There Is No Difference Between NDU and Harvard University – VC: Full Radio Talkshow Report

Highlights:

• It is a crime and an offence for any lecturer to impose any book on any student – VC
• Only 5,600 students out of over 20,000 students have registered – VC
• School fees is purely Council matter and we have never discussed that. No School fees is reduced – VC
• The light will not blink unless they are doing something – VC
  …when we must have complete the Faculty of Pharmacy, we will be producing NDU drugs – VC
• Rice Farming project ongoing – VC

Headlines:

The Covid-19 Situation In NDU
NDU’s Readiness For Resumption
Plans for Resumption of Schools
School Fees Deadline
On ICT
Flood
Challenges of the Covid-19 Period
Are Post-Graduate Students Not Part of Resumption?
When Is The Date For Resumption?
Is Virtual (project, thesis) Defence Possible?
On Security

Predegree Students Are Yet To Write Exam: What About Their Admission?
How is the School Prepared for Resumption?
School Fees Reduction
Recent Power Discussions in Amassoma
Infrastructure
Rice Farming
Engine Newsite Road
Post Graduate Application Deadline
Victimization
WAEC/NABTEB/NECO
No Fees, No Results
NDU TV
Ongoing Projcts
Selling of Textbooks

 

The Vice Chancellor of the Niger Delta University has asserted that there is not difference between the Niger Delta University and the Harvard University. The VC made this known in the radio talkshow which took place 11:00am of August 10th, 2020 and had in presence the Vice Chancellor, Niger Delta University, Prof. Samuel Gowon Edoumiekumor and the Director of Works, Engr. Emmanuel Frank Opigo.

The Vice Chancellor who was responding to the first question posed to him by the presenter on how he has been able to handle the institution during the coronavirus pandemic thanked God that despite the coronavirus taking everyone unaware, the university has come out strong and still pressing on. He noted the “we have planned that by this August, we would have ended 2019/2020 academic session and balancing the university academic calendar. And so, we were into the first semester examinations during that February-March before this issues came… telling us to close this institution because of the Covid-19”.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

“So, we have not even ended the 2019/2020 session before this pandemic because we are into the examinatins already. Now when we come back, we will then conclude the examinations and then continue with the second semester for the 2019/2020 academic session. Jamb is still holding meetings with us to know how we will be able to reorder our admission process because of the Covid-19”.

The Covid-19 Situation In NDU

“For us in NDU, the first step was to tell every students to vacate the hostels so that we can follow the protocols accordingly. And because of that, we have not recorded any incidence even outside the University. Non of our students were affected and we are very happy for that”.

“We have also come up with the chemical that will help to fumigate the entire campus of the Covid-19 by the Pharmaceutical unit. So, we are talking to our brothers in Government to patronize the University so that the University will do the fumigation or they will come and buy the chemicals from the University for their fumigation exercise. We have enough and it is properly a researched work just like we have the NDU water. If you go outside the university environment and see what others are selling, our own products are very far compared to other companies because we have the manpower and the technical know-how”

NDU’s Readiness For Resumption

“We have enough classrooms now that can take enough students. So, we are very ready. Even the secondary school, they are preparing their resumption. Today we are forwarding letters to the Ministry of Education, permitting us to allow our set of WAEC students. We will write our WAEC here in NDU, the Demonstration school. So we are very ready. Mind you, the isolation centre we have in the state, belongs to Niger Delta University, even though it is managed by the Ministry of Health in the Teaching Hospital. So, if you have anyone with the symptoms, our staff will not even waste time, you move. So, we are prepared, the only areas is the ASUU strike otherwise, we are fully prepared. And the ASUU strike is beyond our power, it is National”.

Plans for Resumption of Schools

On what plans are on ground ro resume school, Sammy said that “we are very prepared, we are ready. Covid-19 is not very difficult to handle. The instructions of wash your hands, use sanitizer are things that has been with us, so students should form the habit of personal hygience. What we will do is provide running water for all classrooms. We produce detergents, toileteries so students wash their hands as they come in”.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

School Fees Deadline

I want to also inform the university community that the laws establishing the university are very clear. If you have not paid fees and you have not registered, you are not a student. It is becoming worisome where students are just coming, they have not paid fees, they have not registered, no means of identification that you are a student, they come in and cause problems.

“In our records, we do not have more than 5,600 students.., and students of this university are over 20,000 students. So meaning those other students are not students. They are not ready. It is not because of the Covid-19. We have been announcing since last year, and by the records we have, after two weeks of resumption, you have registered, and if you fail to do that, we will give you another two weeks to complete your registration after which it is over. What we are saying is that when we return, we will be very strict about it, so that we will keep accurate records of the system”.

