CALEB HOLDS 10TH CONVOCATION, APPOINTS E.K. CLARK CHANCELLOR
The 10th Convocation Ceremony of Caleb University is set to hold on Friday September 25 via Online Platforms, just as the school announced the appointment of Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, as the new Chancellor.
Mrs Folashade Omobola Adefisayo, Lagos State Commissioner for Education, will deliver the Graduation Lecture titled TO YOUR EDUCATION, ADD INNOVATION. The event which commences at 11am will be streamed live on the university website https://www.calebuniversity.edu.ng
While Covid-19 Pandemic ravaged earlier in the year, the school took a proactive step by providing E-learning, which enabled the students complete the academic session on schedule.
Chief Clark, is a foremost Nigerian leader. He is widely reputed to be a fearless crusader, a passionate educationist, a university Visitor and Proprietor, a tested and trusted philanthropist, a brilliant legal luminary, the conscience of the Niger-Delta, a Patriarc, a national Colossus and a global citizen.
His primary and secondary schools were at Effurun, Okrika and Afugbene; then at the Government Teacher Training College, Abraka, Delta State.
Chief Edwin Clark later moved to the United Kingdom to study law. He joined NCNC in the the UK, where he was elected Secretary of the Zikist Movement.
As a legal practitioner, he elected to use his position for the liberation and emancipation of the local people; a service he prosecuted diligently.
As the political crisis that led to the civil war escalated, Chief Clark was among the few who called for national understanding in averting war.
He became the Commissioner of Education; then he was moved to Finance and Establishment Ministry.
He utilized his position to provide grants, scholarship and building new secondary schools to open Ijaw hinterlands and its environs. While the battle for gender equality is taking centre stage today, Chief Edwin Clark saw the needs decades back: he encouraged and offered scholarship to Ijaw girls in a bid to sustain fair and equitable treatment for all.
He joined others to agitate for what is today known as the University of Benin; after several efforts to secure affiliation of local schools in then Bendel state to the Universities of Ibadan and (then) Ife, failed.
He worked tirelessly to make UNIBEN the respectable institution it is today. Incidentally, after many years, he was eventually appointed Pro-Chancellor of the University of Benin.
His exploits as state commissioner did not go unnoticed as the then Gen. Yakubu Gowon- led Federal Government appointed him into the Federal Executive Council, while he was still serving as Finance Commissioner in Bendel State.
In the Second Republic, he won the National Assembly election as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Bendel South.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nosa Owens-Ibie, has extolled the virtues of the new Chancellor, adding that “Caleb University is pleased to have Chief Clark as our Chancellor. We will surely benefit from his knowledge, wealth of experience and leadership acumen.”
Signed
*Olawale Adekoya*
Information, Media and Publication Specialist
For: Caleb University
