… Pastor Jerry Eze, Apostle Joshua Selman honoured with honorary doctorate degrees

By Ayoyinka Jegede

The Chancellor of Precious Cornerstone University (PCU), Presiding Bishop, Founder and President of Christ Life Churches Worldwide, under the umbrella of The Sword of the Spirit Ministries, and National President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has said Precious Cornerstone University will continually commit to producing skilful, moral graduates that are critical thinkers that will be solutions to societal problems. He said the institution produces graduates that will be professionally sound and self-independent and be employers of labour and not a burden to the labour market.

The Chancellor made this known recently at the Fourth Convocation ceremony of PCU and added that the institution will continue to foster a culture of innovation, encouraging students to become job creators through research-driven learning and entrepreneurial development. Oke explained that PCU insists on getting the best lecturers to teach the students and hence does not play with academic excellence.

The Chancellor revealed that PCU encourages students to register a company where they are going to practise their own businesses while they are still in the university and likewise registers them for professional courses to enable them to become gurus in their chosen careers by the time they are leaving the school.

His words: “Here in PCU we produce skilful, talented, professional graduates that will be employers of labour and job creators and not people that will just carry a certificate looking for a job.” We train students that are going out fully equipped to succeed, not to carry out a certificate and be looking for jobs. We don’t play with academia; we insist on getting the best lecturers to teach our children. We encourage our students to register a company while they are still in the university and begin to practise how they are going to establish their own businesses. We want our students to be job creators , they are trained to be entrepreneurs. Also, we are very firm on moral values;; there is no sexual impurity allowed. I will encourage everybody when thinking on where to send their children for university education to consider faith-based institutions.”

Oke said PCU is producing leading scientists in the world, such as graduates that win scholarships to study AI in American universities and the one that ranked among the two hundred young scientists in Africa.

Oke added that the mission of higher education must be to create and advance knowledge; hence, PCU is committed to research and innovations to help extend the frontier of knowledge.

He added that God enabled PCU to become a dynamic centre of academic excellence, promising that the university will not relent.

He further said that PCU is striving to become the best university in Nigeria and one of the best in the world, enjoining parents and guardians to take their children and wards to Christian faith-based institutions.

His words “PCU was born with a vision of pioneering excellence in character building, promotion of harmony with the Creator and enhancement of human dignity and self-discovery through quality education and is poised to raise people with possibility thinking and dominion mentality.” The institution launched a competitive research grant to support staff-less research initiatives, reinforcing the university’s commitment to academic excellence. PCU fosters a culture of innovation, encouraging students to become job creators through research-driven learning and entrepreneurial development. PCU made significant strides in entrepreneurship development, accountability, and resource optimisation through a dynamic

Entrepreneurship Week held this year

PCU’s mission is to prepare skilled and ethical scholars, professionals and leaders through the provision of excellent education in a conducive environment. PUC offers students the opportunity to develop 21st-century knowledge and competence in scientific research, original thinking, scholastic investigations and development of practical skills in communication, technology, arts and sciences that will enhance self-employment and job creation; Develop an understanding of ethical issues in a knowledge-driven multicultural society and be reputed as a centre for thought, inquiry, dialogue, and action in matters of character and leadership; Attract, recruit and retain high-quality staff that challenge and mentor students to attain their fullest potential, emphasising the core values of integrity, scholarships, diligence, service and honour; Create a learning environment known for academic excellence, intellectual rigour, civil discourse and daring and entrepreneurial spirit; inspire love of learning and not just learning for its sake; Gain a sophisticated level of information literacy through emphasis on technology and information literacy across the curriculum; engage in critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, project-based activities, laboratories and work experience; establish a solid base in the liberal arts and sciences and explore diversity, creativity and work.”

On his part, Bishop Professor Dapo Asaju, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of PCU, encouraged parents and guardians to send their children to Christian faith-based institutions for a full complement of total education satisfactory in learning, character, discipline, and morality, to mention a few.

Asaju said PUC has continued to give a solid spiritual foundation of righteousness to their students, trained to become corrupt-free, empathetic, good future leaders.

He explained that Precious Cornerstone University, being mentored by the University of Ibadan as appointed by the Federal Government, is poised to become a first-class institution of international standard in all ramifications.

He said PCU has received approval to commence postgraduate studies in various courses, which reflect the maturity of the institution as a training ground for high-level manpower.

Asaju commended the Chancellor of PUC, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, and his wife for their huge personal sacrifices in providing funding to bail out the university at several moments of emergencies, especially accreditation and resource assessment exercises on various existing and new courses.

The Vice Chancellor of PCU, Professor Timothy Olubisi Adejumo, in his convocation address, said PCU said the institution will continue to invest in expanding its postgraduate and part-time offerings, strengthening global collaborations, promoting digital learning and entrepreneurship, deepening spiritual formation and community impact.

He urged graduands, “The 2025 Trailblazers set”, to be ambassadors of Precious Cornerstone University by displaying integrity and righteousness always and always using their innovation to produce answers to world-challenging questions.

Adejumo underscored the university’s commitment and inclination to success, disclosing that the university has grown in leaps and bounds, which is evident in the uninterrupted academic progress.

In the same vein, in his convocation lecture, titled “Beyond Certificates: Preparing Graduates for Relevance in a Knowledge-Driven Economy’ Apostle Joshua Selman, founder of Eternity Network International (Koinonia Global), charged graduands on the need to commit themselves to contributing to global advancement.

He noted that skills acquired two or three years ago had become obsolete and told the graduands that their quests for knowledge had just begun.

He opined that graduation is not arrival but evolution.

He stated that the traditional view of education as merely a pathway to obtaining certificates was no longer sufficient in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

“Graduation should not signal arrival but evolution. Move from the mentality of ‘I have arrived’ to ‘I am evolving’,” he said.

He urged graduates to adopt the “T-shaped skills” model, deep expertise in a core area complemented by broad knowledge across multiple fields.

According to him, the World Economic Forum projects that over 85 million jobs will be displaced due to automation and the shift in labour between humans and machines by 2025, a change that requires agility, innovation, and adaptability from the future workforce.

“We live in an era where artificial intelligence can write legal briefs in seconds. A university degree is no longer enough. Your degree proves you can learn; now prove that you can adapt,” he added.

Selman also warned about the moral implications of rapid technological advancement, citing the manipulation of digital content and the rise of cybercrime.

He described technology as “a tree of good and evil”, urging young people to pursue knowledge responsibly.

He emphasised integrity as a non-negotiable virtue: “Skill without integrity is hollow. Our values of honesty and transparency are fast eroding. We must restore ethical standards if we want a sustainable nation.”

The overall-graduating student, Eniola Kolawole Lawal of the Computer Science Department, finished with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.84.

Fourteen graduates of the Precious Cornerstone University Ibadan emerged with First Class Honours among a total of 143 across various disciplines. Sixty-five graduates came out with Second-Class Upper, while 47 had Second-Class Lower, and 17, Third-Class.