Only spiritually-connected people can make the most of the adventure of Covenant University because it's an absolute Spiritual platform that secures your future and the present, the Chancellor and Chairman, Board of Regents of the University, Dr David O. Oyedepo, has said.
He made the assertion during his remarks at a Special Thanksgiving Service held at the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State, to commemorate the 18th Founder's Day Anniversary of Covenant University.
"God does not only dwell in our midst, He owns the place, He runs the place, and He funds the place. The good news is you (the students) are leaving here as spiritual giants; it will settle every area of your life. Our anchor core value is Spirituality. To be spiritually-minded is life and peace, but to be carnally minded is death. The manifest presence of God moves us forward from day to day," said the Chancellor.
Dr Oyedepo said that the congregation including the Vice-President (Education) Living Faith Church Worldwide, Pastor (Mrs) Faith Oyedepo, and the Resident Pastor, Faith Tabernacle, Pastor David Oyedepo Jr., was at the Tabernacle to say thank you to God for all He had been to Covenant as an institution and all He'd been to members of faculty, staff, and students of the great University built by God.
The last 18 years of the University, said the Chancellor, had been stress-free. "It has been that of grace and glory, liftings, grace and promotions never qualified for, of peace and serenity, of no breaking in of the men of the underworld, of safe movement of students in and out of campus, and of God's divine presence that could not be denied.
While he thanked God for a successful resumption of students after the noisome pestilence and the global pandemic, Dr Oyedepo appreciated God for preserving the students, and for the grace made available to each of them in the ongoing examinations.
"We are here today celebrating the marvelous acts of God in our midst, and it's a debt that we owe, and we've come to pay that debt. We are here to appreciate God so that He can move us to the next level of life. Be grateful as an individual, possess the attitude of gratitude as your lifestyle. No one ever gets grounded being grateful, but to take the acts of God for granted is to be grounded," said Dr Oyedepo.
The Resident Pastor, Pastor David Oyedepo Jr., representing the Board of Regents, said that Covenant was celebrating the faithfulness of God towards the University. He stated that as a Board of Regents, members had seen a spirit-directed leadership mainly spearheaded by the Chairman of the Board.
"We have watched with amazement the testimonies of Covenant University going from glory to glory every single year. In different aspects, we can see the hands of God in terms of the global rating that the University has enjoyed in education, and you look at the global-rated leaders that God is raising out of young men and women on campus. And look at the God-centered Kings and Queens that are taking the world by storm," said the Resident Pastor.
He said that there was nothing the University had experienced that could be explained by the input of man. The impact of Covenant University, he maintained, was simply the working of God, and he believed the 18 years the University had seen was just a dress rehearsal as the future shall be far greater than the past.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Akan Williams, in his "State of the Covenant" address at the occasion, appreciated God for keeping faith with Covenant. The University, he said, had kept the Covenant between it and the students, parents, and stakeholders, and it had been 18 years of God's faithfulness over His University in teaching, learning, research and community service.
While speaking on some of the milestones achieved by the University, Professor Williams said that Covenant had been ranked within the 101-150 bracket by Times Higher Education (THE) in its 2020 Young Universities Ranking, where Covenant moved up 50 places from her former 151-200 bracket in 2019.
The Ag. Vice-Chancellor said that products of Covenant University won gold medals at the World Invention Creativity Olympic (WICO) 2020, held from August 20-22, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. He noted that Team Covenant won the Enactus National Championship two years in a row - 2019 and 2020 - through their PET City project. Solution 17 for Climate Action in Covenant, an initiative of Creative Youth Community Development Initiative (CYCDI) tailored towards addressing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), trained and empowered the 17 successful Covenant teams to mitigate the effect of climate change, he added.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Registrar, Dr Oluwasegun Omidiora appreciated God for what He has done for Covenant in the past 18 years, noting that the only thing members of the University Community could do at a time like this was to return all the glory to the Almighty God. "He has been there right from the beginning, and we have the assurance in Him that He is going to be there for life," he said.
According to the Registrar, whatever the University had seen in times past was going to be a child's play to what would be seen from this time moving forward in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
"There is nothing else we need to ask Him, but to just come before Him to return the glory to him, and what a joy we are gathering at the Faith Tabernacle, the Headquarters of this Great Commission that has been founded by the Hands of God. That is why we have the assurance that this New Year that we are stepping into today, will be a glorious year for us. Everything will be working well for every one of us in the mighty name of Jesus," Dr Omidiora prayed.
Presentations attesting to God's faithfulness were given by both Chairman of the Students Council, Mr Gideon Dada, and the Vice-President, University Relations, Dr Mayowa Agboola.
The Student Council Chairman, who likened the story of his sojourn in Covenant to that of the Biblical Gideon, said he could see the grace of God in his life. "I started as a normal student at Covenant University, going about my daily activities and trying to keep up the pace because it was quite different from where I was coming from. It was not long after that I realized that Covenant University had a lot more to offer than just the certificate. Having realized this, I decided to plug in fully into what this University has in the offing for me," said Mr Dada.
He thanked the Chancellor, Dr David O. Oyedepo, for listening to God and establishing Covenant University to raise a new generation of leaders. "We appreciate you for your labour of love, sacrifices, prayers, blessings, and everything you do for us," he added.
Dr Mayowa Agboola, representing the President, Covenant University Alumni Association, Mrs Kemi Joseph Onabanjo, said that it was with great pleasure that the alumni joined Covenant in celebrating the faithfulness of God and His mighty works in the University over the last 18 years.
Covenant alumni, he averred, were taking their place of pride in industries, academia, ministry, governance and all spheres of life. "Spirituality is a lifelong way of life. It has helped us to continue to make our mark and be clearly distinguished in the marketplace. We recognize our purpose as arrows shot for glory as solution providers, making impacts across the globe," he said.
Dr Agboola, who is the Vice-President, University Relations, said that the alumni were delighted to bring useful reports of Eagles (products of the University) that had been outstanding and brought pride to Covenant. He appreciated God who has placed them in the society to make a difference. He stated that the alumni celebrated with the entire Covenant University community on the grand occasion and prayed that the University continues to move to greater heights, including the speedy attainment of Vision 10:2022 in Jesus name.
Also present at the special service were other members of the Board of Regents, College of Pastors, Covenant Management, Faculty, staff, and students.