THE NATION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012
35
CAMPUS LIFE
Obama: Lessons for young Africans
H
ISTORY was made in the United States on November 4, 2008 when 47-year-old Barrack Obama was elected president of the most powerful nation on earth. The election of Obama, a black American of African descent, from Kogelo in Kenya, as the first black president in the US will for a long time be a subject of discussion in all nooks and crannies of the world. No one ever expected that a black man could attain such position of prominence. It was the belief of everyone that it would be a herculean task, if not an impossible one, for a black man to be elected president in a country widely known for its racist inclination. However, Obama’s re-election on November 7 has no doubt swept the ancient prejudice against black people and inferiority complex into the junkyard of history. The Obama’s victory has, no doubt, bro-
By Taiwo Isola
ken all the myths that have surrounded white supremacy in America. Nelson Mandela recalled how the blacks had been marginalised, treated as second class citizens, denied of their rights and never given fair justice. He said: “A law was also formulated to teach African children that they are inferior to their white counterparts.” When on the night of November 4, 2008, the election of Obama was announced to the world, television camera caught Reverend Jesse Jackson and other people shedding tears of joy. Jesse Jackson cried because he remembered quite well the history of how black people had been treated in America which has made the entire black race in other countries of the world looked down on themselves and believed there was
no inherent good in them to display to the world. The Obama re-election was no doubt a sweet assurance that the long fight for the freedom and dignity of the Black race has been effectively fought and won. However, it is not enough for us to learn just historical dates and events, it is imperative that we learn from history itself. History has proved that we can equally achieve outstanding feats as done by the Europeans. We do not have to continually depend on them for survival, instead we can maximise our potentials and surpass what they have done. We can unleash the treasures in us to design amazing inventions. We can now start taking responsibilities for our greatness because if a black man could be the number one citizen in the United States, and by inference of the world, then we can attain any height we set out to
reach. We cannot continually place blame on what some people did or did not do. Rather we’ve got to take up the challenge like Obama did and create the future we desire. Obama could have dwelt in self pity and inferiority complex and concluded: “I am not good in anything because my brain is black and no black man has ever been allowed near the White House!” His feat would have been a self-fulfilling prophecy, but he took up his seeming disadvantage and wrote his name in the granite of history. Nelson Mandela gave this speech on September 21, 1953 before his imprisonment: “Teach the children that Africans are not an iota inferior to Europeans.” The Obama victory has clearly shown every African youth that the world will pave a path for a man who knows his identity and destination. To that young African
youth, would you rather say ‘yes we can’? Taiwo, 200-Level Human Anatomy, UNIMAID
Keeping pace with changing times in varsity
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VERY serious-minded student in any Nigerian university spends more money conducting researches for his or her assignments than what he or she spends on feeding daily. The costs even become higher when such researches are done under the billings of business cyber cafes, which range from N100 to N150 per hour. Interestingly, research and its attendant cost is a necessary burden which every student must bear in order to keep afloat academically. However, it becomes the challenge of university administrators who are sensitive to the plight of students and who understand the demands of 21st century teaching and learning, to make the burden lighter for their students. It is against this backdrop that the management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bartho Okolo, established a robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure through collaborations with ICT companies like MTN Nigeria, Cisco system, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft Corporation,
By Inya Agha
Waivon Networks Ltd, HITACHI and Xirrus incorporated to boost internet facilities needed for research activities, teaching and learning, and administration in the university. With reliable internet services in place, the university management offered to students a subsidised average internet fee of N33 per day for 24 hours internet access as opposed to over N150 per hour charged by cyber cafes. The decision to introduce the fee was collective, involving all stakeholders of the university including students’ leaders. The stakeholders prevailed on the management to liberalise the internet services following its restriction and near shutdown in the last academic session. The Students’ Union, in particular, led a delegation to the ViceChancellor to make a case for the service and agreed to a minimal token for it. However, some disgruntled elements, who are averse to progress, have taken advantage of the token fee to incite some ignorant students
who took laws into their hands and protested against the token charge in Enugu Campus of the UNN on the October 8, 2012. Expectedly, many people have wondered the rationale behind the misguided protest. Some parents have even called to condemn the action and questioned if it were cheaper for students to keep patronising business centres which charge up to N150 per hour than to pay the N33 (N12,000 for one year) for 24 hours internet services offered by the university. It is regrettable that in this digital age, where graduates who are ICTcompliant are preferred among their peers in the globally competitive labour market, some students of the UNN would rather choose to spend their money on frivolities than support the university’s effort to enhance their competence. Unarguably, the internet fee is nothing compared to the money students spend daily on to visit acquaintances. Unlike many universities in the country, which only provide internet services for management offices and establish a cyber café where students
