A famous quote by Joe Paterno says, “Success without honour is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good.” This saying aptly depicts the send-forth ceremony recently organised by Redeemer’s University to honour the outgone members of its governing council. They served tirelessly for eight years with the Chairman, Pastor Adetokunbo Adesanya. Other distinguished members who served include; Pastor (Mrs.) Oretayo Adetola, Emeritus Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, Prof. Gabriel Kolawole, Prof. Ahmed Yerima, Prof. Adepoju Adeleke and the current Council Chairman and Pro-Chancellor, Pastor E.A. Odeyemi.
The Chairman of the Governing Council, Pastor Odeyemi, while giving the opening remarks at the ceremony, said that he was one of the members being sent forth hence should not be presenting the opening remarks. He added that on one faithful day, whilst reminiscing and thanking God that he had contributed his quota to the University as a council member for eight years, he was surprised to receive a letter as the new Chairman of the same Council. He expressed gratitude to everyone who had served on the governing council, on behalf of the Proprietor and Visitor to the university, Pastor E. A. Adeboye, the Board of Trustees, the present governing council, members of staff, and students, stating that the University which started small had become a multiple award-winning institution.
In his tribute to the outgone members of the governing council, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anthony Akinlo, thanked God for what He had used all the council members who had served meritoriously for eight years to achieve in the university. Professor Akinlo, reiterated that one thing he learnt from the outgone members of the council is their high level of humility which is worthy of emulation. He applauded their passion and sacrifices towards achieving these great strides for the institution over the years.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs) Adebola Adebileje, while presenting gifts onbehalf of the University, sang their praises and commended their ability to wade through every seeming challenge. She recalled that when the university was to start her expansion project and faced so many challenges, one of the outgone council members, Pastor (Mrs.) Oretayo Adetola assured everyone that RCCG usually starts small and expands significantly. She added that it is evident to everyone that the institution’s growth rate is just as spoken, and she has especially learnt from that strong faith. The Registrar, Mr Olukayode Akindele, also shared his experience over the years of working with the outgone Chairman and members of the governing council. He noted that the Chairman of the outgone council, Pastor Adesanya, is very time conscious and ensures brevity at every meeting. He reiterated this while saying, “if he says this meeting would last for one hour, it usually did.”
The outgone council members at the event expressed their appreciation to the present council members who took time out of their tight schedule to honour them. While responding, Emeritus Professor Olufemi Bamiro, stated that this event would be the first ever done for him, having served in different universities across Nigeria in various capacities at the governing council level without anyone taking time to celebrate him or others. For this, he felt honoured.
Pastor (Mrs.) Oretayo Adetola also thanked God for the journey so far. She appreciated every member of the council and Management for their support and valuable contributions to the growth of the University and prayed for continued progress. Professor Ahmed Yerima, the current Provost of the College of Postgraduate Studies, was also one of the outgone council members. He stated that it was a privilege to have served with such hardworking and dedicated council members for eight years.
