The Proprietor, Caleb University, Imota in Lagos, Dr Oladega Adebogun has urged graduating students of the institution to be the difference the world is waiting for.
Adebogun stated this at the 12th Convocation/Founder’s Day ceremony of the University on Saturday, in Imota, Lagos.
The event was for the conferment of honorary doctorate and postgraduate degrees, as well as diplomas.
The convocation began on Jan.19, with the conferment of first degrees and presentation of prizes.
A total of 32 of the graduating students were confered first class degrees, of the overall 745 at the undergraduate level, with 389 others in the second class upper division.
A total of 310 were honoured with second class lower division, 14 others were admitted in the third class division, on both the first and second day of the event.
At the Higher degrees level, a total of seven bagged distinction while 194 others were honoured with Pass degrees.
This brings to 939, the entire number of the graduating students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The overall best graduating students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels are Eunice Osho with a CGPA of 4.86 and Timothy Oyelowo with a CGPA of 4.90 respectively.
According to the founder and proprietor of the university, there is no replacement to sound and incorruptible education, which are the legacies the university has bequeathed to the graduating students.
He noted that all the graduating students of the institution had what it took to make the world a better place.
Adebogun charged them to hit the ground running to make it happen.
“Caleb university has successfully shaped destinies over the years, as we believe in education without corruption.
“A lot of resources, human, material, infrastructural and financial have been expended by the university, as well as parents and guardians, to produce today’s graduands who by the grace of God, will make a positive impact on our dear country, as they go out to fulfill their lofty dreams and aspirations.
“To therefore effect this much needed change the world is waiting for, I want to urge all you graduands to be passionate over anything you set out to do.
“It is the key to all life’s endeavours. You must also have vision, which is a picture of the future that produces passion.
“Vision without action is merely a dream. And action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world, as the bible says where there is no vision, the people perish.
“You must also have a strategy. Once you have vision, you want to know how to go about it.
“Strategy is about making choice and determining steps you are going to take to actualise your vision.
“It is about deliberately choosing to be different, maybe by adopting the blue ocean strategy, that is, carving a nitche” he said.
Adebogun urged the graduands to also have an action plan that would help them achieve their goals.
He told them to do so by setting smart goals, creating a list of actions, setting timelines, designating resources as well as monitoring their progress by themselves.
The proprietor also urged them to above all, acknowledge God in all their future endeavors.
“To our proud parents, I congratulate you all and pray that the almighty God will grant you long life to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
“To all the graduands, I admonish you to remember all you have learnt which have made you worthy in character and learning and uphold them in all your future undertakings.
“Make your parents extremely proud and be a worthy ambassador of Caleb university.
“Aspire in all you do, to exemplify the qualities of Godliness, innovation, service teamwork excellence, creativity and integrity, which are all values that this university is very passionate about,” he said.
He lauded the Federal Government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC) , the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Lagos State government, as well as all other stakeholders, for their support to the growth of the university.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Nosa Owens-Ibe, in his welcome address, said the occasion marked the first time the convocation would hold on three days, adding that it signified progress.
He described the graduating students as trailblazers who had gone through the incubation that had prepared them for reality.
Owens-Ibe highlighted the import of the university’s pioneering offer of Global Information Technology Certificate which required all the undergraduates at all levels to acquire IT qualification.
He said it was consolidating with the incorporation of CUL Technologies and partnership with CompTIA.
The highpoint of the event was the conferment of honourary degrees on Gov. Babajide Sanwo Olu, of Lagos, Mr John Momoh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Channels Television; and Mr Dele Alake, one-time Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy.
The governor was represented at the ocassion by Mr Waheed Kasali, one of the Permanent Secretaries in state public service.
Responding, Alake described the development as humbling.
“I feel proud to be so honoured and be associated with a university such as Caleb.The award is profound, unsolicited at all.
“I never knew anybody in the university and I did my research, I found out that the university is highly reputable. It is of the top chart of Nigerian universities.
“The quality of their graduates and the teaching is top notch. It is indeed so humbling and so I feel excited getting this award,” he stated.
On what should be the watchword for journalists, especially in the face of the upcoming general elections, the former commissioner said professionalism was key.
“These days, without sounding immodest, professionalism has taken a back seat in the practice of journalism today.
“Of course, we still have quite a number of people, who are striving to be as professional as possible, in the course of discharging their duties.
“People who want to practice the profession as it should be done. But we have quite a lot of those bastardising the profession. The profession has been desecrated by interlopers, those who are not passionate about the profession.
“I therefore want to enjoin our professionals, my colleagues to make professionalism their watchword, especially in this campaign period and beyond.
“This is the era of social media and social media has contributed in no small measure, into desecrating the efficiency, efficacy of journalism in this country.
“We must reverse that trend and that is why I have said I am going to contribute my quota to impact knowledge in universities.
“This is because we have both theoretical and practical experience in journalism.
“So, I will be teaching in any Mass Communication departments of universities in the country and journalism schools free of charge. That is my own way of giving back to the society,” he said.
