25
THE NATION
EDUCATION Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012
INSIDE MIT students turn pupils into 'whiz kids'
email:- education@thenationonlineng.com
One week after his abduction, Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) Vice-Chancellor Prof. Cyprian Onyeji is yet to be found. His abductors are demanding N200million to release him. Who are they? CHRIS OJI reports.
THE 35 secondary school pupils who participated in the Exposure Robotics Challenge competition at the Grange School, Ikeja last Saturday will forever be grateful to their mentors... -Page 27
‘Pass or be kicked out!’ THE security of the jobs of 5,119 teachers and 541 headmasters in the employ of the Bayelsa State government will only be guaranteed if they perform well in tests to be conducted after a week training to be organised soon.
-Page 28
•The entrance to ESUT where Prof Onyeji was abducted
Who kidnapped ESUT VC?
CAMPUS LIFE •An eight-page section on campus news, people etc
Varsities as athletes’ breeding ground The football pitch was patchy, Kits were most available. So, many of the participating athletes borrowed jerseys, ankle pads and footwears from friends. Even the glucose - the energy giving drink was bought with contributions by the athletes. The First Aid Box was scanty... -Page 29
I
T shows their love for him. Since he was abducted by kidnappers right at the doorstep of the Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) last week, the staff and students have not ceased praying for his safe return. Prof Cyprian Onyeji, ESUT Vice-Chancellor (VC) was going to work when he was kidnapped. Daily, the staff and students have been gathering on the campus seeking divine intervention for his release. His abductors are demanding N200million ransom. Though his car has since been found, nothing has been said about his whereabouts. Since he was kidnapped, tension has remained high on the campus. In the history of kidnapping in the Southeast, this is the first time a vicechancellor is a victim. Some members of the ESUT community are linking his kidnap with the expulsion of some students said to have been wrongly admitted. Onyeji was appointed in 2010 from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, at a time ESUTwas perceived as a den of cultists and other vices. These vices include admission racketeering which gave room for the admission of unqualified candidates through the back door while those qualified were not admitted. The expulsion of 544 illegally-admitted students was said to have pitched him against some powerful forces.
The affected students, majority of whom were in their final year, threatened a showdown with some university officials who reportedly facilitated their illegal admission into the institution. A statement by the university's Director, Public Relations, Mr Ossy Ugwuoti, said the expulsion was with immediate effect. The statement said: “The Senate of the university at its 232nd meeting observed that the students who cut across various Faculties and Departments of study had secured admission illegally into the university. "The ESUT Senate has, therefore, directed the affected students, who are at their various years of study to stop participating in all school activities, return all ESUT materials in their possession and vacate the university premises immediately". The university authorities also warned that any of the affected stu-
‘
dents found in the campus would be arrested for prosecution, adding that the names of the affected students had been forwarded to the police. While describing the said "illegal admission" as criminal and a breach of the university's rules and regulations, the statement urged the affected students willing to disclose the sources of their admission to do so in writing and submit same to the Office of the Dean of Students Affairs. But Onyeji's deputy, Prof. Aloysius Uzoagulu, dismissed speculations that the expulsion may be responsible for the kidnap. He said the decision was not unilateral, adding that it was in concert with the senate of the university. The expulsion, he added, was done in the best interest of the university to arrest admission racketeering. Besides, the VC, in his address at the university's 31st matriculation,
We want a speedy and safe release of the VC so that he can come back and continue the good works he has been doing for the university. Those that are keeping him are human beings, with our prayers, God will touch their hearts and they will eventually soft pedal and release him
’
•Prof Onyeji
said the affected students would be given opportunity to defend themselves. He consequently raised a high-powered panel to investigate members reported to be involved. He warned that any worker implicated would be disciplined. Uzoagulu added that what should be of paramount concern now is the VC’s release. He said although the VC’s family was negotiating with the abductors, their identity or location is not known. He said the university is not involved in the negotiation. Uzoagulu said: "The university would not go ahead of the family in the negotiation. The university management is relating with the family of the VC on developments regarding the negotiation, while the issue of the ransom demand and negotiations are solely • Continued on page 27