A Professor of Educational Evaluation at the University of Ibadan, Professor Elizabeth Adenike Emeke has recommended resilience as a crucial strategy for navigating the challenges of life.
She gave this advice in her valedictory lecture titled “Sojourning in Nigeria’s Premier University: A Counsellor-Evaluator’s Journey of Growth, Resilience, and Hope.
Professor Emeke, who drew from her extensive academic and life experiences, emphasised that growth, resilience, and hope are vital tools for overcoming obstacles.
She advised that seeing challenges as opportunities for adaptation, learning, and personal growth is essential for a successful life.
Professor Emeke praised the University of Ibadan for its commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and social responsibility.
She noted that the university environment had inspired both staff and students to learn from their mistakes, persevere through challenges, and emerge stronger.
She encouraged individuals to view problems as challenges, focus on controllable aspects, avoid being defined by negative events, and move beyond the blame game.
She said people should cultivate the habit of forgiveness, both towards others and themselves, and learn to move on from unmet goals.
Professor Emeke also advised that finding time to relax, learning from resilient individuals, embracing change, practising optimism, engaging in expressive writing, and cultivating gratitude are keys to personal growth.
Reflecting on her 35-year career at the University of Ibadan, Professor Emeke stated that the principles of growth, self-discovery, resilience, and hope that she learned will continue to guide and inspire her future endeavours.
She encouraged both teaching and non-teaching staff to explore the university’s opportunities for social development and networking, which are crucial for building a thriving career.
Professor Emeke shared insights from her counselling work and noted that “everyone has a story not told and a journey not shared.”
She said that through countless conversations and counselling sessions, she observed the power of hope and perseverance, seeing how both students and staff find ways to overcome their challenges with resilience.
Professor Emeke urged everyone, both within and outside the university, to embrace their personal journeys with courage, humility, and open hearts.
Professor Elizabeth Adenike Emeke obtained B.Ed, M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Ibadan. She was born on 19 August 1954. She joined the services of the University of Ibadan in 1979 as an Editor II and was re-designated as a full-fledged teaching staff, starting as a Research Fellow II in 1989, and rose to the position of a professor in 2007.
Professor Emeke humourously conferred upon herself the title ‘Native of UI,’ after 49 years of sojourn on UI campus, having schooled in UI, worked for 45 years and lived on UI campus for 40 years.
