SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW BY AJAYEOBA MAYOKUN.

The movie Source Code is a scientific thriller that was released on the 1^st of April, 2011 and was directed in the United States of America by Duncan Jones and has Ben Ripley as its script writer. It is a 93 minutes movie having its main stars as Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga.

Source Code is creative thriller that comes billed as science fiction; the "science" in this case is used to prop up an appealing story of a man who tries to change the past.

At its center is Colter Stevens, played by Jake (Gyllenhaal), a US army helicopter pilot who has crashed in Afghanistan. When he comes through, he finds himself in civilian clothes aboard a crowded commuter train arriving slightly late into Chicago on a glorious summer morning. He appears to be in someone else's body: that of a suburban teacher. Opposite him sits Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who behaves as if a brief nap has merely interrupted their highly flirtatious conversation, but she is then increasingly alarmed as Colter, wild-eyed and panicky, demands to know what is happening and what is going on.

After eight minutes, Colter gains consciousness to find himself (as himself) in a secret Army lab, talking to a scientist named Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). He gradually understands that the commuter train was destroyed by a terrorist bomb, and that the brain of one of the victims was harvested for memories of the last eight minutes before the explosion. That's a first cousin to the old theory that “a killer's image remains imprinted on the victim's retinas”

Goodwin and her Army intelligence team believe that by rerunning those eight minutes, they can discover the identity of the terrorist and prevent a larger explosion that could destroy Chicago.

Now comes the human touch; As he returns again and again to those fateful eight minutes, Colter finds that he can remember his previous visits, even though for Christina and others on the train, they are of course happening for the first time, as well he might, as the conscious occupant of this borrowed body, he apparently possesses free will and need not duplicate exactly what the original memory donor did.

This involves the possibility that he could relive the memories of a man's final eight minutes and act in such a way as to affect the outcome. If the man were to survive — whose memories would he have, his own or his visitor's? Don't go there. The Army's no doubt brilliant Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) starts out to account for the experiment, but abandon his explanation, which is our loss Colter’s challenge increase in complexity. The city grows ever closer to destruction. Christina becomes more poignant. The scientists grow more desperate.

This movie is a must watch for every science student, science and technology reporter and every producer/director in Nigeria, because this movie is a great Science fiction movie that teaches you how to create and make use of inventions to help your country, this movie is an eye opener for Nigerian science students which will enable them to invent a machine/equipment that will boost our nation’s development; where we have the cases of the faceless Boko Haram sect, in relation to this movie, our students can produce machines to track down these faceless mob.

Nigerian film directors/producers/scriptwriters should also write and produce more science- fiction movies which are intellectually inclined, and would promote or boost Nigeria’s image to the global world; not only to the global world, but also if inventions as such can be imbibed in our country Nigeria, then there would be cases of people having the intention and encouragement to become science and technology journalists in the country. 

This movie will help science and technology reporters know how to report similar inventions like the one portrayed in the movie. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this movie 8, four gold stars and 1 thumb up!!! Also as this ratings are, if science and technology would be encouraged in the country, other nations would rate Nigeria same.

News Story by OCHEJA MARIA.

Headline: President Goodluck Visits Covenant University over Technology.

 Beat: Research and Development Centre

 Technological advancementsin the country have in recent times taken its toll and no different has the story been in the ICT driven Covenant University at Otta in Ogun State as there have been records of incessant increase in imaginative inventions.

In DLAMS interview with a Professor in medicinal and organic chemistry and Director of Research and Development Centre, Professor Echeme John Bull, he says that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would be coming to the University to commission some products that have been patented by the university. 

In this regard, the Professor acclaimed that the Chancellor had earlier advised that ideas for inventions should not be isolated in the sense that the ideas should not only be from the professors’ arm, but can also come from students whose ideas would be expanded and also worked on for patenting and commission. 

The recent inventions that were out listed by the professor includes: The 500 KVA fuel less generator, poca tea made from paw-paw, granular rice and some other inventions that the professor had earlier reserved them as unmentioned. More so, the Director highlighted the importance of these inventions in relation to our Nigerian society today as the level power outage continues to eat deep into the society, he says that this inventions would aid developments in the country.

