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Tag: Benson Idahosa University

  • Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy to hold Investiture

    The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy will on Wednesday 12th September, 2018, honour two distinguished Nigerians with Lifetime Achievement award and Honorary Fellowship.

    A special ceremony which will also feature a lecture by a distinguished scientist.

    According to Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, Vice President of the Academy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Planning Committee, the lecture which is themed From Plant to Patient: Driving Research and Innovation for Industry, will be delivered by a former Vice Chancellor, Benson Idahosa University, Benin-City, Professor Ernest Izevbigie.

    For his pioneering and entrepreneurial trailblazing efforts in the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe, the pioneer General Secretary of the defunct Nigerian Union of Pharmacists (NUP) and fourth President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) will receive the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement award. Founder of the TY Danjuma Foundation and Chairman of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) will receive an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his philanthropic contributions in building a country where all citizens have access to quality health care.

    Read Also: Houses, pharmacy go for Pen Cinema Bridge

    Prof Izevbigie, who will deliver the Academy Lecture, is an accomplished researcher and world-renowned authority recognized for his ground breaking focus on the use of bitter leaf in cancer and diabetes management. He is also Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, EdoBotanics, a leading firm in the production of phytoceuticals, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements.

    The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy is a specialized academy that, among others, seeks to promote scientific research and professional development, especially in the health, pharmaceutical and related sectors in order to help overcome challenges posed by pain and disease as well as fast-track social and economic development in Nigeria and beyond.  The Academy is the fourth such specialized academies in Nigeria, with others being the Academies of Science, Letters, and Engineering.

     

  • 49 bag First Class in Benson Idahosa varsity

    A total of 49 students out 602 students that graduated from the Benson Idahosa University in the 2017/2018 academic programme have bagged the First Class degree.

    This was disclosed Wednesday by the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Sam Guobadia, at a pre-Convocation press briefing.

    Read Also:Idahosa varsity, Andela best to work for in Nigeria

    Prof. Guobadia said 503 students would be awarded first degrees while 99 would be awarded Post-graduate degrees at the 14th com ovation ceremony scheduled to hold on July 7th, 2018.

    Guobadia disclosed that the institution would be introducing the Basic Medical and Health Sciences in the School of Medical Laboratory.

    He stated that ongoing projects at the permanent site of the university would be commissioned at the commencement of the new academic session in August.

    The VC said the convocation lecture would be delivered by the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission, Professor Adamu Abubakar Rasheed.

  • Benson Idahosa University gets new acting VC

    Management of the Benson Idahosa University has appointed a Professor of Economics, Prof. Sam Guobadia, as that acting Vice Chancellor of the institution.

    Prof. Guobadia was a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university.

    The university’s Head, Communications and Brand Strategy Unit (CBSU), Mr. Temi Esonamunjor, in a press statement, said Prof. Guobadia’s appointment commences upon the expiration of the tenure of the former Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ernest B. Izevbigie.

    Temi said Prof. Guobadia had previously served as the Acting Dean, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Head of Department, Economics and Banking & Finance and Director, BIU Consultancy at the University.

    Read Also: Students sabotage exams in protest over education reform

    Prof. Guobadia is a fellow of the Institute of Policy management Development (FIPMD) and Institute of Corporate Administration (FICA) and also served as one time President of West African and African-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, U.S.A.

  • Idahosa varsity students mark cultural day

    Academic activities literally came to a halt at the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) when students marked the cultural day. It was a sight to behold as students from several ethnic groups, dressed in elegant traditional attires, trooped out of their hostels to showcase the beauty of their cultures.

    Before a crowd of guests, comprising parents and guardians, the students took turns to parade their cultural heritages. The audience hailed the revelers as they performed their traditional dance steps to entertain guests at the I4th Cultural Day in the school‘s main auditorium. The event featured cultural dances, beauty pageant and drama.

    While declaring the event open, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sam Guobadia, described the day as remarkable, adding that the essence of the celebration was to promote tolerance among students and to help them identify with their cultural backgrounds.

