UNIBEN’s Best Graduating Student Gets N250,000 Award

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city

The overall best graduating student in the just concluded 46th and 47th convocation of the University of Benin, Mr. Henry Ogorchukwu Abanum, has been honoured with the ‘Osasere Osifo Prize for Academic Excellence’ award.

The Academic Excellence Prize is an initiative of Osasere Favour Osifo, a former President of the UNIBEN Students’ Union, who is currently the vice-president of the University of Benin Alumni Association North America (UBAANA) chapter, and also a member of the United States Airforce.

The award presentation ceremony took place at the University of Benin Students’ Affairs Division, and Abanum, who graduated with a First Class (4.97 GPA), from the Faculty of Pharmacy, was honoured with the sum of N250,000 by Osifo in recognition of his academic excellence.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Osifo declared that celebrating mediocrity and shunning excellence was fast becoming a norm in today’s society, hence, the coming on board of the Osasere Osifo Prize for Academic Excellence to change the narrative.

Represented by a former Public Relations Officer of the UNIBEN SUG, Oguche Divine Omale, Osifo said the academic feat achieved by Abanum should be applauded by all lovers of excellence, hard work, and diligence.

In honouring Abanum, Osifo said the Osasere Osifo Prize for Academic Excellence hopes to inspire other Nigerian students to make excellence their cardinal objective as they go through the university.

He expressed confidence that the award was the beginning of every good thing to come the way of the awardee by graduating top of his class and as overall best in the University of Benin.

Osifo said Abanum had proven that quality is never an accident, but the result of intelligent effort, adding that the effort of Abanum is what is being rewarded today.

Those present at the Award ceremony held at the Ugbowo Campus of the university included the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof. Patrick Igbinaduwa, and the Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, the awardee’s faculty, Prof. Mike Uhumwangho.