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Lead City Premier League!

Please be informed that LCP League tagged “Chairman’s Cup” will commence in the third week of October 2016, 17th of October. All Students are implored to register under your Club of choice like – Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Note that, you are to come to the Sports Complex and Register in Sports Administrator’s Office.

In addition, the 6th Edition of 5-aside Hockey Indoor championship up in October 26th – 29th, 2016.

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The VC's 10th Convocation Speech

AN ADDRESS BY THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR KABIRU ADEREMI ADEYEMO, AT THE 10TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF LEAD CITY UNIVERSITY, IBADAN, ON THURSDAY, 9TH NOVEMBER, 2017.

Protocols

Chancellor Sir, It is with immense pleasure that I formally welcome all of you to this historic occasion marking the 10th Convocation ceremony of our University for the award of Diplomas, first Degrees, Postgraduate and Honorary Degrees across faculties and disciplines. I give God the glory for the opportunity that I have to stand before you today to deliver this convocation address. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, the Council, the Senate, the Management, as well as the Staff and Students of Lead City University, I welcome you all to this auspicious occasion. Indeed today is another special day in the life of this University. It is a day on which the 10th convocation ceremony is held in order to launch another set of our Enterprise Graduates into the world. I equally feel very delighted because this is the first convocation. I will preside over since I took over the leadership of this great institution as the Vice-Chancellor. I am grateful to Almighty God for sparing our lives to witness another landmark in our match towards excellence and greatness.

It gladdens my heart today to welcome His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo GCON (SAN), the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to this great University. Sir, we feel highly honoured and humbled by your esteemed presence here today. We are very grateful to you for finding time out of your very busy schedule to grace this occasion. Your visit will remain indelible in our memory. It is our prayer that God will continue to guide and guard you.

I also welcome our guests, parents, students and well-wishers to the grand finale of the 10th convocation ceremonies of this great citadel of learning.  We like to use this opportunity to commend His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for their efforts to fight corruption and insecurity in this country. We pray for a quick turnaround of our economy, we also pray that all your restructuring efforts will be successful.

The ceremony today is in the tradition of other Universities in different countries of the world. It marks the important event in which those who have received instructions from the senior scholars and passed prescribed examinations are judged worthy in learning and character to receive their degrees and diplomas. Convocation is usually marked by its grandeur, splendor and allows a University to exhibit its potentials and to report on its efforts, progress and achievements. Lead City University is following that tradition. The faces that I see here today are faces that unequivocally radiate great and worthwhile achievements.

 I welcome the Chancellor of the University, Prof. Gabriel Ogunmola, and the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Prof. Johnson Aladekomo, whose support and guidance has been tremendous. Our indefatigable Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Prof. Jide Owoeye, has been an inspiration and has continuously provided exemplary leadership for which the University is most grateful. Our sincere prayer is that God will continue to give him the wisdom to direct this institution  and  the wherewithal to expand the University to greater heights. The University’s image has continued to grow and it has become one of the most preferred Private Universities in Nigeria today. On 7th July, 2017, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, visited the University and was impressed by what he met on ground. He commissioned the newly completed ultra modern University Mosque and worshipped there with us. The Executive Secretary also visited the University Chapel of Peace and Joy and was also impressed by the fact that the University provides places of worship for the adherents of the two major religions in Nigeria.   

Linkages and Collaborations:

Linkages and international collaborations foster global competency and the sharing of experiences towards the attainment of global academic best practices. I am delighted to report that in pursuant of this university increased its collaborative efforts in academic and professional relationships during the session. Academic visitations to some reputable institutions were undertaken and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on academic collaborations were signed with the highly prestigious University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Under the terms of the MOU, our students in the department of Nursing, can now do their Clinical postings at the UCH. Also joint post graduate degree programmes will commence with the Faculty of Law and the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Also under MOU with the Nigerian Society of Engineers, training of their young professionals in Electrical fields will commence at our University and this has encouraged us to now apply to the National Universities Commission NUC for the establishment of a Faculty of Engineering. Collaboration with Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators, Chartered Institute of Bankers with whom we have combined degree programmes in Banking and Finance so that our students will have not just the B.Sc degree but also become certified members of the Nigerian Institute of Bankers, also for our students of Accounting who will equally get exemptions to sit for ICAN Examination.  Similar arrangements are being worked out with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management.

Inaugural Lectures:

As it is the practice in Universities all over the world, this University commenced its Inaugural Lecture Series in July 2012. The 8th in the series, entitled “Corruption and Money Laundering: An Impediment to Economic Development in Nigeria” was delivered by Prof. K. A. Adeyemo, my humble self. These lectures have been of tremendous benefits to academics, researchers and policy makers. The 9th Inaugural Lecture will be delivered on 23rd November, 2017 by Prof. Donald Odeleye, a professor of Counseling Psychology.

