By Stanley Onyekwere
The University of Calabar (UNICAL) Graduates Elite Club, Abuja, has called on alumni associations, non-profits, and emerging ventures across Nigeria to move beyond traditional, one-off giving and embrace strategic capacity building to drive sustainable, long-term impact.
The call was made during the club’s maiden “Best of the Best” Awards and Fundraising Dinner held over the weekend in Abuja.
The landmark event honoured excellence across various sectors while establishing a new paradigm for institutional support, strategic engagement, and urgent resource mobilization.
Delivering the keynote address, Rev. Fr. Bakwaph Peter Kanyip, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kaduna working at Veritas University, Abuja, emphasized the immediate need for alumni to rally around their alma mater during a critical juncture.
“The university is in dire need of the resuscitation of its College of Medical Sciences, which has been under suppression for some time and given six months to resuscitate.
“There are many needs, including student hostels, the teaching hospital, the transportation system, and general facilities.
“We are calling on graduates and affiliates of the university to contribute so that the college can regain full accreditation,” Fr. Kanyip stated.
He urged all participants to maintain an active, permanent connection with the institution, highlighting that targeted alumni intervention can directly address pressing infrastructure and academic deficits.
Echoing these sentiments, Dr. Chioma Uzo-Udegbunam, President of the UNICAL Graduates Elite Club, stressed that the bond between a university and its former students must extend far past graduation or ceremonial visits.
“The University of Calabar has invested knowledge, values, and opportunities in generations of graduates, and those graduates, in turn, have an important role to play in strengthening the institution that helped shape them,” Dr. Uzo-Udegbunam stated.
She advocated for a continuous, mutually beneficial partnership where alumni actively channel their expertise, professional networks, innovative ideas, and financial support back into the university, while the institution continues to serve as a platform for connection and lifelong learning.
Addressing the economic realities faced by non-profits and emerging ventures in Nigeria, Dr. Uzo-Udegbunam noted that fundraising must be driven by strategy, credibility, and meaningful collaboration rather than basic financial solicitation.
“Good ideas, noble causes, and innovative initiatives cannot achieve their full potential without the resources required to translate vision into measurable impact.
“In the Nigerian environment, where organisations often operate within significant resource constraints, the ability to mobilize and manage resources strategically has become indispensable,” she noted.
She added that sustainable development occurs at the intersection of commitment and capacity—where active alumni engagement provides the sense of responsibility, and strategic fundraising delivers the power to transform that vision into concrete action.
Dr. Uzo-Udegbunam expressed optimism that the strategic dialogues and partnerships forged during the dinner would invigorate a shared dedication to service, institutional growth, and national development.
As the club approaches its third anniversary, the event marked its first official awards ceremony, tagged “The Best of the Best,” designed to inspire excellence across diverse fields while giving back to society and the university.
According to Michael Adiele, Chairman of the Planning Committee, a total of 26 awardees were recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to high standards.
Notably, the awards extended beyond corporate sectors to honor grassroots achievements, including local markets recognized for exceptional cleanliness and overall performance.
“The initiative was designed to encourage individuals across various businesses and endeavors to strive for excellence in all they do.
“Personal success is built on the impact of institutions and individuals during one’s growth, serving as the core motivation to give back to the university where its members graduated,”Adiele explained.
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