JABU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo
The Vice Chancellor of the foremost entrepreneurship university in Nigeria, Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo, said on Monday that the institution is set to graduate 467 students from various departments, with 23 graduating with first-class honours.
Fakolujo, who disclosed this during a press conference to herald the 14th convocation ceremony of the school, said 205 of the students graduated with second-class uppers, 172 bagged second-class lowers, 65 with third-class honours, and two people graduated with a pass degree.
The Vice-Chancellor said the best-graduating student for the 2022-2023 academic session, Mary Ayobami Ogunmola of the Department of Computer Science, graduated with a CGPA of 4.89, which is an improvement over last year’s best-graduating student with a CGPA of 4.87.
Fakolujo, who advocated for the inclusion of private university students in the new student loan bill signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, pleaded with the Federal Government to include private universities in the arrangement
According to him, the loan should not be restricted to the federal government-owned universities alone, but he said “efforts are ongoing by the vice chancellors of private universities in that direction to include students of private universities in the arrangement.
“Private universities play significant roles in the country’s higher education landscape by contributing to the development of skilled professionals and fostering innovation and should not be excluded from the scheme.
“As a private university here at JABU, we pay our tax as and when it is due, and our responsibility to the nation is not lacking. So, I can assure you that effort is ongoing in that respect.”
Reeling out programmes for the convocation ceremony, Fakolujo disclosed “that the university is bestowing our highest honours on eminent personalities who have highly distinguished themselves in their respective vocations and services to humanity.”
According to him, “Elder Abiola Popoola, Head of Faculty, CAC Leadership Academy, retired as HR Director, Guinness International.
“He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria. He will be honoured with a doctorate in industrial relations and human resource management (Honoris Causa).
“Also, Pastor Peter Ashade, Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Plc, a leading pan-African investment and financial services institution, will be honoured with a Doctorate in Business Administration (Honoris Causa)
A Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Registered Surveyors and Valuers and Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom, Elder Oluwadare Bello, will be honoured with a Doctorate in Estate Management (Tonoris Causa) during this convocation ceremony.”
He said the 14th Convocation lecture will be delivered on Thursday, December 7, 2023, by Elder Abiola Popoola, Head of Faculty, CAC Leadership Academy, Lagos, at 1:00 p.m. at the school auditorium.
He said the convocation ceremony and the investiture of the Chancellor will also be held at the school auditorium on Friday, December 8, 2023.