It was encomium galore when Provost Ilesanmi Adesida was honored at the Urban-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois, United States where Nigerian-Americans gathered to celebrate his elevation as the first African to head an Ivy League school in the country.
Speakers at the occasion urged him to use the position and knowledge to effect changes in the developing world.
“You’ve served with great integrity and brilliance in all the positions you’ve held in the United States for the past 26 years,” Dr. Abiola Akanbi said while urging him to direct his energy, knowledge and his current unique position to effect dramatic but positive changes in Nigeria and the developing world.
