STAKEHOLDERS CALL FOR SCRAPPING OF HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA
STAKEHOLDERS CALL FOR SCRAPPING OF HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA Stakeholders in the education sector have called for the scrapping of the Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate. They said this was the best way to resolve and address the lingering Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (Bsc) dichotomy certification in the country. Professor Idris Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Tunji Olaopa, the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja, Comrade Ridwan Opeyemi Munirudeen, the National President, National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) and Rectors of Polytechnic Institutions across the country were among the stakeholders who canvassed the position at a ‘One-day national dialogue on the future of Higher National Diploma (HND) programme in the Nigerian Educational Landscape’, organised by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in Abuja on Tuesday. At the event, the stakeholders brainstormed on issues surrounding the continued discrimination of the holders of the HND certificates and fashioned out ways of addressing the agelong problem. Speaking during the event, Prof.Tunji Olaopa, the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, called for the scrapping of HND awarded by polytechnics. He said if the lingering professional war between B.Sc./B.Tech. and HND degrees holders must be resolved without totally rendering dysfunctional their originating mandates and purposes, then the recommendation of the Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (COHEADS) in their 2007 memorandum to the then Presidential Technical Committee on the Consolidation of Tertiary Institutions must be revisited. According to him, COHEADS recommended the conversion and upgrading of polytechnics into campuses of their proximate universities, while the largest polytechnics in each of the geo-political zones should be converted into full-fledged universities of technology. “In so doing – and this for me is the game-changer – HND should be scrapped, while the National Diploma (ND) should be retained as a qualifying certificate for entrance into the new and old universities of technology and schools of technology affiliates of existing universities”, Olaopa said. But he added that “the design should create two streams of B.Sc. (Technology) and B.Tech., with B.Tech. designed to focus on inculcating technical skills and competences across the middle to the very high levels of jobs and careers, a model which the First Technical University, Ibadan (on which Governing Council I was one of the pioneer members) is attempting to pioneer. “Consequently, the curricula cum pedagogical remodelling of the OND-B.Tech. certification will entail training for demand-driven end users’ skills, while the faculty will draw significantly from scholars-practitioners/professors of practice corps practical oriented lecturers, those with strong strength in theory and research. “Within this arrangement, the National Diploma (ND) will be expanded to fill in the space for technical and vocational training programmes, which contents should also embed the City and Guild old certification and learning contents in manner that are mutually reinforcing. This would however require aggressive staff development and facilities upgrade and increased funding to make sense.” According to Olaopa, the new ND-B.Tech. certification stream will benefit greatly from the German dual vocational training model “if benchmarked with action research adaptation to accommodate Nigeria’s peculiarities. The German dual-mode system integrates theory and practice, thinking and doing, systematic and work/factory-based practical classes. Here the costs (when fully institutionalised and functional) of the dual vocational training can be borne proportionately by government and the business community.” Earlier, Olaopa disclosed that he was ever so glad to contribute to education sector reform conversation as a past Head of Policy Division and Coordinator, Education Sector Strategy Team in the Federal Ministry of Education in 1999-2002. He disclosed that in 2018, the FGN announced the abolition of the B.Sc./HND dichotomy, while a 2021 bill of the NASS attempted to legislate the policy pronouncement. But according to him, the…
NO CELEBRATION TO MARK TINUBU’S ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY – MINISTER
NO CELEBRATION TO MARK TINUBU’S ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY – MINISTER Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has disclosed that there will be no fanfare to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office. He said there would be low-key activities to mark the anniversary. The Minister said this on Wednesday during a World Press conference to commence “Ministerial Sectoral Updates” as part of the activities to mark President Tinubu’s one year in office. Idris, however, emphasised that there would be no form of celebration owing to the mood of the nation. “There won’t be any form of celebrations; there will be sectoral briefings,” he stated. The Minister, who restated that the media remained critical stakeholders in the Nigeria project, urged the practitioners to “report responsibly and with a deep sense of patriotism to the nation.” He added that President Tinubu, as a product of democracy, was interested in press freedom. The Information Minister said it was in that spirit that the government was determined to keep the people informed of its policies and achievements.While responding to a question, he, however, pleaded with the media to collaborate with the government in fighting fake news, which he said was more deadly to the nation than cancer.
