The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is planning a week-long ceremony to honour its pioneer graduates (1963 class) as part of the activities to mark the 2013 Founder’s day of the Institution which is expected to run from October 1-7, 2013.
It will be recalled that the doors of the University were opened to 220 students in 1960, while 150 of them graduated in 1963.
Inaugurating the Committee on 50th anniversary of 1st graduates of the University of Nigeria, on Monday, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bartho Okolo said that it was a thing of honour for the University to have produced its first graduates three years after it was established in 1960 and would therefore be pleased to honour its pioneer graduates who started its journey to restoring the dignity of man.
“I hereby inaugurate you for the job of organising the 50th anniversary of the first graduates of the University of Nigeria; I hope you will do this with your very best. We all know your antecedents as men and women of character and purpose, and we are very optimistic that you will do the job very well, congratulations”, he said.
Prof Okolo assured the committee of the support of the University administration to ensure the success of the event and make it memorable.
Responding, Chairman of the Committee, Dr Okey Ewurum said that it was important to recognise the pioneer graduates of the Institution because they believed in the future of the University when other people were not confident of its survival.
“Whatever name the University of Nigeria has made, as the first indigenous University in Nigeria, is made possible because of the quality of products it has put forward in the labour market. If we cannot celebrate any other class, it is important that we celebrate the first graduates who left the University in 1963. This is because when this University started, most people did not give it a chance of survival.”
“It was called a glorified secondary school because people thought it would collapse, so if the university survived, it was because of that first class who believed in its future”, he said.
Dr Ewurum, who was the President, National Alumni Association of the University of Nigeria, from 2001-2005, added that the uniqueness of the pioneer set was evident in their active involvement in the affairs of the University as four of them had served as national Alumni Presidents out of the total of 10 presidents so far recorded by the alumni Association.
He therefore pledged the willingness of his committee to work towards the success of the event and thanked the University administration for finding him and members of his committee worthy for the job.
Other members of the committee are: Prof. Obioma Njoku, who will serve as the secretary, Chief Dr Grace Ukeje, Chief Bar. Andrew Oru, Emeka Anuforo, Prof. Anene Moneke, Prof. Peter Onwualu and Prof. Nkeadi Onyegegbu.
Others are: Dr Edith Nwosu, Miss Chioma Onyenwe, Dr Chukwudi Anyanwu, and Mazi Nnamdi Okwuadigbo.
Signed
Gabriel C. Ndu
Communication Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor
