On Wednesday 12 July, the Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows Association, Nigeria (COSFAN) inaugurated the Lagos State Chapter of the association to facilitate alumni engagement in the South-West region. As part of the inauguration, attendees were invited to join an information session on Commonwealth Scholarship opportunities, led by a panel of alumni and leaders in higher education.
Inaugurating the Lagos State Chapter Interim Executive Committee
The day opened with a visit to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folashade Ogunsola. The visit provided an opportunity to introduce COSFAN and the Lagos Chapter and explore ways of collaborating in future.
Before formally inaugurating the Interim Executive Committee, COSFAN’s South-West Region Coordinator, Dr ‘Toun Mustapha (2002 Scholar), delivered a welcome speech to attendees. She emphasised COSFAN’s objectives to give back to society, advance education, and deploy the skills of alumni to achieve sustainable development in Nigeria.
COSFAN President, Dr Ekundayo Samuel (2017 Split-site Scholar) echoed these words and stressed the importance of chapters across states in Nigeria in amplifying alumni impact. He shared that Lagos was the first of what COSFAN hopes to be many more chapters which state governments and relevant bodies can collaborate with.
On behalf of COSFAN’s Board of Trustees, Emeritus Professor Olugbemiro Jegede (1979 Commonwealth Alumnus) shared a goodwill message, in which he hoped that as well as connecting alumni across states, there would be opportunities to grow networks with CSC alumni associations across the Commonwealth.
Members of the Lagos Chapter Interim Executive are:
- Dr Temilola Oluseyi (2007 Split-site Scholar and 2013 Academic Fellow), Chairperson
- Dr Adedeji Michael (2012 Shared Scholar), Secretary
- Stephanie Akinwoya (2018 Distance Learning Scholar), Treasurer
- Lilian Elochukwu Efobi (2021 Shared Scholar), Publicity Secretary
On behalf of the committee, Chairperson Dr Temilola Oluseyi committed to working at the regional and national level to promote COSFAN and engage Commonwealth Alumni.
Promoting Commonwealth Scholarship opportunities
The event included a panel discussion on applying for Commonwealth Scholarships, including eligibility, how to submit a quality application, and the benefits of the scholarship. Panelists included: Dr Julie Acholonu, Deputy Director, Commonwealth Division, Federal Scholarship Board, Federal Ministry of Education; Professor Olayinka Nwachukwu (2003 Scholar), Dean, College of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; Dr Badia Maje-Sayyadi, Heads of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala,Kano State; and Engr. Adewale Adeniyi (2021 Shared Scholar), Project Manager, Pivot-GIS, Lagos.
The panel ended with an open Q&A session and the event was closed with a vote of thanks delivered by Professor Rosemary Egonmwan (1984 Scholar).