SOLDIERS SHAVE DREADLOCKED EX-SUPER EAGLES STAR, UCHE NWOFOR
SOLDIERS SHAVE DREADLOCKED EX-SUPER EAGLES STAR, UCHE NWOFOR A dreadlocked former Super Eagles striker and Brazil 2014 World Cup star, Uche Nwofor, was allegedly shaved by soldiers at the Artillery Barracks 302 in Onitsha, Anambra State. Narrating his ordeal in a statement on his Instagram page on Tuesday, Nwofor, 32, who is currently unattached, said he was at the barracks having a nice time with his friends when he was accosted by the uniformed men, who sat him on the floor and started cutting off his dreadlocks. “What did I do? I am not a yahoo boy, not a tout inside barracks artillery 302. Onitsha sat me on the floor and started barbing my hair after giving information about me. No offence, sir, I am an ex-Super Eagles player. I have met you with the same friends as Ozor, an ex-Enyimb FC player. No violence, just relaxing and drinking as I see army barracks as a safe place to be,” Nwofor stated. Reacting to the incident, Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria Task Force, Harrison Jalla, said the body would write a “strongly worded” letter to the Chief of Army Staff following Uche Nwofor’s alleged dehumanization. Jalla said he would ensure that the issue was investigated thoroughly and the perpetrators brought to book, if indeed they had subjected the player to such humiliation. He said, “This is incredible and condemnable. As a retired football player who served the country in various capacities, Nwofor shouldn’t be treated so shabbily. He has the right to do whatever he likes with his looks. What gives the soldiers the impression that his dreadlocks are not natural? “We are taking this up because this kind of thing shouldn’t be allowed to happen. That was how the police killed Dele Udoh in cold blood. We would write a strong-worded letter to the Chief of Army Staff, demanding that a thorough investigation of the incident be carried out.” Meanwhile, the post has generated a litany of reactions with footballers and others condemning the soldiers act. Former Eagles striker Victor Obinna Nsofor wrote, “I’m so sorry, bro, this is unacceptable.” “So sorry, man, mumu set of people,” stated Elvis Chisom Chikatara, formerly of Heartland. tz_jtodins stated, “Nawaooo! Dem leave terrorist dey terrorise Nigerian international players. Someone stood with the flag at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It’s almost the same as attacking a fellow soldier. They both served the country.” Also, Paulillah wrote, “Report them to the Army Headquarters in Abuja. Two, file a case at the state high court. Three, report them to the National Human Rights Commission. Dapope247 stated, “Please, let’s keep tagging all the bloggers and making this go viral… This young man served Nigeria only for the Nigerian Army to humiliate him. Come on. Uche Nwofor is a complete gentleman; he is law-abiding, and that is why he was able to play for the Super Eagles. Please, let’s fish out the people behind this humiliation.” Nwofor represented Nigeria at U-20 level, where he netted four goals in five games to finish as the as the highest goal scorer of the 2011 African U-20 AFCON as Nigeria won a sixth continental title in Johannesburg. He was an instant hit at the U-20 World Cup in Colombia, coming off the bench to score two goals in six minutes against Croatia. Nigeria was subsequently knocked out by France in the quarter-finals in a 3–2 thriller.He was capped nine times at the senior level, scoring three times from 2010 to 2014.
Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- May 22, 2024
- 110 views
UK GENERAL ELECTION HOLDS JULY 4
UK GENERAL ELECTION TO HOLD JULY 4 United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set a general election date for July 4, ending months of speculation but not doom-laden forecasts about the size of the government’s expected defeat. The poll will be the first time Sunak, 44, faces the public while in charge after he was appointed leader of the largest party in parliament by Conservative MPs in October 2022. The vote – the third since the Brexit referendum in 2016 – comes as Sunak seeks to capitalise on better economic data to woo voters hit by cost-of-living rises. Halving inflation within a year from historic highs of above 11 per cent at the end of 2022 was one of the former financier’s five key pledges. That happened last year and on Wednesday rates slowed to a near three-year low at 2.3 per cent in March, prompting finance minister Jeremy Hunt to declare: “This is proof that the plan is working.” Sunak, in a Downing Street statement made in driving rain after he gathered his top ministers, said he had spoken to the head of state King Charles III and requested the dissolution of parliament. “The king has granted this request and we will have a general election on July 4,” he said, adding: “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future.” Political commentators have increasingly suggested that Sunak, trailing badly in the polls to the main opposition Labour Party, could try to seek a bounce from the healthier outlook. However, critics point out that it has more to do with changes in the global economy than government policy. Sunak had previously batted back all efforts to name a date, saying only that he would go to the country in the second half of this year. Speculation mounted again after Sunak and his top officials on Wednesday refused to deny fresh talk that he was about to call an election on the back of the more positive data. Rumours went into overdrive when Foreign Secretary David Cameron was recalled from a trip to Albania and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps delayed a trip to Eastern Europe to attend a cabinet meeting.Hunt also cancelled a scheduled television interview for Wednesday evening, ITV’s political editor said, as journalists, photographers and camera crews flocked to Downing Street.
- Foreign Affairs
- May 22, 2024
- 110 views
UK UNIVERSITY ORDERS NIGERIAN STUDENTS TO LEAVE SCHOOL, COUNTRY OVER UNPAID FEES
UK UNIVERSITY ORDERS NIGERIAN STUDENTS TO LEAVE SCHOOL, COUNTRY OVER UNPAID FEES Nigerian students at Teesside University in the United Kingdom have been told to quit the school and return to Nigeria over unpaid fees. According to BBC, Teesside University said the move was in line with the UK’s immigration regulations. “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its visa issuance and compliance obligations. “These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and are outside of the university’s control,” BBC said, quoting a university spokesperson. The university said it had “no choice” as failure to pay was a breach of visa sponsorship rules. It said it had made every effort to help the affected students, including with bespoke payment plans. Meanwhile, many students who protested outside the campus on Tuesday accused the university of being “heartless” and unfair. Adenike Ibrahim told the BBC she was close to handing in her dissertation when she was kicked off her course because she could not make a payment. Despite having now paid her fees in full, she will have to leave the UK with her young son and cannot re-enrol. “I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90 per cent of my tuition fees, and I went to all my classes,” she told the broadcaster. “I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.” Reacting to the development, the Home Office said the decision to offer or withdraw visa sponsorship rested with the sponsoring institution. It said that when a visa was shortened or cancelled, individuals should “take steps to regularise their stay or make arrangements to leave the UK.” In a letter, the Home Office told the students they had no right to appeal. As of the time filing the report, the Nigerian Government under President Bola Tinubu is yet to response to the students’ ordeal in the UK.This development comes amid Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis and soaring inflation, which surged 33.69 per cent in April.