    A special guest and Nollywood actress, Ada Ameh, urged the students to always elevate their culture wherever they may be, noting that it was only through their culture that they can connect to their roots. The thespian hailed the school for creating a platform for promoting diversity on the campus, saying the event will give students opportunity to learn about other indigenous cultures.

    According to her, there is unity in diversity when people celebrate other people’s culture. She further advised the students to take their studies seriously in order to be successful in life.

    She said: “For most of you, your parents have done everything humanly possible to get you to school. The greatest gift you can give back to them is not just allowing the school to pass through you, but graduating as an achiever. This is not just for your parents but for yourself and for your tomorrow.”

  • Idahosa varsity meets ICAN accreditation standards

    A team from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), under its Mutual Co-operative Agreement with Tertiary Institutions (MCATI), has visited the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) to assess the quality of its accounting programme.

    MCATI committee Chairman Chief Oye Akinsulire said the visit was to assess the techniques and materials used by the school to teach accounting students, to ensure that standards are maintained in knowledge dissemination.

    According to Akinsulire, the MCATI accreditation will allow 100-Level and 200-Level students of Accountancy to have five foundation  and six-skill level subjects exempted whenever they are writing their final ICAN examination.

    The exemption, he said, is aimed at deepening the standard of learning and equipping students with modern practice. Also, the graduates would sit for professional examinations where they would be required to write only five papers required for certification.

    Akinsulire said the team was satisfied with the school’s standards, noting that MCATI was required to keep the university in ICAN’s list of accredited institutions by continually meeting the minimum eligibility standard set by the professional body.

    He said: “The subject-per-subject assessment is one of the reasons that brought our team here. It is the responsibility of ICAN to be here to sign an agreement with you. Our task is to determine whether a university qualifies for the MCATI accreditation. Without mincing words, Benson Idahosa University has met the requirements.”

    The team praised lecturers of the Accounting Department for their dedication and commitment to standards, urging them to improve in their method of delivering the knowledge.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Ernest Izevbigie, hailed the ICAN team for “thorough assessment”, stating that the school had demonstrated capacity to impart knowledge.

    The VC said the collaboration with ICAN covered the university’s core areas in research, teaching and service. He expressed joy over the assessment and acknowledged the professionalism, which ICAN is known for.

    The Acting Head, Department of Accounting, Dr S.N. Ugbogbo, thanked the school management for its support, adding that its contribution had led to the success recorded by the department.

  • ICAN donates computers, textbooks to schools

    The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has donated laptops and accounting textbooks to some tertiary institutions in line with its mission to support the profession’s growth.

    The benefiting schools are Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna State; Benson Idahosa University (BIU) in Edo State; Paul University and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) in Anambra State. Others are Delta State Polytechnic, Federal College of Education (Technical), Lagos and Lagos State University (LASU).

    While presenting the books, ICAN President, Ismaila Zakari, said the gesture was borne out of the association’s determination to add value, build capacity and improve the standard in the teaching of accountancy in tertiary institutions.

    He said: “As a professional body committed to technical excellence and in line with its statutory mandate of setting standards and regulating the practice of accountancy in the country, the institute proactively reacted to challenges facing tertiary institutions by instituting policies to support the growth and development of accounting education in Nigeria.

    “It is instructive to stress that, apart from setting standard and regulating the practice of accountancy in the country, the institute also ensures that its potential members receive appropriate and quality technical and academic training, which could be benchmarked against global standards.”

    Zakari said it was in appreciation of the role of information technology on the accountancy profession and the dearth of study materials for students that propelled the institute to invest in acquisition of modern gadgets and textbooks to assist students in using Information Technology (IT) to gain insight into the relevant accounting software.

  • BIU floats leadership club for students’ leaders

    BIU floats leadership club for students’ leaders

    In a bid to enhance the leadership skills of students’ leaders, the president of Benson Idahosa University (BIU) in Benin City, Edo State, Bishop F.E.B. Idahosa, has launched a club for presidents of departmental associations in the university.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Bishop Idahosa said the objective of the club was to equip the students’ leaders with modern leadership techniques, which would help them create morally upright followership.

    He said: “Mentoring students’ leaders is one    bv  key objective for creating this club. We want to mentor you on how to lead in modern way. We want to mentor you personally so you can be good leaders and also use your ability to create morally upright followers that will add values to the society at large.”

