Class of 2019 - American University of Nigeria

Transcription

www.aun.edu.ng
Lamido Zubairu Way, Yola By-pass, P.M.B. 2250, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Law Faculty Takes Shape
F
rom a dream to reality . . . well, almost!
AUN has hired a Founding Dean and
two Department Chairs and is writing the
self-study accreditation document needed
for accreditation by both the National
Universities Commission (NUC) and the
Council of Legal Education. The University
authorities are hopeful that the quality of
infrastructure and tradition of academic
excellence here will win over the assessors.
A South Africa-based Nigerian legal
luminary, Dr. Oladejo Justus Olowu, has
resumed as dean of the new Faculty. Dr.
Olowu, who was active in Nigerian law
practice before going into university teaching, worked as Professor of Law and
Director of Postgraduate Studies &
Research at the North-West University,
Mafikeng, South Africa.
President Ensign has welcomed Dr.
Olowu’s appointment, praising his wealth
of national and international experience
and confident that he will help the Law
program get off on a sound footing.
On his vision for the new job, Professor
Olowu said, “My focus is on how to jumpstart our Faculty of Law on a glorious
scale. That must be our commitment.”
Two pioneer heads of department have
also been interviewed and hired, and will
be resuming shortly. One of them, Dr.
Joel Agbo Madaki, will be joining from
the Catholic University of Eastern Africa
in Nairobi. The second, Professor
Sylvester Shikyil, comes to AUN from
a distinguished career based at the
University of Jos.
The students will not only study the
Nigerian curriculum, they will also register
for the AUN 101 First Year Experience
Seminar. The American liberal art
curriculum will be infused in the first year
of the program.
To be admitted into the law program,
candidates must score at least 200 in the
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE:
Pp. 10, 11, 12
Chasing Dreams at AUN:
2nd Decade Students Share Thoughts
July - September 2015 • 77th Edition
(UTME), moderated by the Joint Admissions & Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Five Senior School Certificate credits,
including Mathematics and English, are
required at the Ordinary Level.
The Law Faculty will be awarding a
Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) at the
culmination of a five-year program—
197 credit hours—and a student must have
at least 1.49 CGPA to maintain a good
academic standing.
Also, all the faculty members must be
called to the Nigerian Bar, and they must
have a doctorate degree in Law.
Dream Chasing Class of 2019
A
Class of 2019
Ushering AUN into 2nd Decade
UN’s Class of 2019 has arrived full of hope, determination and ambition.
With admission figures up, the University authorities are working hard
to add more undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the next few
years, with law, engineering and medicine being the priority.
The Fall 2015 semester kicked off on a very high note following the hasslefree check-in of new students on August 19. Check-in is an eight-step process that
includes the welcome desk as well as desks for admissions, finance, IT, housing
and ID card, academic registration, health, and student activities and athletics.
In her welcome message to the students, President Ensign said, “AUN’s
primary goal during orientation is to make sure your transition into the University
is smooth, exciting, informative, and enjoyable.”
The new students attended events and programs to get acquainted with coursework, study skills, academic expectations, life in the residence halls, student
activities, and the University’s Code of Conduct.
Students also learn how to access the wide variety of resources available in
the University’s award-winning Dr. Robert E. Pastor digital library.
The Class of 2019 is the eleventh to walk on the campus. The maiden class, a
group of 124 students, began classes in September 2005. Since then the University
has been growing steadily. The Class of 2019 has members from 26 states in
Nigeria as well as students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Rwanda,
and Cameroon.
President Ensign:
AUN is Moving,
Achieving, and
Overseas-Connected
P
Class of 2019 taking AUN’s oath of absolute integrity
Class of ’19 Takes AUN’s
Oath of Absolute Integrity
A
UN had its Fall 2015 Pledge for new students during a convocation ceremony on
August 26 that kicked off the 2015/16 academic year.
The Assistant Vice President of Recruitment & Marketing, Mr. Linus Ikyurav, said
no fewer than 26 states in Nigeria are represented in this class, as well as students coming
from the United States, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Cameroon.
The new intakes took the AUN community integrity pledge alongside their parents
and other members of the University community. Such pledges, explained the President,
are an American tradition dating back to the days of Thomas Jefferson, one of the
founding fathers of the United States and author of the American Declaration of
Independence.
The following pledge was administered by AUN President, Dr. Ensign:
Today I vow to seek and speak only the truth and to demand of myself
the absolute integrity that I have a right to expect of everyone at American
University of Nigeria. This I pledge, for the sake of Nigeria, for the sake
of Africa, for the sake of our futures, and in service to community and
country, with you and to you, my fellow members of the American
University of Nigeria.
Dr. Ensign stated, “The reasons for excellence and integrity are not at all abstract.
They have everything to do with the future of this institution, with the value of your
degree, with your future as graduates of AUN. If AUN continues to be known throughout
Nigeria, throughout this continent, as a place of high and uncompromising standards of
academic integrity and excellence, of genuine world-class education, we shall be a
beacon to the region, the nation, and to the continent.”
New students and
their families
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resident Ensign has assured new
students and their parents that the
University is marching steadily ahead. She
was speaking at an
orientation
program for
new students
and
their
parents on
August 20.
H i g h - Proud parent, Mr. Anele
l i g h t i n g Nwokoma, poses with his
some AUN daughter, Praise
achievements over a decade of its
existence, Dr. Ensign said the University is
expanding quite rapidly.
Dr. Ensign also told the audience that
AUN is affiliated to other universities
abroad, such as the Association of
International American Colleges &
Universities (AIACU) and the Global Liberal
Arts Alliance (GLAA). There are more
than 55 institutions around the world
where students can study abroad as a result
of AUN’s membership in these associations.
“Even though we are the only
American-style University in sub-Sahara
Africa, we are not alone. We are part of a
very large and expanding international
organization and this University holds the
Vice Presidency of AIACU. So while we
are in Yola, not at the center of Nigeria, we
are certainly connected with the rest of the
world, to very important international
institutions.”
The President went on to explain
AUN’s commitment to every student who
enrolls, describing learning at AUN
as first-class education “…by faculty
members who are committed to each one
of you…. We believe that we are educating
the future leaders of what will be the third
largest country in the world.”
Even upon a student’s graduation from
AUN, the student is still a member of the
family: “The point is we never lose you.
We keep in touch with our students even
when they graduate. You’ve joined an
institution that will stay with you if you
want us to, for your whole professional
career. It’s not just four years, pay your
tuition, we give you an education, we give
you a diploma.”
Inspiring Words as President Hosts New Students, Parents
A
warm evening breeze, soft music,
students and faculty members
exchanging pleasantries, coupled with the
aroma of mouth-watering food which
pervaded the evening at the President’s
welcome dinner for both parents and new
students on August 20.
The night was filled with laughter
mostly from new students who obviously
savored the idea of being comfortable with
their instructors, uncommon in the Nigerian
university system.
President Ensign welcomed the new
students and their parents, teasing that for
that night she chose to be a parent. She
understood, she said, that it was not an
easy moment in their lives, leaving their
children, but that, “You are leaving them
with faculties who are world-class.”
Class of 2015 alumna, Ms. Lucy
Okonkwo, captured everyone’s attention as
she encouraged the new students. Ms.
Okonkwo, who graduated with honors in
Economics, is now working at the AUN
Writing Center.
A parent, Mr. Musa Bindawa from
Katsina, applauded AUN for providing
state-of-the-art facilities and a favorable
learning environment. His wife Aishatu
expressed confidence that AUN will
impact positively on their daughter.
Another parent, Mr. Gaje from Yobe
State, who attended the event with his
wife, was proud to become part of the
AUN community. He also expressed
confidence that his son will be enriched
with wisdom from a world-class faculty.
He promised to sell AUN to other Nigerian
parents out there.
Vice President of Campus Life and
Dean of Student Affairs, Mr. Byron
Bullock, sharing his expectations with the
students, urged them to be determined,
faithful, and confident as they embark on
this new pursuit.
President Ensign, below, and Dean Bullock,
at right, greet new students
We’ll Nurture Your Kids into Ready-to-Lead
Adults, VP Bullock Assures Parents
V
ice President Byron Bullock has given an assurance that parents should expect
transformation in the life of their children as they become undergraduates.
Dean Bullock, who addressed the parents of new intakes during their orientation on
August 20, explained that transition to college comes with many changes.
“The children that you are dropping off today are not the same adults who will return
to you at the end of the semester or at the end of the year. They will go through a
transformation as they learn to be independent and start to make their own decisions.
They will change because of the interactions and the experiences that they’ve had.”
Assuring the parents that their wards are in safe hands, Dean Bullock said that the
young students will develop academically and socially.
“As an American-style university, one of the things we focus on is the total development of the student. One of the things I know is that, whether I am talking to Nigerian
parents, American parents, or European parents, we all want our children to get a good
college education, get a job, take care of themselves, become independent, and be ready
to take care of us when we get ready to retire. That’s what we all want.”
“Even in the residence halls, we are preparing them for future experiences. Our goal
is to make them even more independent each semester that they are here.”
One of the avenues for achieving autonomy is by participating in different activities
outside the classroom. “Their involvement in community development is so very
important because it trains young people to understand the value of giving back.”
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Center Holds Seminar on Writing
Across the Curriculum
T
he Writing Center has organized a seminar for students on how to support their needs.
The seminar, held on Sept 2, was on the newly introduced Writing Across the
Curriculum initiative and AUN Senior Reading and Writing Exam.
Director of The Writing Center, Ms. Mariana Silva-Abubakar, said the program will
help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. “AUN demands that all
its graduates can write independently.”
Ms. Silva-Abubakar began her presentation on what liberal arts education is, stating
that individuals like Socrates, Plato, Usman Dan Fodio, and others who studied many
subjects like Arts, Astronomy, Geology, and Literature had liberal minds.
She stressed that the basic foundation of an individual’s study is writing and reading,
and that the main goal of this initiative is to get every student to read and write at an
academic level. “Looking at the initiative, questions like what, when, why, and how need
to be asked.”
She said Writing across the Curriculum (WAC) was developed in the US in the 1970s
and 1980s because it was observed that graduates who had gone through the writing
course in the system succeeded.
A student who cannot write becomes dishonest in facing academic work. “When you
don’t know what to write you plagiarize, use a ghost-writer, or buy your papers.”
She assured the students that The Writing Center is there to help students become
better writers. “Writing is a craft, it takes time to practice a craft, but the more you do it
the better you become.” She explained that every course at AUN will henceforth have a
writing component, “…to prepare students for their capstone signature project. Now the
change that will happen is you will basically have two short and one long assignment in
each of your classes, regardless of your discipline.”
