SALEM UNIVERSITY 2ND MATRICULATION CEREMONYADDRESS BY
PROFESSOR PAUL OMOJO OMAJI, VICE CHANCELLOR, SALEM UNIVERSITY, LOKOJA, KOGI STATE, NIGERIA.
16 APRIL 2009

PROTOCOLS

• Parents/Sponsors/Guardians of our Global Leaders
• Principal Officers and other members of Salem University community
• Members of the media corps
• Most important of all – the Matriculating Global Leaders

Prof. Paul Omojo Omaji

On behalf of the Chancellor of this University, Archbishop Dr Sam Amaga, and our entire community, I formally welcome you all to Salem University. Special welcome to Professor Olivet Jagusah whom we recruited from the US and returned yesterday after 17 years abroad to take up the appointment. He is a specialist in several areas including curriculum transformation and 21st century learning styles and will serve as the Director of Academic Planning.
This is the second time in the life of this University that we are gathering to matriculate those destined to become global leaders in their generation. By the end of this ceremony, these matriculants will become fully inducted into our academic and character molding community. The parents or sponsors and the University staff who have worked arduously to make them see this day, deserve congratulations. (Acknowledge with applause)

Vision, mandate and core values
I remind you all that the vision of Salem University is one of “making many mighty”. The mandate, simply put, is to raise global leaders who would combine knowledge with practical skills, and intelligence with integrity, for the cause of building nations and changing our world in a Godly way.

The University Anthem reinforces this mandate. Our core values, including Godliness, Integrity, Accountability, and Sense of Priority, propel us on this journey. And the zeal of our Father’s house will perform it.

Remarkable progress
As a matter of fact, we have started witnessing God’s grace in the progress already made with the vision and its transformational mandate.

In the beginning, the Visioner for this University (Archbishop Dr Sam Amaga) prophesied over the land upon which the University now stands that “Today you are a bush, tomorrow you will be a city”. While in our own eyes our facilities may seem still far from the ideal city, visitors to this campus tell us that with the amount of physical and system infrastructures on ground at our age, and the property development activities in the immediate environs, the Chancellor’s prophecy is fast being fulfilled. Such a prophet is worth believing. And, in believing God’s prophets there is prosperity (2 Chronicles 20:20)

We took off with our academic delivery barely 15 months ago. Within that period, we have global leaders now studying at 200 level and they have completed their first semester. Today we are matriculating global leaders at 100 level who are close to finishing their own first semester.  Many established Universities are just about to commence their own first semester for the 2009-10 session.

Transforming power of our attitude to youth
We work with an attitude towards our global leaders which is grounded in a solid conviction that the fate of this world is patently in the hands the youth. As President Olusegun Obasanjo stated in 2001,
[the youth] are the foundation of a society. Their energy, inventiveness, character and orientation define the pace of development and the security of a nation. Through their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant strides in economic development and socio-political attainments. In their dreams and hopes, a nation founds her motivation; on their energies, she builds her vitality and purpose. And because of their dreams and aspirations, the future of a nation is assured.

This is why this University is so passionate about growing the youth in learning and character today. So that, tomorrow even if there is nothing at hand, nobody can deceive them into carrying guns and other weapons of mass destruction to fight their demonic wars for them.

From October 2009 to February 2010, the University demonstrated concretely this passion when, in partnership with Kogi State Government’s Youth Empowerment Scheme, we successfully trained about 300 restive youth to the professional certificate level in over 12 entrepreneurial fields. Though a young private institution, with so many developmental needs yet to be met, the University sacrificially subsidized this training in order to bring these youth in contact with our transformational mandate.

Recently, these youth were provoked to anger which could have resulted in violent destruction of property. But they restrained themselves. Why? On their own testimony, it was because Salem University had taught them in those three months to behave like godly leaders and resolve conflicts peacefully!!!

Today, some of them are engaged in a paid project of painting the entire Government House in Lokoja.

Our own global leaders matriculating today, even though they have been with us for a short time, already bear the marks of our passion. Some of the parents or sponsors that are here today have testified about the remarkable positive transformation that you have witnessed in them. You should feel free to write down and send to us such testimonies which can then be compiled for posterity.

Calling upon University staff
Let me state at this point that all the staff of Salem University have been appointed with the singular focus on investigating, modeling and sustaining this intellectual and character transformation agenda. They are constantly reminded to deliver this calling using hands-on and experiential approaches. In this regard, some efforts are noteworthy:

• We have put a standing line in the budget for the development of entrepreneurial workshops where global leaders can learn practical trade skills in addition to any degree programmes that they are enrolled in.
• Dr Dorcas Igonoh, the Coordinator of the General and Entrepreneurial Studies, is working on two books that will demonstrate practically the art of optimizing the value of labour you put in any endeavour.
• Mr Victor Akinyoade, the Acting Coordinator of the Peace and Development Studies, prepared about 11 global leaders and led them to successfully complete the online Certificate Course in Conflict Analysis, offered by the United States Institute of Peace.
• Professor Onugba, recently appointed as a professor of Hydrogeology, is currently leading a team to establish Salem University water production business which, among other things, will be a training ground for global leaders inclined to have a supplementary skill in that area. This Professor has also currently being sponsored by the World Bank to participate in an international overview on water supply and sanitation in 30 African countries under the auspices of the African Ministerial Council On Water.   
• The Chaplaincy coordinates the Total Leadership Training Concept activities which are real life exposures designed to bring out integrity and character in the global leaders as they acquire knowledge from their chosen fields of study.

