A 300-level student of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Olona Oluwapelumi, has committed suicide at his residence in the Aule Area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The deceased, who was popularly called Black, was said to be in the Department of Industrial Design at the university. He was said to have hanged himself in his room.

The reasons he took the action against himself were unknown as of the time of filing this report.

A source in the school stated that the deceased’s friends on Saturday went to his room and discovered it was locked, after several calls without response, the door was broken and he was found hanged.

Reacting to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the death of the 300-level student and said the incident was reported to the police.

“His body had been taken to the morgue and investigation has started to unravel the reasons behind his action, but it was a case of suicide,” the PPRO stated.

The Students Union Government of the school in a statement, signed by its President, Jesunifemi Asoore, also confirmed the incident.

The statement read, “It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the death of our colleague and friend, Olona Joseph Oluwapelumi. popular known as Tart Angle. who passed away on Sat 21st Jan 2023.

“According to the report, His death was confirmed in the early hour of Saturday, January 21, 2023. The deceased, identified as Olona Joseph a 300-level student from the department of Industrial Design was reported to have committed suicide by hanging himself in the early hour of today.

“I know we are all saddened by his death and we’re sending our condolences to his family and friends. Death can be difficult for us to understand, especially when it is sudden. Many of us may be confronted with a variety of emotions. which might include shock, sadness and confusion.

“We want to assure you that we, the Students Union, care about you and the feelings you may be experiencing.

When contacted, the Head of Media and Protocols Unit of the institution, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, confirmed the incident.

He said, “The university is aware of the very sad and unfortunate development. The Students Affairs Division has gotten in touch with the family and it is also providing support services.

Counsellors are also providing needed support for students who may have been impacted by the sad development.

The police authorities have also been duly informed. Our prayer is with the family at this very difficult moment. May the Lord grant the family and friends of the deceased the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

Meanwhile, a friend of the deceased, Omoniyi Enoch, who spoke with the Union of Campus Journalists of FUTA, on its Facebook page, said the deceased was suspected to commit the act following an issue of money he had with his department.

Enoch said Late Olona was the Financial Secretary of his department until his death.

“When school resumed for the 2021/2022 session, the Treasurer of the department wasn’t around to receive payment for due. Joseph (Olona) decided to receive the payments from students.

“The President requested that Joseph should send N100,000 to him for a departmental project. Joseph sent it using his digital bank – Carbon. He was debited but the President didn’t receive the payment.

“Several emails were sent to the bank but the issue wasn’t resolved. Due to that, he was so pressured about it and everyone secluded him. He hasn’t attended lectures since we got back from the Christmas break because of the pressure,” Enoch explained

He added, “Yesterday morning, I went to get my phone from Joseph because his phone is faulty and we both shared my phone. He informed me that his HOD called his daddy and said he engaged in fraud. He was very disturbed about it.

“He requested to follow me to my office at the Students’ Union Building because he didn’t want to stay alone. I left him at the office to attend the homecoming event that was held at the T.I Francis auditorium and also watched the Awopegba match.

“When I got back to the office, he had already locked the office door. He came back to give me the keys and left. When I got home, I forced him to eat.

“At 7:40 pm, knocked on his door but he didn’t open. I left thinking he was still angry with me for leaving him at the office.

“At 8:30 pm, I knocked again but there was no response. At 10:01 pm, I tried again but there was no response, so I went to sleep.

“This morning, I went to knock around 8 am but there was no response. I had to go and check through his window and I saw him hanging from the ceiling.”

Despite that, the Canadian college told Ademokun it could not refund any of the fees she paid to the school.

She appealed, but the school denied her request for withdrawal and refund in a letter sent to her on December 15.

In a letter sent to Ademokun, George Brown College denied her appeal to withdraw her first tuition deposit of $8,962 because she didn’t meet up with the deadline date.

Observing the institution’s website to validate their claim, it wrote, “In George Brown College, international students who are refused a study permit are eligible for a refund or deferral, if it is requested within their deadline date.”

When the CBC Toronto contacted the school’s registrar, Janene Christiansen, she said in a statement that it values its international students and understands “it is always a huge disappointment when study permits are denied.”

Christiansen added, “The school is ‘following up directly’ with Ademokun to ‘find a resolution.’”

“Now that new information is coming to light, we are following up directly with the individual to gather more details and find a resolution.”

Christiansen also said George Brown College’s international withdrawal and refund policy is aligned with other colleges in Ontario and complies with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities directives, as well as IRCC regulations.

However, she says, the school is reviewing its internal processes and policies to “ensure an improved, clear and transparent process for all prospective students.

When The PUNCH observed Canada’s website on study permits for international students, it reads that it currently takes up to nine weeks to process.