She also stressed the need for the senior reading and writing exam, saying regardless
of what career AUN students choose as university graduates, they will be called upon
to use English in various contexts—memo writing, correspondence, reports, grant
proposals, and so on.
Faculty Retreat Focuses on Learning Outcomes
N
ew and returning faculty members
gathered at a retreat on August 22 to
re-evaluate and re-assess learning outcomes
in preparation for the fall 2015 semester.
President Ensign, who welcomed the
faculty members to another new academic
year, emphasized the AUN motto of
‘Excellence, Integrity, and Service’, noting
that it is a collective responsibility to work
towards upholding those tenets.
“As we begin AUN’s second decade let
us reflect on our responsibilities. We have
been given the opportunity to build and
shape a critically important institution in
Nigeria; we have been given the resources
to accomplish these goals.”
In this new academic year, emphasis
will be on the Writing across Curriculum
(WAC) program, which requires every
course to have a significant writing
component in its assessment structure as it
is a critical part of AUN’s liberal arts
education. WAC is spearheaded by
Mariana Silva and interim Associate Dean,
School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Jacob U.
Jacob.
It was agreed that the writing component should constitute 20 percent of the
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total course assessment.
Dean Mathias Fonkam of SITC highlighted the instructional technologies:
Canvas and WebEx, while the AVP Digital
Services and Chief Information Officer,
Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe, spoke on the
up-to-date technology on campus, advising
everyone to partake in the on-going
information literacy workshop on safe
computing on the Internet organized by the
Digital Services unit.
The Executive Manager, Office of
Institutional Research& Effectiveness, Dr.
Fidelis Ndeh-Che, spoke on quality assurance, tasking faculty members to ply their
teaching with discipline as they will be
monitored for quality learning outcomes.
Provost Steps Down,
Returns to Teaching,
Sustainability
P
rofessor Charles Reith has announced his decision to step down
and return to full time teaching and
coordination of AUNs sustainability
program.
Citing recent health problems, he
said in an email to faculty: “After
some discussion, the President and I
agreed that the time has come for her
to accept my resignation and for me
to resume my
duties as a “I will resume
Professor of my active role
Natural and as Director of
Environmental
Sciences and Sustainability…
as a member my greatest
of the SBE
team and its passion.”
exciting new gradate programs. I will
also resume my active role as Director
of Sustainability, which as you know
is my greatest passion. In these
capacities I hope to make fresh
and rousing contributions to the
University and our host community.”
Prof Reith pledged the President
his “unflagging support whenever she
needs,” and asked faculty members
“to extend to her the very same”.
President Ensign responded for the
AUN community with thanks and
gratitude:
“On behalf of all of us at AUN,
I thank you for your outstanding
service during this important and
challenging time in AUN’s history.
“We are all glad and grateful that
you can remain as Professor in
Natural and Environmental Science as
well as SBE, and can continue the
important work that you pioneered in
Sustainability.
“Thank you again and very best
wishes”.
Dr. Jacob in the
classroom
Classroom of the Future:
AUN’s Tech Advantage
L
earning has evolved from chalk and board to flicking the computer screen and using
search engines like Google and KOHA for answers. Teacher-student communication
has evolved from handouts to use of operational software like DOS, Windows, UNIX Linux, and MacOS, running application software such as Canvas, Moodles, OpenERP,
Skype, and emails for academic purposes.
Indeed technology is the pen and paper of our time, and we have a generation growing
up in a digital world. We have students who think differently. Students who use social
media have an advantage and they expect so much from their learning environment.
They tend to learn visually while also listening. The digital world has a great impact on
their expectations of learning.
Only few schools in Nigeria have
successfully integrated educational
technology into teaching. Students
who integrate technology into their
studies bridge the gap between physical space and cyberspace. Leading
the revolutionary pack is the American
University of Nigeria.
Technology has made the learning
environment boundless, and is slowly
displacing teachers. “Gone are the Futuristic…high tech…the AUN library interior
days when teachers were the embodiment of knowledge,” says the AUN Assistant Vice President of Digital Services and
Chief Information Officer, Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe.
“Today we have the blended learning which can take place, anywhere, anytime, with
anybody and any device. The blended learning system is a combination of the Learning
Management System and Video Conferencing. The instructors teach via an application
called WebEx and students can record their sessions for referencing and the instructor
can still manage attendance, which is compulsory, and once in a while appear face-toface in the classroom.”
Faculty and professional staff are increasingly using technology to create communities to foster the exchange of ideas, address difficult problems, and avoid intellectual or
professional isolation to bridge the divide. “One of the LMS that AUN has tested to
combat that segregation is the Canvas and Turnitin application – this application has
drastically reduced plagiarism in the classroom,” says Mr. Ayuk-Tabe. In this age of
digital learning students motivate instructors/lecturers to change their methods of
instruction to be more interactive.
Nigeria may not be ready for classrooms without chalk, as some remote areas still
don’t even have the chalk as a few still use black board and charcoal. In contrast an
article published by Business Day Online noted that, “With a population of 170 million,
130 million active lines, 66 million of which are used to access the Internet, Nigeria is
the biggest internet market in Africa. Between 2000 and 2013, Internet penetration grew
from a paltry 0.06 percent to 38 percent, teledensity is now 93 percent and there are
indications that this trend will continue well into 2020”. (Source: BusinessDayOnline)
Mr. Ayuk Tabe observed that before any University in Nigeria or Africa can meet the
standards of AUN they have to be willing to spend on their bandwidth. “As small as this
university is, we consume 110 megabyte per second, and you must have three
components—the infrastructure, information system, and human resources to manage
e-learning facilities—as well as steady electricity.”
“People must have access to cost effective smart devices to enjoy e-learning, which
is why the University is introducing “Library on a Flash” – this is an application with
more than 500 open source books embedded in the flash. Unlike most schools that have
a library, AUN operates a digital library and learning center.”
“All academic materials are synchronized on an application called KOHA that
substitutes the Google search engine. The difference between KOHA and Google is that
KOHA helps to arrange databases and filter nonacademic materials.”
We may slowly have come to embrace e-learning, but it has come to stay, and the
Nigerian educational system should embrace it.
By Nelly Ating
Conference Sets
Tech-Assisted
Learning Agenda for
Nigerian Universities
A
two-day conference on Technologyassisted Learning in Nigeria Higher
Education, co-hosted by the National
Universities Commission (NUC) and
AUN, ended in Abuja on September 1,
2015, with a call to universities in the
country to deploy existing ICT resources
in sharing digital libraries.
Attended by key officials of the Nigerian
Government, diplomats and international
aid partners, as well as key stakeholders in
the higher education and ICT sectors, the
delegates were unanimous that Nigerian
universities should share their courses
digitally with other universities, while
utilizing technology to augment the
traditional classroom and libraries.
Other key recommendations were that:
• ICT should be integrated in program
curriculum to enable technology assisted
delivery of university education;
• Institutions should seek alternative
sources of energy to address the epileptic
power supply, which is a hindrance to
technology-assisted learning;
• Infrastructure in terms of bandwidth
limitations should be improved;
• A ‘League of Innovative Digital Universities’ should be created to promote a
strong network of people interested in
closing the Digital Technology Gap; and
that
• The NUC and Nigerian universities
should build capacities of teachers to
bring them up-to-date in utilizing ICT for
pedagogy.
On the conference’s objective, President
Ensign said with a new government in
Nigeria “we thought the timing was right
to bring all the vice chancellors together
and to correspond with the NUC to see
how we can grapple with challenges and
solutions of sharing digital resources
among the universities.
Chief Information Officer and AVP of
Digital Resources, Mr. Julius Ayuk-Tabe
said that the number of Vice Chancellors
at the conference confirms the fact that
technology is the only way to go, with
learning in the 21st century”.
“Technology is changing the way we
teach and learn, providing anytime,
anywhere and any-device possibilities, to
the point where it can flip the notion of the
classroom.”
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Progressive Governors Commend AUN
Chairman of
the Governors’
Forum and
Governor of
Zamfara State,
Alhaji Abdulaziz
Yari
S
eventeen All Progressives Congress governors and deputies have commended AUN
for its standards and commitment to excellence. The governors had converged in
Yola for the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), to strategize on how to eradicate
poverty and take stock of their achievements in the last three months since the election.
Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz
Yari, applauded AUN for its hospitality and pledged his support to AUN development
projects.
The Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, described AUN as
a university for “today and for the future.”
President Ensign hosted the state chief executives to a dinner at the 24-Hour Room
of the Library. “AUN is a member of the American Association of International Colleges
and Universities (AAICU) around the world, and there are only two members on this
continent—AU Cairo, and AU Nigeria. AUN holds the Vice Presidency of that important
organization,” said Dr. Ensign.
Restating AUN’s mission as a development university, she said, “We are a digital
university. As a development university, we are committed to sharing our knowledge
and skills with the community and region.”
She extended a hand of partnership to the governors to eradicate illiteracy in their
various states, using AUN tested-technologies and expertise already implemented in
Adamawa State. The President later led the governors on a tour of the digital library.
AUN Hosts Adamawa MPs, Offers Help
P
resident Ensign has called on
Adamawa State parliamentarians to
see AUN as a willing partner in fixing the
problems in the state.
She spoke to the members of the
Adamawa House of Assembly who came
to the University on September 4 for
refresher training.
Dr. Ensign pointed out some of the
challenges and said they only need ask for
help because AUN, as a Development
University, is responding to the needs of its
immediate community.
“Three quarters of the people in this
state can’t read. So we have to fix that. The
schools have poor infrastructure to teach,
teachers don’t have the training. Every
year, one million women and children die
in Nigeria. All of those deaths are preventable. The power to change this is in your
hands.”
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She said that, with a growing population,
the state, like all of Nigeria, needs to
educate her women and children as well as
to give them better health care. She
encouraged the MP’s to respond to the
rapidly growing population.
“The population of this state is doubling
every 25 years. So if you want development to be where it is now, every 25 years
you have to double in education, health,
and so on. Do you have time and the
money to do that?
“If you do it well, Adamawa could just
leapfrog. If you get these young kids
education, if you get them access to healthcare, this state will be a power house.
Almost half of the children in Adamawa
are not growing to their full potential. And
that is something we want to fix. Let’s
work together to address the challenge.”
Globally renowned expert in Public
President Ensign and the Governor of
Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal
Health and Wisner Professor at Tulane
University, Dr. William Bertrand, also
addressed the audience on “The Skills,
Knowledge and Competencies for Leadership in Policy Making.” He advocated for
the use of technology saying that with it
they can have access to the knowledge in
the world and enable the state catch up
with others globally.
