He dropped this hint at a daylong seminar titled “Empowering Researchers: Leveraging Preprints for Academic Advancement”; organized by the Center for Research Support and Grants Management (CRSGM) of Yaba College of Technology.

Declaring the workshop open, Dr. Ibraheem underscored the importance of accelerating the dissemination of preprints which he described as drafts of scholarly articles and research papers that are made publicly available prior to peer review, meaning that researchers can get their works out quickly and receive feedback at a relatively early stage.

He stated that preprints, if embraced, would democratize access to knowledge, promote inclusivity and transparency within the academic community, encourage active participation, and emphasized the dynamic nature of the academic environment and the critical role of innovation in driving progress.

He revealed that preprints allow you to claim credit for your work before publication and can be cited before peer review and publication. Dr. Abdul stressed that Preprint is an accessible form of research communication that fosters collaboration and feedback before peer review, promotes visibility, transparency, discourages bad actors, and communicates research more rapidly.

In her welcome address, the Acting Director of CRSGM, Dr. Funmilayo Doherty explained that the focus of the seminar is to create awareness about preprints, which is yet to thrive and be embraced in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

The seminar, she said, would draw the attention of the participants to the transformative potential of embracing preprints in the academic sphere and also enlighten attendees on the multifaceted benefits of embracing reprints in academic research.

In his presentation, titled “Publish, Review, Curate with elife” Godwyns Onwuchekwa, Head of Community at Elife, illuminated the significance of preprints in shaping the academic landscape, stating that Preprints offer numerous benefits in research

According to him, “ preprints accelerate dissemination by allowing researchers to share their findings rapidly; enhance collaboration by inviting feedback and engagement from peers; increase accessibility to research findings, promoting inclusivity; establish priority for discoveries, potentially leading to earlier recognition; facilitate the rapid dissemination of information during urgent situations; promote transparency by allowing others to track the evolution of research ideas; and encourage innovation by fostering a culture of early sharing and exploration within the scientific community.”

Harold Bowa, representing UbuntuNet Alliance, in his paper titled: “Introduction to Preprint” dwelt on the essence of preprints, elucidating their pivotal role in expediting knowledge dissemination and fostering early collaboration. He accentuated their relevance in addressing urgent issues, such as public health emergencies, while establishing precedence in discoveries.

He said, “the essence of preprints lies in their ability to rapidly disseminate research findings, foster collaboration, and promote transparency within the scientific community.”

The seminar featured esteemed speakers from prominent research organizations, both physically and virtually; among whom were Godwyns Onwuchekwa, the Head of Community at elife, Jonny Coates of ASAPbio, Vanessa Fairhurst of PREreview, and Harold Bowa of UbuntuNet Alliance shared insights into the relevance and impact of preprints in academic research.

Participants were drawn from among the tertiary institutions in the south-west of the country and attended both virtually and physically at Yaba College of Technology.

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The program is in a bid to empower Nigerian women through education and this was emphasized at a dinner organized in honour of the United Kingdom Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Girls’ Education led by Helen Grant MP, OBE, to Nigeria recently.

The dinner, hosted by the British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Jonny Baxter, was an avenue to project the vital roles of education in empowering Nigerian women and modalities for its implementation in the upcoming partnership program.

Yaba College of Technology is poised to play significant roles in the implementation of the Girls Education Skills Programs.

At the dinner, was the representative of the Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Engr. Ibraheem Abdul, Dr. Oluwafunmilayo Doherty, Ag. Director, Research Support and Grant Management in the college

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The trio of David Popoola, Eyitayo Ogunbiyi and Chukwudumebi Onwuli are from the System Engineering and Computer Engineering Departments of the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Sylvester Atere, Outreach and Communication Officer, United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Atere, the three Unilag students developed the software after 29 hours coding marathon, which they emerged winners of the #Hackathon4Justice event organised in Lagos between March 22 and 23.

He said that the activity was part of UNODC’s Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, a component of the Global Programme for implementation of the Doha Declaration.

He said the event, which was organised by the UNODC in partnership with Facebook and Africa TeenGeeks, was designed to spark creativity in young people while pushing their coding capabilities.

Atere said that the goal of the hackathon was for participants to leverage technology to find solutions to rule of law challenges in the areas of corruption, integrity and ethics; crime prevention and criminal justice.

He listed other goals of the initiative to include finding solutions to organised crime; human trafficking and terrorism and violent extremism.