Not long ago, my deputy, Professor Silas Dada, went on a sponsored visit to several geological sites in France. Among other benefits, his findings from this visit flow on to put his interaction with the global leaders studying geology at the practical edge of the field.

I took time over the Christmas break to visit about five among top 20 Universities in the world from Australia and the UK. Not only did this afford an opportunity to talk with principal players, we were able to bring back for our use materials on how they go about achieving academic excellence.

Many other staff of Salem University embark on activities that take them to the cutting edge of their fields and make them practically relevant to the transformational mandate of the University.

In all our endeavours, we have maintained a positive working relationship with the main government regulatory bodies for higher education. We particularly enjoy the support of the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board in this regard.

The role of nutrition

I need to let the parents and sponsors know that all our efforts to provide internationally grounded academic and character excellence will amount to little if the global leaders do not feed well.

Numerous scientific studies on the link between nutrition and cognitive development have provided compelling evidence that undernourished students are typically fatigued and uninterested in their social environments; are less likely to establish relationships or to explore and learn from their surroundings; are also more susceptible to illness and, thus, more likely to be absent from studies.
A former US Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, confirmed that there is a strong link between students’ health and academic success.
Why is this so? Quite simply, the human brain needs a large number of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids to produce neurotransmitters and other important brain compounds. A lack of nutrients can result in chemical abnormalities and missed connections. Brain chemistry can change as a result of a lack of a single nutrient, giving rise not only to diminished mental acuity, but also to emotional disturbances and behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorder, anxiety, depression, eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia), desire for drugs and alcohol, and violence.
Even moderate under-nutrition (inadequate or suboptimal nutrient intakes) can have lasting effects and compromise cognitive development and academic performance.

Most critical in this nutrition discourse is the role of breakfast. Students who skip breakfast are less able to distinguish among similar images, show increased errors, and have slower memory recall. On the other hand, students who eat a complete breakfast make fewer mistakes and work faster in math and number checking tests. They show improved cognitive function, attention, and memory.
It is not only true that you are what you eat, but that students’ performance in the University is likely to follow the type of food they eat. If they eat well, they’ll do well. If they eat junk food, they’re likely to get junk grades.
The policy we currently follow at Salem University is to secure for our global leaders at least two meals a day, one of which must be breakfast with balanced nutrients.
I urge parents and sponsors to take this matter very seriously and ensure that your global leaders with us at this University have sufficient funds to eat from the University cafeteria. Anything else, including over dependence on snacks or junk food is quite counterproductive.
Payment of tuition fees
Parents and sponsors would be aware that this University receives no subvention from Governments to fund its transformational mandate. The sacrificial grants from the Chancellor and the tuition fees are the main sources of funding for our operations. It is, therefore, imperative that the fees are paid upfront and on time. This will enable us to effectively plan and implement credible budgets, including the recruitment of appropriate staff and further development of physical and ICT infrastructures for our global leaders.
As the Chancellor emphasized at our meeting in November last year, you and the University need to apply our Tripartite Partnership Agreement, in order to achieve the desired shared goal (Refer to a copy of the Agreement).

To the matriculants
Congratulations that you have made it to this day. Not all those that commenced the 100 level journey with you a few months ago are still here. We have had to suspend or expel some of them, not only because they held unto behaviours that breached the University rules but mainly because we are determined to preserve you from bad apples.  Having survived the rite of passage to date, may you not become another bad apple. May you work diligently to succeed till the day you walk out proudly to receive your certificate with distinction.
Apart from the academic knowledge, you will also acquire moral values to help you with your own future development. We will make faith, integrity and excellence very real to you in your studies. We are very confident that when you complete undergraduate programme, above the sky will be your limit. You will truly be an agent of positive change that your generation will be proud of.
Many of your loved ones have literally sacrificed so that you may enjoy the privilege of a Salem University education. Honor their sacrifice by behaving responsibly, and making the most of this extraordinary opportunity.
It is because of you that we sang earlier the second stanza of the Nigerian National Anthem. Unlike the first stanza which looks back to our heroes past, the second stanza offers a special prayer for the youth among which you are now distinguished. It beckons on the God of creation, to…

Help our youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation (dare I say, to build a world) where peace and justice shall reign.

CONCLUSION

Let me conclude on these two notes:

1.    Next to your Bible or Quran, and above all your academic materials, make the Students Handbook your daily companion. It will keep you here in order that you can actualize your dream. In fact, parents/sponsors should obtain their own copies as it may be necessary from time to time for us to refer you to it in the comfort of your homes.

2. I charge you with the admonition of Apostle Paul to young Timothy:

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to all in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till you graduate from here, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, however it came to you. Meditate on good works; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. In doing this, you will save both yourself and your world in which you serve as the conscience (adapted from Holy Scriptures 1 Timothy 4: 12-16).

Enjoy your University, and God bless.

Professor Paul Omojo Omaji
Vice Chancellor