President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of elder statesman, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (Retired) who recently passed on.

The President in a statement made available to Journalists, recalled the life and times of the retired military man, “The late Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, who served as a Military Governor in Plateau State was one soldier that lived the oath, always ready to defend the unity and peace of the country in whatever capacity he found himself.”

President Buhari remarked that after his exit from the Military, the Air Commodore continued to defend Nigerian citizens as an activist, noting that he was one of the founding fathers of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) that fought for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 elections, as well as the return of the country to democratic governance.

The President prays that God Almighty will strengthen his family and friends as well as the Middle Belt Forum which he once chaired, and repose the soul of the departed.

The late Dan Suleiman was born on 30 July 1942 and was a member of General Murtala Muhammed’s supreme military council between July 1975 and March 1976

He died on 1 February 2023, at the age of 80

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The University of Ibadan (UI), Registrar in Oyo State, Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi has urges youths and secondary school students to take advantage of Education and not see it as a scam but a means of achieving their career goals.

The Registrar gave the charge while addressing the students during an outreach to some selected schools.

Faluyi said the programme was designed for senior secondary students to guide them on the prospects of their preferred courses of study in the University and to equip them with the knowledge and information that would enable them to choose courses that would place them on the right path towards actualising their career goals.

She challenged them not to join the crop of people who see school as a waste of time, noting that the only way to achieve the Nigeria of their dream is through education.

The Registrar affirmed that education helped people to develop critical skills like decision making, mental agility, problem solving, and logical thinking skills needed to contribute to the development of the society.

She, therefore, admonished the students not to take the present state of the nation as an excuse to jettison their dreams of acquiring education but to remember that tough times never last, but tough people do.

For his part, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Professor Kayode Adebowale, said the UI would not fail in its commitment to all its stakeholders, especially through its corporate social responsibilities.

Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics),  Professor Aderonke Baiyeroju, the VC said the University, through the programme, seeks to impact the society and enlighten the pupils regarding their future prospects and better equip them for life.

He urged the students to build good and sustainable foundations for the rest of their lives rather than engaging in fruitless and self-destructive lifestyles associated with youthful exuberance.

The one day seminar, which was organised by the University of Ibadan Registry, afforded experts the opportunity to speak to the students on university admission requirements; prospects of studying at the Distance Learning Centre and the various faculties.

There were also motivational talks from the Director of the Career Guidance and Counselling Centre,  Prof I. P. Onyeonoru, as well as the President of the Students Union, Mr Adeyinka Adewole.

Some of the selected schools who attended the event include: Community Secondary School, Agugu; St Louis Grammar School, Mokola; Urban Day Grammar School, Old Ife Road;  Oke’badan High School; Baptist Grammar School, Idi – Ishin and The Vale College, Iyaganku.

Others are: The International School, University of Ibadan; Global School of Science, Iyana Church; Methodist Grammar School, Bodija; Bishop Phillips Academy, Iwo Road; Bodija International School; and Oritamefa Baptist Model College.

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The National Population Commission (NPC), has warned against extortion of money or racketeering from those applying for the post of either supervisors or enumerators in the 2023 census exercise.

The NPC Commissioner in Kwara State, Razaq Gidado gave the warning during the training of staff and facilitators in Ilorin, the state capital

According to him, reports reaching his office alleged that some people extort money from applicants.

He warned that anyone caught in such an act risk prosecution and also advised would-be enumerators not to bribe or give gratification to any member of staff of the commission in the course of applying for the census assignment

The NPC National Commissioner assured all those that applied and qualified for the census job that they would be screened and engaged without favouritism.

A Staff of Ifelodun local government, Mr Adeyemi Jonathan who reacted to the extortion allegation denied that there was no case of extortion in his area but rather, he only contacted some communities who promised to assist the commission to provide generating sets and fill it with petrol at night during the screening exercise.

Meanwhile, Gidado appealed to facilitators undergoing training to be patient over non-payment of their allowances and assured them that the challenges would soon be addressed.

