All Posts in "Education"

Pure water seller earns 4.93 cumulative grade at UniLag

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

A brilliant Nigerian man by name Tunde Alawode who once sold sachet water and achieved a remarkable 4.93 cumulative grade point to emerge the best-graduating student of the University of Lagos has bagged his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States within two years.

Tunde Alawode who narrated his story on Twitter stated that he grew up in Lagos, Nigeria selling sachet water and grinding pepper as a salesboy to survive. Despite his poor upbringing, he remained excellent in his studies scoring 8As of distinction in the 9 subjects he sat for in his West African Senior Secondary School Certificate examination.

Tunde also achieved a score of 298 over 400 points in his Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination which enabled him gain admission into the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He bagged his bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the university with a 4.93 over 5.00 possible cumulative grade point.

He was awarded the overall best-graduating student of the 2009/2010 academic year. After graduation, Tunde said he wrote the Graduate Record Examination, a multiple-choice, computer-based, standardized exam that is often required for admission to graduate programs and graduate business programs (MBA) globally

He said he took the exam while serving in the National Youth Service (NYSC) and also had a full-time job, traveling weekly between Lagos and Abuja. Even with all the challenges, Tunde achieved a remarkable score of 333 out of 340 in the rigorous test.

Furthering on, Tunde proceeded to bag his first master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2012. He then obtained another Masters’ degree in Material Science and Engineering at the same university the following year

In 2015, Tunde enrolled for his doctorate degree at MIT and within just two years, he earned the PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the university with a good grade

Patoma Admin by — August 18, 2023 in Education 0
Akanji Olwale scores A in 64 course, a B from Air Force Institute of Technology

By Favour Nnabugwu 
A young Nigerian man, Akanji Olawale has exceptionally A in 64 course and a B  at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Nigeria.
Akanji also won a  full scholarship to study for his PhD at Boston University, United States.
Akanji Olawale emerged as the overall best-graduating student of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna in Nigeria after he bagged a Cybersecurity degree with a cumulative grade point of 4.99 out of the possible 5.00.
Akanji was not only the overall best-graduating student, he was also awarded the Chief of Air Staff Overall Best Graduating Student and the Commandant Best Graduating Student Department of Cyber Security at his convocation.
Apart from his academic achievements, Akanji served in the Nigerian Airforce for eleven years, juggling studies together with his active Service to Nigeria before retiring from service in 2023.
After 11 years of Active Service to my fatherland  Nigeria, today I drew my last paycheck as I say goodbye to the NAF. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. For God and For the Country. Thank you Nigeria Air Force Thank you Nigeria, wish me Happy life in Retirement,” he wrote on Twitter.
Akanji also worked as an Amazon Web Services Solutions Architect Associate and an Amazon Web Services Cloud Security Specialist. He said he wrote the examination a week to his final year first semester examinations.
He added that he studied and practiced with Whizlabs courtesy of a scholarship he won from Tkb417, Cloud Services & Solutions company, practicing with 200 videos, 70 lab sessions, and 23 Practice Questions and still aced his school examinations.
Patoma Admin by — August 18, 2023 in Education 0
Joy Nneoma Abogu bags first class in law at University of Ibadan

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

A young Nigerian lady, Joy Nneoma Abogu has bagged a Law degree with first-class honors from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Joy Abogu obtained her bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) from the University of Ibadan (UI) after 7 years instead of the normal academic timeline of 5 years due to several challenges.

Joy shared her achievement on her LinkedIn page sharing the reason why her course which was initially supposed to be five years elongated to seven years. She highlighted the lockdown and an industrial strike by the university’s academic union as the main reason for the setback.

She stated that her final year in school was the most challenging, saying she struggled to maintain good grades amidst working a full-time remote job with other side jobs. Joy added that the stress was overwhelming but she persevered till the very end.

“I have always been on a First Class since my 100 level, and it was my earnest desire to remain there until I graduate. But at some point, I was exhausted because the stress of combining schooling with working was overwhelmingly unbearable,” Joy said.

