Govt College Ibadan Founded On Sound Culture, Quality, Says Wale Babalakin

— Lauds Gov Makinde For Handing Over GCI To The Old Students

By Grace Isaac, Osogbo

The National President of the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA), Dr. Olawale Babalakin has lauded the solid foundation laid by the founding fathers of the school at inception.

This he said has remained a sure footing upon which the College that has produced eminent personalities, achievers across divers fields, stands till date.

Babalakin gave this assertion while welcoming guests and other dignitaries to GCI’s 93rd Annual Lecture which held at Justice Bolarinwa Babalakin Conference Hall, Gbongan, Osun State on Thursday.

He noted that the gathering was here essentially to remind Nigerians about the need for “good, quality education” old students enjoyed and still enjoy till date.

“GCI is a school founded on quality, discipline and sound culture. We are here to remind Nigerians that this is the way to go.

“Special thanks the executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde for returning GCI to the old boys for seamless, essential transformation.

“We must create a situation where we found the brightest and the best in every facet of life and our economy. Members of GCI have been a phenomenon over the years and we are still standing.

“The financial, intellectual commitment is what has kept GCI and why it’s still standing today. There is therefore the need for others to take a cue from this,” Babalakin stated.

Speaking, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite said that Nigeria is on the track to meeting her ambition to build economic resilience through economic diversification and export -oriented industrialization.

He spoke while delivering the 93rd annual public lecture of Government College, Ibadan entitled: “The Mining Sector: Pivotal Role For Economic Diversification In Nigeria” at Justice Bola Babalakin Conference Hall, Gbongan, Osun State.

The Minister who gave assurance that the importation of Bitumen will soon become a thing of the past noted that efforts are on to build a global competitive minerals and mining ecosystem and related processing industries capable of contributing to wealth creation.

According to him, the federal government is building the foundation for mineral exploration and production by driving investment growth into exploration and mining industries through improvements in the quality and breadth of geo-scientific data.

He raised predominance of small scale miners as against big mining companies, high cost of geo-physical data generation and illegal mining perpetrated by foreigners as major challenges facing mining sector.

In his remarks, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola reinstated his commitment to quality education which he said informed the reversal of some policies of the immediate past administration in the state.

He commended the Association for channelling the course of quality education in Nigeria and urged all stakeholders to join the train.