BREAKING: 6 Bag First Class As Claretian University of Nigeria Holds Maiden Convocation
The Vice-Chancellor of Claretian University of Nigeria (CUN), Prof. Wenceslaus Madu, says six of the 64 graduating students of the 2024/2025 academic session obtained First Class degrees in different fields.
Madu disclosed this, on Saturday, at the maiden convocation of the university held at its Maryland, Nekede campus, near Owerri.
He commended the Federal Government “for the primacy accorded education and granting licences to states, individuals, organisations and faith-based institutions to establish new universities in the country.
“This singular act is truly reflective of the Federal Government’s desire to improve access to university education for sustained capacity building of Nigerian youths for the socio-economic transformation of our country,” he said.
The vice-chancellor recalled that the university began its academic activities in Nov. 2021 with 71 students drawn from 11 states.
He disclosed that the university, which started with two faculties had grown to three, fully accredited by the National Universities Commission and their professional bodies.
“CUN is founded on sound Christian principles, informed by a progressive understanding that the religious and spiritual upbringing of students play significant roles in shaping their moral values and orientation,” he said.
He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to establish an endowment fund for the university to enable it to tackle critical infrastructure challenges, including the provision of 500KW solar renewable energy system and establishment of a medical faculty.
He congratulated the graduands, charging them to remain worthy ambassadors of their Alma Mater.
In a remark, the Pro-Chancellor of the university and Bishop of Bauchi Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Hilary Dachelem, underscored the importance of education and human capital development in the country.
Dachelem urged parents, sponsors, patrons and students to “see the university as a landmark institution, which would bear not only the mark of personal history, but also the root of unfolding future careers”.
Also speaking, the Chancellor of the university, Sen. Jack Tilley-Gyadu, said that in spite of Nigeria’s love for education for developmental progress, the country still depended extensively on imported goods.
Tilley-Gyadu called for an upgrade of the educational efforts from mere theoretical concepts to practical, productive purpose.
“Nigeria is not considered at par with other countries in global markets because of poor domestic industrial output.
“One of the reasons for this is that Nigeria has not tasked herself enough to run domestic academic institutions, strictly geared towards producing materials, which can sustain both internal and external demands.
“This low domestic turnout both in quantity and quality has made Nigeria vulnerable to the industrialised nations who now, to sustain monopoly of global markets, constantly downgraded goods produced in African countries,” he said.
Tilley-Gyadu urged universities in the country to “squarely face the challenges of self-sustenance and empowerment by engaging in contextual productive education”.
He also called on universities to embrace sustainable contextual education to engineer the effective production of things from environmental contexts.
In a remark, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, CUN, Rev. Fr. Henry Omonisaye, said the Church had stood as a custodian of learning, truth, and human development, “since antiquity”.
Omonisaye said the university, “though started like the metaphoric mustard seed, has followed the sacred heritage that embodies the Church’s mission to cultivate truth, charity, and service”.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs Chinyere Ekomaro, praised the contribution of the university to the socio-economic development of Imo and country at large.
Ekomaro, represented by Mr Chris Akueche, expressed the readiness and preparedness of the State Government to partner with the university in any area it desired collaboration.
