Monday, June 18, 2018
Friday, June 15, 2018
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
What exactly is going on in our universities and colleges? There's a rape culture in our schools and no one is talking.
The average Nigerian student entering tertiary institution whether University or College, is most likely going to be between 15 and 19 years old.
Their self-esteem will most likely be shaky. Their world views and philosophies unshaped. They want to feel valued and accepted. It is also at this age that sexual curiosity spikes.
Combine all of these, and vulnerability rears its head. People in this bracket are perhaps the most likely to get raped, especially women.
Let’s start with Tola.
Tola is a smart young lady. Settling into University life wasn’t as difficult as she thought, classes are coming and going. She’s making new friends, interesting friends. There’s one she likes. Like really really likes. He wears really nice shirts, and speaks really well. Most of all, he listens. He listens to all her stories. Wonder who made it easy for Tola to navigate the Jambite registration process? Him.
His name is Steve.
So one day, she’s bored, and asks him if he’s downloaded any new movies. Of course he has. Of course he has the newest episodes of the best shows. So empty USB flash in hand, she heads to his house.
Finding his tiny student-size apartment is not so hard, not like it’s her first time going to collect movies, or charge her phone.
Today, Steve doesn’t look so well. He’s cuddled up under his blanket. He tells her he has a fever. By the time he says this, she doesn’t even care about the movies she came to get. Today, she’s going to care for her friend.
He shows her where he kept some painkillers. It’s at the bottom of a shelf. When she turns around, Steve is no longer on the bed. He’s now standing in front of her, at just a breath away. Bare chested.
“I really like you,” he says.
She’s shocked. And confused.
“What are you doing?” she asks. He draws closer. She says stop. She says it again. But he’s all over her like a beast on prey.
10 minutes later, he’s panting. She’s crying.
“Why” she asks, “why did you do this to me?”
“What? I thought you liked it.”
This is what rape looks like in Nigerian student communities (and outside), and Tola is not alone.
In a survey of 349 women, 1 in 8 of them said they were raped while in school (University/Polytechnic/College of Education).
The numbers are probably higher, considering that many victims themselves don’t have a clear understanding of what is rape and what isn’t. This begs the question;
What is rape?
Rape is a form of sexual assault where a person has forced sexual intercourse with a victim without their consent. According to the Violence against Persons' Prohibition (VAPP) Act, the definition of rape has expanded to: "Rape is non-consensual penetration of a person's vagina, anus, mouth or body parts with an object or penis or other body part". Also worthy of note is that the legal definition differs from state to state.
But what about sexual assault?
While rape is a form of sexual assault, it is much broader. Sexual assault in the simplest terms, is the non-consensual contact that does not include penetration. Examples of sexual assault are: attempted rape, unwanted kissing, unwanted fondling, and unwanted touching of the genitalia, buttocks and breasts.
So whether it is Yaba Market boys pulling the hands of passing girls, and touching them, in the name of getting them to buy whatever cloth it is they are selling. Whether it is a lecturer groping a girl in his office. Whether it is fondling her without her consent. Whether it is a guy pressing groping a girl in a concert. This is sexual assault.
Why is rape common in tertiary schools?
Let’s go back to Steve. Steve is a regular guy. But the guys tease Steve for being soft. The other day, one of his guys teased that he liked boys. Why? Because Steve has no body count — number of girls he’s slept with.
The guys also know about Tola. They believe he’s slacking because he hasn’t even kissed her. He likes her, they know this, and they assume she has to like him too.
So when they ask him how far, and he says he’s finally slept with her, he’s the man. When he even says she wasn’t interested at first, and that he finally got her to have sex anyway, they say he’s the chairman.
Perhaps, the biggest cause of rape in Nigerian schools stems from the attitude of men towards rape and the disregard for consent. It is the sense of entitlement that makes a man feel he deserves it, and he’ll get what he deserves by any means necessary.
“What was she wearing?”
Another major contributing factor to rape is the tendency for society to blame the victim, instead of seeking justice, and punishing the rapist.
A society that blames a rape victim, for any reason at all, gives the next rapist an excuse and even motivation to commit the irreversible crime.
How can we change this?
Back to Tola. Never in her life has she felt more alone.
