Education

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Muhammad Onogwu, the Chief Press Secretary to Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has bagged a law degree from Baze University, Abuja.

Mr Onogwu disclosed his achievement in a Facebook post on Saturday.

He had posted a photo of himself in a convocation gown with the caption “Alhamdulillah🙏🙏🙏LL.B “

While Mr Onogwu did not name the school he bagged a law degree from, the Daily Reality gathered that he is amongst the 504 recent graduates of Baze University Abuja. The institution held its 9th convocation ceremony on Saturday morning.

Baze University Abuja has become the darling institution of many celebrities and politicians who study there for different degree programs.

Senator Dino Melaye and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi are proud alumni of the institution. Amaechi graduated this year, Dino bagged a degree in law from the University in 2021.

By Ibrahim Mukhtar

The members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Kano State University of Science of Technology (KUST) Wudil have issued a strong warning to Nigerians that the current happenstance in the Nigeria’s educational sector may be a deliberate attempt to destroy the country’s higher education.

In a press statement signed by the duo of Comrade Muhammad Sani Gaya, the Chairperson ASUU KUST and Comrade Murtala Muhammad, Secretary ASUU KUST, they maintained that, despite such evil intents, Nigerian academics have powerful excellent records all over the world.

Part of the release says:

“Members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) suspended its eight-month strike action in compliance with Court directives as a Union of intellectuals and law-abiding citizens. It is however, quite disheartening that the Federal Government under the present administration of Major General Muhammad Buhari (rtd) resolved to withhold seven months salaries of our members and payment of pro-rated salary for the month of October 2022. This decision is ill-informed and a clear demonstration of either government’s ignorance on the responsibilities of academic staff or a flagrant abuse of office. The duties are clearly spelt out in the laws establishing the universities, which are easily verifiable.

As at today, Nigeria ranked third (3rd) in Africa with highest number of documents in Scopus database as indicated in Scimago (https://www.scimagojr.com) due to volumes of research outputs. Equally, in other reputable international databases, the Nigerian academics are making the country proud despite the precarious working condition and deliberate underfunding.”

It was also reported in the release that members of ASUU KUST sensed that all these kind of ill-treatment that is meted upon the Nigerian academics is done in order to frustrate the lecturers to abandon their duties, as the current rulers of Nigeria have nothing to lose.

“The ill-intent of this administration to deprive teeming Nigerian youths from quality university education and destroy the public universities was clear from the ugly utterances of Ministers of Education and that of Labour and Employment. Furthermore, the act of withholding the seven (7) month salaries and payment of October salary on pro-rata basis is another testimony. The Federal Government may wish to be reminded that academics in the Nigeria Universities are not casual staff.

ASUU-KUST therefore condemned in strong terms, this singular action and call on Federal Government to immediately address the issues for industrial harmony to be sustained. Mischievously, the Federal Government deliberately refused to implement all the agreements freely/duly signed in 2017, 2019 and 2020. This is not unconnected with the fact that the wards of ruling elites are either schooling abroad or in private universities in Nigeria. For the records, we want the public to note that the union will never be distracted from salvaging Nigerian University system.” the statement further says.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Council of Legal Education, CLE, has released the 2022 Bar ll examination results.

The results of the Bar finals were released by the council in the early hours of Thursday. Students of the Nigerian Law School who spoke to The Daily Reality confirmed that they have checked their results.

The NigeriaLawyer reports that 119 students representing 2.05% bagged first class, 787 representing 13.56%, and 2460 representing 42.40% secured Second Class Upper and Lower divisions respectively. Also, 1323 students constituting 22.8% made a pass, while the conditional pass category had 185 students making 3.19%.

For a person to be qualified to practice as a legal practitioner in Nigeria, he is required to be enrolled at the Nigerian Law School and Pass the Bar Finals.

By Tordue Simon Targema

Shun examination malpractice and set for yourself a standard:

Integrity is a virtue, imbibe it in your academic journey. At all cost, shun examination malpractice and avoid all occasions that might lead to it. Typically, poor preparation and keeping bad companions are the main motivations for examination malpractice. The effects of this act on your academic integrity are adverse.

Once your lecturers know you as the type that indulges in examination malpractice, they are inclined to doubt all that they see in your script as a product of cheating and give you weak grades on the grounds of suspicion.

Excellent grades are for students that are exceptionally good, and not for cheats. Strive to be exceptional and keep your integrity intact by avoiding malpractice in all its manifestations.

Be punctual and disciplined

Avoid coming late to the class and seating where you’ll be distracted. Except it becomes absolutely necessary, always be punctual to your classes so that you get the best from the lectures.

It is important also that your teachers know you as a serious student so that they can vouch for you even in your absence.

