THE NATION THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2012
35
CAMPUS LIFE
The beauty of engineering
By Philip Okorodudu
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HE word ‘beauty’ is to me synonymous with engineering. This is because beauty has to do with anything that is good and pleasing to the eyes. Engineering is pleasing to the eyes through its inventions and architecture. Engineering, as a discipline, offers
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ORRUPTION is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into all strata of our national life. From the private to the public sector, corruption is a common occurrence. This, perhaps made the Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration to set up an anticorruption commission to fight graft in government offices and private firms. But the situation has not changed. The rate of corruption in Nigeria is growing by leaps even with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and its sister agency, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). On January 1, President Goodluck Jonathan removed subsidy on petrol, a policy that led to a series of mass protests by Nigerians. Lives were lost and the economy was crippled for days. After two weeks, organised labour had to succumb to the wishes of the government which announced a partial removal of subvention on fuel. However, less than two months after the subsidy protests, facts have emerged on how the huge funds the government spent to subsidise fuel in the last four years were criminally siphoned by a cabal.
knowledge in physical laws, laws of Physics and Chemistry, which are gained through study, experience and practice. It is applied with good judgment to develop ways to economically utilise materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind. The beauty of engineering lies in the fact that decisions are made after a series of processes in which facts are tested and verified through physical laws to arrive at a sound conclusion. The conclusion here is termed ‘sound’ because the decisions reached can stand the test of time. In the thoughts of Herbert Hover, former American President (1929 – 1933): “The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are in the open where all can see them; his acts, step by step, are in hard substance; he cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors; he cannot, like the architect, cover his failures with trees
and vines; he cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope the people forget; an engineer cannot simply deny he did it, if his works do not work, he is damned.” In recent times, the engineering profession has come under heavy criticisms, especially in Nigeria. Regularly, buildings collapse; we are now much more aware of the negative side effects of environmental pollution which, in one way or the other, is reducing the life span of man. Power supply has not shown much improvement, despite the huge sums of money invested in the sector. The unity and peaceful co-existence of man is daily being threatened with the invention of lethal weapons. Engineers are receiving criticisms because most of these are the products of their inventions. Thus, unlike other professions which can bury its mistakes, a mistake in engineering is
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Philip, 400-Level Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, DELSU
In the eye of a bribery storm Discrepancies were discovered in the implementation of the subsidy regime; oil firms contracted to import petrol were indicted by the Farouk Lawanled House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee that probed the dispensing of subsidy funds. The constitution of the committee was praised by most Nigerians, especially when it was announced that Hon. Lawan, alias Mr. Integrity, would be its chairman. To be fair, the Lawan-committee performed its duty noticeably well, at least, according to what we saw on television. Recommendations made by the committee included the refund of billions of naira by majority of the oil firms that were indicted in the subsidy scam. Hardly had the recommendations been implemented by the government, than controversies started trailing the Lawan-committee reports. The chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Farouk Lawan, is enmeshed in a bribery allegation. The owner of one
of the indicted firms, Zenon Oil, Mr Femi Otedola, alleged the lawmaker demanded $3 million from him to delete his company’s name from the indicted list, of which $620,000 was paid to Lawan. Mr Integrity initially denied collecting bribe from the oil magnate but when he was told there was a video recording that showed he received the said amount, he changed the beat. He admitted collecting the cash but said he wanted to use the money as evidence that Otedola induced him with hard currency to compromise the recommendation of the subsidy probe report. To me, Mr Integrity has a weak argument here even though I believe Otedola’s hands are not clean in the subsidy scam. If he wanted to nail Otedola with the $620,000 ‘bribe’, why did he wait for his detractors to expose him before he took action? Whether he comes out clean, at the end of the day or not, a slur has been cast on the
Need for amenities in tertiary institutions ROVIDING basic social amenities is one of the most valuable functions of any government. If any government at any level neglects this common responsibility, undoubtedly, its downfall may be very quick and unfortunate. Nowadays, in Nigerian tertiary institutions, the major difficulties, bothering students is what I describe as LACK OF BASIC CAMPUS AMENITIES. No potable water, no power supply, poor road network, bad infrastructure and many more. Aside all these, the transportation facilities are dilapidated. Some weeks ago, I read a story on how students of one institution in the eastern part clamoured for water supply in their campuses. Off-campus students, especially those in public institutions, have been neglected by those concerned: the government, various school managements and private individuals. I’ll appreciate the efforts of those who have been, for long time, fighting for students’ rights. To learn in an enabling environment, students need well ventilated and conducive facilities. It’ll be a very difficult situation for students living in a particular place where there is no electricity supply to succeed in his or her academic pursuit. Light is very essential for reading and other domestic activities. With the cost of kerosene, students have been us-
a reflection of an engineer’s thoughts. Because they seek to tread where others dread, engineers try to do things in an exceptional way. According to my the Dean of my faculty, who is an electrical engineer, Prof P.A. Kuale: “If you want to be great, you must know what the greats knew and do what the greats did.” This probably led to the verdict of former American president John F. Kennedy that: “America must go to the moon by 1968;” after Russia broke the ground when it hoisted its flag in the moon. Engineers seek to carve their names in gold by having done something to better improve the human race. Oftentimes, I wander what the world would be without electricity brought to us by Michael Faraday. Thomas Edison came up with the low-energy bulb that illuminates our houses at night. If you talk about beauty, then
you are talking about engineering. My friend, a civil engineering student, and I visited a construction site in Delta State University sometimes ago. As an electrical engineering student, I was busy admiring the masterpiece, my friend was busy trying to estimate the number of the bags of cement and the rods that were used in the design and construction of a beam at the site. This shows that an engineer is a professional that sees beyond the quantitative materials but quality of his job. Yes, many happenings in recent times have called to question the integrity of the modern day engineer. But the fact remains that many of the so-called engineers are quacks. It has been observed that most of the buildings that collapsed in the country were not managed by registered engineers. However, in spite of the numerous challenges, the engineering profession still remains a beauty and the best.
