• Adeyemi college marks 50th anniversary

Over 400 Nigerian medical doctors and nurses, accounting for 60 percent of the entire health workforce, are currently managing the healthcare delivery sector of Trinidad and Tobago, a South American Island nation of 1.3 million population.

  The Nigerian Ambassador to the country, John Musa Jen, disclosed this in Ondo town yesterday, quoting United Nations (UN) estimates.

According to the envoy who lauded Nigeria’s massive investment in the provision of quality education for its citizens and the resilience of Nigerians to acquire education and make their services available all over the world, “If Nigeria should withdraw our doctors from Trinidad and Tobago, the country’s healthcare system would collapse.”

Jen lauded the exploits of Nigerians in his country of assignment while addressing a press conference to herald activities marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo and the 33rd convocation ceremony of the institution.  The ambassador, who is the Chairman of the Governing Board of the colleges said “Nigeria must continue to invest massively in education for personal and national development.”

He said one of the best attributes of Nigeria as a country “is our human resource endowments which marked us out sharply among other nations of the world and we must do everything to make sure that we tap the resource for the utmost benefits for our country and the world.”

Flanked at the conference by the Provost of the college, Prof. Adeyemi Idowu and other principal officers, Jen disclosed that 3,459 graduates would be presented with awards of certificates and degrees for both the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions out of which four made First Class, 416 Second Class Upper, 1,831 Second Class Lower and 102 with Ordinary Pass.

He also disclosed that as part of activities marking the twin ceremonies, eminent Nigerians, including the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, legal icon Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Dr. Aminu Ladan Sharehu, Director-General, National Teachers Institute (NTI) and Kenneth Imansuangbon would be given Awards of Fellowships.

The governor of Cross River State, Godswill Akpabio, High Chief Olabanji Akingbule, the Odunwo of Ondo Kingdom, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and Dr. Tayo Fawehinmi, a former member of the House of Representatives would also be recognized officially as College Benefactors.

The envoy also disclosed the efforts of the board and management of the college to facilitate its upgrading to a full-fledged University of Education rather than a degree awarding institution affiliated to the Faculty of Education of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

According to him, “we are applying all the necessary pressure on the Federal Government and working with other stakeholders and members of the National Assembly especially those from this state. We met with the governor yesterday and he also canvassed the same position. Upgrading this college to a university is not like re-inventing the wheel because we already award degrees.”

Guardian

by Niyi Bello, Akure