Coronavirus: UNILAG set for non-physical post-UTME test

EMPOWERMENT: From left, Chairman of the Occasion, Alh. Rabiu Oluwa, Chairman, Lagos State APC, Chief Tunde Balogun and Lagos West Senatorial District represententatives in Nigeria Senate, Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), during the Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), 4th edition of Lagos West Senatorial district, Poverty Alleviation & Empowerment programme, held recently. Read the story below.

....for 2020/21, 2021/22 sessions 

Stories by Abimbola Oloyede

VICE-CHANCELLOR, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has urged Nigerians to assist indigent candidates to get computer tabs, as the university gets set for the non-physical post-UTME test.

Ogundipe said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

According to him, in the face of the resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic, all academic activities of the institution, including examinations, would be online.

His words: “We are to conduct our post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) test on Feb. 15 to Feb. 23; that is, it will run for about nine days.

“This examination is going to be an e-examination such that wherever the candidates are, they do not need to come to campus. It is simple and convenient.

“We looked at the issue of indigent candidates; we then decided to see how we can carry them along. Right now, we have started talking to some friends of the university and alumni to see how we can get tablets that we can give them.

“We have got the number of these indigent candidates registered for the post-UTME test, and they are above 200.”  

Ogundipe said that the candidates would need the tablets not just for the post-UTME test but also to facilitate other e-learning processes.

“We are talking to the alumni president and friends of the university to get these tablets to facilitate e-learning processes”, he said.

He said that over 50,000 candidates applied for admission into the university in the 2020)2021 academic session, with about 22,000 scoring 200 marks and above.

According to him, 21,955 candidates have so far paid for the conduct of the post-UTME test.

“It is the first time that we are conducting this type of examination, and it is such that these candidates must have their laptops with cameras.

“If they do not have a camera attached to their laptops, they will not be allowed to participate in the examination.

“We expect the results to come out within one week after the conduct of the examination,” the VC said.

Ogundipe told NAN that the university had collapsed the 2020/2021 academic session with the 2021/2022 academic session.

“It is going to affect our admission number, because it means we have to admit two streams, except if JAMB is not conducting its examination this year.

“If it is conducting, we are mandated to admit students,” the vice-chancellor said.

Stop self-denial, medic cautions Nigerians

•Calls for adoption of social and behaviour change communication

AS the second wave COVID-19 infections continue to spike, the Chairman, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Ministerial Experts Advisory Committee on COVID-19, Dr. Ejike Oji, has admonished Nigerians to wake up to reality and desist from self-denial over the existence of the COVID-19 virus.

Oji, who lamented the spike in new cases and deaths in the country in recent times said persons who live in denial for so long, tend to find out the truth when it is too late and they have come down with the infection and need to go for treatment.

He said it was far more rewarding to be more conscious of the risks of COVID-19 infection, and take preventive measures and it’s potential health effects and socio-economic impact.

“Nigerians are still in denial and spreading the conspiracy theories. There are many persons that come down with COVID-19 infection when they go for treatment, they are denying and calling it malaria. People should stop being in denial because deaths are occurring every day now, “ he noted. Calling for continuous public awareness on the pandemic, Oji said even though many people are aware of the pandemic, they lack the understanding about it.

“There are keywords in communication.  People are aware, but awareness alone is not enough. What are they aware of? There must be continuous public education too. They are aware that there is coronavirus but it is mainly the conspiracy theories that they know.

“It is the public health education component that is important. There should be education on the need to use masks. This is a behavioural change communication thing; it is not just that there is coronavirus alone.”

Oji said utilising the social and behaviour change communication strategy is the only way people would understand what is going enough.

“People think that spending money on opening isolation centres only is important. Yes it   is important, but if the government had unfolded resources in terms of community education and engagement, it would reduce the number of infections and also the number of people to be treated and then, the attendant cost would be a lot lower.”

Over the weekend, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country exceeded 120,600 with more than 1,500 deaths.

Senator Adeola donates empowerment tools to Lagos West constituents

LAWMAKER representing Lagos West Senatorial District in National Assembly red chamber, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has donated different empowerment tools to people of the area, as part of his commitment towards uplifting the people from poverty and delivering dividends of democracy.

The programme, which had various tools such as block moulding machines, sewing machines, grinding machines, hairdryers, clipper sterilizers, generators, deep freezers, refrigerators, tricycles, vulcanizing machines, among others been distributed, was the 4th of its kind.

Speaking during the Townhall Meeting/Poverty Alleviation and Empowerment Programme, Adeola said that under his human resources development, he had facilitated the training of hundreds of constituents in rural riverine communities of Lagos West in different aspects of fish production, business, feed making and boat operation over a period of months.

He said: “Trained and certificated participants in the programme, 'Teach a Man to Fish', were equipped and given grants to commence business. Also, I facilitated the training of 1000 constituents in phone repairs, hairdressing, make-up artistry, soap/detergent making and sanitizer making skills, with participants receiving start-up equipment and cash grants.

“For constituents desirous of establishment in the booming business of logistic and delivery, I gave out 185 motorcycles to constituents in each ward in the district. From today, I am also empowering selected constituents with 28 block moulding Machines, 28 Refrigerators, 330 Sewing Machines, 484 Grinding Machines, 28 Hair Dryers, 28 Clipper Sterilizers and Generators, 28 Deep Freezers, 28 Tricycles (Keke Napeps) and 126 Vulcanizing Machines.  

“Similarly, I facilitated the provision of 130 pole solar panel street lights which were distributed to 20 major streets in Ojo, Badagry, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin, Ikeja, Alimosho, Mushin, Ifako Ijaiye, Oshodi-Isolo and Agege LGAs.”  

The lawmaker disclosed that during the 9th Senate, he sponsored and successfully introduced 11 bills, eight of them have undergone the first reading while three have been read for the second time and committed to committees for further legislative work.

“At the peak of COVID-19 lockdown, I donated N50 million which was shared among individuals, groups and communities during the extended period of lockdown. Giving the dark cloud of 2020, I have since delivered many dividends of democracy for my constituents in some critical areas that will serve not only many people but useful for many years ahead”, he said.  

Appreciating the gesture, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, Mr. Tunde Balogun expressed gratitude to Senator Adeola for remembering his constituency and giving back to them.

“This is wholesome, it must have cost him much to provide all these. You have represented us well at the national and constituency level. On some occasions, you do things that are outside your jurisdiction as a Senator just to ensure that your people enjoy dividends of democracy. Culled from Vanguard