NewStats: 3,263,887 , 8,181,782 topics. Date: Sunday, 08 June 2025 at 04:01 PM 34v1e

If you were Okonjo, wouldn't you be proud that someone was willing to stick their neck out to defend you?

Lets not make this about the school, okay?

THE authorities of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, have barred its graduating students from seeking and obtaining jobs abroad or risk withdrawal of certificate.

The Chair, Board of Directors of the University and Managing Director, World Bank Group, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who handed down this warning to the graduating students at the  second convocation ceremony of the university in Abuja, at the weekend, said: “I want you to know that we are going to track you.”

Poster Tpia1, lets not start this please; what i decide to do after AUST is really none of your business sir, and you will do well not to speculate on "my inclinations".

This quoted paragraph is what was directly above the quote you so kindly inserted for me to "see" (I read the WHOLE article too!)  and i can categorically say that no "authorities" have threatened to withdraw anyone's certificates for any reason whatsoever. so YES, that part was manufactured from "THIN AIR" and you can quote me on that.

What Dr. Iweala said in the next paragraph hardly translates to that, even you should see that. Of course, there is nothing wrong with monitoring the graduates as you said; but somehow, this article managed to make it sound all wrong, this is my point.

I see no need to start a new thread (= new debate) and steps are being taken to get the article corrected. I really do hope that you do not believe everything you read in the papers. It was only my intention to correct a few misconceptions i saw on the thread earlier about Dr. Iweala and what she said.

Just in case you are wondering, the below quote is mostly true, she did say some of those things, but i will BOLDEN the words that give off the wrong impression:

Okonjo-Iweala vowed that a comprehensive database would be established for all the graduating students of the institution with a view to tracking them in case anyone of them would want to abandon Africa for other parts of the world in search of job.

She reminded the graduating students that the university was established for a particular purpose, which was to train those who would give back to the African continent.

i dont think she was misquoted though of course you may be right.


the university is part of a consortium across africa and d with a south african organization, so i think she was just emphasizing the goals of the college as outlined, namely that the graduates were to contribute to africa's development.

south african blacks do not have the same high emigration rates as west african countries, and one reason could be that their govt doesnt encourage it.


western countries are clearly trying to stem the high levels of immigration from the third world, since they need to get their own economies back on track, so i'm sure whatever okonjo said, was with the backing of relevant parties in the first world, who we may or may not be aware of.

What is it about "we were there" is so hard to understand ? This is a classic case of choosing to believe what you want rather than what really happened. I am sure you are aware that sensationalism is a stock-in-trade for most papers because lets face it: we wouldn't be having this conversation if the headline had read:

"Okonjo congratulates AUST graduates, vows to start Alumni Association"

We the students (past and present) know all too well what AUST is about, why it was started and most of us by virtue of the scholarships we enjoy(ed) share in the dream of the African renaissance, this thread has only succeeded in making Dr. Iweala sound like either someone who "doesn't practice what she preaches" or worse "a slave driver" and that is not only untrue it is also very unfair.

Someone rightly pointed out that this thread is a big debate on a lot of "ifs", all caused by a few sentences taken in isolation from a speech Dr. Iweala made, and garnished with the unlikely ignorance of an overzealous reporter. Kindly let this thread die here, and i hope you will all gather to discuss whatever release is made by AUST to address this mistake.

Cheers!!!

Okay Nairalanders, Listen Up:

Myself and the last poster are students of AUST and we were both at the graduation ceremony that "fateful" afternoon: Dr Iweala was quoted out of context by whoever wrote that article. AUST generally has had problems of this sort with the media, which just goes to show how "smart" most reporters can be 

AUST is a relatively young school, BUT the quality of ALL its graduates so far is beyond reproach and hopefully, will continue to be. My personal opinion is that she meant that an Alumni association that will keep tabs on all graduates will be set up and all graduates will be encouraged to take up employment within Africa.

So far, a reasonable amount of graduates are already abroad engaged in Ph.D's or in active research, and no attempts whatsoever have been made to "withdraw" their certificates.

I leave you all with this from the TRIBUNE:

Our principal goal, which has sustained our irrepresible, progressive spirit in the past 55 years, is to remain the best newspaper with unassailable quality of value-added service in news gathering and information dissemination to every Nigerian.

We all say: Really??

Because more people are doing it doesnt make it right einstein, SO because suicide bombings are becoming popular in the islamic world does that make it right?

More people than what? Suicide bombings are not popular in the 'Islamic world'._{where do you get these statements from}

It is “the height of illiberalism” to define as terrorists over 1.3 billion Muslims who have nothing to do with “religious violence” because of the misdeeds of a fringe minority of 0.005 %. At most, one in every 200,000 Muslims can be accused of terrorism. That is to say there are a maximum of about 65,000 terrorists worldwide—roughly the same figure as the number of murderers on the loose in the U.S. alone, with over 20,000 homicides a year and a population of only 300 million.