But when you are known to be unserious, the reverse is always the case, and the tendency is always there for them to generalize your lackadaisical attitude to studies even when you have a case.  

Attendance to lectures is non-negotiable

No matter how brilliant you think you are, attendance to lectures is sine qua non. Yes, some lecturers might truly have nothing new to teach you.

But what happens in the event of an impromptu test? What if a lecturer decides to use attendance of the particular class you miss as his CA?

As a student desirous of uncommon academic feats, you must make it a point of duty to attend all classes except in the case of unforeseen eventualities.

Avoid having issues with your teachers and course mates

This is another great obstacle to academic excellence. As much as you can, avoid issues with your teachers, course representatives and fellow students.

In the event that a misunderstanding ensues between you and a lecturer or students, always endeavour to resolve it and correct the impression immediately.

Never leave the impression in your lecturers or fellow students that you are the arrogant type. You never can tell where you’ll need them to defend you in your absence.

Humility is a virtue

Be humble, arrogance is an obstacle to academic excellence. A humble student is naturally attractive to his lecturers. Conversely, all lecturers detest arrogant students and take away all occasions of grace from them.

An arrogant student is, thus, on his own when he needs grace from his lecturers. Be teachable and let people advice you. Endeavour to take all positive advices seriously.

Listen to people who have made it, have role models and emulate their lifestyles, read motivational books, watch motivational movies and equip yourself adequately with good counsel.

Be positive minded

Always tell yourself that you can make it. This keeps you constantly motivated and tells you that your aspiration is possible. Ban all negative vibes and sources of discouragement, and never give up until it becomes practically impossible to keep the pursuit.

For instance, even in my final year, many people kept telling me that first-class is not possible! I had to defy them and keep a positive mind.

Many of my mentees entered into first-class CGPA range only in their final year!

However, it was their relentless struggle in the past levels that sustained their CGPA and provided it with adequate buffers to sustain the eventual first-class result.

Social media addiction is a weakness, and so with all other addictions

In today’s Internet age, the social media have emerged as the biggest distractions to students. Many students are on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter and the rest all day!

Much as these present rich educational opportunities and complement one’s academic journey, addiction to them is disastrous and keeps one perpetually defocused. Today, students actively chat with friends on the social media during lectures and class presentations.

There could be no other distraction as serious as this. To make the best out of the social media as one strives for academic excellence, avoid 24/7 dependence on the social media, draw boundaries accordingly and stick to them. There is, indeed, time for everything. 

Overcome the endemic scourge of laziness

Laziness is a natural trait that is common to all human beings. To excel in your academics, you must be seen making deliberate effort to overcome it.

The ability to overcome laziness distinguishes you from other students and makes you exceptional.

Once you overcome laziness as a student, a substantial chunk of your academic huddles has been defeated for good.

Conclusively, it is important to note that everyone has his/her weak points that serve as impediments to their academic aspirations. While some of these are generic as discussed in the points above, some are uniquely peculiar to an individual’s immediate physical, economic and psycho-social environments.

As a student aspiring for academic excellence, you must, as a matter of expedience, identify your own weaknesses and work assiduously towards overcoming them. This is the only way you can distinguish yourself from others and pave your way to the much-coveted excellence.

May the Almighty God, the Giver of knowledge and understanding, help us to attain academic excellence in our various disciplines.

I wish Dr Vincent Nduka Ojeh a wonderful birthday celebration and more fruitful years ahead in his meritorious service to humanity.

Tordue Simon Targema is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Taraba State University, Jalingo. Email: torduesimon@gmail.com

By Tordue Simon Targema

A senior colleague in the department of Geography, Taraba State University Dr Vincent Nduka Ojeh has invited me to present a talk to mark his birthday celebration with students at Omas Royal Academy, Jalingo. The topic was: Basic Tips for Academic Excellence.

Dr Ojeh has, over the years, developed the habit of celebrating his birthdays with secondary school students to mark the world “Call to Earth” day.

Over the years, he has used the occasion to share with the students, vital tips on climate change and best practices for safeguarding the ecosystem, as well as the basic tips that will enhance their academic, personality and career developments.

In the invitation call he put across to me for this presentation, Dr Ojeh said something that motivated me to develop an elaborate presentation for publication for a larger audience beyond his target students: “Bros, First Class is not rocket science, come and tell these students what the secret is.”

With these words, I have decided to give a deeper reflection on some of the vital tips that are required to propel one to academic excellence. Like Dr Ojeh rightly said, First Class is not rocket science.

After graduating with a first-class bachelor’s degree in 2014, I successfully mentored over a dozen students who also replicated the same feat both in my discipline and in other fields of study.

One thing that is obvious from the onset is that regardless of the discipline or institution, some basic tips are necessary to enable students attain this uncommon academic feat.