For the basis of financing on this platform, the Director addressed the issue of grants on this platform from external sources although it had earlier been stated that the institution was in no form of partnership with external agencies but rather involved in research collaborations where the tests or inventions were still check proven by Scientists, engineers and of course professors in countries like China, Germany, India and the United States.

More innovations had been promised to come to place as the developments keep blooming.

FEATURE ARTICLE BY DELANO OLAYIDE

Did you know that power can be generated without fuel? Did you know rice can be cooked in cold water? Did you know that violators of the traffic light can now be punished without being caught? Did you know paw-paw could work wonders? Did you know you can pound yam electronically?

Carl Sogan once said ‘Advances in medicine and agriculture have saved vastly more lives than have been lost in all wars in history’.  This simply means that science has done more good to us than evil. 

Discoveries in science are called ‘sparks’ which sometimes heralds good news and most times bad news. The sparks that have been discovered in Nigeria is of a good nature which will benefit the society and the nation at large.

If you did not know, I don’t think it is too late, just relax your nerves and flow with me as we discover the five W’s and H(where, why, when , what, who and how) of these sparks.

A Science and Technology development has taken its toll in an ICT driven institution that is owned by the educational arm of the Living Faith Commission at Ogun State in Nigeria.

In an interview with the Director of Research and Development Centre (an invention arm of the University), Professor John Bull Onyekachi Echeme, he divulged recent scientific discoveries in that have either been commissioned or patented in the University.

During the course of the interview, we were enlightened on the fuel less generator invented in the University and it is a 500KVA generator. This idea has been brought about by different intelligent minds who have paved the way in this discovery.

The institution as a whole has been working on this project which is now a reality for quite some time and it will be commissioned by the president of our nation (Nigeria); Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

A discovery is hinged on solving problems. This discovery was made to solve the problem of epileptic power supply through electricity in Nigeria.

Rhetorically we can say happily that good can come out from Zion.

More to these discoveries has been the discovery on granular rice. Most people cannot do without eating rice in a week; it is the major source of carbohydrate and this is highly appreciated nutritional wise. Science has made it easier for everybody to eat and enjoy, rice in a granulated form which makes it easier for digestion.

It also ensures that the major nutrients of rice is not lost even when not cooked with hot water. This is also under the umbrella of Covenant University and also the school is the first to initiate this spark, as relates with health and nutrition.

Every day is for the thief, and one day for the owner. This is the latest adage the covenant university research team has brought to life. Many people in Nigeria have violated traffic lights countless of times and has gone away with it scot free; some leading to fatal accidents and probably death.

Covenant University has also savaged the incessant rise of accidents and deaths by discovering and developing a new technology called the ‘traffic light invention’ which will be used to combat both licensing and sanctioning violators of traffic light.

But this has not been patented by the Nigerian government. Efforts has been made to make this a reality, soonest the deal will be done.

The traffic light invention works in a way that if the violator is caught, the electronic system automatically registers your number and your car will be booked before moving a quarter of a kilometer. No official need not run after the offender, because the car will be stopped automatically by the devise.

Fruits have their healing power they say, and that is why the covenant university platform have come again with the wonders of fruits by using paw-paw.

The other one is what we call the “nutrient ega” an indigenous nutrient ‘ega’ has been developed is an invention from here that has been patented already by the Nigerian Patent Law.

Finally, a student from Covenant University also discovered how to make the local pounded yam electronically without the much stress the mothers go through. this indeed we say is a great invention from a great mind.

Light in the Dark Continent by OCHEJA MARIA

“Covenant University is not only raising a new generation of leaders and releasing Eagles but also producing World changers who would become a Total man and also redeem the image of the Black man”. This was the quote of the Director of the Centre for Research and Development Centre in Covenant University, Professor Echeme John Bull.

Over time and beyond, unimaginable inventions have surfaced the globe but there are some unmentionable ones that DLAMS trailed and sourced information on- on the 18^th of November, 2011.

This trail took us to the Covenant University platform where we discovered that there was a possibility for a Generator to work with Bio mass and still function most effectively; other inventions included Poca tea from paw-paw, Granular rice from Rice and the Traffic invention for the time being of which there are more inventions to come up.

My stand here becomes, just as the Chancellor of Covenant University; Dr David Oyedepo ably quoted by the Director, Professor Echeme, “it must not be white to be right”. This is no wrong as it is evident in the researches that have taken their toll in Covenant University.