Do your research properly Einstein!!!

remove the log from your eye before you remove the peck from someone else's eyes, its spelled hypocrite.

Again, what log are you talking about? Wow, what a breakthrough: you spelled hypocrite!!!  

Yes they are vampires. I am not going to generalize the abdulmutallabs, osamas, chechnyan's, indonesian, somali terrorists etc cos that would not be fair and you can come up with examples of christians who do bad things too,

So am gonna make my point straight from your book. You see mecca did not accept muhammed so he came back later and put the people to the sword (original vampire). WHy cant he just preach to convert them? Peace my @$$

Secondly, what is this with apostacy? WHy must you kill an ex muslim who denounces islam? (seeking more blood I presume) so yes it is justified just by going off your book. If i should use what muslims do on a daily basis o boy na finito be dat  

About the generalizations, you already did!!! Did you actually READ 'my' book seems to me like you re doing what everyone does: you hear a verse, write it down and quote it out of context whenever it pleases you. I assure you, if you wanna do comparative religious studies: doing that wont get you very far.

Believe it or not yes islam is responsible, Upon not the KKK, S american the drug lords and other evils that non muslim world did i could travel safely without being harassed at the airport., didnt need visas.Now they have special scanners for me. The world is investing billions x ray machines to detect explosives at airports all because of you guys,  YOu guys single handedly are making travel a nightmare the world over,

To begin with, your being Nigerian too doesn't help your travelling but you re not ranting about that are you? The drugs that people carry nko? lemme ask you this: whats the ratio of drugs to explosives that airline scanners have ACTUALLY caught? But of course, this doesn't occur to you because . . .

to answer your last question, i think she should be warned, possibly suspended. And i think she is damn silly infact a big onye ara (mad pesin) for doing that cos it was uncivilized, On the contrary that does not call for her expulsion nor the closure of christian ministries on campus, nor her to be beaten, nor the paralysis of the campus

Fair enough answer.

I will think about what you ve said about the my eye . . .

[center]Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye
judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote in thy
brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of
thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite,
first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 )[/center]

Basically their god cant defend himself and this religinon abi na cult is blood hungry, loves violence since the days of its founder mohammed

you do realise that you ve just attacked the personal beliefs of about 1.5Billion people right? i know you think you re smart, sorry to burst your bubble: BUT YOU'RE NOT SMARTER THAN 1.5 Billion PEOPLE could you keep your biased opinions to yourself?

Nice observation, but your conclusion shows, u're nothing but a bloody hypocrith.

This is clearly a case of the misguided pot, think about it: who is the 'hypocrith'"> you were in such a hurry to put your unwanted two cents into this thread, you forgot your spelling?

My brother, what else shall i teach  these mullahs? These are people that will be quick to carry the "peace religion" banner immediately after killing and drinking human blood as their so called religion of peace demands.

Sad, really!!! Now Muslims are vampires too? you obviously have a bone to pick with Islam, which in my opinion is  a good thing BUT if you re gonna keep this childish attitude, how are you supposed to understand anything?

I have always said it, if there was nothing like islam, this world, to a very great extent will be a REALLY REALLY peaceful place   
wise thoughts from oba234. you wrapped it up!!!!!!!!!!

This is new!!! Islam is now responsible for the worlds peace Issues No, people like you are; I dare you to SAY this in the open, anywhere . . .

ISLAM HMmm! "PREACHING PEACE, BUT PRACTISING THE HIGHEST ORDER OF VOILENCE. THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BE THIRSTY OF HUMAN BLOOD! I KNEW THOSE PEOPLE TO BE DEMON-WORSHIPERS, I KNOW COS I LIVED MOST OF MY LIFE IN THE NORTH,

To begin with, watch your spelling. Secondly, accusing Muslims of being Demon-worshippers is beneath you (unless as i suspect, you re really small); your close minded attitude is nauseating; _{Nairaland should screen its , tschew}

Lets get something straight:

We re not here to point fingers or paint any religion with a brush, every single person who has used the word: bigot, violent, cult, retaliation,  etc on this thread should check his/her self. seems everyone i quoted came here with a lot of old baggage.

Lets see if common sense can prevail: she DID go to the mosque with the intention of disrupting prayers, there is no question about that. My challenge to y'all is: What do you think about that

_{I m not interested in hearing any bigoted views}

God Bless Nairaland!!! 

