ladiipo:

I think it is what should have been done ages ago! The uni was set up to train students so they can give back to this nation and continent. Do we not have more than enuf oil and gas companies they can work forb within this nation? Are these oil companies not owned by foreigners who exploit us and, to add salt upon injury, bring in expatrates to head the key areas? Are nigerians not recognized abroad, as highly skilled, intelligent and innovative? So why go to anoda mans' land, where u will always be the 2nd class citizen, to go pour our valuable knowledge u got here and leave your own country lacking of this same knowledge that can improve and cause immense developmental growth? I like the order.no one says u can't travel abroad to gather more knowledge to pour Into your own country.

But you are missing the point Ladipo, You simply dont Mandate such without creating the enablers to go with it.
Like someone already alluded to, provide the options and the jobs for them and see what percentage of the graduands will still be interested in travelling.

adconline:

So how do companies find out that thier past employee has broken an agreement?

They usually try to keep tabs on you for the first couple of years. Such agreements are usually for 2-5 years after person leaves company's employ, so as long as no competing company shows up with their past employee's name in it's profile, no problem. But some do keep tabs on you by checking your profile and all that.

I recently had a client who had a former employee break the agreement. The former employee replicated the software almost to the T. My client won the case but has become paranoid as a result of the 'theft'.

Meldrick:

OKONJO IWEALA, WHY DON'T YOU PRACTISE WHAT YOU HAVE PREACHED.

DISSUADING PEOPLE FROM NOT SEEKING FOR A JOB ABROAD AND SHE WORK ABROAD. I WONDER IF SHE HAS JOBS PREPARED FOR THEM ALL. SHE MUST HAVE SAID THAT WITH SLEEP IN HER EYES. WAKE UP OKONJO.
THEY PAID THEIR FEES, YOU CONTRIBUTED NOTHING. JUST AS YOU WERE SEEKING FOR GREENER PASTURES AND WENT ABROAD, THEY ALSO MUST DO AS YOU DID.

How do you know the university contributed nothing? I find it hard to believe that the uni contributed nothing and still wants then to stay back in Africa. They offer scholarships and I believe based on their mandate as stated by Okonjo, they must have signed some agreement with their scholarship recipients.

http://aust.edu.ng/content/financial-aid

Financial Aid

For 2010/11 the cost of the program is $15,000. Full and partial scholarships are available to qualified applicants.

Students are expected to cover their transportation to the AUST campus in Abuja.

The fees for the MSc and PhD degree programmes at AUST, per annum in US dollars are as follows:
Tuition $ 5,000
Air conditioned shared accommodation $ 2,300
Meals $ 3,500
Laptop $ 1,000
Laundry Services $ 500
Laboratory Fees $ 1,000
Library Fees $ 200
Medical Insurance $ 300
Sporting Facilities $ 200
Field trips $ 500
Cleaning Service $ 500
Total $ 15,000

But you are missing the point Ladipo, You simply dont Mandate such without creating the enablers to go with it.
Like someone already alluded to, provide the options and the jobs for them and see what percentage of the graduands will still be interested in travelling.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

sorry, that was my post.was mistakenly logged on to ladiipo's profile

agreed that you have to provide a functional system where these students can go into once they graduate, but the truth of the matter is, most people just have this rose-colored belief that going abroad is the opportunity and open door they need. the truth is, the Nigerians abroad are barely given jobs that they even studied for.The UK is tired of the influx of immigrants who are taking up the whole employment offers there while their own citizens cannot get jobs( and to cap it all, the jobs are crappy).

if the government can make laws that force these foreign investors to employ a certain percentage of Nigerians and to ensure that whatever expatriate is coming in, is going to impart knowledge into every and any citizen working with them ( that is what the do in the middle eastern countries by the way) and not just here to jollof and act as though they are better than we are. truth be known that we are way more intelligent than they are, give us the same exposure they get (God knows we have brains) and see if we don't turn this country around.

we need more of us here, and i just think her order is a 1st step towards a greater change in creating better employment opportunities for graduates here.

Le Moor:

Simply not enforceable,
Only caveat will be if they were made to sign an agreement before they got the scholarships, else there is no way you can force someone to stick to a locale for jobs. And even if there was such a stipulation when applying for the scholarship, there will be a buy-out option with penalities (such as high interest charged on the funds now considered to be a loan) if you decide not to honor your part of the agreement.

