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From Taiwo Ogunniyi, Ilorin
University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) will graduate 16,152 students at its 41st convocation ceremonies, with 365 earning first-class degrees in the 2025/2026 academic session.
Vice-Chancellor of the university, Wahab Egbewole, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing in Ilorin, where he also announced major achievements in research, innovation, infrastructure and academic development.
Egbewole said 11,213 students would receive first degrees, while 4,939 would be awarded higher degrees and diplomas.
Giving a breakdown of the undergraduate results, he said 365 students obtained first-class degrees, 4,367 graduated with second-class upper division, 5,102 earned second-class lower division, 1,006 obtained third-class degrees, while 30 finished with pass degrees.
The graduating class also includes 19 Medicine and Surgery graduates, 89 in Nursing, 73 in Pharmacy, 41 in Optometry, 89 in Physiotherapy and 32 in Veterinary Medicine.
According to the vice-chancellor, the university will also award 160 postgraduate diplomas, 901 master’s degrees, 114 professional master’s degrees, two Master of Philosophy degrees and 251 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, while 3,511 students will graduate from its Centre for Affiliated Institutions.
Beyond conventional academic qualifications, Egbewole disclosed that 8,320 students had completed the university’s U-INSPIRE programme, acquiring additional 21st-century skills through partnerships with 10 industry organisations.
He said the initiative was designed to equip graduates with practical competencies that would enhance their employability and entrepreneurial capacity.
The vice-chancellor also announced that three UNILORIN undergraduates had secured N150 million under the Federal Government’s Students Venture Grant competition, with each receiving N50 million to develop innovative projects.
He described the grants as evidence of the institution’s growing emphasis on entrepreneurship, creativity and the application of knowledge to solving practical problems.
On infrastructure, Egbewole disclosed that the university had secured a N1 billion intervention from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for equipment upgrades in its Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
He said the institution had also expanded its campus transportation system with 12 Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses and 20 electric tricycles to ease movement within the university.
Highlighting other achievements during the 2025/2026 academic session, the vice-chancellor said UNILORIN received a N25 million award from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) at the sixth National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award for its compliance with admission regulations.
The award, he said, was presented by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on May 11, 2026.
He added that 11 academic programmes secured full accreditation following an exercise conducted by the National Universities Commission in November 2025.
In research and scientific development, Egbewole said the university’s Central Research Laboratory had been selected to participate in a national baseline study on lead analysis capacity in Northern Nigeria.
He also disclosed that the Department of Microbiology received scientific equipment valued at approximately N100 million for the XSTAR Project Nigeria.
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According to him, UNILORIN became the first Nigerian university to win the 2025/2026 Responsible Futures Fee Waiver Grant awarded by the International Association of Universities in recognition of its commitment to sustainability.
The vice-chancellor further highlighted the performance of the institution’s graduates in professional examinations, noting that Israel Adekunle Adeniyi emerged as the 2026 Best Graduating Student at the Nigerian Law School, while 15 other UNILORIN graduates obtained first-class results in the Bar Final examinations released in April.
He also announced the emergence of four new Senior Advocates of Nigeria from the university: Adebisi Emmanuel Adeniyi, Adebayo Folorunsho Ologe, Akorede Habeeb Lawal and Mohammed Adelodun.
Egbewole said the institution’s contributions to national development extended to basic education, citing the emergence of its alumnus, Francis Taiwo Solanke, as Nigeria’s 2025 Overall Best Teacher in the primary school category.
He disclosed that the university had strengthened partnerships with local and international institutions, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the University of Karachi in Pakistan, Hainan University in China and the League of Tropical Universities.
The collaborations, he explained, were aimed at expanding research opportunities, professional training, technological innovation and international academic exchange.
He said the achievements were consistent with the university’s Vision 1:10:500 aspiration, which seeks to make UNILORIN Nigeria’s leading university, place it among Africa’s top 10 and secure a position among the world’s top 500 universities.
“Our ambitions require continuity of purpose, evidence-led decisions, responsible stewardship of resources and a collective willingness to keep improving,” he said.
Reflecting on the institution’s progress over the past four years, Egbewole said his administration had focused on strengthening institutional systems, improving facilities, expanding research and innovation, and building partnerships capable of sustaining academic excellence.
“No administration can complete the work of a university in a single tenure; our responsibility is to make a meaningful contribution, leave a stronger platform for those who follow, and preserve the stability and ambition that enable the institution to advance,” he said.
On the convocation programme, the vice-chancellor said activities began with a special Jumat service on October 16 and an interdenominational church service on October 18.
A command performance of the university’s opera production, The Death of the Crown’s Escort, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, at the Performing and Film Arts Theatre, with performances at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The award of degrees to graduands of four-year programmes will take place on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, while those completing five- and six-year programmes will receive their degrees on Friday, October 23.
The convocation lecture, titled “From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership,” will be delivered by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Haja Ramatulai Wurie, on October 23 at 9 a.m.
President Bola Tinubu, the university’s Visitor, is expected to commission a completed project on campus the same day at 2:30 p.m.
The ceremonies will also feature a convocation luncheon and merit awards for deserving staff members, while a thanksgiving service at St Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy on Sunday, October 25, will conclude the programme.
Egbewole urged guests to comply with the university’s arrangements, noting that admission to event venues would be strictly by invitation cards.
He thanked staff, students, parents, alumni, regulatory agencies, partners and the Governing Council for their contributions to the university’s development.