The moment i heard this story, the first thing that popped into my head was 'lemme see how this is analysed on NL' and as usual, apart from the occasional misguided poster (_{I m not pointing fingers though . . .}) i m happy, why? This is the reason:

The general concensus is this: She shouldn't not have tried such a thing, for the purpose of this thread i ll call it Suicide Preaching, my emphasis is on the fact that she actually dressed like a Muslim to sneak into the mosque and waited till jumu'at started to start her operation, this just makes me think; she probably would've been Hurt (or worse) if it were in the North and then the whole world would have a field day with this breaking news about yet another religious crisis in Nigeria, this you will all it will not help the reputation of Muslims or Nigerians generally.

My opinion is this: She was put up to it. Being educated, she MUST have known this and expected NOT to survive her Foray into the Lions Den, she must have wanted to martyr herself for her belief.

Sounds Like a conspiracy theory I m a Nigerian: This is how i think 

@ Dammiedex:
That looks real good, how much is it going for and how can i you?

and as for your doubting her existence,she is real,that just the full description of my woman,you wanna know her better?

Why would i wanna do that? She is your ideal woman and most definately not mine, not that i do not like a few of her traits . . .

Its just that sometimes i think we all idealize love far too much.

I m URGENTLY in need of a Volkswagen beetle, i am not really fussy about colour, mileage etc however it should be very very clean, Auto and Convertible. I will be willing to close the deal as soon as possible.
Anyone here who can help should please me on 07037697366 or reply this post within the next 3 days.

Thank you

. . . a woman that is 80% Devil and 20% Angel . . .

I see you share the same taste in women as The venerable Vin Diesel, You might want to reduce on the Devil percents and increase the angel points, okay? Or better yet, no Devil at all.

But don't we all know that she doesn't exist already ?

'Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of  Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Muslims) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?'  There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, 'Non-believers! '  I responded, 'So, let me make
sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?'
The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.' He sheepishly replied, 'Yes.'  I then stated, 'Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants
to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven! 'The Imam was speechless!
I continued, 'I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you a question: Would you  rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?'
You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the Diversification training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Islamic Imam, and exposing the truth about the Muslims' beliefs. In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in Canada to elect the Prime Minister!  I think everyone in Canada should be required to read this.       
There is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us send it on!
The man who walks with God always gets to his destination.
If you have a pulse you have a purpose. This is your chance to make a difference.

@ Poster;
Reading stuff like this makes me half sad and half angry, why? i guess this makes you smart then? ing on "The message" eh
To me, this is a little more than an attack on Billions of people.

I am no cleric, but i ll say that Islam is a complex religion, it sure as hell is harder than most other religions out there, or does anyone here follow "Holy Books" written Hundreds of years ago to the letter in this day and age

Peter Enahoro once wrote "The Good have names, the Bad have Families" and i'm appalled at your point of view; i guess that the Imam was unable to answer your question but any really curious person should have sought answers elsewhere, because while you may be smart, do you think you are smarter than all of the 1.5 billion people worldwide that are muslims? you think that you wouldnt get at least one reasonable reply to your questions

You must understand that we re no longer in the age of religious wars and conquests, and so therefore we must somehow modernize religion to fit our present needs, Do y'all follow the old testament to the letter Majority of Muslims are quite moderate in their views and would never consider or condone killing hundreds of people in the name of "Jihad" by blowing up a plane full of innocent people.

So i'm gonna ask you and everyone else that thinks like you, to PLEASE stop and reconsider, i accept that that is your opinion and everyone is entitled to one, but i'm sure you can do better, the only way this sort of thing will stop is we all learn to Live with each other in peace, with the rate at which Islam is growing in Canada, who knows what will happen in the not so far future

If you have a pulse, Find a better purpose . . .

Blaming the parents for a child's upbringing is soooooooo within the point, just a praising theparents for a child's achievements. If you attend an average traditional wedding in Nigeria, you will hear eulogies upon eulogies how the bridegroom or bride was well brought up by his parents, especially if the bride/bridegroom is doing well.

at what stage do you then figure that he ll be responsible for his own actions
I think its unfair to blame his parents, i feel they did the best they could, they are truly one in a million.

The guy was 23 for crying out loud, an adult !!!

@ Beaf, how many Nigerians have had similar oppurtunities and turned out fine, be reasonable and stop beefing!!!

If person wan mara, na only God fit stop am.

Most people will just not it that sentiments aside, THERE'S NO REAL REASON why men should not hit women, has anyone noticed how frequently 'Mum' and &
'Dad' have popped up in this thread?
We all refer to societal standards and sentiments far too much, but objectively speaking, violence is usually not a good solution to any problem.
So poster, there you have it : if a female could hold her own against you in a fight, she'd probably do it.
So everyone had best not hit anyone.

