LASU Convocation: Sanwo-Olu Rewards Two Best Graduates With N20m Each

LASU Convocation: Sanwo-Olu Rewards Two Best Graduates With N20m Each
Olatunji-Bello bows out after five years
Honours Dangote, others

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has rewarded the two best graduating students of Lagos State University (LASU) for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions with N20 million each.

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LASU honours Dangote, others

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the governor announced the cash reward during LASU’s 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies held at the university.

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The beneficiaries are Ayilara Olawale of the Department of Project Management, who emerged as the best graduating student for the 2024/2025 academic session with a 4.96 Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA, and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, who finished as the best graduating student for the 2025/2026 session with a 4.97 CGPA.

Sanwo-Olu, while congratulating the graduating students, described the 20,604 graduates as the largest graduating cohort in the history of the institution.

The graduating class comprises 494 First Class students and 3,383 postgraduate students, including 238 PhD graduates.

The governor said the achievement reflected the growing academic strength and capacity of the university, while urging the graduates to use their knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to society.

Meanwhile, LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, has ended her five-year tenure as the institution’s chief executive.

Delivering her final convocation address at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Ojo, Olatunji-Bello highlighted several achievements recorded during her administration.

She said her tenure was marked by efforts that transformed LASU into “the most subscribed university in Nigeria and the most digitally advanced among its peers.”

Olatunji-Bello assumed office in September 2021 and said she was leaving behind what she described as “a university of proven excellence” after inheriting an institution with “strong potential.”

She identified financial sustainability as one of the key priorities of her administration, noting that the university’s internally generated revenue increased from N3 billion to N13 billion during her tenure.

LASU Convocation: Sanwo-Olu Rewards Two Best Graduates With N20m Each

According to her, the increase was achieved through creative revenue-generation strategies, improved utilisation of internal capacity and the automation of financial processes to reduce leakages.

The outgoing vice-chancellor also disclosed that more than 50 infrastructure projects were completed during her tenure with funding from the Lagos State Government, Federal Government, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, private donors and the university’s internally generated revenue.

She further highlighted a 96 per cent success rate in first-year accreditation exercises as another major achievement of her administration.

LASU honours Dangote, others

The university also conferred honorary doctorate degrees on three distinguished Nigerians during the convocation.

Among the honourees was business mogul Aliko Dangote, who was represented at the ceremony by his daughter, Fatima Dangote.

Dangote was honoured for his contributions to entrepreneurship, industrial development and human capital development.

Other recipients were Akin Kekere-Ekun, who was recognised for his contributions to entrepreneurship, finance and management, and Harriet-Ann Omobola Bola Adesola, former Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, who was honoured for her contributions to corporate finance and governance.

The combined convocation marked another milestone in the history of LASU, with thousands of graduates receiving their degrees and other academic qualifications.