By Sodeinde Temidayo David

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has flagged off another batch of training on Information Communications Technology for 1,950 of its personnel.

The FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr Adesola Olusade, speaking at the flagship programme at the FCTA ICT Laboratory in Abuja, stated that the exercise is to ensure efficiency.

The ICT training has been carefully structured into 12 streams with 163 participants per batch, every week, all together for 12 weeks, with participants drawn from all the Secretariats, Department and Agencies (SDAs) of the FCTA.

Participants were urged to take the exercise seriously as the administration will assess their performance at the end of the training.

It would be recalled that about one month ago, the council flagged off the first batch of 2021 training for over 60 staff of the administration at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria, Kubwa.

According to the Permanent Secretary, the FCT Administration is poised to ensure that its employees become proficient in the use of technology and then empowered adequately to manage administrative processes and functions digitally.

He stated that ICT has become the fastest, latest, most important and widely used innovative tool and skill in the 21st century and will remain the central, most penetrating and directional influence even in the centuries ahead.

The senior council official noted that the world has become a global village, made possible by the extensive imposition of ICT, which as a result much tasks and problems are accomplished and solved more than ever before.

As explained by the FCTA secretary, ICT has made means of communication become more effective, faster and seamless, including digitalisation and globalisation of businesses, adding that technology is a veritable platform for communication and transactions both in the public and private sectors is fast replacing paperwork.

Mr Adesola also posited that every aspect of lives and official function, such as health management, media, public enlightenment, security, clerical, administrative, monitoring and evaluation and many more can become great and progressively enhanced by the emergence of ICT.

He, therefore, urged all staff of the FCTA to embrace technology as the administration was constantly modernising its daily routine duties and operations as it regularly engages and interfaces with agencies.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Professor Kayode Adebowale has emerged as the 13th Vice-Chancellor of Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council, Mr John Odigie-Oyegun, on Thursday at the Senate Chambers in Ibadan.

He said the Joint Council-Senate Selection Board interviewed the eight candidates shortlisted and the Professor of Chemistry, who until his appointment was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), was preferred to head the 73-year-old university.

Mr Odigie-Oyegun said: “Two representatives of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education were in attendance.

“At the end of the very thorough, transparent and highly competitive exercise, Prof. Kayode Oyebode Adebowale emerged as the best candidate for the position of Vice-Chancellor.

“The Governing Council, at its just-concluded meeting today considered the report of the Selection Board and approved the recommendation of the Board to appoint Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale as the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan.”

Mr Odigie-Oyegun further said that the position of the VC became vacant on December 1, 2020.

In his acceptance speech, Prof Adebowale said that though, he was not the best among all the candidates, he was happy to have been appointed to the institution’s apex position and called for support from the entire university community for his administration.

The selection came almost a year after the process for the appointment of the 13th substantive vice-chancellor at the University of Ibadan was halted. Sixteen candidates had applied to lead the university.

However, the withdrawal of a former Dean, Faculty of Arts of the same institution, Professor Remi Raji-Oyelade, had reduced the number to 15.

Following a screening exercise by the Governing Council of the university, the number of contestants was pruned to eight on Wednesday.

Those who scaled through the screening on Wednesday included the Acting VC, Professor Adebola Ekanola, Professors Yinka Aderinto; Adebowale; Ademowo and Babatunde Salako.

The process of appointing the 13th vice-chancellor of the university began afresh under the newly appointed Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council.

This was due to various allegations of malpractices by various factions within the university community under the former VC, Professor Idowu Olayinka.

The new race, which commenced in the second week of July 2021, came after the decision on the cancellation of the initial process of the VC race by the new Governing Council of the University.

The initial UI VC race, which started in May 2020, ended on November 23 with the directive from the Federal Ministry of Education, through the Nigerian Universities Commission (NCC), due to various crises that marred the election of members of the Senate representatives.

By Sodeinde Temidayo David

The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the nomination of Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf as the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

President Muhammadu Buhari had last week transmitted a letter to the upper chamber of the National Assembly for the confirmation of Justice Baba-Yusuf for the position.

Mr Buhari had explained in the letter that the nomination of the respected legal practitioner was in accordance with the provision of Section 256(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian 1999, as amended.

At the Senate, the nomination of the judge was considered and approved following the recommendations of its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters headed by Mr Opeyemi Bamidele.

While presenting his report on Tuesday, Mr Bamidele said the judge met all the requirements expected of him.

Mr Baba-Yusuf has been holding the position in an acting capacity since August and is now recognized as the chief judge following the approval.

The development followed the resignation of Mr Salisu Garba as the chief judge of the FCT high court.

The Chief Judge is the highest judicial officer in the state and acts as a chief administrative officer as well as a spokesperson for the judicial branch.

The Chief Judge presides over oral arguments before the court and also has significant agenda-setting power over the court’s meetings.