From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Today, Friday, the 10th of May, 2024 is the Silver Jubilee or 25th anniversary of Igbinedion University, Okada, the first private university in the country.
Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin who is known to have scored many firsts in many endeavours of life, saw his dream of establishing a private university come true in 1999 when the then Military administration of General Abdulsalam Abubakar granted him the licence to establish the university with Registration No. 01.
The vision and mission of the Founder and Proprietor of the university, Sir Chief Dr Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, CON, CFR, which culminated in the birth of the institution, remains till date an epoch making event which led as floodgate for the establishment of several other private universities in the country today.
No doubt, since its founding, Igbinedion University, Okada, has made tremendous contribution to the training of quality manpower for various aspects of the country’s manpower needs.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, while addressing a World Press conference as part of activities to mark the institution’s 25th anniversary, affirmed this position when he said “Since inception the University has achieved remarkable successes in teaching, research, capacity building, innovative studies and perhaps most significantly, the production of exceptional graduates in diverse fields of human endeavour who are contributing their quota to national and global development.
“The growth trajectory witnessed have been driven by a culture of innovation, creativity, adaptability, digital literacy, technological fluency, relentless commitment of the Board of Regents, Governing Council, Senate, staff and students”.
Speaking about value and significant milestones the university has achieved in its 25 years of existence, Prof. Ezemonye said Igbinedion University is the first private university in Nigeria to produce Medical Doctors, Pharmacy and Law graduates; th first to produce a First Class law graduate who repeated the feat at the Nigerian Law School and went on to become a Professor of Law, Deputy Vice Chancellor of a university and the youngest Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The Igbinedion University also pioneered entrepreneurship as an academic in Nigeria before it was adopted by the Nigeria Universities Commission ( NUC) as a mandatory component of the curriculum of Nigerian universities.
The Igbinedion University which had a modest figure of 115 enrollment at inception, now has 7,000 male and female students on campus just as it has recorded steady growth in academic programmes of study. From 5 Colleges in 1999, the University has expanded to 7 Colleges and 3 Schools.
The academic departments/programmes have witnessed exponential increase from 7 at inception to 85, made up of 34 undergraduate and 51 postgraduate programmes. The University has produced 16,000 graduates across disciplines spread across the globe, with records of stellar performances in their respective fields of endeavour.
Besides, all courses/programmes of the university are fully accredited not only by the National Universities Commission (NUC) but also by relevant professional bodies while the university admission quota for Medicine, Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science was recently increased by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MEDCN). Similarly, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) has increased the University’s admission by 100 percent, Prof. Ezemonye disclosed.
In the area of Research and Scholarship, Igbinedion University has commenced Drug manufacturing and Methylated Spirit production by the College of Pharmacy, just as it has carried out the design and development of EV prototype by the University’s College of Engineering, as well as design and development of 500VA Hybrid Power Station by the institution’s Creative Hub.
As part of the week-long celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Igbinedion University has commissioned two Legacy Projects, IUO Palm Oil Processing Mill and IUO Hotel at their respective sites at Okada, just as it carried out a Free Medical Outreach to communities in Okada and environs among other activities lined up for the celebration.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, had unveiled the anniversary logo, IUO@25, noting that “The attainment of 25 years of corporate existence is a notable landmark worthy of celebration”.
With a good foundation laid by the Founder and Proprietor, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin, even the sky is not the limit, growth and development of Igbinedion University.