The Federal University Lokoja (FUL) has honoured the founder of human rights radio, Ahmad Isah, and five other distinguished personalities with honorary doctorate degrees in its 6th/7th combined convocation.
FUL vice-chancellor (VC), Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, who revealed the six distinguished personalities honoured by the university at the convocation, described the awards as “apt” and “very worthy.”
Mr Isah, popularly known as the ‘Ordinary President’, ‘Voice of the Voiceless’, and ‘Grand Commander of the Ordinary Nigerians’ (GCON) is the founder and president of the Brekete Family consortium.
He is a philanthropist, an entrepreneur, an activist, a radio personality, a veteran broadcaster, and anchor of the Brekete family, a radio programme focused on human rights.
Prof. Olu Obafemi, a Nigerian poet, playwright, author, and Professor of English and Dramatic Literature at the University of Ilorin since October 1990 was also honoured by the university.
Mr Obafemi, an indigene of Kogi, is the 76th recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NMOM) award (2018). He was the president of the Nigerian Academy of Letters between 2016 and 2018.
Others are Dr Samson Adegoke, former rector, Osun State College of Technology and master student, electrical and electronic engineering, Johannesburg, South Africa; Rt. Hon. James Faleke, a business and management consultant and former Rep member, Ikeja Constituency, Lagos and an aide to President Bola Tinubu.
The VC congratulated the awardees, whom he said had distinguished themselves in their various fields and had been an encouragement to the institution.
He disclosed that out of a total of 2,511 first-degree graduands that convocated, “61 of them got First Class Honours, while 99 have Master degrees and 128 Postgraduate Diploma.”
Mr Akinwumi, who congratulated the graduands on the academic feat, rejoiced with them and their families for the journey so far.
The VC cautioned them against joining criminal elements in their pursuit of heights but should be good ambassadors of Federal University Lokoja by “upholding the morals and values of this noble university.”
“It will interest you to know that all the programmes of the university are domiciled on the permanent site in Felele with all academic activities taking place there.
“FUL today has added to its academic programmes, medicine, nursing and engineering, while agriculture, law, pharmacy, psychology and medical laboratory science programmes are in the pipeline.
“Consequently, today, at this convocation ceremony, we shall be launching an endowment fund through which the institution will solicit the support and contributions of well-meaning Nigerians toward enhancing infrastructure development.
“Some of the projects for endowment include 500-bed space capacity for students hostel, 500 seater capacity lecture theatre and a research Laboratory Building with Equipment.
“Others are 400-bed space hostel for medical students, anatomy laboratory for medical students, mass communication building, Faculty of Law Library, 500 capacity multi-purpose hall/assembly and a 500-capacity auditorium etc,” he said.
(NAN)