The wife of the banker, who also works at a microfinance bank in Onikolobo, Abeokuta, Temitope, broke the news to our correspondent on Thursday .

She said, “I am happy to tell you that my husband has been found in a place called Mokwa in Niger State. He called me on Tuesday afternoon.

“He got the phone from one of the residents there because he said those who abducted him collected his phone. We then told him to make a report at the police station there; the police officer on duty who spoke to us said he was in Mokwa. Transportation money was then arranged and sent to him; he got to Ibadan yesterday, Wednesday, where he slept. His family members are at Ibadan. He will be back in Abeokuta today.”

Temitope on Sunday said that her husband, who  left home for his workplace on Wednesday, January 17, failed to return home.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident earlier in the week.

Odutola said, “One Temitope reported the case of a missing person involving one Olumide Openaike on Wednesday, January 17 around 7pm. He is said to be light in complexion.

“The police formations across the state are already aware and we shall keep spreading the message to give adequate publicity with the ultimate aim of finding him and reuniting him with his family.”

The Registrar of the polytechnic, Mrs Olubunmi Elewodalu disclosed this in a statement sent to newsmen on Monday evening.

She said the closing down of the school was due to the prevailing circumstances, apparently referring to the students’ protest which rocked the school on Monday morning.

Elewodalu said, “The temporary suspension of the academic activities is a result of the need to address the prevailing circumstances in the polytechnic.

“The suspension of the academic activities will be effective from Monday, October 9, to  Friday, October 13, 2023. During this period all students are directed to stay away from the campus until otherwise directed.”

The students of the school had on Monday morning protested the hike in the acceptance fee paid by newly admitted students, among other issues.

The students, who trooped out to the campus gate as early as 7 am, were seen in their numbers holding placards with inscriptions such as “#No To Increment of Tuition Fee,” “#Rector Must Go,” “#Release our Results ASAP,”  among others.

Men of the Nigeria Police Force were also present at the scene.

Speaking during the protest, the Students’ Union President of the institution, Babatunde Adelola, said, “We have many reasons to protest. Recently, the school said they were not getting funding from the state government and they needed to generate funds internally, which was why they increased the acceptance fee from N35,000 to N50,500.

“Aside from the hike in fee, the delay in the release of our result is affecting students. For instance, those who graduated in the last session have yet to be mobilised for service. I am in HND 2 second semester and I have yet to see the result of the exams I took in HND 1 second semester. This is affecting students because they do not know their academic standing and how well to prepare for the next exams.”

The Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards, which is run by the Cambridge University Press, is an annual competition to celebrate teachers globally and their efforts in educating their pupils.

The 2023 competition — the fifth edition of the programme — received over 11,000 nominations from 99 countries, an increase of over 30 per cent from last year’s nominations, the Cambridge University Press said in a statement released last week.

CUP said, “The global competition gives students, parents and other teachers the chance to nominate a current primary or secondary teacher for something wonderful they have done. Now in its fifth year, the awards demonstrate the inspiring and positive impact of teachers across the globe and give students a platform to say, ‘thank you’.

“This year, Akeem Badru was named regional winner in Nigeria, for his achievement in “First Step Initiatives”, a STEM project where he uses craft and model making to promote inquisitiveness, creativity and critical thinking. In addition, as TeachSDG Ambassador, he financed the construction of a borehole for the village as his contribution towards the achievement of 2030 SDGs and to solve the problem of water related diseases that keep his pupils out of school.”

As a regional winner of the 2023 awards, Badru will receive £500 worth of books or digital resources, along with a Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards trophy, and promotion for him and his school. He will also feature on a thank you page at the front of new Cambridge University Press Education textbooks from February 2024.

Badru, while appreciating the Cambridge University Press honour, said the award will encourage him to work harder and also serve as motivation for other teachers in the Nigeria.

He said, “The teaching profession is a noble job, and I am glad you appreciate the important roles that teachers play in shaping the minds, characters and lives of people in society. Through First Step Initiatives, I will continue to help children build the skills that will allow them to unlock their potential.”

Matthew Walker, Publishing Director for Education at Cambridge University Press, said: “The achievements of our 2023 regional winners, plus the thousands of nominations we received for the competition, speak volumes for the value of teachers’ roles and the positive impact they have on students. We hope that this recognition will continue to inspire teachers to deliver exceptional teaching and encourage the next generation of learners to aim high in their ambitions.”

The consulate said the donation was part of its core mandate in promoting educational opportunities for Nigerian students and scholar

The Deputy Public Affairs Officer, United States Consulate-General, Jennifer Foltz, made the donation on behalf of the consulate at the school premise

Foltz, who led the US Consulate General’s visitation team to the University, urged Nigerian students as well as other researchers in the country to take advantage of the plethora of American educational opportunities to better their careers while in school

She gave the advice during an interactive session with the stundents and lecturers of the University

She said, “Our office at the US Consulate Mission in Lagos is responsible for promoting educational opportunities for students and scholar

“As we travel across Southern Nigeria, we try to know different universities; we try to get to know the leadership, the faculties, the staff, the students and define what areas of specialities they have, what areas of research, so that we can look for ways to collaborate

“So, we are here today at the Chrisland University, Abeokuta, to learn more about the university and see which areas we can forge our partnership”.

She disclosed that the government of the United States of America (USA) currently has about seven US full-scholarship programmes for students at various universities in Nigeria where research and teachings among other activities are being carried ou

Earlier in her remarks, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Peace Babalola, expressed optimism that her institution will use the opportunity of the visit to start a warm relationship on capacity-building support through knowledge sharing, exchange programmes among other

Babalola, however, disclosed that the university was almost through with the plan to establish a world-class Chrisland Institute for Security, Development, and Diplomacy

He said, “We expect this Institute to provide knowledge in a wide number of areas, including curbing violent extremism, anti-terrorism, humanitarian affairs, etc., in order to foster development. We believe the United States can assist us materially towards the realisation of the CISDD.“We sincerely desire avenues for continuous interaction between our students and their US counterparts. Your guidance on how to set about fruitful arrangements in this regard would be much appreciated.”

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta on Tuesday.

Speaking on behalf of the Corps, Mr Ahmed Umar, who is the FRSC Sector Commander in Ogun, said that five vehicles and two motorcycles also got burnt during the incident.

He, however said the cause of the explosion is still unknown, adding that several investigation are ongoing to ascertain the cause.

“The cause of the accident is still under investigation, we have to conduct a thorough investigation.

“It was an accident involving a tanker loaded with premium motor spirit. It fell and caught fire, affecting other vehicles.

“Our men are there with the fire service to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further,’’ Umar said.

Mr Femi Ogunbanwo, the Commissioner for Special Duties, who was at the scene of the incident, said the government would wait for reports from relevant agencies before responding appropriately.

Ogunbanwo assured that the government would foot the bill of those injured, adding that, “the governor is aware of the incident.’’

An eyewitness told NAN that the incident occurred about 8.00 am.

The eyewitness explained that the tanker which was coming from the Kuto flyover lost control, while descending and fell, spilling its content and catching fire.