Prof. Florence Obi, the Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar (UniCal), has commenced activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the university.
The theme of the celebration is: “50 Years of Impactful Knowledge and Service to Humanity”
Obi said at a press conference in Calabar on Wednesday that the anniversary was a celebration of resilience, hard work and excellence.
She said that the 50th anniversary would take place between Nov. 2024 to March 2025 when the grand finale would be held.
“The university council, senate, management, alumni, staff and students, all decided to celebrate this historic milestone,” she said.
The vice chancellor said that to ensure a befitting celebration, the university management had constituted an organising committee.
“The essence is to ensure a colourful and memorable event, the committee has since started work,” she said.
Obi commended Prof. Emmanuel Ayandele, the pioneer vice chancellor of the university, for laying the right foundations for the institution to grow.
She said that the commitment and passion exuded by Ayandele and the pioneer staff of the institution made it to grow into a world class university.
“Their imprints are glaring reference points to the glorious history of the university.
“The university is growing in all ramifications; it now has 21 academic faculties, 123 academic departments, a College of Medical Sciences, a College of Postgraduate Studies, five institutes and four centres.
“When we reflect on how the university started, its great transformation which has put it on its current standing, we have every reason to appreciate God,” she said.
A publication of the university made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), revealed that UniCal started as a campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1973.
The publication showed the university was later officially founded in 1975 alongside six other universities by the then military government of Nigeria.
According to the publication, prior to becoming a university of its own, UniCal started with a student population of about 406
“It had a small cadre of academic, administrative and professional staff, all numbering 156, with a renowned scholar Prof. Donald Ekong as its principal,” the publication said.(NAN).
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