But in no way can you revoke someone's certificate for getting a job where they want. And what is al the Visa talk? Are all graduands of this school Nigerian citizens, what if one of them won the Green card lottery, they will tell the American govt not to issue it?

There are better ways and subtler ways to enforce such.

except if Madam Okonjo wants to turn into Orlov, the all knowing Russian spy master in Salt. This is very hard and ''impossible'' to enforce, if it were to be another country, i would subscribe to it but definitely not in Nija (no offeince). Has she forgotten the fundamental human right to movement.

Two sides to this coin:
1. Is Ngozi one of the several africans who like to kick away the ladder after they've climbed up? If she didn't get a western
education, and world bank job, would she be where she is today??

2. If that is the purpose of the univ, and it is made clear before admission, this might be sane. But again, would this amount
to violating the graduands FHRights? I'm sure a court would upturn the Univ's argument.

st upid, st upid st upid.
You can not force people to work in a specific location, are we in the slave trade era or what? Provide them with opportunities that will make going abroad look foolhardy instead of threatening to 'track' them. I am ashamed of Okonjo-Iweala if she said that, would she be who she is if she was forced to stay in Nigeria and not get the exposure she got working for the world bank and other foreign institutions?

I think

Interesting! After reading this was wondering when Okonjo became a slave driver. So I called a friend of mine whose uncle is the president of the university and he confirmed that the students received scholarships and they signed the agreement to work for Africa before they were offered the scholarship. So Okonjo and the university have the legal backing to sue for breech of agreement.

Here is the university president.

http://aust.edu.ng/content/people
http://aust.edu.ng/content/prof-charles-chidume

AUST's Objectives (seems quiet clear to me)

http://aust.edu.ng/content/austs-objectives

From the quote below, not all their students got any kind of financial aid. Why did the school say students who spent $15k for studies shud not work where pleases them?

Financial Aid

For 2010/11 the cost of the program is $15,000. Full and partial scholarships are available to qualified applicants.

Students are expected to cover their transportation to the AUST campus in Abuja.

The fees for the MSc and PhD degree programmes at AUST, per annum in US dollars are as follows:
Tuition $   5,000
Air conditioned shared accommodation $   2,300
Meals $   3,500
Laptop $   1,000
Laundry Services $      500
Laboratory Fees $   1,000
Library Fees $      200
Medical Insurance $      300
Sporting Facilities $      200
Field trips $      500
Cleaning Service $      500
Total $ 15,000

http://aust.edu.ng/content/financial-aid

Interesting how I'm just knowing this Uni for the 1st time.

@igbobuigbo
Then, if what you say is true, and the students signed something before accepting any scholarships or aids, then they have an obligation to fulfill their end of the deal. Or else, the school would be right for coming after them to the extent agreed.

The sponsor can stop the graduants from seeking job abroads If they were on fully funded scholarship. All PTDF scholars need a letter of consent to from PTDF to remain in the UK without which even if you have secured a job in the UK, UKBA will not give you a work permit. It's a prerequisite for applicants who were on a fully funded scholarship.

ah naija i love naija

Has she forgotten the fundamental human right to movement.

which is?

dat aint possible,

Just to share my personal experience on this issue to answer some salient questions that have been asked here.

If the University and Okonjo have the legal/moral powers to stop the students from taking job overseas?
Yes they do. If the students had signed an agreement with the authority prior to the award of scholarship. Like Duerulu has pointed out, I am also close to many PTDF scholars in UK who have picked up jobs with many companies in UK and have had to get "go-ahead" letters from their sponsors before they could apply for work permits. It is however noteworthy to mention that d PTDF scholars never signed any undertakings with PTDF like these graduands in question yet they need them to agree b/4 they can continue their career in UK. On a personal xperience, my MSc was sponsored by a coy but I picked a job with another company and had to secure a letter from my sponsors to be free.

If recommendations and references (from former Teachers or employers) are required to get jobs abroad?
Again the answer is a BIG YES especially when you are hinging your application on "the new certificate" or/and former experience. I was lucky to attend a highly ranked University in UK and there were so many companies visiting my department to recruit and I was able to attend several interviews and assessment centres. I ended up with 2 offers but not until I supplied my references in my former company in Naija and from my Professor in my new University.

On if these guys are going to rot away if not allowed to seek jobs overseas?

