Ballsbridge University Chancellor Urges Graduates to Make Impact

Uchechukwu Nnaike

The Chancellor of Ballsbridge University, Prof. Idahosa Charles, has challenged graduates of the institution to use their degrees to make a difference in their communities, professions and nations.

He stated this at the 2025 joint convocation/induction ceremony of Ballsbridge University, where 37 students bagged first degrees; 19 graduated with MSc/MBA, while 11 obtained PhD/DBA in different fields of study.

Charles, who was represented by Dr Marius Ahonon, Registrar of ESCAE-Benin, also advised the graduates to embrace technology, innovation and global competition.

He promised that the university will continue to champion education that transforms lives; education that is global in perspective, but rooted in human values.

“Our mission is not only to produce graduates with degrees, but citizens with purpose, empathy and vision. Go into the world and make a difference in your communities, in your professions, and in your nations,” Charles stated.

The chancellor also urged the graduates to be creators, not just job seekers, and solution builders, not complainers.

In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Joel Abba, said that the occasion was more than a ceremony, but a renaissance of intellect, a symphony of achievements and a testament to human resilience and determination.

“You came as seekers of knowledge; today, you ascend as ambassadors of wisdom and virtue. Through diligence and devotion, you have transformed challenges into chapters of triumph. Carry your knowledge as a lantern that leads; your character as a compass that guides; and your integrity as a crown that dignifies,” Abba added.

He reminded the graduates that the world beyond awaits their impact as a panacea, and that they should let their intellect inspire innovation, their compassion build communities, and their courage confront injustice.

“As ambassadors of Ballsbridge University and ICM-UK, go forth as torchbearers of truth, pioneers of progress, and guardians of moral excellence,” Abba said.

He described the university and the institute as citadels of learning, where excellence is not merely pursued but personified.

Chairman of the event, Prof. Amusa Adetunji, stressed that the university is not recognised by structure or facilities, but by students’ performance and research outcomes.

Adetunji, former Vice-Chancellor of Southwestern University, Ogun State, stated that the existing universities in the country are insufficient, given Nigeria’s 200 million population and that the teeming youths must be provided with university education. According to him, students who passed through e-learning are doing well.

“I have taught in physical and online institutions, and graduates of online programmes perform better,” stated Adetunji.

Adetunji commended Ballsbridge University for taking advantage of the federal government’s transborder education, saying that many of the graduates are working and would not have the chance to attend full-time programmes.

The convocation lecturer, Dr Ezeogu Kayode Chukwuemeka, said that, from the beginning, Africans were taught to think about other ideas, despite the fact that knowledge originated in Africa.

In the lecture, ‘Closing the Thought Gap: Cognitive and Educational Intervention for Africa’s Future Competitiveness’, Ezeogu observed that the crisis of inherited cognition, while pronounced in the African context, is neither unchangeable nor exclusive to the continent; rather, it is a challenge amenable to systematic redress through intentional transformation of educational and cognitive frameworks.

According to him, progressing beyond patterns of intellectual dependency requires deliberately cultivating environments that privilege autonomous thought, rigorous inquiry, and the critical reassessment of established knowledge.

“By systematically nurturing individuals who are empowered to analyse, experiment and reinterpret their realities, societies establish the groundwork for authentic innovation and meaningful engagement with global complexities,” Ezeogu said.