Ogun: College of Health Technology Now Polytechnic

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February 18, 2023

Ogun State Government has upgraded its College of Health Technology in Ilese-Ijebu to a polytechnic, and would henceforth be known as, Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences.

With a promise to appoint a substantive rector for the institution soon, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, made the pronouncement on Wednesday, during his re-election campaign tour of Ijebu North East Local Government.

Governor Abiodun said upgrading the institution had become imperative because of plans to reposition the school and expand its curriculum.

During his engagement with the students, Abiodun emphasised that he had only done what the law empowered him to do, as he was the only one that could make such a pronouncement, noting that other governorship candidates were full of empty boasts.

The governor also promised that his administration would continue to support the development of education in the state while assuring the students that those yet to receive their bursary would get it soon.

Ogun State Govt vows to improve Health Services

Making the pronouncement, the governor said, “I, Prince Adedapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State, hereby pronounce that this institution, formerly called Ogun State College of Health Technology, is hereby renamed Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences.

“This institution will now begin to occupy its pride of place among the comity of polytechnics in the country. I want to congratulate you on this elevation, and I want to assure you that very soon, you will have a substantive rector.

“I am making that pronouncement today, the 15th of February, 2023. I am the only one that can come here and make such an announcement; others can only come here and make empty promises,” he said.

The APC flag bearer further noted that his administration would continue to cater for the welfare of students in the state, assuring that his administration would begin immediate repairs on the internal roads of the institution.

He said, “I want to apologise for the deplorable condition of this road, but as you can see, work has started on the road, I have re-awarded that contract to a reputable contractor and very very soon, you will see this road wearing a good look.

“I am also aware of the situation of your internal roads, I have instructed the Commissioner for Works to come here immediately, within the next one week and begin to work on your internal roads,” he said.

Benue Varsity Gets New Vice Chancellor

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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February 18, 2023

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The Governing Council of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi formerly known as the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi has appointed Professor Isaac Nathaniel Itodo as the 7th Vice Chancellor with effect from April 17, 2023.

He succeeds Professor Richard Kimbir, whose tenure as VC ended on November 19, 2022. UNILAG Gets 1st Ever Female Vice Chancellor

Announcing the appointment, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Edith Uwajumogwu, said the new VC, a world-class agricultural engineer, is the first alumnus of the university to be appointed as VC since the university was established in 1988.

Uwajumogwu noted that Prof. Itodo emerged as the winner among 16 candidates through a credible and open process.

She stated that 18 applications were received in response to the advertisement, and these applicants were screened, and a short list of sixteen candidates emerged.

The choice of Prof. Itodo was unanimous after he emerged with the highest score from the three candidates that the selection committee recommended.

The Chairman said, “in the process, JoSTUM’s interest was put first. Nobody was under any pressure that was not controllable. I hope other Universities will learn from the university.

“We went for merit and took the best for the University to take its pride of place in the Nigerian university system.

“Itodo, 58, joined the services of the university in 1987.

“He rose through the ranks and was elevated to the rank of professor in 2003.

“He has served the university in various capacities, including Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Dean of the College of Engineering and Director of Linkages.

“Itodo is an outstanding scholar, administrator and a good resource manager who will undoubtedly contribute to the university’s development.

“He is a scholar-practitioner who holds two patents, a National Productivity Award Winner, and a Fellow of the Academy of Engineering, amongst his numerous academic titles.

“He will take over the reins of office in April 2023 from Professor Paul Annune who has been acting as Vice-Chancellor since November 2022,” Uwajumogwu

Prof Itodo becomes the first non-Tiv Vice-Chancellor of the university after close to 28 years of the institution’s existence.

NECO Urge States to Pay Up N3bn Debt for 2022 Exams

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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February 18, 2023

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The National Examinations Council has urged states owing the council to pay up the N3 billion debt for the 2022 Senior School Certificate Examination.

The Registrar of the council, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim-Wushishi, disclosed this while announcing the results of the 2022 Senior School Certificate Examination external in Minna on Thursday.

Just In: NECO Releases 2022 SSCE External Results

Ibrahim-Wushishi said 59,124 candidates sat for the examination, with 31,316 males, representing 52.96 per cent while 27,808, representing 47.03 per cent were females.

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He noted that candidates that sat for English Language were 58,012 out of which 44,162, representing 76.13 per cent got credit and above, while the number of candidates that sat for Mathematics was 57,700, out of which 43,096, representing 74.69 per cent got credit and above.

He explained that the number of candidates who got five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics, were 33,914 representing 57.36 per cent.

“Also 46,825 candidates, representing 79.20 per cent got five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics,” he said.

Similarly, on the issue of examination malpractice, he said 11,419 candidates were booked for various forms of malpractice as against 4,454 in 2021.

