REPORT OF ACTIVITIES OF AFUED ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2023

Greatest Arbicans!

The month of June ends today Friday 30th June, 2023. In line with our tradition since we came on board on 11th February, 2023, we feel compelled to update you about our activities for the second quarter of our administration beginning from the month of June.
President J.F. Kennedy was right when he observed:

“I think the success of any school can be measured by the contribution the alumni make.” As we all know, Alumni Associations are generally with keeping in touch with former students and organising social events, seminars and conferences and also seeing to the progress of their alma mater.

Greatest Arbicans!
Do you know that one thing that makes an institution great is the number of friendships and memories created by past students. That is why all of us are important. The association as part of best practice, provides a voice on behalf of former students and even present ones.

The Association creates an identity to help encourage engagement and collaboration among past students and the ability to create events that unite the different classes of graduates.

The strength if an alumni association lies only in the quality and quantity of engagement from its members.
Greatest Arbicans!

The clarion call now summons us to the village square of our conscience to help the present students and the entire College and equally provide a support system to fellow Arbicans who had been through some struggles and challenges. There is enough to share if only we care. This second quarter will certainly emphasise better bonding among ourselves by encouraging assistance and support to some of our members who are in the hospitals and those afflicted with life-threatening challenges. The National Secretariat will be contacting you individually and collectively to assist any member facing serious health issues in any branch close to him or her. We urge our branches to keep us abreast of such names of such Arbicans. We are the greatest.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Greatest Arbicans
You will recall that we updated you about all the activities of the Alumni Association at the Natiomal Secretariat from 11th February, 2023 to 30th May, 2023 which made the first quarter of our Administration.
You will recall with nostalgia the various activities of the Founders Day organised by all of us in our alma mater.

SECOND QUARTER REPORT

The second quarter report shall commence from the month of June to August, 2023.
Meanwhile the report for the month of June is hereby stated as follows:

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

We rejoice with ourselves that Nigeria witnessed a peaceful civilian to civilian transition which heralds a new era of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the new Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria and the Commander-in-Chief.

We are happy to be associated with the First Lady who is one of us. On behalf of all Arbicans the National President personally sponsored a half-page congratulatory message for the First Lady of Nigeria who is a proud member of this Association. The sponsorship was done so as not to over-burden the finances of the Association.

The one half-page of the congratulatory message was published in The Nation Newspapers of Monday 29th May, 2023 (page 26).
We are glad to report that the letter written to the Federal Ministry of Education on the need to appoint Vice Chancellor and other Principal Officers for the College has been receiving pleasant attention. We are assured that as soon as the Minister of Education comes on board, he will facilitate how the Visitor to the University will do the needful in that regard. We are happy to inform you that in a reply to our letter, the Ministry assured us that our alma mater is now a full-fledged University with a full paraphernalia of autonomy from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
Meanwhile, the current Management of the College has constituted an ad-hoc University Implementation Committee to commence the necessary preliminaries on the status.

The Federal Ministry of Education promises us a Visitation Panel on the take-off and the Panel is being awaited by us. We shall keep you posted as more events unfold.

DISSOLUTION OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL

In line with the new presidential directives issued from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation dissolving all Boards, non statutory Commissions and political heads of Parastatals, the Governing Council of our College has been dissolved. While we await re-constitution of the new Governing Council, the National Secretariat will issue letters of commendation to all the members of the defunct Governing Council for raising the bar of good administration throughout their tenure in our alma mater.

REGISTRATION OF BRANCHES IN THE DIASPORA

We are happy to report that the Association is spreading in leaps and bounds. We are happy to inform all Great Arbicans that all our members in Western Europe are to hold their National Convention and get-together-party in Manchester, United Kingdom on 27th July, 2023.
As we await to watch their activities, let us support them with prayers for a hitch-free event.

Equally, all Arbicans in Canada, Mexico and the United States are planning to have their convention in Houston, Texas in September, 2023. In addition, our members in South Africa are planning to have their annual convention towards the end of 2023. We thank God for their lives and the progress greeting their struggles where they are. May God continue to flourish their ways and strengthen them with good health, happiness and prosperity.

We urge ALL branches in Nigeria to start planning for their annual events which may include lectures, seminars, health tips, excursions, retreats, fund-raising events, counselling sessions and visitations to schools and orphanages. We want to say that branches will be rated at the end of the year by the number of programmes undertaken by them in their local environment. Handsome prizes await the best three branches rated in order of performance.

AWARDS

We rejoice with some of us who are recognised world-wide. We rejoice with one of us Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, a foremost Arbican and an award-winning journalist for bagging an International Award of Excellence in Tourism given to him in Canada. This is a golden feather affixed to our cap.
We congratulate all our members who have recently been elevated to the positions of Professor, Lord Bishops, Provosts, Venerables and Imams in their respective religious denominations. We appreciate the way you are impacting the society positively.

We rejoice with all our members who have just been elevated to the enviable positions of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Judges of the High Courts, and Chief Executive Officers in several blue chip companies.