“The trio of David Popoola, Eyitayo Ogunbiyi and Chukwudumebi Onwuli of System Engineering and Computer Engineering departments of the University of Lagos led the pack of upcoming professionals.

“With their web application design that helps both trafficked victims and their loved ones learn about human trafficking and access to tools that can potentially save them.

“Tagged ‘Let’s Fight Trafficking’ or ‘LFT’ for short, the key features of the product include an e-learning planning platform to help educate people on human trafficking; a facial recognition system that matches feed from webcams.

“Other images to see if there already exists a reported case with a similar image in the database; a portal for victim’s close friends to file reports about trafficking cases in their area.

“A heat map, generated from report data to let users know where trafficking is most prevalent and take preventive measures,” he said.

According to Atere, the winners are expected to proceed to Global #Hackathon4Justice event, to be held at the Google Headquarters in Silicon Valley, California, United States, in August 2019, where they will participate as mentors.

He explained that beyond educating young people about the global challenges to the rule of law, E4J also seeks to inspire them to be part of their solution and become positive agents of change in their societies.

He said that such goals were only attainable by giving youths a say in matters related to crime, justice and the rule of law.

Atere said that the runner up were four students from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, who designed ‘Athena’, a mobile application that allows people to report crime incidents and gain information about their rights.

He explained that with ‘Athena’ people can also report emergencies with just few clicks, and the application automatically detects the location of the user and composes a report.

The communications officer said that the Athena also provides anonymity and protects the identity of whistleblowers.

According to him, out of 400 applications received from university students across Nigeria, over 50 undergraduates participated in the events.

He said that the participants were from from Caleb University, Covenant University, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, University of Lagos.

Other participants came from Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, Babcock University, as well as Yaba College of Technology.

Atere said that on the ground to inspire and mentor the young coders were Iyinoluwa Samuel Aboyeji, Co-founder of Nigerian startup Andela and founder of Flutterwave and a number sofsoftware engineers from Facebook.

He said that staff of the UNODC from Nigeria and Headquarters in Vienna provided support on the thematic issues of the hackathon.

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The training programme commenced at the weekend at the three designated centres including LASU, Ojo Campus; LASPOTECH, Ikorodu Campus and UNILAG, Akoka, with scores of professionals from different sectors of the economy, who have signed up as volunteers in the Ready.Set.Work Faculty which will run for 13 weeks.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Obafela Bank-Olemoh in a statement on Monday, said the peculiarity of the ongoing edition of Ready.Set.Work initiative was a testament to the unwavering commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to human capital development, especially for Students in Lagos State.

“This administration has committed resources to the Ready.Set.Work project since its inception. In his resolve to empower youths in the State and stem the tide of unemployment, the Governor has mandated that the programme must be expanded to cater for every student in any Tertiary Institution in Lagos State.

“You we recall that the programme started in 2016 with 500 final year students from three institutions namely; Lagos State University, LASU; Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH and Lagos State College of Health Technology, LASCOHET. I am glad to announce that this year; we have 25,000 students from eight institutions participating in the programme. About 5,000 of these students, who are in their final year, have resumed the 13-week campus classes as of Saturday, while 20,000 others in their penultimate year will participate in the programme through the RSW Online Academy.”

Vice Chancellor of LASU, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun (SAN) as well as the Provost of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Dr. (Mrs.) Oladele Aina were on ground for the kick off at the LASU Centre hosting over 2,400 Ready.Set.Work students.

Addressing the students, Dr. Aina stressed the importance of the programme, expressing optimism that it would help the beneficiaries see the real world of work and give them a seamless transition into it.

Professor Fagbohun, on his part, emphasized how privileged the final year students were to be in the programme this year. “About 10,000 final year students wanted to be a part of this programme, but only you were chosen. What that tells you is this: You are the best of the best. You must recognize your strength and give it your best,” he said.

In Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, where over 2,000 students are enrolled in the programme, the Rector of the institution, leading the entire management team was on ground throughout the day to inspire the students and ensure a smooth kick off.

Some of the students could not hold back their excitement as they took to their various social media platforms to give kudos to the State Government and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the laudable project.

Tejumade Akintunde said, “This is an amazing programme, I can’t wait to receive more interesting lectures. The content of the programme is rich and impactful”.

Another participating student, Olumide said, “Lagos State is really investing a lot in the Ready.Set.Work programme. It is totally worth the time.”

This year, as in previous years, the programme boasts a team of Volunteer Faculty and project support staff, all professional and talented individuals who have chosen to give up their Saturday to train, mentor and positively impact the lives of these students.