As legislators, he recognized their role
in policy making and said AUN can help
them with how best to develop an
evidence-based policy approach, an
approach he defined as one that helps people
make well informed decisions about policy
programs and projects by putting the best
available policy at the heart of project
development and implementation.
“These are the core competencies
within which we will try to help you
develop programs.”
AUN Don Advocates Peace Journalism
at EU Media Roundtable
P
rofessor Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob of the
School of Arts & Science has
advocated a more communitarian role
for journalists in Nigeria to help counter
violent extremism in the country.
Professor Jacob was speaking
recently in Abuja, on ‘New Perspectives
in War and Peace Reporting’ at a Media
Roundtable on Countering Violent
Extremism (CVE) organized by the
Office of the National Security Adviser
(ONSA) in partnership with the EU
Technical Assistance on Nigeria’s
evolving
Security
Challenges
(EUTANS).
He said Journalists should re-assess
their role set in the society and see
themselves as engaged members of the
community, rather than as detached
observers.
“What troubles the society troubles
the journalist, what troubles the
community, troubles the media. The
doctrine that media objectivity should be
based on detachment from the story and
the society in which the journalist lives
and reports from is founded on a
fundamentally faulty premise” he said.
Prof. Jacob said Peace Journalism can
create mechanisms that proactively
report peace efforts over reactive
coverage of violent incidents. “Across
the Northeast”, he said, “there are
various community-based peace support
organizations such as the Adamawa
Peace Initiative in Adamawa State,
working to build peace and support
IDPs. By highlighting the intervention
efforts of such groups in their news
reports, the media can open up a communal
sphere for engagement with peace
initiatives. Peace Journalism as a
normative media regime, therefore
recommends the adoption of a criticaltransactional framework that reinforces
peace as a key strand in the conflict
narrative”.
Prof. Jacob described terrorism as
propaganda of the deed, noting that
violence and propaganda have much in
common. Violence, he said, aims at
behavior change by coercion while
propaganda aims at behavior change
through persuasion and emotional
blackmail. Terrorism he stressed, is a
combination of the two and can best be
understood as a communication strategy.
“The press has the
cardinal obligation to be
involved as engaged
members of the community
and to… stimulate
dialogues that can
lead to peaceful
co-existence”.
– Prof. Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob
“Former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher once said that the
media provide the oxygen of publicity
upon which terror organizations depend,
this may sound alarmist, but the fact
remains that terror organizations are
increasingly media savvy, drawing on
both mainstream and new media to
propagate the ideologies that inspire
their operations” Prof Jacob said.
Professor Jacob who is Chair of the
Communications and Multimedia
Design Program at AUN, said the media
must not settle merely for the role of
enlightening or informing the public, but
should strive for social justice and peace.
Peace Journalism, he said, is derived
from a communitarian role set for the
press, which requires journalists to tell
stories of peace and justice.
He said although traditional liberal
theorists have always maintained that the
key function of the media in a pluralistic
democracy is to position itself as a check
on the state, Journalists should demand
more of themselves than a mere watchdog role or even mere objective
reporting of news. “Under the ethical
notion that peace, truth and justice is the
key obligation of the press, the Peace
Journalist seeks to report stories that
create opportunities for society to
consider and value non-violent responses
to conflict,” he said.
“Under this media regime”, he added,
“the press has the cardinal obligation to
be involved as engaged members of the
community and to use their resources,
privileges and expertise to stimulate
dialogues that can lead to peaceful
co-existence”.
The Media Roundtable was attended
by the head of the Strategic Communications and Messaging Unit in the Office
of the National Security Adviser, Zakari
Mijinyawa, security experts, editors and
bureau chiefs of international news
media organizations including AFP, AP,
BBC, Guardian newspaper, Leadership
newspaper
among
others,
top
government functionaries from the
Information Ministry, members of the
diplomatic community and representatives of EUTAN.
Professor Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob who
obtained his PhD in Strategic Communications from the University of Leeds in
the United Kingdom has researched and
published extensively on Information Intervention in violently divided societies.
He has facilitated Peace Journalism
workshops for journalists covering the
Boko Haram insurgency in North-East
Nigeria. Dr. Jacob who is a member of
the UK’s Conflict Research Society is
presently Interim Associate Dean in the
School of Arts and Science. His research
interest is located at the intersection
between communications and political
change in contemporary society. His
works have been published in international peer-reviewed journals including
War and Society, Small Wars Journal,
Stability Journal of International
Security and Development, among
others.
7
Study by AUN Faculty Shows Relative
Benefit of Malaria Control Techniques
A
study by Dr. Jamiu Olumoh of the
School of Arts & Sciences has
determined that the use of mosquito bed
nets remains the best method for stemming
a malaria outbreak. At an SAS seminar on
September 1, Dr. Olumoh presented the
research work and findings he carried out
with Professors Olushola Osho Ajayi of
the Mathematics & Statistics and Dr.
Jennifer A. Tyndall of the Natural &
Environmental Science departments.
The presentation was based on the paper
they co-authored: “A Binary Regression
Estimation of Response Probability and
Block Correlation: An Application to
Malaria Data.”
He said their research looked at how a
mixture of models can be applied to
malaria control dataset. “In this work, we
show how this method can be used to
efficiently estimate the intra-block
correlations which may exist in a dataset as
a result of strictly defined covariate class
boundaries, and apply the method to a
malaria control dataset.”
The data used for the analysis came
from Tyndall et al (2012) who had for two
years sourced information from 1126
residents across Adamawa State Nigeria, in
a research project sponsored by the World
Health Organization.
Dr. Olumoh said the process of data
FACULTY PUBLISHING
Eke’s Work on Media Preferences
Published in International Journal of
Liberal Arts
A
research paper on the uses and gratifications in newspaper columns
conducted by Ikechukwu Williams Eke of the School of Arts and Sciences has
been published by the International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science.
Entitled “Uses and Gratifications in Newspaper Columns: A Thematic and
Functional Analysis of Readers’ Reactions to Mike Awoyinfa’s Press Clips,”
Prof. Eke used Elihu Katz’s Uses and Gratifications media theory to find the
predominant themes in “Press Clips” and the gratifications that readers of the
column derive from reading it. “Press Clips,” one of Nigeria’s longest-running
newspaper columns, currently appears on the back page of The Sun newspapers
every Saturday.
Eke used content analysis to examine the readers’ reactions to Press Clips
from June 2008 to June 2011, and his findings show that readers of the column
often analyzed its subject matter, the columnist’s style, and how reading the
column made them feel.
Eke, who conducted the research while he was at the University of Ibadan, is
now a Journalism and Writing Instructor at the American University of Nigeria.
He says that more newspaper columnists should consider the many functions of
readers’ reactions and come up with effective feedback mechanism through
which they can listen to their readers.
When columnists know the uses readers put messages of newspaper columns
and the gratifications readers derive from doing so, the press in Nigeria will be
helping the country to achieve the second requirement of the Commission on
Freedom of the Press for a free society, he continues.
“In its 1947 publication, A Free and Responsible Press, the Commission on
Freedom of the Press, lists the provision of ‘a forum for the exchange of
comment and criticism’ as the second requirement of a free society; this is a need
that readers’ reaction meets satisfactorily. So by taking the views and reviews
of its readers seriously, newspaper columnists will be making
Nigeria a free society as well as helping to make the press in
the country a more responsible one.”
The full research paper can be accessed at
www.ijsr.org/data/frontImager/gallery.16.pdf.
8
collection was a clinical-field survey
conducted amongst residents who have
been classified by age, level of education,
malaria control methods, and the malaria
infection status of respondents. “In our
analysis, we used malaria infection status
as the response/dependent variable of
interest, and age and control methods as
predictors.” The control methods are coil,
net, otapiapia, liquid-spray as well as when
nothing was used.
Having analyzed the data using the
method, Olumoh said the result was that
the estimated probability of a respondent
having the malaria infection using net is
lowest (19 percent), followed by the use of
liquid-spray (34 percent).
For coil and otapiapia, the results were
47 and 38 percent respectively, while for
nothing being used it was 52.9.
The presentation was made at the
Nigerian Meeting of Statisticians on
September 7, at Osogbo, Osun State.
Prof. Handrahan’s
Perspective on
‘Feminism and Change’
“Feminism has challenged the
status quo; it is all about standing
up for yourself, and fighting for
equality.”
This was a submission made by
International Adjunct Professor Lori
Handrahan, who has spent close to two
decades in humanitarian and human rights
work in Central Asia, Africa, and the
Balkans, speaking at an SAS seminar.
Her focus was on gender-based violence,
conflict/post-conflict environments, UN
reforms, and ending child sex abuse.
On the stereotypes faced by the Nigerian
woman, her audience responded that most
Nigerian women are stereotyped to be
submissive, making it difficult for them to
climb to the top in various careers. Dr.
Handrahan agreed that this is one of the
struggles of most women around the world.
“Identity is restricted; women talk about
how difficult it is to be a woman; they face
discrimination and injustice. We make
cultural exceptions for discriminations
against women, but we don’t make cultural
exceptions against race and nationality.”
There are a lot of structural issues that
feminism has challenged. Before the
advent of women who braced themselves
to be engineers, lawyers, and so on, the
world was viewed from the point of view
of men only. Feminism, she said, is all
about changing the world.
Faculty Research Focuses on Corporate Social
and Environmental Disclosure
F
our researchers from the School of
Business & Entrepreneurship, recently
had their joint research work published in
the International Journal of Business and
Finance Management Research.
The publication is a report of their study
on the patterns of corporate social and
environmental disclosure in Nigeria.
Dr. Samuel N. Akanno and Mr. Ifeatu
Uzodinma, both of the Department of
Accounting and Finance, as well as Dr.
Ferdinand Che and Mr. Abubakar Radda,
both of Department of Entrepreneurship
Management, found a correlation between
company size and the level of corporate
social and environmental disclosure (CSED).
According to the researchers, “The
literature on CSED suggests that since
larger firms are more likely than smaller
ones to attract stakeholder interests, their
activities come under greater scrutiny, and
therefore, they are more likely to pay more
attention to the social and environmental
impact of their activities.”
They reported that Cormier and Magnan
(2003) found this positive relationship
between company size and the overall
level of disclosure “in a number of
countries.” Nigeria is not one among these.
“No such study has been conducted on
Nigerian firms and it’s worth investigating
whether the same relationship between
company size and CSED can be
established in Nigeria.”
Now You Can Address Him as
Dr. Presly Obukoadata
P
ublic Relations, Advertising, and Communications Research Instructor in the
Communications & Multimedia Design program, Presley Ogheneruke Obukoadata,
has sailed through with his PhD viva voce (oral defense) at the University of Uyo,
Nigeria. He braced the tape on September 10.