Haba Chukatony
What gives you the impression that anyone here needs a 'SEX TUTORIAL'; and even if you absolutely must give one, why not give us something everybody doesn't already know

Sex Guru Kawai

she is too good

Why hasnt anyone pointed that PERFECT PEOPLE JUST DON'T EXIST ">

If they dont fight, then obviously, someone is just being lax, the moment they put both their feet in the relationship; y'all ll see the fireworks; 
(_{Dont hate me, we all are human . . .})

Okay, so you like her That aint good, that definitely aint good. I'm sure you know what happens when you are at one vertex of a LOVE TRIANGLE (_{you dont want to be there, trust me . . .})

I'd say, to tell your brother to stop cheating (_{if he ll listen, though i doubt it}) and really get involved with her, he is bound to find the flaws he's obviously seeking for.

Cheers

You know, I dont wear jewelry either, not even a wristwatch and i think rings are particularly uncomfortable; i don't see what the fuss is about a D*&M ring, symbol or not; Give the brother a break y'all "RINGERS" 

I am sure we all agree that a ring aint ever gonna stop a guy from cheating if he wants to, so whats the biggie?

I guess in the end, its about compromise; somethings gotta give. I think an issue like this is too trivial to cause you 'pre-marital' problems, i am sorry to say this man but . . .

It won't kill you. . . 

Now let just say one of the partners  declares his/her love to the other, and him/her didn't say it back. What should that person do, stay in the relationship or move on ?

  @ Blandyne; you know? i ask myself that question all the time, i have been doing it for years, and i still dont know.
I guess, if your partner respects you and treats you right, why let a good thing go

. . . I'm just saying . . .

on a scale of 1-10 how important is sex?

Interesting question poster 

I wouldn't dare pick a number, any takers

If i knew the answer to that question; i guess the 'flame' would be put out immediately . . .

Finally, Someone asks a truly constructive question, NLanders please share your thoughts on this with us;

For me i think Communication (even though it may sound cliche-ish) is one of the factors that has really helped to make my 6 year old relationship a success; obviously we being human and all means that there ll always be some sort of misunderstanding between partners but as long as the lines of communication are open; and you re both open minded; a solution will always be at hand.

of course there are always cases which are exceptions . . . 

Its better to mean it while saying it. That word is used too loosely these days.

@ thread; i find the above quote, sad but true; the thing is that saying it is sorta a leap of faith; i mean why say it if you aint sure it ll be reciprocated
My dad always used to say:
"Never make any assumptions Son"

If you really and truly love your partner then you should say the words, leap of faith or not.

And, if you re not good and ready then DONT

So I Hear That In Nigeria University Equals Prostitute Academy

@ poster
Offensive statement

@ thread
nigerian universities are no different from any other in the world with regards to social life, sex is a fact of life, university or not.

Talk about something else

but all the gilrs i have are not wife materials and i need to start thinking of how to settle down because i am no longer a kid. i am a graduate and , Can any nairalanda introduce me to his sister or his or female friend who must be honest, tall, agbani, homely,mannered, cultuerd,must have good command of english and must be a good cook.

@ poster,
Sorry she dont exist!!!

@ droc
Glad you found my two cents useful, catch you later . . .

Most of you making these rude comments can hardly express yourselves in public. Why become monsters here?

@ droc
Seems to me like you re making an overt generalization.

Nobody was trying to be rude, , so you dont have to be either . . .

AT THE SERVICE OF GOD AND MANKIND

Consider your good deed for today done . . .

HOLY HOLY NO DEY HERE OOOOOO Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry

Word!!!

Maybe the "religion" section is where you re looking for!!!

Hey,
Tough Situation you ve got yourself there, esp since the female is a muslim
I m in sorta the same situation as you but its reversed, but our tribes are different and i can say that i love her to bits
Occasionally, the issue pops up and we fight, or she gets aloof but we dealing with it, a day at a time. i tried letting go already, suffice to say; we re still together hot and heavy. i m holding on cz she is worth it, and my mum is a christian too, so i dont see why it cant work.
A lot of people will advise you to just quit, i m sure of that but the fact remains that, If She is worth all the trouble you re likely to run into, then fight for your love, at least you ll know that you did; whatever happens in the end . . .
Inter religious/tribal marriages are tricky and hardly work out without extraodinary effort esp here, where marriages are between families not people, but fight, fight for what you believe in and that compromise is one of the greatest tools you ve got, be diplomatic and realise that she is just really scared and worried sort of like you.
all the best, if you need to share some more you can reach me on [email protected]

All the best

no wonder she bleeped your friend!!!!!!

@zarah
Thats just mean!!!

@ poster
Good thing you found out 'fore y'all got married, no need to analyse it, just move on.
All the best.

@
Cluck Cluck Cluck !!!
@ poster,
You ve got yourself quite a situation there, and it seems you prefer the bird in the bush.
I hope you catch yourself 'fore its too late.