Osun: University Of Ilesa Gets Fully Furnished Moot Court Facility

The University of Ilesa on Wednesday officially commissioned the fully furnished David Olatunde Agbeja Moot Court, donated to the institution by Debola Osibogun in honour of her late father, David Olatunde Agbeja.

The facility was commissioned by Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup, the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland, during a ceremony held at the Faculty of Law of the institution.

Speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Taiwo Olufemi Asaolu, described the donation as a major boost to legal education and advocacy training in the institution.

Asaolu said the moot court would serve as a practical training ground for students of the Faculty of Law and improve the university’s capacity to produce skilled legal practitioners.

He commended Oba Haastrup for his continued support towards the growth of the institution, describing the monarch’s interventions as a pillar of strength for the university.

“I must at the outset pay special homage to Kabiyesi whose royal presence has conferred dignity and blessings upon this ceremony. Your consistent support for the growth of this university remains a pillar of strength to us and we are eternally gratefu.l

This is philanthropy driven by passion and excellence. We pray that Almighty God will reward your labour of love and continue to use you for the service of humanity,” Asaolu added.

He also highlighted several interventions supporting the institution, including a student hostel facilitated by the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, the Faculty of Nursing Science Laboratory donated by the Ijesa community, and the ongoing construction of the university’s main gate by the Ijesa Elders Forum.

Others, according to him, include an optometry centre donated by Dr. Akin Fakuade, solar-powered street lights donated by Mr. Sunday Toyi Omole, and an entrepreneurship centre being constructed by Chief Mrs. Yinka Abalaye.

Asaolu stressed that the government alone could not fund tertiary education, urging communities, corporate organisations and public-spirited individuals to continue supporting universities.

“The students we train today will become the teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers and engineers who will render services to our communities tomorrow. If we desire quality service from these professionals, we must invest in their training,” he said.

He also commended Ademola Adeleke for what he described as transformative interventions across different sectors of the university.

The donor, Debola Osibogun, said the project fulfilled a promise she made over 20 years ago in memory of her father.

“We lost our father when we were very young, yet the values he instilled in us, discipline, integrity and duty, never left me. They have shaped every phase of my life,” she said.

Osibogun described her late father as a distinguished civil servant, banker and community leader who contributed to the establishment of the old Cooperative Bank, later merged into Skye Bank and now Polaris Bank.

She added that he was among intellectuals who worked with late Obafemi Awolowo on the free education policy in the old Western Region.

“Beyond his professional achievements, he was part of the intellectual think tank around Chief Obafemi Awolowo that gave birth to free education in the Western Region. That legacy touched millions of lives.

What began as a pledge to build a law library has grown into something even more significant. We are not here merely to commission a library, but a fully furnished moot court where future legal minds will sharpen their advocacy skills and prepare for the service of justice,” she stated.

In his remarks, Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup praised the donor and other individuals supporting the development of the university, urging more well-meaning Nigerians to contribute to the institution’s growth.

The monarch described the Vice Chancellor as dynamic and visionary, noting that the university had continued to record impressive progress despite being relatively young.

“We are very lucky to have a Vice Chancellor like Professor Taiwo Olufemi Asaolu. He has been very dynamic. This is a university that is yet to produce its first graduates, yet almost all the faculties are performing excellently,” the monarch said.

“I am pleading to others to emulate those doing good things for this university. Government cannot do it alone. What we are witnessing today is a catalyst that will help this university achieve its goals and become one of the best institutions in Nigeria,” he added.

Also speaking, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Adeola A. Oluwabiyi, described the commissioning of the moot court as a major milestone for the faculty and legal education in the institution.

Oluwabiyi commended Debola Osibogun for the intervention, noting that the facility would help students develop advocacy skills, legal reasoning and professional ethics needed in the legal profession.