Other Distinguished Lectures:

As part of the event marking the Foundation Day on March 14, 2017, a distinguished Public lecture of the University was delivered by Prof. (Mrs.) Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State. The lecture was well attended by people from all walks of life and was very illuminating. The high point in the celebration of the Law Week on March 6 2017 was a Public Lecture delivered by a distinguished Senator, Honourable Buhari Fatai. He spoke on Legislative Commitment on Cyber Crime. That lecture brought into the University the Commissioners of Police from Oyo, Lagos, and Osun States.

Several other faculty lectures and organized learned presentations were held in the University during the session. The annual Lecture of the Faculty of Environment, Management and Social Sciences was held on 24th November, 2016. The Dean of the faculty, Prof. Williams. Akerele, presented the first paper entitled “Harnessing Informal Sector Potentials for Sustainable Development in Nigeria”, The second lecture, entitled “Achieving Inclusive Development and Economic Transformation in Nigeria”, was delivered by an external resource person, Prof. Olu-Ajakaiye, Chairman, African Centre for Shared Development Capacity Building (ACSDB), Ibadan. The 400 Level students of the Department of Mass Communication also organized a lecture on Youths, Society and Policies. The lecture was delivered at the University International Conference Centre by the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Culture, Oyo State, Mr. Toye Arulogun. The Faculty of Education: held her second Biennial International Conference themed:  ‘Education, Security and Sustainability’.

In collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Adedapo Adeogun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, facilitated two workshops on capacity building for Malaria, Vector Control, Resistance Research in Nigeria. The workshops took place in Kwara and Lagos States.  

Prof. Allan Femi Lana was honoured at a Community Engagement day ceremony on 29th September, 2017 as the pioneer Founding Director of the famous Institute for Rural Development and Community Engagement at the Mangosuthu University of Technology in Durban, South Africa, on 25th April 2017. Dr. Philip Achimugu, the Head of Department of Computer Science, was appointed as keynote speaker and Chair of World Education Day in Dalian, China. He was also appointed as an External Examiner of a Ph.D viva in India, on 27th June, 2017. Dr. Philip Achimugu and Dr. Oluwatolani Achimugu, of the same Department, were inducted as Chartered Information Technology Professionals by Registration Council of Nigeria (CPR).  On 3rd October, 2017, the Department of Computer Science also initiated a collaborative academic programme in Remote Sensing/GIS and Satellite Communications with Cooperative Information Network (COPINE), located at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, a Regional Space Application Laboratory located in the South West Geographical zone of Nigeria under the management of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) Abuja. On 30th – 31st October, 2017, the Department hosted the first International Conference on Applied ICT at the International Conference Centre of the University.

Dr. B.A. Adebo, Head of the Department of Basic Sciences, attended the University of Michigan (USA) organized Summer School of Oceanography hosted by the Regional Maritime University (BMU), Ghana, between 31st July and 4th August, 2017. He presented a paper entitled “The Dynamics of Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers”.  One of our lecturers, Dr. Mac Donald Ighodaro, bagged his Ph.D in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. For the first time in the history of this Department, two (2) candidates have successfully completed their post-graduate diploma programmes and would be conferred with these degrees at this convocation.

 

Library Collections:

Significant printed materials were added to the Library collections during the year under review, as shown below:

Resources Purchases Donations & Gifts 2016/2017 Total Library Holding
Books 1149 348 1497 32,237 Vols.
Periodicals 503 130 633 11,413 Issues

The Library was able to offer access to at least two (2) current foreign journal titles for each of the programmes in the University through ingenious purchase of online journal production. This has complimented the printed acquisitions.

Library Automation and Development of In-House Database:   

The long standing proposal to automate the Lead City University library processes and to create in-house database of collection was successfully implemented this year with KOHA software. The project was undertaken fully with in-house manpower and skills.

E-journals and e-books:      

The Library offered access to several thousands of e-journals and e-books through direct subscriptions as well as access to open source journals. Direct hyperlinks to six (6) databases on regular subscription are now available on the library Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) interface to facilitate access.

The Library presented the 2nd Lead City University Research Committee Seminar titled: Library and Information Service in Scholarly Environment: Opportunities & Challenges. The seminar took place in February with the entire university community as audience. The Library staff assisted by other Adjunct Lecturers spearheaded the process of securing full accreditation for the B.Sc Library & Information Science programme.

Quality Assurance:

Lead City University is synonymous with quality and we are determined to ensure the quality of our academic programmes for the production of highly qualified and skilled graduates who will be self reliant and job creators. To foster a culture of high quality assurance in all programmes, the university has developed a frame work for continuous quality management and control. The Quality Control Unit conducts a host of activities that are designed to improve the quality of inputs, processes and outputs of the University system.

