Trinity University has launched TiMUN, the Trinity International Model United Nations, positioning the initiative as an annual flagship conference designed to equip students with diplomacy, negotiation and global leadership skills.

The launch was held on Thursday during an evening of political stage drama titled Summit of Shadows, a production written entirely by a student. The play depicted 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 the United Nations General Assembly intervened to restore democratic rule.

The project was championed by Melody Inyang, former President of the Political Science Students Association, who disclosed that the idea was inspired by the Model United Nations programme at Babcock University.

"The United Nations was not created to take man to heaven, but to save humanity from itself," Inyang stated.

He noted that the first full TiMUN conference, scheduled for later in the year, would simulate a United Nations General Assembly session involving students from multiple universities debating and negotiating global issues. Inyang added that participants would 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 noted.

He further disclosed 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 Prof. Clement Kolawole described the initiative as evidence of the transformative power of student led ideas and institutional support.

"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 stated.

Kolawole revealed that the university plans to partner with embassies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian ambassadors to sustain the initiative annually, adding that the institution fully funded the programme and the drama production.

"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," he added.

Samuel Chimela, Founder and Chief Operations Officer of the BIMUN Development Organisation, commended Trinity University for joining the 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 remarked.

Chimela warned that poor diplomatic culture among young leaders carries real consequences. "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.