TEAM LAUTECH: #TeamProblemSolvers, #TeamImageMakers, #TeamImageRedeemers 2.

LAUTECH as an institution of learning, established basically on the principles of Academic and Moral Excellence, and Integrity; with core values of Excellence, Integrity and SERVICE. Service driven by sense of purpose and love for human development, being rendered to a less privileged society, no matter what comes may. This SERVICE has been the watchword of her products

Fortunately, following their graduation, their valued love for SERVICE is being complemented by the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, established by Law on 22nd May, 1973 by then Nigeria's Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. The scheme was established with the aim to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after a bitter 30-month civil war that ravaged the country; and with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity. The purpose of the scheme is primarily to inculcate in Nigerian Youths the spirit of selfless SERVICE to the community, and to emphasize the spirit of oneness and brotherhood of all Nigerians, irrespective of cultural or social background.

Meanwhile, while rendering their services to the nation, they have also been good ambassadors of themselves and their alma-matter. The story of Ololade Olusina, a graduate of Animal Production and Health (APH) is a pointer to this resume. At the time when fresh graduates dread being posted to the northern part of the county for the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), because of the scaling-up of insurgency- incessant bombing and wanton killing by the dreaded Boko Haram sect in the area, as a result of which the NYSC has offered unconditional redeployment for thousands of serving corps members.

Ololade Olusina graduated in 2011 and was posted to serve in Zamfara State in 2012 in Batch B. After his three-week orientation held at Chafe, venue of Zamfara State NYSC Orientation Camp, he was handed a posting to a village called Garbadu in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the state, specifically Rufai Farms, a privately-owned farm, where he was asked to render his service to his fatherland.

Instead of seeking redeployment as being done by many, he resolved to look inward for areas he could contribute his quota to the development of the state and the country in line with the letters and spirit of the establishment of the NYSC programme. It was at this point that he discovered a need in the village: school-age children with no educational facility to train them. All the children did, day after day, according to Olusina, was play and idle away in groups.

He decided to lend a hand to help them secure a future. He started by writing appeal letters to well-meaning citizens of the state to donate towards the building of a school and other facilities that would make life worth living for the children and the villagers. Olusina was able to raise about N12.3 million (as reported) from eminent citizens of the state and together with a little from his monthly allowance. He secured a large parcel of land and cleared it for the project and then constructed two blocks of six classrooms, a staff room, two toilets and a big mosque in the village.

In appreciation of his initiative of community development SERVICE, which is one of the core values of his alma-matter and also part of the pillars of the NYSC scheme, the village leaders bestowed on him one of the highest chieftaincy titles in the district; “Jarman Garbadu”, meaning a wealthy and respected person. With this title, it was said that he'll be sitting in the row with the eminent personalities in the district and be part of decision-making echelon in the village.

In addition, he got over 10 hectares of land and another portion to build his house in the village, apart from the citizenship of the village, he was given the political right which qualifies him to contest for any elective position in the area. In recognition of the feat and to send a message to intending and serving corps members that their labour of love in community development SERVICE will not go unrewarded, the NYSC gave him the best corps member award.

In other news, the Deputy Governor of the State of Osun, her Excellency, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori and military officials, watched in admiration how an unmanned aerial vehicle "DRONE” built by Olaolu Ayoola, a graduate of Computer Science/Engineering of LAUTECH, a corps member posted to the State took off and carried out surveillance of the parade ground at the State's Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps on December 15, 2014.

Olaolu Ayoola stole the show with his invention during the closing ceremony of the orientation course for the 2014 batch 'C' of corps members deployed in the state. He flew the drone within the vicinity for about 10 minutes before it landed. The device was fixed with a surveillance camera and it can stay in the air for 20 minutes with the ability to reach 500 metres high. The device with remote control had 2.4G radio transmitter and carried out live recording of the event which was monitored on a black berry phone.

The device apart for military use, according to Ayoola, could be used by politicians to hoist their flags and could also be used to monitor activities on large farms. He said, “This type of drone, if fully developed, could be used by farmers. You can deploy it to fly round a farm of about 20 hectares and you will monitor what is going-on on the farm right from where the remote control is. “It can be used to monitor traffic situation and in case of flooding, the drone can monitor the area. “I spent over N20, 000.00 to build this but I can do something with a bigger capacity and which will stay for more hours in the air if fund is available.”

Though there were doubts about Ayoola's claim, as some people believed that he must have purchased and assembled knock-down parts of the drone. Others said a closer inspection of the Drone revealed that the structure and design look too professionally clean to have been made locally and that he only played on our tendency to ignorance and gullibility. Nonetheless, Ayoola should be commended for his innovation and should above all be encouraged and supported in other to do more.

Oluwatomilola Boyinde, TOMINIGERIA, P.R.O, Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), LAUTECH. [email protected] , @TomiNigeria, 08032434218, 2AF2EB9D.

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Articles by Oluwatomilola Boyinde