Achievers University’s 2024 Convocation and
Foreign Policy Aspects:The Case of YaDILDS
Bola A. Akinterinwa
The Achievers University, Owo (AUO) held its 14th Convocation and the 17th Foundation Anniversary on Saturday, 14th December, 2024 at the Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed Auditorium of the University. The Convocation was specially organised to reflect the Vision and Mission of the AUO. The AUO wants ‘to be the best university in Africa and indeed one of the best in the world,’ not to say the best. For this purpose, the AUO has as Mission the provision of ‘an enabling environment – physical and academic – for the production of competent and quality graduates who would be self-reliant, highly productive and globally relevant in every sphere of human endeavour.’
The aspect of producing globally relevant graduates largely explains the importance and impact of the AUO 2024 Convocation, as well as one of the foreign policy dimensions. The politics of University rating the world over is such that greater emphasis has to be placed on many factors in order to qualify for high level rating. As required by the Times Higher Education (THE), there are 18 performance indicators which are categorised into five categories. The first is the extent of conduciveness of the teaching and learning environment. The second is the research environment with emphasis on the volume, income and reputation of research. The third factor, which is related to the second, is the extent of quality of research, in terms of impact, strength, excellence and influence. Fourthly, there is the requirement of international outlook in terms of international students and staff, as well as international collaboration. Fifthly, there is the requirement of industry in terms of how much income is a university earning from its patents. These factors are precisely what the AUO tried to underscore and that were partly manifested during the AUO 2024 Convocation activities.
Convocation and Foreign Policy Aspects
The Convocation was noteworthy for various reasons, especially the foreign policy dimensions. First, it was a week-long of convocation activities that began with the press conference of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Omolola Oladunni Irinoye, the first female Professor of Nursing to be Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, on Monday, 9th December. It was concluded on Sunday, 15th December with a Convocation Thanksgiving Service at the University Chapel of Grace and Glory with praise worship and announcement of special promotions for some members of staff.
Secondly, the dates of the convocation activities, when related to promotion of education and maintenance of global peace and security and protection of fundamental human rights, were quite significant in international relations. For instance, on Tuesday, 10th December, the 5th Induction Ceremony of Graduate Nurses, 2024 Set was held. It was on December 14, 1948 that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights was made. Article 26(1) of the Declaration stipulates that ‘everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least, in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.’
Consistent with making technical and professional education accessible on the basis of merit was manifested, on Wednesday December 11 when the 1st Induction Ceremony for Public Health graduates and the 3rd NSE Induction Ceremony, with the theme “The Contribution of the Next Generation (of) Engineers to Sustainable National Development: A Case Study of Nigeria,” took place. In this regard, paragraph 3 of the Preamble of the Declaration says ‘if a man is not to be compelled to have recourse as a last resort, to resort to rebellion against tyranny and oppression… human rights should be protected by the rule of law.’ This is one definiendum of the vision and mission of the AUO which emphasises self-discipline and dint of hard work at various levels.
The visionary of the AUO, Honourable (Dr) Bode Ayorinde, an Associate Professor, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the AUO Governing Council, and lawyer by training, promotes, not simply the spirit and protection of fundamental human rights as provided for in the 1948 Declaration, but also the right to fear God almighty in the training of Achiever AUO students, especially in understanding the essence of law and democracy in the conduct and management of governance affairs. It is against this background that, on Friday, December 13, the foundation stone of the YaDILDS was laid by the Chancellor of the AUO, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Yakubu Dogara, CFR.
Thirdly, the Convocation was characterised by much happiness by everyone because the AUO has grown from the first batch of 126 students on the 8th of April 2008 to a current number of 3,571 students. From 2 colleges in the beginning to 5 colleges to day cannot but be a source of sweet inspirations. Perhaps more interestingly, Professor Omolola Irinoye has it that ‘in this 14th Convocation, Achievers University award degrees to 699 graduates, 653 from undergraduate programmes, and 46 graduates from postgraduate programmes… Out of the 653 graduates, 71 are graduating with First Class Honours, 303 with Second Class Honours Upper Division, 243 with Second Class Honours Lower Division and 36 Third Class Honours.’
And more interestingly, Professor Irinoye also revealed that ‘for the first time and for the first set of graduates of Public Health, 17 graduates were inducted by the Registrar of the African Institute of Public Health Professionals, Dr Ayodele Bankole James, FAIPHP. On Thursday, 12th December 65 Medical Laboratory Scientists were also inducted by the Registrar of the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria, Professor Tosan Erhabor, at the 13th induction ceremony for the graduates.’
In the spirit of recidivist envisioning, the Pro-Chancellor opted to speak on ‘the imperative of Industrializing Nigeria for Sustainable Development’ for reasons that are not far-fetched: there are ‘275 universities in Nigeria and over 500 other higher institutions, including the Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education… Yet there are no jobs to provide the necessary tutelage for these teeming and vibrant youths.’ Additionally, in spite of Nigeria’s natural resources, Nigeria is still unnecessarily faced with development challenges. Quo vadis, asked Hon. Dr Ayorinde. In his eyes, ‘the answer lies in industrialisation’ because ‘industrialisation is the engine of development, and it has the potential to transform our economy, create jobs, drive innovation, and generate wealth. Industrialisation is the engine of development.’ Consequently, he called on everyone to ‘renew our commitment to the development of our nations.’