She blames herself for ending up in that situation. She hates that she can’t tell anyone about it. She tells her friend about what happened, and her friend is not only surprised, she’s confused. The first thing she asks throws Tola off balance completely;
“But didn’t you say you liked him?”
We need to understand that this is a matter of control. There’s a stark difference between giving, and being taken from without consent. This is what rape is a about, taking without consent.
Now, Tola hates that she told her friend. She fears telling her parents even worse. They’d probably call her a disgrace or a disappointment. So she swallows all the pain, and drowns in her own grief.
You know the worst part? She’s in the same faculty with Steve. So she sees him every other day, and he acts like everything is fine.
Rape is a crime, like armed robbery and murder. And until we treat it like a crime where the criminal is held responsible without putting the victim on trial, it’s not going anywhere.
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, Founder of S.T.E.R (Stand To End Rape), also recommends that we as people push further for the implementation of the Sexual Harassment in Educational Institutions Prohibition Act, 2016.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
US to stop issuing 2-year visa to Nigerians
Following the Executive Order by the President Donald Trump last Friday, Nigerians may be denied American entry visas.
If the Federal Government does not take a proactive visa policy review, Nigerians will no longer be issued with US visas which have two-year validity.
Also, Nigerians who hold dual nationality will be affected if their other passport is from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — the seven Muslim-majority countries “of concern”.
According to an analysis of the Executive Order done by TheCable, at least two sections will affect Nigerians directly.
Nigeria issues one-year multiple-entry visa to Americans, which is a non-reciprocation of the two-year visa the US issues to Nigerians.
Although Nigeria also issues two-year visas to Americans, the continued issuance of one-year visas falls short of the US policy of issuing a minimum of two-year visas to Nigerians. This little detail may now be reciprocated by the Trump administration.
Section 9 of the Executive Order states: "The Secretary of State shall review all nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agreements to ensure that they are, with respect to each visa classification, truly reciprocal insofar as practicable with respect to validity period and fees, as required by sections 221(c) and 281 of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1201(c) and 1351, and other treatment. If a country does not treat United States nationals seeking nonimmigrant visas in a reciprocal manner, the Secretary of State shall adjust the visa validity period, fee schedule, or other treatment to match the treatment of United States nationals by the foreign country, to the extent practicable…"
By this provision, except the federal government quickly moves to extend the validity of Nigerian visa to Americans, Nigerians too will be issued with one-year visas.
Given that the Trump order takes immediate effect, Nigerians holding valid two-year US visa are most likely going to be affected, the report says.
Nigeria is also not reciprocating the fees charged by the American government — despite shorter visa validity.
While the US charges Nigerians $160 for a typical visit visa, Nigeria charges $180, in addition to a $35 "processing fee".
The section on dual nationality involving seven Muslim-majority countries is not expected to affect a significant number of Nigerians because a second citizenship of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen is not common.
Many Nigerians, including government officials, hold dual nationality with either the US or Europe.
But Nigerians who have recently visited Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen may be subjected to extra immigration control with possible deportation.
Nigeria produces half-baked graduates because of lecturers' indiscipline - Ex- VC
Professor Kelvin Etta says Nigerian lecturers are responsible for the falling standard of education.
University of Ibadan
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Kelvin Etta has attributed the falling standard of education and production of half-baked graduates in Nigeria to lecturers' indiscipline.
Etta said lecturers desperation for money is also responsible for the falling standard of education in Nigeria.
While speaking during a programme organised by Leaders of Tomorrow in Cross River, Etta said the desire to make more money among academic and non-academic staff in Nigerian Universities has contributed to the production of unproductive graduates in Nigerian Universities.
Etta who is the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the University of the Cross-River University of Technology, CRUTECH, therefore called for a holistic reform of the Nigerian education sector.
During his tenure as a Vice-Chancellor, Etta is said to have brought reforms to both the University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology.
Former school drop out emerges best graduating student
Narrating the challenges he encountered while studying in Babcock, the Ogun state native says he almost dropped out of school because he was unable to pay his tuition fee.
t is a twist of fate for Micheal Agbojo, a former school drop out who eventually became the overall best graduating student a Babcock University.
