Eche Nwaobasi reporting from Onitsha
The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Catholic Diocese who is the proprietor and chancellor of the newly established Shanahan University Onitsha has tasked students of the Institution on the need for them to imbibe the spirit of perseverance, discipline, prayerfulness as well as other good virtues for them to achieve their aims in the Institution.
Handing this task to the newly admitted students of the University while preaching a sermon he titled, “going to the promised land”. Archbishop Okeke who was highly elated on the realization of the University while likening the students journey to the institution to that of the experience of the Israelites when they are going to accessed the Promised Land promised them by God in the bible admonished the students to put up the garment of perseverance, discipline, consistency and prayerfulness for them to overcome and achieve their goals and be useful to the society after their education.
Saying that their parents, society and school authorities are looking up to them to excel in their academic pursuit, he admonished them again to shun anything that will derail their academic pursuit in the institution, by studying hard so as to be a shining star adding that the society are looking upon them to be good leaders of tomorrow.
Speaking also, Rev Fr. Prof. Josephat Obi Oguejiofor, the vice chancellor of the University in an address congratulated the new students of the institution stressing that they should consider themselves as lucky as the university is geared to give them the best in education, learning and morals. Said he, “this esteemed university is tailored to be a university that prepare students to face life confidently, our aim is that whoever passes through Shanahan University will be able to find his or her niche everywhere in the world, it is not a University that glories only in issuing certificates for people to look for often nonexistent jobs but one that endows its students to be job creators through their creativity and inventiveness.
On his part, HRM Igwe Alfred Achebe the traditional ruler of Onitsha who is a member of board of trustee of the University while expressing happiness on the establishment of the University as the first University in the commercial town of Onitsha under his tenure as Igwe of Onitsha commended Archbishop Valeria Okeke the founder of the University on what he described as exceptional legacy to lift up development of education in the Onitsha, Anambra State and Nigeria in general just as he advised the students to strive to pursue their education in the university with diligence so as to come out to be good leaders of tomorrow in the society.
Adding his voice during the occasion, Chief Dr. Cletus Ibeto.(C.O.N) the chairman of the board of trustees of the University in his short address told the students to consider themselves lucky to be chosen as students of the institution adding that the institution was well prepared in standard and otherwise to give the students the best in learning, academic and morals just as he poured encomiums on the proprietor and founder of the university Archbishop Valeria Maduka Okeke who he noted has a niche for excellence in all his endeavors adding again that all staffs of the institution, board of trustees are geared towards making sure that the university emerges as one of the best in the world.