Written by Olushola Okunlade

The Corporate Institute Strategic Research (CISR) has conferred Honorary Doctorate on Oba Oyekan Adekanmi Ajose Posi III, Alapa of Apa Kingdom.

Corporate Institute Strategic Research (CISR) is an innovative embedded corporate research institute with its headquarters in Abuja.

“The honorary recipients are Nigerian ambassadors who have conquered the world due to the quality and functional education they received,” said CISR’s Management.

“They were chosen on the basis of their distinguished reputations, outstanding achievements, exemplary leadership, and extraordinary contributions to humanity. This is the highest honor an academic institution can give and today, they are richly deserved,” he added.       

His Royal Majesty, Oba Oyekan Adekanmi Ajose Posi III, Ilufemiloye Alapa of Apa, Egun-Awori Kingdom was awarded an Honourary Doctorate by the Corporate Institute of Strategic Research, Abuja in the company of others.

In his acceptance address, Alapa of Apa kingdom lauded the Institution as an epitome of academic excellence commending its high standards of discipline. To the students,” invest your time and energy in making the right decisions. The story and history of this great institution are one of the right decisions that should be well-studied by those involved in tertiary education globally,” he said.

Oba Oyekan Adekanmi said, “Education is the fulcrum of our national security, and this administration treats as an utmost priority the advancement of security education and academic specialisation in this era of fast-evolving local and global security threats.

Olushola Okunlade Writes

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has made an appreciable leap forward in the Webometric ranking of World Universities released for January 2023, coming second in the country with 1534 points in Impact Rank, 1020 points in Openness Rank and 1904 points in Excellence Rank, which were the three (3) key criteria used for the ranking.

A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that this commendable leap, though from the third position of the University in the last ranking, came about eight months into the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire, who has pledged commitment to the initiative to reposition the University in the comity of World varsities.

According to the latest ranking, the University of Ibadan was ahead of OAU, while Covenant University; University of Port-Harcourt; University of Nigeria; and University of Lagos occupy the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions respectively.

The Ranking Web or Webometrics is the “largest academic ranking of Higher Education Institutions” based on the assessment of “Composite Indicators and Web Impact Factors”.  “The original aim of the Ranking is to promote academic web presence, supporting the Open Access initiatives for increasing significantly the transfer of scientific and cultural knowledge generated by the universities to the whole Society”.

“In order to achieve this objective, the publication of rankings is one of the most powerful and successful tools for starting and consolidating the processes of change in the academia, increasing the scholars’ commitment and setting up badly needed long term strategies,” Webometrics said on its website.

Olushola Okunlade Writes

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Limited have awarded scholarships to 460 students of secondary schools and tertiary institutions from its host communities in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State.

The company said the scholarship had become an annual event meant to contribute to the educational development of the people and position them rightly in the scheme of things in Lagos State and Nigeria in general.

The scholarships were presented to 443 secondary school students and 17 tertiary institution students from its host communities around Ibeju-Lekki.

Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Group, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, presented the scholarships to beneficiaries yesterday at an event attended by traditional rulers and government officials in Lagos State. Edwin said the Dangote Group believes that education is the passport to the future and that an investment in knowledge yields the greatest dividends for mankind.

He said the company had over the years supported the Nigerian educational sector by instituting scholarship award programs. According to him, this is part of the company’s education intervention initiative for indigenous students of host communities impacted by its businesses.

He stated: “In 2019, we executed a pilot of the scholarship program where 51 secondary school students from our 15 host communities here in Ibeju Lekki were awarded. However, we could not hold the second edition in the year 2020 due to the incidence of COVID -19 and its associated effects not only on businesses but on every household.” 

“In 2021, 118 secondary school students and 19 tertiary institution students from our host communities were awarded the scholarship award and after a rigorous screening process this year, 443 secondary school students and 17 tertiary institution students have qualified for the scholarship award.”

While congratulating the beneficiaries, he enjoined them to continue to work hard at their studies, strive to achieve excellence in all that they do, and never stop giving their best.

“Your achievements are a testament to your determination, perseverance, and commitment to excellence, and we are honoured to celebrate your success with you today”, he added.

Edwin encouraged the awardees to make the most of the opportunities and to always strive for excellence. “Remember that your education is a gift, and it is up to you to make the most of it. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow, and do not be afraid to take risks. We are proud to support your education and future endeavors, and we look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish in the years ahead. Congratulations again to all our scholars.”

“With the continuous support of the people and the Lagos State Government, we shall not relent in our efforts to be socially accountable while we positively impact our host communities. We look forward to a continuous peaceful and rewarding relationship with our host communities in Ibeju Lekki,” Edwin said. 

On his part, the traditional ruler of Lekki, Onilekki of Lekki Land, Oba (King) Liasim Ogunbekun said that the program was a blessing to the community and gave kudos to the Dangote Group. “We appreciate Dangote Group because this is not their first time but their third scholarship edition to the host communities in Ibeju Lekki.”

“I urge the beneficiaries to put in more effort in their academic pursuit and justify the amount being paid for the scholarship.”We thank the Dangote Group because a lot of improvements have been recorded in the lives of the participants,” Ogunbekun said.

One of the beneficiaries of the City & Guilds Engineering training program, Raheem Olukayode thanked Dangote Group for the opportunity to study, become an engineer, and impact positively to society.

“The training has been beneficiary because it supports the less privilege who are interested in furthering their education to achieve their dreams in spite of financial challenges.”

The program is simply going to positively affect the development of Ibeju-Lekki in the future because we are going to have more engineers emerging from this area. “We were told that after level three training, the best of us will be given job opportunities to work with Dangote Group so we are encouraged to give our best to win the slot,” Olukayode said.

Also, the Head Girl of Community Senior High School, Magbon Segun, Ibeju Lekki, Sano Omolere said that the scholarship had assisted their parents in supporting their education. “For instance, some students have relented in their effort to further their education because of lack of money.”

“However, this scholarship has supported our parents to provide us with school fees and books that have encouraged a lot of us to do better in class,” the head girl said.