18-year-old girl makes history as youngest person to pass UK Bar Exam [PHOTOS]

Gabrielle Turnquest, from Windermere, has demonstrated superior academic prowess to become the youngest person to qualify as a barrister in the U.K.

She was called to the Bar of England and Wales after passing her exams with flying colors at just 18.

What makes this achievement even more extraordinary is that the average lawyer undertakes the notoriously rigorous Bar Professional Training Course when they are 27, according to The University of Law records.

OAU rated the Best University in Nigeria, Auchi Poly Dust Unilag

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has been ranked as the best university in Nigeria and the eighth in Africa.

This was revealed in the latest webometric ranking conducted by a world renowned research council, Cybermetrics Lab, which is based in Spain.

Kiyoandfilo learnt that in the list of ten best universities in Arica, South African universities occupies the first to third position; they also held on to the fifth, sixth,seventh and ninth position. Meanwhile, Makerere University of Uganda occupies the fourth position, while Cairo University of Egypt is the tenth best university in Africa.

Auchi Polytechnic, University of Ibadan and University of Lagos ranked 23, 24 and 25 in Africa, while University of Ghana ranked 18.

Kogi State University VC sacked, Council Dissolved

The Vice Chancellor of Kogi State University, Anyigba, Prof. Hassan Isah, has been sacked by the Kogi state government. Also the governing council of the institution has been dissolved. The shake-up in the administration of the state owned tertiary institution, followed the recent audit carried out in the institution, which seriously indicted the vice chancellor for allegedly mismanaging the resources of the institution, to the tune of over N200million according to sources from Lord Laggard. House, the seat of Government, in Lokoja, The deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, has been asked to over the administration of the university pending new appointments.

The audit exercise carried out in the institution had generated a lot of controversies in the university with, some senior lecturers in the institution who opposed the re-appointment of the vice chancellor, threatening to go on strike unless the report is implemented by the Government.

NLC Threatens To Join ASUU Strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday threatened to join the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in solidarity strike if the federal government failed to address the ASUU demands.

NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, made the threat at the opening ceremony of the “2013 Rain School” in Uyo.

“We call on the federal government to have meaningful dialogue with ASUU with a view to implementing the agreement.

“The state governments should equally obey the law and pay minimum wage to teachers and the local government workers as well as the 27.5 per cent teacher's enhanced salaries.

“Should these strikes persist, workers of Nigeria will not hesitate to join them in solidarity," he stressed.

I didn’t graduate with third class – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Sunday, said he graduated with Second Class Upper Division and not Third Class Honour from the University College, Ibadan, as widely believed.

He said this while fielding questions from 79 secondary school students drawn from different parts of the country, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as part of 2013 Open Door Series project, “Memoirs of Our Future,” an international cultural exchange programme organised to mark his 79th birthday.

The programme was organised by a Lagos-based multi-media company, Zmirage, in collaboration with the Ogun State government.

Soyinka told the students that he decided to open up on the matter as a mark of respect for

Nigerian Student Jailed In UK over Fake Marriage (PHOTOS)

 

A 29-year-old Nigerian, Jayeola Abiola was yesterday sentenced to 12 months in jail in UK for a sham marriage.

To be able to stay in UK, the Hull University masters student paid a Portuguese, Vania Pinheiro-Fernandes, 29, to be his bride. He also paid another Nigerian, Ayodeji Abbis £1,000 to act as the best man.

The couple were caught when officers of the UK Border Agency were tipped off by the Hull Registrar that the couple seemed to barely know each other when they were interviewed at the rehearsal.

Crown barrister David Bradshaw said Jayeola Abiola was a Nigerian student in Hull

ASUU Strike: FG Meets with Vice-Chancellors

As the indefinite strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enters its second week, the federal government has summoned the vice-chancellors of all public universities in Nigeria to discuss issues that caused the strike.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufa'i, met with the VCs at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, Monday where she pleaded with the striking union to return to work, while negotiations continue.

This is as she disclosed that the Education ministry, along side ASUU National Executive Council members would meet with the Senate and House Committee on Education Tuesday.

“I believe after that meeting tomorrow, you will know the relationship between government and ASUU. But the good thing is that we always plead that let them go back to the classes. The

Secondary School in LagosTurns Brothel

A school that was turned into a brothel where hoodlums pay guards to allow them Be Intimate with their female companions at night has been raided by Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.

During the raid, two guards at the school, Ilupeju Grammar School, located at Ilupeju in Oshodi, were arrested and charged to court in connection with their alleged despicable roles in the matter.

PM News investigations revealed that the two guards, 60-year old Mr. Julius Okenla, and 45-year old Mr. Adebowale Adeloye, were accused of allowing hoodlums to sleep with their female friends in the school after they had allegedly been paid.

It was gathered that hoodlums who want to sleep in the school pay between N200 and N300 to the guards, while those with female companions pay N700 to be allowed to sleep in the school to Be Intimate.

