Following the debates surrounding the selection process for the appointment of a substantive vice-chancellor and the expiration of the incumbent’s term of office on Thursday, the authorities of the Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Osogbo, have announced the appointment of a professor of geo-technical engineering, Afeez Bello, as an acting vice-chancellor.

Bello, 45, who until his latest appointment, was the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of administration and development, is expected to resume office on Friday, November 5.

The outgoing vice-chancellor, Labo Popoola, a professor of forest economics, is expected to end his tenure on Thursday and return to the University of Ibadan where he is a serving lecturer.

Announcing the appointment on Wednesday morning, the university’s pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council, Yusuf Alli, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the appointment became imperative following a subsisting ligation over the selection process.

Alli said the appointment was to avoid a vacuum in the university administration and pledged the commitment of the university management to abide by the verdicts of the court as “a law abiding institution.”

*About the new acting VC*

Born on October 11, 1976, Bello hails from Ilobu, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State, and attended Ilobu Secondary Commercial Grammar School where he finished in 1993.

The acting vice-chancellor gained admission to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, in 1995 where he studied Civil Engineering. He bagged his Master’s certificate in Civil Engineering from the University of Ibadan in 2005 and later proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where he bagged his PhD in Civil Engineering in the year 2010.

Bello began his lecturing career in 2007 and has taught in various institutions including his alma mater, where he started out.

The Nigerian Communications Commission has urged students to know their rights and roles as consumers in the telecommunication industry.

At a programme held at the University of Benin with a theme: “Telecom Consumer Rights Awareness: the role of Students”, the organizers said the idea behind the enlightenment campaign is to give the student real understanding of their rights as telecom consumers and roles in the telecom industry as university students.

In her welcome address, Assistant Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Mistura Aruna, said the programme is one of the various consumer-centred initiatives of the NCC targeted at creating awareness for students of tertiary institutions on their Rights and obligations as telecom consumers as well as sensitising them to several initiatives put in place for Consumer Protection and Empowerment.

She said, “The Telecom Campus Conversation forum is one of the various consumer-centred initiatives of the Nigerian Communications Commission targeted at creating awareness for students of tertiary institutions on their rights and obligations as consumers in the telecommunication industry as well as sensitizing them on several initiatives put in place for the purpose of Consumer Protection and Empowerment.”

Also, Director of Consumers Affairs, Efosa Idehen, said, “The project was launched in 2020, though the first leg of the campaign took place at the University of Abuja a week ago, while the second edition is taking place here at the University of Benin.”

“The students must be enlightened on the need for SIM registration and the importance of SIM linkage with National Identification Number,” he added.

He said the regulatory agency has various means mapped out to educate consumers on their rights including ‘Market Discussion’ for market people, ‘Students Conversation’ for students, ‘NYSC Conversation’ for corp members.

According to Idehen, others includes ‘Professional Conversation’ for professionals in various fields and ‘Village Square’, an online programme.

He also emphasized the need for cyber security as various numbers dedicated for different purposes were called out to students.

Students with ‘fast fingers’ also benefitted from recharge cards that were called out at intervals at the event.

The Nigerian government is set to implement the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project to produce experts in procurement, environmental and social standards in the country.

Six federal universities have been selected to host the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Centres of Excellence (SPESSCEs) for the implementation.

The selected universities are the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi; Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM); the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO); University of Benin (UNIBEN) and University of Lagos (UNILAG).

This is the first time this will be happening in higher education in Nigeria, said Dr. Joshua Atah, project coordinator SPESSE Project Implementation Unit at the National Universities Commission (NUC).

SPESSE is a multi-sectoral project with support from the World Bank. It will address training, professionalisation and research in procurement, environmental and social standards.

National Universities Commission (NUC), Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Federal Ministry of Environment and Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development will be implemented it.

SPESSE was launched by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the NUC, Abuja, on October 28 with the aim to establish strategic partnerships with leading international research funding research performing and international capacity building organisations and top-performing institutions.

While addressing a stakeholders’ meeting, recently, Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, said he was excited at the potential of SPESSE and the possibilities that it offered both the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy. He stated that the six centres were selected through a very objective, competitive and rigorous selection process, while the project was designed with the full participation of the private sector, including the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, which represented the Industry in the design of the curricula by NUC.

By developing curricula aligned with international standards, setting up the centres of excellence and supplying qualified professionals, SPESSE will improve, significantly, Nigeria’s capacity for procurement, environmental and social standards.

Rasheed commended the vice-chancellors of the selected universities for the key roles they played in developing the winning proposals and urged them to continue to support the centres for the benefit of their universities, the Nigerian University System (NUS) and the country in general.

The project task team leader at the World Bank, Chief Bayo Awosemusi, disclosed that SPESSE, being the first of its kind for both the World Bank and Nigeria, will be the hub for Africa.

He commended Rasheed for his unprecedented commitment to the success of the project.