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The management of Skyline University Nigeria, being led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sudhakar Kota has paid a condolence visit to Bayero University Kano (BUK), on Wednesday, 1st July 2020, to commiserate with the university over the death of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC)-Administration, Professor Haruna Wakili, describing his death as a great loss to the academia. The Vice-Chancellor was accompanied by the Registrar, Mr. Firoj Kumar Rauta, the Librarian, Mr. Kabiru Danladi Garba, and the Head of Corporate Affairs, Engineer Bashir Garba. While speaking during the visit, Professor Kota on behalf of the management of Skyline University Nigeria, expressed sadness over the demise, stressing that death is inevitable and is a call everyone would answer someday. “Professor Haruna Wakili played a vital role in the formation of SUN, where he served in many committees and at some point served as the Chairman of the BUK-SUN Mentoring Committee. We are indeed pained by his death”, the Vice-Chancellor added. According to Prof. Kota, the late Professor Wakili was instrumental in making SUN what it is today. “We shall never forget his contributions which are very fundamental to our existence. He was a man of honor, dedication and commitment to the development and growth of education. He was always ready to give his contributions to the development of the education sector. On behalf of members of the Skyline University Nigeria Board of Trustees (BOT), Governing Council, Senate, Management, Staff and Students of Skyline University Nigeria, we express our sympathy to the family”, he expressed. In his response, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello, appreciated the Management of SUN for finding time to commiserate with the family and the BUK’s management, during their time of grief. “The late Professor Haruna Wakili would forever be remembered for his commitment and patriotism in the discharge of his assigned responsibilities,” The BUK VC stated. Professor Yahuza expressed that the late Professor Haruna Wakili was a great gentlemen and the whole university felt the painful loss.  “We will convey the message to his family members and we will continue to pray to Allah to have mercy and compassion on the soul of”, he added.

Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) has held the maiden edition of Crossfire Star Quiz online competition for pre-varsity schools. The competition which took place on 20^th June and 27^th June was organized by the University Student Service Department in collaboration with Marketing department to stimulate the interest and passion of young minds in the skills of technology at the disposal of Skyline University Nigeria and to promote a harmonious relationship between pre-varsity schools and the university so that there is continuous support and social interaction.

There were 16 schools in participation with about 80 senior secondary students. The schools’ locations cut across the country. These schools include Prof MKM Galadanci School, Zayyad Academy, Christfield School, Bennie International School, El Buhaj Royal Academy, Groombase College, Lagos, Asha International Model School, Nifolk International School, Addy Basic School, Hasiyanda International School, Iqra College, Intercontinental College, ArRayhan International School, Shubla Academy, Jofay International School and Yandutse College.

The Competition witnessed keen battle in Current affairs, English, mathematics, Geography, Science and Technology amongst representatives from the participating schools across private secondary schools in Nigeria. While it was a fun and interactive competition, it is one of the many Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by the university to promote community development.

The virtual quiz was organized in two stages: preliminary round and the knockout round. The preliminary round was conducted on Saturday, 19 June and 8 schools made it to the next. The knockout stage was conducted on Saturday 27 June. The eight schools in this category were: Intercontinental College Kano, Christfield College Ado Ekiti,  Iqra College Ilorin, El-Buhaj Royal Academy, Asha International Model School, Yanduste College Kano, Bennie International School and Jofay International School. At the end of the competition, Intercontinental College Kano emerged first place, while Chirstfield College Ado-Ekiti came second place, and Iqra College, Ilorin came third.

Earlier, while delivering the opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria, Professor Sudhakar Kota welcomed all participants and guests at the event and stated that “It gives him pleasure to see the enthusiasm in students and the school representatives and he wished the students success in this maiden online quiz event organized by Skyline University Nigeria.

The Director of Academic Support Service of Skyline University Nigeria, and the coordinator of the competition, Ms. Sarada Maganti, while giving the closing remarks, stated that “the students were scored on account of representation, promptness of answers, organization skills and timing”. She also highly appreciated the contributions of the able Quiz Masters – Mr John Ayodele, Mr Bright Abour, Mr Precious Nenji, Mr. Kelly I Akhigbe and Mrs. Goodluck Ugwumba, as well as the SUN Team who made the Programme a grand success.

