The Controller of the command, Mr George Daramola, made the call at the matriculation of 14 inmates of Ikoyi Medium Security Custodial Centre, who gained admission into the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, on Wednesday in Lagos.

Daramola said that education remained the best legacy to bequeath to the citizenry irrespective of status.

He added that no meaningful progress would be achieved by any nation, if its citizens would not  be exposed to education.

“I was elated when I learnt about this ceremony although this is not the first time this is happening.

“It is part of the achievements of the service to put this in place to give the inmates a sense of belonging while they serve their sentences and even hereafter.

“This ceremony is to make them know that they are not forgotten and that government is doing everything within its power to ensure integration for them into the larger society,” he said.

He praised NOUN management for  efforts in education.

Daramola frowned at stigmatisation of prisoners after serving their sentences.

“The public must see them as part of the society.

“We equip them with various skills while they are here; therefore, the society should embrace, accept and welcome them wholeheartedly, avoid any form of stigmatisation and give them hope,” he said.

He advised the matriculating inmates to remain focused.

According to him, being in incarceration does not imply having  nothing more to offer.

“You all wilfully chose to enrol into the university to further your studies; you must, therefore, be conscious of what you are doing.

“You have lofty goals, and you must aim at achieving it. You must realise that being behind bars is not the end of the world.

“Learning is a continuous process. We are here to reshape your lives, to reform you,” he said.

On challenges faced by the correctional centre, he said that there was the need for more interventions from stakeholders in the area of logistics.

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“Government alone cannot do it all. The Federal Government has done a lot in correctional centres, but we still need more support.

“Let me seize this opportunity to commend the Lagos State government for the support it has been rendering, especially in the area of logistics.

“We want to appeal for more vehicles for conveying inmates from our custodial centres to the various courts across the state.

“We also need drugs for inmates in the various custodial centres. We want to call on NGOs, churches and public-spirited individuals to come to our aid,” he said.

Daramola expressed concern over delayed dispensation of justice.

“This is one area that needs to be looked into in a bid to decongest the facilities,” he said.

He stated that some crimes did not warrant the offender to be in custody.

“Such could be handled through non-custodial service such as fine, parole, probation and restorative justice, among others,” the controller stated.

Mr Julius Ebereonwu, Deputy Controller, Corrections, Ikoyi Medium Custodial Centre, reiterated the centre’s commitment to delivering quality education to all inmates desirous of further learning.

According to him, there are lots of opportunities for inmates through education, irrespective of where they have found themselves.

“We are running university education here behind the prison walls.

“We are running an all-inclusive educational programme, from primary through the university level.”

The Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Femi Peters, commended the matriculating students for taking a bold step, saying that it was the beginning of their greatness.

Peters who was represented by Prof. Fisayo Arowosegbe, an official of the university, noted that the vision of NOUN was to ensure that place, time or distance would not hinder education.

“The body can be imprisoned or caged, but your mind can’t be caged,” he admonished the inmates.

The Principal of the custodial facility’s school, ASC Ondache Balogun, said that the inmates were admitted into various programmes such as Peace Study and Conflict Resolution, Christian Theology, Philosophy and Political Science.

Source: NAN

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In a statement issued by the chairman of Media and Publicity sub-committee, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the theme for this year’s celebration is “End  Racism, Build Peace.”

He disclosed that highlights of the Peace Day include a lecture by Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, Vice Chancellor, Ave Maria University, Piyanko, Nasarawa State, at the Convocation Arena, NOUN Headquarters, Abuja from 10 a.m.

He said other activities lined up for the day include Peace Walk from 7.00am to 9.00am, Workshop, HOD’s Awards, presentation and launching of the book on Peace Building and Nationalism.

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Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Malam Mohammed Musa Bello, is expected as special guest of honour while  chairman of the day is Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Prof. Umaru A. Pate, Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, and Prof. Oluranti Ojo of the Department of History and International studies, University of Abuja, are the main discussants.

The duo of Prof. Femi Peters, Vice Chancellor, NOUN, and Dr.  Samuel Opeyemi Iroye, HOD Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, NOUN, are the Chief Host and Host respectively.

Other expected guests are Prof. Ibrahim Maqari, Chief Imam, National Mosque, Abuja, and the Most Revd Dr. Peter Oluwakemi Ogunmuyiwa, Arch Bishop of the African Church, Abuja, as spiritual fathers of the day.

The trio of Mallam Musa Bello, FCT Minister, Dr. Garba Abari, the Director General, National Orientation Agency and Hon. Dr. Velita Asabe Bashir, Director General, National Centre for Women Development, NCWD, Abuja are the Special Guests of Honour.

