Hensard University, the first private university in Bayelsa State, is set to commence operation.
The unique university, which was licensed in 2023 by the Federal Government, is the first private university and the fourth in the 27-year-old state.
Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, the Chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, established Hensard University through the Henry Seriake Dickson Foundation, as a special institution to drive entrepreneurship, leadership, and maximising skills and knowledge.
The university aims to create a new generation of leaders with the requisite character, and passion to improve the society.
“Hensard is established to pursue academic excellence, character formation, discipline and commitment to service with the founding vision being to bridge gaps between academic certification, leadership and skills development and practical industrial application of knowledge for society’s development.”
Senator Dickson is known for these visions, which he exhibited in his eight-year tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State, when he prioritised education, leading to the establishment of two universities – Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, and the University of Africa in Toru-Orua.
Part of his policies was the provision of free and compulsory education in Bayelsa and handed out books, uniforms, food, boarding and zero tuition to the students.
During Dickson’s tenure, university students had access to loans and scholarships and teachers were rewarded specially for accepting posting to rural areas.
The administration’s investment in education infrastructure alone was over N200 billion. It was the highest expenditure on a single sector, and an amount that could have built the N67 billion Bayelsa International Airport three times.
“Every other form of development at the end of the day is just brick and mortar, which anyone can build,” Senator Dickson often says. “The only investment that does not decay or rust is the investment in human capacity development.”
The university’s vision is to produce leaders, entrepreneurs, and champions of economic and social change. Hensard students will be taught entrepreneurship and encouraged to become real entrepreneurs while in school through exposure to practical involvement in the running, overseeing, and management of businesses in their chosen fields under the guidance and mentorship of the school.
Hensard’s uniqueness is further highlighted in its comprehensive vision of the developments of the human being. While it strives for the highest standards in academics, research and innovation, it places emphasis on character, morality, and spirituality without which academic qualification or life, by Hensard University standards, is incomplete.
The university’s motto, Que servi homo servi Deo, is instructive in this regard. Que servi homo servi Deo, Service to man is service to God, is the guiding principle that encompasses Hensard’s core values.
Hensard University is located in the serenity of Toru-Orua, serenaded by River Forcados, and secured by formations and schools of the Army, Navy, Police, and Civil Defence. The University of Africa, which opened in 2016 shares a boundary with Hensard.
Toru-Orua is less than an hour from the Bayelsa International Airport in Yenagoa, and is also accessible though airports in Port Harcourt, Owerri, and Warri.