Gov Abiodun awards N2m each to OOU’s best graduating students

As part of efforts by his administration to encourage scholarship, Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Wednesday announced the award of N2 million each to the overall best graduating students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.

Three students: Talabi Hazeem Ayomide, Adesanya Ibrahim Damilola and Alabi Ifeoluwa, tied on a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.86 to emerge joint best graduating students for the 2021/2022 academic session.

For the 2022/2023 academic session, Adegoke Azizat emerged the overall best graduating student with a CGPA of 4.90.

The governor made the announcement in his speech at the university’s combined 32nd and 33rd convocation ceremonies.

Represented at the event by his deputy, Mrs Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Governor Abiodun also awarded N500,000 each to the best graduating student in each of the faculties of the institution.

The Wednesday event was the finale of the week-long convocation ceremonies, and it was for the award of Masters degrees and conferment of honorary doctorate.

The Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi; and the former pro-chancellor of the university, Mrs Mrs Mosun Bello Olusoga, were conferred with the Doctor Science (honoris causa).

Speaking during the ceremony, the vice chancellor, Professor Ayodeji Agboola, congratulated the governor on his victory at the Supreme Court.

He also congratulated the graduands, and enjoined them to always strive to be good ambassadors of the university.

According to him, a total of 15,428 students took part in the convocation ceremonies.

Professor Agboola said the goal of his administration is to position OOU as a world class university “recognized internationally as a producer of first rate graduates.”

He listed the 10 new academic programmes that were recently added to the university. These include B MLS Medical Laboratory Science, BSc Forensic Science, BSc Applied Geophysics, BSc Taxation, BSc Criminology and Security Studies, and BSc Quantity Surveying.

Others are BSc Estate Management, BLIS Library and Information Science, BSc Building, and B.Ed Educational Management.

Eminent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Wole Olanipekun, while delivering the Convocation Lecture entitled ‘Mass Exodus of Human Capital in Nigeria: An Anatomical Analysis of the Causes and Effects’, bemoaned the unrestrained emigration of precious human capital through the japa syndrome.

He also renewed the call for the need to restructure the polity, stressing that it is the only way for the nation to make progress and release itself of the current challenges.

71-year-old Abikoye Ezekiel Olabode, simply the oldest among the graduands, bagged a PhD in Christian Religious Studies.