    According to him, leadership goes beyond training just a generation. He said he would meet members of the clubs monthly to deliberate on leadership matters.

    He said: “Leadership should not be based on one generation alone. Nobody wants to raise leaders for one generation and another generation comes to thrash the values created. Leadership should be for three generations in order to create progression of leadership skills.

    “We will be meeting monthly and after our interaction, I want you to teach somebody, who will teach another person. If I am able to impart valuable leadership skills on you, then I expect that you teach two generations.”

    Idahosa said the club was not created to replace the existing Resident Advisor (RA) system in place in the school, adding that the platform was initiated to raise responsible leaders who will promote value-based leadership.

    The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sam Guobadia, said the club’s establishment was line with the school vision of training leaders who would lead the positive changes in the country. He said putting group of young people together to bring out ideas on leadership and how to change the society was the best legacy any institution could bequeath to the society.

    He said: “The club will be of benefit to everyone, because it is a platform for young people to build their leadership traits and most importantly, life skills. Remember, to be a great leader, one has to exhibit certain qualities. These qualities can be learnt at home, in schools or in a forum like this.”

  • Idahosa varsity hosts NUC resource verification team

    Idahosa varsity hosts NUC resource verification team

    Management of the Benson Idahosa University, Edo State, has received an eight-man team from the National Universities Commission (NUC), on resource verification, to assess the level of the University’s preparedness in terms of human and material resources to start its proposed programmes.

    The proposed programmes are Industrial Chemistry, Chemistry, Software Engineering and Information Technology, all in the Department of Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science.

    Receiving the delegation of Professors from various universities in the country and NUC representatives led by Professor S.B Junaid, the Vice Chancellor of Benson Idahosa University, Professor Ernest Izevbigie thanked the team for responding to the University’s invitation.

    The Vice Chancellor assured them of University’s unflinching cooperation and readiness to adhere to all professional advice offered and to correct, implement and execute whatever recommendations made.

    Briefing the Management after the verification exercise, the leader of the National Universities Commission (NUC) delegation, Professor S.B Junaid expressed satisfaction with things on ground for the proposed programmes and enjoined the University to keep up the pace of developmental projects.

    He lauded the University for providing sophisticated equipment in the laboratories, efficient e-library, and adequate internet facility. Furthermore, he thanked the University for providing an enabling environment for his team to do its job, while commending the notable contributions of the entire Faculty to the relentless pursuit of the vision of raising models, professionals and entrepreneurs.

    Professor S.B Junaid mentioned that the assignment took them to many places on the University campus such as the laboratories, classrooms, library, and staff offices.

    Responding on behalf of the University, the Vice Chancellor of Benson Idahosa University, Prof. Ernest Izevbigie thanked the team for the visit and appreciated the suggestions, observations and genuine criticism made by the verification team to the University. He expressed hope that the University would be given the nod to commence the programmes very soon.

    He maintained that the University was going to ensure strict compliance to the National Universities Commission’s set standard in its entire academic programme.

    Other members of the eight-man team include, Prof. Hammawa Mohammed, Prof. Olumide Owolabi, Prof. Folahan Adekola, Prof. Abass Olajure, Prof. O.S Adewale, Hayatuddeen Umar and Nazeef Bala.

    Also at the meeting were the Registrar, Benson Idahosa University, Rev. Mike Okagbare; Librarian, Mrs. Grace Sanni, Bursar, Mr. Gladday Igweagbara; Dean of Post graduate School, Prof. Bamidele Sanni, Dean of Faculty of Science, Dr. Osondu Akoma; Director of Academic Planning, Dr. Mark Ighile and other faculty members from the Department of Physical Sciences.
  • ICAN lauds Benson Idahosa University

