The Nigerian Association of University Women (NAUW), FUNAAB Chapter, has empowered indigent students of FUNAAB with essential food items to ensure that they are well nourished throughout the period of their examinations. The development, which is aimed at encouraging and supporting students as they write their second semester examination, is coming after an enlightenment programme on “How to Avoid Examination Malpractice”, which was organised by NAUW for students in the University.
The Dean, Student Affairs, Prof. Mobolaji Omemu, who is a member of the association, encouraged indigent students to hold their heads high and do away with any form of shyness, while commending them for not allowing present challenges that they might be facing, to deter them from getting quality education. According to her, “You have every excuse not to be in school but since you have made the right decisions by coming to school, even when you have little or no hopes as to how to cope financially, then you should be encouraged and supported”. The Dean informed the students that one of the core functions of the Student Affairs Division was to provide for the welfare of students, both at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels, advising them to always feel free to come to the Division to share any issue that may be confronting them, as a problem shared is a problem half-solved.
“NAUW and the Student Affairs Division are always open to share your challenges so that the incidents of suicide can be avoided this year”, she said. Prof. Omemu commended NAUW for its role in imparting the lives of students and members alike, revealing that the association recently adopted a gender-inclusiveness policy, which would give boys the same opportunity to be trained, alongside the girl-child. She counselled the students to work hard and excel in their studies, as payback for the act of kindness extended to them by NAUW, and be ready to assist others later in life when they are in the position to do so.
The Chairperson, NAUW and Head of Department, Communication and General Studies (CGNS) of FUNAAB, Prof. Comfort Onifade, informed that the main focus of NAUW was to empower women and girls through life-long education so that they could contribute meaningfully to the development of the country and the world at large. According to her, the focus of the association was, until recently, on the girl-child alone, but “It was discovered that when we train our girls and we refuse to train the boys, the boys we do not train, usually end up corrupting our girls. This is one of the major reasons why we decided that as we train our girls, we would train the boys alongside, so that they would be well-behaved and contribute to the nation and the world in general and that is why we have boys amongst us that are beneficiaries”.
Prof. Onifade explained that the food items would have been donated since last December, after the seminar on “How to Avoid Examination Malpractice”, but was purposefully delayed so that they could be utilised throughout the period of their examinations. The Chairperson implored the students to work hard, to enable them benefit from the various scholarships and awards packaged by NAUW, which include but not limited to awarding the best graduating female student during the convocation ceremony. Food items donated to the indigent students at the event included beverages, noodles, tomato paste, spaghetti, rice, sugar, salt, groundnut oil, Maggi, and garri.
