Blessing Taiwo
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared a cash gift of N20 million each for the best graduating students of the Lagos State University (LASU) 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 sessions.
The beneficiaries are Ayilara Lawal Olawale (2024/2025 session), who graduated with a 4.96 CGPA in Project Management Technology, and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide (2025/2026 session), who graduated with 4.97 CGPA in Aerospace Engineering.
Sanwo-Olu made the announcement during the 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies of the university, held at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Main Campus, Ojo on Wednesday.
The governor, who described the ceremony as his sixth and final convocation as Visitor to the Lagos State University, said the occasion marked both a celebration of LASU’s achievements and his farewell to the university community.
He acknowledged that the combined convocation is historic, graduating 20,604 students across both sessions, including 494 first-class graduates and 3,383 postgraduates (with 238 PhDs).
He charged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution, Lagos State and Nigeria, urging them to deploy their knowledge, character and courage to solve problems and contribute meaningfully to society.
“Be the proof that a state university can out-think, out-work and out-build any institution anywhere in the world.
“The world you are entering will not ask where you graduated before it asks what you can do. Answer with your competence, your character and your courage — and the world will learn to respect your gown,” he said.
Reflecting on LASU’s growth, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the university, established over 40 years ago by the administration of the late Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande and founded on the vision of making university education accessible to Lagos residents, had since grown into a major university, recording significant achievements in student demand, rankings and research.
He also highlighted infrastructure and educational investments made by his administration, including the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Library Complex, a student union building, investment in student accommodation and additional lecture theatres and halls.
Sanwo-Olu also commended the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, describing her tenure as a period of growth and increased visibility for the institution.
Reeling her achievements in five years, Olatunji-Bello said he grew the university’s internally generated revenue from N3billion to N13billion.
She further said, “in response to emerging global trends, we embarked upon a comprehensive digital revolution of its academic and administrative processes. Today, practically all our processes have been fully digitalized, with LASU fittingly emerging as Nigeria’s Most Digitally Advanced State University at the recent Nigeria Information Technology Awards.
“Under this administration, we executed over 50 infrastructure projects deliberately funded through the different streams: Lagos State Government, the Federal Government, TETFund, private donors, and our Internally Generated Revenue. Because I refused to let this university’s growth depend on any single source of funding. Thanks to your visionary leadership, Mr. Governor, we achieved full residential status, growing our on-campus accommodation to near full capacity.”
At the ceremony, Mr Akin Kekere-Ekun, Mrs Bola Adesola and Alhaji Aliko Dangote were awarded honorary doctorate degrees extolling their impacts in banking, governance and business.
President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, represented by his daughter, Fatimah Dangote, announced a donation of 600 million to the university and job opportunities for first-class graduates in engineering and science.
“I hereby announce a donation through the Aliko Dangote Foundation of 600 million naira as support to this great institution.
”Additionally, all first-class graduates in engineering and science in this graduating class, upon completion of their NYSC, will be given preferential consideration for job opportunities at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Complex,” Dangote declared.
For a better society
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