Dr. Obukoadata, who joined AUN in spring 2014, was a practicing journalist in
Nigeria before veering into the groves of academia. In 10 years of university teaching,
he has published more than 25 peer-reviewed articles in reputable international journals.
Professor Obukoadata’s doctoral thesis is entitled “Brand Equity Communication
Strategies of Two Nigerian Breweries and Consumers’ Preference for Alcoholic
Beverages,” a 170-page dissertation on Nigeria’s two leading beverage brands. The work
establishes a strong correlation between brands that are well built and managed and how
their consumers will prefer them even in a perfect competition.
Graduate School Holds PhD Seminar
I
nternational Adjunct and Accounting Professor from Durham University in the
UK, Dr. Emmanuel Adegbite, held a PhD Seminar on August 27 on “Building a
Research Career and the Importance of Scholarship to Academia.” His presentation
covered the importance of scholarship to academia, practice and policy, the
importance of a publishable thesis, and research funding as well as collaboration.
Dr. Adegbite also shared his experiences on publishing in international journals,
saying that research is not just about publishing in the best of journals, but also
about making contributions to society.
He talked about how to develop a PhD proposal as well as how to get research
funding. He also told them to leverage peers for collaboration. “ When you’re thinking
of research, think about impact. It’s not just contributions to theory, but let there
be impact; contributions to practice and policy. Let it change current managerial
practice, let it inform policy.”
Adegbite recognized that papers are often rejected for publication in a particular
journal and urged them to not be discouraged. “Nobody is beyond rejection, even
top academics get rejected. You have to get used to it. It’s part of the game.”
Interim Associate Dean of the SBE, Dr. Ferdinand Che, described the visiting
professor as a valuable colleague: “Absolutely fantastic and professional to work
with.” He asked the PhD students to take full advantage of his lecture.
So they decided to do an exploratory
study where they identified “evidence and
patterns” of CSED through annual reporting
by firms in Nigeria.
This team of four scholars went through
a total of 154 annual reports of 40 firms
that are listed on the Nigerian Stock
Exchange (NSE). These reports were of the
four year period 2009 to 2013. The firms
represent four major industries: banking,
insurance, oil & gas, and food producing
& processing.
Besides company size, the other factors
that were investigated by the team are the
nature of the industry type, position
placement in annual report, and industry
content themes.
OTDS Trains
Yola Teachers in
Information
Literacy
T
he Office of Technology & Digital
Services recently hosted an information literacy workshop for teaching staff of
ABTI International Secondary School and
Concordia College, both in Yola.
The interactive training workshop,
aimed at strengthening AUN’s engagement
with the host community, was attended by
more than 15 teachers from both schools.
The workshop gave the teachers an
opportunity to build on existing knowledge
of topics of interest such as the need for information literacy, critical evaluation of
information resources, accessing information
resources, and ethical use of information
resources.
Assistant Vice President Digital Service
& Chief Information Office Mr. Julius
Ayuk Tabe stressed that as a development
University with all the facilities, it is only
right that AUN share information with its
host-community.
He added: “Information doubles every
two-and-a-half years in every subject; the
challenge for teachers is guiding these
children on the information available out
there. Gone are those days when teachers
were an embodiment of knowledge.”
The training had five sessions and a
pre-test was issued to test their level of
knowledge on information literacy.
9
2nd Decade Students Share Thoughts
Chasing Dreams at AUN:
Oscar Iwu, born of Nigerian parents,
has lived all his life in the US.
(Petroleum Chemistry)
I want to study here because I feel that it will
help me later on for job prospects. I think that
is what will make me stand out from other
people (Nigerians) who go to school only
in America, because I will have that wider
worldview. I will have that other perspective
that somebody who is born (and studied
exclusively) in one country won’t have. I think
that will help me in the long run.
Shamsudeen D. Mangal
(CMD, Advertising)
My dream is to be a major player in the
business world, like my father. Growing up in
a family of businesspeople, I desire to own and
run as many businesses as possible and to
always be a leader in the different business
sectors in which I will be involved.
To do this effectively, I need at least a
university degree. The initial decision was for
me to study abroad for a degree in business or
marketing. After one year in the UK, and
reflecting on the huge success recorded by my
two brothers who graduated from AUN, I
decided to come back to Nigeria, to AUN.
I knew what I was getting into from the very
beginning and was ready to take it head on.
A strong reason I came back home to Nigeria
is that AUN has it all. Talk about the faculty,
resources, and above all, the interconnectedness
of students from across all Africa. When I think
of AUN, I think of the next leader in higher
education and I want to share in that dream and
vision. I want to recall at some point in my life
and say, “Thank God I passed through here.”
Polo is well celebrated at AUN. It is another
major reason why I am studying here and will
be very happy that the spirit of AUN polo is
kept alive.
Binta Abdullahi (CMD, Journalism)
I dream to be a successful career journalist.
When I was growing up, I admired TV newscasters. I so much wanted to be like them. I
was so much in
love with journalism despite the
fact that people
say journalism is a
man’s profession.
People say that
being a journalist
is risky, especially
now that there is a
lot of violence all
over the place. I
have decided to
study and practice
journalism,
no
matter what. I also want to run NGOs; through
them I can touch the lives of the less privileged.
AUN can help me achieve my dream in so
many ways. Journalism is a professional course
which requires public speaking and writing.
10
For me, to be able to speak and write well, I
have to learn the rudiments. Here in AUN there
are a lot of facilities for me to improve on my
public speaking and writing skills.
My experience so far at AUN is a great one.
I am still finding all the opportunities that AUN
offers. I have learned a lot of things such as
extracurricular activities, community service,
and community development—which is the
most interesting course to me. My classes are
great and I enjoy them. AUN gives me an
opportunity to try new things, to meet new and
interesting people. AUN is a great institution
and I look forward to achieving my dreams.
Stephen Zachariah
(Natural & Environmental Science)
My dream is to make a difference in the
lives of people, both inside and outside AUN,
not only on the social level, but also on the
academic.Although
I have not spent
long enough, I can
proudly say that
AUN can help me
achieve my dreams.
The techniques
and skills used here
to impart knowledge say it all.
I love to help
people, leading to
my initial passion
for the army. I
wanted to enlist in
order to help people in dire situations. It was actually going to be fun because I would be doing
something of interest to me. Nevertheless,
Natural & Environmental Science (NES) is also
fun because the course has to do with the
environment. It is about the way the world
abuses the earth’s natural resources and
vegetation, both of which are meant to be used
wisely, protected, and managed well for the
common good.
I believe that AUN can help me achieve all
my dreams.
Nsikak Imoh (Software Engineering)
My goals as a student are many but they all
point towards one direction: to become a
successful and outstanding individual in my
country and the world.
First, I would
like to graduate
from this school a
qualified and certified software engineer with at least a
3.90 CGPA. Afterwards, I’ll do an
MBA. I would like
to be a high-class
software developer
and
business
tycoon. I want to
combine creativity,
productivity, and agility to make a great impact
in the world of Information & Communication
Technology (ICT), and become greater than my
mentor, Larry Ellison.
Secondly, I would like to be a philanthropist
and humanitarian, and to participate actively in
the fight against poverty and illiteracy. Lastly,
my goal as the chief character of my life’s
movie is to have a happy ending. AUN makes
it achievable through standard education, hard
work under spectacular instructors and advisers,
and the availability of high-end academic and
non-academic resources. It provides a great
learning resource through its equipped offline
and online 24-hour library, coupled with
availability of constant Internet and power
supply. The lecturers are disciplined, punctual,
and not wanting in delivery of good lectures.
This school is a solid stepping-stone to making
me a philanthropist through its community
service and courses.
In the few months I’ve been here, I have
experienced a lot and gotten enough information and skill to start me on the road to success.
I have noticed an improvement in my
interpersonal skills, creativity, communication
skills, writing, and knowledge. I’ve developed
a tremendous courage to face challenges and
fears of all kinds. The future always looks scary
but I believe that with AUN, there will surely
be a happy ending.
Joshua Onyema
(Software Engineering)
From the first day I stepped into AUN, I
knew that my dreams would become a reality.
As a little boy of six, I had the consistent dream
of owning a company, although I
had no definite
idea of how I
would achieve that
dream one day. I
never lost hope. In
the final year of
my high school I
had a vivid picture
of what kind of
company
or
organization
I
wanted to own. It
would be a software company where we would
create programs of the future. Even if I had little
knowledge of programming, I knew that the
institution I attended would help me achieve my
goals. For the few weeks I have been in AUN,
I have been able to learn new skills and
techniques and I can see myself taking a step
closer to my dream. Although some courses are
not quite easy and some lecturers are not as
forthcoming as they ought to be, I do not get
discouraged because the environment is
learner- friendly and most of the professors are
friendly. Even if I still have a long way to go
and the path to success may be tough, I have
hope that I will gradually make my dream a
reality with the help of God and my instructors.
Mohammed Ahmed
(Petroleum Chemistry)
One of my dreams is to graduate as the valedictorian of my class. Afterwards, I would like
to have my master’s degree and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering
in Qatar. By doing
so, I will experience the Arab culture and style of
teaching. After obtaining an MSc in
Petroleum Engineering, I would
like to work in
Qatar in an oil
like
company
Shell, Chevron, or
Addax. This will
enable me to fulfill my dream of developing
Nigeria and Africa at large.
AUN provides me with three vital tools:
ability to think critically in order to solve all
kinds of problems I will encounter in life, ability
to speak in public, and motivation to be patriotic
and serve community. AUN students are trained
to engage in community service and are
committed to the development of Nigeria and
Africa at large. Being in a school that inculcates
all these qualities into its students will definitely
help me achieve my dreams.
My stay at AUN is going positively and
smoothly because I have come to know about a
lot of things like Canvas, Turnitin, tangerine,
and other online applications that I had come
across before. AUN also gives the opportunity
to meet with people from different perspectives
around the world. So far I have come to understand that people should be respected and
treated equally irrespective of their religion,
ethnicity, or background.
Maryam Uhwache
(International & Comparative Politics)
My dream has always been overall success
in life. I have always also envisaged myself
working and representing Nigeria as
a great ambassador
and among the top
five well-known
women working in
the UN. I would like
to be committed,
too, in order to
achieve my purposes. I would say
being an ambassador will enable me
to team up with
others who are
willing and able to make a difference.
AUN as a whole is a very developed university with all the facilities to make one want to
be a part of the school and contribute to the
community at large. For example, there are
highly trained instructors, students who are also
helpful in this University. I know with the help
of the people in this University I would be able
to realize my full potential and the University
will be there for me along my narrow paths and
challenges on the road to my ride to success.