The Quality Control Unit over the years has been able to ensure that excellent performance processes in all aspects of the university functions are appropriate and relevant by ensuring that the curriculum conforms to NUC standards and guidelines, that lectures hold at appropriate times, and that lecturers conform to the schedule of the courseware submitted.

The unit created questionnaires for students, and with this, it was able to coordinate students’ evaluation of staff and of the various programmes. The Unit also ensures that all students observe the institution’s dress code. It also ensures that all Departments comply with academic briefs, staff - student ratio, quality and mix.

Accreditation:

The National Universities Commission (NUC) team visited the University for the purpose of verification and accreditation of programmes in May and June this year. We now have 45 of our programmes accredited and approved by the NUC. The University is blessed with a team of dedicated lecturers and administrative staff that are first among equals. There is no programme with Denied Accreditation status while all our 8 new programmes have been verified and approved. For our graduates to be competitive in the employment market, we have introduced training in Information Communication Technology into every programme of the University through our partnership with New Horizon. In addition to the NUC accreditation, other professional bodies have also accredited our professional programmes.

Service to the Community:

The University has continued to keep to one of its cardinal objectives of providing quality social services to people within its immediate environment. To this end, we offer scholarships and financial assistance to indigent students to study in our institution. We have been able to sustain and develop virile community recreation programmes that have fostered sound town and grown relationship with our host community as well as parents, government agencies and individuals. Lead City University signed a partnership agreement with Visiola Foundation to provide scholarships and mentoring to girls and young women who lack the financial resources required to further their education. I wish to inform you that one of the recipients, Omolara Kassim graduated with a first class Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Omolara Kassim received an internship from Millipore Sigma (a leading US- based bio-technology company to work on gene editing).

We also make available the use of International Conference Centre and Adeline Hall at moderate cost. Our gym, swimming pool and other sports stadium, indoor and outdoor facilities are also made available to our community at little or no cost. The University Health Centre has been upgraded to a full fledged Hospital with expanded and up to date facilities to cater for the Medical and Dental needs of staff, students and members of the public. The hospital has 5 medical Doctors, a pharmacist, twenty-five nurses, one dentist, dentist assistants, medical laboratory technologists and a standby ambulance on 24-hour basis. The newly completed ultra-modern symbolic synthetic layer sports field also serves the purpose of facilitating recreation and sport activities for the University and the public at large.

Entrepreneurship:

Our centre for Entrepreneurship was set up to enhance and train our students on vocational skills based on their interest. At the centre, students take out time to meet with our carefully selected trainers on batiks, tie and dye, catering, bakery, event decorations, hairstyling and spa and poultry farming.  They are to be certified before graduation on one of the skills of their choice. This is in line with NUC requirements for graduating. We also have survey of the products which we produce at this time of the year as gift items. These include our dishwashing soap, hand wash, Shea butter, air freshener, bleach, insecticides, Lead City bread and we are working on the stability of our bottled water production with our special mould. During the year we partnered with Oyo State Ministry of Industry to develop synergy with other entrepreneurship agencies. This brought to our campus agencies like SMEDAN, NDE, FIIRO, copyright commission etc. This initiative will assist our students in the form of access to the right sources of assistance for their business after graduation. Our B.Sc Entrepreneurship students are constantly challenged to be creative and competitive Business plan models are encouraged. We are open to partnership on research and innovation by individuals and corporate organizations.  The B.Sc Entrepreneurship programme was accredited by NUC during this session.

 

Major Achievements in the 2016/2017 Academic Session:

Permit me to outline some of the activities that we embarked upon in the past one year. We have successfully accomplished the following:

  • Award of scholarship to deserving undergraduates and Postgraduate students
  • Enhanced infrastructure development
  • Major capital improvements on Building projects
  • Presentation of 8th Inaugural lecture to deepen intellectual Discourse
  • Purchase of additional Science Laboratory Equipments
  • A new Hostel block of 120 rooms is 80% completed.
  • Organization of different capacity building programmes for academic and non-academic staff
  • Sponsorship of staff to learned conferences within and outside Nigeria.
  • Promoting of learning on air via academic programmes through lectures delivered on Lead City FM Radio 89.1. While our second radio station, Lead FM 106.3 provides lifestyle programmes targeted at the youths within and outside our campus.
  • 80% Completion of Ultra Modern Sport Stadium excluding the tartan athletic tracks.

Staff Matters:

As the University continues to expand and to introduce new programmes, more staff members are engaged to meet the academic requirements and ensure that the University is effectively and efficiently run.

