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Thursday 13 November 2014

Photo: When You Finally Graduate From Covenant University

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Covenant university Nigeria, is a school where mobile phones are not allowed, jeans trousers for either male or female students is not also allowed within the campus. And you can't leave the school premises without permission. 
Students are expelled and suspended for holding hands with the opposite sex. It's said that you have to to register your gilfriend or boyfriend, and there's an offence termed "Pairing" at the university.



Every night from around midnight, the gates of the halls of residence are locked. I don't know what else can be classified as "under lock and key" in CU. An open admission by the authorities of expelling and not admitting HIV positive people, with their females students undergoing pregnancy tests before their final year examinations with an ultimate punishment of expulsion. Students refer to the school as concentration camp a.k.a Convenant University.

We must admit that the school has very high standards, in terms of educational qualities, however, some of their policies are too obnoxious and thus makes one to wonder if there is an ulterior motive to their actions. Their students go to their chapel to worship at odd time as late as 11:pm and 2 am in the morning for night vigil. They are made to buy expensive food with tickets not less than 250 Naira. These students are stripped of every sense of privacy and individuality and are developed as Helpless Robots, a nairalander narrates.

Suspending and expelling of students at the university level is so rampant for very irrelevant reasons, some have to start all over again especially with the social stigma attached to it. Students live under stringent conditions and controlled environment. At Covenant university,  kids grows as an "panicky" educated dummy with no iota of street sense and survival skills for real life situations. Imagine hiring students as spy watch themselves and living with the fear that your classmate or room mate is a spy for the school authorities.

After so many criticisms and appeals on the expulsion of over 120 students from  the University, for not attending the university assembly, the Management of the institution led by Bishop David Oyedepo  agreed to reduce their punishment to 4 weeks suspension. Assembly in higher institution?

 A student of the institution was also suspended after he was caught watching music video teaser of Jarmeu’s ‘Booty Bash’. The Covenant University student, was caught watching the nearly x-rated music video of Jarmeu, who is one of Nigeria’s fast rising artistes.

Bishop David Eniola Oyedepo, is a man many see as an embodiment of tolerance as his teachings prove so. Apart from his normal teaching which is based on Faith, he had at different occasion talked extensively on tolerance. It was therefore appalling that a gross act of intolerance was allowed to pass at his university when one Abdul-Gafar Ayomide Salami, did his best to secure admission into the institution for the 2011/2012 academic session. He scored 295 in his Jamb exam for that year which by every standard a very good result. 

Based on this performance he was invited for the post-JAMB exam which was conducted by the university authority. He again performed excellently well, with average score of 65/80. His West African Senior School Certificate Examination further proved reflects this, with good grades in the following subjects as listed; Economics – B3, Geography – A1, English Language – B3, Further Math – A1, Mathematics – A1, Agric Science – B3, Biology – B3, Chemistry – B2, Physics – B2,
Whilst, they were waiting for the school authority, the family of Gafar were so confident that with his results good enough to secure admission for him at his school of choice.
But the family got a rude shock of their life when they were told that the school management had decided not to admit Muslim students for that academic session. According to the father of the young boy, who spoke to the press and I quote “Initially I thought it was kind of April Fool joke and I decided to send my wife to go and find out what exactly was going on at the institution. But to to our suprise, the admissions officer simply confirmed that they were not admitting any Muslim student” This action of Covenant University is also against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria..

There is No Law Department at Convenant University where fundamental human rights are taught and I guess it was a deliberate attempt by the management not to have such a department.

The primary aim of going to school/university is to develop yourself as an individual and prepare you for the outside world. What we have at Covenant University is the creation of intellectual 'zombies', where students are not allowed to experience diversity due to the maximum security prison they call a university.





The University authorities of Covenant University, Canaanland Ota, sometime in June 2012,  sacked a 22-year old final year student of the University on grounds of lesbianism.
University authorities said that the student's activities and unquenchable desire for other ladies was disturbing and embarrassing to the University

He regrets the decision but said that sexual orientation and exploits does not give a Faith based University like Covenant, a good name, yet the authorities don't allow male and female students to interact as much as they would love to
.

A High Court sitting in Ota, Ogun State, opined that private universities with strict moral rules and regulations should allow their students to live their age and generation.
This position was taken by Justice Mobolaji Ojo, while presiding over a suit brought by an expelled student of Covenant University, Longji Felix, challenging his expulsion by the institution over alleged possession of Ponographic materials and secular music in his laptop in Febuary 2013.

The plaintiff, a part-four student of Communication Technology, was reportedly expelled on November 23, 2012, following a night raid by the Student Affairs’ Unit of the institution, leading to his compelled appearance before the school’s disciplinary panel which recommended his expulsion. Justice Ojo fixed March 23 for judgment, after taking submission from counsel for parties in the suit.
However, while making a general comment on the suit before the adjournment, Ojo said “a youth must live like a youth and an adolescent must live like an adolescent,” adding that “if all of the traits of a youth are not allowed to be exhibited at the right time, it would be done at the wrong time.”


1 comment:

  1. The school has a set of rules made available to you you either comply or you don't go there at all..going to covenant university is not a must so if you must be there you must adhere to all their dos and donts...shikena

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