American University of Nigeria graduates 291

Two hundred and ninety-one bachelor’s degrees and honorary doctorates were conferred during American University of Nigeria’s fifth commencement ceremonies that took place on May 11, 2013.
Four seniors graduated Summa Cum Laude, having scored a CGPA (cumulative grade point average) above 3.9 on a four-point scale.
Those that received the honorary Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) degrees included keynote speaker, Ms. Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a renowned American journalist, author and civil rights icon, and the late Dr. Abubakar Imam, a leading light in the educational development of northern Nigeria.
Dr. Imam’s honour went to his son representing the deceased’s family.
During her keynote address, Hunter-Gault encouraged graduates to uphold community service, which is a primary mission at AUN and to draw inspiration from such great leaders as Nelson Mandela and others who stood for what is right.
She said: “The development this University is committed to and the projects it has launched in that regard that are aimed at stimulating innovation–enhancing economic empowerment, and including the women who can hold up half the sky if given the chance, respecting and protecting the environment, and establishing sustainability – all will not be of benefit  only to  this community in which it sits, but could serve as a model for the  entire country and  continent, woefully in need of  those kinds of initiatives.”
Nineteen-year-old Communications & Multimedia Designs major, Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan, the class valedictorian, was the overall best graduand, winning four academic awards for 2013.
Sogbesan shared her experience about the AUN’s transformative influences and acknowledged the importance and contributions of faculty and staff members, and fellow students and the culture of hard work, excellence and community service.
Serving as class speaker, Faridah Ibrahim, former President of the Student Government Association, drew attention to the poverty challenges facing the larger society.
Other top graduates included Lawrence Osekhale Iriogbe and Molabowale Khaliq Williams, both Bachelor of Arts Economics; and Zainab Shamsiya Usman, Bachelor of Computer Science, and Efe O. Abighe and Fuad Umar Farouk.  Mayosore Famotibe, Adolphus Bassey, Chisom S. Okoli, Raliat Alabi, Shalom Otuene, Daniel Maimagani, Osarenogae Ogieva, Zainab Abdulsalam, Abdullahi Ringim, Faridah O. Ibrahim also received awards for leadership along with Tiza Terkimbi, Abubakar Auta Abubakar, Oluwamayowa Kosemani, and Sherifat Akintunde.
AUN President, Margee Ensign, congratulated the 2013 class and acknowledged the enormous support of their family members.
Ensign underscored AUN’s tradition of excellence and goal to become Africa’s premiere development university.
She said: “Our mission is to foster development while training our students to become the next generation of leaders. She highlighted AUN’s state of the art facilities including an e-Library that “once completed will be among the best in the world.”
More than 3,000 people attended the commencement celebration.
Among them were family members, AUN faculty, students and alumni, traditional rulers and academics from other institutions.
Top dignitaries at the occasion included former Vice President and AUN Founder, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; the US Ambassador, Terence McCulley; outgoing EU Ambassador, Dr. David Macrae; Rwandan High Commissioner, Sir Joseph Habineza; Irish Ambassador, Patrick Fay; Class of 2010 Commencement Speaker, Dr. Haroun Al-Rasheed Adamu; Professor Saleh Abdu of the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State; Professor Saminu Ibrahim of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Professor Maxwell Gidado of Nasarawa State University; Professor Hussein Sert, the Vice Chancellor of Nigerian-Turkish Nile University, Abuja; Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar I. Ahmadu; Galadima Adamawa, Barr. Aliyu U. Raji, representing the Lamido Adamawa; Gangwari Ganye, Alhaji Umaru A. Sanda; Alhaji Dahiru Mangal, a top entrepreneur and AUN parent; Alhaji Abubakar A. Mustapha, Sarkin Sudan of Adamawa; Alhaji Munir Bankole, the Managing Director of Med-View Airlines; representatives of the service chiefs and the police Inspector-General and more than 40 high school principals from across Nigeria and Cameroon.
AUN is training young Africans to assume the leadership of their societies through a dynamic development process that is based on the enduring values of Africa’s vibrant cultures and rich past.
Founded in 2003, the American University of Nigeria is Africa’s first development university.
It is inspired by the Founder, Atiku Abubakar’s vision that knowledge acquired must be applied to benefit all people.
Located in Yola, AUN is the only private, co-educational, American style university in Sub-Saharan Africa.
All students are required to participate in AUN’s development projects that range from literacy training using ICT to the Adamawa Peacemakers Initiative and the Farm School for Agricultural Entrepreneurship.
AUN is training young Africans to assume the leadership of their societies through a dynamic development process that is based on the enduring values of Africa’s vibrant cultures and rich past.
For additional information, please log on to www.aun.edu.ng.