”And there was also my Final Year Long Essay to write amidst all these. I was getting little to no sleep every night. I broke down many times, fell sick more times than I can remember, and even felt like giving up at some points. Nevertheless, by God’s grace, I persevered till the end,” she added

She expressed her satisfaction with the outcome, emphasizing that her final grade validates the worth of her efforts and ensures that her hard work was not in vain

Patoma Admin by — August 17, 2023 in Education 0
Nigeria lady, 22, bags PHd in Biomedical Engineering from USA Varsity

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

A 22 year-old Nigerian lady,, Nkechinyere Chidi-Ogbolu, has earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California in the US.
Nkechinyere is one of the youngest PhD holders in the country and a shining example of academic excellence.
She started her academic journey at 14, when she left her home country and moved to Washington, D.C., where she enrolled in Howard University for her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
She graduated with honors at the age of 18 and received scholarships to pursue her Master’s and PhD degrees in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
She also has a message for other young people who want to follow their dreams: “Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. Believe in yourself and work hard. Seek out mentors and role models who can guide you and motivate you. And most importantly, enjoy what you do.”
Nkechinyere is a true role model for all who want to make a positive impact in the world through our talents and passions.
She attended Carol Nursery and Primary School, Agidingbi, Ikeja in Lagos. Went to the West African International School in The Gambia  before leaving for Howard University, United States.
According to her, “I had already graduated from secondary school and had sat for all the required examinations, including the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the Test of English as a Foreign Language at the time”.
She further said, “I was able to get scholarship to a number of universities and I selected Howard University because it was a historical black college or university.  I graduated in May with a Magna Cum Laude which is an equivalent of between 3.5 and 3.8. There is also the Summa Cum Laude”.
Patoma Admin by — August 17, 2023 in Education 0
80,000 candidates sit for rescheduled 2023 UTME exam 

By Favour Nnabugwu
No fewer than 80,000 sat for the  rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME,  examination across the country on Saturday.
The candidates who could not sit for the 2023 session of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’ for no fault of theirs were rescheduled.
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu,who monitored the exercise, expressed satisfaction over the  conduct of the rescheduled examination.
Adamu, who was in company of the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, monitored the exam at the Computer Based Test, CBT centre located  in Mambila Barracks,Asokoro District of Abuja.expressed delight over the smooth conduct of the exercise.
He said : “I am very happy with what I have seen. The (temporary) holding room (for candidates) , and the arrangement in where they are taking the examination, I think everything is in order.
While saying no any negative incident was recorded in the conduct of the UTME at the CBT centre, the minister, however, made a case for a temporary holding place for candidates  waiting for the scheduled time of the exam.
“Everything is okay, have you seen any problem? Perhaps they should have a class for the holding room, I think that is the only improvement they will make here,” Adamu said.
Recall that the Board had on Tuesday released  results of candidates who had earlier took part in the exam, that commenced on Tuesday, 25th April.
A total of 1,586,765 candidates  indicated interest in sitting for the 2023 UTME.
Patoma Admin by — May 6, 2023 in Education 0
FG, World Bank partner to train technical teachers on innovative skills

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

 

The Federal Government and the World Bank have collaborated to improve the knowledge of teachers in the federal technical colleges in the country with the 21st century skills that will digitilise the students.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Andrew David Adejo disclosed this while declaring open a workshop on the development of a Structure for the in-service training of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teachers and instructors on Wednesday in Abuja.

Adejo, who was represented by the Director of Technology and Science Education, Mrs. Grace Jakko, said there is the utmost importance to strengthen the technical schools with the aim to increase the availability of competent and motivated technical teachers and instructors.

He explained that the workshop come on the heels of the realisation that the 21st century presents a radically different economy and society, which is having profound implications generally on education and more specifically on skills development in Technical and Vocational Education.

He said that the skills development system in Nigeria must therefore, adapt to the emerging trends of globalisation for economic viability especially in our relevant skills for the formal and informal sectors of the economy.