Praise Nwokoma (Accounting)
Dreams. A dream is “a cherished aspiration,
or ambition”. My dream is to be more successful
than the richest
man in the world
as per the Forbes
list 2015. To
achieve my dream,
I believe AUN is
the perfect foundation. A strong
foundation leads
to a better future, a
stronger future.
AUN creates a
path, a path that
has
different
dreams on it and it’s left to us, the students, to
grasp our distinctive dreams. AUN provides us
with amazing instructors who try their best to
help the students in any way they can.
The peak of it all is the students. I’m not
saying this because I am one, but because it’s
the truth. The students are so hard-working and
I believe this also pushes the instructors never
to give up on us. The cultural diversity among
the students is also another amazing thing.
AUN allows you to have a feel of other people’s
cultures. AUN is the best place to school.
Maryam Abdulkadir
For a while now, I have expressed a particular interest in improving the quality of life as
well as the standard of living. A development
university such as AUN is an appropriate
opportunity to put
my life goals into
practice,
even
before I get employed. I realized
that AUN offered
a chance for me to
major in ICP that
looks at international development.
This is complemented with other
courses such as
biology that can
help me decode how diseases, in conjunction
with a weak healthcare system, are inhibiting
our growth as a country and Africa as a whole.
So far, my experience in AUN has shown
me how important it is to be proactive in helping
others, in the form of community service. Also,
I have learned how to help myself study for my
other courses and the importance of some
crimes such as plagiarism, which can affect me
in the future. I really do hope that others can
learn these important lessons so graduates from
this university can help implement sustainable
development to aid their country.
Orobosa Umuakpero
(CMD Video/TV/Film)
My dream as a student is to become outstanding
in my field of study, not just to graduate from
AUN and be jobless but to create jobs for
myself and people. AUN is already helping me
achieve such dreams because I came with the
mindset of becoming a software programmer,
but to my utmost
surprise I saw that
AUN had a course
called Communication & Multimedia Design which
involves
TV
advertisements,
radio literacy, and
video
editing.
Those were the
things I have
always had interest
in doing but was
never given the opportunity to do them. I now
have to grab such opportunities with both
hands. It’s been a nice place since I have been
here. I have made new friends, learned new
things and lessons. AUN is a great place to be
and also a place for one to make good use of the
opportunities.
Mubarak Abubakar
(Business and Entrepreneurship)
Right from childhood I have had the dream
of becoming someone big, but I never knew
how it was going to come or how I will get
there. Well, at least
I had a conviction
and
promised
myself I am going
to achieve it. I
have changed my
mind on proposed
professions many
times. I am now
settled at maybe
being an accountant, a financial
adviser, or even a
professor
in
accounting. Some people say am crazy but I
believe everything is possible as long as the sun
is still shining. I hear there is a paucity of
accounting professors in Nigeria; wouldn’t it be
good to hear that the next professor in
accounting was from AUN. Well, all the other
professions I would probably engage in are
merely to survive but the main deal is, how do
I get there? With hard work, I am sure.
AUN is the right place for any student to be
because it is a development university, with
master’s degree programs. AUN being a
development university is a big blast to students
who finish school and need jobs. Because of
this I believe you will be placed and AUN also
runs internship programs for graduates.
After school a student can still come back
and do his or her PhD and other programs.
AUN has quickly turned into the dream
home I have always wanted. The sports are just
amazing. It is healthy good, fun, and there are
also competitions in every sport. The food they
give us is amazing so no one ever complains of
hunger or tasteless food. The rooms and classroom are very spacious and conducive; in fact
the whole place is just friendly. The AUN
environment is one of the best studying
environments you can find in Nigeria. On the
scale of 10 AUN is 8.5 even though I don’t
know why I am just not giving it a 10 yet.
turn to page 12
11
Chasing Dreams at AUN continued
Amina Auwal (Computer Science)
I would like to work hard for a high-paying
job in order to make a useful contribution back
into my community. I took computer science
because I love
math and I think
by taking a course
like this, I can
contribute to moving Nigeria forward in terms of
development and
technology.
AUN will aid
me in my aspirations because I
will learn more
about technology
and sustainable development for our communities.
My experience at AUN so far has been
positive as I have lecturers who are very
supportive. With the countless number of clubs,
I have a lot of opportunities to do something
with my time that could add to my CV such as
participating in judicial affairs when I enter the
sophomore year.
Aisha Mahmud
One of my major dreams is to graduate with
summa cum laude and become an excellent
diplomat. Having the privilege of attending an
American-style university it would be unwise
on my part not to utilize this great opportunity
to make a remarkable impact in my life and in
the society at large. As a student, having dreams
and goals are good but fulfilling these dreams
and goals takes discipline, determination,
diligence, and hard work.
AUN has a systematic way of lecturing
which has helped me in working towards
fulfilling my dreams. The community service
presents one with the opportunity to go into the
community and know their challenges and
problems and try to find a way to meet them.
The sustainability program also helps me in
seeing that when I become a diplomat I will
make other countries have interest in my country.
Finally, thus far being at AUN for a semester
has been amazing for me. I have learned some
basic things on the educational side, while on
the fun part it has been great also. The AUN
system of studies has changed my orientation
about life entirely.
Asma’u Shehu (Marketing)
My dream is to
finish school and
achieve my goal.
The main reason I
chose to come to
AUN is to read,
but also my dad
likes the system of
the University.
AUN is one of
the best universities
in
Nigeria—a
most conducive
place for learning.
12
I came to AUN to be a better person and make
good use of my life in a great way. AUN is
really encouraging students to be what they
want to be.
Part of business and entrepreneurship, my
major course, is marketing, and I am willing to
be a very good business woman in life.
Ahmed Mai-Bornu
As a student of AUN, I have the tools to
achieve my dreams and ambitions. I would like
to be an ambassador in future but this semester
has been choked
up and I was not
able to choose my
major courses. But
with what I have
seen I believe that
I will be able to
fulfill my dreams.
AUN has the
right tools to make
me a better and
successful person
in the future. The
school
has
adequate facilities and the faculty and staff
members are outstanding and make learning
really convenient and comfortable.
So far, AUN has taught me valuable life
lessons and I am willing to learn more about life
in general and make my grades great.
Marho Ohimor (Software Engineering)
My sole dream in life is to make a difference, to make a change in the world. AUN thus
far seems like it could help me achieve this
dream. AUN is a development university concerned about those
around the school.
This school will
teach me how to
use what I learn in
the classroom to
effect a change in
my immediate surroundings. At first,
I really didn’t want
to come to this
school but now I
am happy I made
the choice. AUN
seems like a pretty good school that is already
producing great alumni. It is only a matter of
time before this school gains worldwide
recognition. My stay here has been fruitful. I’ve
learned a lot and I hope I can use what I’ve
learned to make a real difference in this country.
Olasunkanmi Lanlehin
(Software Engineering)
My dream is to be one of the most successful
people in the world. I would love to make a
difference in the lives of the citizens of my
country. I also have a dream of being one of the
people that would change the country positively
and also aid in the development of the country.
I believe that AUN would surly help me
achieve my dreams because the school is a very
good and a well facilitated school. AUN has all
the things I need to make my dreams come true.
This school has
good instructors, a
friendly environment and worldclass facilities.
My experience
so far at AUN has
been very conducive and great.
I have really
enjoyed my experience in the school.
The things I love
most in the school
are the facilities. They are really nice and are
very cool to work with. I also love the fact that
we are all allowed to use our laptops in class.
Timi Alo (Petroleum Chemistry)
Since I entered senior secondary school, I
always wanted to be a chemical engineer.
However, I discovered that I was excellent at
Chemistry, especially the organic Chemistry. So
I decided to study Petroleum Chemistry instead.
AUN can help me
to achieve my
dreams as the
standard in this
American based
school is one of
the highest in
Nigeria.
That
dream is to be one
of the most successful men in the
world, God willing.
So far, my experience at AUN has
been fun filled. I have particularly been
impressed with how flexible the classes have been.
Khadija Musa Bindawa
My dream in life is to be a very successful
woman who will contribute positively to the
development of my country, touch the lives of
people, and bring smiles to their faces.
Going back to my primary and secondary
school days, my aspiration was to become a
medical doctor. However, no matter how
achievable or reasonable an aspiration may
seem, there will always be limitations. My
dream now is to become a successful economist/
analyst who will be able to make positive
contributions in my dear country and beyond.
AUN will help me in so many ways because
as a developmental university, every student is
groomed to be a leader. Writing in a course,
which broadens the mind of students, is mandatory. This is because writing is a key component
irrespective of your professional field. With the
state of the art facilities at AUN and the courses
offered, I will have balance between technical
and managerial/strategic leadership abilities
with strong emphasis on business applications.
I believe by the end of my 4 years I will come
out as a transformed and certified economist
that will fit in any organization in the world.
An Encounter With Mandela
Attending an African Leadership Workshop
in Johannesburg
SGA President Basil Abia Reflects on a Life-changing Experience
A
ttending the African Student
Affairs Conference in the
impressive South African capital
city of Johannesburg has to be one
of the best experiences I’ve ever
had as a student. Together with the
Vice President of the Student
Government Association, Mr. Abdulrahman Bappullo, and the
Business Operations Manager,
Student Affairs, Mr. Anthony
Okoji, we set out for the conference with a sense of optimism and
curiosity, somewhat hopeful of a
life-changing experience.
The African Student Affairs
conference is divided in two: the
African Student Leaders’ Workshop and study tour, and the
African Student Affairs Workshop
for staff and faculty who are
experts in student affairs across
African tertiary institutions. It was
organized by Worldview Events, a
leading organization in educational support projects
based in London. The quality
of learning and leadership
development we were going
to get at the conference was
never in doubt.
Being newly elected and
sworn-in, the Vice President
and I were elated when the
authorities offered to
support and facilitate our participation in
the annual pan-African student leadership
conference, which was held between
August 18 and 20, 2015.
We arrived on August 17 at the O.R.
Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, and were
taken straight to Indaba, a four-star hotel
in the outskirts of the metropolis. After a
full day of rest and preparation, the next
day was business day for us all. We met
with other participants at the conference,
the leaders of various student unions/
governments across the continent, most of
whom came from Nigeria.
The opening ceremony was brief but
powerful, we were empowered to put in
our best in the various leadership tasks that
we were given, and work as a team so as
media to make our communication
with the management of the various
universities we were from.
The next day, arguably the best
of the two-day conference was the
study tour facilitated by the Nelson
Mandela Foundation. We set out at
about 9.00 am to Orlando-Soweto
on a mission to be educated and
inspired by the impeccable leadership skills African legend Nelson
Mandela. We arrived at his former
apartment, where he used to reside
with Winnie before his arrest and
long prison sentence. It was a lifechanging experience for all of us;
we were face to face with the
symbol of “Change” for not only
South Africa but also Africa as a
whole.
