August 12, (THEWILL) – In the beautiful expanse of the Oluremi Tinubu Hall of the Adeniran Ogunsanya, College of Education (AOCOED), Otto-Ijanikin on Tuesday, August 10, the National Association of Women in Colleges of Education, AOCOED chapter, held the Grand Ceremony of the unveiling of the latest edition of the Journal of Women in Colleges of Education (JOWICEA) to a resounding success.
The well-attended ceremony drew dignitaries from the academic, professional and industrial fields all coming to grace the occasion and give their backing to a project which was lauded as a breakthrough for the college, in particular, and expansion of the horizons of knowledge, in general, based on the wide-ranging subjects contained in what the chairperson of WICE, AOCOED chapter and host of the event, Dr. Beatrice Oganah-Ikujenyo, rightly called “a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal,” which came about despite the challenges of the “lull in academic and economic activities” bordering on the global lockdowns occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The occasion of unveiling the third edition in the series of journals produced by the AOCOED chapter of WICE began with an introduction of eminent guests and captains of industry to the high table. It began with the principal officers of the College consisting of the Provost, Professor B. B. Lafiaji-Okuneye, who was ably represented by the Deputy Provost Dr. Adedayo Daodu as the Provost was unavoidably absent.
They were joined by invited guests all of whom took time off their hectic schedules, as the Deputy Provost mentioned in his speech, to honour the invitation of the WICE chairperson and graced the occasion with their esteemed presence or ensured that they sent a representative to be at the event in their place. These guests included Prince Bayo Ikujenyo, Managing Director, Pyramid Bag Manufacturing Company Limited, OPIC Industrial Estate, Agbara; Mr Eno Omini, the Human Resources Manager of Eko Supreme Resources, who was represented by Mr Michael Aderemi; and a representative of Mr Hudson Huang, the General Manager of China-Africa Guangdong Free-Trade Zone FTZ.
Others were Mr Bisi Akinola, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Briscoe Nigeria Limited, Lusada/Igbesa Toll Plaza Lusada, a representative of Dr. Kayode Bowale, President of the Ota/Agbara Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Mr Sanya Ogunremi; Pastor Idowu Alebiosu, President of the Residents’ Association of OPIC Estate (RAOPIC) and Mrs Tope Akinyemi.
After they took their seats to the applause of those gathered for the unveiling, other dignitaries of the college community were recognised with the invitation to the esteemed places of honour reserved for members of the college’s extended management including Directors Heads of Departments and Heads of Units, Mr Rotimi Adebambo, Dr. Iliasu Jinadu, all past chairpersons, executives and members of WICE and friends of WICE.
These all constituted the personalities that graced the occasion of the ground unveiling of volume three of the JOWICEA journal – the multidisciplinary journal of the National Association of Women in Colleges of Education which advocates the type of purposeful education that the Provost, in her elucidatory Forward to this edition brilliantly noted as “a formidable tool for self-development, healthy living, economic sustainability women enhancement, national integration, peaceful-oriented order and national cohesion particularly in Nigeria.”
The high premium that WICE places in wholesome and relevant education was evident in the healthy mix of guests and audience in the Oluremi Tinubu Hall on Tuesday. From industrialists, technocrats, entrepreneurs, business executives, high-ranking members of the academia, guests, students and the press, all were together to witness the occasion.
They were all there to participate in ushering in a journal that Prof Lafiaji-Okuneye, the Provost, was pleased to recommend to all “staff, independent entrepreneurs, business managers, captains of industry, teachers and students, stakeholders in other tertiary educational institutions in the country and interested readers”, because she was confident in the contents of the journal from reputable and professional scholars and educators, which addressed “the intricacies of quality education, gender inequality and discrimination, women enhancement, business administration and management, economic growth, health and nutrition among others” all of which remain pertinent topics of contemporary importance.
It was this wealth of information that was packed into the journal and for which the occasion of its unveiling was formally opened with a Welcome Address by the eminent WICE chairperson, Dr. Oganah-Ikujenyo, after the opening prayer. She began her speech by going down memory lane to relay how even in the midst of ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, scholars from within the college and across South West and South East defied the odds to pursue the objective of bringing the journal to fruition.
She reserved special praise for the support of the Provost, matron and chairman of the occasion Prof. Lafiaji-Okuneye, whose support was a factor all through and who was kind enough to author the Forward. She also thanked the editorial team and all who honoured the invitation to witness the unveiling.
On behalf of the Provost, the Deputy provost, Dr. Daodu took the honour to appreciate the presence of all invited guests and senior management at the occasion including the students present at the venue. He noted that he was present in different capacities: as a representative of the Provost, in his capacity as Deputy Provost and as one of the contributors to the wealth of content of the journal. Dr Daodu was full of high praise of WICE, fully commending all the efforts that went into the collection, editing and production of the peer-reviewed and scholarly journal.
According to the Deputy Provost the journal was the first this year from the College of Education out of all the schools and departments in the institution. In commending the efforts of the women, he urged the men to do something to compete favourably and humorously suggested the formation of a Men in Colleges of Education chapter for that purpose. He finished by appreciating the marvellous progress made by the Provost since taking the reins of leadership in the college with so much impact already witnessed. He urged all who had ideas for moving the college forward to bring them to the Provost who was operating an open door policy to bring about progress and a more united College towards common goals.
The event was also an opportunity to add Dr. Bolanle N. Akeusola to the honorary list of women in the College that were acknowledged and recognised for their attainments and achievements in the different fields of endeavour of their profession, after her name was involuntarily omitted during the previous ceremony. In her academic gown Dr. Akeusola, who has a PhD in Social Studies from the prestigious University of Ibadan, was conferred her award by the Provost in the person of her representative at the occasion, the Deputy Provost, and she dedicated it to the memory of her late husband Prof. Akeusola.
Just before the unveiling, the Deputy Provost gave a brief on the journal by commending the efforts of the WICE chairperson. He praised her dogged resilience, determination and focus to make sure the journal was completed as scheduled and all the competent scholars were involved to multiply the scholarly basis and the overall quality of the final product. Dr. Daodu noted that the journal was rich in content that was not only women-focused nor was it only for the academician but had a wide relevance for family good and general knowledge even as a resource material for projects and further studies for students. He therefore urged all invited guests and dignitaries to join him in unveiling the journal.
The unveiling began after a ceremonial opening of a drop-down banner with pictures of the contributors and their names at the backdrop before a dramatic unveiling preceded by the spelling of WICE. The deputy Provost opened the floor on behalf of himself and the Provost of the college promising that the Provost will buy for the college and for the College library before taking five copies for himself and his wife. Then, beginning from Prince Ikujenyo, the unveiling witnessed the generosity of the guests and dignitaries as each picked a few copies and donated generously to encourage the efforts behind the journal and appreciate the editorial team of WICE.
After the dignitaries and just before the vote of thanks by the Editor-in-Chief, members of the college community followed in picking up copies and donating likewise. Then, the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Nkemdirim Olubunmi Adedina, wrapped it up with appreciation for the Matron and Provost, for her unflagging support in making the day a reality. She also thanked the Deputy Provost for believing in the project, sharing in the vision and having his paper as a part of the journal.
Dr. Adedina also thanked invited guests for making the time to be present and proving their mettle as persons of timbre and calibre. She extended the same appreciation to all members of the College community who were in attendance without leaving out the great AOCOED students who supported the event with their presence.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