I dont believe this is true. Programmes like this are usually well designed, admitting only carefully and painstakingly selected talented candidates, with world-class facilities, tools and softwares as used in the targeted industries. A similar example is the IFP school for oil industry professionals in Port-Harcourt. The companies that put in their resources into these programme have operations spreading across Africa and will most likely recruit most,if not all, of them.

If Okonjo is unfair and preventing the candidates from enjoying the foreign/greener pastures?

May be there used to be greener pastures in UK, US and d rest but I can authoritavely tell u the pastures are all, perhaps,brown now. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get job in UK as a non-European. The new Govt in power is doing everything possible to force their citizens,who were hitherto living on social programmes, back to work by cutting down and in some cases totally removing these benefits. They have placed caps on number of immigrants that can come and work in UK to ensure their citizens pick these jobs as they are shaking them into job live.
Quote me anywhere it is now ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to get a job in UK without undergoing any kind of education/training here. As a matter of fact many students who have invested 1000s of pounds in UK education wit d hope of staying back and work in UK wil be denied once the cap figure is attained not to talk of AUST trained candidates.
I have little experience of US system but I remember when Obama and his party lost the mid-term elections a couple of months ago the next day he was in India practically/literarily  begging for jobs for Americans. The US mid-term election was just about "we need jobs" so dont be surprised when US starts tightening up her laws on immigration of workers into the territory.


Naija is a great place to work with your friends and family around but there are a number of things we can really improve on.
Insecurity and power supply are the greatest problems but its crazy to realise a scenario like this is possible:
manliness, Tom and Harry  graduated from Unilag Chemical engineering in 2005 and they all served in 2006.
Tom was lucky to get a teaching job in Jan 2007 going home with N15,000  every month and he now goes home with N18,000 in 2010. Harry graduated with a 1st class and got his dream job with an engineering firm,in Nov 2008, wit an initial start-up of N75,000 but now goes home with N120,000. manliness though graduated with 2:2 but his folks are well-connected and got into Mobil in Dec 2007 with N550,000 per month and now goes home with N750,000/month with profit sharing (runing into 100s of thousands) at the end of every calender year.

And this has all been an exercise in finding out how far we can stretch the same IF argument from the first couple of posts. Thread is on page 3 and the IF remains the same IF from page 1.

The new Govt in power is doing everything possible to force their citizens,who were hitherto living on social programmes, back to work by cutting down and in some cases totally removing these benefits

i just read the DC govt is doing the same.

cutting off welfare benefits after 5 years.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/07/AR2010120707009.html?wprss=rss_metro/dc

You Guys dont know that Osho-free dey purge belle, 15 k dollars, you must fulfill that obigations the money was spent on you, and dont be surprise most of them might be children of top government official( Nigerian), , they love anything free from government and its parastatals. They call it National cake.

Empty threats. It cannot be enforced without violating the constitutional rights and freedom of the graduates.

i think,one form of grant or the other would have bben given to the students,and make the authorities kind of compel them to give back to the society which made them, u know a form of csr initiative,

After reading through this article, I wondered what on earth the author was thinking before writing it. On that fateful day, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala did not bar the students from seeking jobs abroad. This publication is a total misconception. On the contrary, she declared that the students will be monitored as they proceed in their future endeavours. In that way, they will be accessible to the continent when ever their services are required.

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??

Oh boy!!!

This is an absolute lie. Okonjo never said anything like this and i wonder who started this craze. I am a graduate of the prestigous institution and i never heard anything like that. Please someone should get this thing off this place ASAP or else people will face the law for carrying false info.

Musty450:

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:

We all say: Really??

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


the university is part of a consortium across africa and affiliated 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.

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.

like i said before, it's really not that hard to track ourselves.

people do it all the time, for various reasons.

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


the university is part of a consortium across africa and affiliated 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!!!

^^nothing prevents you from starting your own thread with that title, or asking the op to correct his.

I posted the exact quote from the article.

can you address that exactly, or your point is the reporter manufactured the statement out of thin air.


here it is again:

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.

of course nobody is preventing you from joining the brain drain if you feel so inclined.

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.

^^no need to huff and puff.

i'm not okonjo, so save your breath to cool your porridge.



first it's the reporter is wrong.

now its some words are wrong.

please dont embarrass the school further.

let the matter end here.