* Parents Call for Closer Collaboration with University Leadership
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Parents and students of Bingham University located at Auta Balefi, along the Keffi-Abuja Highway have been gripped with palpable anxiety and fear since rumours of discovery of dead bodies in the citadel of learning broke out this week.

According to inside sources, there have also been unconfirmed rumours of some missing students within the campus of the University which is owned by the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) mission.

The sources said that students woke up in the night of Monday week to the sounds of ambulance sirens which until now, have not been properly explained by the authorities of the University.
The following morning, the campus became awash with the rumours that some unidentified dead bodies were found in one of the uncompleted structures on the campus and were clandestinely evacuated by the authorities in the night.

As a result of the lack of communication by the authorities to either deny or confirm the widespread rumours, students are reaching out to their parents to express their feelings of lack of safety and security.

The sources further confirmed to our correspondent that the only semblance of communication to the students was a statement by the Students Representative Council which only said that the rumour was “not true”.

Most of the students and parents spoken to are of the opinion that the University authorities are hiding something regarding the security situation in the institution. They link this to a recent policy introduced to the effect that parents can only visit their wards three times in a semester.

Another policy introduced by the institution which has also raised suspicions about transparency and accountability of the administration is that banning the use of android phones by students.

One of the parents who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: “I think there is something the school authority is trying to hide, why the sudden decision to make visiting thrice in a semester? Our children are not in a military school and this is a University for crying out loud….I am of the opinion that because we have not started our grievance in clear terms that is why they choose to treat our children in this way…we did not just dump our children in the school.. they are there to study and become independent and useful adults tomorrow. I pray that as they walked into the school with their legs they will also walk out of the school after their studies with their legs in Jesus name”.

According to a lecturer in the university, the ban on the use of android phones by students is a great departure from education aligning with technology to make learning easier. “How can you ban students from using android phones when we encourage them to do research for which the Internet is the greatest resource? We cannot express this openly for fear of being labelled anti-establishment, but the fact is that many of us are against some of these policies which are inimical to to the creation of a safe and secure learning environment “.

With the current security situation in the country, especially around educational institutions, both the students and parents say they expect the University authorities at the highest level to rise up to the occasion and clear the air on their safety and security.
They also appeal for the review of the policies regarding the use of ICT gadgets by students, as well as the restriction on visits by parents.

Most of them also express the need for a closer relationship between the university authorities and parents to put them on the same page as critical stakeholders.

By Ojone Grace Odaudu
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Three students of the Faculty of Law at Nile University of Nigeria have emerged as National winners of the 12th Annual ICRC International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Competition.

The Nile University team, comprising three students namely: Mustapha Shuaibu, Chisom Okoh, and Rukkayya Saka Ahmad, demonstrated their expertise and prowess in the field of law as they went head-to-head with teams from renowned universities across Nigeria. Throughout the competition, these students displayed their exceptional legal skills, profound knowledge of international humanitarian law, and persuasive capabilities.

The competition, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), aims to promote and enhance knowledge and understanding of International Humanitarian Law among law students across Africa.

The competition was divided into several rounds, where teams presented oral arguments and responded to questions from a panel of expert judges. The Nile University team’s performance was outstanding, showcasing their exceptional legal research, analytical thinking, and ability to apply legal principles to complex real-life scenarios.

Their final argument delivered a compelling and well-supported rationale, which impressed the Judges both in substance and presentation. The students’ dedication, commitment, and hard work truly paid off as they were able to outshine their competitors and secure the victory.

Speaking on their experience, the National champions of the IHL competition stated, “In retrospect, It was all of the pre-competition activities and struggles to keep up with our approaching semester exams that made this win even more rewarding. If we had been told at the time that we could still participate and possibly win, we would have been skeptical. The tremendous support we received from our Dean, Dr. Fatima Alkali, and other faculty members kept us motivated throughout the entire phase of the competition.”

A statement on the University’s website says that “This achievement of the Nile University Law students in winning the national competition and earning the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the All Africa IHL Moot Court Competition is a testament to the excellent legal education provided by Nile University. It showcases the institution’s commitment to academic excellence, practical training, and instilling in its students a deep understanding and appreciation for International Humanitarian law”.

The Nile University team is now gearing up for the Africa regional finals of the competition scheduled for 14 – 25 November 2023 in Arusha, Tanzania.

By Elizabeth Okwe

Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika on Friday announced that the African Aviation and Aerospace University will commence registration for the 2022/2023 academic session on 0-18th November 2022.

He made this disclosure during a media interaction on the Aviation University in his office.

According to him, the main objective of the establishment of the Aviation university is the need for the country to go into field research development in the areas of aviation and aerospace.

He, however, said that theAviation university would be a pan-African university, not limiting its intake of students to only Africa, but Nigeria will be the focus centre. The university is supposed to be a high-breed university and will be an on-campus and online university.

“For the start-up, lectures will be done at our temporary headquarters at the Accident Investigative Bureau building at the airport and some of the lectures will be done at Nile university and We will need dormitories, a cafeteria, laboratories.”He added

Sirika noted that for the first academic year which is 2022 the university will be limited to BSc Aviation business and BSc meteorology programmes and students for each course will be between 20-25 each due to the availability of the facility and for maximum efficiency, while in the second academic year masters in air transport management.

“We have been on this project since 2016 because we know it’s a very rigorous exercise we need to put in place all the requirements by the National university commission, they have been very supportive, and guided us through the process.

“We will be partnering with Nile university here in Abuja we have a Memorandum Of Understanding which we will sign.

“We will soon avail the website which is www.aaau.edu.ng, we need other requirements to activate the website.”