A total of 281 final year students of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, would be graduating with first class honours in various disciplines at this year’s convocation ceremonies (51st in the series) billed for next week, between Monday, March 9 and Thursday, March 12.
The number are part of the 13, 489 students (for 2018\2019 academic session) across levels-certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate studies- who made the graduation list with others scoring lower grades.
While Mr Ibrahim Alimi from the Department of Mechanical Engineering with a cumulative gradient point average (CGPA) of 4.98 out of the possible 5.0 emerged the overall best in the set and the best in the field of science, Victoria Opeyemi Popoola from the Department of Economics with CGPA of 4.90 trailed him closely behind to emerge the overall best in the humanities.
The vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, made the disclosure on Monday at a pre-convocation news conference held at the university’s Senate Chamber with other top management staff of the university in attendance.
He also disclosed that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, would deliver the convocation lecture, titled: “The role of disruptive technologies in sustainable economic transformation” on Monday by 12 noon, while Pro-chancellor and chairman of council, Federal University, Lokoja, Prof Nimi Briggs, would chair the event which would hold at the main auditorium of the university.
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He added that the university would earlier on that day inaugurate the TETFund 500-seater capital lecture theatre in the Faculty of Social Science and the Technology hub building donated by the National Information Technology Development Agency before the lecture and as well make adequate preparation to ensure a hitch-free event.
He also said the ceremonies would be held in two sessions-morning and afternoon- each day because of the crowd expected to grace the occasion.
Giving further statistics of the graduands, the vice-chancellor, who also officially launched the university’s Anthem at the media conference, said a total of 6, 291 (representing 46.6 per cent) of the total graduands would be awarded postgraduate degrees in various disciplines with 5,550; 112 and 629 of them to be conferred with master’s and doctoral degrees as well as postgraduate diplomas, respectively.
He also named Mr Rasheed Moruf from the Department of Marine Science as the overall best with PhD Thesis, entitled: “Bio-ecology, immune-histochemistry and genetic heterogeneity of portunid species from Coastal waters of Lagos State, Nigeria” and Mr Peter Ekundayo Mesagan from the Department of Economics ad with thesis entitled: “Effects of trade flows and institutions on environmental quality in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1996-2016” the best in Humanities.
Ogundipe, a Professor of Botany and 12th vice-chancellor of the institution, however, noted that all the graduating students had been thoroughly baked just like those before them and that he believes they would excel in their chosen fields.
and then