Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday disclosed that solving mathematical problems saved him from insanity during his 27 months incarceration.

Soyinka, said though, he disliked mathematics as a subject while he was in secondary school, the subject actually became his saving grace when he was undergoing over two-year incarceration by a military junta.

The literary icon gave this disclosure when he played host to the academic laureates, who did Ogun State proud in various academic competitions, at his Kemta, Idi Aba residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

Soyinka, while addressing the laureates, advised them not to prioritise any subject above others.

Soyinka noted that the efforts of the present administration in the state on education were evident in the emergence of the academic laureates who have shown great excellence and exploits.

He further encouraged the laureates to always have a holistic sense of integration and interaction of subjects, which he said would help them to excel in all spheres of life.

Speaking at the event, Gov. Dapo Abiodun, while highlighting some of the achievements of his administration in the education sector, promised to continue to sustain and uphold the legacy of the founding fathers who strived to make Ogun State a citadel of education.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, enjoined the awardees to thrive in giving their best and promised that the state would continue to create an enabling environment for learners to excel.

“We are indeed proud of all our academic laureates who have distinguished themselves in different competitions. And as a state, we promise to continue to put in the required provisions that will continue to aid teaching and learning activities that will produce more academic giants,” the governor said.

In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, enjoined the students to draw inspiration from the Nobel Laureate by not relenting in achieving greatness in all they do.

Some of the laureates were given cheques raging from N5 million to N50,000, laptops and other goodies.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Opeyemi Bamidele, has expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari will grant expeditious approval for the establishment of a Federal University of Health and Medical Sciences in Ekiti State.

Bamidele also applauded the Senate under the leadership Senator Ahmad Lawan for granting the bill expeditious passage, saying such has further buttressed the fact that the present National Assembly was committed to working for Nigerians.

The senator stated this in Ado Ekiti while interacting with journalists on the passage of the bill by Senate last Wednesday.

The bill for the establishment of the university was sponsored by Bamidele, an APC stalwart, representing Ekiti Central senatorial district in the Senate.

Reacting to the Senate approval for the establishment of the Federal University in Iyin Ekiti, Bamidele said the bill, when assented to, would bring advance learning that will fortify the debilitating health sector in the country.

According to him, “I am happy that the Senate had passed the bill and now awaiting presidential assent, which I have no doubt that President Buhari will give his approval to.

“With the trend of things in Nigeria now, where brain-drain has been the order of the day in the health sector, there was need for us to look inwards and have a special university that will train our medical practitioners.

“Human capital development remains the best way to uplift a nation, and I have that unflagging belief and confidence that the establishment of the university will help the country in no small measure.

“Specialised university like this always has a good prognosis of training the best of experts that can turn around the country’s health sector, which is fast drifting into disarray.

“Apart from training of medical practitioners that would be injected into the system, it will also create employments for Nigerians from all the six geopolitical zones of our country.”

Bamidele lauded the Senate President, Lawan, and other members of the National Assembly for their unalloyed support leading to swift ratification of the bill.

He added that the legislative approval amplified further proved that the present ninth Senate is not a rubber-stamp, and it’s incurably committed to serve Nigerians.

The Nigerian government has again appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to exercise patience as the process of implementing its agreement with the union is ongoing.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stated this in an exclusive interview with news correspondent.

This was as ASUU President accused the Federal Government of constantly daring the union.

As reported earlier in the week, no fewer than three zones of ASUU had asked Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible should the university lecturers embark on another strike.

The union accused the government of not implementing the agreement it signed with lecturers in December 2020.

However, ASUU for some weeks now had been urging the government to fulfill all the agreements contained in the Memorandum of Action, which it signed with the union in December 2020

But Nwajiuba assured the university teachers that all the agreements ranging from Salaries arrears to revitalisation fund are already been addressed.

“I have reached out to the NUC; they are on top of the matter and are working towards it to make sure that everything will be solved. Sooner or later, when they are through, a statement will be issued. He said

“ASUU should embrace patience and rest assured that the NUC is working fervently to make sure that the issues are resolved.”

But ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in a separate interview accused the Federal Government of daring the union’s members to see what they will do.

“We wrote a memo to them two weeks ago, till now; the memo has not been replied. You don’t reply a union through the press. If you make an agreement with someone, courtesy demands that if you cannot meet the agreement, you notify the parties involved. Why didn’t they communicate?”

The Senate has endorsed the establishment of two federal health universities in Ekiti and Nasarawa states.

The bills are the Federal University of Health and Medical Sciences Iyin, Ekiti State (Establishment) Bill, 2021, and Federal University Lafia Teaching Hospital (Establishment) Bill, 2021.

The passage of both bills followed the presentation and clause by clause consideration of two separate reports by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).

Sponsored by Senators Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), and Tanko Al-Makura (APC, Nasarawa South), the legislation seek to promote and emphasize teaching, research and extension of knowledge in the field of medicine and environmental sciences.

The bills to achieve the goal sailed third reading this week at plenary presided over by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

The committee chairman, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central), said the proposed Nasarawa medical facility was “necessitated by the precarious health conditions faced by residents.”

The Ekiti’s, he noted, seeks to promote and emphasis teaching, research, and extension of knowledge in the field of medicine and environmental sciences.

The upper legislative chamber also sanctioned the third reading of the bill to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards) Act.

Oloriegbe explained that the bill moves to amend the First Schedule to the Principal Act to include the University Teaching Hospital, Lafia and Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, thereafter referred the bill to the Senator Ahmad Baba-led Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND and was directed to report back in four weeks.