Staff Promotion:

In keeping with its vision and mission, the University Management ensures that all categories of staff get their promotions as soon as they satisfy the requirements for promotion.

I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate the academic and non-academic staff, who  through hard work and service to the University,  progressed in their career over the year, Ten (10) academic staff members were promoted to the professorial cadre.

The younger members of academic staff who do not have a PhD are encouraged and supported to enroll in our Post Graduate programmes and in the postgraduate programmes of other Universities for their higher degrees including Doctoral ones. We are lucky to have attracted a number of experienced senior academic staff from various Universities to take up lectureship positions in Lead City University. These serve as mentors to the younger staff and ensure that proper academic standards and traditions are maintained. The University has a very good welfare package for all staff.

Recognition and Research Experience of our Academic Staff

Lead City University academic staff members continue to make remarkable and notable achievements in the research space which led to their various awards and recognition.

Learned Conferences Held in the University:

The University hosted some learned conferences within the period under review; Participants came from different parts of the countries. Many staff members were sponsored and supported to attend both local and international conferences during the year. This includes, Advancing Women’s Development for sustainable Development in Africa and Beyond (RAGA),

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Remi Sonaiya, International Conference Centre, Lead City University, Ibadan. Tuesday 10th – Thursday 12th October, 2017.

1st International Conference on Applied ICT (ICAICT) October 30 – 31, 2017 at Lead City University, Ibadan. Keynote Speaker: Prof. Amos David from Lorraine University, France.

Graduation Statistics:

On the whole 590 graduands have been found worthy both in character and learning for the award of various categories of degrees and diplomas of the University.

By the authority of the senate of this University, all deserving students will be awarded Diplomas, Bachelor’s Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Master’s Degrees today. These students have performed well in their various disciplines. Besides, some of the outstanding students will receive Prize awards.  

The Analysis of the results is as follows:

(a). Total for Undergraduate programmes : 447

(b). Postgraduate programme (PGD, M.Sc & MBA) 143

Total number Graduating: = 590

The breakdown of the Enterprise Class of 2017 is as follows:

Category Total Percentage
1st Class 39 8.76
2(1) 214 48.09
2(2) 184 41.35
3rd Class 10 2.22
  447  

PERCENTAGE BY GENDER

S/N

Faculty

1st Class

2nd Class Upper Division

2nd Class Lower Division

3rd Class Division

Total Graduating Students

 

 

 

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

 

 

1

26

13

133

81

87

97

5

5

447

 

2

        39

        214

    184

    10

 

 

 

Percentage

5.81

2.90

29.53

18.12

19.46

21.92

1.11

1.11

100%

 

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the department of Microbiology has produced the best

Graduating student in the University with 5.0CGPA. Her name is Ayomide Mary Olukorede. The best graduating student male is Amedu Anthony, with 4.77 CGPA. He is from the Department of Mass Communication and Media Technology.

Conferment of Honorary Degrees:

Worthy of note is the fact that today, we are bestowing our highest honours on two of our eminent personalities.. The recipients are individuals who have distinguished themselves in various fields of human endeavor. Today, two eminent Nigerians will be honoured with Honourary Doctorate degres. They are Mr. Kolade Mosuro, Chairman, Book Sellers Limited and Mr Victor Osibodu (MFR), Chairman, Vigeo Holdings Ltd and Chairman, Board of Directors, Benin Electricity Distribution Plc. Mr Kolade Mosuro will receive Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) while Mr Victor Osibodu will also receive Doctor of Busniess Administration (Honoris Causa)

 They have distinguished themselves in their commendable services to the academics, country and humanity.

Message to our Graduands:  

I congratulate all of you, our young graduands of today, on having successfully completed your programmes of studies and on having been judged worthy of receiving our degrees. You should bear it in mind that your parents on one hand and the University on the other have both combined to invest a lot on you. We expect a lot of good things from you. The attainment of a University degree is not the end of life, but be the beginning of a new life of service to your country and to humanity. Those ideas and standards which have been brought to your attention during your period of studentship here must now be put into practice. As the older generation of Nigerians must take their exist, along with the products of our other sister Universities constitute the pillars of hope on which the country would rest. You can therefore not afford to fail. It is “no” to corruption, vices, nepotism, internet fraud, and bribery, to mention but a few. It is “yes” to handwork, selfless service, honesty, integrity and charity. The formal and informal training that you have received is to enable you fulfill God’s purpose in your lives and to be a blessing to your generation and the generations yet unborn. We believe that you will be our good representatives and ambassadors wherever you find yourselves. I take this opportunity to welcome you into the fold of the Lead City University Alumni Association. We hope that you will maintain strong links with the University and assist it in building up an enduring reputation. May the Almighty God see you through all your life challenges. You will not stumble by the way; you will receive help before the need arises.

