The Chairman of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Oba Otudeko has urged members of dreaded sect Boko Haram in the north to emulate Muslim fellows in the South West in the area of peaceful cohabitation with non-Muslims.
Otudeko stated this weekend shortly after he received honorary doctor of Science (honoris Causa) along with the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in Northern Nigeria, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu and two other prominent Nigerian billionaire businessmen from the Crescent University, Abeokuta.
The university during its fifth convocation conferred on Lemu, Otudeko, Chairman , CFAO Nigeria Plc, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas and the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu honourary doctorate degrees in Public Administration, Banking and Finance, Accounting and Business Administration, respectively.
According to him, the award conferred on me by an Islamic based university despite my religious difference has shown clearly that, we in the South West cohabit peacefully.
“ I want to appeal to our brothers who will not be like us in Yorubaland that we must live peacefully regardless of religious differences . my sister from the same mother is a Muslim, I have nephews who are Alhaja and I went to Arabic school for my Secondary School.
“ Let us serve with love and affection, let us not fight one another, “, Otudeko appealed.
In his remarks, the proprietor of the University, Judge Bola Ajibola described the four honorees as people who have distinguished themselves in their various callings and continue to make marks in the country.
Ajibola further said that, the institution which prides itself as first Islamic private University in Nigeria chose the awarded because of their contribution to the country.
Meanwhile, an Oba in Ogun state, the Towulade of Akinale in Ewekoro Local Government, Oba Femi Ogunleye was part of the 140 students that graduated this year from the University .
Out of the graduating students eight passed with first class grade, 55 got second class upper division while 54 passed out with 3rd class grade.