Traditional Culture and Diplomacy: The Case of Ìwàlérè  at the 16th Convocation of the Achievers University

BOLA A. AKINTERINWA

Traditional diplomacy and cultural diplomacy are two important domains of international relations. Traditional culture and diplomacy do intersect through cultural diplomacy, which involves arts, traditions, and people-to-people connections as soft power instruments to impact international relations without the use of force. Traditional diplomacy has a political focus and involves political negotiations, ensuring security, signing treaties and formal alliances. Traditional diplomacy is the business of government, state ministries, diplomats, and functionaries, especially since 1648. It is essentially government-to-government and, therefore, necessarily formal. Comparatively, cultural diplomacy involves shared values, arts, heritage, and mutual understanding. Unlike government ministries and diplomatic agents involved in traditional diplomacy, it is the artists, cultural institutions, civil society organisations and educational programmes that are essentially involved in cultural diplomacy.

The importance of cultural diplomacy is often shown to the glare of the whole world by diplomatic missions in their host countries when celebrating their National Days. Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary often dress in their best cultural attires with the ultimate objective of projecting their sending states’ cultural heritage. Diplomatic agents want to build goodwill and foster a positive international image for their countries. And true, many countries open cultural centres in foreign countries and engage in academic and cultural exchanges. They give student grants, promote language dissemination programmes, and grant institutional fellowships. Cultural diplomacy uses musical recitals, theatre tours, dance troupes and art exhibitions as potent tools. At the 16th Convocation week (October 23rd–30th) of the Achievers University, Owo, many notable events took place: professional inductions, lectures, cultural dance, etc. 

Achievers University Convocation Week

Traditional diplomacy can be ambiguous a concept. The word tradition, not in the context of classical diplomacy of government-to-government dealings, but in terms of belief, custom, ritual or behavior passed down from one generation to another within a group or society. The convocation week witnessed induction lectures and a display of toga of traditional diplomacy. The Olowo of Owo, Oba (Dr) Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III was the main instrument of the display. In order to appreciate the beauty of culture and diplomacy, it is useful to provide a chronological analysis of the colourful week.

The 2026/2027 academic session commenced on Saturday, 18th October, 2026 while the 2026 Convocation Ceremony, which is the 16th since the founding of the University in 2007, commenced on Friday, 23rd of October with two major activities: press interview, which took the form of a dialogue between the Vice Chancellor (VC), Professor Omolola Oladunni Irinoye’s and media professionals. Leading newspapers, like ThisDay, the Guardian, The Punch, etc. were represented. The other major activity of the day was the research exhibitions, organized by Professor O.A. Olabisi Oduwole, the Dean of Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science. The exhibition showcased the outstanding research findings of some members of staff and students of the Faculty of Engineering.

As regards the VC-media dialogue, Professor Irinoye drew attention to four important developments in the university: living up to the university vision of providing ‘quality university education that combines intellectual development with character formation, practical competence, and a strong sense of social responsibility, on the one hand, and providing a well oxygenated environment in which students can discover and develop their potential, on the other. Secondly, The VC pointed out that the student population of the university had increased to 5,082 as of Thursday, 22nd October, 2026. This, she said, was a demonstration of the confidence that students, parents, guardians, and other stakeholders continue to place in the academic programmes of the university, and particularly in the university’s commitment to a stable academic calendar.

Thirdly, Professor Irinoye noted another significant development, which was the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s ‘grant of pre-clinical accreditation to the University’s Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), together with approval to increase the annual admission quota from 50 to 120.’ And perhaps, more notably, the medical students of the Achievers University ‘recorded an 86% pass rate in the Part 1 MBBS examination. Fourthly, She drew attention to the scholarship opportunities given by the university: 100% tuition scholarship in different courses, such as Banking and Finance, Industrial Chemistry, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sociology, Remote Sensing and Geoscience Information Science, Economics, etc. Tuition scholarship in Accounting, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science and Biochemistry is 80%. The tuition scholarship for criminology and Security Studies, Mass Communication, Human Physiology, Human Anatomy and Public Health is 70% while it is 65% for Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering.

In the evaluation of the VC, ‘the 16th Convocation Ceremony of Achievers University was more than an academic event. It is a celebration of achievement, resilience, institutional progress, and transformative power of education. It is an occasion to honour the hard work of our graduands, recognize the sacrifices of their families, celebrate the contributions of our staff, and reaffirm our determination to deliver quality university education.’ As noted earlier, the week-long Convocation Ceremony was largely characterized by induction and graduate lectures 

Monday, the 26th October was the day set aside for the 5th Graduate Induction and Oath-Taking Ceremony for the Class of 2026 Graduate Engineers. The induction lecture was entitled ‘Leveraging the Symbiotic Relationship between NSE and COREN towards Professional Growth and Development,’ and was delivered by Professor Kazeem Adekunle Adebiyi.