Your predecessors have made us proud from the constant heartwarming reports we receive about them either from employers or from reputable institutions abroad where they have excelled in their various postgraduate programmes. By the grace of God, we will be receiving positive reports from you too after you have left us. Keep the flag flying and the Almighty God will keep you and make His countenance to shine on you, and may His goodness and mercies continue to envelope you all the days of your life. Your life will be a reference point for those that desire to excel.

Our Needs:

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our modest achievements notwithstanding I wish to seek your support on some of the current needs of the University. The institution can be supported financially; it can be supported with donations of physical facilities like buildings. Other ways by which the University can be assisted to actualize its vision include:

  • Endowment of professional chairs in various disciplines. The professional chairs will be named after the donors who will undertake to pay the salaries of the professors.
  • Doctoral and Post-Doctoral fellowships for our academic staff
  • Donation of books and other learning materials
  • Sponsorship of students for degree programmes in the University. We have degree programmes with low tuition fees as well.
  • Partnership of individuals, corporate bodies and organizations in various areas
  • Institution of prizes and awards for outstanding students and staff.
  • Provision of student hostels under Board of Trustee (BOT) Agreement.

We will immortalize those who endow infrastructures or facilities on campus by naming whatever they donate after them.

Clarion call to the Government

Table 1

University Student Enrolment by Proprietorship

 

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Total

Total %

Federal

506,048

78,975

585,023

61

State

293,622

18,928

312,550

32

Private

62,621

881

63,502

7

Total

862,291

128,784

961,075

100

Source: NUC, 2013 in Adedipe (2014:101)

Table 2

Enrolment Per University on Proprietor Basis

Proprietor

Number of Students

Federal

14,625.575

State

8,225.00

Private

1,270.00

Source: NUC, 2013 in Adedipe (2014:102)

We must commend the Federal Government Policy of encouraging the establishment of Private Universities to alleviate the crisis of poor access into our tertiary education systems.  As at today, we have far more private Universities ( 68 ) than Federal (40) or State Universities (38). However, the private Universities system accounts for a mere 7% of the entire student population in Nigerian Universities. The average number of students per University on proprietor’s basis shown in Tables 1 & 2 above indicates a setback for the objective of the Nigerian Government to use Private Universities to expand access to higher education. The reason for this is simple: Utilizing tax payers’ money, the Federal Universities charges zero tuition fees. The States Governments also use tax payers’ funds to subsidize tuition fees in their Universities. However in private Universities, the same Nigerian students and their parents bear the full and heavy burden of tuition fees alone without any relief from government even though they too are tax payers at both Federal and State Levels.  The consequences have been the inability of Private Universities to admit students to their full capacity.

As a suggestion, the Federal and State Governments could provide Scholarships for indigent students applying to the Private Universities. That would not only help to decongest the government owned Universities, but also enhance the capacity of the Private Universities as regards their own funding base as they solely depend on School Fees and excruciating high interest bank loans to fund their operations.

Alternatively, Government could revisit the student’s loans board for giving out loans to student for repayment after graduation.  The BVN now would make it more possible to track the recipient schedule of repayment in an educational electronic wallet tied to every bankable adult.

Chancellor Sir, it is hoped that the golden opportunity of having the full presence of the Federal Government in this auditorium today, will eventually bring to an end the discrimination against students in Private Universities and their tax paying parents. Otherwise, we will continue with over-crowded campuses in Federal and State Universities while most private Universities remain practically empty and unable to fill their NUC/JAMB admission quotas.

Appreciation:

Your Excellencies, visiting Vice-Chancellors, Rectors of Polytechnics, Distinguished ladies and Gentlemen. a tree, as the saying goes, does not make a forest. Lead City University as a Private University has enjoyed tremendous assistance, collaboration and goodwill from individual organizations and institutions. We therefore use this opportunity to thank them all for their support and contributions towards realizing the vision of our University. I must appreciate the firm support and understanding of the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed since I assume office as Acting Vice-Chancellor, I had enjoyed the brotherly support and cooperation of the Executive Secretary towards the growth and development of our University, Thank you sir. My sincere appreciation goes to Prof. Temitope Alonge CMD, UCH and his management team for signing the MOU with us thereby allowing our Nursing students from the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences to do their Clinical postings attachment at the University College Hospital. I equally appreciate Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, Vice-Chancellor University of Ibadan for his support on joint postgraduate degrees in Faculty of Law and Institute of African Studies. Equally important, I wish to thank Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for his highly educative, inspiring and thought provoking lecture which he delivered yesterday during the convocation lecture.