Most students seeking admission into Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) have many things assumed about students’ life in the university and many of them are simply a myth. Several myths about students’ life seemed mind-blowing for pre-varsity hopefuls. While some believe that a university is a place where you get a lot of free time, attend parties at will, make a lot of friends to hang out with etc. for others, given the level of study and social engagements, students are usually only involved in a triangular life. i.e, from the lecture rooms to the hostels and social gathering (Religious and circular), etc. Information gathered from a student of Skyline University Nigeria, will drop a few bombshells and hopefully provide answers to questions about students’ life in the university. According to Aisha Zannah, a 200 level student of Mass Communication, “I am in my second year and the workload is a lot higher than my 100 level courses. I already completed courses for the semester through virtual learning, which allowed students to partake in several virtual training and seminars with local and foreign institutions of higher learning, as well as the guest lecture series for students seeking to build a career in entrepreneurship. Before the lockdown, I am often found in the university’s library but now I spent most of my time studying through the university’s e-library while also being engaged at home with taking care of domestic chores. Students’ life in Skyline is filled with studies, seminars, social events like Fresher’s party, etc”. “Acquiring a degree is not the only aspect of a students’ life that is important. It is important to have fun too. I find that going to the university’s sports complex, recreational zones and partaking in social events, has helped me to relax after a long day of taking lectures”. “Once the week has started, there is no better way for me to start the weekend other than spending time with friends at the student’s clubs. Each week, there is always something different to do. Either in Orators club, the Programmemers club, etc. but my favourite place to be after a long day of lectures is the recreational zone. Apart from soft background music and relaxation spot, the zone is also filled with nonstop activities from video games, snooker, table tennis, fussball etc which usually ends with plenty of laughs and excitement”. “Saturdays are my planning days. I like to plan my schedule for the coming week and write new weekly goals, things I would like to accomplish for at least the semester. I normally take care of my assignments, follow-up on things I haven’t completed in the previous week”. “For me, each week is different, there is always something happening in the university, from training to boost my career skills, students club competition, academic excursion, workshops, seminars or sports competitions. I am always open to try new things and go to different events each week. I love the university campus environment, the trees and green grasses make spending time on campus worthwhile”.

While the Coronavirus Pandemic may have caused many Public and Private institutions of higher learning to close in Nigeria and the World at large, it has been an inspiring journey to see the level of creativity and dedication that Skyline University Nigeria’s Library have shown in the steps to continue service to its academic community beyond the four walls of the University’s library. The library has expanded access to e-resources such as e-Books, e-Journals, Video clips etc) In a statement, during the University’s live Webinar in collaboration with the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) organized to improve e-library opportunities and awareness in a global platform, to increase consumer education around information and resources as well as to develop community partnerships to broaden the scope of the e-library, the Head Librarian of Skyline University Nigeria, Mr. Kabiru Danladi Garba CLN, stated that e-library has improved the University’s resilient for post COVID-19 World. “As Librarians, we have tried to eliminate the situation where library services will be missing amongst the community. We have appropriated in the short and long term to adapt to boosting our digital space and resources to make it available to our community and our partners. We will continue to seek out ways to meet the needs of our users for overcoming the isolation effects of the present moment” He added. He also affirmed that SUN’s Library collaboration with the National Digital Library of India has established the University’s library as one of the largest online learning platforms. A premier gateway to over 48 million e-resources for which 35 million e-resources are free for use and knowledge products across disciplines. “We believe that the role of e-libraries extends beyond providing access to content. We also raise awareness about intellectual property rights, support the preservation of cultural heritage and ensure that disadvantaged groups enjoy the fairness of access”, He stated. Mr. Kabiru, who outlines some of the features of e-library such as the absence of physical boundary, access to information 24/7, information retrieval, preservation and conservation, added value and easy accessibility, acknowledges that the world is in uncertain times but with creativity and dedication to our libraries users, there can be a bright spot in research in which we can glimpse a better future.  “We have engaged our Faculty, Staff and Students with e-contents and e-learning opportunities to assist them to continue their research and studies uninterrupted through virtual learning so that patrons can continue to read and learn without disruption. Indeed, as the demand for credible e-resources surges, Skyline University Nigeria will emerge as vital pathways to high-quality e-books, e-journals and other e-content. To give direct access to information resources in a structured manner and thus to link information technology, education and culture in contemporary library service”, Mr. Kabiru said

