Grand Opening

High Commissioner Of Nigeria to Canada Mr. Adeyinka Asekun represented by Mrs. Belinda Edelifo-Lawrence, MP Matt Jenereoux of Edmonton Riverbend, MLA Richard Feehan of Edmonton-Rutherford, President of Taylor Seminary & College, Dr. David Williams, Pastors & Members from The Citadel International Church, Edmonton, Staff of Heritage Education Consults, Faculty Members and staff of Canadian Imperial College, distinguished guests, prospective students, families and friends, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all in celebrating the official opening of Canadian Imperial College and I also welcome you to her brand new home!

We are so thankful to so many of you, who have been with us every step of the way so that this day would finally come.

Today marks the culmination of a dream turn idea that began about 10 years ago. An idea about a new and practical university college. About 12 years ago, we incorporated Heritage Education Consults (the mother of Canadian Imperial College) in Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom, with offices in Glasgow, Lagos, Nigeria, Accra, Ghana and Edmonton, Alberta. HEC is an international student recruitment company that recruits students from majorly Africa and place them in notable schools around the world. We have partners in Australia, NZ, UK, Ireland, USA, and Canada. Throughout our 12 years of operation, we have placed over 1,000 students in various schools across the World. It is this opportunity that is today birthing the first practical college in Alberta, Canadian Imperial College.

Canadian Imperial College will be second to none in its class. Our state of the art facilities will make it conducive for our students to learn in a campus-like environment – thanks to Taylor Seminary & College’ President and staff. We appreciate you. Our technology is beyond what an institution of our class would reckon with, our attendance monitoring system is unique. We have also partnered with Google and we shall be using the platform to deliver our lectures and share files within a cohort, class, staff, instructors and even external people. With the combination of Google Classroom, Google Meet, and Hangouts, our students can attend and enjoy the lectures and our instructors can deliver the lectures with ease.

Our students will have their @canadianimperial.ca e-mail and will have access to their student portal on our College Management Software – something some 10-year-old private colleges have not been able to achieve, we have it on our day 1.

Our goal is to provide our students with potential opportunities to distinguish herself from other candidates pursuing the same job position which will ultimately distinguish the corporation that hires her above its peers with the decisions she makes. We aim to provide you with the knowledge and skills that would increase civic engagement and thereby contribute to a stable and democratic society. And also to bring about an educated workforce which is vital for the creation and adoption of new technologies in the global economy. To achieve this, your human capital should stay at the top. Our goal is to help your corporation to increase/improve the effectiveness, increase its efficiency and also provide economic value by increasing your bottom line through the decisions our students make.

If you choose to work in the bank, our Finance Diploma will equip you with the current trends in the financial world and you can have the opportunity of solving live financial problems in the classroom. With the collaboration with our sister company, A5 Capital, we shall bring corporate finance problems to the classroom for analysis and our students’ recommendation with the help of the instructors will be used to proffer solutions to their clients – A business incubation is brewing, check us out in about 2 years.

Our BAM Diploma will be geared towards providing our students with the knowledge they need to succeed in this ever-changing business environment. It will help them to make business decisions and be solely responsible. Our students will be able to learn how to have multiple solutions for a single business problem.

Canadian Imperial College is conveniently located in the heart of Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, Canada. Edmonton is the fifth-largest metropolitan city with a vibrant economy and endless opportunities for graduates. Situated around the

North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton boasts a beautiful river valley with numerous walking trails and hosts a year-round slate of festivals. Edmonton is a cultural, governmental and educational center. We have a lively cosmopolitan environment with free flow of information, ideas, and people. The Government has also implemented a number of measures to encourage international students to study in Alberta. CIC also has $2,000 scholarships for our pioneer international student and $1,000 for our Canadian Resident.  We have an in-house immigration consultant to help our student navigate through the immigration process. We have also recruited BDMs across various regions to help with the recruitment of international students

As a designated institution in Edmonton with the Government of Alberta and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, we pride ourselves on being a culturally diverse college with a variety of nationalities in attendance. As an international student, you will be a valued member of our college community, and you will find unparalleled support from our academic staff from across the globe.

We hope CIC would serve as a catalyst for economic growth within the Edmonton region and Alberta as a whole. We shall be creating a business incubator & center within the college that will help the local businesses right from incorporation to when they move to their own buildings. The timing for such a Center couldn’t happen soon enough.

Before I conclude this introduction, I would like to thank God for his wisdom and guidance throughout this process. We couldn’t have done this by ourselves. It was God all the way! I thank you our guests, for finding time to be here. I also want to thank the most important people that have led to our success and have made this possible. As I said at the beginning, so many people made today possible. Right from choosing the name to logo creation and choice of colors and location.

My wife Oladunni Akande and my children, Tracey Treasure and Michael for your love and support throughout this four year period of licensing. My Pastors for your prayers and support. When we submitted the initial name and it was rejected, I told one of my friends and a brother to figure it out, here he came back with Canadian Imperial College. All credits to Tayo Adewunmi. Tayo in the house! I had a team of ten that focused on the logo creation, I see all of you. Curriculum review by Christelle Esso-Oladimeji, we are grateful. My friend from London, Dr. Olan Ajayi who flew in because of this. I appreciate you. Our friends and family from Calgary, Wole, Gbolabo, Grace, and friends. We appreciate you. The Edmontonians in the house. You own this, this is yours, without you, it would not have been possible.

Conclusion Speech

Next on our agenda is the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will be followed by a tour of our facility, which can be either guided by a member of our staff or self-guided if your time is limited.

Please enjoy the wonderful refreshments we have for you, and we so thankful that you came.

I’d like to next ask our speakers to join us for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

On behalf of Canadian Imperial College, we would like to thank each of you for taking time out of your busy schedule today. God Bless you!

President of Canadian Imperial College