We quip to say that we are blessed by your several elevations.
In addition, we rejoice with His Royal Majesty Oba Abdul Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi on the anniversary of His Majesty on the throne which came up in May 2023. We rejoice with our own, His Imperial Majesty Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, Laminisa 1 the Timi of Ede on the anniversary of His Majesty.

We rejoice at the exploits of all Arbicans who are Provosts of Colleges of Education, Deans of Faculties and Heads of Departments in various institutions. We want to express our pride and commendation to all retired and serving Principals of Schools and Proprietors of Schools who are our members. We are proud of the excellent performances of all our members in all their chosen careers. We rejoice on the good health of all our members who have retired from active service. We pray that their retirement will be full of joy and happiness. We rejoice that your contributions are making us proud and colour-coding the positive difference we are witnessing in Education in Nigeria.

CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW GUEST HOUSE

The National Executive Council has been given the permission to embark on the construction of a 21-room Guest House for the use of all Great Arbican visiting our campus. The Association is not buoyant financially because only graduating students pay Alumni fees. Yet, the little in the account has to be tied down to pursue capital projects. Hence the decision to start the construction of a Guest House, believing that high net worth individuals among us will touch the project and give it life.

The authorities of the Ondo West Local Government has approved the release of earth-moving machinery to the Association at a reduced cost for the purpose of clearing the proposed site of the Guest House.
We are happy to announce that the architectural designs have been completed and the necessary Bill of Quantity has been done.

Equally, based on the approval of NEC, a Building Account has been opened with JAIZ Bank Akure with an initial deposit of Two Million and Four Hundred Thousand Naira only (#2,400,000). This is because this bank has generous facilities for construction of hostels in Univetsities in Nigeria. We are told by the Bank that if the account is well run, the Bank will facilitate to build Post Graduate Hostels for our University.
The Association still maintains two accounts with the UBA and ACMFB all located on the campus. The Bank Balances as at 30th June, 2023 will be supplied to you under Statement of Accounts / Bank Balances.

BANK BALANCES AS AT FRIDAY 30TH JUNE, 2023.

Below are the Bank Balances in the three Banks maintained by the Association.

JAIZ Bank #2, 400,000
UBA #572,393:72k
ACSMFA #190, 805:39k

CONDOLENCE

On behalf of the National Secretariat of the Alumni Association we commiserate with the immediate and extended family members of Mr Muyiwa Akindele, one of our members in Ibadan, Oyo State. He lived a life of honour, service and integrity. Without these virtues, what then is life? We are comforted that he left good legacies behind. May the grace of God follow his path and hold strong the family members he left behind. Amen.

COLLATION OF REGISTETED MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

Greatest Arbicans!
It is our belief that the Association should be data-driven. Hence, we shall appreciate all efforts that each branch will make to send to the National Secretariat the names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of all Arbicans duly registered with them. The Secretariat wants to have a robust data bank for planning purposes for all its programmes.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

As an Association, one of the corporate social responsibilities is to share enlightenment in education sector. Alfred Nobel enjoins:
“To spread enghlentenment is to spread prosperity.” We enjoin our branches to adopt at least a school where we can visit individually or collectively to share counselling against truancy, drug abuse, sex abuse and evils of examination malpractices crippling the glory of education in our country.

TURNING OF THE SOD

While waiting anxiously for the appointment of Vice Chancellor and other Principal Officers of our University, we want to say that by the month of July, 2023, beginning from tomorrow, the National Secretariat of our Association will turn the sod of our ultra modern Guest House to the glory of God and for the good use of all Greatest Arbicans.

We believe that as construction progresses, you will all have good things to celebrate there through your voluntary generous donations of materials to actualize the dream in no distant time.

A Building Committee has been inaugurated under the distinguished chairmanship of our distinguished Associate Professor Owolewa, the Vice President of the Association.

BIRTHDAYS

The National Secretariat hereby rejoices with all Great Arbicans who will mark their birthday anniversaries in the month of July. May God add more brighter colours to your joy and may the celebrations mark continuous peace and blessings in your life.

WEDDINGS AND WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

We rejoice with all families marking wedding anniversaries or celebrating new weddings for their children or grand children. May the flowers of love continually bloom in your cherished lives.

REMEMBERANCE

We remember all our members who are already resting with the Lord. We revel in the loving memory of Nick Sunny Ikemefuna and others who were very Great Arbicans in their sojourn in this Divide.

GENERAL PRAYER

We handover all Arbicans to God. May it please God to keep you and all members of your families safe and sound in good health, peace and prosperity. May the new month of July be special to all of you in manifold blessings. May you not sorrow on anyone who is yours. May God keep you from all snares of the devil and from all accidents. At the end of the month, may you have enough reasons to praise God for divine grace and favours. Amen.
Greatest Arbicans!
You are all great!

We say au revoir with the song of ABBA titled:
‘ You and I can share the silence
Finding comfort together
The way old friends do

And after fights and words of violence
We make up with each other
The way old friends do

Times of joy and times of sorrow
We will always see it through
Oh, I don’t care what comes tomorrow
We can face it together
The way old friends do

GOD BLESS ALL ARBICANS
I declare that the State of our Association is strong!

And after fights and words of violence
We make up with each other
The way old friends do