Промокоды ПокерДом при регистрации: Обзор всех доступных бонусов
Промокоды ПокерДом при регистрации – ✨ Получите эксклюзивные промокоды ПокерДом для выгодной регистрации и начните играть в покер с дополнительными бонусами прямо сейчас! ✨ Актуальные бонус-коды и промокоды в Pokerdom регулярно публикуются в данной рубрике. Онлайн комната каждую неделю выпускает анонсы новых акций. Участвуя в них, покерист получает более выгодные условия для игры. Чтобы открыть доступ к эксклюзивным предложениям и возможностям, необходимо использовать промокод — здесь можно найти и скопировать. Промокоды ПокерДом при регистрации: Вся правда о бонусах и акциях Также можно активировать Покердом промокод бездепозитный бонус, чтобы дополнительно получить до 1000 ФС в определённых автоматах. Форма для активации промокодов есть в игровом клиенте. Далее следует открыть лобби, в боковой части нажать на кнопку «Касса» и выбрать в окне опцию «Промокод». Для подключения к программе «100 шагов к миллиону» не нужно использовать промокод. Также бесплатные вращения входят в состав приветственного пакета. Если игрок внесет депозит от 500 рублей, то получит к нему 100% и 100 фриспинов. Промокоды ПокерДом при регистрации: Преимущества использования бонусных кодов В комнате Покердом есть несколько способов для создания личного кабинета. Отыгрыш 100%-ного бонуса в казино проходит на других условиях. Если у Вас он имеется, то немедленно отправляйтесь на официальный сайт PokerDom и регистрируйтесь. Бонус код используется 1 раз и только во время регистрации. Она предполагает фиксированный рейкбек, который начисляется каждый месяц. Их получится активировать в одном из популярных слотов в онлайн-казино. Также при игре на бонусы действуют особые правила. Если опечаток нет и действие промокода не закончилось, а бонус все равно не зачисляется, то помочь смогут сотрудники службы поддержки. Чтобы активировать предложение, нужно использовать действующие коды для Покердом в 2023 году. Когда участник программы лояльности набирает необходимое количество очков, он переходит на следующий уровень. Чем активнее играет покерист, тем больше у него шансов получить главный приз. Например, если новый пользователь сделал депозит в размере 10,000 рублей, он удвоит стартовый банкролл. Посетители planpokera.com должны придерживаться принципов ответственной игры. С выводимой суммы может взиматься комиссия 10%, если с момента внесения депозита прошло менее суток. Нет, покерные бонусы отыгрываются только за покерными столами. Предлагаем вашему вниманию наш рейтинг основных преимуществ активной игры в покер на этой платформе Покердом. Если игрок генерирует в месяц не менее 10,000 рублей рейка, он может перейти на другую систему выплаты рейкбека — «Машину времени». За каждым из них закреплен фиксированный процент возврата комиссии. Промокоды ПокерДом при регистрации: Ваш гид по бонусным предложениям Очень редко можно получить бездепозитный бонус от Pokerdom. Например, на подарок в честь дня рождения могут рассчитывать только верифицированные пользователи, которые сделали не менее 5 депозитов. Покердом — самый известный рум в странах СНГ. Чем больше активности проявляет игрок, тем выше вероятность, что администрация поделится бонусом. Учитываются ставки на реальные средства, запуск автоматов в демонстрационном режиме не поощряется выгодными предложениями. Клиентам с этим статусом предлагается стабильный рейкбек в течение 365 дней с момента перехода на него. Исключение — Platinum Fish, у которого нет срока. После получения каждого ранга игроку предлагается испытать удачу в колесе Фортуны. Там же стоит забрать накопленный кешбэк и начать его отыгрыш, на который отводится 72 часа. Поэтому стоит вступить в сообщество ВКонтакте или Одноклассниках, подписаться на рассылку писем от ресурса. Игроки могут быть уверены, что найденные там промокоды действительны, а сроки промо актуальны. За прогресс в ней можно получить 1,000,000 рублей и бай-ин на мейн-ивент покерного фестиваля в Сочи. C 5 октября все игроки начали продвижение по программе лояльности с первого уровня. За каждый рубль рейка покерист получает 1 балл. Такое промопредложение предоставляется клиенту в четыре этапа, частями. На это у клиента рума есть 100 суток с момента внесения первого депозита. Для участия в любой из приветственных акций клиенту стоит войти в свой аккаунт и открыть раздел «Мои промо». Сейчас проводится актуальная акция под названием «Бонус на первый депозит». Пользователю необходимо сделать первое пополнение своего депозитного счета на сумму не меньше,…
ENUGU LP GUBER CANDIDATE, EDEOGA, DECRIES ENUGU DEMOLITIONS, SAYS GOVT ACTION UNCONSTITUTIONAL
ENUGU LP GUBER CANDIDATE, EDEOGA, DECRIES ENUGU DEMOLITIONS, SAYS GOVT ACTION UNCONSTITUTIONAL The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections in Enugu State, Chijioke Edeoga has described as scary and unconstitutional, the gale of demolitions recently carried out by the Enugu State Government in some parts of the state. Edeoga, who accused the state government under the administration of Governor Peter Mbah of disobeying court orders and usurping the constitutional powers of local government areas, said demolishing people’s places of business without plans for alternative places will increase the suffering of the people. Recall that the Enugu State Government recently demolished many parts of Enugu. The demolitions, which have affected the Holy Ghost transport hub in the state capital and the Ogige Market in Nsukka, among other places, are being embarked upon