Tag Archives: UniJos

Nigerian govt. must intervene to prevent extinction of minority languages – Experts

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Nigeria’s government needs to restrategise on a national language policy to avoid about 50 indigenous minority languages going to extinction, an expert has said.

The President, Linguistic Association of Nigeria, LAN, Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche, stated this on Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the 29th annual conference of the association holding at the University of Jos, Plateau State.

She did not list the affected minority languages, some of the over 250 languages spoken by different ethnic groups across Nigeria.

“Let me also use this opportunity to advise the federal government on the need to reawaken the national language policy project which is moribund already,” she said.

Represented by LAN Vice President Harrison Adeniye, Ms. Ohiri-Aniche called for the establishment of language centres to prevent possible extinction of most minority languages in the country.

“We would like to use this opportunity to remind you, sir, of the promise made on behalf of the university to establish the centre for minority languages in your institution,” she said while addressing the representative of the vice chancellor of the Jos university.

“We know this centre when established will go a long way in documenting and revitalizing well over fifty languages, most of which are moribund.”

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Sebastian Maimako, in an address lamented that there was a decline in cultural and ethnic language speaking among some Nigerians.

Represented by the Dean, Faculty of Arts, of the university, Tor Iorapuu, Mr. Maimako charged the linguistic association to fashion out a way of revitalizing moribund languages in the country.

“Given this unfortunate situation of language and cultural decline in our various immediate communities, I enjoin you as teachers, scholars and professional researchers in the academic discipline of linguist as well as in other related areas of language studies to deliberate and fashion out viable means of readdressing issues of inadequacies relating to the documentation and revitalization of minority languages in Nigeria.”

The Vice Chancellor charged parents and teachers to teach young people how to speak and write in local languages.

“Revitalization of minority languages in Nigeria is key, such that our children can grow to speak and write in our indigenous languages,” he said.

The LAN 5-day annual national conference ends on Friday after which a communiqué is expected.

University of Jos suspends female professor caught cheating in exams.

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The University of Jos (UNIJOS) has suspended one of its academic staff who was allegedly caught cheating while writing an examination on May 4, PREMIUM TIMES can report today.

Benedicta Daudu, an associate professor of law and former head of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law of the Faculty of Law in UNIJOS, was allegedly caught copying from a prepared answer during an examination for a Master’s degree in Research and Public Policy in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the same university.

The development was exclusively reported by PREMIUM TIMES on May 21, frustrating what some staff and student described as a plot by the university to cover up the matter.

After the report, Mrs. Daudu’s membership of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption was immediately suspended.

Insiders at UNIJOS have now told PREMIUM TIMES that the lecturer has been suspended from work, and from the masters programme.

“I can confirm to you that the Senate Disciplinary Committee found her guilty of the allegations, and has suspended her from the Masters programme for two semesters,” an official of the university told this newspaper.

“Also, the matter was referred to the Staff Disciplinary Committee which also suspended her from work. So she is no longer teaching.”

Another official of the university said the professor sued the institution over her suspension.

The status of the court case remained unclear as at the time of publishing this report on Monday.

All UNIJOS officials who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on the matter asked not be named for fear they might be accused of plotting the professor’s downfall.

Even the spokesperson for the university, Abdullahi Abdullahi, simply said, “Please, please, I have no comment on this matter.”

When contacted by telephone on Monday, Mrs. Daudu, the affected professor said, “Please excuse me, please, please” after our reporter asked her for updates on her examination malpractice case.

Asked when the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) would allow the professor back to her post, Executive Secretary, Bolaji Owasanoye, said, “Until matter is resolved, she remains away from PACAC.”

The committee, headed by prominent law professor and civil rights campaigner, Itse Sagay, and made up of mainly university professors, is the intellectual wing of Mr Buhari’s anti-corruption war.

The mandate of the committee includes advising the President on the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign and criminal justice system.

Although she has a Masters in Law, the associate professor was working towards another masters in Research and Public Policy.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the department later accused her of sneaking in prepared answers, also referred to as “chokes” by students, during the examination for the Global Context in Public Policy course.

ASUU Drills 18 Professors Jostling For UNIJOS VC Post

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The local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have invited and drilled 18 professors jostling for appointment as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the 40-year-old university.

Secretary of ASUU, Dr. Lazarus Maigoro, who also served as the chairman of the organising committee for the session where the applicants were asked questions, said that the professors got high scores at the end of the drilling.

He said the association, led by its local chapter chairman, Dr. Christopher Piwuna, initiated the interaction with the applicants in conjunction with the UNIJOS Advancement Office.  The governing council is expected to commence the interview of the applicants from today and over the next three days.

Credit: DailyTrust

 

UNIJOS ASUU Calls Off Strike After Three Months

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the University of Jos (UNIJOS) has suspended the three month old industrial action embarked upon to press home their demands from the school authority.

Rising from an emergency congress meeting of the association at the union’s secretariat in Jos, the Branch Chairman, Chris Piwun, expressed satisfaction with the agreement arrived between the union and the school as well as the conduct of the members which resulted in suspending the industrial action.

Students of UNIJOS have been at home for three months, following the strike embarked on by their lecturers over several issues affecting the academic staff of the university.

Issues in contention include payment of deductions from the academic staff union members, post graduate allowance, absorption of the staff of remedial science and Centre for Continuing Education into parent departments.

Credit: ChannelsTV

 

16 Students Arrested By JTF For Alleged Cult Related Activities

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Members of the Special Taskforce on Jos crisis sector 2, located along Dogon Dutse, Jos North local government area of Plateau State, stormed the University of Jos night and arrested 16 students.

According to a student of the institution, Ogene Jude, who is also the National President of the Political Science Students Association, the affected students were picked at the hostels at about 2:00 a.m. early hours of Tuesday.

The student union leader said efforts to secure the release of the students from the security agents have not been fruitful, as the taskforce denied them access to their colleagues and refuse to inform them of the offence against the said students.

The media officer of the Special Taskforce, Ikedichi Iweha, said via telephone interview that he required more time to confirm the incident. Subsequently, Mr. Iweha, an Army Captain, did not pick his calls when our reporter called back.

But a security officer who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to journalists on the matter confirmed the arrest of the students. He said the students were arrested and are being interrogated for their alleged involvement in cult related activities.

Read More: premiumtimesng