The Black man has also based himself on the same equilibrium with the White man on the Science and Technology platform. This has brought advancement and respect to the table of the Blacks where we are no longer looked down upon because of our complexion rather we are judged via the content of not only our character but also by the contents of our intellect and intelligibility.

Creating a fuel less generator, bringing about a traffic light that can catch rule breakers, distilling paw-paw to tea and wine, and drinking rice in any form in its granulated form and carefully using machines to step the processes that are involved is a top class addition for the Black Man. This kind of event should take the Nation from developing to developed because this indeed is an eye opener for the globe and not Nigeria alone.

Nigeria can boast of technological advancement on this platform and it is evident that it is moving the country from third world to first world and the image of the Black man is indeed coming through the doors of redemption.

Needless to say that it must not be white to be right, it can be Black to be actually beautiful and light can actually shine in a continent that was termed Dark and Barbaric. Science Researches and Technology has elapsed in Nigeria with Covenant University bringing it to reality.

As Marshall McLuhan the father of Globalization said that the world is becoming a global village and bringing a breach in barriers of communication, so is Science and Technology present as a branch of globalization and acting as a tool that is used in breaching this gap and the Black Man has made the most effective use of this tool. 

DLAMS INTERVIEW WITH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (DIRECT TRANSCRIBTION).

Group’s intro:

Good Afternoon Sir, as we said earlier, we were here some days ago and last week. We would like to interview you: know who you are and then you would answer some few questions for us. As you know, we are from the department of Mass Communication, 300 Level. I am Ocheja Maria, (and others introduce themselves) Delano Olayide, Dunni Sappor, Ajayeoba Mayokun.

(Maria Ocheja: Okay, so here are the questions-under her breath.)

Maria Ocheja (1^st Speaker): em we would like to know your name and your position in the research and development centre.

Director of Research and Development Centre:

Thank you for coming, my name is Professor John bull Onyekachi Echeme, I am a professor of medicinal and organic chemistry, and I am also by the grace of God, the Director for Covenant University Research and Development Centre; a post I have been holding for the past ten months now and you are welcome to my centre.

Group Responds:

Thank you sir.

Ocheja Maria:

Sir, what is the most recent invention in the research and development centre?

Professor Echeme:

Well, we have a lot of inventions, we have a lot of innovations but it is interesting to know that three patent rights are now on ground, three patents whose details I may not give but I would just say that one of the patents is talking about “poca tea” tea that is not found anywhere so it is originating from paw-paw that’s number one, the other one is what we call the “nutrient ega” an indigenous nutrient ega has been developed is an invention from here that has been patented already by the Nigerian Patent Law and there is another one that has to do with granular rice. Granular rice has been repackaged and has been formulated in such a way that it becomes a delicacy even in cold water; you can put it there and you drink straight away: Granular rice packaged in a different way so Covenant University made a giant stride in that area as we are the very first to come about this invention.

The most recent invention as you just asked; you would hear in the next few weeks, about a fuel less generator that is coming out in the Covenant University platform. (I am talking so slowly hmm…). This generator of course, you know the menace of power whereby everybody is striving towards having a more suitable condition whereby cottage industries and small scale industries could thrive. They are not doing conveniently under the situation of this power outage in the country so Covenant University has been thinking of what is to be done and then very soon, something is going to come up. It has been made known to the public and it would be commissioned soon. A 500 KVA generator that would be running on a fuel less condition (phone rings). So that is a very beautiful one, there is an arrangement that the president of the country would commission it; there is an arrangement for that (phone rings) but be sure that the Chancellor would be there and then the Commission would be done. That is on one hand. On the other hand also, we have what we call the Traffic Light Invention. Traffic Light Invention has something to do with both licensing and then the traffic light. People beat Traffic Light very easily but if this is bought by the Nigerian; it is an invention, it is coming up no doubt if it is bought by the Nigerian populace (phone rings) then if you beat the traffic, you can easily be caught. It is not a question of stop him-stop him, automatically, your number would register and the number of your car and everything and your car would be impounded. The device is such that the moment you beat the traffic, or you offend the rule, then you move I mean not about one quarter of a kilometre and you are stopped, the car stops on its own, the device would stop the car.

Dunni Sappor:

It is really a good idea we have something like that in school like matric periods and convocation periods where the school is always really crowded.

