Trinity varsity launches model UN initiative to train future diplomats

Trinity University has launched the Trinity International Model United Nations aimed at equipping students with diplomacy, negotiation and global leadership skills in what the institution described as a major step toward experiential education.

The initiative was formally unveiled on Thursday during an evening of political stage drama titled Summit of Shadows, a production written entirely by a student and staged as part of activities marking the launch of the conference.

University officials said the Model United Nations initiative, known as TiMUN, is expected to become an annual flagship conference attracting students from universities across Nigeria and beyond.

The project was championed by Melody Inyang, former President of the Political Science Students Association.

He said the idea was inspired by the long-running Model United Nations programme at Babcock University.

Inyang said, “The United Nations was not created to take man to heaven, but to save humanity from itself.”

The drama, Summit of Shadows, portrayed a fictional 1990s military coup in Nigeria led by General Ibrahim Amodu against an exiled civilian president, Dr Chukwemeka, resulting in civilian massacres, arrests, and national instability before intervention by the United Nations General Assembly restored democratic rule.

Inyang said the first full TiMUN conference scheduled for later in the year will simulate a United Nations General Assembly session involving students from multiple universities debating and negotiating global issues.

He added that participants would also benefit from internship pathways at the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS and diplomatic missions of major world powers.

“We will provide them with public speaking, diplomacy and everything that happens at the United Nations General Assembly,” he said.

He added that the Director-General of the United States International Affairs Office had expressed interest in hosting TiMUN delegates during a future United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Clement Kolawole, described the initiative as evidence of the transformative power of student-led ideas and institutional support.

“We have just had an exciting evening. When he came up with this idea, we decided to support him because we know the potential benefit — to the individual students and to the Department of Political Science and International Relations, which is one of the flagship programmes in our university,” he said.

Kolawole said the institution funded the programme and drama production as part of its commitment to providing students with holistic education and opportunities to develop their talents.

“Our university is set up to give students an all-round education, to identify their potentials and create a conducive environment for them to nurture those potentials to fruition,” he added.

“Instead of students going into negative tendencies, this is going to be a proper channel for them to utilise their energy. These students could go on to become diplomats who contribute to the growth and development of our country.”

The Vice Chancellor disclosed that the university plans to partner with embassies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian ambassadors to sustain the initiative annually.

Founder and Chief Operations Officer of the BIMUN Development Organisation, Samuel Chimela, who attended the launch, praised Trinity University for joining the growing Model United Nations community.

“Our pride is that we can multiply and duplicate these conferences across tertiary institutions, and the latest bride in this cohort is Trinity University,” he said.

Chimela described Model United Nations conferences as critical platforms for grooming future leaders and strengthening diplomatic culture among young people.

“One unguarded statement, one unthoughtful statement, can trigger another global pandemic or another war. This is why I believe the conference is at the heart of shaping these young leaders,” he added.

He also commended the university management for fully supporting the initiative, noting that institutional backing often determines the success and sustainability of such programmes.