- advocates mentorship, service, excellence; urges graduates abroad to return and transform country
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has challenged Nigerian graduates to embrace integrity, mentorship and service as essential ingredients of meaningful success and national development.
Delivering the 10th and 11th Combined Convocation Lecture of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, the CJN, in a lecture titled “Beyond the Walls: Mentorship, Service and Excellence as Foundations for Meaningful Success,” urged graduates to look beyond personal ambitions and contribute meaningfully to society.
She warned that qualifications and professional achievements without integrity were fragile, stressing that character and ethical conduct must underpin success.
“Start as you mean to go on,” she admonished the graduands, noting that everyday decisions shape character and professional reputation.
Justice Kekere-Ekun also urged Nigerians seeking opportunities abroad to return home with acquired knowledge and experience to contribute to national development.
“Come home prepared to be among the architects of the change you wish to see,” she charged.
She highlighted the importance of continuous learning and technological adaptation, citing the Nigerian Case Management System as part of efforts to modernise judicial processes.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Philip Gbenro Oguntunde, described the lecture as an intellectual platform for discussing issues central to democracy, governance and national development.
He commended the CJN for honouring the University’s invitation and celebrated Founder and Visitor, Chief Michael Ade. Ojo, OON, whose vision led to the construction of the multi-billion-naira Beatrice Ademolawe Ojo Multipurpose Hall, venue of the lecture.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the CJN was the first Nigerian to use the facility, built in memory of the Founder’s late mother, Mama Beatrice Ademolawe Ojo.
Professor Oguntunde reaffirmed the University’s commitment to producing entrepreneurial, innovative and ethical graduates capable of contributing to national development.
The lecture was chaired by elder statesman Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa, OFR, and attended by eminent personalities from the judiciary, academia, government and other sectors.
