The Global Alumni Movement

The Alumni Organization has, over the years, made immense contributions to the development of the university, especially in the area of infrastructure and supporting the university administration to maintain standards. The alumni association has built and furnished a students residential hall – The Alumni Hall – which currently provides accommodation for hundreds of female undergraduates. Plans are underway to add two more blocks to the estate. Also, an Alumni Centre is under construction to serve as a secretariat for the association and guest house for visitors to the university.

The first chapter of the Alumni Association outside Nigeria was established in 1999 in Houston, Texas USA. It was indeed a trailblazer to the establishment of Nigerian Universities’ alumni associations in the Diaspora. The motivation was to create a channel to harness available human, intellectual, and material resources of Great Ife Alumni in the Diaspora.

The Houston branch organized the first ever international reunion of Great Ife Alumni in September 2000. At subsequent international reunions, new branches in Dallas/Fort Worth, California (San Francisco/Oakland), and New Jersey/New York were chartered. Our goal is to charter at least one branch in all states in the USA within a decade of existence of the association in the USA. The USA chapter is registered as a non-profit, TAX-EXEMPT organization with postal address at P.O. Box 6931, Houston, TX 77265-6931.

There is also a UK Chapter of the Great Ife Alumni Association recently accredited by the National Chapter in Nigeria. We anticipate that the budding London branch will be able to facilitate the accreditation of new branches in major cities in UK and possibly in other European cities very soon.

Ultimately, our vision is to create a global network of Great Ife Alumni that will generate tremendous benefits through synergy, for our alma mater, our home country- Nigeria, and the various countries that we are residents/citizens. Through our interactions, we intend to foster the interest and welfare of the alumni. The hall mark team spirit of Great Ifes (as we refer to ourselves), our idealism and sensitivity to national issues all combined to motivate this spirit of coming together to give back to the university that immensely contributed to the attainment of our life goals and ambitions.

In sundry and diverse ways, Great Ife Alumni, individually and collectively, regularly contribute to the promotion of excellence and infrastructure development of our alma mater. The USA chapter of the Alumni Association has contributed over $35,000, as at December 2005, to the infrastructural development of the University in the areas of Computerization of some academic departments, the Transcript/Exam Records department, and also refurbishment of the University Health Center.

The alumni body, in the fine tradition of Great Ife intellectual prowess, periodically organizes seminars, symposia and workshops targeted at public enlightenment on issues ranging from immigrant health to taxation and investments. The USA chapter annually participates in voluntary community work at registered charity organizations in our local communities.

The Great Ife family is a happy one indeed, and the alumni are tied to the umbilical cord of a great alma mater whose moto is “For Learning and Culture”. The salutation/clarion call – “Great Ife!” is comparable to the chirping of mother hen to her grateful brood. It is absolutely impossible to attend University of Ife/Obafemi Awolowo University, and not be passionate about the institution.