are fleeced by per hour billing, the UNN chooses to decentralise its internet services because it understands the place of the internet in research and knowledge creation. Driven by the need to produce well rounded graduates that will continue to find their feet in the globally competitive labour market, the university has started the installation of electronic smart boards in classrooms to interface with teaching and learning. When completed, the internet-ready boards will, among other things, offer students an online direct real time experience from industries across the world. In the face of this, one will be forced to ask: in whose interest are these projects embarked upon; the university management or the students? It is worthy to mention that for the past two years, students of the university have been enjoying free internet services within the university community. It is a common sight to behold students surfing the internet with their laptops in different corners of the university. Many of them use the free internet services to conduct their researches in a re-
Numerals: More than just numbers
By Feyisara Ibitoye
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UMBERS have been around for ages. They are as old as human civilisation. This is as a result of their importance to us and how our lives revolve around them. Numbers are mathematical objects used to count, label and measure. They are also used to represent amount or quantity of things. As humans, we have grown to be dependent on numbers. Numbers have always found a connection point right from the birth of a child,
even before such a child is conscious of his existence. In other words, time connects from cradle by virtue of the fact that the time of birth of virtually every child is conventionally taken, and the weight of the child and all other numerical details are specially recorded. At a certain age, there is a formal introduction to numbers in school and the child becomes conscious of it, its principles and applications. The knowledge of numbers serves as a veritable guide throughout our lifetime. The physical quantity and time have their foundations built and grounded on numbers. For time to make sense to us, numbers are needed, but numbers have not always been around. The history of numbers is traceable to the 7th century (626A.D) India. They were then called Hindu Numerals and originally contained nine numbers. The system of numbers was later adopted by Persian (Arab) Muslim scientists who revised and developed the Indian version of numbers into Arabic format. One of the scientists who spearheaded this development was Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Musa AlKhwarizmi (780-850A.D).He was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer. After a long study of the Hindu numerals, Al-Khwarizmi created the
Arab numerals by observing the shape and number of angles formed by each of the Hindu Numerals and modified them to suite the Arabic context. Al-Khwarizmi‘s intellect also birthed the number Zero (meaning no angle), which is the major difference between the Arabic and the Hindu numerals. As a result of its practicality and simplicity, the Arab numerals were adopted in Europe and are now used worldwide. The maxim “power in numbers” cannot be attributed to population or multitude alone but also to numbers as they are. As the saying goes: “Stay important and stay in power” implies, numbers have, through their value, accrued power; the power of judgment and governance over human affairs. It is in numbers that the president presents annual budgets to the National Assembly. Embedded in these budgets is the fate of the masses but the question is: do they really perform their functionalities? Do they really deliver and set in motion the action that will convey the people to the proverbial promise land? It is in numbers that the outcomes of elections are determined, whether the people’s choice emerges as expected or not, or whether elections are marred with irregularities or not.
The game of football is won, lost or drawn not by the dribbles or accurate passes, tackles or skills exhibited by the players but by the number of goals scored in the game. It is in numbers that computer programs run computers in this computer age. The internet is a virtual realm built with multitudes of codes and numbers. It is in numbers that students’ academic performances are assessed. Whether students will progress in their academic pursuits or wait for another whole year is a matter of numbers. The all-desired “A” and the fearsome “F” is the undoing of numbers. In essence, the practicalities of AlKhwarizmi’s Hindu-Arabic numerals cannot be overemphasised and the list of their uses is infinite. Numbers are a blessing to mankind. Imagine our world without them; a world in disarray, a world of commotion where nothing is quantifiable. As humans, we should be more observant and appreciative of numerals for they are important to us. A deeper view of numbers would lead to better understanding and development of the universe we live in. Numerals are not just numbers and should not be treated unjustly and with levity. Feyisara, 200-Level Physics and Electronics, AAUA
laxed mood, while others spend their leisure time building and reinforcing their relationships with friends on social media. The gains of such useful engagements tell on the students who are now better informed than ever and more research oriented than before. The management is charging the token fee for the sustainability and maintenance of the internet infrastructure. This gesture will not only moderate the cost of research for the students but also boost the university’s aspiration to be at the forefront of research and knowledge creation in Africa and also keeps pace with changing times in the environment of learning. Students should not allow themselves to be deceived, those opposing the internet fee should think twice, let them calculate the amount they spend in business centres, they will surely understand that the management is trying to make their burden lighter. A word is enough for the wise. Inya is post-graduate student of Mass Comm., UNN
Fellowship gets ambassadors From Ayodeji Adesina NYSC ONITSHA
IT was a night of glitz and glamour as new ambassadors were elected for the Nigeria Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), Anambra State chapter. A total of 10 males contested for the Mr NCCF’s slot but Gbenga Ezra, a Batch “B” set, defeated other contestants with 13 points. Miss Pricilla Adaha was elected to be Miss NCCF after defeating other candidates with 17 points. Priscilla graduated from Linguistic department in Nassarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), while Gbenga studied Fishery Agriculture from the University of Benin (UNIBEN). The two winners showed excellent skills and runaway dexterity, which won them the confidence of the voters. The president of the chapter, Tunji Ojuola, advised the winners be good ambassadors of the fellowship. He added that the new positions came with responsibilities, urging the ambassadors to strive for excellence. The General-Secretary of the fellowship, Bro Ayodele Dina, in his remarks, encouraged the defeated candidates to work with the winners to ensure success of the tenure. The immediate past Miss NCCF, Blessing Yusuf, appreciated the fellowship members for their corporation and supports during her reign. She however promised to provide necessary assistance to the new ambassadors.