TOMORROW, October 5, Yaba College of Technology and its environs will be set on concert fire, as Davidhouse Multimedia Limited brings Shout Tour Jam with RoofTop MCs to Yabatech campus.
Shout Tour Jam is a music concert tour with the objective of providing top quality entertainment for the students of tertiary institutions, fighting against cultism and related vices, and promoting the image of youth-focused brands.
The tour with RoofTop MCs began on April 9, at the University of Ibadan. The Redeemers’ University hosted its second stop on May 26. Yabatech jam is the third in its series holding this year.
The show is billed to be a flagship event as it precedes the launch of the RoofTop MCs much anticipated third album titled Drunken Masters. The new album features songs like – For My Life featuring Da Suspect, One Kan Soso with Jesse Jags, Sitting on the RoofTop and other songs.
The show will feature guest appearances by Nikki Laoye, comedy will be provided by Segun Laff Up Ogundipe with special appearance by ace comics - Koffi and Segun Dangote. There will also be new acts on stage such as Tosyn Ojuri, Flip, Aniacan and a host of others.
Other side attractions include special request with Hip TV, photo session with Acada Campus and Blast magazines and Shout Out with Denrele Edun of Soundcity. The event also features a fashion show by Facuade.
Fans of the Rooftop MCs also stand a chance to win exclusive creations from Facuade luxury clothiers.
There will also be a trade exhibition before the musical concert at the Students’ Affairs Building by 11am. The exhibition preceding the show offers students and members of the public, an opportunity to buy their favourite products at great prices with incredible offers like free trial and free samples.
More universities, less employment
BY ABRAHAM OLADIPUPO
MANY years ago, Nigerian students were the talk of the town. They walked confidently on the street and were proud to be undergraduates. They ate freely in their halls of residence. Gamaliel Onosode, reminiscing once, told a group of students, “in 1952, when I was offered admission to the University College, Ibadan, we were brought up to be conscious of the fact that we were future leaders. One could easily tell who was an undergraduate by his comportment and way of life.”
These days, things have changed in the Ivory Towers. Nigerian students are no longer respected and honoured like in the past.
To face the fact, there is no genuine pride being an undergraduate anymore, not when thousands of them are roaming the streets in search of non-existing jobs.
Despite the high rate of unemployment, more universities are established everyday without job for its graduates. To worsen the case, some of these universities are better referred to as ‘glorified’ secondary schools.
While one commends the state governments and private owners for setting up these universities, they should provide jobs for their graduates.
If the government is set to build a university, which will graduate 2000 every year, let that government provide at least 1500 employment yearly, it is by so doing that armed robbers, fraudsters, Yahoo-Yahoo boys, and all sort of societal vices will not rock the society.
FOR the admission seekers, the era of ‘I want to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, accountant etc has fast faded away. Much as you can’t be stopped from dreaming big, it must be noted that there are other courses that are less demanding, less competitive, and less attractive, which can guarantee better future.
Admission is getting tougher every year, so, why waste your time chasing the ‘big courses’, when you can do better in others?
To the undergraduates, you must learn the marketing aspect of your course. After discovery, all you need is good packaging. Remember many are getting admitted and the jobs are not out there, so, the more independent you are, the better for you and the nation at large.
abrahamprecious@yahoo.com
The failed Nigeria Project... and the roguish public officials
(OPINION)
BY PHILIP AMIOLA
IS it any wonder that many of us have given up on the Nigerian project and decided to pitch our tents with some other ‘good people’ of some other ‘great nation’, who seem to know what they’re talking about rather then peddling an unimpressive cliché?
On the other hand, there exists a handful of goodhearted Nigerians, who, like Father Abraham, have resolved to hope against hope.
This piece is for this set of Nigerians, who have demonstrated their optimism, patriotism or helplessness (as the case may be).
Obviously, 49 years of independence is enough time for any nation to bequeath legacies that transcend generational barriers.
With such medals as erratic power supply, bad roads, poor health services, decaying educational system, insecurity of lives and property and the consistently high level of corruption that pervade the polity, the ‘Giant’ of Africa definitely deserves a thunderous applause from the global community. We are so sophisticated that we don’t even need a government — each household is a government unto itself.
It is a normal phenomenon for each household (and sometimes, each local community) to generate electricity and provide water, security and even access roads for its members.
All of this is true in several communities, what then is the essence of a government that doesn’t fulfill its obligatory responsibilities to the citizenry?
Nevertheless, regardless of these numerous ills, the assets we have in our high level of intelligence cannot be overemphasized.
The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has personified this more than any other government agency. FERMA has demonstrated genius in celebrating bad roads rather than taking decisive action about them. Signposts bearing ‘Bad portion ahead, please slow down’ have become a normal sight on our highways – and such signposts seem to have assumed permanent residence on the affected highways.
Some highways are so bad that motorists have completely abandoned a lane thereby shifting all traffic to the other.
A typical example is the Ibadan (Oyo State) – Ikire (Osun state) expressway of which one of the lanes is not only riddled with several kilometres of gullies and potholes but has also been entirely turned into a swamp with the prevalence of aquatic plants on the highway near the Ikire end.
As if this is not enough, these bad portions on our roads are being used by uniformed bandits (the government calls them policemen) as strategic locations to pitch their terror posts where they train guns at helpless motorists in their ignoble act of extorting anathemised N20 notes from hapless folks (especially commercial drivers) whose only offence is being unfortunate enough to be plying Nigerian roads. It’s so bad that the Police consider this evil act as normal business as demonstrated from the fact that they would even offer to give you change if you happened not to have N20 note.
As a cumulative effect of this unholy (though unwitting) alliance between FERMA and the Police, it’s no longer unusual to spend as much as three hours for what is supposed to be a 45 minutes journey.
philipamiola@yahoo.co.uk
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