My sincere thanks go to the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Onabajo. He deserves special commendation for the fort-rightness and doggedness with which he pursued the development agenda of the University when he was here. I want to acknowledge once more, the support of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Prof. Jide Owoeye and his amiable wife, Chief Mrs. Taiwo Owoeye, the Senate, the Principal Officers and the cooperation of the rank and files of teaching and non-teaching staff as well as the students of the University. Their support at various levels cannot be over-emphasized. I commend their high sense of responsibility, commitment, dedication and passion for excellence in the performance of their duties. I salute every member of the University’s ceremonial committee for a job well done. I also congratulate you proud parents and guardians and well wishers as you witness this memorable day. I pray that God will enable you to keep the harvest of your labour over these ones. They will excel and make a difference to their generation. They will always be a source of joy to you, your family, this institution and the nation at large. It shall be well with you now and in the future. As closing remarks, I like to appreciate the Almighty God, who has been kind to us as an institution. If not for God, where shall we be today? I want to thank Him for making today a reality.

On behalf of the Chancellor, the Governing Council, the Senate and the entire staff and students of our great University, I thank you all for being part of today’s convocation. I wish you journey mercies to your respective destinations. Thank you all for your attention and God Bless you.

 

Professor Remi Adeyemo,    

NCE, B.Sc, MBA, M.Sc, MBA, MA, LLB, LLM, BL, Ph.D, FCPA

 

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Prof. Yemi Osinbajo's speech at the 10th Convocation Ceremony

REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, AT THE 10TH  CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF THE UNIVERSITY, ON NOVEMBER 9, 2017.

I am honoured to have been invited to celebrate this special day with you. The 10th Convocation Ceremony of the Lead City University.

In celebrating the past, we honour the selflessness and enterprising spirit of the founder and all those who not only dared to envision this great institution, but turned it to a dream, to this city of great edifices to nurture the great minds of the imminent future. 

So today we must honour the founder of this place of creativity and learning, Prof. Jide Owoeye; a man whose life and times have proved that with  vision,  hard work, and the courage of your convictions, you can  achieve practically anything. 

By establishing this University and before it, several other educational institutions, he has shown that securing the future of the following generations is the most important service that we owe the present.

As we do this, we also celebrate the great scholars, and the fine academics who make up the faculties here at the Lead City University. You are the thought leaders at a pivotal time in our national history, whose enormous task is to guide the present and inspire the future.  And as we celebrate also and perhaps most importantly, the reason why we are gathered, the graduating class of 2017, congratulations and many congratulations also to the parents, family, guardians, sponsors, and loved ones of the graduands.

I was 60 years old in March this year, and I must confess that it was one of the greatest surprises I ever experienced!  I just suddenly became 60. I can clearly remember when I graduated when I was 21 years old.   How time flies. One of the most important lessons you will learn is that time flies. Whether you are wasting it or using it well, it simply flies by.

There are a few other lessons I learnt along the way. And at the age of 60 I’m entitled to give some advice, and l will share some of them with you. Some you might agree with, others you may not, but I would be most flattered if you remember them and whenever you meet me in life’s journey, somewhere down the line, you will tell me whether I was right or wrong.

First I learnt is that talent, an excellent degree, even coming from a well-off family, does not mean success and certainly does not mean greatness. The most talented people, those who get the best degrees, and even from a well-known family, do not necessarily become the most successful in life.

The difference between success and failure, mediocrity or excellence, is character.  Along with character is the importance of opportunity, but perhaps most crucial, is the grace of God.

So what is character? And l will define it my own way; character is a set of values that shapes the conduct of an individual. It is the set of principles, spoken and unspoken, that a person observes and lives by.  

I will speak about some aspects of character that I have learnt would make the crucial difference in life. These are, trustworthiness, courage, hard work especially (innovation) and self-discipline. Let us take trustworthiness, the currency of business, commerce and social interaction is trust. If you can be trusted, if people find you trustworthy, your class of degree or what your family name is will not matter. You will be successful.

As a young student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, in 1980 my school fees were delayed in a particular term. There were problems with the remitting from the Central Bank in Nigeria. So I spoke to the student’s counsellor in my faculty who asked me to go to the bank and ask for a loan. I asked how?  How do l go for a loan when I don’t have any money? I owe over 600 pounds and I probably have only 50 pounds in the bank, where would I get the collateral to take the loan? 

Anyway, I got to the bank and l explained the problem to the lady across the counter that I needed to pay 600 pounds for my fees, and she simply asked the name, and l brought out my ledger, she looked at it and found out I had no money in there. She asked me when I thought I could repay, I said maybe 6weeks. She then gave me a document I signed and she gave me 600pounds.

