PRE-DEGREE/CERTIFICATE REGISTRATION/SCHOOL FEES
Senate Pardons De-registered Final Year Students, Elects Reps Into Boards …Reduces CCE Programme Duration By Otikor Samuel
- Details
- Published: 29 August 2018
In addition to approving almost all results presented to it from the School of Graduate Studies and all other faculties except Law, Senate has recalled the 2015/2016 final year students, whose certificates were withdrawn for various reasons, especially those awarded in error. The affected students paid their charges after the deadline for registration had expired on October 4, 2016.
Making a presentation on the floor of the Senate entitled: Appeal on 2015/2016 Payment of School Charges and Registration, the Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of Senate, Professor Ndowa Lale, disclosed that a total of 1,227 supposedly final year students in that category surreptitiously paid their charges after the expiration of the deadline in 2016.
The Vice-Chancellor recalled that the defunct Students' Union Executive in a memorandum dated June 6, 2016, submitted a 7-point resolution to Senate as a fallout of the April 11, 2016 violent protest, following which Senate at the 422nd Meeting (Extraordinary) decided on the modalities for payment. He, however, regretted that some of the returning final year students failed to keep to the modalities that were mutually agreed upon aimed at reducing the financial burden on them as proposed by the Union leaders themselves and accepted by Senate as a precondition for ending the stalemate, resulting in the withdrawal of their degree certificates. He said that Senate decided to withdraw their certificates because the students failed to pay the outstanding charge of N45,000 wholly or in two instalments before the deadline of October 4, 2016.
However, reprieve came the way of the students to enable them formally graduate and become useful members of society as Senate at its 439th Meeting held on Friday, August 10, 2018, granted them a one-year concession to re-enrol and complete their programmes in the 2018/19 academic session. Senate further explained that the special amnesty did not apply to students in their terminal extra year, because they
had earlier been granted similar concession in the past.
Senate further directed the affected students to pay the statutory charges, register their courses and re-sit examinations in the 2018/19 session to enable them graduate. For those who had gone through the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Senate decided that the certificates of such students would be ratified after they had satisfied the stipulated requirements for graduation.
The affected students included 193 who paid charges for the 2015/16 session after October 4, 2016, whose results were erroneously approved by Senate, and subsequently withdrawn at its 432nd Meeting (Extraordinary) held on Thursday, July 20, 2017. The second category comprised 56 final year students whose results were approved by Senate in error and have collected their certificates. The third category were 45 final year students who paid the 2015/16 charges after October 4, 2016, whose results were approved by Senate in error and their names included in the 31st Convocation Brochure.
The fourth category comprised final year students whose results were approved by Senate, their degree results approved and were mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps. The fifth category were 173 final year students whose results were approved in error and later withdrawn by Senate and did not register for the 2016/17 session. The last category comprised final year and first extra-year students in the 2015/16 session, who did not return to the University to complete their programmes and graduate in the 2016/17 session. This category of students did not also register in the 2017/18 session since they had exceeded the maximum residency period allowed for their programmes.
In another development, Senate elected its representatives into University Boards and Committees. Those elected are Professors Gregory Avwiri and Victor Dapper (Appointments and Promotions Committee, Academic), Professors Matthew Wegwu and Ekanem Wokoma for A&PC (SPATS), Professors Raphael Ngochindo and Gordian Obute (Institute of Agricultural Research and Development, IARD), Professor Christie Omego (University Demonstration Primary School), Professors Prince Asagba and Obi Kemjika (University Demonstration Secondary School), Professors Lucky Odokuma and Onyemaechi Udumukwu (School of Graduate Studies) and Professor Samuel Uzoigwe (University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital).
Others are: Professor Johnson Okpako (College of Continuing Education), Professors Barbara Otaigbe, Christie Mato and Oledinma Nwanna-Nzewunwa (Honorary Degree Committee), Drs. Jonah Nwogu and Stanley Okoroafor (Publications Committee) and Dr. Joseph Omoankhanlen (Senate Committee on Academic Policies and Programmes).
The Chairman of Senate, Professor Lale, had earlier announced the appointments of Professor Ephraim Chukwuocha as new Dean of the Faculty of Science, Drs. Chukwuba Ossia, Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Olutayo Adedokun as Acting Head of Department of Crop and Soil Science, Chukwuma Okeafor, Acting Head of the Department of Mental Health, Clive Krama, Acting Head of Theatre and Film Studies, Joseph Omoankhanlen, Acting Head of the Department of Management and Peter Ekunwe, Acting Head, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension.
Professor Lale also announced the appointments of Dr. Emeka Amechi as Acting Head of the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, Uzuazo Etemire, Acting Head, Jurisprudence and International Law, Yehuwah Chad-Umoren, Acting Head of the Department of Physics, and reappointment of Drs Abayomi Omotoso, Coordinator, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, and Nkechi Ezenobi, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology.
The Chairman informed Senate that Professor Tamunoimi Abbey of the Department of Physics was recently appointed the new Rector of Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny.
The Chairman enjoined staff to always carry out their responsibilities dutifully to stem avoidable legal actions against the University. He frowned at instances where some of the issues that dragged the University to court resulted from careless omissions committed by staff acting unilaterally without due consultation.
“When Senate makes decisions, faculties and departments must implement them to the letter. Henceforth, we will hold faculties and departments responsible for any observed lapses,” the Chairman vowed. Senate invoked sanctions against staff who failed to submit their outstanding First Semester results for the 2017/18 as at Friday, July 30, 2018. They are to forfeit certain percentage of their salaries as earlier directed by Senate, which also reaffirmed its directive that lecturers should not be allowed to teach courses alone.
This followed presentation of report of the Second Semester 2016/2017 and First Semester 2017/18 session course evaluation and examination monitoring by the Director of Quality Assurance and Quality Control Unit, Professor Ikechukwu Agbagwa. The report indicted some lecturers and departments for teaching courses alone, late commencement of examination, sudden change of venue, examination cancellation and postponement. The Unit was charged to also applaud lecturers and departments that complied with Senate directives in subsequent reports.
The apex academic policy regulatory body considered and approved applications for temporary withdrawal from studies and resumption of studies by students, including requests for the appointment of External Examiners in the Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Forestry and Wildlife Management, Fine Arts and Design, Music, Hospitality Management and Tourism, and Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy.
It also approved a proposal for the commencement of new programmes in the School of Graduate Studies. The programmes are: Master of Science degree in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry and the Doctoral degree in Animal Nutrition and Agricultural Biochemistry, Master of Science degrees in Animal Breeding (Genetics and Biotechnology Option), Livestock Production (Pasture and Range Management Option), and Animal Nutrition and Agricultural Biochemistry.
Senate also ratified a proposal by its Committee on Academic Policies and Programmes (SCAPP) to reduce the duration of Part-time degree programmes in the College of Continuing Education from five to four years with three terms in each academic session.
Senate had earlier observed a 'Minute of Silence' in honour of Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah, who was a major benefactor and friend of the University.
