Korede Bello Shuns NIJ’s 5th convocation

By Chuks Nwankwo

Nigerian afro singer, Korede Bello was missing at his alma mater, the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) on Friday, April 20, as his mates had their convocation.

The convocation, is the 5th edition held at the institution’s campus in Ogba, Lagos.

The absence of the singer was obvious, which left an iota of doubt in the minds of his fans since Korede was not present to receive his award; when he was called upon.

Given his popularity and active academic performance in the school, where he also did his National Diploma (ND), many had looked forward to at least sighting him.

Our correspondent at the ceremony could not immediately reach his managers for comments, but it was obvious that his absence was felt, especially by fresh students of the school who would have used the opportunity to sight the artiste.

However, the rest of the ceremony went as planned.

Provost of the institute Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye, used the opportunity to speak against the brown envelope syndrome warning aspiring journalists to stay away from it, as it has a way of destroying their career.

An outstanding person during the convocation was Ms. Oguchukwu Asiegbu, a Higher National Diploma (HND) graduate, who not only finished with Distinction, but also went home with four awards

She expressed joy at the feat, and encouraged other students to be determined and take their study serious.

According to her, students have a duty to choose right by working hard.

Aside the speeches and awards, the convocation also provided immense opportunity for current students of the institution to demonstrate their entrepreneurship capability.

Many of them cashed in on the moment to produce souvenirs they promptly sold at the event.

One of them Queen Alfred told our reporter that the umbrella her group made totally sold out, adding that the whole thing was an eye-opener for them.

Another student, Jessica Kings, who participated in the entrepreneurship exhibition, described the convocation as a huge success.