A number of eminent Nigerians, including President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, former Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Betta Edu and Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu have been honoured at the 50th anniversary of the University of Calabar.
They were awarded with the Grand Ambassadors, Legacy Face of the University and permanently inducted into the University Hall of Fame.
Speaking shortly after she was conferred with the Award, Edu thanked the University’s management for finding her worthy of the recognition, describing it as an “incredible honour” and pledged to continue to be a good Ambassador of the University.
She also paid glowing tribute to President Bola Tinubu “for his support and fatherly guidance.”
“Thank you to the University’s esteemed Management and staff for this incredible honour. I am truly humbled to receive this award, and I am grateful for the recognition in the Hall of Fame.
“I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my golden Vice Chancellor and her team, the Student Union Government and my lecturers who have always supported me throughout my journey, and built a leadership foundation for my public service.
“I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude and joy, this award is not just a recognition of my own efforts, but also a testament to the far that more responsibilities have been given to me with far-reaching impact in Nigeria and the globe,” she said.
Speaking further, Edu paid special tribute to Unical, describing the institution as “my very powerful University that actually built the leadership skills in me.
To support the school’s infrastructural projects, Edu announced that “the Class 2009 of the Medical School will be contributing to the completion and equipping of the new medical centre for University of Calabar and we will be doing that by supporting initially with N15 million. They have asked me to make this pledge on their behalf.”
Earlier in her welcome address, Obi recounted the journey of Unical from its days as the campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and when it took off in 1975 as a full-fledged university and described the journey as ” 50 years of resilience, 50 years of impactful knowledge and service to humanity.
“We are very proud to have the Senate President of Nigeria as one of us. We are proud to have the Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, the Governor of Cross River State, Minister, Senators and indeed the Deputy Governor Cross River State, we are very proud of My daughter, Doctor Betta Edu for always making the University proud,” she added.
