122 bag first class as ABUAD graduates 1,673 students

No fewer than 122 students of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) across different programmes got First class honours as the university is set to graduate 1,673 students for the 2021/2022 academic session.

While 1,418 of the number were undergraduate students, 255 finished from the postgraduate school of the institution.

The Vice-chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Smaranda Olarinde while speaking with newsmen on Monday, ahead of the 10^th convocation and 12th-anniversary ceremonies of the university noted that in the last twelve years of its existence, the university has delivered on its core mandates of teaching, research and community service evident in the ranking of the institution as the best in the country, in line with the vision of the founder, Aare Afe Babalola.

“ At ABUAD, we are resolute and remained determined in our quest to avail the next generation of Nigerians with functional and qualitative education wherein they can be national and global citizens of high impact, well prepared for the contemporary challenges,” the VC said.

Olarinde explained that as part of the ceremonies, a human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN would be delivering the convocation lecture titled, ‘ The Place of Education in a crisis-ridden Nigeria ‘ on Thursday.

At the grand finale on Friday, October 21, the VC disclosed that Ozekhome; former governor of Ekiti State and Social Democratic Party governorship candidate in last June 18 poll, Chief Segun Oni and the Shehu of Borno, Dr Abubakar Garba El-Kanemi would be conferred with the institution’s honorary degrees for their immense contributions to the society and the education development in the country.

 She said, “ Following the wide publicity that Aare Afe Babalola was going to establish a university in Ibadan, Engr Segun Oni who was then the governor of Ekiti State, a patriotic and highly gifted leader, raced to Ibadan, fervently pleading that Afe Babalola should site the university in Ekiti in order to enhance and speed up the development of Ekiti State. As a major stakeholder in the Ekiti project, Afe Babalola got persuaded, particularly because of the Ile labo simi Oko(East or West, Home is the best) belief and then decided to locate the university in Ado-Ekiti.

“Shehu of Borno is deserving of the award on account of his unbending commitment for quality and functional education, one of Nigeria’s foremost traditional rulers and with a passionate pursuit of peace in a theatre of war.

“ Also, Chief Ozekhome, an advocate of good governance and the continued survival of Nigeria, a defender of the poor, the repressed, the ignored and the marginalized members of the society, is being honoured for his contributions to the enthronement, democracy, good governance and rule of law.”

 Olarinde noted that the first Professor Emeritus in Esan Owolabi would be unveiled in the 12-year history of the university on Friday as the professor of engineering, being the pioneer provost of the college of engineering, “ where he laid a solid foundation for Engineering education in our university, on the one hand, and his distinguished and commendable contributions had made in engineering in the various universities he had worked on the other hand. “

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