‘Otu Nnoko,’University Of Lagos Annual Thanksgiving Award Ceremony

Acceptance Speech by Prof.Friday Nwankwo Ndubuisi (President of Otu Nnoko,UNILAG)

Madam Vice Chancellor, Professor Ogunsola, DVC, Special Duty Professor Ashenuwa, DVC, M/S Professor LOC Chukwu, DVC, Academic, Professor, Eze Ndigbo Mainland,Chief and his entourage, Chairman of this occasion, members of the High Table,members of the press, invited guests,Umunna na Umunnem Otu Nnoko, I am highly delighted to stand before you this evening to accept to Lead Otu Nnoko, Unilag
I see it as a great recognition to challenge and honour to me. I least expected it and I was surprised when I was asked to lead. It is a task that has to be done. I want to start by appreciating Madam Vice Chancellor and her management staff for making out time to be in our midst, in spite of the short notice we gave to her. It is a sign and demonstration of respect for us. We appreciate this gesture immensely. We assure her that we identify with her mission and vision to make UNILAG a world class and a point of reference internationally.
We pledge our unalloyed loyalty to her administration .We appreciate especially DVC MS, Professor LOC Chukwu,our friend and brother. He has made us proud by his contributions in the growth and peace in the University environment. He remains our executive bridge and link to the management of the University. Prof Obi we appreciate and pray for more successes for you and the administration
you are a key player.

We want to appreciate His royal Highness,Eze Ndigbo of Mainland. We are excited by your presence with members of your cabinet. Be assured of our full respect for your exalted office. We will continue to liaise with you in all our programmes and activities. We thank chairman of the occasion for accepting to be here. That is a great honour to us .

I want to thank specially Professor Willy Iyiegbuniwe, Ojiba who anchored the revival of UNILAG Otu Nnoko. We appreciate his sacrifice and uncommon commitment to our association. He demonstrated
unequivocal loyalty to our cause and mission. Ojiba, we are loyal and look forward to tap more from your wealth of experience. I want to throw my mind back to appreciate the pioneering efforts of past leaders of Otu Nnoko. These include Professor Laz Ekwueme, Professor Amaechi Uchegbu of blessed memory, Professor Alloy Ejiogu, Professor Odega and others that championed what we are doing here today. I want to thank and appreciate our compatriots for their resilience and commitment to our mission I commend your dogged spirit and enthusiasm to our cause and ambition.

I can say we are in a new birth of Otu Nnoko, this is a new dawn for us . We aim to rejuvenate, energise and modernise the association. We want to join in the vanguard of creating a healthy and viable academic
environment for learning social and cultural interaction. We want to join hands with the administration and all progressive minds to create a viable environment for learning. Our mission includes the promotion of African languages and cultures, making its studies both easy and attractive to students. We want to build a bridge a linkage between town and gown. The world is changing with enormous challenges.
This is Unilag,’Centre of Excellence’ and pride of the nation. We want to play prominent roles in advancing this mission and vision. We will thus work to make our students not only intellectually sound but to be self reliant and creators of jobs at graduation.

We will also strive to make our members to be creative and productive by publications and getting involved in seminars, workshops and conferences. We will thus support book launch, inaugural lectures, be with our compatriots both in their times of joys and pains. I commend all of you that are present here and invite you to join hands with us in achieving our noble mission and objectives.

Thanks you. IGBO KWENU, NIGERIA KWENU KWEZUONU .