2. It
gives me a great pleasure to on behalf of Board of Governors of ETSI, give this
address which I can appropriately call my inaugural address to this august
assembly as the new Chairman.
3. I
however can’t afford to continue with this address without first and foremost
acknowledging the great work of the immediate past Board of Governors under the
most enviable leadership of Prof. Luke Dayo Edungbola. This is a team that has aptly left its mark
on the solid sand of progress in this Institution. I invite this assembly to please rise and
applaud God for the excellent administrative and advisory work this enviable
team had done. May the good Lord reward
you for all your labour.
4. Let
me also acknowledge the current hard working management team of the Institution
under the visionary leadership of Prof. Julius Lawal, the Provost. It certainly won’t be an overstatement to assert
that this team has, within the last one year, given the Institution a face-lift
that beats human imagination. The
development, spiritual and physical, are all there for us to see. This team also deserves our applause. So also do the Academic, Faculty and indeed
all members of staff deserve commendation for their commitment and zeal to
serve.
5. Distinguished
Ladies and Gentlemen, I don’t intend to bore you with the background history of
ETSI. The man who knows it better, the
Provost, has already adequately done that.
He has also presented to us a comprehensive update on the academic
achievements and the Institution’s future plans to further strengthen this
area, especially the efforts to add the NCE programme and courses for the award
of PhD to the existing curriculum. Not
the least, I congratulate the 250 students that are graduating today. They are in this order: 3 each from the Women
Bible School and Certificate in Pastoral Studies Class; 12 will be awarded
certificate in Theology; 10 Diploma in Pastoral Studies while 17 are graduating
with Diploma in Theology. For the
Bachelor of Arts Degrees we have 32 in Christian Education, 38 in Pastoral
Studies, 24 in Theology, and 10 in Missions.
At the Master of Arts level, we have 8 graduands in Divinity; 12 in
Christian Education, 6 in Missions and Evangelism, 2 in Theology (Old
Testament), 1 in Systematic Theology, and 14 in Theological Studies.
6. For
us at ETSI, it is not only the achievement of milestones worthy of recognition
that excites us but we are more excited at the prospect of God using us to meet
the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ as in Matthew 9: 37 – 38 to send more
labourers forth into the field for the harvest is plenteous. If labourers were
few at that time and the harvest plenteous, the need for labourers in this
generation cannot be over-emphasized.
7. Our
joy on this occasion is not only that these gradaunds have successfully passed
through the walls of the Seminary but that God has given us the privilege of
joining Him to equip these arrows in His quiver for the harvest of souls into
His Kingdom.
8. For
the graduands I say CONGRATULATIONS!
Today you have stepped into a significant milestone in your life’s
journey. Having been with us for a specified period and acquitting yourselves
creditably in our prescribed programmes, you are today considered worthy of
bearing the stamp of authority that this Seminary confers. Congratulations! My charge to you as directed
by the angel of the Lord in Acts 5 vs 20 is to “Go, take your stand in the
temple courts and declare to the people the whole doctrine concerning this Life
(the eternal life which Christ revealed) AMB.
We have given you the doctrine of Life .
Go and pronounce it in the temple courts.
9. My
dear graduands, as I, on behalf of the Board and Management of ETSI
congratulate you and your families on this memorable occasion, let me hasten to add that with your
qualification comes a concomitant responsibility to be good and faithful
ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Church and finally ETSI. As we release you today, LET THE BEAUTY OF
JESUS BE SEEN IN YOU ALWAYS. You are our epistle to the WORLD and our God who
is able to do immeasurably beyond that which we can ever think, ask or imagine
will be with you and give you a good success. Amen.
10. Distinguished
Ladies and Gentlemen, furtherance of this vision of the present board and management
to make ETSI first among its equals spiritually and academically, I have, at
this juncture to make my special appeal to you, our dear guests, to please
massively come to our aid. The Provost
has, again, painstakingly itemized the needs of the Seminary yearning for
immediate attention. They include tarring of the Seminary road from the town’s
main road, fencing of the entire Seminary land to ward off un-invited elements
and stop incursions on the land; and more hostel accommodation for the students,
many of whom currently live off campus. These challenges, I agree, are monumental,
but I am convinced that with the Lord on our side, they are surmountable. To kick-start the process of meeting these
challenges headlong, I hereby on behalf of the Board of Governors donate the
sum of one million (N1m). Finally, as we leave this place, let the need
to contribute to the work of God in ETSI
be a constant reminder in our
thoughts. We need your prayers and your
financial support.
11. Thank
you for all you have done so far, and thank you for what you will now resolve
to do. As we depart from here, I commend us all to the loving hands of our Lord
Jesus Christ for journey mercies back to our various destinations.
12. Thank
you and may God bless you ALL.
Elder(Dr) Samson A. Opaluwah, PhD,fnse,fniob, fnice
Chairman
Board
of Governors.
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