ROYAL HONOURS, ALMAMATER LOYALTY

Ojirrua Celebrates 55 Years With ACC Irrua’s Finest

CampusDialog was there. The projection of education, heritage, and service is our goal.

History stood still in Irrua today as the Ojirrua of Irrua and Okaijesan of Esanland marked his 55th Coronation Anniversary - 55 years of reign, culture, and community building. Today, at 97, the Ojirrua of Irrua and Okaijesan of Esanland is one of the oldest monarchs in Nigeria and among the longest-reigning, having spent 55 years on the traditional stool of the Irrua Kingdom.

But this epoch-making ceremony did more than celebrate a throne. It celebrated a school and the men who refused to forget where they came from.


Two ACC Irrua Alumni Take Centre Stage

At the palace, the Ojirrua honored Dr. Joseph Adonor Ohens and Dr. Austin Omobhude - both distinguished alumni of Annunciation Catholic College, Irrua (ACC).

The citation was clear: “Selfless service and development of the Annunciation Catholic College, Irrua.”

For ACC old boys, this is nothing new. The College has a culture of producing alumni who return to rebuild classrooms, fund labs, and mentor students. Several of these developers have been honored in the past for their uncommon commitment to their almamater. Today’s royal recognition puts that loyalty on the throne’s official record.


ISTH Stands With Its Own

In the same spirit, the Management of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) was fully represented at the event. Their mission: to show solidarity with Dr. Reuben Agbons Eifediyi, the medical director of the hospital and one of their own, who was also honored by the Ojirrua at the anniversary.

It was a triple message: Crown. College. Clinic. Three institutions, one thread - service to Esanland.


CampusDialog Take: What Universities and Schools Must Learn

  1. Alumni Are Infrastructure: ACC Irrua thrives because men like Drs. Ohens and Omobhude treat their school as family, not just a memory. Federal and state universities must build the same culture. TETFund can build blocks, but alumni build legacies.

  2. Royal Institutions Must Reward Excellence: The Ojirrua’s decision to honor service, not just titles, sets a standard. When traditional rulers document and celebrate education, society follows.

  3. Health and Education Equal Community Strength: ISTH showing up for Dr. Eifediyi shows how teaching hospitals should be tied to community heritage. Medicine is not just about beds and drugs; it’s about identity.


The Bigger Picture for 2026 JAMB Candidates

If you are choosing a secondary school or university now, ask yourself: “Will my almamater matter in 30 years?” ACC Irrua’s answer is yes. Because its sons come back. Because the throne remembers. Because service is the admission ticket to history.

As the Ojirrua clocks 55 years on the throne, Irrua reminds Nigeria: Great kingdoms are built when kings honor teachers, doctors, and loyal alumni.


Ambrose Odiase, FIPMA, MANUPA, MAUA (UK), Founding Editor/Publisher, CampusDialog.blogspot.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to CampusDialog - Where Truth Enters the Ivory Tower

Image
For 36 years, I served inside the Nigerian university system - from Assistant Library Officer to Acting Registrar of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. I saw the files. I signed the queries. I enforced standards. I dismissed the guilty. I also watched honest people break under a system that too often rewards compromise over merit. When I retired in April 2025, I knew one thing: I could not retire from the fight for accountability in higher education. That is why I founded CampusDialog . Nigeria’s universities are in crisis. Our institutions rank poorly globally. Our graduates struggle in the labour market. Our research contributes little to national development. And every year, we repeat the same excuses. CampusDialog exists to challenge that cycle. This is not a gossip blog. It is a platform for truth, reform, and accountability. Here, we will expose systemic failures, explain how the university system truly works, spotlight excellence where it exists, and empower students,...
Read more

A Founder’s Manifesto: Why CampusDialog Must Exist

T he Fight I Could Not Retire From I retired in April 2025 But I did not retire from the fight. For 36 years, I served inside the Nigerian university system. I rose from Assistant Library Officer in the University Library to Executive Officer, where I climbed the ladder to the position of Principal Executive Officer 1.  A cadre in the registry often seen as that of a glorified clerk. Having realised this, I fought for conversion from the executive cadre to the Administrative cadre. From Senior Assistant Registrar to Deputy Registrar, I eventually became Acting Registrar of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, where I retired at the mandatory retirement age. I chaired SSANU AAU. I sat at the national table as a member of the FG/SSANU 2009 Renegotiation Team and served in the 6-Man Joint Secretariat of the renegotiation team. I was also Vice-Chairman of NLC Edo State. Professionally, I remained active, serving as Chairman of ANUPA  Association of Nigerian University Professional Adm...
Read more

PART 1- Private Universities Setting the Pace for Academic Excellence and Research Breakthrough: A Special Focus on ABUAD

In my last article, I exposed the rot in Nigerian ivory towers. The fraud. The indiscipline. The reason we never rank. Today, I show you the cure. While public universities decay under the weight of strikes, corruption, and abandoned research, one private university has done the impossible in 16 years: it beat them all. Its name is Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti. ABUAD. And its story begins not in Ekpoma or Nsukka, but in Lagos. With a scandal. 1. Before ABUAD: The UNILAG “Surgical Operation” To understand ABUAD, you must understand why Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, OFR, built it. Between 2000 and 2008, Aare Afe Babalola served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Lagos. He met a university bleeding from within. Allegations were rife: selling of degrees by top UNILAG professors, examination misconduct, and gross financial mismanagement. In the UNILAG Senior Staff Club was an apartment called the "slaughter house," where female students were alleged...
Read more