For the next 13 weeks, they will be bringing to bear their knowledge and wealth of experience to shape and inspire the next generation of workers and business owners.

The Ready.Set.Work 2018 cohort includes students from Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET), Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), a private institution, CALEB University.

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Lateef Fagbemi, Chairman, Governing Council of the college stated this at the 11th International Science, Technology, Education, Arts, Management and Social Sciences (iSTEAMS) Conference in Lagos.

Fagbemi spoke on “Plagiarism and Its Legal Implications Within Academic Environments: Consequences On The Institutions And Offender”.

The three-day conference organised by the Research Nexus Africa Network, in collaboration with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ends on June 29.

Fagbemi said the software would detect the slightest act of plagiarism and copyright.

According to him, with the software, the college is confident that products, are now better secured and their final works, much more reassuring.

He said the conference was apt as it brings to the front burner, the unfortunate situation of plagiarism.

“Educational institutions must step up the quality control mechanisms and academic papers submitted by writers must be thoroughly checked to detect a possibility of plagiarism.

“Yabatech has now acquired world-class security software that can detect even the slightest act of plagiarism in write-ups submitted by our students and lecturers.

“This is where the deployment of technology comes in. Relevant software must be acquired by our institutions to detect any possible case of plagiarism and be able to nip it in the bud,’’ he said.

Fagbemi further remarked that plagiarism was prevalent, not only in tertiary institutions but also in science, journalism, literature, film creation and other areas.

He said that in the academic and intellectual industry, plagiarism was a serious ethical offence.

According to him, plagiarism cases could be detected even in works of famous writers, songs, filmmakers, philosopher, scientist, and public workers, among others.

“Plagiarism is not in itself a crime, but can constitute copyright infringement.’’

Fagbemi recommended that institutions must step-up the quality control mechanisms, while government must set up legislative intervention in curbing the problem of plagiarism.

“ Our laws must be re-jigged to cater for the menace as a specific problem. A specific problem deserves a special and deliberate solution.

“The legislature must promulgate laws that specifically and pointedly address plagiarism, and all its variance, taking it away from the adaptation of the copyright laws, under which it is currently treated.’’

Also speaking, Dr Obafemi Bank-Olemoh, Leadership/Business Intelligence expert at Caleb Business School, Lagos urged the Federal Government to develop the human resource capital to achieve industrialisation.

Bank-Olemoh said the three tiers of government needed to re-access and reinforce the implementation of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) policies.

He spoke in a paper titled: “Nigeria’s Industrialisation Drive cannot succeed if not anchored on the Investment and Development of Human Resource Capital; particularly on Technical Vocational Education (TVE)”.

He said the success of Free Trade Zones hinged on addressing infrastructure deficit by appropriate funding.

He noted that sustainability of Nigerian Industrial Zones could not be achieved if the expatriate quota abuse is not controlled.

According to him, the integration system pathway should be adopted to bring together TVE curriculum, academic and applied curriculum, the labour market demands, institutions and the society at large.

“The focus now should be on the development of a viable natural system of a vocational and technical education programme that will have easy access and exit learning pathways.

“It must be validated by accredited learning that will lead to work or continued progress along another learning pathway.

“This will help ginger youths and adults to see TVE as challenging and worthwhile,’’ he said.

Obafemi Omokungbe, Rector, Yabatech commended iSTEAMS for organising the conference and urged participants to be active in all sessions.

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The Chairman of the association, Olorunmbe Omopariola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday that the payment was long overdue.

Omopariola said that no fewer than 650 of the association’s members were owed promotion arrears from 2013 to 2017 and could no longer understand the reason for the delay in paying them.

He said that workers were becoming concerned and agitated over the delay, since the payment began in January 2018.

The chairman said that majority of their counterparts in other federal polytechnics in the South West had received their entitlements, leaving Yabatech and Ede Polytechnic out.

He said that the Federal Government released N30 billion to Ministries, Departments and Agencies on Jan. 15 and that some federal polytechnics had been receiving bank alerts.

“Our colleagues in Federal Polytechnics, Bida, Ilaro, Bauchi, Ilekede, Offa, Ado and others have received their promotion arrears as at Jan. 22.

“We do not know what is happening to our college and why we have not received our promotion arrears.

“We are worried because 2019 elections are around the corner and we do not want it to over-shadow the payment or divert government’s attention. We have worked for this money; government should pay us.”

