By Favour Nnabugwu

Double twins, Taiwo and Kehinde Sanuade and Judith and Juliet Agu have graduated with First Class from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Taiwo and Kehinde Sanuade have graduated with degrees in Law while Judith  and Juliet Agu of the Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy,  the four are among the 233 that came out with First Class from the same university

Taiwo Sanuade announced the feat via their convocation pictures shared on his Facebook page on Monday.

“Happy Convocation to us: Sanuade, Taiwo David (LL.B) (UI) (First Class Honours). Sanuade, Kehinde Daniel (LL.B) (UI) (First Class Honours).
Thank you Jesus. The honour of this is for Jesus who has graciously given us wisdom and the necessary resources to pull this through,” he captioned the pictures.

Judith and Juliet Agu

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, speaking on Tuesday at the second day of the Foundation Day and Convocation Ceremonies at the International Conference Centre of the university, urged the graduands to be worthy ambassadors of the institution by making a positive impact.

These times have crucial messages for all of us. For us as university administrators, we have continued to ask and answer the question, how do we rejig and restructure administration in a way to lighten students’ burdens, ensure maximum productivity and absorb the shocks of disruptions?

“For students and the graduands, one lesson of this season that must not be lost on you is the power and desirability of resilience. As you step into life after school, situations will arise that will require you to call up your ability to exercise resilience, instead of giving in and giving up.

By Favour Nnabugwu

Priscilla Asikhia, a young and talented Nigerian woman from Edo State and the daughter of popular gospel film makers, Lekan and Busayo Asikhia’s named Priscilla has bagged Doctoral Degree, set a remarkable record when she graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Babcock University in South-West, Nigeria, at the age of 25.
Priscilla Asikhia shared her success on her LinkedIn profile, recounting the ten years of arduous study that it took her to earn a PhD.

She stated on LinkedIn that her “successive 10-year education has given me a grounded knowledge of Educational Research, Administration, and Human Resources.”

Priscilla began her higher education at the age of 15, and by the age of 19, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

At the age of 22, she graduated from her Master’s program in business administration and management.

Priscilla started her PhD studies in the same semester that she finished her master’s degree in human resources and personnel administration.

She successfully finished her PhD at age 25, making her the institution’s youngest PhD graduate and one of Nigeria’s youngest Doctors of Philosophy.

“I am happy to say that I have just received a Ph.D. degree, making me Babcock University’s youngest Ph.D. graduate. The achievement belongs entirely to God, she said.

Priscilla started her PhD studies in the same semester that she finished her master’s degree in human resources and personnel administration.

She successfully finished her PhD at age 25, making her the institution’s youngest PhD graduate and one of Nigeria’s youngest Doctors of Philosophy.

“I am happy to say that I have just received a Ph.D. degree, making me Babcock University’s youngest Ph.D. graduate. The achievement belongs entirely to God, she said.

Priscilla began her higher education at the age of 15, and by the age of 19, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

At the age of 22, she graduated from her Master’s program in business administration and management.

Priscilla started her PhD studies in the same semester that she finished her master’s degree in human resources and personnel administration.

She successfully finished her PhD at age 25, making her the institution’s youngest PhD graduate and one of Nigeria’s youngest Doctors of Philosophy.

“I am happy to say that I have just received a Ph.D. degree, making me Babcock University’s youngest Ph.D. graduate. The achievement belongs entirely to God, she said.

By Favour Nnabugwu

Over 13,000 officers from the core Civil Service, the Nigeria Police; and other Para-military and specialized Agencies will take part in the 2022 confirmation

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, OHCSF, stated that it has concluded plans to conduct the 2022 Annual Public Service confirmation examination, nationwide, adding that the examination will be a Computer-Based Test, CBT.

A statement by the Deputy Director of Communications, Mr Mohammed Ahmed, on Monday, said this was part of the ongoing efforts to digitize activities and work processes in the Federal Civil Service.

Ahmed explained that the Combined Confirmation/Promotion Examination (COMPRO) for Junior Staff and the Compulsory Confirmation Examination for Senior Staff are the two Mandatory Confirmation Examinations in the Public Service, including the Police and Para-Military Agencies. “They are not an option but a mandatory requirement.”

The statement reads in part: “Since inception, the examinations have been conducted through manual processes across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.

All newly recruited officers in the Federal Public Service are required to sit for and pass the examination as a pre-requisite for the confirmation of their appointments.

By Favour Nnabugwu

…
The West African Examinations Council , WAEC, Nigeria has announced the launch of  digital certificate platform from October 20, 2022.

In a signed statement by the Acting Head , Public Relations, WAEC Nigeria, Moyosola Adesina, the platform, a mobile and web-based application that has powerful features, was designed specifically for candidates, individuals, institutions, and organizations to access, share, request, confirm certificates and recover forgotten WAEC candidates’ examination numbers.

Part of the statement read:” Advancing in its mission of encouraging academic and moral excellence, promoting sustainable human resource development and international cooperation, meeting the growing global demands, and ensuring prompt service delivery, WAEC Nigeria is set to unveil the much-awaited WAEC Digital Certificate Platform.

” The council is excited and thrilled to introduce this innovation at a time the global world has gone digital. This further proves that the Council maintains its vision of being a world-class examining body, adding value to the educational goals of its stakeholders, by providing timely solutions to all the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with the academic certificates.

” The Digital Platform creates an easier, instant and safer mode of accessing certificates by stakeholders. With this digital platform, users will be able to recover burnt, lost, and damaged certificates. ” Adesina noted.

On the benefits of the innovation, the spokesman for WAEC Nigeria, explained that the digital certificate platform would among other things eliminate the chances of fraud, and the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with the manual procedures of certificate issuance and collection.