A stormy road to success at last for the Christian Religion Studies (CRS) graduate with a GPA of 4.97 despite the challenges he encountered.
In a recent interview with Punch, Agbojo narrates what it felt like to graduate with such a high grade.
Graduating with a GPA of 4.97
According to him "It is a humbling experience. I really can’t believe what God has done in my life".
When asked on how he was able to achieve a GPA of 4.97 he said, " The truth is that it was not easy for me to get this far. Like most other Nigerian youths, I had some challenges while in school. But God came to my rescue and helped me to overcome them".
Narrating the challenges he encountered while studying in Babcock, the Ogun state native says he almost dropped out of school because he was unable to pay his tuition fee.
With the intervention of some well-meaning personalities which he gives credit to he was able to further his studies.
"First, let me thank God for seeing me through the crucible of my academic life. More or less, I was sponsoring my education myself. My parents were incapacitated financially because of some business partnership that went wrong in 2010. At a point, I was on sponsorship, but it was later withdrawn" he revealed.
Becoming a dropout
Prior to graduating from Babcock, Agbojo had initially studied computer/electronic engineering at Lead City University in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Sadly things didn't work out. He explains why:"I was first a Computer/Electronic student in Lead City University. I had to drop out of school in 200 level because of my parents’ business partnership that went wrong. So they could not afford to pay my tuition fees anymore".
He resorted to rap music. He tried to keep his lyrics clean for a while but eventually gave into demands of music promoters to use vulgar words.
From Rapper to Christian then Babcock
Agbojo's life changed when he decided to pay his parent a visit in his home in Ijebu Ode.
In his words, "I get home to meet a Bible study series and evangelism going on in my dad’s church. The church is located in our compound. I went into my room, dropped my bag and entered the church. I could have just closed up my mind and just let the preachers make their usual noise. But something caught my attention and, for the first time, I saw a bible study session accompanied with illustrations. The preacher was illustrating all he was saying with beautiful pictures, logical arguments and most importantly, biblical facts".
"I only intended to stay for three days before going back to Ibadan to embark on that journey of no return (at least that’s what I had in mind). But my dad made me stay for the whole 14-day programme. That was how my life changed. I gave my life to Christ, got baptized after the programme and decided to leave that aspect of my life and have a relationship with Christ. This time, it had to be a more substantial relationship because, for the first time in my life, Christianity actually made sense and was rational to me."
This decision to give his life to Christ, along with a missionary assignment in Seventh Day Adventist Church led to him studying CRS in Babcock.
"There I got the deep impression that God had a plan for my life and that He wanted me to get involved in full time ministry, "he explained.
Agbojo goes on to say, "That necessitated some preparation and equipping, hence, the need to come to Babcock University to study Christian Religious Studies. A lot of my friends thought I was crazy for choosing the course. One of them even said to me in Pidgin English, “Guy, bomb dey your head? You a first class student studying theology? You must be crazy.”
He joins the likes of Peace Eze who emerged the best graduating student at the University of Louisiana in the United State.
UNILAG reacts to sexual allegation against English lecturer
The University of Lagos, UNILAG authorities have announced their readiness to thoroughly investigate the sexual allegation against one of the lecturers in the institution.
The university management in a statement released by the Communication Unit, Corporate Affairs Directorate on Thursday, May 31, 2018, urged its stakeholders to remain calm saying the truth of the matter will soon be uncovered.
A female student of the university had on Thursday, May 31, 2018, accused an unnamed professor in the English Department of consistently harassing her.
The student who is yet to be identified also released the nude pictures of the lecturer in his office to support her claims.
However, UNILAG management has issued a statement to react to the alleged sex harassment case.
The statement reads:
“The attention of the University Management has been drawn to a news report trending on social media in respect of an alleged sexual harassment involving an alleged lecturer in the University of Lagos.
“The Management has a zero tolerance for allegations pertaining to sexual impropriety, and has a well-established policy against such practices.
“We wish to reassure all our stakeholders, students, parents, members of staff and the general public that Management will not treat this matter with levity.
“Management will tackle the allegation with every sense of responsibility and seriousness that the matter deserves. The issue would be thoroughly investigated with transparency.
“Management respectfully solicits information from members of the University community and pledges confidentiality and protection.”
