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Tag: Gabriel Igbinedion

  • Why I established Igbinedion University – Esama of Benin

    Why I established Igbinedion University – Esama of Benin

    The Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion says the desire to bequeath high quality university education to Nigerian children, runs without interruption, led him to establish Igbinedion University, Okada in 1999.

    Igbinedion said this in Okada, Edo on Wednesday in his remark at the birthday lecture organised by the university to mark his 90th birthday.

    The Benin high chief, who was represented by his son and former governor of Edo, Lucky Igbenedion, stated that the desire aligned with the need at the time.

    According to him, uninterrupted university education was more desirable to accelerate the production of high level manpower required to galvanise the socio-political and economic development of a country.

    Igbinedion, who is also the chancellor of Nigeria’s premier private university noted, however, that the occasion was not just a personal milestone but a testament to the collective efforts and achievements of the entire university community.

    “This also aligns with the need at the time. Since inception, the university has continued to record remarkable successes in the areas of teaching and research, capacity building and innovation.

    “The University has produced high quality graduates in different fields of human endeavours who are contributing their quota to national and global development,” he said.

    Delivering the lecture, Dr Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), described Igbinedion, who is the Esama of Benin, as a great man of limitless and unfathomable girth.

    The lecture was titled: Synoptic Narrative of a Legendary Entrepreneur.

    According to the guest lecturer, Chief Igbinedion’s trailblazing travels of his life do not bear any cares for the undaunting, but indeed the daunting paths.

    “He is totally unafraid of any difficulties and does not succumb to them if they stand in the way of his objectives.

    “For bravery and fearlessness, the Esama is overdosed where ordinary men would want to tread cautiously.

    “To recount the story of the Esama, one must realize that indeed he grew and became one of the mightiest trees in the forest that once sprouted as a small shoot,” Uwensuyi-Edosomwan said.

    Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, Vice Chancellor of the university, described the proprietor as a beacon of wisdom and a pillar of strength for the pursuit of academic excellence and societal progress in Nigeria.

    Ezemonye noted that the lecture was not just a celebration of a milestone in years and commemoration of a legacy of Chief Igbinedion’s vision, but also marked the university’s 25 years of phenomenal existence.

    “The significance of this year’s birthday lecture lies in the fact that it is happening at the same time that the university is celebrating its 25 years of phenomenal existence.

    “Therefore, today’s lecture is not just a celebration of a milestone in years but a commemoration of a legacy of leadership, vision, and dedication that has profoundly shaped our great university in the last 25 years.

    “Our esteemed Honourable Chancellor has been more than a Chancellor to us, and has been a beacon of wisdom, a pillar of strength, and a guiding light in our shared pursuit of academic excellence and societal progress,” he said.

  • Why I established first private university in Nigeria – Igbinedion

    Why I established first private university in Nigeria – Igbinedion

    Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, founder, Igbinedion University (IOU), Okada, Edo, on Thursday disclosed his reason for establishing the first private university in the country in 1999.

    Igbinedion, Chancellor of IOU, spoke at his 89th birthday lecture organised by the institution in his honour.

    The founder, who was represented by his first son, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, said the desire to provide enabling environment for uninterrupted quality education to future generations propelled him to establish IOU.

    He said it was gratifying that 24 years down the line, the vision had not only crystalised, but yielded fruits, witnessing an increase in the number of private universities to the present 148.

    “The establishment of Igbinedion University in 1999, the first of such private universities in Nigeria, was borne out of my earnest desire to bequeath to future generations of Nigerians high quality university education run with an uninterrupted calendar.

    “This was at a time that access to higher education, especially at the university level, was limited compared to the number of aspirants, thus stalling human capital development and, by extension, the socio-economic progress of the dear nation.

    “It is noteworthy that since inception, the university has recorded remarkable successes in the areas of teaching and research, capacity building and innovation.

    “Moreover, the university has kept to the October – June academic calendar and graduated students every November without fail,” he stated.

