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Hails EKSU’s giant strides as varsity confers honorary degrees on Senate Leader, two others at 29th convocation ceremony
From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has said the current National Assembly is committed to promoting quality education in the country.
This was as he hailed Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, for being ranked as the best state university in Nigeria, noting that despite being a state university, it has carved a niche for itself and stands tall among universities in the country.
The Senate President stated this at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, at the grand finale of the week-long EKSU 29th convocation ceremony, where the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Industry (BOI), Dr Mansur Muhtar, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees by the university.
While Bamidele was conferred with Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa), Adedeji was honoured with Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa), and Muhtar received Doctor of Finance (Honoris Causa).
Commending EKSU’s giant strides and Ekiti as the state with the highest number of professors, Akpabio said, “We thank God Almighty for this university that has produced great men and women who are making great strides in Nigeria. Ekiti State University happens to be ranked the best among all the state universities in Nigeria. Of the over 150 or 200 universities in Nigeria, Ekiti State University is number twelve in this country today. Who will not believe that this can be accomplished by a state institution? So, to the Visitor to the university, the Vice-Chancellor, the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellor, and members of council, I say congratulations and keep the flag flying. Ekiti has the greatest number of professors in Nigeria; that is the simple truth.”
Akpabio congratulated the graduands and the honourees, urging the new graduates to make the best of what they have learnt at the university.
“So, for the graduands of today, I want to say congratulations to all of you, and I wish you well in life. It is a great joy for you to get here, particularly for those who obtained the Honoris Causa along with our leader in the Senate. Opeyemi Bamidele happens to be a star that Ekiti has sent as a good ambassador to the National Assembly.
“To you all, I want to say your attitude in life determines your altitude. Make the best of what you have learnt here, and I can assure you that the future will be definitely bright, and Nigeria will be better for it.”
Akpabio noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s love for education, coupled with the President’s knowledge that Ekiti people are lovers of education, prompted the establishment of a new federal university in the state.
“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very proud of your son, Opeyemi Bamidele. As far back as 1992, he was a Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) to the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, you now see why Ekiti is getting more universities. In fact, recently, the President, through our passage, signed into law a new University of Technology and Environmental Science, Iyin-Ekiti. I want to say congratulations to the Governor for producing a Senator who has also keyed into the vision. Many graduands today may not know that even the incumbent governor of Ekiti State is an alumnus of this university. That goes to say that we are not only building the Nigeria of today, we are also building the future of Nigeria through this institution.”
As a way of appreciating Ekiti for its gallantry in the area of education, Akpabio announced a personal donation of N100 million for EKSU’s development. He also promised that other senators present would later meet to decide on further contributions.
Additionally, he said money would be appropriated for the construction of the deplorable federal road leading to the cargo airport in Ado-Ekiti, and the money spent by Governor Oyebanji’s administration on the federal road leading to EKSU would be refunded to the state coffers.
“I hereby direct that the road from the airport, which is a federal road, must be appropriated for. We can’t have the best brains, we can’t have the best educational facilities, and not also have the best infrastructure. The federal government will partner with the governor of the state, and even the areas that the governor has done, the 17-kilometre road to this institution that he has completed, I want to assure you on behalf of the President that the money shall be refunded to you.”
In his remarks, the Senate Leader appreciated the honour, noting that the National Assembly will continue to support and provide the enabling environment for quality education.
“On behalf of other awardees, I sincerely appreciate all the dignitaries here today for sparing your precious time to witness the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees on us at this epoch-making convocation. We accept these honours with a deep sense of responsibility.
“On a personal note, this is the third honorary doctorate I have received in the last 26 months. First, Joseph Ayodele Babalola University (JABU), one of the leading private universities, honoured me with the Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa) on January 23, 2023. Thirteen months later, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) decorated me with another doctorate degree in Public Law on February 11, 2024. Now, precisely thirteen months after the last conferment, Ekiti State University, EKSU, Nigeria’s number one state university in the land of honour, considered it worthwhile to decorate me with a Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa).
