The Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of Lagos (Unilag) has launched its alumni association at the L’eola Hotel in Maryland, Lagos.
The seven-man committee, which was sworn in on December 26, 2021, comprised outstanding and high-achieving alumni in the field, as it is established to help in ensuring sustainability of the department and students who had passed through the system.
The association has as its chairman the founder of Executive One Capital Services Limited, the Operations Director of TGM Education and TG Marchnata Group of Companies, Mr. Tolulope Adeusi.
Other members are the Human Settlement Officer, UN-Habitat (Kenya), Dr. Rosemary Omoayena Odunbaku as Vice-President; Dr. Folayele Oluyemi Akindeju as Secretary General; Ms. Damilola Odekunle as Assistant Secretary General; Mr. Olubola Oluwole Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Top Rank Images Limited as Media and Publicity Secretary; Mr. Richard Unuigboje as Assistant Media and Publicity Secretary; and Ms. Damilola Oluwo as Financial Secretary.
The association aims to bridge the gap between the institution, professionals and the workplace through initiatives, such as career preparation support, internships, and training apprenticeships.
Present at the swearing-in was the National President of the National Institute of Town Planning (NITP), Olutoyin Ayinde, ably represented by Dr Olanrewaju Kazeem Bakinson, the Vice-Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter and Technical Assistant to the Special Adviser on e-GIS and Physical Planning to the Lagos State Governor, who created a special bonding opportunity between the long graduated alumni and recent graduates.
Ayinde reminded the latter that they were not alone and as members of the association, would always have a community supporting their career development.
The Acting Head of Department, Urban and Regional Planning, Unilag, Associate Prof. Wale Alade, who conceived the idea of birthing an association that could help move the department forward and arm the existing students and graduates with the important tools to compete on a global scale, expressed his gratitude to the alumni for their cooperation in making the launch possible and also appealed to all members to help in the sustainable progress of the department.
In his remarks, the newly appointed President, Adeusi said: “This occasion presents an opportunity for all members to enjoy the experience and network of one another. I personally witnessed the highly ambitious and committed faculty whose courage, hard work and dedication have helped in producing bright students who have reached pinnacles of success and established themselves in the industry.
“Our collective goal as an association is to make the education offered by this great department and the university even better. Our focus will be to provide a fostering environment for fresh graduates, young professionals and the university community, so that collectively, we can have a better society, student experience and learning institute.”
Joining the event virtually from Nairobi, Kenya, the newly-appointed vice president, Dr. Odunbaku, congratulated all alumni of the department for becoming great leaders in their fields.
She said: “Even those who are not practising town planning have been able to translate their learnings into their respective ventures, becoming pacesetters in the chosen paths. Additionally, I want to congratulate the executive committee and the Head of Department, Dr. Wale Alade, for this remarkable milestone, trusting that we will keep at it and show forth the strength and value of this great department.”
The event came to an end with the announcement of donations from members of the alumni association to wholeheartedly support the organization’s goals and fundraising efforts.
The funds, as announced, would be used to outfit the university department with state-of-the-art equipment and ensure it remains the leading institution for urban and regional planning in the country.
