Speaking on the 6th convocation ceremonies slated for Saturday, October 20, the authorities of ABUAD also offered the 72 first class students automatic employment, saying it was a way of boosting their morale and commitment in academic pursuit.
Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Michael Ajisafe, who addressed newsmen as part of the convocation ceremonies, also announced that the university would also confer Doctor of Letters (LLD), honorary degrees on a former Minister of Agriculture and President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and the Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television, Mr John Mommoh.
Prof Michael Ajisafe said the relatively high number of first class graduates was as a result of “excellent, rigorous and qualitative academic prowess already attained by the institution.”
He said to underscore how serious the management was in terms award of degrees, Ajisafe stated the university has put in place stringent measures that would automatically eject lazy and unruly students out of the system.
Prof Ajisafe said: “We have disciplined students here and it has always been the culture of the founder, Aare Afe Babalola to give automatic jobs to first class students and these 72 will benefit from the gesture.
“Today, ABUAD is the only university in Nigeria that makes its students go to classes between 8 am and 3 pm and later 7 pm to 10 pm. There is no room for indolence here. This will automatically frustrate lazy and indolent students.
“Apart from handsome prizes being given to brilliant graduates, which includes vehicles and cash gift, the founder used to give all graduates in the Faculty of Agriculture a sum of N250,000 each to empower them to go into farming. Some are even given parcels of land for farming.
“Lazy students can’t cope here in ABUAD. Our objective is to change the phase of university education in Nigeria and that we are pursuing with vigour and we are gradually achieving that because we are the first university to graduate 43 medical students barely eight years we commence operations.”
The Vice-Chancellor added that the culture of self-esteem, self-control and exposure to entrepreneurial training would stand their graduates in good stead to be able to operate under any economy across the globe.
Ajisafe stated that the 100 per cent performances scored by the 43 medical students that were graduated in September further complemented the high global and continental rating the Law and Engineering Colleges have enjoyed from National Universities Commission (NUC), and Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).
“Even most of the new Doctors acknowledged the fact that the standard we set here was high and that it will not be difficult for them to pass their professional examinations. This is the stuff we are made of here,” he said.
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