replace Prof. Hayward Mafuyai, whose tenure would end in June.

“Nineteen professors applied for the job. The screening by the selection committee will start today — April 19,” he said.

According to him, the selection board will recommend three of the candidates to the university’s governing board.

Abdullahi told NAN that majority of the applicants were from the university community, while others were from other institutions.

NAN recalls that the job was advertised in December 2015.

Among other things, the candidate to be appointed must be a highly distinguished scholar of the rank of Professor of not less than five years’ experience, and not less than 50 years old.

Other conditions, according to the advertorial for the job, included wide administrative and managerial experience and the capacity to lead a university.

“The candidate must also exhibit entrepreneurial drive and ability to attract funds and endowment, and must also be able to mobilize other resources for the development of the university,” the advertorial further stated. (NAN)

ABU Expresses Readiness To Partner Science Ministry On Silicon Valley Project

Agency Report

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has affirmed its readiness to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology for research and development in indigenous Silicon technology.

The Vice Chancellor, ABU, Prof. Ibrahim Garba made this known on Tuesday in Abuja when a team from the university visited the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, in his office.

According to him, the university has put in place a multidisciplinary committee aimed at meeting the laudable objective and has equally offered a plot of land within the university campus for the establishment of silicon technology laboratory.

“ABU Zaria recognises the importance of the proposed collaboration betweent UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Nigeria, among others to establish Nigeria Silicon Valley at Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO).

“ The said committee recognises the potentials of silica, its abundant deposit in Nigeria, diverse applications in products such as automotive, aerospace, satellite technology and photovoltaic cells,“ he said.

Garba, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Na’ Iya Sada, expressed optimism that the photovoltaic cells would enhance the local production of solar panels to power supply in off grid local communities.

He stated that an in house silicon technology had the enormous potential to develop employment and income generation in the country.

Garba pleaded with the minister to endorse establishment of a research laboratory for the development of Silicon Technology in ABU.

Responding, Onu promised that the ministry would support the university to achieve its aim.

“We must thank ABU for the enormous contributions that the university has made in manpower development in the country.

“We appreciate these contributions and look forward to ABU making further contributions to the development of our country.

“ We are very happy to receive your delegation discussing silicon chips and also finding a way to help our nation develop indigenous technology,“ the minister added. (NAN)