The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Southwest Nigeria, will award first-class degrees to 561 of its 16,409 graduating students at the upcoming 55th convocation ceremony, according to Prof. Folasade Ogunsola (OON), the Vice-Chancellor, during a press briefing on Wednesday at the Senate Chambers.
Alongside the first-class graduates, 3,916 students will receive second-class upper degrees, while 3,763 will graduate with second-class lower degrees. Additionally, 1,143 students will achieve third-class degrees, 78 will obtain pass degrees, and 223 will graduate with unclassified degrees.
The top-performing graduates are Damilare Adebakin and Samuel Badekale from the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics within the Faculty of Science, both attaining a perfect CGPA of 5.0. They are followed closely by Olamide Emida from the Department of Accounting.
The university will also honour several prominent individuals with honorary degrees, including Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); Fola Adeola, Co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank Plc); and Kolawole Adesina, Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Group.
A convocation lecture titled “Universities as Hubs for Development and Wealth Creation” will be presented by Tayo Aduloju, CEO of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), and chaired by Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, CON, SAN, the former Governor of Lagos State and former Minister of Works.
The convocation celebrations will kick off on January 10 with a Jumat service at the central mosque. Key events include commissioning three significant projects by Pro-Chancellor Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, such as a 120-bed extension at Moremi Hall and a state-of-the-art Learning Commons.
The awarding of degrees and presentation of prizes will take place on January 14 and 16, followed by a long-service award ceremony on January 17. The week will wrap up with a Thanksgiving service on January 19.
Prof. Ogunsola also noted various milestones for 2024, such as the launch of the MED-AFRICA Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Laboratory—the first of its kind in a West African university—the introduction of the Green Air Initiative that will feature eight electric buses, and international collaborations, including research with Bank of America on climate change.