According to him, “All the federal technical teachers in the 27 technical schools across the federation will be trained and captured in this component and the five states that are participating in the IDEAS Project, each of the state has three technical colleges and all the teachers in these technical colleges will be captured.

“I’m very certain that we except so much from the teachers, the administrators and the project implementors.”

National Project Coordinator, IDEAS Project, Blessing Ehi Ogwu said the purpose of the project is to development a comprehensive structure for training technical teachers in Nigeria.

Mrs. Ogwu expressed confidence that collective knowledge and expertise of the participants will help create a framework that can effectively prepare technical teachers to meet the challenges of the future.

She also disclosed that they target to equip about 5000 people with technical skills to meet up with the market demand, adding that technical education plays a crucial role in shaping the future of our society.

She said it’s imperative that we have well-trained teachers who can effectively impart technical knowledge to our students.

She, however, noted that designing an effective training program for technical teachers is not an easy task, saying it requires careful planning, coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders.

On her part, a World Bank consultant, Dr Mistura Rufai, disclosed that the entire IDEAS Project is about $200 million and that teachers training is one of the components of that project with about $25 million to $30 million will be spent on training teachers in Nigeria.

Dr Rufai however said though the teachers training has not started but they want to put in place some structure to ensure that when they start, they kickoff the training this year.

The project is for TVET teachers in Nigeria wether it’s being implemented in the state or not, it’s going to cover all the six geopolitical zones, all the states in the country.

“Already we have 38 technical colleges that have been equipped with workshops across the country this is one of the things we are going to leverage on.

“These schools are going to be used as training centres for teachers, we are also looking at boosting the capacity of tertiary institutions that are already providing training for teachers, look at how we can up skill and digitalize their training. There is also plan to up skilled these tertiary institutions providing training to teachers.

“We work with the institution to ensure that the equipment they are getting are 21st century equipment that are market relevant.”

The World Bank consultant said that they wanted the teachers to be trained with the skill demand in the market so that when the students graduatee with their skills for them to be market relevant and provide the skills that the market wants.”

Ben Akpan, a facilitator at the workshop, said the essence of the world bank is to enable the federal government to take ownership of the project so they would have acquired the know-how and continue the project.

Patoma Admin by — March 15, 2023 in Education 0
Buhari congratulates Nigerian professor for winning $300,000 history prize

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded a Professor of History and African Diaspora Studies, Florida International University, Saheed Aderinto, for winning the prestigious Dan David Prize.

Dan David Prize is the largest financial reward for excellence in the historical discipline in the world.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, on Saturday, President Buhari commended the selection committee of the international award, created 21 years ago, for recognizing the vital and scholarly contributions of the Nigerian to the study of history, which sheds light on the human past.

President Buhari noted with delight that in acknowledging the works of the first and only Nigerian to win the prestigious prize of $300,000, the selection committee lauded the University of Ibadan trained historian for “situating African history at the cutting edge of diverse literature in the histories of sexuality, nonhumans, and violence, noting that it is exceptional to see a single person leading scholarship in all of these fields.”

The President expressed hope that this honour on the founding President of the Lagos Studies Association would continue to spur the teaching and learning of history among students and scholars in the country and beyond.

Patoma Admin by — March 11, 2023 in Education 0
NYSC deploys 200,000 corps members for 2023 elections

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

 

No fewer than 200,000 corps member has been earmarked to take part in the 2023 election by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC,

NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, who briefed journalists at the Scheme’s headquarters in Abuja, said the deployment was for the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for February 25.

Ahmed disclosed that the Scheme was working alongside other security agencies to ensure the safety of all corps members during the polls.

Nevertheless, he warned corps members against collecting any form of gratification, including food from politicians before, during and after the elections.

In the pre-election, the NYSC Director-General said: “We are deploying 200,000 corps members for the elections. What is fundamental for me to also mention is the security of these Corps members.

“Since I took over, I have met with the IG of Police, the DSS, I have met with the NSCDC, I have equally met with the INEC and every hand is on deck to ensure that the Corps members are secured

“We were assured by INEC that they will carry these Corps members to their respective places of assignment and bring them back safely from wherever they are picking them from.