He attributed the delay in the payment of the allowances to those not selected but were attending the training programme.

According to Gidado, only 752 facilitators were captured for the training in Kwara State but over 200 gatecrashed and are attending the training which overshot the official number employed by the commission but said such abnormality was being addressed.

The facilitators expressed concern that since the training Programme which began on Friday 27th, January and would end on Sunday 5th, February 2023, they have not been paid their training allowance.

“Officials of NPC  are working round the clock to ensure that the 2023 Population and Housing Census go on as scheduled.

“Supervisors and enumerators who are presently being screened at their various local government areas and wards are expected to also undergo training for the head count which will hold between March 29 and April 2, 2023.”

The Population and Housing Census aims to provide key information about people, households, buildings, localities and also collect data on climate change in the country.

The 2023 census is the first time that Nigeria will be conducting a digital and paperless census, through the deployment of the latest technology in population data all over the country with the use of Personal Data Assistant (PDA).

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Ahead of the 2023 Presidential Election, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria has called on security agencies to provide adequate security and ensure that they arrest on-the-spot perpetrators of violence and criminal activities during the elections.

In a Press Statement issued by the National Coordinator of the Group, Ibrahim Abdullahi stated that as Political Parties and their candidates strategize on how to win elections, the combat readiness of the Security Agencies would thwart the efforts of election violators.

According to him the role of Mass Media on the the-spot-reportage of facts would enable Security Agents to also know how to tackle emerging problems.

The Group, therefore, charged the Police, the Army and other agencies to provide adequate security in offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission across the country

He also appealed to Religious Leaders to pray for the success of this year’s general elections.

New Naira Notes

On the new Naira notes collection the Group called on Bank Executives to comply with the central bank’s directives.

It also advised CBN to ensure the provision of cash sufficiently to all banks to reduce the hardship being faced by the people.

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The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion NOTAP has commissioned another Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office lPTTO in Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology ADUST Tech Wudil, Kano State North West Nigeria.

The Director General of NOTAP, Dr DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, said that NOTAP was established to regulate the inflow of foreign technologies into the Country through the registration of Technology Transfer Agreements but also has the responsibility to encourage the development of indigenous technologies in line with the local content act and the implementation of Executive Order N0.5 as issued by the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.

Dr Ibrahim noted that the programme was initiated by NOTAP in 2006 in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to encourage Intellectual Property (IP) culture and ensure that researchers enjoy the financial benefits of their research endeavours.

“The establishment of IPTTOs in our knowledge institutions came as a child of necessity to ensure the development and domestication of critical technologies in Nigeria. In carrying out its statutory responsibilities, the Office realised that the culture of intellectual property in Nigerian knowledge institutions was weak and for a nation that desires to be a major player in global technology market, the situation must be addressed.”

He noted that NOTAP has moved on with IP advocacy to ensure that Nigerian researchers are fully abreast of the inherent benefits of undertaking market-driven research rather than embarking on research for the purposes of publication and career progression.

“Nigerian researchers are talented and have carried out numerous researches but lost their invention by publishing their research works before patenting them.“ Dr Ibrahim added.

According to him, as a way of encouraging patenting in the country, NOTAP is assisting researchers in writing claims, filing for patents and paying patenting fees.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Musa Tukur Yakasai in his remarks said that the institution has to look forward to having the centre established to nurture the inventive and innovative spirits of the University Community.

“The university sent over 70 students abroad to undertake further studies up to PhD level, those are research students we who will return to add value to the potentials of the IPTTO,“ the VC said.

The Director of Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination (TARC), Department of NOTAP, Mrs Caroline Anie-Osuagwu, in her paper presentation titled “Framework for Management of Intellectual Property in Tertiary Institutions” said that no country develops without a vibrant IP ecosystem that is capable of transmuting the country into economic independence.

She encouraged researchers to engage in research that have the propensity of translating into goods and services.

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