By Demola Akinyemi – Ilorin

The Vice-Chancellor of Oduduwa University , Ipetumodu Ile-Ife in Osun state Professor Chibuzor Nnate Nwoke has said that graduates of the institution have been empowered to face the challenges of employment and be independent.

Speaking on the 7th Convocation ceremony and the 10th year anniversary of the university, he said 29 out of the 717 students who completed their First degrees from the three colleges in the institution bagged First class, while 282 came out with Second class and 354 made Second Class Lower Division while 52 fell into Third Class category.

A prominent Yoruba monarch Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom was honored with honorary Doctorate Degree during the convocation ceremony.

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There was a scintillating convocation play titled, “Oya” staged by the Drama troupe of the university.

Professor Tunji Olaopa also delivered a thought-provoking  convocation lecture titled,’Banditry, kidnapping, and Insurgency in Nigeria; A gradual regression into a failed state”

The Vice-Chancellor on the products from the university said,’’ The school has a befitting entrepreneurship and skills acquisition centers which are made compulsory for all students at different levels, the students in the school are therefore trained in different entrepreneurship courses such as baking, event planning, hair making and many more.

”This makes our students to be empowered to face the challenges of unemployment and be independent and a very proud example is a 400 level female Estate management student who has pass through the entrepreneurship training who cannot only make hair but can also produce some domestic anti-septic. Most importantly, soft loans are provided for those who want to establish businesses to facilitate their taking off.”

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He also said that the ten years old university has been solely funded by the proprietor and founder, His Royal Eminence Chief Rahmon Adegoke Adedoyin, The Maye of Yorubaland without any support from banks or anywhere and criticized indiscriminate requests for tax by various governments and agencies which he described as pain in the neck.

He said,” Beyond the federal and state tax agencies, there are other tax agencies that have to be accommodated and entertained, else they will threaten hell to lock up the business premises and at the end, it will be proven to them that we are responsible taxpayers. The authentic {federal and state} tax agencies that we recognized to which tax could be paid, we do that dutifully, but to other ones which there is no exemption, they are quite a pain in the neck.’’

‘We will, therefore , certainly appreciate a helping hand from kind-hearted Nigerian patriots. Specifically, we would welcome assistance from corporate bodies or private philanthropist in form of financial donations, books, journals, library equipment, scientific laboratory equipment, vehicles, power generating sets, air conditioners etc” He added.

Professor Nwoke also noted that the university has zero tolerance for cultism and that the challenge of cultism in the university has been brought to the lowest ebb as the authorities have firm control over students in the university.

He said, ” On the cultism issue, the school authority has total control of all the students within the school premises but outside the school premises the managements do not have a whole lot of control”

He described the relationship between the university and the host communities as excellent as the authorities also extend free entrepreneurial skills to members of the communities.

He said,” The relationship between town and gown is, to say the least excellent. We have entrepreneurial arrangements for the community, there are training centers in the town for random people who want to take advantage of the facilities, the training is not limited to our students alone.”

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