    ICAN lauds Benson Idahosa University

    The 53rd President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Alhaji Ismaila Muhammadu Zakari, has ranked Benson Idahosa University’s Accounting programme as one of the best in the country.
    Alhaji Zakari made this declaration when he led a delegation of the professional Institute on a courtesy call to the University Management recently.
    The delegation expressed satisfaction and therefore endorsed the quality and standard of the programme at the University.
    According to tthe ICAN Chief, the University employs a lot of chartered accountants in the country and that’s why the students are performing exceptionally thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of the institution.
    “Since 2008 when the Accounting Department was first accredited, the Institute has had a cordial relationship with Benson Idahosa University.
    “Since then the University has maintained standards required to keep it in our list of accredited institutions for the proper teaching and learning of Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. It is on record that many of your graduates of accounting have successfully completed professional examination of the Institute,” he said.
    Alhaji Zakari noted that the institute was established to set standards and regulate the practice of accounting in Nigeria, adding that the institute’s certification will help the accounting students of Benson Idahosa University become well-trained professional accountants.
    “As you are aware ICAN was established by the act of parliament in 1965 to set standards and regulate the practice of accountants in Nigeria, since then the institute has produced 43,293 chartered accountants and over twenty thousand accounting technicians who are very talented and committed; working in every sphere of the Nigeria economy and we are proud to say that many are graduates of this university.
    “Today ICAN members hold influential positions in Nigeria and around the world as business leaders, public administrators, academics, decision makers and trusted advisers,” he observed.
    The ICAN President also sued for increase in the partnership with the university.
    “This would ensure that graduates of Benson Idahosa University are offered preferential treatment with the institute’s professional examinations.”
    He emphasized that this partnership with the institute will allow graduates of the Accounting programme from Benson Idahosa University to be exempted from the 11 subjects in the first two stages (Foundation and Skills Levels) of the Institute’s three –stage professional examinations. The ICAN President in his remark singled out a Professor of Accounting in the university, Professor A.R. Anao.
    He thanked the Prof.  for his contribution to several accounting journals and practices in the country.
    In his remark, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sam Guobadia said the University will always conform to the standard of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in the training of its students in the accounting profession.
    He lauded the institute saying it’s one of the foremost institutes in the country that has done wonderfully well. He acknowledged the level professionalism that ICAN has been identified with over time.
    The Acting Head, Department of Accounting, Benson Idahosa University, Dr. S.N Ugbogbo, said the department will continue to leverage on the good working relationship with the institute to produce credible accountants in the country He said the well-equipped departmental library and qualified lecturers contribute to the successful training of professionals in the field.
    The Departmental library of the University also received another boost with the donation of accounting textbooks by the Institute to the Department of Accounting. During the visit, the ICAN delegation also had an interactive session with the graduating students of Accounting. They were also given a guided tour round the University campus.
  • BEING ‘BORN AGAIN’ does not preclude you from enjoying life —Archbishop Idahosa’s son

    BEING ‘BORN AGAIN’ does not preclude you from enjoying life —Archbishop Idahosa’s son

    Bishop Faith Emmanuel Idahosa is the only son of the late champion of Pentecostal movement in Nigeria and President of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City Edo State, Archbishop Benson Idahosa. In this interview with ADENIYI ADEWOYIN and DAVID LAWAL, he speaks on the benefits of ‘born again’ Christians delving into politics, how denying him visa to study abroad before his father’s death turned into blessing, his relationship with the students of Benson Idahosa University and other pressing issues. Excerpts:

    A movie about your late father was premiered recently. Would you say the movie actually captured the life and times of the late Archbishop?

    I need you to see the movie because it is a very good one. What the movie does is portray a part of his life from the perspective of an outsider who was coming to see the impact his life has in Nigeria. So it is not just the story of his life. It is very fresh, it is new and it is different. Next year will make it 20 years after he passed away, so we are planning to do several events that will call a part of his legacy year to say these are some of the things he did in his life time, and one of them is this movie.

    And there will be another movie that will also come out next year. Hopefully, by God’s grace, that will tell more about his life. This one talks more about the impact of his life and some of the things he did in Benin City. So I encourage everyone to go and see the movie, talk about it and ask questions, get to know who this man was because someone who was five years old when he passed away in 1998 would not have known much about him, and that person will be 25 next year. So this is the kind of time they should know about the history.

    Did you by any chance read the script before the movie was produced?

