rt. hon FEMI GBAJABIAMILA opens up

• On Why He Built Hall Of Residence In UNILAG

On Wednesday 3rd, January 2024, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, commissioned a Hall of Residence at the University of Lagos. This is the 5th project he commissioned this year. The Speaker of House of Representatives Hon. Abbas Tajudeen was there with other political delegates.

The Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Dr. Folasade Ogunsola and the school executives were there for the commissioning. During the programme Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila, gave a speech and he mentioned why he decided to build a Hall of Residence in University of Lagos, below are the excerpts of the speech.

My story also began here at this University, on this Campus I made friends who continue to play important roles in my life. I acquired my education here and became a Lawyer here at home and abroad. On this campus I showed some signs of being a young man with ambition; I remained very proud of this great institution. Greatness is not easily attained and when attained, it is a big task to maintain that toga of being one of the topmost institutions in the country, a citadel of innovation, and incubation of brand ambitions. It is not accidental. It is a product of dedicated effort by generation of teachers, nurturing those that eventually graduate and become partners with the institution in terms of development, dedicating their carriers, resources and expertise to the benefits of the institution.

This 484 beds Hall of residence, we have gathered here today to commission and dedicate for the benefits of this institution and generations that will continue to pass through this campus, add to that long tapestry of Joint and continued, effort that has sustained this great institution and at the same time the works of the missionaries who came before.

About three years ago, in January 2021, I had the honour of deliverying a convocation lecture at the 52nd convocation of this great institution, in my lecture, I urged the audience through our efforts to raise a generation through whom the light of understanding would be ignited and cannot be put off.

Part  of that Joint effort is ensuring that we produce a conducive environment for learning and collaboration where students are safe to be themselves and comfortable to think and bring out big ideas that would proffer solution to many complex challenges of our modern age, that is what the Hall of Residence tends to achieved. It’s beyond the building, it is beyond the space where you can lay your head. This Hall of Residence is a conducive and good atmosphere. If you want a description, each room, has it’s own bathroom and toilet, its no longer a communal or sharing of bathroom or sharing of toilet. So, it gives you that peace of mind that you can stay up to 2-3 by your bed side and bathroom do what ever you want to do and study on your own and know why you are here. Your home away from home and try to make this comfortable as you would have even if you were at home, that is what the Hall of Residence tends to provide. I  hope that years from now, some young students will recount how they solved one global challenge or the other, or recall the moment they key into the big idea that inspired their successes in business, academia, science, politics, industry, and in their recounting of those moments they will say it all began here in this hall, I look forward to that indeed.

I know when our Vice Chancellor was talking about the situation here in the University of Lagos. The situation with accommodation which she mentioned, the haters and hangers. Let it be said that, when I was here many years ago, I think if I can remember correctly, I was a hanger. Not only was I a hanger, I was a hanger not even close to the gate but somewhere remote. I was a hanger for there and I am glad now that we have provided a Hall where there will be no hangers.

I want to appreciate those that contributed to make this building a reality, I am exceptionally thankful to the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe, it was in his tenure that the project started when I came to him and we spoke, then I told him that I would like to do something for this University beyond the other things we’ve done, something that could be referred to as a legacy.

I had in mind at a time like he said that we should have a  leadership center because I am a brand in both leadership training and mentoring.

I think that is a minus in our society when we don’t provide avenues and opportunities to mentor the upcoming generations. Until he brought that fantastic leadership center idea to train the younger ones that the idea also came that before you train people, they must have where to stay or where they will put their heads. We have a problem with accommodation, that was how the idea of a Hall of Residence came about. So, I will thank the immediate past Chancellor, I will also thank Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, for the success of the project, she saw the vission, keyed into it and ran with it. She has cooperated with us till now that we have completed the project, I want to thank you very much and thank all of you that came here today.

–Olusola Abiodun

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