About 176 fresh graduates from the Department of Mass Communication, Kogi State University, have been mobilised by the National Youth Service Corps to participate in the 2018 Batch C orientation exercise 22 months after they wrote their final examination in the institution.
An earlier report by The Point revealed that about 1, 500 students of the institution had their final results withheld without any explanation, resulting in a delay of their mobilisation for the one year compulsory national service for 18 months.
Following the report, some of the students’ results were released and they were mobilised for the 2018 Batch B exercise. But about 176 students from the Department of Mass Communication were left behind.
One of the affected students, Folarin Toyin, confirmed to our correspondent that they had been finally moblised for the compulsory exercise after waiting at home for 22 months.
Toyin said, “We are finally going to serve after 22 months; some of our mates who have checked have seen their names on the list.
“It took our school 22 months to produce our final result, which is a factor for the compulsory NYSC exercise. We finished our final examinations since February 2017.”
When asked the reason for the delay, he said, “They said the system crashed; some of our mates tried to buy a system but it was not accepted. We waited 22 months after our final papers as fresh graduates to participate in the compulsory exercise that will qualify us as full-fledged graduates in Nigeria.”
Another student identified simply as Priscilla, said it was not easy waiting for 22 months, adding that she used the opportunity to do better and beneficial things.
“Finally, we are being mobilised. It was very hard because I had to forget that I was a graduate, get up and do something else for my life,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Dr. Gabriel Ottah, said that the department worked very hard to get the students’ results released to enable them to go for the NYSC, but it encountered some challenges.
Ottah said, “The other time, I saw a report that the Head of Department refused to release results. It is not for me to release results. Any organisation that exists faces crisis. Of course, we had challenges forwarding the results; when we do that, the rest is for the management to deal
with.
“We just prepare and forward. Between the month of February 2017 after their final exams and July, the staff were on strike. Nothing moved until we resumed; then we started working hard. But along the line, some miscreants among the students took to the social media insulting me. I laughed at those things. They were moved by their own platform of misunderstanding. I do my
best.”
He further said that the delays experienced were normal in any organisation.
The HOD said, “We did not experience delays that were not normal; such things are bound to happen. Fortunately, the last set after this ones, now the 14MCs, their results have been forwarded. I did not take any disciplinary measures against those who insulted me; that is the 13MCs, while their results were yet to be released.
“They came later to apologise, but I told them not to because I am doing my job. I worked for results to come out despite the challenges from the school management and we have got it now; that is why they can serve with the 2018 Batch C set.”
All efforts to reach the university’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joshua Edojoh, were not successful.
