Students resort to generator, after five days of darkness

By Kayode Bello
The students of the University of Ibadan residing in Mellanby and Tedder halls of residence have found a way around the epileptic supply of electricity and have resorted into using generator as an alternative electricity-generating device.
On Saturday morning, February 20, students took their mobile phones out, and proceeded to the point where generator could power their gadgets, in the hall. The initiative was courtesy executive members of Mellanby, under the chairmanship of Ige Babatunde, 400-level Law student, to alleviate the sufferings of the students.
Investigations revealed that the cause of the power failure, which is in its sixth day, has been the underground work going on at locations close to Tedder Hall.




UNN to enrol 500 students at New York Academy of Sciences
BY TOPE TEMPLER OLAIYA
THE University of Nigeria, Nsukka has reached an agreement with the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) to enrol 500 postgraduate students of the university on the prestigious Science Alliance programme for Graduate and Post-doctoral students of the Academy, simply referred to as Science Alliance. This is major fallout from a recent visit by a delegation from the UNN, which was facilitated by the New York-based Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF).
A delegation from UNN comprising Dr. Bennett Nwanguma, a senior special assistant to the Vice Chancellor and two development officers, Dr. Nnaemeka Chukwuone and Dr. Ben Ogwo, were in New York recently to sign the agreement on behalf of the university, while the Director of Membership, David Smith, represented the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). Others present at the signing ceremony were the Vice President, Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile and the Executive Director of the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF), Ms Lorette Nixon.
The membership, which has a list price of $52 per member, offers free admission to discussion groups on diverse subject areas, career development resources, such as postdoctoral positions, over 300 e-briefings, reduced registration fees for the academy’s conferences, thousands of scientific articles in annals of the academy of science – the oldest scientific publication in America – and much more.
According to Dr Nwanguma, “an agreement of this nature, which guarantees access for our postgraduate students to current literature as well as an opportunity to interact with their colleagues in other parts of the world through membership of the discussion groups, is priceless.”
The development is in line with the vision of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barth Okolo, to internationalise learning standards at UNN.

ESTABLISHED nearly 200 years ago in 1817, the New York Academy of Sciences was founded in downtown Manhattan by a group of physicians favourable to the cultivation of Natural Science. The third-oldest scientific society in the United States, the Academy, has become not only a notable and enduring cultural institution in New York City, but also one of the most significant organizations in the international scientific community.
Throughout its history, the Academy’s membership has featured leaders in science, business, academia, and government, including U.S. Presidents Jefferson and Monroe, Thomas Edison, Louis Pasteur, Charles Darwin, Margaret Mead, and Albert Einstein. Today, the NYAS President’s Council includes 26 Nobel laureates as well as CEOs, philanthropists, and leaders of national science funding agencies. The Academy numbers 24,000 members in 140 countries and 400,000 unique visitors access the NYAS Web site each month.



UNIUYO Law students get new exco
BY JOSEPH NYONG
THERE may be hope for a successful electoral process and genuine democratic governance in Nigeria in no distance future. The recent election into Law Students Association (LAWSAN), Uniuyo chapter offices gave room for such feeling by observers, who witnessed the faculty’s election, described as ‘the freest and fairest’ on campus.
The build-up to the election was pulsating, as anxiety heightened on each passing day. Campaigns (especially by the three presidential aspirants) were usually carnival-like.
The façade of the faculty and environs were awashed with posters of all sizes and designs with the imposing lager than life pictures of the three presidential candidates (who were doing every legitimate thing they could to out-wit each other) being the cynosure of all eyes.
Momentum reached feverish point on manifesto day (election eve) with candidates displaying their oratory prowess, leaving the would-be electorate perplexed about who to give their mandate.
The turnout at the election was very impressive. Students from other faculties trooped in to witness firsthand the most anticipated event of the school year. It took more than eight hours for accreditation and voting to be concluded.
The LAWSAN electoral committee, led by Mrs. Alice Asukwo (a 400 level law student) had its hands full as they tried to ensure a hitch free exercise. Surely they got it right. Voting was concluded with the teeming crowd agitating for release of the results as dusk was fast approaching.
Result released saw Mr. Uwem Uko Umoh, emerging as LAWSAN president for the next academic session.
Observers were unanimous in acknowledging the credibility of the entire exercise.
“I wish Maurice Iwu were here to learn from you guys,” commented a medical student. “You have lived up to your reputation,” was the assessment by another observer. The newly elected executive was inaugurated on February 12.



RIVCOHSTECH: valentine dinner thrills staff, students
THE night of Sunday February 14, will remain a memorable one for staff and students of Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology (RIVCOHSTECH) as they were treated to a special dinner to mark the Lovers’ Day.
The dinner, held under the auspices of the Joint Christian Campus Fellowship (JCCF) and the Chapel of Reconciliation, the college’s non-denominational/interdenominational worship center, featured a drama sketch and symposium.
The drama sketch performed by the college’s theater arts group and the symposium, which had group discussions by the fellowship heads led by the President of the JCCF, Godstime Mordecai, focused on the origin of Valentine’s Day, its significance, how it is celebrated and its implications on the lives of young people today.
In his keynote, the college’s Chaplain, Pastor Pius Ugwem Jeremiah, urged the staff and students to appreciate and imbibe God’s kind of love, which according to him, “does not encourage immorality and youthful lusts,” but manifests “itself in rendering selfless service to others”.
Jeremiah, who is also Deputy Provost of the institution, noted “Nigeria will be a better place if people practised God’s kind of love.” He enjoined the students to “reflect on the virtues of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our reference point on ideal love”.
Highlight of the event was the offering of special prayers for the management, staff and students of the institution and especially for the college Registrar, Mrs. Owanate Patricia Lawson, whose birthday coincided with the dinner.
Some students who spoke to Campus Life expressed joy at the programme, saying its essence, which is to educate and enlighten people on the real meaning of Valentine’s Day and disabuse their minds on the wrong ways of celebrating it, was fully captured.


Queen hands out awards to universities
UNIVERSITIES of innovation, excellence and world-leading research have been rewarded with prizes presented by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Among the winning projects were initiatives to train African teachers and develop workers for the oil and gas industry.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education recognise colleges and universities that have contributed to the intellectual, economic, cultural and social life of the United Kingdom. The ceremony took place in the palace’s lavish ballroom, which was attended by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal, who is chancellor of London University, one of the winners.
Aberystwyth University’s institute of biological, environmental and rural sciences was recognised for being a world leader in plant breeding and genetics. It has developed varieties of grasses and crops, which give farmers a greater yield while also reducing the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the process.
Institute director Wayne Powell said: “What we have been doing is providing the underpinning science and technology to provide new food varieties and doing this in a way that is going to mitigate climate change. My colleagues have been doing an amazing job producing new varieties.”
Another winning institution was the Open University, which has been working with African academics to train 200,000 teachers via the Internet. One teacher each from Kenya, Sudan, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria involved in the project attended the ceremony. Jenestar Wanjiru, 38, a Kenyan primary school teacher, said the project “is very useful because it gives us the teaching methodology, which we can use, in the classroom to great effect.”