By Felix Khanoba
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has urged Nigerians to prioritise integrity, courage, compassion and selfless service in their contributions to national development.
Echono made the call in Ilorin on Monday while serving as Chairman of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Homecoming Celebration and Investiture Ceremony for Awards of Excellence, Distinguished Alumni and Unilorin Ambassadors.
The event also featured the homecoming of Professor Emeritus Is-haq Oloyede and the recognition of 30 other Nigerians for their contributions to education, humanity, national development and the advancement of the university.
Speaking at the ceremony, Echono described Oloyede as an exemplary Nigerian whose adult life had been defined by hard work, integrity, courage, compassion and commitment to public service.
He said Nigeria would benefit from having more citizens who were willing to uphold such values and place the interests of humanity and the nation above personal considerations.
Echono said recognising people who had made meaningful contributions to society was important, noting that such gestures could motivate the honourees to achieve more while encouraging younger people to follow their example.
“We don’t tend to celebrate the right people enough. Our celebrations are often full of funerals, birthdays and burials. But when you celebrate individuals, you give them the impetus to do more.
“More importantly, you encourage others to emulate them so that they can also be celebrated,” Echono said.
The TETFund boss maintained that recognition remained an effective way of promoting excellence and encouraging people to sustain positive contributions to society.
He particularly commended Oloyede for his role in confronting examination malpractice while serving as Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
According to him, Oloyede took on networks allegedly involved in examination malpractice and collaborated with security agencies to expose and dismantle organised groups involved in the practice.
Echono recalled that the campaign was not without challenges, as members of the networks were influential and allegedly issued threats in an attempt to frustrate efforts to stop their activities.
He said he personally participated in operations aimed at investigating the networks, including an exercise where suspects apprehended from various parts of the country were interrogated to identify individuals behind examination malpractice.
According to him, information obtained during the exercise contributed significantly to efforts to sanitise the examination process.
Echono also lauded Oloyede’s commitment to inclusive education, particularly his efforts to improve access to tertiary education for persons with disabilities.
He said the initiatives under Oloyede’s leadership at JAMB extended beyond providing support for candidates with hearing and visual impairments to collaborating with organisations involved in preparing persons with disabilities for higher education.
“Today in our universities, I understand JAMB even instituted an award for institutions who admit students with disabilities. Nigeria will remain grateful to you, sir,” Echono said.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, described Oloyede as a distinguished alumnus and ambassador whose academic accomplishments, leadership record and contributions to national development had enhanced the reputation of the institution.
Egbewole said the establishment of a professorial chair in Oloyede’s honour was a fitting recognition of his contributions to scholarship, leadership and the advancement of the university.
He appealed to stakeholders and guests to support the N250 million endowment established in honour of Oloyede, describing him as a disciplined, courageous and exceptional Unilorite and an “uncommon Better by Far Ambassador.”
The Vice-Chancellor further urged recipients of the various awards to reciprocate the recognition by contributing to the development of the university.
He called on recipients of the Awards of Excellence to select projects they could undertake, while the Distinguished Alumni were encouraged to collaborate on projects that could be funded and named after them.
Egbewole also appealed to the Unilorin Ambassadors to collectively adopt and support a development project for the university, expressing optimism that the various initiatives would be completed before the next edition of the honours programme.