Her words:” The benefits of this innovation are enormous, as candidates who have sat for the WASSCE in the past and present are able to access and share the original copies of their certificates with ease, the original copies of their certificates, which can be instantly confirmed from a credible and reliable source, regardless of the location.
Also, institutions, organizations, and recruitment agencies can carry out bulk/individual confirmation of certificates at once, with ease. The reliability and authenticity of this confirmation on the digital platform eliminates the chances of fraud.

The unveiling/launching of the product will be on Thursday, 20th October, 2022. The general public and all stakeholders are hereby enjoined to take advantage of this new WAEC Digital Certificate Platform, designed to eliminate the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with the manual procedures of certificate issuance and collection.

” The WAEC Digital Certificate Platform is available online via www.waec.org. The mobile application can be downloaded on android and iOS app stores. For more information, stakeholders can visit www.waecnigeria.org and www.waecdirect.ng.

By Favour Nnabugwu

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said it bowed to pressure to call off the eight months strike Court of Appeal and various appeals by President Muhammadu Buhari,the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and other well meaning Nigerians to it .

The union directed members to immediately resume work at their various duty posts with effect from 12 am on Friday, October 14, 2022.

The union in a statement released Friday, by its president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, however, regretted that the issues that led to its eight months long action,were yet to be satisfactorily addressed.

It named some of the issued as,”Funding for revitalisation of public universities; Earned Academic Allowances;Proliferation of public Universities;Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers and University Transparency and Accountability Solution,UTAS, as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system.”

It, however, appreciated the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter.

The statement read in full:”The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held an emergency meeting at the Comrade Festus lyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja, on Thursday, 13th October, 2022.

“The meeting reviewed developments since the Union declared an indefinite strike action on 29th August, 2022.

“During the intervening period, the Minister of Labour and Employment, through a referral, approached the National Industrial Court (NIC) for the interpretation of “the provision of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 18 (1) of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, whether the on-going prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities which started since 14th February, 2022 is legal even after statutory apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment?”

” In addition, he asked for an interlocutory order against the continuation of the strike. The National Industrial Court in its wisdom gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit. Given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of our counsel, there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our Union at the Court of Appeal.

” The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the Union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and ordered our Union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.

“NEC noted the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside government and the progress made so far.

“NEC deliberated on the recommendations of the Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila-led Committee within the framework of the FGN/ASUU’s Memorandum of Action(MoA) of 2020 on the contending issues that led to the strike action.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the issues include: Funding for Revitalisation of public universities Earned Academic Allowances;Proliferation of public Universities Visitation Panels/Release of White Paper ;University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system.

“Renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement:
While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute are yet to be satisfactorily addressed.

“However, as a law-abiding Union and in deference to appeals by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February 2022. Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, 14th October, 2022.”

By Favour Nnabugwu

The Federal Government has spent $100 million to feeding 10 million Nigerian children under the National School Feeding Programme, as part of efforts to eliminate the scourge of child labour in the country.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, stated in Abuja Friday  when he received the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leornard and officials of the Department of State who paid him a courtesy visit.

Ngige, explained that the Nigerian government introduced the school feeding programme under its social security programme, to lure children engaged in child labour, back to school.

He said the Federal government also introduced social protection programmes to fight poverty, which is the major contributory factor to the prevalence of child labour in Nigeria.

A statement by Olajide Oshundun, Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment quoted Ngige as saying, “We have introduced the National school feeding programme under our social security, to lure children back to school. As of today, we are feeding 10 million children across the country. We have spent nearly $10 million on this.

“We have also taken more schools into the areas prone to child labour and made education free in the whole country through the Universal Basic Education Act and the Child Rights Act.

“For the people with disability, we introduced Disability Peoples Commission to give them full and comprehensive aid so that they will not fell that they have any disability. If you don’t support someone with disability, it is outright poverty.”

The minister expressed the gratitude of his ministry to the US government for the recent technical assistance of the United States Department of Labour to West Africa, in the area of fighting violence and harassment at work under Convention 190 of International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“Nigeria and Liberia iare listed there and the fund is $5 million, estimated to be spent on the project. We think that it is a step in the right direction.

“Just last week we got information of another $4 million for anti-child labour activities in Nigeria. Ondo State is chosen as the pilot state for the fight against child labour in the area of cocoa farming. We think this is a good step in the right direction because over the years, from the time we visited for African Growth and Opportunities (AGOA) conference under the Department of Labour and Trade in Washington in 2017, we had made it clear that the United States Government has to take practical steps for us to follow. We cant be mouthing child labour and we leave it unattended to when we know that most of those engaged in it are those trying to make up for family needs.”

According to him, vulnerable families send their underage children to work in cocoa farms, mining sites or to engage in street hawking and petty trading, because family income is not enough, owing to underemployment or unemployment.

He explained that advocacy alone cannot reduce the scourge, as it would be difficult to retain the audience of a hungry person.

Ngige reiterated his proposal at the AGOA conference that the United States must assist Nigeria in fighting child labour, adding that his ministry needed assistance in the area of capacity building and logistics, such as vehicles, to enable officials of the Department of Occupational Safety and Inspectorate Division move into areas with high incidence of child labour and tackle the scourge from the source.

He added that the government needed assistance to train people in skill acquisition, to make the uneducated gainfully employed in plumbing, refrigeration repairs, tiling, among others.

Earlier Leornard said the United States Government was worried to see that Nigerian children were subjected to the worst forms of child labour in quarries and grannites and mining sites.

She assured that her country would continue to work with the Nigerian Government in addressing the scourge and appealed to the remaining seven states yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act to do so without further delay.

She said the US government was pleased to see a new programme in Nigeria that provides seed capital to vulnerable people to pursue programmes in areas with high prevalence of child labour.