Stay away from vices, Egbewole warns new students

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has admonished the new students of the institution to stay away from all forms of vices.

Prof. Egbewole gave the admonition last Wednesday (February 14, 2024) in his address at the Matriculation programme for the new students at the Main Auditorium of the institution.

In the address, entitled ‘‘ The World Can No Longer Wait,’’ the Vice Chancellor specifically warned the students against misconduct such as examination malpractices, cultism, alcoholism, drug abuse, and others, saying that violators would be punished in accordance with relevant laws  of the University.

The Vice Chancellor also told the students that one of the core values cherished by the nation’s most outstanding University is the sense of dressing among staff and students. To this end, Prof. Egbewole enjoined the students to imbibe an irreducible minimum dress sense at all times both within and outside the campus.

While congratulating the students on the successful crossing of various admission huddles, Prof. Ebgewole said, “I am elated to welcome you into our Better By Far University and the most outstanding University in Nigeria. I share in your joy and that of your parents. I appreciate the huddles you have crossed to be among matriculants of today. The challenges are indeed tough and the chances of being admitted was narrow. But you made it at last. Congratulations. The space you occupy by the reason of your rare admissions should not be taken for granted”.

He, therefore, urged the matriculants not to take their admissions for granted as he emphasised the need for resilience in the face of challenges in the course of their sojourn at the University.

Drawing inspiration from the recent AFCON, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria reminded the students that success requires perseverance and a continuous effort, likening their academic journey to the unpredictable nature of sports tournaments. He said “In the just concluded AFCON, Côte d’Ivoire had an unimpressive beginning but ended up with the trophy. In the same tournament, the assumed best team in the continent left before the close of the game. The proverbial understanding is for you not to rest on your oars as admissions and matriculation are not the final. You must be resilient to become successful. Admissions and matriculation are indeed the starting point’’.

“Your success is our concern and I look forward to being part of your celebration on the convocation day”, Prof  Egbewole said.

Speaking further on the few things that would propel the new students through their stay in the University, the Vice Chancellor urged them to be resilient in their academic pursuit.

According to him, “The world and Nigeria are going through the toughest of time. In your sojourn at this University, it won’t be a bed of roses. Early morning classes, assignments, group works and examinations must resiliently be tackled for you to be found worthy in learning on your convocation days”.

Prof. Egbewole highlighted the importance of maintaining a good academic standing by the end of the first year, a crucial milestone that determines students’ progression to the next level. Praying  for the success of each student, he urged them to strive for academic excellence in order to make their parents proud.

While especially appealing to the students to stay focused on and off the campus, the Vice Chancellor noted that there are many things to distract the students such as associations, clubs, peer influence, adding that, all these should be the least of their worries because at the end of the day, they would ultimately have to bear their father and mother’s names.