JABU to graduate 863 students at 16th convocation

The Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Ikeji Arakeji, Osun state, is set to graduate 863 students from the various departments during the 16th Convocation ceremony slated for Friday, 5th December, 2025.

The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo, who disclosed this during a press conference to herald the convocation, said 722 of the graduands were undergraduates and 141 postgraduates.

According to him, 57 of the students graduated with First Class Honours, 323 with Second Class Honours (upper Division), 276 Second Class (Lower Division) and 72 Third Class Honours, and two with Pass.

The VC emphasised that JABU is not just producing graduates but shaping leaders, innovators, and change-makers, emphasising that the convocation was not just a ceremonial gathering but a celebration of JABU’s transformative impact.

He said, “These graduates represent the very best of what a faith-based Nigerian university can achieve: academic excellence, practical skills, and service to society.

“The university’s story is one of vision, persistence, and impact: a rural Nigerian institution reaching for global standards while solving local problems, demonstrating that faith-based education can be a force for national development and international relevance.

“This briefing comes on the heels of our 16th convocation ceremony, a moment that wasn’t just about celebrating 863 graduates, but about positioning a Nigerian university firmly on the global higher education map.

“We measure success differently. Yes, we celebrate academic excellence, 57 first-class graduates this year alone. But we also measure success by how many villages our students have served, through community engagement programmes. Our motto, ‘For Knowledge and Godly Service,’ is not just words on a plaque; it is our operating system and DNA.

“This year, we graduated 863 students, 722 undergraduates and 141 postgraduates. But behind these numbers are stories that define our institutional character.

“Three of our law graduates, Amedu Martha, Adio Janet, and Adeyeye Adeife, earned first-class honours at the Nigerian Law School. But Adio Janet did not just make First Class; she emerged as the 3rd best student in criminal litigation and the best female student in the same course nationwide.

“How did this happen? Through a curriculum that combines rigorous legal training with practical courtroom simulations, through faculty who are practising legal professionals, and through a culture that expects excellence and provides the support to achieve it. This is not accidental; it is systemic.”

According to the VC, the faith-based institution maintains its academic excellence, with graduates performing well in their various disciplines following the quality university education they received.

He also cited an example of JABU students from the Medical Laboratory Science department, who achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in professional examinations.

“What’s more remarkable is where they are going. Eighty-seven per cent of our nursing graduates are now working in healthcare facilities across Nigeria, including underserved rural communities.

“This is the multiplier effect of JABU education. We hope that the country’s economic situation improves so that they also will not leave the country.

“We are solving Nigeria’s talent gap. Every year, Nigeria loses thousands of its brightest minds to brain drain. At JABU, we are reversing this trend by creating opportunities that make staying worthwhile.

“Our graduates do not just get jobs; they create them. Our graduates have launched startups shortly after graduation and are now employers of labour in Nigeria,” he said.

He listed other activities lined up for the ceremony to include, Convocation lecture, with the title ‘Resilient Institutions, Responsible Citizenship: Strengthening the Social Contract in Contemporary Nigeria’ and will be delivered by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

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