It was a season of celebration and high praises to God for His faithfulness and awesome acts that have continued to validate with concrete proofs the vision of Covenant University as the university turned six on October 21, 2008.

Series of activities were organized by the University management to mark the epoch occasion, tagged ‘The Celebration of Six Years of Amazing Grace’. They included Founder’s Day Assembly that featured praise/worship sessions and a Special Founder’s Day Lecture, delivered by renowned professor of chemical pathology as well as formal Opening of the University’s Centre for Research and Development. There was also a Special Founder’s Day Night that showcased special drama presentations, jokes, choreography, testimonies/ special reports from staff, Alumni and 2008 SIWES students. Others were Community Service Outreaches by the University Management and students to Ota General Hospital, Novelty Football Match and a Special Thanksgiving Service at Faith Tabernacle.

The Special Founder’s Day Assembly and Lecture attracted dignitaries from within and outside the University, including the Chancellor, Dr David Oyedepo, members of the Board of Regents and numerous parents who joined the University community to celebrate the faithfulness of God.

While stating the reason for the season, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Aize Obayan, said God had been very awesome in every sphere of the university and in very distinguished ways. She said a retrospective look at the six years of the University’s existence, showed an amazing validation of its mandate, adding that the University community was celebrating with deep awareness that “our seventh year which we are entering into is indeed a signal and a challenge for us as a university to move up another gear in fulfilling a mandate whose dimensions are such that we know are already producing a cataclysmic shift in the appraisal of higher education in Nigeria.”

She extolled the sterling leadership qualities of the Chancellor and his dogged commitment in building Covenant University into a world class university that will be a pride of Africa as well as take its place among the ivory league universities on the global platform.
Delivering the Special Lecture, titled “Foundational Pillars for Leadership and Good Governance in Nigerian Universities: Raising Standards for Excellence and Best Practices”, the guest lecturer, Professor Akintunde Cole-Onitiri, traced the history of higher education in Nigeria and lamented the current deplorable state of universities in the country, which he attributed to corruption, poor funding and inadequate infrastructural maintenance.

Cross Section of audience (Faculty, Staff and Student) at the Lecture	The Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo Commissions the Centre

Quoting extensively from the scriptures, Professor Cole-Onitri, who is also a member of the University’s Board of Regents, listed the foundational pillars of leadership as prayers, faith, visions and dreams, adaptability, servant-leadership, passion and compassion, and meditation on the word of God.

In his remark at the lecture, the Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo appreciated the guest lecturer for delivering a most thrilling, insightful and spiritually solid lecture, which promote similar virtues imbedded in the University’s core values and philosophical ethos.

Dr Oyedepo credited the immense success of the University in just six years to God whom he said asked him to surrender the running of CU to Him from inception on October 21, 2002. “God is our founder, He is also the funder. Covenant University is top today because the one behind it is above all. So it can’t be anywhere else than above and we want to give Him all the glory publicly, all the glory for ever, because it is His doing”, he enthused.

The Special Assembly and Lecture was immediately followed by the formal commissioning of the Centre for Research and Development where the Director of the centre, Professor Joshua Adewale Thompson Ojo, briefed the audience which included the Chancellor and other stakeholders in the university on the Centre’s terms of reference, philosophy, aims and objectives, which he promised would be properly articulated in order to drive the research efforts of the University.
Professor Ojo commended the generosity of the Chancellor and the University’s Board of Regents for making available an initial take off grant of Fifty Million Naira (N50 million) to the Centre.

In her own speech, the Vice Chancellor said the University was set up as a research-based institution not just a teaching university. She expressed happiness that with the inauguration of the Centre for Research and Development, that foundational mandate would be fast realized as the University’s quality teaching efforts would be complimented with quality research findings.

In his response, the Chancellor admonished faculty members on the need to be selfless in their research endeavours while depending on God’s inspiration which he said was the greatest asset in any scientific inquiry. He also enjoined the Director of the centre to promote equal opportunity and ensure that ideas from young ones are treated as equal with older academics.

The University management and students on Saturday, October 25 paid a charity visit to the General Hospital, Ota. The management team led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Aize Obayan was received by the Management team of the hospital led by its State Zonal Head, Doctor Osinaike Bunmi in company of the Hospital Administrative Secretary, Mrs. Elemosho and the Head, Nursing Services.

The VC stated that the purpose of the visit was to partner with the hospital and contribute to it infrastructural and human capital development through the university’s community development initiative as a responsible corporate institution. The VC, then on behalf of the university, donated disinfectants, liquid soap and toiletries to the hospital, while the students carried out a general cleaning of the hospital premises.

Overwhelmed by the gesture, Dr. Osinaike promised to cooperate with the university to make the partnership work. He later took the CU team on a tour of the hospital premises and facilities.
The university community was on relaxation mood in the evening of the same day as the management staff and students enjoyed themselves in a novelty football match.

The week long event was rounded off on Sunday, October 26 in a special thanksgiving service at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota. The congregation appreciated God for a wonderful six years and prayed for more exploits as the university soars into its season of perfection.

Click here to view pictures of the event