Omopariola said that some delegates of the college had on May 23 and May 26, visited the Accountant-General of the Federation’s office in Abuja to make enquiries over the delay.

He said the delegates comprised the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, SSANIP and the chief internal auditor of Yabatech.

The unionist said the delegates were not able to see the accountant-general but met a director in the office, who said all efforts were being made to ensure that all civil servants received their promotion arrears.

According to him, Yabatech has been shortlisted for payment in the next batch but we cannot say when the approval will be given.

“We were assured that we will receive our money very soon, but up-till now, we have not seen any bank alert.

“They cannot give us adequate information on when the payment will be made. All we know is that we are on the batch.

“We do not want our money to be used for something else. We are afraid it may be diverted for other purposes.

“We urge the government to resume the payment as soon as possible so our members will enjoy their money in good health,” Omopariola said.

On Jan. 26, SSANIP threatened to down tools if the promotion arrears were not paid to its members.

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She also awarded N20 million damages to be paid to Ibirogba for his unfair dismissal. This is apart from the payment of all his salaries and entitlement since then.

The money is to be paid within 21 days or it would attract 10 per cent interest.

The Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are also to begin investigations into Ibirogba’s allegations against the administration of Dr Kudirat Ladipo, who was the Rector when he was sacked in 2015.

In the judgment the Justice chided YABATECH counsel, Omolola Satar, for disrespecting the judicial process.

Declaring Ibirogba’s sack null and void, she said it was “in was in gross violation of Section 17 (3) of the Federal Polytechnic Act, extant civil service rules and an affront to the judgement of this court.”

“I find that there was a calculated d deliberate attempt by the defendants to subvert the cause and administration of justice. This is one of the instances the Court must grant punitive costs to forestall a repeat of the contemptuous actions of the defendants. Consequently, I award the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) as punitive damages jointly and severally against the defendants for the unjust termination of the claimant’s appointment and deliberate attempt by the defendants to subvert the cause of justice.”

When contacted for comments, the college’s Public Relations Officer, Joe Ejiofor, said the management was still studying the judgment delivered on June 7, 2018 in Lagos.

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The Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. (Mrs.) Margaret Kudirat Ladipo gave the task while declaring open the 72nd Regular meeting of the Conference of Registrars of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria (COREG) hosted by the College.

Dr. Ladipo, who was represented by her deputy in charge of administration, Raheem Omobowale, said that the registrars as the statutory secretary to council, the governing body with the mandate for the general management of the polytechnic has a lot rested on their shoulders in the drive to move technical education forward.

The Registry Unit of the Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology has been instrumental to the development recorded over the years in the polytechnic sector and without a smooth and efficient registry, there is no way the polytechnic system can achieve much; said the Rector.

She stated further that the impact of the Registry on an institution can be felt positively or negatively depending on its performance.

The Rector therefore urged the registrars, as advisers to chief executives of polytechnics and Colleges of Technology, to continue to be innovative especially when it comes to entrenching global best practices for the good of the polytechnic system.

“As administrators of polytechnics and Colleges of Technology, we should at all times keep in focus the mandate of polytechnic education, and working hand in hand with the academic staff, we should be able to achieve the vision of polytechnic education,” the Rector said.

The Chairman, COREG, Ms Amapakabo Biekoroma Charity, in her address declared that the Conference was instituted to promote discussions on issues of common interest to member institutions and to encourage the interchange of information and ideas towards effective management of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria.

Adding that, the Conference is engendered to make its views known to government and public; to join hands with the governing council and Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (COHEADS) in all matters regarding growth and development of technological education in the country.

The Acting Registrar, Yaba College of Technology, Olumuyiwa Doherty in his welcome address appreciated the management of the hosting institution for supporting the course of COREG and providing the enabling environment and resources to host the event.

He challenged his colleagues to continually support and manages their chief executives at all time as the engine room and ensures that the system is salvaged devoid of individual or personal interest.

The Conference at the end of its 72nd Regular Meeting dissolved the existing executives of COREG and conducted an election that produced Zanna Kashim, the Registrar, Federal Polytechnic Bali as the new chairman of COREG.

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The 27-year-old graduate of electrical engineering reportedly took a poison on Wednesday after he was blamed for damaging a car in a sachet water factory in Ojodu Berger, Lagos, where he worked.

Oluwagbemileke was reported to have hit the vehicle on another one on the factory premises while trying to help the owner re-park it and was said to have become desperate to raise N50,000 to repair the damaged car.

