A Nigerian postdoctoral research fellow in Canada, Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi, recently got the University of Alberta, Canada, to exclude Nigerian students from its English language requirement.

Igbalajobi, who hails from Ekiti State, South-west Nigeria, on May 22, emailed and tweeted at the university’s official Twitter handle, calling its attention to a list of select universities from Nigeria who meet the institution’s English language requirement.

“I write to call your attention to a list on your graduate school page exempting applicants with credentials from ‘SELECTIVE’ universities in Nigeria from the English Language Requirement at the University of Alberta,” he tweeted.

He added that “the official language in Nigeria is English which automatically translates to the fact that all academic programmes from elementary to tertiary education are taught in English.”
He said based on that, Nigeria should have been exempted entirely and not some select schools.

Nigerians have over the years, but most recently intensified the campaign #ReformIELTS, which calls on foreign universities to exempt Nigeria from taking English requirements tests such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

In January, about 40,000 Nigerians signed a petition calling on the United Kingdom (UK) home office to either remove Nigeria from the list of countries whose citizens are required to take English proficiency tests or reduce the fees charged for the examination.

The cost of the test, which currently stands between N80,000 and N90,000 in Nigeria, is almost three times the country’s minimum wage of N30,000.

“I affirmatively believe that the University of Alberta attracts applicants from different backgrounds and inclusion is germane to her. It will be greatly appreciated if the current list is updated or reworded to reflect all universities in Nigeria…,” Igbalajobi wrote.

Reacting to his email, the university noted that Igbalajobi’s email “surfaced an important issue of discrepancies between ELP exempted countries as listed across Canadian post-secondary institutions…”

It noted that it will work with its U15 partners to make the reference list consistent but will “in the meantime, add Nigeria to the list.”

Adding that it University of Alberta is home to many Nigerian graduate students and will make sure that Nigerians and other prospective students have accurate information as “they research and apply to our institution.”

Igbalajobi said he sent a reminder to the university after a week of monitoring its website for a change.

“I noticed that it was effected on Saturday”, he said.

Nigeria has now been added to the university’s list of countries where English is an official language of instruction though the university’s second category of exempted international schools had yet to be corrected or taken down from its website.

The Police Force in Mwanza has swiftly acted against its officers over alleged brutal acts against a student of Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT).

The Police are now holding one of its accused officers for brutally punishing a student, Warren Lyimo, a 22-year old boy, after he was accused of stealing a laptop, a property of his uncle.

The Acting Regional Police Commander, ACP Mairi Mikori, told Tanzania media that the investigation was ongoing, including an effort to interrogate the Sociology student.

He is currently admitted to Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital, undergoing treatment since May 17, 2022.

Newsmen said all efforts to meet the victim at the hospital, who was facing difficulties to speak due to agony, proved abortive.

According to him, he was invited to his uncle’s birthday party on 14th May at Nyegezi where he stayed until the next day when he decided to return to the university.

Around midnight of May 16th, his uncle phoned him, directing him to meet somewhere to collect his parcel. However, the student went and found the uncle with his wife and two police officers.

The officers ordered him to get into his uncle’s vehicle and headed for Buhongwa police station.

While at the police station, he was brutally attacked, including injuring his private parts, causing scrotal swelling.

The officers later directed the boy to take them to his room at the University where they searched for the laptop but in vain.

He was taken back to Buhongwa Police Station where they continued torturing him before they placed him in police cell.

At Bugando hospital, doctors carried out surgery on his private parts, and he is said to be slowly recovering.

The Government of the United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Liberia’s development and democratic governance.

According to the Ambassador of the United Kingdom accredited to Monrovia, Liberia, Neil Bradley, his country will continue its involvement across different sectors.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Liberia mission in London, where he held insightful discussions ‘about greater cooperation between Liberia and the UK’ with his Liberian counterpart, Amb. Gurly T. Gibson Schwarz, Bradley announced five key areas where the UK Government has remained engaged across Liberia- emphasizing health, education, climate change, biodiversity, and security.

Under healthcare and education, he explained that the British government is providing US$2.6m dollars to Mary’s Meals helping more than 157,000 children in Liberia reduce hunger- for the period 2021-to 2024.

Amb. Bradley emphasized that the impact of this initiative is based on visitation to the project site in Bomi County.

He said the United Kingdom is also providing US$5m to power Nutrition and financing facility run by UNICEF, targeting 1.3 million women and children to reduce the prevalence of stunting in Liberia from 36% to 33% by 2024; as well as contributing US$80,000 to UNFPA in Liberia to reduce unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths.

The project is seeking to improve maternal newborn and child health.

He mentioned the annual Chevening scholarship program provides master’s scholarships for Liberians to enroll at top UK Universities, as one of the areas of the UK’s engagement with Liberia in education.

As regards the Economy, he stated that the United Kingdom is a major contributor to the World Bank US$6.3m to Liberia- to help fund the construction of the south-eastern corridor.