to build standard motor parks in the affected areas. But in a statement he issued on Thursday morning, the Labour Party governorship candidate also lamented the destruction of a private polytechnic belonging to a charismatic preacher and founder of Madonna University, Rev. F. Emmanuel Ede, expressing dismay that the government went to demolish the institution of higher learning in defiance of an order of the court. “If there have been suspicions that the administration in Enugu State is insensitive to public sentiment and disdainful of the rule of law, the demolition of OSISATECH tended to validate it. “It is scary that a government that swore to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is routinely disobeying court orders,” Edeoga said in the statement He also lamented the demolition of a foremost hotel in Nsukka belonging to a nationalist and pre-independent politician, the late Chief Charles Abangwu, saying such actions were indicative of the insensitivity of the government to the plights of the people. “The demolition of shops, a section of the Ogige Market, and Premier Hotel are also quite troubling. “This is because of the dislocation of hundreds of businesses on which the livelihoods of ordinary people and their families are dependent. “Interestingly, these businesses were forced, only a few months ago, to pay huge taxes and levies on those shops. It is curious that the Enugu State Government waited until it had collected these levies and taxes before destroying the sources of those funds,” the statement continued. Continuing the LP governorship candidate said: “While it is understood that some of those areas demolished have constituted challenges of congestion and are due for some form of urban renewal, it must be recognized that no urban renewal activity has ever happened in one fell swoop. “Development, especially as it affects urban renewal is an incremental activity that takes cognizance of impacts on persons and businesses. “A government that is genuinely focused on renewal approaches such changes with the well-being of the people as its priority. “This is why it raises serious concerns that the government of Enugu State began these activities without any form of consultation with the people and communities affected. “More serious is the fact that there was no plan for relocation of those businesses to other locations before the demolition.” While admitting that many parts of the state needed renewal, he wondered why the government failed to make a relocation and compensation plan before demolishing the properties. “The essence of government everywhere in the world is the aggregation of the needs of the people into a pool where common solutions are incubated; it is the building of consensus on what constitutes the common good bearing in mind the social, economic, and even personal sensitivities. “Democratic legitimacy ultimately belongs to the people, and that is why everything governments do must factor in the sensitivity of all concerned. “But it appears that in Enugu State, under…
KANO ASSEMBLY TO AMEND LAW USED IN DETHRONING EMIR SANUSI
KANO ASSEMBLY TO AMEND LAW USED IN DETHRONING EMIR SANUSI The Kano State House of Assembly has commenced the process of amending the Kano State Emirs (Appointment and Deposition) Law amidst call for the return of the deposed 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi. The House resolved to amend the law during plenary on Tuesday after the Majority Leader and member representing Dala constituency, Hussien Dala, moved the motion. The law was first amended in 2019 during the rift between then-Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the deposed Emir. The first amendment had broken the Kano emirate into five different emirates with the creation of Rano, Karaye, Gaya and Bichi Emirates, and the appointment of First Class Emirs for the new emirates, eventually culminating in the deposition of then Emir of Kano. But following the electoral victory of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who had campaigned with the restoration of the old Kano Emirate system, several groups renew the call for the reinstatement of Emir Sanusi. One month before Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf assumed office, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), the ruling party in Kano, had said issue of the emirates will be reviewed. “We campaigned and we are well-known in Nigeria, especially in Kano. What we showed the people is by God’s grace all the good projects we started when we were in government. This governor (Abba Kabir Yusuf) and his team will pick up from where we left off,” Kwankwaso had said. “We as elders in the movement will continue to advice them to do things that are proper. We tried not to talk about whether the Emir would be removed or not, but now you see, the opportunity is there. “Those who God made leaders will now decide on the next step and decision to take. They will review it and determine what is the right thing to be done. “Apart from the issue of changing the emir, the emirates have now been divided into five. All of that will be reviewed too. When a leader comes into power whether in a country, state or local government area, he inherits things that are good and things that are difficult and challenging.“We are confident God will give the governor (Abba Kabir Yusuf) the wisdom to come and resolve the challenges planted in Kano state so that everyone will leave peacefully in Kano state.”
