A distinguished New York licensed attorney based in Texas, United Sates of America, Dr. Segun Asekun was in the University on Friday, 26TH February, 2021 to lay the foundation stone of “Olusegun Asekun Law Resource Centre”.
The donor, an alumnus of the University who graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1992, was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Asekun, members of the Asekun family and a sizeable number of friends from Texas.
Speaking during the brief but colourful event, Dr. Segun Asekun said that he was grateful to God for making his idea of constructing a Law Resource Centre for his Alma mater come to fruition. He stated further that the rigorous training he and his course mates received while in the Law Faculty had really assisted him to survive and excel while in the USA. According to him, the training came handy and it was what actually motivated him to conceive the idea of this Law Resource Centre Project.
He said, ”One thing is to have an idea, another thing is to realize it. I have been nursing this idea of constructing a Law Resource Centre for OOU. Thank God for this opportunity. I am so grateful to God Almighty for giving me this privilege to lay the foundation stone of this Law Resource Centre.”
”While at OSU, we went through double edge programme; double edge in the sense that we studied under a stressful condition with no access to modern facilities. I represented my Faculty at a Moot Court competition in Lagos without the necessary exposure to how a Court looks like. That was the motivation behind this project. Not that I am rich or super rich.”
The donor promised to complete the project in a record time. He acknowledged the fact that government alone cannot fund education, therefore, he appealed to his colleagues alumni to rise up to the occasion by assisting the University.
Welcoming Dr. Asekun, his family members and the Faculty of Law Alumni set of 1992 to the Quadrangle of the Law Faculty where the event took place, the immediate past Dean of the Faculty who is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Charles Adekoya informed the gathering that the Faculty was lucky to be blessed with good and committed alumni whose support to the Faculty in the last one year would not be less than N10 million. He described Dr. Asekun as a good example of the commitment shown to the development of the Faculty by the alumni.
”Let me say that this Faculty is lucky to have alumni who are kind-hearted and fully committed to the development of their Faculty. In the last one year or so, the contribution of the alumni towards the development of this Faculty cannot be less than N10million,” he stated.
Prof. Adekoya called on the gathering to join him in thanking the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde, for the unprecedented support the Faculty has received from his administration.
He stated: ”Without mincing words, the Faculty of Law was lucky to have Prof. Ganiyu Olatunde as our VC. His administration had recently supported the Faculty in the area of infrastructural development and teaching materials. Our newly constructed Moot Court is now a standard one and even better than some High Courts. The sitting arrangement in the entire Faculty is unique with the provision of padded chairs and modern furniture. Of recent we have received Interactive Smart Boards from the University. Therefore, I want all of you, on behalf of the Law Faculty, to thank the Vice- Chancellor for this unprecedented support.”
Speaking during the programme, the Vice- Chancellor welcomed Dr. Segun Asekun with members of his family and indeed the entourage that accompanied him from Texas, USA. Prof. Olatunde, was immensely grateful to the donor for deeming it appropriate to come and donate such iconic building to his Faculty. In the words of the Vice-Chancellor, ” I am highly impressed with your philanthropic gesture and I pray that God Almighty will give you the special grace and required resources to complete this project you’re turning its sod today.”
The Vice-Chancellor said that it was a thing of joy for him to see the alumni of the University extending their hands of fellowship by giving back to their alma-mater. He revealed that the students from the University, especially, those from the Faculty of Law have been performing excellently from the feedback the University got from their employers.
Prof. Olatunde emphasized the need for the alumni and the University to continue working harmoniously in moving the University forward. In his presentation of the 3D architectural drawings to the gathering, the Site Architect, Mr. Hakeem Afeez explained that the proposed building will be known as ” Dr. Olusegun Asekun Law Resource Centre.” It is a story building with the ground floor consisting of two judges’ chambers, two court rooms with enough space to accommodate the audience, four offices, porter’s lodge and a store. He explained further that the first floor has a big resource center, a library, two court rooms with a void over the courtyard and the entire gallery. In addition to these, the floor also has three consultation rooms for attorneys and eight distinct offices with modern conveniences and amenities.
The colorful event was rounded off with a vote of thanks delivered by the Ag. Dean, Faculty of Law, Dr. Gbade Akinmade who profusely thanked the donor for singularly handling such an iconic building. He prayed for the safe return of all present to their various destinations.
