UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, NIGERIA VICE CHANCELLOR’S WELCOME ADDRESS at the Home Coming Reception and Recognition Award in Honour of His Excellency, Vice President PROFESSOR YEMI OSINBAJO GCON, SAN and The Governors of Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Gombe and the Deputy Governor of Abia State Multipurpose Hall, University of Lagos 31st October, 2015 1 Protocols On behalf of the Management, Staff and Students of the University of Lagos, it is my singular honour to welcome us all to this unique event designed to specially recognize our most distinguished alumni, who today are at the helm of affairs in the nation as the Vice-President of the Federal Government of Nigeria and as Governors of four major states of Nigeria as well as being Deputy Governor in another state. I salute: His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, SAN, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State His Excellency, Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Governor of Gombe State His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State His Excellency, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, Deputy Governor of Abia State. Your Excellencies, you are most welcome to your University, Nigeria’s University of First Choice and the Nations Pride. This event is indeed a celebration of University of Lagos as a producer of leaders for our nation, Nigeria. The University of Lagos is most grateful to the Vice President, His Excellency Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and the Governors and the Deputy Governor for creating the time out of their busy schedules to attend this Home Coming and Award Ceremony. We are honoured to have you in our midst, sirs. It is interesting to note that apart from His Excellency, the Vice-President, who is an alumnus of our great Faculty of Law, all our other guests are Accountants, with Governors Ambode, Obiano, Emmanuel and Deputy-Governor Chukwu being graduates of our Department of Accounting while Governor Dankwambo is an alumnus of our Department of Economics. What a feat! Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this reception, apart from its purpose of serving to rejoice with your Excellencies on what you have achieved since you exited from this great University, it is also to celebrate you and your achievements in your various endeavours more especially in the political arena. We appreciate your contributions towards the growth and development of not only your various states but our great country, Nigeria. Need we say that as distinguished alumni, you have made us proud? We are proud to showcase you to the world, as graduates of this University. You have proved that the knowledge, which you received from here has been beneficial. We also want to use this gathering to motivate our current students and to show to them, that hard-work, diligence and dedication to work pays, indeed these are the hallmarks of success. This is why this event is being transmitted live by the first 2 University Radio Station in Nigeria, the Unilag 103.1 FM especially to motivate our students and encourage them on the path of life. Your Excellencies, University of Lagos is 53 years old and has produced great men and women, who have proven their worth wherever they found themselves nationally and internationally. The University continues to excel in its academic pursuits and all-round development of its students. As you may have heard the University produced the youngest Ph.D. Graduate in Africa in 2012/2013 session, Dr. Olaoluwa Oluwadamilola Haloweed, who also had the best Ph.D. thesis in Science and Engineering. He is currently a member of staff and has been sponsored to undertake his post-doctoral studies at Harvard University, U.S.A. In the same vein, some students of the Faculty of Engineering only recently designed and built prototype vehicles of the battery-electric variety, which successfully competed at the Shell sponsored eco-Marathon in South Africa and the Netherlands. University of Lagos is unique in a lot of ways. It is the only Federal University in Nigeria sited next to a lagoon, which gives us the serenity required for serious academic work. Unfortunately, this creates its peculiar challenges. We are a metropolitan University, located in a densely populated part of Lagos state and we are bounded by the lagoon. Hence, unlike other Universities in the nation, we have nowhere to which to expand. The remaining undeveloped portions of land are swamp land requiring very costly reclamation. We have applied to the ecological fund for assistance on reclamation and are still awaiting their decision on our request. As at the 2014/2015 academic session, University of Lagos has a total student enrolment of 52,779 comprising 25,608 full-time undergraduate enrolment, 15,382 part-time undergraduate enrolment (including the Distance Learning Institute), 9,663 postgraduate enrolment and 2,216 in sub-degree programmes. This is a large concentration in this small enclave. In order to accommodate the expansion, the University’s strategic plan envisages the need to build bigger, more environmentally friendly, energy efficient structures, that should contain our present students’ population and also cater for our anticipated increase in population. Hence, the Faculty buildings would have to be progressively replaced with high-rise facilities not less than 12 floors. In this vein, we have commenced the first phase of renewal with new building designs for Faculty’s’ of Law and Education, the Distance Learning Institute and the School of Post Graduate Studies. These designs have been completed and funding is being sourced for their construction. In the face of gradual reduction in government funding of education occasioned by the decline in oil price, we need to look inwards and the University has nobody to turn to but its Alumni and friends. To attract, coordinate and administer funding from the Alumni and other friends of the University, we have set up an Office of Advancement solely for this purpose. The University truly requires your endowment and support to attain its development objectives. 3 Your Excellency the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo GCON, SAN; Your Excellencies the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; the Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo; the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel; the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano; and, the Deputy Governor of Abia State, the Rt. Hon. Sir, Ude Oko Chukwu; I once more welcome you to your beloved alma mater, the University of Lagos, Nigeria’s University of First Choice and the Nation’s Pride. We are happy to have you with us and want you to have an enjoyable evening with us. Thank you. Professor Rahamon A. Bello, FAEng Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos. 4 .