According to Ambassador Bradley, the UK-funded projects and grants are supporting the government of Liberia to develop the necessary tools and systems to strengthen forest governance, thus safeguarding Liberia’s precious natural resources.

He explained that the UK will continue to collaborate and strengthen bilateral relationship between Liberia and the United Kingdom.

On her part, Ambassador Gurly Gibson Schwarz said increasing collaboration with the United Kingdom as a key donor to international development ‘is a key preoccupation of the Liberian diplomatic mission in London.’

She indicated that such increasing collaboration with the UK is reflective of progress in many sectors.

Such interaction at various levels of the UK and Liberia governments- and people-driven forums are crucial to both countries.

As Liberia and the United Kingdom edge toward a trade deal,  Ambassador Gurly Gibson Schwarz recalled the support of the UK during the UK-Liberia business conference that focused on Liberia’s innovative approach to the extractive industries that highlighted- sustainable development and renewable energy.

She applauded Ambassador Bradley for continuing the partnership and breaking new grounds in Liberia and the United Kingdom towards furthering cooperation between their governments and people.

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na-Allah, said the institution has gone tough on lecturers sexually harassing students, as two professors had been dismissed for the offence.

Na’Allah said that the university had introduced a policy on sex abuse on campus, which had been published.

Na-Allah, who was on a two–day visit to the U.S., to meet with the University of Abuja Alumni Association, USA chapter, to solicit support for the institution, said, “female students needed to be protected.”

According to him, the institution is committed to high moral standards and will not tolerate any act of misconduct perpetrated by its staff against students.

“I have dismissed two professors since I became the vice-chancellor. It tells you how we are serious about the issue of sexual harassment.

“We are collaborating with some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), to make sure that it is not only us that are addressing this issue, but we have a strong partnership.

“We cannot allow the lives of our students to be destroyed because most of the abuses destroy the lives of their victims.’’

The vice-chancellor said: “it was sad to see some lecturers, who are supposed to be protecting the female students, becoming one of their problems.

“This a problem of universities in Nigeria, not only University of Abuja alone.

“But UniAbuja is pursuing it with vigour, because, we know this is one of the issues to address to make our university one of the best in Nigeria.

“As I speak now, there are several investigations ongoing by a committee set up, addressing the problem,’’ he added.

The VC said that the university was working round the clock to make sure the institution become number one in Nigeria, adding that ”the best way is to improve on academics of the student.

“We are trying to provide all the facilities that the students need, for instance, the smart classrooms, internet facilities on campus and other areas.’’

Na-Allah further said that the Centre for Distance Learning (CDL), in the university was among the best in Nigeria, adding that Nigerians in diaspora could take programmes anywhere in the world from the centre virtually.

“We have created a virtual classroom system and we are working with the National University Commission (NUC), to see that its policies are reversed in such a way to support the virtual system.

“We are collaborating with the University of Arizona, U.S because it has a large virtual system and we are exploring relationships for online programmes with the university,’’ he said.

The University of Abuja is a tertiary institution in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, established in January 1988, as a dual-mode University, with the mandate to run conventional and distance learning programmes.

A Nigerian postdoctoral research fellow in Canada, Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi, recently got the University of Alberta, Canada, to exclude Nigerian students from its English language requirement.

Igbalajobi, who hails from Ekiti State, South-west Nigeria, on May 22, emailed and tweeted at the university’s official Twitter handle, calling its attention to a list of select universities from Nigeria who met the institution’s English language requirement.

He added that the official language in Nigeria is English which automatically translates to the fact that all academic programmes from elementary to tertiary education are taught in English.

He said based on that, Nigeria should have been exempted entirely and not some select schools.

Nigerians have over the years, but most recently intensified the campaign #ReformIELTS, which calls on foreign universities to exempt Nigeria from taking English requirements tests such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

In January, about 40,000 Nigerians signed a petition calling on the United Kingdom (UK) home office to either remove Nigeria from the list of countries whose citizens are required to take English proficiency tests or reduce the fees charged for the examination.

The cost of the test currently stands between N80,000 and N90,000 in Nigeria.

In acknowledging his email, the university noted that Igbalajobi’s email surfaced an important issue of discrepancies between ELP exempted countries as listed across Canadian post-secondary institutions.

It noted that it will work with its U15 partners to make the reference list consistent but will “in the meantime, add Nigeria to the list.”

The school management said University of Alberta is home to many Nigerian graduate students and will make sure that Nigerians and other prospective students have accurate information as they research and apply to the institution.

In an interview with newsmen in Nigeria, Igbalajobi said he sent a reminder to the university after a week of monitoring its website for a change. He said he noticed that the change was effected on Saturday.

Nigeria has now been added to the university’s list of countries where English is an official language of instruction.

However, it was further confirmed that the university’s second category of exempted international schools had yet to be corrected or taken down from its website.