This essay gives a brief rundown of some of these tips with a view to guiding students on how best to attain academic excellence.

Students aspiring for academic excellence must, therefore, take special note of the following:

Avoid procrastination

This is one of the biggest obstacles to academic excellence. “There is still time” is the commonest excuse students give in their lackadaisical attitude to studies. Always endeavour to perform all academic tasks on time and don’t wait for the “last minute” as anything can come up and serve as obstacle when you are already out of time.

Always read ahead of timeand don’t wait for examination to come before you start reading. A serious student exhausts his syllabus right ahead of time and only revises during exam, while the lacklustre sorts wait for examination timetable to start reading.

At this point, tension is high, the brain is already tensed and confused, and understanding is extremely difficult.

As a serious student desirous of making good grades, read ahead of time, reconcile all grey areas right on time and prepare for examination before it eventually arrives.

Always read your notes after school

At this point, the lecture is still fresh in your memory. Go through your notes once you reach home and freshen up. Reconcile your notes with your friends, make sure they’re up-to-date and ensure you seek clarification for all grey points from your study circle, the library sources or online resources.

The mistake most students make is that they keep on taking notes and would never revisit them afterwards until it is time for CA test or examination.

Before that time comes, most salient points in the lectures have escaped their memories and reconciling the notes with the lectures becomes extremely difficult. Always go through your notes as the lecture is still fresh in your memory.

Read widely and consult extensively

Don’t limit yourself to lecture notes and hand-outs. Be hungry for knowledge and endeavour to know as much as is required of you.

Consult extensively to enrich your knowledge base. Discuss with your friends, consult your lecturers, visit the library and explore internet resources etc. to ensure that you are truly vast in your discipline- and other related disciplines too.

Knowledge has no bounds, and no knowledge is a waste, it’ll sure come handy someday. In today’s internet age, an unlimited volume of knowledge is deposited on the internet. Avail yourself the opportunity and explore extensively to satiate your academic and intellectual thirst.

Time management is of high essence

Equitable utilization and allocation of your time as a student is key to academic excellence. Sadly, most students lack this skill. As a student, you are faced with a lot of tasks- academics, social, religious, campus politics, business and lots of that.

Allocate your time for these various tasks accordingly based on priority and always make up for lost time the best you can in the interest of your studies.

Take all your courses seriously

It doesn’t matter whether it is a core course, elective or GST course. As long as you register a course, it is your course! Regardless of its status, once you register a course, your performance in it has effect on your CGPA.

The mistake most students make is to take core courses seriously, or courses with “strict” lecturers seriously at the expense of other courses.

Remember that CGPA is cumulative and performance in each course invariably affects your overall performance.

Crossbreed ideas with your mates

Studying in a group makes understanding easier. Apart from your private studies, have a group of like minds that you crossbreed ideas and enhance perspectives on issues discussed in the class.

Never allow others to dominate group discussions, always endeavour to contribute too and listen to others share their perspectives to the issues discussed as well.

That way, you’ll learn from them and refine your knowledge on your previous erroneous perspectives. Make your study groups lively, i.e. a give-and-take sort of arrangement where every member contributes to the knowledge pool for the benefit of all.

You don’t need to be stingy with knowledge, please share with others. Knowledge doesn’t finish when it is shared, but rather increases and gets more refined.

Avoid bad companions that put social life before academics

Keepingbad friends on campus is one of the biggest obstacles to academic excellence. Like the saying goes: birds of a feather flock together! Associate with like minds and people with the same priorities.

Colleagues who have different priorities have no business in your circle of friends.

To get your priorities right, you must purge your circle of friends and ensure that you only associate with like minds.

Remember, bad companions are a threat to your status as a student generally, not just your academic performance.

To be Continued

Tordue Simon Targema is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Taraba State University, Jalingo. Email: torduesimon@gmail.com

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Comrade Yasir Abubakar, a 400 level law student of Bayero University Kano, has been elected the National President of the Law Student Association of Nigeria, LAWSAN.

The LAWSAN Electoral Committee, LECOM , declared Abubakar winner after he polled 30 votes in the election of the national executives of the association held at Swiss Spirit Hotel, Porthacourt on Friday night

Abubakar polled 30 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ann Lyam Iverem of Bingham University, Nasarawa, who polled 26 votes.

All efforts to reach the president-elect of the association as at the time of writing this report were futile.
However, Abdullahi Farouk , BUK LAWSAN President happily confirmed the development to the Daily Reality on Saturday morning.

According to Farouk, the victory is well deserved and they are grateful to God and Law students all over the country for the confidence in Abubakar.

