Former Nigeria Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Late Chief Bola Oge, has been immortalised by the State of Osun Government.

Governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Wednesday during the 4th and 5th convocation ceremony of the University of Osun (UNIOSUN) renamed all the state owned tertiary institutions after notable indigenes of the state.

UNIOSUN was named after Chief Bola Ige, while the Okuku campus of UNIOSUN was also named after the state’s immediate governor, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

Osun state Polytechnic, Iree, was named after former Minister of Internal Affairs, Chief Sunday Afolabi, while Osun State College of Technology was named after another former governor of the state, Chief Bisi Akande.

Other institutions renamed were: College Of Education, Ila Orangun, now Adeyemi Oyeduntan College of Education, and the College of Education, Ilesa which will now be Lawrence Omole College of Education.

Others are UNIOSUN College of Law, Ifetedo, now Kayode Esho College of Law; College of Agriculture, Ejigbo, now Isiaka Adeleke College of Agriculture, Ejigbo; College of Education, Ipetu Ijesa, now Hezekiah Oluwasanmi College of Education; and College of Humanities and Culture, Ikire, now Eniola Atanda College of Humanities and Culture.

Another highlight of the ceremony was the unveiling of oil magnate and founder of the Rose of Sharon Foundation, Mrs, Folorunsho Alakija, as the new Chancellor of UNIOSUN.

Speaking at the occasion, Governor Aregbesola said: “I therefore want this university at three levels to affect our society. The first is at the level of teaching which should prepare the students for post graduate life by equipping them with life sustenance skills, especially technical and entrepreneurial education.

“Secondly, the universities should tailor its researches into immediate and prospective challenges of mankind in health, food, housing, infrastructure, societal organisation and the seemingly unknown aspects on nature and so on.

“The essence of the education enterprise is for man to be able to conquer nature and dominate the environment. This should translate into better life for all. An end should come to the idea of research for getting promotion which then gathers dust in a shelf somewhere.

“Thirdly, the universities should also be engaged in society through public service, by bringing their knowledge and research findings to bear directly in needed areas as their counterparts in other parts of the world are wont to do.”

The governor advised the university to re-programme itself to be able to raise funds without burdening government and its students.

He stressed that there are lots of firms and individuals who will like to endow chairs, courses, programmes and projects willing to pay any amount to have themselves immortalised in a place like a university, saying not all of them merit it, but people deserving them must be reach out to.

Speaking earlier, the new Chancellor harped on the central role of academic empowerment so as to guarantee economic growth among the people of the country.

According to Mrs Alakija, education cannot and can never be over-emphasised because the lack of it could only bring poverty of body, mind and of living.

The Chancellor said being educated would give anyone the opportunity to play significant role and articulate his or her own agenda for change within space such individual occupies.

She called on all stakeholders involved in policies and programmes design for education to be committed education, saying the nation will be the better for it.

She said: “I feel extremely humbled, proud and excited to be receiving this conferment as Chancellor. I also appreciate the Honourary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (DBA) (Honoris Causa), which came in as a surprise.

“Whatever role you are playing here today, it is obvious we all have a common goal, one that borders on Academic Empowerment for Economic Growth amongst our people for the benefit of Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world.

“We all have a role to play to articulate our own agenda for change; to change the world. If we can make a commitment to do something differently from now on, our world will be a better place to live in.

“Nigeria will flourish with the input from all of you gathered here as you embark on this exciting journey called life.”

The Chancellor also admonished the graduands to always be conscious that they form part of the threads with which the story of the university’s woven together, urging them to be good ambassador of the school wherever they find themselves.

In his inaugural speech, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jelil Guntola Alamu, remarked that the university has been sustaining its reputation as an institution purposely established to promote academic excellence and sound moral education.

He revealed that the university has continued to grow in leaps and bounds with the recent accreditation of six more programmes by the National University Commission, bringing the programmes the school is running to 32 mature academic programmes.

Professor Oguntola equally disclosed that the university has become a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) as well as signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

According to the Don, the school also excelled both nationally and internationally as students of the state, who participated in debating competition organised by African Regional Inter-University Debate Competition organised by UNESCO, came 3rd overall.

“Osun State University continues to sustain its reputation as an institution established to promote academic and moral standard. My greatest joy today is the relative peace and high level of academic excellence attained by the institution since I became the Acting Vice Chancellor about a year ago,” he said.

•Photo shows late Bola Ige.

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