ing electric gadgets to cook. I’m just illustrating this usage to reemphasise on the needs to provide stable electricity in our campuses. On water supply, in fact, I was disappointed with governments at all levels, especially those at the grassroots. The reason is they fail to make life bearable for students, even if it is by building boreholes in their various communities. We all know the importance of water. No one can survive without using water daily. It is not a good idea if this is how we are going to continue. The off-campus students are suffering. In one of my interviews with some students at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, they narrated their experiences while searching for potable water. A student said: “I was sick when we resumed last year November and when I was tested; the Doctor told me I had contacted cholera”. You can imagine this kind of situation. They explained that they can’t afford to continue buying sachet water and that is why they fetch unclean water anywhere they see a well. It will be an embarrassment if Nigerian students tell their counterparts in other countries that they do not usually bathe before going to lecture rooms because of scarcity of water; or that we did not have light that is why I failed my last examination. All these may seem minor but is a great
acclaimed integrity of Farouk Lawan. The former director of the State Security Services (SSS), Mike Ejiofor, was quoted by the media to have said: “I was in deep shock when I heard the news of the bribery scandal by Farouk Lawan because of the faith and trust I had in him.” I won’t be surprised if Nigerians express the same feeling because the lawmaker was hitherto seen as a defender of accountability and transparency in government. Farouk Lawan disappointed the longsuffering masses of Nigeria. He willfully threw his integrity in the mud and enlisted himself into the group of our tormentors. What a volte-face. The bribery allegation may have signalled the death of the recommendations of the subsidy probe because other marketers indicted with Otedola’s company would contest the veracity of the reports given that Zenon Oil has been deleted and re-
By Muibat Salam
added in the list of indicted firms. If this happens, Nigerians will be the losers at the end of the day. Surely, nothing could be more unfortunate than when a man destroys his hard-earned integrity on the altar of greed and gluttony. Muibat, ND II Mass Comm., MAPOLY
Re: Hard life at French Village
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By Akinola Oluyi
disgrace. My view on the provision of basic amenities on campus may seem inauspicious, or, in other hand, seems impressionable but my focus and achievement on this will base on quick response from government at all levels. They should know that without such amenities, for example, good roads, adequate water supply, stable power supply and rehabilitation of those dilapidated buildings, students may find it difficult to contribute to educational development in the country. Amenities make a place comfortable and easy to live in, therefore, WE Nigerian students are calling on government and nongovernment organisations to come and render their help so that campus life will be comfortable for all and sundry. Akinola, ND II Mass Comm., OFFA POLY
HE attention of the Nigeria French Language Village has been drawn to a publication in The Nation newspaper dated Thursday June 7, 2012, purportedly written by one of your CAMPUSLIFE journalist, Mr. Gilbert Alasa. We want to state that the said publication is an opinion of an individual and does not represent the true and current state of affairs in the Nigeria French Language Village. For the avoidance of doubt, Nigeria French Language Village is the nation’s inter-university centre for French studies established in 1991, to provide the much needed domestic alternative to the mandatory Language Immersion Component of the B.A/B.Ed programme in French in Nigerian universities and colleges of education. The Nigeria French Language Village is strategically positioned to effectively handle the Language Immersion Programme for higher institutions in Nigeria given the infrastructure, human and material resources at its disposal. To create this simulated environment of a French language institution, structures and facilities are put in place to ensure that students’ basic needs are met. These include, among other, a well stocked library, language laboratory, a computer centre, as well as hostel facilities to accommodate an average of 4-6 students per room and so the question of over-population does not arise. As we all know, the Nigeria French Language Village operates
By T.O. Alegbeleye within the Nigerian nation with her challenges in the areas of infrastructure and social services. But be that as it may, management of the Nigeria French Language Village has been working tirelessly to ensure a comfortable and conducive learning environment for all students who come for the mandatory Language Immersion Programme in the village. Mr. Gilbert Alasa raised the problem of light and water for instance. It may interest you and the general public to know that the Nigeria French Language Village puts on its generators for an average of ten or more hours per day, depending on the performance of PHCN. And whenever these generators are not working, water is pumped into all the tanks in the Village. When the generators are not on, management ensures that there is water in the surface tanks around the Village. Of course, if the water in the overhead tank is exhausted, the natural thing to do is to fetch water from the surface tanks. For Mr Alasa to make big deal out of this, without hearing the management side is, to say the least, unethical, not say uncharitable. To conclude, we hereby request the general public and stakeholders in the education industry in Nigeria to disregard the said publication of June 7, 2012 as the content is totally false and misleading. Mrs. Alegbeleye is the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria French Language Village, Ajara-Badagry