The Edo Unity League (EUL) worldwide has hailed the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and its sprawling 1,748-hectare estate as a “metaphorical rare earth” resource of unparalleled strategic importance to the Federal Government’s development agenda.
Releasing a detailed position paper on Sunday after its Annual General Meeting of Trustees and Members, the League commended the university’s alignment with national priorities.
“It is evidentially clear that the University of Benin under the leadership of Prof. Edoba Omoregie SAN has strategically keyed-in to these transformative frameworks, and thus worthy of commendation, as well as expanded scope of collaboration,” the statement declared.
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Through its Coordinator General, Professor Akenuwa J. Obarogie, the League described UNIBEN as “an invaluable national asset with a unique combination of expansive contiguous land, excellent history, an outstanding new leadership team and exceptional human capital.”
The 1,748-hectare landmass, it stressed, constitutes “metaphorical ‘rare earth,’ symbolising its extraordinary potential to serve as a hub and value chain for Edo State and Nigeria’s broader development agenda.”
The League showered praise on the Vice Chancellor, stating: “The appointment of Professor Edoba Omoregie, SAN, has injected renewed confidence in UNIBEN’s institutional trajectory.
His prolific administration demonstrates high governance quality, strategic alignment with national policies, and an unwavering commitment to leveraging UNIBEN’s assets for inclusive socio-economic transformation.”
Emphasising the university’s readiness to drive national progress, the EUL asserted that UNIBEN, with its community of over 50,000 students and distinguished faculty, “is a powerhouse for national human resource development” and is already strengthening research infrastructure and fostering innovation hubs that directly support federal priorities.
The position paper presented far-reaching proposals for partnership, urging the Federal Government, Edo State Government, international partners and the organised private sector to establish pilot mechanised agriculture and livestock projects on UNIBEN land, expand federal research funding and scientific infrastructure, build a much-needed CNG conversion and training hub for the South-South region, develop vocational training centres and mechanic villages for Edo youth, and construct university-managed affordable housing estates.
The League concluded with a clarion call: “The Edo Unity League emphasises that UNIBEN is not merely an academic institution but a strategic national asset pivotal to Edo State and Nigeria’s economic diversification and technological progress.”
It added, “This investment is imperative to unlocking the full potential of UNIBEN’s metaphorical rare earth and building a resilient value chain that benefits present and future generations of Nigerians.”
The document, already in circulation among key federal ministries, the Edo State Government and major private-sector stakeholders, has reportedly generated significant interest, with early indications of planned high-level engagements in the coming weeks.
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