On ICT

Asked how the school has been able to attend conferences online, the VC quickly noted that the management has been able to run the school online because of the current social distance challenges. The VC noted that since 2018 he has been agitating for online presence of the university and so, the University has been doing well in the area of ICT and was never caught unaware.

Flood

On the measures put in place to control the flood as predicted by NIMET, the VC stated that “before now, even in 2018, I made use of speed boat in the library area, bursary and director of works office (admission block). But today, that is settled. We attracted TetFund and we settled that area. So the worst hit position has been elevated and the environment had been elavated beyond that level. So this flood will not affect us like other years on campus”.

Challenges of the Covid-19 Period

“Even before the coronavirus, we have been on subvention since 1st of January, 2018 and the amount is not enough to paying salaries of staff and pensions. All through these period, we have been borrowing to augment and then when we raise money, we pay and this is what we have been doing till this moment. But under the coronavirus, the little business we have been doing becomes very difficult. Even the staff that were working in our entrepreneurshiup center, we have to drop half of them just to survive. So, it has not been so easy. So, we are calling on well meaning individuals, donors to support the university. Since I took over, I have to be very sincere, I have not been given one naira as running cost but I want to be grateful to God and the Government for the dual-carriage way and the Senate building. Even though some parts are incomplete, we packed in to appreciate the building instead of leaving it there and depreciating it”.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

The NDU VC decried that since his Acting Vice Chancellor days till date, he has been striving to generate money internally but no dime from the state government. The VC claimed that “as a public institution, the university records are open to the public as it has become very difficult for the university to raise funds during the Covid-19 period. Recently the Douye government has met with us to ensure most of these issues are addressed”.

“The intention of government is very ok. To control employment and all of that, because you are given a certain amount and you cannot go beyond that. So, it is very ok. But we need to sit down to review it. I am happy council have looked at it, we have written to government, we had the first meeting and we will also have subsequent meetings. That is where we are”.

Are Post-Graduate Students Not Part of Resumption?

“When the Federal government talked about school resumption, universities were not part of it. That is why no university till this moment has resumed for the final year students”

When Is The Date For Resumption?

“Until we have been directed by the Federal government”.

Is Virtual (project, thesis) Defence Possible?

“There is nothing impossible. I will look into that. I will do that”.

On Security

On the security situation in the school, the VC lamented the situation whereby youths from the host and neighbouring communities who were supposed to guide and protect the interest of the community are the ones stealing properties of the school. The VC noted that “when the University of Maiduguri was attacked by bandits, it was the community that stood and ensured that no single property was vandalized and expect same from the NDU environment”.

Predegree Students Are Yet To Write Exam: What About Their Admission?

“You have no problem. It will be resolved. Whatever issues, it will be settled”.

How is the School Prepared for Resumption?

“The school has ambulances already. They situated in the school and upon respumtion, any student with any symptom is taken quickly to Okolobiri without waste of time”.

School Fees Reduction

“Many students do not understand how the university operate. We have the Visitor, we have the council, we have the Chancellor, we have the Pro Chancellor, and the decision are taken according in that way. And the issues of school fees, school fees is purely Council matter and we have never discussed that. No School fees is reduced. Please don’t listen to that. Just pay your normal school fees, do your registration, we already do everything for you. Everything is digital”.

Recent Power Discussions in Amassoma

“This is one of the things the university is doing to benefit the environment. Power is key, that is why when I took over, in 2017 as Acting Vice Chancellor, I addressed the issue of power. We were providing 24/7 power on Campus. But that was diesel. But we decided to talk with the Port Hacourt Eletricity distribution company to give us this dedicated line and all the communities around will benefit from it. We decided to do that because we wanted to help the communities around to come up with their small scale businesses.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

Using small generators and other sources of power, they may not likely prosper. By the time we do that, both NDU and neighbouring communities will benefit from it, but they pay their bills according to their consumptions. The light will not blink unless they are doing something”.

Infrastructure

My desire has been that we will have both theory and practical aspect. Even our plantain plantations, we have started selling plantains. We send Agric students there to learn the practical aspect and that is my heart desire. By the grace of God next year, when we must have complete the Faculty of Pharmacy, we will be producing NDU drugs. All these paracetamol, cough syrups and all that… we have started the process with NAFDAC and they came and saw the place before now, so our Pharmaceutical students, that is where they will have their internship, so that as they are graduating, they will not be looking for jobs, they will be employers of labour, that is my heart desire. And that is why we came up with the entrepreneurship system, that for you to graduate from this university, you must have been skilled”.