    “Significantly, Igbinedion University has carved a niche for itself – it has embraced diversity, equity and inclusion in its composition – thus becoming a vanguard for promoting national unity and cohesion.

    “What’s more, the university has produced high quality graduates in different fields of human endeavours who are contributing their quota to national and global development.

    “These, to me, are sources of joy for which I remain grateful to Almighty God,” said Igbinedion.

    Igbinedion reiterated his commitment towards the transformation of the educational landscape of the country through the university.

    According to him, the hard earned reputation of being a point of reference in the rejuvenated education sector as Nigeria’s leading and most prestigious private university shall be defended and protected.

    Delivering the lecture entitled “Power of Pioneering”, Mr Nick Mole, the Executive Director, Carbonlogical Ltd., UK related how he spent 15 years developing innovative solutions to the climate crisis.

    To be a pioneer, he said, requires dedication, discipline and inspiration such as was exhibited by Chief Igbinedion.

    Earlier, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, had said that the celebration of the chancellor’s birthday with an annual lecture was to give recognition to “whom it is due”.

    He described as legendary and commendable, the unwavering commitment of Igbinedion to education and the development of the nation.

    “Through tireless efforts and boundless generosity, the university has continued to grow from strength to strength,” he said.

  • IUO: How we started with 111 students but today our undergrads are over 5,000-Pro Chancellor, Igbinedion

    IUO: How we started with 111 students but today our undergrads are over 5,000-Pro Chancellor, Igbinedion

    The Esama of Benin Kingdom, Pro Chancellor of Igbinedion University Okada, IUO Gabriel Igbinedion has narrated the success story of Nigeria’s premier private university how it started in 1999 with just 111 students but today has over 5000 undergraduates fully accommodated.

    Speaking at the varsity’s 24th Founder’s Day in Okada, the Pro Chancellor who was represented by the Deputy Pro Chancellor, former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion disclosed this with nostalgia.

    He said: ” The university started with just 111 students in 1999 today it has over 5,000 students, all comfortably accommodated on campus.

    He pointed out that IUO has lived true to the vision of a cosmopolitan entity offering world class education in a conducive environment.

    According to him the Board of Regents will continue to deliver on its mandate of ensuring that excellence is maintained in the university and that it remains world-class at any point in time.

    Also, South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Thamsanqa Dennis Mseleku, who was the guest speaker, said IUO got it right for adopting a model of university education that is relevant to African nations at their current level of national development.

    He said that the multi-programme model of university education provides opportunities for all-round growth, quite unlike the single programme/discipline model that some foreign universities were trying to plant in some African nations.

    The envoy said that university education in Africa must overcome the challenges of alienating the educated from the rest of the society. Instead, he said, university education should be a tool for integration and bridge-building.

    According to him, African universities should also establish a legacy of being solution providers for the many problems that plague African societies.

    He also enjoined the institutions and scholars alike to be Afrocentric in their research by focusing on areas that address the challenges of Africa. In this regard, he said research by African scholars and African universities must address issues African diseases, poverty alleviation, deepening democracy and engagement with society.

    For African scholars having collaboration with universities outside of Africa, he cautioned that the purpose should not be just to have an opportunity to run away, but through interactions see how they can improve the system at home.

    He pointed out that the 24th Founders Day event was not just a celebration of Igbinedion University, but actually a celebration of the dawn of private university education in Nigeria.

    Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, pointed out that the university is focused on producing what he referred to as “future-ready graduates”. According to the professor of eco-toxicology and environmental forensics, “ our blue-sky graduates are already making waves globally”.

    He used the occasion to highlight some of the recent achievements of the university which include the commencement of production of drugs by the pharmacy department of the university. According to him, the pharmacy programme has also been upgraded from bachelor of pharmacy degree (BPharm) to doctor of pharmacy degree (DPharm).

    In the area of infrastructure development, while all the students are fully accommodated on campus, construction has also begun for ultra-modern hostels.

    According to professor Ezemonye, the university will also soon start the construction of a five-star hotel on campus, in addition to an18,000 seater auditorium, which will cement IUO not just as the first but foremost private university in Nigeria.