    Yes, the director is a personal friend and he is also someone who has been in the ministry of CGM since he was a young man. So he is someone who has been working, who knows the ministry in and out. So, like I said, he wasn’t telling the story. It is not a biography; it is a story about his life impacts, and with the way this generation is today, you want to tell stories from different angles and different perspectives that will help people see the total picture of life.

    Talking about the impact of his life; some people are still in doubts that God used your late dad to raise the dead; did you witness any of these miracles?

    I witnessed several miracles, I know two people that he raised from the dead, one’s name is Joy Akporero. I wasn’t there when it happened but I do know her personally and she’s a friend of mine. She fell down from a high veranda and she hit her head on the pavement and passed away and her mother brought her to the Archbishop and she came back to life, she tells the testimony all the time. As a matter of fact, that scene is portrayed in the movie as well.

    Another woman that came back to life was the one my mother saw, which is also in the movie as well. My father was a young man; he was told by his pastor that you can raise the dead because the bible says so and he asked, is it true? Can you do that? Pastor said yes, it’s possible. My dad asked, have you done it? The man said, no, I haven’t but it is possible. So my dad went around Benin City that day on his bicycle looking for any house where someone had died (this is recorded in several of his books.) He got to the house of my mother who was a young girl at that time, but that morning, a young girl just passed away. So he stopped, went into the house, and started praying for the young lady, he prayed several times but nothing happened. After a while, he began to look for a window where he could escape from (laughs). He prayed and prayed and nothing happened; so he opened his bible and he saw a verse that says, Talitha cumi; rise little girl; and he thought the girl’s name in the bible was Talitha cumi. So he went to ask of the girl’s name which they told him. He went back inside and called the girl’s name and said arise and she came back to life. Now, this is a story that we’ve been told and my mother was there to witness.

    So the director of the movie, Stanlee Oihkhure said, can I find this woman because I want to know if this is a true story? We found her and she is still alive today. They interviewed her. There’s a documentary coming out that actually shows her in the interview. These are people who are living witnesses of what God can do.

    What are your fond memories of your late dad?

    There are memories I still have of him. I remember him playing with us. I remember him coming back from trips and bringing back toys. You know as a young boy, all you want are toys to play with. I remember him being a strict disciplinarian. I remember so many things about him that keep his memory alive in my mind.

    The things I mostly remember about him were the last two years before he passed away. I got to spend nine months with him. We travelled across the country. We travelled around Africa. I got to spend time knowing the ministry and knowing him. At the time it happened, I didn’t know it was going to happen. I was trying to travel back to the US to continue my medical education but I was denied visa to go back to the US. We were very upset. We tried so many things to get a visa but everyone said no. So, I said I would wait and try again in six months. In those six months, I was in Nigeria travelling around the country and Africa with my father. When I look back now, I realize that was the gift that God gave to me. Because after six months, I got my visa and travelled back to the UK. It was just two years later that my father passed away.

    As the child of the Archbishop, how was growing up like? Was it all religion?

    I don’t know if you balance those things as a child. You grow up and you just live thinking the whole world is sweet and rosy. I enjoyed my childhood. I grew up in Benin. I think part of it was being under the system where your father was a well-known person. Everyone’s eyes were always on me to know what I was doing. When I was in JSS1, I went to boarding school in Jos. So, I had the chance to grow up outside the family world around me, and I enjoyed growing up in Nigeria.

    After that, I went to school in the US at the age of 15. I finished my secondary school there, then I went to the university, did my master’s degree and came back to Nigeria. It was in between my master’s degree and my medical school that I spent that time with my father. So, I cherish my childhood. I cherish what God allowed me to see and grow up from in my time as a young man.

    Did you at any time get out of your Christian life as a teenager, especially when you were in school?

    I think people that say it is boring to be ‘born again’ are people who have a mindset as to how they want to act, but because they are Christians, they can’t. I remember when I was a young man, I was thinking okay, let me just enjoy my life. Like I said, I grew up in a Christian world. So, at some point, being a young man, you think okay, let me just enjoy life and when I turn 30 or 40, I will get serious with God, then I will become a strong Christian. But I remember the summer I was 13 years old, and I had an experience that made me to think that life is not a joke.

