Professor Yakubu Ochefu: The gentle, giant, academic departs CVCNU

Describing a professor as highly cerebral, in certain circumstances, may sound redundant. Otherwise, some may ask, why is he/she a professor? This becomes tenable however, when you are in the midst of men and women of letters and the need arises for you to try differentiating between ‘six and half a dozen.’ So it was, Thursday, October 31, 2024, at an Events Centre tucked in the Asoko Military Zone where de crème de la crème of the nation’s academia gathered to honour one of their own: Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu, a pivot of the Col. Anthony Ochefu clan. Professor Ochefu is essentially a Historian with historical significance. He is a professor of history and the son of the former Military Governor of defunct Eastern State. Professor Ochefu is a man of tremendous stature; physically and otherwise. He stands above six feet with a huge frame that passes him for a typical American Basketballer. No wonder, he was an avid sportsman who represented his alma mater in Judo, cricket, hockey and basketball at the Nigerian Universities Games (NUGA). Ochefu is a professor of Economic History and Development Studies. He is a unique historian with a penchant for perplexing inquisition into the sciences. His recent intellectual pursuits include “researching disruptive technologies,” “Artificial Intelligence,” “Virtual/Augmented/ Mixed Reality” and “Quantum Computing.” He is truly a man of many parts. A thorough academic and prolific administrator who has traversed the halls of many University Senates, either as Dean, Deputy Vice Chancellor or Vice Chancellor. Thursday’s gathering was actually a Sent-Forth Ceremony in commemoration of the end of another tour of duty as he clocks out as the Secretary General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, marking the end of a term of five years. It was an occasion that was truly worth its billing as the huge hall brimmed with friends, family, colleagues and associates. In short, there were dignitaries from all works of life who took turns to eulogise Professor Ochefu. Phrases and words like, “record breaker”, “goal getter”, emotionally stable, humble, amiable, cheerful, caring, kind, spontaneous, etc were deployed repeatedly to describe the one I refer to as a ‘gentle giant.’ Professor Ochefu is that proverbial giant upon whose shoulder one must stand to see further than others. Of particular note were goodwill messages by Arc Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Educations Trust Fund (TERTFund). Arc Echono recounted how Prof. Ochefu helped out when the Fund needed help regarding the deployment of technology to achieve the Fund’s mandate. Also notable were the vivid accounts given by Professor Tijjani Morah, immediate past Chairman of the Conference of Alumni Association of Nigerian Universities (CANNU), Professor Patrick Akase of the Historical Society of Nigeria and Professor Adaji. The list is longer. Not to mention the inspiring recollections by staff of CVCNU who took turns to update the audience with Professor Ochefu’s uniquely motivating work ethic and mentorship acumen. Fireside with Prof OchefuFireside with Professor Ochefu was a brief chat shop that enabled the audience to have a taste of the pudding. In crisp, clinical elocution, the the professors did a troubleshoot of some nagging challenges that currently buffet the educational sector, especially tertiary institutions. The celebrant, for instance, expressed concern about the lack of preparedness of Nigerian universities for the incoming Generation-Alpha. “So far its been a heck of a time accommodating Generation Z,” he argued. He therefore thinks that the Nigerian University system has not been adequately configured to manage the incoming generation alpha. “Gen-Alpha are born with iPhone in their hands and AI enhanced, etc,” he said, He wonders if the current technological milieu prevalent in the nation’s universities is enabled to accommodate this group. Professor Tijjani Morah, one of the panelists at the fireside with Professor Ochefu lamented the lack of willingness by members of Alumni Associations of Nigerian universities to give back to their alma mater. To further compound the problem, even where they attempt to intervene, Prof. Tijjani argued, some Vice Chancellors do not offer necessary cooperation but view the alumni as competitors.

NELFUND speaks on exclusion of private varsities from scheme

The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has explained that the government’s student loan scheme is currently limited to public tertiary institutions to ensure that limited resources are used to support as many students as possible. Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, the Managing Director of NELFund, Akintunde Sawyerr, revealed that the decision to exclude private institutions was driven by the need to target the most vulnerable students, many of whom attend public institutions where tuition fees are relatively low. “We’re working with public funds, and the resources are limited. Most of the students who need this support are in public schools, where fees are affordable. It’s about prioritising and helping more people with the available funds,” Mr Sawyerr explained. Possible inclusion of private institutions? While the scheme is currently exclusive to public schools, Mr Sawyerr hinted at the possibility of expanding to private institutions in the future. He said: “When I spoke with the President (President Bola Tinubu), he expressed his desire that the fund should be available to all Nigerians. But you have to manage funds and start somewhere. I do not doubt that at some point in the future, it will be expanded.” He acknowledged that fees in private institutions are significantly higher, sometimes running into millions, “which makes it challenging for the current funding structure to accommodate them.” “We’re focused on trying to help as many as possible, rather than a few. We have to manage funds,” he added. According to Mr Sawyerr, the Fund has already disbursed N10 billion to about 90,970 students, with plans to disburse an additional N92 billion for the next academic session. The scheme, initially signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023, provides interest-free loans to cover institutional fees and a monthly allowance of N20,000 for upkeep. Mr Sawyerr highlighted that the application process began in May 2024 with a pilot phase targeting federal institutions. The loan covers tuition fees, paid directly to the schools, and beneficiaries are expected to begin repaying two years after completing their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, provided they are employed. The repayment process involves employers deducting 10 per cent of a beneficiary’s salary until the loan is fully repaid. Geographical disparities in applications On the issue of loan applications, Mr Sawyerr noted a regional disparity, with more applications coming from northern Nigeria. He attributed this to a higher concentration of public institutions in the north, as well as cultural differences in attitudes toward loans. “We noticed that a good number of the people from the south study in the north and have applied. There’s a sort of geographical disparity but not by state of origin. There seems to be a lesser level of enthusiasm in the southeast, south-west, and south-south,” he said He also addressed concerns about the loan application process, emphasising that NELFund has adopted an electronic, data-driven system to minimize human interference and reduce the risk of corruption. He added that applicants are required to provide unique identifiers, including their JAMB number, National Identification Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN), and matriculation number, which he said are verified against institutional records. “We match it with what the institution has provided us and know that we are dealing with an individual. It’s an IT-based system. They’re bound to have challenges but it’s a generally simple portal to engage with,” he said While there have been some challenges with the online application process, Mr Sawyerr reassured that the Fund’s support staff are available to resolve any issue. He said: “We recognise that anywhere you have systems like this, you can have people attacking the site, wanting to insert ghost students, and doing identity hijacking. We are very careful to put in place processes that ensure we don’t pay people who sneak into our database.”