OAU lecturer allegedly demands five rounds of sex from student
You will recall that Prof Richard Akindele, a lecturer at the Accounting Department of Obafemi Awolowo University was recently in the news for demanding five round of sex from a female student, Monica Osagie to increase her grade.
Following the allegation, the investigative panel set up by the OAU management reportedly indicted Prof. Richard Akindele and recommended him for immediate suspension.
However, the National Assembly has summoned the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Eyitope Ogunmodede over the case in order to re-investigate the sexual harassment allegation.
First National Bank (FNB) Graduate Trainee Program 2018 – For South Africans
With FNB, you can be part of a company that offers you a career, not just a job. With a wide range of employment options and business areas to choose from, you are bound to find a perfect fit. We share accountability with our employees and provide you with the best possible opportunities to learn and grow. We are breaking new ground with our innovative thinking and challenging our employees to think differently and develop into the thought leaders of the future. The foundation of our success is in our entrepreneurial culture and the belief that our people are our single most important resource. If you share our values of being: Helpful Effective Ethical Innovative Accountable and you have one simple goal: to improve the lives of customers through simple, effective solutions that meet their needs, contact us today and join a winning team. All appointments will be made in line with the Bank’s EE Strategy.
purpose:
Trainee role is a developmental pipeline for key roles in business units.
experience and qualifications
- Students currently completing their final year of university degrees in:
- Commerce (Accounting, Business Management, Finance, Economics etc),Actuarial Science, Maths Statistics, Engineering, Marketing, HR, Industrial Psychology, Information Systems, Computer Science, This is not an exhaustive list of degrees
additional requirements
Only South African citizens can apply.
responsibilities
- Deliver exceptional service that exceeds customers’ expectations through proactive, innovative and appropriate solutions
- Provision of an efficient execution of role responsibilities through careful and timeous planning, reporting and updating of all related information in the relevant role of learning
- Participate in the innovation process in the business and contribute toward new innovations against objectives
- Participation in knowledge sharing and projects to maximise skills required for the role and relevant career exploration by executing all activities required to be efficient and successful
- Manage graduate development plan by completion of training assignments
- Manage graduate development plan to increase own competencies and skills by attendance of training
- Manage own development to increase own competencies
- Live the values of the business through demonstrating and displaying of the values required in the business
Deadline: August 3rd, 2018.
Business School Netherlands/Orange Knowledge Programme MBA Scholarship 2018
The International MBA Programme, the work-study-travel MBA Solution by Business School Netherlands; a blended learning programme, combining virtual class (online) and residential conferences in the Netherlands or South Africa. Ideal for the business traveller considering a distance learning MBA, yet wishing to maintain regular student and faculty contact.The International Action Learning MBA programme is ideal for the busy manager or for the business traveller considering a part-time, distance learning MBA. With their MBA structure, you can now save time on your studies as all your projects are real-time based, meaning that you use a portion of your time at work to focus and implement your projects on real-life problems.
The Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) aims to advance the development of the capacity, knowledge and quality of both individuals and institutions in higher and vocational education. Applicants from the 52 OKP countries are now able to apply for this fantastic MBA opportunity through Business School Netherlands, as the International Action Learning MBA is an OKP approved course.
Benefits.
Successful applicants to both BSN and the OKP will receive a full MBA scholarship that covers the total cost of tuition fees, prescribed textbooks, flights and accommodation at the two conferences held in the Netherlands, subsistence and internet costs.
Eligibility.
Applicants must first meet the following eligibility criteria for the International Action Learning MBA programme:
The applicant:
holds a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification,
is a manager or management trainee,
has a minimum of 2 years appropriate and relevant post graduate work experience,
has approval from his or her organisation to do research and execute practical assignments within their work environment,
has internet and e-mail access,
should the applicants mother-tongue not be English, a TOEFL or IELTS language test will be required. The minimum pass mark for the TOEFL is 550 (paper); 213 (computer) or 79/80 (internet based) and IELTS 6.0
Applicants must then meet the following eligibility criteria for the OKP scholarship:
must be a professional and national of, and working and living in one of the 52 countries on the OKP country list,
must have an employer’s statement that complies with the format Nuffic has provided. All information must be provided and all commitments that are included in the format must be endorsed in the statement,
must not be employed by an organisation that has its own means of staff development. Organisations that are considered to have their own means for staff development are for example: multinational organisations (e.g. Shell, Unilever, Microsoft), large national and/or a large commercial organisation, bilateral donor organisations (e.g. USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid), multilateral donor organisations (e.g. UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMP, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB), international NGO’s (e.g. Oxfam, Plan, Care),
must have an official and valid passport,
must not receive more than one fellowship for courses that take place at the same time,
must have a government statement that meets the requirements of the country in which the employer is established (if applicable).