The tour was brief but surely the
most emotional and powerful thing
we ever encountered. Mr. Bappullo
was astonished at the simplicity of
such a great leader. His sacrifices to
fight against an evil and racist
regime were staggering. As student
leaders, most of us reflected on the
fact that true leadership will only
emerge if “service” and “sacrifice”
were the watchword. At that
SGA President Basil Abia in South Africa
moment, a vow was made to ensure
that the true principles of service,
sacrifice, simplicity, humility, and
…a vow was made to
truthfulness will be the watchword for
ensure that the true principles the various student governments we were
leading.
of service, sacrifice,
I am constrained by space; otherwise, I
simplicity, humility, and
would have included all the wonderful
things we experienced. One thing I shouldn’t
truthfulness will be the
leave out is the fact that the university
watchword for the
principles of development, change, and
various student governments integrity will inform the workings of the
new SGA, especially after all we had
we were leading.
experienced in Johannesburg.
to brush up our organizational skills as it
I want to use this medium to thank the
will be paramount in the successful University through its able Dean of
management of the various student organ- Student Affairs, Vice President Byron
izations we were heading. We set out later Bullock, for making it possible for us to
that day to build up our communication be part of this life-changing experience.
and networking skills by meeting up with The next year, for the SGA and the entire
selected faculty members of the conference student body, will surely experience
who helped us understand the different massive positive strides in all spheres.
13
Alum Launches
New Phone Design for
Rural Folks
A
UN Alum Tosin Komolafe spotted an old man at
the VIP section of Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport, Abuja, struggling to operate a smart device. He
pitied the man, and that sense of compassion stirred up
in him the thought of creating a solution to problems in
his immediate society. In that situation the young
innovator envisaged a solution that could benefit just about anyone.
Komolafe thought, just because Nigeria is a booming market for mobile telephony
does not necessarily mean everyone is benefiting from this 21st-century innovation. He
saw a problem and was determined to be the solution.
With his partner, Komolafe launched into a detailed market research to birth a social
enterprise named “Karabow K1”. The Class of 2012 graduate teamed up with Mr.
Wisdom Kwati. They discovered that most feature phones in Nigeria have poor visibility
and audio functionalities, and the price exorbitant.
Who will benefit from Karabow K1? The duo also discovered that the problem was
not only in Nigeria where senior citizens, visually, or audio-impaired individuals are not
considered when designing the latest savvy smartphones or feature phones. The problem
is bigger still.
With the literacy level in some rural areas in Nigeria low, it is important to design a
mobile phone that allows anybody to access commands in their indigenous languages.
“This is why Karabow K1 will serve not just Nigeria but Africa,” says the AUN alum.
Mr. Komolafe thinks that technology today should
“Karabow K1
benefit everyone who can access it. The same goes for
feature phones; they are meant to be affordable and
will serve not just
enhanced so that even the man in the village can use it
Nigeria but
without difficulties. On the contrary, feature phones in
the Nigerian market are difficult to use. He explained
Africa.”
that the letters are too small for the visually impaired
person, have no sound enhanced capacity and the
common man might not make enough to afford it.
The budding entrepreneur is convinced that
‘Karabow K1’ brings smartphone functionalities to an
affordable feature phone. The phone is said to have the
following features: number audibility, local languages
(Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba), singleton menu (keeps each
menu item in view, one at a time, as compared to other
mobile devices where all the menu items are visible at
all times.)
Other functionalities include: long-life battery,
dedicated, stand-alone bright LED torchlight that works
with or without the phone being on, extremely visible
display characters and keyboard, FM radio with
dedicated antenna, emergency alert system, 8GB builtAUN Alum Tosin Komolafe
in memory card, clear front and crisp rear speakers.
Some industry experts have reviewed the prototype.
Northern Marketing Officer for Samsung Mobile, Shola Ajayi, said, “Karabow’s
designs are awesome, I think that’s what the market wants: it is an ideology of quality,
slimness and affordability.”
CEO Global Business Network, Mr. Stephen Dada, commended the new phone as,
“the Messiah that we need in Africa; Karabow just brings it altogether. It’s like
rearranging the puzzle.”
Nokia analyst, Prof. Bola Mijah, said, “Karabow’s designs are awesome but I think
there is a lot more they have to implement. But for a start Karabow’s good to go.”
14
Alum Daniel Harbor
Shines at Carnegie
Mellon University
A
lumnus Daniel Harbor emerged
Class Speaker at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) graduate
school commencement on August 9
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, (USA).
His confidence and good
public-speaking skills led his
colleagues to nominate him as the
2015 Class Speaker.
At the graduation ceremony, Mr.
Harbor, who was also valedictorian
at AUN in 2011, advised his classmates at Carnegie Mellon: “Regardless of your perception of your time
here, I urge you to keep in mind that
success is like a mountain that keeps
growing as you hike up. Let our
achievements here only be a stepping
stone to the technological advancements that will change the course of
history, and to the many other uncharted paths that we will blaze for
others to follow.”
At AUN, Harbor and two other
alums successfully implemented the
OpenERP system, an information
management system that integrates
all the AUN departments into one
software system, improving flexibility in management and administration of resources.
On his experience at AUN Mr.
Harbor said, “Well… I would say the
standards in AUN were no less than
here at CMU. The amount of work
you have to do for classes is relatively the same. I probably even did
more work there than I’m doing here.
So in terms of the work ethic, I had
it all figured out before I got here.”
Mr. Harbor, a software engineer,
graduated from Carnegie Mellon
with a distinction and was awarded
the plaque of Class Speaker.
New Students
Give Kanzul
Islam Academy
a Facelift
L
earning can be interesting but much
more so in a friendly environment. In
Adamawa State, where statistics show the
literacy rate is still low, there is a need for
incentives to make students interested in
learning.
This desire is what made the 100 firstyear students, who had already checked in,
to volunteer to give Kanzul Islam Academy a facelift.
The Academy was founded in 2005 with 510 students in primary
school and has recently added a secondary arm, with a little over 70
students, said the Headmaster, Mr. Bahago Umar. The school runs
both the Islamic and Western education curricular.
For the new students, it wasn’t what they had imagined they would
do as part of their orientation activities on a Saturday morning. It was
their first time going to Yola town and their first community service
experience.
President Ensign had addressed them about this activity before
they left the campus: “So why are you doing this? Why am I making
you do this – paint a school?”
The students were not sure of a response.
“AUN is a development university. This activity”, the President had said, “is the
beginning of your journey to learn what it is like for most people in the world,
actually.”
She said that in addressing the low literacy rate in Adamawa State, AUN requires
students to apply the skills they learned in class. “So, over time, you’re going to teach
them how to read. But this morning, you’re going to paint their school so it looks a
little better for them, all right.” And they went with enthusiasm.
CDV 101 Students Mark
World Literacy Day
at IDPs Camp
O
n the occasion of this year’s World Literacy Day, AUN’s Community
Development (CDV) 101 students took learning from their class to the Malkohi
IDP Camp, engaging the children in reading and visual learning.
The International Literacy Day is celebrated around the world on September 8 with
a yearly theme. “Literacy and Sustainable Societies” was the 2015 theme.
Course Instructor, Dr. Grace Malgwi, observed that it was a good gesture to bring
learning to the camp. In accordance with this year’s theme, “With literacy you can
deal with empowerment, development, and then enhance community relationships.”
“We thought we should bring the students taking the CDV 101 Literacy course to
grasp a true-life experience.”
Each child was given a book written by AUN students. Dr. Malgwi said it was a
way of encouraging the children to keep reading.
Director of Community Engagement and Service Learning, Mr. Mohamadou Dabo,
applauded the students’ efforts saying, “Some of the children have missed one year of
school.”
The Student Government Association Public Relations Officer, Ms. Tinnet Gwadah,
confessed that she was moved by the dire situation of the displaced children, but said
she’s comforted to witness the level of resilience shown by them.
Digital Services
Department
Renews
Information
Literacy Campaign
T
he Digital Services Department has migrated the University Library from
Millennium Integrated System to the new, free
software platform called Koha.
Visitors to the old library website are now
directed to: http://digitalservices.aun.edu.ng/
digitalservices/.
The announcement came at the kickoff of
a renewed information literacy campaign
launched by the department and attended by
students, faculty, and staff members.
At the workshop which started on September
1, participants were trained on how to
navigate the new systems. Mr. Omachi Okolo,
the Information Literacy Team Leader, said
that the new data services have more features
and resources than the previous one. It also
has a new design, and the access mechanism
is different, too. “The new data system is more
efficient and effective. The library has
been using a different system called The
Millennium. This training is part of the
phasing out of the old system.”
15
President Ensign to
UN High Commission for Refugees:
AUN-API Model Ideal for
Vulnerable Populations
P
resident Ensign has called on governments and international NGOs to work more
closely with local organizations to address humanitarian crises, stem the tide of
violence, thwart recruitment efforts by extremist groups, and protect and provide
opportunities for vulnerable populations around the world.
President Ensign addressed a session of the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 3. At the head of a three-member
AUN-API delegation, she said local resources not only have a greater understanding of
their culture, but they also have a better ability to gather information, and respond to
rapidly changing conditions.
At its meeting, the UNHCR brought together refugees
“We are in a
and 500 local, national and international NGOs to find
unique position
long-term solutions to global humanitarian crises.
Secretary of the Adamawa Muslim Council, Imam
to bring
Dauda Bello, and President of the New Life Gospel Center,
diverse resources
Jimeta, Bishop Stephen Ransom, all members of API, were
together…”
also in the delegation.
“The international response to the growing number of
IDPs has been slow and inadequate in addressing the situation at hand, never mind in
guiding a long-term durable solution,” said Dr. Ensign.
“The number of IDPs grew exponentially during the summer of 2014. It was not until
December of 2014 that NGOs began to arrive – and by this time, AUN-API had been
feeding nearly 300,000 IDPs for six months without any outside assistance.
“We know our community and we are in a unique position to bring diverse resources
together to find and implement solutions to crises, prevent our youth from succumbing
to the temptation to join extremist organizations, and bring stability to the region. Our
collaborative model works, and we believe that governments, international NGOs and
other organizations working in regions of conflict should pre-identify local peace groups
such as ours, and evaluate and use these local networks to implement assistance”.
Displaced Women
Learn Handiwork at AUN
T
he Community Service Office began a two-month vocational training on July 1 for
internally displaced women camping in Sangere, near Jimeta.
The trades include bead making and tailoring, and other skills that are not capitalintensive, but have a wide market in Adamawa State.