Rice Farming

“So, we discussed with NDDC, this our environment, the terrain is very good for rice farming. We now have species of rice you will harvest 3 times in a year. So, when NDDC approached us, we were very happy, we collaborated with them. We have given them the land there for them to cultivate. And then, the state government also came, because of the beyond oil policy, we have also given them land for rice processing plant to build for us here. They have started the building and it is directly opposite the faculty of Agriculture. Because we want our own Agric students to be part of it. We will distribute the students to all these farmers so they get the practical aspect of it”.

Engine Newsite Road

“That road, we just decided to clear that place open, sandfill it. It is internally generated revenue we are using. Recently, we used TetFund to construct the gutter, because of the flood, so that there will be no flood. Gradually we will do that. And we did that one so that one will be able to drive to the Faculty of Agriculture. That road is shorter accessing Newsite, so as we resume, we will pay more attention there. But that does not mean we will not need donors to complete that.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

NDDC promised but you can see what is happening in NDDC. Otherwise, some kilometers of road they have promised, we would have diverted their attention there. They just do that for us and we start using it. Look at that road from the bridge through the roundabout (referring to diamond-beans-hub road), that one we were able to attract it from Seefor”.

Post Graduate Application Deadline

“The form is online. Do not wait until after the pandemic when we must have resumed. I have directed the Dean of Postgraduate school to extend the application deadline. So, it is still ongoing. You can go on and buy”.

“On delay in the PG school, the VC stated that the PG school has been overhauled. I have mandated that Dean of Postgraduate school to submit timetable, time for classes, time for exams, time to defend proposals.. And I do not believe that a student working hard should be delayed. We do not want a programme of 2 years to go beyond 2 years. I have said it severally, if a student is through and a supervisor said he is ok, the Department said it is ok, and the Faculty said it is ok, then the PG school will look at it. So as we are resuming I will be putting eye on the PG school because I do not want Ph.D students who comes for a programme of 3 years, they will then stay for 6 years. It will not be ideal. But most of our problems are coming from the students. So please do a nice work so that there will be no delays”.

Victimization

“There was a question on victimization, that is why we came up with conference marking to resolve these issues. So many issues were raised that this one failed me that one failed me. In order to avoid all that, we say come in with a conference marking. As long as we are woriking, we do not want to put our staff in trouble.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

But I am happy that our lecturers are doing the right thing. With this new system, no one will say he failed me because I did not buy his book. Then as a post-graduate student, if a lecturer is victimizing you, then you should be able to speak up, because you are an adult. If this happens, then it is very sad…”

WAEC/NABTEB/NECO

“WAEC is writing 17th of August and they will end in September, and NABTEB from September till October then NECO will stay till November. We have been discussing virtually with Jamb. When we write our Post UTME (Except otherwise), so the forms are on sale. So, continue to buy”.

No Fees, No Results

“The VC hinted that although the portal is open now for all students to pay and register their courses, no student who failed for pay their fees will see their results”.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635

NDU TV

Prof. Edoumiekumo also hinted while responding to greetings from a caller thanking the VC for the provision of the NDU Radio that NDU Tv is still on the pipeline (being planned) and very soon, it will be out.

Ongoing Projects

The Director of Works, Engr. Emmanuel Frank Opigo listed the ongoing works to include:

1. Faculty of Science which will have 3 floors, massive with offices, classes, toilet facilities, etc.
2. Faculty of Agric classrooms blocks opposite the administrative blocks
3. Chemical Engineering Lab.
4. Diseaster control project, packing lots for Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Management Sciences
5. New Rice mill factory opposite Faculty of Agric.
6. Underwater project where the VC noted that the project was built to train our students in welding works, the Marine aspect of it. That our own people will be going into the Sea and doing pipeline welding.

Selling of Textbooks

The rules of this university is very clear. No lecturer sells any book talkless of course materials. Maybe there is course material a particular student is supposed to have and all that… It is a crime and an offence for any lecturer to impose any book on any student. The VC who appeared to be very firm asserted that there is no difference between NDU and the Harvard University. The VC noted that all our facilities and equipment are up to date and that even some Federal University, Otuoke students comes to NDU Engineering Laboratories to carry out practicals.

NDU Post UTME Application is Ongoing. For Application and Past Questions, Call 08060699054, 08050706635