Benue State University, Makurdi, the first and foremost university in the Northern part of Nigeria was established in 1992; it was therefore 30 years old by 2022.
The university has so far organized 17 convocation ceremonies. The last was the 16th and 17th combined convocation ceremonies for graduands of the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 academic sessions which held on 25th March, 2017. A total of 12, 388 graduands including those of the Sandwich programme in the Faculty of Education were conferred with degrees and diplomas.
The 18th -21st Combined Convocation Ceremonies is for the 2015/2016, 2016/2017, 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 academic sessions and over 22,000 students are billed to convoke. These convocation ceremonies shall go along with the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of BSU. Both events were scheduled for last year but could not hold due to the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities (ASUU).
Highlights of the epoch-making events of the combined convocation ceremonies and 30th Anniversary celebration under the sixth Vice Chancellor, Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu, shall be opening of free Health Care for all staff on Thursday February 16 @ BSU Clinic. Other activities slated for some day are: Vice Chancellor’s Press Briefing, and a Novelty football match between the Management and the Alumni.
Day Two, which will be Friday, February 17 shall feature the Convocation & Memorial Lecture in honour of the Late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu, the Pioneer Visitor of BSU to be delivered by Professor Terhemba Wuam, a Pioneer Student who is currently lecturing at Kaduna State University, Kaduna and is also their Dean of Student Affairs. The lecture is titled “Enhancing Change and Building Resilience through Innovation: The Role of Universities. Same pioneer staff and students shall be recognized and honoured accordingly.
A command performance by the troupe of the Department of Theatre Arts and the Vice Chancellor’s Dinner shall round up the activities for Day Two.
The “main dish” shall be on Day Three and the grand finale beginning with the installation of the new Chancellor, His Majesty King (Barr) Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel (II) Ekineye Gbobo (I), Owukeri (IX), the Amanyanabo and paramount ruler of Abonnema in Rivers State, conferment of Bachelor’s degrees, Postgraduate diplomas, postgraduate Degrees, and conferment of Honourary Doctorate degrees shall be the main activities at the Combined Convocation Ceremonies. The Visitor of the University and Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom shall install the Chancellor who shall in turn preside over all the proceedings of the convocation. Within the Chancellor’s installation, he shall be conferred with an Honourary Doctorate degree in line with university’s academic tradition. Four other eminent Nigerians are being considered for the conferment of the Honourary doctorate degrees in different fields of academics.
Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu- led Management in its wisdom constituted a Central Planning Committee, headed by the Vice Chancellor himself to ensure a smooth and successful 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Combined Convocation Ceremonies and the 30th Anniversary Celebration. The management in furtherance constituted 12 Sub-committees with appropriate Terms of Reference (TOR).
The Sub-committees are Accommodation and Transport, Venue and Protocol, Order of Proceedings, Finance, Annual Report, Convocation Lecture/ Citation, Publicity, Health, Entertainment Security Environment and Degrees. The Benue State University and all relevant stakeholders ought to appreciate Dr. Samuel Ortom, the Visitor who approved that the twin events should hold.
Relatedly, the Pro – Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Chief Sebastine Tar Hon, SAN and the 9 – members must also be commended for event of any institution and requires due diligence and this is the task bestowed on the Central Planning Committee and the various subcommittees.
Benue State University has come a long way and is currently the main surviving industry in the state, as most of them have become comatose. Historically, the university has had five chancellors since establishment; including the present paramount ruler from Rivers State. Others were; Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, Professor Jubril Aminu, Alhaji (Dr) Umaw Mutallab, HRH Alhaji (Dr) Hassan Lawal Gumi and the incumbent. We have similarly had five Pro- Chancellors thus; Professor Ochapa Onazi, Dr Ako Ugbabe, Professor Ode Ojowu, Professor Zacharys Anger Gundu, and the incumbent Legal Luminary, Chief Sebastine Tar Hon, SAN. Apart from the incumbent Vice Chancellor, BSU has had five Vice Chancellors thus; Professor Emeritus Charles Vajime (late), Prof. David Ker (late), Professor Akase Paul Sorkaa, Professor Charity Ashimem Angya, and Professor Msugh Moses Kembe.
The roll of honorary degree recipients between 1994 to date has 13 eminent Nigerians who have carved a niche in their areas of expertise, specialization and career path. Going down memory hane; it is worth chronicling here that the state university was established by the Benue State Government with the enactment of the Benue State University Edict No 1 of 1991. The university took off in 1992/1993 academic year with four Faculties namely Arts, Education, Science and Social Sciences. Two Faculties, Law and Management Science came on stream in the 1993/1994 academic year, with Faculty of Environmental Science in the 2014/2015 Session. Benue State University has Ten Faculties including those in the College of Health Sciences.
Benue State university has done a lot to actualize its mandate over these years, thus the slogan of the Anniversary as 30 years of Boundless Academic Growth Some of the milestones are: winning the World Bank Africa Centre for Excellence through competitive bidding of research proposals submitted by fifty Universities i.e Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER), BSU was adjudged the best state – owned university in the 2003/2004 academic year by the National Universities Commission (NUC), this was during the Vice Chancellorship of Professor David Ker Hon (of blessed memory) and a PhD Thesis in History by Patrick Ukase was adjudged the best in the Faculties of Arts of all Nigerian Universities by the NUC in 2009, among others. The university also got a license form the National Broadcasting Commission for the operation of Campus radio, BSU FM 89.9, a former Vice Chancellor, Professor Charity Ashimenm Angya commissioned the Campus radio on October 22, 2015 and it has ever since then been fully functional. It also serves as a training facility of students of the Department of Mass Communication.
Benue State University has also grown in all dimensions such as capacity building of staff and students, equipment and infrastructurally. From a few structures inherited from the then Government Technical College, Makurdi, BSU has over the years developed structures in quantum leaps, courtesy of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund) former Education Tax Fund (ETF), Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and the Benue State Government.
The current Vice Chancellor, Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu is leveraging on these milestones, impacting on new ones such as accreditation of programmes, more infrastructure such as the Academic Building, New Faculty of Education, Centre for Research Development, building of intra – campus roads, environmental sanitation, timely processing of results, staff training and enhancement, among others. On a final note, we sincerely appreciate all graduands, guests, and all stakeholders for active participation in these twin special events.