By Miftahu Zakariyya
The management of Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, said that 76 students were awarded first-class degrees during the university’s recent 24th convocation ceremony.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, who disclosed this during a pre-convocation press conference at the institution in Lagos, said that this was the highest in the history of the university.
Fagbohun said that the significant rise in quality and class of the graduating students was a clear reflection of a conducive and stable environment.
The former Emir of Kano, Malam Lamido Sanusi, was the Chairman of Convocation lecture, while Professor Benedict Oramah, President African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank, delivered the convocation lecture.
The theme of the convocation lecture was “The future of Developing Economies In A Digital World”.
According to Fagbohun, 6,485 received first degrees and diplomas while 2,620 students received higher degrees during the convocation.
“The best graduating student for 2018/2019 academic session is Mr Oladimeji Shotunde from the Business Administration Department, Faculty of Management Sciences with CGPA of 4.95.
“It is instructive that Shotunde and another of his colleague, Kehinde Adebiyi, have just written a book titled ” Nature Pays Diligence ” which is a compendium that chronicles their experience of the last four years.
“For the higher degrees, a total of 35 doctorate degrees, 1034 professional masters degree, 664 academic masters degree and 887 postgraduate diplomas were awarded, making a total of 2620 higher degree awards,” he said.
Fagbohun added that the number of graduands for this year’s convocation ceremony was less than what the university had every year for the past three years.
“This is so because over the last four years, we have progressively cleared a vast majority of outstanding results and graduated deserving graduands over the period.
“The era of students being unsure of their academic status or having to wait perpetually to be cleared after their programme is over for good in our great university because it was the promise we made four years ago,” he said.
Fagbohun said that stream two admission programme was created in an effort to provide learning opportunity for more admission seekers into the university in 2019 and students to acquire certificate in entrepreneurship.
“The stream two programme is unique in such a way that students have the beneft of acquiring entrepreneurial skills in different vocations to prepare them for life after the university,” he said
Fagbohun said that in entrenching peace in the university, “we recognised the role of communication and we would continue constant engagements with our unions.”
“The peace has made us able to enter into partnerships and collaboration with reputable institutions and bodies both locally and internationally,” he said.