, Benevolent College, Molete, Ibadan, Sheikh Ibrahim Model College, Ibadan, Ayobami Comprehensive High School, Odo Oba, Ibadan, Ayobami International College, Ibadan, Bolade Model College, Owode, Shafaudeen Comprehensive College, Wakajaye, Ibadan and Patimo College, Adesola, Ibadan.

Our correspondent gathered that the recent development has attracted mixed reactions from members of the public and other stakeholders.

While some attributed the development to the government’s inability to improve the standard of education in the State, others are of the opinion that the State government should not be held responsible.

Some of those who spoke attributed the development to parents and the students’ failure to shun examination malpractices.

A parent who identified herself as Olaitan said that the government of the State should not be blamed.

“There is nothing that concerns the government on this. We have both public and private schools that were affected. If the government is to be blamed for the abnormality or examination malpractices in public schools, then can we also blame the government for what happened in private schools?

“We even have schools that are established by religious bodies. Who are the principals or heads of those schools? Are they not Muslims or Christians? It shows the level we found ourselves in the country”.

Another parent identified as Adeolu advised the State government to take drastic steps to avoid future occurrences.

He said that all stakeholders must be blamed for what happened.

He said, “We cannot totally blame the government, everyone is involved. The government must take drastic measures to avoid future occurrences.

“Parents and guardians must also take drastic measures to discourage their wards from examination malpractices. It is the responsibility of the students themselves to shun examination malpractices.

“So, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders. We must put a stop to this menace for us to move forward in Oyo State. We are known as a pacesetter State and we must continue to uphold the standard”.

We have zero tolerance for examination malpractices- Oyo government
The State government, disturbed by the development, said that it has zero tolerance for examination malpractices.

The government said that principals and parents of recently delisted schools would be sanctioned.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Abiodun Abdu-Raheem, issued this warning in Ibadan.

Abdu-Raheem, in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, said the State government would sanction both the principals and parents found wanting.

He insisted that the present government in the State had zero tolerance for examination malpractices.

“It should be noted that, the Oyo State Government has zero tolerance for examination malpractices, therefore, Principals and Teachers of both Private and Public Schools and parents were earlier warned to desist from any act of collaboration on examination malpractices as sanctions would be meted to concerned staff and parents.

“It should be noted that the Government of Oyo State will waste no time to investigate any such occurrence, while the necessary punishments as enumerated above will be meted to anyone found guilty,” he said.

Don’t sanction principals, parents- APC tells government
However, the major opposition political party in the State, All Progressives Congress (APC) in its reaction said that what happened is an indication that schools have become haven for examination malpractices under the current governor of the State, Engineer Seyi Makinde.

APC made this disclosure through a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare.

Sadare in the statement made available to DAILY POST in Ibadan described the delisting of the schools by WAEC as unacceptable and worrisome.

He alleged that education and other critical sectors in the State have been experiencing and recording misfortunes since Makinde came to power in May 2019.

He further alleged that Makinde repeatedly fed the world with lies about people from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada bringing their children and wards for enrollment in the State.

He explained that the population of pupils increases everyday but there are no new classrooms to accommodate them in the State.

“Little did the people realise that Oyo state had gotten into the wrong hands when the present PDP administration of Governor Seyi Makinde began to paint a picture of success in the education sector at an early stage when they ought to have outlined policies and programmes capable of improving the standard they met on ground. Gov. Makinde and some sponsored agents went to town to mislead the world with wrong information.

“At a point, they repeatedly fed the world with lies about people from United Kingdom, United States, Canada among other developed nations bringing their children and wards for enrollment in Oyo State because, according to them, the superman in the governor had turned all the public primary and secondary schools into ivy league colleges when; in fact, the only thing done was the sensational cancellation of N1,000 per term payment by students in secondary schools- an idea initiated by Abiola Ajimobi administration to aid the laudable activities of the School Governing Boards”.

Sadare warned the State government against taking any step to sanction principals, teachers and parents of candidates of the affected schools.

He said, “How can a government which had earlier claimed credit for a fake glory in the education sector now turn round to blame its staff for a manifestation of rot in the same system? If any government would blame only the Principals, teachers and parents for examination malpractices in our schools, it must not be the one that is popular for socio-economic and political malpractices. How can a man who has turned his own house into a store where he stocks bags of dried maize stolen from his employer’s farmland blame his wife for the presence of rodents in his living room?

“The virus of examination malpractices has been with us in this society for some decades now but the rate at which it permeates the school system in Oyo State in the last three and a half years leaves much to be desired. Meanwhile, the surge cannot be blamed on any other one than the present PDP administration since it craves encomiums from all and sundry without readiness to provide the required funds for the smooth and effective running of the system”.

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