PHOTOS: 20-year-old Nigerian Bags First Class Degree in Law at UK University

A law student from GRA, Benin City, Osarieme Anita Omonuwa has placed an official stamp on the common saying that Nigeria is blessed with the best brains in the world – on July 3, Osarieme bagged a First Class degree in Law at Reading University in the United Kingdom.

Miss Omonuwa, 20, who hails from Edo State in Nigeria, also received the 2012 prestigious “Chancellor's Award” of the university for her outstanding academic performance. With this feat, Anita became the first black woman to win the Reading University Chancellor's Award.

"I chose the University of Reading as my brother is a graduate and he loved the student experience. The unprecedented academic standard, diversity of students and above all the location confirmed my decision. Coming to Reading was one of the best decisions I have ever made," Anita said.

The chancellor of the university, Sir John Madejski, on the occasion of the award presentation last Wednesday, described Omonuwa as “representative of our brightest and best students”.

KandF gathered that Anita’s father, Mr. Omoruyi Augustine Omonuwa, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and holder of national honour, Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

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ASUU Embarks on Indefinite Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on an indefinite strike following the failure of the federal government to implement part of the 2009 agreement reached by the two parties.

The union’s demands include the upward review of the retirement age for professors from 65 to 70; adequate funding to revitalise the university system; progressive increase of budgetary allocations to the education sector by 26 per cent; transfer of federal government property to universities; setting up of research and development units by companies; payment of earned allowances; and renegotiation of the signed agreement.

Briefing journalists in Lagos yesterday, Chairman of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch of the union, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, said after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ogun State, it directed its members to down tools immediately as a result of the federal government’s failure to pay the academics earned allowances which included excess workload, administrative responsibilities, and postgraduate supervisory allowances, among others.

15 lecturers demoted for having faked Ph.D degrees certificate in Ebonyi

NO fewer than 15 lecturers of Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo were weekend, demoted over alleged involvement in certificate forgery and for claiming to have acquired Ph.D degrees from reputable institutions outside the country.

Management of the college, on receipt of the report and recommendations of the committee set up to look into the alleged claims by the lecturers, said the exercise was not meant to witch-hunt anybody in particular but to ensure sanity and discipline within the education sector in the state.

At a press briefing in Abakaliki, Special Adviser to Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State on Higher Education, Professor Mike Ituma, revealed that the discovery came as a shock, stressing that the action of the affected lecturers was a reflection of the level of decay ravaging the sector.

According to him, the action of the management of the college is a step in the right direction and government is completely in support of the action against the lecturers.

In a statement, Public Relations Officer of the college, Mr. Nkwuda Bethrand Otukobelu, noted that the 15 affected lecturers would not be allowed to run any promotion course packaged by the college till after three years.

Kwara State University Expels 28 Students for various offences

At least twenty eight students have again been expelled from the Kwara State University for contravening various offences against the institution’s rules and regulations. The students according to the Deputy Registrar, Mr. Shuaib A. Mohammed, were expelled for miscellaneous offences including examination malpractice, theft, engagement in physical combat with fellow students, possession of dangerous weapons and membership of unregistered association(s).

The deputy registrar, who spoke with newsmen in his office at Malete, the permanent site of the university said “some of them were expelled for exam malpractice. Some were involved in the act of misconduct, while some belonged to an unregistered association. For example, there was a case of a boy who used knife to fight and injure his fellow students. There was another case of three boys who were caught around 1am holding a meeting in the bush. They were caught and throughout the panel session, they failed to disclose other members’ identities. So we had to expel them.

He said some students’ cases are still pending and that if the investigation team finds them guilty of offences for which they were alleged, they would eventually be expelled too.

Poly students shut down Ikorodu road in protest

There is heavy traffic on the Ikorodu expressway, Lagos as students of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State are protesting the long strike caused by disagreement between the Federal Government and academic staff of the school.

The students said although their school is located in Ogun State, they decided to protest on Ikorodu Road, Lagos because the road is owned by the Federal Government.

The students, who are over 200, are also calling on students in other higher institutions in Lagos to join their cause.

FG To Bear Burial Expenses of NANs’ Officials Killed In Auto Crash

The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, said on Sunday in Umuahia that the Federal Government would bear the expenses incurred on the burial of five NANS officials who died in an auto crash.

The officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) lost their lives on June 13 in a road accident on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road.

A statement signed by Mr Aliyu Othman, the Special Assistant (Media) to the minister, said that Rufa'i made the promise when she visited the survivors of the accident at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.

Rufa'i made cash donations to two of the victims, Uchenna Ogwo and Anumodo Chidibere, who were still receiving treatment at the hospital.

She assured them and their families of the government's support for their full recovery

Rufa'i, who also met with those that had been discharged from the hospital, announced an undisclosed cash donation to them.

