‘I stayed in mosquito infested hostel as an undergraduate’ – Akpabio
…promises attending 50th Anniversary of UNICAL
By Tunde Opalana
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio announced on Wednesday disclosed that he stayed in mosquito infested Malabo hostel as an undergraduate at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
He added that he never had the luxury of living in well lighted main campus.
Akpabio relayed this fond memories on Wednesday while playing host to members of the planning committee for the 50th Anniversary of the University of Calabar in his office.
The delegation which comprised of the management and Alumni of UNICAL paid him a courtesy visit to primarily invite him for the Anniversary.
He assured the committee of his readiness to attend the 50th Anniversary of the University scheduled for March 17th to 22nd, 2025.
The Senate President, also an alumnus of UNICAL, said the epoch making event of 50th Anniversary of the University was remarkable and something worth celebrating.
“We will be there in full force to support you. We will also take the catalogue of things you intend to do. We can tick the ones we can also assist you to do,” Akpabio said.
Akpabio who was a Speaker of the Student Parliament, reminisced about his days at UNICAL when he said: “I was one of those who fought for the interest of the students.
“I was one of those who never had the privilege of sojourning in the main campus where you could have constant electricity. Instead, I chose to be in Malabo with all the mosquitoes.
“It is really a thing of joy to be alive to see the University at 50. It is also a great thing of joy to see a delegation coming to invite me to join you.
“This visit today is a very uncommon visit which will result in an uncommon transformation of the University beyond 50.”
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Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Florence Banku Obi who led the delegation said their mission was to invite the Senate President for the historic event and intimate him with the line up of activities for UNICAL at 50.
Professor Obi who announced that the Senate President was penciled down as an Ambassador of UNICAL at 50, said Akpabio did so much for the University when he was Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“We have come here today to tell you we have come of age as a University…We want to let the world know that we have actually come of age as a second generation University in Nigeria,” Professor Obi said.