Director of Community Engagement and Service Learning, Mr. Mohamadou Dabo,
announced that besides the skills acquisition training, the women will also have access
to a soft loan from Tender Microfinance Bank as a way to support their start-ups once
they complete their two-month training.
Most of the IDPs who are benefiting from the AUN training will be treated the same
as the local women from Yola who have completed their training and already have access
to the soft loan of N10,000 each.
Mr. Dabo added that the University also plays a monitoring role to ensure the women
pay back their loans and are expected to fully actualize their start-up enterprises.
Assistant Director, Mr. Aliyu Ahmed, added that altogether 35 internally displaced
women have registered at the University’s Skills Acquisition Center, and that a financial
literacy sensitization workshop will also be organized for the women.
A former teacher, now an IDP, Mrs. Rifkatu Usman, who will be benefiting from the
training commended AUN for the initiative that “will help me support my four children
that are in school.”
16
Safe Internet
Computing Seminar
Boosts Awareness
A
VP of Digital Services and Chief
Information Officer, Mr. Julius
Ayuk Tabe, has stressed the need for
all members of staff of the University
to practice safe computing on the
Internet.
Re-echoing the adage that one
finger that touches oil stains the rest,
the AVP/CIO told a Safe Internet
Computing seminar that one person’s
computer vulnerable to attack is a
threat to every other person’s. “This is
because all staff computers are
networked in a manner that makes
communication within them systematically possible.”
The one-week seminar kicked off
on August 17, and required all
members of the University staff to
attend a session designated for their
departments.
Lagos Firm Partners
AUN-API to Feed
IDPs At Ramadan
M
ore than 700 families received a
second food donation in one month
from Deen Communications Limited,
Lagos, under the auspices of AUN-API on
July 10.
Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Anthony
Agbo, announced that the sum of one
million naira was donated by Deen
Communications to buy relief items for
those IDPs observing Ramadan.
The food distribution, which took place
at the Jimeta headquarters of Jama’atu
Nasril Islam, a Muslim aid organization,
was mainly for the women, all representing
their families.
The Coordinator of Disaster and Relief
in JNI and API member, Malam Gambo
Jika, advised the refugees to remain steadfast with their fasting and intercede for
divine intervention in the situation confronting the Northeast. “We are
confident that this will be over someday.”
He also seized the opportunity to thank
AUN-API for their continuous support
towards the IDPs.
Alhaji Jika announced that the company
had earlier donated relief items to IDPs
under the care of JIBWIS in Yola.
The food items distributed were
noodles, rice, vegetable oil, and sugar.
Visiting Ecologist Recommends
Sustainable Farm Method for Adamawa
V
isiting ecologist, Andrew Jones, at a
public lecture on campus, advocated
permaculture as a development path for
Adamawa State.
Coined in the 1970s from “permanent”
and “agriculture,” permaculture is the
AUN Community
Receives Counter-terror
Lessons
T
he anti-bomb squad commander in
Adamawa State, Mr. Peter Dan Otobo,
an Assistant Superintendent of Police, has
asked everyone in the university community
to be security conscious.
He was speaking at a two-day training
for members of the University community
on security in June. ASP Otobo said security
should not be viewed as a luxury but a
necessity, being also a requirement for
economic development in any given society.
The training took the participants
through a series of presentations and talks
on areas covering general security, security
initiatives, security alert, terrorism as a
concept, the awareness of bombs, and
suicide bombing.
Assistant Vice President of Security &
Safety Operations, Dr. Lionel Rawlins,
having invited members of the community
to the training, described it as a part of the
Nigerian security forces’ community
development program that is designed to
keep institutions, universities, churches,
banks, and other organizations up-to-date
on security methods.
Sylvanus Ntul of the Anti-Bomb Squad
of Adamawa State Government House,
Yola, lectured on suicide bombing and how
to stop it. Ntul said that the best strategy to
stop terrorism is to gather intelligence. He
stressed that whenever anyone happens to
have any information, it must be managed
well by sending it through the right channels.
ecosystem intended to be self-sufficient.
The lecture drew listeners from within
and outside the university community.
Members from API were present, including
Alhaji Abubakar Abdulmumini, the Chief
of Bole, and Assistant Vice President Abba
Tahir, a member of the API Agriculture and
Food Security Committee.
Mr.Tahir, who also heads the Office of
Public Affairs, hosts the event, described
Jones as a permaculture designer and
sustainable development professional who
has experience, particularly in post-conflict
and disaster contexts.
The lecture, which took place on July
28, also explored opportunities for
agricultural and economic development
using permaculture for Adamawa State.
On the following day, there was a trip
to Bole community that offered an
opportunity to see firsthand the permaculture
design method that was implemented by
Andrew Jones in the community.
Jones has worked on projects in Iraq,
Jordan, Kiribati, Mongolia, Indonesia,
Macedonia, Peru, Mexico, Canada, and the
US. He resides in Mexico and is based at
an ecological life skills education center
called Baja BioSana.
AUN-API Launches N1 Billion
Insurgency Intervention Fund
A
UN, with its peace-building partner,
the Adamawa Peace Initiative, has
launched an appeal fund to help resettle the
hundreds of thousands of the refugees displaced by Boko Haram.
Close to 1.5 million of those affected by
the insurgency in Adamawa are now
displaced and homeless. More than half
that number is made up of school-age
children, most of whom are now no longer
able to attend school.
The Chair of API, Dr. Margee Ensign,
appealed to the public for help: “With the
end of the Boko Haram in sight, we must
focus on rebuilding the shattered communities and their dislocated people... Help is
now coming their way; through the N1
billion Insurgency Intervention Fund all
public-spirited individuals and corporate
bodies now have a chance to become part
of the emerging solution.”
In the northeast alone, according to
figures from the United Nations, more than
four and a half million are food-insecure.
The Famine Early Warming System
(FEWS) an international famine early
warming platform, has raised the possibility
of famine in NE Nigeria.
As part of its mission as a “Development University,” AUN has been assisting
more than 275,000 displaced persons and
their children with food and mobile
education. The funds being sought would
provide basic necessities as well as aid the
displaced to return to their homes. Donors
might opt to sponsor a school, health
center, or a borehole.
Under the leadership of Dr. Ensign,
AUN and API have helped thousands of
vulnerable Nigerian youth obtain an
education, develop valuable life skills, and
resist recruitment by Boko Haram.
With strong extended family bonding in
the local culture, most displaced people
now live with relatives rather than in
refugee camps. Of an estimated 405,000
IDPs who fled to Yola, only 15,000 took
refuge in camps.
AUN-API counts among its membership prominent Muslim and Christian
leaders, traditional rulers, academic and
business leaders, NGOs, CBOs and other
members of the Yola community. Having
worked in Adamawa since January 2012,
the group knows the terrain and is in a
unique position to pool resources together
to find and implement solutions to the
refugee crises, and to bring stability to the
region.
The Managing Director of Afrinvest,
Ike Chioke, supported the fundraising
launch in Lagos on October 6th, which also
honored the 10th anniversary of Afrinvest.
Mr. Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group,
contributed N50 million in funds and food
supplies and Mr. Femi Otedola, Chairman
Forte Oil Plc, contributed another N5
million. These resources are currently
being used to feed and care for the approximately 150,000 IDPs remaining in Yola.
17
A
AUN Gets USAID Grant for
Technology-Enhanced Education
Low-income Earners
Exposed to Stop Light
Approach to Eliminating
Poverty
E
major highlight of the Abuja Conference on technology-assisted learning was the
signing of a multi-million naira grant by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) and AUN, to support the University’s project that uses technology
to teach literacy to vulnerable children and IDP children in Adamawa State. The signing
of the grant by the USAID Mission Director, Mr. Michael T. Harvey, and AUN President
Ensign was witnessed by the Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Julius A. Okojie,
and the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, Ms. Maria Brewer.
The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires announced the award of an $801,000 grant by the USAID
in humanitarian assistance for IDPs in Jimeta and Yola in Adamawa State. She said that
the grant would support the activities of AUN to improve access to education services
for vulnerable children and IDPs. With this new funding, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires
noted, the total U.S. humanitarian assistance grants to AUN since the start of the
insurgency crisis in the region stood at nearly $901,000. ($100,000 was given to AUN
by USAID for food and humanitarian assistance earlier in the year) Ms. Maria Brewer,
who remarked that, “Where education is lacking people are less likely to attain economic
opportunity”, informed the Conference that the United States Government, through
USAID, had supported several humanitarian, transitional, and longer-term development
activities in north-eastern Nigeria, totaling $87.1 million, in collaboration with the
Nigerian Government at the federal, state, and local levels.
Ms. Brewer expressed the hope that the AUN will use its Student Empowerment
through Language, Literacy, and Arithmetic (STELLAR) program to improve literacy
and numeracy for 20,000 vulnerable, at-risk children, orphans of IDPs, and host
communities in Adamawa State. She informed participants that the AUN’s STELLAR
program engages university students enrolled in service learning courses to write
children’s books in English and local languages and to tutor children in reading and
mathematics after school. The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires noted that the new funds would
help expand STELLAR to include radio instruction, set up learning centres and mobile
classrooms, and provide IDP beneficiaries with remote instruction via radio. She recalled
that Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, had reiterated that his Administration would make education a key focus area. She informed participants that the U.S.
would support the President to make education available to all Nigerians.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of NUC and Chairman of the Local Organizing
Committee (LOC), Professor Chiedu F. Mafiana, expressed gratitude to the U.S.
Government for seeking ways to contribute to Nigeria’s development. He commended
AUN for doing its best to fulfil the third part of its tripartite function, noting that the
tripartite functions of Nigerian universities included teaching, research and community
service. The LOC Chairman called on other universities to emulate the AUN and
contribute to the development of their host communities.
ntrepreneurship instructor, School of
Business & Entrepreneurship, Mr.
Fardeen Dodo, has explained how small
savings can lift people out of poverty and
solve their problems.
At the Poverty Stop Light Sensitization/
Financial Literacy event organized for
cleaners and gardeners by the Office of
Institutional Research & Effectiveness
(OIRE), Dodo challenged his audience to
invest in themselves and work hard to
develop skills that will pull them out from
poverty. He maintained that it is not only
when a person has formal education that
he/she can be successful. Dodo encouraged
them to take charge of their lives and find
ways to support themselves.
The Executive Manager of Projects and
Proposals, Dr. Fidelis Ndeh-Che, told the
participants how the Poverty Stop Light
approach will aid them break away from
poverty by attacking a problem phase by
phase. “For instance, if we identify that
health care is your problem, we will work
with you to eliminate poverty in that
direction.” He added that the Stop Light
campaign will support individuals who
want access to loans, training in vocational
skills, and support in savings with the
AUN Community Cooperative Society.
