On behalf of the Chancellor of the Dominican Institute, the Prior Provincial of the Province of St Joseph the Worker, Fr. Ignatius Madumere; on behalf of the Project Implementation Committee of the proposed Dominican University, I rise to sincerely thank you for accepting our invitation to be here this afternoon.

The greatness of a nation is in her future, and for men and women of vision the future is now. The future is already present our dreams, in what we do with those who share our dreams to translate the dreams into reality. For it takes friends to translate dreams into reality.
Today, we Dominican friars are dreaming. We are dreaming of a great nation by dreaming of a great university. And the friendly gesture of your presence here today is a sign that you share our dreams.
We dream of a nation whose sons and daughters will have the opportunity to acquire high quality education, and we dream of a university that will provide this education.
We dream of a nation whose resilient and enterprising people will deploy the skills they acquire from this high quality education to work together to fulfill their individual and collective aspirations, a great nation where people collaborate to actualize their individual and collective potentials.
We dream of a great university where intellectual, moral and technical formation will be rooted in spiritual values.
We dream of an oasis of excellence in tertiary education in our land.
Today, the Dominican University is still a dream. But tomorrow, a tomorrow that is so near it is already here, the dream of the Dominican University will become a reality thanks to the Divine Source of our inspiration, and thanks to each of you our benefactors.
Already, thanks to your generosity, we have accomplished a lot. Thanks to your support, the Dominican Institute stands out among affiliate schools. That is why your presence assures us that our dream of a Dominican University will translate into reality, very soon.
That this University may take off, we have acquired 250 acres of land at Omotosho Village, near Moniya for the construction of the permanent campus. We still owe a debt of 6 million naira to complete the payment.
We have submitted a master plan, worth 10 million naira, to the National Universities Commission. We expect the Commission to be knocking on our doors very soon. Before we can secure a licence to run this University of our dreams, the Commission will seek to verify, among other things, if the present campus of the Dominican Institute has what it takes to be a take off campus, and if some construction work has already started on the permanent campus in Omotosho Village, near Moniya.
To get the current campus ready, we will need to complete the building housing our electronic library; we will need to reconfigure the current administrative block. To get this campus ready and to begin some work on the permanent campus will require of us to raise at least 100m naira within the next two months. That is why we count on your support.
At its foundation, the Dominican Order was founded as an order of mendicants. Friar preachers went about begging for money to carry out their preaching ministry. Today, we rediscover ourselves as mendicants, begging for money for a ministry than can no longer be limited to preaching at the pulpit. For as we use the word of God to lead people to God, so must we use the same word of God to inspire people to work for the common good. In fact, the road to heaven necessarily passes through the path of working for the common good here on earth. A Dominican University in Nigeria will surely pave that way.
In anticipation, we thank you and we ask God to bless you for what you will give today, and for what you will give in the future. Checks may be made to the Dominican University Project. You may give us what you have now, and apart from that, for those who may wish to make pledges of future donations, a pledge form is being circulated. You may also take some forms to your friends and to others whom you think may want to share in our dream.
African need not be poor. Nigeria has what it takes to be a superpower. We need to form a new generation of Nigerians and Africans; a generation of intellectually sound, morally upright, and professionally competent citizens who will lift our country and our continent to the heights. Then shall these words be fulfilled, words of the anthem of the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture FESTAC 77: "Let a new earth rise, let another world be born." Then shall our dream come true.

Father Anthony A. Akinwale, O.P.
President