Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has pledged his unalloyed support for various lofty initiatives that will boost education in Nigeria.
He said that education plays a critical role in shaping the future of the country.
Kalu gave the assurance when he received a delegation from the University of Calabar, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Banku Obi, including the Provost, Post-Graduate School of the University, Professor Enyong Ubana, who doubles as the Chairman of UNICAL @50, Immediate past Registrar and Secretary of UNICAL @50, Mr. Gabriel Egbe and others on a courtesy call in his office in Abuja on Monday.
The delegation had visited to intimate the Deputy Speaker about their upcoming 50th anniversary/convocation lecture and to convey to him the decision of the organizing committee to make him the guest lecturer.
Recalling his days in the alma mater, Kalu said that the University of Calabar instilled virtues of hardwork, competition and patriotism in him and also moulded his character to contribute to nation building.
He said: “As Deputy Speaker, I recognize the critical role that education plays in shaping the future of our nation. I’m dedicated to supporting initiatives that promote access to quality education, and I believe that Unical is uniquely positioned to play a leading role in this effort.
“I’m proud to have been shaped by this institution and I’m committed to continue to partner with Unical to advance the cause of education in Nigeria like my favorite Vice Chancellor, favorite in the sense that only few women occupy this position in Nigeria and I like to see women get involved in leadership positions.
“We were taught to be the best, competitive in everything, give it all the energy it requires. We were taught to avoid corruption and that is what we brought into leadership.
“We were taught to be patriotic, to be proud Nigerians. Today in the National Assembly, we are pushing. Whatever we earned in Unical was through hardwork and that spirit we’ve carried into our work place. I ‘m proud of my University. I’m grateful for the transformative impact Unical has had on my life.”
Decorated as an ambassador of the university by the Vice Chancellor, Kalu also vowed to sustain the legacy and the discipline received from university where he is currently doing his doctorate in law.
He added that the performance and achievements of some students from the university inspired him to sponsor awards aimed at encouraging young law students.
“I’m inspired by the achievements of Unical’s students, such as the law students who recently benefited from awards sponsored by myself. Awards like the Best Student in Jurisprudence and Legal Theory, Company Law, in Commercial Law, in Law of Evidence and in Constitutional Law”, he said.
The Deputy Speaker urged the university to be part of the ongoing constitutional review by carrying out quality research work on issues such as State Policing amongst others even as he promised to be part of the upcoming 50th anniversary/convocation lectures.
“We believe in what you’re doing and I want to thank you for giving me the role to be the Ambassador which I accept with my whole heart and also choosing me to speak at the event of the convocation as well as the anniversary.
“Considering the 50th anniversary, I will be part of it till the end. Let us work closely to achieve the desires of the anniversary.
“I look forward to exploring ways through which we can work together to build a brighter future for our nation. Convey my warmest regards to the university community and let them know that we are all working together to improve the lives of those young ones who come to study. We are standing by them and will always stand by them”, Kalu said.
Earlier in their separate remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Florence Obi and the Provost, Post-Graduate School, Professor Enyong Ubana who is also the Chairman, Organizing Committee of Unical at 50 described Kalu as university’s special gift to the nation, saying he is making the country proud in his legislative engagements.
“One gift our university has given the nation is His Excellency. There are others. You are one of the ambassadors of University of Calabar. Today, we have come here to decorate you. We are decorating you today as one of the ambassadors of the university. We have carefully selected the very outstanding ones”, Professor Obi said.
Source: Rayve.ng