The best graduating student, who represented the graduating class of 2024, Mr. Abiodun Precious Aboluwarin, shared, in his valedictorian speech, the same view as Honourable Ayorinde that ‘character maketh the man’ and that his fellow graduates should ‘strive to make positive contributions to make our family, community and this country a better space in the global community.’ More importantly, Mr. Aboluwarin noted that ‘the purpose and goals in life should not be handled with levity but make them priority and let’s be revolutionist of economic development in this nation with our profound professional knowledge and God-fearing heart.’
Thirdly, and perhaps most significant was the Convocation Lecture delivered by His Royal Highness, Kabiyesi Oba Adedokun Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-Ila, Osun State, on Friday, 13 December. He underscored the significance of quality education, its tools and challenges. As he put it, ‘education serves as a cornerstone for individual and societal development, fostering economic growth, reducing inequalities, and empowering individuals to achieve their full potential… Education is essential for ending poverty. Actually… [Q]uality education is essential for ending poverty… Education is more than the act of attending school; it must serve as a transformative force that equips individuals to thrive in life. While increasing access to education is crucial, the ultimate goal must be to ensure that this education adds value by enabling learners to master essential skills and acquire relevant knowledge.’
Most significantly, the Convocation Lecturer recalled the four key pillars of quality education as defined by the UNESCO: equity in the sense that no one should be left behind, relevance in the sense of applicability to societal need, effectiveness in terms of enablement of measurable learning outcomes, and sustainability in terms of quality education being resilient and adaptable to challenges, pandemics or natural disasters, socio-economic questions, etc.
When considered in the context of Nigeria, quality education has not been achievable again for various reasons: Nigeria has over 20m out-of-school children which is the highest number in the world based on the 2022 UNICEF figures, infrastructural deficiency in many schools, teacher shortages and poor quality of teachers in many schools, boko haram and other terrorism-driven attacks on schools, systemic corruption, especially the mismanagement of education budgets, etc. Against this background, Kabiyesi Abolarin expects universities to play transformative roles in advancing quality education, which by design and coincidence, is the major dynamic of the quest to establish the YaDILDS and the conferment of special honoris causa on three well-acknowledged promoters of quality-driven education, quality-driven entrepreneurship and quality-driven political governance that is completely free of chicanery.
The YaDILDS and AUO Honours
The YaDILDS means Yakubu Dogara Institute of Legal and Democratic Studies. It is named in honour of Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, a notable Nigerian politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives from 9 June 2015 to 9 June 2019. He was born on 26 December 1967 and received his university education from the University of Jos. His contribution to societal development prompted his recognition as the Leadership Newspaper’s ‘Politician of the year 2015.’ The Royal Commonwealth Society of Nigeria honoured him in March 2016 for passing 130 bills in one single day.
Again, three months after, on 10 June 2016, he also received the Zik Prize in Leadership Award for Public Service. His active engagement in political governance within the first one year of his tenure as Speaker prompted his recognition as the ‘Political Icon of the Year 2016’ by the Editorial Board of The Sun Newspaper, as well as ‘The Politician of the Year’ by the City People Magazine at the 2017 Award Programme. In fact, he was decorated in October 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari as a Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). It is against this background that AUO similarly looked at his very positive contributions as Chancellor of the AUO in the past five years to the development of the university and decided to also honour him more befittingly with an institute named after him.
The YaDILDS is conceived to be a sub-unit of the College of Law of the AUO and committed to extending the frontiers of research and scholarship in law and democracy by undertaking a ground-breaking inter-disciplinary research programme through international research networks.’ The objectives are six-fold: deepen knowledge in the area of law, politics, and society; promote academic integrity in the same areas; improve the quality of research activities; build local and international research networks in the fields of law, politics, social sciences and humanities; provide practical and effective solutions to legal, political, and social challenges by partnering with relevant stakeholders; promote the culture of painstaking, thorough and independent research endeavours; as well as working closely with similar research institutes in implementing donor-funded programmes and initiatives.
The objective of building local and international research networks is quite interesting especially in terms of how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s diplomacy of 4-Ds is affected. The role of the Nigerian Diaspora is quite relevant if emphasis is placed on Diaspora institutional networks along with the promotion of citizen diplomacy. More important, as programmed, ‘YaDILDS research activities will consider the convergence of law with social sciences and humanities to build a society that encourages and promotes beneficial globalisation, good governance, social justice, digital economy, counter-terrorism, and sustainable development.’ This is the perspective of the planning committee of the Institute, which has set a target of N1bn to be raised to fund the establishment of the YaDILDS.