Professor Echeme:

Yeah, where the school is crowded and there could be opportunities for dis array but well, things are a bit well defined here and then regimented but in the society outside just move out of Canaan land gate, you would see a lot of rowdiness and so on; so that one is meant for that situation whereby people are not respecting decency and decorum.

Dunni Sappor:

So, what are the aim and the source of this development?

Professor Echeme:

What are the aim and the source of this development…..?We can say that we are opportune to have the visionary and Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr David Oyedepo who caught the vision of establishing a university of this magnitude and then originally, from day one, he said the purpose of the university is to restore the image of the Black man. The Black man has been so battered, the Black man has been treated as if there is no sense in the head or brain at all, but the Chancellor used to say that “it must not be white to be right” so the Black man can also do it.

So what motivated all this invention is that from day one, Covenant University would not only raise a new generation of leaders but also be a spotlight centre for development of research and that research would move across everybody and then impact on the immediate community around that’s here, I mean and Ogun State, Nigeria and the globe. So that is the motivation behind what is coming up on this platform.

I want to also say that there is an array of inventions that are on the way, very soon, Canaan land would not be dependent on any I mean generation of electricity from anywhere not even the fuel less generator- we are talking about what we call the renewable energy that we can use just behind my centre here, (points at the building) the foil is there and we are going to calibrate it in such a way that it would generate tub-oil and then electricity would be supplied indigenously within here so we do not have anybody to answer anything on power failure.

So these things are going on and we want to turn Covenant University into another silicon valley. You have heard about Silicon Valley?

Group responds:

Yes we have.

Professor Echeme:

It is going to be because we have a very strong and vibrant research cluster- I mean the solar cell research cluster. I mean, let me stop there because you people are still young and do not know what I am talking about (laughs…)

Ajayeoba Mayokun:

Is the school partnering with any external body?

Professor Echeme:

Is the school partnering with any external body or any external agency?For now we say no because if you partner with them, there is this tendency of I mean betrayal; we have seen such before. The very first anti-malaria vaccine was manufactured by a Nigerian, but because he partnered with a foreign body, then that thing was bought over, there was a swindling so Covenant University is collaborating with foreign people but not partnering now- if you have an invention from the department of Mass Communication, you could partner with Covenant University but Covenant University is not partnering with people in the developments of inventions and so on.We have research collaborations which is different from partnering. Collaborations we a have professor there in Germany or in the US or somewhere in India or in China, and then what we are doing here, he does some as aspects and then we bring them together for the research to converge, that is completely different but in all this indigenous inventions that would bring out Covenant University to the lime light, making us top class university in the world, we are trying to carefully avoid- I think that English is much better I mean we are trying to carefully avoid partnership that would be unpalatable in the long run.

Maria Ocheja:

Sir, how long have these inventions been going on? You’ve mentioned the Silicon Valley.

(He interrupts)

Professor Echeme:

Yes, we are going to be a silicon valley. How Long?! Research has been going on since inception because the crop of scientists that were brought in the moment the university has been established, they have working and then many more stars have been injected into the system. It is not as if it is a one day process, some of them carried researches that they have been doing from everywhere some of the brain behind the researches were from Covenant University; the development was from Covenant University platform so we can categorically say beyond reasonable doubt being on a holy ground, most of the things erupted from here so for how long means you can count from when the University was established and until now say a period of…. Is it nine years?! 

Group Answers:

Yes nine years.

Professor Echeme:

Nine years plus and Covenant University has made a giant stride as regards the development of Research and products as well, you would hear about commercialization some of our products that would come out very soon. You can see Covenant Bread; you hear the waves that are being generated about Covenant Bread which is not even sufficient for the Canaan land Community because we want to export it and then, many things are on the run: Yam pounding machine, the yoghurt is coming and then CU wine, all this things are in the mainstream of commercialization. All of them, the brain child of Covenant University Research and Development Centre.

Delano Olayide:

Sir, many of these inventions that you have mentioned,

Professor Echeme:

Yes.

Delano Olayide:

Are they propounded by students or professors alone?

