‘Igbinedion varsity providing leadership to meet national education goals’

…Graduates 634, 11 get First Class degrees

Vice chancellor, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Prof Eghosa Osaghae has assured best graduating students of the institution of automatic employment as a way of promoting academic excellence.

He said all students from Kano and Bauchi States as well as those under the federal government amnesty programme who graduated with Second Class Upper Degree, have automatic appointment slots.Osaghae who spoke at the 15th convocation ceremony of the institution also lamented government’s non- supportive roles to private universities, particularly with funds to manpower and skills development.

He said, “Government has continued to fail us in critical areas, only providing funds and interventions to public universities.” Osaghae stated that the private sector could do more and grow the economy if government keys into its programmes and policies by providing funding to take up aggressive research and knowledge drive.

The vice chancellor described the convocation ceremony as an opportunity for stock taking, boasting of the best of students and academic facilities, occasioned by uninterrupted power supply on campus, which is the hallmark of the institution since inception.

Osaghae said the institution graduated 85 students in the federal government’s amnesty programme while a total of 634 graduands were awarded first and higher and higher degrees at the ceremony.

In his breakdown, 11 bagged first class, 220 second class upper, 248 second class lower and 15 third class degrees.Reeling out the institution’s achievement since its inception in 1999,Deputy Chancellor and former Edo State Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, who represented the Chancellor, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion said the institution has produced over 3,000 lawyers, 1,500 doctors, over 2,000 graduates of engineering, 800 pharmacists and many more professionals from other disciplines.

“As the number one and the leading private university in Nigeria, we shall continue to provide leadership to other private universities in providing quality education to our dear country to see that it meets its national education goal. “Igbinedion said.

Delivering the 15th convocation lecture, titled, “Restructuring and the future of Nigeria”, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo said restructuring must be backed by law and guarantee the prosperity of all regions. She added that restructuring must not pit one region against another while the centre must not be made so weak so as to be able to curb separatist agitatons.

On his part, former Military Head of State, Gen Abdulsami Abubakar, who was a special guest at the ceremony sued for peaceful coexistence amongst Nigerians.“ If there is no peace there would be no Nigeria, so it is duty of all to ensure that at all levels, we maintain peace and also do our own citizens right,” he said.  

The Chancellor of the institution and Esama of Benin, Sir Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, lauded Abubakar for his role in encouraging private universities’ growth in the country and pointed out that the institution has not failed the federal government as it has produced manpower for the development of the nation.

He said to encourage more students’ enrolment in the institution; it has given 30 percent discount for students from the Northern part of the country.