    I remember that at the age of 13, I made a rededication of my life to say God, I am going to be serious with you now; I am not going to wait till I am 40. Having done that does not mean that you can’t have a good time to enjoy yourself, you can still have fun as a young man. I played sports, I had friends and a life that I enjoyed. So, I don’t think being a Christian separates you from that. When people say it is boring, it is because they have a mindset of what they want to do, and they think that being a Christian will restrict that.

    I agree that there are a certain things you should not do as a young man or woman, and some of those things are things that you should avoid whether you are a Christian or not. It is people who want to pursue some of these things that say if I am a Christian, I can’t do these things. But if you are a Christian, you are supposed to live a normal life and enjoy.

    What’s your take on Christians going into partisan politics?

    Christians should be in politics. There are two problems I see with the way we do things right now. The first one is that as Christians, we say politics is bad, it is corrupt. So we want to stay away from it. And because we stay away from it, bad people, who are there to get more, take over. So you say it is for ‘Agberos’ and you as a ‘born again’ Christian who is smart, who is intelligent doesn’t go into politics. So, more Agberos go in, and before you know it, in a few years, the people that you are insulting are the ones who are leading you, and it is because you say it is not for people like you.

    I look at that and say look, who is better to lead God’s people than the people who hear from God all the time? Why should I say I don’t want to be led by bad leaders and then I have people around me who are good leaders and they are not going into politics? We should look for people around us who are good leaders, and encourage them to go into politics. Politics itself is not the problem; it’s the people who are there. So, if I am going to complain about the people who are there, the best way to change the system is by being in the system not by being outside the system and insulting it.

    The second thing I see is that we tend to send one lone ranger at a time whereas we should create a system of several people who are strong, who can support each other. Let’s say for example there are 10 or 15 of us who are strong, spirit filled, ‘born again’ in the House of Assembly, House of Reps, in our states or at the national level, if there’s a problem with one person there it’s very easy for one person to be overrun. However, 10 of us who are there, we can meet once a week and say see, this is what is going on; we don’t think this is right, let’s take a stand against it.

    Having said that, what part is Benson Idahosa University playing in building the next generation of leaders?

    We train students in several areas. We held an event last year in which we interviewed governorship candidates for Edo State. We always try to get our students to be as exposed as they can to what is going on in the country. We want them to know that this is a country they are going to live in and grow up in; they must learn to have a say in what’s happening in the country.

    We are training our students to become stronger diplomats, stronger politicians, so we have a programme we are working on right now, over the course of four years, to say you are going to come out as a diplomat. You will have certain experiences, including travelling to the UN, National Assembly, meeting with the embassies, and so on. We are taking them to these people deliberately, not just theory. We will travel with them so that they can have the records straight. When they meet these people, it triggers them to say see, I can also be in this position, and I will. Our next goal is to meet the President and Vice President.

    Nigeria produces thousands of graduates yearly but with a high level of unemployment in the country. In what ways do you think the problem can be solved?

    One of the biggest ways to solve the nation’s problem with employment is to create entrepreneurs, and we’ve been pushing this system for the last 15 to 20 years. We have been teaching entrepreneurship at this university when it wasn’t a requirement in Nigerian universities. Now, it is, and I am happy for that. We want to teach our students to become entrepreneurs and create employment. So, we tell them instead of going out there looking for a job, go out there and look to create jobs. We have at least 50 of our graduates who are CEOs and owners of their own companies now, and they are doing well. We try to keep track of them to know how they are doing, because when you start your own company, you create employment even if you are only hiring two people.

    As the president of the university, do you have a personal relationship with the students?

    I think I am close to the students. If you look at my Instagram page, you will see lots of pictures of me and students. We know them personally. We talk with them. We encourage them to do things. They were in Abuja sometime last year for a programme, and I went there with them not at the school’s expense but at my own expense, because we want these students to know that we are part of their lives. We are not just here to collect school fees and say see you later. That’s the reason why I meet the alumni of the university anywhere around Nigeria, and they stop me. One of our alumni is currently and executive director of a bank. I met her on an aeroplane.