The Uniben Law Class ‘91’s performance in the 1992 Nigerian Law School Final Bar Examination was not a one off stunt. It was consistent with Uniben Law Faculty students’ outstanding performance in previous years. So this marvelous result by Uniben Law Class ‘91 was stunning and it marked this Class as a special one.

But while academic excellence alone might not confer honour but good character and great and honest endeavours in uplifting the society and leaving it a bit better do.

In Nigeria’s political economy and in the diaspora, our class members whether in salaried employment, business or in law practice or in the academia have not fared badly rather they have excelled in the various endeavours they placed their hands.

Currently, we boast of two senior advocates, some judges and many law professors out of which our own Prof. Edoba Bright Omoregie has been chosen to govern this great citadel of learning.

These are the reasons that call for cerebration as we mark the milestone of one of us taking over the mantle of leadership in this great school that has been variously described as a combination of Harvard, Stanford and University of Chicago.

This is toasting to the continual progress and prosperity of Uniben, its Law Faculty and their great alumni out of which Lord God Almighty has chosen Prof. Edoba Bright Omoregie as its Vice Chancellor.

As Prof. Edoba Omoregie is inaugurated on Monday, the 2nd day of December, 2024 we, the Uniben Law Class ‘91 and every individual alumnus of the Uniben Law Faculty urge him to remember that this is a generational assignment and duty falling on his young shoulder and on Uniben Law Class, ‘91 and that it is required that we, through him acquit ourselves exceptionally in transforming our Alma Mater to truly answer the description of being the combination of Harvard, Stanford and University of Chicago.

This five-year tenure must be for Prof. Omoregie a period for radical transformation of Uniben otherwise posterity will not forgive him and Uniben Law Class, ‘91 because we knew, still know and recollect the hopes and we experienced the difficulties especially the inadequate hostel accommodation and innumerable others.

It can’t be rocket science for Prof. Edoba Bright Omoregie to marshall out every resource and intellect to carry out massive development of decent hostels at very affordable prices to the university student community and even advance this programme further by seeking partnership with real estate developers and philanthropists to build decent housing estates in the university vacant land across the river for its academic and non-academic workers.

As the university grapples with energy crises, Prof. Omoregie should uphold the programme of giving the University the healthy and relatively cheap solarpowered energy.

Teaching and research must be encouraged through establishing academic infrastructure such as publishing and printing firms

The Uniben alumni constitute veritable source for endowments for research and teaching and for social development of the university.

There are many worthy alumni members that can help the university to solve its student population accommodation problems by erecting legacy buildings or providing other needed facilities.

Teaching and research must be encouraged through establishing academic infrastructure such as publishing and printing firms and utilise the information and technological facilities which the university has obvious advantages.

As an alumnus of the university, Uniben society and its culture cannot be alien to Prof. Edoba. So, having experienced the squalid university hostel accommodation crises, the violent clashes between fraternities, he should embrace those positive aspects and lead the University to reject and stamp out the unwholesome ones.

And as Prof. Edoba Bright Omoregie, a worthy Ambassador of Uniben Law Class, ‘91 assumes duty as Vice Chancellor of our great alma mater, the class presents him to Lord God Almighty for His protection and guidance in the discharge of his official functions and conduct of his personal and private life and especially pray God Almighty to show him mercy and to uphold him in His eternal presence throughout the tenure of his office.

And the class charges and prayerfully exhorts Prof. Omoregie to deploy every ounce of his innate endowments to conduct the affairs of University of Benin to the best of his ability according to law and public morality remembering always that this class represents the best of Uniben and so much is expected from him and us to radically transform Uniben to the standard the world would acknowledge that this Citadel of Learning is truly an embodiment of the great Benin Empire that excelled in all that is good.

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