The minister was accompanied on the visit by Sir Emeka Ananaba Abia’s Deputy Governor; Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) and Prof. Hilary Edeoga, the Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. (NAN)

UNIBEN sacks two Professors, Bursar

The Governing Council of University of Benin (UNIBEN) has terminated the appointment of 18 senior staff of the university.The former bursar of the institution, Mrs May Nwoye, was also asked to proceed on compulsory retirement by the Council. Nwoye was said to haveabandoned his duty post after she left the office of bursar.

Meanwhile, the university has been ranked as the most sought after institution in the country with a total number of 102,900 applicants in 2013, while universities of Ilorin, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe and University of Nigeria Nsukka came second, third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Those were contained in a statement by the UNIBEN Registrar, Mrs G.O.Ogboghodo.

WONDER TWINS: Nigerian Family Considered Best, Brightest in Britain

To say the least, the Imafidon family has been blessed with some very smart genes.

The latest bit of evidence came earlier this month when twins Paula and Peter Imafidon aced rigorous exams of the highly competitive British school system and were admitted to high school. Both are only 9 and the youngest ever admitted to high school in Great Britain.

Dubbed the “Wonder Twins,” they broke records when they passed advanced-level mathematics papers at the age of 7. A year later they took and passed the University of Cambridge’s Advanced Mathematics (FAM) paper, becoming the youngest students ever to pass the examinations.

Peter has ambitions to one day become prime minister, while his sister wants to be a math teacher.

The Imafidon twins are only a part of the highest-achieving family in the history of Great Britain. To Peter and Paula’s parents, who immigrated to London from Nigeria 30 years ago, this is nothing new.

WONDER KID: 10-year-old Boy to enter Harvard this fall

He's only 10-years old but thanks to an IQ similar to Albert Einstein's, Luis Roberto Ramirez will begin the next school year studying applied quantum physics at Harvard University.

"My dream is to create a company and sell my inventions," the boy said on a video aired by the Michoacan Radio and Television System.

Ramirez, who lives in Zamora, Michoacan, taught himself English at 5 and is now learning to speak French and Chinese.

He was identified as highly gifted just two years ago when his parents began to see he had problems relating to other children, and that his priorities and tastes were unlike anything that might be expected of a child his age.

It was then he was determined to have an IQ of between 152 and 160, around Einstein's level.

"It makes us very proud but it's also a big responsibility," his father, Roberto Ramirez, said.

Two Nigerian students in Canada spend one year in Churches while their colleagues graduates

Victoria Ordu has one wish for her 22nd birthday on June 28 - to be granted permission to continue her studies at the University of Regina.

She and fellow Nigerian student Ihuoma Amadi have been in sanctuary for one year today; compelled into hiding after they were ordered to leave Canada for unknowingly breaking their study permits by working for two weeks off-campus.

The Leader-Post told their story last September, but after spending 12 months in the sanctuary of a Regina church, they look years wearier than they did then.

Kay Adebogun, a Regina immigration consultant who took on their case pro bono, speaks about keeping the faith and remaining strong.

As he does so, Amadi scrunches her hands into fists and puts them over her eyes, her head hanging down.

Unlike September, neither of the girls cries; it seems almost as though they've shed the tears they have.

"It's emotionally draining," admits Ordu.

"We can only hope for the best and pray (immigration minister) Jason Kenney makes a decision that will help us."

She looks at her feet, playing with her flip-flops.

ESUT sacks 5 lecturers over alteration of students’ grades

The Governing Council of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Wednesday, terminated the appointment of five staff of the University for alleged alteration of students’ grades.

The four lecturers and the staff who is a computer operator, according to a statement by the Director, Public Relations of the institution,  Mr. Ossy Ugwuoti,  were from the department of Computer Engineering of the university.

Ugwuoti said one of the sanctioned lecturers (names withheld), who had served as Head of the Department of Computer Engineering, had engaged the others in the alteration of the grades submitted to him by lecturers during the computation of final year results.

He recalled that ESUT Governing Council had at its 129th meeting, warned that severe disciplinary action would be visited on any staff of the university involved in any form of academic fraud.

The disciplinary action against the affected staff was said to be part of efforts to sanitize the institution of corrupt staff whose activities had negatively affected its image.

UNIUYO Shut as Protesting Students Want Vice Chancellor Sacked

The University of Uyo (UNIUYO) in Akwa Ibom State has been closed down indefinitely.

A statement issued by the registrar of the university, Professor Edak Umondak, which was broadcasted on Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation, said the School had been shut indefinitely as the students were asked to vacate the school campus with immediate effect.

Trouble started in the university following the hike of some fees which the students described as arbitrary as they called for the sack of their Vice Chancellor, Professor Comfort Ekpo.

Protesting round the campus to drive home their point, the furious students described the ₦2,000 fee being charged for GST courses registration as well as the introduction of ₦200 as transport fare to the main campus, as outrageous.

Alleging administrative lapses, coupled with the total darkness the school had been thrown in