The
Director
of
Community
Engagement & Service Learning, Mr.
Mohamadou Dabo, encouraged them to
register with the AUN Community
Development projects such as soap
making, shoe-making, and tailoring.
fundraising program aimed at helping IDPs
rebuild their lives. She also announced that
the US government recently donated
$801,000 to support a literacy program that
will include mobile education for internally
displaced children.
President Ensign expressed confidence
that the new state government will bring
change to its people, that the security
situation in Adamawa State will be stable,
and internally displaced persons will return
home. She described the predicament of
the IDPs, soliciting government aid and
partnership in tackling illiteracy in the
state, promoting development, and working
closely to ensure IDPs have a better life.
Responding, Governor Jibrilla thanked
API for the courtesy call. He applauded the
group’s efforts in working at the forefront
of solving the humanitarian crisis since the
insurgency.
Governor Jibrilla signed up as a
member of the API and pledged to support
the organization in its humanitarian and
development efforts. He expressed confidence in API’s competence and called for
a synergy between AUN-API and his
government because the latter is equally
concerned about bringing social change to
the people.
The Deputy Governor, Hon. Martins
Babale, also joined the AUN-API, thanking
the management for their efforts in aiding
development in Adamawa State.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr.
Umar Bindir, remarked that AUN is truly
a development university for allowing its
knowledge flow out to the community.
AUN-API on Courtesy Visit to Adamawa Governor
O
n August 24,
Governor
Muhammad Umaru
Jibrilla of Adamawa
State received members of the Adamawa
Peace Initiative (API),
who came on a
courtesy visit. The
President Ensign visits API Chair, PresiGovernor Jibrilla
dent Ensign, who
led the AUN-API delegation, reaffirmed
the mandate of the organization in solving
literacy problem, feeding thousands of displaced persons, and seeking new ways to
drive development in the state.
She listed the on-going projects of the
organization, which include the launch of
a N1 billion insurgency intervention
18
Alhaji Muhammadu Jingiya,
Village Head, Yolde-Pate
Bole Community IDPs
Receive Farm Support
I
n partnership with the Swiss government, AUN-API has donated seed crops,
seedlings, and farm tools to internally
displaced persons residing in Bole
community in Yola South.
A primary objective of the AUN-API
Food Security Project, its sole aim is to
help the farmers improve all-season farming
by providing technical support, seed crops,
and seedlings to farmers from neighboring
communities.
A member of AUN’s sustainability unit,
Mr. Rotimi Ogundijo, announced that part
of the technical support will be training the
farmers on better farming skills that will
make for a sustainable environment. This
will discourage the use of inorganic
manure to increase soil fertility, teach them
how to do composting, avoid the use of
machinery as it disturbs the soil structure,
encourage agroforestry, and encourage
irrigation with the use of the pedal pump
that was introduced some months ago.
“We are also providing farm tools to the
farmers; the criteria for selection of
beneficiaries include families that are up to
eight in number but the benchmark is 100.”
Bole also supported the initiative by
providing farmland to the IDPs residing in
their community.
Secretary of the Village Head,
Mohammed Yahya, acknowledged that
Bole has been assisting the IDPs for eight
months now. Currently the community is
hosting close to 500 IDPs. “The farm
allocation was given based on what they
decide to plant; most of them are looking
for a safer place to stay. Many of them are
not returning back.”
Crops distributed to the IDPs include
maize, groundnut, rice, and beans.
President Ensign
Receives Yola District
Village Heads
P
resident Ensign received 11 village heads of the Yola
District on a courtesy visit on September 10. Led by Alhaji
Abdulmumuni Abubakar of Bole, the chiefs said, “We are here
to express our sincere thanks for your support to the
communities.”
He recognized the various programs that the University has
initiated that are touching lives in the surrounding communities
and added that the community leaders are ever willing to
support the University in all respects.
The chief also told the President that every village
represented by the visiting heads is hosting displaced persons.
Secretary to the Yola District Council, Alhaji Mohammed
Alhaji Abdulmumuni
Abubakar,
read a thank-you letter on behalf of the village
Abubakar
heads. He said that the free ICT training of community youths
by AUN is highly appreciated. He said it prevents those youths from being idle and
roaming about.
President Ensign responded that she felt honored to have all the leaders at AUN. She
recognized the role community leadership can play in the development of the country
and said, “I think you have the power to
move things forward. People have so much
respect for your leadership.”
Dr. Ensign went on to ask how these
leaders can help in educational development in their communities. “Recently, the
US government has decided to support our
literacy effort. And we have to reach
20,000 vulnerable children in the next year.
So we are going to be using radios as well
as tablet computers. I would like to ask
each of you to help us because we have to
make sure we reach these vulnerable
children so they can read in Hausa and in
English.”
The chiefs pledged to mobilize 200
children each from their communities for
the literacy project.
President Ensign and Abdulmumuni
19
AUN Awards
12 New Scholarships
A
UN awarded 12 new scholarships this
fall to deserving students.The New
Student Regional Scholarships are in
addition to the scholarships for existing
students awarded to 10 percent of the
University’s student intake.
On August 1, 168 candidates wrote the
AUN merit-based scholarship examination
in all the six geo-political zones of the
country. Two winners for each zone were
selected to receive the scholarships.
This year’s winners come from Abia,
Anambra, Cross River, Akwa Ibom,
Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi,
Nasarawa, Lagos, and Ogun states, representing the nation’s six geopolitical zones.
Names of winners were posted on the
AUN website: www.aun.edu.ng
The AUN scholarship program enables
the less-privileged to access quality university education, purely on merit. As part of
its mission as Africa’s “Development
University,” AUN is anxious to seek out
the best talent in the country, regardless of
family income, region, state, or ethnicity.
“For me, AUN is the intersection of
hope and ambition,” said one candidate in
the competitive selection test.
The 168 candidates who wrote the test
came from different social and economic
backgrounds. The merit exams, for which
no fees were charged, took place in Port
Harcourt, Enugu, Ibadan, Abuja, Kaduna,
and the Yola campus of AUN.
#EducateOurGirls Campaign is One!
O
ne year after the launch of #EducateOurGirls campaign and the creation
of the AUN Foundation to educate
disadvantaged girls and boys in Nigeria’s
northeast, more beneficiaries have seen a
dramatic transformation in their lives.
President Ensign launched the AUN
Foundation in Washington, DC, on
September 4, 2014, supported by Professor
William Bertrand of Tulane University and
Dr. Mbaranga Gasarbwe, the UN Assistant
Secretary for Safety and Security.
Robert Smith, a philanthropist from the
United States has come forward to provide
full scholarships to 23 of the Chibok
schoolgirls who escaped from Boko
Haram, and who now study on the AUN
campus. He will be honored in a ceremony
at Founder’s Day on November 14th.
In addition to these young women, over
110 Almajiri boys are presently enrolled in
a Feed and Read program of the University. Each of these children gets a meal per
day and is enrolled in literacy classes run
by AUN student volunteers. The University
has also acquired equipment to mount
mobile radio literacy classes for the larger
Adamawa community.
Dr. Ensign envisaged the #EducateOurGirls campaign to “…raise global awareness to the need to focus on the education
of girls and boys in the North East region
of Nigeria and…provide citizens across the
globe with the opportunity to demonstrate
unflinching support for the rights of girls
AUN Schools Reposition
T
here is a visionary new educator in town. Seasoned administrator, Mrs. Nkem
Uzowulu, has taken over as Executive Director of AUN Schools. From the new
position, she takes charge of the AUN Early Learning Center, AUN Academy
(Elementary), The Charter School, and AUN Academy (Secondary).
Mrs. Uzowulu is the fifth principal since the Academy was established in 2002.
Bringing fresh ideas and iron-clad discipline, Mrs. Uzowulu said her target of
repositioning AUN Schools goes beyond merely being the best in northeast Nigeria.
“Neither is my target Nigeria. My target is international. I want to raise children who
can stand side by side with any child from any part of the world. That is my goal.”
In pursuit of this goal, she has introduced different strategies that include a
motivational curriculum, early morning classes, more prep time, extra tutoring for
students taking external examinations, guidance and counseling services, and enhanced
teachers’ welfare. The new helmswoman believes the planners of the Academy have
already done a huge part in providing an ambience for excellence.
“The first day I drove into this college, I was proud of the neat teaching and
learning-friendly environment. Add excellent curriculum and motivated teachers and you
get first rate students. My task now is to motivate the students to become the best they
can be, to realize the sacrifice their parents made bringing them to this quality environment, and to aim for the sky. More hard work does not kill; it brings out the best in you.”
and women to pursue their education in a
safe environment.
“We are asking the citizens of the world
to put their money where their hashtags are
and tangibly express their support for
education and for protection of the human
rights of these girls.”
Professor Bertrand pointed out that
educating young girls has a positive
correlation to development in the health of
the general population.
“Educated women tend to have fewer
children and take better care of the children
that they have. As a result, society has a
higher quality of human capital at every
level and the quality of life improves for
all. This is one of the core elements that
goes into creating an environment that will
fight off epidemic threats and encourage
better health for the people,” he said at the
9th AUN Founder’s Day where he
delivered the keynote address.
Indimi, Dangote Swell
IDPs Appeal Fund
W
ith the goal of rehabilitating
survivors of the Boko Haram
violence, AUN launched a N1 Billion
Insurgency Intervention Fund. Soon
after the launch, the AUN-API
received a N100 million donation from
a Borno philanthropist and Chairman
of Oriental Energy Resources
Limited, Alhaji Muhammad Indimi,
through the Executive Governor of
Adamawa State, Alhaji Muhammad
Umaru Jibrilla. Dr. Indimi is a proud
parent of three AUN graduates,
including a pioneer student.
The Fund launch was held at the
same time as the 20th anniversary
of Afrinvest West Africa Limited.
Afrinvest is offering pro bono advisory
services to the Fund. The Fund has
also received a boost from one of
Africa’s leading industrialists and
philanthropists, Alhaji Aliko Dangote,
who promised to assist the IDPs at the
Lagos event that was held on October 6.
Two weeks later, on October 15,
Dangote Foundation sent in N50
million donation, which included N35
million worth of items: rice, spaghetti,
sugar, seasonings, salt, vegetable oil,
and 5,000 blankets.
‘Inside AUN’ is a quarterly publication of the Office of Communications & Public Relations, American University of Nigeria, Yola
Editorial: Innocent Nwobodo (Director); Omorogbe Omorogiuwa, Nelly Ating Photographs: Abubakar Jibrilla, Innocent Theophilus
Editor: Daniel Okereke 0805 821 8790 Contact: communications@aun.edu.ng

Class of 2019 - American University of Nigeria

Transcription

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