Afe Babalola University wins 2017 United Nations Competition
The warren of Awards, commendations and encomiums as well as laurels that has been the lot of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has continued with 11 Final Year Law Students of the University winning this year’s edition of the Lagos Model United Nations (LMUN) Competition.
The Competition was among 200 students from 25 Nigerian Universities and two from the United Kingdom.
The 11 bright and lucky Law students that have done the university proud and put it on international grid of excellence once again are: Ayomide Olanrewaju, Ogor Esenwah, Unyimeh Eyo, Idara Mark and Olunlade Olwasegun as well as Tonyola Eke. Others are Ejibunu Abidemi, Oreofe Olorunsogo, Ayodeji Johnson and Daranijo Joshua as well as Egbude Blossom Ada.
This feat came some three weeks after 14 students of the university travelled to China on July 4, 2017 on a three-week scholarship to sharpen their proficiency in Chinese language and culture.
The three-day International Relations Simulation Conference organized by the Faculty of Law of University of Lagos was a unique avenue for delegates/participants to interact effectively using debates and other methods of communication and negotiation to provide innovative and ground-breaking solutions to African and global issues.
The LMUN which flagged off in 2016 with over 100 delegates is the largest United Nations Model conference organized by any university in Nigeria and indeed the West African sub-region.
During the simulation, the students took on the roles of Diplomats from other countries and International organizations to simulate various committees of international bodies such as the United Nations and the African Union.
Throughout the entire LMUN process, delegates/participants were able to sharpen their communication skills, learnt the art of Diplomacy, Public speaking, Resolution writing, International Law, International Politics, International Economics/Trade Relations and the complexities of International Negotiations as well as Teamwork/cooperation.
The Conference was made up of five Committees of the United Nation and two committees of the African Union. They are: The Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, The United Nations Human Right Council, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Executive Council of the African Union as well as the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOC) of the African Union.
The ABUAD delegation was assigned two countries, USA and Libya, which they represented as delegates. The delegates were thereafter placed in the various Committees to address, deliberate, draft and pass resolutions on topics in accordance with the peculiarities of the countries assigned.
Some of the topics discussed across the various committees were Ensuring a Suitable Environment for Post Conflict Rehabilitation by Establishing Sustainable Economic, Political and Social Structures (The United Nation General Assembly), Empowering Grass Root Innovation and Local Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries for Poverty Reduction (The United Nations Development Program) and Addressing the Custom of Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation and Other Harmful Cultural Practices and Its Impact on The Girl Child (The United Nations Children Fund).
Others included Enforcing Emergency Action, Sanctions and the Sovereignty of Nations (The United Nations Security Council), Addressing the Long Term Debate on Torture, Inhumane Treatment and Death Penalty in Africa on the LGBT community (The United Nations Human Rights Council of Nations), and Eliminating All Forms of Violent Crimes and Religious Extremism in Africa (The Executive Council of the African Union) as well as Fostering Global Partnerships for Financing Development (The Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union.)
After three days of deliberations, debating, drafting and passing of resolutions, the conference came to an end with the ABUAD Delegation winning the best University delegation amongst top universities like Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Ibadan (U.I), Babcock University (BU), University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to mention a few.
In addition, Mr. Daranijo Joshua and Olunlade Oluwasegun won individual Awards as Distinguished Delegates.
The LMUN 2017 also involved deliberations during Committee sessions and encouraged innovative ideas towards proffering solutions to specific world issue through the LMUN Idea Fair. Besides, it endeavoured to smoothen the career paths of future Diplomats and Ambassadors by providing a Career Fair to facilitate their being admitted to the institutions of Higher Education in any part of the world.
According to Oluwasegun Olunlade, “Our ability to stand out with unique to proffering innovative solutions and exhibiting diplomatic skill during the competition was a product of our training as ABUAD students where learning always meets innovation”.
He added: “The most impressive part of our story during the competition was that among the 27 universities, including two universities from the United Kingdom, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti won the Most Outstanding Delegation.
“We are highly honoured to have represented the University at the event and we know that this is just the beginning for the institution in producing young minds who are eager to show the world the stuff Afe Babalola University students are made of and what they are capable of achieving”.