President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan and former head of state, General Abdusalami Abubakar were yesterday named among dignitaries to grace the 25th anniversary of the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State slated to hold from May 3 through 10, 2024.
The university was issued a certificate for operation on May 10,1999 by the administration of General Abdulsalami as the first private university in Nigeria.
At a press conference to announce the programmes and events marking its sliver jubilee at university main campus in Okada, the vice chancellor, Prof Lawrence Ezemonye said the wee long programme which had commenced with a free medical outreach in ten communities within Okada and its environs will feature Inter- university football tournament and a special Juma’at prayer on Friday, May 3.
Ezemonye said there would be a Moot Court Competition on May 7, an exhibition and alumni reunion and engagement on May 9.
The celebration will climax with a colloquium titled, “Re-imagining Tertiary Education for Africa’s Present and Future Realities,” to be delivered by the minister of education, Prof Tahir Mamman Professor Mohamed Bellhocine, AU commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation and Shri Balasubramanian, the high commissioner of India to Nigeria, amongst others.
He said, “Today, we are delighted to announce the upcoming celebration of the 25 years anniversary of Igbinedion University, Okada, the premier and leading private university in Nigeria.
“We are filled with immense joy and gratitude as we mark 25 years of academic excellence, advancing knowledge and creating opportunities. Over the past 25 years, Igbinedion University has evolved into a beacon intellectual repository, a crucible for innovation and nurturing ground for future leaders and game changers.
In 1999, history was made with the licensing of the first private university in Nigeria. That university is Igbinedion University, Okada, with Registration No. 01. By May this year, it will be exactly 25 years since that epochal event. The university achieved this significant milestone through the extraordinary vision and mission of the founder and proprietor, Sir Chief Dr Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion.
“Since inception, the university has achieved remarkable successes in teaching, research, capacity building, innovative studies and perhaps most significantly, the production of exceptional graduates in diverse fields of human endeavours who are contributing their quota to national and global development.”