The 3rd Induction and Oath-taking Ceremony of the Public Health Graduates Class of 2026 was quite interesting. It took place on Tuesday, 27th October. The induction lecture was “Pioneering Precision Public Health: Bridging Innovation, Equity, and Global Resilience. It was delivered by Professor Olufemi Oludare Aluko. He explained Public Health as the protection of ‘the conditions in which people can live, learn, work, and pursue their aspirations. When illness repeatedly disrupts school work, or family life, opportunities shrink. Prevention helps people preserve the futures they are trying to build.’

More important, Professor Alukos underscored the point that innovation begins with a useful question and that graduates need to develop and strengthen their questioning skills and learn to ask questions that can transform an entire programme. In essence, he advised all the inductees to learn how to judge, evaluate objectively, how to remain teachable, and how to develop competence.

The 15th Induction and Oath-taking Ceremony of the Graduating Class of 2026 of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science took place on Wednesday, 28th October. The induction Lecture was ‘The Multiple Career Choices Available to a Medical Laboratory Scientist in Nigeria.’ It was delivered by Dr. Chimere O. Agomo. Dr. Agomo underscored the importance of Medical Laboratory Science. In the words of Dr. Agomo, ‘when people think of a Medical Laboratory Scientist, they picture a figure is a white coat, hidden behind machines and specimen racks. Yet 70% of rational clinical decisions (diagnosis, treatment, admission, and discharge) depend on laboratory results. More notably, Dr. Agomo had it that ‘for those considering practicing overseas, professional certification is the key that opens the door. The IBMS and HCPC in the United Kingdom, ASCP in the United States, CSMLS in Canada, AIMS in Australia recognize B.MLS degree in Nigeria… Medical Laboratory Science Training in Nigeria is rigorous.’ It is therefore not surprising that MLS trained in Nigeria ‘under MLSCN regulation and holding a valid license has genuine international mobility.’

Thursday, 29th October, 2026 was the 7th Induction and Oath-taking Ceremony of the Faculty of Nursing Science. “Emotional Intelligence and Nursing Care among Young Graduate Nurses in the 21st Century,” was the topic of the induction lecture. It was delivered by Dr. Oluwaseyi Isaiah Olabisi. In his eyes, ‘emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in oneself and to perceive and respond appropriately to emotions in others. He provided five practical ways that can be used by nurses to develop capability: recognizing self-awareness, self-regulation, purpose-guided motivation, empathy, and relationship management. He expatiated on the point that emotional intelligence is not about suppressing every emotion or agreeing with everyone, or tolerating abuse, or replacing clinical knowledge. He explicated the application of emotional intelligence in nursing care, the practical self-regulation tool, as well as the linkages between emotional intelligence, ethics, and nursing oath.

Friday, 30th October was the day of Convocation Lecture, entitled From Grants to Growth: Financing Nigeria’s Universities through the Capital Market. It was delivered by Dr. Emomotimi Agama, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria. Dr. Agama identified a four-sided box that Nigeria’s private universities have built for themselves and which largely explains their poor funding. He called it ‘the tuition trap,’ that is, relying heavily on tuition to survive. The four walls of the tuition trap are the market, affordability, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, and maturity. 

The thrust of his lecture is that government-funded universities have ‘become excellent at applying and poor at earning. They organize their planning around a letter that arrives late or does not arrive. They cannot distinguish themselves, because the formula that funds them is designed not to distinguish. And when the fiscal weather turns – and in Nigeria it turns – they have no other leg to stand on.’ By implication, he advised the Achievers University to invest in the capital market because ‘everything required to fund this university already exist inside the Nigerian financial system.’ But beyond this is the question of Ìwàlérè

The Case of Ìwàlérè at the 16th Convocation 

One point of emphasis deductible from the foregoing induction lectures and convocation lecture is attitudinal disposition: how should the graduates behave on leaving the university? How should they always remember that their university training is more about service to the people? How do we underscore the sanctity of professional ethics? All put differently, the essence of the sermons preached in the various induction lectures, as well as in the convocation lecture is how people should behave professionally in such a way as to promote altruism, in the mania of the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. In today’s globalizing world that condones selfishness and wickedness and that is increasingly promoting disregard for the Law of Nations, inter-personal relationships should be guided by love and kindness to one another. This is the background to the case of Ìwàlérè that we are talking about now.

The Achievers University appears to be placing greater emphasis than ever before on love and kindness, on the need for a life of gratitude to God, on the need for appreciation for whatever help one receives from anyone, and particularly on what we should understand by the concept of a family beyond sociological considerations. Put differently, gratitude should be expressed for every act of kindness experienced no matter for how long the act of kindness might have taken place. This is precisely the reminiscences of Professor Bode Ayorinde who strongly believed he had been spiritually lifted up by his aunt more than four decades ago and, therefore, that there must always be time to say thank you. And true enough, it was for this same reason that His Imperial Majesty, Oba Gbadegesin Ajibade Ogunoye III, the Olowo of Owo’s conferment of a traditional chieftaincy title, Ìwàlérè, cannot but be a lesson for the conduct and management of international relations. 