EX-PETER OBI CAMPAIGN DG GIVES CONDITION FOR HIS RETURN TO PDP
EX-PETER OBI CAMPAIGN DG GIVES CONDITION FOR HIS RETURN TO PDP A former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, has said the only condition that can make the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, consider returning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is if he will be given the presidential ticket. The PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had recently said that if in 2027, the party decided that it is the South-East’s turn and picked Obi as its candidate, he would readily offer his support. “I have said repeatedly and I even said it before the 2023 general elections that if the PDP decides to zone the presidential ticket to the South or South-East specifically, I won’t contest it. As long as it’s the decision of the party, I will abide by it. But I contested the 2023 presidential ticket because it was thrown open to all members of the party. “If the party decides that it’s the turn of the South-East and Peter Obi is chosen, I won’t hesitate to support him,” Atiku declared in a recent interview with BBC Hausa Service. He also said that a merger between the PDP and Labour Party is possible. Responding to the development, Osuntokun said that with Obi’s large support base in the last general elections, the only chance of him accepting to join the PDP is if he would be offered the party’s presidential ticket. He said, “Peter Obi going back to the PDP would have to depend on the circumstances and the assurances from the political godfathers of the PDP. The thing is that it’s unrealistic to expect someone who has run for the president to now accept to be a running mate for whoever assumes the superior position. “That’s because Obi has a unique political appeal among Nigerians. If it’s possible to do it like the way they do in the United States by analyzing the demographic groups that support each candidate, we would find a situation in which Obi carried about 90 per cent of the youth population. And if he chooses to be a running mate, those people are going to be disappointed and offended. “The only way that Peter Obi could consider returning to the PDP is if he would be given the party’s presidential ticket. Otherwise, he would not embark on a futile exercise. Because if he becomes a running mate in PDP, he will lose a lot of his support. He would be demonized as a sellout.“So I can’t see the point of his going back to the PDP other than being its presidential candidate.”
EFCC TAKES ORDERS FROM HIGHEST BIDDER – OBA OF BENIN
EFCC TAKES ORDERS FROM HIGHEST BIDDER – OBA OF BENIN Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of taking instructions from the highest bidders while handling petitions from his palace. The Oba spoke on Monday when he welcomed Effa Okim, the zonal director of EFCC in Benin. The monarch told Okim that he was not happy about certain things that happened during previous administrations at the zonal office. The Oba said the EFCC treated his petition on fraud allegedly committed by some former palace officials with kid gloves. The monarch said despite overwhelming evidence against the former palace officials, they were set free by the anti-graft agency. The monarch said since the incident, it has become difficult for the palace to support the activities of the agency. “No matter how you try to support EFCC from the palace, when it is time to assist them, they listen to other parties,” the monarch said. “What I have been told is that they take instructions from the highest bidder. “I was not happy with certain things that happened in the time of your predecessors. “How can EFCC operatives, especially the lady who handled the case I cited earlier, behave like that?“If I was asked to comment on her performance, I would score her zero. I do not know if she was doing an EFCC job or just dancing to the tunes of people who were giving her money.”