To apply, send an email to international@bsn.eu
For More Information:
Nigeria Has Highest Cases Of WAEC Exam Malpractice In West Africa
Nigeria has the highest number of examination irregularities among the five member countries of the West African Examinations Council, the Head, National Office of the Council, Charles Eguridu, has said.
He made this revelation at a Road Show on Examination Malpractices Sensitisation in Abuja adding that WAEC has not introduced stricter measures and the use of advanced technology in its bid to curb malpractice in the country.
He warned that candidates and schools that engage in organised examination malpractice will be prosecuted henceforth.
According to him: “We have regulation that governs the conduct of our examination,” he said, warning that malpractice will no longer be tolerated.
He said the council has the power to withhold results and carry out investigation on whoever is involved in examination malpractice.
Mr. Eguridu said after the investigations, the entire result of such a candidate will be cancelled and the centre, derecognised.
He added that WAEC has introduced a technology that verifies candidates that registered for the exam.
Mr. Eguridi explained that at the point of registration, the biometric features of each candidate will be captured.
“All these will be uploaded into our database and on the day of the exam, these features are uploaded into a handheld devise at the centre and like the card reader does, we verify that it is the candidate that writes the exam,” he said.
He further explained that WAEC remains the only examination body that has introduced the use of the technology in the conduct of examination in the whole of Africa.
“Naija Coke Summership” Programme 2018 for Young Nigerians [Internship]
Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), a member of the Coca‑Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, is the sole bottler of Coca‑Cola products and one of the biggest companies in the non-alcoholic beverage industry in Nigeria. The operations of the Coca‑Cola Hellenic Group spans 28 countries, bottling and distributing the most iconic beverage brands globally and serving more than 581 million people across the world.
We are launching our first “Naija Coke Summership” – a three-month internship program designed to attract final year undergraduate and postgraduate / MBA students who share our passion for excellence and strive to learn with speed and agility.
The Coke Summership Program provides a robust developmental platform for Nigerian students at home and abroad to intern with us to gain industry experience during their academic Summer breaks. This year, the program will commence in July and end in September in our Lagos locations only. If you fit the profile below we invite you to make the move and develop your career with us.
Eligibility criteria:
- Currently in final year of undergraduate or postgraduate study
- A minimum G.P.A of (3.75/5 or 3/4)
- Must be at least 18 years of age by date of application
- Students from any of the listed faculties; (Engineering, Pure and Applied Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities)
In addition, candidates will be required to demonstrate the following attributes:
- Strong passion for excellence, ambition and enthusiasm to be the best.
- Good problem-solving skills, curiosity and a great appetite for learning
- Excellent interpersonal and team working skills
- Strong analytical and presentation skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
How to Apply for Naija Coke Summership Programme.
Interested applicants should:
- Visit the NBC online application portal: CLICK HERE
- Read, follow the instructions and complete the online application form.
UNN Sandwich Programmes of Events for 2018/2019 Contact Session
The management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has released the programmes of events for the 2018/2019 Sandwich contact.
UNN Sandwich Calendar
| JULY 15 | Resumption |
| JULY 16th to 27th | Registration |
| JULY 23rd | Lectures begin |
| AUGUST 22ND 25TH | 2018 Annual Conference |
| SEPTEMBER 1st | Matriculation and Orientation |
| SEPTEMBER 3RD to 4TH | 2018 Workshop on Teacher Ethics |
| SEPTEMBER 21st | Lectures end |
| SEPTEMBER 22nd to 25th | Revision |
| SEPTEMBER 26th to 5th OCT | Examinations |
| OCTOBER 6th | Students vacate campus |
Please take note of our events for the year as stated above.
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