Also expected to grace the occasion are Dr. Nuhu Muhammadu Sanusi, Emir of Dutse and Chancellor, Sokoto State University, and Alhaji Ismail Mohammed, Sarkin Karshi, FCT, Abuja as Royal Fathers of the Day.

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Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed who was represented by Dr. Biodun Saliu, in his remark, underscored the importance of strategic planning for a revitalised Nigerian university system.

He urged all university managers to take steps to reformulate their strategic plans to respond to contemporary developments in higher education.

The training programme is one of the thrusts of the Rasheed Revolution in the Nigerian university system.

Module 5 of the training which was conducted between July 18 and August 29, 2022 was on theory and practice of strategic planning and was designed to reposition Nigerian universities for delivery of quality education through the implementation of well-designed strategic plans.

A total of 271 Vice-Chancellors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Directors of Academic Planning, senior academics and staff of NUC and NOUN graduated from the eight-week course on Tuesday, August 30, 2022.

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In an earlier address, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters expressed delight that the NOUN platform was being used for the conduct of the training through the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education, VICBHE.

Peters noted that “this confirms, increasingly, the high quality of NOUN’s delivery system”.

Of the 271 participants who graduated, 195 earned Distinction.

Professor Ibiyinka Fuwape of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University won the Nimi Briggs Prize for the Best Vice-Chancellor in the course while Professor Bolanle Akinwande of Ladoke Akintola University won the Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i prize for best female participant and four other prizes.

The Olufemi Peters Prize for the best former Vice-Chancellor in the course was won by Professor Ezzeldin Mukhtar Abdurahman, former Vice-Chancellor, Bauchi State University.

The Abubakar Adamu Rasheed prize for best participant in the course was won by Professor Abdulrasheed Adeoye, former Dean of Arts of University of Ilorin.

The Olusola Oyewole prize for the best participant from other African countries was awarded to Dr. Ndayishimiye Richard from Burundi.

In his keynote address at the event, Professor Juma Shabani, Chairman of the National Council for Higher Education of Burundi, underscored the importance of strategic planning for African universities in meeting national and regional aspirations.

He gave the example of the University of Burundi doctoral school as case study of how benefits can be derived from well-developed strategic plans.

The Director/Facilitator of VICBHE, Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola presented an overview of the training.

According to Okebukola “during the course, participants learned conceptual and theoretical framework of strategic planning; key elements and stages of strategic planning; setting up a website for progressive development of a strategic plan; comparative analysis of university strategic plans; implementing steps 1 to 6 in the VICBHE Strategic Plan Model and uploading to the website and practical steps in midterm and final review of a strategic plan.

It was eight weeks of lectures, weekly discussion forums, weekly tests, weekly practical exercises, end-of-module comprehensive examination and a project.

Okebukola further noted that “One of the products of the practical training is the development by each participant of a strategic plan.

“These plans were contributed as case studies to a book by participants who earned distinction grades in the project.

“The quality of the case studies is indicative of the commitment of the participants to the training. Each case study reports extensively on the process leading to the development of the plan. Very detailed and well-costed plans resulted from this process. More importantly, each document has a monitoring and evaluation component which will be basis for periodic review.”

The book was publicly presented at the graduation ceremony by the Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities, Professor Olusola Oyewole.

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The 12-week intensive training course was concluded for 321 participants made up of Vice-Chancellors, Directors of Academic Planning, Directors of ICT and staff of NUC and other national quality assurance agencies in Africa on “Development and Use of Management Dashboards for Academic Planning” to aid governance of the universities.

Addressing the press after the graduation ceremony, Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola who is the Director/Facilitator-General of the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education, VICBHE, the platform for delivering the fully-practical and fully-virtual training, said the participants were trained on skills to set up governance dashboards that could uptake streamed data in real time for effective planning and management of their institutions.

He noted that that was in the continuing effort to build capacities of staff in the Nigerian university system in the implementation of the Blueprint on Rapid Revitalisation of University Education in Nigeria (2019-2023) which was heralding the “Rasheed Revolution”.

He added, “NOUN is providing the technical platform and technical expertise at no cost for now to participants while resource persons for VICBHE Modules are experts drawn from all over the world.”

The Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, heads the governance structure of VICBHE.

VICBHE was initiated by the NUC Strategy Advisory Committee, STRADVCOM.