Amidst the gradual easing down of lockdown in Nigeria as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Skyline University Nigeria has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) of India on Friday, 2nd June 2020. The MoU being entered, established friendship and cooperation in research, education and culture between educators and students from Nigeria and India. The CUTM Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Vineet Chatwal, speaking during the official MoU signing which took place in a virtual meeting, for the purpose of completing the MoU, explained that CUTM is well recognized globally as a pioneer in skill integrated higher education by the United Nations, World Bank, Niti Ayog, Central and State Governments and pledged that it will uphold the vision of the university to see the collaboration become successful. Sharing his thought on the occasion, the Head of Corporate Affairs Department of Skyline University Nigeria, Engr. Bashir Garba said he was happy to share that this was possible because SUN had taken additional steps in adopting e-learning through the virtual environment. “We have been able to do so because our IT team has been working on this model for quite some time, which enabled us to start virtual classes within few days of the lockdown. While making his remark, the Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria, Professor Sudhakar Kota, appreciated the CUTM team for the confidence reposed on the university and expressed hope that the trust of the partnership will not be broken. He added that the relationship is for the mutual benefit of both institutions of higher learning. The high point of the meeting was the virtual signing of MoU by Professor Kota and the CUTM Registrar, Professor Anita Patra. Also at the meeting was the International Affiliation Manager of CUTM Mr. Mohanty Sekhar, the Vice-Chancellor of CUTM, Prof. Supriya Pattanayak, SUN Director of Operations, Mr. Abubakar Ismail, SUN Registrar, Mr. Firoj Kumar Rauta, the SUN Director of Academic Support Services, Ms. Sarada Maganti and the SUN Corporate Affair’s Executives, Ms. Nafisa Inuwa.

A healthy amount of manageable stress can lead to increased brain functioning, a boosted immune system and better preparation for life in post-COVID 19 pandemic. This was the submission of Ms. Stella C. Ekawu, the sports instructor of Skyline University Nigeria and speaker at the online Sports Seminar, held on Wednesday, May 2020. In her presentation at the online seminar with the theme, ‘Managing Stress’ Mrs. Stella said that the world is in the age of inactivity and individuals could no longer pride themselves in their everyday physical and health activities in fitness centres and other sports locations as a result of the lockdown. Hence, individuals must initiate a stay at home solutions to the myriad of problems caused by the lack of exercise, one of which is stress. According to her, unmanaged stress and brooding over stress, dis-balances our physical and emotional life and we end up in traumatic situations. She said findings have shown that all stress is not bad – some stress is essential for our progress. “This is true”, she noted. “Feelings of stress are normally triggered by things happening in our lives which involve being under lots of pressure or facing big changes”. While highlighting the importance of physical activities, Ms. Stella asserted that the coronavirus pandemic has turned the world’s attention to everyone’s immune system. Building our immunity levels becomes a good way to fight the pandemic. She highlighted some method of preventing stress that is translated to having an organized schedule, knowing one’s limit, practicing healthy eating habits, seeing a therapist when you can no longer handle the stress level and participating in regular physical exercise to build immunity to cope with stress-related problems. Ms. Stella, who acknowledged Skyline University Nigeria’s prowess in the area of building a healthy body and healthy mind of students through regular participation in sports activities in the university, said that most of all the training received in sports might end up on the shelf unless students take steps to motivate themselves to participate in these health tips. Earlier, while giving the opening remark at the online seminar, the SUN Director of Academic Support Service, Ms. Sarada Maganti, who welcomed the guests, stated that stress management can make people happier, healthy and more productive. Also at the seminar were the Vice-Chancellor of SUN, Professor Kota; The Registrar, Mr. Firoj Rauta; The Director of Operations, Mr. Abubakar Sadeeq; parents/guidance of students; members of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Secondary Schools (NAPPS) and other members of faculty and staff.