“This latest recognition is not by any means accidental or merely for fixtures. Rather, having primarily reflected on its import, I believe it is a divine design, especially at this challenging time when opposition parties are viciously launching a barrage of attacks on the National Assembly. The reasons for such attacks are purely based on emotions and, in most cases, not reason; sentiments and not substance. Even more strongly, I believe it is an impetus for the pursuit of greater public good for the greater number of my constituents and Nigerians at large.
“The Pro-Chancellor, the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, the Visitor, I wholeheartedly appreciate this honour coming at this auspicious time. I hold it dearly to my heart, adding it to my quest and passion for a more functional educational system in our nation. This honour, I believe, will further deepen my covenant to my constituents and indeed to Nigerians. So, regardless of baseless and needless attacks our critics are throwing at the National Assembly, we are undeterred because we are truly on a rescue mission. The essence of the mission is bringing our fatherland from the abyss of regression to the path of progression through the enactment of pro-people legislation and by cultivating strategic collaboration with other arms of government. Collaboration in this sense does not suggest the erosion of the independence of the National Assembly for any reason; rather, in reality, it reinforces the spirit of interdependence that constitutional democracy entails, in order to resolve the issues that often clog the mechanism of accountable governance. On this note, we are focused on building a federation that enjoys internal stability and that rests solidly on the rule of law through the instrumentality of legislation, oversight, and representation.
“We are also committed to creating a system that will enable quality education, that will guarantee limitless placements for all our graduates, that will prioritise access to decent houses nationwide, that will significantly reverse our nation’s reports of untold misery, and that will, most importantly, remove all barriers to gender inequality.”
In his address, Governor Oyebanji, the Visitor to the university, congratulated the new graduates and charged them to be agents of change. He noted that his administration will continue to give priority attention to education. He thanked the Governing Council and the authorities of the institution for working with and supporting the government towards building the ivory tower to greater heights. He also thanked the President for approving a Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences for the state.
“To the graduands, congratulations to you all. I urge you to tackle the challenges that lie ahead with courage and optimism. Be agents of positive change by contributing your talents and expertise to address the pressing issues facing our nation, such as poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Let your creativity and innovation drive progress in all sectors of our economy.
“Remember that you are the future of Ekiti State and of this generation, and your success is linked to the progress of our beloved state. Embrace the spirit of inquiry and never cease to learn and to question. In all things, always strive for excellence in all your endeavours.
“I urge you to cherish the friendships and relationships that you have forged while here and build on the experiences you have garnered. They will prove invaluable in your future endeavours. Let your actions reflect the values of this university and contribute to the betterment of humanity. The current administration in Ekiti State places a high premium on human capital development. We recognise that education is the bedrock of any thriving society. It is for this reason that education remains a critical pillar of our ‘Roadmap to Keeping Ekiti State Working’.
“This administration is committed to sustaining the ongoing investment in all our educational institutions by providing them with the necessary resources and support to excel. In furtherance of our support to institutions in the state, I recently approved the sum of Four Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Four Naira, Forty-Eight Kobo (N438,955,884.48) to enable the judiciary, legislature, and the subvented institutions to respond to the recent minimum wage increase. I hereby appeal to our workers to justify this huge investment in their welfare through improved productivity.”
On his part, the Vice-Chancellor of EKSU, Prof. Joseph Ayodele, thanked the governor for supporting the institution and increasing the monthly subvention to the university. He congratulated the graduands and urged them to embrace the principles of honesty, integrity, diligence, and forthrightness as they go into society. He told them that the current situation in the country demands that they think outside the box to have and achieve the cutting edge that will make them excel where others are failing.
Akpabio was accompanied by 18 other senators and some members of the House of Representatives at the ceremony to honour the Senate Leader.
Among the federal legislators present at the ceremony were the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Adeola Olamilekan; Senate Spokesperson from Ekiti South Senatorial District, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; and Senator representing Ekiti North, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, among several others.