I paid my fees and I paid back when my cheque came. But in the same United Kingdom, a few years after, if you carried a Nigerian passport, the banks would not even open an account for you. Why? Some Nigerians abused the trust that financial transactions require. They thought, how foolish these oyinbo people are, they used credit cards to buy cars, furniture, electronics and ran back to Nigeria and hampered the opportunity of others in getting a loan from the bank account.

And if you look at the past few years, many foreign banks have closed accounts of Nigerians because of the numerous attempts to defraud on those accounts. So no matter how much money you have in your account, they just say we don't want your business because it's just too much trouble to do business with people who cannot be trusted. So because of the untrustworthiness of a few, a whole nation is painted black. But there is an opportunity here, because so many Nigerians and foreigners must do business in Nigeria.

The world is in search of the Nigerian of integrity, the trustworthy Nigerian to do business with, to employ. Everyone wants faithful partners or employees. Even thieves are in search of trustworthy people to keep their money with. 

The other lesson is that you must repay when you borrow, whether it is from a friend, relation or a bank. Credit is the lifeblood of business, the life blood of commerce. You are dead if your credit sources dry up. And let me just go on quickly, l think it is important for us to just look at one or two other issues along the lines of character and hard work.  But just before l go into that, let me recall a story, a story of a friend of mine, while a we are talking about  trustworthiness.

I have a friend, Remi Morgan; he owns perhaps the largest Christian bookstore in Nigeria. Possibly the largest bookstore in Nigeria.  When he wanted to start his business of importing bibles and Christian books from the US, no publisher in the US wanted to give him credit. Why? Many Nigerians who they had done business with in the past had taken credit and simply disappeared. So he had to pay cash for everything. 

Now if you want to have a profitable business, you must have credit line. But if you don't have credit, you can't do profitable business. But gradually, he began to build trust, as time went on he began to show that he could be trustworthy. They gave him credit for 30 days, then 60, then 120, and he made sure he paid back, so everybody wanted to do business with him.  

Suddenly every Christian and business book publisher around the world want to do business with this honest Nigerian. So later on, his bookstore company possibly became the largest bookshop in Nigeria because he showed that he could be trusted.

The moment you show that you can be trusted, everything changes. Simple as it may sound, hard work and diligence is one of those character attributes that will set you apart. And let me dwell on this point; from here on, it really doesn't matter what you are hired as at your first job, whether you are hired as lowly as a receptionist, or as a personal assistant, no matter how lowly it may be, what is important  is how much hard work and diligence you put to it.  This is what will recommend you in the future, and l want you to remember that  it doesn’t really matter how that job is, it does not matter whether it’s an important  job or not, but what will recommend  you is hard work  and diligence.

While I was teaching at the University of Lagos, as a young lecturer, in the department of Public Law in the Faculty of Law, there were 3 typists in the department. The chief typist, senior typist, and the junior typist. Because in those days before laptops and personal computers, typists in universities had to do a lot of work and they were very important because you always needed to type all your materials.

When there was work to do, what l discovered was that the chief typist would disappear. He works only till 4 pm. The senior typist would be nowhere to be found. But a gentleman called Adereni the junior typist, who only had his school certificate, was remarkably hardworking. Sometimes I would drop him off at his home at 1am.

Years after I was working as an adviser to the then Attorney-General of the Federation Hon. Bola Ajibola, who later became a judge of the World Court. While in the court at The Hague, in the Netherlands, one day he called me and asked if I could recommend a good secretary who is hard working and  could do long  judgments. I had three options, chief typist, senior or this junior typist, but the junior typist at a time had only school certificate, he didn’t have any other qualification but l choose him. He got to the Hague, and typically worked hard and diligently. Every judge in the court wanted him to work with them. He later moved his family over to the Hague and got degrees and made a good living for himself. One day he remembered me and actually sent me a car.

I just want to say that it was so apparent that all that this man had to proof, despite the fact that he had no qualifications at all, all he had to proof was diligence and hard work. 

Solomon in the bible, the wisest man on earth, said these very wise words; the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

Time and chance is another way of saying opportunity is crucial to success. And I’m sure many of us are familiar with that saying, opportunity knocks once as they say. But I think it's probably more true to say that sometimes opportunity whispers.  Besides, as Ravenhill an intellectual said, “the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity.” In order words, opportunity itself has a lifespan and you must seize it within that lifespan.

But to seize opportunity, you must be prepared. Most people have great hopes and dreams. But they are hardly ready for the opportunity when it comes. 

Let me tell you another story. A lady worked with me many years ago. One of her greatest ambitions was to do a Master’s degree in law in the US. She prayed hard about it. And everyone in the department knew of her desire. One day out of the blues, we got an offer from a US foundation through the embassy to nominate a candidate preferably female, to do a Master’s degree and fellowship in a US University. 