Professor Echeme:

Okay, so it cuts across; I mean the moment I came to this seat by the grace of God, the Chancellor told me that I should not focus or restrict attention to only professors because they may not be the only people that would have the brain it may come from anywhere so it cuts across everybody. The generator you are talking about is not a professor; it is just one of our Staff and then some of them of course are professors or academia or the academic and it cuts across everybody. Some students have submitted some patent that we are considering right now. One student from Mass Comm actually submitted something and then we are trying to consider. One of your staff is already moving in a very good direction; Olaolu or somebody.

Group Answers:

Laolu sir?

Professor Echeme:

Laolu, um a very good something. (Tilts his shoulder and brings out a file). Yes I am correct, Olaolu Ahmodu.

Group Hails:

Ahhh! Mr Lanre…. He is our course adviser, he is our lecturer.

Professor Echeme:

Very good, that is to tell you that it cuts across the big people, it cuts across the young ones so everybody is moving as a team; everybody is moving as a team in order to establish and make sure that our dream in Covenant University is established and then, externalization  of our policies’ paramount role and we want to everything to drive it and students are encouraged to come forward with any… because the ideas could drop in from God and if it drops in from God, then you come forward and the ideas would be expanded in any areas (gives a clap), so students are encouraged not to incubate whatever they have in the parochial way but bring it forth and the ideas would be expanded if it is in engineering aspect, we would take it to experts, your ideas would not be stolen, that is guaranteed- as far as I remain on this seat, ideas would not be stolen but it would be sharpened and  fine-tuned in such a way that it would make meaning as long as research is concerned yes!.

Ocheja Maria:

Without much ado sir, we would like to know or how these projects or researches are funded.

Professor Echeme:

Okay, we want to thank the Chancellor of Covenant University, by God’s grace, Bishop David Oyedepo, we want to thank the Management of Covenant University, ably headed by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Aize Obayan for the support , unmentionable support that they have granted in the areas of research. Nevertheless, this support of course is complimented by a lot of research grants that are coming from agencies; agencies that grant grants. No University would depend on indigenous sources for a total grant. What you do is or the normal practice, the best practice that we want to be bench mark against it is get something from within and compliment from outside.

A quality of a University is known from the number of grants that it is able to attract internally and then externally so we have the compliments aspects or complimentary aspects of the grants: travel grants and research grants that is where a staff would take up from here and then go to a foreign University and stay nine months and come back. The most important thing is what has been generated within the grants- so this support is within, and we are grateful to God, and then also, traces of it are coming from outside. The main support, the bulk of the support is coming from within, from Covenant University supported by the living faith commission and championed by the Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr David Oyedepo.

Group Thanks:

Thank you very much,

Professor Echeme:

You are always welcome.

Group Thanks:

We thank you for this opportunity and we hope to see you some other time.

Professor Echeme:

You are welcome and always welcome.

FEATURE ARTICLE BY OMOLE SAMUEL

What does the future hold for science and technology in Nigeria?

There may not be a definite answer that could be given to this question, due to the present state or condition of Nigeria today. As Africans we are seen as a third world nation which simply means that we are still on our way to development unlike the western nations that have achieved most of their goals in different areas especially that of science and technology. Putting all these comparison aside, we could say that Nigeria has gone to an improved extent in the area of science and technology. Several discoveries have been made in different areas. In an institution like Covenant university which is an ICT driven institution, lots of mega minds have made impacts in this aspect in terms of invention of industrial machines and products for consumption.

In an interview with the Director of Research and Development, Professor Johnbull Onyekachi Echeme, he made mention of some of the latest inventions that have occurred in the university. 

During the interview he made mention of three patent rights which are “poca tea” originated from paw-paw, “nutrient ega” and also granular rice which are already on ground, not only that the emergence of a fuel less 500KVA generator. With the emergence of this new electronic device, there could be a new method of minimizing the electrical problem in Nigeria. All these inventions have being tested and approved and in no time they will be commissioned by the the President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan.

Another impactful invention is that of traffic light. This is designed in such a way that it when an individual is caught committing an offence that involves road event, there is an electronic device that instantly takes the plate number of the car and then booked. In this situation, there is really no need to chase the offender, because this electronic device automatically stops the car before it moves.

All these inventions were made by students of this institution and just like the motto of the university which says “raising a new generation of leaders”, it could also be seen as the emergence of new sets of scientists and inventors that would one day turn this nation Nigeria into a world of science and this has already begun.