Urhobo College honours White House Boss, others

It was an evening of glamour, reunion and thrills, when students of the premier Urhobo College, Efurum, Warri, Delta State, today and yesteryears, recently gathered at the Alvan Ikoku Hall, Radisson Blu, Ikeja, Lagos, to honour Dr. Austin Avwero Eruotor, President of the White House Group including Prof. Joseph Abugu, Mr. Ogaga Orovwuje and Barrister Lucky Nengite, as pillars of the Urhobo College Old Students’ Association and for their uncommon service to humanity.

The well-attended event was a threefold in one annual event, tagged ‘The 2018 Annual Dinner, Lecture and Award’. The event that was chaired by Chief Oghenekpobo Jonathan Idudu, the Ughegbe of Agban Kingdom, was attended by prominent old students of the institution and their spouses who have carved a niche for themselves in their various fields of human endeavour.

Some of the eminent men present at the dinner include, Mr. Victor Hammond, Chief E. F. Esisi and Mr. Tajudeen Adegboyega Akande, President Lagos Country Club, who was the guest speaker. He spoke on the topic Successful Succession Planning, which he treated excellently and professionally well to the admiration of his audience.

In his address, Mr. Igho Okor, President of the Association’s Lagos Branch, expressed his overwhelming excitement on the turnout of the members, calling on them to wake up to the clarion call of seeing that the great institution that would turn 70 years on January 24, 2019, founded in 1949, takes her rightful place as the admirable and enviable champion it used to be.

He revealed that the 70th anniversary celebration would be used primarily to raise N100 million to revamp some structures in the school that require urgent attention.

In a solemn tone, he appealed to the old students to use their positions and engage individuals and corporate bodies that they know can do something for the college in furtherance of their corporate vision and social responsibility.

Lifting from Mr. Okor’s, words Chief Idudu, told the old students not to rest until they ensure that, their alma mater has taken back the championship position she was known for worldwide when students and teachers came from all over the world.

“From the caliber of the men assembled here you can achieve much more than your intent to do if you all direct your energies and pulled your resources together with the quest to achieve the extraordinary success in the shortest time span. It is achievable,” he stated.

He emphasised that, a school that produced people like Hon. Justice, Mrs. Roseline Bozimo, immediate past Chief Judge of Delta State and Hon. Justice Gladys Ekperin and others too many to list, who did their Higher School Certificate (HSC) should not be left to decay and die, while she should actually lead the pack of prominent sought-after post primary schools in the country.

The special guest, Prof. Chris Ugolo, National President, UCOSA Worldwide, who spoke through a representative, frowned at the neglect and pitiable state of the infrastructures in the college and the living condition of the staff, calling on the relevant authorities to collaborate with the students’ association in bringing back the glory of the school for the good of the state and for the betterment of the heritage of the Urhobo nation.

The speeches were punctuated with soul lifting music and comedy performed ostensibly by Emma Sax and the ace comedian Micky Mouse who came all the way from Warri, to add flavour to the occasion.

Any time either of them was called to the stage, the guests were always held spellbound. The old rekindled their good days at the college as they sang and danced to various songs, behaving like very young adults to the excitement of guests.

The evening came to a memorable end when the awardees, who were rewarded for their support of the body in Lagos, stepped out one after the other in this order Mr. Ogaga Orovwuje, Prof. Joseph Abugu, Barr. Lucky Nengite and Dr. Austin Avwero Eruotor, who was honoured for his valuable and uncommon commitment and immense contributions to the activities of UCOSA, Lagos Branch and beyond.

Chief E. F. Esisi, the immediate past President of the body worldwide presenting the certificate and plague to Dr. Eruotor on the behalf the body said that rewarding and recognising him for what he has done is encouraging him to do more and inviting him to always stand up to the occasion when there is a genuine opportunity to do so.

He mentioned that for Dr. Eruofor to be chosen as a UN global peace Ambassador, an honour given to very distinguished and well-tested select few, is a well-deserved call for him to do more, and that the college is proud to have him as her product.

Dr. Eruofor who spoke on behalf of the award recipients said his passion for excellence, hard work, innovation, versatility and astute interest and zeal for knowledge and capacity, that is of added value to the larger society, endeared and motivated his induction into the famous London Institute of Banking as member.

In the same vein, the reputable Pacific Western University, Denver, Sate of Colorado, USA, awarded him honourable doctorate degree-Doctor of Philosophy, Business Administration.

“For a body like UCOSA with very highly placed people in different spheres of life and well recognizable eminent and erudite international scholars as members, to choose to honour us, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s center of excellence, is a gross way of humbling us…It also means more responsibilities like Chief Esisi, the elder statesman mentioned earlier,” he stated.

He called on the millennial generation to be focused, patient, direct their vibrant energies positively and shun vices that are the surest way to doom, not only for the individual involved, but their immediate family and the global human society.

He also promised to do more to help the youth in his own little way, indirectly growing a peaceful and crime free society.