    Academically, according to the VC, the immediate focus is to “digitize every aspect of learning on campus. The university will also soon start its Open Programmes to make education accessible to more interested members of the public.”

    We recall that Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO) Edo State, is the first private university in Nigeria, with license No 001, issued May 10, 1999. From just 111 students when it began learning in October 1999, it has produced over 16,000 graduates, and currently boasts of having the highest number of academic programmes and departments of any private university in Nigeria, and maintains a partnership with the Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, among others

  • Igbinedion names teaching hospital after Oyakhilome

    Igbinedion names teaching hospital after Oyakhilome

    The Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, has renamed the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital after Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of LoveWorld Ministries.

    According to him, the hospital will henceforth be called Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Teaching Hospital.

    Igbinedion announced the naming during the convocation ceremony of the institution’s 2021/2022 academic session held in Okada, near Benin.

    He also conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree on Oyakhilome for his contributions to humanity and development.

    In addition to the degree, the chancellor donated a parcel of land to LoveWorld Ministries.

    In his response, Oyakhilome thanked the chancellor and the university management for the honour and kind gesture.

    Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said that the institution was celebrating 23 years of academic excellence and two decades’ track record of timely graduation and unbroken convocation.

    Ezemonye noted that the university had so far turned out more than 16, 000 graduates and postgraduate students since inception.

  • Goodluck Jonathan visits Godwin Obaseki amid rancour in Edo State

    Goodluck Jonathan visits Godwin Obaseki amid rancour in Edo State

    Amid rancour in Edo State, former President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday visited Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Jonathan said he was in the State to visit the family of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

    He said the visit was to show appreciation for the honorary doctorate degree conferred on him by Igbinedion University, and the renaming of the university’s College of Arts and Social Sciences after him.

    Speaking on his private visit to Obaseki, after visiting the Igbinedion family, Jonathan said, as a former President, it was not out of place for him to visit the Governor of the State if the Governor was chanced.

    “Traditionally, for somebody who has been a President, when he goes to a state, he has to pay a courtesy call to the Governor of the state. If you are not free, fine, but at least I informed him,” Jonathan said while addressing newsmen.

    When questioned to assess the government of Governor Obaseki, Jonathan, who was visibly in a hurry to leave, simply said, “people are pleased”.

    TNG reports Obaseki took advantage of the occasion to take a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, accusing him of deliberately breaking protocol every time he visits the State.

    He said it was unfortunate that Oshiomhole, who has served as Governor of the State does not realize that courtesy demands that he (Oshiomhole) should inform him (Obaseki) as the chief executive in charge of his security when he is in the State.

    “He (Jonathan) is just extending the courtesy, as someone who has served the country in the highest level and you heard what he said.

    “There is a courtesy when you are going to visit a State, you want to inform the person in charge of the State that you are coming and when you have time during a visit, you can now pay him a courtesy call.

    “Unlike the unfortunate incident, we have been having in Edo State. It is really sad where somebody who had been the Governor of a State visiting the State and does not realize that courtesy demands that he should inform the Governor or the Governor apparatus of his visit as the chief executive in charge of his security when he is in the State.

    “It is really sad and unfortunate that people who have served, who should know better, decided to behave the way they do or behave with impunity and sense of lawlessness,” Obaseki said.

    Recall Oshiomhole was in Benin on Saturday to attend the burial ceremony of late Madam Cecilia Agbonyinma, mother of Ehiozuwa Agbonyinma, and was booed at the Benin Airport by some youth.

    His convoy was also pelted with empty water can, even as heavy security presence at the airport barred the youths from getting close to the convoy.

    Also, the road leading to Oshiomhole’s residence was barricaded with two trucks, one of which was later set ablaze.

    It was gathered that the barricade was to prevent any political meetings from holding at Oshiomhole’s residence.

    Security was later beefed up around the house to forestall any attacks at night.

    Speaking to newsmen about the airport incident, Obaseki said Oshiomhole should have informed the State government about his visit to the state.