Crescent varsity: 11 years of remarkable progress

Crescent University is now like a tree with blooming flowers and very rich fruits becoming ripe for Nigeria, Africa and in fact the world to enjoy. The University, steadily and progressively, is becoming an educational institution to be reckoned with in all spheres, and everywhere.

First, it is our pride that the University is now what we want it to be. You are welcome here at any time regardless of your religion. Therefore, we have here Muslims as well as non-Muslims. You are also warmly welcome here regardless of your ethnicity – either from the North or South; East or West. And the glorious benefit that we share here with all our people is the fact we embrace and train students from all the 36 states of Nigeria and others from different parts of Africa.

Our achievement will not end there at all. This is a university priding itself in academic and moral excellence. Our degree is not cheap and we make bold to say so. The results, left, right and centre is excessively becoming obvious. We now have a name that we have worked hard to achieve over eleven years now. Examples abound all over to demonstrate this.

I will reiterate the story of two graduate students who were given admission for postgraduate atRobert Gordon University in Scotland. One Rafiat Gawat was a graduate from Crescent University;the other a graduate from another University in Nigeria. They had both graduated with First Class Honours. At the end of the one-year MSc. course, while the one from our University passed with distinction, the other one failed and had to repeat. But that is not the end of the story. They noticed that our product is someone with exemplary good character. In addition, she was never late to the classroom neither was she at anytime absent from class. The Dean of Postgraduate Studies in the University who happened to be a Professor that had lectured over 30 years remarked at the end of the course that our own graduate scored an unprecedented high mark in her studies. This is only one point of many we have received concerning our products venturing into postgraduate courses in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

This University is working assiduously to sustain its record of producing first class graduates that are truly world class. Permit me to reveal that yet again last session, another of our graduates, Adijat Folasade Adefila from the College of Information and Communication Technology also completed her MBA at the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom with Distinction. We have a long list of similar achievements of our products at home and abroad. These good stories abound and it has even begun to draw executives from private organisations and government parastatals who seek admission into our part time and postgraduate programmes.

Above all we are glad that our commitment to the twin-goals of academic and moral excellence continues to stand us out amongst institutions. We shall continue to strive and ensure that our effort in this direction never wanes. Our social contract in this endeavour is to make sure that our graduates will continue to be noted for exemplary character: excellent academics, sound morality and the fear of God.

May I, at this juncture congratulate our new Chancellor and welcome him to our midst. His Majesty the Alaafin of Oyo brings to us his wealth of experience in University administration, having served as Chancellor of Usman dan Fodio University, Sokoto for 12 years. He is also serving at the moment with the University of Maiduguri. We wish him a very successful period as Chancellor of Crescent University.

The Crescent University will be honouring the trio of the former Head of State, General AbdulsalamiAbubakar (rtd), one of Nigeria’s foremost politicians, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Executive Officer, Channels Television, Mr John Momoh at its 8th convocation ceremony today.  General Abubakar will be conferred with Doctor of Science (honoris causa) in Public Administration while Tinubu and Momoh will be decorated with Doctor of Science in Political Science and International Relations, and Doctor of Science in Mass Communication, respectively.

I also congratulate our graduands at today’s convocation. The governments of Kano, Zamfara andSokoto State deserve our appreciation and commendation for sponsoring their indigenes to this University on scholarship and supporting them to the point of graduation. Many of them have performed commendably well and two, one each from the two states, are graduating with First Class. We congratulate you.

We thank you parents for your abiding trust and partnership with us in nurturing your children to worthy adults and citizens. We promise an unflinching commitment to our hallmark of education plus, and the resultant strong and genuine certificate. That is a desired end which justifies the means. As it is fast becoming a slogan amongst our students, “if you think a degree is cheap, try Crescent University’s.” Permit me to blow our trumpet here again: Crescent University’s First Class is truly World Class.

• Being excerpts of a speech delivered by H.E. Judge Bola Ajibola, Founder/Proprietor of Crescent University, Abeokuta, during the 8th convocation of the Crescent University on October 15, 2016.