In a suicide note he posted on Facebook, a few hours before the incident, he hinted that he was depressed.

He wrote, “When a man’s life is unstable, worried, downcast and destabilised, things he does right before will become wrong no matter the best he puts in. He loses focus and strength; he becomes unhappy and angry at everything even if he tries to wear a smiling face.

“Thoughts of death will come in the scene. He keeps asking the question, ‘why me?’ He becomes helpless and even if he’s among people, he still feels lonely. Life can be truly unfair.

“Advice: Never let your ugly situations weigh you down. When you notice things are not going well, check yourself before it makes you feel worried.”

About an hour before he took the poison, he wrote another note on his Facebook wall at 10.16pm, asking his family to look after his mother.

“Please, help me stand by my mother. She’s the reason why I have lived this far. Thank you. To my loved ones,” it read.

He was buried on Saturday at the Atan Cemetery in Yaba, Lagos.

His nickname, it was learnt, evolved from his determination to become a graduate, which made him to engage in one menial job or another to sponsor himself.

His elder sister, who spoke under anonymity said Oluwagbemileke had called her on the telephone on that day around 11am, saying he was in Osogbo and wanted to discuss an issue with her.

“I was monitoring him on the telephone and asking when he would come. I was surprised when he told me that he was on his way back to Lagos. I asked him what he came to do in Osogbo and he said I should not worry. He promised to call me back when he got to Ibadan, Oyo State.

“When I didn’t see his call, I called him and he said he had boarded a bus en route to Lagos. I asked him what happened. He said he would call me when he got home. I called him several times, but he said he was not at home, not knowing that he was lying. After he didn’t pick my calls again, I went to bed.”

The sister said she called him about 15 times the following day, but he did not pick his calls.

She said she later learnt that he had visited Osogbo to tell their mother about the damaged car, adding that the mother promised to follow him to the factory on Thursday.

She explained that their mother was preparing food for him when he left home, noting that the hard copy of the suicide note was found in his apartment at the factory in Lagos.

The sister said, “I passed out when I was told he poisoned himself. His neighbours said they received a message from him, saying he wanted to poison himself, but they did not take him seriously. His girlfriend said he was gasping when she called him around 11pm. Our mother said he typed the suicide note on his phone in her presence but she did not know the content because she has no formal education.

“I was surprised Muyiwa (Oluwagbemileke) could not wait to be celebrated. He struggled all through, but he never waited to reap the fruits of his labour. He worked as a carrier to survive. Our father died a long time ago. He was going for NYSC on November 21. He was the only graduate in our family.

“When I went to the factory, I was told that a laptop had fallen from his hands and damaged three days before he damaged the car. They must have chided him, which is normal, although his boss denied it. He was collecting over N50,000 monthly at the factory and a gym there.

“While he was living with me, if he spoilt something and I scolded him, he would abscond from home for three days and sleep in schools. At times, I would know he was the one who damaged an item, but I would still ask him. Instead of him to talk, he would just walk away from home. I would beg people to talk to him before he would return home.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, confirmed the incident.

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Ibirogba was arraigned on eight counts alongside Charles Akharayi for allegedly disclosing YABATECH’s classified information on February 6, 2013 as part of several threat letters, which they allegedly circulated against the person of the rector of the college, Dr. Margaret Ladipo.

A report by the school dated November 29, 2016, indicated that the defendants were arraigned before Justice A.A. Akintoye of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, after their preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction was dismissed.

The defendants were charged with the offence of “provoking breach of peace by offensive publication, contrary to Section 57 (1)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011,” by circulating several threat letters against the person of Ladipo.

They were also arraigned for “disclosing official secret” of YABATECH which was published by Sahara News on February 25, 2014; Osun Defender on July 8, 2014; Premium Times on May 6, 2013; and in the Vol. 6, No. 13 of Global News published on July 14, 2014.

By leaking the college’s secret, the prosecution said the defendants violated Section 59 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

In another count, the defendants were accused of removing documents from the Bursary Department of YABATECH, “which were quoted in mails sent to media houses and to the Rector of the Yaba College of Technology, one Mrs. Margaret Kudirat Ladipo,” contrary to Section 60 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

According to YABATECH’s report, Ibirogba and Akharayi pleaded not guilty to the eight counts pressed against them.

Justice Akintoye ordered that they should be remanded in the prison custody till December 5, 2016 when their bail applications would be heard.

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