Alakija Emerges First Woman Chancellor As UNIOSUN Renamed After Ige

Investiture of Dr Alakija as Chancellor

OSUN State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has renamed the Osun State University after the late Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige who was murdered during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

In similar vein, the governor renamed several other tertiary institutions in the state including the Osun State College of Technology renamed as Bisi Akande College of Technology. Others are Osun State Polytechnic now as Sunday Afolabi Polytechnic; College of Education, Ila-Orangun now Adeyemi Oyeduntan College of Education while College of Education, Ilesa now Lawrence Omole College of Education.

Others affected are the UNIOSUN College of Law now Kayode Esho College of Law; College of Social Sciences and Management, Okuku now changes to Olagunsonye College of Social Sciences while College of Agriculture in the state is now Isiaka Adeleke College of Agriculture.

Also affected are College of Education, Ipetu-Ijesa now Ezekiah Oluwasanmi College of Education while College of Humanities and Culture, Ikire now bears Eniola Atanda College of Humanities and Culture.

Remarkably, the renaming of the UNIOSUN to Bola Ige University coincided with the fourth and fifth convocation ceremony of the nine-year old state university as well as the investiture of a foremost entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr. Folorunso Alakija as the second Chancellor of the institution thereby breaking a record in the history of Nigeria since independence of a woman occupying the position.

It will be recalled that Alakija was late last year awarded an honourary doctorate degree in Humanities by the University of Uyo on account of her overwhelming contributions in bringing succour to the down trodden in the society particularly the widows and orphans.

In her acceptance speech, the multi-billionaire business woman who was recently rated by Forbes among the richest persons in the world with a net worth of over US $2.1 billion dedicated her accomplishments to God, however charged women to liberate themselves by uncompromisingly embracing education as a priority adding that education offers diverse opportunities essentially economic empowerment of womanhood as well as preparing them for services to the nation. While cataloguing several other benefits education offers to women, she emphatically said that for the nation to achieve meaningful and substantial progress, womenfolk will inevitably not be ignored rather embraced as stakeholders.

On the rationale over the renaming of the institution after the late former AGF, the governor said it was in recognition of Chief Bola Ige’s undeniable and impeccable contributions to the nation at large. Chief Ige was assassinated  in his Bodija home in the south-western city of Ibadan on 23 December 2001.