Skyline University Nigeria’s vision of becoming one of the top 10 universities in Africa, has received a boost, with the institution, taking a giant leap in her integration of virtual learning experience into the educational system amidst COVID-19, a catalyst that has led the university to rediscover new models of experiential learning and powerful digital experiences for students. According to reports from the virtual classes, Skyline University Nigeria had not only completed the semester with students online but also held several virtual training and seminars with local and foreign institutions of higher learning, as well as hosting the guest lecture series for students seeking to build a career in entrepreneurship. With these developments, the university is positioned amongst others, to champion the initiative of virtual learning in Nigeria. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Sudhakar Kota, stated that the university is using Microsoft Teams to provide remote learning to students. Microsoft Teams is a unified communication platform that combines workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and file collaboration. A statement from Professor Kota pointed out, “students studying in different locations are consistently getting the benefit of virtual learning experience, including teaching/counselling/training etc… During the lockdown period, e-contents were prepared by respective lecturers and made available to students to enable them complete their course curriculum for the semester”. “Though this is an immediate response in the face of a crisis, digital learning as a tool has generated some level of curiosity and excitement by the students of Skyline University Nigeria. The starting point for this is sending out messages via mails to students and following this up with links of courses as per timetable schedule and student’s responses were very encouraging. Many of the students who received such learning have in fact find it an overwhelming experience”. The Vice-Chancellor added. He stated further that, “The implementation of virtual classes took effect as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the temporary closure of educational institutions Nationwide. There are many universities before Skyline University Nigeria but we are privileged to be counted amongst the universities in Nigeria that have achieved high growth in the advancement of digital learning facilities”. While reacting to the lessons learnt from virtual learning experience compared to the traditional classroom teaching, Professor Kota explained that “the question of which teaching methodology is better, virtual school or traditional school, is always a puzzling one. Traditional classroom teaching methodologies are well-tested, and the environment most of us grew up in. Virtual classrooms, on the other hand, are new and high tech. Yet they’re also pretty experimental”. He added that with virtual classes, students were exposed to the privilege of accessing course work from anywhere within their comfort zone, While increasing their academic knowledge and digital skills.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the dreaded Coronavirus may have given rise to accelerated evolution in the Educational Landscape on a global scale. While appraising the situation arising from the coronavirus pandemic, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), Professor Sudhakar Kota, said that the world had a critical situation in its hands such that when turned around, there are likely benefits that could change the future of education. He made this submission recently during a media brief on ‘Skills Development in post-Covid 19’. In his appraisal of the educational system, Professor Kota said that before COVID-19, there was already a growing demand from the labour market at a global level for more flexible and blended forms of lifelong learning beyond initial education in order to address the need to upskill workers for the digital economy”. “These days, when people talk about education, the conversation usually turns to virtual learning. Virtual learning is transforming the experience of the classroom by augmenting traditional textbook materials with online resources and content portals; by enhancing customary “chalk and talk” lectures through the use of rich multimedia and interactive content; and by extending student discussions beyond the walls of the classroom via a wide range of new communications platforms” he added. While the COVID-19 situations persist indefinitely, a lot of online education is currently delivered in Skyline University Nigeria, replicating more traditional forms of learning on-campus. This new approach has accelerated new forms of pedagogy and tremendous initiatives from individual academics in the area of skills development. In response to enquiries and testimonials gathered from feedbacks from successfully conducted virtual classes with students, seminars and workshops, the VC said “even before Covid-19, there was already high growth in the adoption of a digital learning platform amongst the students and staff as per the primary goal of the university to be recognized both locally and internationally as the citadel of academic excellence. This platform allows parents a more efficient means