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Yale alumni inaugurate club, pledge support for Nigerian students

By Ujunwa Atueyi
16 July 2015   |   1:18 am
To further strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and Yale University, United States, the Yale Club of Nigeria has been inaugurated by old students of the 314-year-old institution.
Yale alumni inaugurate club

Yale alumni inaugurate club

To further strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and Yale University, United States, the Yale Club of Nigeria has been inaugurated by old students of the 314-year-old institution. Through this platform, the ex-students intend to execute community and sundry services geared towards bettering the lot of the Nigerian society.

Speaking at the launch, which was attended by alumni and current students of the university, president of the club, Dr. Haroun Adamu, said that the major aim of the club was to help indigent, but brilliant Nigerian students who want to attend the institution to realise their dreams, and also to cement the relationship between Yale and Nigeria.

“Additionally the club will also serve as an intermediary between Nigerian students and the admissions office of Yale University in order to facilitate their admission. Once a student passes through the competitive undergraduate admissions process, he or she does not have to worry about finance. They will be on full scholarship. We call it ‘Need Blind Admission’.”

He said the dwindling number of Nigerian students attending Yale prompted the need to set up the club as Nigerian students are loosing opportunities, which their Ghananian counterparts have grabbed with both hands.

His words, “Ghana has opportunity of setting up such an organisation and has been sending students to Yale. We feel that  as an organisation, we can interface with parents who are willing to send their children there. We will conduct interviews, send recommendations on behalf of the students so that they can be admitted, once they make the grade, they will be on scholarship.

“We are loosing opportunities such as we have been gaining in the past. I had the opportunity of going to Yale on scholarship 50 years ago, and I will like to see more of my types going to Yale. That is why we set up the club.

“Secondly we are also interested in doing what Yale taught us to do, that is, rendering service to our communities. May 19th of every year is marked as Yale Day of Service globally. Yale alumni are encouraged to be of service to the community where they live.”

The event, which took place at Metropolitan Club, Lagos, also featured the presentation of N250, 000 award to a non-governmental organisation- Benola, a cerebral palsy initiative. The donation was part of Yale Club’s community service meant to aid the organisation’s support for, and improvement of the lives of people living with cerebral palsy.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, (who is an alumnus of the university) a visiting professor to NUC, Prof. Akaneren Essien, remarked that, “Okojie has injected good qualities tapped from Yale University into the Nigerian education system, through the quality assurance of academic programmes in Nigerian universities.”

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