Okebukola, who is also the Chairman of the Covering of the National Open University of Nigerian, NOUN, applauded the efforts of the participants, 152 of which earned distinction and thanked the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters, for showing once again, that NOUN is the No. 1 open and distance learning institution in Africa.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, in his remark, noted that it was heartwarming that since its inauguration in 2021, VICBHE had successfully completed four training modules, and the feedback from stakeholders had been superlatively encouraging.

He commended the vice-chancellors that have consistently participated in the capacity-building programmes of VICBHE and encouraged others to emulate such exemplary leadership.

Two Vice-Chancellors, Professor Ibiyinka Fuwape, of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University and Professor Elisabetha Smaranda Olarinde of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUA), won special awards for earning distinction in all four modules already implemented by VICBHE.

Late Dr. Maryam Sali, former Director of Accreditation of NUC was given a posthumous award as facilitator on the programme.

In his keynote at the graduation ceremony, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, noted that management dashboards are “very important and artistic way of placing decision before management to help in taking action or deciding on what they need to do to move the university forward”.

Ogundipe underscored that readily available key performance data would help increase the reputation of universities across the country and contribute to the proper ranking of Nigerian universities globally.

He commended the efforts of VICBHE in developing the capacity of directors of academic planning and other members of the university community in essential areas.

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Professor Olufemi Peters, underscored the importance of integrating IT tools and solutions into everyday operational activities.

He noted that the beneficiaries of the concluded training programme, directors of academic planning, vice-chancellors and senior academics, would find the skills useful for their daily tasks.

In his remarks, one of the resource persons, Engr Damilola Bamiro, tasked the graduating class to focus on making an impact in their respective institutions by implementing the concepts taught in the course.

He outlined six keywords encapsulating effective data management practices: transparency, trust, efficiency, innovation, collaboration and timeliness.

He further noted that the university or organisation of the future was where the vice-chancellor or chief executive looked at multiple dashboards taking inputs from different sources to make impactful decisions.

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The lecture entitled: “What Has Finance Got To Do With It?”, will hold at 11 a.m., at the Convocation Arena, NOUN Jabi-Abuja.

A statement from the institution said that Professor Olufemi Peters, NOUN Vice Chancellor, will preside over the event.

The lecturer, Prof. Ganiyat Adesina-Uthman, is the immediate past Dean of Faculty, Social Sciences, NOUN,  Visiting Professor to Nile University of Nigeria and Head of Academics at the Centre for Research, Innovation,  Development and Entrepreneurship, CRIDE, United Kingdom.

She is an erudite scholar, a globalised educationist, an international  intellectual focused on redefining and sustaining educational architecture delivery.

The event will be used to mark Prof. Adesina-Uthman’s 50th birthday as it coincides with the day.

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The Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, disclosed this in Lagos on Friday during the graduation ceremony and presentation of certificates to the five inmates at Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri.

Adamu, who was represented by Professor Gregory Okagbare, said over 526 inmates were studying various courses from Nigerian prisons.

He said there had been an increase in the number of inmates enrolling in degree programmes of NOUN in the various study centres located in prisons nationwide.

“There are over 526 inmates studying various courses at both under and post graduate levels while in prison detention.

“I congratulate the graduating inmates and urge you to seek higher qualifications,” he said.

The Controller General of Prisons,  Ja’afaru Ahmed, who was represented by Assistant Controller General, Chuks Chiabua, reiterated the commitment of the prison service to continually provide educational platform for inmates to realise their dreams while in prison.

The successful inmates who received their certificates in various degrees are: Adebayo Ojo, B.Sc Criminology & Security Studies; Idong Nelson, B.Sc Peace & Conflict Resolution and Audu Godfrey, B.Sc PCR.

Others are Akolade Arowolo, PDG in Peace & Conflict Resolution and Okeke Chinonso, B.Sc Entrepreneurship and Business Management.

Source:  NAN

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Obasanjo made the denial against the claim by the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, that he was receiving N40,000 annually as an allowance for being a facilitator of the university.

Denying the allegation, Obasanjo, in a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, said he also did not plan to receive any amount for the services being rendered.

The statement reads in part:  “In putting the records in right perspective, His Excellency wishes to draw the attention of the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN to his letter dated April 12, 2018, which was written to the University Registrar, Mr Felix Edoka, when the Council offered him a part-time appointment as an Instructional/Tutorial Facilitator and Project Supervisor in the Faculty of Arts at the Abeokuta Study Centre.

“Specifically in paragraph three of the letter, Obasanjo wrote, ‘I will gladly undertake any of the functions mentioned in paragraph two of your letter pro bono and I hope that the functions will be flexible enough to accommodate my rather tight schedule.”

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