As the saying goes, a good name is better than gold and silver. One’s name is one’s trademark or passport which can open or
close doors of opportunities in different contexts. In politics, sports and even on media platforms, some names sell than others. Because of what they do, certain actors/actresses, models, media presenters and bloggers have earned the favour of their fans through the constant re-echo of their names on media channels. Names constitute windows through which people are viewed. Names portray colours by which people are perceived.
These were the words of Mr. Idris Kolawole Katib, a trained communicator, multiply certified marketing communications professional duly chartered by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Institute of Corporate Administration (ICAD), Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) and Centre for Public Service and Productivity (CeProd). He has successfully managed the Public Relations of Crescent University, Abeokuta for 12 years with various achievements. Having worked for close to two decades in different sectors: outdoor, healthcare and now the education sector where he has also made his own impact on brands and organizations, Katib is an award-winning PR Scholar cum professional.
In an interview session with Brands and Images
Magazine, he spoke about Crescent University as a Brand. According to him, it is a known fact that university is the universe of knowledge and all universities have their own uniqueness and brand identity.
Among universities across the globe, Crescent University is distinct and different from its peers. According to Mr. Katib who quoted the former Judge of the International Court of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, the institution is not branding brilliant beasts like some other institutions around but she has distinguished herself by branding global citizens that will bring about developmental change and improvement to the whole wide world.
According to Ajibola, “we are not branding brilliant beasts here. What we are branding are global citizens of the world who will be torchbearers and good ambassadors of our institution and indeed our country”. To him, Boko Haram people are brilliant beasts without character. They went to school, speak good English, are sophisticated in the use of weaponry but are lacking in good moral character. “Fail in moral is fail in all” is our sing- song because character moulding is our choice. It is only the combination of sound knowledge with sound moral discipline that can rid our society of such terrorist insurgency”, Katib said.
He went further, Crescent University Abeokuta is a good moral breeding ground where you find sets of best-behaved students. This has been confirmed by a former state governor who narrated that students of some universities who are indigenes of his state were calling out on others to join the protest against the installation of a traditional ruler.
“Pronto, students from some universities joined the unruliness which led to vandalism of public property. In a testimonial to some stakeholders, the governor revealed that those of this universe of knowledge named Crescent University, Abeokuta resisted the invitation, saying that their university had taught them not to vandalize, rebel or destroy public property at all times.
“The students were also quoted as advocating that legal and peaceful processes should be adopted to resolve issues to the society order. This is uniqueness in a name as a brand which goes beyond reading, passing examinations and obtaining certificates” he continued.
“The institution is a citadel of “academic and moral excellence” and denies students who fail in character their certificates because that is the vision of the visionary, the founder, the jurist, Judge Ajibola. The university has been able to achieve this positioning for itself within sixteen years of existence. The lesson from this is that it is incumbent for the visionary of a name to constantly echo and re-echo why that name exists as a brand. There must be a USP. The uniqueness. The selling point. The flavour, the essence and the substance of that name should not be lost in the crowd”.
“In another instance, a lady who finished her degree at Crescent University, Abeokuta with first-class honours and was certified worthy in character had scholarship to study for her master’s at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. Within the period of her study, the university keenly observed that her punctuality and moral conduct were second to none. Because she was also a distinction student of that university (Robert Gordon), she was asked where the impact of her good attributes came from. Without mincing her words, she named her alma matter, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Nigeria, where knowledge and character were regularly emphasised in her undergraduate days apart from the academic lectures. Having presented the name of her Alma Matter as a unique brand, the lady has equally presented to the outside world that Nigeria could be a good brand despite some black sheep amongst us”, Idris noted.
The institution is keen on breeding a better generation and crop of people that will be beneficial to the world at large as it sees educating of the girl child as a very important part of her agenda.
Going by the statement credited to the great Mustapha that “if you train a woman, you train a nation, another uniqueness in the name of this university of “academic and moral excellence” is the passion to develop girl-child education; to brand women as unique academic products. Therefore, it is no more news that after graduating eleven sets in its sixteen years of existence, Crescent University, Abeokuta has consistently produced more females with first- class honours than males”, he concluded.
Based on the above revelation, Brands and Images is proud to inform the general public to see Crescent University Abeokuta as a first choice where our teeming youth can get quality education, acceptable societal values, morals and to top it all the institution has the best of lecturers you can think of.
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