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OAU to honour Oluremi Tinubu, MTN CEO, others with doctorates
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, will receive an honorary doctorate degree at the 48th convocation ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire, disclosed this during a pre-convocation press briefing held on campus on Thursday.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced that the Group Chairman of Mutual Benefits Plc, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, and the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria Communications, Karl Toriola, will also be honoured.
Bamire further revealed that, during the three-day convocation ceremonies, 7,368 students will graduate, and two other distinguished individuals — academic and entrepreneur Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, and oil and gas industry leader Daere Afonya-Akobo — will also receive honorary doctorate degrees.
Explaining the basis for Senator Tinubu’s award, Bamire highlighted her longstanding support for the university, noting her contributions towards improving the welfare of OAU students and the university community.
“Specifically, we will confer honorary awards on five exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to humanity by uplifting the less privileged and advancing societal progress through their talents, financial resources, and material support,” Bamire said.
The Honorary Award Recipients for this year are:
“Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, OON First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu is an astute politician and advocate for the underprivileged, particularly women and children.
“Dr. Akinade Akanmu Ogunbiyi Group Chairman of Mutual Benefit PIc, leads a conglomerate of nine companies employing over 5,000 people.
“Prof. Anthony Adegbulugbe: A distinguished entrepreneur, academic, and engineer, Prof. Adegbulugbe has demonstrated extraordinary generosity through the Springland Kids and Youth Foundation (SKY Foundation) and the Anthony and Afolake Adegbulugbe Foundation.
“Prince Karl Olutokun Toriola: A seasoned business leader and telecommunications expert, Prince Toriola serves as the CEO of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.
“Daere Afonya-Akobo: A prominent figure in the oil and gas sector, Daere Afonya-Akobo is highly committed to education and philanthropy. His contributions include Donating ICT units to Rivers State University in 2021,” the VC said.
Giving details of the grades obtained by the graduating students drawn from the 13 faculties in the university, Bamire said 215 students made First Class Honours, Second Class Upper Division, 2,197, Second Class Lower Division, 2,691, Third Class Honours Upper Credit, 61, Lower Credit, 33, Pass, 62, making a total of 6,015 students for Classified Degrees.
For Unclassified Degrees, Bamire said, Distinction, 13 students, Pass with Distinction, 59 students, Pass with Credit,154 and Pass, 169, making a total of 395 for Unclassified Degrees.
For Postgraduate Degrees, the VC said 74 students would bag Postgraduate Diplomas, while 708 and 176 students would bag Master’s Degrees and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), respectively.
According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”
The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.
He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.
The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.
“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.
“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
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