According to him, the feat was achieved largely due to the improvement in the strategy and technique adopted by the monitoring officers.

“This has led to the blacklisting of four supervisors, one each from Rivers and Plateau States and two from Ogun State for aiding and abetting as well as poor supervision,” he said.

It would be recalled that the 2022 Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, External was conducted by NECO from Nov. 21 to Dec. 21, 2022, and is being released just after 57 days.

Speaking further on the examination, Wushishi said a total of 29 subjects were examined as it was done in 2021.

He called on candidates to access their results on the NECO official website www.neco.gov.ng using their examination registration number.

Lagos Moves to Boost Education Through Global Best Practices

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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February 18, 2023

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The Lagos State Government has put machinery in motion to boost education in the state by adopting global best practices.

To realise this, the Office of Education Quality Assurance held a two-day training programme on “Standardisation and its Impact on Quality Regulation Process and Adoption of Global Best Practices,” held in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.

The Director-General (DG), Office of Education Quality Assurance Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, speaking at the event, said the training sought to set the stage for the adoption of global practices with regard to regulatory processes using standardization as a spring-board.

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She said in the context of quality education, the training programme was very significant given the relevance of standardization in regulatory process, stressing that progress in education sector was determined largely by the commitment and adoption of global best practices.

In this regard, Seriki-Ayeni stated that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration placed high premium on the value and standard of Education.

“As a fact Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) has been strengthening quality control and regulation of public and private schools through monitoring and evaluation in Lagos State.

“In the last three years, the Office of Education Quality Assurance has initiated a lot of laudable programmes to enhance the standard of Education in Lagos State. Some of these innovation includes Read-Aloud, Lagos initiative, The Lagos Learns Together, L’ explore Literacy Assessment et cetera,” she said.

The DG added that Office had also engaged in Data Validation/Update Exercise of all private schools operating in Lagos by collating data of both public and private schools as well as teachers in the State towards effective monitoring and quality assurance.

According to her, the Office had in addition, embarked on monitoring the compliance level of private schools in the State through registration and validation exercise, which was ensure that private schools adhere to world best practices.

“It is also noteworthy to state that OEQA also conducted Subject Recognition Inspection for both Private and Public Schools in Lagos State to qualify them for external examinations such as WAEC, NECO and BECE,” she said.

Seriki-Ayeni encouraged the participants to maximize and take advantage of the training programme intended to drive innovation towards effective regulatory practices.

“As part of the curriculum for this training, you will be taken through risk management, quality management system and aligning EOMS as an effective regulatory framework for OEQA,” she added.

Delta Institution Moves To Generate Renewable Energy

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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February 18, 2023

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Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara in the Ethiope East Local Government Area has embarked on moves to generate renewable energy for the institution.

The Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri, disclosed this during the 21st matriculation ceremony of the institution on Friday.

He noted that the polytechnic was committed to building a new generation of inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs that the state and country would be proud of.

In this direction, he said the polytechnic had already set up a very powerful team of experts to generate renewable energy for the institution.

According to him, the team of experts drawn from within the polytechnic had been mandated “to commence the process of generating a good proportion of our energy through renewable energy sources.

“We will be working on solar and wind energy alternative and results promise to be rewarding. We will also be exploring the hydro advantage of the River Ethiope, which is just some feet beside the polytechnic. Very soon, the institution will be able to generate a substantial proportion of its energy needs internally.

“We are working hard to make this polytechnic a renowned and reliable research centre and innovation hub. To encourage staff and students henceforth, we are setting apart a special fund to patent, promote, mass produce and market any research project of conventional acceptable standard either by students, staff or a combined team of students and staff.

“Henceforth, there will be cash prizes for the best students’ practical projects from each of the schools and the overall student’s project.

The rector, a professor of Mass Communication and veteran journalist, however cautioned Nigerian youths not to see education as a scam but a necessary key to sustainable success and development of any society.

He warned youths to be wary of friends and associates, who would lure them against pursuing education, saying such persons had mortgaged their futures.

“Education is the key to sustainable success. Don’t let anybody deceive you that education is a scam. Anybody telling you that education is a scam has mortgaged his or her future and that person is already consuming his or her future voraciously and foolishly right now. That person has failed the test of deferred gratification pattern. Don’t get close to such persons,” he said.

He specifically warned students of the institution against social vices including immorality, indecent dressing, cultism and examination malpractices.

“This institution is aimed at producing graduates who can compete favourably with their counterpart from any part of the world. Actually, our graduates have not failed us as they are spread across the world doing wonderfully successful.

“We receive commendations from different parts of the world about our graduates and we receive requests from institutions in different countries of the world to confirm the authenticity of our graduates results who are seeking admission into those institutions.”easure is to encourage creativity, functional and productive initiative, innovation and ingenuity,” he added.

Delta poly moves to generate renewable energy for institution