Fresh students shun LASU

The Lagos State University is experiencing a low turnout from prospective students, who might have shunned the institution as a result of the new tuition that has generated crisis in the last few months.  

The screening of new intakes of the school entered its second day on Tuesday with very few students showing up for the exercise, better than on Monday.

A screening official, who pleaded anonymity, said the turnout was still low in comparison with what was experienced in previous years, but it was still in its second day.

The Dean of Student Affairs, LASU, Prof. Kabir Akinyemi, however, said that there was hope that the turnout would continue to improve in subsequent days.

Asked if the high school fees could be discouraging some students, Akinyemi said short-listed students were already aware of the fees.

“There would be an impressive and better turnout subsequently, since the exercise is still in progress,” he said.

Akinyemi urged prospective students to show up for the exercise and shun deliberate absenteeism.

“In the event of some students missing the exercise, the university management may have to decide on an avenue to re- screen those with genuine reasons before the matriculation on March 28.”

The professor said that candidates who did not meet the specified requirements for admission would be screened out during the exercise.

“It is not possible for LASU to admit any student who is unqualified because they need students.

“Any student who does not meet up with the requirement would either have to change the course to that which is suitable, or would be denied the admission,” the dean said.

He advised the students to be of good conduct during the exercise and beyond.

Ikuforiji urges INEC to adopt LASU’s e-voting system

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, on Monday, advised the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to adopt a unique electronic voting system devised by the students’ union of the Lagos State University, LASU.
 
Mr. Ikuforiji said at a media briefing in Lagos that the e-voting system introduced by the students of the state university was worth a try.
“I am excited to witness such a workable and successful innovation. It shows that Nigeria will get there with the right leadership. The same LASU that was known to harbour notorious students years back now has good student leadership who developed e-voting.

“As we can see, the system is successfully working and no sector of the country has such record. If LASU can produce this, INEC should come and invest here, rather than going to overseas to bring experts,” he said.

The Dean, Student Affairs at the university, Kabir Akinyemi, said the institution had invested more than N1 million to support the project.
According to him, the students suggested to the authorities that they wanted to use e-voting system for the election to curb manipulation and multiple voting.

“The innovation was first introduced by a student last year during their faculty election, but it was adopted for the union’s election. A test-run was carried out last week and the problems detected during the demonstration were overcome,” Mr. Akinyemi said.

The Head, Information Communication Technology Department, Olatunde Oni, also applauded the innovation. He noted that two final year students of Electronic and Computer Engineering Department developed the software as their project.
“It was the software they developed that the ICT department worked on and modified when the students clamoured for an e-voting election. To the best of my knowledge, LASU may be the first university to conduct an e-voting election,” Mr. Oni said.

He disclosed that provisions were made for over 8,000 registered students to vote simultaneously at the four campuses:  Ojo, Epe, Ikeja and Surulere.
“Eighty computers were installed in the Ojo campus, while the other three campuses had 20 each. All the students need to do is to go with his or her matriculation number to any of the voting centres and exercise the voting right and get it done in two minutes,” he explained.

A 400-level student of Computer Science, Rasaki Olakunle, who was an electoral observer, lauded the peaceful and transparent conduct of the poll.
“The process was peaceful, fast and reliable,” Mr. Olakunle said.

Tinubu, Fashola failed Lagosians- Obanikoro

 A former commissioner in Lagos state and gubernatorial candidate, Musiliu Obanikoro, has berated the performance of the former governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu and his successor, Raji Fashola. He argued that the two men have failed in delivering quality service to Lagosians.

His words in an interview with Vanguard newspaper:

"The overall decision I will talk in terms of performance of Lagos government in the last 15 years, for me, is slightly below average.
People may be saying they have done some new roads, they have done this, they have done that; one, we must look at the costs of these roads and then, a state that has a debt profile of about N1 trillion as we speak today.

I schooled in the USA, the biggest investment that country made that is still working for them is in education. We have not done such in Lagos State despite all the noise they have been making.
As we speak today, people of Lagos will not voluntarily send their children to public schools in the state. That to me is failure on the part of the government after 15 years in the saddle.

Public schools in the state are not functional in the true sense of imparting knowledge in our children.
Today, our hospitals in the state are mere consulting centers. Even the consultation is minimal in the true sense of it. Everybody that is somebody now goes overseas for ordinary medical check –up.
Their leader and ex-governor of the state had a medical challenge recently and he was flown abroad to take care of ordinary knee injury.

This minor health challenge could not be treated at the Lagos State University of Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) after billions of naira they claimed they have sunk to upgrade the facility. In the area of health, Lagos government has equally failed.
Today, Lagos State does not have the required capacity to handle emergency situation. And you know how much this state generated monthly as internal revenue? They are still struggling in the area of refuse management.

Looking at the   Olusosun dumpsite at Ojota and the level of pollution that is injected to the atmosphere on daily basis says a lot about the state government that has been in power since 1999. Where have you seen such big dumpsite operating in a metropolis anywhere in the world?

The best investment the state government would have made is to invest in education but it failed to do so. Instead, the government increased tuition fee from N25, 000 at LASU to above N250, 000. Worse, if you visit LASU main campus today, you will discover there is not much physical development at the institution. The government of the day increased the fee claiming it cannot subsidize education of indigent students in the state but they can subsidize their own habit. That to me, after so many years management of the state economy is not acceptable".

Do you agree?

ASUU: strike continues

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that the ongoing academic strike in the nation's universities will continue until the Federal Government meets the union's demands.
The Coordinator of the Ibadan Zone of the union, Dr Adesola Nassir stated this at a news conference at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Wednesday.

``We as members of the ASUU Ibadan Zone, comprising University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Lagos State University, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and Tai Solarin University of Education, have resolved to remain on strike.
This we are doing along with our other colleagues nationwide, for as long as it takes the government to be faithful to the implementation of the agreement and commence the process of renegotiating the 2009 agreement.
This is not meant to inflict undue pains on our students, which also includes our members, wives and children, parents and other primary interests.
We cannot continue to relegate the education of our children by devoting a paltry 8.5 per cent of our budget even when most African countries spend about 20 per cent on the average.
We therefore call on parents, students, progressive organisations and all other stakeholders to join our union in the struggle to free our universities and society from the claws of mis-governance, neglect and outright repression,’’ he said.
He said that the government must invest heavily in education if it truly desired a country that would be respected among the comity of nations.
Mrs Oluwakemi Fapojuwo of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, added that, ``What we are saying is that government must show enough commitment about this our system to a substantial level so as to turn around the universities".