UNILORIN, JABU, Chrisland produce 517 first-class graduates

A total of 517 students will graduate with first-class degrees from the University of Ilorin, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, and Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, at their forthcoming convocation ceremonies.

The University of Ilorin produced 365 first-class graduates, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, 83 and Chrisland University, 69.

The Vice-Chancellors, Prof Wahab Egbewole (UNILORIN), Prof Olasebikan Fakolujo (JABU), Prof Oyedunni Arulogun (Chrisland), disclosed this at various press conferences held on Monday at their various institutions.

On his part, Egbewole said the University of Ilorin will confer degrees and other academic qualifications on 16,152 graduands at its 41st convocation ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, to Friday, October 23.

According to him, 11,213 students will receive first degrees, while 4,939 graduands will receive higher degrees and diplomas.

The first-degree recipients comprise 365 first-class graduates, 4,367 second-class upper-division graduates, 5,102 second-class lower-division graduates, 1,006 third-class graduates and 30 pass-degree recipients.

The graduating class also includes 19 students in Medicine and Surgery, 89 in Nursing, 73 in Pharmacy, 41 in Optometry, 89 in Physiotherapy and 32 in Veterinary Medicine.

He added that 8,320 students had completed the university’s U-INSPIRE initiative, which equips participants with 21st-century skills through partnerships with 10 industry partners.

Egbewole said the university’s development strategy remained anchored on its Vision 1:10:500 ambition of becoming Nigeria’s number one university, ranking among Africa’s top 10 and securing a place among the world’s top 500 universities.

At Joseph Ayo Babalola University, 83 students will graduate with first-class honours out of the 897 recipients of first degrees, while 146 students will receive postgraduate qualifications at the institution’s 17th convocation and 20th anniversary celebration.

The JABU Vice-Chancellor said 429 students would receive second-class upper-division degrees, 301 second-class lower-division degrees, 74 third-class degrees and 10 pass degrees.

The postgraduate graduands comprise 22 PhD recipients, 94 academic master’s degree graduates, 27 Master of Business Administration recipients and three postgraduate diploma recipients.

Fakolujo said the university, which began operations with 246 students in February 2007, had awarded 10,448 undergraduate degrees over its years of operation.

Of the total, 426 graduates obtained first-class honours, 3,730 earned second-class upper-division degrees, 4,928 received second-class lower-division degrees, 1,336 obtained third-class honours and 28 graduated with pass degrees.

Fakolujo added that the institution had also awarded more than 800 postgraduate degrees and qualifications.

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He noted that its Medical Laboratory Science students recorded a 100 per cent success rate in their 2026 professional examinations for the third consecutive year, while Nursing Science students also achieved a 100 per cent success rate in their 2026 registered midwife professional examination.

At Chrisland University, Abeokuta, 69 students will graduate with first-class degrees out of 324 graduands at the institution’s eighth convocation ceremony scheduled for October 27, 2026.

Arulogun said 281 graduands were from the university’s regular programmes, with 53 earning first-class degrees, while 43 students from its Centre for Distance Learning and Executive Programmes produced 16 first-class graduates.

According to the breakdown, 142 students from the regular programmes earned second-class upper-division degrees, 78 obtained second-class lower-division degrees and eight graduated with third-class degrees.

At the Centre for Distance Learning and Executive Programmes, 19 students earned second-class upper-division degrees, while eight obtained second-class lower-division degrees.

Arulogun said the university’s educational philosophy focused on equipping students with the knowledge, skills and values needed to address emerging societal challenges.

“Our commitment is not expansion merely for numbers. Growth must be matched by quality, relevance and sustainability,” she said.

She explained that the theme of the convocation, “Next-Gen Minds. Next-Level Impact,” reflected the need to prepare graduates for a rapidly changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, digital technology, entrepreneurship, climate change, public health challenges and economic uncertainty.

According to her, universities must look beyond the number of graduates they produce and focus on what the graduates can accomplish with the knowledge acquired.

“The more important question is, ‘What can our graduates do with what they know?’ At Chrisland University, we believe that knowledge must ultimately translate into impact,” she said.

The vice-chancellor added that the university was prioritising research, entrepreneurship, digital and artificial intelligence education, infrastructure, character development and international visibility.

She said the institution was also encouraging students to develop entrepreneurial and technological skills to enable them to create opportunities and generate employment, rather than depend solely on paid jobs.