Mrs. Ortom’s Ph.D convocation: How drums rolled to celebrate


Drums were rolled out in Makurdi, the Benue State capital on the 25th of March 2017 to celebrate the wife of the Governor, Benue State Mrs. Eunice Erdoo Ortom who added a colourful feather to her cap of educational attainment. Mrs. Ortom was among  149 graduands who the Benue State University Makurdi having found worthy, both in character and learning, conferred on them Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in various disciplines,  during her 16th and 17th combined convocations ceremony.
For members of the Benue state first family, their friends and well-wishers, it was a long weekend enthralled in fascinating activities packaged to accord honour to the first lady for reaching the zenith of academic qualification.  The long, well planned and meticulously implemented activities to mark the accomplishment of the first lady hit the ground running with a foundation laying ceremony for the construction of a female hostel at the Benue State University on Friday 24th March 2017. The first lady alongside her husband Governor Samuel Ortom performed the function in the presence of eminent personalities from the political class among them top government functionaries. The hostel is to be donated to the institution.  
According to the Governor and his wife, the gesture of constructing and donating a female hostel to the Benue State University was a way of giving back to the university which they both had drank from its fountain of knowledge. They both expressed hopes that the new development will ameliorate the sufferings which female students of the university experience with accommodation, as well afford them more comfort to concentrate on their studies.
The wife of the Governor later, on the same day, graced the Convocation Lecture which was delivered by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on the theme “ Entrepreneurship Development, Unemployment Reduction and Economic Growth in Nigeria”
The climax of the celebration, which is the convocation proper, took place on Saturday 25th March 2017, at the University’s convocation square. Mrs Ortom, beautifully clothed in an academic gown, marched gracefully along other graduating students, to the rhythm of music played by the Benue State Police musical band and the University’s choir, into the convocation arena and took her seat among other graduands. She watched the program of events as the unfolded. High point of the occasion was the conferment of varying categories degrees and diplomas to a total of 12, 388, graduands, in various disciplines. 
Mrs. Ortom would later be conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Political Science. Keeping with a tradition of honouring Ph.D graduates, Mrs Ortom as well as the other Ph.D graduates were called out to have a hand shake with the Visitor to the University, after the conferment.  The first lady got the crowd at the event clapping cheerfully as she stretched into a warm embrace of the Visitor to the University who is her husband Governor Samuel Ortom. Instead of the traditional handshake, when it got to her turn to take the Visitor’s handshake, she added a touch of romance to the event.
 Later in the day, friends and well-wishers reconvened in Benue Hotels where they treated guests to an elaborate dinner party in her honour. It was a night of intense celebration, smiles and showers of encomium as guests from the state and outside its shores including the Governor, members of the state executive council, took turns to bath the first lady with encomiums. There was a consensus in all the speeches. Certainly everybody described the first lady as humble, hardworking, caring, with a touch of humanness in all of her interactions with people. Even her smiles according to them speak of humility.
Deputy Governor Engr. Benson Abounu, his wife, Justice Mary Abounu as well as the Speaker Benue State house of Assembly Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange led other dignitaries to deliver good will messages.
Dr.Mrs. Ortom dedicated the degree to God, and her husband for all his support and encouragement.
A Thanksgiving service was held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God Mega Parish Gboko Road, Makurdi the following day. She attributed her attainment to God quoting from Ecclesiastic 9:11, “the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned, but time and chance happen to them all. The grace of God has taken me through the test, I owe him my thanks,” she said.
 Governor Samuel Ortom on his part at any given opportunity told the audience that “giving his wife education was the best gift he could give to his children”.
Last year, Dr Mrs Ortom defended her Ph.D thesis title “The State and Industrial development: A case Study of Ajaokuta Steel Company
Lucy Ackanyon is a reporter with THE VOICE posted to office of wife of the Governor, Benue State. 
 By Lucy Ackanyon

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