About us

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Welcome to The Claretian Institute of Philosophy (CIP)

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world –Nelson Mandela

You are welcome to CIP website.

Since its founding in 1978, CIP has been dedicated to expanding and sharing knowledge, stimulating novelty, fostering cultural information for all and sundry. CIP is an institute owned and managed by the Claretian Missionaries, particularly of the East Nigeria Province. CIP’s reputation is both local and international. CIP, first of all, is a seminary, where future priests are trained. Secondly, CIP offers non clerical people the opportunity to learn unadulterated philosophy, and simultaneously imbibing the discipline characteristic of a religious institute. It is affiliated to Urban University, Rome; and Imo State University, Owerri. "Students" of CIP have the unique advantage of graduating with both a Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil) degree from Urban University, Rome, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the Imo State University. CIP engages with people and institutions across the world with the aim of promoting cultural understanding, improving the human condition and the integral transformation of individuals and society.

C. I .P LIBRARY

The C.I. P library is one of the best and well equipped libraries in Nigeria. It is a well renowned and reputable library, which over 95% of the students from the state, consults at their convenient time for resources’ and researches. The C.I.P. library functions 24 hours daily with a well ventilated air conditioned environment for efficient studies. The library has more than two million philosophical books, which both students and researchers consult for their academic and intellectual enterprise. The C.I.P. library does not count equality with other libraries, in terms of consultations and resource materials and its reading environment is conducive. So hurry up and visit us today and be awoken from your academic slumber so as not to fall into a paralysis of analysis.

C. I .P CHAPEL

The school has a chapel, which is a place for worship. At the entrance to the chapel by the left is a Marian Grotto recently designed and dedicated, suitable to enable the devotees attain a high level of transcendence. The chapel is divided into four parts, with about one thousand accommodation capacity. People from all walks of life troop in, to worship with us regularly. It equally has a gallery of about three hundred capacity. It is highly furnished and equipped with industrial fans to provide a decorum for reflections and prayer.

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C. I .P SPORT

The CIP sports arena boasts of standard facilities for football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, and athletics. Our teams are trained by coaches of both national and international repute, which is the reason behind the innumerable competitions that our sports teams have won in various areas of sports. We equally train certified referees and umpires in different areas of sports. Our football pitch is so standard that we play host to Heartland Football Club and Papilo Football Club amongst others, who use it as their training ground for the pre-season, and on-season matches of the Nigeria Glo Premier League; as well as their scouting ground. Annually, we engage in tournaments such as All Nigeria Major Seminaries’ Games, Rector’s League and Claret’s Cup, just to mention only a few.

CLARETIAN RETREAT APOSTOLATE

Claretian Renewal Center, Mary land Nekede, Owerri, it have good and conducive environment for Seminars and Retreats, and it provides comfortable and affordable accommodations. Its holds Seminars and Retreats for:

  • Religious congregations
  • Knights and ladies of the Church
  • Church Sodalities
  • C.M.O, C.W.O, C.Y.O.N
  • Students
  • Teachers
  • Other interested groups.
  • Fr. Raphael Nnaemeka Uzoekwe, CMF
  • Director of Retreat, Claretian Renewal Center.

The Claretian Institute of Philosophy is a community of third level education that provides lifelong learning in philosophy. It is Catholic in inspiration and outlook.

In seeking to promote a mutually illuminating relationship between religious faith and open intellectual enquiry, through critical engagement with contemporary cultures and issues, it prides itself in being at the forefront of imparting into her students the standards of human life.

Committed to excellence, we foster ethical, personal and spiritual development of our students to enable them exercise leadership with justice in a fragmented world.

The institute offers philosophy programme at the undergraduate level. This is a four-year programme leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. In doing this, the Institute teaches a Nigerian University-wide required courses as well as Ecclesiastical courses noted in the academic handbook as “CIP courses”.

The Programme Seeks:

1. To provide a solid foundation in philosophy for those who want to do professional/academic philosophy.
2. To develop and enhance students awareness of the values contributions and potentials of their social and cultural environment.
3. To equip students to contribute meaningfully towards the attainment of national goals.

To achieve this, the programme emphasizes four areas:

1. The “core of philosophy” namely, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics and Logic.
2. History of philosophy: a historical development of various philosophical theories and doctrines.
3. African philosophy: An analyses and critique of some philosophical notions among Africans.
4. Applied philosophy: Emphasis will be laid on the relevance of philosophy to science, Computer Science, Engineering, Government Service, Business, Arts and Education in general.

The decision to turn the erstwhile Novitiate house into an Institute of Philosophy was for the purpose of providing adequate training in philosophy for Claretian students, who until then, had been attending the diocesan regional seminary, Bigard Memorial Seminary Ikot Ekpene (as it was called then. It was part of the purpose of the Institute to include an opportunity “to offer basic formation in communication studies and other disciplines for the Religious and Laity.” These aims are kept in CIP today with lay students studying in our institute alongside our seminarians.