of assessing their children’s progress via online access to real-time student-information systems, while allowing students to access their coursework from elsewhere, rather than solely on school ground”. While gathering additional information on the impact of virtual education, Mr. Haruna Lawan Baffa, a 200 level students of Economics said, “The University’s Initiative to introduce a platform for virtual learning where we can continue from where we stopped while we stayed at home has help to improve our digital skills and will continue to be commendable. Lectures were delivered as per the syllabus and normal timetable schedule. I hope that one day, when the pandemic ends, we will occasionally get to look back and revisit the virtual learning experience”. Another student, Miss. Nihat Mustapha, a hundred level student of Biochemistry, stated that “the use of technology and online learning platforms was a very interesting and valuable experience worth learning. It has given us a good grounding in the basics of digital skills. It has improved my critical thinking and enabled me to interact with people through practical work. I have learnt so much from all of the constructive input and guidance throughout each lesson of the course. The online classes have helped me to understand where my strengths and weaknesses are, and what areas I need to improve”. For people desirous of education, wondering whether the adoption of virtual learning and the skills that comes with it will continue to persist post-COVID-19, the University’s Vice-Chancellor advised that the integration of information technology of all the initiatives taken for online education, in this trying times and if eventually will become an integral component of the university’s education would be depended on the approval from the government and the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Barely a week after Skyline University Nigeria completed a 5-day e-workshop organized for Pre-varsity Schools in North East region of Nigeria. The university has on Thursday, 14th May moved to organize her first online CEO lecture, tagged ‘The role of National Board for Technology Incubation in the Commercialization of Research and Development (R&D) Results in Nigeria’. The objectives of the training according to Ms. Nafisa Inuwa, the Corporate Affairs Executive of the university, who delivered the opening remark, was to provide students of the university with the ability to recognize commercial and business opportunities, to build self-esteem, competencies, knowledge and skills needed in the journey towards self-employment by their interaction with successful CEOs who have made a remarkable entrepreneurial accomplishment. The Student Service Executives of the university, Ms. Hawwa Kassim in her introduction of the guest speaker, Engr. Dr. Mohammed Jibrin, FNSE, FAEng, FNICE, FIMC and Director General/CEO NBTI, she elaborated his achievements that goes a long way in building capacity of budding entrepreneurs in Nigeria and enjoined students to pay attention to the Guest Speaker so as to enrich their knowledge of what is obtained in the industry. While making his presentation at the 1st Online Edition of Students’ Entrepreneurship Workshop, the Guest Speaker, Engr. Dr. Mohammed stated that “Skyline University Nigeria within a short space of time has achieved so much and is carving a niche for herself as an established institution of higher learning in Nigeria through her strong focus on entrepreneurship development for students of the university”. Dr. Mohammed said, that with the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Nigeria has prided herself in being able to support business ideas of individuals coming up with tangible solutions to the countless of problems plaguing the country over the years. He added that “what qualified students/individuals to be considered as a member of the NBIT, is simple to conceive an idea… “Your proposal will be streamed lined and adjusted, afterwards, an interview will be conducted to ensure you have the capacity and time. When we are convinced that your idea is feasible, we ask you to submit the business plan and afterwards admit you into the technology incubation centre Programmeme”. he added. The guest speaker bemoaned the situation whereby the country is still dependent on imported products that have not been able to translate into meaningful wealth creation for Nigeria. On the manufacture and distribution of fake products in the market, he said such an act, is tempering with the safety of human lives. According to him, if Students of Skyline University Nigeria had to translate research and business ideas to tangible solutions, they will have to look at the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and not out of business curiosity without any plan for quality and commercialization. The vote of thanks was delivered by Haruna Baffa Lawan, a 200 level students of Economics, Skyline University Nigeria. In his words, “Thank you for taking the time to share with us your organizational structure as well as the fundamentals of entrepreneurship success. I’m sure the participants are well excited and this initiative will guide us through the monitoring, evaluations and mapping of a successful entrepreneurial journey. Thank you!”