Patron Became the 7th Chancellor, University of Benin

The Patron of the Institute, Alh. Muh'd Sa' ad Abubakar III, mni, FIOR, was appointed Chancellor, University of Benin by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alh. Umar Musa Yar'adua.

The Investiture of His Eminence which took place on Saturday, 21st July, 2007 was witnessed by many dignitaries including first class traditional rulers and Governors from five states. The Patron in his speech called for greater academic freedom and expansion of the admission and recruitment bases of Nigerian Universities. He said, "Only through the freedom of membership and the freedom of inquiry and research can a University be drawn into the full firmament of thought from which new knowledge comes". He further urged Nigerian researchers to find indigenous solutions to national problems, saying it was unfortunate that Nigerians had to wait for institutions like the World Bank to discover domestic solutions to their problems.

Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, SGF, representing the President, Alh. Umaru Musa Yar'adua said the Universities must partner with the government to achieve the goal of turning around Nigeria through the development of human capital. The president further urged the Universities to engage the organized private sector to raise funds to supplement funding from government, while not compromising academic freedom, accountability and fairness.