“As for the welfare of these corps members, INEC has promised to provide them with sleeping kits and whatever they need for the elections.

“What I want to warn corps members about is that they should be careful in whatever environment they find themselves in. They should not accept any gift from any politician. They must not accept any food from anybody.

“As they go, they should carry at least their service support. Any form of gratification or gifts, we don’t expect any corps member to accept,” he added.

Ahmed also stated that those to participate at the elections had been provided with requisite skills for the conduct of the elections by officials of INEC.

“Those who are participating in this election have already been given proper training. Guidelines have been given to them. They have been well informed and they are ready to give their best.

“Some of them were trained outside the camps while those who just passed out (of the orientation exercise) were trained by INEC officials in the camp,” he added.

Patoma Admin by — February 21, 2023 in Education 0
JAMB suspends 2023 Direct Entry registration

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

 

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board,JAMB,has announced suspension of its ongoing 2023 Direct Entry registratin.

The board,in a statement by its Head, Public Affairs and Protocol,Fabian Benjamin, explained that the registration which commenced on Monday, 20th February, 2023, was suspended with effect from Tuesday, 21st February, 2023.

The suspension, according to a statement issued by JAMB on Tuesday, is to enable the deployment of certain measures, which are designed to better serve prospective candidates.

The statement said “a new date and fresh registration procedures, which will include upload of JAMB Admission Letter in the case of OND and NCE, Admission Letter issued by universities in the case of University Diploma, and Admission Letter issued by A’ Level examination bodies (IJMBE, JUPEB, etc.), would be announced in due course so that candidates could proceed to JAMB offices nationwide to register.”

Recall that JAMB had commenced DE registration on Monday, 20th February, 2023, and had slated it to end on Thursday, 20th April, 2023.

“Candidates are also to note that only JAMB offices are approved to register them for Direct Entry,”the statement added.

Patoma Admin by — February 21, 2023 in Education 0
FG to make University of Abuja the first education Free Trade Zone in Nigeria

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

 

The  Federal Government is to established Nigeria is established the University of Abuja as the first education Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Nigeria.

The education FTZ would be established on 11, 800 hectares of land at the university which has all kinds of mineral resources, and a mining centre.

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, who disclosed this on Friday, urged more universities in Nigeria to take part in the free trade zones scheme.

He added that NEPZA plans to partner with the University of Abuja and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce to bring industries closer to the students.

University FTZs: NEPZA Chief added the agency is working with the University of Abuja to establish a Free Trade Zone, which is built on 11,800 hectares of land and contains minerals that can be minded. He said

“We are now talking about the University free zone, education-free zone, technology-free zone, and knowledge-free zones; and we are working very closely with the University of Abuja in that regard.

“This is going to be one case that people are going to be very happy with. The University of Abuja has applied to be a free zone. It’s going to be the first such education-free zone.

“It is 10 minutes to the airport, 20 minutes to the city centre, 11,800 hectares of land with all kinds of mineral resources, free rivers, so it is going to be a mining centre.”
Industry and Academia: Adesugba added

that NEPZA plans to work with the university and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce to bring industries closer to the students, adding that the relationship would benefit both University and the industry. He said:

”Interns and university students having access to knowledge-based productive activities will also come into place; so it is going to be a fantastic thing.

”The best thing about the free zone is that the university lecturers and everybody within that community will have something to do.

They will always have something to do.
”There will be warehouses for industries, hotels for conferences; the rivers will provide the terrain good enough for the gulf. So we are going to have holidays and stuff at the university and it is going to be an amazing city. It’s a city within a city, it’s a dream.”

The NEPZA chief noted that this is the way to go; citing that there won’t be strikes as such agreements to do we do not allow strikes within the free trade zones.

“We will also ensure there is fairness, people will be appropriately paid, it is not just going to be lecturers asking for pay that the universities can’t afford. The University of Abuja is going to be the richest in Africa, by the time we finish with this concept we will be excited about it.”

Patoma Admin by — February 11, 2023 in Education 0