Wow the rejoicing that day. We were all so excited. We had only two days to the deadline. We had to submit her passport that afternoon. Then the bombshell, she didn't have a passport! We desperately tried the next day to obtain a passport but it didn't work. To cut a long story short. She lost the opportunity. She had everything else but missed her moment. 

So there are some here who will say I want to work in an international organization, may be the United Nations, and you know that to stand a good chance, you need a second language apart from English. So if you haven't started yet, now is the time to learn French, Spanish, or even Chinese. So you won't be like the young man who was asked if he spoke a second language and he said yes, English and Itsekiri.

I think that aside from hard work, innovation will be very important. Here in Nigeria, many young people are using technology to disrupt existing assumptions and create new opportunities, new markets for themselves.  Nollywood film industry, Jason Njoku is not an actor or movie producer, but he has used technology to create a new line of business in the Nollywood film industry. He is the proprietor of the Iroko brand TV; he made the Iroko brand the largest mainstream licensors and distributors of over 5,000 Nollywood films and African Music. Iroko has attracted $20 million in equity.  So is the story of Jobberman, which was listed in the Forbes Magazine Top 10 Tech start-ups in Africa.

Jobberman's story is a fascinating one.  In 2009, Olalekan Elude, Ayodeji Adewunmi and Opeyemi Awoyemi at that time, students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, started a site called Jobberman in their hostel to help connect people looking for work with companies looking to hire. Now Jobberman is one of the top 100 websites in Nigeria, and it gets 5,000 applications every day. 

Just last May, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook mentioned them as one of the major technology innovators in Nigeria. They have grown the company into a multimillion-dollar company.  The young founders have now divested their interests in the company and are investing in other young Nigerian start-ups themselves. Jobberman follows the same principle as the others, they simply linked supply and demand.

There is a Venture Garden Group, a group of young people, another story of creating new markets and opportunities within existing markets. Venture Garden is a data driven Automation Company founded by three young Nigerians average age of 28, the company focuses on big data, automation and revenue assurance systems and has taken innovation to new levels.

For example, one of the subsidiaries, PowerTech, provides automation for the National power grid which now allows real-time monitoring of energy flow from generation to distribution and payment to all parties, to promote transparency and sustainability of the electricity market.  

Social Media is possibly the internet's most outstanding phenomenon. It has created its own economy, and the only limits of opportunity are those of your imagination. For example, see how many young people have taken advantage of it to innovatively redefine the press, journalism and communication. 

Today bloggers such as BellaNaija, Linda Ikeji, and news aggregators, like Nairaland command larger readership than regular print newspapers. Linda Ikeji alone has more people reading her blog than any Nigerian newspaper.  Nairaland, founded in 2003 by 20 year old Seun Osewa, claims about 1.6 million subscribers, several times more readers than the combined number of readers of all Nigerian papers put together. 

Nairaland creates no content of its own. To start off, it cost Seun Osewa less than N10,000 a month and Internet  access, to build this multi-million Naira business and it’s so incredible when you hear about  these young people. I remember a young friend of mine too, who at some point used to sell videos and gift items after we left university. This young man became an entrepreneur who owned the biggest marketing company in our country today. The young man is seated here today, his name is Bolade Osibodu

Finally, I have learnt that success is more easily attainable than greatness. You may be a successful businessman, politician, or professional but greatness is not for everyone.  But I think I learnt the secret of greatness, you will only be great if you devote your life, and your efforts, to serving others.

The path to greatness is self-sacrifice for the good of others. Mandela is great because he gave his youth and his professional practice as a lawyer, in the struggle against apartheid and a South Africa that would treat all citizens as equals. 

Martin Luther King is imprinted in history because gave up everything for the dream of a nation where none would be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. But most importantly, he taught the world like Ghandi did, that you can overcome evil with good, Mother Theresa the catholic nun, became great because of the many years she spent in leprosy settlements in Calcutta taking care of lepers, the forgotten and untouchable.

Let me end by telling the last lesson I have learnt, it is that courage and determination is the answer to the tyranny of history. A history of personal failure can cripple your hope, limit your scope and frighten you into a small vision. 

Our family history, the misery and deprivations of our beginnings, the shame and disgrace of the past, sometimes the spectacular failures of the past are the tyrannical weapons of history. They whip us in line when we are thinking big, cutting us down to size as our self-esteem rises. Our past, yelling unworthy, unworthy, unworthy, at us as we struggle to do right, live right, and act with dignity.

But history we must remember, is not only a record of the past, it is the past, it is gone! Our future is not determined by history or the past unless we allow it. Your history is not your destiny. You have a chance to make your destiny.

I pray for you that the Almighty God will help you, the grace of God will support you, that the coming years will be easy and exciting and that your journey will be smooth.

Thank you.

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