He said: “We are extremely elated, It is a well deserved victory, because Yasir Abubakar has done his best, over the years he has served the association in different capacities, he has travelled across the regions and he has acquired all the skills necessary to steer the association to a greater height. We are grateful to God and the entire LAWSAN for reposing confidence in Yasir Abubakar. We assure you that you won’t regret choosing us.I pray that Allah make it easy for him to discharge his shouldered responsibilities effectively and efficiently”

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

With less than 48 hours to the end of his five months tenure as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Kaduna State University (KASU), Professor Abdullahi Musa Ashafa, has continued to receive commendations for remarkable successes recorded during his brief tenure as the Chief Executive of KASU.

During a mini-ceremony organized by the Kaduna State University’s Alumni Association (KASUAA), the Chairman of KASUAA, Alhaji Abdulhadi Abdullahi said that Prof. Ashafa has performed wonderfully well in the last five months. “The five months was like 5 years. It was like the tenure should not come to an end”

The University’s Advancement Director, Professor Bashir Ali commended the outgoing Vice-Chancellor for his achievements and leadership style. Prof. Ali prayed to God Almighty to grant Prof. Ashafa success in his future endeavours. An alumnus, Dr. Philibus Audu said “The success story which KASU has become under the leadership of this quintessential scholar, enig­matic and energetic personali­ty is worth celebrating”.

In his own remarks at the event, the outgoing Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ashafa said even though he had a very challenging tenure, he will remain thankful to Allah Almighty for everything. He said “As young people, remember to challenge yourself, face challenges to solve challenges. Remain kind, and never settle for being anything less than your best and the best you have learnt from our KASU. Thank you for your ideas, support, and most importantly, for sincere wishes and prayers. Allah knows best how to handle our situations and to Him we all defer our affairs”.

By Uzairu Adam Imam

To combat fake news and safeguard society from its adverse effects, Nigerians have been advised to check for elements of credibility in reports and consult media platforms with proven integrity in sourcing for news and information.

A lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic, Mallam Aisar Fagge, made the submission during a one-day workshop organized by the popular online newspaper The Daily Reality.

The lecture themed “Fake News on Nigerian Cyber Space: The Role of an Ideal Journalist” afforded young journalists the opportunity to understand the challenges of contemporary journalism practice.

Mallam Fagge said, “It is said ‘seeing is believing’ but not anymore. With Deepfake [and other apps], people can easily manipulate videos, pictures, etc. Thus, we need to dissect pieces of information before sharing them,” he stated.

He also called on the general public to examine stories critically before believing or sharing them with other people.

He further noted that fake news could be countered by applying the “technological, journalistic and pedagogical approaches among others.”

He noted that the nature of social media has made journalism more tasking and placed more responsibility on journalists, which behooves them to protect the image of journalism and not allow quacks to run them out of business.

Journalism educators, practitioners from conventional media and online newspapers as well as the students of Mass Communication from Kano State Polytechnic and Bayero University, Kano attended the event that took place on Sunday, 6th November, 2022 at the Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore, BUK New Site.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The students of Federal University, Lokoja, FUL, are not finding it easy as they are confronted with the accommodation problem.

Weeks after the university resumed academic activities, following the suspension of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU strike, many students are stranded. Many are yet to find a place to live.

The tenancies of most students had expired during the ASUU strike. However, the continuous stay of some students whose tenancies expired had led to quarrels between them and their landlords.

The problem of accommodation in Nigerian universities is not peculiar to FUL students. However, the students are devastated as the school has no functional hostel on the two campuses.

The Daily Reality spoke to many students of the institution who were mainly afraid and sought to speak only on the grounds of anonymity.

A student said many of the departments had been moved from the Adankolo Campus of the institution to the main campus at Felele, and students were asked to begin lectures there in January. According to her, the students can not afford accommodation on the two campuses and are still writing examinations on the Adankolo Campus. She also said landlords are unwilling to take part payments for the remaining months in Adankolo Campus.

Other students narrated their ordeals of living with friends and relatives pending when they get accommodation.

It was also gathered that the flood, which ravaged many parts of Lokoja, is another reason accommodation has become more complex and expensive.

By Sumayyah Auwal Usman

Amidst public outrage, the Kaduna State Executive Council, under Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i, has rescinded its decision on the collection of nominal fees in senior secondary schools across the state.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor (Media & Communication), Mr Muyiwa Adekeye on Tuesday said, “the Council observed that the circular issued by the Ministry of Education to school principals on collection of nominal fees is not consistent with government policy, and is thus invalid. The circular from the Ministry of Education to the heads of schools, dated 1st November 2022, is therefore rescinded with immediate effect, and all monies that may have been collected should be refunded forthwith”.

Adekeye further reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to providing free primary, secondary and technical/vocational education to every child resident in the state.

It would be recalled that a memo emanated from the State Ministry of Education imposed the payment of nominal fees to all students of senior public secondary schools in the state.