Before the issue of the chieftaincy, let us visit the milk of human kindness of Professor Ayorinde’s aunt. 

In his birthday lecture, entitled “Birthday Lecture in Honour of My Beloveth Aunt, Deaconess Oluremi Grace Olajide (Mummy Eko) on the Occasion of Her 80th Birthday holding at Achievers University on Sunday 25th October 2026”, Professor Ayorinde postulated that ‘the true measure of a person’s greatness is not necessarily what that person possesses, but what that person is willing to give when others are in need.’ He cannot be more correct because of the ambiguity in the notion of ‘possession.’

In this regard, what does a person possess? Intellect can be a possession. Possession can also be materialistic in character. Deductively speaking, in the thinking of Professor Ayorinde, it is the materialistic possession that may not be a good definien of true greatness. Besides, what a person intends to give is also a function of intellection and material possession. 

One cannot give what he or she does not have. More inquisitively, the thinking of Professor Ayorinde appears to be that one may not necessarily give out of riches; that one may not be solvent enough to assist, but a kind-hearted mind cannot but be always altruistic if the mind so decides. His aunt falls within the category of the kind-hearted minds.

As explained by the soft-spoken Pro chancellor, his aunt is a woman who has touched lives, strengthened family bonds and demonstrated that the true measure of greatness is not a person’s possession. What informed Professor Ayorinde’s postulation is the circumstances of his mother’s demise 41 years ago. She died of cancer but his aunt stood like a rock of Gibraltar behind Professor Ayorinde’s dying mother. He put it succinctly thus: ‘my mother was mismanaged at the St. Louis hospital for over two years, when she was cheaply diagnosed and treated for hemorrhoid, usual prescription was annusol and the likes. Until we voluntarily went to Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) Ile Ife where she was exposed to proper medical examination and pronounced to have been suffering from cancer of the rectum, the treatment recommended was to expose the region to radiation at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). When the decision was made to move my mother to Lagos for treatment, I made a telephone call to my aunt, my mother’s niece, Deaconess Oluremi Grace Olajide, fondly called Mummy Eko.’

More significantly, Professor Ayorinde said, ‘I informed her of the urgent need to bring my mother to Lagos for treatment. Her response was spontaneous, immediate and unforgettable. She said: “bring my Sister, bring my Sister!’ (Gb’anti mi kawa. Gbánti mi kawa). It is precisely this response that has remained a source of sweet inspirations in the mind of Professor Ayorinde. It is the response that informed the holding of a special birthday party at 80 for her aunt. It is also the same reason that prompted Professor Ayorinde to build a well-furnished two-bedroom apartment that was commissioned on Sunday 25th October by the Olowo of Owo.

One may ask why build a new house for an aunt at 80. The reason cannot be far-fetched: When Professor Ayorinde called his aunt for help, his aunt was only living in one bedroom with her husband and children. Imagine the aunt having to abandon their own matrimonial bed and sleep on the floor in order to make life easier for the sick. This is the way Professor Ayorinde put it: ‘here was a family already living within very limited accommodation. There was little space to spare and certainly no luxury of an extra room. Yet they welcomed a sick woman who needed treatment and the son accompanying her.’ 

The way Professor Bode Ayorinde sees this is more than the case of a grateful heart. The basic lesson learnt by him is his redefinition of the notion and concept of a family. For him, á family is more than a collection of people connected by blood, marriage or ancestry. It is a community of shared responsibilities, mutual affection, collective memories and reciprocal obligations. Family is where we first learn love, discipline, cooperation, respect and sacrifice. It is where our identities are formed and where, ideally, we find support when the world becomes difficult.’ More important, ‘in our African society, and particularly within our Yoruba culture, the extended family has traditionally played a significant role in the upbringing of children, the care of elderly relatives, the resolution of disputes and the support of members facing adversity…’ The Olowo of Owo was most touched by this narratives that he, on the spot, decided to confer the traditional chieftaincy titles of Ìwàlérè and Yeye Ìwàlérè of Owo Kingdom on Mr. and Mrs. Olajide. In Lagos, there is Surulere, that is, there is much gain in patience. As for Ìwàlérè, it simply means that kind-heartedness and good behavior has its own gain. Thus, it is good to be patient and kind to one another. A good turn deserves another. In international relations, there is nothing like patience and kind-heartedness. There is reciprocity which can take the form of retorsion or reprisal. This is why all things are falling apart and there is no longer at ease in the mania of Chinua Achebe with the emerging new global order.