As noted by the Chairman of the 11-man Planning Committee, Hon. Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum, the Institute would be established and commissioned within the next one year. And without any iota of doubt, the AUO Management frowns generally at the idea of abandoned projects. Any project commenced must be completed as scheduled which is very consistent with the philosophy of Chancellor Yakubu Dogara. And true enough again, the completion within one year cannot but be subject to availability of funds to which the planning committee members (Hon Ali JC, Minority Whip, 10th Assembly; Hon Chukwuka Onyema; Hon. Biodun Olasupo; Hon. Muhammed Usman; Hon Golu Timothy; Hon Dr Bode Ayorinde; Professor Omolola Irinoye; Professor Taiwo Adenegan; Professor Ayo Joshua; and Hassan Turaki who serves as the Secretary to the committee) have shown public commitment.
More interestingly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara said the YaDILDS ‘will serve as a beacon of hope for legal scholarship and democratic advancement in Nigeria. It reflects our collective commitment to building a Nigeria where democracy, its promises and tools are deployed toward building a nation where no man is oppressed in line with our national creed.’
And most significantly, the Chancellor concluded on the note that research and development should always focus on practical solution to Nigeria’s economic problems, promote partnership with industries and government to ensure that the knowledge generated in the university has real-world applications, and that the AUO should continue ‘to distinguish itself as a centre of excellence, shaping minds and nurturing talents for the development of our nation.’
Regarding AUO honours, after the AUO Registrar, Reverend Canon Oladimeji S.B., had doffed his cap and told the Chancellor that the University Council and Senate of Achievers University had ‘resolved that Honorary Doctoral Degrees be conferred on three worthy persons whose names were listed on the programme, he had ‘the honour and privilege to call upon the Chancellor, His Excellency Rt. Hon. (Dr) Yakubu Dogara, to deliver his Convocation Address. The same procedure was followed by the Registrar in calling on the Vice Chancellor, Professor Omolola Irinoye, to deliver her Convocation address, the Representatives of other institutions to present their goodwill messages and for the graduating students who have distinguished themselves in their respective programmes to collect notable prizes.
It was indeed an interesting academic protocol and tradition that cuts across many universities in Nigeria and abroad. The intermittence of fanfare between one event and another and the colourful doffing of cap was noteworthy, especially when it came to the turn of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Hon Dr Bode Ayorinde to deliver his own Convocation Address and to confer honorary degrees on the three worthy Nigerians of integrity and distinction: Dr Fidelis Akhagboso, the Managing Director of Fidson Healthcare Plc, Lagos; Alayeluwa Oba Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-Ila, in Osun State; and His Excellency, Mohammed Umar Bago, the Executive Governor of Niger State.
Two additional points are noteworthy about the week-long Convocation: the distinction between general Convocation activities which took place during the week and the Convocation Proper, which took place on 14 December. On Wednesday 11 December, there were friendly sporting competitions to mark the 14th Convocation of the AUO and the 15th Convocation of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji. The two universities competed in five games: football, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis and athletics.
As for the 14th AUO Convocation Ceremony Sport Events 2024 the AUO won four out of the five events competed in: Football: AUO, 1 vs JABU, 3; Basketball: AUO, 57 vs JABU, 26; Volleyball: AUO, 3 vs JABU, 0; Tennis: AUO, 2 vs JABU 1; and athletics: AUO, 5 vs JABU, 1.
Regarding the 15th Convocation Ceremony Sport Events for JABU, the scores are not different: football: JABU 1 vs AUO 0; Basketball: JABU 84 vs AUO 87; Volleyball: JABU 2 vs AUO 3; Chess game: JABU 0 vs AUO 4; and Tennis: JABU, 0 vs AUO, 3. As observed by the AUO Coach, Mr. Roland Akinwale, the competing teams in both universities have better future more room for improvement in light of the encouraging skills displayed by them. It was more of ‘no victor and no vanquished’ to borrow from the Yakubu Gowonian saying.
Friday, 13 December, witnessed the Variety/Cultural Night during which the AUO theatre/drama group, various cultural groups from the Owo Community, etc. entertained everyone, especially the students. So it was not all work without play. There was no dull moment at all. Induction of new Professionals relaxation songs of praise, and conferment of befitting honours.
The honours did not stop with the conferment of honorary degrees on the three worthy sons of Nigeria on 14 December. The Convocation Thanksgiving Service held the following day also witnessed the special announcement of the elevation of three members of staff for their academic activities and contributions to the development of the AUO and the larger community. Mr Kunle Oladimeji and Miss Feyisayo Adetula, both Assistant Lecturers, were promoted to the grade of Lecturer II while Professor Bola A. Akinterinwa was elevated to the grade of Professor Emeritus. By so doing, Professor Akinterinwa became the first AUO Professor Emeritus. In addition, the approval of Professor Adenegan Taiwo to go on sabbatical in 2025 was also announced. With the approval, he becomes the first AUO professor to go on sabbatical leave. It was an event of songs of praise galore. The announcements truly reflected the AUO as a ‘God’s glorious habitation… wellspring of integrity and height of leadership’ as contained in the AUO Anthem. The University always began every New Year and academic activities with prayers to God and thanksgiving. This is the ‘Starting with God’ Programme.’ The year is also ended with a Convocation Thanksgiving Service during which landmark announcements are always made. Meanwhile I say Joyeux Nöel to all my readers.
