Copyright 2004 Accra Mail

This Day (Nigeria) - AAGM

December 27, 2004

MATHS CENTRE CHALLENGES OYIBO ON GAGUT THEOREM

BYLINE: Juliana Taiwo

National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Abuja, has renewed its call on the world renowned Mathematician/Physicist and three-time Nobel Prize nominee who is also the first Nigerian in Diaspora to participate in the NUC Nigerian Experts and Academics in the Diaspora Scheme (NEADS), Professor Gabriel Oyibo, to come and face its panel of Mathematical Scientists to defend his controversial GAGUT theorem.

Director/Chief Executive of the Centre, Professor Sam Ale said this when he appeared on the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) personality interview programme in Abuja.

"We want Professor Oyibo to come and face Nigerian Professors of Mathematics to look at his theorem. The arrangement has not yet been made, but I will want him to come and defend his theorem,"Ale said.

He said the Centre has assembled a total of 57 Professors of Mathematics from within and outside the country, to commence the award of Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates instead of "Certificate of Attendance." He said preparations for the Degree and other programmes was in response to the decision by the National Council on Education (NCE), held in Minna, Niger State, empowering the NMC to do so.

Ale said he was awaiting a formal approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC),to commence the Degree awarding programme in collaboration with six universities in the country.

He expressed the desire of the NMC to produce Nobel Prize winners in Mathematics in the coming years to enhance its status and ranking as an International Centre of Excellence in the Mathematical Sciences.

He said some specific academic programmes had already been designated, which would be run by each of the collaborating universities. These are Financial Mathematics (to be run at the University of Abuja), Mathematics in Biomedicine (University of Jos), Mathematical Ecology (Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi), Mathematical Education & ICT (University of Ilorin), Mathematics in Maritime Technology (Federal University of Technology, Owerri) and Information Theory & Communication Technology (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife).

On some of the major achievements of the Centre since its inception, Prof. Ale said the NMC so far organized a total of 87 Foundation Post-Graduate programmes,17 Research-oriented courses, 11 Workshops aimed at graduate improvement and 5 Mathematical centre Summits while over 1,000 university lecturers and those in the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education had been trained.

He said the Centre had been able to do a lot with the N2.3 billion Projects Endowment Fund launched in the middle of 2004, from which over N40 million had so far been realized, besides the four classroom blocks and Mathematics Library being built by the Education Trust Fund (ETF). "On every of the 13 projects earmarked, something is happening," he said.

Distributed by All Africa Global Media. (allafrica.com)