Couple graduate from same Master's program at UI

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The University of Ibadan will today (Thursday) graduate a couple, Olawale Ajao and his wife, Alimot Ekundayo Omolaja from the same department.

The couple, both from the Department of Linguistics and African Languages are among the 4,897 graduands that the Premier University will award Master’s Degree academic honour at the International Conference Centre of the institution.

Blessed with two children, (Rahmattallahi Asawumi Ajao and (Abdul-Rahman Asagbayi Ajao) Ajao and Omolaja graduated from the Department of Linguistics and African Languages for their first degree in Yoruba and Linguistics respectively in the premier university.

Their journey as a couple began in 2015 when Omolaja, a final year student, gave a nod to love proposal by Ajao.

Ajao already had OND and HD in Mass Communication and was a practising journalist before he went for a degree course.

He was a 100-level student at the University of Ibadan when he met his wife.

Though Omolaja was three years ahead of her husband at the Master’s level, just as it was during their first-degree days, fate made both of them share the same graduation year due to deferments on two occasions on maternal grounds by the wife.

Ajao, the correspondent of Alaroye newspapers in Oyo State, is an epitome and ambassador of Yoruba culture, consistently advocating for its preservation and promotion.

The Iwo town, Osun State-born journalist has received several awards for his contributions to Yoruba culture.

These accolades include the “Best Promoter of Yoruba Culture” by the Correspondents’ Chapel of Oyo State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in 2012 and the “Most Culturally-Inclined Award” by the Association of Faculty of Arts Students at the University of Ibadan in 2017 and 2018.

He was also honoured with the “Award of Excellence on Propagation of Yoruba Language and Culture” by the Federation of Oyo State Students’ Union (FOSSU) in 2019 and the “Finalist of the Year” by the Yoruba Studies Students’ Association at the University of Ibadan in the same year.

The awards serve as a testament to his dedication and effectiveness in promoting Yoruba culture.

Known for his consistent donning of Yoruba attire, the Alaroye’s correspondent has also made his mark in the field of journalism, receiving the “Oyo State Youth Award in Journalism” in 2009 from the Oyo State Agency for Youth Development and the “Most Child Friendly Award” in 2019 by the Mediation Conciliation and Human Rights Centre.

Recently, he was honoured as the “Best Yoruba News Writer of the Year 2022” by the YOMAFA Global Award.

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