By Paul Effiong, Abuja
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu has pledged his support for various initiatives to boost education in Nigeria.
Kalu gave the assurance when he received a delegation from the University of Calabar, UNICAL, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, and the Provost, Post-Graduate School of the university, Professor Enyong Ubana, on a courtesy call in Abuja, yesterday.
The delegation visited to intimate the deputy speaker on their upcoming 50th anniversary/convocation lecture and to convey to him the decision of the organising committee to make him the guest lecturer.
Recalling his days in the alma mater, Kalu said the University of Calabar instilled virtues of hard work, competition and patriotism in him and also moulded his character to contribute to nation building.
“As deputy speaker, I recognise the critical role that education plays in shaping the future of our nation. I am dedicated to supporting initiatives that promote access to quality education and I believe that UNICAL is uniquely positioned to play a leading role in this effort.
“I am proud to have been shaped by this institution and I am committed to continue to partner UNICAL to advance the cause of education in Nigeria like my favorite vice chancellor, favorite in the sense that only few women occupy this position in Nigeria. I am a ‘he for she’ and I like to see women get involved in leadership positions.
“We were taught to be the best, competitive in everything, give it all the energy it requires. We were taught to avoid corruption and that we have brought into leadership.
“We were taught to be patriotic, to be proud Nigerians. Today in the National Assembly, we are pushing. Whatever we earned in UNICAL was through hard work and that spirit we have carried into our work place. I am proud of my university. I am grateful for the transformative impact UNICAL has had on my life,” he said.
Decorated as an ambassador of the university by the vice chancellor, Kalu also vowed to sustain the legacy and the discipline received from the university where he is currently doing his doctorate in law.
He added that the performance and achievements of some students from the university inspired him to sponsor awards aimed at encouraging young law students.
“I am inspired by the achievements of the students, such as the law students who recently benefited from awards sponsored by myself. Awards like the Best Student in Jurisprudence and Legal Theory, Company Law, in Commercial Law, in Law of Evidence and in Constitutional Law,” the deputy speaker added.
He urged the university to be part of the ongoing constitutional review by carrying out quality research on issues such as state policing amongst others, even as he promised to be part of the upcoming 50th anniversary/convocation lectures.
Earlier in their separate remarks, Professors Obi and Ubana described Kalu as the university’s special gift to the nation, saying he is making the country proud in his legislative engagements.
“One gift our university has given the nation is His Excellency.
“There are others. You are one of the ambassadors of the University of Calabar. Today, we have come here to decorate you. We are decorating you today as one of the ambassadors of the university. We have carefully selected the very outstanding ones,” Professor Obi said.
