Saturday, November 2 was a unique day in the sleepy town of Iyamoh, Edo State. It was the day the Edo State University, situated in the town, held its first convocation, amid pomp and ceremony.
A major feature of the event was the installation of eminent businessman and chairman, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola, as the institution’s first chancellor.
Makanjuola, who was celebrated for his several interventions in the education sector over the years, also bagged an honorary Doctor of Business Administration at the event.
Some of the eminent personalities gathered at the event were Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, top industrialist, Oba Otudeko, among others.
Governor Obaseki, said his administration was investing heavily in education because of the priority accorded the sector. He said the dream of the founding fathers of the institution had come to fruition with the first set of graduates passing out of the school. The governor announced the donation of N1 million to each of the five first class graduates. The university also gave the first-class graduates automatic employment.
Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Emmanuel Aluyor, who expressed gratitude to Makanjuola for accepting the offer, said the Caverton chairman’s association with the institution would help the university’s quest to be a world-class state-owned university.
Emeritus Professor Kimbe Audu, acting Pro-Chancellor of the institution, praised the founding fathers of the institution for having the foresight to create an institution that would be a model for the 21th century, adding that the institution was already making positive waves.
In his address, the new chancellor said it was gratifying that he was being honoured by the institution, even as he thanked Governor Obaseki for his appointment as chancellor.
Makanjuola said: “You have introduced me into a new hall of fame for which I am most grateful. I learnt about this university and its uniqueness through friends and associates who told me that Edo University, Iyamho, is the Harvard, Cambridge and IMT of our time. I was not in doubt of this claim because I know that great things are usually found in the heart, as the Heart Beat of the Nation.
“I see Edo State redefining education in Nigeria. It is with this sense that I accept the offer from Governor Godwin Obaseki, to be the First Chancellor of this great institution of higher learning.
“Nigeria has been yearning for this kind of education since independence, but no one was ready to face the challenge and come up with a world class university of this status. I must commend the founding fathers of the university for their foresight in establishing a university that competes favourably with Ivy League universities. I must say that EUI’s facilities are among the best in the world.”
Makanjuola The new chancellor also commended the university’s management and the pioneer graduates.
Said he: “I am confident that with the kind of management team in place, facilities, environment and staff, the students and, indeed, the pioneer graduands of the university, are set to take over the world with the acquired and knowledge.
“I am aware that all the programmes in the university have passed through the National Universities Commission assessment and accreditation with a minimum of 82 per cent, far above the NUC benchmark of 70 per cent required for full accreditation status. This is indicative of the fact that the university is blessed with a team of dedicated lecturers and administrative staff,” he said.
He also lauded the university for its industry-based academic programmes, which he said had stood the institution out. In his words, such industry-based programmes would prepare that students and give them an edge in the employment market.
“Edo University, Iyamoh, is a centre of entrepreneurship that would equip students with vocational skills, especially with the prize of N5, 000,000 to the graduand with the best proposal at the end of this maiden convocation ceremony,
“The idea behind the entrepreneurship training in Edo University, Iyamoh, is that the citadel of learning is not only preparing the students for the labour market, but they will become employers of labour.”
Many of the guests showered encomiums on Makanjuola, saying he merited the honour.
Notable businessman, Oba Otudeko, a friend of Makanjuola, said the chancellor would bring his wealth of experience, which he has used successfully in his career, to bear on the institution.
“This is a call to duty, a call to serve and I have no doubt that he will excel in this role. He is a man of good character, uprightness, transparency, accountability, and one who is particular about humanity and society at large.”
Another associate of the chancellor, Sir Alex Onabanjo commended the university for the double honour it gave Makanjuola.
“Makanjuola is a man of humility. He is thorough and meticulous. He is an honest man, a man of the people. We have trust in him that he will do his best to lift the university. I wish him all the best in this new assignment.”
Another friend, Mr Smith, also remarked: “It is an honour well deserved because Mr. Makanjuola is a thorough person. It is befitting that the university recognised that kind of person to be at the helm of its affairs. He is a man with a Midas touch and I am not surprised that the university reached out to him to be their chancellor.
“I am also impressed with the university. The infrastructure is excellent for an out-of-town university,”
Yet another guest, Adebayo Sarumi said Makanjuola was truly deserving of the appointment because of the service he’s been rendering to humanity.
“As a man, he believes he doesn’t exist for himself but for humanity. He loves to reach out and he loves to serve people. He serves God and he is committed to humanity.”
Makanjuola’s son, Mr Rotimi Makanjuola, described his father as a wonderful, caring and generous man. “I feel very proud and excited because it an honour well deserved,” he said.
Born in Lagos over 70 years ago, Makanjuola has studied Economics at the University of Leicester, England, where he also obtained an M.Sc. in Management Science.
After working in the banking sector for two decades, he went into private business in 1999, first as a shipping magnate before veering into aviation. He’s the founder and chairman, Caverton Helicopters.
He has constructed 500-seater multipurpose halls in a number of universities, including the Summit University Offa, and Lagos State University, Ojo Recently, his Caverton Foundation donated a multi-million naira Molecular Biology Laboratory to the Lagos State College of Medicine (LASCOM).